"Another wonderful day in Ponyville..." Twilight mused, "would it kill the weather team to provide us with rain once in a while?"
She continued walking down the street, the townsponies bowing graciously to their newly crowned Princess. Twilight returned every bow with a smile and a wave, though she was still finding it hard to believe that what was happening to her was real.
As she entered the town square, a mare with an azure coat and pale blue mane and tail caught her attention. She gasped with realisation and trotted in the direction of the mare, who was engrossed in conversation with another mare with a cerulean coat and a sun yellow mane. Her cutie mark was a gaming controller. As Twilight approached the pair, she picked up on their conversation.
"I bet you any money," the mare's companion said, "that Twilight Sparkle's ego has massively inflated since she became a Princess. I wouldn't be surprised if she started thinking that she was better than all of us little folk."
Twilight, now offended, decided to make her presence known. She cleared her throat, attracting the attention of both mares. The azure one bowed graciously while the other one stood frozen to the spot. Twilight raised an eyebrow at her and addressed the former.
"Hello Trixie," she said, "it's nice to see you again. You're not here to cause trouble again are you?"
Trixie chuckled.
"Not this time," she said, "I promise. I'm actually here with my special somepony, who just so happens to be this ball of nerves."
She indicated the mare with the cerulean coat, who giggled sheepishly and looked at the ground.
"This is Summer Breeze," Trixie continued, "whom I met in Manehatten. After I failed to take over Ponyville... thanks for getting rid of that horrible Amulet by the way... I went exploring. Naturally word spread of what I had done and I once again found myself being shunned. But Summer here was different. She accepted that I had made a mistake and wanted to atone for it. We became friends and... well, it kind of grew from there. She even got me to stop talking about myself in the third pony."
"So I see," Twilight giggled before her voice became stern, "but I'm afraid I heard everything Summer said about me, so if it's okay with you I'd like to prove her wrong."
Summer gulped.
"Please don't throw me in the dungeons, your Highness!" she pleaded, "I was only joking!"
"Joking or not," Twilight replied, "I'm still going to prove to you that without my friends, I wouldn't be where I am today. So please come with me, both of you."
Summer and Trixie nodded respectfully and followed Twilight as she trotted through the Ponyville streets. Many of the townsponies grumbled about Trixie being back, only to be silenced by a hard stare from Twilight.
"It just so happens," Twilight said, "that I'm due to meet my friends in Sugarcube Corner for lunch. At least this way you can talk to them all at once, instead of following me around town to their respective homes and talking there."
"Well," Summer Breeze replied jovially, "that's convenient."
She chuckled at her own joke to which Twilight responded by giggling, while Trixie rolled her eyes. The three of them soon found themselves in front of Sugarcube Corner. A customer who was leaving held the door open, bowing to Twilight as she entered.
Sitting at a table were five other mares, all of whom were pleased to see Twilight. She approached them with a cheerful grin on her face. Trixie and Summer stayed close behind, although Trixie's present had not got unnoticed by the five.
"Hey girls," Twilight said pleasantly, "sorry I'm late. I ran into an old acquaintance of ours, as well as somepony you need to meet."
She motioned for Trixie and Summer to approach the table, which the former did nervously. Summer nodded to each of the mares, who tipped their heads in return.
"You already know Trixie," Twilight said, "but I can assure you she's not here to cause trouble. She's with Summer Breeze here. And I mean that literally — the two are together."
Trixie and Summer both blushed at this announcement, the latter then being introduced to the other Elements of Harmony.
"Okay Summer," Twilight said, "tell them exactly what you told Trixie in the market earlier."
Summer swallowed a lump in her throat and looked across the table at her audience.
"Earlier on," she said, "I said that, now she's a Princess, Twilight would consider herself to be better than everypony else. She overheard me and brought me here to see all of you, with the intention of showing me how much you all mean to her."
"And," Twilight added, "that without you I wouldn't be who I am today. I have a lot to thank you all for."
The other Element bearers made various sounds of dismissal as they waved a forehoof nonchalantly.
"I'm serious!" Twilight said sternly, "This is something I've been meaning to say for a while. And, given what Summer has said, now seems like the best time to do it. So listen carefully, all of you."
Approaching Applejack, Twilight draped a wing around her in a hug. Applejack responded by patting Twilight's shoulder.
"Applejack is the most honest pony I know." she said, "I can always count on her to give me her opinion. Sure there are times when her answer isn't what I'm looking for, but at the end of the day she was still being honest, and I respect her for it."
"Thanks, Twi," Applejack replied, "that means a lot."
Twilight removed her wing from Applejack's back and draped it over Fluttershy's. She let out a small squeak at the contact but relaxed as Twilight began speaking.
"Fluttershy is a kind and caring pony, always willing to help whenever and however she can. But at the same time she is fiercely defensive of her friends, and will not tolerate anypony hurting them. And that is why I respect her."
Fluttershy gently nuzzled Twilight as the alicorn moved to the next pony at the table.
"Rainbow Dash," Twilight said, "is a fiercely loyal friend and will do whatever it takes to prove that, even if it means getting her hooves dirty. An example is when she helped Fluttershy during the Changelings attempted invasion of Canterlot. Her determination and spirit, as well as her stubbornness, go well together and make her another friend I'm proud to have."
Dash grinned as Twilight moved on.
"Pinkie Pie was the first pony I met when I came to Ponyville." she said, "Honestly, I saw her as crazy. But over time her bubbly personality and happy-go-lucky attitude rubbed off on me, and I grew to enjoy her company. And then there's the fact she did an excellent job with my wedding. In fact, were it not for Pinkie I think I'd still be cooped in the library and unwilling to make friends. So Pinkie is another pony who's friendship I am pleased to have."
Pinkie Pie bounded eagerly in her seat as Twilight addressed the next pony in their group.
"And finally," she said, "we have you, Rarity. You showed me how generous you can be on the very day I met you. And since that day you have been a welcome part of my life. You are always there with a comforting shoulder and a kind word, and have even gone so far as to put our needs above those of your customers. And that, Rarity, is why I am proud to call you my friend."
Rarity wiped a tear away and nodded slightly as Twilight turned to face Summer Breeze and Trixie.
"Now do you see, Summer," she asked, "how each of these five ponies means the world to me? Each of them has taught me something about friendship, and these lessons have helped me on my path to becoming a Princess. Without them, I'd still be a bookworm living in solitude in Canterlot."
Summer Breeze nodded.
"I do, your Highness," she said, "and I apologise for my words earlier. You may be an alicorn, but at the end of the day you are still a pony like the rest of us. It was wrong of me to make assumptions, and I hope you forgive me."
Twilight chuckled.
"I already have." she replied, "Thank you for coming and giving me a chance to counter your argument. I'll let you and Trixie return to your enjoyment of the day now."
Trixie and Summer both bowed and left the bakery, leaving Twilight free to enjoy another group hug with her friends.