Post Revolution

by SC_Orion

Chapter 17

"Manehatton is, of course, well guarded and heavily defended. It is a subjugated city, but the Inquisitor makes sure that the ponies living there don't realize that fact, as is the case with every Equestrian city... and some cities in other nations," Twilight spoke aloud as she scrutinized the projection of Manehatton. Every single detail of the city was displayed through her magic, although it all had a heavy pink hue to it since it was a projection of her magic and it was based off her memories. She wasn't sure how accurate the projection was since it was based on her outdated memories, but the ponies surrounding her seemed more fascinated with the spell than what she was saying or the details.

"Manehatton is renowned for being indifferent towards the government, even back when Celestia ruled on her own. Even after my ascension, they were mostly indifferent toward me..." Twilight trailed off indignantly and squinted at the city. "However, they generally dislike the Inquisitor. Though it's not easy to see, they're in fear of him." She paused. "They will welcome my reign once he is out of the way." She manipulated the projection with her magic, then slowly everything shrunk and more buildings flowed in towards the center as the focus zoomed out. Eventually, she cut her magic and released the spell.

"Going alone and during the day seems like a bad idea, though..." Rainbow trailed off in a low tone. She did not like the idea of Twilight going to Manehatton, one of the most populous cities in Equestria, by herself. The Inquisitor would have her dead as quickly as possible, and Twilight wanted to walk into one of the largest, most densely populated cities in Equestria. There was such a great chance that something could go wrong, which meant something could happen to her. It didn't sit well with her.

If she made a mistake, and the Inquisitor or his soldiers discovered her, she would be in trouble. Rainbow knew how powerful Twilight was, or at least claimed to be. She trusted Twilight, but she still thought it was too risky. Twilight had issues which made her vulnerable, even if she claimed to be able to fight an army, she had explicitly stated that she wasn't sure she could defend herself. She took a deep breath and steeled her resolve, she wasn't about to let the Inquisitor or any of his soldiers get to Twilight. "You shouldn't go alone! Let me come with you!"

"Maybe we should all go?" Zenith suggested lightly.

Twilight pursed her lips at the suggestion, then turned to Zenith. "I... would say that a large group would attract too much attention, but that's not a valid argument since it's Manehatton..." she trailed off shaking her head. She frowned. "Or maybe it would be a valid argument..." she trailed off in thought. "Still, it would be simpler and quicker for me to go by myself."

"You might run into trouble," Rainbow countered. "You could use our help."

Twilight frowned and shook her head. "It's not likely that I will run into... trouble..." she trailed off, tilting her head to the side. "Then again... It is the Inquisitor we're dealing with." She sighed. "Fluttershy, Pinkie, Discord..." All three aforementioned ponies looked at Twilight with expressions ranging from indifferent to excited. "You are staying here, where you will be out of harm's way should the impossibly small chance that's pretty much impossible for something to go wrong, inevitably goes wrong since the Inquisitor is involved." Rainbow and Zenith grimaced at Twilight. Discord and Fluttershy's expression lightened a little but remained wary. Pinkie's lips twitched downward subtly before returning to their normal smiling state. "Zenith, I want you to stay here and keep them safe."

Zenith took a deep breath and stood up a little straighter. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Discord meant a lot to Twilight, they were her friends. And Twilight Sparkle, the sole alicorn to survive the Inquisitor's purge, the Princess of Friendship, the future ruler of Equestria, the bearer of the Element of Magic, her teacher, had entrusted their safety to her. She was giddy at how much trust Twilight put into her, especially considering that she was the youngest of them and not even an adult. She smiled and nodded.

"Rainbow," Twilight started, turning to the pegasus and smiling lightly. Rainbow puffed out her chest in eager anticipation of what Twilight was going to say. "You will accompany me. Stay close," she commanded firmly.

A little of Rainbow's eagerness faded, but her seriousness remained. She was disappointed by Twilight's lack of enthusiasm. She wasn't sure what she had expected Twilight to say, but it stung a little. She forced the disappointment away. "Right," she agreed, nodding. "I won't let you down."

Twilight flashed Rainbow a smile, then turned to the ponies who would be staying behind. "Well, wish us luck," Twilight said as she cast the spell disguising herself and Rainbow in the same bodies she had disguised them with in Canterlot. She suppressed a growl at the discomfort the spell caused her. Twilight grunted from the smaller body, then she turned back to Rainbow, only to pause. She wasn't used to looking straight ahead at the pegasus, and it took her in surprise. She squinted at Rainbow for several seconds, pondering how unique it was. Rainbow watched her curiously, though cautiously tilting her head away from her, uneasy under the alicorn's scrutiny.

After a few seconds, Twilight turned back away from Rainbow, then glanced up at her cyan mane and looked back at her body to make sure that the spell had worked on her. She knew it had worked since it had worked on Rainbow, but it was better to double check. "I hate this spell," she muttered, glaring at her barren back.

"Um... Twilight?" Fluttershy asked softly, walking over to her.

Twilight clenched her jaw then looked up at her. She squinted at Fluttershy, having to look up at her was foreign to her. She was taken in shock by it, she didn't remember Fluttershy being taller than her when she was just a unicorn, and yet looking at her now, she was so much taller than her, it was something she had no idea how she could have missed. Upon closer examination, and a glance at Rainbow, she realized that Fluttershy was the same height as Rainbow, and Rainbow was as tall as herself. It perplexed her, but she shook it off. 'Maybe I've just grown used to looking down at them,' she realized, her brow creasing. A second passed, she let the thought fade, then looked over at the pegasus. "Yes, Fluttershy?"

"Um... what... what don't you like about that spell? You-"

Twilight sighed deeply and shook her head. "It hurts. I already know I'm going to have a headache later..." she trailed off, eyes widening in horror. Her head shot around to face Pinkie. "Don't you dare throw a party when we get... back..." she said quickly, then winced at the quiver in Pinkie's lip. "Just..." she shook her head and groaned. "Fine, you can throw a par-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Pinkie Pie bounced over to her and pulled her into a big, warm hug, one which made Twilight wheeze. "Thanks, Twilight! I think I saved enough stuff that we'll be able to-"

"P-Pinkie..." Twilight coughed.

"Oops, sorry!" Pinkie quickly apologized, pulling back from Twilight.

Rainbow chuckled a little as Twilight fell to the ground, clutching her chest. "Oh come on, Twilight, you're an alicorn! Surely you can take Pinkie's hugs."

Twilight shot Rainbow a glare. "As I've said, I can be caught off-guard," she quipped defensively. She slowly stood to her hooves and huffed. "As I was saying..." she trailing off, squinting at Pinkie. She exhaled sharply, then turned to Fluttershy. She took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. "I don't like this spell. It hurts. I'm not hiding my wings, I literally do not have wings right now. I'm an alicorn in a body not meant to house an alicorn, let alone myself."

Fluttershy looked down at the ground, a little distressed. "I... I can't imagine what that's like..." Discord curled himself around Fluttershy, then laid his head on her shoulder. Fluttershy glanced at him, then smiled a little and nuzzled him. Discord glanced at Fluttershy and smiled, then looked back up at Twilight.

Twilight nodded to herself, then turned away from them. "We'll be back." Not a second later, Rainbow was landing beside her. Twilight glanced at her and smiled, then ignited her horn. The two disappeared in a flash of lavender light.

Zenith frowned at their departure, having expected Twilight to use her portal spell, though she said nothing. Off to her side, Fluttershy and Discord also frowned, though Pinkie seemed oblivious to it.

---

Rainbow blinked in confusion, seeing that they were surrounded by trees, rather than a clearing, that there was no portal in front of them, instead Twilight had teleported them somewhere, and that somewhere clearly was not Manehatton. "Twilight?" she asked, quickly turning to face the alicorn.

"Manehatton is heavily guarded," Twilight said, glancing at Rainbow. "The portal spell would draw too much attention, and I'm not accurate enough with it to ensure that we wouldn't draw attention to ourselves by suddenly appearing in the middle of a street. Plus, I wanted to speak with you alone for a moment before we get there."

Rainbow frowned and shifted her weight. "What is it?"

Twilight turned around to face Rainbow. "You seem..." she trailed off, not knowing how to put it. She paused for several seconds, looking over Rainbow's worried expression. "What's wrong, Rainbow?"

Rainbow frowned at her. "What?" she asked. "There's... nothing wrong?" she asked obliviously.

Twilight sighed and shook her head. "Yes, there is. You... you're always worried about me. It... concerns me."

Rainbow squinted at Twilight. "Why would it bother you if I'm worried about you?"

Twilight took a deep breath, then slowly looked down at the ground. "You've changed... well, we've all changed over the years... But... you, you've been with me for over two months. I used to scare you, and now you seem to panic at the thought of something happening to me."

"Twilight, you did admit that you wanted me dead at one point in time. I mean, I'm not... worried about that..." Rainbow trailed off, looking at the ground, idly shuffling her hoof through the leaves on the forest floor. "If... you wanted me dead," she tilted her head to the side absently, "I'd... be dead. There wouldn't be anything that could stop that."

Twilight sighed, then sat down on her haunches. "I'm sorry," she said. Rainbow glanced over at her. "I... you know I don't want you dead now, correct?"

"Well... I mean-"

"Rainbow Dash," Twilight started seriously, only to tone it down at Rainbow's wince. "That still bothers you?"

"Yeah, it does," Rainbow answered a little guiltily.

Twilight grimaced. For a few seconds, they sat there in silence, Twilight pondering Rainbow's answer, and Rainbow pondering Twilight's questions. "So, why are you so concerned for my... well-being? Other than the obvious," she asked. "Is it because you feel like it's your fault that I am how I am now?"

Rainbow sighed. "Twilight, you were alone for three years. We betrayed you! Your closest friends. I betrayed you. We..." she trailed off, shaking her head.

Twilight smiled wryly and looked away from her. "It's not your fault. I... could have handled that better myself."

"But we should have known to listen to you!" Rainbow replied, stepping closer to Twilight and looking her dead in the eye. "After everything we've been through, we should have trusted you! But... we didn't. And now you're hurt. I hurt my friend, Twilight. And then I helped the Inquisitor for so, so long after I hurt you. He was even going to use me to bring you back so he could kill you!" Rainbow closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I shouldn't be your friend, you should still want me dead for what we put you through. We're... traitors, and yet... you still want us."

Twilight pursed her lips, then tentatively wrapped her arms around Rainbow's neck. "You still represent the Element of Loyalty," she said calmly. "And while yes, you hurt me, I forgave you. Everypony makes mistakes, and holding that one mistake against all of you... not only would that be wrong, but... I cannot do that without destroying myself. You're all a part of me, no matter what." She lowered her gaze to the ground. "Perhaps that is why it hurt me so much," she mused aloud in a soft voice.

Rainbow slowly returned Twilight's hug. "I... I'll make it up to you, however I have to, Twilight. I'm not going to let you get hurt again, I promise."

Twilight laughed softly. "This is..." she trailed off, shaking her head and letting go of Rainbow. "Here I am, the most powerful being in existence, yet you're the one promising to protect me." She smiled warmly at Rainbow. "Thanks. I promise that I'll protect you all, too."

Rainbow stepped back from Twilight, halfway smiling. "You're really doing a lot better than you were two months ago," she commented.

Twilight nodded. "I am doing better than I was a week ago." She raised her eyebrows and tossed her head to the side. "I'm the Princess of Friendship, not solitude." She glanced up at Rainbow. "I... did decide, by the way. About ascending you..."

"You... did?" Rainbow asked hesitantly, not sure that she wanted to know the answer.

Twilight nodded cheerfully. "After this is over and I figure out the spell, I'm going to ascend you. I trust you with that kind of power. I trust you not to betray me. I don't want you all to die and I don't want to be alone for the rest of my life. I have a suspicion you all have extended lifespans because of the Elements... however, I would still outlive you even then. I... don't want that." Rainbow looked at her blankly. Twilight took a deep breath, then stood back up. "You would think that with Celestia and Luna's memories I would be better able to handle this... but of course I can't..." she trailed off shaking her head.

"It's... a lot for anypony to deal with," Rainbow said in a low voice.

"Well, we should get going. We've delayed long enough, don't you think?" Twilight asked.

Rainbow nodded absently. Twilight's change in demeanor concerned her, but she pushed it aside, knowing that Twilight could handle it and that she was doing much better than months ago. She licked her lips and met Twilight's gaze. "You're... really going to make me an alicorn like you?"

Twilight nodded. "Yes." She pursed her lips and tilted her head. "I suppose since I'm going to do that, I should start... talking to you more openly about being an alicorn. To prepare you," she said inquisitively.

Rainbow blinked, then licked her lips and frowned. "Just don't expect me to play dress up or anything like that."

Twilight closed her eyes, her lips turning upward, and she giggled. "Oh don't worry, you'll be a princess but I won't call on you for anything like that."

"Good," Rainbow replied, beating her wings and hovering in the air.

---

When dealing with somepony who rose from relative obscurity to being one of the most powerful ponies in the world in the span of less than two years, somepony who gathered enough support to overthrow two ponies who had held the throne for thousands of years and had been loved the whole time, with the exception of Princess Luna, someone who then used his power to annex several more nations within three years, one tends to stay on the side of caution. As such, Twilight kept both of her eyes opened and constantly scanned the crowd of ponies darting about seemingly aimlessly around her and Rainbow. As she had expected, there were soldiers everywhere, and as such, she kept her magic to herself. She could mask a scanning spell, but she had no way to mask the light from her horn and no reasonable excuse to be using her magic. It would draw attention to herself. Although she had real power, she was still concerned by and cautious about all of the soldiers. Even though she could probably take them all on with ease, being surrounded by innocent ponies put more lives at risk.

Twilight took a deep breath and glanced at Rainbow, who was walking right beside her with barely a hair's width between them. Sure, they took up more room that way, but it removed the chance of them getting separated, which was another of Twilight's fears.

Rainbow caught Twilight glancing at her out of the corner of her eye. She turned to her left, then back to her right to look at Twilight. "How much further is it?"

"Not too much farther," Twilight said, casting her gaze to her right and glancing over a pair of soldiers. The two soldiers were oblivious to her watching them, both of them scanning the crowd. Twilight averted her gaze on them before it lingered too long. Rainbow turned away from Twilight, scanning the crowd as innocently as she could. Twilight glanced back at Rainbow before resuming looking around. She identified another dozen soldiers on the block they were walking by alone. "I'll be honest," she said. "I'm not entirely sure what to expect..."

"What do you mean?" Rainbow asked in a low voice, not wanting her words to carry to anypony around, let alone anypony who might have been trying to listen in on them.

"I... kind of didn't stay in touch with Rarity and Spike as much as I probably should have..." Twilight trailed off sheepishly. "I mostly stared in the sidelines and kept tabs on them through Spike's letters to Princess Ember... I'm not completely sure they'll come with us..." she trailed off.

"Really?" Rainbow asked, concerned and confused. "I thought you had this all planned out and-"

"Well..." Twilight trailed off, muzzle pointed straight ahead, though her eyes following a soldier clad in gray armor walking past them. "No," she answered warmly. "Not really. No," she added dryly. "I've had other things on my mind, lately. I'm sure you can imagine what," she said lightly.

"You... you do have a plan, though, right?" Rainbow asked.

Twilight nodded. "Of course I have a plan..." she trailed off.

"And if it doesn't work?" Rainbow asked in a low voice.

Twilight glanced at Rainbow sheepishly. "Improvise?"

Rainbow groaned and shook her head. "You're really just winging this, aren't you?"

"No," Twilight said defensively, looking away from the pegasus. If she had her wings, she would have ruffled them. Finding herself trying to ruffle her wings without having them made her grunt. "I have a general plan, and I've come to realize that, as of right now, the best plans are simple with lots of room to improvise. The Inquisitor is..." She trailed off as a soldier's gaze passed over her, then lingered a second too long. She turned her attention to the soldier. The soldier's gaze slowly lifted from her and trailed over the rest of the crowd. Twilight clenched her jaw and scrutinized the soldier. Several more seconds passed without incident, though she filed it away, it stayed with her.

'I'm just being paranoid...' she told herself, shaking her head. "Although looking at him probably didn't help..."

Rainbow quickly cast her gaze over to Twilight, "Huh?" Twilight blinked and turned to Twilight with a curious look. "Looking at who didn't help?"

Twilight grimaced. "I... did not mean to say that out loud..." she said tentatively and defensively.

Rainbow matched her grimace and studied Twilight's features for a few seconds, then went back to scouring the crowd for any signs of danger. "You doing okay?"

Twilight nodded once. "Yes. Just... this form is starting to get to me," she replied. "I look forward to never having to use this form again." She cast a glance behind her, looking where the soldier had been. "Or perhaps I can improve the spell..." she trailed off, squinting. She was unsurprised to find him gone, though she felt uneasy about it. She took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. "I'm not sure if this is more stressful than back when we had to face the likes of Lord Tirek or not, but I really, really miss the relative peace and quiet of Ponyville..." she admitted with a wry smile.

Rainbow gawked at Twilight. "But you were so awesome back then! You totally could have beat him on your own..." she replied.

Twilight glanced down at the concrete sidewalk. "I couldn't risk losing any one of you," she said. "If I was faced with the same choice again, I would make the same decision I did back then."

Rainbow's brow furrowed in thought, and she shivered. "Even... if it was the Inquisitor?"

Twilight's steps slowed. Rainbow glanced around and matched her pace. A few soldiers' gazes passed over them, but they were looking over the crowd, rather than at them. Twilight frowned at the concrete. She had no easy answer to say. Both answers were wrong. Both answers could have been a lie. She hated it. "I... I can't answer that," she finally said after several seconds of silence. "I would effectively be sentencing myself to death if I agreed to anything like that... I... would... be... willing to... but... Equestria..." she trailed off, shaking her head. "Three years ago, I would have in a heartbeat..." she admitted. "But... I can't afford to sacrifice myself for you now." She clenched her jaw. "I'm not going to let something like that happen. Next time I face him, I... well, I'll still be holding back, I don't want to turn Canterlot into a crater, but I do want him dead. I suppose I should take a more aggressive route... though it won't be quite as..." she trailed off, tilting her head to the side, "enjoyable... as stabbing him. Repeatedly," she said with complete seriousness in an even voice. "It would be more prudent to hold off on torturing hi..." she quickly shut her mouth and glanced at Rainbow.

Rainbow raised an eyebrow at Twilight. "You... you're not actually going to... to torture him, are you?"

"I'm not sure..." Twilight answered cautiously, bobbing her head side to side, looking away from Rainbow. Her gaze was drawn to a pair of guards, both of whom seemed to be watching her. She frowned. "I would still very much like to," she admitted joyfully. "But let's face it... it would be arrogant of me to do that, and doing so would give him an unnecessary opportunity to kill me..." she added in a low voice. Both soldiers turned their gaze away from her and resumed scanning the crowd.

"Twilight... what he did was wrong... but... and I'm not going against you on this! But... torturing him... would be wrong," Rainbow said warningly.

Twilight threw her head about and tossed her mane to the left side of her neck. "I know that," she said condescendingly. "It's... easier in theory than practice, though. Nopony could stop me if I wanted to... And... he did murder..." she trailed off, swallowing. "And... he took you all away from me..." She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "He will definitely find out what happens when you invoke the wrath of the Princess of Friendship." A pegasus stallion walking passed her paused and looked at her curiously. Twilight glanced at him and smiled gently. As they walked on passed him, the pegasus continued to watch her curiously, even as more ponies walked by him. Twilight shook her head.

"What if you fail?" Rainbow asked.

Twilight bit her lip. "I have a few contingencies in mind," she answered quickly. Another guard glanced at her, a frown crossing over his lips at her sight. Twilight frowned but didn't look at him. For a few seconds, she kept him in her peripheral vision, watching him. His gaze followed her. She glanced back at him. His gaze lingered on her for a few more seconds, then broke away. Twilight looked forward.

She did not like it. The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she grew. Her line of thought regarding it was, 'It's impossible for them to know who we are. Then again, it is the Inquisitor...' She briefly closed her eyes and focused on her alicorn senses. Although they were diluted by the chaotic nature of the large crowd and the body she was in, she could feel it. They were being watched, and it was directed at them, unlike with the rest of the crowd being monitored. Several sets of eyes were following them and from several different directions. Three guards half a block back were casually following them. 'How subtle,' she mused, snorting.

'It probably would have helped if I used different bodies for both of us, rather than the same ones we used in Canterlot.' Twilight paused in midstride, blinking at the realization. She slowly lowered her hoof to the ground as she considered the ramifications of her mistake.

It took Rainbow only a second to realize Twilight had stopped. She turned back around to face Twilight. Seeing Twilight's blank expression, she shifted her weight and rubbed her wings against her sides. "What's wrong?"

"Ah, yes," Twilight said, nodding exaggeratedly. She extended her alicorn senses further out, feeling out the guard's magic. They were scanning her with their magic. "I may have inadvertently completely screwed up this mission," she admitted. Rainbow felt dread, hearing those words proceeding out of Twilight's mouth. She kept silent but swallowed and looked back at some soldiers walking in their general direction. 'Stupid... why didn't I think about that?' Twilight sighed at the thought. "We're being watched, and I'm pretty sure they suspect who we are. The three soldiers approaching are following us. I don't know if they're going to try something, though."

Rainbow squinted at Twilight. "How do you even know that there's three soldiers following us? You haven't even looked back at them..."

Twilight bobbed her head to the side. "Alicorn," she answered evenly, drawing a few sideways, curious glances from ponies passing by.

"Right," Rainbow answered, sighing a little. "What's the plan?"

Twilight shifted her weight. "Rarity's boutique is a couple blocks away. I... would rather not be followed there, if only to protect Rarity and Spike." She pursed her lips. "It's possible that they know why we're here... in which case Rarity and Spike may already be in danger..." she said in a low voice. "We should keep going... follow me and stay close."

Rainbow nodded and turned around, then fell in sync with Twilight as she walked passed her. The disguised alicorn glanced back at Rainbow, then looked forward again. Rainbow ruffled her wings in nervous anticipation, it wasn't exactly what she had been afraid was going to happen, but it was close enough. 'I'm glad I'm here...' she thought to herself, glancing over at Twilight's weaker body.

The pair casually walked the rest of the block, but despite their casual stride, both of them were alert and constantly looking about for danger. Twilight turned to the right at the end of the block. Much to her relief, she saw fewer soldiers there than there had been. She glanced back at Rainbow. The pegasus was following her close behind her, looking back over her shoulder. Twilight looked back ahead and scanned the immediate vicinity. Her earlier relief faded with a grunt as she spotted two soldiers casually walking toward them. Both of the unicorns clearly were focused on them, even if their pace was unhurried like they were trying to avoid drawing attention.

Rainbow turned back to Twilight at her grunt, immediately fearing that something was wrong or she had been injured. She quickly looked over Twilight, searching for any sign of injury before finally catching sight of the two soldiers approaching them. They stood out, not only because of their gray armor but also because everypony kept away from them, leaving a hole where no ponies were present, with the two soldiers at the center. Rainbow grimaced, then came to a stop beside Twilight. "Okay, what do we do now?"

"Maybe I'm just being paranoid," Twilight answered in a low voice. "Let's see how this goes... However, I'd prefer not to make a scene... Just follow my lead, alright?"

"Uh, okay..." Rainbow replied, shifting her weight as the two soldiers drew closer.

Twilight licked her lips, though retained her composure. It wouldn't do to attract more attention to herself than she already had. As the two soldiers approached, ponies did their best to avoid all four of them. Twilight glanced around an counted how many ponies were around. As the soldiers neared, she stepped to the side, offering them a chance to walk on passed Rainbow and her without any trouble.

"Excuse me, miss?" The soldier on the right said, gaze directed at Twilight. The unicorn had a light brown coat, and a dark brown mane, while the other soldier, another unicorn, had a light gray coat and a light yellow mane. The first soldier glanced at Rainbow, his expression cold and hard like stone. "Both of you will have to come with us for questioning."

Twilight glanced at Rainbow briefly. Rainbow looked at her but said nothing, letting Twilight handle it. Twilight took a deep breath, then smiled and turned back to the soldier. "What's this about?" she asked delicately.

Both soldiers seemed a little off-put by her reaction. "You both match descriptions of two ponies who were seen visiting former Councillor Fancy Pants several weeks ago when Twilight Sparkle attacked Canterlot," the one on the right said cautiously.

'Well... Of course I screwed that up,' Twilight thought to herself, musing about her failure and mentally berating herself. It left a little indignant sting to know that she could have avoided drawing attention to them. "Is this really necessary? I'm sure there must be dozens of other ponies who match their description," Twilight replied nonchalantly. "We do have somewhere to be, gentlecolts."

Both soldiers lit their horns. "You don't have a choice," the second unicorn said, levitating a ring out from a concealed location inside his armor.

Twilight clenched her jaw and eyed the ring wryly, already making a new plan. The soldier levitated the ring over to Twilight and kept his gaze focused on her, watching her closely for any sign of resistance. Rainbow looked between Twilight and the ring, even she knew what it was. "Tw-uh..." she stuttered, drawing the gaze of the first guard.

"If you think you can just put that on me, or that I'll let you do that, you're sorely mistaken," Twilight said threateningly, igniting her horn. Both soldiers took a cautious step back, and the ring went back with them.

Both soldiers glanced up behind Twilight. Rainbow looked over her shoulder to see three more soldiers approaching. A quick glance around told her that they were making a scene. Ponies were avoiding them, and watching them, a little fear evident in their eyes. "If you resist, we will use force," the first soldier warned.

"What's the plan?" Rainbow asked under her breath, wings bristling with anticipation.

Twilight took a deep breath and leveled her gaze on the two soldiers. She could sense three more soldiers approaching them from behind, and there were a dozen soldiers across the street, watching them closely, though making no moves to intervene. She had gone up against better, she knew she could beat them in a straight-up fight. It would be laughably easy to kill them all without breaking a sweat. She had the element of surprise on her side, plus they still weren't a match for her.

Unfortunately, it would make a scene, which was something she would prefer not to do. Even if she stayed in her unicorn body, to keep her identity a secret, ponies other than the soldiers could die, if not by her actions than by the soldiers' actions. Although, if they knew to look for her and Rainbow's disguised forms, then they likely had a suspicion as to their real identities, in which case, Rarity and Spike were in imminent danger, as it was the most logical conclusion for them to reach, that she was there for them.

Letting the soldier put the ring on her horn was an option. It would immediately de-escalate tensions, prevent a scene from being made, and could provide her with useful information. It wouldn't have been a challenge to defeat the anti-magic enchantments on the ring. Unless they were improved. That thought gave her pause. She knew she could defeat any improvements made, but it did raise the question of whether or not she would defeat them before it was too late. If they had more advanced equipment nearby, they could do actual damage to her, too.

Twilight grunted and slowly tilted her head side to side, debating her options.

"Something wrong?" another soldier asked from behind. Twilight could practically hear the smirk in his voice. The soldier, whoever he was, was marginally more important than the others.

Twilight turned around and leveled her horn on the unicorn. "Yes, as a matter of fact, there is, Captain," she hissed. As expected, all three soldiers had their horns lit. Also as expected, the trio took a step back and fell into a combative stance after a brief moment of surprise.

"You cannot defeat us. Any resistance you put up is futile, unicorn," the captain warned with a steely gaze as if he was trying to pierce into Twilight's soul. It was about as effective as cutting steel with a bee's stinger.

The five soldiers were so, so pathetic compared to her. Twilight had trouble stopping herself from arrogantly gloating about how she was their superior in every way. They may have been enhanced, but they would never match her. As much as she wanted to deny it, she was eagerly looking forward to fighting them. Years ago, she would have dreaded fighting anypony or anything. Now, she welcomed it. It was thrilling, even if it was going to be a pathetically short battle, one that wouldn't last but a couple minutes, if that.

While Twilight's attention was focused on the newly arrived captain, the first two soldiers stepped closer and levitated the ring over to Twilight. Rainbow jumped over behind Twilight, then spread her wings and fell into a defensive stance, glaring at the soldier levitating the ring. "Don't even try it," she warned.

"You're just a pegasus! You have an impressive stance, but it's for not. You're not a match for us," the soldier rebuked her. "Rest assured, your resistance will be noted."

Rainbow snorted but made no more aggressive moves. She tilted her head to the right, then glanced back at Twilight.

"This will be easier if you surrender," the captain said. "Nopony has to get hurt."

Twilight snorted. "And yet the princesses lie dead at the Inquisitor's hooves," she said venomously.

The captain's gaze sharpened on her as he squinted, focusing solely on her. "That's enough, miss. Take them," he ordered, not once looking away from Twilight.

Before the four soldiers could act, Twilight's horn grew brighter as she cast a spell. A flash of light and a popping sound accompanied the spell.

---

"What?" Rainbow asked, looking around. The sudden teleportation left her confused, even more since all the tall buildings had disappeared. Closer examination, however, revealed that the tall buildings had no disappeared, they were simply on the roof of one of the taller buildings.

Twilight grunted and shook her head. "Of course, I should have known not to use the same exact disguises... Stupid!" She snarled, then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She slowly exhaled, then opened her eyes.

Twilight felt a hoof on her shoulder. Her first instinct was to turn around and kill whoever was foolish enough to lay a hoof on her, but the voice accompanying the gesture was enough to extinguish any thoughts of retaliation. "Are you okay?" Rainbow asked.

Twilight took a calm breath, then turned around and nodded. "Yes, I am fine. Are you alright?" Rainbow nodded and lowered her hoof back to the roof. "Why didn't I realize that this..." Twilight trailed off, shaking her head and groaning.

Rainbow glanced around, examining the sky for any signs of pegasi. There were no pegasi clad in gray armor present, it was both comforting and a little concerning. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, just give me a minute," Twilight answered. She closed her eyes, then cast a quick spell undoing their useless disguises. She spread out her wings and stretched out her back, moaning contently. She opened her eyes and then looked back at Rainbow. "I am kind of regretting bringing you with me," she said simply.

Rainbow frowned. "Why?"

"Because of my incompetence," Twilight quipped. "Sorry... I... shouldn't take it out on you. It's not your fault..." She sat down on her haunches and pressed a hoof to her temple, huffing at the headache she now had as a result of the spell.

Rainbow stepped over to Twilight, then awkwardly wrapped her arms around Twilight. Because of her stature, it made it much more difficult for Rainbow to hug her, but she tried. Twilight smiled a little, then returned the hug. "Thanks," Twilight said.

Rainbow smiled, then stepped back. "So, what now?"

"Well, the soldiers will likely look for us, and they may be after Rarity and Spike now too," Twilight answered. "So not a lot of time," she added, lighting her horn again. "I will teleport us directly there, but I cannot guarantee that it will be safe," she warned.

Rainbow took a deep breath and nodded. "I trust you. Do it."

Twilight nodded, then enveloped Rainbow and herself in her magic and cast the teleportation spell.

---

Rarity hummed a cheery tune to herself as she walked across the ground floor of her boutique, levitating a pristine yet simple dark purple dress alongside with her. It was a slow day, but a good day for her. While since the Inquisitor took over, there had been significantly fewer higher-end sales, she had still met ends need, and then some, from other customers. It also helped that the day-night cycle was going back to normal, although since ponies had adjusted to shorter days and longer nights, the normal day-night cycle was wreaking havoc on everything in general, though ponies were adapting.

Rarity, however, took the stable day-night cycle, the same one had they had missed for the past three years, as a good sign. It meant that her friend was still alive, even if she had failed in her first attempt to overthrow the wretched Inquisitor. She glared at the dress rack she approached at the thought of the stallion. 'Those aren't very ladylike thoughts, Rarity,' she berated herself. 'But considering it's him...' she added. She shook her head, then opened her mouth and stuck her tongue out as she found the perfect spot for the dress amongst the other dresses.

She smiled a little to herself, then turned around. While the day-night cycle being thrown into disarray by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna's untimely demise had left everypony running around panicking like it was the end of the world, the Inquisitor quickly stepped in. He found the strongest, most powerful, and most knowledgeable unicorns he could, put them into a team, then got the sun and moon under control, for the most part. They had never been able to get it right, and performing the task always left them drained. They weren't half as good or reliable as Celestia and Luna had been, but they managed it to an extent.

It still hadn't been the same, shorter days and longer nights had wrecked havoc on everything. She sighed and pushed the thoughts aside, she was just happy things were going back to normal, even if that normal was still abnormal. She could see the change in everypony she saw, their eyes were a little brighter, and their walk was a little happier and relaxed, despite the stress of the unexpected change in day length. There was only one pony who could be responsible for the fixed day-night cycle, Twilight. She hoped the mare was doing okay after how long had passed, even more so after hearing about her failed attack.

She perked up at the chime from the bell above the door. She took a second to compose herself, then smiled and turned around, "Welcome to-"

"Miss Rarity, I presume?"

Rarity grimaced at the group of five soldiers making their way into the shop. Four of the five spread out, looking around, though they were careful not to touch anything. The fifth, however, kept his gaze solely on Rarity. Rarity shifted her weight uncomfortably. "Er... uh, yes, well... What can I do... for you?"

"We just want to ask you a few questions," the soldier stated, pulling out a pad of paper and a pen.

Rarity grimaced and held back a wince as one of the soldiers ran his hoof over the sleeve of one of her dresses. He looked impressed, though he said nothing, nor did it alleviate any of her fears. "Yes, yes... I... will try to answer what I can," she responded, looking back at the commander. "But I don't know how much help I can be of, gentlecolts."

The commander nodded and smiled. "That's alright. You were once close friends with Princess Twilight Sparkle, correct?"

Rarity internally cringed, and she felt a deep-seated feeling of dread rising up in her chest. "Well... yes. Yes, I was... a long, long time ago," she answered, frowning. "It... feels like a lifetime ago," she added heavily.

"How long has it been since you were last in contact with Twilight Sparkle?" the commander asked, looking over a notebook and levitating a pen just above the pages.

Rarity shifted her weight. "I... believe it has been three years," she said at length, hoping that drawing out the response would mask the lie. "I have not seen her, nor heard from her, since the night before the... revolution," she clarified in a low tone.

The commander nodded to himself and wrote something down. Rarity stood up a little straighter, hoping to peek over the top of the pad and see what he was writing, but it didn't help. "And there is a... young dragon on the premise currently, correct?"

"Well, yes... Spike is here right now..." Rarity answered slowly in a low tone. "What does... Spike... have to do with anything?"

"Spike was used by Twilight Sparkle to send and receive letters from Celestia," the commander answered idly.

Rarity frowned. "Yes, but that was years ago, and only between Celestia and Twilight. I don't see what that has to do with anything."

"Celestia could send letters to Spike using her magic, and Spike could send letters to Celestia. Twilight Sparkle is believed to be capable of performing the same spell Celestia did," the commander clarified.

Out of the corner of her eye, Rarity saw two of the soldiers walk over to the stairway, then glance at the commander, who nodded subtly. If she hadn't had a keen eye for details, she would have missed the gesture. Even without asking, she knew that the soldiers were going to go get Spike. She shifted her weight and forced a smile. "What is all of this about, anyway?" she asked in a polite yet forceful way.

"Two mares were spotted in the city, a few blocks away from here. A pegasus and a unicorn. They're being apprehended as we speak. They were both seen arriving at former councilor Fancy Pants' residence, along with an older filly, on the day when Twilight attacked the Inquisitor. His residence was raided shortly thereafter, and no sign of the two mares and filly were found, and they were not seen leaving the residence either," the commander patiently explained.

Rarity slowly grimaced and turned her head away from the soldier. Suddenly, his charged horn seemed that much more menacing than before. "You... believe that the unicorn in question... is Twilight??" Rarity asked.

The commander nodded. "You were friends with her. We're just making sure to cover our bases."

Rarity shook her head. "Yes, well... one flaw with that theory is that Twilight's an alicorn, not a unicorn."

"Twilight Sparkle has the ability to disguise herself." The commander shook his head and shifted his weight impatiently.

"Well, if that's true, why would she use the same disguise twice?" Rarity asked.

The commander said nothing for several seconds, then he licked his lips. "You almost sound like you're defending her."

Rarity looked at the stallion indignantly. "She was my friend," she quipped. The commander sighed and looked at Rarity like she was an old cow. "I don't see what this nonsense has to do with me."

"Miss, you were friends with Twilight Sparkle, and the dragon Spike has the means to communicate with her. On top of that, the unicorn believed to be Twilight Sparkle was spotted just a block away from your boutique." The commander looked up the stairs as the two soldiers escorted a dragon down the stairs. The small dragon had an unamused look on his face, and his arms were folded across his chest, but he said nothing. "We're just-"

"Covering your bases. Yes, I know," Rarity said dryly. She turned back to Spike, then motioned the dragon over to her. Spike looked away from the commander to glance at Rarity, then turned back to the commander and glared at him. He calmly walked over beside Rarity, his escort staying in place. "Commander, I assure you, Spike has done nothing-"

Rarity was cut off by another jingle coming from the door. Unlike the first time, she wasn't happy to hear it. Whoever it was would have to wait until the soldiers left, and she was growing impatient with them. Their commander's rather pointed questions were stinging her, to say nothing of the worry and stress they caused her. The stress she was under further worried her since she knew just how bad stress was for her complexion.

"Commander," another soldier acknowledged as she walked into the boutique.

At the sound of the mare's voice, the commander's expression lightened, and he turned around. "Ah, yes Lieutenant?"

"There's been an incident. The two suspects escaped via teleportation. There was a communications breakdown, somepony failed to notify the soldiers not to intercept her, let alone warn them about who she was."

The commander grunted. "We had them, and they escaped?" The mare nodded. The commander took a deep breath, then exhaled calmly. "Alright. Find out what happened and find them. Do not confront them, but keep an eye on them."

"Yes, sir." The mare saluted, then turned around and walked out the door, sending another cheery ring from the lone bell.

"I swear, it's better on the front lines than here," the commander said under his breath. He shook his head again, then looked over at the two soldiers standing by the stairway. "Search the premises. Let me know if you find anything." Both soldiers saluted.

"Now wait just a minute!" Rarity jumped in, "This is an invasion of privacy! You can't just-"

The commander turned around. "Miss Rarity, we have the full authority and backing of the Inquisitor, and we have reason to believe you may be in contact with an enemy of the state, Twilight Sparkle, to be more specific."

Spike threw his head about angrily. He couldn't stand it, the way they thought about Twilight just burnt him up inside. "Twilight didn't do anything wrong!" he shouted, drawing the attention of the commander. Now that he had the commander's attention he balled his fists together and stepped forward. Although he wasn't quite as tall as the stallion, he had grown significantly in three years. He now stood shoulder height to Rarity, excluding his spines. As such, he was more of an intimidating sight than three years ago. That gave the commander pause, though he did not back down from the young dragon. "All she did was finish a spell and get ascended into an alicorn princess by Princess Celestia, and now you all hate her just because she's a princess! She didn't even have a choice in the matter!"

Rarity bit her lip. Spike's outburst drew the attention of the two soldiers at the door, though neither of them said anything nor made any aggressive moves.

"She is a threat to Equestrian democracy. While she is free, former elements still have power which they could use to ruin everything," the commander replied cautiously.

Rarity scoffed at his response but kept her mouth shut. "Everything was doing just fine before the Inquisitor showed up and killed the princesses," Spike replied venomously.

The commander huffed and shook his head derisively. "That's enough," he said harshly. "Any further outbursts will not be tolerated." Spike snorted, clouds of dark smoke billowed out of his nostrils from the action, drawing an uncomfortable look from the commander and making him double down on watching the young dragon. Despite Spike's youth and the commander preparedness to take on the small dragon, Spike was still a dragon, which was enough to make him wary. It didn't help the commander feel any more comfortable that during the past three years, Spike's spines had become more jagged, sharp, and pointy.

It was only a flash of light and a popping sound that drew his attention away from the dragon.

Twilight blinked, then looked around, noting the three soldiers. She grimaced, then smiled as her gaze fell on Rarity and Spike. "Hi Rarity, hi Spike! It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Rarity and Spike did a double take, then gawked at the alicorn. "Twilight!?" they shouted in unison with surprise, eagerness, and horror.

"You!" the commander shouted. "Kill her!" He swiveled on his hooves to face Twilight, only for Rainbow to pounce on him. He wasn't prepared for the sudden assault, and he found himself thrown to the floor. Rainbow glared at him and wrapped her hooves around his neck. The unicorn struggled, then regained enough control and threw Rainbow off of him.

The two guards by the door took a few steps away from the door, spreading out, then lowered their horns at Twilight. Twilight unfurled her wings ever so slightly and glanced back. Before either unicorn knew what happened, they found their bodies sprawled out on the floor as the force of gravity suddenly increased several times for them. Both of them grunted as they registered the pain from the impact, then the magic surrounding their horns went out as their muzzles hit the floor.

Both of them tried to pick themselves up off the floor, but fighting the intense localized gravity proved impossible. As soon as they realized that, they leveled their horns on Twilight and lashed out with their magic from the floor.

Twilight swiveled around to face them, falling into a combat stance and flaring her wings out, nearly knocking over a ponyquin in the process. Two blades of lavender magic violently erupted to life in the air, and with two swift motions, both spells were intercepted by her blades.

Rarity and Spike jumped out of the way as the commander jumped onto Rainbow, then pressed her down against the floor. "Captain Dash, stand down!" he ordered.

Rainbow lashed out with a hoof and hit him square in the jaw. He cried out in pain as he felt something break. Rainbow smiled smugly. "Yeah, not happening." He pressed a hoof against his jaw and winced in pain, then he turned his gaze on Rainbow. He acted quickly, slamming his arm into Rainbow's neck. Rainbow kicked him in the abdomen as his arm slammed into her throat. She winced and gagged from the impact, but fought through it and kicked the commander off of her. She quickly rolled over and fell into a combat stance and spread her wings out the second she was free, though she nursed her injured neck with a hoof.

The commander hit the ground hard, grunting. His recovery was slower than Rainbow's, but he made up for it with his magic. He threw his head down, leveling his horn on Rainbow and fighting through the pain, then launched a spell at Rainbow.

Rainbow effortlessly dodged his attack and charged at him. The commander took a step back and sent another spell at her. The spell missed. Rainbow closed the distance before he could send another spell and slammed her hoof into his muzzle, drawing blood. The commander groaned and staggered back.

Twilight casually strolled over to the two soldiers she trapped with gravity, then dispatched both of them with swift strikes to the base of their necks from her blades. The blades easily pierced their armor and their necks, severing their spinal cords and killing them instantly. She felt the blades dig into the floor, then pulled them out, leaving two cleanly cauterized injuries in the unicorns.

She was not caught off-guard by the two soldiers rushing down the stairs. She sidestepped a spell and turned around, aiming her horn at the one on the right. Her spell missed and impacted the wall, causing a sharp crack, followed by a rain of shattered brick and drywall pelting the two soldiers' armor. Twilight grabbed the soldier on the left with her magic, then violently threw him towards the left. The soldier grunted in surprise, then his instincts kicked in. He teleported behind Twilight, arresting his momentum, then lashed out with his magic.

Twilight grunted as she turned to the right to engage the unicorn. A lavender wall of magic solidified around Twilight almost too late to block out a lime-green bolt of magic. Twilight brought her right blade to bear against the unicorn. He immediately reacted, hoping to the left and intercepting Twilight's blade with one of his own. The force of the blades colliding sent magical sparks shooting across the air followed a second later by his green sword shattering and dissipating into the air. He winced as Twilight's sword continued unabated. While jumping out of the way took him out of the direct path of the blade, the magic still caught him in the shoulder. He cried out in pain and collapsed to the ground, unable to stand.

Twilight twirled the sword around, then pointed it at the fallen unicorn and thrust it straight down on him. A lime green barrier formed around him and he clenched his eyes shut. The barrier popped as soon as the blade hit it. A second later, Twilight pulled the blade out of the deceased soldier and leveled her gaze on the last soldier engaging her.

Rainbow's hoof slammed into the commander's horn, causing a wince from the unicorn as the jarring impact disrupted his concentration and magic. He recovered and swiveled to the right, extending his legs and slamming them into Rainbow's legs. Rainbow's legs went out from under her, and her quick reflexes saved her from falling on her outstretched wing, but she still hit the ground hard. She grunted and pushed herself back up, only for the commander's hind legs to buck out against her chest. The impact knocked the wind out of her lungs. She clutched her chest and fell to the floor, wheezing in pain.

The commander glared at her but wasted no time in forging a blade of magic in the air, then throwing it down at the pegasus. He smiled as Rainbow stood back up far too slow. His blade shattered as soon as it came into contact with a lavender blade of magic, erasing the smile from his face. He looked up and over at the other recent arrival. The look of sheer anger on her face was enough to give him pause, which Rainbow immediately took advantage of. She slammed into the unicorn, then rammed him into the wall.

Seeing that Rainbow had the commander under control, Twilight turned her attention back to the remaining soldier. With his three allies dead, and his commander preoccupied, he seemed to realize that he was in a bad situation. Although his expression had ghosts of fear written all over it, he remained steadfast, holding his ground and staring down Twilight, although he made no attempts to engage her. He seemingly knew that engaging Twilight would only result in a quicker death.

Twilight smiled, then launched herself at the unicorn. The unicorn stepped back in fear and fired a spell at her, a spell which she easily intercepted with one of her blades. Before he could send another bolt of magic at her, Twilight landed and thrust her blade into the unicorn's chest. Twilight took a deep, victorious breath as the life drained from the unicorn's eyes, then she calmly exhaled and dispersed her two blades of magic. The unicorn's body slumped down to the floor without anything holding it up.

Rainbow breathed heavily as she walked over to Twilight. Her attention was split between the alicorn and Rarity and Spike. Rarity and Spike looked in shock, although the shock was much more prevalent on Rarity's features. Her wide eyes and opened mouth were focused solely on Twilight, it was as if she didn't even notice Rainbow or the dead soldiers.

"We need to go," Twilight stated. She blinked and turned away from the corpse to look at Rarity and Spike. She greeted them with a smile. "It's good to see you two again," she greeted.

Rarity blinked a couple times, then looked down at the bodies littering the floor of her shop. She grimaced, then looked back up at Twilight. "Twilight... you've grown... You look beautiful," she said, still in shock.

Spike took a deep breath, then ran over to Twilight. Twilight turned to him, then sat down on her haunches. As soon as Spike hit her, she wrapped her arms around him, holding him in an affectionate hug. Spike wrapped his arms around her barrel and held onto her tightly. "Twilight... I was so, so worried!"

Twilight smiled and nuzzled his cheek. "I'm... alright," she replied tentatively. "It's good to see you again, Spike. I... I'm sorry that I left you."

"I'm sorry that I didn't listen to you!" Spike apologized.

"Spike, it wasn't your fault... I did kind of run in there like a madmare..." Twilight trailed off, glad that Spike was unable to see her pained expression. "We have some catching up to do now, don't we?" Twilight asked. Spike pulled back and nodded. "Even though we kind of kept in touch..." Twilight shook her head, then nuzzled Spike again. "It feels like it's been a lifetime since we've seen each other..."

Spike nodded. "Yeah," he agreed. A few seconds of silence passed between them. "I should have gone after you."

Twilight shook her head. "It wouldn't have changed anything." She squeezed him, then let him go. He stepped back, then walked around to her side. Twilight smiled at him, then enveloped him in her wing. Spike closed his eyes and leaned into Twilight, welcoming her embrace.

Rarity walked over to Rainbow. Rainbow glanced at her and watched her curiously. Rarity pursed her lips. "Rainbow Dash."

"Rarity," Rainbow acknowledged evenly, her body tensing up as she turned to face her old friend.

Rarity kept her gaze even for a few seconds, then shook her head. "I never thought I would see you again, especially not with Twilight," Rarity said. "You sided with him, even after Princess Celestia and Princess Luna died." Rarity glared at Rainbow threateningly, "If you're planning on hurting Twilight-"

"N-no!" Rainbow quickly answered, eyes widening. "I-I'm not going to hurt her. I'm helping her!" She lowered her gaze to the floor and grimaced. "He... he was going to use me to kill her. I... I didn't... know." She looked back up at Rarity. "I... I don't want Twilight dead or... or hurt. I just thought that... that she would be safe if I helped him..." she trailed off, shaking her head. "I'm protecting her now! I'll die for her if I have to to make it up to her..."

Rarity squinted at Rainbow and studied her expression. Under her gaze, Rainbow looked at her hooves guiltily. "Look, Rarity... I know I messed up. I really, really screwed up... He sent me to go find Twilight and bring her back. He told me that she'd be safe..."

Rarity's face distorted in anger. "And you believed him? After everything he's done? I can't believe you!"

"Rarity... I know... I just..." Rainbow trailed off, shaking her head about in distress. "I should have realized... I should have known... but... I didn't. I'm trying to make up for it!"

"She is," Twilight piped up, drawing Rarity and Rainbow's attention to her. Rarity's expression warmed slightly but remained cold. "Hating her for what she did won't change anything or make anything better, Rarity." Her smile faded and her expression fell. "I know from experience. I was alone for three years after all, and let me say I was very upset with her... All of you, actually..." She trailed off, then turned to Rainbow and smiled. "A year ago, or even four months ago, I would have killed her on sight. I only spared her life out of pity when I found her... I knew why she was there, but..." she trailed off, turning away from them and frowning in thought. "You were so weak and defenseless... As much as I wanted you dead, I still remembered our friendship. You had thrown it away, but I wouldn't really have been any better if I had just killed you... Even though I would have enjoyed it a lot..."

Rarity shifted her weight and looked at Twilight in concern. Twilight would never have said she would have enjoyed killing anypony or anything. The fact that she just said that, and that she remained rather happy and calm about it was disconcerting. "You were alone for three years? Darling that sounds... terrible."

Twilight snorted. "Yes. It left me rather... well, I'm still dealing with the issues it's caused me. It didn't help that I had to deal with losing Celestia, Luna, my sister-in-law, my brother, and of course, my niece... It also didn't help that when they died, I received their magic and some of their memories. I wasn't ready for that..." She cast her gaze down at the floor. Rarity turned back to Rainbow with a cold glare but said nothing.

Twilight shook her head, then levitated Spike up onto her back and smiled, even if it was strained. "We have a lot to talk about," Twilight stated evenly, then looked out the glass door. She frowned at it and shook her head. "But we really can't talk about it here." She turned to Rarity and then glanced around. She smiled wryly. "Sorry about the mess..."

Rarity raised her eyebrows at Twilight in mock seriousness, "When you get back in power, you're paying for damages," she said with a lighthearted smile. After a few seconds, she tossed her head about, then quickly walked over to Twilight and hugged her. Twilight returned the hug. "I'm just glad to see you again. When I heard about your..." she trailed off, searching for the right word, "valiant attempt to overthrow the Inquisitor, which had failed, I was dreadfully worried!"

"You really had us worried Twilight," Spike said, wrapping his arms around Twilight's neck.

Twilight smiled wryly. "Sorry... I... I had a lot on my mind when I fought him... I still do, but I won't let him live next time." The smile faded into a frown and she shook her head. "I'm sure the others will be happy to see you... and I'll have to introduce you to my new student."

Author's Note:

Trust...

This chapter was longer than I expected. Probably something to do with the unplanned battle scene.

...Rarity and Spike are back! Rarity seems to have issues with Rainbow, though. How fortunate that they'll be able to talk about it in a safe and secure environment!

Yeah, that scene was kind of short... At least their reunion. But hey, the next few chapters will (should) address this.

[Late night editing in a nutshell:]

"You are staying here, where you will be out of harm's way should the slight chance that's pretty much impossible for something to go wrong, inevitably have a one hundred percent chance of going wrong since the Inquisitor is involved, yet will probably something goes inevitibly wrong because the Inquisitor is involved, goes wrong. something go wrong."

The first take of this had a different battle, this one was when they were confronted by the five soldiers on the street. Just to clarify, they're not the same five. I didn't like that, it was too... visible, I guess. A combination of that and it was kind of leading to Twilight and Rainbow splitting up to complete the mission. Didn't like that either.

Something about this chapter doesn't feel right to me, and I'm not sure what it is, but I have a suspicion it's the last scene- more specifically, the last scene from the part where Twilight and Rainbow arrive forward. I kind of feel like I'm forgetting something, too... Mostly fixed with edits.

And with this chapter, this story passes the 100k word count mark! While it's an accomplishment, it's not as much of an accomplishment for me since this is the fourth story of mine to pass 100k. What can I say, I like long stories.

Comments

[Korusso]

yay Almost done. Just to get Applejack and then, The Gang's all here!

[Phoenix Nebula]

Discord curled himself around Fluttershy, then laid his head on her shoulder. Fluttershy glanced at him, then smiled a little and nuzzled him. Discord glanced at Fluttershy and smiled, then looked back up at Twilight.

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