Letters to Celestia, Volume 2

So, it's been decided this is going to become a regular event, occurring roughly 2-3 times monthly. There's plenty to say about ponies and the way they've shaped our lives, and hopefully it will remain a fun thing to write and hear about.

Would you like to write your own letters to Celly? Wonderful! Send them to phoe@equestriadaily.com, and I will compile the very bestest ones, and on the 1st Volume of every month I'll post them up for everypony to see! Depending on how many there are, you might also see reader-printed letters in the other volumes that month, as well. Knowing you guys, I'm kind of expecting it.

Dear Princess Celestia,

Lately, I've been feeling a little guilty. Every day I look at all the things your subjects have created and are creating, from stories in all shapes and sizes to amazing artwork and musical compositions, and even a variety of games! I look at all of these things, and then I look back to myself and realize how little I've contributed of late. I haven't made time to write the way that I used to. Isn't that a terrible thing?

Well, from watching groups like the Equestria Daily pre-readers and the ATG Alumni, I've come to realize more and more the effects of the creative grind. The longer we plug away at these things without taking the opportunity to rest, the more we wear ourselves down until it feels like all the spark of inspiration has up and vanished from our minds and bodies. It's natural, and it's not something a pony should feel guilty about. If we need to find new sources of inspiration, that's just a part of being alive.

What's important is that we take the time to remind ourselves of why we chose to be creative in the first place. Your Principality is such a wondrous place, bursting to capacity with possibility, but the real reason we've covered the land in art is that we have fun doing that. If we let the grind rob us of that key fact, we cease to do it anymore. Fighting the grind isn't about struggling against the chains of some imagined block, but remembering to rest our minds and bodies, and always keeping that love of creation close to our hearts. So long as we hold on to the source of our drive, we can eventually break through any sticking point in any project we undertake. And that's Magic.

I also think it's important to talk to other ponies about what you're going through. Why, just the other day I was saying to-----~~~
[Editor's note: Phoe's pen kind of drags off of the page at this point, and her desk shows signs of a struggle. More messages continue on the parchment, but in a different hoofwriting. For posterity's sake, we've decided to print that in its entirety.]

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Good evening, dear readers.

Midnight here, speaking to you from my fortress, on the moon.

...This was posted by Phoe you say? Oh don't worry about Phoe, she's...safe.

...And okay, I'll own up. It's not a fortress. I built it out of moonrocks. Yes it's a moon-igloo. Ignore the fact the soap-box I'm standing on is jumping up and down as if there's a pony in it...

As I'm sitting here on the moon (Luna, I'm sorry, can I come back yet?), I keep an eye out on what's going on down there on Earth. Not much else to do. Just ask Luna. A few days ago - July the 8th 2011 - was the launch of the very last space-shuttle. It marks an end, of sorts, of the old space-race. Some forty-odd years ago, mankind set foot on this celestial object as the culmination of a decade of competition. It began as a propaganda exercise, but it ended up as a triumph of co-operation. Fast forward a few decades and we have a massive floating laboratory in orbit around Earth in which scientists are performing experiments that couldn't be done anywhere else. It's crewed by international astronauts from all over the globe. To service it, many nations must work together and put aside old enmities. Nations that were once at war are now working together for the betterment of everypony.

That's a pretty powerful legacy, it just proves that even in the real world, friendship is magic. With it, despite our differences, despite things not quite being perfect, amazing things can be done.

So back to the show that spawned the blog that I'm now writing to you about. I think Twilight's words in the pilot were rather prophetic - "these ponies are crazy!". Way back when, I was somewhat concerned that I'd found this show just as it had not only reached its peak, but was winding down.

...I forget the exact episode, but it was in February when EqD had something less than 300k views in total that I first made my mark. It wasn't much of a mark, but it was enjoyed and it spurred me on to create more. Not just for myself but because other bronies found it enjoyable.

To continue: I could see some show titles and premises that quite frankly looked terrible - an episode about ponies making gala dresses! An episode about one pony feeling jealous of another...how awful I thought, that'll never work. Silly me. These are (and to me will remain) two of the best episodes. Even the "bad" episodes are amazing - I mean come on, who didn't find the disastrous eighties hair-band glam-rock song of the CMC's brilliant in retrospect? I'd love to hear it sung correctly, but as it was...genius.

So yes - I watched out the rest of the first series. It was excellent. I cheered along with Fluttershy at the sonic rainboom. I cringed and laughed along with the crusader's song. I laughed my flank off at Philomena and even grudgingly gave space to that owl with the name even harder to spell than that darn phoenix's. Then, thought I, things will calm down a bit. I'll be able to get back to "normal" life.

But no. Oh no. You ponies are crazy.

And I love you all. We love you all. The news, the events, the art, the fanfics, the positive attention and uplifting stories just kept piling in, and not only that but the volume is increasing along with the quality. It's hard work, but as long as we're giving you blog readers way too much pony every day of the week, it's worth it.

I'm stoked for season two - despite neighsayers after Lauren Faust stepped down (whatever you're up to, you left a mark on the show and us). Despite worries over Derpy's ascended meme status (she's just a verboten background pony now. I think we may see her delivering mail, but that's it). Despite everything - and there's not a lot of this negative everything to actually get worked up about - the brony fandom (and that includes all you fillies as well as the colts) keeps going from strength to strength.

So, to make this something a little bit more interactive, whilst I don't think I can manage a Q&A, it would be lovely to hear personal stories of bronydom from everypony. If you want to, tell us why you found ponies, why you stayed, what you're hoping for.

To everypony, have a wonderful summer. I hope you had a wonderful Brony Appreciation Day. Have a wonderful winter if you're down under and don't be a stranger!