The Price of Royalty

by Sayer

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, Sad, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Twilight Sparkle
Length: 7668

Twilight Sparkle starts having second thoughts about being an alicorn princess

Twilight is finally starting to realize that her new title and wings come with responsibilites, and that she can't even see her friends because of her new duties as a princess. After all the time they spent, after all their adventures, it seems like they may have come to an abrupt end because of something she never asked for.

What should she do? Should she continue being an alicorn princess or become a normal unicorn once again? Can she find happiness even after being separated from her friends? And most importantly, will they understand how she really feels?

Published 2014-01-16 17:00:03 UTC
Last updated 2014-01-16 17:00:03 UTC

Second thoughts

It has been two months since Twilight Sparkle became an alicorn and was crowned princess. It has been months since she last saw her friends, due to her royal duties keeping her always occupied. It had been exactly been one month, one week, and four days since she went back to Ponyville to fix a broken friendship, tarnished by lies and fear. It had been less than a month since she visited another world in search of her crown and defeated Sunset Shimmer.

It’d been such a short time, yet it felt like an eternity. When Twilight had accepted her new position as a princess, she had hoped to spend more time with Princess Celestia, not to spend weeks alone, staring at books, bullying her brain into memorizing every little fact. Twilight Sparkle devoured book after book, absorbing their knowledge in a matter of hours or even minutes. She had always loved reading more than anything else in the world, but she never thought that she would give all of Equestria’s books in exchange for being a unicorn again.

The lavender pony snapped back to reality and the pile of books waiting in front of her. Her attention was fixed upon the open book lying on her desk, opened to the first page. The desk was made especially for her, per royal decree, with drawers at both sides full of quills, ink pots and scrolls along with a comfy chair lined in bright red. Twilight looked around her chambers, far too big for a single pony, yet only half the size of Princess Celestia’s. The walls matched the colors of her coat so well that she imagined herself blending like a chameleon and disappearing from Equestria, perhaps only visible as a pair of blinking eyes standing out from the sea of purple. Behind her stood a royal queen sized bed with all kinds of ornaments and a pink bed sheet with white stripes, a pair of purple cushions and a white pillow with a lavender cover. And last but not least, a full body mirror for herself. Princess Celestia had ordered the best furnishings for her new room, completely deaf to Twilight’s protests.

The lavender pony opened one of the drawers in search of another scroll, but instead found something better wrapped in old envelopes shoddily resealed. She picked one envelope up and spied the name written in vibrant yet dainty calligraphy: “Rarity”.

She smiled as she looked upon her friends’ letters. Her mind traveled back in time to when Spike never organized them using her patented system. The princess reminisced about how she always yelled at Rainbow Dash because she smashed through the library window for the nth time. She daydreamed about attending Pinkie Pie’s legendary parties, helping Fluttershy rescue a bunny trapped inside his burrow, helping out Applejack down on the farm, and being a model for Rarity.

Her last letter dated back to two months ago, written and sent by Rainbow Dash and Brownie, this time as an official couple. The last time she had seen them, it’d been because Spike had begged her to help solve a friendship problem. She didn’t know until a week later that she had done more than solved a small argument. The letter, written in Rainbow’s heavy, untidy, frenetic scrawl, had told her the truth. She might have seen it coming, had she not been simply overjoyed to have somepony to talk to.

She couldn’t believe it. After all, she always imagined Rainbow Dash as the kind of mare who would be interested in a pegasus like Thunderlane, but somepony like Brownie? That stallion was like a pseudo Fluttershy, and the only thing he shared with Rainbow Dash was her passion for reading Daring Do. But in the end, Twilight was happy for them, glad that she could help. Something felt wrong. The air was just a little too warm. There was this burning, constricted feeling in her chest. Her hooves tingled and her eyes refused to digest another word. Words jumped up in her throat.

“I’m sick of this!” Twilight gasped, clasping her hooves over her mouth, startled by the sudden loudness of her own voice. A light sheen f sweat formed on her body. The dead stillness of her chamber failed to hide the irrepressible beating of her heart, the small noises of her breathing.

The new princess stormed from the room. She threw open the doors to the great balcony overlooking Canterlot. Outside, she gulped in the surge of fresh, clean, natural moving air. She drank in the smells and sounds. Giddy, she rolled onto her back and stared out into the sky. The balcony was very wide; in fact, so wide she loved to bring a sleeping bag outside and fall asleep while watching the stars above. Her attention focused on the telescope resting in a corner, as if calling her. A magic aura enveloped the telescope and placed it close to the hoofrail before looking through the lens.

She turned her head to the right. The thought occurred to her that Ponyville was in that direction, though it was too small to be seen. In her mind, she daydreamed about strolling down the dirt and cobblestone streets. Strange how it seemed more real than the castle she was currently in. Twilight stood up again and walked over to the telescope. It took her a few adjustments and some minutes before she finally spotted Ponyville. Even with her telescope, Ponyville looked like a small model filled with multicolored ants going everywhere at once. Given the diversity of Ponyville, it was almost impossible to identify her friends amongst the townsfolk.

She sighed and stepped away from the telescope. Back inside, she lay down on her bed, staring at the ceiling and wondering if this was the best for her. Twilight looked in the mirror. She gazed confusedly at the things on her sides. Was she really that fat? She stretched and saw the things, feathered wings, open up in their full glory. Were they part of her? How had she forgotten about them, again? Perhaps it was because she didn’t want to remember her situation. Princess Celestia had explained that she wouldn’t be immortal, but that didn’t ease her concerns; she didn’t want to be a princess, even less an alicorn. But her friends were happy for her, always talking about how lucky she was and how they envied Twilight.

“If only they knew the truth.”

A knock on the door interrupted her train of thought, followed by a voice coming from the other side. “Princess Twilight, you’ve been summoned for an immediate meeting with Princess Celestia in the conference room”. Twilight quickly got out of bed and headed to the door. She opened it with magic, not having to even think about it. On the other side was one of Celestia’s royal guards. “Please, follow me, princess.” The soldier quickly turned around and led the way through the labyrinthine passages of the castle.

Twilight started to wonder why the princess called her. Was she going to give her a kingdom the same way Cadance was appointed the new ruler of the Crystal Empire? Even though Twilight had spent the greater part of her foalhood in Canterlot, she never once visited the conference room. After all, Princess Celestia only used that room for special occasions, but most of the time it was the princess who visited other countries, and thus Twilight never had the chance to enter or know its exact location. As she trotted down the hallways, the maids and guards would always salute her. She wished they wouldn’t, not that she had the heart to make them stop. Contrary to what Rarity might say, it was really a blessing that the identities of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony were kept confidential.

They stopped in front of a big, red door with a small sign beside it. She didn’t need to read the plaque to know that this was the conference room. The guard stood at one side, allowing Twilight to go through. “You may proceed now, princess.” The guard remained still, frozen like a statue.

“Thanks.” She didn’t know what else she could say and opted to go through the door. She expected to find Celestia waiting for her on the other side, sitting in a chair on the other end of a huge, round table. What she didn’t expect was to be attacked by a rain of confetti and streamers.

“SURPRISE!” She looked stunned at the beaming faces of Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity. She felt something wrap around her leg.

She looked down to find Spike crying tears of joy. “Twilight! I missed you so much!”

“I missed you too, Spike,” she said, wrapping her foreleg and neck around him. They nuzzled together.

Pinkie Pie suddenly appeared from nowhere like she’d teleported. She sucked in air before unleashing her trademark machinegun chatter. “We missed you a lot, Twilight! Oh, you wouldn’t believe how much things had changed in Ponyville since you left! Brownie – MMMPPH!”

Rainbow Dash stuffed a cupcake into the party pony’s runaway mouth. “C’mon, Pinkie Pie, don’t hog Twilight all to yourself.”

Rarity was the next one to speak. “Oh, Twilight. You left a big hole in our lives. We did our best in your absence, but we still miss you.”

“Ah agree with Rarity,” Applejack continued. “It’s just not the same without you. We had another plague of parasprites a week ago. We managed to drive them away thanks to Pinkie Pie’s freaky knowledge of music, but we’re worried that the next time we’ll have to deal with something worse, like an Ursa Minor.”

“Or a dragon…” Fluttershy replied shuddering. “Or maybe that hydra from the last time. What if it seeks revenge?”

Rainbow Dash chuckled,. “Come on, Fluttershy. You should stop being so paranoid. Besides, if that hydra ever comes back, I’ll kick their plot in ten seconds flat.”

Twilight Sparkle smiled. There she was with her friends again, chattering away just like old times. But, it felt like somepony was still missing. “And where’s Brownie? Didn’t he come with you, Rainbow Dash?”

The cyan pegasus swatted with her hoof. “Nah, he’s in Ponyville. He wanted to, but I told him that he doesn’t have to follow me everyone. Besides, this is a reunion of the Elements of Harmony, and as much as it hurts me, there’s no room for him. And Mecha’s got him all tied up with work.”

“Looks more like he wasn’t allowed to appear because everyone would hate the story,” Pinkie Pie chirped.

“For tha last time, Pinkie, we’re not part of a story nor a show! How many times do ah have to tell ya!?”

The pink mare giggled. “I don’t know. Maybe another two thousand, five hundred and thirty-seven times more?”

Twilight felt truly happy once again, after a very long time. Her mind flashed back to the she returned from the human world after retrieving the crown stolen by Sunset Shimmer and the group’s last conversation for a long time.

Twilight and her friends had a small reunion in a cafeteria close to the palace to talk about her latest adventure. Twilight explained all the details about her latest adventure: her problems learning how to act like a human, their technology, helping the human versions of her friends to fix their friendship, winning the crown back and defeating Sunset Shimmer, who had turned into a demon after placing the crown on her head.

“If I hadn’t seen how you crossed that mirror, I would think you’ve drank too much cider,” Rainbow Dash replied after Twilight finished her story. “Besides, what kind of alternate version of myself goes around wearing a jacket, shorts and a skirt to play? That’s gotta be hideous.”

“Not to mention the stains,” Rarity continued. “Oh, the grass and mud is so hard to clean…” She swooned dramatically.

“Ah’m more interested about how they were tricked by something as messages signed with each other’s names. They must be really stupid if something like that can work.”

“But what about the wings, the ears and the tails? I mean, why did those appear from nowhere after using the Elements of Harmony? It doesn’t make sense!” If Pinkie Pie said something didn’t make sense, it meant that something was wrong in the universe.

“And why did Sunset turn into a demon because of the crown? After all, nothing happened when they placed it on your head during the ball,” Fluttershy said.

“You think that’s bad?” Spike add. “What about being turned into a dog? I mean, Twilight turns into a human and I have to be her pet. There’s no way I’m a dog. Sure, maybe a wolf, or even a fox, but not a dog.”

Rarity batted her eyelids at the little dragon and laughed, “I think you’d make a charming little dog, Spikey-Wikey.”

He blushed. “On second thought, maybe being a dog wasn’t too bad.”

Twilight couldn’t help but agree with them. While Equestria had powerful villains, mystical creatures, and magic, the other world only had typical high school problems, aside of Sunset Shimmer turning into a demon after placing the crown on her head. That world was simply weird, starting by the fact that everypony she knew seemed to attend the same high school, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were the directors of that place, and even Granny Smith was the lunch lady!

And what was up with that fashion sense? All the girls had worn blouses, boots, hoop skirts and leg warmers. What, were they physically attached to their wearers? Twilight winced. The odds were simply too high to be even possible, but she guessed that maybe alternate universes work in their own, mysterious ways, even if such ways were best not contemplative without epic amounts of alcohol.

“So, what about that gentlecolt you met in the human world? I think that his Equestrian counterpart was part of Cadance’s royal guard.” Rarity batted her eyes.

Twilight stuttered. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about. There’s nothing between us. The Flash Sentry I met was from the human world, and the one from the royal guard is simply a stranger. There’s no way it could work.”

Rarity continued the conversation. “That’s why you should try it, darling. I mean, a strong, handsome stallion like him would suit you perfectly. After all, a princess always needs a bodyguard to follow her wherever she goes and to help her with crises, if you know what I mean.”

“I know what you’re talking about, Rarity,” Twilight replied deadpan. “Besides, I have to keep up with my royal duties. I barely have time to meet my own friends, even less to start dating somepony.”

“Darling, I didn’t imply that you date the stallion.”

“It’s not like you’re going to study forever, right?” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “I mean, you’re the biggest egghead I know. You would finish your studies in a blink and then do whatever you want.” This was probably the only time Rainbow Dash called her an egghead as a compliment.

Twilight huffed, “But I’m still a princess! Princess Celestia is always busy with meetings, signing paperwork, making sure the kingdom is fine, watching out for any possible threats -- I think the only reason she sleeps at night is because Princess Luna is back to take care of everything during the night. What if they give me my own kingdom like Cadance? I don’t think I’m ready for this; I’d rather be a counselor for Princess Celestia than a princess.”

Applejack joined the conversation. “Don’t worry, Sugarcube. There’s nopony else more capable of being a princess than you. Ah bet that yo’ll get used to it in less than a month.” Rarity’s voice snapped her back to the present, one month after their last meeting. Nothing had changed. If anything, Twilight’s resolve to forfeit her crown and wings was stronger than ever.

“And what about that stallion you met, Flash Sentry? Did you try to get closer to him?”

Twilight rubbed her mane. “Well, it didn’t work.” Her friends looked at her with their mouths open, not expecting such reply.

“But why didn’t it work?” Pinkie Pie asked. “I mean, after all, you only met his human version for a couple of days, and thus there was no starting point, which could explain why you two didn’t end up together.”

“That’s only one part of the problem. The Flash Sentry I met was a human, and we both belong to our respective worlds. I focused instead on the guard from the Crystal Empire, but since he couldn’t leave the Crystal Empire, and I’m too busy studying, we only sent a few letters before stopping altogether, realizing it was a bad idea.” She sighed. “But the truth is that I didn’t love him.”

“WHAT!?” everyone exclaimed.

The lavender pony was starting to feel embarrassed. “It’s the truth. When I was in the human world, Flash was the only person who helped me, aside of your other versions. He even presented proof that Sunset Shimmer blamed me for destroying the gym’s supplies, avoiding my expulsion from the school. During those moments I thought that what I felt was love, but as days went on, the love slowly faded away, and I realized that I was lying to myself because I felt alone.”

Rainbow Dash quickly replied. “I know exactly how that feels. Trust me, I have a very long list of ponies I fell in love because I was desperate to find my soul mate.”

Twilight continued. “Another factor was that my brother married Cadance, with the final blow being the latest news of you two as a couple.” She didn’t point at anypony, but it was clear what couple she was talking about. “While I was busy being a princess, one of my friends started a relationship. I’m glad for you, but at the same time I started to feel like I was wasting my life without finding love. That’s when I met Flash Sentry and he helped me so much that my admiration turned into a fake romance because I was desperate to find my real love.” The mood turned somber. “But, despite all that, it was impossible from the start, because he’s gay.”

Spike patted her on the shoulders. “I know that feel, Twi…”

Pinkie Pie chirped again,“Oh, oh, oh! I know what can help, Twilight!”

“Don’t tell me: a party?”

Pinkie Pie gasped. “How did you know? Can you read my mind now with your alicorn powers?” Twilight was thankful that she couldn’t.

Suddenly, from nowhere, a battery of party cannons shot confetti, streamers, and even candy all over the room, burying everypony in the process. Rainbow scowled and looked at Pinkie, raising a hoof. “Pinkie.”

“Yes, Dashie?”

“How do you – nevermind.”

The party quickly ensued and everypony joined the fun. Pinkie Pie was bouncing all over the place, powered by big loads of creamy, creamy frosting, even going as far as bouncing against the ceiling, which was more than twenty feet tall! Applejack started a new competition with Rainbow Dash. Rarity devoured the pastries with gusto, and Twilight exhibited her mythical bad dancing skills once again. The only one who didn’t join the fun was Fluttershy, indecisive whether to dance, eat something, or have fun with the others.

The group of friends spent the entire day partying, having fun and chatting about everything that happened during Twilight’s absence. Everypony was tired after such a long party, and even Pinkie Pie had ran out of strength. The only ones who managed to last so far was Fluttershy, who barely participated in the party.

Pinkie Pie dragged herself all over the floor at a snail’s pace, unable to stand up. “Must… keep… partying…”

“Ah never thought ah’d see Pinkie Pie in this state,” said Applejack.

“This must be a new record for her,” Fluttershy commented.

Twilight looked at her friends, visibly tired. Even standing up was probably a great effort for them. “I don’t think you can reach the train station in this state. What are you going to do now?”

“Don’t worry about that,” Rarity assured her. “The Princess made arrangements for us to spend the night here and take the train home tomorrow. She probably expected something like this to happen.”

“Really? Wow, Princess Celestia thinks of everything,” Fluttershy said.

“Unlike me,” Twilight thought to herself. “How can I hope to rule over a kingdom if I can’t even predict my friends’ behavior?” Even though her friends’ visit managed to improve her mood, her doubts only kept increasing.

Spike rolled by on his distended stomach, bully full of ice cream. “Um, Twilight, a little help here.”

Along with the help of a few guards, Twilight brought her friends to a guest room so they could spend the night. The guest room wasn’t too big, but Princess Celestia asked to place six individual beds. After that, everypony went to sleep; or at least they tried to sleep.

“Psst. Hey, Fluttershy. Are you asleep?” Pinkie Pie whispered.

“Uhm…. Yes?”

“And you, Rarity?” She replied with obvious, fake snores. “Well, alright. And you, Applejack?”

“Can’t you just shut up? Ah’m trying to sleep here!”

“Hey, you don’t need to be so rude; I was only asking!”

“Can’t you two shut up already? Somepony needs her sleep and she needs it now.” Rainbow Dash yawned. “Besides, how do you expect anypony to be asleep so fast?”

“I don’t know, but Spike looks asleep to me,” the pink pony replied as she pointed towards the baby dragon, snoring as he snuggled against Rarity’s withers.

“Maybe you should follow his example and sleep once and for all, Pinkie.”

A voice echoed throughout all Canterlot, its source belonging to Princess Luna. “IF THOU DON’T STOP TALKING AND GO TO SLEEP ALREADY, I SHALL INVADE THY DREAMS AND UNLEASH YOUR WORST NIGHTMARES!” Nobody made a peep after that.

A few hours later, past midnight, the entire group woke up, one after another, and reunited in the center of the room, never raising their voice above a whisper. “Do you have the package?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Right here,” Pinkie Pie replied as she produced a box from thin air. The gift was a medium sized package with yellow wrap paper, a red ribbon and a small note attached to it with all their names signed.

“You know the plan. We go to Twilight’s room, wake her up and give her our surprise gift. Understood?” The group nodded silently before exiting to the darkened hallway.

The entire group walked in a straight line on their tiptoes, except Pinkie Pie, who followed them bouncing like a hyperactive frog using a pogo stick, ironically making the least noise. It didn’t take them long to reach Twilight’s room, only to find a small flicker of light from inside the room and being projected into the hallway. Everypony assumed their positions, ready to burst in and yell “Surprise!” when a familiar voice started to talk from inside the room.

“Who are you?” Driven by their curiosity, the ponies and dragon peeked through the small gap between the doors of her bedroom. What they found at the other side was their friend, Twilight, having a conversation with her own reflection.

“I’m you.”

“Myself? But, but…”

“What?”

“I don’t have wings.”

“Yes you do.”

“No, I don’t. I am a unicorn – not a Pegasus.”

“You’re an alicorn.”

“No I’m not.”

“You have wings, see?” Twilight’s wings flared.

“Wait, what? No! Those aren’t mine?”

“Then whose could they be? You’re the only pony here.”

“I-I don’t know.”

“Did you know that I’m a princess? You’re a princess, too.”

“I’m no princess.”

“Then where’d this royal bridle come from?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well, if you’re the only pony here and I’m your reflection, then that can mean only one thing.”

Twilight shook her head. “Stop it!”

“I’m an alicorn, and a princess. Since I’m you, that means you’re an alicorn princess, too.”

“You’re not me!”

“But I am you. Can’t you see these wings and this bridle?” Twilight looked away from the mirror. She saw the appendages and felt the offending garment.

“THAT’S NOT ME!” Twilight shrieked before falling to the floor in tears. “I’m not her… She’s not me… I don’t even know who I am anymore!”

“You know the truth. You just won’t accept what’s right in front of you.”

Slam! Applejack bucked the door. Twilight jumped a foot into the air, lost for words. “Wha-what are you doing in my room?”

“Well, duh. We’re here for a surprise party!” Pinkie Pie darted for a party canon, only to be caught on her tale by Rainbow Dash.

“Pinkie!” Everypony except Fluttershy shouted.

Applejack faced Twilight, who was still getting rid of the party ornaments. “Twilight, why were ya cryin’?”

Twilight tried to escape from her question. She put on her best reassuring smile. “M-me? Crying? What makes you say that, Applejack?”

Rainbow Dash quickly interceded. “Don’t lie, Twilight! We saw your conversation with the mirror.” Fluttershy gave her a look, prompting Dash to slow down and put a hoof on the lavender alicorn’s shoulder. “We’re your friends, Twilight. You can tell us anything that troubles you.” Twilight’s smile held, though her ear twitched.

“But I don’t...” Twilight looked at her friends. The fake smile cracked, growing too large and toothy.

Fluttershy soothed, “What’s wrong, Twilight?” The smile widened, now looking distinctly NOT like a smile.

“What’s the matter, Sugarcube?” The jaws clenched. It looked like Twilight was about to bite someone.

“Darling, if there’s something wrong, then tell us.” Twilight’s teeth ground.

“C’mon, you can trust your aunt Pinkie Pie, I mean us!”

Spike walked up to her slowly. He took her face in his hands and looked her in the eyes. “Twilight, it’s okay. I know you’re not really okay. But we can’t do anything if we don’t know what you need.” Her baby dragon, how he had grown up!

The mask shattered, with Twilight yelling, “I need help!”

The mask had been destroyed, and with it, a new passage for her true feelings and problems had opened. Her eyes quickly blurred as if she was looking through a waterfall. She was surprised to feel countless legs surrounding her, as if they tried to protect her from an invisible monster by creating a barrier around her body. Spike hugged her tightly, like a small kid who missed his mother, and she instinctively hugged the little dragon after so long. Twilight hated herself for being so far from her friends, for not realizing before that being a princess wasn’t as good and happy as she expected, but a road of thorns.

“Girls, I…” Twilight finally calmed down and everypony scattered, ready to do whatever they could for her friend. After all these months wearing a mask, telling them that everything was okay and hiding her insecurities and troubles, she was finally ready to confess the truth. “I hate this! I don’t want to be an alicorn, even less a princess! I want to go back to Ponyville and live adventures with you! I want to regain my life, be happy and see you every day! I want to help in the farm with Applejack, to try new dresses for Rarity, taste Pinkie’s cupcakes, talk about Daring Do with Rainbow Dash, help Fluttershy with her animals, and take care of the library with Spike!”

Twilight faced her friends, expecting them to reply something among the lines of “You’re only nervous” or “But this is the best thing that happened to you!” Instead, they smiled in unison.

“Twilight, why didn’t ya tell us you were going through such hurt? Why didn’t you tell the truth instead of hurting yourself?”

The lavender pony wiped her tears. “Because I… I was afraid that you would be disappointed. Since Princess Celestia turned me into an alicorn and crowned me as a princess, everypony around me was always telling me how happy they were for me, how lucky I was to be an alicorn and such. Every time I wanted to tell the truth, I was met with wide smiles and high hopes for my new position. I didn’t want to disappoint anypony, so I told nopony what was really going on.”

Rarity spoke next. “Look, Twilight, I know what it means to act for everyone so you don’t disappoint them. I know very well how much it hurts to face your best friends and tell them the truth, but you did it.”

Rainbow Dash quickly interceded, always hotheaded and ready for action. “All I see is that those wings and crown are the source of your problems. I’m going to talk with Princess Celestia about it and fix this mess!” Applejack acted fast and caught her tail before she could go flying to the Princess’s bedroom.

“Stop right there, Rainbow. This ain’t the time.”

“No, Applejack. Rainbow Dash is right. I should talk with the Princess about my troubles, but not now. I’ll talk with her tomorrow at dawn.”

“Don’t you mean ‘we’, Twilight?” Pinkie Pie asked. “This concerns your friends. I mean, us. No, our friend! No, you!”

Spike hugged her and said, “Twilight, isn’t just about you; we’re part of your life, and we’re gonna be there for you.”

“You’re right, Spike.” Twilight felt truly happy in a long time. After all that happened to her, she felt relieved to know that their friendship was stronger than ever; nothing could tarnish their friendship. “In fact, Spike, take a letter…”

________________________________________

Twilight Sparkle awoke in the predawn darkness with a wonderful, fuzzy warmth in her chest. Her luxurious bed felt even warmer and softer than usual. She tried to move, but found herself hemmed in by things both heavy and soft. She opened her eyes to find herself staring at Pinkie Pie’s head nestled into the crook of Fluttershy’s neck. To Twilight’s left was Applejack, splayed out with hind legs crossing her belly. Judging from the snoring from above her head, Rainbow Dash was curled up like a dog. To Twilight’s right was Spike, snuggling sweetly with both her and Rarity, the white mare toughing both him and her. There were worse ways to wake up than in the middle of a cuddle pile.

Twilight laid there, taking in the pleasant experience for a long while. She turne her head and saw the sunlight gradually come in. Her thoughts switched to Celestia. She had said that she would go meet the princess at dawn, but she had not gotten a response to her letter, nor did she want to disturb her friends’ rest. With a happy sigh, she contented herself to doze through the dawn, drifting in and out of sleep.

She saw the sunlight strike Spike’s scales. More accurately, she was awoken by the blinding display of solar radiance coming into contact with a creature whose skin was made of flawless gemstones. There he was, her number one assistant. She had never known how much he meant to her, or how much she needed him until they had truly been apart for the first time in years. She had to admit that he was growing up nicely, and doing far better than hoped for without her. The thought was bittersweet. She noticed how he and Rarity laid together, and with her, with such ease. He held onto the hoof the white unicorn had draped over his side, facing Twilight. That was a grown up way to cuddle. And he was visibly larger than the last time they’d met, but he wasn’t like that time he’d gotten all greedy. If dragons grew by wanting things, then what had brought about this growth spurt?

Twilight heard Rarity stirring. Embarrassed, she feigned sleep. She heard Rarity whisper, “Spike, are you awake?”

There was a brief delay, followed by a croak, “I am now.”

“Spike, how long do you think it’ll take the princess to see us?”

“I don’t know, Rarity. A few days, a few weeks, I don’t know.”

“I hope that it’s soon.”

“Me too. I can’t stand seeing Twilight like this. Hold on --” Belch. Out came a tongue of green flame, accompanied by the sound of crinkling paper.

“What does it say, Spike?” Twilight perked up her ears, the tension unbearable.

“It says… “Dear yadda yadda yadda, meet me in the throne room… as soon as possible?”

“AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!?” Twilight yelled, leaping a solid foot in the air and waking everypony up. “That means we need to go right now!” She sprang onto her hooves, gathering up her friends with her magic.

“Now wait, Twi --” Applejack protested.

“There’s no time,” barked the mare, dashing for the exit.

“Wheeeeee!!” Pinkie Pie squealed as their favorite bookworm sprinted through the labyrinthine passage of the castle, tugging along their levitating selves. She didn’t put them down until they stood before the great carved doors to Celestia’s throne room, and a couple of surprised sentries.

Rainbow Dash groaned, “Warn us before you do that next time.”

“Ooops,” Twilight blushed. “My bad.”

“Well, pardner, since we’re here, might as well not keep her royal highness waiting.”

Twilight Sparkle nodded. “Exactly. Everypony ready?” Five others nodded.

“Just let me fix my mane, darling,” said Rarity, summoning a comb with her magic.

Spike wobbled. “Can you wait a few minutes and maybe get breakfast first?”

The alicorn ignored him, instead saying, “That’s settled. Let’s go, girls.” She turned to the sentries. “Guards, we have an appointment. Open the gates!”

The seven stepped into the throne room on a ribbon of red carpet. The magnificent white marble architecture rose high above them, culminating in spectacular vaulted arches. At the far end of the regal splendor were two thrones, one marked with a sun made of flawless rubies and topaz, and one marked with a moon made from flawless sapphires and diamonds. Princess Celestia sat in hers, silently watching them approach. The group halted just short of the steps to the thrones and bowed. Then Twilight went up to make her case, alone.

Princess Celestia was the first to speak. “I thank you for coming here, my little ponies. Now, my faithful student, what is this important matter you wanted to discuss with me?”

Twilight didn’t make the Princess wait. “Princess Celestia, I’d like to resign both as a princess and as an alicorn.”

Celestia remained calm and serene. If Twilight had surprised her, nopony could tell. “Why are you asking for that? After all, this isn’t a trivial matter.”

“Yes, Princess. Since you crowned me as a princess and turned me into an alicorn, I had doubts that I was fit for this, but pushed them aside because everypony I knew was happy for me; my family, my friends, and most importantly, you. But after that, I realized that being a princess wasn’t as good as I thought. All I did since that day was study my royal duties here, away from my friends. I didn’t tell you this sooner because I knew you thought of me as your best student. After all, you gave me all these privileges. But the real question I have is: why me? Why did you choose me for this destiny?”

“My faithful student, I did all this because you have proved your strength.”

Twilight blinked. “Strength? What strength? All I ever accomplished was thanks to my friends. Without them, I would be in the library, doing nothing but read books.”

Celestia smiled genuinely and answered her with just a hint of a hearty laugh, “But you accomplished great things. You retrieved the Elements of harmony and purged away the evil that possessed my sister, imprisoned Discord back to stone and-”

Twilight interrupted her for the first time in her life. Her friends watched spellbound. “I didn’t do anything like that! All I ever did was thanks to my friends and everypony I know. They were the ones who made me realize that we were the new bearers of the Elements. Your letters helped me break from Discord’s influence. My brother and Cadence defeated Queen Chrysalis and her army. Spike defeated King Sombra.” One by one, Twilight listed all the feats and villains defeated thanks to her friends and how she felt that Princess Celestia had turned her into an alicorn because of favoritism.

“This is their privilege as much as mine, and if I must be a princess and an alicorn, then make them ones, too. Just, please, let it be so that we’re together.” Celestia raised an eyebrow, but she nodded for Twilight to continue. “Friendship means equality and respect for each other, to be together and help your friends when they have a problem. Since I was crowned princess, all I’ve done has been hiding my fears and problems from them, and I’m afraid this is hurting our friendship. I’d rather be just a boring old unicorn with them than a princess with you!”

Silence invaded the throne room. Time stopped for what felt like an eternity. This was truly an important moment in their friend’s life, and none of them dared to say a word. Princess Celestia finally replied after the long silence. “I’m very proud of you, Twilight Sparkle. You have surpassed all my expectations.”

Everypony was shocked, with Pinkie Pie screeching, “WHAT!?”

“My dear Twilight, you don’t know how long I have been waiting for this day. Indeed, Twilight, I must apologize for placing you under such pressure and suffering. I never expected this to be so hard on you, and for that, I am sorry.”

“What? I don’t understand.”

“You see, Twilight, before you, I had countless students. Among them was Sunset Shimmer, who as you know, chose the path of evil. She was like you, but with a single difference: she never had any friends, much like you before I sent you to Ponyville. As the years went on, Sunset Shimmer grew evil, hateful and uncaring of everypony but herself. All she ever wanted was to gain enough power to dethrone me and crown herself as a queen. Foreseeing this, I expelled her, hoping she would never come back. Unfortunately, I was wrong.”

The group listened to Celestia’s tale with so much attention they barely breathed. “When I met you, you held such promise that I could not take you as my apprentice. However, as you grew older without any friends, I came to fear that you would repeat the same mistakes as Sunset Shimmer, so I sent you to Ponyville to make friends and discover the magic of friendship. I knew Nightmare Moon would come back from her banishment, and that you had the potential to be one of the Elements. As I sent you to Ponyville, a town containing ancient pony lineages dating back to the very first bearers of the Elements of Harmony, I prayed and hoped that my plan would work.”

“One after another, our old enemies returned, and I feared that you would walk the same path as them, so I chose to test your values. The reason I sent you alone to the human world was but another test to see if you could be able to undo the damage that my old student had inflicted on the counterparts of your friends.”

“But what about the crown?” asked Pinkie.

“Naturally, that too, Pinkie Pie.”

Twilight knew there was something else. “But that’s not everything, right, Princess?”

Celestia smiled. “You’re as sharp as always, Twilight. Yes, there’s something more than that. Most of our enemies so far had been part of the same pattern. In fact, long ago, my sister and I had the titles of queen, not princess.”

“Really?” Rarity asked, imagining herself as a queen surrounded by gold, jewels, and handsome stallions.

“Yes, but after vanishing King Sombra and turning Discord into stone, we faced great villains who wanted to become the new king and queen of Equestria. Shortly after defeating Queen Chrysalis, my sister was corrupted by envy and hatred before she was turned into Nightmare Moon. After that day, I became afraid that such titles would become synonymous of evil and fear, and thus I changed my title to princess. Since then, I pledged to never allow anypony else to be named king or queen in Equestria, to ensure it would never happen again.”

“But what does this have to do with turning Twilight into an alicorn?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Don’t be so impatient, young pegasus,” Celestia replied. “One of the reasons Sunset Shimmer turned evil was to dethrone me and rule Equestria as queen. Twilight had proved time after time that she wouldn’t repeat the same mistake, but I wanted to do a last test. I wanted to be sure that I had chosen well.”

“So that’s why you crowned me as a princess!” Twilight exclaimed, now that all the pieces of the puzzle had been arranged. “You wanted to see what I valued most: my friends or being a princess alicorn like you!”

Celestia flashed a smile at her student. “Exactly. And once again, you have proved yourself. You have proven time after time that friendship is the most important thing for you. Being willing to give up such a great power and opportunity for your friendship is the sign of a great pony and a true leader. Perhaps one day you and your friends may succeed me in the throne. Your friends must be proud of you, Twilight. True friendship is like a diamond; at first it may be weak and impure, but with effort and patience it will eventually turn into your greatest treasure. And that is exactly why I am letting you return to Ponyville to continue your studies.”

The princess summoned a white ball of light that surrounded Twilight’s body, much like when she was turned into an alicorn. The whole room was bathed by its light before it vanished with Twilight now turned into an unicorn once again. The lavender pony examined her body, looking for any trace of her wings, but to her delight she found that they were really gone.

“YES!” Twilight squeaked, embracing Celestia. “Thank you, Princess! I can’t express how glad I am for everything you have done for me.” The lavender unicorn quickly ran towards her friends as they hugged her, happy to have their friend back again. Twilight cried once again, but this time she cried of happiness along with her friends because they were once again together, and nothing would separate them again. The Elements of Harmony were together again, their bonds now stronger than ever.

The group broke their embrace and Spike said a few words. “Come on, Twilight. It’s time to go home.”

“Yes, you’re right Spike.” Twilight enveloped Spike with her magic aura and placed him atop her back as they went to the train station. “But before that, I have something to say.” She turned back to Princess Celestia and proclaimed one last speech. “Dear Princess Celestia, today I learned that there’s still too much to learn about friendship, and that they’re an unlimited source of great knowledge. I have learned that when you’re having troubles and don’t know what to do, all you have to do is talk to your friends and they will support you all the way through.”

“That is, indeed, a valuable lesson. I’ll be waiting for your next friendship reports, Twilight.” The princess smiled at her, and Twilight felt her heart explode with happiness. She blushed.

One by one, the rest of the group filed out with Twilight. “Let’s go home,” Fluttershy said.

“It’s good to have you back, egghead.” Rainbow Dash streaked around the chamber.

“Oh, please. Can’t you stop using that word with Twilight, Rainbow? And it’s rude to fly indoors.”

Celestia interjected, “Please, it’s no trouble.” Rarity blinked just as Dash stuck her tongue out. “But I’d prefer you not do that, Rainbow Dash.”

“Ah don’t think so, Rarity. Trust me, I tried. But in any case, ah’m glad that the group’s together once again.”

“When we arrive back at Ponyville, I’m going to throw a welcome party for Twilight! And everypony is invited!”

Twilight couldn’t help but smile. “It’s good to be back, girls. Promise me to never change, okay?“

“We promise,” said everypony and Spike in unison.

Author's Note

Takes place after Rainbow in the Dark. For those wondering who the heck are Brownie and Mecha.

And this is the end of the story. I expect a lot of hate and bashing for this, but this is just a story and it's not canon, so I don't care. All I wanted to do is fix a character that I like but has been changed only to sell more stupid toys. I'm not against changes in characters; in fact, I like them, but only when it's done right and it helps to evolve the character. Season 4 only showed me that the guards wanted her to rule Equestria during the Princesses absence, how she had to use her wings to fly to Ponyville, the alicorn potion and the "you're a princess. You can't help us with this" argument.

That's all, and only in the span of the first two episodes. No more problems with being a princess alicorn, or the fact that she's the substitute ruler of Equestria while her friends remain the same. The series would still be the same even if she was still a unicorn working as a librarian, and that's something I hate because it doesn't help her character. She doesn't change, doesn't learn, doesn't have more problems...

So I wrote this because at least in my fics I don't want to do useless changes that won't affect the story in any way. That's my two cents, and if you like it, good. If you don't, well, you can always forget about this story.