I wrote and published the words before this only three weeks after the princess presented to me the task. Yet many years later, now in the present, I write this final epilogue to the story; being finally given a body after losing one again.

After a while of staying at the solar palace, I finally gave into my heart’s desire and moved to Ponyville; spending time in the company of Pinkie Pie. I cannot express the joy and happiness that I felt in those days. It is one thing to see joy before you, but to experience it is entirely another understanding. This is the difference between “knowing of” and knowing. She truly was an undeniably jubilant person. No situation could make her lose her spirit and she attacked every hardship with eagerness. Those days which I spent with the joy and pride of the town were the greatest I had ever been gifted.

It was during this time that in addition to satisfying myself, I also made it a point to discover more about Pinkie. I spoke with Twilight at one time and entrusted her with the knowledge of the triune nature of ponies. When she understood this, I was then able to ask her the nagging question. I said to her, “I saw and heard her break. I witnessed for myself the spirits of joy and love flee from her. How then after she was broken did nothing change?” This is what I did not have the time to ask when it happened on account of the perilous battle which I had to fight as soon as the divinities materialized. Yet now that I was not constricted to a life-or-death situation, the idea just simply made me nonplussed.

Twilight answered me, “Well, it’s just Pinkie. There are a lot of things about her which just don’t make sense. But that’s what makes her who she is.”

But I persisted. “But do you not at least have a guess for why she is still so impassioned with joy and love?”

When she pondered this for a moment, she replied, “I guess I’d have to say that it’s in her nature.”

Nature: a very deep word, full of meaning. For her to use it properly meant that she understood not only what it means (a feat for a mortal in itself) but also what her statement as a whole implied. I thanked her and went away pondering the possibility. For joy and love to be in her nature meant that they were a component of her being: that they were inextricably lodged in her very existence, and for them to cease to exist would mean the secession of her own existence. The idea baffled me.

Yet despite my lack of complete understanding, I was content to move on –which was extremely uncharacteristic of me, because I had an innate desire to pursue the heart of a matter until I found it- and see the glory of Pinkie in person; spending all the time I could with her. Pinkie lived on and soon all of Ponyville was the most joyful city on the planet. After she had made much progress in the town, Twilight finally came to her and offered to restore her cutie marks. Yet Pinkie asked Twilight to only heal one of her sides, so that a reminder of her courage and determination might remain for all to see. Twilight, hearing her reasoning, agreed and healed the cutie mark on her right side.

Then, realizing that there were other places that required her assistance, Pinkie ventured to all of the other towns and cities in the world; completing her goal in each place. Now, as with Max, there were always difficult cases -there were many several times more difficult than him- but Pinkie did not give up. She persisted and worked them hard until they were grinning each day. And when she left a place, the people did not lose their state of joy. They continued even to pass her philosophies on to their children.

At the age of one hundred and thirty (her joy granting her a long life), she returned to Ponyville. Upon passing through the gate, she was welcomed by the whole town who had assembled to welcome her home. They cheered so loudly at the sight of her and were so glad to see that she had returned that I believe the ground shook. I should know because I was one among them who shouted long and hard for joy. And despite her old age, she organized a party to celebrate with them which lasted for twelve hours. On the ninth hour into the celebration, she spoke to the whole assembly and said, “My friends, today my life’s work is accomplished. I am so glad to call you all my friends. Thanks for partying with me. I’ve lived a long time. And I’m not bragging when I say that my whole life has been worthwhile because of you guys and your smiles.”

After saying this, she said that she was tired and went to bed early even amongst the ongoing festivities. On the twelfth hour of the celebration, the partiers found that she had passed away painlessly in her sleep with a smile on her face. Yet there was no weeping at her death. Although everyone was unhappy that they would not see their friend again, they were glad that she had gone to the greatest place where she would receive the greatest awards for her deeds in her first life. She had told them this herself, and they believed.

The following morning, after the sun was raised, all of the ponies of the town went to Twilight and asked her to place preserving spells on the body that they could have time to prepare for her funeral. The unicorn agreed and placed enchantments on Pinkie’s body so that her body would remain unaltered by time for seven years. And after they were sure that the body would not see decay, the whole town congregated once more in the center marketplace where Pinkie had always met them. There, they began work on a mausoleum.

The construction of the mausoleum lasted three months. When it was finished, it was a white circular edifice capped with a dome. It had a floor and ceiling separated by twelve columns made of marble. Inside, there was a statute under which her coffin, which was made of diamond found in the mines, was laid. The statue was of Pinkie Pie reaching up with a determined look on her face, as though she was striving hard to reach something. Rarity herself carved it, and although she was inexperienced at the task, it could not have turned out better had the most skilled sculptors in all the world made it.

The funeral procession lasted for three months. Beginning with the first seven days, nearly every person in the town gave a lengthy eulogy for her. And after everypony was done, unicorns, earth ponies, and pegasus ponies from every town and city in Equestria arrived to commemorate her life with the ponies of Ponyville. They too gave long eulogies to Pinkie. Notably, Princesses Celestia and Luna also spoke of her fondly. And finally, on the third day of the last week of the three months, Twilight Sparkle took the podium set up outside the mausoleum. Her speech lasted for four days and was filled with some of the most amazing oratory skills and poetical commendation that I had ever heard. How I wish someone would have written it down, because it could have been studied by scholars and in literature classes for centuries because of its sheer astounding substance. But unfortunately Twilight spoke from memory and her eulogy has been lost to time.

A few days later, she came to me and asked me to teach her one of the ancient magical languages, but would not say why. Because she was the arch mage at the time, I considered that she knew of the gravity of what she was asking and I taught her one of them for five years. After this time had passed and she was extremely fluent in the language, she started work on a commission which had been given to her by the town: an epitaph for Pinkie.

Sadly, although she was the last of the Element bearers of her generation, even magic cannot make an immortal immune to death and she passed away at the age of one hundred and thirty three; after working on the epitaph for three years. When I found the most recent copy of her epitaph, I finished it for her with the town’s permission. So an epitaph, written in part by Twilight Sparkle, arch-mage, and faithful student of Princess Celestia, and in part by Saeldur, the spectator, was carved into the base of the statue in the mausoleum and filled in with sapphire stone, for all future generations to see. And even when I, the last living witness of the greatness of Pinkie Pie was forced once more to relinquish my flesh; perishing in a skirmish to prevent a war with the dragons in the west (due in part to the curse I cast upon Discord to make him lose balance), was gone, ponies would remember the name and accomplishments of Pinkie Pie. To this day, though indeed many generations have passed, none of her deeds were skewed in relation or tale, but were told exactly as they were told in my day.

Pinkie Pie, a mare beginning in the small town of Ponyville, with no one to care if she lived or died, embarked on a self-ordained mission out of love to banish the spirits of Fear and Suffering and cause all ponies to be completely joyful and happy in spite of any situation; knowing that joy is not dependent upon circumstances, but on a pony’s willingness to be happy. And for this mission, she was contested with and imprisoned and tortured. Yet at no time did she lash out at her mortal aggressors, but loved them and wished them well; for she knew that she was not warring against flesh and blood. And for nine years she fought unceasingly for her friends, displaying steadfast courage in her heart, and in the tenth year the enemy fled from the plane of Equestria, abandoning their rich farmlands of ponies which they had held captive for so long. And she went on to conquer until there was nothing left to conquer.

This epitaph was carved into her statue and filled with sapphire stone:

μη δακρυε ω ξειν ιππωι ταυτηι ηνταφιασαμεν

μη πιστευε οτι  θαωαντος αυτην εχει

ιθι προς τους φιλους τας αδελφας και πασα της γης

και αγγελλειν τουτου

τηιδε κειται σωμα Πινκης

αυτηι χαρην ολοκληρον εχον

η σοι πασα μαχεσατο προς ισχθρους δαιμονους δειωους

διο αναπολογος ει ω ιππε συνοφρυωωομενον

μαμογελε ουν. αγαπει σε

μαμογελε ουν. συ δεσποτη χαρας σος ει

And on the other side, one later carved a translation for all to read.

Do not weep O stranger; for this entombed pony.

Neither believe that she is dead. She is not.

Go to your friends, to your sisters, to all of the world

And tell them of this:

Here lies the body of Pinkie.

The one completely joyful

Who fought for you all against terrible and mighty demons

That you may have no excuse to be with a frown or sullen face

Smile then. She loves you.

Smile then. You, yourself are the master of your joy.