The guards slowly opened the colossal doors that shielded the throne room, allowing the pony to enter. Twilight hadn’t been this worried in a long time, not since…well, she actually couldn’t remember. Was the last time she had felt this nervous when the Crystal Empire was under attack?

Twilight numbly trotted down the long, scarlet carpet, not wanting to keep her fellow princesses waiting any longer no matter how anxious she was feeling. It wasn’t often that Princess Celestia sent her a scroll with nothing but instructions to meet immediately. Thoughts couldn’t be kept from racing through Twilight’s head about what giant news she had in store. At this point, Twilight would be lucky if she wasn’t visibly shaking during the meeting.

“I’m here, Princess! I came as fast as I could! What’s all of this about??”

Celestia smiled. It caught Twilight off guard, not having expected anything but horrific news. What could it possibly be for her to be told not to even bring Spike along?

“I see you’ve come prepared, as always.” Celestia’s voice had a tinge of amusement, referring to the saddle bag on Twilight’s back filled with parchment, ink, and quills. There was enough to write a whole dictionary, maybe even three.

Twilight was still blinking away her surprise from the tearing of her expectations.

“Y-Yes, I am. But what is it that you called me for? If I may ask, that is.”

“My sister and I feel that you are ready.” Luna gave a light nod in agreement from the throne she sat on adjacent to her older sister. The lavender pony still had no clue what the two were talking about.

“For what?”

The two princesses got off their thrones and approached Twilight. There was no need for formalities today. Celestia put her hoof on Twilight’s shoulder, only dumbfounding Twilight even further.

“It’s time for you to take on the role you were always meant to have. Luna and I cannot rule forever. I’ve been teaching you since you were a young filly to prepare you for this day. I guided you as you moved to Ponyville and made friends that helped you learn even more. You learned so much that you even passed our trials, saved lives, created unity, and helped countless ponies all over Equestria. You were worthy of your role as the Princess of Friendship.”

Even through Twilight’s confusion, she still couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face. Hearing such praise from her mentor that was even like a mother to her, the emotions swelling inside filled her heart with pride and happiness.

“It may surprise you to hear this, but teaching young ponies magic was not the main goal of my School for Gifted Unicorns,” Celestia continued. “I created the institution to prepare for the future and find the pony who was best suited to be a leader for Equestria’s citizens. When I found you, and saw your potential, I knew what you would become even before I began your private lessons. After all these years as I’ve waited for you to mature and gain the knowledge you needed, it’s finally time for you to become the Princess of the Sun.”

Twilight’s eyes widened drastically. Of all the things she had imagined this meeting would be about, it had never occurred to her that this was even a slight possibility! She hadn’t been prepared for this news at all!

“Wait…what? The Princess of the Sun? But…that’s you.” The connection wasn’t reaching Twilight’s brain. This was a first.

Celestia chuckled. “That is my current role, Twilight, but I am entrusting it to you from now on. As I already mentioned, my sister and I cannot always be the rulers of this kingdom. I need you to take my place and raise the sun every day at dawn. There are a lot of responsibilities that come with this role but I have no doubt that you can handle them.”

Twilight gawked and pushed Celestia’s hoof away. “But...but how?! How can I rule an entire kingdom?! That’s a lot of ponies! This is coming out of nowhere! What am I supposed to do? How do I be a good ruler? Wh—“

Celestia hushed her.

“You’re getting ahead of yourself, Twilight. You will make a great ruler. I’m not going to leave you this new role without help, of course. Luna will continue raising the moon until you find a suitable successor for her and have adjusted. You can run this kingdom while still having your friends at your side. You’re not going to do this alone,” the princess said reassuringly.

Twilight hadn’t even thought about needing a replacement for Luna too. She would have panicked even more had Celestia not calmed her. This was the biggest change of her life…

“You know, seeing you so anxious reminds me of the pony I sent to Ponyville seven years ago. She was smart but didn’t know everything. She preferred to be alone and worried often about things not even in her control. But do you know what happened? She grew into an alicorn that had conquered those that threatened Equestria and knew the power that friendship held. She became wiser and made tough decisions. She lost a home, faced her fears and mistakes, cared for those around her, and is standing here before me today. You’ve accomplished so much. This is just another stepping stone for you and you will handle it just like you did with all your hardships. Twilight, you are wiser than you even realize.”

It was a calm speech but it overtook Twilight Sparkle with tears. She hugged Celestia and Luna both. There was still an unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach, but no one could argue with the decisions that Celestia made. They were always right, even when they seemed wrong.

“I won’t let you down…Celestia.”

There was a pause as each pony took in the moment before the former Princess of the Sun called for Twilight and her sister to follow her out onto the balcony. The saddle bag of parchment and quills was discarded on the ground as Twilight trailed behind the two royal sisters out into the open air.

“This is where we attend to the sun and moon,” Celestia explained. “I want you to go ahead and raise the sun on your own.”

The sisters made room for the alicorn to allow her the space she needed. This would be a moment Twilight would remember forever. She had her doubts about being able to raise the sun, having done it before but needing the magic of all four princesses combined.

A cool breeze blew through Twilight’s mane and she closed her eyes, letting go of her breath, and focused her mind on the sun’s presence. She squinted hard and concentrated more than she ever had. At first, she felt nothing. Was this all a mistake? Maybe she really wasn’t meant to be the Princess of the Sun.

But then…there was a spark inside her body. It reminded her of the spark she felt when first discovering she and her friends were the elements of harmony. Without warning, Twilight could feel part of her soul leave her body and travel through space. As she concentrated on the feeling, she didn’t notice her mane begin to shine.

Twilight’s soul reached the sun and became part of it. With the connection made, her horn began to glow and cast the spell to move the fiery body. She finally opened her eyes and watched in awe as the sun peaked over the horizon and crept up into the sky. The beams of light rained down upon her as if they knew who was now connected to them. When the sun finally settled, Twilight’s horn stopped gleaming and the half of her soul returned. It almost caused her to fall over at the suddenness of it!

“I…I did it…I did it! I can’t believe I did it! How did I…I don’t even know! That was incredible! Did you see it?!” The alicorn was prancing like a foal who had just gotten their cutie mark.

“Yes, I did. You did great.” Celestia smiled encouragingly. She truly was proud of her old student.

“I don’t even think my sister had that much ease the first time she raised the sun!” Luna chuckled and looked at Celestia.

“Hm, well I definitely wasn’t the element of magic.”

The young pony had been so focused on the sun that it wasn’t until now that she realized what had happened to her mane and tail. Her hair was flowing without the aid of wind. Each strand shined and sparkled, living true to her name. Her mane looked just like that of the royal sisters. It only cemented in her mind what she’d done.

If someone had told Twilight she would raise the sun today, she would have never believed it. But now here she was! The sky seemed much…kinder than it had before, in a way. Celestia took off her jeweled crown and placed it on Twilight’s head.

“You have earned this, Princess.”

Music was consuming the air as the ceremony went underway. The long, royal carpet was lined with ponies of all races and backgrounds, watching with great anticipation. A small group of ponies in silk gowns walked down the path first, bearing Equestria’s flag, baskets full to the brim of crimson roses, and the sun regalia.

Anticipations were rising as the group of ponies gave each to Celestia who stood on the thrones’ platform at the front of the room next to her sister, Princess Cadence, and all six of Twilight’s friends. There was joy all around. The Sparkle family had the best spots in the room so they wouldn’t miss their daughter’s coronation.

Suddenly, the throne room doors opened.

Instead of the unease she’d felt the last time she entered this room, Twilight couldn’t even describe the happy feelings fluttering inside of her. She walked gracefully down the path with the crowd cheering upon her arrival. She was careful not to trip on the stairs up to the stage. Twilight finally stopped in front of the two royal sisters and Celestia began her speech.

“It’s with great honor that I present to you all our new leader. She has inspired and helped so many of our people. Equestria would not be the same without her and her friends. Please take the regalia, Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

The alicorn stepped into the golden, hooved shoes that sparkled under the light of the chandelier. With her magic, she picked up the royal necklace dotted with violet gemstones and engraved with intricate, swirled patterns, placing it around her neck. It settled perfectly onto her body as if it were made for her.

“Twilight Sparkle, do you promise to protect the land of Equestria and the ponies who reside here?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Do you promise to defend our ways of life and bring harmony to each corner of the kingdom, from the fields of Ponyville, to the great city of Canterlot?

“I do.”

“And do you promise to obey the laws of this land as well as keep the well-being of each pony in Equestria as your priority?”

“I do.”

Celestia picked up the crown off the velvet pillow beside her and placed it behind Twilight’s horn, just as she’d done when Twilight had proved herself worthy.

“Citizens of Equestria, I present to you your new Princess of the Sun!” Celestia bellowed.

The cheers and cries that erupted from the enormous crowd were ecstatic. Ponies clapped with their hooves and whinnied in delight. Some reared back on their hind legs in excitement and many turned to their friends to talk about the history they had just witnessed.

Twilight had only become ruler for a few seconds before her friends surrounded her in a group hug even tighter than any they’d had before.

“I cannot believe you’re now the Sun Princess, darling! Not only do you get this wonderful castle and so many beautiful gowns, but your accomplishments will be talked of for generations! This is absolutely incredible!” Rarity nuzzled her friend.

“Yeah! Who knew this stuff could happen?” Rainbow Dash said excitedly as she hovered above the group.

“I certainly didn’t know this could happen and I’m still shocked about it.” Twilight admitted. She knew she could at least confide in her friends. She was going to need them as she adjusted to her new life.

“I’m so proud of you, Twilight. You worked really hard and deserve this.” Fluttershy didn’t keep quiet this time around.

“And you get to make a ton of fun rules! I bet you could declare chocolate a nutritious food! Huh? Huh?”

“No, Pinkie Pie.” Twilight shook her head with a laugh. Everyone joined in as they celebrated this happy moment.

Starlight smiled at her mentor. “You’re going to make a great ruler, Twilight. I’m lucky to be able to study under you. I hope you can teach me even more as you have so many new experiences.” She wrapped her front leg around Twilight and hugged her.

“You guys…I couldn’t have made it here without all of you. I wouldn’t have learned about the importance of friendship had you all not given me a chance and there’s nothing I can do to fully repay you. Thank you so much.” Twilight cried.

“…Well, a royal dress wouldn’t hurt,” was all Rarity said as the group burst out laughing.

Now that she had her friends around her, Twilight realized that maybe this wouldn’t be as hard as she’d thought.

Author's Note

This was actually written for my Creative Writing final. Hope you all enjoyed!