A Farewell to Derpy

Dear Princess Celestia,

I apologize if I sound a little awkward in this letter, as it is the first I have ever written to you and I'm not very good at it. Twilight says I should just speak from the heart and say how I feel, and so I'll try to do just that.

My good friend Derpy Hooves and I have recently been drifting apart. Ever since that last magical moment at Applejack's party, I've been seeing her less and less. I have only glimpsed her in passing a few times, and I haven't heard a word out of her. I heard from somepony that she had been trying to cover up what makes her different, working to uncross her eyes and "fix" her voice. And all because somepony thought she was somehow offensive.

It breaks my heart to see her like this, but I don't know what I can do about it. The harsh words of others seem to have gotten to her in a bad way, and with her shutting herself off from everyone, I can't even comfort her. My fear is that one day she may vanish entirely, and I'll never see her again. But if I try to force her back into the spotlight, I am also afraid that those who complained about her will take more drastic action, and our entire world may crumble and fall. It's for this reason I have made a difficult choice.

I've decided to let her go.

I don't make this decision lightly; it kills me to even write the words on the page. Derpy is the best and most loyal friend anypony could want, and I wish we could be together forever. But it seems as if it is not meant to be. The world simply isn't ready for her yet. It's better that we go our separate ways.

Maybe this was always the way it was meant to be. Who knows? Perhaps our paths will cross again one day. I hope she understands why I'm leaving. I love Derpy more than I can say, and I always will. But sometimes the stars are just not right, and even the best of friendships must sometimes be put aside because of the circumstances. I feel it is better for Derpy if we part ways. And if the price for our beautiful world- our perfect fandom- is leaving Derpy behind, perhaps it's time we bid her farewell and move on. The Derpy I know wouldn't want us to mope over her loss; she would want us to move on with our lives, to make new friends, to continue to experience the amazing world we have been gifted with.

It's strange: when I first heard about this, I wanted to hate those who berated my friend. But I don't. Am I angry about what they did to an innocent pegasus who just didn't know what went wrong? Of course I am. But I don't hate them, not really. If I hated them, I would be no better than them at all.

So I guess the reason I'm writing this letter is to ask a small favor: if you're ever out and about in Canterlot and you see a grey pegasus with a yellow mane and her eyes crossed, please give her this message. You may not fully understand it, but she'll know what it means. Tell her that I'm sorry I had to leave, but that I felt it was better for all of us this way. Tell her that I hope one day we can be together again, free of the anger which has plagued our relationship recently. And above all, tell her that no matter what else happens, or where she goes in the world, she'll always have a place in our hearts and in our fandom. She will always be our beautiful, majestic, perfect Derpy Hooves.

Thank you for reading this, and I hope she forgives me. But sometimes you have to give up what's holding you back in order to soar...even if the thing holding you back is hope. And though it pains me to lose Derpy, it would pain me far more to lose the show over her. But I know that she is now a part of the fandom, and perhaps that's the best any of us can hope for.

And if you, Luna, and Twilight ever get bogged down by work, and you feel like you need another princess at the castle, I know a certain grey pegasus who would be perfect for the job. Try to find her, and remind her how special she really is. Remind her that even in her darkest hour, she has the bronies. She will always have the bronies.

And if she gets the job, try to slip her a muffin now and then. I know they're her favorite.

Your faithful student,

Golden Keyblade