"Princesses, we have less than two minutes before they get to the point of no return, may we please raise the barrier?!"
"Captain, these ponies are citizens of our country, even if they haven't done much in the last millenia."
"But... consider the populace, they're surely panicking by now!"
Celestia looked on him. "I'm sorry Shield, but I refuse to keep out my own returning citizens. As for the populace, we'll handle it."
Celestia nodded to Luna and the two flew high into the air, Twilight hastily attempting to follow. "Princess! Wait... hoo! Up! I'm not used to flying yet..."
"Ponies of Canterlot!" Celestia began in the Royal Canterlot voice. "Do not worry about the draconic ponies coming up the mountainside! They are our long-lost citizens, sealed away a thousand years ago."
"But they are Equestrians none the less! And they will have your welcome and respect!" Luna shouted.
The two Princesses then flew down, leaving Twilight to begin her trek back down after them.
~~~~
"Announcing Princesses Celestia, Regent of the Day, Luna regent of the Night-"
"HAIL NIGHTMARE MOON, QUEEN OF THE EVERLASTING NIGHT!" A hundred voices interrupted.
"a-and... Princess Twilight Sparkle..." The announcer finished.
"Longma!" Luna shouted, met with cheers. "Shadhavar!" She shouted again, met with fewer cheers. "My Empire of Darkness!" The crowd roared. The 'normal' ponies that had braved going to the square and standing with the Longma began to look even more nervous. "I would like to welcome you to bright and glorious Canterlot! And let me be the first to embrace the new era of harmony between the six races yet again!" She stopped for the crowd again. "However... I must make two points clear." She hushed the audience. "one, is that Nightmare Moon is gone forever, as well as her aspirations to eternal night." The crowd began protesting, but the blue alicorn stomped her hoof and they were silenced again. "ALLOW US TO FINISH." She roared. "As We were saying, We are not Nightmare Moon! However, We are the Princess of the Night, and as such, you, your parents, your grandparents, and their ancestors have all sworn a blood oath to follow the Princess of the Night! We will not be referred to as the monster Nightmare, but rather as the Regent of the Night, Luna!"
She waited for a response from the crowd, but surprisingly it was only the locals to Canterlot that cheered for her. "And as such... that brings Us to our second main point. That I transfer your blood oath to our... heir, Twilight Sparkle!"
Twilight winced. They were actually going through with it.
"I no longer hold your loyalty, but as your former retainer, I request that you transfer it to your new Princess, Twilight Sparkle. She has fulfilled many of my old posts, watcher of the night sky, bearer of the Element of Magic, and closest Friend to my sister in my absence. She is your new Princess Longma! Hail her as you once hailed Nightmare Moon!"
Twilight began turning white, her legs shaking. "Uh, Princesses, tell them it's a joke, tell me it's a joke... I'm not ready! I haven't received any training I-"
Celestia set her wing on Twilight. "Don't worry Twilight. Don't worry. You've been training your whole life for this."
Twilight blinked. "Huh?"
"I knew that at the end of the thousand years that Nightmare would escape, and then I knew that you, my most Faithful student, would be the Element of Magic. I've been training you since you've become my student. I've taught you about the workings of the government, had you grow up around Court, had you learn the ways of magic, and let you appreciate the night. And then I let you learn your most important lesson, the Magic of Friendship. Twilight.. I didn't think it would happen this soon, but I always knew you were destined for this."
Twilight shook her head. "Then why is this the first I've ever heard of it?!"
"We couldn't know how long it would be before the two Empires awoke. The Crystal was first, but Cadence was heir to the Crystal throne. Technically you were already royalty with Cadence and Shining's union, now we can make it official. Don't worry Twilight, I know you can handle it."
Twilight slid slightly more into her mentor, letting the large white alicorn comfort her. It was at that moment that somepony coughed, and Twilight blushed, realizing the majority of the square was probably listening to what she was saying.
"Anyway." Luna began, moving her gaze from Twilight and her sister and back to the hundreds of ponies in the square. "We will begin the processes of restoring the Night Empire immediately, but tonight, we will have a bright and glorious feast!"
~~~~
Twilight was hiding in a closet from the hundreds of searching eyes. The feast had kicked off rather quickly, thousands of gems were brought out, as well as copious amounts of a strange beverage Celestia and Luna had been 'saving for the right era', but after the Longma had eaten and drunk their fill they began to search out their new Princess to make their blood oaths early. Twilight had decided to try and accept the position that had been forced on her, but that was until she found that blood oaths quite literally involved actual blood. She sweared if she saw another pony bite their own leg she was going to faint.
However, she couldn't hide for long as two tipsy Princesses had decided to ready a toast, and apparently needed the person they were toasting first. "Twilight, come out, it won't be so bad-" Celestia began, knocking on the door three times. "You'll get to be a real Princess! Just like when you were little!"
Twilight whipped the door open. "We said we would never speak of it again."
Luna grabbed Twilight and began carrying her back to the main party. "Come Twilight Sparkle! We must celebrate your rise in position!" Luna roared in the Royal Canterlot voice.
"No, I don't need to, I don't want to be a Princess anymore! Please Luna, can you take their Blood oath back?"
"No!" Luna said too quickly. "We, We art a changed Pony Princess Twilight, the Longma only see Us as the fearsome Nightmare Moon, We have worked hard to change Our image, and this would be best. You need something to rule over Twilight, and this is the best for Everypony involved!"
"No, no it isn't!" Twilight said. "It's not the best for me, I want to stay with my friends, I want to live in Ponyville! I don't want this responsibility! And for the Longma, they need an experienced leader who knows them! Not a rookie who hasn't been an Alicorn for a month, for crying out loud!"
Luna set Twilight down on a podium, and she looked over the hundreds of dancing, singing and drinking dragon ponies. Celestia and Luna sat down next to the podium, several feet below.
"Princess Twilight would like a word!" Screamed Princess Luna.
"No, no I really don't." Twilight whispered, trying to back up like Fluttershy.
"Yes she does." Celestia assured.
"Speech!" Luna shouted, the chant was quickly picked up by the ponies in the square, and soon half a thousand ponies were calling out for a speech from Twilight Sparkle.
"I.. I..." Twilight gulped and put a hoof to her throat. "It's an honor.. to be a Princess of Equestria.. and to be able to serve you all. I will try to do my new duties dutifully and the best I can... and.."
"Good enough!" Luna shouted, downing another drink. "A toast to Princess Twilight! Twilight Sparkle, Princess of the Night Empire!" The Princes of the Night was now officially drunk.
"A TOAST TO PRINCESS TWILIGHT SPARKLE, MAY THE NIGHT LAST FOREVER!" six hundred voices continued, and the entire square resounded with the sounds of crystal cups and bottle clanging together.
A Longma darted into the sky. "I, Dark Dash, make an eternal blood oath to serve Princess of the Night Empire; Twilight Sparkle!" He then raised a gray leg to his mouth and sunk his jaws in, letting blood drops fall to the ground. Twilight winced and felt herself paling again.
"Well, at least that was over with quickly..." Twilight mumbled to herself.
Every single Longma took to the air and began shouting their own oaths, and moments later, the entirety of Canterlot square was dribbled with blood. Twilight turned completely white from head to tail. "That's a lot of blood." Luna commented. Twilight fell over, fainted, and toppled off the podium. Celestia gave a tiny giggle and levitated her student after her as she walked back to Twilight's old room.
She tucked Twilight in like she had done years ago. Soaking in the nostalgia Celestia gave a smile and gave tiny peck on Twilight's forehead. "Sweet dreams, Princess Twilight."