Author's Note
This is just a One-Shot that I could not get out of my head. It was eating at me so much that it was impossible to focus on any other story I am writing. I honestly do hope this will be quite a treat for you readers.
Music will start.
Music will end.
Anyway, enjoy.
Harmony
Lyra Heartstrings casually strolled into the bright halls of Canterlot, excited as much she can be. She was walking directly to the throne room with a much lighter giddiness in her racing heart. She could barely hold in the excitement; at least that is what she thought. The guards were quite a fearsome some sight however, not square inch of the castle uncovered or unguarded.
It would not be so bad if they would at least give her a smile. But after what they went through with the monstrous Centaur, Tirek, they could not be blamed for their cold demeanor.
It had been a curse of Lyra's since the day she found those books in Twilight's library. Everywhere she turned, everywhere she looked for clarity of this addiction she possesses, no one would give her the time or day to at least help in her research. As soon as she discovered these ancient texts, a whole new meaning of supernatural broke out in the core of her mind. She could not deny how mesmerized she was, she didn't want to deny any of it, and everyone knew.
Finally, after so many months of digging into the ancient texts, she requested an audience with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna for better understanding of these extinct creature. She begged, if not pleaded, for the princesses to at least see her for one audience, to let her hear what they know about this bipedal creature.
Celestia and Luna replied with not so much fervor as she presumed, sending a harsh reply: "Do not dwell on the history of those things. It will only change your perspective of what is good...and what is evil."
Lyra was more confused than ever by this reply. Every day she spent her free-time conducting research, spending time in books instead of going with her friends to have some fun. It was not so easy for her to just give up and turn tail to all this work she done, especially when she was so close to the answers she seeks.
Lyra continued to study and search for more answers, spending bits on outside sources that were delivered to her home. Every two weeks it was another book from another prestigious library or collector. Thus her addiction became her passion, then passion became madness, and finally madness became an unbearable thirst for freedom from the mockery of not knowing what the princesses know.
Celestia and Luna know about it too, but never did they think that one little pony would go so far to discover the history of the animal they wish to forget. They wondered how far she would go, but knew that it did not matter when the truth is behind their lips. They knew how to keep themselves away from the truth, after all.
Lyra had all but thrown away her work and given up on the princesses. She was on the verge of tears after two bucking years of asking for one little audience with the goddesses she worships. She pays her taxes likes every other pony in this town, she abides the law and keeps herself out of trouble, so why can't they give her a bucking audience!?
It was no wonder why she had fallen into slight insanity over this. Until the night of her defeat became more than just a stiff cider and long night of drowning the depression away. It all but shocked her when she sat at the bar with Bon-Bon patting her back and a pair of guards tapped her on her back.
When she turned around she was quickly given a letter and a quick bow before they left with not a word to say. But that was not what mattered to the unicorn. No, it was the letter that carried both the wax seals of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, both still warm from recent pressing.
She opened it, allowing only Bon-Bon to read with her.
By the authority of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, Lyra Heartstrings is requested to have a personal audience with the princesses at exactly 10:30 a.m. on the morning of March 23rd. Proper clothing is not required but allowed at one's leisure. But under absolutely no circumstances is anyone to accompany Miss Heartstrings for this audience.
Sincerely: Princess Celestia and Princess Luna of Canterlot.
It made no sense why this would suddenly happen, but she was not going to gripe about it. Finally there was a ray of hope in her work, a time to shine for the unicorn, a moment that will prove to her fellow ponies that she is not crazy or delusional.
...
Finally, she walked through the arch doors, and hesitated at the sight of her princesses. It looked so beautiful and radiant in the throne room, a marbled wonder of magnificence and godly figure, just like her monarchs.
"I'm really here." she whispered, holding a hoof to her mouth in disbelief.
No, she really is here. She is in Canterlot and standing so far away from both of the celestial beings. This was no dream or illusion; there are no tricks to fool her into thinking this is fake.
She really is about to have her audience with the princesses.
Exercising her two hours of preparation, she flipped her mane back and held herself in a high manner of respect. She hid her nervousness well from the locked gazes of the princesses. She carefully walked forward without batting an eye or missing a step in her pace.
Don't mess up. Don't mess up.
Every little second of her walk grew worse with every little inch of her approach. Under normal circumstances, Lyra would not be so uneasy with having her audience with the princesses, nor afraid of what it is that will come her way. But this was no ordinary audience, nor are the circumstances so normal.
Because under that fine lining, she knew that every fact will be led to the answers she needs.
For the latter of her better it was quiet and lonesome with the two princesses standing wearily at the steps of their shared throne. It was fairly obvious that her princesses would smile when present with their subjects. But these smiles were far different from what Lyra has seen before.
The genuine warmth, the love and care, it was not in their smiles as it always is. Celestia and Luna were perfectly the same as they always have been, but their smiles were giving off a different aura and atmosphere. Lyra could see that, no she could sense it from within the thirty foot gap she has between them, and she did not like it at all.
Finally she realized that both princesses were forcing their smiles.
Now that was very interesting, but also very frightening. Never had the green-mint unicorn sensed such an atmosphere from the peace-loving alicorns. Maybe something else about today was making them so uneasy, or perhaps it was how she reverted to actual demands for an audience?
Regardless, Lyra was not going to let this stop her. She has worked too long and too hard to turn tail just because of the princesses forcing their smiles. She put time and money into finding out what makes these creatures so fascinating, and she was going to get those answers out of the princesses...no matter what.
I'm so close now. I'm not going to chicken-out because they don't seem as friendly as they always are, Lyra thought, I'm going to find out right here and right now, because I deserve to know.
She set her own atmosphere with a warm smile, and stopped with a bow as they took in a deep sigh, sensing their struggle to remain as regal as they possible could. Even though there was so much she could say to her princesses, not a single word could come out of her without some form of interest in her work.
She slowly rose back up to her hooves and steadied her breathing as they did the same.
"Your majesties," the unicorn said caringly, "Thank you for finally giving me this opportunity."
"You are most welcome, Miss Heartstrings." Celestia replied; voice still as full of life and love as it always has been. "However, Lyra, I believe there is no need for formalities since we are to discuss what you seek, alone."
That surprised her a little bit. The princesses requested her to be as normal with them as she is with every other pony she talks to. Was this really happening to her, the princesses wanting their subject to be casual? Twilight is another matter for the simple fact of being Princess Celestia's student, but for her to be treated the same as the bookworm, clearly this was more important than she had ever anticipated.
"Um...okay prin-"
"Just Celestia and Luna." Luna corrected; still she held her smile, despite the sheer taste of history souring her throat.
"Okay, Celestia and Luna," Lyra shook away the awkwardness.
"Now, my little pony, it has been in Luna and I's worry that you have been seeking for a history that can only be answered by my sister and I. You wish to know about-"
"Yes, yes I wish to know about the humans." Lyra could not hold in her excitement any longer. She blurted it all out in one fell swoop of desperation, forgetting that her interruption made both alicorns flinch as she closed the distance between them. "All my life I have never been so interested in anything, not even in my own cutie mark, but this truly astounds me."
"Why is that?" Luna asked.
"Because they are so amazingly powerful. In the books I read I discovered that humans are sapient beings that are intelligent, strong, fast, and remarkably adaptive to their environment." Lyra started, holding back no more of her need. "It said in one of the books, Magnus Philosiphy: Volume One, to be exact, that there was once a human in Equestria. And said human was a great hero to all of Equestria, but no one knows of his heroism...except for you both." she pointed at the two mares.
Celestia paused in her brief pondering. She was as silent as her sister was about this.
"Who was this human?" Lyra continued, "What did he do, and where did he come from?"
Celestia looked to Luna, then away from both ponies. She slowly stood up, unfolded her wing, and levitated a small picture that's been as perfect since the day it was drawn.
She traced the edges with her hoof, then gave it to Luna. "I never though the past would come back, but I guess we can't hide the truth any longer."
Luna nodded in agreement. "As much as it pains me to say this, sister, at least one other pony deserves to know what he did for us."
Lyra moved closer; at least to get full understanding. "So you do know about this mysterious human."
Both goddesses turned their heads. "Yes, we knew about the human and his heroism." Celestia said, emphatically. " In fact it was only Luna and I that could know about the human, for he was not just a friend of ours."
"He wasn't?"
"Yes. The human's name was Mason Whitlock, as it said on his band," Celestia hoofed Lyra the picture, "But we gave him the name: Harmony. And he was not just a good friend, he was our family...He was my son."
Lyra's eyes widened as she viewed the picture wholeheartedly. This is what a human looked like, an actual human that lived in Equestria as Celestia's son. He was not some monstrous creature or demonic being she presumed to be on the outside. He actually had a beautiful smile on him, he was by far the most handsome looking creature Lyra has ever seen.
Scratch that...he was gorgeous!
"He isn't a monster or some sort of beast. He's...beautiful." she gawked at the picture just a little longer, before it was taken from her.
"Yes, he was quite the charming man." Luna added, "He had quite the smile that made Celestia and I's days brighter when they were at their darkest."
"Of course, we've never presumed someone having such interest," Celestia said. "We have wanted to tell others about him, but we feared that the truth about Harmony would destroy us and make our subjects hate us."
"Why?"
Celestia and Luna's horns lit and touched together. Every thing went white and empty as they were consumed by the flood of their magic simultaneously. Lyra could only gasp as the same magic consumed her in a shimmering blast of heat and pressure-an overpowered teleportation spell, she knew from Twilight's many accidents with such magic.
For what seemed to be an eternity of waiting, Lyra found herself brought out of this overbearing magic by the princesses, realizing that she was now in the Statue Garden.
Celestia sighed deeply and proceeded to drape a wing over the unicorn. "What we are about to tell and show you is to never escape your lips." the Solar Goddess said firmly. "It is for the sake of his history and ours that no one is to know about Harmony, not even Twilight. Is that understood?"
Lyra quickly nodded.
"Good. Now please follow us to Harmony."
Minutes of walking passed as silence throughout the garden. Lyra followed the two mares through a series of unheard mazes, watching and waiting for them to finish leading her towards the human. Until the odd sight of these mazes drew her away from thinking about Harmony.
This was no ordinary maze that is found in the castle. Lyra knew that from her many years of running through them when she came to Canterlot to see some of her friends. They always had permission to play through the mazes, it was like a playground, but this maze was not so familiar to her as were the others.
Magic dwelled her, deep, powerful magic that nearly overwhelmed her. Until Celestia and Luna lit their horns again to depressurize the energy this maze radiates.
"We are here." Celestia said, and started to breathe heavily from emotional torment, a scary sight at most. "I must warn you though, for one last time, the truth is much worse than what the books say. Are you sure you want to know?"
Lyra froze, fear laced with her breathing. "Worse? You're saying that-"
"Harmony's history is not as bright as it seems. He was a bright and charming boy...But he was also hurt and miserable."
"Huh?"
Celestia fought the urge to turn and never look back at the glass in front of her. She didn't want this to happen, not with a mortal to know what they did to him. It hurt her so much to let Lyra in this enchanted section, it made her tear into the corners of her mind for escape. But like always, Celestia had to brace for this moment, for she would be going against the elements if she continued to hide herself from the truth.
"There." she pointed. "That is what remains of Harmony."
Lyra looked past the princesses and onto a large tombstone of glass. Resting in front of a large plaque, with the name of her answers, was the human that smiled in the picture. He was inside a glass square with his eyes closed and his hands crossed over a pair of petrified roses, wearing a black suit colorful scarf.
He did not look a day older or at all deteriorated. Harmony was still as handsome as ever with his blond hair neatly combed, and his smile still gleaming to the sky.
Lyra frowned at the smiling corpse as she and the princesses approached him. "He's...dead?"
Celestia struggled to the proper words. "He...he is dead, but still very alive." She laid a hood on the glass, directly over the red and blue roses, and looked down to the confused unicorn. "Perhaps I should explain what I mean. I was his mother and Luna was his aunt, but we were not biologically his family, and we were...terrible to him."
Lyra blinked. "Terrible to him?"
"I was a horrible aunt to him, and Celestia was a terrible mother to him. And at an emotional level, Harmony was miserable." Luna clarified.
Lyra dwindled on those words, before remembering the picture. "But Prince Harmony was smiling in the picture. How could he have been miserable if he-"
"That smile was taken on the day he died. He only smiled for the maids and guards throughout his childhood, while grudging at us for our terrible care for him."
"I don't understand. Please explain this to where I can understand."
"Lyra," Luna paused, "Harmony was a boy that arrived at our doorstep when he was just a baby. He belonged to another world that we believed to be unable to care for him, so fate gave him to us. Within a few days we adopted him, raised him, taught him everything about Equestria. But...but we didn't do what we should have done as a mother and aunt."
"What do you mean?"
Luna turned her head. "We did not treat him fairly. I failed to treat him as a nephew, and Celestia failed to treat him like a son. We ruined his life without considering the consequences of our actions."
Lyra stared at Harmony, wondering if the smile on his face is real or forced on there by magic. Contemplating what she discovered, the curious unicorn continued to look at him as though he were a ghostly depression.
Until...
"What's that mark under his neck?" she could barely see a mark across his neck, a scar to be exact, that went straight across his jugular.
Luna breathed in hesitantly. "That is the scar Harmony made when he killed himself."
Lyra's breath stopped midway, a tight clenching in her chest blocked her breath from leaving. She became afraid and regretful as the princesses turned back to her with something most surprising on their muzzles. Beneath them, falling fast and hard to the ground, were tears of the most unbearable sadness.
"Harmony killed himself because of us, Lyra." Celestia answered, eyes red and bloodshot already. "We hid him away and never told anyone beyond the castle about his existence. Luna and I caged him up, just like an animal, and left him to wallow in his sadness while Luna and I spent the majority of our time as princesses."
"We had him on constant watch so that no one could see him...Except for five others." Luna added.
"Who?" Lyra whispered.
"Chrysalis, Tirek, Sombra, Krogar, and Discord." the Lunar Goddess said, tasting her own tears in the midst of speaking. "Before the elements were made, before the Crystal Empire was born, Harmony was the best friend of the five monsters that threatened Equestria. He was their heart and soul, their only meaning of friendship."
"But most of all he was Chrysalis' husband." Celestia added.
"He was married to the Changeling Queen?"
"For a time of peace I was the Mother in Law of Chrysalis. I had a daughter that I believed to be perfect for taking up the position of queen, with Harmony as her king." Celestia smiled briefly to Harmony. "They were the best of friends, all of them, but Chrysalis was in love with Harmony. And even then they still remained friends with the others, knowing there was no reason to spite them for loving so deeply."
"Then...what happen?"
Celestia started pacing around the tomb, eyeing her son, guilt-ridden. "After Chrysalis married Harmony and invited their friends to the castle, Luna and I overheard them speaking of a way to convince Luna and I that Harmony needs to be free from the castle. We listened to how Harmony was so miserable being locked up in the castle and only given our time whenever it was his birthday."
"You only spent time with him on his birthday?"
"Yes and overtime he grew aggressive and angry for this. He demanded freedom to be in the outside, to be seen and known, to be with Chrysalis because she spent many days away at her own kingdom. But Luna and I would not listen to him, we ignored his misery and continued to give him our time on his birthday."
Lyra stared at the princesses in horror. "You kept him away from everyone."
Luna took her turn this time. "We banished Sombra, Discord, Tirek, and Krogar from the castle forever, and destroyed the documentation of his marriage, making it so he was truly nonexistent. And for a few months we thought it was best for us, for our reputation, but the days worsened. Harmony regressed from happiness, throwing insults and injury altogether on that one celebration we considered. Until Chrysalis and the others declared war on us, demanding for Harmony's freedom or they would take him by force and reveal to the world how horrible we were."
Lyra was still silent, the same as the crying Sun Princess.
"We denied their demands and went to war with his friends and wife, fooling ourselves with belief that Harmony is just too different for the world to know. We fought and won with the greatest of ease...but at a terrible cost."
"Harmony's suicide." Lyra was beginning to understand the relevance of the truth.
Luna nodded but still sobbed to the corpse. "On the night of his twenty-first birthday we captured Chrysalis and the others, then proceeded to have them executed for treason. Until word of Harmony slicing his own throat caught our ears, leaving us, his friends, and his wife in a horrible state of grief. Though we tried to save Harmony by closing the wound and giving him a blood transfusion, his body would not accept our blood, nor would it accept the immortality we tried to give him."
"You grieved?" Lyra scoffed angrily.
"We were young and arrogant. The responsibilities of having a son/nephew did not register until his death. But at least we gave him what he wanted before we were left to do the unthinkable."
"The unthinkable?"
"Lyra," Celestia stepped forward, "You remember how Twilight speaks of Friendship, and how they are the elements, right?"
"Yes, but what does that have to with you two destroying your own family?"
"Well it was not I who made Friendship is Magic...but Harmony. And the Elements of Harmony are not so unknown to the world, just very well hidden of its history. Remember when I said that he is dead but still alive?"
Lyra nodded.
"Well the Elements of Harmony were created in his death, so was the Crystal Empire. When Harmony spent his last few moment with his friends and wife, Luna and I used our magic to harness his love and create the Crystal Heart, thus we created the Crystal Empire. And by taking his soul before death could, we created the Elements of Harmony from the greatest aspects of his friends."
"The elements they represent." the unicorn whispered.
"Yes: The Spark for Harmony, Kindness for Sombra, before he became evil, Generosity for Krogar giving up on winning Chrysalis over, Laughter for Chrysalis antics of pranking them, Honesty for Discord's unbearable, brutal honesty, and Loyalty for Tirek, for he is the one that still wants him back."
It dawned onto Lyra, like a hammer hitting her over her head. "You mean he-"
"Stole our magic to become god of this world, no. Tirek stole our magic because he wanted to use in bringing Harmony back. He thought that by defying death he could bring the elements and Crystal Heart together to reshape the human he loves like a brother."
Lyra was white and sick to her stomach by the time she registered everything. "So then Chrysalis and all of them were once-"
"Peaceful citizens of Equestria, friends with the man that would have been a king and a great father."
"Father?"
"Chrysalis was pregnant when she married Harmony. All the changelings you saw when they invaded are descendants of human bloodline, great, great, great, great grandchildren of Harmony."
"Celestia, Luna, you..." Lyra breathed, backing away. She glared at the sobbing princesses as they stared at the smiling prince. "You...you are the real monsters of Equestria. Celestia, you...you destroyed your own son, tortured him with loneliness."
"That I did."
"And you, Luna, did the same. Both of you did for selfish reason, and in the end made the villains of Equestria into what they are today." Lyra took in a hard breath. "They don't act the way they do because of some great evil. Chrysalis, Krogar, Tirek, and Sombra...They are angry and hurt because you took Harmony away from them. And-and all this time you've manipulated Discord into becoming good once again, just for your own benefit!"
"Yes. Tis true that we did all those things." Luna sighed.
Lyra started crying for the human. "You killed an innocent man and warped his friends into monsters. You...you-"
"Before you assume we are as horrible as you think, let us give you one last bit of truth about Harmony's smile." Celestia interrupted. "There was no bad blood between us in the end, not with my son. He died a happy man, with his freedom, with his friends next to him."
"What?"
Before Lyra could so much as yelp or react in her own defense, a gust of powerful magic flashed from both princesses and blinded her from them. She covered her eyes as the light consumed them. And as said light doused to nothingness she heard a growing echo of a beautiful voice behind her.
Her ears twitched, then perked to the voice. She opened her eyes again and spun around to this voice, only to be standing in an unfamiliar world of ethereal imagery.
Celestia and Luna were next to her, standing just behind the group, watching with them the most beautiful sunlight on the horizon. Lyra did not know where she was until it came to her that this was not another teleportation, but an actual memory of their past.
She shuffled her hooves and stared the villains, realizing they were barely adults, sitting on a hill with their best friend.
She proceeded to cry with her princesses, after leaning over to see what Chrysalis was holding.
"We haven't done this in a long time." Harmony said weakly, smiling at the sunset as his wife and friends shared with him the joy of his freedom.
Chrysalis, the young changeling, stroked his cheek as she held him close to her chest. She helped him stay up for the sunset as it happened, for he was not strong enough to keep still in his last few moments. They watched together as the sun fell and the moon rose in unison, acting in complete understanding of the balance their controllers share.
"We have not watched the sun set since we were in school." A young and healthy Tirek stated. He placed a hand the human's shoulder as they listened to how his breathing was slowing down. A tear or two escaped him whilst Harmony felt his own life drain quicker than anticipated.
"Do you know why I did this?" Harmony asked; voice weaker than it was a minute ago. "You all know why I did what I did, right?"
"Because you are our friend." Discord whispered; there was a more willing acceptance of crying from him. He moved his friend's hair from his eyes, knowing he could not do it. "Friends look out for one another, protect each other, and you did this to stop Celestia and Luna."
Harmony looked up to the Spirit of Chaos, his eyes now fading of their color. "I'm scared, Discord. What is it like to die, to know that you are going to be gone? It frightens me...because suicide is-"
"Don't you worry about where you're going." the Draconequus soothed, holding Harmony's hand. "I had a talk with the Death stallion, and he said you are not going to Tartarus for this. He knows what you did for us and said to me it was a sacrifice more admirable than anything he's ever known."
Harmony chuckled as much as he could, but the strength he had left for them was taken as quickly as it was given by his mother and aunt.
He turned to Sombra whilst enjoying the many soft kisses of his changeling. "I guess we'll have to cancel that game of chess and reschedule." he joked.
Sombra said nothing. He glared at the sunset as his own set of tears started falling to the soft grass. It was not fair to him, it just wasn't fair to the unicorn that this has to happen. He had no family or friends until Harmony came around. And now the only family he has is dying at his side while he lives another day.
He was hurt, he was angry, he wanted to be angry, but Harmony kept holding his hoof as means of pulling him away from the darkness of their tragedy.
"Keep scowling...and your...face...will stick like that." the human coughed, blood dripping from his mouth and magically shut jugular.
"You should have let us die." Sombra said scathingly.
"And let my family suffer for my mother and aunt's stupidity, I don't think so." Harmony replied.
Sombra drew back. His heart skipped two beats as he flinched at the man. He called him family, not friends but family. Did Harmony really see them as family? After all these years together...he saw them as something his mother and aunt could not comprehend at all.
"I just want you guys to know that even though you're pains in my butt...that...that I love you. No matter...I-I would not trade any of you for anything, not even for the kingdom...because...you're all my real family."
Each and every one of his friends took that to heart. They could not stop themselves from sobbing to the sunset as he kissed his changeling once more, leaving a drop of blood on her lips. But what did Chrysalis care? She married the man and made eggs with him. His everything was a gift to her.
Harmony coughed again, this time with more of the wound taking hold of his body. Finally he started crying as his hands lost feeling. His body went numb and very cold, as though he caught a little frostbite from when he was a kid. He could feel his heart slowing down, as well as his shortness of breath.
"Promise me something...all of you."
"What?" Chrysalis sobbed, just as the younger versions of Celestia and Luna appeared in a flash of magic.
Harmony smiled to his wife. "Promise me that you won't hate mom and Aunt Luna for this. Promise me that you will forgive them and keep living your lives as thought I were around...and...and don't...hate them."
"Harmony." Tirek sobbed. He threw a hand over his eyes, hiding how hard he was crying and clenching his teeth. The same was for Discord while Sombra and Krogar hung their heads with inability to speak through their heartache.
"Chrissy..."
"Yes my love." the changeling whispered.
"Don't let...our kids...not know about me. Tell them...about me."
"Son..." Celestia whimpered.
The human prince looked past his wife and smiled at the two princesses. He did not hold any form of grudge to them, just pity that they will share the sadness with his loved ones.
"And yet I still love you both." he wheezed, watching as the royal sisters fell to their stomachs. Unable to hold his head up any longer, Harmony fell to his wife's chest one last time, hearing how sad her heart was beating to him.
He gazed at the sunset through the corner of his eye, light licking his cold skin as they watched him fall. "Thank you...for being...my best friends."
Finally the human fell into slumber. A cold breeze washed over him as the last of his breath graced his lips. He shut his eyes but kept his smile as the blackness overtook him, helping him drift into a nice, peaceful sleep that he has wanted for a long time. His hands dropped to the grass as the five immortals shared the echoes of their sorrow.
Lyra was taken back by the last moment. She was shocked to see the criminals release themselves as the human did not respond to their pleas for him to wake up. She had yet to realize that she was crying just as hard as the princesses while taken back to reality with another swoop are powerful magic.
She blinked as this happened and found herself back in the vacant throne room with both alicorns still sobbing as she realized her eyes were burning with sorrow.
"I loved Harmony, undoubtedly. He was my pride and joy as a mother, a gift I neglected." Celestia cried angrily. "So yes we are the monsters of this kingdom, but we loved him. We were just ignorant and stupid to believe that we were threatened by his form. It was a harsh lesson that I learned the most."
Lyra was confused, if not distraught from all this. She stepped back as the Solar Goddess was embraced by her sibling for a much more comforting hug. "Celestia, Luna...I...I'm sorry you-"
"You need not to apologize, Miss Heartstrings." Luna opened the arch doors with a wave of her magic. "It is something we will live with for the rest of our lives. All that we ask is-"
"But he loved you." Lyra said. "At least he forgave you for those things. Isn't that what matters?"
"Tis not that simple, my little pony. How would you feel if you killed your own colt, your own foal?"
Lyra had nothing to say to that.
"Exactly. Now please do leave us, and inform the guards that no one is to enter the throne room. Would you do so, please?"
"S-sure thing, Luna." Lyra said and ran out.
Luna watched as Lyra became a shadow in the hall, then a faint glimmer of mint green before the doors closed. There was no doubt that the unicorn was having difficulty with accepting the truth...But at least she knew about the hero that lives inside Twilight and her friends all the time.
She turned from the closing doors and shushed her sobbing sister, trying her best to calm her down as she tried to get a grip on herself. Unfortunately she would never be able to forget that memory as she wants, not as long as another is around to carry it. Though she tried in the past to wipe her own mind of that one memory, the power of being an alicorn keeps her well-aware of the past and present.
"Harmony..."
