“Are yah’ sure about this?”
“Without a doubt.”
Spike grasped the scroll in his claws, unsure of the fate that lay within. All eyes were on Twilight, as her friends tried to gather whether or not they heard what she said correctly. There was confidence in her dictation, but still, while everypony wanted to believe that this was happening, they couldn’t help but have their doubts. The drake took a deep breath, and stalled, giving Twilight one last chance to back down. To revise the letter. To take everything back.
Twilight only smiled, tears forming as she looked upon the approving gazes of her friends. She nodded at Spike, urging him to be done with it, but still he held his tongue and brimstone. His eyes wandered around the rest of the group looking for someone who might object to what was about to happen. Dash had her hoof tightly wrapped around Twilight. Pinkie was too busy bouncing with joy, while Fluttershy expressed the same feelings with just a simper.
Applejack however, took notice that Spike hadn’t moved for several seconds, and grew tired of waiting. Holding back most of her strength, she bucked him in the side, and emerald flames shot out against his will, engulfing the parchment. The instant in time stood still, as the flash of light and ash faded off.
The immature dragon stared down at blank claw for a moment, curious of what had just transpired, and theorizing about whether or not it was some wonderful dream that he was about to wake up from. He again looked at the gathering of mares, wondering if he would find any sense of doubt or questioning among them, only to be overshadowed by Pinkie’s boisterous squealing.
“This calls for a party!”
***
A different fire was burning. Ruby hues and orange tints illuminated the Royal Chambers of Canterlot Castle. In a rare change of pace, the Ceremony Hall had been closed for the day. Today was not a national holiday, nor a day of any significant importance. Celestia simply had premonitions about the day, and found it best to spend the day alone. It had become more and more common over the millennia for Celestia to have her predictions about future events. Watching so much come and go from the world had given her an innate ability to pick outcomes with accuracy.
Instead of spending her time in contemplation, she occupied herself with a habit she had picked up from her student: organization. The alicorn’s shelves were stacked full of back records. Equestrian economics and history lined the walls of her chamber, detailing every bit of information the kingdom had about the world around it.
For several hours she had been stuck on a single folder. A collection of documents she wasn’t sure what to do with. There were many requests from private citizens over the centuries since she had implemented an open court, and occasionally she held onto a few, but now that these requests were fulfilled, she was unsure what to do with them.
During her years overlooking Twilight’s development into the mare she had become, Celestia had learned a couple things from the unicorn. Twilight’s voice echoed in her head as she debated what to do with the documents.
“Everything in its right place.”
While the sentiment had helped with her organization skills, Celestia still lacked a way to turn it into the answer she was looking for. She was growing impatient. There was much that needed to be done, but she felt as though she couldn’t move forward until the task in front of her was completed.
With the smallest amount of her innate magic skill, the folder floated back onto the shelf she had found it, but her horn still continued to glow. A dormant spell was surging inside her, and a nostalgic smirk formed across her face. It had been too long since she felt that bond connecting her and the young dragon that had taken residence in her kingdom.
She closed her eyes and released the idle spell in her horn. The smell of sulfur was an unpleasant drawback, but it had been so long that she welcomed the rancid scent. Flames receded from the air and a cloud of ash formed before her. As the dust took shape and color, she levitated the form in front of her. Her eyes finally opened when she felt something tap against her gold-plated hooves. She looked to see the unraveled scroll before her, its length causing it to fall against the ground and roll against her, and still it rolled on.
She had premonitions about this, but nothing she had predicted led her to believe the note would be so… long. She knew her student too well to expect long letters. Twilight could ramble in conversation, but her documentation was precise and mechanical in its nature. This wasn’t like her. Celestia searched for the message she had been eagerly awaiting for so long.
She quickly caught up with the end of the document, and clapped her hooves with foalish glee. The smile on her face grew even wider, and she instinctively held a hoof to her mouth to hide it, even though there was nopony around to see the princess lose the bonds of composure that normally contained her. With a spring in her step, she trotted back to the shelves and removed the folder that had been plaguing her thoughts all morning.
She gave one last fond read of the letters therein, and knew what must be done with them. Their requests fulfilled, she knew these words were best left between her and their respective authors. In a gesture of trust, she levitated the notes one by one into the cleansing light of the fireplace. The words were soon lost, but their message not forgotten…
***
Dear Princess,
I apologize that it’s been so long since the last of these letters. Years, now that I think about it.
It’s just… I thought these letters were done. I thought the rest of my words would be lost forever under a penname. My mind locked inside a prison of my own design, and my body trapped by retribution for my past mistakes. But I was wrong.
I had forgotten why I had written all those letters to you in the first place. It wasn’t because I had a lesson to share. It wasn’t because I had an adventure to tell. It wasn’t because I wanted to brag about my accomplishments or document my shortcomings.
It was because of her.
She changed all of our lives. For the better. And I, for one, can’t imagine what our lives would be like without her. It was you that gave her to us, and just like that, it felt like you took her away too.
I’ve learned better than that though. She wasn’t ‘taken away’. Everypony is responsible for their own destiny in this world. It was her decision to go, and while it hurt, I supported her. I told myself it was for the greater good. That there were those out there that needed her more than us.
But that’s not the real reason I wrote this. These letters are supposed to be about lessons learned, and indeed, I have one, perhaps, the lesson that’s taken me the longest to learn. In truth, I had known this for years, but it wasn’t until recently that I learned the significance of it.
I am Loyalty.
Or at least, I was, but still, it is a part of who I am as a pony. It is what I will be remembered for. Not for the stories I told. Not for the false pony I created. But for me.
But loyalty is more than a virtue, it is a responsibility. An innate desire to be there for those you care about. To protect them from danger. From sadness. From loneliness.
Sometimes, we forget who we are.
I wasn’t there. I wasn’t loyal. And I thought I could never forgive myself for it. When Twilight left, I lost a pony I was loyal to. When Rarity passed, I lost both her and Applejack, who I couldn’t protect from loneliness. Fluttershy, she has a new protector, and doesn’t need my loyalty anymore. Pinkie, well… Pinkie is Pinkie. With or without my loyalty, she was going to be fine, and I guess that I gave up on her along with the rest.
But I’m making up for that now, and this letter is the start of that. I have learned that loyalty means nothing if you have nopony to be loyal to. I’m coming out of the shadows, so to speak, and I’m there for my friends for the first time in years, even if they don’t know it. As it turns out, the one thing they need I can’t give them. All I can give is my loyalty, but what they—what I—need is something else.
They need her.
I know it’s selfish, but I ask, in the name of loyalty, that you find a way to return her to us. Of her own will, of course. Otherwise, my efforts will mean nothing. I know she can be… stubborn. I wouldn’t be surprised if she needs a little coaxing, but I know once she’s here, she’ll make the right decision.
Please, if at all possible…
We need Twilight.
Loyal to the end,
Rainbow Dash
***
Your Highness,
I’m sorry to bother you. I know how busy you must be, but this is pretty important to me, so I hope you don’t mind me taking up your time. I don’t want to alarm you. I know that I haven’t sent any letters in years. But it’s really, really, really important that I tell you what I learned.
I mean, that’s why I started writing these letters in the first place. I learned so much, and it was because I had friends around to guide me to learn things I was too scared to learn on my own. I served a place in that friendship, and for a time, in this kingdom as well. My place, as you already know, was to be Kindness.
But what it has taken me years to learn is that kindness begets kindness. It’s infectious. It spreads from one pony to another. I thought for years that I just needed to keep being Kindness, but that didn’t get me anywhere. It wasn’t until I felt the kindness of others that I learned this. It wasn’t any one pony that taught me to accept kindness, but I have found the part that all my friends played in this.
Applejack, she ‘gave’ me her brother, or at least deviously played a part in us realizing our feelings for each other. But she also gave me her daughter, so that I may teach her kindness.
Pinkie, while her primary skill was laughter, was kind enough to give up the parties, at least for a little while, to serve the town. Maybe she didn’t know what she was doing at the time, but I think she grew into it, and ended up embracing kindness.
Rainbow Dash knew kindness long before she realized it. It is unfortunate that her kindness was expressed through sacrifice, but she is the strongest pegasus I’ve ever known. She has suffered much, but has grown because of it.
I didn’t take notice of Rarity’s kindness until it was too late, and for that, I will always be ashamed. I never saw how much the two of us had in common. Generosity and kindness. We go hoof-in-hoof. Her final act was an expression of both. I wish the whole world could see her kindness, but I know it was meant for us, her friends.
But something is missing.
Twilight is the reason we all came to realize that our special talents go past our cutie marks. She showed us that there is value in the way we treat everypony. I realize now that I never got the chance to show her everything I learned about kindness, and what others have taught me, including her.
But even though Twilight knows of kindness, I feel there is still something I need to share with her about it. I need to show her the rewards that kindness reaps. I need her to see what I’ve done with it, and where it will take me. I only soar because of the kindness of others that lifts me up.
There are things here Twilight needs to see, and a pony she needs to meet.
Do you know if she’s coming back? Not just for me, but for the rest of my friends as well. They need her. They might not admit it, but I’m sure they do. I think the kindest thing I can do for them now is to try and bring her back to Ponyville, if only for a little while.
I hope it’s not too much to ask.
With kindness in my heart,
Fluttershy
***
Hey Princess!
I never really got the whole letters thing, but I figured this was important enough that I should try. It’s so much easier to sing though. Why couldn’t we just send ‘Singing Friendship Telegrams’? Everything’s better with singing and dancing! And cupcakes!
I mean, that’s a great idea, but that’s not the reason I’m writing. And don’t worry, Ponyville is doing okay. We’ve got plenty of food, and the weather ponies have been spot-on this year. I can’t believe I thought being mayor was going to be hard. It’s just a matter of making everypony happy. Make everypony smile! And nopony knows how to make ponies smile like Pinkie Pie!
Again, I’m getting off-topic. Why was I writing this again? And why am I writing everything I’m thinking? Ignore that. Mayor Pinkie does not have time for second drafts, so I’m just going to have to go with this.
Anyway, I’m writing because I learned something about friendship, and I realized that my friends and I were always under orders to tell you when we had some information on the topic. Being mayor isn’t the hardest thing in the world, but it does require a lot of time. Like all of my time. I haven’t had any time to be Pinkie, because I have to be mayor 24/7/364 (I still take time off for Gummy’s birthday).
What was I talking about? Oh, friendship. Yeah, isn’t it the best? I can’t think of anything better than spending all my time with my friends just dancing, singing, going on adventures, getting into trouble, getting into sticky situations, breaking down barriers, breaking down walls (that last wall always gives me trouble), break dancing (did I mention that already?).
Well, I’m sure you’re busy, so I’ll try to keep this short. I miss Twilight. I wanna hear her laugh again. Is she coming out to Ponyville anytime soon? I wanna throw her a party! With streamers and games and cake and punch and confetti and music!
I haven’t seen any of my friends laugh in a long time, and I live to see my friends smile. That’s why I was Laughter, right? No matter what got everyone down, I could always make them laugh. But lately, that’s become difficult. Not just because I’m so busy, but because I don’t know if someone’s laughing unless they’re here next to me.
I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’ll never hear Rarity’s laugh again. In fact, I’m not sure if I ever heard her laugh once, but I’ll always keep the memories of her smile close to me. Applejack, well she still laughs, but I don’t think she sees the humor in things anymore. I still see her smile though, whenever she comes back from her secret orchard (shhh! It’s a secret!). Dashie hadn’t laughed for years, but little does she know that I can hear her laughing every time I find one of her practical jokes in my secret hiding spots.
But Twilight, I don’t know if she’s laughing, and that tears me in half. I need to know she’s still happy. I need to make her laugh. I’m sure she’ll come back someday, but can you let me know when? I’ll need time to plan the biggest bash this town has ever seen! There’s going to be games and music and… well, you know the rest.
Keep laughing and party on!
Pinkie Pie
***
Dear Princess Celestia,
I was never too good at formal letters, but I’m giving this an honest shot; something I haven’t done in quite some time.
There are things I’ve learned lately that I feel the need to share with you. Things that have made me realize who I am and what I want out of life. I thought I already had the answers to this and everything, but lately, I’ve come to realize that these are questions that are never really answered. They simply reveal themselves as our lives go on.
And life does go on.
I’ve made mistakes. I’ve never lied about that. After all, I was Honesty. But it wasn’t until recently that I realized that I couldn’t be honest with myself. Fear got the better part of my honesty, and it was that same fear that robbed me of the one I love. First, from my life, then, from the world.
My biggest mistake was not realizing that it was fear, not honesty that made me do this. For years, I blamed my honest nature. I kept telling myself that if only I could have obscured the truth, even a little, perhaps I could have prevented disaster from occurring.
The loss of Rarity, nothing will ever compare to it for me. I never deserved her, but I was oh so lucky to have her, even if our time together was short.
But I still have friends. I still have others to live for. I have to make up for my years of dishonesty. I have to keep moving forward for them.
For Apple Bushel.
She’s a beautiful filly. I hope you meet her one day. Watching her grow up has been the greatest joy I could ever know, even if she’s not always with me. My brother, well he was the closest thing I ever had to a father figure, and it’s good to see those skills put to use again. Sometimes, it seems like I’m watching memories from my own foalhood playing out before me. And Fluttershy, she’s a natural mother. I only hope one day Big Mac gives her a foal of her own. Until then, she’s truly treated Apple Bushel as her own flesh and blood.
One day, I’ll be honest with Apple Bushel too. It’s not the happiest story, but it’s one that needs to be told. I can’t let Rarity’s passing serve no purpose, for it has taught me so much. It made me honest again. It broke me to pieces, then put me back together. I’d give anything to have her back, but even without her, I know now who I am, and what I must do.
I think the rest of my friends know more about themselves too. It’s a shame that it took the loss of our friend to realize this, but that’s why I write to you now. There’s still one friend that we’re missing, and while I know the other girls won’t admit it, I’m too honest not to. We need her back before it’s too late. Before this world takes her away from us. I think you know what I’m trying to say, but my honesty precedes me.
We need Twilight Sparkle.
It’s not just for us, but for her as well. There’s so much here that she needs to see and hear. I need to be honest with her, or I’ll regret it for the rest of my days. And it’s just not fair to her to not do it face-to-face.
I understand why she left. I’m not questioning that. It was her decision to leave, and it was the right one. She had nothing more to show us. But now, we have something to show her.
I need her. We need her. I just can’t be more honest than that.
My honest regards,
Applejack
***
The authors of the lost notes made their way toward the edge of the clearing where they had laid their friend to rest years ago, with Spike hitching a ride along Applejack’s back. Pinkie’s bouncing came to a sudden halt as she realized the group was missing a member, and when Pinkie stops bouncing, everypony in the vicinity tends to take notice. They turned their heads and saw Twilight still standing in front of the tree, lost in her thoughts.
“Hey Twilight!” Rainbow yelled. “Aren’t you coming?”
“Yeah!” Pinkie reinforced with her high-pitched squeal. “Didn’t you hear me? It’s time to par-tay!”
Twilight broke her concentration for a brief moment. “I’ll– I’ll meet you back in town. There’s still one more thing I came here to do.” She waved a hoof to communicate that all was fine.
Knowing her friend’s mannerisms, Applejack had a good idea what Twilight meant. She smirked a bit before calling out to her, “Jus’ don’t carve it intah’ the tree like this darn dragon.” Even across the field, she could see Twilight blush with embarrassment.
“Hey, that was uncalled for,” Spike defensively argued.
“She has a point, Spike,” Fluttershy urged, her soft voice almost completely muffled by the long mane that obscured her face.
To signal all would be okay, Twilight floated the still-wet quill in front of her and waved it back at her friends.
“Ah, right,” Applejack snickered to herself that after all these years, Twilight was still so predictable and prepared.
The group made their way onwards to Ponyville, as Pinkie’s fast rambling grew quieter with the distance. “Hey! Does that mean it can be a surprise party? Does it count if she knows we’re planning, but just don’t tell her it’s a surprise party? Make the surprise part a surprise? We all just yell ‘surprise surprise party’!”
As the rant trailed off to silence from Twilight’s setting, she turned back to the tree, wondering what she had left to say. Something inside her said that she couldn’t leave without finding a way to acknowledge her friend’s sacrifice, but for once, she was at a loss for words.
Twilight pulled her saddlebag up on her back and walked around the tree to the root-covered stone opposite it. It was hard for her to accept that this is what remained of the once-strong friendship she had. Memories replayed in her head. The sound of Rarity complaining, or sometimes whining, about the adventures her friends had dragged her on. It seemed so long ago, and Twilight remembered like it was yesterday.
She pulled a smaller parchment from her bag, and stared at the blank slate, hoping the words would just appear on their own. She found it impossible to summarize all her friend had taught her and all she would remember her for. The empty eulogy stared back at her, offering no advice.
Still, she refused to give up. There was at least one thing she had to say before she left here. The quill floated in front of the page, making a few quick scribbles. Satisfied with having at least said something, Twilight breathed a sigh of relief as she replaced her tools into her bag. The paper, still wrapped in a purple aura, rolled itself up, and a scarlet ribbon twirled around it to hold it in place. Twilight placed it between the twigs wrapped around the stone, hidden from the sight of all but who it was meant for.
She took one last look at the humongous tree that commanded the meadow. The leaves shook in the breeze, and Twilight wondered if it was some sign of approval. Twilight briefly held a hoof to the base of the trunk, and could still feel the faint magic that pulsated inside it, a sign of those who had lived, and how they live on.
Twilight fought back the tears as she turned to leave. ‘I still have time to grieve.’ Her gaze wandered to the tree as it disappeared from sight. ‘But she’d want me to spend the time with the friends I still have. Make sure…’
‘Everything in its right place.’
***
The same thoughts still echoed in Celestia’s mind as she still held the folder before her. One note still remained untouched by the flames, and she pulled it out before taking another glance at Twilight’s letter.
The fire flickered as the pile of ash collected at its base. The words lost were still fresh in Celestia’s mind, and she knew they always would, but she couldn’t bring herself to place the last note into the fire. This one, it begged to be heard; to emerge from a different fire.
Looking at Twilight’s note only confirmed this to the royal alicorn, and with a flash, she awoke that dormant spell again, sending the last note away. The folder still lay open on the table, and Celestia wondered what would become of it now. A smile spread across her face, as she knew something still needed to stay within her records.
Twilight’s final lesson folded itself gently within the white aura of Celestia’s magic, and fell within the confines of the file. Celestia placed it back on the shelf, hoping one of these days she could add to it. It hardly seemed appropriate for a file labeled ‘Legacies’ to have a single entry.
The logs in the fireplace gave way, and fell apart into the ash below. It hovered up the chimney and spread across Canterlot. The meaning within the words they once held scattering across Equestria. Somewhere in those words, the spirits of harmony still lay inside, and thus, within all of Equestria. New words replaced them, residing on the shelf to one day be heard by those who needed their guidance.
***
Princess Celestia,
To my guiding light,
Teacher,
I understand.
After years of study; decades of hardship, I understand what it is you’ve been trying to show me all these years.
I remember why I came to Canterlot in the first place, but more importantly, I remember why you sent me away. Why I came to Ponyville. Why I left. Why I’m here once again. It was a mission I never finished, but it’s one I never failed.
And finally, after all these years, I understand.
The meaning of friendship.
And I apologize, but it’s not here. Not in this letter. I’ve learned a lesson, but it’s not one I can share. I can tell you what I’ve seen. How I’ve grown. But this lesson, it doesn’t belong on a page. Perhaps the lessons I’ve recorded can guide other ponies along the way, but this one, it has to be witnessed on one’s own.
So I offer a different lesson. One of equal importance. I’ve already seen the books. I know how history will remember me when I’m gone, but seeing my friends who are still here, and finding the one that is gone has opened my eyes. And history is mistaken.
I am not Magic.
No, history will remember me that way, and I can understand why. But magic, it is more complicated than everypony thinks. And that is why I write this.
Because I have something to teach you.
I am not magic, nor are unicorns. Magic is limitless. Magic is potential. And I have seen that any pony is capable of magic, because friendship is magic. I had potential in myself for so many years, but I was never Magic before I met my friends, and without them, I was no longer Magic.
I have seen much since I returned to Ponyville. I have seen mares I once knew as fillies. Friends that I fought alongside as allies. Cutie marks where there were none. A town unchanged, but ponies that have grown.
Rainbow Dash, she has soared higher than any of us can know, but now, she is down-to-earth. She has learned to work through pain. Through agony. All so she can find what truly matters in life isn’t how high you can fly, but what’s waiting for you when you land.
She is magic.
Fluttershy, she has others to share her love with now, but she has not forgotten those closest to her. I see that in how the lessons she’s learned over the years are being passed down to a new generation. She shows us all how emotions go deeper than words. That a bond unspoken is still a bond. And that even when we speak no more, the bond remains.
She too, is magic.
Pinkie Pie, she continues to spread to those around her. It’s impossible to be in the same room with her and not feel her smile infecting you. Her penchant for parties has grown exponentially, and yet she still knows that it’s not how many streamers there are, nor how much confetti you get stuck in your mane. It’s who you party with that matters. The reason to party, the reason we laugh, is because we have others to do it with.
Like the others, she’s magic.
Applejack has lost more than any of us, but still, she counts her blessings. She knows that no matter where we go, no matter what happens to us, we are not alone. There are always those who will come after us, and apples never fall far from the trees. They turn to seeds. They grow. They flourish. They breathe new life.
And how can that not be magic?
But I am without a friend today. All I have is our friendship. Our magic. And I see that now in what she left behind. In the fruit. In the tree. In Ponyville. In us.
Rarity knew that magic is within all of us. She taught it to me, and now I to you. She only realized it too late, but refused to die without the opportunity to show that to the world.
Rarity learned, as I have, the meaning of friendship. And I only hope one day that everypony can learn it for themselves.
I recall now that this is not the only lesson I have to give my teacher. I see now that I have taught you something else before, many years ago.
For if I am not Magic, who am I?
I look back on where I have been; what role I played for my friends all these years. Time and again in Ponyville, I was taught that I need to rely on more in this world than magic. I had to find what I knew I could do to help those around me. And while it seemed so insignificant, I still served my place. In planning. In organization. And now I remember the first lesson I ever had to teach you.
‘Everything in its right place.’
For, you see, that is more than the key to organization, but to harmony as well. Loyalty. Kindness. Laughter. Honesty. Generosity. Magic. They are nothing if they are not together. Everything must be in its right place for friendship to occur. For the magic to happen. For harmony to flourish.
For me, that place is Ponyville. Beside my friends.
I hereby resign as the Royal Hoof of Equestria.
I hope—
I know you understand.
And now I do as well.
May magic guide this to you,
Y.F.S.
T.S.