//------------------------------// // Episode 5: "Making it Official" // Story: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Season 13 // by twilightsparkle3562 //------------------------------// … … The citizens of Ponyville and Canterlot were now left to pick up the pieces of the recent battle against the Predacons. The bodies of the ones once fought were now being dumped in a mass grave on the edges of the two locations. Looking down at the mass grave on the field where she had once fought Tirek, Twilight could only stand and reflect on what had just happened. "Your highness?" A voice called out, interrupting Twilight's train of thought as Tempest Shadow approached her with a salute. "A majority of the Predacon bodies have been recovered." "Excellent, Captain," Twilight acknowledged as she saluted Tempest back. "Now see if anypony needs help repairing any damages." "I am already on it as we speak, Princess." Tempest declared. "Good," Twilight replied as several guardsponies threw the body of Scorponok into the mass grave, causing Twilight to think about the allies who'd done so much for Equestria. "It's too bad Optimus and the Maximals had to leave so soon. We could have used their help." "They had their reasons, Princess," Tempest remarked while sighing slightly. "But if I could make a suggestion." "What's that, Tempest?" Twilight inquired. Tempest then directed Twilight over towards Canterlot Castle, which was slightly damaged from the final confrontation with Megatron. "Grogar and his legion must know that no quarter will be given to them," She explained, memories of her time with the Storm King coming back to her. "If you are going to win this war then you must do so. Declare it to your subjects and to Grogar, if he ever listens. Soon, we will have to consider going on the offensive for a change." Smiling, Twilight sent Tempest on her way and flew back towards the Castle of Friendship. But in her mind she knew that she needed to send a clear message to Grogar and his Legion of Doom. A message that they would never succeed in taking her home from them. … … Flying back towards the Castle of Friendship, Twilight was trying to figure out just how she could make out a declaration that would send a clear message to Grogar. Looking back down at all of the damage the battle with the Predacons had caused on Ponyville, Twilight could see the determination of Ponyville's citizens deep in their eyes. It was something that she liked to see greatly and the more she looked down at them, the more inspired she had become. Twilight then decided to make a stop at Sugarcube Corner to check on the Cake family "Mrs. Cake?" Twilight asked as she stepped into the shop. "Mrs. Cake? Is anypony home?" "Princess Twilight!" Mrs. Cake called as she came up behind the counter. "I…I wasn't expecting you to come by! You obviously have seen our roof…" "Yes," Twilight remarked, approaching the blue female earth pony. "You don't have to tell me twice. Pinkie told me what happened." "Well, dearie," Mrs. Cake sighed, briefly looking away from Twilight. "It certainly was a great deal to Pinkie Pie. She thought we'd been killed." Twilight immediately offered. "Look, if there's anything I can do to help…" "I think we'll manage. But thank you for asking, Princess," Mrs. Cake replied while walking behind the counter. "In fact, the mayor was kind enough to give us temporary housing near her office, at least until the roof is fixed." "There's going to be a lot of ponies who won't be happy over not getting their treats for a while," Twilight remarked, before remembering what she'd originally stopped by the bakery for. "Look, Mrs. Cake, if Pinkie has any time later…" Mrs. Cake nodded in confirmation. "Of course, dearie. I'll send her to your castle right away." With those words, Twilight left Sugarcube Corner and proceeded to return back to the Castle of Friendship, which despite some broken windows remained virtually undamaged in the attack. Walking back inside, Twilight immediately saw workers hard at work on restoring the windows, supervised by Spike. "Looks like the dome did its job," Twilight said as the workers continued to tend to the windows. "Despite being damaged." "Yeah, you might say that," Spike replied. as he approached Twilight from behind. "Could have been worse, you know." "Hey Spike," Twilight greeted her little brother. "Your timing is most opportune, actually. I've been doing some thinking." "About what?" Spike inquired. Following Spike to her throne room, Twilight sat down in her throne and looked at the large friendship map. The more she looked at it, the more she began to get an idea. "About sending a message to Grogar," she declared. "A declaration that we will not now or will ever bow down to him and his allies. No matter what!" "And how do you propose to do that?" Spike asked, looking at his big sister with a confused expression. Looking back at the map, Twilight particularly focused on the locations of Ponyville and Canterlot, the two locations that had been her home for pretty much her entire life. Then Twilight began to think back to when she'd been in the hospital following her mental health crisis. Of a proposal that had caught her interest originally. … Later that day, Twilight gathered her friends in the throne room for an emergency council meeting to share her idea. "Officially making Ponyville and Canterlot shared capitals?" Rarity asked. "I thought that Celestia was only saying that because we were being crowned princesses alongside you." "Yeah, at least that's what I remember." Applejack added. "But it wasn't made official, yet," Twilight replied. "Now that all of us are princesses, we have a chance to show Grogar and whatever allies he still has how strong we are on our own. If he plans to attack one kingdom, he will have to attack a combined capital of Equestria." Activating her magic, Twilight produced a scenario where a combined flag of Equestria showed not only the engravings of Celestia and Luna, but also herself and her friends as well in the center of the flag. "Okay," Rainbow Dash blinked. "And how do you propose writing up a statement that'll make Grogar think twice about attacking us? I don't even know if he'd care to listen." "Yeah," Pinkie Pie chimed in. "Maybe we should just say to him that if he ever wants a party to welcome him here, he isn't going to get it. It would have the same effect, right?" "I don't plan on giving him a party, Pinkie," Twilight declared with a shake of his head."The only party he is ever going to get is a party celebrating when he is defeated once and for all." "Oh, well when you put it that way then…" Pinkie commented and started thinking of how such a party might come to be (and how best to celebrate such an occasion). "Twilight, if I could also make a suggestion," Fluttershy spoke while raising her hoof. "Perhaps we can write a declaration and not only show it to our subjects, but also maybe display it to inspire them?" "Why would we do that?" Spike asked. "Discord suggested it. He mentioned how in the world Sunset Shimmer comes from, similar declarations have been used as inspiration for creatures living under all kinds of rulers. One of them even preserved such a declaration for all to see and be inspired by." Fluttershy answered. Taking all of this into account, Twilight sat back down in her throne. The more she thought about it, the more she thought about how much of an impact it would make if something as important as a document could send a strong, clear message. "Very well then," She said at last. "I propose we start work on this declaration immediately. What do you think, Spike?" Looking over to Spike, Twilight and her friends awaited his response. "I say go for it!" Spike answered and the task to write a declaration to Grogar was about to begin! … … As Twilight lowered the sun on Equestria that night, all of her friends were gathered in the castle's library, ready to come up with ideas for the declaration. "All right, so how do y'all want to write this?" Applejack asked, looking down at a blank sheet of paper. "It's no different than writin' a letter or note." "Personally, I view this as nothing short of creating a couture for a very important client, darling," Rarity replied. "The possibilities are endless!" "But we have to send a message that will inspire our subjects," Fluttershy cautioned. "Now, if only I can remember what Discord said about that framed declaration…" "Discord said what?" Rainbow Dash asked. Fluttershy blinked. "I don't remember exactly. But it was something about holding truths to be self-evident and all being created equal." Just then, Twilight walked back into the library. "Okay, the sun's down," She declared while joining her friends on the floor. "Let's get to work, everyone." "Fluttershy was just thinking of something on how to start our declaration," Pinkie Pie pointed out. "Something about being created equal, I think." "Well, just remember," Twilight cautioned. "We need to write all of this in our own words. It cannot be copied from something else. This is a declaration intended primarily for an audience of one, Grogar." "Yes, indeed," Rarity added while thinking back to when Suri Polomare had stolen a concept of hers. "It has to be original." "But we can be inspired from what Discord mentioned," Fluttershy proposed. "Maybe we could start with 'In the course of the history of Equestria' or something like that." Taking the notes down, Twilight waited for the next phase to be written down. "'And among the powers of Equestria and beyond,'" Rainbow added. "'No creature shall ever bow down to anyone who claims they're cooler than another,'" This caused the others to glare at her with blank expressions. "What?" "I think that will just throw anycreature off. This ain't really about coolness and I doubt Grogar will care," Applejack remarked. "Personally, I don't know what y'all think, but the sentence is fine if it ended with 'Thus, we hold that Equestria shall never give in to those who would bring it harm.' or somethin' like that." "Sounds much better to me." Spike declared "Okay, that's a start. What else did Discord see that leaped out at you?" Twilight asked Fluttershy. Fluttershy scratched her head. "Something about 'Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness'." "I say we include it," Rarity chirped, writing down the three words mentioned. "Maybe not exactly like that, but something similar. Those values are a part of Equestria." "Okay," Twilight nodded. "How about this for a start: 'We, the six princesses of Equestria, declare that in the course of Equestrian History: All creatures are made equal and entitled to: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Thus, we hold that it shall never give in to those who would deny any creatures such rights.''" And all nodded in agreement. "I've got another idea," Twilight added. "How about this: 'It is our right, it is our duty, to fight off such tyranny, and to provide new guards for our future security.'" "That sounds powerful," Spike agreed. "Considering how many tyrants are out there. Who knows how many other Grogars or Storm Kings are lurking just below the surface, hoping to take over when Grogar falls?" "But Grogar is more than a mere tyrant," Twilight cautioned as she grit her teeth. "He is a monster who has committed crimes far beyond imagination, more so than any of our enemies who now serve him in the Legion of Doom." "Should we list every single itty, bitty thing he has ever done then?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Because if we do, we'll be here all night." "I agree with Pinkie Pie on this one," Fluttershy cautioned. "We don't want to bore anycreature with a list of crimes Grogar has committed. Besides, he'd take that as a sign that he's gotten under our fur." "So how do you want to put it?" Rainbow questioned. "We need to make sure everyone knows how bad Grogar is for all time, and that's why we're making such a statement." "I think it should be something like this:" Fluttershy suggested. "'The history of the past 'Emperor' of Equestria, is a history of repeated injuries and insults to its legacy. Marked by the obvious intent to establish absolute tyranny over Equestria.'" "That's it?" Applejack blinked while raising an eyebrow slightly. "I'd expect more than that." "Fluttershy has a point, Applejack," Twilight cautioned. "I've always learned that small isn't always more powerful when it comes to writing a document. Celestia taught me that when I was her pupil." A series of murmurs came among the six princesses upon hearing that from the supreme princess. Twilight eventually spoke up and declared. "I propose this: 'So we hereby declare our intent to oppose any attempted return to that past, and our intent to hold Grogar and all enemies of Equestria accountable for their actions.'" "Sounds fair to me." Spike remarked while yawning slightly as Twilight wrote down her notes. "Okay, now how do we finish this?" Rainbow asked. "We need something powerful to rally everyone and let Grogar know that we mean business." And all tried hard to think. For a full hour, all sat and were thinking about what they were going to say in the declaration next. But the more they thought about it, the more difficult it became "Come on, y'all, we gotta think of somethin'!" Applejack groaned. "How do we finish this here declaration?!" "I think," Twilight began before letting out a loud yawn. "We…we…" But her exhaustion was too much to overcome. She fell asleep as the others began to feel tired as well. "Now you're passing it onto me." Pinkie whispered as she fell onto her back and fell asleep. Soon, all six princesses were asleep and Spike, who was also getting tired, decided to turn himself in for the night. As he left the library, he saw Luna walking down the hallway with a cup of tea in her aura. "I trust the declaration is going smoothly, Spike." Luna inquired. "Well, it was," Spike answered before letting out a loud yawn. "Except now we're stuck. But we can restart in the morning. Good night." As she watched Spike walk past her, Luna proceeded towards the library and opened the door to see Twilight and her friends lying on the floor fast asleep. This made Luna step into the library and look down at them with a forlorn expression on her face. "Hmm, the joys of being a princess," she sighed with a small smile on her face as she placed her cup of tea down on Twilight's desk and picked her and the rest of her friends off the floor, taking them to Twilight's bedroom and producing several beds for them to sleep in. "Rest well, my beloved friends." Leaving them in Twilight's bedroom, Luna returned to the library and read over the notes that they had written. "For a declaration," Luna sighed. "It's direct and to the point. Seems like something Celestia or I would write for our subjects. Well, might as well put this all together for them." So gathering up the notes, Luna proceeded to put the declaration that Twilight and her friends created together, hoping that it would be the declaration they needed to send a message of defiance to Grogar. … … The next morning, Twilight opened her eyes to find herself in her bedroom and her friends in various beds alongside her. "Ugh," She groaned while stretching out her forelegs. "I can't believe it, girls. We fell asleep." "You're telling me," Rainbow Dash added. "And just before we could…" "I needed to have my beauty sleep anyway," Rarity interjected. "But at least we have a whole day to finish the declaration." "And now, hopefully, we have a sense of direction," Twilight declared as she climbed out of bed. "Let's get some breakfast, and then get back to work." But just as they were about to leave Twilight's bedroom, they were all stopped by Luna, who stood in the doorway with a large parchment in her aura. "Do you mean this?" Luna asked, causing Twilight's jaw to drop open in surprise! "Luna, what is that?! Did you…?" Taking the declaration, Twilight carefully looked over each word that was written down. "It's all of our notes," Twilight cried in realization. "Luna, you wrote up our declaration?!" "Well, it is still your declaration," Luna chuckled. "I just thought I'd do the heavy work for you." "But…but why?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Isn't this supposed to be our writing or something?" "It is your writing, Rainbow Dash," Luna answered. "I just put all the pieces together." Luna then directed them to look at the bottom of the declaration, showing them a spot where they would each sign their names. "Well, it was nice of ya to leave us a spot to sign our names," Applejack remarked. "But you know ya didn't have to do this, Luna." "Oh, but I felt like I had to, Applejack," Luna declared while draping a wing over her friends. "Just because you are all princesses doesn't mean that Celestia and I can help you all from time to time. Remember that we were in your shoes once too, you know. You're always welcome to ask us for advice." With those words, they followed Luna down to the dining hall where they saw that Celestia and Starlight Glimmer had already read the declaration. "For being princesses," Starlight remarked as they came into the dining hall. "You certainly made your case pretty strongly." "Do you think that everycreature will embrace it?" Twilight hopefully asked. "Of course they will embrace it, Twilight," Celestia chuckled while holding the declaration in her aura. "After all, you six are possibly the most important ponies in Equestria ever since Luna and I retired." "Well, we aren't trying to steal your thunder," Pinkie Pie added before chuckling slightly. "No offense." "You're not stealing anyone's thunder," Starlight Glimmer pointed out. "In fact, I'm even suggesting you sign the declaration at the school of friendship in front of the students. I can't think of a better way to get the point across." "Thanks, Starlight, but I think it would be better if we signed it in Canterlot," Twilight began before realizing that something else was missing. "Wait a minute. Luna, what did you write to conclude the declaration?" Passing the declaration back to Twilight, Celestia and Luna watched and listened as Twilight finished reading the last paragraph: "And with a firm reliance on the protection of the maker, we hereby declare that the city of Canterlot and the town of Ponyville will be united as one kingdom." "That's pretty strong writin' there, Luna," Applejack remarked, her eyes wide open. "Well, you can imagine why I am a great wordsmith." Luna chuckled and despite her small amount of jealousy for her younger sister, Celestia couldn't help but show some respect for her sister's work. … Sure enough, a few days later, Twilight and her friends stood before a packed assembly in the throne room in Canterlot. Their crowns were on their heads and they were all dressed in their coronation gowns while the declaration rested in front of them, sitting on a table. Stepping forward first, Twilight read the declaration aloud. "In the course of the history of Equestria, among the powers of Equestria and beyond no creature shall ever bow down to anyone Thus, we hold that Equestria shall never give in to those who would bring it harm. We, the six princesses of Equestria, declare that in the course of Equestrian History: All creatures are made equal and entitled to: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Thus, we hold that it shall never give in to those who would deny any creatures such rights." It was every bit as powerful as intended. The words chosen from the night before ringing out clear and concise. "The history of the past 'Emperor' of Equestria, is a history of repeated injuries and insults to its legacy. Marked by the obvious intent to establish absolute tyranny over Equestria. So we hereby declare our intent to oppose any attempted return to that past, and our intent to hold Grogar and all enemies of Equestria accountable for their actions. And with a firm reliance on the protection of the maker, we hereby declare that the city of Canterlot and the town of Ponyville will be united as one kingdom." As Twilight finished the reading, the audience burst into applause and cheers as they all felt a huge sigh of relief leave their shoulders. Then, with a quill in her aura, Twilight signed her name at the bottom of the declaration, before passing the quill onto her friends and fellow princesses as they each signed their name one by one It was official! Equestria now had two shared capitals and it was all thanks to Twilight Sparkle and her friends! … …