//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Post Revolution // by SC_Orion //------------------------------// Rainbow shivered in the chilled evening air, the light drizzle of rain doing very little to raise her mood or body temperature. Her hooves continued to press forwards, even as small puddles of water formed on the dirt road. A strong gust of wind tossed her mane about, and served to chill her body further. She ruffled her wings, attempting to generate more warmth, yet failed, as any heat that had been trapped by her feathers was released into the air. She continued onward, despite her saddlebags increasing weight, due to the rain, and weighing her down further. Time seemed to drone on for her as she got closer and closer to the forest where she was believed to be. The roll of thunder cracked in the distance, Rainbow's ears perked up at the sound, knowing that it would signal the storm's start in earnest. She clenched her teeth, the rainstorm was no different from the hundreds of other storms she had experienced, yet things had changed since then. It no longer felt the same. The entire world seemed to notice the difference too, ever since Celestia and Luna had been dethroned, the unicorns who had been moving the sun and moon... The days were shorter, and the nights were longer, and colder. Things had been different... Before it happened... Rainbow pushed the thought aside, she needed to find Twilight- her friend... The Inquisitor made her a 'deal she couldn't refuse.' She snorted, his deal was more blackmail than the promise he claimed it was. The Inquisitor... he had changed... She wasn't sure when, but she knew he had changed... Things never seemed to go according to the plan when he became involved in something. Celestia and Luna could attest to that... She grimaced and forced the thought away, as it brought back memories of simpler times. Rainbow paused when she reached the edge of the forest, and stared blankly down the beaten path. 'Twilight's not... Well, none of them were threats...' Yet the Inquisitor still wanted Princess Twilight Sparkle. Something to do with 'justice' as he called it. His promise to her, that Twilight would be safe and well cared for, should she succeed in bringing her back. Many ponies had tried to locate Twilight after she fled all those years ago... None had succeeded, and few had come close to even finding her. He thought Rainbow, being one of her friends, and fellow bearer of an element of harmony would have a better chance of succeeding where others had failed... Whether he was right or not, she was not sure. Things... Things had changed, during the course of the Revolution... Rainbow hadn't hated the princesses or anything like that, but the Inquisitor... He made so many good points... One night, a panicking Twilight had said the Inquisitor was evil... Nopony believed her, of course... She had been distraught at that, and asked them not to go to that rally... Everypony just ignored her warnings, and Rainbow could still remember the look on Twilight's face as she lit her horn and teleported away. She blinked, and shivered as a slight breeze reminded her that she needed to find Twilight... She lifted a hoof, and started down the path into the forest. As she walked, her eyes constantly scanned her surroundings, it would be dark soon, and Equestria wasn't as peaceful as it had been before... Many animals that once wouldn't have batted an eye at a pony walking by would now flee or attack. Of course, she could handle anything the forest could throw at her. ...It would just slow her down, and that would prove detrimental to her search... She found herself grateful for being inside the forest, the tree canopy blocked most of the rain out, but did little for the temperature. She shivered again, and ruffled her wings unconsciously. Her wet fur did little to keep in any heat, and her drenched mane made the back of her neck cold. She paused for a moment to shake herself off, throwing water droplets in every direction. It didn't completely dry her, but she felt a little better. She resumed walking, and continued scanning her surroundings for any sign of danger, or any place an alicorn might hide. The dying light made her add a place to set up camp to her list of things to look for. A rustling sound came from the bushes to her right, her head shot towards the source of the noise only to see a pair of eyes staring at her. The sight unnerved her, and she cautiously backed away from the bush. The eyes blinked at her retreat, and then disappeared as soon as they appeared. Rainbow let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding, and turned around to continue her search. A few minutes later she came to a stop. A tree had fallen over and was blocking the path, something that wasn't a problem for pegasi like herself. She briefly wondered what had caused it as she flew over the tree, then landed on the other side. The path ahead was turning more rugged, and less traveled as it progressed, getting closer to the rocky dragon lands. She had seen dragons before, of course, and they didn't scare her. Of course that was before. This was now. If relations with the dragons was cool before, they was freezing now. The Inquisitor had plans to attack the dragons, but Equestria hadn't recovered from the last conflict yet. it would take time before they had the strength to be victorious over the dragons. The only thing seemingly preventing the dragons from attacking was Spike. Rainbow smiled briefly, then it disappeared as her thoughts turned to how distant they had all become. She sighed, 'Why is this so hard? I'm a captain for pony's sake! Why am I having all these doubts recently...' She wondered if it was how the Inquisitor was acting... No, that wasn't it... He was acting slightly different... But... Maybe it was something he mentioned briefly? Or maybe it was just taking years for her to come to realize it wasn't an accident. She shook her head, "No. The Inquisitor said it was an accident..." A small part of her mind whispered, 'He's lied before... He'll lie again...' Thunder cracked high above in the sky, reminding her where she was. She shook her head, and pressed forwards, carefully avoiding holes and sticks, lest she make any sound to attract a predator, or injure herself. Most of the animals in this forest were normal, not magical creatures. Some of the scout reports had indicated other, less mundane creatures had started taking up residence here, but not in numbers she would need to worry about. She let the silence, broken only by the sound of the rain calm her nerves. It was calm, and peaceful. If it wasn't for the cold, she would have been fooled into believing that the Revolution had been a dream. But that was- It was too quiet. Rainbow froze mid-stride, all her senses suddenly told her something was wrong. Her eyes darted back and forth, left and right, looking for anything wrong. Nothing... Even before she had crossed the tree, it had been eerily silent, the forest was still... Like it was holding its breath... She winced, 'I should have noticed this sooner...' She should have realized that something was wrong... But she hadn't. She had been too preoccupied, too unfocused... Too lulled into a sense of safety by the calm drizzle of rain... She ruffled her wings, taking note of how wet they were, and realized it would slow her down significantly. She grimaced, but her face froze when she felt she was being watched... By a predator. She remained perfectly still for several seconds, carefully listening for any sound to indicate the presence of something else. Nothing. She cautiously swiveled her ears about, carefully listening in each direction for any sound. She still heard nothing. The pegasus's senses still told her something was wrong, yet her ears and eyes told her there was no immediate threat. She slowly turned her head left, then right, carefully scanning for anything out of the ordinary. Nothing. She looked behind her, carefully, and slowly. Nothing. She looked back forwards. Nothing but trees and bushes. She sighed, and shook her head. She took a step forwards, then paused to look up, then down. Nothing. She looked back behind her one last time, then continued along on her journey much more carefully. The feeling of being watched never truly left her. As seconds turned into minutes, she slowly became more sure of herself. Eventually the feeling of being watched became a background sensation, but it was still there. Eventually, the path disappeared completely, and she had to make her own way. During the course of this, she came across a clearing that was a perfect spot to set up camp for the night, though, ever cautious, she would need a fire to keep predators away. By the time she had her camp set up, and fire blazing, the night had fallen in earnest. The evening had droned on, like it had for several years, due to incompetent unicorns moving the sun. She snorted in annoyance, it had been hard on everypony, in her mind however, pegasi had it the worst, though her heart knew it was untrue. She sat down on her haunches by the fire, and rubbed her hooves together. The warmth of the fire felt wonderful to the still-damp pegasus. She sighed contently as the fire dried her fur out. She unfolded her wings and brought them forwards, so they would be closer to the fire and warm up quicker. The soft glow of the fire banished any weariness concerning predators she had, and lulled her into a sense of security. Despite the sense of safety, she reached a wing over to one of her saddlebags, and opened it to make sure she still had everything. She smiled and closed it, safe in the knowledge she could defend herself should the need arise. She tossed another stick of wood onto the fire, and yawned. She slowly stood up and walked into her tent, she needed her rest, she had a big day tomorrow after all. Rainbow opened her eyes, unsure of what had woken her. She squinted in the darkness, unable to make out anything. The wind caused the nearby bushes to rub against the tent, making scratching noises. "Uggh..." she groaned, and plopped her head back down on her pillow in annoyance. She shut her eyes, attempting to go back to sleep. 'Wait, there aren't any bushes near the tent-' Rainbow's eyes shot open, the pegasus now fully awake and aware of the potential danger she faced. She immediately reached over to her saddlebags- Only for her hoof to grasp at nothing, she looked where her saddlebag should have been, and remembered she had left it outside. She winced at realizing she had no weapons to defend herself from whatever was outside. Other than herself, that is. She smiled in determination, 'Whatever you are... I'll kick your flank into next week for waking up Captain Rainbow Dash!' She pulled herself up, and rustled her wings, getting a feel for how they would respond to her. She smiled, and folded her wings back to her sides. She slowly, and quietly, made her way to the front of the tent. She lifted the flap with a hoof, and stepped out. The blackness of the night was almost disorientating, she grimaced when she realized she let the fire die sometime during the night. She swiveled her ears around, searching for any sound. The scratching had stopped. Something seemed wrong, she could barely see, even with her pegasus eyesight. She slowly made her way to the edge of the tent, and peered around. The growl she was greeted with made her duck back behind the edge. Another growl, this time from behind her. She turned to see another wolf, teeth blared, growling at her. She instinctually took a step back at the sight of the predator. Her eyes darted around the ground, searching for her saddlebags. Movement out of the corner of her eye drew her attention to a third wolf, lunging at her. The same moment she spread her wings to take flight, another wolf hit her from behind, jaw latching around her wing. She clenched her jaw as the wolf tore out feathers and fur, and clamped down. She bucked out with her hind legs, they made solid contact with part of the wolf, it whimpered as it was thrown away. Rainbow bit her tongue as she folded her injured wing to her side, the pain telling her all she needed to know about flying away. The first wolf impacted her, knocking her over into the tent. Rainbow kicked at the wolf's head to prevent it from sinking its teeth into her. Soon another wolf joined the first, and snapped at her neck. She waited for the first wolf to move to the side, then kicked its paws out from under it, sending it to the floor. She quickly jumped up, and swung around on two hooves, and kicked at the other wolf. The wolf yelped as one of her hooves made contact with its muzzle, drawing blood. Rainbow Dash made like her name during the brief lull in battle, and dashed out of the tent. She looked to the sky just in time to see the clouds part just enough for the moon to shine down on the ground, the sight made her smile. She looked around on the ground for her saddlebags. Near a pile of burnt ashes, lying on the grass where she had left it, was her saddlebag. Her smile widened. She stepped forwards, causing a wolf to impact her off center, throwing them both to the ground awkwardly. Rainbow stopped smiling as she landed on her injured wing. She ignored the pain, and shot back up almost immediately. She turned to face the wolf, and put her body closer to the ground, entering a combat stance. While she was focused on the wolf which was sizing her up, another wolf lunged at her from behind, aiming for one of her hooves. Rainbow felt the wolf's teeth sink into her, she immediately jerked her leg out, throwing the wolf away. While Rainbow was distracted by the wolf biting her leg, the one that had tried to tackle her lunged at her again. The wolf impacted her and threw her to the ground. Using its paws, the wolf tried to hold her hooves down. The wolf had the advantage of being on top, one which the other two wolves immediately came to assist. Rainbow bucked out, managing to knock the first one off, and rolled over onto her stomach, then forced herself up. She immediately flared out her wings, ignoring the pain coming from one, and flapped them at the wolves, attempting to frighten them away. The wolves at first seemed to back away, but they quickly realized it was a sign of desperation, and they took turns jumping towards her, then jumping back. Each time one would jump forwards, Rainbow would flap her wings threateningly at it, doing her best to ignore the pain coming from her wing and leg. A sound from behind her drew her attention just in time to buck out her back legs, meeting the wolf that had tackled her square in the chest. The wolf yelped and fell to the side, Rainbow grunted and fell forwards slightly from the impact. The other two wolves saw their opportunity, and lunged forwards at her in unison, Rainbow, having been thrown off balance from defending against one wolf already, was unable to right herself in time. The two wolves tackled her and worked together to hold her down. Her head hit the ground, and it hurt. She had experienced worse, however. She looked around desperately, frantically searching for her saddlebags as she struggled against the two wolves attempting to make a meal out of her. She caught sight of her bags, she disengaged one of her hooves to reach for it. The bag was so close... Yet so far out of reach... She looked back to the wolves. Over the sound of the wolves, she thought she heard something... Something she couldn't quite place. A second later, there was a flash of purple light out of the corner of her eye. The wolf that hadn't been on top of her yelped, immediately the two wolves on her looked up and away from Rainbow in surprise. She used the opportunity wisely, and bucked out at the wolves, throwing them off of her. She reached for her saddlebags, but paused when the two wolves started rushing away from her, she followed their paths to where they lead. She held back a gasp as she saw Twilight approaching the her, in rapid succession, two bolts of magic flew from her horn and impacted both wolves. They immediately and silently fell to the ground, whether dead or unconscious, Rainbow was unsure. The alicorn seemed to look at Rainbow for several seconds, then calmly approached her. Her horn was still lit, and as Twilight approached her, she could tell that the alicorn had grown, a lot. She was easily as tall as Princess Celestia... Her train of thought was replaced by another when their eyes met, Twilight's eyes just screamed bloody murder. Rainbow froze momentarily. When she recovered, her head shot towards her saddlebags. She reached out with a hoof to grab at them. "No." Twilight spoke. Rainbow grunted as a bolt of magic struck her, sending a tingly feeling down her spine. Slowly, she lost all feeling in her hooves, and watched as her hoof fell to the ground. She could still hear the alicorn approaching, but she couldn't move, or even speak. "Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked, her voice sounding more concerned now. Confusion filled the pegasus's mind. The next thing she knew, she was being lifted into the air. Unless her eyes were lying to her, Twilight wasn't using magic to do it. Her head hung lightly towards the ground, she could see Twilight's legs. 'Is... Is she carrying me in her mouth!? How can she be that strong!? Wait... What... What is she-' There was a flash of light, and the ground shifted beneath Twilight's hooves. The green, moonlit grass was replaced by hard, dull grey rock. A short ways away, she saw the mouth of a cave. Twilight started walking towards the cave, Rainbow's heart beat faster as they entered, the darkness, broken only by the glow from Twilight's horn. Rainbow cracked open an eye and groaned, she winced as she stretched out her legs. Almost immediately she remembered what had happened the previous night, she grunted as she tried to pull herself to her hooves. After her second attempt, she slumped back down on the pillow she had been sleeping on. She immediately recognized it as the one she had brought with her, confusion flooded her mind as to what was going on. She looked towards her right, wincing as her neck muscles protested, the rock wall was illuminated by a soft purple glow coming from the other side. The glow seemed to grow brighter as she picked up the sound of approaching hoofsteps. She swallowed in fear, unsure of what would happen now. After a few seconds, the hoofsteps stopped. She turned her head to her left, and caught sight of Twilight staring down at her, horn lit. The sight was intimidating, the alicorn before her was easily twice the height she remembered her as, her horn was easily twice as long as before, and more pointed too. Her wings, spread out wide, were massive, and sleek, graceful and menacing at the same time. Her face was unreadable, seeming to shift between concern and anger. After a few seconds of silence, Twilight slowly folded her wings and spoke, "Rainbow Dash." The voice felt cold to the pegasus, she swallowed. "T-Twilight..." she winced at her stutter. "Are... How are you feeling?" Twilight asked a few seconds later. "Oh... You know... Been through... Worse..." Rainbow winced as she started to pull herself up. "Stop moving." Twilight commanded. Rainbow immediately froze. Neither of them spoke for several seconds, Rainbow regained her composure and spoke first, "What... What happened?" "You were attacked by-" Twilight started, but Rainbow shook her head, wincing as she did so. "No, I mean..." Rainbow slowly motioned one of her uninjured hooves around the cave. "Ah..." Twilight nodded slowly. "I... I was watching you from the moment you entered the forest." Rainbow remembered the sensation of being watched and shivered, whether from the cold, or from Twilight's words, she was unsure. "When the wolves attacked you..." Twilight pursed her lips, "I wasn't sure... I had half the mind to not interfere... But... I... I couldn't..." Twilight sighed, "After I... Intervened... I carried you here." "Yeah... I... I remember that... Why did you... You carried me in your mouth..." Rainbow mumbled. "You could have used your magic..." Twilight nodded, "It was to make a point...." she responded coolly. Rainbow fidgeted beneath the blanket, "Stop moving." Twilight commanded, and again Rainbow immediately froze. Twilight opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. Seconds passed, the only sound coming from Twilight's magic. Twilight broke the silence, "Why are you here?" "I... I was looking for you..." Rainbow answered, looking away from her former friend. "The Inquisitor." Twilight stated with a nod. Rainbow swallowed, she didn't want to answer. "He... He said if I brought you back that he'd make sure you were kept safe... He promised..." Twilight sighed, "Rainbow, he's using you. You... You have to see that... What happened to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna wasn't an accident." Rainbow looked at her, "How would you know, you weren't there!" Twilight's voice cooled further, "I tried to warn you all... You ignored me. I won't blame you for that..." She shook her head, "When I left you... I went straight to the princesses, and warned them... They didn't listen either... They did cast a spell, however... When they died... When they were murdered..." Twilight's voice was becoming agitated, "Their magic cried out to me... I felt it..." Rainbow grew uneasy at Twilight's agitation, and with her horn still lit, she was concerned that she would do something... "Twilight..." "And that's not all... My sister in law, my brother... My niece... I felt that too... How do you think that felt? Knowing that..." She shook her head and sighed. "Their magic cried out to me too. Do tell, was that an accident also?" Rainbow's unease only grew under Twilight's gaze, "It... It wasn't... Supposed to happen... None of that was!" Twilight's voice softened, "Nothing ever did go according to plan when he was involved, did it?" Rainbow mulled over the question, Twilight had a point... But admitting it... She looked away from her, "No..." she reluctantly admitted, feeling as though she had just signed her own death warrant. "His days are numbered." Twilight stated firmly. Rainbow looked back to Twilight with fear, the Twilight she remembered would never say something like that. "Wh... What?" "The Inquisitor will die by my hooves." She glared at Rainbow, "Now, about you..." Rainbow's eyes darted around, looking for a path of escape. She ruffled her wings unconsciously, wincing as she felt pain from her injured wing. She slowly moved to sit up further. "Stop moving." Twilight commanded. Rainbow stopped and gently lowered herself back down to the floor. Twilight could see the fear in Rainbow's eyes, and her expression softened. Rainbow swallowed, "Wh... What happens now?" "You were followed to the woods, there are other ponies here sent by the Inquisitor as well. I can't exactly let you leave, since you know my location." Rainbow's mouth went dry. Twilight shook her head and sighed, "It's... It has been so long... How are the others doing?" Rainbow frowned, "They... They're doing... Okay..." Twilight smiled lightly, "And... What... What about us? We're... We're good, right? Despite our differences?" "What... You mean... You're... You're not going to..." Rainbow blinked. Twilight frowned, "What do... Oh..." Twilight's eyes widened in realization, "Oh... No. No, I am not going to hurt you." "Then... Why do you keep telling me to stop moving..?" Twilight blinked, realizing how that must have looked for Rainbow Dash. "You're injured... Knowing you, you would have hurt yourself more... That's why I stunned you last night..." 'Mostly, anyway.' Rainbow frowned, "Hey! It's been three years, I could have changed you know..." she huffed and crossed her arms. Twilight raised an eyebrow, "Did you?" "Well... Not really..." Rainbow mumbled. Twilight chuckled lightly. "So we're good, right?" "Yeah... I think so..." Rainbow replied absently. Twilight nodded, "I still can't let you leave though." Rainbow grimaced. "It's for your own protection, as well as my own." 'Although, granted, I can defend myself.' Twilight frowned, "And there is the matter of the Inquisitor to deal with..." Twilight looked Rainbow in the eye, "I am going to kill him, Rainbow. Nothing will stand in my way. Nothing, nor any pony... Including you." Rainbow shook her head, wincing as her muscles ached, "You can't! He's too powerful... Don't you think ponies have tried before!? You'll... You'll end up dead..." she ended softly, looking towards the ground. Twilight sighed, "Rainbow, things have changed over the years... I... I'm not the same. Look at me." Rainbow obliged her command, taking in the alicorn's full height, in all her glory. Under Rainbow's gaze, she spread her wings out to their full extent, the pegasus's jaw opened slightly at the majestic sight. The combination of the large, majestic alicorn, and pale purple glow somehow reminded Rainbow of Princess Celestia, yet Twilight seemed to possess something Celestis hadn't, something she couldn't quite place. "I am more than capable of defending myself, and killing the Inquisitor. Once he is dead, Equestria. Is. Mine." she folded her wings to punctuate the statement. Rainbow shivered, "Twilight..?" she asked, fearing her friends intentions. "I'm not evil, Rainbow. The reason I haven't made my move yet, well, two reasons actually. One: I was getting... Acquainted... With my power, and, two: I need the time to be right, Equestria must be open to my return." Rainbow hook her head, "They're no more open now than-" "They are." Twilight stated. "I have not been idling away while here, Rainbow. I have friends in high places, enemies of the Inquisitor. Allies who will help me, if it is needed. Entire nations, species, really, who support me." Twilight paused, and shook her head, "None of that will be necessary. My plan-" "You said it yourself, whenever the Inquisitor is involved, nothing goes to plan..." Twilight turned her back to Rainbow, "He will not survive. I will. And that is all that matters..." "What about us?" Rainbow asked softly. Twilight turned her head back towards her, her expression softening, "Of course you matter. I just..." Rainbow winced as she started to pick herself up. Twilight sharply glared at her, "How many times am I going to have to tell you to stop moving?" Rainbow smiled smugly as she rose to her hooves, despite the pain. "You're gonna have to force me." Twilight's expression became flat, "That can be arranged, you know." she spoke flatly, and pointed a wing to her horn. "You can't force me to stay still if you want me to stay here!" Rainbow shot back defensively. Twilight sighed, "I will cast a healing spell on you, but please, give it a few hours to work before you..." 'Go and hurt yourself more.' Rainbow huffed, "Fine." she sat back down as Twilight turned back towards her, and approached her. Twilight enveloped her within her magic, and she felt tingly all over for a few seconds, then the glow of her magic faded. "We have some catching up to do." Twilight stated. Rainbow nodded in agreement. "So... Captain Rainbow Dash, now, who would've thought?" Rainbow clenched her jaw, "You... You know about that?" Twilight raised an eyebrow, "That you're an officer in Revolution's air force? Yes. I also know that as such, you are sworn to protect the Inquisitor, specifically, against alicorns." Rainbow grit her teeth, "That's not true..." Twilight nodded, then walked over to Rainbow and sat down beside her on her haunches. "Royalty, alicorn, what difference does it make... We both know what is actually implied there." Rainbow said nothing, Twilight sighed. "You do realize the Inquisitor is bad, right?" Rainbow wanted to deny it, but she couldn't. She had believed- they had believed he could improve things... Some areas had improved, others hadn't. "I've been thinking a lot about that lately... More than... I should." Twilight lightly draped a wing around Rainbow, covering her entire body, she winced as Twilight's feathers glanced over her wing. At first, she resisted Twilight's attempts to pull her closer, but eventually she gave up, and let the alicorn pull her to her side. "I believed in him at first too..." Twilight grimaced, "Of course, I did figure it out... But... That's in the past." Twilight looked down towards Rainbow, "I am going to kill him, Rainbow. And you're going to help me." Rainbow knew that suggestion should have made her flinch and shoot away from Twilight, but she didn't. "I can't. I took an oath..." Twilight nodded, "One which you're breaking right now." "I don't care." Rainbow answered. "I couldn't... You're my friend, I don't want you to die..." "You think that by not helping me, you will protect me? Rainbow, it won't. I know you took an oath, I know it means something to you... But remember who you are, who I am, and who we all are. Remember where your loyalty lies." Rainbow mulled the thought over in her head.