Written, translated, edited and post corrected by me: Nova Star Sparkle
*1*
Peace…
Silence…
Harmony…
Those were the first things coming to the forefront of Twilight Sparkle´s vast cunning mind. No princess duties, no further responsibilities, no threat to avert, simply nothing she would have to worry about today.
Apart from these thoughts there was nothing bothering the young lavender alicorn´s mind. Which was rather unusual for her, especially since she became a princess. Since she became an alicorn and princess of Equestria soon after, she had held court each Monday, Tuesday and Saturday. At first in the Golden Oak library but after Tirek, she now held it inside her Friendship castle´s vast throne room. Sometimes even with all or one of her friends sitting beside her in their own thrones. Yet at most times Spike was the only one who was keeping her company in the hours she sat there and mostly just listened. She dearly loved the young drake that had become like a little brother or son for her over the years since she had hatched him.
He was always loyally there for her when she needed him. Fetched her documents, artefacts, any other tools or things that would be of help to her subjects. He also brought her drinks or snacks when she fancied it. After all, she no longer had to worry about such trivial things since her ascension to an alicorn and eating, drinking, sleeping and breathing had become second class things for Twilight. She could still enjoy these things, but her alicorn magic provided her with reliable nourishment and kept her body in perfect condition at all times.
Something that had upset Rarity quite a bit at first and she hadn't talked to Twilight for nearly a week as a result. How much the unicorn mare herself would have loved a body that truly was unable to put on fat and weight no matter how much one ate and therefore always remained slim, graceful and impressive. But unfortunately for her, that was limited to alicorns - as was the eternal youth and immortality that came with it.
In the end, however, Rarity had come to terms with it and pushed her feelings of frustration to the side. It wasn't Twilight's fault what she had been blessed with by her ascension. Besides, she also knew from her alicorn friend that Celestia had nothing to do with it either. It had been Twilight's destiny from the day she was born to become the fourth alicorn of the kingdom, come what may.
Most of the matters her ponies brought before her were things they could have solved themselves, but still intended to get their local princesses favor. Twilight didn´t mind any bit, if there was a way she could help her ponies, she would do it. However, there were also other matters. Her dear ponies normally had at least one or two issues a day that were true subject for her interference. So far nothing critical, but still things better solved by a princess or if magic was needed – her alicorn magic.
Usually there was also at least one other thing apart court Twilight had to worry about, even if it was just what to make herself for breakfast the next day. She had become better at not letting herself get stressed - by a lot, in fact, which probably had something to do with her ascension to the rank of an alicorn and the insight it had provided her. But even now it could happen that she made things bigger than they needed to be.
Not today, though! Today is a day everything was and still is exactly as it should be.
Twilight had not come up with the initial idea, but she would have been a fool if she had turned down her friends' kind invitation to a cozy picnic on Tuesday of the coming week. A picnic that had been held spread out on the hill behind her castle.
The land was just outside the village boundaries of Ponyville and so it belonged to no one. At least it hadn't until now. The land was now Twilight's property and she had it transferred to the extensive garden surrounding her castle. But even then, no one would probably have denied the youngest princess ownership anyway. The residents of Ponyville knew that while the terrain was now inevitably rightfully part of their local princess's castle, Twilight would never deny them use of it for their purposes as well.
In fact, it was for the best. Now that it belonged to Twilight, a princess, there would never again be a danger of someone else acquiring it and, in the worst case, setting up a snobbish shack there. After all, a princess of Equestria could not be disowned. All her possessions were protected by the Crown and Equestria's treasures regardless of the situation. With Equestria being a pony kingdom known to be incredibly wealthy, second only to its security and harmony in all of Equus, the chances were exceedingly slim.
Moreover, the capitol Canterlot itself, and especially its castle, had been constructed of many precious materials such as gold, platinum, gemstones and obsidian, and only flaunted as a sign of Equestria's prosperity. Moreover, the youngest princess of the kingdom had a residence that was entirely made of magical gems itself. If that wasn't enough of an indication that there was no poverty on Twilight's part, then nothing would.
Her only demand on the picnic with her friends had been that she would take care of most of the food and thus relieve her friends financially. She was, after all, a princess and bits were as mentioned of relatively little importance to her now. She was not untold rich, but having come from one of Canterlot's highest and most prestigious noble houses, Twilight knew how to handle finances. It had also earned her a solid mind and value with bits and despite the amount of wealth Twilight had access to since a young age, she was more down to earth than pretty much any other Noble in Equestria.
House Sparkle had been blooming ever since shortly after Equestria's founding and through the many ponies that had borne its name in the past, had gained befitting respect across the kingdom. It had provided Twilight's house with massive amounts of bits and she had grown up in the heart of Canterlot in one of her family's two private mansions. The other was near Manehatten on the edge of the ocean, smaller since it only served as a second home and holiday resort, but still fairly massive.
The only food and drink that hadn't come from her had been the biscuits, cakes and cider. As luxurious and pricey as Canterlot's restaurants were, no one came anywhere close to the love and skill of a born master baker who had spent her life learning to bake sweets. Nor could anyone else in Equestria make cider as charming, tasty and fine as a family that had a natural hoof for generations for processing apples in all their forms.
Of course, most of the shops in Canterlot didn't like it at all that one of their princesses preferred the food of 'normal' ponies from a little place like Ponyville to theirs at any time. Unfortunately for them, there was nothing they could do about it and they had to watch even the remaining three princesses publicly raving about how the best sweets and ciders came from Pinkie Pie and Applejack Apple.
Twilight had to grin at that thought. She didn't feel too sorry for them, as most of the Nobles had only themselves to blame for not giving her friends the chance to prove themselves. Well, then they just happened to miss out on the really good stuff, not my problem.
While the six had started their picnic by eating the sumptuous food supplied from Canterlot by some royal guards, they had afterwards moved on to the sweets and ciders. As they ate their dessert, one by one they had embarked on telling each other some stories. Both old and new, true events or fantasies they knew. Each of the mares had many stories that the others did not yet know and so they had been busy telling them for most of noon and late into the afternoon.
There was a lot of cuddling, but a lot more laughing and none of them could have imagined a more perfect day than the one they had today. Nothing could top that Tuesday and absolutely nothing in the whole world could even scratch the peace and harmony that lingered between them. Twlight would see to that with her powers any time.
With the most relaxed smile a pony could ever have on her muzzle, Twilight began to gaze down from the silhouette of Ponyville and her castle in front of it. First to one side, then to the other of her flanks.
She spread her magnificent sparkling wings and draped them left and right over the sleeping forms of her friends. She wanted to protect them from the wind of the still fresh summer night in the most efficient way possible with the soft, downy surface of her appendages.
Fortunately, even in its youth, an alicorn was considerably larger than a normal pony and its wingspan far exceeded that of even the proudest pegasi. With ease, that allowed Twilight to wrap her warm, feathery embrace over all her friends at once, without the need to pull them closer to her. She, however, did it anyway with the very strong flight muscles in her wings, stopping only when she could feel Dash and Applejack's warm fur pressed firmly into hers. The closer the five mare's were to her, the better.
Twilight's magic soon activated around her long horn in an automatic fashion and she began to set her stars in the sky as she would do every evening. Since her ascension, she not only embodied friendship, harmony and magic in Equestria, but was also the alicorn of the stars.
Her magic joined with that of the other two older princesses far up in the heavens for a moment, twirling around each other as the divine powers of the three alicorn's pushed the sun, moon and stars into their timed positions.
Slowly, Celestia's late evening sun began to sink behind the horizon and its warm red glow made way for the much milder, chilly light of Luna's moon. Twilight augmented this calming presence of the moon with the beauty and security-giving aura of her twinkling stars. Soon the sky was not only lit up by Luna's beautiful moon, but also by many thousands and thousands of brilliant sparkling stars.
Twilight could feel her own calmed welfare echoed by Celestia and Luna and couldn't help but smile widely across her muzzle. As she was smiling, her stars blazed brighter in the firmament than they ever had before. Reflecting the emotions the youngest princess felt.
Luna and Celestia, no doubt standing on their balconies as they did every evening to perform their most important act of the day, witnessed this impressive spectacle as well. Also every pony still on the streets or outside at that hour would presumably pause and admire the beauty of the stars that their harmonious princess was now bestowing upon them. They could feel her endless love for them and that she would guide, shelter and enhance their lives for eternity to come.
No words were exchanged between any of them, but it was clear how delighted both of them were that Twilight was so harmonious, cheerful and at ease today. For that reason, as Twilight's magic lifted from her stars, the lavender alicorn knew that she could spend the rest of the week undisturbed with her friends. Luna herself would join her younger fellow tomorrow morning at her friendship castle in Ponyville and handle her harmony court for her. Ever since the two of them had met coincidentally in one of Celestia's magic lessons for her years ago, Luna considered Twilight like her little sister and would do absolutely anything for her well-being.
Truly absolutely everything and the night-blue princess also meant that for the rest of her life and powers. The same was true for Celestia, who regarded her former protegé like a daughter and would also devote everything to Twilight's well-being and happiness as well. Cadance as her sister-in-law, former foal-sitter and wife of Shining Armor - her big brother - likewise, of course.
Twilight's sympathetic gaze continued to rest for a few moments on the blissfully slumbering forms of Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy. Her thoughts were still languid, utterly relaxed and without second thoughts. She then closed her eyes in profound relaxation and let her mind decide what she would be thinking next.
Alicorns were immortal not just by time, but their bodies and magic defined the laws of nature and reality so much there wasn't a way to kill or erase them at all. They were also each gifted with the powers of the god of gods and moved celestial objects with laughing ease. For Twilight to raise her stars each night wasn't harder than lifting an apple from the table by hoof.
There was nothing Twilight wasn't able to achieve, if she could think of something it could be made her reality. Even the things not even an alicorn could think of were not restricted to Twilight´s or any of the other alicorn´s powers – or would be. She had a literal eternity to learn after all.
The same wasn't for her friends however. They were like any other pony – mortals. Yes, very powerful; smart and capable mortals that had saved Equestria a few times; the guardians of harmony and physical representatives of said, but mortals nonetheless. Yet there was one thing that made them very special from anypony else –
Twilight!
They were close friends with not just any normal pony; or a very gifted pony; nor a demi-goddess but a full blooded, pure to a fault, heavenly for her friends caring and to all things ready all-powerful alicorn deity.
These five were the closest friends Twlight, an unfathomably powerful and caring deity had. Mortality and death were just simple concepts to think about for Twilight now that she had ascended and retained her rightful birthright as an alicorn and one of the eternal fundamental parts of existence.
Granting her friend's immortality wouldn´t be an issue for Twilight, of that she was sure. What was faith and destiny for somepony that held the powers of an entire universe in her hooves? Someone that could push beyond the limits of the multiverse three times before breakfast and change things none would have ever thought off ever.
Nothing!, Twilight smirked as she re-opened her eyes down to the sleeping forms of her five best friends.
I will always protect you and be there, no matter what it takes!
That wasn't just a lazy thought said to her friends but an oath from a all-powerful alicorn goddess to every threat that ever would dare to try and hurt her friends. If it was necessary Twilight would unearth literal reality to shelter or safe her friends from harm. That wasn't a lazy threat but a clear promise.
“Thank you!”
*End of the Story*