//------------------------------// // Chapter Nine // Story: To Be A Princess // by WellKPony //------------------------------// Chapter Nine Two months had passed since Twilight had become an alicorn. Two months of planning and preparation for the ceremony; two months of learning and practising everything she could think of that she might need to know and two months of doubting herself and her ability to handle her new role. Two months had passed and it all boiled down to ten minutes of intense, paralysing fear and one very long wait for it all to begin. A dull buzz emanated from behind the doors of the castle’s great hall. Everypony who had been invited to the ceremony was now inside and the sound of their many conversations was spilling through to the anteroom. Twilight stood therein, flanked by the eight ponies who made up her guard. She tapped her hooves restlessly on the floor. Her eyes darted back and forth between the ponies surrounding her and the room itself. They never lingered for more than a few seconds in any one place. Rather, they sought to perceive and document every last detail of her environment. The four white mares who made up one half of her procession stood just behind her. Each wore a red velvet dress from which their straight, cream-coloured tails protruded. Upon their backs, they carried large cast iron polls which held silken banners the colour of Twilight’s coat. These were emblazoned prominently with a likeness of her cutie mark and had been enchanted to shimmer slightly as the ponies carrying them moved. The stallions who made up the rest of the party had been drawn from Princess Celestia’s own royal guard. Their cladding, though similar in shape and colour to the standard issue armor that royal guards always wore, was intricately engraved with images representing each of the elements of harmony. Each plate had been polished to a magnificent shine and the guards themselves stood to attention as though they expected that they might have to spring into action at any second. The mares whispered excitedly amongst themselves, glancing towards Twilight from time to time when they noticed that she was looking. Each time this happened, Twilight would look away immediately and pretend that she had been looking at something just beyond them. Nopony said a word to her. Twilight couldn’t decide whether that was a blessing or a detriment. On one hoof, she didn’t really feel like talking. On the other, perhaps doing so might ease some of her nerves. The walls of the anteroom had been decked out with a plethora of bouquets containing flowers of violet and lavender, white and cerise, gold and cyan. Off-white ribbons of varying widths and lengths connected the bouquets to one another in long, flowing lines across each wall. Yet more banners like those being carried by the mares of Twilight’s procession hung from the ceiling, alternating with those displaying the Equestrian coat of arms. A long, gold trimmed, scarlet carpet ran the length of the aisle in the centre of the room, covering a thin section of the otherwise hard marble floor. After a few minutes which felt to Twilight like a few hours, the hum from the other room became gradually more subdued until eventually, it disappeared entirely. At that moment, one could have heard an oat drop. Twilight closed her eyes and held her breath, standing as still as a statue, afraid to move lest she bolt. About the only things she could still feel was the pounding of her heart against her chest and the absolute stillness of the air. At last, Twilight became aware of a sound other than that of her own heartbeat. It was loud and clear yet it still sounded distant and other-worldly. It was a familiar sound: a voice she knew and had known for many years. It usually brought with it a sense of comfort and peace. However on this occasion, it was precursory to the realisation of her fears. Twilight opened her eyes a slither, still listening intently to the melody of Celestia’s voice as it cascaded around the room. With each word the princess spoke, the urgency of the situation became more pronounced. Twilight stared at her hooves, feeling her stomach jumping around inside her. She drew several deep breaths, trying to rid herself of all of the unpleasant sensations. It wasn’t working. There could only be seconds now. She watched the doors intently. Her chest felt as though it might burst asunder. Her mind buzzed with all of the things she had to remember. Big smile. Eyes forward. Wings out. Walk slowly. Keep smiling. Don’t trip over your dress. It was too much. She was bound to forget something. What if she forgot her speech? What if she forgot how to talk at all? What if— “Princess? Are you feeling alright?” a concerned voice asked. Suddenly, the world shifted back into focus. She hadn’t realised what she had been doing but somehow she had ended up on the floor with her tail in the air and her hooves covering her eyes. Twilight sprung back to her feet and looked sheepishly at the mare who had asked the question. Instinctively, she brought her right forehoof up to her chest and took a single deep breath. She extended her hoof out in front of her and exhaled purposefully. “Yes. I was just… stretching. Everything is just fine,” she answered calmly. After all, everything would be fine. She would be fine. She had to be. And at the very least, she could pretend to be. She proved this to herself by forcing a broad smile onto her face. The mare smiled back at her warmly, clearly not noticing the insincere nature of her Twilight’s smile, before turning to face the doors once more. Twilight watched her for a few moments longer before following suit. She had been through all of these worries before. She had resolved them to the best of her ability. They were still there at the back of her mind, obviously, but the fact that she was still giving them any attention could only be a result nerves. I’ll be fine. I’ll be fine. I’ll be fine… Twilight repeated the mantra over and over in her head while focusing on the sound of Celestia’s speech. At last, the princess’ voice came to a familiar crescendo. Twilight took one final, calming breath before spreading her wings. This was it. This was her moment. This was what she was meant to do. Her destiny. Her destiny! Twilight’s eyes shot wide open, a sudden realisation dawning on her. Just what was her destiny? She was meant to become a princess, but was that really her destiny or was it just a circumstance? She hadn’t become an alicorn because she was supposed to be a princess. She had become an alicorn because she had written new magic; because she had understood the magic of friendship like nopony else before her ever had. When she thought about the journey that she had been on throughout her life, nothing stuck out as being more important than the day she had been sent to Ponyville by Princess Celestia. On that day she had met her friends. Over the next few years, she had gotten to know them, to understand them and she had grown to love them. They were the most important thing in her life. They supported her, they guided her, they grounded her. She was so glad that she had them and she wished that everypony knew how wonderful friendship could be. That was it! Her destiny was to show everypony what it meant to be a good friend and teach them about the magic of friendship. With everything she had learned from her time in Ponyville and everything she had come to understand about her friends and their friendships, she could teach other ponies and guide them in the same way that Celestia had taught and guided her. She was becoming a princess so that she could fulfill her destiny, not fulfilling her destiny by becoming a princess. As Celestia finished her speech and the doors to the hall opened, Twilight found herself smiling with no effort at all. At last, she felt like this was the right thing to do. She had a spring in her step as she walked through the doors. Looking down the aisle towards her friends, it was all she could do to stop herself from galloping full speed towards them. She knew now that they could never be separated as a result of this coronation. How could she teach others about friendship if she didn’t have her friends around her to help her do it? If it wasn’t for them, she wouldn’t know anything at all about being friends. Each one of them had helped her to learn something new. In fact, they had shown her just about everything she knew. But more than this, she still had so much to learn from them. To be a good princess and a good teacher, she needed them now more than ever. Twilight took a step up onto the dais. Her heart was still beating very hard but at last, it was out of excitement rather than nerves. She watched as Spike stepped forward with her crown and gave him a small nod before facing Celestia and bowing her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a magic aura appearing around the crown as Celestia lifted it. When at last she felt the metal touch her brow, she was overcome with a sense of both elation and relief. After such a long time and such a lot of worry, it was finally over. Yet really, it was just the start of a new chapter in her life. She had spent such a long time as the student. From here on out, she was going to be a teacher. It was such a great responsibility. She hoped that she could be a good example, that she could show everypony just how amazing it felt to have so many good friends. She hoped that she could help everypony to experience what she had. It was now her duty to make sure that they did. Before she turned to face the crowd behind her, she looked over at her friends. They all gave little gestures of congratulations. She looked at each of them individually, trying her best to wordlessly convey her thanks for their support and for everything they had taught her and for everything they had done for her since the day they had met. As she did this, she found that her eyes lingered unintentionally longer on Fluttershy. One of the lessons she still had to learn was sure to come from her. For all she understood about friendship, she still knew next to nothing about love. Yet she had had no understanding of friendship when she had arrived in Ponyville and she had learned all about that. And there was no pony she would rather learn about love from than Fluttershy. The pegasus blushed when she noticed how long Twilight had been looking at her but rather uncharacteristically, she didn’t look away. Instead, she determinedly held Twilight’s gaze looking both serious and carefree at the same time. Twilight tore her eyes away from Fluttershy’s and turned towards the crowd. It was just like in her dream. The gathered ponies stomped their hooves and cheered; confetti rained down from the rafters creating a multicoloured haze and Twilight stood in the middle of it all, smiling contentedly as she looked around the room. After a few moments had passed and the cheers of the crowd had become a little quieter, Twilight heard a whisper in her ear. With barely a though, she nodded her head and began to make her way back up the centre aisle. The other princesses followed her: Celestia to her right; Luna to her left and Cadence directly behind her. Behind them, in two neat lines, followed Spike and Rarity; Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie and finally Applejack and Rainbow Dash. The group made their way through the castle. Nopony said a word. Their hoofsteps echoed against the deserted walls of the castle. They walked through the room in which Twilight had waited before the ceremony and into a long corridor. If they had followed that corridor to its end, they would have been in the castle throne room, but they didn’t. Instead they took a left and continued onwards. After what felt like an eternity, they reached much smaller chamber than the throne room, though one which was no less regal. It was flooded with light which spilled in from both sides through six huge stained glass windows. At the opposite end was a large archway which led outside into the blinding daylight. A warm breeze swept into the room through the opening along with the excited buzz of a thousand or more distant voices. “We’re going out there?” Twilight asked, her voice quivering slightly as she spoke. Celestia gave her a small nod, her smile just as warm and calm as it always was. Twilight swallowed heavily as she continued her slow approach to the archway. She knew this room. She knew where it led. She had been there as a filly on the odd occasion. In fact, she had often pretended that she was doing what she was about to do at this very moment. It had been a bit of fun then, but now that it was actually happening… Twilight hesitated slightly right before she stepped outside. Her nerves were back just on time. She wasn’t allowed to linger, however. Luna gave her a small nudge forward and before she knew it, she was outside. The loud buzz turned into deafening cheers as she stepped nervously towards the edge of the balcony. The scene was a familiar one, reminiscent in every way of the previous night’s dream – a thought that she tried desperately to push from her a mind. She looked out over the castle grounds and the castle walls. Every square foot was packed with ponies screaming and shouting and stomping their hooves. The noise was incredible. When she reached the edge of the balcony, she stared dumbly at the crowd, afraid to do anything other than look at them all. Luna gave her yet another nudge, prompting her to do something. At a loss for what else to do, she raised her left hoof and waved at the crowd, smiling sheepishly as she did so. She turned to face the right, repeating the process, then the left. Each time, the volume of the cheers from those parts of the crowd grew in magnitude. She knew what had to come next, but for the moment, she was happy just to continue waving. The ponies seemed fairly content just to see her. However, no sooner had she had this thought than she heard Celestia’s quiet voice in her right ear. “Say something, princess.” * * * * * Twilight lay on the balcony outside her room with her eyes closed and her forehooves crossed over one another. She felt positively exhausted and it was only mid-afternoon. The sun’s rays felt wonderfully warm on her back. The sound of the birds chirping was a welcome relief from all the loud music and cheering. Her speech had gone down well, even if it had been a completely different speech to the one she had had in mind the day before. It had just come together in an instant. What she had planned on saying before opening her mouth had been entirely different to what had come out. It was almost as though she had been channeling somepony else. The moment she had caught sight of her friends watching on from the archway, she had a sudden flurry of inspiration and the words seemed to speak for themselves. After realising her true destiny, what better opportunity to begin fulfilling it? What better time to give her first lesson on friendship than when presented with a forum to speak to all of Equestria? It was a short lesson, but one which she felt summed everything up very nicely. She had spoken about the importance of friendship in her life and how it had led her to where she was that day. She had thanked everypony for everything they had done to help her and, in particular, she had shown her gratitude to her own friends for helping her to get there. When her Ponyville friends had joined her on that balcony, she had felt like the luckiest pony in all of Equestria. With that in mind, even the parade had been more enjoyable than she had anticipated. She knew she would never get used to being the focus of that much attention, but it had been kind of fun to be pulled around Canterlot in a chariot and to see her old town in all of its glory for the first time since passing Celestia’s test in the Crystal Empire. A great deal had happened since then and she had learned so much. She had been crowned a princess; she had come to terms with her future and she had begun to do what she now knew she was meant to do. Although perhaps she ought to have known what she was destined to do for a long time. Perhaps, deep down, she had known. Ever since that night in the Everfree Forest when she and her friends had harnessed the power of their newly formed friendship to defeat Nightmare Moon, she had begun to understand and value the power and the magic of friendship. Twilight mused on this for a moment but the heat of the sun and its effect on her already tired mind made it difficult to concentrate. She could decide on this some other time. For now, she was just glad for the few hours of respite she had been afforded between the parade ending and the opening of the evening’s gala. The castle and its grounds had emptied surprisingly quickly as everypony retired for their evening meal. It was a strange lull in an otherwise hectic day and, glad though she was for the break, she was left at loose ends by the lack of direction. Somehow, she just didn’t feel quite right. Perhaps it was all this lazing around. She wasn’t used to being idle. Her mind was made up. Twilight stood, stretching her muscles as she did so. Lying around and basking in the sun, no matter how appealing, was hardly a constructive way to spend her time. With a small yawn and a shake of her head, she walked back into her room. She had no idea what she was going to do. Perhaps she would pay a visit to the castle library. Although two hours was hardly long enough to scratch the surface of even the simplest of texts. Maybe a walk in the gardens? Then again, that was hardly better than lounging around on her balcony. Her eyes darted around the room, searching for inspiration. Nothing jumped out at her. Nothing demanded her attention. It appeared that there was, in fact, nothing left to do. There was nothing else for it. All that was left was to wait for the gala to begin and it promised to be a lengthy wait. This wasn’t just because it was a huge occasion, but because of what she had planned. Now that everything else she had been worrying about was in the past, the most pressing issue of them all could finally take centre stage. It had barely been a day since Fluttershy had kissed her, but the way she felt about it had changed completely. With a wistful sigh, Twilight reached into her dress and retrieved a small, folded piece of paper. For what must have been the dozenth time that afternoon, she opened it up and read its message and rereading it until the words lost all meaning. She placed her hoof on top of the ink hoofprint at the bottom of the note, willing it to turn into Fluttershy’s hoof. A part of her felt nervous about what might happen, given the way she had reacted the night before. She desperately hoped that she hadn’t ruined her only chance. Fluttershy was very timid and it must have taken all of the courage she had had to kiss Twilight. What if she didn’t want to take that chance again? Would that be it? And the words of the note made things that little bit more scary. I’m sorry. What did it mean? Was she sorry that she had kissed Twilight at all? Was she saying that she didn’t want to do it again? Was she sorry that she had run off crying? Was she sorry for the way Twilight had reacted? Was she sorry that she had done it on the eve of the coronation? Did the note even relate to the kiss at all? Was it possible that she had done something that Twilight didn’t know about for which she was sorry? Twilight stared at the note, swallowing a big clump of nerves that had collected at her throat and began tracing the hoofprint absent-mindedly. She was probably being ridiculous. After all, it had been Fluttershy who had initiated things in the first place. Even if she had felt guilty for it afterwards, she wouldn’t have done anything at all if she hadn’t felt something. Chances were she still felt it. In any case, it hardly mattered. There wasn’t a herd of stampeding cattle that could hold Twilight back from doing this. She had to know and she had to know soon. If things ended badly, they could simply go back to being friends. It might be a little awkward at first, but they had been friends for so long that they could never let something like this come between them. And if it all worked out, all the better. She read the words of the note one more time before putting it away. Good luck. She would need it.