Welcome Home

A lone figure slowly walked one of the many roads that led to Canterlot castle, pausing briefly to reminisce on old memories.  The cobblestone streets felt familiar under her hooves, the small bumps digging into her hooves as she walked along. She wanted to be happy about returning home but she knew that her arrival would only be met with unnecessary levels of petty conflict. Perhaps home wasn't the right word. She no longer correlated home with this place after being away for so long.

The lone figure ducked into an ally way as a guard patrol passed by, she didn’t want to be seen quite yet. Whilst in the alley the lone figure channeled as spell she had used many times while on her journeys. A rift in space opened up in front of her, reaching in she grabbed three items. One of them was a black cloak with purple trimming. It had plates of metal covering areas that wouldn't hinder mobility and overall looked very well crafted. The other two items that had been pulled over were strapped around the lone figures middle. Two swords, in their sheaths, were now at the sides of the lone figure.

With her armor dawned and the swords on either end of her body she continued walking down the path to the castle. She had gotten use to the weight of armor while on her journeys. She used to think it cumbersome but after a mishap or two she had grown to appreciate it. The gates of Canterlot Castle loomed before her now, along with two guards. They looked at her with suspicion as she approached. She drew the sword on her left, revealing a glowing white blade. With a word from the lone figure the sword burst into violet flames and dripping with molten energy.

The guards shielded their eyes, but did not shy from the fight, drawing their swords as well. The lone figure scoffed, she knew as well as any other that the swords the guards of Canterlot carried were more for show than actual combat, a status symbol, not an actual weapon. As the guards charged her she made quick work of the flimsy weapons. Making a single swipe with her burning sword she turned the cheap metal to nothing but a puddle of silver near each guards feet. She let them run to their captain for he was one of the people she had come to see. Holding the sword steady in her glowing magic grip she melted a hole in the gate so she could pass.

Not ten feet into the courtyard the lone figure heard the marching feet of perhaps ten guards. Knowing that simply disarming them would not suffice this time she drew her second weapon, a black blade that chilled the air around her. Another word and the lights of Canterlot went dim as the blade seemed to banish all forms of light other than its burning twin. The guards turned the corner to see her, in all her glory, standing and ready for the fight.

The guards did not charge the lone figure immediately but instead chose a more intelligent approach, surrounding her, leaving no easy path of escape. The mare simply smirked, not that it could be seen under her hood. Raising the black blade slightly higher, the lone figure plunged it into the ground, the effect was immediate. Branching tendrils of frost worked their way outwards, the plants and grass turned rigid, the cobblestone cracked, and perhaps most importantly the guards slowly started to get incased in ice, leaving the lone figure surrounded by figurines of the north with expressions of terror on their faces.

Touching the tip of her searing blade to one of the guards his prison of ice melted away, leaving him with a burn mark on his snout. The guard swiftly moved out of her way as she motioned with a hoof. She walked slowly towards the entrance door of the castle, opening it to find a wall of spears blocking her path. Placing the two blades perpendicular to each other, she set them spinning. The two swords canceled each others magic and instead created a massive force of wind to blow back the twenty some guards that made up the wall.

Progressing farther down the hall she was met with another obstacle, a large sum of archers stood in the balconies above her, bows at the ready. Readying the hotter of her two blades she watched as the archers let loose their volley of arrows. Channeling a sustain energy spell the lone figure swung her sword as she let loose the spell, creating a wall of fire to incinerate the arrows as they drew near. An arcane blast of her own creation dispersed the wall, sending it just far enough to burn the bowstrings of the archers. She walked unabated to the final door, the one that would lead her to the throne room. As she reached for the handle a sword was brought down on her reaching hoof, it did nothing to breach the armored cloak but the force of it knocked her hoof away.

Looking to her right she saw the captain of the guard, standing in full enchanted armor. While the other guards may have had ceremonial weapons at their disposal the captain was wielding a blade that would disperse any and all magic that touched it. The same went for his armor and shield. She would not be needing her enchantments for this fight and with a word her swords lost their glow. He let loose the first swing which was easily blocked by one of her own.

The two began a fight that one looking in might consider a dance, elegant and smooth, even if hideously one sided. Their blades did not clash together, but instead flowed off each other like water, smoothly transitioning to the next strike. The lone figure could tell that the captain was losing his energy when his strikes became more aggressive and desperate. Deciding that this had gone on long enough she griped the blade of the captain with her own two, twisted them, and snapped the sword into fragments. A quick strike with both her weapons led the shield to follow suite. The captain stood their with a look of shock and terror on his face, staring down what he assumed to be tartarus incarnate. The lone figure stopped his gawking with a pommel strike to the forehead, knocking him unconscious. He didn't need to see this next part.

The lone figure walked into the throne room, sitting on their pedestals were Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Twilight. With her target acquired the lone figure ignited her blades and prepared two spells she had only used on rare occasion. Sending out the first spell, it shattered the barrier spells around the three Princesses, taking this chance the lone figure jammed the two blades together activating the second spell. A blinding light filled the room and when it waned a single blade of jet black and radiant white was lofted above the figures head. With a burst of telekinesis she sent the blade flying, strait towards the heart of Princess Twilight. The blade flew with little resistance, Celestia and Luna could try as they like to stop the blade but the figure knew it was enchanted so that only she could wield it. The enchanted blade hit its target with deadly accuracy.

Princess Twilight hit the floor with a resounding thud, Luna and Celestia could do nothing but stare in shock as their dear friend and student respectfully, fell to the ground. The lone figure stood passively to the side, waving her hoof to will the blade back towards her. Celestia was the first to recover, wiping her neck around to stare at the lone figure with fire in her eyes. A beam of purifying fire burst from the white alicorns horn headed strait for the mare. She was hit squarely in the chest by the beam, but it only knocked her back a few steps. Celestia was about to launch another beam when she was interrupted by a wide eyed Luna.

In the spot where the dead Princess Twilight once lay was the now deceased Queen Chrysalis. They both turned back the lone figure just as she started lower her hood. In front of the two remaining Princesses stood Twilight Sparkle, yet she wasn't at the same time. She looked older, not older in the sense that she looked old but her eyes looked like they had seen to much. Her face was marked with scars and she looked confident. Her coat was a darker shade than what it was before and her mane had been cut short.

Twilight stood before them and only spoke two words...

"I'm home"