Anon03/19/26, 18:33No.43115980
> "[Thistle, wake up!]"
> A hand shook her rather needlessly, since the whispered words were enough to dispel the uneasy, dreamless slumber. She shot bolt upright, blinking at the early morning light shining in her eyes through the open tent flap.
"[I'm up! I'm up! What's wrong?]"
> The dim blur resolved itself into Willow, who pointed out through the tent opening. "[They are back!]"
> Thistle didn't need to look at the sky to guess the night was over. Eight hours had passed since Luna and her escort had left for the nomad world. At least eight hours. A full year in the other world.
> It was probably good news!
> She jumped to her hooves and nearly darted out of the tent, but remembered just in time. Her spare set of spectacles were by the cot, leaning against her pack. She put them on with practiced, unthinking ease, then pushed past Willow's legs into the green, sunlit clearing, abuzz with ponies.
> The company looked rather worse for wear. The thestral guard, once so pristine, looked scruffy. Manes were long, and there were a few beards. She saw chipped and ragged hooves, and uneven, shaggy coats. One mare seemed to have a rip in her wing, noticeable even when it was folded up against her side! It made Thistle wince. That must have hurt.
> All of them had had spears strapped to their saddle bags when they left, but that was no longer true.
> One stallion had an eyepatch, and just looking at it made Thistle shudder in sympathy. Perhaps the only consolation was that no one seemed to be missing.
> Her breath caught at the thought and she scanned the crowd. Hisein was there, still on the gelding. He had a beard, too, and his clothes looked like they'd seen better days. His face was darker, and she thought she saw a few gray hairs in there.
> Luna was completely unchanged, of course, but both her peytral and her crown were absent. If anything, she looked relieved to be back, and her eyes widened when she saw Thistle.
> "[It is good to see you again!]" she said in perfect nomad.
> Temir and Willow exchanged glances, and for a moment it was profoundly strange to hear the Princess speak the rough, guttural dialect so perfectly, but Thistle reminded herself that it had been a year for the away party.
> There was only one thing missing. She hadn't noticed it until now, maybe because she didn't want to admit it to herself. Didn't want to give in to despair.
"W-Where is Rainy Day? On no, is she d- d-"
> She couldn't say the word.
> At the sound of her Equestrian words, Luna switched languages smoothly and shook her head. "No. She is well."
"Then where?"
> Hisein's gelding walked closer and he said: "The little pony decided to stay."