//------------------------------// // Intermission (II) // Story: The Last Equestrian Princess // by Dr_DeDeDe //------------------------------// Selected Passages from Letter to Princess Celestia Excerpts From HRH Princess Twilight Sparkle’s Personal Memoirs Editor's note: Following the discovery of Princess Celestia's former student, Princess Twilight refused to write in her diary for nearly two months. This may be due to her feelings of betrayal towards her former mentor but it's just as likely that she was simply too busy to write. Grappling with what she believed to be a failing economic climate, it's reasonable to assume that diary writing was not a priority for her at the time. These are just my speculations to account for the lost time between these diary entries but after nearly eight weeks, she returns to her journal after a particularly upsetting dream. 6/24/RY1005: 3:34 AM I had a dream that I was having lunch with Fluttershy at a café that just opened up in town. She was stressed out because her veterinary school finals were coming up and she was worried that she was going to flunk her Reptilian Biology exam. It was so…normal; so real that when I woke up, I decided to write a letter to Fluttershy to see if we could meet for lunch next week and catch up on school. I actually sent the letter before I realized what I’d done. And now I’m just sitting here feeling like an idiot because I forgot that Fluttershy was- I don’t even know why I’m writing this down; I’ve got to get back to sleep. 7/11/RY1005 The cook found a family of mice living under the floorboards in the kitchen. He was going to call the exterminator but I managed to dissuade him long enough for me to steal them away up into my room. They didn’t put up much of a fight; animals have never really taken to me before but they seem to be friendly enough. I’ve got them in my top desk drawer until I can get a proper little house for them. I should probably read up on proper rodent care; I wouldn’t want to unintentionally mistreat the little critters while they’re living here. 7/23/RY1005 Dear Prince Finally getting a grip on my schedule to the point where I’m not running around like a cockatrice with my head cut off. Harrier has proved herself worthy of my trust and I think I can let her handle some more of my day to day duties (minor meetings with the treasury department, handling my correspondences, summarizing bills for me to sign etc). I don't like having to rely on her so much but I think I'm going to have to if I ever want to have a moment to catch my breath. I heard through the grapevine that Rarity is coming up next week to meet with a buyer from one of the bigger department stores to see about getting her designs produced on a larger scale. I sent a letter telling her to drop in if she had a moment so we could get lunch together. I think the Wonderbolts are doing a show around the same time so I’ll see if Rainbow Dash is available (and if she has room in her diet for an extravagantly fancy lunch). It’s been a couple of months since I’ve seen my friends (or even heard from them for that matter) and I’m eager to catch up on the latest news from home Ponyville. Huh. You know it’s kind of funny…but I was born and raised in an uptown Canterlot apartment. I’ve spent more time here than anywhere else and somehow…somehow I still catch myself thinking of Ponyville as home. Twilight 7/30/RY1005 Dear Princess Celestia, Miraculously there’s been a lull in my workload which has given me the time to work on my pet project; Sunset Shimmer. I am still determined to try and make things right with her despite the fact that she has been expertly ducking me every time to try to meet with her. After months of trying to pin her down for a conversation, I found an unlikely ally in one Lt. Flash Sentry. You may remember Flash as the guard who brought me news of Shining Armor’s dea defeat almost three years ago and received an undeserved tongue lashing for his troubles. Despite the fact that he was part of Shining Armor's personal guard and he transferred up from the Crystal Empire after my second coronation and has been working the palace beat ever since. More to the point, it seems that he is currently romantically involved with a certain former student of yours. I’m surprised he even wanted to speak to me after we got off to the worst possible start imaginable but apparently my efforts to track down Sunset caught her coltfriend’s attention. Much to my relief, he offered his help in finally arranging another meeting between us an suggested that we use his apartment as a neutral ground where I could ambush surprise confront meet with Sunset on my terms. So, despite the fact that I’m sure I have something important to do tomorrow, I cleared my evening schedule and agreed to meet Flash at his cozy uptown accommodations. I was surprised that he was so eager to go behind his marefriend's back like this but he explained to me that Sunset had been in an uncharacteristically deep funk for a while now and he was sure part of it was because of your passing. He feels that, no matter what Sunset says, it would be good for the two of us to talk to each other. He made the point that, as Celestia's only other living student, I'm probably the only person who can even come close to understanding how Sunset is feeling right now. Now if we could only get past the tiny little detail of her not wanting to see me or speak to me, we'll be peachy. I don’t know what I’m going to say when I see her again but…I just need to see her. I need her to know that I’m just as upset not happy with the way she was cast aside and that I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make it up to her. If tomorrow doesn’t work out, I’m willing to try again next weekend. Rarity and Rainbow Dash bailed on me had something else come up on Saturday so I’m completely willing to stake out her apartment until she at least gives me a chance to explain myself. I owe her that much at least. Twilight 7/31/RY1005 8:28 PM I don’t know how I expected this meeting with Sunset to go but I think it’s safe to say it was a colossal failure in every sense of the term. Granted, I’ve never waited in somepony’s apartment to ambush them with an inheritance before but I don't think these kinds of events are supposed to end with people crying. Needless to say, when Sunset Shimmer finally got to Flash's place, she wasn’t pleased to find her coltfriend alone with another mare in his apartment (with the one who “replaced” her no less.) I cannot remember a time when I was more afraid for my life; she looked as though she was ready to burst into flames and roast us both alive with the burning hatred in her eyes. Fortunately, Flash managed to douse his marefriend’s anger long enough for me to start babbling out a half-baked explanation/apology. I told her that I knew about what you had done to her and that I would have never agreed to be your student if I thought I was putting somepony out. I brought the book you left her and tried to explain that I knew what it felt like to be abandoned by someone I trusted; that I could totally understand where she was coming from and how it hurt to be lied to and left alone after so many years. This proved to be yet another colossal mistake in what has been a series of truly disastrous missteps. Sunset proceeded to explain to me (in excruciating detail) how I could have no earthly idea where she was coming from. I who was groomed and prepared for princesshood like a potted plant had no clue what it was to fight for my dreams. I had no idea what it was like to be passed over and cast aside after years of hard work and study and the fact that I was in her apartment patronizing her with a stupid book is proof that I have no idea how she feels about anything, much less what it feels like to be abandoned someone important to me. Before I could get a word in edgewise, she slapped the book out of my grasp and sent it sliding across the living room floor. The book bumped into the wall and a small white envelope with Sunset’s name on it slid out of the cover. I recognized the hornwriting almost immediately and I think she did too given the way she glared at it like a rat that had just vomited on her floor. There was a tense few moments where I saw sparks of fire flicker at the tip of her horn and I worried that she would destroy the envelope without even reading what was inside. Cooler heads and curiosity prevailed. With a violent flick of magic, she tore the letter open and began scanning it with look of deepening disgust. As she read on, the most alarming array of emotions flickered across her features. Her chin quivered even as her eyes were icy and her brow furrowed. Her mouth twitched and flickered between a grimace, a snarl, and a sad little frown all in a matter of seconds as her eyes passed lower and lower on the page until they rested at the bottom with an indescribably pained look on her face. And then she started to cry. She screwed her eyes shut, gritted her teeth and tried in vain to will her shoulders to stop shaking. She crumpled like an old soda can, curling in on herself and biting her lip to stop herself from crying out. I couldn’t tell if she was angry that she was sad or sad that she was angry; all I knew was that she looked like she was stuck somewhere in between. Before I could reach a hoof out to comfort her, Flash swooped in and draped his wings over her so that she could cry into his chest unashamed. I quietly let myself out to give Flash a moment alone with her. I didn’t ask what the letter said; I figured that was between you and her but I think…I don’t know… I don’t think she was bitter about losing an opportunity to become a princess herself or even bitter about losing the chance to study under the greatest sorceress of our age. Maybe those would have been things I would have missed at some point in my life but Sunset… I think she missed you more than she missed anything else…and despite everything that’s happened between you and me, I think I can empathize with Sunset Shimmer a little better than she thinks I can. Twilight (Personal Note: Check with Harrier about my schedule tomorrow. I could have sworn that I blew off something to take care of this Sunset Shimmer situation. No big deal though; if it was that important I would have remembered it, right?) 7/31/RY1005 11:45 PM Dear Princess Celestia, Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid oh gods I am the stupidest mare in existence! That thing?! That Big Important Thing I forgot I had to do today?! It was Applejack’s birthday! I don’t even know how this happened! I’ve just been so frazzled lately with the job and this thing with Sunset and I never got the invitation and my calendar didn’t say anything about it and- No. No excuses. I should have remembered one of my best friends’ birthday without having to be reminded like a little foal! For crying out loud, it’s not like this is the first time she’s celebrated a birthday with me! I should have been down in Ponyville yesterday instead of traipsing around Uptown looking for Sunset! I mean…I’m glad I helped her out and everything but I would have rescheduled if I thought that talking to Sunset would mean me missing one of my best friend’s birthdays! Harrier said that she would make an excuse for me and send Applejack something embarrassingly cool to make up for missing her party but I still feel like a complete heel for flaking on her like that. I never thought that I would be so frazzled that I would forget something important to one of my friends. Just when I thought I had a good handle on this whole princess thing too... Ugh, I kind of hate myself a little bit right now. I’m going to go crawl under my covers and die for a while. Twilight. 8/23/RY1005 Dear Princess Celestia, I think I may have screwed up a bit more than I originally thought. It’s been about a month now since I’ve heard from anypony in Ponyville. I’ve sent Applejack about a dozen letters and belated birthday gifts apologizing for flaking on her but I haven’t heard a word back. Times like these I wish I still had Spike here to just zap my letters to Ponyville via magic; I’m going to have to ask him to teach me that spell when he gets back so I don’t need to trouble Harrier with three letters a week to my friends apologizing for being a gigantic royal flake. I just don’t get it…it isn’t like Applejack to just freeze me out like this. She’s never had a problem telling me off when she’s mad at me before…but then again I wasn’t a princess before. I wonder if she’s worried that she can’t be honest with me now that I’m basically her ruler. I’m going to write her again and see if my weekend schedule will allow me a moment to go down to make amends to her; I think a face to face is just what we need. Pinkie Pie’s birthday’s coming up so I’ll have a chance to grovel in person. I think after the couple of months that I've had, I deserve a little break and some time alone with my friends. Twilight 9/15/RY1005 Dear Princess Luna, I tried out a new constellation today; let me know what you think of it (please excuse the terrible, terrible, terrible drawing) I’m thinking of rearranging the stars to match every time the moon changes. I know having two moons in the sky is a little redundant but I thought you would appreciate the sentiment. I’m trying more flexible with the night sky; I hope that’s what you would have wanted me to do. Sincerely, Twilight 10/15/RY1005 Dear Princess Luna, I hope that you’re happy that I’ve decided to keep Nightmare Night going…albeit with a few notable changes. I don’t think it’s fair that we have a holiday glorifying the darkest time in your life so I hope to gradually phase out the whole Nightmare Moon aspect and replace it with a narrative that’s a bit more forgiving towards you. I was thinking of making up a story about how you taught ponies how to protect themselves from monsters by disguising themselves as manticores, timberwolves and orcs in order to confuse the real monsters that walk the earth once a year on this night. Just a rough draft; let me know what you think. It’s going to take a while for this new story to stick but I want the candy dumped at your statue to be in thanks instead of fear someday. I don’t think that’s too much to ask of Equestria. Canterlot looks fantastic tonight! Ponies are dressed to the nines on their way out to concerts and costume balls. I was thinking of disguising myself and walking around the city unmolested by the paparazzi for the first time in recent memory. From what I hear, there’s quite the shindig going on in Ponyville this year. Pinkie Pie is supposed to have created a haunted house that’s gained quite a bit of infamy across Equestria for both the horrifying attractions and the fact that she snaps pictures of the terrified patrons as they flee screaming out the back door. Supposedly her birthday party she put on a few weeks ago was a kind of Nightmare Night dry run. (Something involving a “Chamber of Horrors” and cupcakes with raspberry frosting that gushed like blood.) I would have loved to have made it down there but I wasn’t invit I had something more pressing to do here. That’s okay; I’ll ask her to bring the pictures she took up next time she comes up…and maybe a slice of Sugarcube Corner Carrot Cake…and some muffins…and a bag of salted caramels… I’m starting to get hungry; I think your sister’s sweet tooth rubbed off on me. I’m going to go see if there’s some Nightmare Night cake I can steal from the kitchens. Happy Nightmare Night Luna. Twilight 11/23/RY1005 Dear Princess Celestia, At what point does the endless deluge of royal suitors get the message that I’m not looking to marry the first rich airhead duke to ask me? Yikes, that was a bit harsh wasn’t it? Screw it, I don’t care; I’m at my wit’s end with these jokers and am seriously considering banning eligible bachelors from the castle altogether. I cannot tell you the last time a stallion came to meet with me without broaching the subject of marriage with all the tact of a rabid water buffalo. Blueblood alone is responsible for more than half of the proposal letters I get and I’m about ready to send him and all the other guys asking after me to the moon just to get them out of my mane! I mean…it’s not that they’re not nice or clever or good looking. And I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t considered getting to know a few of them better but…I just don’t have time! Last time I checked, I had an entire country to run all by myself! I can barely keep my friendships intact I don’t have the time to go out dating and I’m not really inclined to tie the knot with somepony I barely know! And the press is just having a field day! Somepony snapped a picture of me in the royal garden with my head bent down and got it in their heads that I was crying or something! Now every cheap tabloid rag in Canterlot is publishing stories about Poor Pathetic Princess Twilight and how I’m…hold on, I actually ordered one of these, let me get the quote…ah, here it is. I’m apparently “desperately craving the loving caress of another pony.” Ugh…hold on, I think I need to vomit. I can’t believe the junk people will eat up just because it looked like I was crying in a stupid picture! It was spring! The garden was in full bloom and my allergies were murdering me! But apparently wiping your eyes and blowing your nose are signs of deep seated emotional duress in bizarre tabloid land! Now half the city believes I’m some kind of lonely pathetic loser who cries into rosebushes in her spare time! I wasn’t crying and I’m not lonely pathetic! I don’t understand why this is such a big deal all of a sudden! To the best of my knowledge, nopony ever pestered you with endless marriage proposals! It’s not like I have to be married right? I mean…maybe someday if I meet somepony I really love but it’s not my priority right now, you know? I just wish everypony would back off and respect my decision for once! Times like this I could really use Rarity’s advice. If there’s anypony who was born to handle lines of handsome stallions showing up wherever she went, it would be Rarity. I’ll send another invite to lunch; she’s been so busy with her upcoming winter line that she’s completely flaked on the last three lunch dates I’ve invited her to. (She’s not mad at me for missing Applejack and Pinkie Pie’s birthdays, is she?) I’m considering floating a rumor that I prefer fillies to colts…nah, that would just mean I would have lines of mares knocking down my door instead of lines of stallions. I honestly don’t know which is worse. Twilight. 12/10/RY1005 Happy Birthday to me! Another year older and another year wiser (hopefully)! Ponies from all over the country stopped by to wish me well and drop off a truly embarrassing amount of birthday gifts. It’s still a little weird having ponies I’ve never met before shower me with jewels but all things considered I suppose it isn’t the worst thing I’ve had to deal with lately, even if I’ll probably never use half the gifts they gave me. I did get a few memorable presents though. Spike sent me a primer on Neighponese Summoning Rituals that I’m pretty eager to get started on. Chancellor Harrier got me a new quill set (which I quickly put to use signing a new set of trade agreements she also delivered). Most surprising of all, I caught Sunset Shimmer trying to drop a present off and leave before I noticed that she was there. It turns out she had come with a sort of peace offering for me after the whole mess with the book. I suspect Flash Sentry had a hoof in getting us together like this and if that's the case I owe him a massive Hearth's Warming Eve bonus. Things were still a little rough between us but I think Sunset and I will end up getting along famously. We ended up talking for a long time before we finally got around to talking about the big white winged elephant in the room. (No offense.) I guess, as it turned out, that letter you left struck a chord with her because she was considerably more talkative this time around. I didn't get the chance to read the letter but you must've said something that Sunset really needed to hear. I still don’t think it nearly makes up for the way you treated her but I suppose the rather sizable check you cut her for her tuition and living expenses was a step in the right direction if nothing else. … I suppose you managed to do that right at least. She’s is doing much better now that she doesn’t have to worry about working two jobs to pay off her loans. I think I’m starting to see what you saw in her all those years ago. I made an offhand remark about the latest theories in Alteration magic and her eyes just lit up with a kind of enthusiasm I haven’t seen since Pinkie Pie discovered silly string. She just launched into this speech about how she’s taking a class in practical applications of alteration and how her professor wrote this great book on the principles of transmutation and how he was researching a way to mimic the defensive effects of dragonhide and on and on and on and on until I realized that I couldn’t follow what she was saying. She was using magical terms and phrases I had never even heard of and I’m embarrassed to say that I had to stop and have her clarify a few terms. How long has it been since I’ve taken a magic class? You schooled me on whatever I wanted to learn for years but all that pretty much stopped when I went to Ponyville. Stars…it must be four years now since I’ve taken my last magic class. I guess I forgot that magic waits for no mare and how much work it is to keep up on the latest trends and theories in spellcasting. Maybe I’ll ask Sunset to help me with the book Spike sent me…I’m starting to think I may need it. At the rate my magical studies have been slipping, I’m going to have to relinquish the Element of Magic to Sunset before I get any worse! It’s strange to see where my life might have taken me if I never went to Ponyville. Sunset Shimmer and I are so alike in so many uncanny ways I can’t help but wonder how things might be if our paths led us to different places. I wonder if I would be happy going to school and dating Flash Sentry like she it; I wonder if being your student would have made her any happier than she is today. In any case, I hope to talk with her more; truth be told, I am getting kind of lonely with all my friends in Ponyville. Harrier said that she had delivered the party invitations to my friends personally but she never heard back from them afterwards… I wonder if this is still some kind of punishment for flaking on Applejack’s birthday…I can’t really say I blame them…I did seriously screw that one up. Blegh, enough of that! I’m sure they were just busy today and they’ll probably pop by sometime before Hearth’s Warming Eve! I think this year has just been weird on all of us and things will start to get back to normal once I get a better grip on my duties. For now, I think I’m just going to enjoy the rest of my birthday and reflect how far I’ve come since last year. It’s funny to think that a year ago, I was still rooming in that little flat above the Ponyville Library, going to lunches with Rarity and Spike and worrying about running down overdue library books. I never would have thought that twelve months later I would be- You know, I think I should get back to the party; they’re starting to miss me. Twilight. 12/17/RY1005 Dear Princess Celestia, Happy Hearth’s Warming Eve! For once, it feels like I have the palace all to myself! The staff has all gone home for the holiday break and Mom and Dad decided to take a trip to visit her brother Ryo in Neighpon. I was almost tempted to go with them; despite the fact that my mom is Neighponese and have living family in Neighpon, I’ve never taken the time to visit. I would have gone with them this time except I think a royal entourage trailing an army of paparazzi doesn’t really fit into their plans for a relaxing Hearth’s Warming Eve. I sent them with a care package for Spike in case they have a chance to swing by his school before they go. (Although apparently Hearth’s Warming Eve is a big couple’s holiday in Neighpon and I heard he had plans to take a special somepony out on a date. Your little drake is growing up so fast! ;_;) So for the next few weeks it’s just me and some much needed downtime alone in the castle. I actually had Flash Sentry and Sunset Shimmer over for little dinner party. I feel like I’ve made some real friends in them this year and it felt good to have a chance to get to know them better. I made some bread pudding after dinner and Flash helped me put out the fire once the pudding ate through the baking dish. We ended up heading down to the barracks and raiding the vending machines for cold toaster pastries and candy bars. Not exactly a dessert worthy of being called a royal Hearth’s Warming Eve pudding but all in all I think it’s one of the more memorable Hearth’s Warming Eves I’ve ever celebrated. Very low key Hearth’s Warming Eve. I’m just sorry no one from Ponyville could make it up to see me. I understand though; Hearth’s Warming Eve is a time for family and pretty much all of them has big families who demand their attention. Our schedules have been conspiring against us lately but hopefully the spirit of the holidays will smile on us and let us get together sometime before the New Year. Maybe I’ll have Harrier send invitations for a New Year’s Eve party; it’ll be easier to see them once the holiday hubbub has calmed down. Season’s Greetings! Twilight 12/31/RY1005 Dear Princess Celestia, Just a few more moments and 1005 will be gone for good. I’m sitting on my balcony overlooking the city as we all wait for the ball to drop and ring in the New Year. I guess it’s natural to feel a little pensive on New Year’s Eve; I’ve always taken a moment before midnight to reflect on the year gone by. Last year, I spent New Year’s Eve in Ponyville keeping Pinkie Pie away from the hard cider and watching Spike work up the nerve to kiss Rarity at midnight. The year before I spent the holidays in the Crystal Empire, sledding with Shining Armor and watching Fluttershy try and befriend stray reindeer. Now, I’m watching over my subjects, waiting for another year with hope and apprehension, wondering how I got to where I am today. I guess that’s the point isn’t it; New Year’s Eve is never the same. Even if you spent it at the same place with the same people doing the same things, you’d still be a little different. You’d be a little different too. Always changing, always moving forward for better or worse; that’s just the way it is I guess. And that’s what New Year’s Eve means to me; one night to savor the past before jumping headlong into the future, leaving your regrets to float away as the clock brings us another year. A lot of things happened to me this year. There were times when I would get so overwhelmed; and feel so lonely without you here to guide me. I’ve made a lot of mistakes but I’ve done a lot to be proud of too. I rescued a family of mice from the kitchen. I helped a former student of yours move on and forgive you. I finally got a hold on my professional and personal life Well, there’s always next year, isn’t there? Coulda. Woulda. Shoulda. Three words that have never done anypony any good. All you can do is face up to your mistakes and strive to do better in the future; which is exactly what I intend on doing. I’m going to see my Ponyville friends and make up for how distant I’ve been. I’m going to get a hold on my new job so Harrier doesn’t have to do so much for me. I’m going to try and do a better job running this country than you or Luna or anypony else ever did. I owe it to Equestria to be the best that I can be. And I’m going to have a fantastic year if it kills me! Almost time now; the ball in downtown has started it’s drop. 10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1… Happy New Year. Twilight Sparkle.