It was a beautiful summer’s day in the quaint town of Ponyville. The sun was shining down from the clear mid-afternoon sky, causing the crystal castle just outside of the town’s borders to glisten brightly in the radiant sunlight.

In fact, one might say it was glistening too brightly, so much so that Derpy Hooves--Ponyville's resident mailmare--had to cover her eyes to just avoid catching too much of the castle’s glare. She wasn’t able to see in front of herself however, but thankfully she had memorized the mail route the castle was on and was confident in her ability to fly it while blinded. She was certain nothing bad at all would happen to her this time.

*CRASH*

She collided with the dirt in front of the castle's mailbox not but moments later.

With the aid of her front hooves, she pulled her head out of the soil and shook the rocks from her mane. She then gingerly stood back up and grasped the wrinkled mass that was now her paper head. She ran her hooves along the sides of her head to straighten it back out and smiled in embarrassment once she had finished.

Derpy placed a single letter within the mailbox before fluttering back into the sky. She paused and exclaimed, “Mail call!” at the castle door before turning back towards town and zooming off.

Derpy smiled; things were looking really good for her today. With Princess Twilight’s coronation in a few hours, she would be able to get off work early to enjoy the celebration. The weather was also comfortably warm and the sky was clear, another possible side effect of it being Twilight’s coronation day, granted this was done by the Equestrian weather teams. If she could only manage to avoid that one low hanging sign she always seemed to run into, this day would turn out to be her best day ever!

“Oof!” Of course, you can’t win them all.

The doors to the crystal castle opened with a creak. A purple alicorn slowly inched her muzzle outside the doorway looking to see if anypony was outside waiting for her. Seeing nothing, she decided to risk being mobbed by another gang of random creatures--a new but oddly consistent occurrence in her life nowadays--and rushed over towards her mailbox. She grabbed the letter with her magic and as quick as a flash shot back inside before anycreature could see her.

Once back inside, she made her way to the castle’s council room. There, she was greeted by a circle large of crystal thrones with a giant, circular, map-like table in between them. Each of her friends, and fellow Elements of Harmony, were sitting in their respective thrones, talking amongst each other to pass the time while waiting for Twilight to return.

“This is probably going to be the greatest day in Equestrian history!” Rainbow Dash stated unabashedly. “The Wonderbolts are going to be performing; the greatest chefs from Equestria and beyond are going to be catering; everybody we’ve ever met before is going to be there-”

“I’m going to lead a parade!” Pinkie Pie squealed.

“Pinkie Pie’s going to lead a parade.” Rainbow Dash continued, “I tell ya, after everything we’ve done for this kingdom, it’s about time we got a thank you party that was this awesome!”

Applejack chuckled and shook her head, “We get a “thank you party” everytime we save Equestria, Rainbow Dash, and they’re always more extravagant than the last one that’s been thrown. At this point, we shouldn’t be surprised.”

“I’m not, I’m just super excited and I need to tell somepony about it!” Rainbow bounced up and down in her throne, clearly showing just how overeager she was to get going to this party.

Pinkie was bouncing in her seat in a much similar way. “Me too!” She turned and shouted across the table at Rarity, “Rarity are you ready for the greatest party ever! Because I sure am!”

Rarity waved her off with a hoof, “Yes, yes, darling, I assure you I am quite excited for this affair as well. The opportunity to speak again with all the friends we made over the years... viewing my beautiful designs being worn at this Equestria’s latest and greatest event… being the center of attention for all of society to see!” Rarity grabbed her mane and looked about ready to scream like a fangirl at a boy band’s concert. She quickly recomposed herself and brushed her mane back into place with hooves, “It all really sounds quite delightful.”

Applejack chuckled again, “Good to see you actin’ so professional on this the biggest day of our lives.”

“Naturally…” Rarity explained. “A lady never loses her sense of poise or composure even in the most stressful or exciting of situations.”

Applejack nodded, “This day is definitely goin’ to be somethin’, that’s for sure. My entire family and their apples are going to be there. So not only is everycreature going to be congratulating me, but our sales are goin’ to be record breaking this year.” Applejack couldn’t help but smile proudly, “Ah just hope Granny Smith, Big Mac, Sugar Belle, and Apple Bloom get that infestation handled on the farm before the party starts. Ah’d hate for them to miss everythin’.”

She turned to look at Fluttershy, whom of the group looked to be the most nervous about going to the celebration, “What about you, Fluttershy? You excited to do anything at the party?”

Fluttershy shrunk down a bit in her throne, “Not really…” she admitted. “I mean, I’m excited to get to see everycreature again, but there’s going to be so many creatures there, it’s a little nerve racking for me. Besides, I wouldn’t want to take the spotlight away from Twilight. It is her special day after all.”

Everypony stopped and turned to look at the shy mare, their conversations suddenly dying and guilty looks appearing on their faces. Fluttershy shrunk down even farther, “I’m sorry, did I say something wrong?”

Applejack shook her head, “Naw sugarcube, you didn’t say anythin’ wrong. You just made us remember who this party’s for and that we should be supportin’ her, rather than boostin’ our own own egos.” She glanced at the others, who grinned back at her in embarrassment.

Twilight stopped at the table having just finished reading the letter. The others turned to address her as she placed the piece of paper on the table. “Sorry for making you wait, girls. Did I miss anything?”

Rarity smiled at her sweetly, “Nothing at all, darling. We were just having a little discussion about what we were looking most forward to doing at the party.”

Twilight smiled back, “Oh really? Anything specific you girls were hoping to do?”

The mares looked at each other before sharing a brief look of agreement. They looked back at the ruling princess to be with warm expressions on their faces. Applejack was the one who answered, “We’re looking most forward to seein’ that crown be put on your head, your majesty.”

Twilight giggled, “Thank you for the encouragement, girls, but I would really appreciate it if you just stick to calling me Twilight after the coronation is over. I don’t want anything to change between us even after I become the ruler of Equestria.”

Fluttershy grimaced at her, “You don’t sound that excited for your coronation, Twilight. Is something the matter?”

Twilight shook her head, “It’s nothing… It’s just, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and basically the entirety of Equestria are making such a big deal out of this. I mean look at this invitation that was put in the mail.”

The others got off their seats and walked over to look at the letter Twilight had received. It simply read, “You are cordially invited to the coronation of Equestria’s newest ruler, Princess Twilight Sparkle.” It had no name for the recipient nor the sender, and was likely made extremely simplistic just so it could easily be mass produced and shipped to every creature with a mailbox in the kingdom and beyond. The writing on the letter could also easily qualify as calligraphy and it was printed on gloriously golden paper that reminded the mares of the tickets for the Grand Galloping Gala.

Twilight friends couldn’t argue that Celestia and Luna hadn’t gone all out for her big day. Applejack walked over and placed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder, “Ah know your feelin’ nervous, sugarcube, but the only reason the princesses are puttin’ this much work into your coronation is because they believe you are qualified for this job. And if ya ask me, I agree with them.”

Rarity nodded, “Absolutely. I mean consider this, darling, who was the one who took charge in so many dreadful situations; who started a school for all the races of Equestria to promote friendship and harmony between all creatures; who inspired so many to drop animosity from their lives and consider the benefits of being friends with everycreature they meet, regardless of the differences between them.”

Rainbow Dash smirked, “Let’s not forget all the bad guys you’ve taken down in your time. Lord Tirek, Queen Chrysalis, King Sombra, Discord, Cozy Glow… it’s all very impressive. Of course you did get some help from the most awesome group of friends anypony could ask for... but that doesn’t mean you shouldn't get any less respect.”

“Plus your super-duper smart!” Pinkie added, “In fact, I bet as soon as you're in power, you’ll find a way to fix the Equestrian budget and severally put a dent in the kingdom’s national debt.”

Applejack chuckled. She believed Twilight would do many great things once she came into power, but solving that problem completely may not be one of them. But perhaps with time and a few years of ruling under her belt she could… the farmer mare shook her head, she had more important things to think about at the moment.

“You see, everypony in this room has the utmost confidence in you, and Ah bet if we asked any random creature on the street, they’d say the exact same thin’.”

Twilight smiled at her friends, but still couldn’t help but worry. “But what if I make a mistake. Ruling an entire kingdom is a monumental responsibility. I’ll be responsible for not only my own decisions but finalizing the decisions of the entire kingdom, perhaps the world! The quality of everycreature’s lives will be in my hooves!” She started to hyperventilate, so she began doing Cadence’s breathing exercise to calm herself down. It proved to do very little in terms of helping her as she continued to extend her leg out in front of her in rapid succession.

Fluttershy flew over and gave her friend a hug, “Twilight, please calm down. No one is expecting you to reinvent the wheel here. Just do the best you can and learn as you go. I’m certain as long as you have the world’s best interests at heart, you’ll eventually make the right decisions.”

“I agree.” Rarity said with a smile, joining Fluttershy and Twilight in their hug. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie nodded, “Us too!” and rushed over to join the group hug as well.

Twilight’s smile grew wider and few tears started to flow down her cheeks, “Thank you, girls. I don’t know what I’d ever do without you.”

The sounds of polyester dragging against crystal suddenly pulled the mares away from their tender moment, and they turned to see Spike standing in the council room’s doorway with two large suitcases at his sides.

“I packed all the stuff you wanted for the coronation, Twilight, just like you asked.” He huffed, clearly exhausted after having to drag the alicorn’s supplies all the way from the castle’s upper floors.

Twilight trotted over and nuzzled Spike affectionately, “Thank you, Spike. You’re the best assistant anypony could ever ask for.” The dragon blushed at the compliment.

Twilight opened the suitcases and doublechecked the supplies she asked him to get, “Let’s see, hair gel for my mane, toothpaste, extra strength mouthwash, q-tips…” She wanted to look her absolute best for when she was given the crown. “Everything looks like it’s here, and not a moment too soon. I still need to get to Canterlot Castle to be fitted for the dress I’ll be wearing at the ceremony.”

She began to lead her friends towards the crystal castle’s front door when she suddenly stopped in her tracks. “But wait… I can’t just go out there now and ride the train. Creatures will surely recognize me and mob me with praise and congratulations. If that happens, I’m certain I’ll be late for the coronation.”

“Not to mention a random mobbing will completely ruin your appearance just before the ceremony,” Rarity added, “And I, for one, will not stand for it!”

The ponies and dragon looked at the fashionista and noticed a familiar glint in her eyes, “I assume you have an idea?” Rainbow asked knowingly.

“Indeed, I do.” Rarity replied. She placed her hoof around Twilight’s shoulder and pulled her away towards the front door, “Come with me, your majesty, I’ve just come up with the perfect way to keep you hidden from prying eyes.” She motioned for the others to follow, “Rainbow come with us. I’ll need your help to enact my plan.”

The mares followed, but Applejack and Spike stayed behind. The farmer mare turned to the baby dragon with a look of guilt spread across her face, “You sure ya don’t mind helpin’ ma family while I go to this here party? Ah want them to be there as much as anypony, but Ah also don’t want you to be missin’ out. After all, ya are Twilight’s best friend.”

Spike just waved her off, “Oh don’t you worry, I’ll be there,” he exclaimed, grinning confidently. “There’s no way in tartarus I’m gonna miss Twilight’s big day, especially not because of some pests ruining your apple trees.” He began to scoot Applejack towards the front door, “So go on, have fun, and save me some snacks at the horderve table, because when I’m done, that infestation won’t know what hit it! This dragon’s gonna bring the heat!”

Applejack chuckled at the dragon’s childish bravado and began to trot at her own pace towards the door. She soon stopped however and turned to give Spike a brief kiss on the cheek, causing the dragon to blush, “Ya really are a lifesaver, Spike. I owe you big when this all is over!”

She rushed towards the door at much faster speed in order to catch up with her friends, leaving Spike to twirl like a weather vane in the sudden breeze she kicked up. Spike found himself dazed for only a second, before quickly rushing out the door himself and towards Sweet Apple Acres.

He wanted to get this infestionation dealt with quickly so the greatest day of everycreature’s lives could truly begin.

Author's Note

Just as with the previous version of this story, pictures of characters in paper mario form will be pasted in the author's notes at the end of each chapter. Let it be noted that not all character appearing in this story will have fan art of them in paper mario form, so some chapters may have less pictures then others. Here are the paper mario designs for the Mane six, Spike, and Derpy Hooves:

images belongs to Yoshi Greenwater

Spike image belongs to Secret-Asian-Man

Derpy image belong to MLP-Scribbles