One of the greatest forces in government is not the force of arms or the will of the people - it is the unrelenting tide of bureaucracy. Laws written in blood and composed entirely of loopholes that would baffle history's greatest geniuses, eldritch regulations put in place for reasons forgotten generations earlier, and of course neverending seas of paperwork.
Most distressing were the parts that nopony had ever bothered to write down because things simply worked that way. Those were the ones that drove Twilight Sparkle mad at night. And those were the ones that were everywhere - a natural consequence when the center of your bureaucracy is a millennium-old proto-goddess who was just a little bit too hooves-on for her own good.
Even with a team of Equestria's best forensic accountants, Raven Inkwell, and Spike... well, sorting through the government to figure out what things would and wouldn't work without Princess Celestia around to manipulate them had taken weeks. She had done the best she could with her retirement, but even Celestia couldn't remember everything. And so it was up to Raven's team to piece together the lost institutional knowledge.
Twilight helped where she could, of course. Navigating the labyrinthine maze of governmental regulations and reading age-old documents was practically a hobby for her - particularly when the task presented was to sort through the personal correspondence Princess Celestia had left behind, finding any notes she had left about obscure treaties and rituals that had been her responsibility alone.
And so she found herself at the end of the day in Princess Celestia's old rooms, sipping a cup of tea and sorting through paperwork old enough to be considered part of the fossil record.
A sip, and Twilight shuffled three letters into the second pile on her left. Marriage proposals - retained because they came from important figures so Celestia had needed to reject the overtures delicately instead of simply ignoring them. Another sheet of paper lifted in her magenta magic, examined and read over briefly. A quick scan told Twilight all she needed to put it in the third pile to her right: it was a century and a half old, but it was still Celestia's own notes on a law under discussion at the time. If nothing else, it would be an interesting historical curiosity. Another piece of paper went into the first pile to her right - a drawing made by one of the Princess' students at the School. It could be an important memento and would need to be presented to Celestia for her to decide on. Then the next letter and--
Twilight's magic and breath hitched as she saw the front of the envelope. In simple but familiar hornwriting stood six words in black ink: To My Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle. Twilight's analytical eyes grabbed at the essential clues of the letter in a moment - envelope sealed, still closed by red wax. Corners were slightly dog-eared, indicating it had been around for some time. But no yellowing of the paper, so relatively recent compared to most of the papers in the room. The seal in the wax was Celestia's own, making clear this was an official document of some sort; but at the same time it didn't have Princess in the addressee's name, so it was from before Twilight's own ascension.
It could contain anything. And Twilight needed to know what was inside.
And that was fine, right? It was addressed to her, after all. That was justification enough, for sure.
So with a slightly unsteady grip on the letter opener, Twilight broke the seal and pulled forth the letter from her mentor.
To my faithful student, Twilight Sparkle:
I am certain you have many questions right now and I must ask your patience. Were I able to answer them myself I would, but if Ms. Inkwell is presenting this letter to you as I bade her then I fear I will never have the opportunity.
Her instructions were to hold this letter for me - should I not survive the coming night and Nightmare Moon's defeat - to make sure you were given it. I will answer what I think you will ask as best I can, but I also have a few final orders for you. To be precise: three requests and three answers.
The first request is to please take a few moments to comfort Ms. Inkwell. Raven has been a dear friend and confidante these last few years. While I am certain that she stands before you right now, with her head held high and her back straight, behind that veneer of stoic nobility she is barely a step away from collapse. By necessity of this coming night, she is unaware of the contents of this letter and so what has happened is as much a surprise to her as it has been to you. Please, help her through this trial.
But that leaves us next with what is almost certainly the foremost question on your mind, my student: just what has happened? And I'm afraid I can only answer so much. While I have had a very long time to prepare for this last night, no plan will ever survive the discordant chaos of individual ponies. The unfortunate and likely truth is that if you have been given this letter, I have died.
The precise circumstances are a mystery to me, as there are several ways it could have happened. It is my hope that if I have perished, it has been without a fight. That may seem strange to you but it will make sense as this letter goes on.
But that is perhaps a bandage I should pull off quickly and give you your first answer. The being that has killed me - the one you likely know as Nightmare Moon - her name is Luna. Long ago, she sat by my side and we called each other 'sister'. She was (and still is) the most precious thing in the world to me. I just wish I had realized that sooner.
I'm certain that Luna can tell you much of our early days together and of how she thinks she ended up in this situation. About how jealousy drove her to make dark deals and embrace the parts of her heart that dwelt in shadow. Poor Luna, should she be rid of the Nightmare, will tell you the tragedy of the Two Sisters. She will say how she was weak; how she lacked faith; how she caused untold sorrow by her choices.
But make no mistake. There is only one pony responsible for her fall: me. It was my blindness that led her to become Nightmare Moon. My neglect and my hubris drove my sister away and let a shadowy demon take her place. I am the monster in this story, not her.
And that is my second request, my faithful student. Do not seek revenge nor hold any anger towards Luna. She is just as much a victim in this as anypony, and it is my most heartfelt wish that she be treated with love, respect and kindness in my absence. If Nightmare Moon has killed me, it is because I refused to fight her. I did battle with her once, and there is not a night since where I have not looked upon her moon and regretted it. I would rather die than strike my sister in anger again. Please, I ask that you respect my choice. Treat Luna as if she were I - you have been a beacon of love, respect and joy in my long life. Be one in hers.
This may, of course, be moot. The Elements are unpredictable at the best of times and I cannot be certain how they will react. And therein lies my second answer for you, dear Twilight, for I am certain you have a great many questions about the strange jewels that have come into the possession of yourself and your new friends.
Here I will start by confirming what you likely already know: the Elements of Harmony are Equestria's greatest weapon. A self-aware artifact that represents the greatest virtues of all ponykind, it has the strength to defeat any opponent when wielded by those with true hearts. But wielding it and controlling it are two entirely different things. This was part of my error long ago.
Luna and I wielded the Elements once. They were instrumental in defeating several of Equestria's earliest threats - the last of which was Nightmare Moon. When I turned them on the Nightmare out of desperation, they banished her to the moon for a thousand years. And then as punishment for the anger between we sisters, they became dormant until somepony more worthy than I could take them up.
I didn't want to banish Nightmare Moon; my intent had been to separate it from Luna and save her. I pray that when you gained their blessing they chose to release Luna from her undeserved penance rather than punishing her further. It may be vanity, but I like to think that sacrificing myself rather than continuing the strife will be enough to placate the Elements. Though the why matters less than the results in this case.
If the Elements have taken other steps to defeat the Nightmare, I hope that they yet give Luna a chance for future redemption. To be banished once more or sealed in stone is not what I wish for her, but there are far darker fates that she could meet. I pray that those are avoided. And if you find this letter when the Elements have not been activated or were not enough to stop her? Then I pray all the harder for every pony in Equestria. I am sorry that my weakness has led to this.
But I still have faith. Not merely in the Elements but also in you, my student. Through all these years you have not let me down. I do not believe you shall now, either.
And this leads me to my third answer for you. Just how much of what has happened in the last few days - or perhaps in the last few years - were your own choices and what were my own plans?
The prophesies of long ago told me this day was coming. Down to the hour, I knew it would happen. And I can say without guilt that I have worked for centuries to be ready for it. Saving my sister - both her life and her soul - would allow no less. I however do have some guilt in that I must admit you were part of that plan, my faithful student.
You are not my first student; nor are you the first I have tried to mold and prepare for this role. You are, however, the best of them, Twilight. Not merely the smartest and most dedicated, but also the one with the strongest heart. In the end perhaps the only one who could do what I could not and save Luna. You could fix my greatest mistake and redeem my most terrible sin.
But I am no perfect puppet master. I could engineer the situations, yes, but I could never force you to act a specific way. Even if I could, I expect the Elements would not tolerate that sort of interference. Your achievements are wholly your own. I created opportunities for you, Twilight, nothing more. It is your heart and your spirit that have drawn you to friendship and found the ponies that resonate with you. No matter who they are, they will be good ponies. I am confident of that. Loyal, kind, generous, honest and full of laughter. And that is what you need the most in this trying time.
And that brings me to my third and final request to you, my faithful student. Live your life well and with your head held high. In the coming days, Equestria will be sorely lacking even tempers and sharp minds. For what you have done, you will be praised as a hero. I know you will struggle against accepting it as that is part of who you are, but you are a hero. If not to the world, then at least to myself. I ask you to be that hero and be what Equestria needs. Stand beside my sister and give her the aid you would have given me. But even moreso, I ask you to find joy in your life. You deserve it.
There are so many more things I wish I could tell you, Twilight. But there will never be enough time and for all my speeches I have never been able to find the right words. Know that in whatever lies beyond, I am proud of you. I am blessed to have known you. And I am eternally grateful for how you have helped me.
If I had a daughter, I would pray she could be half the mare you have grown into.
With the deepest love,
Celestia
Slowly, Twilight wiped the tears from her eyes.
Then - with appropriate reverence - she set the letter in a new pile. One for treasures she would keep.
Author's Note
This story is inspired - conceptually - by The Contingency Speech, the prepared but never issued speech for Pres. Nixon to give in the event that Apollo 11 never made it home.
It occurred to me that Celestia - having had a thousand years to prepare for her sister's return and having put so much into the plans around it - would have left something behind to help and guide both her student and her sister in the event that everything went wrong.
