The morning sun had barely crept past the horizon, its orange rays attempting to reach out toward the earth below as the frosted wind cut through everycreatures coat. Today was the final day of the expedition. Everyone had packed up, resupplied, and regrouped.
Iron Clad and his ponies had just finished their wagon's inspection before Prince Rutherford had stomped over to the expedition, towing a massive amount of supplies.
But it was not just supplies for the group; it was gifts. Gifts for Twilight, Yona, and The Empire. Yona was gifted her very own helmet with horns, Twilight a thick wool coat made of Rutherford's own wool and for Cadance, and Shining Armor was a chest of the Kingdom's finest silks and jewels. And, of course, booze.
Twilight did her best not to make a strange face at the fact the coat was made of the Prince's wool. It was a nice thought, but it was still a little... bizarre to know which yak it came from.
Rarity fawned over the lavish gifts, completely taken aback by the jewels. Spike couldn't help but sneak one as a snack.
Starlight quietly tracked all their equipment, supplies, and gifts, seeming to stay away from the eyes of the ponies. Trying her best not to be noticed. Thorax, however, was a little more enthusiastic about the whole ordeal.
"Oooooh, I love the helmet, Yona; I wonder if I could get a helmet like that one day..." Pinkie sighed, daydreaming of such a thing.
"Maybe, pink pony will have to prove her worth first," Yona replied.
"Don't think Shining would mind if I had some of that booze?" Rainbow Dash whispered to Twilight, who rolled her eyes.
Fluttershy was petting one of the wild rabbits, saying goodbye to all the little creatures she had met during their stay, "I think I will miss it here, although I won't miss the cold."
"Maybe we can visit sometime?" Pinkie offered.
The bug happily trotted around Trixie as he chanted, "We're going to Griffonia, we're going to Griffonia! I bet Griffins are awesome; I heard they're feathery and fuzzy! That's so interesting!"
Trixie rolled her eyes and snorted at Thorax's remark. "Pffft, they may be feathery and fuzzy and all, but they're penny-pinchers; I could barely even get a single bit the one time I performed for a griffin bar..."
She then corrected herself, trying not to diminish his enthusiasm, "But... they're probably not all bad."
Starlight quietly trotted over to Twilight as she handed a clipboard to the princess, presenting a detailed list of all their supplies.
"We have a few weeks of food, a month and a half once the guards return to Shining Armor's command," she said firmly before attempting to trot away.
The alicorn took a look at what was cataloged, nodding in approval. "That's perfect; hopefully, we won't need to use all these supplies before we reach our next destination."
As the mare trotted away, Twilight called out, "Um, hey! Uhhh.... good job?" She offered somewhat awkwardly, trying her best to be friendly with the unicorn. "And thanks for doing it; you didn't have to. I... understand that things might be a little weird for a while, but I just want to let you know that things will work out."
Starlight offered a small smile to Twilight, ".... thanks, even if we aren't friends by the end of this. I hope I can at least earn your respect… as an equal, as a decent pony." And with that, she trotted to the back of the wagon train.
Thorax quickly buzzed around as he excitedly took to the skies, eagerly scanning the horizon as he quickly landed by Rainbow Dash, trotting frantically in place.
"I heard you know about Griffin's, and you been to Griffinstone; what's it like? What are Griffin's like? Which half is the bird and which half is the lion?" bombarded Thorax.
Rainbow Dash cocked a brow as she considered the changeling; her first instinct was to rebuke him. She didn't have to be nice to him just because he was tagging along! But his genuine curiosity and eagerness made her hesitate to be mean.
"Er... well, the bird half is the head and front hooves, and the lion half is the back. And they have wings... how do you not know this?" Rainbow tilted her head, not sure what to make of him.
Thorax chuckled, "I've been part of a hive for most of my life; the only time I'd seen anything besides a changeling was the Canterlot invasion and my time in the Crystal City. Changelings aren't exactly invested in spreading the message of friendship with other species."
Thorax buzzed his wings as he happily continued conversing with his former enemy, "Gosh, I can't wait for you and your friends to fill me in on all the juicy details about your adventures."
Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes, getting into his face, "I don't know what you've been told, but we're not going to be best friends now, and I'm not going to tell you everything I know about my friends. You're a changeling; maybe this is all a ruse!"
Thorax narrowed his eyes into a relaxed expression before he chuckled, then erupted into laughter, patting Rainbow's back with his hoof, "Yeah… sure, that's what they ALL say." feeling confident having breaking the ice between him, Trixie, and Starlight. This would go without a snich.
Rainbow cringed away from the contact, using her wing to brush him off.
Pinkie Pie plonked over, having noticed the tension brewing in the conversation. "Aw, c'mon, Dashie, Thorax is nice! He's just curious, is all."
"Yeah, whatever..." Rainbow sniffed, wings flapping in the air. "Pinkie will probably tell you everything anyways."
"Ooooh, great idea, Dashie! What do you want to hear about first, defeating Nightmare Moon or Discord? Oooh, maybe Tirek? That's a doozy!"
He'd quickly fixate his attention on Pinkie Pie, "I don't know who those people are, but I'm ready for a story or two!"
"Oooh, well, we should definitely start with Nightmare Moon first; otherwise, none of the other stories will make sense... okay, so, first when I met Twilight, I was like--" She began to inhale deeply, preparing for a gasp.
"Pinkie, I don't think now is the best moment to start storytime." Twilight cut in, "We still have to make sure everything is ready."
"Aw... not even one little story?" whined Pinkie.
Applejack trotted over as she tugged one of the wagons along, "The stallions are ready to move out, Twilight; they're locked in and ready to go!"
Thorax looked to over Twilight, "Princess, why don't Pinkie Pie and I just wait in the wagons, and she can tell me her story?"
Twilight sighed, "Oh, alright, you two go and chat in the wagon."
"Yaaaay!! C'mon, Thorax, I'll tell you everything!" Pinkie grabbed the changeling's hoof, dragging him along. From a distance, Trixie narrowed her eyes, feeling a tinge of jealously, and promptly tagged along.
Thorax quickly beamed at Trixie, "Oh, you can finally tell me about that time you had that magic amulet with Pinkie Pie to tell her side of the story too!"
Pinkie Pie made a face as Trixie chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her neck. "Ehehehe, well, we don't have to talk about that..."
"Well, I suppose it's time to go..." Twilight murmured before turning to Yona, "Are you ready?"
"Um... can Yona say goodbye to mama and papa before we leave?" she asked softly, turning back to face her village.
"Of course," Twilight nodded.
She didn't hesitate after Twilight gave her the go-ahead, charging forward toward the village and darting straight to her home to say goodbye one last time. Yona burst through the door to see her mother and father having coffee.
Yasamin and Äiti quickly thundered toward Yona as they quickly embraced their daughter in an iron bind, "Yona, you aren't getting cold hooves, are you!?" sniffled Yasamin.
"We aren't mad, Yona; we let you go on your Förkörsrätt and fully support you!" sobbed her mother.
Yona shook her head, "No, Yona is not giving up. Yona, just... she..." The young heifer sniffed before embracing her mother and father, pulling them both into a hug. "Yona is going to miss mama and papa!!"
Yona wailed, unable to hold back her tears, pressing her face into her mother's chest.
Äiti soothed her daughter as Yasamin gently pulled her to him, "Yona put on a brave face in front of the council; now Yona has to put on a brave face for Yona and us!"
"You need to be brave! You need to be strong! Do not cry because you are leaving Yona. Smile because you are making history! Yakyakistan is Proud!" proclaimed Yasamin.
"WE are proud," He'd pulled Äiti to him as they gave Yona a prideful smile.
Yona sniffed and wiped away her tears, nodding as she clenched her cloak, trying to look tough for her parents.
"Y-Yona promise to be strong, Yona promise to make Yak history, and make parents even prouder." Nuzzling them one last time, she sniffled and nodded, giving them a large smile.
"Yona will miss you..." She turned to the door, "Yona will always think of mama and papa."
"We love Yona, and we will think of Yona always…" smiled Äiti.
Starlight quietly stared over the horizon as she scribbled away at her copy of the cutie map. Scanning the vast landmass of Griffonia, she couldn't believe she was going to stalk Twilight across multiple continents at one point.
She smiled, chuckling to herself. If she could motivate herself to do all that for the wrong thing, what was stopping her from doing the opposite? Besides, she had ambition now; she had friends and a student that depended on her.
This wasn't just an opportunity to reform, but an obligation to do the right thing and Starlight was okay with her freedom of choice being stripped away. All things considered, she deserved worse.
The unicorn quietly stared across the seemingly endless mountain ranges and peaks as the past week replayed in her mind; the hardship, the misery, and the struggle that all ended in a lukewarm conclusion.
A part of her wishes there was some sort of final conflict or battle that would've proved her superiority or her downfall. But instead, she got none of those things and a second chance to boot from just about everypony she wronged.
It was wholly baffling to her; she couldn't understand what made her of all ponies redeemable in the eyes of Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Trixie, and Thorax. But maybe she didn't need to understand; perhaps she should just accept what it was instead of thinking too deeply about it.
Slowly from behind, Twilight Sparkle approached the lone unicorn, a curious expression on her face. She trotted up, looking over her shoulder to peek at what she was doing.
"We're about to move out.....That's very accurate note-taking; I assume you copied that from my old castle, right?" The alicorn smirked, remembering that the castle was long gone now. Frankly, she didn't have any sore feelings about the place. It rarely felt like home when she had lived there.
"Yes, it was very hard to copy a map so detailed in so little time…" Starlight chuckled as she slowly turned over to Twilight, "If I may ask, what was the hardest challenge you ever faced, Princess Twilight? Was it Trixie? Discord's chaos magic? The invasion of Canterlot? Nightmare Moon's last terror on Equestria? Tirek?"
"Please, call me Twilight; I'm not much for titles..." Twilight chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck, "Well... honestly, they were all a challenge, but I think that Discord was the one that gave me the most trouble. He truly made me think my friends had turned against me, although now that I think about it, it should have been obvious it was a spell on them... why do you ask?"
"I'm a strategist, Twilight; I like to see where I failed so I can improve. I've read all accounts and records of your battles, studied your magic forms, and even studied more advanced combat spells because I knew you focused more on supportive and practical magic," Starlight sighed, "It doesn't matter now; I just… can't believe I lost like this."
Twilight cocked a brow, listening to everything Starlight said carefully, "So, you just want to learn? Honestly, I can understand that... I used to have such a terrible fear of failing."
"But, maybe don't consider this a loss. Consider it... a new beginning." Twilight smiled optimistically.
"Mm…" Starlight slowly nodded as she stared off at the horizon once more, enjoying the peace between the two as the wind accompanied them.
"I guess friendship really is magic, huh?" Starlight said dryly.
"Ugh, when ponies say it out loud, it sounds a little silly doesn't it?" Twilight snickered, pressing a hoof to her lips.
"But... it really is. Even if it's a little cheesy," the alicorn sighed contently, breathing in the cool, crisp air. "You don't need to worry, Starlight; everything will work out."
Starlight chuckled, "Yeah, it really is cheesy... I think what I really want is to be remembered. I know it's narcissistic, but… My greatest fear is being forgotten. I did this for my village, sure, but some part of me wanted to be remembered even if I was defeated."
She'd continue, "I wanted so badly to win or go out with a blaze of glory that the fact I'm even talking to you right now as your… assistant is so surreal."
"Well, that's a pervasive fear, Starlight. Nocreature wants to be forgotten to the addles of time." Twilight nodded understandingly, "I know I wouldn't want to be either..."
"Starlight, you're not my... assistant. You're my..." she hesitated to call her friend, "... Acquaintance. You're not an underling or anything like that."
Starlight slowly turned over to Twilight as she gave her a worn, tired expression, "It's all semantics; in the end, history will decide whether we are worthy of reverence or revilement. Friend, acquaintance, begrudging ally, it doesn't matter as long as our objective is fulfilled, right?" she spoke rather coldly.
Twilight raised her brow, unsure how to take what Starlight had just said, "Starlight... the history books may have a different view of you, but you can prove yourself to be a good pony to others and be their friends if you want to try. It's all up to you, nopony else," Twilight replied.
"I'm not going to say it's going to be easy, but I know you can do it. You're smart, clever, and determined to whatever you put your mind to..." She gestured to herself as an example somewhat smugly.
Starlight rolled her eyes as a smile slowly crept on her face, "Yeah…so what's next?"