//------------------------------// // Chapter 21 // Story: Post Revolution // by SC_Orion //------------------------------// A flash of lavender light broke the dark night, and the crack of magic disrupted the silence. Two soldiers immediately jumped into action, turning to face the intruders. They staggered at the realization of just who had appeared but fought through the shock, leveling their horns on the group. Twilight reacted before the soldiers could cast their spells, her own magic erupting to life. She leveled her horn on the first soldier and released a bolt of magic. The soldier grunted and threw up a barrier around himself. Twilight's spell impacted the barrier with a short, sharp crack, popping the shield like a bubble. The soldier staggered back in pain while his ally retaliated with a spell of his own. Twilight turned her attention to the second soldier and shifted her weight, spreading her hooves out and stabilizing herself, a barrier surged to life around her. The soldier's spell harmlessly collided with her barrier, the only evidence of its impact was a rippling wave rolling over the otherwise untouched sphere of magic. Rainbow Dash collided with the staggered soldier, knocking him to the ground. Twilight cast a glance at them for a split second, then leveled her gaze on the second soldier in time for his next spell to collide with her barrier. She shrugged off the attack and jumped at him. In midflight, after several spells impacted her barrier. She dispersed dispersed her barrier, then landed a swift, firm strike on her target. The soldier grunted and jumped back, only for Twilight to throw him to the ground with her magic, then pin him there. The soldier lashed out at Twilight with his hooves, only to find them enveloped in a lavender aura. The only thing preventing a shrill scream from breaking the silence was Twilight's magic surrounding the stallion's muzzle as she compressed his hooves and the armor surrounding them, crushing them beneath the force of her magic. She tilted her head and watched the pain rolling through the stallion's features, then silenced his cries with her magic. Twilight turned her attention to the other soldier just in time to see Rainbow hit the floor hard. Twilight stood back up to her full height and leveled her gaze on the other soldier as she turned to face him. Rainbow grunted and rolled over onto her stomach, then pounced on the soldier. A spell went wide, then struck the wall. Twilight winced at the spray of fine dust and small pebbles pelting their coats, and she bit her lip at the loud crack, and extended her senses out, making sure nopony else heard it. Rainbow whacked the soldier with her wings, bewildering him from the flutter of fury before slamming her hoof into his throat. The soldier grunted and jumped back. He pressed his hoof into his unarmored throat and wheezed, wobbling ever so subtly from the jarring impact. Rainbow pressed her advantage, jumping forward and swiveling on her hooves, then slamming her hind legs into him, sending him flying back into the wall. The dull thud accompanying the clash of steel on stone made her wince, but she recovered and bucked out at the soldier's chest before he fell to the floor, leaving two sizable dents in his armor and making the stallion pale a few shades lighter than white. Twilight picked the stallion up in her magic, then levitated him over in front of her. The soldier cowered under her harsh gaze but remained silent. She briefly averted her gaze and looked over the pegasus, making sure her friend was unscathed. She nodded to herself, then sharply looked back at the soldier. In the blink of an eye, she sunk her sword into his chest, piercing his armor and body in one single fluid-like motion. She dispersed her magic and unceremoniously dropped the corpse to the floor, then looked both ways down the hallway. She pursed her lips as she turned to face the lone door. She licked her lips, feeling the rising excitement, eagerness, and anticipation of the confrontation. She took a deep breath and spread her wings out. A malicious smile grew upon her lips, and her eyes glistened with joy. She briefly looked away from the door and glanced back at Zenith and Rainbow. "According to my magic, he is still sleeping..." She paused and her voice dropped a few octaves, "I am going to enjoy this..." she growled harshly. She snapped back to the door, then gently prodded it open in her magic. She gazed inside the room, frowning in disgust. She glanced to her right then surged her magic into the air. Lavender magic erupted to life beside her, coalescing into a bright lavender sword. The magic flowed and rippled, distorting the air around it by its very presence. She silently slid into the room, cautiously scanning the interior, all the while, making her way to the right, toward the door which kept her from the focus of her thirst for vengeance. With every step, her nostrils flared. Every second passing only stoked the deep hatred she felt, fanning the flames of the passionate fire that burned within her, demanding his death. She had trouble stopping herself from ripping the door off its hinges as she threw it open, as it was, the door whined and suddered, it would never be able to be shut properly again. Her heart leaped inside her chest, screaming out for her to kill the pony lying in the bed, demanding his blood flow out from countless thousands of wounds, and pleading for her to leave no evidence behind that there had ever been a pony lying in the bed. With great effort, she maintained her composure and took a step into the room. The darkness did little to mask the pony from her vision, and the sight of him made her bare her teeth in disgust. Another step, she scowled, remembering every single slight the pony had done to her. She shivered in anticipation as she drew close to the bed, then slid up beside it. She pictured all the things she could do to the stallion, the countless thousands of deaths she wanted, needed to inflict on him, even knowing he only had one life to take. She shook with barely contained rage and excitement as she stepped away from the bed. A second passed, silence reigned for what felt like an eternity. She grabbed onto the stallion with her magic, putting as much force into it as she could. She ripped the stallion out of the bed, and thrust her sword forward. Before the stallion even had a chance to open his eyes, his chest was impaled by her sword. She smiled, tilted her head, and twisted the sword within him. "How does it feel?" she demanded. "To know all you have done is for naught, that despite all you've done, it's been undone. To know your mortality, your pathetic life is at an end?" she hissed. She violently ripped her sword back and threw the corpse onto the bed. She stood up to her full height, standing triumphantly over the corpse. She grunted and fought back a scream, the peaceful expression adorning his lips made her furious beyond reason. There was a soft beep coming from the corner. Twilight's head shot around to face the source of the beep. The wall exploded outwards. Rainbow and Zenith turned to face what used to be the wall. The force of the explosion threw them into the opposite wall of the hallway. Rainbow cried out in shock and pain as small, sharp shards of rock pelted her coat, some pieces cutting her, and some embedding themselves into her. Zenith faired better, but her barrier still cracked. Rainbow's ears rang, and other than the ringing, there was no sound. She grunted and pushed herself up, ignoring every single tiny bite of pain throughout her body as a result of the explosion. The wall and the room were gone. The wall they had slammed into was thoroughly cracked, but still stood standing. She shivered and pressed her eyes closed. She winced and shuffled over to Zenith. The unicorn was dazed, staring up at the ceiling, slack-jawed, her eyes ever so subtly twitching as she looked over the ceiling. Rainbow grunted and extended a hoof to Zenith. The filly blinked a couple times and closed, then opened her mouth. Rainbow frowned, the ringing still dominating the silence. Zenith tentatively grabbed Rainbow's hoof, then pulled herself up into a sitting position, wincing the whole time. She still stared on in disbelief, then her body heaved a couple times. Zenith covered her mouth with a hoof and winced, she leaned forward and clutched her chest. Rainbow shivered as Zenith pulled her hoof away, noticing a few specks of red. She swallowed and turned around. Dust and debris fell from what used to be the ceiling, which had been replaced with a giant, gaping hole. Moonlight streamed into the area, offering the slightest hints of illumination. Rainbow's breathing quickened, fear gripped her being, the entire room was gone, desolated, as if it was never there- the only evidence anything had been there was the dust and debris. She scurried over to the debris, looking about frantically, searching for the pony she knew had been in the room. Not a trace of anypony remained, not a feather, nor hair, nor a body. She felt like somepony had encased her in concrete, or had trapped her in a small room with no windows and the room had been sealed. She looked around, continuing her frantic search, despite the feeling in the pit of her stomach. She extended her wings out. She winced a little as she flapped them, then hovered in the air. She fought through the pain and soared over to the center of the room. Below, a large hole lead straight down, from what she could tell, the floor below them faired little better than the one she was one. The sinking feeling in her gut doubled, then tripled in intensity. She fought back the bile rising in her throat and turned around. Zenith's mouth was moving, and she looked frantic. The incessant ringing remained dominant. 'No!' The thought commanded all of her attention, and suddenly she found breathing impossible. 'S-she's... NO!' She gritted her teeth and clenched her eyes, then opened her mouth and screamed at the top of her lungs. She felt herself screaming, but was greeted by silence, broken only by the ringing. Zenith took a step back in bewilderment. She screamed for several seconds, then finally, she could scream no more. She desperately sucked in air, then coughed from the dust filling her lungs. Her whole body ached with the cough, and the cough was followed by another, then another. "Rainbow!" Zenith screamed. Rainbow shot around to look at Zenith. A wave of blue flashed across her vision, then everything went dark. Twilight grunted. A wave of pain rolled over her body. She inhaled and recoiled, breathing hurt. Everything hurt. She cracked open an eye. The vast, empty expanse of space greeted her, looking down at her. The lavender hue the night sky held slowly faded. Cold air quickly rushed in over her body. She shivered. Off in the distance, a faint sound she couldn't quite make out broke the silence. She closed her eyes and groaned. She shifted her weight, bringing a throb of sharp pain to the forefront of her mind. She pulled her arm around and nursed her temple with her hoof. More of the faint, distant sounds rang out, accompanying the prior noises. A few seconds passed before silence returned. She opened her eyes, then blinked a couple times. Her moon dominated the sky, staring down at her. The soft light drew a smile to her lips, and the cold night air sapped her energy. She closed her eyes again. The sound returned. She squinted and groaned, the hard stone against her back was familiar, but still uncomfortable. She inhaled. "Twilight." Her breath caught in her throat. She recognized that voice, and many memories rolled through her mind. Warm, sunny days, tea, late night studying, her coronation. She closed her eyes again and slowly shifted her hoof away from her head, then slowly slid it down beside her. She took a deep breath and tried to push herself up, only to wince and groan. She slumped back down against the stone after having barely pushed herself an inch up. She exhaled heavily, then coughed. She opened her eyes and looked up at the white figure standing above her warily. "Twilight..." the figure acknowledged. Twilight snorted and winced, then closed her eyes. "I'm hallucinating... visual and auditory..." she mused. "What else am I hallucinating?" she idly asked, opening her eyes. She scowled up at the white figure and the moon above her. A few seconds passed, and her scowl faded into despair. "I miss you..." The white figure smiled gently, pained. "I am so sorry," she whispered. Twilight grimaced. A few seconds later, another sound, one she recognized, filled the air. Her grimace fell into a neutral line, then her lips reaffirmed her scowl. The sound grew in volume, then a pony clad in dull gray armor appeared in the edge of her vision, followed by several more, close behind him. The white figure glanced back at a soldier, grimaced, then looked back down at Twilight before disappearing, a soldier taking her place, his horn lit threateningly. "Take her," a soldier to her left ordered. Twilight's eyes shot toward him, and she glared at him. The soldier pointedly ignored her. Twilight grunted and shifted her weight. Several of the ponies jumped back, more than one yelping. More ponies took their place, earth ponies, their hooves pressed down painfully hard on her chest, ripping the air from her lungs. Something cold slid down her horn. She shivered and tore her gaze away from the soldier, glancing up at the dull metal around her horn. The large, reinforced doors to the Throne Room opened with deceptive ease, glowing from the magic of the twin soldiers pushing them open. "Move," a soldier commanded. Rainbow's harsh glare shot toward him. She snorted threateningly. His expression hardened. "Ah, there's no need for that treatment, now is there?" a calm, collected voice asked. Rainbow's glare faded, her expression becoming unreadable. She clenched her jaw and turned forward. An all too familiar pony walked down from the throne centered at the end of the room, smiling a deceptively warm smile and wearing a velvety, redish purple robe. To his left stood a large device which she immediately recognized from the massive crystal in its center. Her face paled as her thoughts turned back to Twilight. He studied Rainbow's expression, then glanced at the device. His lips twitched even further upward, then he looked back at Rainbow. "Please do enter," he coaxed. Rainbow glared at him and stood her ground unflinchingly. "Rainbow..." Zenith's voice drew Rainbow's gaze over toward her. The filly looked at her, almost petrified with fear, her eyes constantly shifting between her, the crystal, and the soldiers. Her eyelids drooped, and the bags under her eyes spoke of her exhaustion. She stood close enough that Rainbow could have wrapped her wing around the filly. Rainbow swallowed and glanced at the guards, then tentatively started forward. Zenith scampered along with her, drawing so close to her that their coats touched before the doors were shut behind them. The Inquisitor came to a stop in front of them, his eager eyes looking over Rainbow with a youthful curiosity unbefitting the stallion. He squinted, then tore his gaze away to the filly. "And... who might you be?" Zenith scrunched up her muzzle at him. The Inquisitor rolled his eyes. "Ah, no matter..." he trailed off, turning to the left and walking a few steps before pausing and turning back to face the two ponies. "It certainly took you longer than expected to yield results, but... here we are," he commented. Two soldiers walked in through a back door. He briefly scowled, then turned around to face them. One of them nodded at him, and his smile grew larger than before. He nodded, and the soldiers saluted, then swiveled around and walked back the same way they came from. "It didn't yield results," Rainbow growled. The Inquisitor turned back to Rainbow with a raised eyebrow. "You're here, and Twilight is on her way here as we speak. Disabled..." he trailed off, jumping a little in excitement. He hummed and sighed. "I'll admit, it didn't go completely according to plan, but we were able to salvage it... I do believe that a promotion is in, Captain Dash..." He smirked as Rainbow glared at him. "I suppose I should say General Dash, though, shouldn't I?" "I am NOT helping you!" Rainbow yelled. The Inquisitor remained silent for a few seconds. "Your efforts truly have been invaluable to me. Thanks to you, you brought Twilight out of hiding, and thanks to you, soon, the last alicorn will no longer be a threat." Rainbow bared her teeth and leaped at him, ignoring the chains keeping her hooves together, and the soldier on the other end. The soldier beside her flinched a little, but reacted fast and slammed her to the ground. She grunted and flinched as her jaw hit the marble floor, then wheezed as he threw himself on top of her, knocking the air out of her lungs and pressing her chest into the floor. The Inquisitor frowned. "General Dash, you really shouldn't fight us. We're on the same team..." he trailed off, grimacing. "Though I suppose you wouldn't remember that, would you..." he sighed and shook his head. The double doors behind them squeaked slightly as they swung open. The Inquisitor pursed his lips and turned to look out of the room. His smile slowly returned. "Ah, how nice of you to finally join us..." he greeted. Rainbow's stomach churned with unease at his smile. A second passed, and what sounded like a small army marched into the Throne Room. She tilted her head to the left and looked back, only to immediately regret it. Her heart skipped a beat, and her stomach sunk. She swallowed a quickly growing knot in her throat. "Don't be shy, now, I distinctly remember how friendly and outgoing you were a few years ago," the Inquisitor commented absently, looking off idly in thought. After a few seconds, he turned back to the new arrivals. "I hope she didn't prove to be too much trouble. The last time I dealt with her... she was quite... determined." "She barely resisted," one of the soldiers answered. Rainbow clenched her jaw and looked straight at Twilight. The alicorn's gaze slid over to her and lingered a few seconds, then slowly turned back to the Inquisitor. Her muscles flexed beneath her skin, and for a second, Rainbow didn't think that the chains around her hooves were going to be enough to stop her, however, she never made an attempt to lunge at him. "Well, how pleasant," the Inquisitor acknowledged. He smiled and casually made his way over to Twilight. "Finally decide to surrender? It's far easier on the both of us if you don't resist, but the outcome is the same regardless..." he trailed off, absently looking over Twilight's body. The alicorn glared at him, but remained silent. "Tsk." He slowly turned away and let his gaze fall on Rainbow. He walked a few steps toward her, then turned back toward Twilight. "You really should thank her for you being in this position. She served her purpose of drawing you out... you were just so stubborn, refusing to come out of hiding to be captured... you were such a pain in my side." He slowly shook his head. Twilight's gaze drifted back to Rainbow, and her expression remained hardened. Rainbow shied back from her and bit her lip, hard. The pain from her mouth did little to draw her mind away from the storm raging in her mind, condemning her for the possibility that it was her fault. "You know, I was surprised by how... upset, you were when we fought those few short weeks ago," the Inquisitor said with a short nod. He turned back around to face Twilight. "You were nothing like I had remembered, but I suppose that's to be expected considering that I killed your mentors and your family." Twilight's eyes shot back toward him, her nostrils flared, and her gaze would have pierced through the darkest night, finding her prey, no matter where it would have hidden. "Such hatred... truly, you are Nightmare Moon..." he trailed off, chuckling a little to himself. "You know, having Chaos Magic is one thing, but it... doesn't quite match the feeling of having power over another pony's life..." he mused. "But, I'm sure you're somewhat familiar with that, considering that you're an alicorn, and what you've done over the past three years." "Release Rainbow and Zenith," Twilight commanded in a cold, calculated voice, "and I will be merciful and grant you a swift death." He tilted his head to the side in mock thought. "Well, hmm... I suppose I could release Zenith, but she has committed the crime of treason... And as for Rainbow?" he asked, turning back toward Twilight and smiling. "Not a chance." He paused and paced a few steps back toward Twilight, then passed her before stopping. "Normally, I would say a public execution would be warranted in this case, however, considering just how dangerous you are..." Rainbow's breath caught in her throat. 'Twilight... you were right...' She bared her teeth and fumed. "You said you wouldn't kill her if I helped you bring her back!" The Inquisitor waited a couple seconds, then turned around to face Rainbow. "I did exactly what you wanted!" Twilight's gaze slowly crawled back over to Rainbow, and the pegasus felt the familiar feeling of being stalked by a predator, one who could kill her before she realized she was in danger. She shivered and glanced back at Twilight. The cold, empty look she met made her wince and avert her gaze from the alicorn. The Inquisitor sighed. "I did, didn't I? But... she is too dangerous to let live. She would kill us all if given the chance..." he mused sadly. He strode over in front of Twilight and paused a single hoof away. "The only thing keeping us alive right now is that ring around her horn," he said, turning toward Rainbow. Twilight's expression twisted in a split second, her cold, empty glare being replaced by a malicious smile and ecstasy in her eyes. She channeled magic into her horn, the ring glowed red, then split into two and exploded off from her horn. The two pieces launched across the room, or they would have had two soldiers necks' not stopped them. The soldiers' grunted in shock and fell to their knees, clutching their necks in desperation. A bright lavender glow overwhelmed the soft lighting of the Throne Room, Twilight threw her head down, pointing her horn at the Inquisitor, still looking at Rainbow. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the Inquisitor's lips twitch downward. She bared her teeth and lashed out with her magic, at practically point blank range. A pillar of lavender light erupted from her horn and surged forth, then collided with the Inquisitor's body before he had a chance to react. A gasp came from the stallion before it was cut short, and his body was sent flying, tumbling across the floor before rolling to a stop at the base of the stairs to the throne. Twilight wasted no time, swiveling around on her hooves, despite the chains, which shattered apart from her next spell. She glanced down, then back up. The dozen or so soldiers surrounding her were backing up and had lowered their charged horns at her. She smiled and took a deep, victorious breath, then glared at the soldiers surrounding her. A lavender barrier rippled to life around her, then she glanced at the Inquisitor. She delighted in watching him writhe around on the ground, but she had other matters to attend to first. One of the soldiers coughed. Twilight swiveled around to face him, one of the soldiers guarding Rainbow and Zenith. He held a blade of magic to the base of Rainbow's neck, and another soldier stood beside him, holding a blade of magic to the base of Zenith's neck. "You will surrender. Now," the closer one with the blade of magic to Rainbow's neck commanded. Twilight stood up straighter and flared her wings out. "There are two flaws with your plan there." She glanced at Rainbow, then Zenith. Both of them were deadly silent, looking at her pleadingly, both knowing their lives were at stake, and completely at Twilight's mercy. She glanced back at Rainbow and clenched her jaw, then turned back to the soldier as the pegasus shuddered. "One, you're assuming I would let you get that far. Two, what do you think will happen if you follow through with your idle threat? Your lives are forfeit." she hissed. Both soldiers remained steadfast. "Nopony else has to die," she said, turning around to the other group of soldiers in the room. "The Inquisitor will die, and even though all of you committed treason against the princesses and Equestria, I am willing to forgive that, but this is my only offer for you. Equestria is mine." "Do you... really... think that... it would be... that easy?" Twilight glanced back at the Inquisitor and watched him struggle to rise to his hooves. She smiled at his distress, and more than a few times, he stumbled, nearly collapsing back to the floor. He stood up straight despite his shaking legs. "You're in no position to stop me," Twilight warned, turning to face him. "So why don't you lay back down, and die," she growled. The Inquisitor grunted and levitated a small dagger out from his robe. He glanced at the dagger, then brought it closer to his muzzle, pointing it straight at Twilight. He took a shaky breath, and then clenched his eyes, baring his teeth. The aura surrounding his horn warped and twisted, darkening as he summoned his Chaos Magic. He opened his eyes and scowled at Twilight, though remained still. Twilight slowly glanced at the two soldiers in place behind Zenith and Rainbow, shooting them glares. "You outnumber me, but do you really want to challenge an alicorn?" she growled. "Your leader was able to kill four alicorns. Two of them were thousands of years old, one of them was a foal who happened to be my niece. I am going to say two things, one: none of them were me. I've survived his every attempt to kill me, and I just defeated your magic suppression ring with hardly any effort. Do you really think that you pose a threat to me? Two: do you really want to keep that stallion in power?" The two soldiers exchanged an uneasy look, but both remained silent. "You know, I'm the Princess of Friendship. Do you want to find out what happens to ponies who hurt or kill my friends? On top of that, he has told everypony that I am a threat, and he is not wrong, I am a threat to him, but look at what he has done to Equestria. I will undo what he has done, but if you wish to support a tyrant, then I have no problem with killing all of you, however, if you actually care about Equestria, if you actually meant the oath you took to defend Equestria, then you will stand down, and swear fealty to me." The two soldiers' gazes drifted passed Twilight, surveying the other soldiers, all of whom were just as unsure as they, before eventually settling back on Twilight. "You know what he is responsible for." The soldier with the blade to Zenith's neck grimaced and shifted his weight, standing up straighter. A couple seconds passed, and he released his sword, then stepped back. The soldier over Rainbow watched him out of the corner of his eye and scowled, then stepped back from Rainbow and released his blade. Zenith and Rainbow slowly, cautiously stood up, eyes darting about, scanning the soldiers, and occasionally glancing back at the two soldiers nearest to them. Twilight smiled slightly and nodded her head. "Thank you." She turned back toward the base of stairs to the throne, where the Inquisitor stood. Her smile widened and she started off toward him, sauntering across the room at a slow, relaxed pace. "It's over, you've lost. How does it feel, to know everything you've done has amounted to nothing? That you failed?" As she approached him, she wrapped her magic into the air beside her until the air burned brightly, forming a blade of magic glowing bright lavender, with the center glowing almost pure white. She held the magic close, and her smile widened with every step as she drew closer, yet the Inquisitor held his ground undauntedly. "And yet, I've already won," the Inquisitor's calm and even voice spoke. Twilight paused, her gaze sweeping over toward the source of the sound. Her smile faded. Her eyes darted back over toward the pony standing at the base of the stairs, then back to the Inquisitor, holding his hoof over a large, prominent button on the metal casing surrounding the base of the large crystal. "Nice speech, but did you really think I was just going to stand there and let you finish it?" Twilight bared her teeth, then teleported. Without missing a beat, as soon as she appeared beside the Inquisitor, she swung her blade in a wide arc, cutting through the crystal. A dull hum rang out through the room. The Inquisitor grunted and jumped back. A second later, Twilight pounced at him, jumping into the air and flaring her wings out. The Inquisitor readied two blades of Chaos Magic and braced himself, scurrying back to prevent Twilight from landing directly on top of him. In midflight, the crystal behind Twilight exploded behind her, sending sharp shards of crystal outward, pelting her coat. She ignored it, and as soon as she landed, she pressed the attack, swinging her blade at the Inquisitor furiously. He matched her swipe for swipe with his two blades, effectively parrying her attacks and deflecting her thrusts. Magic clashed against magic, sending sparks flying through the air each time their blades met one another. Twilight steadily advanced and forged another blade. The Inquisitor soon found himself protecting himself with a blue-violet barrier which screeched every time one of Twilight's strikes penetrated his blades' defense. His barrier shuddered with every strike, then buckled before shattering. He gasped in surprise, Twilight's blade passing through what used to be his barrier, then sliding cleanly through his horn, lobbing it off. A haunting, primal screem was torn from his throat as he recoiled with pain. The Chaos Magic surrounding his horn immediately faded, and his blades disappeared. A shockwave of Chaos Magic erupted out from the base of his horn, and a pillar of magic shot into the air, then started coalescing into a familiar shape, which soon took on familiar shades. Twilight smiled then grabbed the Inquisitor with her magic by the throat as soon as his scream faded. Without wasting any time, she lifted him into the air and held him at eye height. She levitated one of her swords around, then drew it back. She cocked her head to the side, then bared her teeth and plunged her blade into his chest. His jaw fell open in shock and his head slumped forward, his eyes growing dull. Twilight felt a wave of calmness roll over her. She closed her eyes and dispelled her blades, then dropped the Inquisitor's body to the floor. She idly lifted her left hoof back to her neck, then pulled it back and looked it over. She grimaced and shook her head, then took a deep breath and surveyed the Throne Room. "I had halfway expected you to make it slow and painful, Princess," Discord mused. Twilight's expression faltered, slowly falling from elation to sorrowful. "I... would have liked to, but... I am not a monster." She turned to the Spirit of Chaos. He offered her a reassuring smile. Twilight shook her head and started off, walking back over toward the two ponies which had originally accompanied her. She cast her gaze about at the soldiers standing around, watching her uncomfortably. "See to it that the Council is assembled and that the garrison is informed that the Inquisitor is dead. Equestria and her subjugated states are now mine. Recall any soldiers currently participating in any invasions of foreign nations, and make sure they are informed that I have returned. Right now there is a lot of work to be done, and I expect your fealty. If you do not want to remain in the guard, I will not force you to, however, if any attempt it made on the life of one of the ponies under my protection, or myself, I will not be happy. Dismissed," she rambled off absently, her voice even and lacking energy. The soldiers glanced around at each other unsurely. After a few seconds, they slowly started to file out of the Throne Room. After they all left, Twilight turned her attention to the two remaining pony occupants beside herself. She slowly walked over to them. "Girls," she acknowledged. "Twilight..." they both acknowledged. Twilight smiled weakly, then closed the gap between them and enveloped them in her wings. She sat down on her haunches and pulled them close, then nuzzled the both of them. "I-I feel... like I should say something, important... but..." she trailed off, snorting and shaking her head. Rainbow wrapped her arms around Twilight and nuzzled her. "Hey, it's okay, you did it, you don't need to do anything more than that." Twilight grimaced and lifted her head back up. "Well... I need to get things back in order... and..." shetrailed off. "Thank you, for everything. Both of you... I..." she trailed off, swallowing and licking her lips. Zenith and Rainbow looked up at her patiently. "Thank you for being here for me, if... you weren't..." she trailed off, grimacing. Rainbow slowly looked away from Twilight, then lowered her head and let her forehead fall against Twilight's chest. "I... I'm sorry that... he used me, Twilight..." Twilight snorted and smiled, wrapping an arm around Rainbow's withers. "I've already forgiven you for that, Rainbow. I can't hold that against you, he fooled all of us, just... some of us more than others." Rainbow pulled back, looking up at Twilight unsurely and just barely retaining her composure. "But... you almost died at least twice because of me!" She closed her eyes and hung her head once more. "And... what if he wasn't lying, and... it actually w-was... my idea, t-to... do this..." "Rainbow, his power came from his ability to manipulate," Twilight stated firmly. "He tried to manipulate me when he called me Nightmare Moon, when he admitted to being responsible... for their... deaths..." she trailed off. Rainbow hesitantly nodded. Twilight smiled as Rainbow pulled back from her, then she looked over at Zenith, scrutinizing her body, then looking back at Rainbow and looking her over. "It's... been a long night, and... an even longer three years. I... have things I need to take care of, but... they can wait for another day... In the mean time, it is my duty as princess to take care of you." She paused and pursed her lips, then sighed. "Would... you rather stay with me, or would you rather go back to be with the rest of the girls? Either way, I promise that you will be safe. I... would appreciate it if you would both stay with me, but... if you want to go back, I understand. I do have a lot to do, but I'd really rather rest for right no, getting blown up isn't very fun." "I'll stay," Rainbow answered. "You could probably use the company after all that..." Zenith nodded in agreement. Twilight smiled. "I would appreciate the company."