Letters to Celestia, Volume 1

We don't have an editor here at Equestria Daily, so I guess that means everypony's favorite sun princess is in charge of listening to our reports on the Magic of Friendship. I'm testing out a new segment here. This is either going to be the first of many such letters, or it'll just fade away as the result of some quirky experiment. Either way, find one pony's thoughts on what it means to be a pony fan after the break.


Dear Princess Celestia,

I've been thinking a lot lately about all of us, your faithful subjects, and how we fit into the world around us. Almost every day, somepony will approach me asking what we can do about how I think we come across to the world outside of Equestria. What if they say mean things and try to hurt us? It's a problem weighing on a lot of minds, especially worrying about being mislabeled as 'freaks' and being persecuted. I know they mean well, but I think sometimes these fears can be misguided.

Can I tell you a secret, Princess? I don't think people think about us very often. There's so much going on in the world that it's difficult to find time to think about Equestria unless you're living right in the heart of it. Isn't that how it always goes? The problems that matter most are the ones closest to you. But when you project those fears onto the shadows beyond that sphere, you aren't helping anypony out. Knowing when to be afraid is a very important part of a healthy life, but all too often becoming consumed by your fears is a great way to create a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Sometimes ponies do things, and we don't understand why. Sometimes it's weird or creepy to us that they like the stuff that we do. And that's ok. What a pony does with her time is her business, and even if we don't appreciate it all we don't need to condemn it. Part of being friends means accepting others for being different, and not letting those differences tear us apart. When we're all free to be ourselves, we are happiest as a group.

The unfortunate thing is that part of that freedom means that some ponies will be doing things that others do not. And that's where the fear comes from, I think. There's a worry that somebody will see somepony, and think that what they see applies to everypony. And I understand that concern, I really do, but I think that our problems always seem bigger than they are because we're so close to them. It's only when we take a step back that we see how small they really are. That outsiders, even farther away from our problems than that, can barely even muster up the energy to shrug their shoulders.

What I've learned is that friendship is just like life. It isn't about conformity, it's about adaptability. When you try to push your views on others, lots of ponies get hurt. And as long as you keep your head held high and conduct yourself with grace, everything will work out ok for you. It's kind of like that time I found that broken cookie jar and apologized for it. I got put in time out, because I was taking responsibility for things outside of my control. If I had just been honest instead of panicking, nothing bad would have happened.

Equestria is growing bigger all the time, as more and more people around the world fall in love with Twilight Sparkle and her friends. What they see when they come here will be a bunch of happy ponies. And I know, that if we each do our part to represent ourselves well, then we'll all shine as a group.

Your Other Faithful Student,

Phoe