Dead on the inside

The mane six welcomed Inhio to Equestria with open hooves and were happy about his decision to stay here. Before long, Inhio already started to feel like at home. He got his own house in Ponyville and seemed to have forgotten all about his tragic past, even though he was still sometimes seen sitting on a bench near Sugarcube corner and wondering about something. Deep inside, he had hopes that he could somehow see his daughter, just one last time, or even simply find out if she was living a good life.

After a few nights spent wondering, Inhio decided to throw his past away completely and get the chance to feel Equestria's magic on his own skin. He asked to be transformed into a pegasus pony. A request that princess Celestia gladly fulfilled. Inhio felt reborn. The only thing that still reminded him of his past was the black shades he decided to keep. He did all the things that only a pegasus of Equestria could do. He visited Cloudsdale again, to see it from an angle he couldn’t before. He spent hours just dashing through the sky every day, hoping to one day fly as fast as Rainbow Dash, and sometimes he just plain loved to spend the night on a cloud. And of course, he never forgot about his friends!...Well...almost never.

Dear princess Celestia

Today I write to you for the first time since my arrival in Equestria.
I write to you because I nearly lost my way today.
I nearly forgot about the one thing that matters more than any other.
I nearly forgot that I would never be here without your help,
Or the help of your precious student and her friends.

After I became a pegasus, I was so excited that I forgot about the world around me.
I thought I was at the top of the world and wanted to feel all that it can offer.
I felt twenty years younger. No! Actually, I felt completely reborn!
I wouldn’t leave the skies for days. I nearly forgot about my friends completely.
I thought that I couldn't have anything more than what I had right then...
But I soon realized that I already had more than I could possibly ask for,
And I had it all even before I had these wings on my back.

Today I finally felt the ground under my hooves again.
And I didn’t walk it alone. I had all my friends right beside me.
After I had realized what a fool I had been for neglecting my friends,
Neglecting them just to have more time to spend up in the sky...
I was ready to swear I would never take to the sky again!
Luckily, Twilight and her friends stopped me from doing that...

But now that I’m back on solid ground again with my friends,
I finally see what really matters more than anything else.
As long as you have friends, it doesn’t matter if you’re young or old.
As long as you have friends, it doesn’t matter if you can fly or not.
As long as you have friends... You don’t need to dream.
My eternal gratitude to you and my friends!

Yours faithfully

Inhio Hellbridge.