//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5 
// Story: Post Revolution 
// by SC_Orion 
//------------------------------//

	Twilight, Rainbow, and Zenith all walked through Canterlot, the former two disguised by a simple transfiguration spell, the work of Twilight, while Zenith remained undisguised. Princess Twilight Sparkle walking in Canterlot would have drawn too much attention, as would have Captain Rainbow Dash, so Twilight used her magic to change their appearance so they would not draw attention. Twilight had shrunk her body size to back when she was a unicorn, and hidden her wings. Her horn was still larger than normal, but only slightly. Her coat remained the same color, but she had made her mane and tail cyan blue. Rainbow Dash looked mostly the same, except her mane and tail were now purple, the same shade as originally in her mane.


Twilight did not like this spell. Using it to hide her wings physically hurt, and the body she was in was unfamiliar to her, and not designed to house her abilities. "I hate this." she mumbled.


Zenith glanced to Twilight, then returned to looking about the street they were walking on. The sides of the street were lined with shops and cafes, the sheer number was overwhelming for her. It was about half an hour after the sun broke the horizon, and everywhere she looked ponies, mostly unicorns, darted about, going about their business, and for the most part ignoring each other. Occasionally she would spot two ponies talking, but her attention was drawn to the guards patrolling the streets. There was easily a dozen guards on this street alone, their dull, light grey and black armor made them easy to spot among the brightly colored crowds.


Rainbow turned to Twilight, who was scowling. "You used this spell before and you didn't complain about it then?"


Twilight glanced to Rainbow, then returned her gaze to the nearest patrol, two ponies, both unicorns. She could easily spot the retractable blades mounted on their hooves, front and back, along with the blue, diamond shaped gem set in the breastplate, which was used to amplify a unicorn's abilities beyond normal. She watched the pair carefully, until they passed beyond her range of vision. "That was years ago, Rainbow. Things have changed since then." she growled under her breath. A nearby unicorn overheard her, and glanced towards her briefly. Twilight's eyes darted towards him, he continued to look at her for a second, then broke his gaze.


Rainbow wiggled her wings slightly. "I know that, but what changed that you don't like this? It would have made it easier for us to get around." She glanced around as they continued to walk, checking for anything amiss. Two weeks ago, there hadn't been as many patrols in the streets of Canterlot, the Inquisitor had increased security in the time she was absent. Two guards passed by to their left, neither of them gave Rainbow or her companions a second glance, and they continued unimpaired. From what she could tell, they were headed in the direction of the capital, which made her both nervous and anxious.


"This body was not designed to hold an alicorn. It's painful, not just having to lose my wings, but being trapped in a body so much smaller and weaker than I'm used to." she sharply answered under her breath as soon as the patrol was out of hearing range. At the start of their journey, she had been giddy. A few hours being trapped in a body similar to her old one had soured her mood, and had given her a dull throbbing pain at the base of her horn. It was also more taxing to maintain the form than she had expected, not magically, but it was certainly mentally taxing for her.


Zenith glanced to her left at Twilight, and walked a little closer to her as the crowd became more dense. Every so often a pair of guards would walk passed them, and glance at the trio, but nopony ever said anything. After about a minute of walking, the bustling crowd died down. "So where are we going? It looks like we're heading towards the capital, but you said you were going to leave us someplace safe while you went on."


Twilight turned to Zenith, "Yes, and I will. We're going to contact one of my allies. He knows that I will be coming, he just doesn't know when. He should be able to find a safe place for you two to stay while I..." she trailed off as they passed two more guards. 'Just how many patrols does he have in the streets? That's the tenth one we've passed in the last ten minutes...' She found the number of soldiers patrolling the streets slightly disconcerting. It made Canterlot look less like the capital and more like an occupied city, which it was, but the Inquisitor never let anypony realize that.


Rainbow glanced to Twilight. "Who exactly is this ally of yours, and how do you know you can trust him?"


"You will see when we get there." Twilight shot back.


Minutes passed as they walked on in silence, the only sounds coming from ponies other than themselves. Eventually, Twilight led them away from the center of Canterlot, down a street that was lined with manors belonging to the rich and elite. While the Inquisitor had done away with titles of nobility, they kept their wealth in exchange for their support, however a lot of the former nobles  lost a lot of power during the transition. Rainbow grew anxious as Twilight led them to a manor which had two soldiers, both unicorns, guarding the door. Rainbow's heart pounded once it was clear that was her destination. 'Twilight... I have a bad feeling about this. I hope you know what you're doing...'


A few seconds later, Twilight came to a stop in front of one of the soldiers. She smiled at the soldier. "I'm here to see the Councillor." she stated, the kindness in her voice took Rainbow by surprise.


The soldier glanced to his partner, then looked back to Twilight. "Lots of ponies come here to see the Councillor. Do you have an appointment?"


"No, but I'm an old friend of his. Tell him Evening is here to see him." Twilight chirped in reply.


The soldier opened his mouth, then closed it with a sigh. He glanced to his partner. "You recognize the name?" he asked.


His partner nodded. "Yeah I heard him talking about getting a letter from an 'Evening' a few weeks ago. No clue what she looks like though."


The soldier pursed his lips. "Did he mention anything about her bringing friends?"


His partner shook his head. "No."


"Alright..." The soldier turned back to Twilight, and scrutinized her, then Rainbow and Zenith. "Wait here. I'll go check with the Councillor."  The soldier looked between the three cautiously, then turned to his partner and nodded. He turned around and opened the door with his magic, then proceeded to enter and shut it behind him.


Rainbow's heart raced. 'Her ally is a Councillor!? No, that's just... No. This... This is a trap...' She clenched her jaw at the realization and ruffled her wings. Any minute now, guards were going to come storming out of that door, and they wouldn't have time to react. Twilight wouldn't have enough warning and wouldn't be able to defend herself... Maybe... Maybe they would take them alive... But Twilight was right, the Inquisitor wanted her dead. She glanced to Twilight, then back to the soldier and swallowed. Maybe the Inquisitor wouldn't kill her immediately... Maybe he would force Twilight to watch Rainbow's execution, or vice versa. That thought chilled her to the bone. She looked to Twilight. "Twilight..." she whispered under her breath.


Twilight turned to Rainbow. She saw the look of fear in her eyes, and it was painful. "Don't worry. The Councillor and I go way back..." she comforted. Rainbow saw the confidence in Twilight's eyes. Twilight was sure this would go well, Rainbow could see that. She didn't feel the same confidence. She closed her eyes for a second, then opened them. If Twilight was wrong, if it was a trap... She would buy her time, even if... Even if it cost her life. She abandoned her before, but she wouldn't make that mistake again, and she would make it up to Twilight... Somehow.


A few seconds later, the door started to open. Rainbow mentally prepared herself to jump in front of Twilight or push her aside if it was a trap. Her mental preparation proved unnecessary, as a single unicorn stepped back out, the same soldier from before.


"Yeah, he wants to see you immediately." he said. He smiled at Twilight, "Right this way, Evening." He stepped to the side of the door, giving room for Twilight, Zenith, and Rainbow to walk inside. After the three mares were inside, he stepped back inside and closed the door.


As soon as the soldier shut the door, Rainbow prepared herself for a potential ambush. The ambush never came, and the soldier quickly made his way to the head of the group, and motioned for them to follow him. Rainbow followed the others, but stayed back a little ways, to make sure nopony tried to jump them from behind. She kept her eyes open, and kept herself alert for any signs of danger. There were none, but as she looked around, she noticed the beautiful mahogany paneled walls, illuminated by lights anchored to the ceiling. They were in an interior hallway judging from the lack of windows.


A short while later, they turned a corner to the right, and proceeded up stairs, constructed from the same wood as the rest of the structure. The stairs made no noise as they made their way to the top. Once they reached the top, they continued towards the end of the hallway, punctuated by a large, window, made from several smaller windows, in the shape of a square. About halfway down the hall, they took a right, through a large wooden door, painted a rich brown color, and came to a stop. Inside the room were two guards, standing at either side of another solid mahogany door. The soldier that had been escorting them saluted the pair, then turned to Twilight. "The Councillor will be with you shortly." Immediately punctuating his statement, he left the room, and shut the door behind him.


"About time..." Twilight grumbled. She took a step towards the door, but the soldier on the left lifted his hoof, signaling her to stop.


"He will be out soon." the soldier stated firmly.


Twilight raised an eyebrow at the guard. "I'm here to see him. Now." she stated strongly.


The soldier shifted his weight. "Look, Miss-"


Twilight took a step forwards and lit her horn. In a flash of lavender light, her small body disappeared to be replaced by her true body. She smiled as the pain disappeared immediately. She closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation of being in her own body again. "Oh that feels... So much better." she purred.


The two soldiers looked panicked by the sudden change. "P-Princess Twilight Sparkle!?" the first one stuttered, still in shock. They looked between themselves and lit their horns.


Twilight nodded, then turned to Rainbow and cast the spell to give her back her real body. Rainbow felt nothing change, but could see her mane shift back into a rainbow.


"Ca-Captain Rainbow Dash!?" one guard shouted in surprise. Twilight looked back to the two soldiers. She looked between the two nervous unicorns dispassionately, then turned to the door as it started to open. "Councillor stay back!" the soldier on the right called out, warning him of the danger he was in.


The door continued to open, and out walked a white unicorn with a light blue, flowing mane. He wore a fine, black suit, and had a monocle placed over his right eye. "There's no need for that now." he said as he closed the door behind him. He looked to Twilight and smiled, then looked to his two soldiers which were looking between each other, Fancy Pants, and Princess Twilight Sparkle nervously. He frowned. "Oh stand down already, that's a direct order."


"B-But Councillor! She's Princess Twilight Sparkle! The Inquisitor-"


"The Inquisitor is going to die by my hoof today." Twilight said coldly, drawing the attention of the two soldiers. "You have two options. Swear fealty to me, or end up as stains on the Councillor's floor." she said with no hesitation. Fancy Pants frowned, but said nothing.


The two soldiers looked to Fancy Pants for guidance, he raised an eyebrow in response. "I'd do as she says if I were you."


The pair looked between each other, then at Twilight. The one on the left swallowed. They glanced at each other, and dimmed their horns, then bowed. "W-we swear allegiance t-to you, Princess Twilight Sparkle." The one on the left answered.


Twilight's horn dimmed. "Good."


"You've grown a lot since the last time I saw you Princess." Fancy Pants smiled. "You look as tall as Princess Celestia was!"


Twilight nodded absently. "Yeah..."


Fancy Pants smiled sadly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to-"


"No, it's fine..." Twilight replied.


A few seconds of silence later, Fancy Pants stepped forwards. "I wasn't expecting you to be here so soon, nor was I expecting you to have company."


Twilight glanced to Rainbow and Zenith, then looked back to Fancy Pants. She nodded. "Nor was I, but... You know the Inquisitor."


Fancy Pants nodded and walked over to Rainbow Dash. "Captain Rainbow Dash? I'm surprised to see you here."


Rainbow shifted on her hooves. "I wasn't expecting a Councillor to be one of Twilight's allies."


Fancy Pants smiled and nodded. "Undoubtedly." He stepped over to Zenith and scrutinized the unicorn. "You... You don't look familiar."


Zenith's body went rigid as she answered. "Private Zenith Star, Councillor." she responded.


"Good mare. At ease. It's not like that's necessary, here we're all friends." he responded with a smile. He walked back to Twilight. "Where did you find them?" he asked.


Twilight looked at Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow was sent by the Inquisitor to capture me and bring me back." Rainbow ruffled her wings at the mention of why she was looking for Twilight. "During the night she was attacked by wolves, I almost didn't intervene, but I did, and now she is..." Twilight bobbled her head, then turned to Zenith. "Zenith was in a scouting party that managed to find me and Rainbow. I spared her because she was different somehow."


Fancy Pants sighed and looked to Zenith. "Seeing Twilight kill your friends like that must have been hard."


Zenith shook her head. "Actually no, I had just been assigned to that scout squad a few days before that. I didn't know them that well." she answered, leaving out the part about how much seeing Twilight doing that scared her. In the time since then, she had come to see Twilight in a new light, and Twilight had done her best to make it up to Zenith, as much as she could while the Inquisitor was still alive at least.


Fancy Pants nodded and turned back to Twilight. "Am I to assume that you have plans for both of them after you kill him?"


Twilight pursed her lips but nodded. "I'm going to teach Zenith magic, and Rainbow... I'll keep her around, I promised to give her a chance."


Fancy Pants nodded, "I see. Well, when do you plan on making your move?"


"Now." Twilight stated firmly. She sighed and looked to Rainbow and Zenith. She smiled sadly, then looked back to Fancy Pants. "Look, I don't want either of them getting in my way, so I was hoping you had someplace safe they could stay."


Fancy Pants furrowed his brow and looked down. He nodded slowly. "Yes... They can stay here..." He frowned and looked back to Twilight. "You do know Captain Rainbow Dash would be able to help you with the Inquisitor, right?"


Twilight nodded. "Yes, but I want to do this alone." She leaned in closer to him, "And I don't completely trust her yet. She betrayed me before, and then swore loyalty to the Inquisitor, then promised to be loyal to me. She represented the Element of Loyalty, and broke that bond." She glanced to Rainbow, then looked back to Fancy Pants. "I can see the pain in her eyes about it, and I don't think she would betray me again, but I don't want to risk it. Not yet at least. Besides, I could be missing something. Whenever the Inquisitor is involved bad things happen." Twilight pulled her head back, and looked to the two soldiers.


Fancy Pants nodded sadly. "I understand..." he whispered back in a sad, soft voice. Fancy Pants sighed and joined Twilight in looking at the soldiers. "We will be fine here, Princess. I'll start preparations for establishing your reign after the Inquisitor is dead."


Twilight nodded. "Alright..." She inhaled slowly, then exhaled. "Whelp. I have a government to overthrow." She looked to the two soldiers and spoke in an icy voice, "If anything happens to either of them, I will hold you personally accountable." Both soldiers swallowed.


Fancy Pants walked over to Rainbow and Zenith. "Good luck, Princess."


Twilight nodded, then looked between Rainbow and Zenith. Her gaze lingered on each of them for a second, then she cast her spell. Her body shifted back to a less recognizable form, leaving a small lavender unicorn standing where the once tall Princess Twilight stood. She paused, and thought for a moment, then shook her head. She looked back up, then lit her horn, and teleported away.


Rainbow shifted on her hooves and turned to Fancy Pants. "Any idea how long this is going to take?"


Fancy Pants shook his head. "I'm afraid not, Captain."


"What if... What if she fails?" Rainbow asked. That question... Twilight failing at something was unthinkable. But with the Inquisitor involved, anything could happen. Plans would fail, and governments would fall whenever he was involved, almost like the universe was following his rules, rather than its own.


Fancy Pants raised an eyebrow at her question. "You don't believe in her? I would have thought that with once being her friend you would trust her?"


His words struck Rainbow's heart like a dagger. She knew he didn't know how she felt, and she couldn't blame him for hurting her since he didn't know. It still hurt though. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then opened her eyes and released it.





Twilight Sparkle reappeared just outside the door of Fancy Pant's manor. She immediately turned towards the two soldiers, who shifted on their hooves, startled by her sudden arrival. She smiled apologetically. "Sorry."


The soldier on the left nodded. "That's alright Miss Evening. Everything alright?"


"Yes." Twilight answered simply. "I just need to take care of something real quick."


"Alright." the soldier said. "Take care."


Twilight nodded, then turned and made her way down the street. She smiled as she turned onto the main street, leading to the capital building. As much as she enjoyed having company, she had grown accustomed to being alone, and she enjoyed the freedom that came with it, even if she was surrounded by ponies. At least none of them knew her, and she knew none of them. It gave her a sense of anonymity, something she would rarely have after the day ended. As minutes passed, the dull ache at the base of her horn returned, souring her mood.


Eventually, the spires of the Canterlot Castle rose above the houses, shops, and manors. As she neared it, the number of soldiers patrolling seemed to grow exponentially. Once she arrived at the courtyard she paused to catch her breath, reaffirm her plan, and prepare herself for the task at hoof. She closed her eyes, inhaled, then exhaled. She opened her eyes and glanced around. The courtyard was filled with ponies of all races, save for her own race, and a few gryphons all going about their business, blissfully unaware of what the day was about to turn in to. Soldiers minded their own business and patrolled, occasionally stopping to check a pony or gryphon for security reasons, though they were careful to be discrete and kind. The sight made her frown, and she looked elsewhere. Canterlot Castle, her home for nearly eight years. She knew the castle like the back of her hoof. Or at least she used to. The Revolution would have likely changed some things, but the castle was still Canterlot Castle. Former home to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, both deceased. Canterlot Castle was hers now.


The entrance to the castle itself was guarded by four guards, each an unicorn, which was not surprising. The Inquisitor himself would likely be in the throne room, and she had no idea how many soldiers were between him and her. Not that it mattered. She would cut through every soldier on the planet to reach him. She looked to the sky, and scanned for any pegasi soldiers flying overhead. There sky was clear, and it was a beautiful day. 'It's just like the day Princess Celestia and Luna died. How fitting.' she bitterly mused.


She broke her gaze from the sky, and started across the crowded courtyard, making her way to the castle door. She carefully maneuvered passed soldiers on patrol, slid between ponies and gryphons, and made it to the stairs without any problems. She stepped onto the first step of the stairs, then paused and turned around to look across the courtyard. It was tempting, very tempting to cast the spell to return to her real body, she would be free of the pain of the form she was in, and there would be no doubt who she was, and why she was here. 'Not now, but soon.' she told herself. She slowly turned back around, then made her way up to the top of the stairs.


A few ponies were going into and leaving the castle, and the lobby was mostly empty, save for the guards patrolling inside. The four soldiers outside stood guard at the door, keeping out anypony who obviously didn't belong, and keeping tabs on everypony that passed. They ignored her as she passed them and she smirked as she entered the lobby. A guard close to her eyed her wearily as he walked passed her and caught sight of her smirk, but said nothing, and went about his business.


She glanced around the lobby, noting all of the changes, most notably, the security checkpoint where the soldiers made sure anypony entering was not a threat. The scanner was a very sensitive instrument, and even she wouldn't be able to bypass it without sounding an alarm. Teleporting around it to avoid it would not only draw the attention of every soldier in Canterlot, but raise eyebrows that she was powerful enough to teleport, and that she teleported to avoid the scanner.


She prepared her spell and lit her horn with magic. Immediately all the soldier's eyes fell onto her. She glanced around, noting where each soldier was. After a few seconds, one of the soldiers started to approach her, then paused far enough away to give himself time to react if she did anything. "Excuse me miss, but you're not allowed to use magic until you go through the scanner."


Twilight nodded. "I know." she stated. The soldier frowned and glanced back to his comrades, then returned his gaze to her. "You have two choices." she started.


The soldier took a step back and powered up his horn, just in case something happened. "One. Leave immediately and I will spare you."


He snorted. "Miss, you should choose your words carefully. You're inside the Canterlot Castle, surrounded by elite soldiers."


Twilight glared at him. "You are nothing but a gnat to me. Your actions have forfeited the life of every soldier standing between me and the Inquisitor." She raised her head slightly as she finished.


He rolled his eyes. "Alright that's enough, you're under arrest." He took a step towards her. "Treason carries the death sentence." he stated.


Twilight nodded. "I am so glad you brought that up." Her horn glowed brighter, and a flash of pink light momentarily blinded everypony present, with the exception of Twilight.


The guard rubbed his eyes. "Alright miss, you just-" the words died in his mouth when he looked back to the alicorn. "Princess Twilight Sparkle..." he grunted in surprise. Hushed whispers filled the room, and for a time, nopony moved.


"If it is not obvious why I am here, allow me to clarify. The Inquisitor will die, and anypony standing in my way will join him. I stand by my earlier statements. Every soldier who stands against me has committed treason, and I will serve as judge, juror, and executioner, as I will it to be. I far outclass everypony here, bow or die."  She slowly looked around the room for several seconds after she gave her ultimatum.


"Don't just stand there, kill her!" a soldier shouted. As soon as the command registered in the minds of the soldiers present, the room descended into chaos.


Twilight channeled magic into a barrier to protect herself as countless bolts of magic rained down upon her. The barrier flared under the bombardment as each pulse of magic impacted it, and spread out over the barrier, forming rings which expanded and dissipated. She glanced around, protected by her barrier, and made a special note of every soldier that had formed a blade of magic. Of the sixteen soldiers, all unicorns, present, only four of them had forged swords, the others were bombarding her barrier with magic. All of them kept their distance. "You're not going to break this barrier." she said loud enough to be heard over the sound of magic. Had this happened three years ago, she would already be dead, she wasn't even sure that her brother could have survived under the bombardment of twelve unicorns, all having their magic amplified.


As expected, the soldiers ignored her. She channeled more magic into her barrier, then flared her wings and exploded it outwards. The resultant wave of magic and force staggered and threw everypony in the room away from the epicenter. The unicorns that had forged swords lost focus on their magic, and their weapons evaporated. Perhaps they wouldn't have enough magic to be able to reforge their swords, but she wasn't going to let them have the chance. She turned around and lowered her horn, then created a barrier blocking the entrance to the lobby. Nopony would be able to get in or out through the door.


She turned around and glanced over the soldiers. Five of them, those closest to her when she exploded her barrier outwards, remained where they were thrown, unmoving. Some of the others were groaning as they picked themselves up, and others were standing on their hooves uneasily. She angled her wings so that she could push off at a moment's notice, then relit her horn. Magic rippled through the air to her left and right, and two bright flashes signaled the birth of her swords. The blades shimmered brightly, shifting and yet maintaining their form.


She regarded her magic briefly, then spun the swords around, and brought them close to herself. One of the unicorns closer to her spread his hooves to give himself more stability, then lowered his horn, and fired a pulse of magic at her. She swung the nearest blade at the pulse of magic and intercepted it. The bolt of magic was absorbed by the magic making up the sword, and the barrier flared brighter briefly, then returned to normal. Twilight took a step forwards, then launched herself towards the soldier. She beat her wings and propelled herself upwards, and angled her swords towards the soldier. She soared through the air with grace befitting Princess Celestia, then started falling towards her target, and the sight became terrifying, more befitting of Princess Luna or Nightmare Moon than Princess Celestia. Fear replaced awe as he regained his senses. The soldier stepped back in surprise, then jumped out of the way before she hit where he was standing.


Twilight kept her gaze focused on her target, and as soon as she landed she released a stun spell at him. He dived under the bolt of magic and rolled back to his hooves, and turned around to face her. She ran towards him, swords at her sides, and easily closed the distance due to her stamina and stature. The soldier jumped back, dodging a swipe from one of her swords, then raised a barrier to block a downwards cut from her left sword. The amber barrier flared, and a wave of force traveled through the barrier as her sword glanced off of it. The strike wasn't completely without effect, as he staggered briefly from the impact, and panted from exertion.


Twilight quickly glanced around, the other soldiers were starting to regroup, but they were still recovering from her first attack. There was a soldier just to her left, he was starting to get up. He locked eyes with her, and the moment was punctuated by her sword impaling his neck. The soldier looked at her in surprise, and tried to cry out, but nothing came. She withdrew her sword, and returned her gaze to her target, not bothering to watch as the soldier collapsed to the floor, lifeless.


She stepped closer to the soldier, and struck out with her left sword, it bounced harmlessly off his barrier, but the soldier took a step back. She struck out with her right while she recovered her hold on her other sword. She struck out a third, fourth, and then a fifth time, each time her swords switched sides and glanced harmlessly off his barrier. Each time, the soldier took a step back, but his barrier was holding. She struck out again, this time with both of her swords in a thrusting motion. They hit firmly, and the barrier flared brightly, but it held. The soldier smiled. 'Die already.' she thought as she swung her head down, angling her horn at the barrier. She charged a spell, then released it. A single bolt of magic shot forwards from her horn. The bolt of magic impacted the barrier and sundered it. Immediately the barrier collapsed, and the soldier stepped back from the strain. Wisps of amber magic quickly dissipated into the air as one of Twilight's swords shot through it and impacted the soldier.


She pulled her sword back and turned away as the soldier hit the ground. She turned her attention to the nine remaining soldiers, three of which had forged swords of magic. No single unicorn had more than one sword, and the three swords were held defensively. While fighting defensively was a wise idea, it wouldn't help them. She lowered her horn so that it pointed at the general center of the line of soldiers, then powered up a spell. The soldiers lowered their bodies to the ground in expectation of an attack. She cast her spell, and gravity inverted itself. Immediately the nine remaining soldiers found themselves quickly falling towards the ceiling. Half of them managed to spin their bodies around so that they landed on their feet, while the others landed on their sides or backs. None of them had expected such an attack, and even the ones that landed on their feet were caught unprepared.


She prepared another spell, and released it. Gravity righted itself before the soldiers had a chance to recover from the first attack, and they once again found themselves falling, this time to the ground. The soldiers hit the floor hard, and many of them grunted. Twilight regarded them dispassionately, and waited a few seconds for them to stand up. They all seemed content to stay on the floor. "Tsk." She sauntered over to them, and looked them over. Each soldier made an effort to look at her and glare. "I do not know how many of you were in the Royal Guard, but your betrayal will not be forgotten."


She ignored the fear in their eyes, and set to work dispatching them one by one. Killing the defenseless soldiers was quick and effortless, unlike when they weren't crippled. She walked back to the center of the lobby, and turned to the door. A dozen soldiers were attacking the barrier, firing beams of magic at it, trying to break in. She frowned. It wouldn't last as long under the sustained bombardment it was facing. She ignored it and turned around, then walked over to the scanner and paused momentarily. She shook her head and stepped through it, immediately an alarm sounded. She paused once she was through it, expecting a dozen more guards to come rushing in. Nopony did, and she started making her way away from the lobby. As she reached the hallway which would get her to the former throne room the fastest, she swiveled on her hind hoof and brought her magic to bear against the scanner. The alarm died instantly as the device exploded. Twilight smiled happily at the scene as she turned around and resumed walking.





Fancy Pants levitated his teacup to his mouth, and took a sip. He glanced to the clock, then looked to Rainbow Dash. "So what made you decide to help Princess Twilight, rather than continue to support the Inquisitor?"


Rainbow shifted her weight in the chair she sat in. "It's kind of complicated... I'm not sure I completely understand why. You remember the day he took control?" Fancy nodded. She sighed and looked to her hooves. "Right, well. The night before that she showed up, looking like she had run a marathon, and she said that the Inquisitor was going to kill the princesses and take over, and that he would sacrifice Equestria just for power..." She sighed and looked up. "I still remember what she looked like that night. She had never looked so scared in her life... We didn't listen to her. We didn't listen to her pleas to not go to..." She ruffled her wings and looked away. "She always had a habit of overreacting. I guess we all just assumed she was overreacting again. We... Each of us trusted him, we... We were close to him. Twilight even more so... We all betrayed her that night by not trusting her, instead we believed him... I don't hate him, and I still don't think he's evil. I don't want him dead, but... He... He wants Twilight dead. Twilight was still my first friend, and she did nothing to deserve that."


"Twilight was right of course, but none of us recognized it, even as the Princesses were killed. I... Twilight was right, he had to be responsible for their deaths... It's too coincidental. I know Twilight was a powerful unicorn before she ascended, maybe even the most powerful..." Rainbow shook her head. "There was no way she was strong enough to kill either Princess Celestia or Princess Luna alone, let alone both of them at the same time. I... I have only come to... Realize this within the past week."


Fancy Pants frowned but nodded. "You feel a debt to Twilight, like you have to make it up to her."


Rainbow thought about it for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Yeah... I guess..."


Fancy Pants sighed. "You know that the Twilight you know is gone, right? The new Twilight Sparkle is... She has changed."


Rainbow nodded and snorted. "Yeah. I've noticed. And we're to blame for that... I want to fix that, to bring her back. That's not the Twilight I knew, but maybe I can..."


Fancy nodded. "I hope you succeed." he stated. "She is in a tough place. You have no idea how hard it was to convince her to trust me. The first time I saw her after the Revolution, about, oh... A year and a half ago, she nearly killed me on sight." He smiled at the memory, and his eyes twinkled. "Quite a story to tell the grand foals one day..." he shook his head. "She doesn't trust easily. While I haven't been around her as much as I would have liked, I have seen her be cruel and unforgiving, but I have also seen her be benevolent to a fault. She will kill without hesitation, but I thoroughly believe her intentions are pure. Though she is a bit... Extreme..."


Rainbow frowned. "What does that mean?"


Fancy shifted in his chair and took another sip of tea before continuing. "Let's just say if anypony betrays her, that pony will have a very, very short life expectancy." He glanced to the clock, then looked back to her. "I would take that to heart if I were you. You were close to her before, and I'd imagine that goes doubly for you."


Rainbow looked down at her hooves. "I'm not going to betray her again. I can't..." she admitted.


Fancy frowned. "Yet you don't support her, nor trust her completely? The Inquisitor needs to die, Captain."


"I don't think he's as bad as Twilight makes him out to be. I know him... But he has changed... I hadn't realized it until Twilight pointed it out to me..." she admitted.


Fancy nodded. "He is very clever. Very deadly too."


They sat in silence for several minutes. It was broken when Zenith returned from the restroom. Zenith looked between them and paused for a moment, then shook her head and returned to her chair.


Fancy nodded his head to himself. "The Inquisitor is very smart, and secretive. I still don't understand why he ordered so many soldiers out of Canterlot when he heard that Twilight was back."


Rainbow bobbled her head. "Maybe he wanted to find her before she got to Canterlot, or maybe he knew she'd be able to get through all of them..."


Fancy squinted. "I'm not sure she could. Don't get me wrong, I know Twilight is very powerful. I know she could take on an army on her own, but-" he was cut off as the door exploded inwards, throwing splinters everywhere.





Twilight waited until the echo of hoofsteps were right around the corner, then jumped out and dispatched both soldiers before they could register anything had happened. She picked their corpses up in her magic, and threw them aside, out of her way. She looked up as she saw the flash of light signaling a teleport. Four unicorns appeared at the end of the hallway, two on each side of the door, horns already releasing barrages of magic. She stepped forwards, and a barrier formed around her. She ignored the flares of light as the spells impacted her shield, started walking forwards, and then fell into a run.


The group of unicorns parted out of her way as she approached, but it didn't help. She swung her swords wide in a slicing fashion, catching two of the unicorns in their unprotected necks. The two new corpses fell to the ground, drawing horrified looks from the two remaining soldiers. She poured more magic into her shield, then flared her wings, and the barrier exploded outwards. The two remaining soldiers were violently thrown to the walls. She heard two solid impacts, then grasped the doors before her in her magic. She lowered her barrier, released her hold on her magic forming the swords, and opened the door gently, not wanting to damage her future home.


She glanced around, then locked eyes on the pony sitting down at the opposite side of the room. It took all of her willpower to step inside the room slowly, rather than teleport beside him and tear him asunder. She closed the doors behind her, and put a barrier around them, blocking off access from the door. She slowly looked right, then left, checking for any soldiers lying in wait to ambush her. Nothing. She turned back to the pony sitting in Princess Celestia's former throne. Her future throne.


The Inquisitor smiled a sly, charming smile capable of defusing anypony, convincing them that everything was all right, despite what was happening right before their eyes. The unicorn's grey coat seemed to shimmer from the room's light, and his pale yellow mane reminded her of Fluttershy's coat. His vibrant blue eyes were deceptive, showing no hint of his true age. He sat up a little straighter, and his smile widened. "Princess Twilight Sparkle... It's so good to see you again." he chirped.