//------------------------------//
// Chapter 22 
// Story: Post Revolution 
// by SC_Orion 
//------------------------------//

	One month later...


Twilight idly looked over the reflection in the mirror. A tall, regal, lavender alicorn looked back at her, studying her form. Her mane and tail flowed gracefully, billowing in an nonexistant breeze, while the bulk of her form was covered by a light lavender and light blue dress, similar to her Gala dress, yet flowing more gracefully and appearing more regal and feminine, befitting her status. She idly looked down at the small white unicorn in front of her. Rarity's lips were pursed, and her tongue idly stuck out of her mouth as she arranged Twilight's regalia on her chest. Looking further down, she thought it was already perfect, but the unicorn continued her work.


Her regalia was similar to Princess Celestia's regalia, with the one exception being the gem set in the center. Where Princess Celestia's gem had been a simple, yet elegant, deep purple gem, her gem was shaped like the Element of Magic, while the real Element of Magic, along with the rest of the Elements remained close at hoof, and out of reach from potential threats.


Rarity stepped back and squinted at her. "I... think that is acceptable..." she said tentatively, then took a deep breath and looked up at Twilight.


Twilight smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Rarity..." she trailed off, looking at herself in the mirror. Unlike before, this time she actually looked all over herself and her dress. "It's... beautiful, like always..." she added.


"Yes, well, nothing but the absolute best for you, Twilight," Rarity replied proudly. "I... just wish you would wear your tiara... You're a princess... well, you're the princess..." She sighed a little. "And your mane, it's such a shame that you don't want me to work with it... I could do wonders with that..."


Twilight giggled a little. "I don't think it would hold, anyway," she replied. She turned to her left and looked over at Rainbow Dash. She stifled a smirk, the pegasus had fallen asleep on the couch. Rarity frowned at the sight. Twilight shook her head and glanced at Rarity. "You really shouldn't hold it against her. This isn't her type of thing, and she was up late last night."


Rarity flashed Twilight a half-smile. "Is she still sorting the guard out?"


Twilight nodded. "There's a lot of soldiers to go through, and I don't have time to do it all on my own..." she grimaced. "Especially considering everything else I have to take care of... it's... a full-time job."


"I... suppose that is to be expected, but at least things are going well," Rarity commented.


Twilight nodded in agreement. "Yes, there's only been two attempts on my life so far, so I would say that's a success. I'm glad that the vast majority of the guard seem... willing... to obey my command," she paused, blinking, "and willing to not try to kill me. That would be detrimental..." She turned back to Rainbow, then walked over to the couch. "Hey, Rainbow?" The pegasus groaned a little and brought one of her hooves over her eyes. Twilight looked at her sternly. "I know you're awake now, come on. We have something to do."


Rainbow sighed loudly, then rolled over onto her back. She blinked open her eyes and stared up at the ceiling for a few seconds, then looked over at Twilight. "Yeah, yeah, just give me a minute." She closed her eyes and stretched out her arms and legs, holding them out for several seconds, then she released them, letting them fall back down onto the couch. She took a deep breath, then rolled over and stood up from the couch. She stretched her wings out and bent down, sighing contently, then stood back up.


"Rainbow, dear, you shouldn't be up so late. Honestly, you need a solid night's rest to be in top shape," Rarity quipped.


Rainbow looked at Rarity indignantly. "Yeah, maybe," she said sarcastically, "but I have things I need to do. Do you really want some soldiers guarding Twilight to try to kill her?" she asked. "Again?" she added dryly.


"Oh, well, no, but..." Rarity trailed off, grimacing sadly.


"Well, to be fair, things are going a lot smoother than I expected. I had planned to be spending years getting things sorted out, but at this rate, I'll probably finish inside of one year, maybe even months..." Twilight trailed off, smiling warmly and gazing off into space. "It's nice, things actually going better than planned for once..." she admitted.


"I can hardly believe it's going to be that quick, things had gotten pretty bad..." Rarity mused timidly.


"Well, he had the Crystal Heart after he captured the Crystal Empire, so... that probably helped him quite a bit..." Twilight commented.


Rainbow shrugged. "Besides, I've been through worse than staying up late."


The door opposite of Twilight opened, drawing the three mares' gazes. Spike blinked several times in shock, then shook his head. "Wow, Rarity, you outdid yourself... Twilight, you look beautiful!"


Twilight smiled and held back a blush. "Thank you, Spike." She swallowed. "Is... everything ready?"


Spike nodded eagerly. "Yeah, everypony's waiting on you."


Twilight nodded to herself. "Right... Thank you, Spike... you can go join the rest of the girls."


Spike hesitated in the doorway, unsurely looking at Twilight. "Are... you sure you don't need anything else?"


Twilight smiled at him, almost in a motherly fashion, then she slowly walked over to him. She bent down and wrapped an arm around him. Spike returned her hug eagerly. "I just need you to be there," she said with a light giggle, then nuzzled him before releasing him and pulling back.


Spike nodded hesitantly. "Okay... and good luck, Twilight!"


"Thanks, Spike," Twilight replied. Spike scurried off, the door closing behind him. She took a deep breath, then calmly exhaled. "My first major direct public address since I reclaimed Equestria..." she grimaced, her gaze falling to the floor. "I... wish Celestia was here..."


Rainbow hastily walked over to Twilight's side. "Hey, you'll do fine!"


"I... know I will, but... I still wish they were here, but... I can't bring them back..." Twilight trailed off, sighing. She closed her eyes, then sucked in a deep breath and stood back up to her full height. "Well... the sooner I get this over with, the sooner I have the rest of the day to myself..."


"It'll be the first time in... such a long time that we'll just... spend the day together, not having to worry about anything. I'm quite looking forward to it, darling," Rarity commented cheerfully.


Twilight nodded in agreement, then lit her horn and pulled open the door. She sauntered out of the room, Rarity and Rainbow easily keeping pace with her leisurely walk. Two guards, one on each side of the doorway, quickly fell in sync with them, walking behind them and off to the sides without so much as a word from any of them. Twilight smiled a little, glancing back. The cold, dull gray armor had been replaced with a bright, warm lavender. The sight of the guards no longer felt oppressive, nor did they draw as much fear from everyday ponies.


"Hey, uh... Twilight?" Rainbow asked.


Twilight glanced over to Rainbow, who walked close beside her to her right. "Yes?"


Rainbow shuffled her wings. "I'm not going to have to wear clothes like that after I'm an alicorn, right?" she asked, her muzzle scrunching up in disgust. Rarity shot Rainbow an indignant glare out of the corner of her eye.


Twilight giggled and rolled her eyes. "Only for your coronation, and I'm sure Rarity would be delighted to make your coronation dress..." she trailed off, smirking as Rarity lit up with glee.


As they walked down the hallway, they passed a few more guards, whose armor remained the cold, lifeless gray steel. She forced back a scowl, knowing that, despite their unchanged armor, they were loyal to her, and her alone. They stood up straighter in respect as she strode passed them. She turned her gaze back forward and continued along her journey. "How many times did Celestia walk this same path that I am walking now, in order to give a public address?" she idly wondered aloud.


"Wouldn't you know?" Rainbow asked conversationally.


Twilight tilted her head subtly to the right. "I... suppose I would, or at least, I should eventually... still, that doesn't seem like something she would have remembered..."


Rainbow frowned. "I... guess that's true."


For a few seconds, Twilight pondered the question, though eventually, her mind wandered. Every step made her feel heavier, and every passing second left her more nervous than the last. She took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. "This... shouldn't be so daunting..." she mused with a bob of her head.


"Well... a lot of ponies... well uh, everypony's life depends on you now..." Rainbow commented carefully. "They're all looking to you to lead them... But don't worry, we're all here to help you, and if anypony can do this, you can, Twilight! We all trust you."


A smile slowly grew on Twilight's lips, and she nodded. They continued on in silence for several minutes, her fears being alleviated. Eventually, she slowed down as she approached the balcony. She came to a stop and idly gazed over the six ponies, young dragon, and draconequus sitting on the balcony, waiting for her, then she cast a glance at the two soldiers standing stoically outside the door. Both regarded her respectfully, straightening as her gaze fell on them.


One of the ponies on the balcony noticed her, and a second later, several smiles greeted her. Twilight looked back at them and nodded with a smile, then she casually strode forward. She took a deep breath as she stepped out onto the balcony and into the morning sunlight. Everypony sitting stood up and watched her as she calmly approached the railing while smiling a warm, motherly smile.