Twilight woke up bright and early, she knew she had to if she was going to be ready for the big day she had ahead of her. Without Spike's constant aid (and dragon-brewed coffee) in the morning, getting ready was an arduous task, but luckily there were four eager mares just waiting to help.
...And twilight knew she was going to need their help if today was going to go off without incident.
Twilight was up in a flash, accomplishing her morning stretches, brushing her teeth, and combing her hair in record time. She was now intimately aware of the need for proper preening, but was not going to risk anything after reading about how bad a miss-pulled feather could upset proper flight aerodynamics.
Set and ready for the day to begin, she made her way downstairs for breakfast.
"Ah, Princess, good morning! Would you mind please having a seat?” Brush called as she made the last step down to the main level.
"Good morning ...girls?" her greeting was adapted as she noticed how the lobby was arranged. Four chairs had been placed faced a single sofa, the mares each occupying a seat and the couch being left open. A table had been dragged into place in the middle of the arrangement, and upon it sat an exotic assortment of breakfast items.
"The fridge was well stocked I see." Twilight chuckled as she went over to sit down.
The others did not share in her jovial mood.
"Have a seat princess." Brush half demanded half begged.
Complying, Twilight sat and eyed the assortment of foods on the table.
"We need to talk princess. You can dig in, but there are some things we need to share with you."
A nod was returned by Twilight as she began to partake from the buffet in front of her.
The mares shared an anxious look, but Brush was first to speak.
"Princess, Twilight, we just want you to know that what you've done for Equestria is really appreciated. We understand how you must feel about the fact nopony knows what you've done for them, but you really are appreciated! Those of us who are close enough to the castle to know of what you've done, all think of you as a hero! It's not every day somepony comes along that can do so much!"
"Yeah! With how grand your accomplishments have been so far, you've apparently become a hero outside Equestria too! So don't feel like nopony knows what you've done."
"...uh, princess are you alright?"
An unreadable expression sat plastered to the purple princess's face. "So what you're telling me is that there are ponies who idolize me for what I've done?"
"Yes! Cloud says that there's even a whole book series based on your exploits being sold in the Crystal Empire!"
"Well then..."
"Uh... Princess? Why does it look like you think this is not good news?"
"Because it isn't! I worked hard to convince Celestia to make sure no pony herd about me! Until this-" she flared her wings "-all started, I wanted to live a normal life in Ponyville with my friends!"
"But you're a princess now! It's not like you can stay just some small-town-mare forever! Why not let them know how much you've done for Equestria?"
"Because I want them to judge me based on what I will do to promote peace and harmony, not on the exploits of my adventures!"
"-But you've beaten the very forces that sought to disrupt the harmony of the world! You defeated the very spirit of chaos! Everypony would hold you in the highest regard if they knew!"
"Exactly! That’s precisely what I don't want! I don't want to be revered as a warrior princess! If they knew what I did before ascending, that's exactly what they'd call me! Celestia and Luna defeated Discord, and instantly they were the "warrior princess sisters!" All they did was seal Discord in stone and the pony tribes gave his throne to them out of fear!"
...Admittedly that was probably one of the greatest decisions in pony history, but I digress...
"Well once the population see how kind and benevolent a leader you are in person-"
"You mean like they did with Celestia and Luna? It took over five hundred years for the population to stop openly referring to them as "The Warrior Sisters" and "The Conquerors of Chaos!" It took over half a century of constant refusal before the population understood that they didn't want their yearly offerings of virgins! It was absurd!" Twilight huffed and puffed for a moment, but when she had her breathing under control again she finished, "That is what I'm trying to avoid."
"Oh... We thought you were upset because of how few people know what you've done."
"What gave you that idea? What made you think I was upset at all?"
"Well yesterday... Yesterday, with how you spoke about yourself... When we confronted you about your choice to marry Braeburn... It seemed like you thought of yourself as unworthy before you became a princess... Like without the title, you wouldn't be worthy of marrying anypony..."
"And I wouldn't. Only judges, mayors, governors, priests of an established faith, naval captains aboard their own ships, and of course princesses have the right to oversee and establish a legal union between a couple."
"Wait, what?" one of the dumbfounded aids asked as her companions continued to stare.
"I said, only certain ponies have the right to oversee and establish a legal union between to ponies, and before I was a princess, I was none of the others."
"Oh..."
"Was that not what you expected?"
"Um, No... So, uh... So you're not getting married?"
"No? What made you think that I was! I'm just filling the position that the Las-Pegasus judge left when he skipped town leaving the townsponies' plans for today ruined. That's why I was asked to perform the ceremony today."
"Oh... Well, Whew! That takes a load off..."
...
...
"Wait, did you say Today?"
Was gonna ask about Twilight and Braeburn marrying, but here you cleared it up. Braeburn asked Twilight to Marry him and his special somepony because she has the authority to marry ponies now. With the story's tone I should have guessed this was the case. Also I like the fact that it turned out it was Twilight who's behind keeping her exploits secret and not Celestia. I pity Twilight's poor guards, they think she's some naive delicate flower who they must protect, and their going to suffer more thanks to that belief.
Well, that misunderstanding got cleared up with surprisingly little fuss. I guess mares are better at simply talking things out rather than acting right after jumping to conclusions.
3025761 Where did I say that they were unicorns?
3025859
Captain.
As a unicorn, I faced The Embodiment of Darkness, The Lord of Chaos and the Avatar of Hate.
I am now an Alicorn, and as such my powers are far, far beyond mortal ken. Your job, whether you wish to accept it or not, is to sit there and look pretty while I deal with any threats that may or may not decide to cause a ruckus.
UNDERSTOOD!?
Aw no Twiburn? Well that's a disappointment.
Still, it's nice to see a plot point be resolved without those bumbling guards screwing everything up.
The last two sentences require someone posting that gif where some guys from a anime are comically running around with their arms straight up in the air in complete and utter "lose-yer-frikkin'-mind" panic.
Many internets shall be given.
Brilliant!
3026160
oh, you think this part is over already? there are still plenty of opportunities for them to screw up and I'm sure at least 1 of them will. This was just the girls not embarrassing themselves too much.
I'm nearly sure the captain of the guard did something foolish in the meantime
3025888You kept comparing them to the guards without mentioning their tribe implying that they were also unicorns. They were referred to as unicorns more than once after their dye jobs. They got dyed as local unicorns and managed to convince a large portion of the town, including the detail oriented Twilight who was looking for ANY discrepancy because she thought they were changelings.
Second time somepony has quickly noticed the absence of a key Tribe specific element but just so happens to not notice the absence of the other equally obvious Tribe specific element, the horn?
3026160
Yeah, Twi gonna end up being single for life if this continues. And worst of all, I wanna see Twi babies! Gimme half a dozen babies of Twi already, will ya fimfic!? D8
500 years long they offered the Princesses virgins? Wait, this is a different universe where Celestia didnt send Luna to the moon, right? Cause else it would be only Celestia who got those virgins offered.
I can see why Twi wants to avoid being seen as warrior princess, but I really think she´s misjudging the time she lives in. This is a thousand years from the time Luna and Celestia defeated Discord! Time´s more modern with Wonderbolts festivals and cars being driven by magic and airships and so on. They would see Twi as nation hero not as warrior princess. Espically given that all her adventures so far where done as UNICORN not as ALICORN PRINCESS. Well, whatever. Let Twi be paranoid for the sake of it, gives her some flaws in this story.
Aren't her adventures usually about promoting peace and harmony?
I can actually see where Twilight's coming from, here. In addition to her already humble nature, she grew up with Celestia, and would know first-hoof the Princess's frustration with how she's known. Twilight WOULD want to avoid that. Doesn't mean she's not mistaken and worrying over nothing, but then again, look at how even the residents of Ponyville keep bowing and scraping to her. If she can't be treated normally in a town where she used to be loved and respected for WHO she is rather than what, how are things going to be any better in places where she's only known as a champion who took down numerous deities?
3026160 The ceremony hasn't taken place yet, as long as the situation isn't resolved, those guards, or at least their captain, will find a way
3026907 I think Wages actually admitted to that little mistake in the authors comments earlier, as the Hoofmaidens are based on the mares from Twilight's coronation, who DO appear to be Earth Ponies, given their lack of visible horns or wings, and Pegasi outfits never cover their wings
3027590 I can see why she's worried. I'm sure somewhere there are ponies who are focusing on how impressive her fighting was, rather than on what she was fighting for
Ha! Called it!
I wonder how much of a cluster-pile the guys will make of a marriage ceremony where the Princess is officiating. I'm sure that there is an official protocol and procedure book on this subject, given the number of times Celestia has done it, but I'm also sure they don't have the facilities on hand for it. After all, they'd need at least a company strength of guards, the Sun Icon and a floral dais... There are going to be some very panicked hoofmaidens running around getting stuff together methinks!
3027429
The war with Discord ended centuries, maybe a millennium before the rise of Nightmare Moon. Luna got offered virgins too. She might have a Little Black Book of interesting tips and methodology that she'd let Twilight borrow if she was interested... and she was confident the younger alicorn's brain could handle without melting down.
3027429
It's not really important, but like 3028072 said, one of the major camps of cannon says here is an undisclosed length of time between the fall of Discord and the rise of Nightmare Moon, allowing for some shenanigans that lead to Luna becoming upset that ponies didn't like her as much as her sister. Personally I don't think it was an instant right-after-Discord-comes-Nightmare-Moon scenario because I think she needed time to become upset and have ponies forget about her.
There is the "Discord did it in his last breath" camp, but I don't like thinking that Luna got punished for Discords Influence. (Which really wouldn't make the Elements of harmony all that nice would it?)
btw: Half a century = 50 years
Twilight really needs a new captain, standards must be lax if somepony as undisciplined as him reached such a position.
derpicdn.net/media/W1siZiIsIjIwMTMvMDYvMTYvMjNfMTJfMzlfNjQ4XzM1MDI3OF9fc2FmZV9yYXJpdHlfcmVhY3Rpb25fc3BpdCJdXQ/350278__safe_solo_rarity_magic_tea_spit%2Btake_teacup_reaction_spit.png
derpicdn.net/media/W1siZiIsIjIwMTIvMTIvMTQvMjBfNTdfMDNfODczXzE3ODc2Nl9fVU5PUFRfX3NhZmVfcHJpbmNlc3NfbHVuYV9pbWFnZV9tYWNyb19yZWFjdGlvbl9pbWFnZV9pX3NlZV93aGF0X3lvdV9kaWRfdGhlcmUiXV0/178766__safe_princess%2Bluna_image%2Bmacro_reaction%2Bimage_i%2Bsee%2Bwhat%2Byou%2Bdid%2Bthere.jpg
3037513 He is not UNdiciplined, he is OVER dicipliened.
Oh dear. So the guard captain is going to mess things up again, despite everyone's efforts to the contrary, and honestly I really want to see his efforts go up in smoke and the wedding go off alright (by alright I mean that the captain's going to do something that'll affect it, seems way too likely for it to not happen). Either way, can't wait for the next few chapters!
3042485 Religion, faith and fear are crazy things, aren't they?
Ah-HA! So it was a mislead! But it looks like things are actually going to get more complicated instead of less now.
3050780 Aren't we all truly crazy on some level?