Letters From the Capital

by Apple Bottoms

Rating: everyone
Tags: Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Trixie, Slice of Life
Length: 2858

Princess Twilight Sparkle has been asked to take over a very important correspondence job for Princess Celestia. But it turns out she knows her correspondent already - The Great And Powerful Trixie!

Written as one of my two entries for Everfree Northwest's fanfiction competition, this story tackles the friendship that everypony hopes to see: the resolution between Twilight Sparkle and Trixie, as told in a series of letters. However, how can two ponies who are so different make peace? And will a misunderstood letter destroy the fragile cease-fire between these two powerful unicorns?

Winner of the 2015 Everfree Northwest Scribblefest Contest, and was printed in the conbook! :heart:

First!

Letters From the Capital, by Apple Bottoms

Really, really well done correspondence trope. Both characters stand out as unique and multi-dimensional. The story and plot are there, but not forced, and there’s a lovely emotional component as well. Together, it all fits very naturally as a story of new friendship.

–Xepher

For such a restrictive word limit, Apple Bottoms manages to weave a touching narrative that, somehow, doesn’t feel constrained by the word limit. Or by the format. Trixie and Twilight are both given room to be themselves, and the story just feels good to read. In a contest full of standouts, Letters From The Capital still manages to stand a cut above.

–Silver Flare

This story goes a route you don’t usually see in shorter fiction, but achieves this unexpected storyline because of the chosen format as a series of letters. In a contest where the the storyline is to make new friends, this one has the possible friendship first dip and weaken, threatening to break before it grows back into something stronger and more lasting than it was before. It is a kind of storyline I don’t recall seeing in any of the stories I read, and the same could be said for this format. A unique plot told in a unique way to give us a unique take on the contest prompt.

–Pen Stroke

Wooo! Let’s hear it for our winner! Apple Bottoms will also have their full story printed in the convention conbook after a full edit. In addition, they will receive a 1st place patch, custom engraved high quality pen and pen holder declaring them an award-winning author, several Everfree Northwest contest pens (for more casual use), messenger bag, be invited to an interview to be posted online and featured by Everfree Northwest, a $20 Amazon gift card, and an assortment of EFNW merch.

Published 2015-03-24 15:20:01 UTC
Last updated 2015-03-24 15:20:01 UTC

Chapter 1

Dear Celestia,

Thank you so much for the box of Canterlot Tulip bulbs, they’re just the thing I needed to brighten up the window box on my cart! I don’t know if I will be able to wait until spring to see them sprout, but I suppose it will be good practice at being patient. Not a lot of news here, I just arrived in the small border town of Gryphonvale for the night. I will write you again when I reach the next town and have more time to rest. I hope your idea for the fireworks works out, they sound magnificent!

-T

________

To Ms. Lulamoon:

Thank you for your continued correspondence during the exploration of the Griffon-held realms. As she is now very involved with the organization of the upcoming Winter Solstice Festival, Princess Celestia has delegated some of her letter-writing duties to myself. I can assure you that I am an excellent letter-writer and note taker, and am more than up to the task of chronicling your explorations. The princess has fully informed me of your journeys up until this point, and if you should have any need for assistance, please do not hesitate to ask.

Yours most sincerely,
Princess Twilight Sparkle
As dictated to Spike the dragon, assistant

________

To Her Majesty, Princess Twilight Sparkle;

Thank you most kindly for your response. I will keep in contact with you as I move between towns.

Your humble servant,
Trixie Lulamoon

To Her Majesty, Princess Twilight Sparkle;

Tonight I have made camp just outside of Manticore’s Claw, which is several miles past the last border town.

Your humble servant,
Trixie Lulamoon

________

To Ms. Lulamoon:

Thank you for your continued correspondence.

Yours most sincerely,
Princess Twilight Sparkle
As dictated to Spike the dragon, assistant

To Ms. Lulamoon:

I have not heard from you in several weeks now, is everything alright? I hope you have not come to harm. If I do not hear from you within the next week, I will send out a search party.

Yours most sincerely,
Princess Twilight Sparkle

________

To Her Majesty, Princess Twilight Sparkle;

Please do not concern yourself with my health, all is well. I am simply very busy traveling and do not have time to write.

I have just left the Gemshorn Forest, and am currently resting for the night. Tomorrow I will pass through the town of Flickwing, and will drop this letter off at the post office on my way through.

Your humble servant,
Trixie Lulamoon

________

To Ms. Lulamoon,

Thank you for the update, I am relieved to hear you are well. I must confess that I had to endure several days of great worry over your safety. I could never forgive myself if you were hurt on my watch! What would Celestia think?

I’ve been looking over your letters to Princess Celestia over the past year, and I should inform you that your letter quality and length have both dropped significantly. You often included many anecdotes about your travels, and vivid descriptions of the locales you traveled through; the pressed flowers from the Meadow of Sorrows are still in the book that Celestia made of your letters. Yet your recent letters to me are barely more than a few sentences long. Is there any way you could resume your “old” style of letter writing?

Yours most sincerely,
Princess Twilight Sparkle
As dictated to Spike the dragon, assistant

________

To Princess Twilight Sparkle;

I am so very sorry to hear that you are displeased with the quality of my letters. Perhaps if you wanted to improve the quality of the notes I am taking, you could come out to the barren wastelands surrounding the griffons’ realm yourself. I would be glad to give you directions, Your Majesty.

Ever your humblest of servants,
Trixie Lulamoon

To Princess Twilight Sparkle:

Today I am making my way through the region of Hipperlup. It is very hilly. The grass is green and the sky is blue. Truly it is a spectacular sight to behold.

The humblest of servants,
Trixie Lulamoon

To Princess Twilight Sparkle:

Tonight I made camp on the edge of Hipperlup, on the way to Windsong. As it is currently night time, it is very dark. There are many points of light in the sky. I believe these to be stars.

The absolute humblest servant,
Trixie Lulamoon

________

Chapter 2

To Trixie:

Today started out like any other day for me. Well, let me clarify - any other day in the last month. I’ve been staying in Canterlot to help Celestia plan the upcoming festival, so I’ve been away from Ponyville. It’s nice to be in the city where I grew up, but it feels so much smaller than it did when I was a filly.

Just after breakfast I was summoned to Celestia’s quarters, which is very unusual. She’s so busy with the festival sometimes I don’t see her for days at a time! But today she said she had something very special to show me, and pulled out a thick sheaf of letters for me to read. They were copies, she said, of letters she sent you. I read them for a long, long time.

I apologize for my last letter. I’m not as skilled at writing as Celestia is, but I will do my best to do better, if you’ll give me another chance. I see now that the purpose of these letters is not only to hear your impressions of the new realms you explore, but also to remind you of home. It must be difficult to continue writing letters after a long day on the road with only a few sentences to look forward to in reply.

I’m still figuring out this princess - thing. I feel like everyone expects me to be in control, and I’m really, really not! I always feel like I’m saying the wrong thing, or acting foolish, or not “royal” enough. I spend hours every night reading up on royal etiquette, but I’m still a nervous wreck at the banquets and parties and official ceremonies. And trust me, there are way too many banquets in Canterlot!!

I was so focused on writing the most “royal” letter to you that I wrote a really lousy letter. Sometimes I wish I could give up being Princess Twilight Sparkle, and just be regular Twilight again. I think it would be easier.

If it would be all right, may I ask for another chance at being your pen pal?

Apologetically,
Princess Twilight Sparkle

________

To Princess Twilight Sparkle,

Thank you for your last letter. I know how difficult it feels to be told that you’re … wrong.

Princess Celestia has given me a lot of advice in the past year, and I looked through my box of letters from her to find this quote. It reads:

Sometimes, my dear Trixie, we must learn to forgive ourselves, for there is no one in the world we will spend as much time with as ourself. In learning to forgive ourselves, we learn how to forgive others, and how to be as forgiving and loving towards them as we are towards ourselves.

I don’t know if that’ll help you, but it always helped me in tough times. I used to keep it pinned up above my bed.

I would like to try to be “pen pals” again. I’ve never had one before, but I’m sure I would be a truly great and magnificent pen pal!

Tonight I’m stopping in Bridgetown, so named because of the big bridge that crosses the river. It’s a big market town, so tomorrow I’m going to do some shopping.

Sincerely,
Trixie Lulamoon

________

Dear Trixie,

I was so relieved to receive your letter! I won’t deny that I’ve been waiting for it very anxiously, and Spike caught me peering into the mailbox more than once this past week. Whoops!

The preparations for the upcoming festival are almost finished. I went to the castle kitchen a few nights ago after dinner and saw the massive cake they are working on. It’s beautiful! I really wish I could send a slice to you, but I’m pretty sure it would be crumbs by the time it got there.

There’s a lot going on now, but not very much to do with me, personally. Oh! I got fitted for my festival gown last week - but that’s something that Rarity would be more interested in, I think. (She’s one of my friends back in Ponyville, she’s a fashion designer!)

I hope you enjoyed your shopping day in Bridgetown! It sounds absolutely fascinating - I can’t imagine what a griffin market must be like! Please tell me everything you remember when you are finished!!

Finally, I have one small request of you. If you would like to call me just “Twilight” in your letters, that would be alright with me.

Sincerely,
Twilight

________

Dear Twilight,

I had a lovely time in Bridgetown, thank you for asking. If you really want to hear about the market, I’d be happy to share everything that I remember with you.

First of all, it’s full of griffins. Not another pony in sight! I’m used to standing out in public places, being that I am the Great and Powerful Trixie, but this time it wasn’t my great and powerful self that I was being noticed for! Most of the griffins didn’t pay me much mind, but the little ones kept pointing at me and hiding behind their mothers. It felt like the old days again.

They have a great deal of armor and weaponry for sale, focused on fine metalwork and finery. Griffins are known for their delicately wrought metal crafts, ranging from armor to jewelry.

I found several things I liked, and I purchased several trinkets for Princess Celestia’s collections of griffin art - those will be arriving shortly after this letter.

I was wondering I wanted to I also have a favor to ask of you, Twilight. I’ve included a small package and a sealed letter inside the box I sent to Celestia - would you be willing to deliver that for me? The address is on the box. I would have sent it myself, but I didn’t want to risk something so small being lost. If you could just put it in a mailbox in Canterlot, that would be all I need.

Sincerely,
Trixie Lulamoon

________

Dear Trixie,

I would be glad to deliver your package! The address on the box isn’t far from my parents’ home, so I’ll just drop it off on my way to see them this afternoon!

I’ll write more after I see them - Mom always has the best gossip about what’s happening in Canterlot!

Sincerely,
Twilight

Dear Trixie,

I didn’t want to wait for your reply to write back to you - I’m pretty sure your letter would have told me not to deliver the package myself.

I found the address and had planned on just leaving it in her mailbox, but an older mare came trotting out of the house before I could close the lid. She asked me if it was a package from you, and when I told her it was, she started crying. She turned to go back inside, and I couldn’t disobey when she waved at me to follow her.

Her house is very pretty, as I’m sure you know; it’s pretty much covered in pictures of you. She led me over to a small table, which I realized was covered in trinkets, mementos, and small treasures from the griffin realm. She was still sniffling when she opened your package - the star-gem necklace was a good choice, she liked it a lot - but she started crying in earnest when she read your letter.

She didn’t tell me what was in it, but she asked me to ask you to come home soon. She said she misses you, and that you don’t have to feel bad anymore, and that all she wants is to see you again. I think she really meant it, Trixie - she really seems to miss you, a lot.

I didn’t want to leave her when she was obviously so upset, so I made her some tea, and we shared some cookies, and talked about my letters to you. She’s very proud of you, even if you aren’t the greatest and powerful-est - she told me so. She told me that she feels sorry that she pushed you too hard, and that she thought it was her fault that you left. I told her that we all make mistakes, and I’m sure that if she told you she was sorry, you would try to forgive her. I told her that you’re keeping yourself safe, and that she shouldn’t worry too much. I told her that I’m sure you miss her, too, because you kept sending her such lovely presents.

I know it’s not really my place to say, but - she really does miss you. She gave me a letter to send you, which I’m including. You don’t have to read it, but - if you could give her a chance, maybe it would make you feel better.

I know sometimes our parents make mistakes, but it’s obvious that she really, really loves you, and misses you. I think she’s really sorry for what she did wrong. She seemed like a nice pony to me, anyway.

I’m sorry if I intruded too much into your life. I know that we don’t know each other very well, but … if one of my friends was in this situation, I’d give them the same advice I’m giving you.

Take care,
Twi

________

Dear Twilight,

You’re right - if I hadn’t received these two letters at the same time, I would have told you not to deliver it.

But…

I am very glad that you were there to comfort my mother. Thank you.

I will have to take some time to think about this.

~Trixie

Chapter 3

Dear Twilight,

I’ve been thinking about your letter, and my mother’s, for the past week. It’s been a long week of walking on flat, empty road, so I had little distraction from my thoughts.

It means a lot to me that you were there to be with my mother when she read my letter. I never intended to write her anything that would upset her, but … I suppose it upset her anyway.

I won’t bore you with a long story about where I come from or why I am here, but suffice it to say that I have not been home in a very, very long time. For many years, I thought that was how it was supposed to be, if I wanted to protect my family from the shame of my failure. But after reading these two letters, I’ve been forced to reconsider.

Perhaps … I’m not destined to be the Great and Lonely Trixie, after all.

Thank you, Twilight. For everything. I’m not used to having someone who would treat me like they would treat one of their friends.

Best,
Trixie

________

Dear Trixie,

This week was the week of the Winter Solstice Festival, which I attended with my Mom and Dad. It was a beautiful event, with streamers and flowers everywhere, and massive ice-castles sculpted by the Ice Artisans Guild. Did you know there was a guild for ice-carvers? Neither did I!

There were pies and cakes and food of all flavors - even pickled summergrass, if you can believe it! It tasted almost as good as it does when you pick it fresh. I wish I could send you a picture, but I did tuck in one of the embroidered napkins from the head table, and a piece of a streamer.

I considered it a smash success on a personal level, as well - I didn’t spill a single thing, and everyone around me was impressed with my etiquette! Spike, on the other hoof, managed to tip over a punchbowl onto his head. Poor Spike!

I invited your mother to join me and my parents for the festival, and we all got to sit together at a table near Princess Celestia. She wore the star necklace you sent her, and when Celestia came by, she told her all about your journeys in the griffin lands, and what a tribute you were to the kingdom’s library and knowledge of griffin culture. Your mom was super proud of you!!

I think your mom had a really good time, it was really nice to see her smiling again after the first time I met her.

You said that you liked it when I treated you like one of my friends… I would like to hope that someday, if it’s alright with you, we will be friends.

Best wishes,
Twi

________

Dear Twi,

I would like to be friends too!! ~~The great and~~

That is … I would like to be friends right now.

Best,
Trixie

P.S., Please?

________

Dear Trixie,

I would like that a lot!!!

Your Friend,
Twi