The Sparkle Letters

Dear Princess Celestia,

I have discovered Barack's collection of music. The incredible scrying devices which these humans carry are capable of storing hundreds of pieces of music, and can "download" more from "the cloud". I've never heard of music from a cloud before! Could you ask Rainbow Dash if she knows anything about it?

In any case, human music is fascinating. It encompasses such a wide variety of emotion. Why, today I discovered emotions that I had never understood before!

While Barack prepared our dinner, I started listening to a song called 'Possum Kingdom'. At first, it sounded like a love song--a discordant one, but a love song nonetheless. But as I listened, I realized it was speaking of a very strange love indeed--perhaps a corrupt and disturbed love, of the kind that Queen Chrysalis might hold for her subjects. Ultimately, I discovered that the song had a darker undertone. "Do you wanna die?" the singer asked, over and over, promising his imaginary lover an eternity of perfect beauty if she would only be his "angel". I laid there on a bed, listening to this human ask me if I wanted to die, and I realized I had never THOUGHT about it. I hadn't even thought about what it means to die. I felt a whirlwind of emotion rising in me. Barack opened the door to tell me that dinner was ready, and asked if I was okay, and--I am ashamed to admit--I shouted that I didn't know. Thankfully, some deep breaths and a little introspection helped quite a bit.

Anyway, Barack will be giving me a guided tour of his musical library tomorrow. I can only imagine what incredible feelings I will discover from it. As much as I enjoy Pinkie's sugar-sweet songs, I find it almost relieving to listen to something that isn't merely happy.

Your enlightened (and very lively!) student, Twilight Sparkle.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I learned some very interesting things about humans, as a result of listening to this music. Much of what we listened to was the work of one man, under the name "Nine Inch Nails"; the rest was the work of a quartet known as "The Beatles". Nine Inch Nails had produced many pieces of music similar in tone to "Possum Kingdom", but with instruments even more unrecognizable than the ones used in that tune. Meanwhile, the Beatles produced as wide a variety of sounds, if not wider, but theirs were quite sonorous. Why, their mastery of harmony led me to believe they must be some of the nicest people to have existed in Barack's world!

Then he told me about Jeanne Le Non, one of the four members of the Beatles--about the times when he grew frustrated and angry, and began attacking the people around him, the people who loved him. This man, who sang that all you need is love, had no love to give. And the man who called himself by the name "Nine Inch Nails", who wrote dischordant barely-songs about horrible violence...he is one of the nicest men in existence. Happily married for years.

I don't understand. How could a person talk about love and kindness, and not believe in it with their heart and soul? How could someone say that all you need is love, when clearly love is not enough?

I'll be writing a few more letters soon.

Twilight Sparkle