The Lost Girls

Dear Princess Celestia

Glad tidings on this day, Your Majesty.

Well, for the most part, at any rate.

I am happy to report that an entire Brood of that which shall not be named shall trouble your citizens no longer. As well, I am pleased to inform you that I also helped to recover one of your citizens who was on the brink of being turned. Fortunately for us all, she had not killed yet and her heart was ready to embrace the Light once again.

More curious still is the aftermath of her adventures. This one goes by the name of Lightning Dust. Perhaps you heard of her? She once led some curious band of misfits that call themselves The Washouts. I don't know. I never saw one of their shows and it continues to hold very little interest for me, but supposedly they are acclaimed for daredevil stunts that would make even the Wonderbolts balk. Hence the name of their group, in fact. The tales say they are, all of them, washouts of the Wonderbolt Academy.

Anyway, I had once feared for Lightning Dust's psychological stability in the aftermath of our adventures together. She aided me in this victory this time, most assuredly because of certain personal stakes that were involved in this case.

But when I last met the young lass, she was in a curious sense of peace that I have rarely encountered before. Regardless, I recognize the symptoms. Had I not, I might have insisted upon mental therapy for her post haste.

It is clear to me that this one found her enlightenment in her darkest hour. It pains me that she had to endure these awful trials, but she seems to have come out all the better. All the stronger with a greater sense of purpose and peace into her life. Whatever the case may be, I wish her well in her journey, ere wherever those fateful winds may carry her. I even inquired about it once. In reply, she just gave me this peaceful smile. In that moment I realized she had not lost her sanity after all. More to the contrary. She is among the rare few in our world to actually find her sanity. More power to her.

As for her sister, Sweet Charity, I regret to inform you that the news isn't as bright, but she's stable and recovering. I know of some reputable therapists and I was sure to pass along that information as well. That is where I suspect she'll face her longest road to recovery, but she's moving in the right direction so I remain hopeful that these awful trials will not keep her down. It is more than a little likely that the trial she survived with this endeavor will find its way into her written works for therapeutic reasons if nothing else. If so, she’ll be in very good compony.

As I beheld her while she rested in the hospital, I saw a golden light from your Glorious Sun lit her as it beamed upon her through a curtain which softly blew in the breeze. It was then that I was reminded of one of the poems she wrote. The one about a gentle but beautiful flower that hid very strong roots. A flower that watched on as the seasons rolled by.

Yes. I have strong faith in her indeed.

As for me, Your Majesty, I request your blessings to retire these old and tired bones. It has noticeably become quite the liability lately. The degree in which Miss Dust needed to aid me helped to remind me of my own failings.

Now mind you, I do not entirely wish to give up the fight. Rather than that, I shall seek an apprentice. With your permission, of course.

Things being as they are, it seems clear to me that the threat of Nightmare Moon lingers in the hearts of many still in the aftermath of this latest adventure. My brightest hope in the wake of this latest tragedy is that it shall serve as a catalyst for better things to come.

Maybe we have been too secretive. The public needs to know that there are threats out there worth countering. There is only so long tired old hunters can carry the torch aloft.

But in my heart, that is what I shall always do. I want peace to settle into these lands again, and I want to heal . . . in more ways than one. From this moment forth, I pledge to save at least ten lives for every one I ever took.

Please give my heartfelt regards to your sister as well. I'm sure the recent endeavors were quite a shock for her too. Even if I can't say it myself, she has always had my greatest sympathies even when she was Nightmare Moon. That mare, above all else, was the greatest victim in this affair.

But she has you now, and you have her. Knowing that eases the burdens of my heart.

So without further adieu, and with my utmost respects, I shall now plunge daringly into the depths of a new life. I shall work to build a new hospital with my rather sizable retirement funds. May it forever stand as a testament to my truest intentions for this world.

Love and Light forever onward.

Tired yet ever hopeful old hunter and healer

Doctor Van Horseling

P.S: You owe me a cake for this one.