Remembering Harmony

by milesprower06

Who We Remember

Princess Twilight's chariot dipped below the clouds, and the just over two dozen structures that made up the village of Foal's Peak came into view. The scene was quite different than when she had first seen it months ago, with the columns of smoke rising against the horizon. Even from up here, she could tell that the village was all but abandoned, but at least now, there weren't fresh corpses on the streets.

The chariot came down into the center of town, and she got out and looked around, as two of the assigned E.U.P. guards came up to greet her. Two distinct campsites had been set up in this central clearing; one was a pair of two-pony tents, in the standard E.U.P. procedure, and another single pony tent on the other side.

Some signs of the attack had remained, but some of the buildings had begun to be carefully dismantled, starting from the top. She also noticed that wooden markers with tied scarlet ribbons had been placed at the spots where ponies had fallen. A late summer's worth of rainfall had washed most of the bloodied dirt away.

"Princess Twilight, Your Highness." The E.U.P. lieutenant greeted, coming up and saluting, standing at attention.

"At ease, Lieutenant. I'm here to see Glitter Drops." Twilight replied.

"She's down the path to the north, Princess. She's been more or less directing the de-construction of the buildings here since she got here. Just as well, if they're left unoccupied through the autumn rain and winter, it'll be more hazardous to clean up."

"Thank you, Lieutenant. As you were." Twilight told him, and headed north down the street. The path climbed a hill and the empty buildings soon gave way to hills and pine trees.

It was almost surreal, being back here so soon, remembering the fiery emotions and power that had enveloped and overwhelmed her three months ago.

The dirt path curved slightly to the left, and Twilight saw that most of the signs of her battle with Tempest were still here. Bits of limestone still littered the path , and trees got more bare as she closed in on the cave, before blasted tree trunks took over. There, at the center of the enlarged clearing, in front of the mound of limestone, was an aqua-coated unicorn, sitting in front of another simple wooden grave marker that had been staked in front of the collapsed mountain.

"Um, excuse me?" Twilight said softly to get the pony's attention. The mare turned to her, with tears pricking her eyelids, and she quickly wiped them away and stood to face the alicorn.

"Glitter Drops, I assume?" Twilight asked, coming up to her. She nodded.

"Head of the Crystal Empire Arctic Patrol, Your Highness. Foal's Peak was my hometown, and I've taken a prolonged leave of absence to put it properly to rest."

The unicorn mare's eyes were a rich violet, and her mane and tail were a light grayish blue, and they were nearly as poofy and bouncy as Pinkie's had been.

"The town is back that way," Twilight said, pointing a hoof back down the path. "So I can only guess that you know what happened here."

Glitter glanced back at the marker that she had staked in the dirt, and slowly nodded at the Princess.

"She was my friend. Back before she ran away 15 years ago. It was the last I ever saw of her, before she started appearing on the front page of every Equestrian newspaper for a month." Glitter replied.

Twilight began to connect some of the dots.

"So you were one of the ones who abandoned Tempest after she lost her horn?" She asked, remembering what she had been told on her airship. "You think it's a good idea to memorialize the killer a quarter mile from her victims? Not to mention the thousands over on the coast?" Twilight asked incredulously.

The unicorn visibly bristled momentarily with anger.

"Her name was Fizzlepop, Princess. And I'm not sure what you think you know about me, but I'm not remembering what she turned into. I'm remembering the friend she used to be." The unicorn said defiantly.

"Do you have any idea what she took from me? What she took from everypony else? All the lives she ended?" Twilight asked, feeling her anger rise.

"Yes, I do. The imminent opening of the memorial in Canterlot has been news for a week. If I've read the articles correctly, the throne room memorial has been done just as you requested, down to the letter." Glitter Drops replied without hesitation. "What if you couldn't? Would you like it if somepony dictated how you should remember your friends?"

Twilight didn't respond.

"Then with respect, Your Highness, please don't tell me how I should remember mine." Glitter said, her lips beginning to tremble, tears threatening the corners of her eyes again as she turned back to the marker, using her magic to start to push back some of the crumbled limestone, making the clearing a bit more presentable.

Knowing that saying what was on the tip of her tongue wouldn't be very Princessly, Twilight seethed as she forced herself to turn around and trot back down the path she came. Foal's Peak soon came back into view through the trees, and Twilight descended the hills into the village, returning to the center of the village, where the four E.U.P. guards and two chariot drivers were waiting, coming to attention the moment they saw her.

"Gentlecolts, the four of you are done here. Pack up, and return to Canterlot at whatever pace you deem reasonable." Twilight commanded as she walked around to the back of the open-air chariot and stepped in.

"And what of Miss Glitter Drops, Your Highness?" The commanding Lieutenant asked as his three subordinates immediately set to breaking down their tents.

"If this path is truly one she is committed to, then she'll walk it alone." Twilight responded, nodding to her pair of drivers, who immediately broke into a gallop and ascended to the late afternoon sky, heading northwest back towards Ponyville.

Comments

[Undeadking243]

"If this path is truly one she is committed to, then she'll walk it alone." Twilight responded, nodding to her pair of drivers, who immediately broke into a gallop and ascended to the late afternoon sky, heading northwest back towards Ponyville.

I realize that Twilight is justifiably angry but she is not being very Princess of Friendshippy right now.
*Yes this sentence is confusing.*

[The Ohvist]

9982858
Her heart is one that is starting to harden to the world around her: her family, her friends, and even her only Son were all taken away from her by the Storm Kings' invasion well long before the ravages of time and Alicorn immortality ever could get the chance to do it, and it all happened in the scope of a single day...

[PearlyDoesStuff]

Get bent, Glitter Drops. We don't remember murder psychos no matter what they were before they went psychotic.

That justification is also so flimsy it hurts. "I'm remembering who she was!"
> so close to a site of one of her atrocities.
Fucking wow.