The legislation had moved at the speed of royal desperation.
After the mess of the Mandatory Owls Decree, Celestia had seen the way that this could spiral out of control the moment that it occurred to ponies that all princesses were covered under this law. The memories of chasing creatures out of her bedchamber with increasingly forceful methods centuries ago had her acting at a breakneck pace and invoking clauses and loopholes, the likes of which she normally only utilized during wartime or other crises, to get the patch job through.
During the process, she would find seven more old laws that would likely be trouble in the near future, and set the wheels in motion to quietly remove them as well. Luna, who'd been terribly amused since Twilight Sparkle first sent them her letter about the law, watched the entire process with increasing mirth and took comfort in the fact that, for once, her elder sister being the more popular one brought not sorrow and bitterness, but a ideal place to sit and munch on popcorn.
When the law was officially removed, they informed the newspapers and Princess Twilight Sparkle both, in that order.
The letter they got back from Twilight led to some very shocked congratulations for her grandest accomplishment. It was beyond what either could have anticipated for her, for this whole harem situation to result in such an achievement.
And once they were finished congratulating her for getting a marefriend, they patted her on the back for her successful reformation of Chrysalis, too.
"I am not reformed."
The words were spat as Chrysalis walked down the road, away from the castle and toward the train station. She'd been sent with several bottles of shampoo for the road--a much fuller mane and tail were going to require it, especially since no other reformed changelings had manes and so they had no supply of their own--as well as a bag of quinoa, which she had been spotted trying to "lose" several times during packing.
"I have not given up taking my throne back from you, traitor!" Chrysalis continued to hiss at Thorax, as he walked next to her, carrying her saddlebags himself with nary a complaint. "And I definitely haven't given up on taking my revenge on Equestria!"
"I know, but it'll be nice to be able to scheme from back in the hive now, won't it?" he responded gently, with a patient smile. "There's a lot of changelings who'll be happy to see you in such good health."
"Happy? Hmph." She bared her teeth, which had retained their sharpness despite her transformation. "They should be quaking in fear." She paused to thrust a front hoof at him forcefully. "I will have my crown back, you so-called king."
"Of course, of course." Thorax nodded agreeably. "But first, I want to show you all new things we've done since you were gone. I think you'll really like the flowers we planted..."
"Hurmph. Flowers. They had better be carnivorous. Or poisonous. Or both."
"Well, no, but they'd go very well braided into your mane..."
Twilight Sparkle watched them both go with a proud smile, and resolved to apologise to Trixie. She should have taken her statement of wanting to keep an eye on Chrysalis more seriously. Clearly all the humour at her expense had been part of her plan to befriend the former changeling queen and speed up her rehabilitation, and it'd worked like a charm.
Now, thankfully, the rest of the process was Thorax's problem.
"Well, it looks like the Great and Powerful Trixie's work here is done." Trixie pranced over, wearing a look of raw smugness, and Twilight found herself rapidly rethinking that apology, especially as she flicked her tail and batted her eyes. "I'm going to miss staying in the castle, but our little fling was nice while it lasted, Sparkledork."
Twilight sighed heavily, but held back the sarcasm that was on her tongue as Trixie also trotted off and vanished down the path. She owed her enough to let her have the last word, as much as it physically pained her to.
The pain was eased when she felt Moondancer lean against her, pale cream fur meshing with purple. "I guess, um... I guess I should be going back to Canterlot?"
"Well, you don't have to go right away." Twilight smiled gently, and opened a wing to drape around her. "Why don't we have a nice lunch first? As a proper first date?"
Moondancer smiled back. "I'd love to."
The moment lasted for exactly three and seven-eighths seconds before it shattered with the light of a teleporting Starlight. "Twilight? We might have a situation."
Moondancer reflexively started to move away, but Twilight gave her a reassuring squeeze with her wing, even as she let out a deep sigh. "What happened?"
"Did you ask Discord to come for a guest lecture?"
"Yes. I thought he'd provide a good, new perspective for the students." She suddenly saw where this was likely going. "Why?"
Starlight gave a wide, strained smile. "I miiiiiight have fired him with a banishing spell because I thought he was playing a prank?"
"You what."
"And now he's terrorizing the school in some kind of incorporeal form like a poltergeist?"
"He's what."
"Can you help smooth things over? Please?" The strained smile widened further, paired with a set of puppy-dog eyes that Twilight was certain Spike had coached her on.
Twilight Sparkle's horn lit with magic, preparing to teleport all three of them into the school so that she could unravel whatever spell Starlight had cast and talk Discord down from the no-doubt-furious state he was in. Along with apologising for forgetting to inform the staff about the plans for the lecture.
By the time she was finished, it would be past lunch, she'd be famished, and she'd have the two along for the ride on what had been supposed to be a date... but that was okay. It was the life she'd built for herself, bit by bit, in all its chaos, from the moment she'd first set hoof into Ponyville on that first Summer Sun Celebration.
The duties of the Princess of Friendship were never done, even for love.