Dear Princess Celestia,
I regret to inform you that I’ve gotten no closer to discovering the nature behind the phenomena witnessed one week prior. However, there is something equally interesting to report.
Not long after the pillar of light disappeared, you sent a letter tasking me with uncovering the truth behind the event. Coincidentally, the Cutie Map called upon my friends and me to solve a friendship problem just as I finished your letter. The coordinates of this friendship problem were located in none other than the area in which the pillar of light appeared. After gathering together, my friends and I were determined to find out what awaited us at the northern edges of Equestria.
After reaching our journey’s end, we found a crater in the snowy tundra. At its center, motionless, was the body of a pegasus pony covered partially in snow. Unsure as to whether he was dead or alive, we took a closer look. Our curiosity was met with shallow breaths and a beating heart. Determined to help him and interested in finding out why he was there of all places, I suggested to the others that we take him back with us to Ponyville and seek medical attention for him there. They agreed and we pulled him from the snow. Strangely, we found that the pony possessed no Cutie Mark even though he was clearly old enough to have one. Setting this odd discovery aside, we quickly took him back with us.
After admitting him to Ponyville Hospital, I returned to the site where my friends and I discovered him with the task you assigned me in mind. Assuming the event had a magical cause, I ran a multitude of tests to find any traces of magical activity in the area. Unfortunately, all test results were negative. Further efforts to find remnants of a magical artifact in the area proved pointless. Realizing that my only potential lead was the pony discovered earlier, and curious whether his friendship problem could be connected to the event, I returned to Ponyville. Out of both concern and curiosity, I visited his hospital room every day, even spending some nights there.
After a week of being unconscious, the pegasus pony awoke one morning. Seeing that he was finally awake filled me with joy and I was eager to acquire the answers I had been waiting for. However, I was disappointed: the pony did not know about the event or his name. He revealed that he was from another world and was not originally a pony. Our otherworldly visitor mentioned that he still retained memories of his old life, but was reluctant to share any information regarding it.
Accepting that I wouldn’t get the answers I’d hoped for, I at least expected to gain insight into the mission the Cutie Map bestowed upon my friends and me. Sadly, merely mentioning that he had a friendship problem was met with a rejection of the idea. However, I saw under his standoffish demeanor a pony wounded by a past he dares not recall. He does not realize the importance of friendship—the importance of fostering deep and meaningful connections with others. In a way, he reminds me of my old self. I wish to help him understand the meaning of friendship. This desire does not manifest solely from my duty as the Princess of Friendship or my responsibility to the Cutie Map. This desire runs deeper, born from the very scars my heart sustains from a battle long gone. I regret who I used to be before I met my friends. In the past, a shadow plagued my very soul. Studious but ignorant, I fed it with knowledge believing I could satisfy the insatiable appetite of my heart’s shadow and that I too didn’t need friendship. Woefully, it would neither leave nor loosen its increasing hold on my heart. My efforts were in vain and that ominous specter gradually grew with the intent to devour my heart whole. It was not until I shined on it the light of compassion and friendship that my shadow finally vanished just as the sun's radiance wards away the darkness.
I’m grateful to have my friends and no amount of words can express my appreciation for your role in guiding me toward this path. Just as you’ve helped me to see the light I too hope to help him and many others witness the joys of the magic of friendship.
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle