The Riddle

Dear Twilight,

the issue I am facing is complicated, and not easily explained.

I assume you believe me to have well-reasoned motives for most of what I do, and that I don’t struggle with decisions such as what I should or should not keep a secret. Such is a fair guess, and true more often than not. But this is different.

You know I am neither omnipotent nor infallible. I repeat this now to prepare you for what I have decided to explain. I hope it is not too much of a shock to you regardless.

Over the past millennia, Luna and I have tried our best to gradually improve the world that we live in. Life today is better than it was a hundred years ago, if not by much, and life then was better than it was another hundred years prior – if not by much – and so on. The better things become, the more afraid we have been of change, and the more cautious we have been in applying improvements.

Phoenixes scare me. My memory is blurry, I do not recall the past as well as you do, but I believe I have always done my best to avoid making them my enemies. If something happened to me, Twilight, so many lives would be affected. I cannot risk it. I cannot risk anything. I keep Philomena by my side, not as a way to keep an eye on her, but to allow her to keep an eye on me. Because if what I believe is true, then the individuality that we have among ponies does not apply in the same way to phoenixes. Information which one has might somehow be available to others.

You are asking me to share what I know. I know very little. I only have observations, questions, and uncertainties, and I see very little consistency. Are they intelligent, or are they not? I have seen reality point in both directions.

Twilight, Philomena is here, reading the letter, or perhaps reading my mind, or perhaps sitting on my shoulder because it is comfortable. I have shown her everything I have written to you on this subject. I do not believe she wants me to continue. I shall see if she minds me sending this to you.

Do what you believe is best. They will not hurt you for trying, not by will.

in Love,
Princess Celestia