if no one lives in the Castle of Friendship, Does it mean it looks deserted?

She gives it to starlight she says so in the same episode that she makes her headmare

Starlight

@cheezedoodle
 
Y’know, come to think of it, I think the Cutie Map room would be a decent place to plot military operations.

As has been mentioned many times here, Starlight, Sunburst, Trixie, maybe the other school staff, and (per Jim, I think), more student dorms.
 
I imagine it also remains the town library and probably has some sort of Friendship Museum (which other people here have mentioned).
 
Probably also houses the town military garrison (this should have been a thing years ago).

@Background Pony #0E9E  
@Vagabund  
I once thought of an alternate plotline to season 9.  
Celestia and Luna don’t ‘retire,’ they basically see that the mane 6’s approach is more effective than what they’ve done and they feel it would be fitting for them to handle everything.  
The whole season goes as usual but Grogar is real. Discord is aware of him though and they’re on an equal level power-wise. Then when the final battle happens and Canterlot blows up Celestia decides that maybe this is a sign that the new rule might be better off in Ponyville. They already have a castle specifically made for them so might as well base them there. The trio gets reformed but Grogar gets turned to stone. Discord convinces them to try to reform Grogar later because anecdotal arguments are pretty effective.  
In the epilogue Ponyville has exploded in growth and the Friendship Parliament has made similar changes to what we saw in the official release. Canterlot doesn’t rebuild as much because it’s not the capital anymore; the sisters still live there but to only deal with the sun/moon and in case something really bad happens again. Starlight isn’t part of the parliament but she is the headmaster of the school along with Sunburst. Eveyobody doesn’t look old because it’s just unnecessary. Spike’s growth does make sense; wouldn’t change that. The episode doesn’t have that flashback part, instead we get offhand exposition about other characters. The Magic of Friendship Grows still happens but the end card is in front of the castle. That’s a wrap.

.-. im so confused

@Vagabund  
I would’ve been completely satisfied with the finale if that were the case.

I’m still in complete disbelief that the writers decided to have a Twilight move away from Ponyville. Yeah, I know she’s supposed to be ruler of equestria now, and I know that her friends are already going to be helping her in the form of a council, and that at the very least the writers had Twilight and her friends resolved to have them (Twilight’s friends) meet often (hopefully frequently) with Twilight to do hopefully whatever as the said council “of friendship” and/or just as her friends, but why can’t she just continue her life at her own castle in Ponyville? Why can’t she rule from there instead with the help of her friends? Did this really have to have a similar ending as 6Teen?

Starlight Glimmer

Its eldritch now. Sorry, Harry.

@Vagabund  
*sighs*  
Yeah. That’s pretty sad, not gonna lie.

I think it’s now another tourist attraction!

I would assume she turned it into housing for more student for school.

Probably Luster Dawn will move there. She needs her own tree-library.

Apart from Starlight, I could imagine her letting Sunburst and Trixie live as “castlemates”. Sunburst could make use of the gigantic library, and Trixie has a lot of room to practice her shows.
 
And it could make a fine idea for a fan fiction.

I mean, the Castle of the Two Sisters was still in the Everfree. Run down a bit, sure, but still standing. Plus, this castle wasn’t so much built as GROWN. It’s sitting atop the Tree of Harmony! That in and of itself would be reason to keep it around. I like to think that it was converted into a place students could further their education in Friendship. Like a Friendship University or something.

@Background Pony #F6B1  

 
So? Starlight still can own her castle and let Twilight in when she’s visiting.
 

 
Because she’s her best student/pupil? She doesn’t have to be a princess to own a castle if Twilight lets her stay there.

@LaszlVFX  
Umm…hello? She can use it for running away from Canterlot. Kings and queens back then had 2 castles.  
Plus, if Starlight was completely in charge of the castle, why isn’t she a princess?

@Background Pony #F6B1  
Why would she keep 2 castles? I think Starlight living there would make more sense.

Maybe it’s a second castle that still belongs to Twilight?

@iTwilightSparkle
 
Uh… what do you mean “Trixie?”

Pretty simple. Twilight still lives there. It’s a second home from when she needs to escape Canterlot.
 
That or Rarity does after she gave the boutique away.

@NgKQ  
Oh I second that, from a pink maned Mayor to a Pink Mayor, seems nice.

@iTwilightSparkle  
Talking about the future Mayor I vote Diamond Tiara for that