Revelations "Good" End
The letter fell to the floor as Twilight's now pure golden aura flickered out.
"Twili-"
"No"
"Twi-"
"NO! No! No! No! No! No!"
"Twilight, what does it-"
"It's all my fault!"
"Twilight, what are you-"
"It's all my fault!" she cried, falling to the ground, "Celestia's dead and the planet's dying and it's all my fault!"
"Twilight, you cannot be held responsible for-"
"But I am! Celestia died to save me!" her voice caught in her throat, but she managed to pitifully wail the worst part, "and I repaid her by hiding myself away! It's all my fault!"
"Twilight, explain what you have said. I cannot understand such a thing could be."
"I- I-" words failing, Twilight simply turned away, hoofing the letter over to the sister of its author.
Twilight's turmoil steeped as she took glances at Luna's expression while she read. She contemplated running, but decided that there was no point anymore.
Twilight watched as Luna's eyes drifted from the end of the page, signaling that it was over and Luna now knew everything.
"It's all my-"
"No," Luna said firmly, still staring off into space, "No, it isn't."
"I killed her! I killed Celestia!"
"You did no such thing. You said yourself that the transfer of power was performed with the intention of ending my sister's life. She knew what she was doing. She has been dying for a thousand years, you granted her release from a millennia of suffering. You achieved so much that she felt she could trust you with her sun, to carry on where she left off."
"And look where I've put us! If I hadn't confronted her! If I hadn't been disguised! If I had just woken up! I hid myself away like a child and now the whole planet is dieing because of it! If I had known..."
"'If you had known'-what? If you had known then you would have done something different? That in itself means the blame is not yours! You didn't know anything!"
"But I should have!"
"You were angry that my sister had orchestrated your life, puppeteering you into a fate that she picked out for you without your knowledge or consent. You were upset over her neglectful and even abusive acts towards you, and you very well should have been! My sister, though I wish her soul may now finally find rest, I would dare say did do all such things to you. She has no less than admitted her guilt. You show great force of will to know that you would have put that aside for the planet, but from how I see it, my sister is no less than wholly responsible for our current situation. Everything, from the effects of the loss of the sun, all the way back to my return from the moon, and even back to the time she made you her student. Looking back in light of this letter, it is now apparent she has made many mistakes over the years." she paused, "But do you truly regret what has been done?
"Can you truly say, that in light of all her misguided manipulation, that you truly would have had things gone differently? Change the past as we now see it? Would you trade the life you have lived, the experiences, the triumphs and all the good you have done, for any other path?" Luna looked her at her firmly.
"...no..." Twilight croaked between sobs.
"You may think less of her, but you must remember that even she was merely equine. Do you really believe that the special moments you shared were lies? That there was no truth to her love for you?"
Once again her eyes pierced the tearful mare's own. "No..."
"As well you shouldn't! This letter itself proves how much she loved you. She wrote it not to me, but to you, as not a command, but as a plea, as not another lesson, but as a whole-hearted cry for forgiveness, one that I would not say was even for her, but was instead penned to give you closure. She wanted you to not be plagued by doubts, but rather to know the truth, at the cost of her immortal image in your eyes."
"She loved you. She loved you so much and was so proud of you that she would trust the continuation of life itself to you."
"But I-"
"Twilight Sparkle." Luna said firmly, "Do you believe my sister's love for you was real?"
At first with frantic confusion, and then slowly with collected definitiveness, she cleared her eyes and answered. "Yes."
"Would you change anything about what she did? Knowing what you know now?"
This time the pause stretched much longer, a deep turmoil rising within her. "Well... yes... Yes I would!"
"Such as?"
"I would have trusted someone with this information!" she nearly shouted into Luna's face, only tuning down as eye contact reminded her of her only listener's proximity, "I mean, she... If I were in her shoes, and had... done... all this... Then I would have trusted if not me than at least you with all this! I mean I've nearly killed everypony by keeping this bottled up!"
Contrary to expectation, Luna was smiling broadly. "Perfect!"
"How is that-"
"First, you just said that "I", that is to say my sister, was responsible, not you Twilight Sparkle. Remember that. Second, it is good because it shows that you recognize the fundamental flaw in my sister's actions that led us to this point. Do you see it?
"I hope you recognize that despite our actions, we are only equine. That is the fate of all beings, mortal and immortal alike, we are all fallible. I fear my sister may have lost sight of something so fundamental, so base, that your answer reflects, but even you do not see it.
"She trusted nopony to bear her burden with her, not even so much as a shoulder to cry into. She had no support for fear of involving or harming the uninvolved, but that is precisely how she has hurt you. Not by her actions, as I have no doubt you would have done everything just the same, even knowing her intentions. No, she harmed you by trying not to harm you.
"The anger you feel is not for how she manipulated you, nor for how you feel she may not have trusted you. No, instead it is for how she didn't open up and share her pain, how she didn't allow you to bear more of her burden. The anger you now feel is betrayal, but no longer is it from her betrayal of you, but rather her betrayal of your friendship.
"She didn't follow a key tenant of friendship. One that was among the first that you yourself learned."
Luna began looking around the room, stopping to focus on Celestia's desk. The sound of a sliding drawer preceded the rise of a cluster of scrolls from behind the desk. She gave each a quick glance before pulling one aside.
"Twilight, do you remember this?" she said, levitating the scroll over to her.
Twilight caught it and unfurled it to reveal one of her friendship reports.
"Dear Princess Celestia,
My friend Applejack is the best friend a pony could ever have, and she's always there to help anypony. The only trouble is, when she needs help she finds it hard to accept it. So while friendship is about giving of ourselves to friends, it's also about accepting what our friends have to offer.
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle"
"Twilight, she knew she was flawed. She knew that there was only so much she could teach you. Allowing you to go off on your own, away from her guidance, has only made you more fit to fulfill your new role. More fit than even she."
Luna prepared to counter any arguments, but as the silence drew on, none came.
"I will do better." Twilight said suddenly, quiet at first but growing firmer, "In honor of her sacrifice, I will do better. For her, and for everypony and everything that needs me."
Luna smiled. "Then you know what you have to do," She said as she placed a wing across the smaller alicorn's back and they proceeded out onto Celestia's balcony together.
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Luna taking it that well felt kind of weird. Granted it's the 'good' end, but still.
I want a Nightmare Moon end.
So, judging from Luna's restrained response.. either she's glad Celestia is dead too or she's a midnight toker and she has been hotboxing it all night.
I think I like this ending.
5221063
best end
You know what? There should be one where she does care for the sun, but stops at that. No princess-hood, or participating of the shadowy games of back-stabbing of the courts...
Alternatively, she ends them. Really, she's an Element of Harmony - I'd say that that is a touch more important to keep than the title of princess, so if the latter threatened the former... well, let's say I despise the stories where Twilight is pushed into betraying the principles that supposedly made her a candidate for the crown.
Even more so those that have Celestia pushing her to do so. Like, really, there is one where she tried to have Twilight turn a blind eye to slavery because it would be too difficult to deal with the ruler of the country - granted, supposedly it was someone on the same tier of power... but does she not have Twilight, the Elements, Luna, Cadence, and the girls on her side?
I was expecting a mega spell from Twilight, you know the ones from Fallout Equestria?
Oh well.
Yes, because no one else more fit to rule than an anti-social unicorn with massive OCD, freaks out at the smallest thing and is so much of a doormat that she doesn't mind if Celestia forces her to do something she didn't asked nor wanted to do.
Ugh, screw it.
5222151 My thoughts exactly.
5221102
This! I vote for a 'fuck ya'll, all ya'll' ending where Twi does her sun mistress thing and leaves the ponies to rule themselves. Or kill each other.
5222151
5223494
That's another.
I really don't feel like Hasbro did anything right with that decision. I mean, though she may be Magic, and one of the Elements, and a good leader and all that...
She is still way too green to be princess. Unless the nobles aren't like human nobles, or the honest ones out-number and out-weight the not-so-nice ones (something entirely possible, what with these not being humans in the first place and all the magic and stuff).
However, it just makes the people saying 'Celestia is puppeteering Twilight' seem like they are more and more on the ball.
5223531
The only way it makes sense is if there're multiple unspoken levels of Princessery.
1: Celestia: Rules the place.
2: Luna: Is Celestia's brain washed tool.
3: Twilight: Happily spineless puppet Celestia uses to deal with anything bothersome.
4: Cadence. Disposable and extraneous.
5: Blueblood level aristocracy, a hold over from the time of the Three Tribes.
I could easily see Twilight going back to her library and just doing her own thing with Spike, while tending the sun. And anyone who came barging in, trying to ask her to play Celestia for them, would get a copy of 'Representative Democracy for Idiots' inserted somewhere. Where? Depends on how rude they were.
5223609 And people complain that we call Celestia a puppet master.
5223876
She can send that kind of vibes, particularly after that stunt she pulled at the end of the third season, the season-Four opener, and the idiotic stunt in the end of said season.
5223963 And the Crystal Empire, and the very beggining of the show with the Nightmare Moon second incident,.
There should be a sequel
Dang. That was a good story. I hope there's a sequel. Now Twilight needs closure with her former friends.
The title of the last chapter would seem to suggest that a "bad ending" is in the works. Is this the case?
Is there ever going to be a bad ending? I really want to see Twilight lose her shit after what Celestia did to her.
5212060 Hmm... Celestia showing up again after faking her death would, considering Twilight's feelings of utter betrayal, likely end in an extinction event. A Nightmare Twilight that already has surpassed her mentor in magical strength and prowess and with the capability of drawing magic directly from the sun. And no Elements of Harmony.
But it would certainly make for an epic ending.
I really love this story for its ideas and its take on the show's events. Of course one can debate if this is the 'right' or 'wrong' way to analyze this or if the conclusions make sense.
For me they do as I've also at one point had fun analyzing the events in a very similar way. I don't think Twilight, Luna or Celestia are OOC at any time.
Given the right amount of misunderstandings, emotional stress and lack of comforting others, Twilight might very well snap at one point. Her unstable personality might equally well one day snap into the non-cute direction and once she has arrived at that point, her mercilessly analytical mind is all but guaranteed to lead her down this road.
The show never shows Celestia's real motives for her actions. And although they are probably entirely benign and innocent in the show, this dark way of interpreting them makes perfect sense in a fanfiction that sets out to explore dark scenarios.
For this you get a definite thumbs up and a follow.
The one thing preventing me from faving this is that the story reads like a series of oneshots. I really missed a few connecting or explaining paragraphs here and there to lessen the suddenness of the 'jumps'. This is of course a stylistic aspect and thus entirely your choice as the author; it's your story after all.
Anyway, good work. Keep it up!
I apologize, but I feel that the ending was a bit... weak, and left a few questions unanswered.
What the problem was with Twilight's parents was never explained, and we never got to see what was in the scroll that Twilight left behind after her and Celestia's... scuffle.
Celestia's death (suicide, possibly? Although she could have simply run out of magic--you did say that she overcharged her spell towards Twilight, but that is incredibly convenient timing for her to die) feels like a cop-out. There was no confrontation between the two; the letter preempts any chance for Twilight to respond to Celesita's statements or behavior, and from a narrative standpoint, being dead effectively compels Twilight to forgive her. What Twilight heard that caused her to burst into flame--Celestia's response to seemingly yet another obnoxious noble trying to pick at Twilight's position--also isn't acknowledged. The "being chosen only to save my sister" (although just a cover story from Celestia's side) and the "sure, there's no reason to keep her as my student now" (although an entirely harmless and well-meaning decision on Celestia's side) were also important.
Although the ending implies that she may make up with the rest of the six, after the viciousness with which she tore into them there's no way that genuine forgiveness could follow easily enough to be skipped over entirely. Additionally, Luna took Celestia's death way, way too calmly. Even if she did have the renewed feelings of betrayal with the misunderstanding of Celestia, that wouldn't eliminate enough of their history together that she could read Celestia's (suicide?) note without tears or any emotional reaction whatsoever. She reacts to Twilight, but she doesn't come across as the least bit regretful that Celestia's gone.
I have enjoyed this story, but I don't feel that the ending has been handled very well.
5409281 Not that I'm disagreeing about the ending being weak (Because this was not the originally intended ending...). But just to clear up some confusion, it was not the spell she used to hurt Twilight that killed Celestia. The spell she used almost killed Twilight, so Celesta moved up her timetable and transferred her solar magic to Twilight to save her, as she had intended to have happen eventually anyway (Because she had been on the verge of death the whole time).
Or at least this was what it was supposed to look like.
Meh, now I am excited for the bad ending where she is happy for Celestia's death.
Needs beginning " marks.
________________
delete end " mark.
___________
5409461 in regards to 5409281 comment. I fully agree with it. Plus I doubt that Celestia gave her sister a heads up. The solar, Lunar magic thing fels like a cop out when you take into account that Unicorns before the royal sisters raised the sun and moon with no draw backs other than it took a lot of ponies to do Levitation that big of a scale.
Then with Celestia gone, it looks less of a death, and ore like the fanons "need to recharge by going into the sun / moon" deals mixed with her running way from a problem.
Then there's the fallout from her dealing with how she had her last conversation with her friends.
Her mother, and the thought / plot point of them knowing about Cadence and possile replacing of Twilight.
Luna's reaction to Celestia running away and dumping things on Twilight (after all in her Fight with Tirek it was shown that a pony can hold / use both. Further backed by pony lore durring the Hearth's Warming Eve story.
And it feels like eiter an entire other fic / sequel is needed to wrap up the dangling threads that have been unresolved (which there are many), or the fic needs to be longer to wrap things up properly.
5435620 Thank you for the massive amount of editing help, It has been taken care of!
Also, thank you for addressing all the issues you found with the ending. While I know it doesn't instill confidence to hear the author say this, they will help me while writing the better "good" end this story needs.
5436212
You're welcome, and it doesn't instill me with a lack of confidence. Although technically when writing a better "Good Ending". Think of these three points before continuing.
1) While you placed a deadline for the original ending. With that out of the way. Would this story be better lengthened, or carried over to a sequel?
Or
2) Could you do an ending(s) without making the end feel rushed (while feeling complete)? These two points are important. Since if you lengthen this, and if you remove the pressure of a deadline. You can focus on the story itself and clear things up until you think it's finished. Rather than feeling forcedto end it.
If it can be fixed up here to a degree. But the bigger more involved plot points (that can't really be touched up in a single chapter (unless it's a big one) can't be fixed up in a story that is technically ended. Making a sequel allows youto put this story to bed without enlengthening it. But also some time to take a break from it as it were before starting (So you don't feel stressed over making it).
While I don't feel like all of that can be sufficinently wrapped up in a single chapter. I do think that a more stronger "good ending", could end this particular story on the same strong note that's been carried through chapter to chapter. But if you think that rather than a new story continuing this one. Or rather than remove the "ending part" and lengthening this story, you want to end it. Either a long one, or a series of endings following key ponies (Luna and Tia; The Mane 6; Mother; Brother and Cadence; ect) and wrapping it up neatly with an epilogue. Might be plausable. This way you hit rather than good / bad. Hit endings with those particular ponies ... personally think that'd take away from some rather potentially deep character building moments #1 could do. But that's your choice to make ^_^.
And
3) Do you need multiple endings, or could this ending be the lead up to something more (it's own AU of sorts. I can see the potential of sidequels, sequels, one shots, ect. That can be built from this.) Bu that's tied into 1 or 2.
Anywho. I wish you the best of luck and I have confidence that you'll rre-make the chapter better than ever. After all the previous chapters had rather strong substance to them. So it's not hard to imagine that you could make this ending as strong as the rest of the story has been. *fingers crossed*
Twilight is suddenly OK again, did the Nightmare get banished somehow?
5444426
Remember that 'there is no nightmare' thing... I'm kind of inclined to believe that for this one.
I completely finished this story. I started it today, I ended it today. I have read a lot of beautiful stories and this is among them. This was just wonderful and excellent and great. Keep writing stories because you are very good at it. Thank you for writing such a wonderful tale.
Read it all in one sitting, and I'm not very impressed.
You did okay on the main plot arc, but a lot got skipped that should have been more concrete. (Was Twilight actually inhabited by the Nightmare? What did Celestia actually do to herself? Stuff like that.)
The lack of a [Tragedy] tag kind of ticked me off. I expected a happy ending and you kinda killed the mood with that ending. That tag is an ending spoiler. No more. No less. I understand if you don't want to spoil the ending, but at the same time there's a reason we want to know what kind of story we're heading into. If we expect things to be fine, or at least bittersweet in the end, then [Dark] or [Sad] is enough.
You're ending, though, typified what Tragedy means. Mistakes on the part of the characters, or some personality flaw, leads to their downfall. We never really get closure, even though things are laid to rest. It's kind of unsatisfying because of that. I walked in expecting them to make up, come to larger realizations, etc. Instead, Celestia commits some...really vague suicide, and that's it! Done. Nothing more.
Enough on that. How about what you entirely left out of the fic?
Does ANYONE remember what kicked off the plot? Oh yeah, why DID Twilight's parents never visit her? Isn't that what the story is even named for? They paid attention to Shining, but not Twilight?
Why?
Really, why did we never get an answer. The plot veered into the Celestia/Twilight debacle and we never heard about that OTHER thing again. We still have one of the guilty parties running around Canterlot, and we get nothing. I expected SOME sort of answer, or at least SOMETHING in that vein, even more sad stuff. I would have expected Tragedy there, even.
So yeah. That's why you get a downvote for a perfectly characterized and honestly interesting story.
And more of the same crap, surprise surprise.
6214783
Pretty much exactly as you said.
6214783 umm I guess you missed the subtle hints about Twilight's assumed nightmare and the not so subtle telling of exactly what happened to Celestia.
No the power Twilight gained was not the Nightmare's, it was Celestia's
And Celestia stated she was dying due to carrying the burden of both the sun and the moon. Giving up her power basically ran her clock out.
But yes your other points were valid. I was a bit annoyed at the sub plot about Twilight's parents being dropped. I chalked it up to a weird form of consistency. Her parents dumped her on Celestia before why not now? But I still don't see why her mother and brother wouldn't be on her list of ponies to visit and chew out.
Also her friends took a back seat after being chewed out too, understandable I guess but it feels a little open ended because they're never brought up again.
My personal biggest problem with the story was the absence of Spike entirely. Like what the hell?
I still like the story for one reason though. The second to last chapter pointed out a perspective to me I've only heard mentioned in a few fics and expanded on it a bit. The idea that Celestia planned on Twilight fighting Nightmare Moon over years rather than one night. I've read a few stories that mentioned Twilight being trained for a long term rebellion but the wording in this story was well put in my opinion.
So it's not the best written but parts of it show promise.
Sorry to ask this (I know a lot of authors don't like it), but are you planning on writing more endings (Or fixing this one as TheGreatEater suggested)?
I ask because this is one of the better stories on the site and I'll certainly enjoy any continuation/fix/sequel to this you could write, though there is the issue with Spike simply being completely missing from this one
, but I can live with that.
Anyway; hope to hear more from this!
6771972 Yeah, sorry, I've been on a bit of an Undertale binge so I havn't been writing for a while (which doesn't really explain this story has sat for so long) but plan to do some back tracking and polish up some things (this included) once my Undertale fever cools down.
6777330 Awesome! Take your time.
Hate to say it...but yeah, I'm with the whole, "Celestia dumped everything on Twilight and ran" crowd. I mean...this whole thing has been about how Twilight thinks no one has truly cared about her, just about how useful she could be to those she thought cared about her...and then it essentially proves this right by ending with Celestia dumping her powers into Twilight then offing herself, thus leaving all her responsibilities to her, with Twilight having had no say in it.
Yeah...I want the 'bad' ending where she tells ponykind to piss off. Maybe dumps the solar power on her mom as a final revenge on that front or something.
Shockingly swift ending to the Nightmare possession notwithstanding, this was a Good read. I look forward to more like it. :)
The ending was very abrupt and not satisfying.
I think Celestia is alive and Luna knows it. It is something Celestia would do to teach a lesson.
Finished reading through this story and it was brilliant! Do you plan on making a sequel in the future?
I think the only part I like was Celestias letter a very good and well structured and a very deep self reflection but everything leading up to it is a big "Ehhh?"
10333193
I'm certain she wouldn't go so far as to murder her friends.
Because then she'd be a psycho, not to mention that would be a serious overreaction.
7459574
agreed. she didn't seem near as torn up about tia's supposed 'death' as she should have been. even going so far as to hone in on a supposed 'lesson' to be learned at the end. likely tia's whole point
10333726
You can never be certain on how someone would react to death. They could become withdrawn and timid or even becoming insane blaming everyone else and going on a rampage. Season 4 of the Winx Club shows this well.
In episode 12 titled Dad I’ll a fairy Roxy is taken by the villains but her dog saves her and gets badly hurt. It triggers the focus, will, and the desperate desire to do something which unlocks her fairy form.
In the next episode Roxy yells at bloom and blaming her because she believes her dog was killed. She even strikes the wizards in anger.
In season 4 episode 24 the wizards trap. The villains trick the two groups of fairies and start to destroy the land. Nabu Ashia’s soon to be husband gives his life for the kingdom. Upset and angry she joins with the fairies of vengeance.
Episode 25 morganas secret. Ashia joins in a takeover of the castle of the earth fairies even attacking the others and the fairy of vengeance go on a hunt. A secret about Roxy is revealed and they chase after them.
Episode 26 ashia finds one of the villains but cannot do it. She’s been fighting against the fairies nature. And just before she is struck down the girls show up and forgive her.
It just goes to show that you never know what someone one can do with the right or wrong mindset.
10394310
Yeah, I guess, but I still don't think she would murder them, upset or not.
At worst assault them minorly but not kill.
10394553
There is only one certainty with death. You can never tell how someone will react. And it could be different in different universes.
I feel like I just got done reading a therapy session? Also, what about the others?
Is that all the fuck?
How insignificant can Celestia be?
How pathetic can a Twilight be?
If the princess is not dead, then she had better do it right now.
Rubbish...
This HAS to be given an appropriate ending!!
Frustrating and ultimately disappointing. (spoilers ahead)
There are just so many points the story could, and in most cases, should have expanded on - in fact, basically every single plot point is touched only once, left unresolved and is then swiped under the rug.
There is nothing inherently wrong with stories about Twilight venting/ranting about Sunbutt's manipulations or her friend's bs and the railroaded clusterfuck that her life has turned into at some point.
But unfortunately, once you pull the numerous loose ends that lead nowhere, a uninspired rant is all that's left.
Twi is referred to as a unicorn several times at the beginning but in the final chapter her wings have apparently changed color. Because reasons.
She claims to have gained the Nightmare's powers but only seconds later accuses Luna of lying because the Nightmare never existed in the first place.
Were we supposed to think that either her rage-fueled nightmare-powers or the off-screen transfer of Celestia's magic had transformed her into an alicorn? In Twi's own words on the matter: "We both know that's not how this works."
And apparently Twilight had also grown significantly, in less than a week and while being in a coma, and was showing all physical characteristics of a mature alicorn now, yet her Ponyville-friends, whom she'd visited only a few hours prior, didn't seem to notice any changes in appearance.
Why was Twilight beating up the Lunar Guard outside the castle?
Quite literally every staff/guard member in Canterlot Palace knows and trusts Twilight. She even still has living quarters on the palace grounds. They'd have no reason at all to approach her, or stop her, let alone antagonize and attack her. The only guards that might have stopped her would've been the ones guarding the throne room. I'd assume that the two ruling princesses would be the only creatures allowed to waltz into each others court sessions like that. Was this nonsense supposed to be the result of Luna's orders? They were told to find Twilight and bring her to Canterlot while treating her with care due to her unknown medical status. Any guard who'd received those orders and posessed half a brain would keep an eye on her and send someone to inform Luna that the individual she wanted brought to Canterlot has come to Canterlot on her own. All this does is set the tone/mood for her conversation with Luna. It feels so forced it's silly.
Celestia claimed that the opposing forces of solar and lunar magic inside of her had been slowly killing her. We don't even get to know when, where or how, but apparently she's given her solar magic to Twilight - which in turn would've resolved her magic-induced health issues instantly. Did she even actually die? I mean, simply giving her lunar magic to her sister is what every creature with a brain would've done years ago. But then again, this Celestia is stupid enough to accidentally kamehameha Twilight in the face, cowardly enough to claim that Twilight had attacked her and uncaring enough to mope around in her room instead of checking on the friend she's blasted into a coma. Well, we also learn that she's been suicidal for over a millennium now and that sending Twilight into life-threatening situations as unprepared as possible had been a game to her. So I guess she just didn't give a damn. Not the most creative way to make Celestia unlikable I've seen, but effective.
(Btw, what was on that scroll Twilight was going to give or read to Celestia? We didn't even get as much as a hint.)
Maybe Celestia did get rid of her lunar magic at some point and the accumulated damage to her system was so severe that she couldn't survive without her solar magic ... then why give it away?! According to Celestia herself lunar/solar magic is something that can be taught; Celestia taught herself how to use lunar magic. If she thought that Twilight was the better mare for the job then she could've simply taught her how to raise the sun and use those lessons as a chance for reconciliation; and for once actually prepare Twilight for a task.
I normally wouldn't blame the author for a character's irrational decisions and oversights, but looking at this story as a whole, none of this feels like intentional characterisation.
The ending gives me the same impression. The letter, as redundant as it is in places, isn't really bad. Twilight's reaction to it is.
She just read a letter about how Celestia had manipulated and messed up her life for over a decade and that after realizing the errors of her ways she'd concluded the best course of action would be to non-consensually dump her powers and responsibilities onto Twilight as well ... and Twilight's immediate reaction to that, despite the fact that she's already boiling with rage, is : Oh my god, I killed Celestia. ??? What the effing F.
Dialing Twilight's silly reasoning to 11.9 just so Luna could be the voice of reason - as much as I love my moon horse being smart for once - felt so wrong it completely killed the emotional connection I tried hard to maintain with Twilight. My suspension of disbelief and empathy for flawed/irrational characters can only take so much.