//------------------------------// // Thank you...for Everything // Story: The Fading Mellifluous Melody // by TimeRarity64 //------------------------------// Dear Princess Celestia, I believe this is my final letter to you on the lessons of friendship learned for over these eighty-five years. Years that I have cherished to being one of my fondest final moments as not just being your student, fellow princess, and Element of Magic, but as your fair equal. For this, I thank you for the years of teaching you have bestowed upon me and the encouragment you have provided for me to meet many wonderful ponies, especially five fantastic mares that have become the bestest friends I could ever ask for. Friends that have helped me along the way in not just learning about the many values of friendship, but also a lot about myself and how I matured along that rough path into a blissful future. These are years I will never forget, and shall always remember upon every passing second I breathe; from foalhood, to marehood, royalty, and now on the final moments of my own passing winter. I have come to sympathize with many of my old foes that once endangered Equestria years ago, not close-up of course (besides Discord who is still catering to Fluttershy’s cottage and animals). I may not know what intentions they truly had if they would have won against us and I do not truly know what it was in the first place to make them so violent and deceitful for power. The thoughts were troubling enough, but in the end I knew it was best to say that maybe they were just bad because it was their only way they could survive in this world. Discord was really not a harmful one in the first place; just foolish and looking to make life for others and himself as exciting as he could make it be. I am not going to deny the fact he did gave me a headache time from time on and then, but from the end of the day, I kind of admired his spontaneous joy to absurd illogical actions with no reasons to explain why they happened. I could see though why Fluttershy not only cared a lot for him, but also entrusted him to look after her animals. I was kind of judgmental and assumed that whatever was bad, stayed badly in general. However, that changed from the growing amount of time when it first started when I found Trixie teaching the foals in Cheerilee’s school with her assistant-in-training, Scootaloo. When I forgave her years back after the incident with that strange amulet, we’ve been great friends since. I am sure you know that she even helped Sweetie Belle become the youngest mayor in Ponyville after Mayor Mare retired from her position. Sweetie Belle is now in her office still in her twenties, and the place is still doing alright as it is. She also attended Snips and Snails graduation from Cheerilee’s old class and I’ll tell you this, they were in tears, lavished with joy to see their idol congratulate them and watch them get their diplomas. Now they are actors for comedic movies I see Shining Armor and Cadence watch every now and then. Well, when we were a bit young. You know, I would never imagine it, but Applejack had some evidence to making me be less assuming and judging towards anypony in general. The Flim Flam brothers if you remember them and how infamous their business was due to their scams, were given half of the Apple Family’s saved money. That is more than Ponyville’s flow in the bank. Applejack found them in the streets during our visit to Manehatten with Rarity and it was pretty sad honestly. They were begging for bits, almost starved to death, and Applejack offered them a place to live and gave them food, but in the price of them paying her back, she had them work in the acres as profit. Eventually, they managed enough of their own sum and with the Apple Family’s money, along with the go and trust of Applejack herself, they created the company known as Apple Jam Corporation where they would process organic apples and distribute them around the world. The business is not just managed by them, but also by Applebloom. It shows that trust and honesty could get you along the way and they were honest for their mistakes back in the past. And the trust they gave back after being given, was enough to open my eyes and see how fantastic ponies could change. By the years that passed ever since Pinkie Pie went on her way from this world of ours and how Rainbow Dash always managed to work at Sugarcube Corner to fill up Pinkie’s position and also feeling as if she would have wanted her to do it in the first place. And mostly to look after Pound and Pumpkin Cake. Dash was the closest friend in my eyes Pinkie could even call a sister and one of the few that visited Maud Pie. I think after Pinkie Passed away, Dash did too in a sense, until Maud Pie said something to Dash that brought her back from a silent depression. You know, it is almost as if Pinkie is still here with us, and keeping an eye on Dash. Sure enough I would not forget about the others. I am sure you heard of Rarity finding that special somepony, or should I say dragon. The dragon who was not just a little brother to me, but also a son. Though he may be hibernating for a hundred years, Rarity still visits his cave, leaving behind letters of her weekend tales. But that all stopped when she delivered her final letter…to me…entrusting me to give him as she rested on her bed during her final moments. Love, even as I it, may be sad, but not at all depressing when you know the one you love the most loves you too. I will be honest, there had been times I felt like I would not be able to make it without most of my friends in this world. I…have encountered one of many troubling things. Things that made me afraid of an inevitable force. I know you offered me to live forever, but there was a reason why I denied. A reason I am ready to explain on these final moments I give to you. I…always believed that life should start and end independently in a small sense. I always wanted to make sure my last legacy would pass on safely to a younger generation, perhaps another younger me that might someday even surpass my expectations, Starswirl the Bearded’s, and maybe rule beside you perhaps as a student and in my place, a leader. Life ends fast, but memories of the past develops a premonition of the future. Princess Celestia, the world no longer needs us anymore, my friends and I have done our debt for being given such an important task. And discovering a lot about ourselves. I will be seeing Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy soon enough, and eventually Dash and Applejack will too when they know it is their time. I am happy to not only be remembered as a princess, your student, and Equestria’s hero, but also the cherished moments I have spent beside my friends and all the ponies I’ve come to love and protect. And so, I give you this last letter as a token of my appreciation of my gratitude. Thank you, for everything. I ask of this though, look after Spike, Rainbow Dash, Cadence, my brother, and Applejack. Tell Princess Luna that I said thank you for the memorable friendship we built for so long and held tightly still today. And…thank you…for being there for me too when I needed it the most. Sincerely, your Most-Faithful Student… Twilight Sparkle. P.S.: I enjoyed that book you’ve written based about me.