“All in all I think that went pretty well.” Starlight lifted the last of the books they’d been using up to their place on the shelf. Twilight wasn’t sure how long they’d been cooped up in the library since their friends had left the castle, but they’d finally finished deciding on the remaining ministry appointments. She couldn’t stop herself from making a final check of the list, just to be safe. The names of respected experts and prominent civil servants bolstered her faith in the transitional government: there was Spitfire, the commander of the Wonderbolts, as Minister of Defense, Neighsay, the head of the old Equestrian Education Association, as Minister of Education, Fund Raiser, a high ranking and oft commended government employee, as Minister of Economy and Development, and finally Court Order, a judge from Baltimare with unparalleled knowledge of the Equestrian legal code, as Minister of Law and Justice.

“I’ll pen a letter to each of them offering the positions, then Spike can proofread and send them.” Twilight put down the list, stood, and stretched, “But that can wait for tomorrow, I’m exhausted. I need to turn my brain off for a while.”

“Can you even do that? I’d never believe it.” Starlight winked at her.

“Witty, hilarious, powerful," Twilight began collecting her things, "Is there anything you aren’t?”

“You're the Princess of Quips.” Starlight laughed, “Where’s Spike gone too?”

“I think he went to bed.” Twilight yanked open the curtains on a nearby window, revealing the night sky outside, “Dark already?”

“Time flies when you’re busy.” Starlight pointed to the library clock; it was almost eleven at night, “I’m starving, gonna go see what I can find in the kitchen. Wanna join me?”

“Sure, I haven’t eaten since this morning.” The two Unicorns made their way to the castle kitchen, where Twilight had told Starlight and Spike of her fateful decision just over a week before. It was large, spacious, exactly the type of room one would think a castle should have, but hardly convenient when only three creatures lived there. They’d sectioned off a small piece of it and put a table and chairs nearby, made it homely and comfortable, the center of their collective lives; no matter what each did with their own day, they all came together here most mornings and evenings. Starlight started to rummage through the cabinets, pantry, and cooler in search of food that would require as little effort as possible.

“Want any help? I could make something instead if you want.” Twilight knew the answer would be no, but, she thought with a giggle, it never hurt to ask.

“No thanks,” Her student laughed too, “I’ve had your cooking one too many times. I choose life. How about sandwiches? I make a mean daffodil and daisy sandwich.”

“That sounds wonderful, thank you, Starlight.” Twilight eyed one of the cabinets, “Want a drink? We’ve had a long day, it wouldn’t hurt to relax a bit. I may not be a good cook, but I do know chemistry, and that’s actually very similar to bartending.”

“Sure, I could use one after all those books. It’ll help with the ‘turning off the brain’ you mentioned earlier.” As Starlight got to work on their sandwiches, Twilight hopped out of her seat and floated some glasses and bottles down from the cabinet. They worked, and then ate, in a comfortable silence, each simply enjoying the other’s presence. Twilight cleared away the dishes.

“Want another drink?” She asked Starlight.

“Sure, why not?” Starlight drained the last bit in her glass. As they drank, conversation kindled; they talked about Ponyville, memories from childhood and school, their friends, magic, until eventually Starlight’s mind wandered into politics.

“And that’s the problem with the Equestrian economy!” Starlight put her drink down a little too hard, with a jarring thud of glass on wood, “We have all these rural communities completely disconnected from our economic heartland and population centers. There’s no adequate infrastructure to support them or link the periphery to the center! How long until they start feeling neglected, if they don’t already? And the government doesn’t have enough money to build new roads or railways, or even to properly maintain the ones we have, but we’ve got wealthy businessponies sitting on mountains of untaxed bits! For Celestia’s sake, it seems like half the roads in this country are still dirt! Don’t even get me started on how the recession is only really hitting small businesses and workers, but the government won’t even tax the rich to help the ponies losing their jobs.”

“I’d never even dream of it.” Twilight laughed and took a sip.

“Of what?”

“Of getting you started.”

“Shut up.” Starlight laughed too.

“I never knew you were so interested in politics.”

“Ah, well, I’ve been reading a lot of AFL pamphlets lately.”

“You gonna go Red on me?”

“I dunno,” Starlight took another sip, “They’re starting to make a lot of sense, Twilight.”

“I'm not going to judge your opinions. Personally, I like a lot of the AFL’s ideas, and the problems they point out are very real; it’s just some of their rhetoric that worries me. Actually, I think all the parties have some good points, which is why I want to work with all of them on the reforms.”

“An admirable goal, if you can get them to work with each other and you.”

“There’s no problem that can’t be solved by open and honest discussion. Just don’t let your sympathies blend into your work as Vice President, okay?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t. I promise. Hey, that reminds me of something.”

“What?”

“I forgot to bring this up during our meeting earlier. You’ve been calling me ‘Vice President’, but we never did officially decide on a title for you, did we? I mean, I just kinda assumed it was President, but you never said anything, so…” She trailed off.

“Huh, I guess I never really thought too much about it.”

“Still gonna go by ‘Princess’?”

“No,” Twilight shook her head, “We need to distance ourselves from the monarchy a bit. We need something that speaks to change, and to the temporary nature of the position and the government that goes with it. ‘President’ is good; simple, democratic, but with some strong executive authority connotations for the APP. Maybe not temporary enough?”

“How about ‘Interim President’ officially? And then you can cut it down to just ‘President’ for general use.”

“Interim President Twilight Sparkle. I like it.” The two ponies sat in silence for a couple minutes.

“You ever feel,” Starlight took another drink, “Like you’re just blindly flailing through life, but somehow upwards?”

“Like no matter what mistakes you make or how badly you fail you still end up better off than when you started?”

“Yeah.”

“All the time.”

“Huh, wasn’t expecting you to say yes.”

“Really? Why not?”

“I dunno, you’re an Alicorn, clearly you did something to deserve it and know what that was.”

“I mean, I completed a spell left by Starswirl the Bearded, but compared to everything else the Elements have done that didn’t really seem like much. I just have this feeling, like everything in my life has fallen into place in a way it shouldn’t have; like I'm being set up. The Elements are all connected by the sonic rainboom, but there’s something more to it, like this great, invisible plan devised by... “

“Celestia?”

“I don’t know. It’s like I’m just inches away from grasping it, from seeing all the universe’s intentions for me, but I’m still blind to what it really means. It’s whatever, even if Celestia does have some plan for me, she probably hates me now.”

“She’d be an idiot to hate you for giving her good advice.”

“Starlight!”

“Just being honest. If she’s really as wise as you say, she’ll realize it was for the best.”

“I hope you’re right. I really hope she does.”

“Hey, Twilight?” Starlight’s voice shook a little.

“Yeah?”

“Do you think I’ve really changed?”

“Of course I do, why? Do you think you haven’t?”

“I- I don’t know. I’m scared I haven’t. Losing Sunburst as a filly made me want everypony to just be the same, and my pursuit of that is what drove me to do all the awful things I did, but it’s like there’s still a bit of that left in me, y’know?”

“I’m not sure I do…”

“Well, the AFL’s whole thing is equality. It’s in their motto; Freedom, Equality, Harmony.” Starlight’s words were starting to slur quite a bit, “So if I agree with the AFL, and I still believe in equality, does that mean I’m still just as evil as I was before, and I’ve just been hiding it somewhere deep down inside me this whole time? I mean I’ve got a crossed out equal sign hung up on my wall, does that even mean anything? Have I been lying to all of you? Have I been lying to myself?”

“What!? No!” Twilight drunkenly reached across the table and grabbed her friend’s foreleg, “It doesn’t mean that at all! Okay, listen-” She swayed a bit in her seat, then caught her balance, “The problem with what you were doing was never the general idea of equality, Starlight. It was the idea that there should be no differences at all, and the magical brainwashing, and the intimidation. That’s what’s evil, and I know you feel awful for doing it. Just believing that ponies in general should be treated equally well, that’s different.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure. If the AFL was anything like you used to be I wouldn’t want to work with them. Change doesn’t come easy, but it’s never impossible. I’ve seen it in Luna, I’ve seen it in Discord, and I’ve seen it in you, Starlight; you’ve learned so much, and you’re a much better pony now, trust me.”

“Okay. Thank you.” She seemed doubtful.

“You do believe me, right?”

“I’m trying really hard to. It’s not easy.”

“I know.” Twilight walked around the table, a bit clumsily, and gave her friend a big hug. Starlight buried her face in Twilight’s chest and sniffled. “It’s gonna be okay.”

“Yeah. It’ll be okay.” Starlight hugged her back, then pulled away and wiped her eyes, “I’m gonna go, I think I need some sleep. Thanks for the drinks, and for listening. I appreciate it.”

“Of course, I’ll always be here for you. Thank you for making dinner.”

“I don’t know how I made it so long without real friends. You know, that I wasn’t brainwashing. Guess that wasn’t really living. Don’t stay up too late, okay?”

“I won’t. Sleep well, Starlight.”

“Thanks, you too, Twilight.” Starlight left the room, her steps receding into the quiet halls. Twilight sat alone at the table. She looked down at what remained of her drink, finished it, and set the glasses in the sink before making her way outside, to the balcony that overlooked Ponyville.

The air was crisp and cool, a sign of an early autumn, and a gentle breeze whispered through her mane and tickled the fur of her ears. The moon and stars were bright, low, and beautiful tonight; Princess Luna had really outdone herself. Twilight leaned on the wall of the balcony and looked out over the town, wondering if any of her friends were still awake at this hour. Fluttershy and Rainbow’s houses were dark, as was Sweet Apple Acres, off in the distance, but there were lights glowing in the windows of Pinkie Pie’s room at Sugar Cube Corner and Rarity’s workroom at Carousel Boutique. That didn’t surprise her, Pinkie was usually high on sugar and Rarity always had some project to work on. Twilight stretched her wings experimentally and contemplated going for a quick flight; flying at night was the best, she always loved being closer to the blanket of stars. Eh, probably not a good idea, she’d had too much to drink. It was always best to fly responsibly. Instead she leaned back onto the wall and continued to look out over the town, lost in the peace of the quiet and the dark, and her own imagination. She stretched her wings out again and took a look at them in the moonlight. Change doesn’t come easy. She was experiencing a different sort of change, she thought as she started to preen her feathers, than what Starlight was going through. She hoped she would be able to help.

Part of their earlier conversation came back to her; she really did feel like she was blindly flailing upwards, on the whim of some unseen force. She wasn’t one to believe in fate, but the machinations of an unknown being? That was different. If it was Celestia, like Starlight said, what had she been working towards, and had Twilight already sabotaged it purely by accident? Maybe she should ask her mentor about it, if she could ever work up the courage to speak to her again. She went back to looking over Ponyville, trying to clear her head, but she couldn’t shake the looming feeling of uncertainty. Soon the foggy-headed feeling of the drink began to wear off, replaced by an all consuming tiredness as the long day caught up to her. With a groan and another stretch, Twilight returned to her room, wrapped herself in warm, soft blankets, and fell asleep.

Another week passed, slow and uneventful. The three denizens of the crystalline castle packed their things in solitude, save for Twilight’s occasional check-ins to ensure they were on schedule, where she told Spike he really didn’t need all those Power Ponies comics and noticed Starlight had thrown out the crossed out equal sign that had previously hung on her wall. She hoped that was a good sign. They still came together every morning and evening, in that cozy little section of the kitchen, where they talked, laughed, and planned. It was the best part of her day, Twilight thought; she’d have to make sure they still did it while they were in Canterlot. Soon after the movers came and took away all their neatly packed boxes, and the castle was even emptier than before, save for the three friends and the small bags they would carry with them on the train. It was during this, the last lonely moments before they finally stepped off, that the stress began to sink in again. Seeing Twilight's ticks and twitches return, Rarity invited Twilight to join her and Fluttershy for their weekly spa visit, which of course worked wonders, as it always does. It was as Twilight returned to the castle from this outing, her friends with her, all three carrying on their conversation until the very last minute to get every moment of each other that they could, that she noticed something.

“And so then I said,” Rarity giggled preemptively at her own story, “‘Darling, that’s not a hat, that’s a natural disaster that somehow landed atop your head!’” All three laughed uproariously.

“Hey,” Twilight’s steps faltered just before the gates of the castle, “Is it just me, or does Ponyville seem really empty right now? Where is everypony?”

“I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about, Twilight.” Rarity seemed oddly unconcerned.

“Nothing seems unusual to me.” Fluttershy sounded very confident, which in itself was certainly off.

“Anyway, back to what I was saying-” Rarity pushed open the castle door, and all three were immediately deafened by a wave of sound as the entire population of Ponyville yelled “SURPRISE” all at once and a barrage of Pinkie’s party bombs went off, coating the castle’s entrance hall in streamers and confetti. Twilight shook her head, trying to banish the shock and the ringing in her ears. Rarity and Fluttershy were laughing.

“You knew!” Twilight started laughing too. Rarity nodded.

“Gotcha.” Fluttershy grinned.

“Girls!” Pinkie called out to them, bouncing above the heads of the crowd, “Get in here! It’s time to PARTY!” They trotted in, to more deafening cheers from the town’s residents, finding the rest of their friends in the middle of the hall.

“Pinkie, what is this?” Twilight looked around at the rapidly but elaborately decorated hall. Pinkie sure had a way with her special talent. Something about the setup seemed almost familiar.

“Isn’t it obvious? It’s a nearly exact recreation of the party I threw for you when you first got to Ponyville, except this time it’s a going away party and it’s for all of us!” She gestured to a nearby table, on which there was a conspicuously placed cup and bottle of hot sauce, “And everypony’s here!”

“Wow,” Twilight looked around the room in disbelief, “Girls, this is incredible, you didn’t have to-”

“Of course we did.” Rainbow put a foreleg around Twilight’s shoulders, “This is a huge deal, for all of us. We couldn’t let it pass without some celebration!”

“Come on, y’all,” Applejack adjusted her hat, “Let’s say goodbye to everypony.”

“And have some fun!” Pinkie hung a party hat on Twilight’s horn. The rest of the evening was a blur as Twilight was swept through the party, saying her farewells to all the treasured friends, neighbors, and acquaintances who wouldn’t be coming with them into this new chapter in their lives. Mayor Mare, the Cakes, Lyra, Bon Bon, Octavia, Derpy, Daisy, Rose, Golden, Dr. Fauna… the last few years swam before her eyes. Eventually the party died down and everypony went home, until it was just her and her friends left, and she found herself sitting on the front steps of the castle, taking in the night air.

“Heya Twi.” Applejack sat down on the steps next to her.

“Hey, AJ. Have a good time?”

“Course ah did,” The farm pony laughed, “Can’t not have fun at ah Pinkie Pie party.”

“Yeah, that’s for sure.”

“Ya seem down, Twi.”

“Eh,” Twilight shrugged, “Maybe a little.”

“We leave tomorrow morning, yea?”

“Yeah.”

“What’s eatin’ ya, sugarcube?”

“I dunno, it’s just, this sense of foreboding.”

“Well it’s like Dash was sayin, this is a big moment for all of us. It’s not an easy change ta make, bein nervous is normal.”

“It’s not just that, AJ, it’s like… an odd sense of permanence.”

“Permanence?”

“Like things won’t ever be the same. Like they’ll never be just like this again.”

“Ain’t that tha point?”

“What?”

“Ain’t it our job to change things?”

“Well yeah, but that's not what I mean. We're going to be changing how Equestria ticks, sure, but that shouldn't mean changing how things are for us down here. Once we're done, I want us to be able to all come back here, to Ponyville, and for it to be like we never left at all."

"Ah feel ya, Twi," Applejack sighed, "But that ain't how the world works. Wish it weren't true, but it is."

"Yeah." Twilight looked at the ground, "Guess it's kinda foalish to wish for something like that."

"Hey, don't get down on yerself." AJ put a foreleg around Twilight, "Jus cause things change don't mean any of us are gonna stop bein friends, if that's what yer worried about. Years might pass, Equestria might change, hell even sleepy lil Ponyville might change, but we'll all be goin through it together, the whole way."

"You mean it?"

"Ahm tha Element a' Honesty, Twi."

"Of course." Twilight laughed. They sat there in silence for a bit, just listening to the sounds of the night, lost in their own heads.

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash's voice jolted them from their thoughts, "Are you two gonna help us clean this up or are you just gonna sit around all night?"

"Be there in a minute, sorry!" Twilight called over her shoulder.

"Let's go lend a hoof." Applejack stood and helped Twilight up. Cleaning up the remnants of the party didn't take too long with them all working together, and soon the others left for their own homes. Twilight tucked Spike into bed; Starlight was already asleep, her snores echoing faintly through the hallways near her room. Twilight made sure her alarm was set, checked over her bags another time, and got some rest herself. She dreamed of cats, and night flights, and a musical she was pretty sure was original.

The next morning came quickly. Twilight woke early, before her alarm, but she just tossed and turned and couldn't get back to sleep. She got up and went to the kitchen instead. She knew she should eat something, but she wasn't sure if she was hungry. Her stomach felt a bit queasy; maybe just some dry toast then. That would do.

"Morning." Starlight stepped in, bleary eyed, and put the kettle on.

"G'morning." Twilight replied with her mouth full of toast.

"Spike still asleep?"

"Probably. I'll let him rest, I can always carry him onto the train if I have to."

"Good idea." Starlight sighed, "Gosh, it's early. I need my magic bean juice." The kettle started to sing. Starlight added the water to the press and the smell of fresh black coffee filled the kitchen. "You want some?"

"Sure, thanks."

"Yeah, no problem." Starlight brought the cups over and they both drank deeply. "Now that's much better. How long do we have?"

"About forty-five minutes."

"Gotcha." She took another gulp of coffee. Twilight woke up quick, shook the last of the sleepy fog from her head, and finished her breakfast. Time to go. Grabbing her saddlebags, she peeked into Spike's room and saw he was still asleep. Not a problem, she thought, lifting him onto her back. Starlight was waiting by the castle doors.

"Ready to go?" She asked as Twilight trotted up to her.

"As I'll ever be." They made the short walk to the train station, where they saw the others had already gathered. The train was just pulling in; time to step off. Start as we mean to go on, Twilight thought. She boarded the train with confidence in her step.

Author's Note

Edit 5/24/2021: Just some minor wording and tone changes.