Dear Mom and Dad,
Sorry it’s been so long, but you’ll be happy to know I’ve been busy! And no, for once I don’t mean studying. Well, not just studying, anyway. Studying of a different kind? Sorry, I’m rambling and Spike’s probably taking down everything verbatim, so I’ll try and cut to the chase.
Long story short: I’ve got a job! Yup, that’s right; I’m actually doing something with myself other than just being stuck in a tower for most of the day. And do you want to know what it is? Ok then I’ll tell you: I’m a librarian! In Ponyville Library! You know, the place where the Summer Sun Celebration as held this year, and where Nighttime Eternal almost began? It’s a wonderful old place, magically formed out of a real, living tree, and I couldn’t be happier!
No doubt you’re either thinking something along the lines of “Wow, Twilight, that’s a really funny joke!” or “What on Earth did our daughter, Princess Celestia’s personal protégé, do to end up working in a library in Ponyville of all places?!” If the first, you know me better than to think I’ve suddenly developed a particularly good sense of humour, and if the second, then don’t worry: I still am Princess Celestia’s pupil, she’s just given me a new assignment.
Now I haven’t read the papers and I don’t really know quite how they’re reporting everything, so let me explain on my own terms.
When Princess Celestia sent me to Ponyville to oversee the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration and to make some friends, I wasn’t really all that bothered. Not because I couldn’t be bothered with the celebration itself, you know it’s always been one of my favourite times of the year, but because I had my mind on something which I felt was far more important, namely the impending return of Nightmare Moon.
All things considered Princess Celestia probably knew about it before I did, but whenever I’ve asked her about it she just smiles and changes the subject.
Anyway, the point is that I was caught up in getting the preparations done with as fast as I could, so that I could try and find evidence to prove to the Princess how much in danger we all were. So caught up, in fact, that I initially failed to see something that was right in front of my face. The ponies of Ponyville are all amazingly inviting, and five in particular would later that night stand out as my first true friends. In fact, despite all the other friends I’ve made here since then, those five are still my greatest and we meet up all the time to go and do all the “young pony things” that you were both always telling me to do!
And that is why I wanted to stay here, in Ponyville, rather than return to Canterlot to continue with my studies there. I still am studying, don’t worry, and living in a library is probably the best thing ever for that. True it’s not quite the Canterlot Royal Library, but it was amazingly well-stocked to begin with and the Princess is more than happy to send me any books I may request.
That brings me back to the new assignment Princess Celestia has given me, and that in turn brings me back to my new friends. She has instructed me to study the “Magic of Friendship”, and report back to her with my findings. Before you say anything: yes, it is as real and tangible a subject as other magic, if not even more powerful. That is how my friends and I defeated Nightmare Moon: not only did each of us represent the values of the Elements of Harmony (Laughter, Generosity, Honesty, Loyalty, Kindness, and in my case Magic) but we all shared a very special bond of friendship, a bond that, without which, would have rendered us completely unable to use the Elements, and would have meant Nightmare Moon’s victory.
In the very short time since I met them all, my friends quickly showed me the benefits of having ponies around you who really care about you and your wellbeing, sometimes at risk to themselves. They didn’t have to come with me as I went into the Everfree Forest to find the Elements, and considering how I’d mostly brushed them off earlier on I was pretty surprised that they did. But they clearly saw something worthwhile in me that I had chosen to ignore in them, and everypony benefited from them giving me their help.
What does all of this have to do with me running a library? Well, it’s quite simple. It acts as a focal point for the community, and most of the new friends I’ve met, I’ve met through it. This is where ponies come if they want to know something. As I’ve said, it’s amazingly well-stocked with all sorts of books on all kinds of subjects, even containing several rare tomes that I’ve never seen outside of Canterlot before! Not that I really got around much before, but you get the idea.
If a foal wants to read the latest adventure novel by Anthony Horseowitz, they come to me and my library. If a Pegasus wants to bone up on cloud dispersal, they come to me and my library. If an Earth pony wants to get the low-down on soil-types, they come to me and my library. If another Unicorn wants to read about Starswirl the Bearded’s magical theorems… well, it hasn’t happened yet, but if they did then they can come to me and my library! It makes me feel really worthwhile, actually being able to share my love for knowledge on any subject with any pony that may need it! And with Spike around, I can easily find any book that a pony needs at the drop of a hat! He’s got the whole place reorganised already, I just don’t know what I’d do without him.
Being the town’s librarian allows me to make a difference on a day-to-day basis, helping ponies acquire the information they need whenever they need it, as well as allowing me to keep up my all-important studies like before. Unlike before, however, now I can do that in the company of friends, and I can rely on their help should I ever get stuck on a difficult part.
Give my love to Shining for me, you can tell him his LSBFF is getting on just fine! And if you happen to see Cadance at all, thank her for Smarty Pants again. I just found him again in one of my cases, and I gave him a big old hug when I did, just for her!
Your loving daughter,
Twilight Sparkle
A proud librarian!