"... Therefore, let it be known and proclaimed that the School for Gifted Unicorns is now and forevermore, Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Ponies. Signed by Celestia Sol Invicta herself on the twenty-third day of the Eighth Month in the year of our Lady, 720," the Royal Herald finished.

Silence reigned throughout the Throne Room, all the ponies of the Canterlot Elite that had been invited to hear the announcement staring in open mouth shocked at what they had just heard.

Princess Celestia herself had a rather smug grin on her face at the reaction, a sight few had ever seen her with. Even the few who had seen it before found it odd to see it now.

The dam finally burst as everypony in the crowd spoke up, all trying to be heard over the others. "This is an outrage!" One mare said as she turned to look at the unicorn at Celestia's side. "Chancellor, surely this is against the law?"

Ivory Fire, Chancellor of the Equestrian Education Association, shook her head. "While it is unusual for this to happen, there is in fact no law or regulation that forbids it. I, for one, am glad of the change."

That caused another stir in the crowd. "But it has been a tradition since the founding of the city-" One stallion tried to interject.

Celestia shook her head. "A tradition that has served its purpose. Unicorns will not be excluded from the school, and all current students will continue their studies. But the time has come for a change."

One mare, who had remained mostly calm during all of this, finally spoke up. "But why now? If I may ask?"

Celestia smiled at her. The Sparkle Family was one of the few she considered true friends of the crown. "Tradition is only good when it serves a purpose when it helps move things forward. But when it becomes a lock on advancement, when it promotes stagnation instead of progress, then it is no longer worth keeping around. I have seen that recently with the School."

That seemed to bring the mare around, but most ponies were still angered by the proclamation. "This is an outrage! Parents will here of this, and they-"

Before the stallion could finish though, Celestia teleported so that she was now standing in front of the crowd. Her expression had turned dark. "And what, by the Destroyer, are you going to do about it? Or would you like me to bring Her into this? I'm sure Cosmos would just love to know why I would bring something so small like this to her attention."

That shut everypony up, as the room around them darkened at the mere mention of the Unmaker. A being that all knew wasn't known for her mercy or restraint. A being that stood so far above even Princess Celestia herself, as Celestia did to most ponies.

It wasn't called the Scar of the Destroyer for nothing, though some had tried to call it Ghastly Gorge to try and not think about what might have really created it.

Celestia leaned down until she was nose to nose with most ponies. "And if none of you still don't like the change, then you should remember whose name is on the School. So I am officially exercising my royal prerogative to not give a flip if you don't like it. Am I making myself clear?"

Everypony nodded, doing their best to not gulp in fear at seeing Princess Celestia so upset. One by one, they began to file out of the room, muttering and arguing among themselves, until only Celestia, Ivory, and two members of the Corona Guard remained.

Ivory nodded as Celestia returned to her throne. "I must say you handled that pretty well, Rose."

Celestia smiled as she ignited her horn and removed her crown, transforming back into Rose Petal. Ivory Fire was one of only a very few, outside the Corona Guard itself, that knew the full truth of Princess Celestia. A secret that they have sworn the most binding oaths to never reveal to others.

Rose stretched her wings for all they were worth. "Oh man, that felt better than I thought it would. It was nice to put those brown nosers in their place."

Gleaming Shield chuckled. "I was hoping mom would say that. She has never been a fan of how the School was unicorn only."

Rose giggled. Gleaming Shield was the First Born daughter of the Sparkle Family. Unlike others in the family though, she had never entered the School when given the chance, instead, joining the Royal Guard, eventually rising through the ranks to join the Corona Guard.

"I'm glad someponies were happy with the idea," Rose said, as she picked up her schedule for the rest of the day. "And yes, I did mean it when I said I'd take this all the way up to Cosmos."

Ivory and Gleaming shuddered. Just hearing that name was enough to make them feel queasy. Nopony knew why it had that effect. But it was the same for all that heard it. Except for Rose Petal, it seemed, and the same might have been saying for those that came before her.

Pearl Rose, the other member of the Corona Guard in the Throne Room, still had one question though. "And what of only mares in the Royal Guard?" She asked. "That has been a thing from the very beginning. Do you plan to change that as well."

Rose shook her head, as she levitated her crown back onto her head and became Princess Celestia once more. It was at this moment that Ivory took her leave, for she still had much to do to prepare the School for the changes that were soon to come. "I don't have plans to change that at the moment. Boys have an annoying habit of letting any power you give them go straight to their heads. I will not risk that here. Not yet."

Pearl and Gleaming shared a look. "Does that mean you might change something about it sometime in the future?" Pearl asked, her wings rustling at the thought.

Princess Celestia shrugged. "Maybe at some future time I will change something about the guard. But that day is still a long way off. I will concentrate on the here and now before I worry about the future."

So. Just to clear one thing up about Equestria's geography in this universe. Ghastly Gorge isn't like we saw in Season 2. It is more like an actual scar on the land itself, and not a feature that formed normally.

Nothing lives in the gorge. Heck. Very few even go near it. Not even dragons will fly near it, hence why the Dragon Migration flies over Equestria as it does.