Hello, dear reader. My name is Twilight Sparkle.
At this current point in time, I can now refer to myself as “her royal majesty” Princess Twilight Sparkle since I was just recently crowned the leader of Equestria, but for now, I will address myself more causally as Twilight. I am writing this journal to document the important events of my life, starting after my coronation. My best friends who have helped me on my journey may be adding their own entries as well. If you are curious to know the details of what our lives were like beforehoof, I would highly recommend picking up a copy of the “Journal of Friendship” in any bookstore.
Here is a short summary of my life up until now: I started out as a regular unicorn living in Canterlot with little to no friends. I was reclusive and constantly up to my eyeballs in my studies. That all changed when I discovered that friendship is magic and I defeated a powerful foe with the help of five ponies I had just met. Ever since then, the six of us have all been on amazing adventures, learning lessons in friendship and defeating even more adversaries that sought to bring Equestria to its knees.
I became an alicorn at one point when I passed an unexpected test of friendship and grew wings. Several years later, my predecessors, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, retired from their positions as the leaders, and passed the crown to me. We had a few issues before this event such as Canterlot being under full-scale attack by three powerful villains, Lord Tirek, Queen Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow or the “Trio” as some call them. I am pleased to report that they have been taken care of and are currently petrified in stone in the Canterlot Garden. I will continue this journal by summarizing events of my life as the princess of Equestria every so often starting with my coronation.
~Entry 1~
It’s been about a month since the coronation. While my induction into leadership was painted by the press as the event of the century and a happy moment for all, the first few days of it were anything but happy for me. It was actually very painful. I had to make some major adjustments to my internal clock and develop new sleeping habits. Princesses are expected to be on time for royal duties and meeting with politicians and lawmakers six days a week. Thankfully, I am super organized and keep excellent schedules, though I do have to admit, I was a bit underprepared for some things. Thankfully, the parliament members of the Canterlot Palace courts have tons of experience with politics and gave me helpful advice. I persevered and things got better as time went on, but it wasn’t just the work I had to do that got to me.
What was much worse was the constant painful lump in my throat from just thinking about being away from my best friends. I still have Spike with me all the time, but Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy are all still in Ponyville living their own lives and adjusting to this big change. I have a feeling they miss me just as much, but they’re lucky they don’t have to deal with princess duties like I do. I am pleased to say that all the ponies in the castle have been nothing less than kind to me. They all understand that I’m getting started out with this and are constantly making sure I have everything together and am not on the verge of a breakdown. Just the thought of them all being there for me makes me feel much better when I’m missing my friends. Every single one of them has been treating me like a new family member.
Celestia came to visit me after the first week. I cried quite a bit and told her how scary the whole thing was, but she was very assuring. She spoke with some of the palace staff to better accommodate my living conditions. I felt much better after having seen her. She says she will come to visit Canterlot every week or so to see how I’m doing until I’m comfortable enough. The Wonderbolts stopped by for an important meeting with me a few days later and I got to talk with Rainbow Dash. I got a little emotional around her too. She reminded me of how she was a bit of a nervous wreck when she started out in the Wonderbolts. She gave me advice on how to deal with it and get rid of that lump in my throat. Apparently she’s been seeing a pegasus stallion she met outside of the Wonderbolts Academy some time right before the coronation. I feel much better now, knowing she’s doing so well and is starting a relationship. Pinkie Pie has been hanging around lately with Cheese Sandwich. Maybe something will come of that too. I’ve been writing letters to everyone else and Spike sends them for me with his fire breath. I’ll be seeing them all in a few days to start the first “Council of Friendship” meeting.
I have to say, despite all the stress and missing my friends, I do feel very much at home in the castle. It looks even better than before since much of it had to be rebuilt and renovated after the attack. All views from the balconies are beautiful and I can see for miles beyond the mountain. It does feel very good to be back in the city I was born and raised in, even if my fondest memories come from Ponyville. Aside from the living accommodations, the cuisine is also superb. I can tell the members of the kitchen staff have been working harder than ever to make sure I never have an empty stomach. The daisy and oat salad is my favorite meal on the royal menu.
One more little detail: I have decided to change up my regalia. I really appreciate Celestia and Luna giving me their merged crown, but unfortunately it is a bit too big and I think I may need to grow as big as Celestia before I can start wearing it regularly. For now, I’ve taken to wearing a periwinkle neckband and anklets as well as a tiara that resembles my old Element of Magic crown. The gold looked nice but I feel like I will have to grow into wearing such a regal color.
Well, for now, I’m just going to take baby steps with all of this. It’s overwhelming and it’s easy to get stressed out, but it’s getting better as time goes on. Spike and I will soon adjust to this new life, and I hope that my friends and everypony else that lives there can adjust to having Ponyville without me. I’m not sure when the next entry will be, but I look forward to making it. Here’s to more years of a successful run as Equestria’s leader.
~Entry 2~
It’s been about three years since my first entry. I apologize if the hiatus was lengthy, but I wanted to wait long enough to have many good things to report on.
First of all, I think it’s safe to say that I’ve adjusted to my royal life and Spike and I are doing great here. Everything positive I had to say about it in the last entry has gotten better and the negatives have little effect on me now. I do still get a bit stressed at times, but problems get solved here very easily with the help of my subjects. Since I’m a leader, I do have to deal with other politicians questioning how I run things and giving me constructive criticism, but I listen to them and try my hardest to come to a conclusion. I’ve gotten a lot done in terms of passing new laws. A lot of problems arose over the past few years since the coronation, much of them having to do with safety concerns for the residents of Equestria since many of us still fear attacks from other villains. I’ve decided to increase the military and welcome in plenty of non-pony soliders and guards. Even with Queen Chrysalis imprisoned in stone, there are still some evil changelings roaming around Equestria and causing problems. Thankfully there hasn’t been a large-scale attack like the changeling invasion of Canterlot or Tirek’s rampage ever since the coronation.
Now I’d like to report on some very good news about my friends. That stallion that I said Rainbow Dash was seeing a few years ago around the coronation, well he and Dash finally got married! His name is Thunderhead and he’s a wonderful husband! They’ve already had one colt and they’re expecting another in a few months. I’m so happy for her and I’m pleased to see how well she’s doing with being a mother and a Wonderbolt! She’s able to tackle both rather well!
While we’re on the topic of friends finding love, Applejack found it as well! I guess after Big Macintosh got married, she started talking to Burnt Oak’s son, Tex, who was present at the wedding with his father being a guest of honor. Since their fathers both knew each other very well, I guess that drew them closer and closer together till they finally fell in love and tied the knot. Tex had already been helping her a lot on the farm for the past few years because Granny Smith has been slowing down lately. Applejack told me she expected Granny to start fading soon. She’s now taken over as the manager of Sweet Apple Acres, but she’s glad she has a husband to help her out with it. Right now she’s busy nursing their newborn twins, but Apple Bloom, Big Macintosh, and Sugar Belle are still there to lend a helping hoof.
Pinkie Pie is still working at Sugarcube Corner, but plans to become a full-time party planner once Pound and Pumpkin Cake are old enough to help Mr. and Mrs. Cake out at the confectionary in a few years. She’s still been spending a lot more time with Cheese and helping him with throwing some huge parties, both in Ponyville and outside of it. They seem to be getting closer every time I see them interact. I have a strong feeling there’s something going on between them.
Rarity and Fluttershy are also both still single, but are enjoying it. Rarity said she’s getting tired of falling for a handsome stallion and then finding out she doesn’t belong with him, so she’s taking a break from romantic interests for a while. She’s been very busy with her work lately and has been focusing more on that. Fluttershy has also been focusing a lot on her animal sanctuary and has even hired a few other ponies to help her out with it. I still have a feeling both of them will find handsome stallions one day.
Starlight and Sunburst have both been doing an amazing job with the School of Friendship. They’ve made some changes to the building and added some new curriculum that will really improve the education for the students. I was a little iffy about the idea of having Trixie be the new guidance counselor, but she actually seems to be doing very well with it. I never would have thought that Trixie, of all ponies, would be a great asset to the school I made. I’m glad to see she’s now gotten her act together and has a stable job.
Also, the six former students from the school, Sandbar, Yona, Gallus, Ocellus, Smolder, and Silverstream all graduated recently and are taking educational courses to become student teachers and eventual full-time teachers at the school. They did so wonderfully with their classes and with the final battle against the Trio, so they’ll make great teachers. Any creatures in Equestria who have experienced the magic of friendship at such a young age and seemingly have a connection with the Elements of Harmony definitely deserve to have such jobs.
Flurry Heart is also growing up rather fast. She can now speak full sentences and is learning to control her magic. Cadance and Shining Armor have so far been doing a great job raising her. They’ve arranged to have Starswirl the Bearded stop by the Crystal Empire every now and then to teach her some magic. I have a strong feeling that Flurry will one day be as gifted as I was when I started training under Princess Celestia.
Sunset Shimmer has also decided to return to Equestria not too long after the coronation. She really misses the friends she made in the world beyond the mirror, but feels she needs to come back to her roots and start spending more time with her family members and old friends she used to know. She’s already made friends with Flash Sentry (the one from our world that is) and has been hanging out in Ponyville and getting to know the pony versions of the friends she made in the Canterlot High School.
Something significant I did recently that I’ve wanted to do for a while was appoint Tempest Shadow as the captain of the royal guard. She’d shown interest in training to become a guard after taking some time off after the Storm King’s invasion. Her militia experience is perfect for a captain and she’s performed so admirably. After her time serving the Storm King, she has suspicions that the Trio could break free somehow so she has her guards check the royal garden every now and then.
Well there’s a lot more I could talk about, but I would rather not bore you, the reader, with all the details about the politics a princess has to deal with. Right now, all you need to know is I am doing wonderful and so are all my friends. I look forward to making another entry in a few years and hope to have much more great news to give.
~Entry 3~
It has now been seven years since my coronation. Much has happened and my life is getting easier as a leader with each passing day. I’m very happy with where I am now and my friends and I have all dealt with being apart rather well. Equestria has been without war or any major attacks since then, and harmony between ponies and all other creatures continues to flourish.
Celestia and Luna are very proud of me. They visit every now and then, but I now have enough experience that I don’t need much guidance from them. I’ve completely adjusted to my royal lifestyle and I grow wiser and wiser each day. I’ve also started to grow taller and have nearly reached the same height that Luna used to be when we first met her. I’m still the shortest of all the alicorn princesses, but I’m taller than any of my friends. Celestia says that it has always been very common for alicorns to grow this tall around thirty years of age, and females eventually grow to be as tall as she is. One day I may be able to wear my crown passed on from her and Luna once I feel the gold regalia suits me better.
Spike is surprisingly very happy where he is now too. He still missed Ponyville a lot when we moved to Canterlot and the other royal advisors suggested he take some time to settle in before he can be an official advisor and rightfully wear that badge I gave him before the coronation. I think they are right. I never wanted to pile too many responsibilities onto my number one assistant. He’s mostly there to help me out with chores and be the same helper he always has. He gives me emotional support and some advice, but any wisdom I need about politics and the duties of a princess comes from some of the royal advisors that Celestia and Luna left behind. Spike takes his job with great pride though and enjoys it nonetheless. While he’s grown up, he’s still got that cute little dragon kid vibe to him and that crazy sense of sarcastic humor he’s always had. He’s great with kids and Flurry Heart has taken to referring to him as “Uncle Spike” at times. He’s also grown a lot larger over the years, and I don’t just mean height-wise, I mean he’s gained quite a few pounds. He still loves eating those gems and I think the royal cuisine might have spoiled him a bit, but it’s added some extra insulation underneath his scales for the slightly colder weather we have here on Canterlot Mountain. He’s still diligent as ever and never complains about his work. He’s a lot stronger than he used to be and a surprisingly good flyer despite that large scaly belly.
As for Pinkie Pie, well I guess I can say I called it because she and Cheese Sandwich started dating recently! They seem to really like each other and are helping out with party planning and traveling all over Equestria to lend their services to all kinds of ponies and other creatures in need of it. I’m really happy that she’s living her dream and that she’s got a great boyfriend to help her out with it. I’m just waiting to hear when Cheese has finally popped the question. Pinkie’s wedding would be the biggest party she could possibly throw!
Rainbow Dash is doing very well. She actually quit the Wonderbolts not too long ago to focus on her family. It was really hard for her, but she was already sad about not being able to spend as much time with her kids, and now that she and Thunderhead are expecting a third child, she’s definitely going to be needing it. I’m so proud of her for making the right choice and proving once again that she is the Element of Loyalty.
Applejack, Tex and their kids are also doing great. Sweet Apple Acres is growing and becoming more popular in Ponyville. Ponies from all over Equestria have come by in the fall to have a taste of their goods and it’s been great for the family business. Their twins, Apple Chip and Annie Smith, are also old enough now to do some chores and they’re very obedient. They like to hang out with the Cake Twins a lot and with Rainbow Dash’s oldest child, Storm Streak, when they come to visit Ponyville.
Something rather surprising happened recently with Rarity: she moved to Canterlot. She said she needed to do this so it would be easier for the boutique. She and I can visit each other a lot more frequently and Spike is especially happy to have her around again. The boutique has really expanded and she’s getting better sales than ever before.
Fluttershy is still working with the animal sanctuary. She’s hired more workers and has made quite a decent business out of it. She’s even welcomed in more wild creatures like cockatrices and manticores. Despite how feared they were back when they were mostly native to the Everfree Forest, she’s been able to train them well to interact peacefully with ponies and the other animals. Discord has even taken to helping her out by using powerful magic to create portals for animals from far away to come in to visit and for ponies to send their sick pets to her. I’m really happy with how much Discord has changed ever since we reformed him. He may be a trickster, but he’s much more reserved and on the right side now than he ever has been.
Everything else has gone very well for the others: Starlight and Sunburst are taking excellent care of the School of Friendship, the “Student Six” are now the “Teacher Six” and have started teaching at the school, Sunset and Flash are in a relationship and she has taken up teaching at the School for Gifted Unicorns, and Tempest just appointed Flash Magnus as her first lieutenant.
One thing that has really been on my mind lately is the Trio, in particular, Cozy Glow. Chrysalis and Tirek are definitely criminals no doubt, but there has been some talk about if Celestia, Luna, and Discord were really in the right to turn all three of them into stone. Discord seems rather content with their imprisonment and is still holding a grudge against Tirek for betraying him back during Tirek’s first encounter with us. Celestia told me she and Luna were very enraged with them for destroying most of the castle and nearly ruining my coronation and future as a leader, which is why they acted so quickly once we drained them of their power. I wasn’t ready to do such a thing, but she and Luna were still in command and I felt didn’t need to be questioned. She’s not beyond setting Cozy Glow free, however, undoing the petrification spell would require great amounts of magic that would set the other two free in the process. I have personally told Canterlot security that I plan to one day do this, but only once we have found Cozy’s parents. I feel bad that we imprisoned a little girl in stone, but petrification spells perfectly preserve living creatures just like a cockatrice’s stare, so she is in no real danger. Once they come out, it will feel as if only a few moments have passed for them, so none of them are likely to change their minds. I will deal with Tirek and Chrysalis, but Cozy must be taken to her parents. If I cannot find her parents, I am not sure how much longer I can wait. If possible, I may ask my friends if they can do anything to reform them as Fluttershy once did with Discord.
Before I leave, I want to put emphasis on how much Flurry Heart has grown and matured. She’s been practicing with some powerful spells that Starswirl has taught her. I cannot help but notice she longs very much for an adventure and always tells me how much she wishes she could have started out like me as a regular unicorn instead of royalty. I think Shining and Cadance are pampering her a bit much and don’t seem to notice how much Flurry wants more in her life than being a princess, but I know they’ll eventually come around to the idea of letting her come to Ponyville one day to learn about friendship like I once did. I have a strong feeling she will be the one to solve the same kinds of problems I did when I was with my friends. My time as a hero has come and gone, and when trouble does arise again, somepony will have to take my place. I have also been having strange dreams lately about the Tree of Harmony and the Elements of Harmony. Perhaps the way I feel about Flurry’s future and these dreams will one day intertwine…
~Entry 4~
A year has passed since my last entry. I wasn’t planning on updating this quickly but there are some very important things you, the reader, need to know about.
I have been communing lately with the “Spirit of Harmony”. She first appeared to me as Princess Celestia, but now she speaks to me through the voice of a wise elderly mare. She told me a few months ago that Equestria may no longer be safe, but that “heroes will rise again.” I begged Her to tell me more, but She said it is my duty to find the answers myself. I wasn’t sure what She meant by that. I consulted the princesses and Starswirl on this. They told me they had never had any encounters with the Spirit, but they had had dreams that could be interpreted as messages from Her.
A few days ago I started having short, vivid dreams. I looked out by the castle labyrinth where we keep the statues, and realized that the statue of the villains had broken and left nothing but the pedestal and stone flakes around it. I saw Cozy Glow, Tirek, and Chrysalis all running away from it in different directions. I did not know which one to go after first. Suddenly, I was in front of Celestia and Luna’s old castle in ruins and beside me was a horrible, red beast with thick, armored scales and a horn protruding from his snout. He rushed towards the ruins and suddenly started to destroy the Treehouse of Harmony. I tried to stop him, but then everything around me transformed once again. I was now in Flurry Heart’s bedroom and she was on the floor sleeping peacefully. She had the Journal of Friendship under one of her hooves. I lifted it with my magic and opened it up. At first I saw all six of the Elements of Harmony, whole again. I turned the page to find a picture of the Bewitching Bell, but then a cloud of thick, dark smoke arose from from it. It took on the form of a ram with glowing yellow eyes. I knew right away who this creature was: Grogar, the “Father of Monsters”. He lifted his head back and made a fierce, low bray of a sheep, echoing all around and ringing in my ears. The dark smoke encircled me and I heard a voice come from Grogar.
“She will not stop me.” he said.
Then I woke up, my heart pounding in my chest and sweat dripping from my head.
I’ve had these dreams every night for the past week and have lost sleep because of it. I sat out on the sunset balcony last night and spoke with the Spirit. She told me that the answers have already been provided for me. I closed my eyes and thought hard.
This dream is telling me several things. First of all, Cozy Glow, Tirek, and Chrysalis will escape from their stone prison, but will not be joining each other which is why they ran in different directions. I’ve ordered Tempest Shadow to put the guards on a 24-hour watch out by the statue, but I know it won’t be enough. The villains will break free anyway, but the Spirit told me I should direct my attention more towards Flurry. Perhaps she is telling me this because there is still good in those three.
Next, Flurry Heart will be playing an important role in whatever is to come. Most likely she will be the one to find a way to stop that red beast I saw, whoever he is. There must have been a reason why she was reading the “Journal of Friendship.” I think she is ready to take on the same duties I did when I first came to Ponyville.
As for Grogar, I don’t know how, but he is likely still around. When he said, “She cannot stop me”, I think he was talking about Flurry. I don’t know how we will do it, but Grogar will be stopped. I have kept the Bewitching Bell hidden safely in the crystal caves, far beneath Canterlot, protected by a magic spell only I can break. As long as Grogar cannot find it and regain his full power, we should be safe enough from him, but the other three villains may be a problem.
Lastly, the Elements. I don’t know why I saw them in the book, but I have a feeling they will come back. Who they will choose this time is a mystery. The Spirit told me if they do come back, they might be very different from the ones we wielded before.
This is a lot to pile on and worry myself about, but I have a strong feeling Flurry Heart will do a good job dealing with this if she is truly the one the Spirit is calling out to. I am going to do the best I can to deal with it while tackling my royal duties, but my days of being the hero and solving such problems have come to an end. I can only pass on my knowledge as a teacher and lead as a princess. Flurry will grow as a result of this experience and will one day take her mother and father’s place as the leader of the Crystal Empire. She’s been bored with her royal life lately and wants to learn something, and that’s just what she’ll get. My story has ended. Flurry Heart’s story starts now.
