Twilight's family was in the front row of the Great Hall at Canterlot Castle, her mother tearing up, and both her father and brother were standing tall, bursting with pride at her accomplishments. Cadance was next to her husband, beaming at the pony she had once foalsitted, and soon to join her in the ranks of royalty. The 5 friends that had accompanied her in so many adventures were in the front row on the opposite side of the hall, clad in the finest dresses Rarity had ever made, and wearing their Elements of Harmony along with Spike, who was gazing at Twilight in admiration. Smiles were on all their faces as Twilight stood alone at the head of the hall, wearing another of Rarity's dresses, her head adorned by her Element and waiting for the ceremony to start. All the ponies in Equestria of any note were invited, and several dignitaries from other nations were present as well, as new royalty was a matter of great interest to every race that surrounded the fair kingdom.
The Great Hall was a magnificent room in the palace, with a long, nave-like central area holding the many rows of guests. On either side of the room lay several elaborate and beautiful stained glass windows, depicting various scenes from Equestria's history, and at the end of the hall lay a raised platform on which Twilight currently waited. Above her, where everybody could see, was another stained glass window, depicting Celestia and Luna together. It was incredibly detailed and served both to impress visitors and remind them of the two rulers' power. Celestia had had the entire window replaced after Luna had returned from her long exile, to prove wrong all those who might doubt Luna's fitness to rule with her. Just below the gigantic depiction lay a large arch leading onto a large balcony leading to the open air of Canterlot.
Suddenly, everyone present in the vast space jumped as the ceremonial guards at the back of the hall began to play a brass fanfare and the rulers of Equestria made a grand entrance, flying in an almost acrobatic display outside, circling round each other as they descended gently to the balcony. Celestia flashed a reassuring smile at Twilight, who had a rictus grin of terror on her face, and waited for the fanfare to die down. She was utterly resplendent, seeming to emit light from her very being, filling the hall with her majesty and beauty. Luna too was imposing in her own way, her mane glittering with stars and, coolly standing next to her elder sister, she was the epitome of grace and poise.
As the fanfare ended, Celestia first leaned forward and whispered to Twilight, “You'd better protect your ears,” and while Twilight's horn shone gently, the ruler took a more formal position, planting all four hooves firmly on the ground and holding her head high, and, so that everyone present might hear, announced in the royal Canterlot voice, “My dearest subjects, and representatives of foreign lands. We are gathered here today to celebrate the incoronation of Twilight Sparkle, our most faithful subject. Equestria, and both of us personally, owe her a great debt. She has saved the kingdom and countless ponies from danger and certain doom. We can think of no higher honour than to give her the opportunity to join us in ruling this land.”
Luna stepped forward, and slightly less loudly started speaking directly to Twilight: “Twilight Sparkle, this is a great responsibility. Are you sure you are prepared to take this burden on your shoulders? Have you fully considered the ramifications of what is about to happen?”
Twilight was paralysed by nervousness as she stammered out in a tiny squeak the only thing she could think of – the truth: “N-No.”
A gasp rippled through the hall, followed by excited murmuring as the ponies further back in the hall desperately tried to find out what was going on. Twilight's family looked stricken and her friends taken aback as Luna continued, her volume rising with every word, “Did I hear correctly, Twilight? You say you are not prepared to become royalty?”
As Twilight shrank back before the increasing power of Luna's voice, she managed to make a small nod. Suddenly the tension in the ceremony evaporated as Luna threw up her head, laughing long and loud. The ponies gathered in the hall looked at each other in confusion, and more whispering rose amongst the crowd. Recovering, Luna went on, “Well done, Twilight. That was the right answer, and your humility does you great credit. But make no mistake, I was serious when I said this was a great responsibility. It will be hard, but my sister and I will help you every step of the way.”
Luna returned to her place wearing a silly grin. Celestia rolled her eyes, and began in a more solemn tone, “Twilight Sparkle. Do you solemnly swear to faithfully serve Equestria, to respect and safeguard the rights and liberties of all its ponies, to promote the welfare of the land, and to fulfil conscientiously the lofty duties that royalty entails?”
Her courage coming back to her, Twilight stood straight once more and, as loud as she could, announced “I do.”
“Do you solemnly swear to remain loyal to Equestria and protect it from all dangers, within and without, holding the safety of your citizens above every other regard?”
“I do.”
“Do you solemnly swear to rule Equestria justly and fairly, to do right to all manner of ponies after the laws and usages of this realm, without fear or favour, affection or ill will?”
“I do.”
Luna stepped forward and joined her sister, and their horns lit up as together they proclaimed, “Then by the power vested in us as the rulers of Equestria, we declare you to be Princess Twilight, and do elevate you to be an alicorn, royalty of this fair realm.”
They lowered their heads, pointing their horns directly at Twilight as their magic grew, and after a few moments two brilliant beams shot out of the rulers, hitting her and covering her in a bright aura. Everyone present at the ceremony shielded their eyes as the aura surrounding Twilight pulsed brighter and brighter, fueled by Celestia and Luna's beams, and Twilight's eyes became a glowing white.
Only a moment later, the two rulers raised their heads, cutting off their magic, and shielded their eyes as well, as Twilight rose up into the air, her aura becoming an opaque brilliant purple. As it constricted around her, it grew ever brighter until one final flash was emitted, filling the Great Hall with nothing but light. It was a while before any in the audience dared to open their eyes, but as the light died down what greeted them was a majestic sight: Princess Twilight suspended in the air, slightly taller than before, with magnificent purple wings outstretched to their maximum span, an elongated horn and bright white eyes, a longer mane. She was adorned with a tri-pointed golden crown resembling her Element of Harmony, a golden chain around her neck embossed with her cutie mark, and four elaborate purple ponyshoes.
Slowly, Twilight's eyes began to return to their normal colour as she descended, landing in front of the princesses. As she turned around to face the guests, the Great Hall burst into rapturous applause amidst another fanfare.