Twilight sat alone in the library, the area around her clear of its usual clutter of books and scrolls. To most ponies, this situation might be cause for concern, as the purple unicorn was usually nose deep in some sort of book or document, eagerly feeding her desire to learn. Tonight though the unicorn was lost in something entirely new to her. It wasn't a book, a scroll, or even her own notes. Tonight the unicorn was lost in her thoughts, sitting out on the library's balcony in the cool evening air.
As far back as Twilight can remember, she was always buried in some form of knowledge. It made her an unusual filly growing up, being the only pony her age that seemed to delight in expanding her knowledge rather than expanding the number of friends she had. To her, knowledge was her friend, and the various tomes and scrolls it resided in was like a giant game of hide and seek. Each new discovery fueled the desire to know even more about the world around her. This desire to know everything she could became her life goal, and because of this she spent most of her time in the royal library when she wasn't absorbed in her magical studies. As she grew older, her appetite for knowledge only increased and she spent an increasing amount of time in the library, barely interacting with anypony else other than the Princess or the librarian.
That was, until the Princess sent her to Ponyville the day before the Summer Sun Celebration. Up until that point, Twilight always thought friends to be an obstacle to her in her quest for knowledge. It wasn't until she was staring up at a seemingly triumphant Nightmare Moon that she realized just how wrong she was about friendship. In the five mares that she met when she came to Ponyville, she found a strength inside her she never knew she had. That day Twilight was given her mission to discovering the magics of friendship by the Princess. In the weeks following her move to Ponyville, Twilight found herself spending more and more time outside of the library she lived in and spending that time with her new friends. Each of them amazed her, not only because of how well they represented the Element they carried, but also with how dedicated they were to each other.
It was tonight, a few months after moving to Ponyville that Twilight found herself realizing how little she knew. She could learn so much from books and scrolls, and she would be considered the smartest mare in Equestria next to the Princess herself if she knew all that information. But even with that much information, she wouldn't know everything there is to know. Her friends opened her eyes to an entire world that Twilight had never known before, a world that she was free to explore with each of her friends beside her. Each day they could go out and make a new discovery, or even just see something in a new way. There was an odd beauty about this strange new perspective that engrossed Twilight's mind nearly every time she went out. Her friends taught her so much about what being a true friend was about, and each new lesson was sent to the Princess. And it was only the beginning for her. She was only starting to learn.
Silently, she levitated a quill and scroll over to where she sat on the balcony. Taking a deep breath, she began to write.
Dear Princess Celestia,
Today I learned not a lesson in friendship, but a lesson in life. My entire time that I lived in Canterlot I was studying anything and everything I could get my hooves on, always eager to learn more. Tonight I realized that by ignoring friendship as a filly, I was depriving myself of a new perspective on the world we live in. I've grown up a lot since I moved to Ponyville, and each of my friends have taught me things that I couldn't find in any book. And I know this is just the beginning, that each day that I live here I am going to learn something new. I wanted so much as a filly to grow up, because I thought when I was grown up I would know everything. But now, Princess, I think I can wait a little longer to grow. There's still so much left to know.
Your Faithful Student
Twilight Sparkle
Princess Celestia gazed down at Twilight's newest letter, a smile growing on her face and a small tear rolling down her cheek. You've grown up so much, my faithful student. You make me so proud to be your mentor.
