“It’s the first time for me to hear this story. I read widely, even the restricted section of royal library, but why it was never found in any books?
On a someday soon after the coronation, also before the two former princesses going to leave the Canterlot, Twilight was informed to a room alone.
“This story had been already forgotten after such a long time. Nowadays, only the ponies in this room know about it. In addition, such tempting magical artifacts, it’s easy to imagine that how dangerous it will be once this secret is spread. Countless evils must scramble for it, and the land will be at war again,” said Celestia.
“So……where are these artifacts now?”
“Stop pretending dumb.” Celestia came to Twilight and touched the crown on her head.
Twilight staggered, “Rea……really? So this is the secret that you can live for thousands of years?”
The two sisters nodded.
“The two tyrants in the story were ashed once they took off the crown, but……you're still alive?” Twilight, used to be a top student, had developed a habit of asking questions to everything, no scruples, let alone in front of her mentor.
“We won’t be crazy like them to wear the crowns all the time of course. We will take them off sometimes. So, when our longevity recalculated, it won’t be too much for our physical tolerance. What’s more, these crowns will have to be hoofed over sooner or later.”
However，there was still one question that Twilight had never asked yet.
“We all know that since you finished Starswirl’s spell, you must have such doubt, so we have been waiting for you to ask. And today, we are going to leave, but you still didn’t ask, so we have to come to you.”
Obviously, Twilight had been seen through long ago. It’s impossible to hide from her mentor, let alone Celestia, who had thousands of years of experience.
Twilight bowed her head in shame: “Because……I don’t want to know the answer. Technically, I’m afraid to face the answer.”
Celestia spread her wings and hugged Twilight. “Now that you know the answer, do you feel better?”
“Hum……” Twilight nodded ashamedly.
“Since the crowns cannot be destroyed, why not try to hide them?” Twilight adjusted herself and asked.
“Are you sure they won’t be found forever? Once the crowns are uncovered, even by the ordinary ponies, they will be addicted to the power easily and bring back disasters again. For this reason, the safest way to ‘hide’ them is wearing them. Anyway, no pony else know about this secret.”
“But why did you decide to take them off eventually? During your reign, the land is in harmony, no pony seems to be displeased with you. It’s reasonable for you to keep ruling the Equestria together.”
“Are you sure that the Equestria has always been peaceful?” Luna asked back but with a calm tone, “Do you forget that the tragedy almost happened again?”
Nightmare Moon.
She was talking about herself.
Even the two close sisters, there still had conflict. If Celestia hadn’t solved it quickly and properly at that time, it’s certain that Equestria would be at war again.
Let alone the two tyrants mentioned in the story, who was antagonistic to each other.
“So, in order to avoid the conflict between you two and cause the total war again, you decided to take off the crowns, gave up the power and the immortality, combined two crowns into one, then hoofed it over to me alone. Therefore, there won’t be two eternal goddesses fight each other?”
Celestia shook her head. “If this is the reason, we can hoof over the crown to another pony with a strong sense of self-discipline and understanding of governance instead. And there are never shortage of them in the royals.”
“Or just because I’m your faithful student, also I’m a princess of friendship?” asked Twilight.
“Let me ask you first. The crown you are wearing now, will you never take it off?” Celestia didn’t answer her question directly.
“I won’t, of course! Because I’m not for the supreme power and status, but friendship.”
“Good. Since you're not going to wear it forever, what's the reason for you to take it off?”
“It’s friends! I will never leave my friends! If my friends can’t be there with me at the end, this friendship will be meaningless at all.”
Twilight answered in a very determined tone, without hesitation.
She recalled during the first time to face with Tirek. She gave up her magic to exchange her friends. At that time, she clearly knew that Tirek would dispose of them at the next second. They were ready for sacrifice.
She also still remembered that not long ago, they battled with Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy Glow near the Canterlot. At the last moment, when facing three beams of lethal lasers, she hugged tightly with her friends, feeling the last warmth in the chilliness.
She wasn’t scared at the moment, because her best friends could be there with her at the end.
No matter what the destiny, we will face it together!
“Great. But there are so many ponies in Equestria, why not try to make other new friends instead, and start another new adventure?” Celestia kept asking.
“I’m sure that these five friends of mine are the sincerest friends I have ever met. We are worthy to be lifelong friends and can never be replaced. Even if I prolong my life, I will never find such friends. There is no doubt that they are the best friends I have made in Equestria, no other else!”
“So who will you give it to when you take the crown off?”
“A suitable successor, of course.”
“Then who can be a suitable successor?”
Twilight had answered fluently before, but she was paused for a while by this long-term question. However, facing the constant questioning from Celestia, Twilight knew that it’s a text, she must give a clear answer.
This successor must not be addicted to the power, no more selfishness, but very intelligent at the same time.
What can make it happen?
Looking at yourself, it’s friendship!
“Someone who knows about the sincere friendship.”
“Then how to select?”
Twilight thought for a little while, an answer came to her mind quickly. “Making friends, just like you asked me to do at the first time.”
The two former princesses nodded.
Twilight suddenly realized that there was something more than the answer.
She could image that, sometime in the future, the time for her to hoof over the crown, she will ask the same questions to the successor, in order to make sure the crown will be delivered to the friendship emissary.
The successor will do the same thing again. Then generation after generation……passing on down to generations yet to come.
The crown will be always hoofed over to friendship emissary!
This was definitely the most sacred way to spread the friendship!
She could not help admiring the way that that Celestia dealt with the crowns. If it came to Twilight, she must read various books and racked her brains to destroy them, or try to hide them in a place that would never be found forever instead.
At the ancient time, the initiator of evil of continual wars were that two crowns, the dark, evil magical artifacts. But then, they were on the head of Celestia and Luna, technically, was wearing on her head now, it turned out to be the holly artifact that can spread the friendship constantly.
The two sisters knew that what Twilight was thinking, smiles steamed on their faces, no longer the grave expression.
Suddenly, a very serious problem came to Twilight’s mind.
“But……what if I can’t find a successor? Or, it will take a long time for me to find one?”
Twilight clearly knew that, if she can’t hoof over the crown to the next successor before aging that she should be, it meant that her best friends would pass away one by one in front of her eyes.
“It’s the time already come now, and you still have so little confidence in yourself? Complaining you're still not ready yet? You are the princess, the ruler, and this is the responsibility of you. If you can't do it, you must bear the consequences!”
Celestia’s answer was so harsh that Twilight was scared and couldn't hold her head up.
“But it had taken more than thousand years for you to find a pony who knew about the friendship like me, hadn't it?”
Celestia calmed down her tone, “We were not looking for successors over these thousands of years. During the first one thousand year, we controlled the sun and moon regularly to revive the land and creatures. Then we spent much time finding out a proper way to deal with these crowns, make sure they would be in the right hooves. Then again, we just got start to seek out successors. During this period, we experienced countless failures and betrayals, until today.”
“You mean Sunset Shimmer?”
“Yes.” Celestia nodded. “And she was just one of them. She used to be my faithful student that I had cultivated for decades, so close to success. However, I heard that she had been reformed by your friendship power, remember how long it took you?”
“Just……three days!” The answer Twilight said even herself couldn’t believe it.
It took Twilight only three days to solve Celestia’s problem which had troubled Celestia for decades.
“So, are you still underestimating yourself?”
Under the influence of friendship, it turned out that she had already grown so strong and had a qualitative leap.
The greatest spell you know, is how the magic of friendship grows.
Before Twilight giving any answer, Celestia led her to the window.
This was the room at the top of the castle, the whole Canterlot could be overlooked from here, including the ponyville away from here.
It’s the dusk of the Hearth’s Warming Eve, the sky looked a little darker with light snow. Families were busy preparing for the holiday.
In the past, Canterlot was a habitation only for noble unicorns. The upper classes were bossy, self-centered, and full of estrangement.
Nowadays, every kind of the species could be seen everywhere, they’re all in harmony. Through other buildings windows, they could even see the shades of Changeling and Griffin were toasting together.
All the creatures were enjoyable, without any dispute and jarring noise.
Obviously now in Canterlot, even the whole Equestria, it’s much easier to develop friendship with a stranger than before, friendship has connected all the land.
And all these changes，were attributed to her and her friends.
Starting from ponyville, making friends, and the Friendship Diary, then the School of Friendship, and now Twilight as the princess of friendship, was standing on the top of Equestria.
She finally realized that she deserved the title of Princess of Friendship, no longer just a mascot, and more than the rainbow laser.
But a definitely true Princess of Friendship, who can create friendship for all the land!
“Obviously we are always making the right choice. Twilight, just like your name, when the sun and moon leave the sky, the Equestria belongs to you. A new era has come, the era belongs to you. No one knows about friendship more than you.”
The Friendship Era.
She had never imagined that she would come so far, standing at such a height, looking down upon her own kingdom.
“I still remember, when you sent me to ponyville, asked me to make some friends, I complained that the fate of Equestria did not rest on me making friends. But I just know now, the fate of Equestria is truly resting on friendship.”
“Actually when I sent you to ponyville just for against the Nightmare Moon. I had never expected anything like this. Maybe this is the power of Magic of Friendship.”
At this moment, Twilight felt more moved than ever before, and was moved by herself.
“Well.” Celestia and Luna turned around, “In such an important festival, don’t keep your friends waiting, it doesn’t seem like what princess of friendship does. And it’s time for us to be on way.”
Twilight was looking at the back of the two former princesses, just finding that their long mane was no more waving smoothly, also the pace was not as steady as they used to be.
Because they had taken off the crowns!
Was this the last time she met with them?
She even didn’t know where they would rest.
Thinking of this, Twilight hurried to catch up with them.
"Where……are you going? Or I should say, where can I find you?" Of course, she didn't dare to ask where the royal tomb was.
“The Silver Stable Community of course. Remember to visit us often in your free time.” Celestia answered calmly.