What it takes to be a leader
Mayor Tiara.
Sure has a nice ring to it, doesnʼt it?
I’m standing inside Ponyville Town Hall, admiring the beauty and authority the building exudes. Iʼm making my way to the mayorʼs office.
My office.
I broke a record last week - youngest mayor elected in the history of Ponyville. Iʼm about to take office at only 22 years old.
Honestly, with the Cutie Mark Crusaders as my campaign managers, Rumble never stood a chance. I won by a landslide, and all Ponyvillians celebrated. This town was long overdue for a change in leadership, and itʼs an honor to be this change.
Dad was happy for me, of course. Heʼs thrilled that Iʼm forging my own path and doing the thing I love. But I could still tell he was disappointed that Iʼm not taking over Richʼs Barnyard Bargains after all. Silver Spoon was even more excited. Her best friend leading the town? Who wouldnʼt be excited?
As for Spoiled Milkʼs reaction, well… I donʼt talk about her.
Celebrations for the newly elected mayor ended yesterday and now, itʼs time for me to assume my position and start working. I have many plans for this town, and intend to usher it into a new era of peace and prosperity.
I push open the double doors to the office and stride in. Itʼs a large circular room basking in sunlight from the floor-to-ceiling windows. Sitting in the center is an oval desk is a gorgeous pink lamp and a few quills. On one side of the table are two velvet chairs, on the other side is one large velvet armchair. The walls of the room are covered with shelves, filing cabinets, portraits and banners.
The office is magnificent. I canʼt help but smile at the thought of working here.
I approach the desk and gingerly touch the lamp. It has the most interesting design Iʼve ever seen - a large pink heart standing on a gold platform, with a pony clutching the lamp at the top. It reminds me of the Ponyville flag.
“Beautiful, isnʼt it? I custom ordered it when I took office.”
I jump at the sudden voice, before slowly turning around to face its owner.
Standing in the doorway behind me is Mayor Mare. Well, I suppose sheʼs Ms. Mare now. She looks… relaxed. At ease. Gone is her collar, bow tie and dyed grey mane. Sheʼs now sporting a teal scarf, with her natural pink mane hanging loose. She looks younger.
“I didnʼt mean to scare you, dear,” she says as she enters the room. “My apologies.”
I shake my head. “Sʼalright.”
I suddenly notice that sheʼs carrying a cart filled with carton boxes. And then it hits me.
“Youʼre here to clear out your stuff!” I gasp.
She nods. “The time has come. The office is yours now.” She stops at the shelf nearest to the door and starts clearing out the books.
After a few seconds, I approach her. “Can I help?”
She stops, turns around and eyes me. Then she smiles. “You can take the books I give you and stack them horizontally in the box labeled 'books',” she says as she points between the shelf and the books.
I nod and place myself next to her. For a while, we work on clearing out the bookshelf quietly.
After a few minutes, Ms. Mare breaks the comfortable silence. “I havenʼt had the chance to congratulate you, Tiara,” she says as she places a copy of Daring Do on the ground. “Becoming mayor is quite an achievement.”
I beam proudly. “Thank you!”
She beams back, though her smile fades after a few seconds. “I heard about the divorce last year.” She frowns solemnly. “Iʼm sorry.”
“Donʼt be. It was for the best,” I say in clipped tones. I smile sadly. “Iʼm pretty sure Dadʼs been happier since she left.” I look away, unable to look Ms. Mare in the eye. “Can we not talk about this?”
She nods and Iʼm immensely grateful.
My parentsʼ divorce was an ugly scandal that shook the entire town. Mothe- I mean Spoiled was bent on milking Dad for everything he has. She didnʼt get anything, of course, and left town shortly after. I didnʼt hear from her for an entire year.
Until last week.
Somehow, word about the election had reached her. She sent me a letter, supposedly apologizing for how sheʼs treated me my entire life. But I know what she wants. Sheʼs not Dadʼs wife anymore, but she still considers herself to be my mother. And now that I’m in a position of power, she wants to get in my good graces, in the hopes that Iʼll give her something.
Like thatʼll ever happen.
I shake my head, trying to get the thoughts out. Today is supposed to be the first day of the rest of my life. Nothing should be ruining this.
I feel a gentle hoof on my shoulder and turn to look at Ms. Mare. Her blue eyes are brimming with concern. “Something on your mind, dear?” she asks, her voice soft and nurturing.
My eyes are getting misty. “Just thinking about last year.” A single tear runs down my cheek.
Ms. Mare doesnʼt say anything, instead she just wraps her hooves around me. Her hug is warm and tender. I sink in it, my tears matting her fur.
I suppose this is what a loving motherʼs hug feels like.
After what feels like an eternity, we pull away. “Thank you,” I say in between sniffles. “I needed that.”
She smiles. “Anything for my successor.”
I mange a small smile, before making my way to the shelf we were working on. Ms. Mare follows me and in the span of five minutes, the entire bookshelf has been cleared.
We continue working on clearing the office. Shelf, cabinet, shelf, drawers, table, another shelf. There are way too many bookshelves in this room.
Eventually, a thought hits me. I hesitate to voice it out, as I donʼt want to make Ms. Mare uncomfortable.
But I need to know.
“Ms. Mare,” I say as Iʼm boxing up some quills. “You announced your retirement over a month ago.” I pause, then turn to face her. “Why wait now to clear out the office?”
Ms. Mare drops her parchments. She remains quiet, not turning to face me. Finally, after a few seconds of solemn silence, she speaks.
“Because it hurts.”
Her voice is small and shaky; she sounds like sheʼs on the verge of tears. She sighs and slowly picks up the abandoned parchments. I move to help her.
“For the majority of my life,” she starts, “I’ve been leading ponies. Becoming president of my school’s student council is how I got my cutie mark. Then I joined the school board, then the town council and eventually, I ran for and was elected mayor.” She looks at me, her eyes watery. “Leading is my only purpose.” She gestures to the large office. “Feels like a part of me is just… ceasing to be.” Her tears finally break free and I watch as they fall on the polished floorboards.
Iʼm not the best at comfort. I donʼt give great hugs and my words arenʼt all that kind. Nevertheless, I slowly approach Ms. Mare and gently pat her on the shoulder. She looks up and gives me a sad smile.
“Thanks,” she says, her voice hoarse but not shaky.
I take it as a good sign.
She wipes her tears, nods at me and picks up her discarded parchments.
“Why do you have so many books?”
Itʼs half an hour later and weʼve already managed to clear up most of the shelves. The carton boxes are filling up so quickly I wonder if weʼll have enough space for all of Ms. Mareʼs belongings.
“This job can get very stressful,” she answers. “Reading is a nice escape.”
I did notice that most of her books are fictional novels. She has a wide range and excellent taste, from action-packed adventures like Daring Do to thrilling mysteries like Shadow Spade.
We work out way over to the filing cabinets. I open one drawer and Iʼm taken aback by how filled it is with documents. I turn to Ms. Mare, confusion written on my face.
She grimaces. “Like I said, I didnʼt touch the office at all this last month.”
I shake my head and roll my eyes. I remove the papers, ten at a time, and set them down. “What are all these, anyway?” I ask.
She shrugs. “Speeches, mostly. I have a lot of those.” A pause, then: “Say, have you written your first speech yet?”
I stop working, my eyes widening. I shake my head. “I donʼt know what to say.”
The First Mayoral Speech is a Ponyville tradition, dating back to its very founding. Exactly one week after a new mayor has assumed office, they will make a speech in front of the entire town, detailing who they are, expressing their gratitude for being chosen and reiterate what they intend to do with the town. It lets the Ponyvillians know the new mayor intends to keep the promises they made during their campaign.
During my campaign, the Crusaders did most of the talking. I was there, of course, but I never made long-winded speeches. Theyʼve never really been my thing.
“Iʼm not great at speeches.”
Ms. Mare approaches me. “It doesnʼt need to be overly complicated. You just need to explain who you are, at your core.” She gives me a mischievous smile. “If I recall correctly, you used to be quite the menace as a child. And then you got better. Maybe start with that?”
That was… actually pretty solid advice. “Thanks,” I smile. “Iʼll think about it.”
Eventually, we finish up with the cabinets and approach the table. The beautiful lamp is still here and I canʼt help but admire it.
“I had it custom made when I took office,” Ms. Mare says from behind me. “Itʼs made from a hollow crystal that multiplies the fire within.” She gets closer to the lamp and turns it on.
The lamp emits a warm, pink glow. It burns bright and coats the entire room in a soft light. I love it.
Ms. Mare is smiling now. “Itʼs one of the reasons I love this office.”
“Then take it home.”
She shakes her head. “It belongs to the mayor. I had made it for future generations,” she answers, as she pushes the lamp closer to me.
She moves over to the deskʼs drawers and examines its contents. She then takes them out and dumps them in a nearby carton box.
A thought suddenly occurs to me. Ms. Mare has been nothing but kind to me this entire time, and we barely know each other. Sheʼs been guiding me and helping me overcome my worries.
What if…
“Youʼve been wondering what youʼre supposed to do with yourself, not that youʼre retired,” I start, slowly. My words gain her attention and she stops her work to look at me. “Have you ever considered… mentoring?”
Her face scrunches in confusion. “Mentoring who?” After a few seconds, her eyes widen with realization. “You.”
“I canʼt do this alone.” Sheʼs the perfect pony to confide in. “I know Iʼm a great leader, but taking on the responsibility of an entire village is very difficult.”
My icy blue eyes meet her sapphire ones.
“I could use a mentor.”
Her face breaks out into a warm, motherly smile. “And Iʼd be honored.” She gives a slight bow. “Mayor Tiara.”
We spend hours in the office.
Ms. Mareʼs belongings have all been neatly packed, her boxes labeled and ready to go. All thatʼs left now are two ponies and tons of fresh parchments and quills. The office is still decorated by the lampʼs pink glow.
“And now that youʼre in charge, itʼs up to you to organize Winter Wrap-up.”
“But I thought Princess Twilight was doing that?” I ask, confused.
“Sheʼs the ruler of all of Equestria now. She canʼt,” Ms. Mare answers. “Believe me, I asked.”
I turn my attention to the Winter Wrap-Up plans. “It doesnʼt seem that hard. All I gotta do is make sure everyponyʼs doing what theyʼre supposed to be doing.”
“Thatʼs the spirit!” she exclaims. I feel proud.
Over the last few hours, Iʼve learned something - Ms. Mare is amazing. Sheʼs wise, caring, understanding. She listens to me, helps me and appreciates me. Her smile brightens up the room and her hugs make me feel warm.
Sheʼs everything I ever wanted my own mother to be.
I love her.
“Now that weʼve covered how Ponyville changes seasons, we can move on to a different issue,” Ms. Mare says.
“Iʼd like to tackle a more personal issue, if thatʼs okay,” I say, dreading what is to come.
She looks at me expectedly. “Yes, dear?”
I take a deep breath. Itʼs now or never. “Spoiled wrote to me last week,” I slowly begin. “An apology letter. I donʼt believe a word she said.”
Ms. Mare looks at me, her eyes filled with concern. She puts a gentle hoof on my shoulder. “Have you written back?”
“What am I supposed to say?!” I scream, instantly regretting it. “S-sorry. I didnʼt mean to yell at you.”
To my surprise, sheʼs not angry. “I understand, dear. What do you want to tell her?”
I avoid eye contact. “So many things. Too much for a single letter.”
“How about you meet her in person?”
The thought had occurred to me. Face Spoiled again, after nearly twelve moons of silence. I might not be a filly anymore, but Spoiled still terrifies me. You donʼt spend your formative years with her and come out with no trauma.
“Iʼm scared.” A single tear runs down my cheek.
Ms. Mare envelops me in a warm, motherly hug. “Scared is normal. Bravery is doing it anyway. Leaders are brave.”
We part, and I look her in the eye. “Be with me?”
She nods. “Always.”
Despite all the hours weʼve been in this office, the lampʼs fire is as bright and strong as ever.
And so is mine.
“Citizens of Ponyville,
“As a child, I believed everyone was beneath me. I was the only child of the townʼs richest family - we had wealth, influence, power. I was better than everypony else, and I always made sure you knew it.
“But I was wrong. So, so wrong. After a series of humiliatng defeats, I came to my senses and saw the truth. I bettered myself into becoming the pony I wanted to be.
“And now here I stand. Iʼll admit that when I was first elected, I was scared. Scared of messing up. Scared of not being up to the task. Scared of not being worthy of this position.
“Iʼm no longer scared. And itʼs all because of my predecessor, Mayor Mare. She helped me overcome my fears by teaching me what it means to be mayor. What it means to lead. I am the mare I am today because of her.
“I would like to a moment to thank you all for your support. Iʼd also like to thank Ms. Mare for her kindness and for leading us all these years. Maʼam, I hope to honor your legacy and lead our town to greater heights.
“May Ponyville continue to shine.”
Author's Note
Submitting contest entries last minute because thatʼs what I do best.
