Oh, Celestia, it all just seemed to happen so fast. One minute I was a unicorn who lived in the Ponyville Library, and the next I was a regal alicorn walking up the aisle to be crowned Equestria's newest princess. And now... Now I'm over 500 years old, and I still look as young as I did the day I moved to Ponyville. How did time fly by so fast? How did they all grow old so fast? I still had so much more I wanted to say to them, do for them, teach them. How did I let it all slip by?
It was my coronation ceremony that started it all. Nearly 500 years ago it was, and I can still remember it like it was yesterday. It seems like everything happened only yesterday. Is that an alicorn thing, or is it just me? Anyway, back to my coronation. If you remember, I seemed very happy that day, and I specifically remember saying that everything was certainly fine. At the time, it was the truth. I was fine. My friends were fine. We were all fine. However, it didn't last long, or at least, it didn't seem to last long. I seemed like one moment they were all happy and young, running from here to there and having fun, and the next they were all older, more fragile. They couldn't keep up with me and my agelessness anymore. Pinkie still partied until the day she died, but that's Pinkie for you.
The coronation though...it was amazing. Just seeing all those ponies, ponies that were to be my subjects, cheering for me and celebrating. I was an amazing feeling. One that I never wanted to let go of. I couldn't hold it though. The moment passed. Gone forever. I simply became another princess and life went on for the Equestrian people.
Over the next several years, the pressure of being a princess has been weighing down on me. At first, my friends helped me cope with it, but eventually, they started to pass away and they could no longer help me deal with my princess duties. Spike was always there, and he is still with me today. I am so very grateful that dragons lead immortal lives, so that I now have a friend to help me whenever I need somepony.
I know what you're thinking, and yes, you were a tremendous help to me as well, but you belong in Equestria as its ruler of the days, while Luna remains the steward of the nights. You both helped me so much, but now it is time for me to go it on my own. I need to learn to grow up and face responsibility. I need time for myself. A long time. Maybe, several centuries from now, I will be able to visit you and Luna again, but do not expect me to come any sooner. I need this time to get away. To understand my responsibilities and perform them with good intentions. I feel that I cannot do this in Equestria.
So, I apologize again for not saying good bye in person, but I knew that you would try to stop me. I did not want to get emotional and decide not to go. It would be a bad idea, and I would regret it. I'm not sure if I will regret this decision as well, but this is something that I must do. I hope you are not angry with me.
Now, my old teacher, you must understand. I am not leaving because I do not want to be a princess. In fact, that is exactly what I am walking into when I go to the southern countries. Equestria just holds too many memories for me, and it pains me to remember so many things about the friends I will never see again. I seemed to just have so little time with them. Much of the time we could've spent together was actually spent in the library where I studied day in and day out. I would give anything to have more time with them, especially to the one's whose lives were so brief. I remember each of their death's like they had happened only yesterday.
Pinkie Pie was the first to go at age 59. A heart attack. A heart attack took her from us. It was probably due to the insane amounts of sweets she consumed every day, but that way to go though... That wasn't fair. It was all so quick. So fast. I wanted to tell her so many things... And apologize for so much. She was so bubbly and happy, but I didn't always see that she just wanted to make everypony happy. I yelled at her more than I should have when she interrupted my studies. I never apologized, and I wish that I could have.
Pinkie was an amazing friend. She knew everything about everypony and she worked her very hardest to make us all smile. She could make even the grumpiest pony smile, and made a point to do so whenever she needed to.
Despite her bubbly attitude, Pinkamina Diane Pie did not always lead a happy life. Growing up, she lived on a rock farm, but I don't know exactly where. They had to work hard everyday and Pinkie's life was rather dull. She had two sisters, Inky and Blinky, who also worked on the farm. Pinkie had been out working in the fields one day, when a particular event changed her life forever. At the time, all she knew was that there had been a loud explosion and a rainbow appeared in the sky. For the first time, Pinkie was happy, and she decided to try to make others happy too. She kept on smiling until that awful day. I don't know if you knew any of this, Princess Celestia, but I hope this has given you some insight into the life of the happiest pony that has ever lived.
Next, at the age of 64, went Rainbow Dash. She died one week after a tragic flying accident during a Wonderbolts show in Cloudsdale. We were all so happy when she made it into their elite flying group, but none of us realized how dangerous it was. I'm sure you heard about it, Celestia. It was in all the newspapers from Canterlot to Fillydelphia. She was trying to perform her trademarked Sonic Rainboom, but something went wrong. She didn't quite reach that speed that was necessary to break the sound barrier, and the rush of air flung her backwards. Now, Rainbow was still an amazing flyer at age 64, most pegasi are, but she couldn't get control of herself fast enough, and she ended up hitting one of the only things in Cloudsdale that wasn't made of cloud. She was knocked unconscious and fell over forty feet to the grounds of the stadium. Even hitting cloud that hard is rather painful and often fatal. Rainbow died a week later in the hospital.
Rainbow was the most loyal pony I've ever met. She would never give up on anything or anypony. She hated losing, because she hated feeling like she had failed somepony that she cared about. I never really understood that until after she was gone.
Rainbow Dash grew up in Cloudsdale, and that's where her yearning to be a Wonderbolt began. As a filly, she went to every show that she could, but she never really understood what being a Wonderbolt implied. In flight school, Rainbow was hot headed and had an air of bravado that made the other little ponies pick on her. She masked her embarrassment and pain with her attitude and tried her best to ignore them. It wasn't until she saw Fluttershy getting picked on that she ever really did anything to fight back. It was during a race to defend Fluttershy's honor that she performed the Sonic Rainboom for the first time and discovered her love for speed and racing. However, she always kept her loyalty to her friends, even to the very end.
When Applejack passed away at age 70, I almost couldn't take it. She was such a hard working pony, and she never wanted anypony to do anything that she could do herself. She was a stubborn one, and even as she aged, she kept on bucking the trees at Sweet Apple Acres. She loved what she did, but eventually, all that continuous hard work had a toll on her. It's very sad, really, considering that Granny Smith lived nearly three times as long as Applejack did. I'm sure you remember when you gave Granny Smith's family the land where Ponyville now exists. She was there when that happened, though she was young at the time. Some of the ponies in that family just have the most amazing lifespans for Earth ponies. It almost makes me wonder if there weren't some unicorns in that bunch somewhere.
Applejack was the most hardworking and honest pony that Equestria has ever known. She was a little brash on occasion and love a good competition, as long as it was fair. Applejack was against anything that wasn fair and honest. That's part of what made her such a great friend. That and the amount of trust we could have that anything that she said was true.
Now, it's a little sad, but I don't know too much about Applejack's life before I met her. I know that her family has lived in Ponyville since Granny Smith was young, so I suppose she lived her life then about that same she did in the time that I knew her. Her only time not living in Ponyville was spent living with her Aunt and Uncle Orange, and that time was short lived. Her family provided many different foods for the Ponyville citizens, most of which were confections made from apples. Applejack knew how to make every single one of them, just like Granny Smith and her parents did. She was an amazing pony who did amazing things every day, but those things are what took her life. I'm sorry I didn't know her as well as I could have, or should have, and I wish that I could go back and get to know her better. Not even that time travel spell in the Starswirl the Bearded section of the library could help me do that. I do know, however, that she was one of the best friends anypony could have, and I am honored that she could call me her friend.
It was over fifty years until I had to attend another funeral. Fluttershy passed away at age 126. A little below the normal pegasus lifespan of 140, but she lived much longer than my other pegasus friend. However, Fluttershy had lived the lifestyle of an Earth pony since she was little, so her diet and lifestyle probably cut those years off. Fluttershy died peacefully, if there is such a thing. She simply just didn't wake up to feed her animals one day. Even though I know that she died in the most peaceful way possible, it still nearly ripped my heart from my chest. I never wanted to see any of my friends in a coffin, Fluttershy probably the least of all. She was so shy and quiet and timid... Not many ponies got to know her at all, and I am glad to be one of be few that did. I am glad, however that she did not suffer. The funeral was beautiful. All of her animals attended.
Fluttershy was the kindest soul ever to live in Equestria. However, if somepony was in danger or hurt, Fluttershy always got over her shy side to help out. She could stare down anything from a cockatrice to a fully grown dragon if she put her mind to it, and even when she did, she always tried to find a pleasant way to show the problematic animal what they were doing wrong, and she always forgave them for it.
Fluttershy grew up in Cloudsdale and attended flight school with Rainbow Dash, who was her only true friend at the time. She wasn't a very strong or confident flier, as her name clearly shows, and many of the others picked on her. They called her names like "Klutsershy" and were very mean little ponies. During one particularly bad day of teasing, Rainbow decided to stand up for her. A race was declared between her and two other ponies, and Fluttershy waved the flag to start the race. As the three little ponies raced by, Fluttershy was knocked off the cloud she stood on and fell to the ground. Being a weak flier, she couldn't stop her decent, and she was saved at the last second by a group of butterflies. She discovered how much she loved the ground. As she was exploring, an explosion startled her and all the animals around her. This led to the discovery of her cutie mark, because she felt compelled to tell the animals that everything was okay. This special connection to animals led to the mark that adorned her flank.
I was so very lucky to have at least one unicorn friend. Unicorn magic can keep unicorns alive for hundreds of years after any of the other races, save alicorns of course. Rarity was lucky enough to die of old age less than ten years ago at age 499. She had spent her entire life making dresses, and she was still living in Carousel Boutique when she passed away. Sweetie Bell, her younger sister, was devastated, but her friends and I had no trouble convincing her to sing at the funeral. Sweetie Bell has a beautiful voice, and I'm sure Rarity would've wanted it that way.
Rarity had a heart of gold, and the beauty inside her was reflected into the beautiful dresses she created. She was the most generous pony to walk the face of our planet, and everypony knew it. She donated to charities and orphanages, and could many times be found handing out free things to random ponies that she'd never met.
When Rarity was young, she always knew that she loved to design dresses and clothing. However, her outfits were always considered "very nice" as apposed to the "spectacular" that she was looking for. One day, a surge of magical energy courses through her, and her horn led her to a huge rock. At first, she was enraged that her horn had led her to something so plain. As she was going to leave, an explosion sounded and a rainbow shot across the sky. The shockwave sent out by the explosion caused the huge rock to break in half, revealing that the inside was filled with diamonds and jewels. Rarity used the jewels to make her outfits into the amazing pieces she wanted them to be, and her triple diamond cutie mark appeared. That was when Rarity decided to become a fashionista.
Now, my teacher, I'm sure you have noticed something by now. Every single one of the stories about how my friends grew up has one key detail. The explosion. I'm sure you know that my own cutie mark story has the same element to it. You were there, after all. This explosion, that I will tell you now was Rainbow Dash's Sonic Rainboom, is something that bound the six of us together, before we ever even knew each other. As I'm sure you remember that in one of my letters I told you something very similar. That bond still lives on in me today, and this is why I must leave. I cannot bear to see anything that reminds me of them. I need to get away, perhaps make some new friends, and get on with my life.
I hope you understand, Celestia. I really do. You were like a mother to me, and it pains me to have to leave. I hope that I see you again some day, and I hope that you will not be upset with the decision I've made.
This will be my last letter to you, Princess Celestia, and I will give you my final friendship report right now.
Even though they may no longer be with you, a friend will always be there for you. They will live inside you forever and they will never leave you. Sometimes you will grieve for them, but in the end, you must get on with your life. They would want that for you. They would not want you to be unhappy.
And now Celestia, I ask that you not grieve that I am leaving, and perhaps it will not be goodbye forever.
Your Friend and Student,
Twilight Sparkle, former Princess of Equestria
