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Prologue: The Promenade4,280 words
Shattered Shields3,574 words
Broken Hearts3,998 words
The Stars Spell Out Your Name6,035 words
The Farmer and the Viper7,803 words
Useless6,962 words
We,That Are Young7,189 words
Should Never See So Much3,786 words
Or Live So Long8,142 words
Between Sisters5,493 words
Changing Trains5,370 words
The Last Equestrian Princess10,255 words
Long Live Princess Twilight5,140 words
Intermission(I)4,700 words
Intermission (II)5,815 words
Intermission Appendix: Dear Sunset Shimmer1,974 words
Intermission (III)3,648 words
Intermission (IV)4,469 words
Intermission (V)3,375 words

Long Live Princess Twilight

Long Live Princess Twilight

It was just bad luck to have a coronation on the same day as a funeral.

Twilight had never been the superstitious one but it seemed inauspicious, bordering on on outright blasphemous, to change out of a mourning dress and jump right into a coronation gown as though the oldest and wisest of Equestria's friends wasn't just laid to rest that morning. The entire city seemed to be eager to move on after the funeral, removing black flags embroidered with suns and moons and replacing them with bright starry purple banners that flapped obnoxiously in the breeze. The party decorators were swift; in an hour after the memorial parade, nopony could tell there had even been a funeral that day. Colorful parade floats were being lined up, vendors were lining the streets with cakes and candy to sell to the hoards of ponies packing the capital and the palace grounds were decorated with thousands upon thousands of purple stars that glittered in anticipation of the party tonight.

A party that Twilight was half tempted to cancel out of pure spite.

After nearly one thousand years of faithful rule the ponies of Canterlot had practically dumped their princesses in a ditch in their rush to celebrate Twilight's new title. Those that weren't actively kissing up to her were concealing their disdain for the upjumped alicorn behind false smiles and empty flattery. Those that were sure of their lofty lifestyle under Celestia were worried for the first time in generations; noble houses that had existed at Celestia's pleasure were now concerned that Twilight would upset their privilege. Some actively sought to curry her favor while others looked for ways to get her removed. On the morning after Celestia and Luna's death, dozens of government officials that Celestia had personally trusted conveniently lost the documents detailing the princesses' last orders. Were it not for a master set that Luna had the foresight to seal away in a safe in her chamber, Twilight might have found her reign as ruler of Equestria to be shorter than she wanted it to be.

Not that she wanted to rule in the first place. She didn't fancy moving into the large empty palace or sleeping in her teacher's old chambers or having her little apartment in the library packed up and shipped to Canterlot, miles away from everypony she knew or cared about-

Twilight shook her head, willing a wave of melancholy down until she could deal with it later. She couldn't afford to look frazzled or unsure in front of ponies who were looking to her for leadership (or looking for an excuse to oust her). The crown, and all the responsibilities that it entailed, belonged to Twilight now whether she wanted them or not.

The crown in question leered up at her from its plush velvet box, every bit as ostentatious and gaudy as it looked on Celestia at her first coronation. The glittering gold and rubies that had been crudely pressed and set nearly a thousand years ago looked so majestic from afar but now that Twilight had a chance to look at it up close she could see how rough, bumpy and jagged it looked. The First Crown had been a symbol of the Equestrian Royal House for nearly one thousand years but all Twilight could think was how ugly it looked. How misshapen and primitively cast it was and how Rarity could have designed something ten times as beautiful-

Twilight was shaken out of her brooding by a soft knock at the door.

“Yes?” Twilight said weakly, clearing her throat and rubbing her eyes. “I mean, yes?”

“Your Highness, there are four mares outside who claim that they are your friends.” Her guard’s voice said from the other side of the door.

“We are her friends you glorified rent-a-cop!” Rainbow Dash’s voice said. “Do you seriously not recognize us from the twenty foot tall stain glass windows in the throne room?!”

“Ma’am, if you insist on being belligerent, I will be forced to place you under arrest!”

“Oh I would love to see you try, pal.” Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Go ahead, Cupcake, give my your best freaking shot! I would love nothing more than to-"

Twilight dashed over to the door and flung it open before Rainbow Dash could get herself thrown in jail. Rainbow Dash and the guard stopped glaring at each other and turned to look at Twilight.

“It’s alright, sir, they’re telling the truth!” Twilight said. “Please let them in.”

Rainbow Dash shot the guard a gloating smirk before leading the small trail of ponies into the small room. As she closed the door behind them Twilight was happy to see that, although they had changed out of their funeral dress, they weren’t dressed as flashy as half the ponies already trailing into the throne room. Even Rarity was underdressed for a royal coronation as a sign of respect for Celestia and Luna.

"Sheesh, how many times does a girl have to save the world before she gets a little recognition?" Pinkie Pie said.

"Seriously! It's like Twilight got enough recognition for all of us and forgot to pass it out or something." Rainbow Dash said, earning a nudge in the ribs from Applejack. "Ow! What'd I do?!"

"You mean besides braying like an insensitive jackass?" Applejack hissed. "You know Twilight doesn't care for all this fuss being made about her!"

"Which is why I would graciously consider taking some of the respect off her hooves." Rainbow Dash said. "What's the matter with that?!"

"You know I'd send some of this fuss your way if I could, Rainbow Dash." Twilight chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Rainbow Dash said. "Just don't forget us when you're sitting on your gilded throne; I'm sick of getting stopped by guards even when I'm invited."

"Sorry about that." Twilight said softly. "I trusted Chancellor Harrier to put your names on the list of people allowed in...she must've forgotten."

"Right, she "forgot." Rainbow Dash said. "She cleared every baron and duchess from here to Cloudsdale but she conveniently "forgot" to add the names of the ponies who saved Equestria more times than anypony else. Her memory is that bad, I'm sure."

"It won't happen again." Twilight assured, rubbing her eyes wearily.

"Don't worry about it, sugar." Applejack said, wrapping an arm around Rainbow Dash's neck and squeezing tightly. "Rainbow ain't bothered by a little hang up, are you Rainbow?"

"I-if I say yes, are you going to choke me?" Rainbow Dash said.

"Considering it." Applejack said with a smile

"Then no, we're good!" Rainbow Dash chuckled nervously. "I-I'm sure it isn't going to happen again so-"

"It won't." Twilight said emphatically. "I don't know why it happened this time. I'm sorry you were treated that way and I'm...I'm really glad you're here."

"Like we'd miss out on front row seats to watch our bestest princess friend get coronated!" Pinkie Pie said, glomping on to Twilight

"Crowned, dear." Rarity said, subtly prying Pinkie Pie off Twilight and smoothing her dress out. "Coronated isn't a word."

"It should be!" Pinkie Pie said. "Crowned just sounds so dull; it sounds like something nasty you'd get done at the dentist. Coronated sounds regal, refined, sophisticated! I'd rather be coronated than crowned any day of the week, but what do I know; I'm not the one getting coronated today, am I?"

"I'll see I can pull some strings with the dictionaries to get coronated officially recognized as a word." Twilight said. "I think I'd rather be coronated than crowned any day."

“So...are you ready to get yourself coronated then?" Applejack said.

"Pretty much." Twilight said. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"Really?" Rarity said uncertainly, looking Twilight up and down.

“Y-yes, why?” Twilight said, looking down at her dress. “Is something wrong with my outfit?”

“No, you look lovely but…is that really how you’re going to wear your mane?” Rarity asked.

“Oh, well, I wanted to do something fancy with it but…there wasn’t enough time after the funeral.” Twilight said, nervously tugging at her simple ponytail.

“Sit.” Rarity commanded as she pulled a pin out of her own mane and started undoing Twilight’s ponytail. “A princess deserves to look her best on her coronation day.”

“Yeah, because I haven’t had one of those already.” Twilight muttered. “What does it matter how I look; half the ponies in that hall wish I died instead of Celestia and the other half are lining up to kiss my flank as soon as this stupid coronation ceremony is over. So if half the crowd is going to hate my hair no matter what I do and the other half is going to say the love it no matter what it looks like, what’s the point in doing anything with it at all?”

“Because you said you wanted to do something nice with it.” Rarity said. “And that’s all that matters.”

“I wish that were all that mattered.” Twilight mumbled.

“How’re you holding up, all things considered?” Applejack asked.

“I’m alright.” Twilight half-lied. “Things were a little crazy yesterday at the Prime Minister’s office but thankfully Celestia had the foresight to sign backups of her succession orders in the event that the ponies she trusted them with "lost" theirs.”

“I can’t believe the ponies Celestia trusted so much just turned around and tried to throw you under the bus!” Pinkie Pie said.

"My grandpappy used to say folks can get mighty nasty when there's something shiny up for grabs." Applejack said.

“Yes, well thankfully their little power grab failed.” Rarity said, pinning Twilight’s mane up while she braided a strand of her hair. “Celestia’s orders were upheld, Twilight is getting crowned today and the vipers slither back into their holes to lick their wounds and regroup for another attempt.”

“Another attempt?” Pinkie Pie said. “Twilight’s going to be the HPIC in half an hour; what else can they do to her?”

“Less than they think they can...but still enough to cause trouble for Twilight.” Rarity said, unpinning the hair from the top of Twilight’s head and braiding it with the rest. “Power in Equestria is changing hooves for the first time in a millennium and foolish ponies are climbing over each other to try and grab a slice for themselves.”

“Lousy no-good sidewinders.” Applejack muttered darkly. “I can’t say I envy you, Twilight. For all the perks this princess thing is giving you, at least you didn’t have to worry about people trying to stab you in the back when you were working in Ponyville.”

“Yeah…the library’s looking pretty good right now.” Twilight said distantly. “You guys found a replacement for me at the library, right?”

“We’ll take care of it.” Applejack promised.

“Don’t settle for anything less than the best.” Twilight said, suddenly finding herself getting choked up at the thought of the library-her library-being tended to by a stranger. “Make sure it's s-somepony who knows what she's doing and cares about the books. I spent four y-years getting that library just the way I l-liked it and I don’t want to…”

“Twilight?” Pinkie Pie asked. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Twilight said, blinking back tears. “I’m okay, really, I’m okay…”

Pinkie Pike laid a gentle hoof on Twilight’s shoulder and the dam that had been straining inside Twilight since Celestia’s death just broke. She doubled over herself and fruitlessly tried to choke back sobs that were spilling out of her mouth as fast as the tears spilled down her cheeks. All the stress, all the pressure she’d been under had finally overwhelmed her as she was forced to confront the reality that she wasn’t going back to Ponyville with her friends again. Her little apartment over the library was getting sold and occupied by somepony she didn’t know. She could never just drop in on a friend unannounced or just swing by the Sugarcube Corner for a snack. Her friends now lived half a kingdom away from her and there was no telling how long it was going to be before she saw them again.

“Oh dear, what’s the matter?” Rarity said as four pairs of arms pulled the sobbing princess into a group hug.

“Is it the crown?” Pinkie Pie asked. “I know it’s ugly but we can always make you a new one!”

“N-no, Pinkie.” Twilight chuckled in spite of herself. “It’s not that, it’s just-”

“Listen.” Rarity said soothingly rubbing Twilight’s arm. “No matter where we are or what we’re doing, if you want us to come, we’ll be here as fast as the train can take us.”

“Anytime, anywhere.” Pinkie Pie affirmed.

“But…but I’m not going to see you every day.” Twilight said, wiping her eyes. “Y-you girls are going to get on the train tomorrow and I…I don’t even know when I’m going to see you again.”

“Whenever you want to, honey!” Applejack said. “Give us a holler next weekend if you want to get together for something! We’re not just going to drop out of each other’s lives just because you’re moving.”

“That’s what you call it?” Twilight laughed.

“It was gonna happen sooner or later.” Applejack said. “Rainbow Dash is up with the Wonderbolts in Cloudsdale and before you know it, Rarity’s gonna be designing dresses in Canterlot.”

“But it doesn’t matter where we are.” Pinkie Pie said firmly. “We could be fifty million miles away on a different planet and we’d still hop on the nearest flying saucer home if you wanted us too.”

“If you think I’m about to let a couple hundred miles keep me from my favorite egghead princess, you obviously don’t know how fast I can fly.” Rainbow Dash said.

Twilight fought back a fresh wave of tears as a warm, tingling feeling of gratitude towards her friends spread through her. As much as it would hurt being away from them, Twilight could never doubt that she could count on them for anything.

“Almost time.” Twilight sighed, glancing at the clock on the wall. “Rarity, did you bring it?”

Rarity reached into her saddlebag for a crushed pink velvet case. Twilight opened the box and smiled tearfully as she saw a familiar gold necklace with a pink butterfly gem pressed in the center. She ran a hoof over it longingly, pausing for a moment to steady herself as memories of Fluttershy rose unbidden in her mind. She wondered what Fluttershy would have said if she could see her here today. Twilight hoped she’d tell her to be brave and do her best and that she would come up from Fillydelphia when she had time off from vet school. She wished, more than anything, that she had Fluttershy with her now but at least she could be remembered in a small way like this.

“Perfect.” Twilight said, fastening the necklace around her throat and admiring the result in the mirror. “Alright…let’s do this.”

Twilight led the group out of the small room and down the empty hall leading to the throne room. They paused before the large double doors that Twilight had passed through so many times. On the other side, she could hear the faint murmur of hundreds of ponies waiting to see her crowned for the second time. The next time she walked through the door, it would be as Crowned Princess of Equestria.

“Well…we better get going.” Rainbow Dash said and they started towards the side door leading into the throne room. “We gotta get this show on the road and we have to get to our seats before somepony tries to snatch them out from under us.”

“Good luck up there!” Applejack said

“We’ll be cheering you on from the front just like at Summer Sun Celebration!” Pinkie Pie said.

“Keep your head up, your highness.” Rarity said. “Your gracious subjects will be waiting for you when this is all over.”

As Twilight watched them leave her side to join the crowds of awed onlookers, she suddenly remembered the way they looked at her on the Summer Sun Celebration and how she never wanted them to look at her like that again.

“No.” Twilight said. Her friends stopped in their tracks and turned to face her.

“No?” Pinkie Pie echoed.

"Is everything okay?" Applejack asked.

“I don’t want you to sit with the others.” Twilight said, seizing control of the changes that sought to change her. “You don’t deserve to be…you deserve more than being clumped together with ponies I’ve never even met before.”

“Well, Twi, unless you have a private box you’re not telling us about, I don’t really see how you can upgrade our tickets any higher than the front row.” Rainbow Dash chuckled.

“I don’t want you to sit in the audience.” Twilight said. “I want you to walk with me up to the throne and I…I want one of you to crown me.”

"What?!" Her friends cried.

“Twilight, we can’t do that!” Rarity hissed. “Chancellor Harrier is all set to crown you; w-we can’t just step on her hooves like that!”

“I’m a princess; I’m entitled to act spoiled and selfish every once and a while.” Twilight said with a watery chuckle. "It's my coronation day and I want my friends to walk with me."

“But, Twilight, if we walk with you, the ponies might get the impression that-” Rarity said.

“That you’re more important to me than they are?” Twilight said. "I hope that's exactly the impression they get."

“A princess can’t play favorites.” Rarity said sternly. “As ruler of Equestria-”

“I’m not ruler of Equestria just yet, Rarity.” Twilight said. “And even when I am…you girls will always be more important to me than anypony else.”

“Twilight…” Applejack said, wiping a tear away.

“I need you all to promise me something right now or so help me, I’m not walking through that door.” Twilight said, blinking back tears. “You need to promise to remain my friends, first, foremost and above everything else. The only way I can be everypony else’s ruler is if I’m your friend and only your friend. Not your princess, not your ruler…just your friend. I can’t…I can’t do this if you treat me like everypony else does...like I'm somehow better than you. Because I'm really not. Rainbow Dash was right; I get too much credit for doing things we all did. It's not fair that I became a princess just for doing a stupid spell. It's not fair that I got rewarded for saving Equestria while you girls barely got a pat on the back. Just because I'm here getting all the love and attention, doesn't mean any one of you couldn't be...and that's not fair."

"The...the fact of the matter is that the best of me...everything good or worthy I ever did was because of you girls." Twilight said. "I wish that there was something more I could do for you and maybe one day there will be...but for now, I just want you to know that no matter what any pony else says, this is your day too. If I had my way, it'd be a coronation ceremony for all of us instead of just me. But for now...just know that your princess...your friend owes each of you a debt that can never be repaid."

"I never want to stand above any of you again." Twilight said, wiping a tear away. "So you have to promise me right now that you will never treat me with the respect a princess is due...that you will never, not even for a moment, buy into the myth that I am somehow better than you or somehow more worthy than you are. You are my friends...and you bow to no one. I need you to promise that...whatever happens after today...we'll always be friends first."

Twilight’s friends shared a brief look between themselves and nodded in unison.

“I promise.” Rainbow Dash said solemnly.

“Me too.” Applejack added.

“Of course, dear.” Rarity said.

“Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Pinkie Pie said with as much dignity as she could muster.

“Well, now it’s a Pinkie Promise.” Twilight laughed, wiping a tear away. “There’s no going back now.”

“We couldn’t if we wanted to, Twilight.” Applejack said.

“It’s…it’s always been us.” Twilight said. “I got the crown and wings and superpowers but…I wouldn’t have achieved any of that if it wasn’t for you girls.”

“Well, duh!” Rainbow Dash chuckled, trying to hide her watery eyes from Twilight. “An egghead like you would have never left your library if you didn’t have an awesome best friend like me!”

“A-hem!” Applejack and Rarity coughed.

“I know, I know.” Rainbow Dash said. “You all want to thank me for practically making Twilight the princess that she is today but you’re going to have to get in line.”

Applejack shoved Rainbow Dash into Pinkie Pie who fell on Twilight and the five of them burst into peals of laughter, interrupted only by the door to the throne room opening and an soft ahem drawing their attention.

“Oh, Chancellor Harrier!” Twilight said, picking herself up and straightening her dress. Twilight had inherited Celestia’s major domo, a stern looking green mare by the name of Chancellor Harrier who dictated daily affairs on behalf of the princesses. The Chancellor straightened her glasses and fixed Twilight with an exasperated glare.

“Your Highness, the guests are getting restless.” Chancellor Harrier said, eyeing Twilight’s friends with barely veiled disdain. “And I’m sure your...guests would like to get to their seats before the proceedings start.”

“Sorry, Chancellor, there’s been a change of plans.” Twilight said. “My friends will be accompanying me up the aisle as I ascend the throne.”

“They will?” Chancellor Harrier spluttered. “Forgive me for saying so, Your Highness, but this is most irregular-”

“Our princesses have left us and Equestria is crowning its first new ruler in a millennium.” Rarity chimed in. “I’m curious; what about this situation do you consider to be regular , Chancellor.”

“You would do well to remember who you’re talking to, miss!” Chancellor Harrier hissed.

“And you would do well not to speak to the mare who is going to crown me in such a tone.” Twilight countered.

“What?!” Rarity and Chancellor Harrier squeaked in unison.

“Her Grace,The Duchess Rarity is a personal friend of mine and the mare responsible for taming my unruly mane.” Twilight said. “I trust her above all others to ensure the crown doesn’t mess up my hair…unless anypony else has an objection.”

“Sounds good to me.” Applejack said.

“No problems here.” Pinkie Pie said.

“I guess I’ll just crown you the next time somepony leaves you in charge of something.” Rainbow Dash sighed dramatically. “You’re collecting titles like trading cards so I’m bound to get my chance sooner or later.”

“Your Highness.” Chancellor Harrier said through gritted teeth. “I thought we agreed that I would be the one to bequeath unto you the power of the Equestrian Sovereign."

“Yes…so sorry about that.” Twilight said. “I’m altering our agreement.”

“It is within the rights of the Royal Chancellor to preside over any and all royal ceremonies in absence of a princess!" Chancellor Harrier said, voice trembling with barely contained outrage. "May I remind you that-"

"You can remind me of anything you'd like, Chancellor; I am within my rights to have a hoof in my own coronation ceremony. I have altered our agreement to accommodate my friends who were so rudely left off the guest list." Twilight said.

"An innocent mistake, Your Highness, I assure you, but-"

"If you're unhappy with your new role in my ceremony, I completely understand if you want to excuse yourself from the proceedings altogether." Twilight said. "If not, I suggest you take your place."

Chancellor Harrier flushed red and for a moment, she looked like she was going to give Twilight an excuse to dismiss her. But she bit her vitriol back, saving it for a later time, and left with a short bow.

“Alright Twilight!” Pinkie Pie cried as Chancellor Harrier closed the door behind her. “Way to show that snooty pitooty who wears the pants in this kingdom!”

“Hey, how soon after you take control can you fire her?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“I know she’s a pain, but she knows how to run the Royal Household better than me right now.” Twilight sighed. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to deal with her a little while longer.”

“Well, that was extremely well dealt with, dear.” Rarity said. “Though I’m still not sure if it’s the best idea to let me handle the crown on such short notice.”

“You won’t let me down.” Twilight said, passing Rarity the crown in its box. “If anypony can handle an unruly piece of jewelry, it’s you.”

“Thank you.” Rarity said with a short bow. “I promise I won’t fail you.”

“I know you won’t.” Twilight said, taking a deep breath as the mighty doors before her unbolted. “Okay…here we go.”

“Shoulders back dear.” Rarity whispered.

“Chin up.” Applejack said.

“And don’t forget to smile.” Pinkie Pie said.

“Hey, how mad would you be if we scalped our tickets right now?” Rainbow Dash whispered

Twilight laughed and the doors opened into a silent throne room, packed with journalists snapping away and nobleponies lining the aisles. As Twilight walked down the aisle, flanked on either side by two of her friends, she noted the looks of confusion and displeasure on the faces of the nobleponies with something akin to satisfaction. She caught sight of Fancy Pants and Fleur De Lis in the fourth row shooting her an approving smile and bow and Twilight felt her stride grow stronger knowing that, no matter how the rest of the country felt about her taking over, her friends would always have her back.

She approached the throne and turned back to face the sea of strangers that hung on words she hadn’t even said yet. Twilight took a deep breath, looked to each of her friends for support, and then turned back to address the crowd.

“Three days ago, Equestria lost its oldest and greatest friends.” Twilight said, her words echoing across the silent throne room. “Today, we laid Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to rest once and for all. Before we go forward, I would like a moment of silence to reflect on our profound loss.”

Twilight bowed her head for a moment, taking the time to collect her thoughts and catch her breath.

“For the first time in one thousand years, our princesses are at peace, but Equestria stands at an uncertain crossroad.” Twilight said, lifting her head. “I grieve for them as I’m sure all of you do but they have entrusted me with their hopes for Equestria’s future and I intend to become worthy of that trust. As Princess of Magic, I safeguarded the Element of Magic and defended Equestria from those that would destroy her. Today, I assume a greater role as Crowned Princess of Equestria, Duchess of Canterlot and Protector of the Crystal Empire.”

“Today, in the sight of you good ponies, I reaffirm the oaths I took on the day of my first coronation and swear to always put Equestria first. I will protect and serve the ponies of Equestria to the best of my abilities and I promise that the heavens will move as they always have so long as I draw breath. I ask for your patience as I settle into my new role and hope that, together we can strive for the brighter future that our beloved princesses envisioned for us.”

“The sun has set at long long last.” Twilight said, voice thick with emotion. “But it will rise again through me, for you.”

Twilight knelt before the assembled audience, noting murmurs of discontent from the nobility in the front rows as Rarity lifted the crown out of the velvet box. Rarity met their ugly looks with an unwaveringly brilliant smile as she lowered the crown on to Twilight’s head. Her neck sagged under the heavy gold but she raised her head with a deep steadying breath to look out over the sea of kneeling ponies before her.

"Princess Celestia has passed!" Chancellor Harrier cried. "Long-"

"Long Live Princess Twilight!" Pinkie Pie butted in, stealing Chancellor Harrier's line.

“Long Live Princess Twilight!” The crowd responded.

“Long Live Princess Twilight!” Rarity repeated.

“Long Live Princess Twilight!”

“Long Live Princess Twilight!” Rainbow Dash crowed, matching Chancellor Harrier's nasty look with one of her own.