From the Ashes

by Keeper of time RD

Chapter 12: Rebirth of a Nation

Spitfire looked up from the meeting room table and said, “Scootaloo, it has to be you.”

The mare in question was staring out the window, and with her back still turned to the rest of the room she answered, “No.”

“It’s been three weeks, the raiders and slavers of eastern Equestria are gone. And most of the time the known encampments were abandoned by the time we got there. It doesn’t matter how hush hush we are about your secret weapon, word has spread that Scootaloo is the one who defeated the raiders of Canterlot. And all those ‘new’ settlements we keep finding are all asking us the same thing. How to be on friendly terms with Ponyville. Heck, some of them don’t even beat around the bush and asked how to be on friendly terms with Scootaloo! You have become a symbol, Scoots, and everypony in Equestria is willing to rally behind that symbol, behind YOU!”

“And that’s precisely why I’m the only pony in all of Equestria who can’t be the leader. I have become a symbol. A symbol of destructive power.”

“It’s like that. Not to most ponies,” Sweetie Belle offered.

“What? You think I haven’t heard what they’re saying about me? I know full well that the good ponies call me ‘the angel of justice’ and all those retired raiders and salvers call me ‘the angel of death’! It doesn’t even matter which one it is. Both see me as a symbol of power! And that’s why everypony needs to see ME bow to the rightful ruler! All those retired slavers and raiders out there, they NEED to see that destructive might doesn’t give you the right to rule!” Scootaloo answered finally turning to face the others.

Spitfire set down her coffee cup and said, “In case you hadn’t noticed, all of the royal families were wiped out in the war. That’s kind of why Equestria fell into anarchy in the first place. So where exactly do you expect us to get a ‘rightful ruler’ as you say?”

“If we can elect mayors to run a town, can’t we just hold an election to choose a new princess of Equestria?”

“Technically if a national leader is chosen by election they’re called a president,” Cheerilee interjected. “That aside, it can be done.”

“Fine,” Spitfire said with a smirk. “But you know they’ll all just vote for you.”

“Not if we make it a rule that you can only vote for somepony who’s running, and I don’t run.”

“That’s nice and all, but if we don’t let ponies vote for you, Scoots, how can we be sure that the pony who wins is actually worth following? What if we just end up with a former raider or something?”

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow to Apple Bloom’s question. Then she said, “Apple Bloom, look around you. We have Spitfire and the Wonderbolts who can influence the guard, us Crusaders with Ponyville, and mayor Diamond Tiara has a lot of influence with the trade caravans. As long as everypony in this room agrees who we want to elect we can basically choose who the first president will be.”

“We may have influence,” Spitfire said. “But it’s not unlimited. I could probably talk the Bolts and guard into voting for half the ponies in this room. I but I can’t say that for just anypony. So that begs the question, who would it be?”

Scoots put a hoof to her chin and pondered for a moment. When she finally looked up her eyes were focused on the white unicorn in the room.

Sweetie Belle’s eyes became dots when she realized the intent of her friend’s gaze. “You want me to run?”

“Why not?” the pegasus crusader said with a shrug. “You’ve already been the Queen of the Diamond Dogs. Would President of Equestria really be that different?”

“Uhh, yeah! The Diamond Dogs build what they want from rocks! Rocks! Not exactly a hard resource to come by! Ponies tend to need more complicated things than just rocks!” Sweetie blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“Things that they need to provide for themselves. That’s not what you’ll be there to do. Like Spitfire and I have been talking about, the leader needs to be a symbol. And everypony who knows you from the battle of Canterlot, knows you as a symbol of healing and as a Cutie Mark Crusader.”

With that Scootaloo looked around the table. Spitfire and Diamond Tiara returned nods as if to say ‘I can work with that.’ The gestures didn’t go unseen by Sweetie Belle either.

“Fine,” she conceded. “But if I win, I’m appointing you as general.”

Scootaloo shrugged. “Less then ideal. But I said they needed to see me bow to the president, so if that’s what you ask of me, that’s what I’ll do.”

The meeting continued as other things where discussed, but Scoots returned to staring out the window. What was left of Canterlot couldn’t really be seen from Ponyville anymore, so that was a glaring difference in the view compared to a few weeks ago. but among the subtle differences, like the green returning to the hills well beyond Ponyville’s walls, the biggest one was the sky. Once they’d returned from the east, the Wonderbolts had started rebuilding Cloudsdale. And while it was only a fraction of the size of the old one, having a cloud town parked in the northern distance from Ponyville felt like the biggest neon sign in the world that things where finally ‘normal’ again. Or at least as normal as they could be.

* * * * * * *

It took two weeks to get the other towns and cities to agree to an election, and a month had been allotted for campaigning before the actual vote. A few other ponies even ran. Although, when the trade caravans stated spreading the rumor that Scootaloo wanted Sweetie Belle to win, it didn’t matter if Scoots had stayed quiet on the topic. And with Las Pegasus, Ponyville and the Wonderbolts solidly backing her, Sweetie won by a landslide.

A big ceremony was arranged. Although given the new title, it was agreed that a crowning didn’t fit, so an oath of office for the new president was arranged instead. Regardless, once it was done, Scootaloo bowed, and the crowd followed suit.

After the ceremony was a party. And it was there that Scootaloo smiled, laughed, and danced. And she danced just like the little orange filly dancing somewhere in a field of starlight.