JANUARY 5, 2020
This was the day that Twilight was mentally preparing herself for. Ever since Celestia and Luna announced their retirement and chose Twilight as their successor, Twilight was both excited and nervous about the event. She would've had her coronation sooner, but Spike's death threw a wrench in their schedule and they spent the last three months trying to heal. Now, however, the other eleven members of Spike's harem were helping her packing up the last of their things in the castle and were getting ready to leave it behind for good. Cozy, Cobalt, Discord, Garble, and the Young Six pitched in to help too, but everyone noticed something was off about Twilight. She seemed a bit sad and distant from everyone else. Eventually, the Lavender Alicorn Princess excused herself from the rest of the group and went upstairs. Cozy and Cobalt could sense something was wrong and tailed her. They watched her as she climbed the staircase. Twilight was climbing it very slowly and there were teardrops falling off her face and onto the floor and stairs. She opened a door and walked into a room. The two kids saw the side of her face for a split second. Her eye was full of tears, and she was trying not to break down in the hallway. Immediately, they realized their suspicions were confirmed and notified everyone else.
"Hey, everyone," Cozy called, getting everyone's attention.
"What is it, Cozy?" Starlight asked.
"Twilight's crying. We don't know why," Cobalt responded.
The second they heard that, everyone dropped what they were doing and followed Cozy and Cobalt up the stairs. As they climbed the staircase, they noticed teardrops on the stairs as well as on the floor that turned left and stopped at a closed door. Cozy opened it and she, as well as everyone else, realized that they were at the entrance of Spike's bedroom turned memorial room. Twilight was sitting on the floor, and she was facing away from the door. They could see the edges of an open book in front of Twilight.
"Twilight," Cozy began. "Are you okay?"
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," Twilight began. Her tone was low and cracked as if she was trying not to cry.
Cobalt and Cozy weren't convinced. They quietly walked up to Twilight and looked at the book that was in front of her. It was a large book with several photographs glued onto the pages. The photos displayed images of Twilight and Spike smiling at the camera while their friends were sometimes doing fun activities in the background. There were other photos displaying Spike with his whole harem having a party and one of them showed the harem crowding around Spike in his bed in a giant cuddle puddle. They all were smiling at the camera. There were 12 photos where one harem member was kissing Spike on the cheek, head, or nose. A few showed a harem member cuddling Spike. There were several fresh teardrops on the pages and Twilight was looking at the photos with possibly the saddest expression Cozy and Cobalt had ever seen her with.
"What's wrong, Twilight?" Cobalt asked.
"It's nothing, Cobalt. Honestly, I just miss Spike, that's all," Twilight sniffled.
Cobalt knew that was a lie and so did Cozy. They knew Twilight was always sad looking at pictures of Spike and her, whether they were friends or lovers, but she never looked this sad.
"Come on, Twilight," Cozy coaxed. "You can tell us. We're your friends."
Twilight let out a shaken sigh. When she thought about it more, she knew it wasn't good to keep her emotions bottled up like this.
"Well," she started. "I just can't bring myself to leave the castle or Ponyville. For one thing, if I leave here, I feel like my friends and I will grow apart because they're all living here in Ponyville while I'm in Canterlot."
Everyone gasped in shock at Twilight's revelation. Cozy and Cobalt listened more intently as Twilight continued on.
"I also can't leave here because Spike and I have made so many happy memories in here together. Those production of happy memories were turbocarged after Spike confessed his love to 11 other girls, as well as me, and we became a harem. If I move out of here, I feel like I'm leaving all those memories behind and I won't ever be able to get them back," Twilight finished, feeling even worse, but at the same time, glad because she finally opened up to her friends and felt a huge weight being lifted off her chest.
Everyone was shocked by Twilight's revelation. Cobalt probably felt the most sympathy for the soon-to-be ruler of Equestria. If the truth be told, Cozy and he both felt a little blame internally as they had always noticed Twilight had always seemed distant and had always excused herself each day to go into an upstairs room when they were packing up. Yet, they had never believed it was this bad. Now, it was time for them to help Twilight out of yet another emotional slump.
"Twilight," Cobalt said, getting the crestfallen Alicorn's attention. "I know how you feel. In fact, I was once in the same position you were in right now. When Cozy turned up missing, I was very reluctant to leave Canterlot. Not just because I was worried about my at large friend's whereabouts, but also because I believed if I did leave Canterlot, my happy memories that I made with Cozy would eventually fade away. However, they never did. In fact, my happy memories became more detailed, as if I had done them all over again with Cozy just a couple of hours ago. In the process, I learned that you don't have to stay in the same place to keep your old memories. From the time she went missing until I heard that she was here, I thought about times Cozy and I shared together almost every free moment I had, and I prayed every night that she was alive and safe."
Cozy felt tears of pride welling up in her eyes at Cobalt's confession. His care for her went a lot deeper than she had ever imagined, and it filled her with happiness.
"Plus," Cobalt continued. "You know your friends. They'd never forget you and you'd never forget them. In fact, I suggest that we all meet once a moon. Maybe you could hold a little celebration for Spike's life during that meeting."
Twilight stared at the young unicorn colt with amazement. There was a full 90 seconds of pure silence as the Princess of Friendship fully processed what Cobalt had said. Once he was sure Twilight was done processing what he had said to her, Cobalt wanted to add one last thing, but he needed confirmation on one question.
"Also, was it true you lived in a library with Spike?" Cobalt asked.
"Yeah, why?" Twilight replied.
"Because I have one last question for you. Did any memories you made with Spike in that library fade away?" Cobalt asked.
Twilight thought for a moment.
"N-No. Not a single one's gone, and I have a scrapbook of everything I did with Spike in that library," Twilight said.
"Exactly," Cobalt said. "You left behind one place but took the memories with you. You can do the exact same for this place. If Spike was alive and here now, he'd agree with me 100 percent."
Twilight embraced Cobalt in a tight hug. Everyone else soon joined in the embrace shedding tears of joy from Cobalt's words of motivation.
"Thank you, Cobalt," Twilight whispered. "I really needed that."
"Anytime, Twilight," Cobalt whispered. "Anytime."
When they broke away, Twilight had an announcement to make.
"Thanks to Cobalt, I just have been given an idea for my first royal decree as ruler of Equestria, and that is to establish this Council of Friendship!" Twilight announced with pride
Everyone cheered upon hearing Twilight's little declaration.
"And what a wonderful decree it is!" came a voice that startled everyone.
They turned around to find Celestia and Luna standing at the entrance and chuckling at their reaction.
"Uh, how long have you two been standing there?" Cozy asked.
"Long enough to see Twilight lose her way for a brief second, before little Cobalt here directed you back on the right path," Celestia responded.
Cobalt chuckled, "Aw, come on."
"Wait, weren't you supposed to meet us at the Canterlot station?" Twilight asked.
"Well, we just couldn't wait to see you all, so we traveled here to meet you," Celestia explained.
"Anyway," Luna said. "We came here to pick you all up for Twilight's coronation."
"We're almost done packing," Cozy replied. "Although, I have an idea of what this Castle can be now that we've moved out, but I need Starlight's approval first as she's the one who owns this castle now."
"I'm listening," Starlight said.
"Well, I know everyone's a little sentimental about moving out, so I figured, 'what if we turned this place into a museum of all our achievements in friendship?'," Cozy explained.
"That sounds like a wonderful idea, Cozy," Starlight said. 'I'll give that a try."
"Thanks."
With that said, everyone headed back downstairs to finish packing and say one last goodbye to the Castle of Friendship before going out to catch the train to Canterlot.
ONE HOUR LATER
The journey took less than an hour, but to Twilight it felt like she lost ten years of her life on that ride. She was eager to get to, what was soon to be, her castle. They all walked up to the front of Castle where it seemed everyone in all of Equestria was there waiting for them. Everyone cheered when they saw their soon-to-be ruler and her large group of friends approaching them. The large group of Ponies, Dragons, Buffalo, and Kirins were sitting on bleachers on the left side of a red carpet and on the right side of it sat the Griffons, Changelings, and Yaks. Spike's harem, Garble, Discord, Cozy, Cobalt and the Royal Sisters walked up the red carpet to a stage at the front of the pack of creatures with a large, wooden podium in the dead center of it. Celestia had decided to say a little speech before officially passing on the role as Ruler of Equestria. She cleared her throat and the crowd fell silent as the listened to what Celestia had to say.
"My sister and I have ruled this land for quite some time, but even we know that change eventually comes to us all. And though we know it can be unsettling, it's as natural as the rising and setting of the sun and the moon. Both of which my sister and I feel confident leaving in the hooves of the pony who will come after us," Celestia said.
There was a pause of silence before continuing.
"So, without further ado, I give you the new ruler of Equestria - Princess Twilight Sparkle!" Celestia announced.
Everyone cheered as Twilight walked up to the stage and beside her former teacher. Before she even had a chance to speak, however, Luna and Celestia's horns suddenly came to life and a large ball of white light came to life in between the now-retired rulers. Twilight looked back and watched what they were doing. Within 15 seconds a silhouette appeared on the portal. Another 15 seconds passed, and everyone realized who it was on the portal. Spike and his parents stood on the portal screen, smiling kindly at Twilight, her friends, and the whole crowd.
"My loyal subjects," Celestia announced. "Up until very recently, the heaven portal spell was only thought to have been a myth for hundreds of years, but seeing Twilight and her friends so broken up after Spike's funeral, we decided to see if this myth could be proved or disproved. It took a sleepless two weeks, but eventually we managed to master the spell and we were able to see Spike again. He also introduced us to his parents, Tyson and Kimba, as well. One of the first things Spike said was that he wanted us to forgive Cozy Glow. He had heard about what had happened with her at the Canterlot Dungeons and it didn't sit well with him if we charged her. He seemed to feel his point was proven during the hospital visit. After the hospital visit, Spike said when he looked into Cozy's eyes, he said that, and I quote, 'He saw her soul in those scarlet eyes, and it seemed broken'. He is truly someone we can take notes on, and we will continue to do so as the next years come and go. Some things we will most certainly be looking at is how he managed to capture the hearts of 12 girls and how he made being in a harem work for all of them and himself, how he forgave Discord in his last moments of life and asked us to do the same, as well as how he saw the true good in Cozy when no one else did. I have no doubt in my mind that proud is an understatement of Tyson and Kimba feel about when it comes to the subject of who their son has become. Without further delay, I will now give the reins to Princess Twilight Sparkle."
Celestia stepped off the podium, looked back at Twilight and gave her a silent signal to head up to the large, wooden stand.
Twilight took the hint and stepped up to start her speech.
"When I was first enrolled into Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns, I had no idea what friendship really was about. That was until I met the Ponies behind me when Celestia sent me to Ponyville for a life-changing test. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity all helped guide me through the other side of the tunnel and helped me realize that Friendship is indeed magic. There is an unsung hero to all of this, however, and it is none other than Spike. He was the one who started it all when I hatched him for my first entrance exam. He had no family, so I took him in and cared for him. He grew very attached to me within maybe the first four days. Had it not been for him, I would be completely oblivious to what a friend even is, and I owe a big thank you to him for helping to show me the true meaning of friendship. Then there was that whole admirer fiasco. If the truth be told, I've loved Spike about a year before that confession, but I didn't know if his feelings for Rarity would ever fade away. I can't describe how happy I was when Spike helped not just me, but 11 other girls, my best friends, the Crusaders, Gabby, and Smolder, become part of something very special. In fact, Starlight had mentioned on our very first cuddle session that we were not just a harem, but a family as well and she could not have been more right. Even though Spike's body may be dead, his spirit lives on. Literally and figuratively. We can all take very valuable lessons from his life. How he saved the Crystal Empire twice, how he managed to bring the Dragons and Changelings together with the Ponies, how he successfully balanced his time for all 12 of us that were a part of his harem to feel loved and appreciated, how he saved all of us with one quick thought that ultimately ended his life, and how he forgave both Discord and someone who had been forced down the wrong path by her broken mind and by someone determined to bring us to our knees. Yet, in in just over 16 years on this planet, he's touched so many lives and, in some cases, hearts. Words cannot describe how proud I am of him for being there for me every step of the way. I promise to lead and rule by Spike's example. It's the least I can do. Plus, I, as well as the rest of the harem, will always have something to remember him by if he's not here visiting us on the heaven portal."
Everyone cheered when Twilight was finished. Spike, on the other hand, teared up with pride. He felt absolutely touched by what Twilight had said about him. His parents both put a hand on one shoulder each.
"Twilight's right, you know," Tyson said looking down at his angel son. "Proud is an understatement of how Kimba and I feel about you."
"Now, before I came here, I had a little trouble with saying goodbye to the Castle as well as Ponyville," Twilight continued. "I was worried that if I did leave, my friends and I would grow apart and all the happy memories we made in the Castle, as well as the memories we made as a harem, would eventually fade away. Cobalt, however, showed me that wasn't the case. When Cozy and he were separated, he thought of her every chance he got and prayed that she was okay and safe, because his care for her went a lot deeper than it seemed. He then asked me if I had forgotten any memories I made with my friends and Spike in the Golden Oaks Library after it was destroyed. I realized I had not forgotten a single one. Cobalt asked me if I could do that with the Golden Oaks Library, why couldn't I do the same with the Castle of Friendship? I realized he was right, and Cozy chimed in with a great idea: Converting the Castle of Friendship into a museum of all our accomplishments and adventures. I honestly believe that's the best way to ensure that the memories of the past stays alive. Plus, we get to keep the memorial we have set up for Spike in his bedroom. Here's to turning the page to a new chapter in Equestria's future!"
The crowd erupted with cheers and applause as Twilight finished her speech. A small handful of them teared up as Twilight's speech was a little emotional. Twilight and her friends slowly walked off the stage and toward the front door of the Castle with the portal to the heavens never fading. As they walked into the throne room with Spike still on the heaven portal, Twilight had one last surprise in store for her little assistant and best friend turned Royal Advisor and lover.
"Spike, before you go, there's one last thing you should know," she said.
The Lavender Alicorn pulled out a piece of paper and the little Dragon, as well as his parents, read it over, before shock came over all three of their faces.
"Wow, Twilight," he said. "You mean it?"
"Yes," Twilight said, smiling warmly at him.
On the paper was an executive order to make Spike's birthday a national holiday.
"I don't believe it," Kimba said. "Our son's birthday, a national holiday."
"It was Cozy that first came up with the idea and we felt like we owed you after all that you did for us," Rarity said. "Our little Spikey-Wikey."
Spike blushed, "Aw, thanks a lot, everyone. This really means a lot."
"No, Spike, you don't have to thank us for this," Rainbow Dash said. "You've always been there to help us out of a jam. This is just our way of returning the favor."
"We love you, honey," Smolder cooed.
Spike teared up with pride once more. The same could be said for his parents.
"I trust that you all will make the right choices to make sure the safety of Equestria," he said.
"You can count on us, Spike," Cozy Glow said.
"I know I can," Spike said. "When I first found myself slowly lifting into the sky and the heavens, I saw how devastated you all were when I died. My parents and I were with you every step of the way during your coping phase. I felt absolutely devastated watching my own funeral and how you poured your hearts out just for me, and how several of you broke down in the process. I ran over to comfort anyone who cried, but being a spirit, I don't think anyone noticed. My parents and I watched as poor Smolder went through a depression episode, only to be pulled out of it thanks to the wisdom and spiritual beliefs of Fluttershy. Flutters, I cannot thank you enough for helping Smolder out of her slump. Then, we saw from above how you all forgave Discord as my dying wish and how Chrysalis ruthlessly talked down about me when I was dead just to get a reaction out of you all. Fluttershy, I would also thank you for diffusing that situation before someone did something they'd regret. I knew there was no hope for either Chrysalis or Tirek. Tirek, although remorseful, didn't look like he had any trace of a soul, but he didn't want anyone to know it. Chrysalis, however, was worse just looking into her eyes gave me chills. One look at her told me she knew she had no soul and was proud of that fact. Her eyes, like Tirek's, were soulless, but her cold stare sent chills down my spiritual body. Her eyes looked like a desert that was frozen over. Then, I saw how Cozy Glow's behavior became erratic because the last of her sanity finally gave out. I overheard Tirek's confession to you all about how he met Cozy, and it disgusted me to no end. At the same time, however, I realized Cozy isn't a bad pony, just misunderstood, and everyone deserves a second chance. When I saw how you were so willing to forgive her too, I knew, at that point, that you were ready to become the ruler of Equestria. I must be off now, but please remember that I'll always carry all of you all in my heart."
With that, Spike placed his claw on the portal screen and everyone else, even Celestia and Luna, placed their hooves and, in Discord, Gabby, Smolder, and Garble's cases, claw on the portal screen in return. Spike's eyes flashed briefly three times and this time, everyone seemed to have noticed it was his soul that was flashing in that pair of Emerald irises. Then it came around for a fourth time, but it didn't go away this time. For a solid minute everyone had their hooves and claws on the portal screen and didn't say a word as they all smiled warmly. Spike's soul seemed to silently say to them, "I'm proud of you all."
"Well, I must go now, but remember that I always think of you up above," Spike said as he waved goodbye to his friends and lovers. They waved goodbye back until the portal fully disappeared.
A new hope filled everyone in the throne room. They knew things were going to look up from here on out. It seemed that there were no more rough waters ahead for Twilight. She could now rule Equestria and peace, not have to deal with any major conflicts anytime soon, and she could still see her friends and drakefriend so she didnt have to worry about them growing apart. According to the new ruler of Equestria, life couldn't be any better.