Six ponies and a dragon stood solemnly in a row, facing the blackened, splintered remains of a mighty oak. A crowd of ponies stood at a respectful distance behind them, silent and grave.
"There's not much left," Fluttershy said softly.
Twilight bowed her head, ears wilting as tears welled in her eyes. "My home..." She sniffled. "All my stuff. All Spike's stuff. All the memories we've made here..."
"I'm gonna miss my basket," Spike said mournfully. "And my blanket."
A pile of books lay on the ground a few feet from the smoldering tree, guarded by a silent, vigilant owl. Some of them were blackened and damaged.
"Can't you, I dunno, fix it?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I mean, your magic is amazing..."
Twilight shook her head. "Even alicorn magic has its limits, Rainbow Dash. The books that survived, I might be able to repair using my book repair spell, and then only because I've read every book in the library. Anything that was just singed a little, or torn...as long as it's intact, I can probably fix it." She sighed. "But even I can't fix photographs that burned to ash, or...or the beautiful Gala dress Rarity made for me that was in my closet. There's no closet anymore, so there's no dress anymore." She sniffled again. "The stuff that was in the basement is probably okay, but..."
"Look, sugarcube..." Applejack said, "The important thing is, y'all are okay. All that got blowed up was, well...stuff. You can get more stuff."
"Yeah, say that when your house blows up," Rainbow Dash said.
Rarity tossed her mane and slapped Rainbow with her tail. "Really!" She stepped closer to Twilight and leaned against her. "It's true that what's important are the memories, not the possessions. But one cannot simply dismiss the value of cherished things. Things that are irreplaceable."
Twilight sighed. "Yeah, there were things in there I'm going to miss. A lot. Things you girls have given me, pictures we took together, letters from my family, from Celestia..." She shook her head. "There were also some very rare books in the library that are going to be hard to replace." She frowned. "And...well...it may have been my home, but it was also Ponyville's library."
"We can build a new library," Mayor Mare said, approaching Twilight reverently. "But it will never be the same. You're what made this library special." She looked at the jagged, blackened tree stump and shook her head sadly. "Before you came to Ponyville, it was just an old tree full of musty books." A wave of agreement rippled through the ponies.
Applejack looked over the Ponyville skyline at the newest addition, which sparkled in the sun, a rainbow of bright colors. "Plenty of room for a new library in there," she said.
Twilight shook her head. "Maybe, but...I'd rather Ponyville have its own library. One that isn't...I mean..."
Pinkie put a hoof around Twilight. "We understand," she said.
Twilight smiled sadly, returning Pinkie's hug as she looked at the ruins of the Golden Oak Library. "Well, girls," she said, a hitch in her voice, "Mind helping me dig through this, see if there's anything we can save?"
"We're right with you, Twilight," Rainbow said.
By nightfall, a pitifully small pile of objects lay on the grass next to the burned tree. Most of the pile consisted of books; a few kitchen utensils, including Spike's favorite cast iron skillet, adorned the pile. Twilight studied the pile and sighed. "I guess...this is it," she said.
A soft breeze stirred Twilight's mane as Princess Luna glided to the ground beside her, spreading a wing over her. "Celestia has the merchants and artisans of Canterlot working overtime," she said gently. "While we could never begin to replace everything you've lost, everypony is going to do their best. After all, you have saved Equestria time and again. This is the least you deserve for your sacrifices."
Twilight smiled. "Thank you. Tell Celestia I appreciate it. I'd tell her myself, but..." She chuckled ruefully. "I don't have any parchment or a quill to write a letter with."
"You will, and soon," Luna said. "Everything is going to be delivered to your new palace as soon as possible."
Twilight looked at the dully glittering tree-palace and sighed. "I just can't believe it's time to move on," she said. "It feels...it feels like part of my life is ending."
"Part of your life is ending, Twilight Sparkle," Luna said. "But that's what life is. Life is a series of endings and beginnings." She gestured with a hoof at the tree-palace. "Yes, this ending was brought about in a tragic and painful way, but look at what lies before you. The beginning of your reign. The destiny you wanted. This is your time, Princess Twilight. Embrace this change. It may hurt, and you will be sad. But the memories inside you--no fire can burn those. Carry them forward with you as you make new memories with your friends. As you make new friends, and make memories with them as well."
Twilight sniffled, smiling. "You're right," she said. "This...this is just the beginning. And my friends are still beside me. And you, and Celestia and Cadance and...and everypony." She stood up straight, ruffling her wings. "Thank you, Princess Luna."
Luna nodded. "I must go now," she said. "Tonight will no doubt be a busy night for me, after what has happened. Be well, Twilight Sparkle."
Twilight waved. "Take care, Luna." She looked at the meager pile of salvaged belongings. "I guess...it's time for me to move on."
* * * * *
Twilight studied the construction site with a critical eye. What used to be the roots of the tree that had been her home had been replaced with a stone foundation. Wooden beams and planks stood, the skeleton of a new structure. Pallets of building material lay beside the new building, and rugged earth ponies moved to and fro. She descended to the ground, where Mayor Mare was also observing the construction, a clipboard on the ground in front of her.
"We've almost finished requisitioning all the books on your list, Princess," Mayor Mare said. "They're in storage at Town Hall."
"Good work, Mayor," Twilight said.
"Please, Your Highness," the older mare said with a rueful chuckle. "Call me Polly. It's...not as if I'm the Mayor anymore."
Twilight laughed sheepishly. "I never wanted to kick you out of your job, you know," she said apologetically.
Polly Mare waved a hoof airily. "Oh, it's quite alright, Your Highness," she said. "I'm actually much happier being your aide. To tell the truth, running this town can drive a pony crazy!"
Twilight giggled. "I can believe it," she said. Then, with a guilty blush, she admitted, "After all, I caused a lot of the crazy, didn't I?"
"You sure did," Polly said with a wink.
Two Royal Guards trotted up the path, each hauling a cart. "Princess!" one of them shouted. "We've got more books and artefacts from the ancient castle!"
Twilight nodded over at them. "Let me check them before you take them to the Palace," she said. She trotted over; her horn glowed brilliantly as the contents of the carts were bathed in magenta light. She frowned. "Hmm. There's something cursed in there..." The contents of one cart shifted, and a yellowed minotaur skull with a black crystal in its jaw floated out. "GAH!" she cried, taking a step back. "Why would you even pack something like that?"
One of the guards looked down sheepishly. "I thought it looked awesome," he said.
Twilight shook her head. With a burst of magic, the skull and crystal disintegrated. "Okay, take 'er on up, boys!"
As the guards hauled the carts, Twilight took another look at the construction site, then took wing, flying off to the sparkling tree-palace that was her new home. As she cleared the gates, she glided down the halls toward the throne room, looking around at the warm tapestries and brass sconces that had been installed.
As she reached the throne room, she found a cup of hot tea, two cupcakes, and her favorite Daring Do book waiting for her on her throne. She smiled, conjured a tray, set everything on it, and perched on her throne, stretching as she sipped her tea and found her place in the book.
It would take time for her to adjust to the changes in her life, and the loss of the home she had built for herself in Ponyville still hurt. The memories of all the good times she'd had with her friends, however...those would remain forever, untarnished, and made all the more precious by the promise of all the memories to come.
In the corner of the throne room stood a golden pedestal. Upon this pedestal, protected by a crystal bell jar, a scorched acorn, the last remnant of the Golden Oak Library, lay atop a red velvet pillow.
