It’s been a few moons since Princess Twilight Sparkle took the royal sister’s place as the princess of Equestria. Everything was going smoothly so far, since Twilight relied on her friends and her own confidence for moral support. All of her worries washed away as more and more time went on. However, adjusting as Equestria’s new ruler hasn’t been all peaches and cream. Having the responsibility to raise and lower the sun and moon daily, she is required to wake up before the break of dawn every morning.
“Psst, Twilight!” Spike repeatedly poked at Twilight's side, attempting to wake her up. “TWILIGHT!”
“Huh? Oh hey Spike, what’s going on?” Asked Twilight, still half asleep. She took a quick glance at the elegant clock mounted on the wall.
“Six thirty?! Oh no! I’m going to be late for the sunrise!”
Twilight popped out of bed and scurried to the balcony clearly frazzled, where she frantically rose the sun. She still hadn’t brushed her mane or been fitted into her royal attire.
A relieved sigh escaped Twilight, “That was close, eh, Spike? If you hadn’t woken me up, the citizens would have been surrounded by darkness at two in the afternoon!”
“Oh Twilight… you haven't even taken off your bonnet yet!” Spike chuckled. “You should go get ready.”
“Oh…Right!”
As Twilight sat at her royal vanity, something was different about her, Specifically her…forehead. It was covered in a sparkly substance. Perhaps glam-druff? She thought, but she had been washing her mane regularly. “Oh well, probably nothing.“
Twilight used her magic to remove her bonnet. In doing so, a mass of flowing and glittering indigo strands of hair escaped the mane cap.
“GAH!!!”
Twilight couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Her mane resembled that of Celestia’s or Luna’s, except her tail wasn’t flowing.
“Uh, Twilight, your mane is kinda…”
“MOVING? Gee Spike, I hadn’t noticed!” Twilight said sarcastically. She tried patting it down, pulling it down with magic, and using mane gel to get it to stay down, but nothing worked.
“At least your tail isn’t moving!” Spike awkwardly quipped, trying to make the situation less dire than it is.
Twilight Sparkle brainstormed furiously. “Who would be able to help me in this conundrum?” She thought, trying to piece together whatever crumbs of mane knowledge that could assist her. Then, it hit her: RARITY!
“Spike, pack your bags!” She announced. “We’re going to Ponyville!“
A wide smile grew on Spike’s face. He started to pack immediately, stocking up on everything they may need on their journey.
“Twilight, we may need disguises. The townsponies won’t be able to contain themselves if- WOAH!”
Behind him was a pony he had never seen before! A lanky Pegasus with heterochromia and glasses too big for her head stood in the castle room. She had a strange palette, mainly consisting of colors from vivid purples and dull oranges.
Spike did a double take and skeptically said, “Who are you and what did you do to my Twilight?”
“Relax Spike, it's me! I just casted a quick disguise spell to hide my cover. I would just change my mane permanently with that spell, but it takes too much stamina to do so for long.” Twilight explained. “So for now, this is a temporary disguise. I should probably give you one too, huh?”
In the blink of an eye, Spike suddenly changed into a pastel teal dragon. “There we go. Let’s ride, Spike!”
With that, they were off on their climactic return to Ponyville.
Trotting down the Ponyville road was a serene feeling for Twilight and Spike. Observing the townsponies live their lives. Seeing familiar faces. The hay roofed shacks that Ponyville contained compared to the brick buildings of Canterlot. Everything about coming back to the village was plain nostalgic.
“Oh Spike… I remember when we first came to Ponyville.”
Spike nodded. His grasp on Twilight’s hand became tighter as they continued to walk along the streets.
“I want to say hello, but…” She started. “Nopony will know who we are!”
The two arrived at Carousel Boutique. Rarity greeted the two “strangers” with a warm welcome.
“Hello! Welcome to Carousel Boutique! How can I help you?”
“Uh Rarity, don’t freak out, but,” Twilight uncovered both of their disguises and returned to her normal form. “I have a little problem.”
Rarity stood in awe. She hadn’t expected for Twilight’s mane to be so…in motion.
“My my my Twilight! What happened?!” Rarity exclaimed, trying to contain herself. “And why did you two come in disguises?”
Twilight sighed, “Firstly, I woke up and my hair was all Celestia-y. Secondly, I didn’t want to be spotted. If any ponies saw the ruler of Equestria and the official friendship ambassador, they’d crowd us like parasites to a buffett!”
“And you came to moi for help?”
“Yes. Can you at least style it to try to be less flowy?” Twilight suggested.
Rarity warmly smiled, “I’ll see what I can do, darling.”
She soon got to work. Minutes turned to hours as she slaved away at the gleaming mass of hair. She sprayed, combed, picked, washed, and gelled Twilight’s mane, but it was no use; the hair seemed to have a mind of its own!
“Oh I’m sorry, dear. I’ve tried all I could and it’s getting late,” said Rarity. “Have you tried talking to Celestia and Luna about it? Maybe they can help, they’ve dealt with it for ages!”
Twilight’s face lit up. She immediately pulled out a scroll and quill and said, “Rarity, you genius! Spike, take a letter!”
“Dear Royal Sisters, I know it’s been a while since we’ve talked but I’m having some trouble adapting with the new “changes” that come with being a ruler. If it's not too much trouble, do you mind if I come and visit you two?”
As he finished the letter and sent it away with a magical breath, Twilight almost instantly got a reply.
“Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle, of course you can come and see us! You know, you don’t really have to ask to visit us. We would love to see you and catch up.”
“It’s settled; Spike, tomorrow we visit Silver Sholes!”
“Ugh, Celestia, do we haveto be out in the sun so early?”
The two princesses were currently enjoying their retirement in Silver Sholes. Everyday, they had a lot of activities scheduled, from crafts, to canoeing.
“My apologies sister, but morning sunbathing is my favorite. Besides, we wouldn’t want to be late for Twilight’s arrival now, would we?” Celestia said. “Cheer up, the new waffle machine came and now they serve twice as many!”
Luna rolled her eyes lightheartedly; she did love a good pancake. As the two sisters continued their discussion, a familiar face greeted them. Twilight Sparkle emerged from the gates of the establishment.
“Um… good to see you?” Twilight nervously mumbled.
Both Celestia and Luna’s mouths were agape. They knew that she would mature some day, though they didn’t think she would so soon. The two sisters quickly shuffled to a private area where they talked in private.
“Sister of mine, you know that this day would come some day, stay calm.” Luna whispered.
Celestia nodded, “Okay, let’s just go talk to her.”
Twilight Sparkle gulped nervously as the two sisters approached her. They both sat next to her and inhaled. The summer breeze flowed through their manes, watching the seagulls fly above.
“I’m sorry if this is sudden, but I’m just stressed right now. Everything is changing so quickly, my friends are all moving along, and being the ruler has taken a toll on me.”
Twilight sighed, teary eyed.
Celestia wanted to object, but she hesitated, letting Twilight finish venting.
“It’s like I don’t even know myself anymore…I used to be some unicorn nobody in Ponyville until I became a princess. Now looking in the mirror, I can’t even recognize that face staring back at me. I’ve had so many challenges I’ve had to face, and I know I’ve had some help, but…”
“Twilight, change is a hard, yet crucial part of life,“ Celestia said as she put a hoof on Twilight's lap. “When alicorns mature to a certain age, their manes become in tune with their status.”
Twi sniffled. “Is that why Cadence’s mane started flowing a bit after my coronation?”
Luna nodded. “Soon after being brought from the moon, my mane started flowing again. Everything changes, and it may be uncomfortable, but you are ready for anything that comes your way.”
“It’s just so difficult seeing everypony move on and get older. Everyone is achieving their dreams, growing older, and starting families. Me being an alicorn just makes it tougher to see them age, I don’t know what I would do without those five. This mane is just a reminder that I am immortal.” Twilight began to sob again, voice trembling with disent.
Celestia’s face dropped in shock and disbelief. “Oh, my sweet Twilight… that’s why you’ve been so stressed about your mane?”
“Everyday looking in the mirror and seeing myself taller and look more youthful as my friends develop grey hairs and wrinkle lines is a living reminder that I’ll outlive them!“ Twilight weeped, tears streaming down her cheeks. “My flowing mane just adds onto that dread.”
The two sisters quietly leaned in for a hug. They didn’t know what to say, they didn’t even know if it was the right time to say anything, so they just silently embraced her. Twilight took in their warmth, savoring the affection and love she was being engulfed in. She had so many negative thoughts flowing through her mind, and wanted to object, but she instead stayed quiet, savoring a peaceful moment with her mentors.
“How do you know you choosing me as the ruler of Equestria was a good idea? How do you know everything will end up okay?” Twilight softly asked. ”And my friends…”
“We don’t just think everything will end up okay, we know everything will end up okay.” Luna reassured. “You are a strong pony, Twilight. your friends’ legacies will endure even after they pass. Your friendship will remain eternally bound.”
Twilight smiled. She let out a sigh and looked up at the sky, sun still below the horizon.
“Oh! I should probably take care of that.“ Twilight raised her chin up high, and with a flash of magenta magic, the sun crept above the horizon gracefully. The three princesses sat together in solitude, taking in the breathtaking sunrise that Twilight made.
“I’ve gotten better at that, hm?”
Celestia chuckled. The three rested on the sands, gazing upon the golden dawn skies and glittering waters together.
In this period of change and discomfort, Twilight finally felt more comfortable in her new role.
Twilight felt home at last.
