Twilight moved from the outer chambers into the Equestrian throne room. Her heart thudded against her chest and sweat poured from her brow. She had tried to put on a courageous face in front of her friends, and she had some success. But now that she was here, meeting with Celestia and Luna for the final time before her coronation as sole ruler of Equestria, the dam she had built around her emotions finally burst.

She managed to keep her composure long enough to offer a respectful bow to the royal sisters, who gladly returned it. "Welcome, Twilight," Celestia said, "I'm very happy to see you! You are about to embark upon the journey of a lifetime, and there couldn't be a more capable pony for the job."

"Indeed," Luna agreed, "you have shown the tenacity and compassion required of a true leader. You are somepony that we know we can count on to help out, even when the proverbial chips are down. I am honored to bequeath my powers to you tomorrow and see you off as the new ruler of Equestria."

"Thank you both," Twilight said, "I'm humbled that you are entrusting Equestria into my care." She smiled, but inside she was screaming. She wanted to run, to get anywhere at all that would hide her from this new responsibility. The burden she carried as the Princess of Friendship was already heavy enough. Now, with the weight of an entire country on her shoulders, the emotional pain had been dominating her life. It had caused her to faint in the middle of teaching her friendship classes, and her worried students had to rush her to the Ponyville Hospital.

Now she stood in front of the two most powerful ponies in the land, and her knees became weak. She felt lightheaded and stumbled a bit. Celestia was quick to rush off her throne and offer assistance. Twilight leaned up against her old teacher and, for a moment, felt like she was back in her care. She felt as though she were simply a student, bursting at the seams to learn everything Celestia had to teach her.

But those days had passed long ago. She was a princess now, and she was about to take the biggest step of her life. Her journey was only just beginning. One chapter of life was about to end, and she had the quill and ink in hoof to write a whole new one. A part of her was very excited about this, but another part of her wanted to run away and hide from everything.

"Let's talk, shall we?" Came the kind voice of the princess. Twilight gave a tired and nervous nod and Celestia escorted her out of the throne room and down the hall. When they got to a certain door, they sat down in front of it.

"Do you recognize this?" Celestia asked, smiling

Twilight nodded. "Of course, I do! It's the royal library!"

"Right, and do you know how many books you checked out of here while under my tutelage?"

"Too many to count," Twilight said as she smiled sheepishly.

"4,526 to be exact," Celestia said, "and you know…you got every one of them back to me on time. You were a fantastic student, Twilight. Nothing ever fazed you. You passed all my tests with flying colors, and you reiterated the importance of studious workmanship every time you turned in a homework assignment. If the gigantic task of being my student didn't faze you, then why is this new task making you so nervous?"

Twilight's eyes bugged out a bit. She couldn't believe Celestia had asked her that! It's not like I'm doing homework or taking a test, she said, this is ruling a nation we're talking about!

She didn't want to be disrespectful, so she chose her words carefully. "Um…no offense, Celestia, but…I think you're comparing apples and oranges."

"I am?"

"Well, yeah, I mean…taking one of your tests was easy. Ruling Equestria is so much different, and way harder!"

Celestia chuckled and Twilight started a bit. Did the princess find her trouble amusing? No! She said internally, Celestia would never laugh at me. Something else must be tickling her funny bone. "What's so funny, Princess?" She asked.

"I'm chuckling because, once again, I've been in your place before."

"Like with Starlight?"

"Yes, exactly. When Star Swirl asked my sister and I to become princesses and rule Equestria, I was a nervous wreck. I felt lightheaded and dizzy just like you do. Equestria is a humongous responsibility, and I thought I would mess everything up. But I had a friend who put her confidence in me, and I was able to pass the test."

"Luna?"

"That's right. Before she turned into Nightmare Moon, Luna was my best friend and a pony I knew I could trust. I loved her with all my heart, and I still do. Sure, we have our spats, but all sisters do. Our friendship has never been broken because of it. But she became a confidant to me, and I was all the better for it."

"I know. Friendship is a wonderful thing, Celestia, and I'm grateful for everything I've learned and experienced in Ponyville. But, I did have one question."

"What's that?"

"Why did you choose me to succeed you and Luna?"

Celestia didn't answer, but beckoned Twilight to follow with a hoof. She ushered Twilight along the corridor until they reached a very special section of the palace. This section held the four great stained glass windows. One depicted Celestia raising the sun and banishing the dark, another depicted Luna raising the moon and holding authority over nightmares, a third depicted Cadance spreading love throughout the land, and the newest one depicted Twilight using the Elements of Harmony to weave new friendships together.

Celestia pointed to this fourth one. "That right there is why I chose you," she said simply. Twilight looked more than a little confused. She knew how important her position was in regards to friendship. But spreading friendship was easy. Ruling a kingdom was not. How in Equestria was she supposed to feel any sort of comfort from such an abrupt answer? In spite of all her best efforts, her face became contorted and she knew she must have looked rather stupid. "Huh?" Was all she could get out.

Celestia chuckled again at the innocence Twilight displayed. "You see, Twilight, everything you've ever done has set your hooves on the path to becoming Equestria's newest ruler. Yes, you had an incredible gift with magic when you became my student, but I noticed you struggled socially. I knew once you understood the magic of friendship, and how important it is to the vital everyday life of Equestria, you would be ready to take your place on my throne."

Twilight smiled up at her friend. She always felt warmer when she was around Celestia, and this was no exception. She had always considered the kind princess to be a second mother. She didn't know how many times she had come to her for advice, and been told exactly what she needed to hear. This was another one of those times.

But her nervousness was still raging. Even though Celestia's words comforted her, her pony nature was still getting the best of her. She looked away as the burden continued weighing down on her shoulders. It was crushing her spirit. She felt like crying.

"I…can't do it," she said, "how the hay could I ever take your place, Celestia?! You're…you!"

"Exactly," Celestia said as she put a compassionate hoof around Twilight, "and you're you. We're different, yes, but that doesn't mean you can't do what I can."

"But you raise the sun! I could never hope to do that!"

"With a little practice, you'll get the hang of it. You've never let anything or anypony beat you before, Twilight. Why stop now?"

"Because if I have to become the ruler of Equestria, then that means I'll be leaving Ponyville and all my friends behind!"

"Not quite, Twilight. I have an idea…"