It had been decades since the passing of Ponyville's protector, Spike. With his passing, the impact the Elements of Harmony had made on the world was no longer so obvious. Sugarcube Corner had long closed down, the Elements had yet to find their new bearers, and Celestia and Luna had taken new apprentices.
Still, none were worthy of alicornship. Heroes and heroines they were, but none were Twilight Sparkle.
Celestia looked to the stars, and she imagined her old student dancing among them, playing with them like little balls of clay. Molding and shifting them. Simple playthings.
She smiled at the thought, before she saw something peculiar. A cloud was leaving its place from the sky. Was a young pegasus searching for a bed? No, it was too small....It looked barely enough to rest one's hoof on.
The cloud suddenly turned, shooting at Celestia, as she stood on her balcony. It raced towards her, before it shot into the air, rolling into a spiral. The purple cloud solidified, and gently descended as a piece of paper.
Celestia stared at it with shock. The paper had evidence of being rolled up, like one of the scrolls the palace was filled with. The sides were clean of ripples and rips. Too clean. The paper was smooth and even warm, giving the goddess a sense of calmness and ease.
Dear Princess Celestia
"Twilight...?"
I wish you could see what I've seen. I've seen the universe born and reborn. I've seen planets made of diamonds and skies made of jewels. I've seen seas of lava and streets of wood. I've seen things that I could have never imagined in my wildest imaginations, and yet, I cannot help but think that it would all be boring without my friends.
Half the fun of seeing the universe (and neighboring universes) is seeing what my friends think about it! Applejack, Pinkie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash have all made my time here wonderful!
But it wasn't always like that. I have learned that while friendships can be hard to maintain, they can be even harder to rebuild. Friendship can easily be broken by one's own feelings or by misunderstandings, or even by learning about the rest of the world. Growing up, we all saw what life really had to offer, and it overwhelmed us, I think. It almost overwhelmed me. Responsibility to family, those who look up to us, and to our own dreams can tear apart the bonds between friends.
But if you really care, if they really care, then you can rebuild. You can balance responsibility and fun. You can still be overwhelmed, but you will never be alone.
Some friendships are strong enough to do that. Those are the friendships that will never break. Those are the kinds that are eternal. They're the ones that make you think it must be magic.
"Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle."
Celestia's eyes widened and she spun around, once more stupefied by what she saw.
"Twilight?"
The purple unicorn ran over and rubbed her immortal teacher's neck with her own. The alicorn did the same as tears came to their eyes.
"It has been far too long, my dearest student...Though, I suppose I can no longer call you that. You have learned far more than I have."
"You will always be my favorite teacher, Princess," Twilight smiled. She then turned her head, and stared into the dark night sky. "It really is beautiful out there...To move a star with magic is one thing, but to mold one? To make one with one's own hooves? Its just one of the most fantastic things out there."
"I envy you. The sights out there, the things you must have witnessed after all these years..."
"I know. Which is why I 'm here."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Twilight! You really are here!" Luna, Cadence, and Twilight's fellow immortal ponies walked in. The two alicorns ran to the purple pony and embraced her, before looking around them. "Why do I get the feeling this isn't a simple visit?" Cadence inquired.
"We wanted to trade places!" Pinkie Pie blurted out.
"What?!"
"Pinkie, I was getting there!"
"Whoops! Sorry, Twilight!"
"Trade places with us? You cannot simply do that on a whim, Twilight! There are obstacles! What would Lauren have to say-?" Luna was interrupted by the purple unicorn.
"We already asked her. She's fine with it."
"Fine? But how will you explain your return?"
"We'll make a story. Don't worry, we won't let them know the truth, but we're sure we can think of something."
"None of you know anything about leading a country!"
"We'll learn, and you're free to stay for the first few weeks, to make sure we have it under hoof."
"And what will we do while you rule in our stead after that? We cannot be simply cast aside!"
"Silly, loony Luna! We're trading places, not replacing!"
"Princess Luna, Princess Celestia...You've ruled over Equestria for over two thousand years. You've had the responsibility of choosing ponies worthy of true godhood. Yet you have never had the chance to know what it was like out there. We want to take your place here, and with your permission, rule over Equestria while you go and experience what the universe has to offer."
"This is most...alarming. I...do not know what to say."
"Twilight, are you sure?" Celestia asked. "Are you all sure?"
"Shoot, of course we are! Why, you princesses ain't never had a break! You deserve this vacation, and if the only way to get that vacation is by ruling in your place, then we're all for it!"
"While I do not share Applejack's exotic dialect, I do share her willingness to return to Equestria and to help it grow."
"Do you even have to ask?" Rainbow grinned.
"It would be our honor, if that's alright..."
"You betcha!"
"What about Princess Cadence?"
"They've already spoken to me about it. I've already seen what its like out there, now I want to stay, and help them."
"Princesses, you've just done so much for all of us. We just want to return the favor," Twilight explained.
"They do seem adamant about the matter, sister, and if there is anypony worthy of replacing us, it would be Equstria's greatest heroes."
Celestia looked at her hesitant sister, before looking at the six ponies. She smiled at them as she gently nuzzled her sister's head, comforting her. "We have always dreamed of what it was like out there." Tears fell from the alicorn's eyes once more as she closed them. "Thank you, Twilight. Thank you, everypony. You honor us."
"So you're okay with this?" Twilight beamed.
"We will, of course, need to help you catch up to current events, and we will need to think of a story to tell the populace, but yes, we are."
"I also believe that Twilight Sparkle and her friends should give my sister and I a list of some of their favorite sights out there," Luna added, before the nine ponies shared a brief laugh.
"It would be our honor, Princesses!"
-----------------------
Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria. There were six, benevolent friends who ruled together.
Princess Rarity, who gave us the night sky, bringing forth the moon and the stars.
Princess Applejack, who taught us how to grow and nurture our forests.
Princess Rainbow Dash, who commanded the weather and inspired thousands with her stories.
Princess Fluttershy, who cared for everyone, as if she was their mother.
Princess Pinkie Pie, creator of our dreams and giver of joy to all.
And Princess Twilight Sparkle, the leader of the six, the alicorn of the sun, and the greatest of teachers.
Thus, the six ruled over Equestria, protecting and guiding their subjects, all the different types of ponies, and all of the neighbors that coexisted with them.
But as time went on, a being from the six's past struck. Once a normal mare, now a being full of jealousy and hate, Envy, attacked the six. She attempted to destroyed them and everything they protected. The six tried to reason with Envy, but she would not stop, so they were forced to banish her, locking her away within the moon, by using the most powerful artifacts known, the Elements of Harmony.
With the threat defeated, peace has been maintained with Equestria for generations since.
"Elements of Harmony...Consarnit, now I know ah've heard about them before." Turnip Cart scratched his head through his baseball cap, as he picked the book up with his mouth and placed it back on the bookshelf. "Hmm..."
"Turnip Cart! You still in there, boy? This cart ain't gonna move itself!"
"Comin' pa! Hey, you mind if I go to the library while we're in town? There's a book I'm lookin' for!"
Unbeknownst to the farm hand, six pairs of eyes were watching him thanks to magic. The six alicorns looked at one another, silently. The dramatic tension was quickly broken, by one of them giggling.
"Its like if Twilight had Applejack's accent! Oh man, that's hilarious!" Rainbow laughed.
"Hey, you sayin' my accent's funny?"
"Are you saying its not?"
Twilight rolled her eyes as the two poked fun at one another, Pinkie now joining Rainbow in laughing at the young colt. She looked down at the magical pool and saw the pony helping his elderly father push the cart up a hill. He was generous, there was no doubt to that.
As she stared at the pool, she realized. This was the same way Princess Celestia had seen them, and had known they were worthy of the Elements of Harmony. She smiled to herself, proud to be like her mentor, when a golden light appeared before her. A postcard floated before her face, along with a dozen of photos..
"Greetings from the Big Bang. Wish you were here. Love, Celestia and Luna," Twilight read.
She passed the photos to her friends, who beamed at the sight of old friends. It seemed by the way the two sisters were posing with the cosmic egg, they were truly enjoying their vacation. Smiles were on each of their faces, as they teased one another, both wearing the classic tourist shirts for added humor, a camera around Luna's neck.
Sadly though, Twilight had to play the wet blanket. "Come on, girls. Time to go. We still have a lot more planning to do."
"Hey, who wants to stop by Donut Joe Jr's place when we're done?" Rainbow inquired.
"Race ya there," Applejack challenged. "Hooves only."
"You're on."
"Ooh! Ooh! Can I narrate!? GASP! Fluttershy, Rarity, wanna be my narrating buddies?"
"Oh, well...I...I don't really have the voice for-"
"Oh, come now, Fluttershy. One should never be against trying new things. We'd be happy to join you, Pinkie."
"WHEEE!" As the six alicorns walked out, Twilight looked at the postcard hovering before her. She used her magic to turn it around, and read the back. Her lips curled into a smile as she read.
Thank you