I Serve
“- and so,” Princess Celestia beamed at the Elements of Harmony. “Given the contributions that you all have made towards our victory over the Changelings, I believe that it is only right that I hand jurisdiction over the Outer Lands to you.”
She looked around the banqueting table, and realized that she had overestimated their enthusiasm for rule. Oh, Celestia, not everyone is like you, you know. Even Rainbow Dash, whom she thought would have at least let out an excited gasp, looked stunned.
An awkward silence followed. Six pairs of wide eyes trained on the Princess. “Hello?” Celestia waved uneasily. “Rainbow Dash? Pinkie Pie? Twilight Sparkle?”
Hearing her name, the purple unicorn snapped out of her trance. “Um…oh! Princess Celestia! Oh, sorry; I misheard you and thought you were talking about giving us rule over the Outer La-”
“No, my faithful student, that’s what I just said,” Princess Celestia said. “I am giving this land to you not only as thanks, but also as a task: to ensure that Changelings cannot invade Equestria on a whim.”
“But - but wha’ about Sweet Apple Acres?” the distinct voice of Applejack rang out from the other end of the table. “I know Big Mac and Granny Smith ain’t gonna leave!”
Celestia smiled. “Applejack,” she said. “You will have land at least a hundred times that of Sweet Apple Acres. And your extended family will surely appreciate having an important person - nobility, no less - in their midst.”
“And of course,” the Princess glanced at the other ponies, slowly recovering from their shock. “Ruling over your little slice of Equestria does bring benefits. Innumerable animals. Mountains upon mountains of gems. Enough time to throw parties every day of the year. All yours.”
“Yay!” Pinkie Pie blew a party horn. “Party every day!”
The other ponies were less convinced, but Celestia could see that they were curious enough to give it a try.
“Well then,” Celestia smiled. “I guess we are in agreement.”
*
“Gather ‘round, everypony,” Twilight gestured towards the table, a map on top of it. “Drink?”
“Hey, Twi'! That’s ma’ job! I even brought this here barrel o’cider with me.” Applejack said jokingly. “Slow down, Rainbow; this keg ain’t goin’ nowhere.”
“Pinkie!” Rarity said. “Put away the cannon this instant! Let us finish with official matters first!”
Fluttershy stealthily slunk into a seat on the bottom-left corner.
“Ahem,” Twilight cleared her throat. “So as all of you know, Princess Celestia has handed control of the Duchy of the Outer Lands over to us, with the aim of preventing the Changelings from ever threatening Equestria. I’ll review the whole situation before we all leave for our respective counties.
“Rainbow Dash, you get the northwest - only the largest county for the most distinguished pony of the war.” The cyan colored mare blushed. “Applejack, you get the northeast. Together, both counties possess the three passageways that link the southern part of the Duchy to the north. The both of you are our first line of defense against the Changelings.”
“Don’t worry Twilight, no Changeling would dare mess with us!” Rainbow Dash looked at Applejack, who gave a knowing nod.
“That’s settled then. Pinkie Pie, your county is in the southeast. Rarity, you get the south-central region. Fluttershy, you get the center - hey, maybe you can try and find that white phoenix we saw last time, huh - and I get the southwest. That also means my county is in possession of the only land route back towards Equestria, and is the last line of defense for our Duchy.
“You all know that Princess Celestia has bestowed on me the title of Duchess of the Outer Lands,” Twilight looked around, trying to detect any trace of dissatisfaction in her friends and finding none. “So, to a certain degree, I am responsible for regulating the relationships between all the counties. Of course, since we’re all good friends, we’re going to be just fine; but just in case something does come up, I think we should get together and solve it. So we’ll also hold Councils at regular times and have get-togethers and stuff like that. Any questions?” She looked around. “No? Pinkie, let’s get it going, then!”
“Yes, sir, ma’am, sir! PAAARTY CANNON!”
*
Celestia’s Sun shone down upon the Elements from a cloudless sky. They had bidden each other farewell; now every pony stood silent, ensconced in thought, unwilling to be the first one to break away. The atmosphere was simply unsuited for such an occasion: so warm, so sunny, so happy…
At long last, Twilight decided to puncture the silence. “Hey, girls, your entourages left almost half a day ago,” she said. “Shouldn’t you be heading out?”
“Aw shucks Twi’, you desperate for us to leave or somethin’?” Applejack chuckled.
“Of course not! It’s just -” Twilight searched around for suitable words. “- it’s just…well, the wait hurts more.”
Rainbow Dash sniffed. “I never thought leaving you guys would be so hard. After all we’ve been through together -”
Rarity put a comforting hoof over the cyan pegasus. “Now don’t you worry, Rainbow Dash, we’ll still see each other regularly.”
“Yeah, Dashie!” Pinkie Pie said. “It’s like an adventure! You love adventure, don’t you? Oh, maybe you’ll find some ancient scary ruins and be like Daring Do!”
Dash looked up at her and gave a forced smile. “Yeah, Pinkie… I guess… ”
The niceties over, the ponies hauled their respective saddlebags onto their backs and prepared to leave.
“Well, I guess this is goodbye then,” Twilight said, tears forming in her eyes. “Ugh, I don’t even know why I’m crying; we’re going to meet each other soon anyway.” She looked up and saw the other Elements in similar emotional straits. Despite everything, Twilight couldn't help but break out in a smile. They're leaving for far-off places, but they will always be here, with me, in spirit.
She extended a hoof. “Girls. Friendship forever?”
“Friendship forever and ever, yay!”
“Friendship forever to y’all.”
“Darling, of course! Friendship forever.”
“Yeah! *sniff* Friendship forever, guys!”
“Oh…friendship forever, oh yes.”