The book closed with a thump.
Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship and Ruler of Equestria, stood up and stretched, spreading out her massive wings in a rather impressive display. However, there was no one around to glimpse the majestic sight. She was completely and utterly alone in the courtyard, just as she liked it. Closing her eyes, she let the golden rays of the sun she raised every morning warm her coat. It was a wonderful day, the type that was perfect for partaking in her reading time.
Using her magic, she levitated the book off the ground. It was an old tome, worn down from thousands of years’ worth of consistent reading. Many pages were hanging on by a thread, others had torn slightly or were stained yellow. Still, Twilight made certain that nothing overly destructive happened to it. All the important parts of the book, the contents, the words, the pictures, were still intact after all this time.
She smiled as she gazed upon the cover, remembering with vivid snapshots everything that was recorded within. The golden unicorn on the cover, with its sapphire eye, glinted as she tilted it around, reflecting the bright sun. She ran a hoof on the faded leather-bound cover, admiring the feel just as much as she did when it was first created. She liked to think the beautiful cover was indicative of the stories inside.
This admiration only lasted a moment, though. She had to meet her student within the hour, and she was loath to be late.
Today would be the day, she knew.
With a shake of her head to get her bearings, she left the courtyard behind and entered the castle proper, the book still in her magical grip. Her guards stood at attention as she opened the door inside, which she waved off with a casual flick of her hoof. As she did every day, she traveled to the throne room and sat upon her royal seat.
As soon as her flank touched the cushion, the doors burst open and Sunshine Glisten strode in.
“Princess Twilight!” she exclaimed as she approached. “You’ll never guess what happened today! I was studying in the library, when I saw another pony having trouble with their own studies. I asked if they needed help and they said yes! So, I assisted them, and after he asked me to meet up again soon!”
“That’s wonderful, Sunshine!” Twilight said. “You’ve come so far since we first met.”
Sunshine blushed and pawed at the marble floor with her hoof, yet kept her confident grin all the same. “Heheh… Oh, I don’t know about that…”
“I mean it,” Twilight said, allowing her student another moment to soak up the praise. “You’ve been a wonderful student, and that’s why it’s time.”
Sunshine’s faux-bashfulness ended, replaced with confusion. “Time…? For what?”
Twilight held up the book, shaking it back and forth slightly in the air. “Time for you to read this! I have all my students read it, you know.”
Sunshine gaped at the floating object in front of her. “Is that what I think it is...?”
“It is!”
"I-I thought it was just a rumor! All of your students have read that? You mean, like, from the very beginning?"
"Correct!"
“But, that means its thousands of years old!”
“Yup! Do you know how hard it is to preserve this old thing, even with my magic? Very. But it’s worth it.” Twilight floated the book over to Sunshine. “Take good care of it, OK? It means a lot to me.”
Her student trembled as she took it from Twilight’s magic with her own, moving it gingerly into the knapsack on her back. “I wouldn’t dare do anything to it, Princess Twilight! I will read it all tonight, and bring it back to you posthaste!”
Twilight chuckled at Sunshine’s typical enthusiasm. “I trust you won’t. Why else would I have taken you on as my student?”
With a shaky bow and a swish of her orange mane, Sunshine left, leaving Twilight alone with her guards in the throne room. She didn’t move for a moment, simply sitting and thinking. She had so many students over the years, a new one every generation since her coronation. They all read the book, but the reactions varied wildly. She wondered, how would Sunshine take it? With great anticipation, she awaited the next day.
…
Twilight knocked on the door, and Luster Dawn answered.
Luster gasped. “Princess Twilight?!” she said with a bow. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t expecting you today!”
“No need for the formalities, Luster,” Twilight said, nuzzling her protégé gently. “Can’t I check up on my old student from time to time?”
She returned the nuzzle. “Oh, of course. It’s just… been so long since we’ve seen each other.”
Twilight tilted her head. “How long has it been?”
Luster tapped her chin in thought. “Give or take a decade. I think the last time we saw you was at my wedding.”
Twilight's eyes widened, horrified. “I’m sorry for neglecting you for so long! All these years are beginning to blur together…”
Luster smiled, and waved her inside. “It’s fine! My life in Ponyville has been fantastic, thanks to your guidance. So many friends… and now family.” She pointed to the kitchen table, where a gawking filly sat. “My third, Crescent Moon. A rascal, that one,” she whispered to Twilight before raising her voice again. “Young filly, where are your manners? Say hello to our guest!”
As Crescent muttered some nervous words of greeting, Twilight studied Luster. It truly had been that long, hadn’t it? She could see the crow’s feet near her eyes, the slight streaks of grey in her golden mane, the noticeable weight gain that she assumed came from years of motherhood. How could this all happen so quickly?
Luster clucked her tongue. “Now, I doubt you’re simply here to see little old me. There is something else on your mind, isn’t there?” she asked. Her student still knew her all too well.
“Well, of course I wanted to see you again, but…” she began with a slight blush. “I also wanted you to read something I wrote, and give your opinion on it. Consider it one last assignment, from teacher to student.”
Using her magic, Twilight levitated the brand-new book from her knapsack and placed it on the table in front of Luster, who stared at it in wonderment.
“Wow! Are you having it published?”
“Soon, yes. Spike loved it, Discord loved it, but I felt I would be remiss if my first student didn’t get the chance to check it out.”
Excitement shining in her eyes, Luster immediately began to flip through the pages. With each page turn, her expression softened.
“I compiled all the stories of my old friends and me, and placed them into a single volume. Like the Friendship Journal, but better!” Twilight explained. “I had to do some digging to find some of their individual experiences, but I think I’ve got them all!”
Luster looked up, a sad smile on her face. “I… I think it’s wonderful, Princess Twilight. What are you going to title it?”
“Friendship is Magic. I can’t think of a more fitting title. Can you?”
…
The meeting began much as it did yesterday. Twilight sat on her throne, and Sunshine entered the very second her allotted time allowed her to. However, in place of enthusiasm, there was confusion in her expression.
Twilight smiled knowingly. “What troubles you, my little pony?”
Her student cleared her throat. “I… read the book, cover to cover. It was fascinating, yes, but I’m just… confused on the importance of it, is all.” She levitated it out of her knapsack, carefully turning the pages. “It’s simply a recounting of your daily life with your friends. You already taught me the most important chapters here, like Nightmare Moon, the changeling attack on Canterlot, Tirek’s return-“
“Most important, eh? What about the chapter where Pinkie and I play that trivia game. Do you recall that one?”
“…I guess so?”
“How about the chapter where I went crazy trying to force a friendship lesson?”
“OK, that one was pretty funny, but-“
“Oh! The chapter where Rainbow Dash learns to appreciate reading! That’s a good one.”
“Yes-“
“And we can’t forget the day Cheese Sandwich came to town! I remember when Pinkie told me her perspective on that, it took a while to edit it all down.”
Sunshine didn’t even try to say anything this time, simply watching her teacher with a quirked eyebrow.
Twilight chuckled. “You’re wondering why I had you read all that, right? Well, it’s very simple. The stories in there, no matter how mundane, are meant to be told, passed down as long as I am able to do so.”
Sunshine’s doubt didn’t waver. “Even the chapter about that wedding, featuring ponies who had barely appeared beforehand?”
“Especially that chapter! It was a memorable day, that one…”
Her student eyed the book. “…You remember everything in here, don’t you?” she asked.
Twilight almost lost her poise at that. It was true, she remembered everything as if the events happened yesterday. There were times she cursed her photographic memory, but, in the end, she was grateful that such important experiences would never be lost to the sands of time.
“Of course, I reread it often! You should feel lucky, you know. You’re holding what is possibly the only copy left, the original, the one I’ve kept all this time.”
Despite her reservations, Sunshine looked upon the tome in awe. “That’s amazing… But, what’s so much better about this one compared to the other accounts? The others you've shown me have been a lot more… concise.”
Twilight’s smile turned wistful. “It has everything my first friends and I did, all down to the details. Our adventures, our personal lives, what we learned, what we accomplished, our triumphs and defeats, our highs and lows. If you want to learn about friendship, this has everything you could ever want to know.”
Sunshine nodded. “So, no bias involved then?”
“Maybe a little,” Twilight said with a shrug, “but just dig a little under the surface. Every chapter has something more to it, a lesson to be learned. Speaking of lessons...” She rose from her throne. “I have to show you something. Follow me.”
…
The book was going out of print.
Where they once flew off shelves, they now collected dust, the publishers said. Fresh stories were being created, and this out-of-date tale wasn't in style anymore, they said. Only a select few had any interest, they said. Out with the old, in with the new.
Twilight considered forcing the book’s reprinting in perpetuity, she had the authority to do so after all. But that was the type of tyrannical ruling she strode to never partake in, no matter how small the issue. So, after she couldn’t convince them no matter how hard she tried, she acquiesced. Friendship is Magic was no more.
It had a good run. She remembered how, every so often during the hundreds of years it was in print, one of her subjects would come up to her and simply explain how much the book helped them.
A filly who thanked her during the Festival of the Two Sisters. “Princess Twilight, I get bullied in school. A lot. But you and your friends… they showed me what it means to stay strong!”
A young stallion who approached her while she held court. “Oftentimes, I feel like I’m worthless. Like, what I’m doing doesn’t matter. But your book showed me I matter, that everyone matters!”
An older mare who expressed gratitude while she took a stroll around Canterlot. “I’ve read this book since I was a child… I had my grandchildren read it, and my own children before them. The lessons within… you won’t believe what they’ve done for me.”
Maybe they had a friendship issue, or were in a dark point in their lives. Perhaps they just wanted some entertainment, or needed a source of comfort. Whatever the case, it warmed her heart that her old friends still helped others after all this time.
In truth, whether it went out of print or not didn’t truly matter. She had the book, she remembered it all. As such, she would ensure the story lived on.
…
The two of them left the throne room to traverse the halls of the castle, all the way up to Twilight’s quarters. Very few had access to this area, a fact Twilight could tell Sunshine knew all too well judging by the slack jawed look on her face.
They entered her quarters, a large room featuring scores of bookshelves filled to the brim with reading material. A couple stood out from the rest, each book within them bearing the same spine. They were volumes of the same series, differing only in length, taking up shelves upon shelves. Sunshine glanced between them and the book she held, realization in her eyes.
“How many volumes are there?” she asked breathlessly.
“Too many to count." Twilight stared at the shelves, unmoving. "As you know, what you read about was just the beginning. In the many centuries I've ruled since, I've been lucky enough to meet an untold number of friends. Like the ones before them, they come and go, leaving my life as soon as they enter. It all happens so quickly..." A contemplative pause. "...And so, I make sure to document every single one of them, and it all started with that first volume." The one which, admittedly, would always be closest to her heart. "None of these have been published. However, published or not, these stories, these friendships, are now documented forever. You will be in one yourself someday.”
“…M-Me?”
Twilight turned around and nuzzled her student. “Of course! You’re a dear friend of mine. Didn’t you know? Your story may end someday, but I’ll always cherish it. Just as I do for my other friends, I will make certain you'll never be forgotten.”
Sunshine, eyes welled with tears, considered the book she held for a moment, before opening it again. “I… I really liked the chapter where Pinkie annoys the old donkey,” she said with a sniffle.
“Heh, that’s a fun one. What about when Rarity gets captured by those diamond dogs?”
The two of them talked about the contents of the volume for hours, rereading their favorite passages. Truthfully, it was just as much for Twilight’s benefit as it was for Sunshine’s. She enjoyed reminiscing on these memories more than anything, and this provided the perfect excuse. She couldn’t feel too bad about it, though, as the friendship problems involved remained as relevant as they did thousands of years ago.
Yes, it was truly a timeless tale. The lives of her first friends, no matter how much things changed, were as important as ever.
“I'm sorry I didn't understand before, Princess Twilight,” Sunshine said as their discussion reached its end. “You just want them to be remembered in some way, to make sure that what they had to tell us wouldn’t disappear. Not just these friends, but all your friends. I can't even imagine taking on such a task.”
Twilight simply nodded in response as she regarded the final page of the book. It was a worn picture of her and her first friends, hugging each other and smiling. A small tear trickled down her cheek before being wiped away.
It's been so, so long, and yet...
“Well, I suppose we’ve had enough for one day, huh?”
And so, with a thump, the book closed once more.