Dear Princess Celestia,

I'm sorry I haven't written in a while. Things seem to be falling through the cracks lately. Spike thinks I should go see the doctor, but...

There comes a time when the light must go out; but how do you know if you've burned brightly enough?

There is a secret about her building Rarity never shared with anypony: there is a hidden room inside the Carousel Boutique.

She's kept it from everypony for a reason though.

Every mare deserves to have her secrets, after all.

Edited by Nahmala

Thanks to DWK for being my "Rarity Consultant" for this story.

Prompt for story acquired from here.

Derpy has been summoned to Canterlot by Princess Celestia. She has been fitted with the ceremonial armour of the Royal Guard, and has been brought to a courthouse. The princess has asked her to speak of an event in her past that she has no memory of. An event that changed her life and altered her personality. She just has to keep reminding herself that "most days are pretty good."

Love doesn't always last forever. And sometimes it can crumble so spectacularly that you never want to see or speak to the other person again.

Celestia was perfectly content with that. But when Twilight Sparkle suddenly appears at the palace in Canterlot, after a century of silence, she has no choice but to talk to her.

Politely, of course. Always politely.

*Credit and many thanks go to littlerobotbird for the concept and editing of the cover art. As near as I can tell, the original picture is Jykinturah's work, but the source post seems to be gone.*

It has been eighty years since Twilight came to Ponyville. She has grown old and her days of adventures have long since past. She has lost a lot. But on the day before the Summer Sun Festival, she likes to pause and reflect. Who knows if she'll be able to do this again.

For more than a millennium, it was believed that the princesses were immortal. But as time marched ever forward, it become clear that even the alicorns won't live forever.

Princess Celestia is at the end of her life.

While Equestria must find a way to cope with this new reality, those that are truly suffering are those closest to her. None are struggling as much as her sister, Princess Luna. Not only is she forced to handle the duties of ruling Equestria and taking care of the transition, she must also cope with the imminent death of her beloved sister.

Image source.

Warning: comments may contain spoilers.

Chrysalis is dying and she has but one thought on her mind. When she is gone from the world, who will care for the one thing in the world she values above life itself?

What will she sacrifice? How much of her pride will be thrown aside? To what lengths will she go to ensure her daughter's life? Will she beg a mortal enemy for mercy, not for herself but for an innocent foal? She is already willing to die for her child so what else could she give to be certain of the filly's sustained happiness?

This is my entry for the EFNW 2014 Writing Contest. I'm really happy with it so it doesn't matter whether I win or not. Seriously I'm glad I got to tell this story.

Alright big shout out time. As of March 13, 2014 the impeccable Goombasa has posted this... HERE ... Now that a YouTube fanfiction reader has read one of my stories I am one step closer to world domination!

New big shout out time! As of August 28, 2018 the lovely CountessRose has posted this HERE ... Now that a second YouTube fanfiction reader has read the same story as last time, I am yet another step closer to worlds domination!

Now on to the important details, the shout outs to the artists responsible for the vectors and background I used to make the cover art.
The Chrysalis Vector
The Celestia Vector
The Background
Many thanks to them.

She was his first friend, his dearest friend, his oldest friend, but after all these years he has to let her go. He doesn't want to, but sometimes you don't get your way. Goodbye Fluttershy.

Even when there's no light at the end of the tunnel, that doesn't mean you can't keep moving. Luna finds it within herself to put one hoof in front of the other, as her immortality melts away.

"Astoundingly, sex does /not/ ensue" - Pearple Prose