"So...what now?"
Rainbow Dash had been the one to voice the question they were all thinking. The moon was high in the sky; the new palace glittered dimly in its soft light, creating an array of unfamiliar colors in the night sky over Ponyville. Many ponies were still out and about; the wave of power that had restored all magic to Equestria had energized the ponies, leaving many restless and awake.
Twilight Sparkle had just joined her friends on a hill overlooking Ponyville. Dried tears stained her face, but she also bore a spark of life in her eyes that had been missing during the grim process of searching the ruins of the library.
Applejack turned to Twilight. "Yeah, what happens now, Twi?"
Twilight shook her head. "I'm not really sure yet," she said. She gazed out at her palace—their palace—and rustled her wings. "We're in uncharted waters here, girls. Everything's going to change come morning." She sighed. "But right now? I'm honestly too tired to even think about it."
"Oh yes, you've been through so much today," Fluttershy said. "You really should rest. We all should."
Rainbow stretched her wings. "Yeah...I guess. I mean, I'm not tired, but things are gonna be pretty wild tomorrow."
Twilight looked at her friends. "I think...we should leave the palace alone until tomorrow," she said. "I mean, it's kinda...empty right now."
"It is rather spartan," Rarity said. "We should really do something about that, and quickly. But you're right...this is not the time."
"So...we're not spending the night there?" Spike asked. At Twilight's nod, Spike let out a relieved sigh. "Good. It's kinda cold in there, and we don't even have blankets."
"Y'all can come stay at th' farm tonight," Applejack offered. "There's plenty of room."
"You could crash with me if you wanted," Rainbow said. "My pad's pretty awesome, and you could cast that cloud-walking spell on Spike."
"I'm sure the Cakes wouldn't mind letting you stay over," Pinkie offered.
"Oh, or you could spend the night at my house," Fluttershy said.
"I'd be delighted to have the two of you as houseguests," Rarity added.
Twilight smiled gratefully. "Thank you all," she said. "You really are the best friends a pony could ever ask for." She stretched and cracked a yawn. "I think I'll spend the night at Sweet Apple Acres," she decided. "There's more room to spread out there, and I'll be less likely to disturb anypony if I can't sleep." She laughed. "Besides, I'm incredibly hungry, and, well..."
The others giggled. "Yeah, we'll take right care o' that fer ya," Applejack said with a huge grin.
"You girls don't mind, do you?" Twilight asked, looking around at her friends. "I mean, I don't want you to think I—"
"Of course we don't, darling," Rarity said. "I think I understand why you'd want to spend the night at Sweet Apple Acres."
"Yeah, even I get it," Rainbow added. She popped a few feathers in her wings. "As a matter of fact...hey, Fluttershy, think I can sleep over at your place?" She rubbed one forehoof with the other. "I, uh...you know...thought maybe you'd like some company..."
Fluttershy smiled. "Of course, Rainbow Dash. I don't think any of us want to be alone tonight."
Pinkie grinned at Rarity. "I'll bring cupcakes!" she declared.
Rarity rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Very well. I'll just go make the guest bed for you."
Twilight smiled at her friends. "Well, I hope everypony sleeps well tonight," she said. "We've got a big day tomorrow."
With that, Spike hopped on Twilight's back; Twilight placed a hoof on Applejack's side, and the three disappeared in a bright magenta flash. The two pegasi flew off in the direction of Fluttershy's cottage, and Rarity and Pinkie trotted down into the center of Ponyville.
* * * * *
"Woo-wee, you outdid yerself, Granny!" Applejack declared, belching mightily.
Twilight dabbed her muzzle with a napkin. "That was delicious, Granny Smith," she said.
"Thank ya kindly, Yer Highness," Granny said. Her back creaked as she stood from the supper table. "Welp, time fer mah nap. Y'all yung'uns don't stay up too late, y'hear?"
Apple Bloom stood up. "C'mon Spike," she said. "Yer bunkin' in mah room, an' we gotta dig out th' sleepin' bag Ah use for sleepovers."
"Sure thing," Spike said, trotting after the filly. "Nite, everypony!"
Applejack scratched herself with a hoof, then flicked an ear. "Well Twilight, you got a choice. We got a guest room, or you can sleep in mah room with me."
"I'll sleep in your room," Twilight said. "It can be a slumber party! We haven't done that in a while."
"Heh, that's th' spirit." Applejack grinned. "Alright, I'll just make th' bed an' get out some extra pillows an' blankets."
As she wandered off, Twilight trotted into the living room and looked around, smiling at all the family photos, assorted knick-knacks, and well-worn furniture. She sighed.
"Uh, Princess Twilight?" a deep voice asked hesitantly.
Twilight turned to see Big Macintosh standing in one of the doorways. She smiled. "Big Macintosh! You know, you don't have to call me Princess."
"If you say so," Big Macintosh said. "Anyway, well...Ah got somethin' for ya."
"For me?" Twilight asked, blinking.
"Well...actually, it's more like...Ah gotta give ya somethin' back," Big Macintosh amended. He looked down. "It weren't right of me ta keep it all this time since it weren't mine, but..." He leaned out of sight for a second, then trotted slowly toward her, an old grey doll hanging from his mouth.
Twilight gasped, eyes wide. "Smarty Pants?!"
"Eeyup," Big Macintosh said, setting the old doll at her hooves. Twilight swept it up and cuddled it warmly, nuzzling it like a foal. "Ah uh...fixed 'er up a bit. She was kinda raggedy."
Twilight held Smarty Pants in her magic and studied her. The loose button eye had been sewn back on, some ripped seams had been repaired, and all in all the sloppy old doll looked newer than she ever had. Tears welled up in Twilight's eyes. "Thank you. Thank you so much," she said.
"Ah reckon you need Smarty Pants right now somethin' fierce," Big Macintosh said. "A piece of home...eeyup, Ah reckon that's what you need."
Twilight beamed at him, tears flowing freely. "Yes...a piece of home..." She sniffled. "I can never thank you enough for this," she said.
"'Twer'n't nothin'," Big Macintosh said, turning shyly away. "Well...goodnight, Twilight."
"Goodnight, Big Mac," Twilight said. Smiling and tucking Smarty Pants under a wing, she trotted into Applejack's bedroom.
Applejack was spreading out an old, patched blanket on her bed. Several large, fluffy pillows lay on the floor next to the bed, and Applejack's hat hung on a hook next to the closet. "Just about got th' bed made," she said. She looked up at Twilight and blinked. "You okay, sugarcube?"
Twilight beamed at her, cheeks still wet. "I'm feeling...a lot better now than I have all evening," she said. By way of explanation, she retrieved her doll from under her wing and brought it to her cheek with her magic, nuzzling it.
Applejack chuckled. "Big Mac done gave 'er back, huh? Ah was gonna have a word with him about that tomorrow..."
Twilight blinked. "You knew he had Smarty Pants?"
"Well, yeah," Applejack said, scratching her head with a hoof. "Didn't you?"
Twilight shook her head. "I never knew what happened to her after that...incident." She grimaced. "And honestly, I felt so bad about what I did that I didn't really spend much time looking. I wasn't even sure she survived that whole mess." She frowned. "So your brother had my doll all this time and you never said anything?"
Applejack shrugged. "Ah figured you knew. Ah mean, there was that picture of him with that there doll in th' Foal Free Press. Y'know, back when all that Gabby Gums business was goin' on."
Twilight tilted her head. "There was? How did I miss that?!" She shook her head. "Well, it doesn't matter now. I'm actually glad I didn't know. If I'd known, I'd have probably asked for her back a long time ago, and..."
"Yeah," Applejack said, nodding. She smiled. "Anyway, Ah'm glad you got 'er back. Helps a little, don't it?"
"It helps a LOT," Twilight said. She examined the doll with a happy sigh. "He really took good care of her, too."
Minutes later, the two mares got comfortable on the bed, extinguished the lamp on the nightstand, and settled down for the night. Twilight kept Smarty Pants tucked firmly between her front hooves and drifted off to sleep with a content smile.
* * * * *
The following morning, Twilight and her friends met up at the edge of Ponyville and headed to the new palace together. Halfway there, they were brought up short by the sight of airships descending toward the palace, surrounded by pegasi. Exchanging glances, they galloped down to the palace.
At the gates, they met Celestia and a phalanx of guards. Celestia smiled. "Good morning, Princess Twilight. And to you as well, my little ponies."
"What's going on?" Twilight asked, pointing a hoof at the airships.
Celestia's eyes twinkled with mirth. "All of Canterlot has been very busy this past night," she said. "Those airships are delivering furnishings, ornamentation, household necessities, food, kitchen supplies, books, parchment, ink, quills, and a host of other things. As well as workhorses who are going to make your new palace as much of a home as possible."
Twilight's eyes shone with unshed tears, and she smiled brightly. "You managed all of that...in just one night?"
"You just saved all of Equestria from the brink of eternal enslavement by a cruel, power-hungry despot," Celestia said. "Everypony jumped at the chance to help furnish your new palace."
The airships landed, and a dark grey unicorn mare with a neon orange mane and tail emerged from the lead ship, trotting straight up to the two princesses. Her mane was cut in a razor-straight pageboy style that reminded Twilight of a rounded helmet; she wore angular glasses, and her cutie mark was a computer with two floppy drives.
"Ze crews are about to unload ze cargo, Your Highness," she said to Celestia.
"Thank you, Amber Glow." Celestia turned to Twilight, gesturing to the new arrival with a hoof. "This is Amber Glow. She's going to oversee the completion of your new home. She's very competent and has much the same attention to detail as your friend Rarity, as well as very sharp organization skills." She smiled. "You can trust her to have your palace ready for you to move in as quickly as possible."
Twilight nodded her head. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Amber Glow."
Amber Glow bowed slightly. "Your Highness." She summoned a clipboard from the slim satchel at her side. "Do you haff any specific needs I should keep in mind?"
Twilight tilted her head thoughtfully. "Well...there's one thing, but I don't think we have the right supplies on hoof, and I don't want to impose..."
Amber Glow lowered her glasses and stared at Twilight. "You are a Princess. If anypony has ze right to impose, it is you, ja?"
Twilight laughed sheepishly. "Well...alright, but..." She cleared her throat. "I'm fine with most of the inside of the palace looking the way it does now, but...I'd really like it if my private chambers and the library were decorated to look like...well..."
"Ze Golden Oak Library?" Amber Glow asked. "Ja, Princess Celestia has already requested zis."
Twilight turned to her mentor, who gave her a bright smile and a wink. Happy tears spilled from her eyes as she hugged Celestia. "Thank you," she said.
Celestia stroked Twilight's mane with a warm smile. Twilight's friends looked on fondly.
Amber Glow shuffled her hooves and cleared her throat. "Ahem. Ja. Vell...I vill be gettink on mit ze vork." She bustled off to verbally molest the crews unloading the airships.
Celestia surveyed the six mares and dragon. "Well...seeing as it's about to get...very noisy here, I suggest we head into town and have some brunch. Amber Glow and the Royal Guards can see to things here."
"That sounds lovely," Rarity said.
"Durn tootin'," Applejack agreed.
Twilight gazed up at the palace, then looked around at her friends. "Yeah, we can wait a little while longer to explore. Especially since we'd just be in the way and all."
As the group trotted back to Ponyville, Pinkie piped up, "I just thought of something, you guys!"
"What is it, Pinkie?" Twilight asked.
Pinkie looked around at her friends. "We've never invited Princess Celestia or Princess Luna to the old castle!"
"Hey, yeah!" Rainbow said.
Celestia tilted her head. "Twilight did mention you girls had been cleaning up our old castle. I'll admit, I haven't been down there in...quite some time. Not counting the time Nightmare Moon abducted me, I mean."
"We should have a picnic in the old castle with the princesses sometime!" Rarity suggested. The others agreed.
Celestia chuckled. "Very well. I will speak with Luna, and we will schedule an evening to join you all there. I must admit, I look forward to seeing the old place once again...I'm certain Luna will enjoy it as well."
The group's arrival at Ponyville's premiere outdoor cafe caused quite a stir. Ponies crowded around, whispering excitedly at the sight of not one, but two princesses. Celestia looked around at the gathering crowd and cleared her throat. "My little ponies...I am happy to see you all healthy and well, but I must ask you to go about your daily routine and not crowd our little group. We have much to discuss, and we'd prefer to enjoy our brunch with as little fanfare as possible." Her serene smile and gentle words were all the encouragement the crowd needed to disperse.
A waiter approached, nervously fiddling with his bow tie. "Ahem. May I take your orders?"
Once the seven mares plus dragon had ordered, they began conversing lightly. They soon had a veritable banquet of brunch delicacies which covered every inch of the three tables they had pushed together. As they began to eat, Spike piped up for the first time all day. "Princess Celestia?"
"Yes, Spike?"
"I was just wondering..." Spike picked at his hay fries. "Does Twilight rule Ponyville now?"
The table fell silent.
Celestia blinked. "I...hadn't given that any thought," she admitted. "With the recent events, and what with the preparations for the furnishing of Twilight's new palace, I have not yet given any real thought to the matter of...well..."
"It's alright," Twilight said hastily. "I don't really need to—"
"Twilight," Spike said with exasperation, "just the other day you were complaining about how you don't really do anything as a princess. You just saved Equestria! You've got your own palace! You're the Princess of Friendship!" Spike waved his claws. "But what does that even mean? You can't rule friendship."
"Spike," Twilight explained patiently, "My new role in Equestria is to spread the magic of friendship to ponies far and wide, to guide them in—"
"Yeah yeah, friendship lessons, yada yada," Spike said with a dismissive claw wave. "But you still need something to rule. You're the only princess without her own kingdom!"
"Spike has a point," Celestia said. "You've proven yourself a capable leader. I'd be happy to give you your own territory to oversee, and as Ponyville is your home and the location of your new palace..."
Twilight sipped her grapefruit juice. "But what about the mayor?" she asked. "It wouldn't be fair for me to just take over Ponyville and leave her hanging."
Rainbow Dash snorted, blowing on her bangs. "Puh-lease," she said. "You've had more authority in Ponyville than the mayor for a long time."
"She's right," Rarity said. "Whenever something disastrous happens in Ponyville, it isn't the mayor we turn to for answers."
"Yeah, she couldn't even keep Winter Wrap-Up on schedule!" Applejack said. "We stunk at wrappin' up winter until you came along."
"Don't forget when I made all those mes and they ran wild over Ponyville!" Pinkie put in. "Everypony stampeded straight to you for help with that!"
Rainbow, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie all turned expectantly to Fluttershy. She looked around at them. "Y-yes?" she asked.
"Well?" Rainbow demanded. "Aren't you gonna jump in here?"
"Oh...um..." Fluttershy poked her hooves together. "Not...really," she said softly.
"Fluttershy," Celestia said gently, "if you have an opinion on the matter, please don't be afraid to voice it. We want to know what you think."
Fluttershy looked at Celestia, then around the table at her friends. She took a deep breath.
"Mayor Mare is completely incompetent and doesn't really belong in charge of a town the size of Ponyville. The tax codes haven't been updated since before I was born, the marketplace needs a regulatory committee to control price gouging at produce stands, petitions for public works go ignored, there's no telling what state the city treasury is in because the mayor wanted Applejack to finance rebuilding Town Hall with rodeo prize money, and I don't think I've ever seen the mayor actually do anything other than make speeches so I don't know what it is she even does." She looked up at Celestia, who was staring at her with wide eyes and a dropped jaw. "But, um...she's nice."
The table lapsed into silence.
"You know, I don't think I'll ever get used to her doing that," Rarity said.
Celestia shook herself out of her stunned stupor. "Things in Ponyville are...that bad?" she asked.
"Oh, things ain't bad exactly," Applejack said. "Ah mean, Ponyville's practically a paradise, on account of most ever'pony's good to each other an' we can pretty much all take care of business on our own." She scratched her nose. "But...yeah...with no disrespect t' th' mayor..." She took a long sip of water. "Sometimes Ah don't rightly think she could find a pig in a mud hole."
"I happen to know for a fact that almost half of the ponies in Ponyville don't bother to pay their taxes," Rarity said. "I'm not even sure the mayor is aware she's supposed to enforce the tax code."
Celestia blinked. "Oh dear." She drank her tea, a perturbed look on her face. "I was under the impression Ponyville was running smoothly..."
"Ponyville is," Rainbow Dash said. "It's Ponyville Town Hall that's the disaster."
Celestia looked at Twilight. "Well?"
Twilight frowned. "I'd need to establish an effective council," she said. "Trustworthy ponies who can see to the management of the town's affairs, and a system of local government that functions smoothly. Ideally, I would only have to stay informed through regular reports, and only step in to handle problems as they arise."
"In other words, like the system Canterlot uses," Celestia said.
"Exactly," Twilight replied with a nod. "Also, I don't want to just kick the mayor out. She deserves to have a place in this administration." She grimaced. "Also, I'd want to break it to her gently...and of course, I'd much prefer to canvass the opinions of the citizens of Ponyville before actually declaring myself in charge."
Celestia smiled. "Spoken like a true leader," she said. "Very well...once we're finished eating, I'd like for the rest of you to go around Ponyville and tell everypony to gather at the Town Hall. Princess Twilight and I will go to Town Hall to speak with the mayor."
* * * * *
An hour later, the two princesses entered Town Hall. They found the mayor just inside, straightening a framed (and outdated) map of Ponyville.
"Good day to you, Madame Mayor," Celestia said.
The mayor jumped, turned, and saw the princesses. She bowed. "Your Highnesses," she said. She took in the troubled glimmer in Twilight's eyes and the soft, kind, yet faintly sad look on Celestia's face. "You're here to remove me from office," she said. At Celestia's barely-perceptible nod, the mayor deflated.
"Nothing's decided yet," Twilight said gently. "My friends are gathering everypony in Ponyville right now. I'm going to put it to a vote." She looked down. "I know you must think I'm terrible, that now that I have a crown and a title, I'm going crazy with power, but—"
The mayor held up a hoof to cut her off. "I don't think that at all, Princess," she said. "To be honest, I've been expecting this for some time now."
"You have?" Celestia asked.
"Yes," the mayor replied. "I'm not blind. For some time now, even before she became a princess, Ponyville has been turning to Twilight Sparkle for answers, not me. Everypony knows she's intelligent, powerful, and has a direct line to you." She chuckled ruefully. "It was really only a matter of time."
"I'm still going to want you to be part of Ponyville's government," Twilight said. "I'm going to ask you to be my executive assistant."
The mayor smiled. "Thank you, Your Highness. I accept."
"We're still going to ask the citizens of Ponyville what they want first," Twilight cautioned. "If they're not willing to accept me as their leader, then nothing changes."
"Oh, I'm pretty sure they'll want you in charge," the mayor said. "After all, you are a Princess!"
* * * * *
The whole of Ponyville was gathered outside Town Hall. Twilight's friends stood at the front of the crowd.
Twilight Sparkle, Celestia, and the mayor stepped out and faced the crowd. Celestia gave Twilight a minute nod, prompting her to take the lead.
Twilight raised a hoof, motioning for silence. "Citizens of Ponyville," she began, "a time of change is upon us. By agreement between myself, Princess Celestia, and the mayor of Ponyville, I, Princess Twilight Sparkle, am prepared to assume rulership of Ponyville as my domain."
The crowd began murmuring excitedly.
"However," Twilight said sharply, stilling the ponies. "I will not assume control of Ponyville unless you, my little ponies, wish it to be so. If you would prefer things to remain the way they are now, then nothing changes. So, I ask you all now: all in favor of a Ponyville under my rule?"
A thunderous cheer went up, accompanied by the furious stomping of hundreds of hooves; the din shook the ground and raised dust.
Twilight smiled and motioned for silence. "All opposed?"
Nopony moved or spoke.
Princess Celestia smiled and stepped forward. "Then it is settled, my little ponies. From this day forward and forevermore, the town of Ponyville is hereby ruled by Princess Twilight Sparkle, by decree of Princess Celestia, co-ruler of Equestria."
The crowd cheered wildly.
Twilight let them cheer for a while, elated by the approval of her fellow Ponyvilleans, then raised a hoof for silence. "Thank you. Thank you all. The mayor will assume a new role as my executive assistant. In the coming weeks, I will conduct a series of town meetings to address the problems facing Ponyville which need attention. I will also be assembling a new system of city government, with department heads to oversee the regulation of every aspect of everyday life. The system will closely resemble that which regulates Canterlot. But my first order of business is the planning and construction of a new Ponyville public library." She felt her eyes mist and her breath hitch, but continued, "With the destruction of the Golden Oak Library, Ponyville has lost a vital public resource, and above all else, it is essential that a new library be built as swiftly as possible. I will be drafting the plans for the new library personally."
Many chuckles went up from the crowd along with the applause.
Pinkie Pie jumped up into the air and screamed, "KINGDOM OF PONYVILLE AND NEW LIBRARY PLANNING PARTY!" A flurry of inflated balloons drifted up into the air around her.
Twilight giggled as the crowd laughed at Pinkie's antics.
"Well, we have business to discuss," Celestia whispered to Twilight and the now ex-mayor. "Let's let your friends handle everything else out here." With that, the three retreated into Town Hall, leaving the crowd to its own devices.
"I didn't expect them to be that excited about it," Twilight said. She looked over at the grey-maned earth pony and said gently, "I'm sorry. That must have been hard, Ma—" She trailed off. "You know, come to think of it, I don't even know your actual name."
The former mayor laughed. "My name is Polly, Your Highness. Polly Mare. And don't worry about me. I'm more than happy to hand over the burden of leadership to more capable hooves."
"You'll still have a very important role in my administration," Twilight reminded her. "In fact, you'll have to work harder than ever."
"I'll try not to let you down, Your Highness," Polly said.
"Oh, and one more thing..."
"Yes, Your Highness?"
"Please stop dying your mane. You don't really want to look like an old grey mare, do you?"
Polly laughed. "I'll think about it."