Chapters She walked slowly through the forest, careful not to trip on any of the roots that had overgrown the path she was trying to walk. Low-hanging branches protruded from the bushes and trees surrounding her, and she had only the moonlight to help her keep on track.
What seemed like hours, maybe even days went by as she kept walking. Landmarks she had passed previously started popping up again, and she started questioning her sanity as she kept walking. The path doubled back on itself frequently as it wound through the forest, and she couldn’t help but wonder if it was even going anywhere at all.
But finally, a light shone through the trees beyond, and she knew she had found him. The forest had fallen still, only the occasional sound of a twig snapping underhoof breaking the silence. It had startled her, at first, but she pressed on. Progress had been slow, but her resolve to track him down had held true.
She crashed through the first layer of what forest stood between her and her destination, stamping flat those bushes that proved to stubborn to be pushed aside. Thorns buried themselves in her hooves, but the light grew closer, and for a split second she thought she heard the faint crackling of a fire.
Another layer of brambles gave way, and the crackling grew louder.
She crashed through the final layer of brambles, and into a crudely assembled campsite. A worn, flimsy tent stood at the center of the clearing, with a crackling, fierce fire by its opening. A crudely assembled fire pit held the campfire.
A bitter, angry-looking unicorn stood beside the tent, the shadows the fire casted on his face only worsening his already vicious scowl. The light of the fire danced across his face, enhancing his every feature. His coat, normally a dark shade of grey, now appeared orange. His eyes, usually a slightly brighter shade of blue than hers, now mirrored the fire and matched its ferocity.
“What are you doing here?”
The conversation hadn’t even started yet, and he was already angry at her. She wasn’t sure why she had expected any different, after all the trouble she’d been through to find him.
“I’m taking you home,” she answered firmly.
He scoffed, the idea of going home with her amused him, it seemed. “I’d like to see you try.”
She simply sighed in response, moving to sit by the fire.
It cracked loudly as it licked at the logs that fueled it, illuminating the forest around them. A pleasant warmth radiated from it, easing her muscles. She’d spent months trying to find him, and now that she finally had, all she wanted to do was rest.
"I'm not here to fight you. You're coming home with me, and we're going to talk about this," she said sternly.
"I'm not going anywhere. I am comfortable here. My beliefs are my own, and well-respected at last."
"Well-respected? You've had to isolate yourself!" she scoffed. "This is madness!"
"Madness?" he laughed. "No. Chaos, maybe, not madness."
She smiled. "Chaos, of course," she said as she slowly approached him.
"What are you doing?" he asked warily.
"I'm doing what I should've done when this all started. This has gone on for long enough." Her horn started to glow a faint red as she spoke.
"Stay away from me!" he yelled, as he tried to run. Much to his annoyance, the unicorn's magic was no match for her own, and she had no troubles keeping him restrained as she approached.
None of that would have been very troubling to him, if it hadn't been for that smile. It wasn't friendly, happy, or anything he'd ever seen on her before. It was determined .
She was now but a leg's length away, and bent her head slowly. Blinding red flashed before both his and her eyes as her horn touched his, and for a brief moment she thought she had succeeded.
"Think again!" a voice screeched out of nowhere. The sound pierced her ears, drilling into her head as if unrestricted by physics.
"What have you done" the voice continued, pounding in her skull as she struggled to remain conscious. "I was happy! I was alone, and for the first time in forever, I wasn't bound by petty morality or peace! You ruined everything!"
"No, please! she cried, "I didn't mean for this to happen! We can still fix this!"
"You've done enough! the voice cried. "It's my turn now!" Her headache faded, as did the world around her.
Only the voice seemed to remain, as if stuck to her. She tried to move, but her body didn't respond.
"Oh, you're not going anywhere! the voice screeched again.
"Please! Just let me help you!"
"No. Let me help you!" the voice cried out one last time as her legs buckled beneath her. "It's time I showed you just how wrong you really are!"
Celestia stood quietly on the highest balcony her castle had to offer, sighing contently after another day's work as the sun slowly sank below the horizon. Life as a princess, though envied by many, wasn't easy. She was grateful, though, that she was the one to take care of these matters. Annoying as her job could be at times, she recognized that she was perhaps the only one who could take that place. So, despite her fatigue, she smiled, satisfied with the day's work.
She took one last look at the now vacant, black sky. Normally, she'd have raised the moon as well, but in an effort to reconcile with her sister, Celestia had allowed Luna to retake her position, and raise the moon at night. So, with her duties for that day taken care of, Celestia smiled wistfully as she stepped down from the balcony, and back into the tower.
A single scroll wrapped neatly in a red ribbon sat patiently on a table, waiting for Celestia to read it. Levitating it behind her, Celestia descended the tower and slowly walked to her bedroom, suppressing a yawn as she walked the castle's now-darkened hallways.
Setting the letter down onto her desk, Celestia waved her horn at the door, closing it softly. A single lit candle on the corner of her desk provided just enough light to read by. The princess unrolled the scroll carefully, smiling as she read the opening phrase.
Dear Princess Celestia,
I’ve learned another important lesson about friendship this week: no matter how much you grow accustomed to having them around, never take your friends for granted.
I’ve come to realize that your friends mean more to you than almost anypony else in your life. This might seem obvious, but I don’t think that we express that enough.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that friends are valuable, and you’d do well to let them know that every once in awhile.
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle.
Celestia looked up from the letter, smiling as she rolled up the scroll again, and set it aside. Twilight had learned a particularly valuable lesson this time, it seemed.
“You’d do well to let them know that every once in awhile.”
The phrase lingered in Celestia's mind as she got up and left her study, making her way back to the tower she had just left. By now, the moon hung proudly in the sky, providing dim light where previously Celestia had been walking in darkness. She walked steadily, yet not hurriedly; there was no reason to rush.
Celestia entered the room quietly, smiling as she noticed her sister's ever-familiar silhouette out on the balcony. As expected, Luna had lingered to admire her moon yet again.
“A fine evening you’ve made this time, Luna,” Celestia said as she walked up to her sister.
Luna, as expected, had been reveling in her newborn night. She stood on the balcony from which she always cast her spell, watching over Ponyville. A soft, cool breeze flowed around her, causing her mane to dance gracefully on the wind. She never looked away from the sky, being much too busy admiring the stars and moon. “Celestia? What are you doing here? I’ve only just raised the moon, and your job for today has been taken care of. I thought you'd gone to bed.”
“Actually, Luna, Twilight sent me another letter today," Celestia responded, joining her sister in her admiration. "It seems she learned yet another valuable lesson on friendship this week.”
“Another one? I thought she'd have run out of those by now."
Celestia couldn't help but giggle at her sister's joke. It was rare to catch Luna in a joking mood. “Yes, another lesson. This time, she’s talking about appreciating your friends. Twilight apparently thinks she hasn’t been doing enough of that.”
Luna merely hummed, still gazing at the moon.
Celestia's smile promptly vanished. She'd been trying her best to get Luna to be more... social, but she'd made little progress. “Are we... friends, Luna?” she asked.
Luna, eyes widened, finally turned to face her sister. She smiled, “Of course we are. Twilight's letters are getting to you again, aren't they?”
"I... well... Yes. I know we've had our difference, but I'm glad to finally have you back," Celestia responded, smiling in turn. "Sometimes that purple unicorn really does have a point."
"Celestia, we're sisters. We raise the sun and moon! Of course we're friends. How couldn't we be?"
“See, this is what I mean, Luna. I don’t want you to think that we’re friends just because we have to be. I want you to think that we’re friends because we both want to be.”
Luna remained quiet. The two of them stood there for a moment, just looking at one another.
Their moment of silence was cut short as a guard frantically burst through the nearby door and stormed into the room, yelling at the top of his lungs. “Princess Celestia!" His eyes scanned the room, but no princesses were to be found. The guard was just about to turn around to head for Celestia's chamber when he noticed that the balcony's windows were open, the curtains drafting inside on the wind.
He dashed for the balcony, once again exclaiming, "Princess!"
Had the balcony been just two inches shorter, the guard would have crashed head-first into Celestia. Luckily for him, though, he managed to frantically halt his movement before the two collided. He took just a moment to breathe and collect his thoughts, then looked up. "Celestia, I..."
Only then did he realize that both princesses were present. After taking just a moment to reconsider his words, the guard cautiously spoke. “Oh... my apologies, Princesses. I... uhhh...”
"Calm down," Celestia laughed. "What's the matter?"
“Forgive my rudeness, Your Majesties, but you are both needed in the throne room, as soon as possible." The restraint in the guard's voice was all too clear. As if on cue, both Luna and Celestia frowned.
"Both of us?" Celestia answered. "My work is done for today, what could you still need me for?"
“An alicorn just walked into the throne room!” the guard yelled, still trying to catch his breath.
Celestia gasped, but quickly regained her composure and shook her head. “Not possible. She wouldn’t have been able to get past the guards without one of them noticing her.”
“But she did! We don't know who she is, but she said she wanted to speak with you. Both of you.”
“So, if that's true, then why and perhaps more importantly, how didn’t we know of her arrival?” Luna asked. “Somepony would have noticed her, surely.”
“I think we’d best go and look for ourselves, Luna," Celestia replied. "The arrival of an alicorn would have serious consequences for the kingdom."
“Fine," Luna said, nodding. “Lead the way, Celestia.”
“Thank you,” Celestia said to the guard before they left. “You’ve done well.”
The two sisters walked hurriedly to the throne room, both of them quiet. The arrival of an alicorn would be an important matter indeed, but they both found it rather difficult to believe. They shared a look of concern as they entered the room, for standing in the grand entrance to the Canterlot throne room, shaking on her legs and surrounded by guards on all sides, was an alicorn.
She had a strange sense of presence about her, almost like she was used to being the center of attention, as she was right now. She stood tall, taller even than both Celestia and Luna, and seemed to not care about the guards, her attention focused solely on the entrance the sisters had come through. Oddly enough, she stood proudly, if unstable.
She was filthy, her coat caked with dirt, the ivory hairs showing only in patches. Her mane and tail, matted and unkempt as they were, resembled flames. Even more dirt caked the crimson, tangled hairs of her mane and tail, and twigs thrust out of the blonde tips of both, as though she had crashed through a copse of brambles.
She seemed familiar, for some reason. Celestia knew better than to think that she knew her, but the princess couldn’t shake the feeling that she had seen the stranger somewhere before. The alicorn's own eyes, vividly blue as they were, only enforced this feeling of recognition.
She smiled as she met Celestia's gaze. "Celestia! Luna!" her voice trailed off as she spoke, and her legs finally buckled as she collapsed to the floor.
Luna and Celestia shared yet another look of concern, both of them cautiously keeping their distance from the now unconscious stranger as they waited for the guards surrounding her to retreat.
The guards stepped back, although they stayed close enough to be able to react to any sudden movements. The two princesses approached with caution, stopping some distance away from the seemingly unconscious arrival, but the alicorn made no move. Celestia looked up at one of the guards who had been surrounding the newcomer. “What did she say? Her exact words, please.”
“She, uh... she just said your name, Princess. Yours and your sister’s.”
“Hmm," Celestia pondered.
"Does she seem... familiar, somehow?" Luna asked, interrupting her sister's thoughts.
Celestia nodded. "She does, but I can't quite seem to recall where, or even if, I've seen her before."
"Neither can I..."
"I suppose we ought to leave her to rest, then."
"What, right here?" Luna said, raising an eyebrow at her sister.
"No, Luna," Celestia smiled, shaking her head. "There's plenty of vacant rooms around the castle. She can occupy one of those, for now. The castle staff can see to her, and nurse her back to full health. She shouldn't take long to recover. She's an alicorn, after all."
Knowing that she wasn't the only one who seemed to recognize the alicorn comforted Celestia somewhat, but that strange feeling never left her. The questions the arrival raised didn't, either. Mainly, how the alicorn had managed to sneak by the castle guards, only to end up losing consciousness in the throne room without any warning.
The lack of notification was enough for the newcomer to be suspicious, Celestia thought. Furthermore, she was an alicorn, and no other royal families were known to still exist. For years now the world had thought Celestia, Luna and Cadance to be the last alicorns alive. This turn of events, however, proved them wrong.
They walked up to the now unconscious alicorn, crossing the last few steps, and paused for a moment to study her. Celestia levitated her into the air, neither she nor her sister speaking as they contemplated the impact this newcomer would have on the kingdom. The alicorn still floating in front of them, Luna and Celestia walked quietly to the nearest guest room.
Celestia carefully placed the alicorn on the bed inside. Still silent, both she and her sister left the room.
The two sisters shared yet another concerned look. "So, what are going to do about her?" Luna finally asked.
"Well, first of all we're going to have to find out where she came from, and who she is. Clearly, neither of us know. Once we find out who she is, we might be able to send her back home," she paused. "Wherever that is."
“Who do you think she is?” Luna replied. "And how did she get past the guards?"
“I... don't know, Luna. As far as I knew, as we all knew, Cadance is the only other alicorn," Celestia replied. “However, I have every intention of finding out who she is."
“And how are we going to do that?"
Celestia shook her head. "I don't know. Maybe, just maybe, we can find some record of her in the library, but I doubt that's going to turn up any results."
"And if it doesn't?"
"Then I suppose we'll just have to wait until she wakes up," Celestia said, turning to walk towards the library as she spoke.
They walked quietly towards the library, nothing but the sound of their hooves hitting the floor echoing through the halls of Canterlot.
Making their way into the Canterlot library, the sisters headed straight for the family trees of the royal families of Equestria. They had been kept neatly at the back of the library, all families but Luna and Celestia's own being recorded into history.
Not long after they entered, however, the head librarian approached. A short, grey pony, with thick tortoise-shell glasses obscuring most of his eyes. He wore a simple brown vest, to indicate his profession, and his faded, white mane was messy, hanging lazily down his neck.
“Goodness! Both princesses in the library? Why, to what do I owe the honor?”
“To a yet-to-be identified alicorn, I’m afraid,” Celestia replied, Luna standing quietly by her side. “She managed to sneak past the guards completely unnoticed, and collapsed on the floor of the throne room. We’re trying to find out who she is.”
“An alicorn , you say?! My, this is extraordinary news! I... always thought that yours was the only remaining royal family. Well, yours and that of Princess Cadance, I suppose."
“So did we, I’m afraid. It seems that we were mistaken, however. Neither Luna nor I have an idea of who she is. We... would have asked her, but she collapsed before we had the chance. It doesn't seem like she'll be waking up any time soon.”
“I... see,” the librarian said, looking down at the ground, obviously disappointed.
“That said, we’d very much like for you to do some research on previous royal families. Perhaps one of them hasn’t yet completely vanished. She had a long, dark red mane, and a white coat, if that helps."
“Red and... white? With all due respect, Princess, are you sure? No alicorns are known to have lived with a white coat, except... well, you."
Celestia and Luna both nodded. "I'm sure. It's unlikely, but those were her colours."
The librarian raised a hoof, scratching behind his ear in thought. "I’m sorry, Princess, but it would appear that your mystery alicorn... is going to remain a mystery, for now.”
Celestia frowned. “Do some research, please. I know alicorns tend to be well-known, but you may have missed or even forgotten something. We need to know who this alicorn is, and we’d rather find out sooner than later.”
“Of course, Princess. I’ll have the library staff find the family trees of all royal families, and we’ll start looking through them at once.”
Celestia nodded, waving a hoof to dismiss the librarian. He turned to start his research, leaving the two sisters alone in the library.
"Is there anything else we can do?" Luna asked.
Celestia wondered for a moment, then smiled. "No, not quite. There is still one other library we could look through."
"Twilight?"
"Twilight," Celestia smiled.
The alicorn didn’t wake up the following day, so the two sisters decided to take turns watching her, each of them taking a single book from a library to read while they sat by the alicorn’s bed. She must have been through a lot, Celestia reckoned, for she hadn’t talked or moved since she lost consciousness the previous day. Alicorns didn't usually take this long to recover, but perhaps this one was older, somehow?
Twilight, having of course spent the night scanning through book after book, had sent a reply that morning. The librarian hadn't found anything new yet, and Celestia found herself hoping dearly that Twilight had had different results.
Celestia sat down at a table in the library, once again carefully unrolling her student's letter.
Dear Princess Celestia,
I’m afraid I’ve had no luck in finding any mention of the alicorn you described in your request. Luckily, I still have a lot of books to look through, and am not going to give up without looking through each and every one of them personally.
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle.
Celestia looked up from the letter, frowning. Even Twilight hadn’t found any mention of their mystery alicorn. Perhaps... she was a new alicorn after all?
Celestia’s thoughts were cut short by her sister, who came running up to her, yelling as she went. “Celestia, she's waking up! The alicorn, she’s moving!”
Celestia immediately dropped the letter and rushed to follow her sister to the room in which the alicorn had been resting. When the two sisters entered, the alicorn had already woken up, and was sitting upright in her bed.
Her eyes, now a vivid cyan, locked onto Celestia as soon as she entered the room. “Where are we?” she asked, her tone stern, almost angry.
“Calm down,” Celestia said, trying not to let her concern show. “You’ve obviously endured a lot on your way to Canterlot, and you need your rest. That does not, however, mean that you and I can’t talk. We have a lot to discuss, but let’s start with the obvious. What is your name, and who are you?”
"Oh, Celestia," the mystery alicorn smiled, her voice now almost soothing. "Our name is Harmony, and we are the queen of Equestria."
“...Mother? Celestia asked in disbelief.
Luna simply scoffed in response.
“Ah, so you are Celestia and Luna. We thought as much.”
“We...?” Luna mumbled to herself, just loud enough for Celestia to hear.
Celestia, however, didn’t bother to ask her sister what she was on about. Her mother was obviously more important.
“...Is that really you?”
Harmony flashed a frown, but her smile quickly returned. “Yes, Celestia. We've returned."
Luna's scowl, however, stayed. "Again with the we?" she said.
“But... how? Where have you been? Why didn’t I know of you? How did you find us? What took you so long?” Celestia raised her voice as she spoke.
“Patience, Celestia. I'll explain, if you'll let me,” Harmony said, smiling. “You should be able to understand that what we’re about to tell you happened a long time ago,” she said. Both Celestia and Luna nodded, although the latter not nearly as vigorously as her sister. “It happened back when Discord was still at large, and the kingdom was hard pressed to fight him. True, we could have defeated him, if he had stayed around to fight. But of course, Discord being what he is, he never did.”
Celestia frowned, unsure if she was willing to believe that Discord would hide from danger rather than play with it. Regardless, she kept listening.
“The kingdom needed something to keep Discord under control," Harmony continued, "so we left to find it. It was not an easy decision to make, but the ends justified the means, we think. Discord had to be stopped, and eventually he was.”
Celestia hadn’t replied. She was too busy staring at Harmony in shock, unable to believe that her very own mother would do such a thing. “You... left your kingdom in a time of need? How could you do such a thing?”
“It had to be done," Harmony said, giving Celestia a deadpan stare. "Discord wasn’t about to be defeated by us, so we needed something more to rid ourselves of him.”
Celestia recoiled, appalled by what her mother had done. "You abandoned your people, and now you think it was the right thing to do? How? And even ignoring that, Discord was defeated centuries ago! Where have you been ?!"
"Occupied!" Harmony yelled in reply. "You think we wanted to stay away? You think we enjoyed leaving our people?! You know nothing of what things were like back then!"
Celestia stepped back, her eyes watery.
“Why did you only come back now, Harmony?" Luna said, stepping forward cautiously. "Surely you must have realized that Discord was turned to stone years ago. He returned not too long ago, but was quickly turned to stone once again."
“As we said, we had... prior engagements,” Harmony replied, trailing off as she finished her sentence.
Celestia’s turn to remain silent. Luna seemed to agree with her, so Celestia stood back, allowing her sister to talk the alicorn who claimed to be their mother.
“Of what nature? What was so important that you couldn’t return to serve your kingdom? Or your own daughters, even?”
“None of your concern,” Harmony snapped at Luna. “The problems have been dealt with, and we have returned at last. One would think that you, of all ponies, would be grateful for our return.”
“One would also think that a queen would have the benefit of her kingdom in mind, not her own personal problems.”
“Enough, Luna.” Celestia stepped in to bar her sister from the conversation. “Though I disagree with Harmony’s actions just as much as you do, she must have had some reason. Is this really how you intend to welcome our mother?”
“Indeed, it is. What did you expect? Did you think I'd welcome her? Did you honestly believe that I would just accept her back into my life, like she never left? She left us , Celestia! Her own daughters! She has a lot of explaining to do, and for the time being she doesn't seem to want to do so! Until she does, I have no interest in talking with her, and neither should you.”
Celestia nodded, “She has a lot to explain, that's true. But does that mean you can't at least be happy she's back? She's finally back! I know this is sudden, but if what she says is true, she’s our mother, Luna. Don't you remember all the conversations we had, wondering what happened to our parents?”
Harmony waited patiently for the two sisters to calm down, but when they finally did, their attention had not yet returned to her. True, the two princesses had gone silent, but each of them staring the other in the eye, as if trying to get a message across without wasting words.
Finally, the two broke up. Luna was frowning, as was Celestia, although the latter quickly made an effort to regain a neutral expression.
Luna’s frown remained, but she decided not to pursue the matter, in stead opting to turn away and leave the room. Celestia watched her go, raising a single eyebrow in a questioning expression. She raised a hoof to follow her sister, but Harmony interrupted.
“Leave her, Celestia,” she said. “It seems she has trouble accepting our return. She’ll come around; just give her some time.”
“I suppose, Harmony, though I‘m inclined to agree with her. There have been some... issues, in your absence, and I assumed Luna would be grateful to be together with another member of her family once more. She doesn't seem to think so.”
“Another member of our family? You mean to say we are not the first?”
“Not quite. It’s something I’d rather not discuss at the moment, Harmony. We had a difference of opinion and Luna... had to leave. I’ll tell you more when Luna sees fit to return, but for now, I think you should rest. Sleep well, Harmony."
Celestia left the room, following Luna. She was surprised to see none other than Twilight Sparkle standing outside the door, a slightly worried expression on her face. She had been waiting for the princess.
“Twilight Sparkle? What on Equestria are you doing here?”
“Well... I ran out of books to study in the library about royal families, so I figured that I could come over and help out with the studies in the royal library instead. One of the guards in the throne room sent me this way, and I kind of almost bumped into Princess Luna as she left the room.” Twilight smiled nervously as she spoke.
"I... see. That won’t be necessary, though. The librarian should be almost done with his research. I’m sorry, Twilight."
“Ah.” Twilight dropped her gaze, then quickly raised it again, a spark of curiosity in her eyes. “So... what was that all about?” she asked, pointing a single hoof down the hallway.
“What was... what about, exactly?”
“Princess Luna, leaving the room like that?"
“Oh, that. It seems that Luna, much like myself, has some issues with our mother’s return.”
“Your... mother, Princess? The alicorn you wanted me to research was your mother ?
The two just stared at each other, Celestia frowning slightly and Twilight almost literally bursting with questions. Her curiosity getting the best of her, Twilight asked another one of her questions.
“You never told me you had a mother, Princess. Why didn’t you?”
Celestia sighed. “To be honest, Twilight Sparkle, I wasn’t sure I still did. She left a long time ago, when Luna and I were but fillies, and she never told us what it was she left for. She still hasn’t, come to think of it.”
“You... were fillies?” Twilight asked, surprised. “I guess it makes sense, but I’ve never really thought of it...” Twilight fell silent, apparently lost in thought. After a few moments of thinking, she looked up to her mentor with a hesitant look in her eyes, and asked her next question. “So... what about your father?”
“My father? To be perfectly honest, we don’t know much of him, I’m afraid. Honestly, it'd be easier to assume I never had one.”
“I’m... sorry, Princess. It wasn’t my intention to spark unpleasant memories.”
“Oh, don't worry. There isn’t much to remember.”
A few minutes passed in silence before Twilight asked her next question.
“What was his name, Princess?”
“My father?” Twilight nodded, and Celestia sighed. “I'd have to ask Harmony to be sure. My parents... our parents, were never a pleasant thing to discuss. I’ve never heard much of him, nor do I remember very much. I imagine that he was a busy king, but I'd be speculating if I were to tell you any more. I'm sorry, Twilight, but if you want to know more about my father, you're going to have to find out by yourself. I've enough trouble with my sister, and now also my mother."
“I’m sorry to hear that, Princess.”
“That’s quite alright, Twilight. My family hasn't exactly been very close, lately. Being royalty does have its disadvantages. But enough about my father. Harmony still has a lot she isn’t telling us, I think, and I intend to find out what she’s keeping to herself.”
“Harmony is your mother’s name, I assume?”
Celestia nodded.
Twilight hesitated, her eyes drifting away to avoid Celestia's gaze.
"Is something bothering you, Twilight?"
"Well, yes. I don't want to be rude, Princess, but can we be sure she's your mother? Wouldn't we know something about her if you even had one?"
Celestia shook her head. "It doesn't really matter much. Harmony being my mother, or not, influences little. It does explain why seemed... familiar, though. No matter who or what she is, she's still an alicorn we didn't know about, and that needs my attention."
"I understand, Celestia," Twilight nodded. "But... what if she is your mother? Wouldn't that make her..."
"The queen?" Celestia interrupted. "Yes, technically it would, but don't worry. I'm not letting her take that place until we're sure it's her, and it will take some time for everypony to adjust to her."
Twilight simply sighed. "I'm glad you're being careful about this. I know you said I shouldn't, but I'd like to drop by the library anyway, if that's alright, Princess."
Celestia nodded, her mind elsewhere. She couldn’t help but agree with Luna. Harmony showing up out of nowhere like that was suspicious, at best. And why hadn’t she sent word of her arrival? Why bother to sneak up on the castle like she had, only to have a guard alert the sisters to her presence? No matter how much Celestia thought about it, it just didn’t seem to make any sense.
Many minutes of pondering later, the princess gave up on trying to make sense of these developments, shoving the thoughts aside. This was her mother she was thinking about, not some criminal... right? True, she had never gotten to know her mother, but how bad could she be?
“Well... I think I’m just going to... go now, Princess," Twilight said, having expended her patience as she waited for Celestia to respond. "It’d be a shame to go home so soon, and I never did get to study Equestria’s history in the level of detail I would have liked."
“That’s fine, Twilight. You can stay for as long as you want, but please, don't bother the librarian too much. He’ll probably be busy checking all the records again."
“Will do, Princess.” And with that, Twilight left for the library, leaving Celestia alone in front of the door behind which her mother was now resting. She turned around before she rounded the corner, though, and looked Celestia in the eye one last time. "Good luck, Princess," she smiled, and trotted off.
Celestia sighed. As her mind continued turning recent events over and over to try and make some sense of them, her legs took on a mind of their own, and sent the princess wondering idly around the castle grounds. Harmony’s story didn’t seem right. Discord hiding from somepony just didn’t sound like him at all, and Harmony hadn’t even bothered to hide that she wasn’t telling them something.
As the princess kept pondering her mother’s sudden appearance, the hours crept by. When Celestia finally decided that she’d spent enough time thinking about something she didn’t really know enough about to draw conclusions, it was already time for the sun to start its descent.
The rest of the evening passed in silence, Celestia going to bed as soon as she had lowered the sun beneath the horizon. Thoughts of her mother never completely left Celestia's mind, sending her through the same loop time and time again. Eventually, her own mind wore itself out, and Celestia drifted off to sleep.
"You and I both know you're not going to stay in this bed for long," Luna snapped, "so I'm telling the guards to watch you. Until you explain just who you are and where you've been, I'm not letting you out of my sight."
The fight had been going on for a while know. Having angrily stalked up and down the castle's corridors, Luna's patience had been worn thin, and she had stormed back into Harmony's room, yelling as she entered.
"Indeed, we were planning on leaving before long. But, if you wish to keep us nearby, we will oblige. Is that all you wanted to share?"
"No," Luna stammered, taken aback by her mother's reaction. "I... I also wanted to give you another chance to answer our questions."
"You want to know where we've been all this time?"
Luna nodded silently as Harmony averted her gaze.
"We were... occupied. It's not something we wish to speak of, and we implore you to believe us when we say it was all but voluntary. We were taken, imprisoned against our will. That is all we wish to say, for now."
"I... understand," Luna spoke softly, gazing at her hooves as she did.
Harmony perked up. "Is something bothering you, Luna?"
"Celestia, she... I was... No. I'm fine," she snapped. "It's none of your business. Not until you prove who you are, at least."
Morning came too soon for a sleepless Celestia, yet after a full night of ponder, her suspicions remained. The princess got up quietly, and made her way to the tower chamber. After having raised the sun, she wandered around aimlessly, pondering her options for the day.
Harmony seemed to have recovered significantly, as one would expect from an alicorn, and was already taking strolls around the castle grounds.
Luna's opinion had remained unchanged, and she had made it a point to avoid Canterlot's latest arrival.
The librarian's research mattered little, Celestia thought, though some curiosity about the absence of knowledge still remained. Despite this, she decided that her best course of action would be to go directly to the source of her problems; Harmony.
“Have you seen the alicorn Princess Luna warned you about?” Celestia asked a nearby guard. He seemed startled by the sudden question, and dropped his spear in fright. He quickly picked it up, and stammered something resembling an answer.
“No, P-Princess. She uh... she’s been in the castle gardens all day, apparently.”
“Thank you," Celestia nodded.
Celestia needed no more. She left the castle and started wandering the castle grounds in search of her mother. Making for the gardens, Celestia decided to work her way down all its areas one-by-one. The maze, she'd save for last, seeing as it would take the longest. So, she started with the flowers. Beds of flowers in each and every color imaginable stretched as far as the eye could see, dancing softly in the breeze. Harmony, however, was nowhere to be found.
Some time went by as Celestia continued to scan the gardens, but she remained alone. It wasn't until she reached the statues, the last area she checked before she would have started on the maze, that she was finally rewarded.
Harmony was sitting next to Discord’s statue, staring up at it with something resembling a melancholy smile on her face.
“Harmony?" Celestia began. "Are you alright?” Celestia asked as she approached, a hint of concern in her voice.
Harmony looked away from the statue she had been admiring so solemnly and faced her daughter, a hint of annoyance in her eyes. “We’re fine, Celestia. We appreciate the concern, but you needn’t worry about us. We were simply thinking back to the cause of our problems. Discord has brought us a lot of pain, even when petrified.”
“So you said," Celestia said dismissively. "Something about this struck me as odd, though. Why did you not simply use the Elements of Harmony against him? You said he was in hiding, but Discord’s desire to spread chaos would make him easy to find, would it not?”
Harmony smiled. “Things were not so simple back then, Celestia. We couldn’t pursue Discord. There were matters of greater concern, to us.”
“Matters of greater concern than your own kingdom?” Celestia asked, again unwilling to believe that Harmony could have thought other matters to be more important than her kingdom and its citizens. Celestia had always placed her kingdom first, not even her family taking priority. It seemed strange, to her, that Harmony would have found something of more importance to her than family, or even her kingdom.
“We’re afraid so, Celestia. Now, if you’ll excuse us, all this talking has made us suddenly aware of our appetite. Tell us, where can we find the dining hall?”
Celestia nodded. "Much of this castle was inspired by our previous one, for the sake of tradition and consistency. Keep to your left after you enter, and you'll find yourself facing its entrance at the end of the third hallway."
Harmony nodded, and made for the castle, leaving Celestia alone with the statue of her greatest adversary. She looked up at it, thinking back to the expression Harmony had been wearing as she was admiring the statue. Celestia had seen sorrow in those eyes. Remorse, even. It only made sense, she thought, considering what she had shared so far.
Celestia looked away from the statue. Discord wouldn’t be able to provide answers in this state, and he probably wouldn’t answer her questions had he had the possibility. The draconequus would be much too busy spreading chaos, Celestia reckoned.
The princess turned to follow her mother to the castle, having nothing else to do in the gardens. She paused, however, when she walked past the entrance to the Canterlot library. Perhaps, Celestia thought, she could help the librarian with his studies? Her mind made up, Celestia headed straight for the library. If Harmony herself wouldn’t tell her anything about Equestria’s history from that time, perhaps the library would.
The librarian, always aware of his surroundings, approached as soon as Celestia entered the library. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but we haven't yet finished our search," he said nervously.
"That's quite alright, librarian. Tell me, though, have you found anything of use yet?"
The pony raised a hoof to his face, pushing his glasses firmly back in place before speaking. "I'm... sorry, Princess, but no. There seem to be no records of an alicorn such as the one you described. For all we know, she's never been seen before."
Celestia nodded. "Thank you, librarian. I'll check back tomorrow to hear about the rest of your search. The final few books should be looked through by then, correct?"
The librarian nodded, glad to see that Celestia wasn't disappointed in him. Not visibly, at least.
With that, Celestia left the library, resorting to her royal duties at last. Again, some ponies had required an audience with her, and she was required by her own law to hear them.
It was already evening when the last of her subjects finally left.
Luna was nowhere to be seen, although she would be needed to raise the moon before long. Celestia made for the balcony the two sisters used for their magic, and lowered the sun. It was never easy to do, and it created quite a show of magic, but Celestia had grown accustomed to the strain of moving the sun along its orbit over her years of doing so. She turned to leave the balcony, and almost stumbled into her sister.
“Ah, Luna! Come to raise the moon, I see?”
“Indeed," Luna nodded. "The guards told me you spoke to Harmony in the gardens. Did you learn anything about her past?” she asked.
“You were spying on me?”
Luna shook her head. “Not you. Harmony. I’m sorry to be so rude, but I have to ask. Did you learn anything about Harmony’s past?”
“No, Luna. Harmony doesn’t seem very willing to part with any information about her past.”
Luna frowned, but allowed her sister to continue.
“We already know she’s not telling us certain things, but that's not the worst of it. The librarian still hasn't found any mention of her. Nothing, and he's almost done searching through the entire historical section of the library. I don't know what, but something strange is going on here,” Celestia finished.
“Agreed, but we must be careful. If she is our mother, no matter how slim the odds, the last thing I want to do is offend her.”
Celestia nodded. Harmony's secrecy made it hard for her to accept, but just the thought of having a mother put a smile on her face almost without fail.
“Perhaps we are getting ahead of ourselves, Luna. Yes, she might be our mother. In fact, that's getting more likely as we learn more, I think. But we can only imagine the things she’s had to endure on her journey. It makes sense that she’s reluctant to tell us about her past. Who knows what happened to her on her travels?”
Luna frowned once again, noticing for the first time how she had been making a habit of the expression. “I... suppose, sister. But a mother ought to trust her daughters, I thought. Reluctance to speak can be understood, but we shouldn't be so quick to trust her. She's still hiding a lot."
“She's been gone for a long time, Luna. It makes sense that she'd have a hard time coming back. Besides, if anything we of all ponies should be grateful for her return, as Harmony said. You mentioned yourself how we used to talk, so long ago. We have a parent , Luna. Aren't you happy?"
"Maybe you're right. Maybe I have been too suspicious of my own mother,” Luna said, her face completely blank. “But can I be blamed? Anypony would agree that the conditions of her return are strange at best. Maybe... we should ask your student for her opinion? She has parents, so she’ll already be more experienced in these matters than we are."
Celestia paused to think. “Perhaps you're right, Luna. We’ll ask Twilight for her opinion tomorrow. For now, I think it's time for you to perform your royal duties.” Celestia smiled and left the room, leaving Luna to raise the moon and start the night.
And so, the night began. Harmony was nowhere to be found, and the guards at the doors of the dining hall told Celestia that her mother had left the room hours ago, returning to the corridor from which she had emerged on her way to the dining room itself. This only served to worsen Celestia’s already bad mood, as she was hoping to inquire about her mother’s past yet again, this time a little more carefully. Harmony obviously had trouble dealing with the past, and Celestia wanted to know what was bothering her mother.
The rest of the evening passed without any further conversation between Celestia and her mother. She had gone to ask the guards at the entrance to the Canterlot gardens, and they told her that Harmony had passed them, but hadn’t returned. She was gazing at Discord’s statue again, Celestia just knew it.
The princess went up to her bedroom, and looked out from one of her bedroom windows just once before she went to bed. Sure enough, as she had suspected, there was a small, ivory dot next to one of the statues. Harmony. Her red mane, flowing into yellow at the tips, wasn’t easy to spot in the moonlight, but her coat was bright and easy to find. Celestia turned away from the sight, wondering once again why her mother was so enthralled by a statue of a danger long since passed.
Celestia went to lie down, making a mental note to ask her student for her opinion on the matter, as Luna had suggested. Luna had been having trouble with her mother’s arrival, but her idea was a good one. Twilight did have the most experience with parents of any of them, and she would be able to help them choose their actions.
When morning arrived, Celestia had barely slept. She looked out of her window again, and much to her relief she saw no sign of Harmony.
She prepared herself for another day in the life of a princess, and then made for the balcony. Celestia’s nerves had calmed overnight, and she had convinced herself that Harmony was no more a threat than Luna was.
Luna's opinion, once again, appeared unchanged. “I still don’t trust her,” she simply stated, when Celestia shared her earlier thoughts about how they might have been too suspicious of their mother.
“I’m not asking you to, Luna. All I’m saying is that we have no real reason to suspect harm from her, either.”
“What of the records? If Harmony really didn’t have anything to hide, we would have found some record of her in the library by now, yet nothing has been found so far.”
Celestia frowned. Even though she was trying her best to find a reason to trust her mother, Luna had a point. “...Perhaps she simply didn’t have any records made? I doubt that her subjects would be very happy to know that their queen was leaving them in a moment of peril. She probably never announced her departure.”
“All the more reason for there to be some mention of it. The departure of a queen is a momentous occasion, I would think. And with Harmony not around to give orders to the contrary, her subjects would have made some record of the occasion, would they not?”
“Hmm," Celestia nodded in agreement. "We may be getting ahead of ourselves, though. The librarian could still have found something; we have yet to hear what became of the final few books,” Celestia said, turning to head for the library. "Perhaps, this is all just a simple misunderstanding, Luna?"
“Perhaps...” Luna mumbled to herself, following her sister.
They arrived at the library, and were immediately approached by a rather nervous head librarian. He still had to get used to both princesses being in his library at the same time.
“Good morning, librarian. Has your search yielded any result?”
“I’m afraid not, Princess. We haven’t been able to find any records of an alicorn that fit her description, of any time. Why, if I hadn’t heard you yourself mention her, I would have doubted she even exists.”
Celestia frowned. “I see. Thank you, librarian. You may call off the search.”
“Ah... I already had, I’m afraid. We... ran out of books.” The librarian tried to laugh off the matter, but Celestia simply raised an eyebrow at him, and he backed away with a final nervous giggle.
“It seems you were right, Luna,” Celestia said, turning to face her sister. “No records of Harmony were found. Perhaps she does have something to hide.”
“We had already established that, Celestia," Luna said, annoyed. "We’re simply trying to find out what it is she’s not telling us, and we seem to be failing. It seems that Harmony herself is the only source of information we have, and I doubt that she’ll be willing to part with the information.”
“Now, Luna, to be fair, we never asked for that information in particular. It could simply be that she’s avoiding the subject because of her own personal preferences.”
“Then it seems to me that our next step is a rather obvious one. Shall you do the honors, or is it my turn to talk to Harmony?”
“Whichever suits you, Luna.”
“Very well. It appears that you have some matters to discuss with Harmony, in that case.”
“Indeed.”
It wasn’t very hard for Celestia to find her mother. She went to ask a guard at the entrance to the library, but he hadn’t seen Harmony. Celestia’s suspicions were confirmed when she once again asked the guards at the entrance to the Canterlot gardens.
“Yep. Passed here and hasn’t returned.”
Celestia nodded, leaving the guard behind her and walking into the gardens. Sure enough, Harmony was sitting by Discord’s statue. Celestia kept her distance, and simply studied her mother for a few minutes. She sighed every so often, and never took her gaze from the statue. It was almost like she was admiring him.
“Good afternoon, Harmony. Still no complaints, I trust?” Celestia finally said, approaching her mother.
Harmony never looked away from the statue as she replied. “None that matter, no. We do wish that the two of you would drop the act, however.”
Celestia frowned, trying not to let her surprise show. “...The act, Harmony? I assure you that Luna and I aren’t acting any differently.”
“Ah. So you always have guards preventing others from leaving castle grounds? Hardly seems like a precaution you’d have in place at all times.”
The princess sighed, and did as had been requested of her, dropping her guard. “No, Harmony, it isn’t. We’ve been trying to find out more of your history, and it hasn’t yielded any results. What is it you’re trying to hide from us?”
This time, Harmony looked away from the statue, staring Celestia in the eye with something eerily close to anger. “What we are hiding, Celetia, is meant to be hidden. We would appreciate it if you ceased to pursue the matter.”
Celestia couldn’t think of a reply. She hadn’t expected Harmony to be so blunt with her.
“Honestly, Celestia, we have to wonder how you're not tired of this yet. You've found no information on us, correct?”
Celestia nodded, wondering what her mother was getting at.
"Well, perhaps you'll realize when you run out of books to read, if you haven't already," Harmony said rather harshly as she passed Celestia without so much as a glance, making her way to the castle.
Once again, Celestia had been left alone in the gardens, with nothing but Discord’s statue to keep her company.
Once again, Harmony had avoided the conversation.
Once again, Celestia had no explanation for her mother’s behavior.
The princess sighed, looking up to the statue. Harmony had actually been direct with her this time, but hadn’t quite said what the princess had wanted to hear. Quite the opposite, in fact.
After a few more moments of pondering, Celestia decided that she wasn’t getting anywhere, and turned away from the statue. Making her way to the castle, Celestia allowed her mind to wander aimlessly.
Celestia paused in front of the library, thinking back to her first conversation with Harmony.
“We were simply thinking back to the cause of our problems. Discord has brought us a lot of pain, even when petrified,” Harmony’s voice echoed through her mind.
That's it! Celestia thought. The cause of Harmony’s problems. We've been researching Harmony, but we never paid any attention to her problems! Celestia turned and almost galloped into the library, causing a scholar to stumble and drop a book he was balancing on his head as she dashed past him.
“Librarian, where are you?!” she called.
“Over here! What do you need?!”
Celestia followed the librarian’s voice, and found him studying at a table. It seemed odd to have the head librarian studying, but Celestia didn’t bother to ask him what he was reading. There were more pressing matters at hoof.
“P-Princess! My apologies for my rudeness, I didn’t realize it was you!”
“That is fine, librarian. Now, tell me, do we have any books on the history of Discord?”
“Discord, you say? I... think we still have a book somewhere, yes. Might I ask... why the sudden interest for history, Princess?”
“Family issues,” Celestia grunted. “Now, please, retrieve this book for me. It seems I have some reading to do.”
"Even more reading?" the librarian mumbled to himself, as he scurried off to find the book Celestia had requested. Not too long thereafter, he returned with a massive, dusty tome, carrying it on his back. Celestia wasted no time in getting the book opened, causing the librarian to cringe as she so carelessly handled the ancient book.
The princess scanned the pages, frantically searching for any mention of her mother, but found nothing. She sighed, picking up the book with her magic, and turned to leave for her study.
The very second Celestia had some privacy in her study, she opened the book once more, this time starting at page one. Hours upon hours went by, and it wasn’t until late in the evening that the princess finally found something that resembled a lead. She closed the book, remembering the number of the page she had been studying, and went to find her sister.
Luna was waiting on the balcony they used for their daily rituals. “You’re late,” she snapped at her sister, as she made her way onto the balcony.
“I know, I know. I apologize, but you have to look at this!”
“What is this? Another old book? I thought we couldn't find anything on Harmony?”
“Not on Harmony, no. But she did tell us one other thing."
"Oh, so she did give you a lead? Do explain."
"It's quite simple, actually. We were far too busy researching Harmony, while we should have been studying her problems instead."
“You studied... her problems?”
“Exactly! Look here,” Celestia said, opening the book to the page she had remembered, and pointing to a specific paragraph. Luna started reading immediately.
Discord, the book read, is a creature of pure chaos. Some might say he is the very embodiment of it. Others claim that he was once a normal creature, but his obsession with chaos consumed him and he became what he is to this day. Little is known of him, for he rarely speaks to ponies, but scholars have worked to decipher the few riddles the creature has provided them with, and some of them have been successful.
Luna looked up from the book. “This doesn’t teach us anything about Harmony. It only teaches us about Discord, and he’s been defeated, last we checked.”
“Just keep reading!” Celestia urged her sister, receiving a frown as a reward for her efforts. Eventually, however, Luna did as she was asked.
A weapon with which we can fight the creature has yet to be found, although he himself has made mention of some sort of natural opposite. The nature of this opposite is unknown, but we think it safe to assume that Discord fears it, and with good reason. The creature he speaks of, for we assume it must be one, would have to be the very embodiment of peace. As Discord is the essence of chaos, this creature would be the essence of harmony.
Luna looked up from the book, wide-eyed. “Harmony...” she said, still baffled by what she had just read.
“Yes!” Celestia yelled, getting enthusiastic. “She’s not just our mother, she’s Discord’s opposite! That’s why she spends so much time with his statue! That’s why she looked so remorseful when near the statue!”
“So... if Harmony really were this... embodiment of peace, as the book says, then why wasn’t she able to fend off Discord? What stopped her?”
“I’m... not sure, Luna. But with this, we might be able to get Harmony to talk.”
"Are you sure it's a good idea to bother her again? We might just upset her more," Luna said.
“Yes,” Celestia replied adamantly. “I’d rather try this than spend even more hours buried beneath the dusty books of the library. Harmony has already made clear that she’s aware of our suspicions in our previous conversation, so I see no reason not to ask again.
“If you say so, sister. You’ve done all the talking so far, so I really can't judge, I think.”
With that, Celestia turned to leave, excited to finally have some information on her mother.
"Celestia!" Luna called after her sister.
Turning again, Celestia instantly realized what her sister had called her for. She hadn't lowered the sun yet. Setting the book down on a nearby table, Celestia made for the balcony again. Readying the spell, she braced herself, and it wasn't long before the sun started to move, as though on its own. Luna stood by, patiently waiting for her sister to finish, so she could raise the moon.
Having taken care of her final task of the day, Celestia wasted no time in grabbing the book and heading off to find her mother.
Having just raised the moon, Luna walked slowly through the castle's halls, only one more task to Thankfully, Harmony seemed to keep to her room at night, making her remarkably easy to find.
"Harmony?" she called out softly, as she entered the room.
"What is it?" came the reply.
"I want to talk to you. About what you... what the both of us have been doing in your absence."
"The both of us?" Harmony replied. "You wish to discuss the happenings here?"
Luna nodded. "I've talked with Celestia, and she seems to think we should give you the benefit of the doubt. So, I'd like to tell you what happened here, so long as you explain your part as well."
Harmony paused. "How would you like to go outside tonight?" she smiled.
"Outside? As in, the castle gardens?"
"Actually, we meant outside the castle grounds. It's been a long time since we last saw our kingdom, and in our haste to return, we neglected to visit it. We know you've ordered to keep us confined to castle grounds, but we figure a simple flight over Canterlot and surrounding regions would be relatively harmless. It would also provide us with time to talk."
"I..." Luna stuttered.
"If you'd rather we stay here, that would be fine."
"No," Luna interrupted. "Flying sounds like a good plan. Besides," she smiled, "maybe the guards were a little unnecessary."
"I'm glad you realize," Harmony laughed. "So, shall we?" she said, as she walked to the door.
The two alicorns glided gracefully through the skies above Canterlot, simply circling, waiting for the other to speak. Luna occasionally glanced at the moon in admiration whilst Harmony simply studied the kingdom below.
"The kingdom has grown," Harmony finally said, breaking the silence.
Luna nodded. "Thing have gone well in your absence. With the kingdom, at least."
"And with you?"
"I... am doing well," Luna answered bluntly.
"But we gather you haven't always. What happened, Luna?"
"Celestia and I... had a difference in opinion. Like she said, I ended up leaving."
"Yes, she mentioned something along those lines. Where did you go?"
"...Away. I'd really rather not discuss any further."
Harmony sighed, smiling at her daughter. "Luna, we know this might be difficult, but please, indulge us. We were forced to leave as well, remember?"
Luna nodded silently. "I... lost sight of peace. It seemed like ponies simply didn't appreciate my nights the way they did Celestia's days. My jealousy got the better of me, and I tried to bring about eternal night. I tried to make them appreciate me."
Harmony remained silent.
"Of course, Celestia tried to stop me," Luna continued, "but I wouldn't listen. She had no choice but to banish me. I had a thousand years trapped in the moon to think about it, and if I could take it all back, I would in a heartbeat. I can't imagine how hard it must have been for Tia, having to do everything on her own."
"We understand," Harmony finally spoke up. "We've explained to you that Discord's conflict is largely why we had to leave, correct?"
Luna nodded.
"Well... we weren't completely forthright. Discord played a part in our absence, but not directly. Ultimately, it was our student who caused us to abandon our place."
"You had a student?" Luna asked, wide-eyed.
Harmony nodded. "Symphony, was his name. He was centuries ahead of his time in his understanding of magic. Had he not strayed from our path, we have no doubt he would have been famous today."
"He... strayed? How?"
"Symphony... had his faith tested, and it is with great pain that we admit that his faith broke. He... converted," she sighed, "to Discord's teachings. He came to believe that, rather than to enforce absolute balance, a measure of chaos was needed to sustain life. We tried to reason with him, but he would have none of it."
"So... what did you do?"
"Eventually, Symphony left the kingdom. We made some minor preparations, and went after him. Included in our preparations was the erasure of any and all memory or record of us. We wanted to ensure that morale would not be lost if we were to remain lost."
"So that's why we couldn't remember you?" Luna asked.
Harmony nodded. "It was not an easy decision to make. But we were confident that we could resume our position upon our return, only..."
"You were delayed."
"Yes. When we finally tracked Symphony down, he had become even more hostile than before. We once again tried to reason with him, but it didn't take us long to realize that it simply wouldn't work."
"So... what did you do?"
"The only other thing we could think to do. We tried to purge the chaos from his mind, by force. We tried to use our own magic to fend off Discord's influence, as we had done many times before. Things... did not go as planned."
Luna remained silent.
"As to what happened since then, we can only guess. Quite probably, whatever happened took a great toll on us, and the years that passed were spent recovering. What happened is regrettable, and much like you we wish we could change our actions. Since we can't, our hope is now only to be able to return to how things used to be."
"I see," Luna nodded.
"I'm glad we had this talk, Luna. For better or for worse, it seems we have more in common than we thought."
"Yes," Luna smiled. "It seems we do."
Harmony, as it turned out, wasn’t easy to find. She wasn’t in the garden, much to Celestia's surprise, nor was she in the library. An hour passed, and Celestia's search had yet to turn up any results. Eventually, she found her aimlessly wandering the castle's halls.
“Harmony, there you are. I’ve been looking for you,” Celestia said upon noticing her mother.
“Is that so? We've been occupied, actually."
“We know of your history with Discord. We found a book in the library explaining everything.”
A glimpse of surprise shot through Harmony’s eyes. She quickly recovered, but Celestia knew what she had seen.
“Do you, now? Well, then it would seem that your questions are answered. Should you, despite this book of yours, still have need of our... service, you shall simply have to wait. We are not in the mood for idle conversation at the moment.”
Celestia frowned, blatantly ignoring her mother’s previous sentences. “Why is it that you’re so ashamed of admitting your mistakes?”
“Mistakes, Celestia? Do explain.”
“Your inability to find the Elements to fight Discord. I already told you, we know of your history with him, so please, stop avoiding my questions.”
A smile spread on Harmony’s face. Celestia wasn’t completely sure if she liked the look of it, but didn’t mention the thought.
“It’s hardly fitting for a queen to admit her shortcomings, is it?” Harmony mused.
“Harmony, I’m not going to ask you again. Please, tell me what happened. Why did you try to hide this from us, and why did you avoid my questions when I asked them?”
Harmony sighed, but didn’t make any more excuses. She looked Celestia in the eye, and at least a minute passed before she finally spoke.
“If you must know, Celestia, we were not unable to find the Elements of Harmony. We simply didn’t know how to use them. The Elements... had only just been discovered, and we weren’t entirely sure of what we had in our possession, at first. Understanding came eventually, but we still had no clue of their use. All we knew was that they were, and we assume still are, immensely powerful artifacts.”
“I... see,” Celestia said. Harmony seemed to be telling the truth, judging by her downcast eyes. She seemed genuinely ashamed of her own shortcomings, and her story certainly did explain her remorseful feelings towards Discord. She had left the kingdom in search of a weapon to fight Discord, while that very weapon had been in their possession the whole time.
“So... why did you avoid my questions?”
“Because sometimes, history is better forgotten than remembered, Celestia. It is the reason for the absence of any records of that time. We would rather forget it ever happened. We made sure no records would be made, and that all existing records be removed. Our plan worked, we thought, but apparently we were mistaken.”
A silence followed. Celestia couldn’t help but feel sorry for her mother. She had been struggling with a sense of guilt and remorse this whole time, and all they had seen was yet another threat to the kingdom.
“Are you finally done interrogating us?” Harmony asked, breaking the silence. “Although we do not have much else to do, we’d rather not spend the rest of our evening being questioned.”
“I... apologize, Harmony. It seems that Luna and I... were a little quick to judge.”
Harmony nodded, and turned to leave, walking in the direction she had come from. Celestia was surprised to notice that her mother was heading in the direct opposite direction of the castle's gardens, but decided to let her go.
Celestia wasted no time, heading straight back to the balcony on which she had last spoken to Luna. Her sister was still there, thankfully, admiring her moon as usual.
“We were wrong, Luna," Celestia began. "It pains me to admit it, but Harmony’s motives for her secrecy were far from what we thought they were. She’s ashamed, Luna. Ashamed of her actions. She didn’t leave the kingdom for her own desires at all, she left... because she had to. The book I found… it didn’t go into very much detail, but Harmony did as we hoped. She filled in the blanks.”
Luna simply nodded. "Yes, she told me."
"She told you?! When?!"
"Calm down. She only told me just now. She and I went out for a flight over the kingdom, and we explained to each other what happened in the time since she left."
“So... why did she stay away for so long? She could have returned centuries ago."
“I... I’m not sure, she didn't say. But her story seemed heartfelt to me, and it explained why we couldn't find any information on her.”
"So... we trust her?" Celestia asked.
Luna paused.
"Yes, I think we do," she said.
Celestia smiled, wider than she had in months before. "So we have a mother again?"
“A mother...” Luna mumbled, the corners of her mouth twitching upwards slightly.
"We have to find her, Luna, and apologize. In light of these discoveries, our behavior has been most inappropriate."
Reluctantly, Luna nodded. She refrained from commenting, instead opting to lead the way out of the room. "Where did you find her?" she asked.
"Wandering the halls aimlessly. She could be anywhere, I'm afraid."
"We had best start looking, then," Luna said, though not very enthusiastically.
Their conversation over, the two sisters set out to find their mother, who had apparently finished wandering the castle halls. Guards posted at several entrances confirmed that they hadn't seen her pass, the past few hours. She had stopped, somewhere.
With the guard's confirmation in mind, it didn’t take them very long to find Harmony. She was in her chambers, researching the book Celestia had mentioned in their last conversation.
Luna frowned upon noticing the book, mumbling to herself, "How did she...?"
Celestia, however, was far too eager to make amends with Harmony to notice.
Harmony looked up in surprise when her two daughters entered, and quickly closed the book. “What, pray tell, are you two doing here?” she snapped. “Haven’t you bothered us enough?”
“We have, Harmony, and we are sorry,” Celestia said. “We’ve come here to make one final apology, and to make amends. We have come here, to offer you your rightful place on the throne of Canterlot.”
"You can't be serious!" Luna exclaimed.
“Will you accept our offer... Mother?”
Harmony smiled. “Yes, Celestia. We will.”
Celestia returned her mother’s smile. "I thought you might, Harmony. I mean... Mother."
"Can I speak to you for a moment, Celestia?" Luna interrupted angrily.
Celestia sighed, regarding her sister with a look nothing short of annoyance. "If you must, Luna."
"Outside? " Luna almost yelled.
Celestia turned to her mother, who had been waiting patiently, her face expressionless. "We'll only be a moment, Mother," she said, before leading the way to the door.
Luna followed in silence as the two of them left the room, leaving Harmony to return to her book. Immediately after Celestia closed the door behind her, Luna spoke up once again. “You had better start explaining yourself, Celestia. What on Equestria possessed you to just hand her the throne like that?”
"Is that a threat, Luna?" Celestia asked.
Luna remained quiet, content to let her sister think whatever she wanted to.
"We've done her wrong," Celestia continued, "...and I felt that we needed to make it up to her. Besides, she technically already was the queen, so no harm done."
"No harm done, Celestia? Really? Had it ever occurred to you that Harmony might not have been aware that she was the queen this whole time?"
"Explain her introduction, then."
"I... I don't know! It doesn't matter, you can't just hand over the throne like that!"
"Oh, would you give up, Luna? Harmony is perfectly sane, she's our mother, and the throne is her place."
"The throne was her place. She abandoned it."
"But not voluntarily, Luna. We've discussed this already. Harmony is going to take my place on the throne, and that's final. If you can't bring yourself to trust her right now, you're just going to have to force yourself to accept my decision."
"What of the book she was reading?" Luna asked, refusing to budge.
"So, she was reading a book. Really, Luna? Even you and I have been reading, lately. You've no reason to suspect anything."
“Not just a book, Celestia. The book. She was studying the book you found in the library, the book from which we got the first hint of Harmony’s past. Didn't you notice?”
"Honestly, Luna, I can't blame her for that. She claimed to have avoided making any records; of course she's curious about what we managed to find."
Luna's frown deepened. "There are still things Harmony hasn't explained, Celestia. Do you really think now is an appropriate time to hand over the throne?"
"I want her to know we trust her. This is the best way to do that."
"Is it really, Celestia?"
"Maybe we should ask Twilight?"
"Hmm? What does she have to do with this?" Luna asked, her expression softening.
"Do you not recall that you yourself told me that perhaps I should ask my student for some... advice?”
“I... suppose...” Luna said, reluctantly.
“Well, then it seems you and I have an appointment, Luna. I’ll ask her to come over as soon as possible.”
Mere hours later, the two sisters were both being scolded by Celestia’s student, Twilight Sparkle. It seemed that being wary of your own family is not something ponies normally do.
“You handed over the throne?!” Twilight asked, dumbstruck. Celestia had just finished explaining to her student how Luna and she had felt about her mother not too long ago.
Both Celestia and Luna stared at their hooves in shame, obviously uncomfortable. Though they had never had parents, and weren’t really sure about what having a mother was all about, they knew that being suspicious of one’s own parents was something one didn’t tend to do. Or... they did now.
“I mean, I can understand that you wanted to make amends with your mother, but handing over the throne?!” Twilight continued to rage. "This isn't just your position you're giving up, it's the rule of a kingdom!"
Once again, both Celestia and Luna remained silent. It was a rare occasion for Twilight to get so caught up in a rant that she actually started yelling at the royal sisters, and the princesses both felt like they more or less deserved it.
Twilight continued her ranting, unperturbed. Her respect for the princess usually prevented her from being too outspoken towards Celestia or her sister. Today, however, was an exception. The lavender unicorn had been almost yelling at the princesses for a solid twelve minutes, judging by a nearby clock, and there seemed to be no end.
“I guess... you really do still have a lot to learn about parents," Twilight sighed, defeated. "I thought better of you, both of you... as anypony else would have done. Quite frankly, you ought to be ashamed of yourself.”
Celestia looked up at this. It was one thing for her student to give her advice, it was another entirely to have her very own accomplice almost offend her. “I am saying this as a friend, Twilight, not royalty, but mind your words. I would rather you not insult me. Simply asking for your assistance should be evidence enough that I regret my actions, and I want to make it up to our mother.”
Twilight frowned. “I suppose it is, Princess.” They were making little progress. Luna still seemed to have some trouble with the fact that she was to blindly accept her mother’s behavior, no matter her previous suspicions.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves," Luna interrupted. "The ceremony is still a long time away, I should hope. A new queen is not something to be taken lightly, in particular after a millennium without one. We need a feast, and feasts take time to prepare.”
“True, but the castle’s staff is working on the preparations already, I hope. Even with the feast being as grand as it will be, preparations won’t take very long. The main problem is going to be picking a day for the ceremony.”
“I'll ask Harmony if she favors any day in particular, but if she doesn’t, we’ll just perform the ceremony on the next possible occasion,” Celestia said.
Twilight couldn't help but smile at this sudden trust Celestia had in her mother. “It's sudden, I think we all agree on that. But seeing as we know she's really Harmony, I think this is a step in the right direction. At least in terms of getting closer with her," she nodded.
“Let’s not forget that I never really took the throne in the first place, Twilight. I remained a princess, leaving the throne to be claimed for elder members of the royal family of Canterlot. This was never my intention, though. I was simply waiting for a fitting king, I suppose.”
“Romance, Celestia? You? Not that that’s a bad thing! I’m just... surprised!” Twilight smiled at the princess, who had started blushing as she spoke her last sentence. Romance was apparently not something Celestia had paid very much attention to, and now that the subject had come up, Twilight realized that she had never even considered that Celestia might one day marry.
“That, Twilight, is not something we are discussing right now,” Celestia said, trying to regain a serious expression. “In any case, I think we’ve talked enough, for today. I have preparations to supervise, and you... well, that’s up to you, isn’t it?”
Twilight frowned, but made no objections. “I suppose, Princess. Perhaps we’ll get to talk some more before the ceremony? I feel like you’re already well on your way, and not a lot more needs to be discussed. That said, you need to get rid of these thoughts about Harmony being part of something more than she’s letting us know. She’s your mother, and technically has been the queen this whole time. She never officially stepped down from the throne, and nopony ever took it from her. The ceremony really is just a way for the ponies of Equestria to learn of her arrival, as you know, and queens are to be treated with a certain measure of respect.”
With that, Twilight turned towards the door, leaving the princesses with a lot to think about. Celestia, however, had other things to do than ponder her mother’s behavior and how to react to it. Preparations were already being made for the coronation, and Celestia needed to be present. Though she had never actually taken the throne, Celestia had at one point been the only member of the royal family still known to be alive. As such, the ponies of Equestria had come to see her as their ruler, despite her keeping the title of Princess, rather than assuming that of Queen.
Harmony’s behavior had changed, and Celestia had only seen her near the gardens a few more times. The princess still thought it odd that her mother would give the statue so much attention, but had been more or less forced to admit that the others had a point. Her own determination to trust Harmony only served to weaken her doubt, and eventually she managed to convince herself, even despite Luna's claims to the contrary. Remorse made sense, considering the conditions Harmony had left the kingdom in.
With Twilight now no longer berating her, Celestia was free to go and find her mother. Harmony was never easy to find, seeing as she usually spent her days walking around the castle grounds. As such, it took Celestia a solid hour and a half before she finally found her mother.
She was staring at one of the many paintings that hung in the halls of Canterlot. The painting didn’t seem familiar to Celestia, but then she had never paid them much mind. Having spent enough time studying her mother from a distance, Celestia decided to approach. She had promised herself and Harmony to stop doing that, and her spying wouldn’t serve to advance Twilight’s lessons.
“Ah, Harmony. There you are.”
“Hmm?” Harmony mumbled, turning to face the source of the disturbance. “Oh, Celestia. What is it you need?”
“Nothing big. I just wanted to know if you prefer any specific date for the coronation.”
“We suppose that we’ll want as many ponies as possible to be able to attend, so perhaps a Sunday is the best choice. We’re in no hurry to assume such an important position, but there’s no point in waiting either. Does the upcoming Sunday sound agreeable?”
“Of course, Mother. Preparations will be ready this Friday, so you can always have the ceremony take place sooner, if you want to.”
“That won’t be necessary. Tell us, are you preparing a feast, as well?”
“Well, of course. It’s the coronation of the first queen of Equestria in a thousand years.”
“Cancel it," she said blankly.
With considerable effort, Celestia managed to contain her reaction. “Cancel it?” she gasped. "Are you sure?"
She nodded. “We do not want a feast in our honor. To do so is to waste food our subjects might need.”
“You realize that we can afford to... squander some of our supplies, don’t you? The kingdom has been doing well.”
“But it might not always, and stockpiled supplies could prove useful in the future. We do not want a feast.”
“If... you say so, Harmony. I'll tell the kitchen staff not to bother preparing a feast. Anything else you would like?”
“The stage. Where is it being built?”
“The central courtyard of Canterlot Castle. Seeing as you picked a Sunday for the ceremony, everypony should have enough time to travel to Canterlot, should they wish to attend.”
“Good. In that case, we have no further requests. Preparations may continue as planned,” Harmony said, turning to stare at the painting she had been admiring almost the very instant she finished her sentence.
Celestia left her mother to ponder the artwork while she herself decided to drop by the kitchen, to share the news. The head chef almost seemed disappointed, while Celestia could have sworn that she’d heard some of the lesser cooks let out sighs of relief.
Sunday arrived swiftly, and the stage in the castle courtyard had been assembled. Ponies had already started flooding into the courtyard. The rumors of a new queen had spread quickly, as expected, but many of the ponies in the courtyard were skeptical. Equestria hadn’t had a queen for the last millennium, why should it need one now?
Celestia and Luna were both waiting for Harmony, in the throne room of Canterlot. Harmony had kept them waiting for well over half an hour so far, and the sisters were growing impatient.
“Exactly what is taking her so long?” Luna asked as she paced the room.
“I don’t know, Luna, but I think she knows to make haste. A coronation is not to be taken lightly, in particular your own.”
"All the more reason to be on time, I should think..."
Minutes crept by without any sign of Harmony. Luna was just about to complain once again when one of the many sets of doors in the throne room opened, revealing Harmony.
The soon-to-be queen looked remarkably normal, for such a momentous event. Her mane had been combed as usual, and she wore no jewellery or clothing. She looked like she did every day.
Luna frowned the very second she saw her mother. With the amount of time Harmony had spent preparing, Luna had been expecting something more than... nothing.
“Is that really all you’re wearing?” she asked. “Nothing? What exactly took you so long, in that case?”
“If you must know, we were reading.”
“Reading? You were reading, while you ought to be crowned queen of Equestria this very moment?”
“Yes, Luna. Would you also like to know what we had for breakfast, today? You seem particularly interested in the insignificant events in our life.”
“It’s the day of your coronation, and you were reading?” Celestia interrupted, not giving her sister a chance to respond.
“We weren’t aware of the fact that reading is a crime. Perhaps you should inform us of the changes you’ve made in our absence in greater detail?”
“Very funny," Luna said. "But thanks to your... reading, we need to hurry. You’re late.”
“A queen can hardly be late for her own crowning ceremony.”
“If Harmony wishes to dress like that for her coronation, she should be allowed to, Luna,” Celestia said. “I quite like it, actually. It sends a message of a rule of simplicity.”
“Maybe so,” Luna said. “But you’re the first queen in over a thousand years, Harmony. Wouldn’t you agree that wearing nothing is somewhat... underwhelming?”
“On the contrary, Luna. Our ponies wish to see us, so that is what we’ll show them.”
“Enough idle chatter," Celestia smiled. "Equestria is waiting for you, Harmony. It’s time for you to take your crown.”
Harmony nodded, and walked up to her two daughters. The three of them exchanged glances, then each turned towards the main entrance of the throne room. Just outside of those two, massive doors would be a crowd of hundreds, each and every one of them eager to catch even so much as a glimpse of their new queen.
Harmony took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for the crowd she was about to face. Celestia and Luna each used their magic to open one of the giant doors that made up the main entrance to the throne room. The two doors slowly parted, and Harmony was instantly greeted by a beam of sunlight, temporarily blinding her.
Her vision was obscured by light, leaving Harmony only able to guess at the number of ponies that had come to witness the ceremony. The cheering, however, was all too obvious. Hundreds of ponies could be heard, each one even more surprised than the last one.
Harmony took a second to admire her surroundings, letting her eyes adjust. The Canterlot courtyard was filled to the brim with ponies. More of them could be heard from outside the courtyard, although Harmony had a hard time imagining how they’d all fit there.
The courtyard itself had been decorated generously. Banners, streamers, and all other kinds of decorations had been hung up around the stage, all of them either red or white, as if to augment Harmony's own colors. The stage itself was a simple wooden one, constructed with care, yet also with haste. Pegasus ponies were flying in the sky, all of them staying away from the stage itself. Royal guards hovered above the stage, making sure that nopony came too close to Harmony.
Another row of guards stood in front of the stage, each of them vigilant as ever. Harmony nodded as she regarded the crowd, smiling as she walked onto the stage. Then, out of nowhere, the crowd went silent.
The silence caught Harmony off guard, and she looked around in confusion before realizing that her subjects were waiting for her to speak. Once more she stepped forward, and cleared her throat. Luna stood to her left, slightly further to the back. Celestia did the same, but to Harmony’s right. A few more cheers erupting from the crowd as each of them took their place, and the three of them stood there for a moment, waiting for the cheering to end.
When the crowd finally fell silent, Harmony spoke loudly, and with authority.
“Citizens of Canterlot, Equestrians. It is with great please that announce our return. Our name is Harmony, and it has been too long since we've stood before you." She paused to let the crowd resume their cheering. They gladly obliged. "It's been brought to our attention that many of you have forgotten us. This is as we expected; we have not made ourselves easy to remember. Our daughter was a wise and just ruler, and it brings us much joy to be able to relieve her from her position; one she never should have had to take in the first place," Harmony continued, glancing back to her daughters as she spoke. "As our first act as queen, we shall bring to this land something that it has long needed. We shall bring harmony to every earth pony, every unicorn, and every pegasus. But do not fret, other citizens. The griffins, the zebras, and even the mules shall receive our gifts as well. We shall bring harmony to all the land, and there will be peace under our rule.”
Harmony finished her speech, and the crowd resumed its cheering once more. Celestia and Luna found the speech to be a tad awkward, however. The kingdom was doing fine, so what would Harmony change?
The moment was interrupted by Harmony. “Celestia, would you do us a favor?”
Celestia stepped forward, to be able to understand her mother over the cheering crowd. “Of course, Mother. What is it?”
“We want you to move the sun to its zenith.”
“But that’s not supposed to happen for another few hours, at least!” Celestia cried, shocked by the breach of protocol.
“We are aware of this, but the ceremony needs something to make it a little more commemorative, don’t you agree? We think that having the sun at the exact center of its course would be a nice way to symbolize the harmony we intend to bring. Don’t you agree?”
Unsure of what to say, the princess decided that perhaps Harmony needed trust, that time. “I... suppose,” she responded.
“We’re glad you agree," Harmony smiled. "Now, would you please go to raise the sun even further, then?”
“Of course,” Celestia said, bowing her head.
Celestia turned to leave, but caught a glimpse of Luna before she left. The latter didn’t seem to approve of Celestia’s decision, for she wore a frown much like the one she had been wearing when she left Harmony’s room the day she first woke up.
Not too long after Celestia left her sister and mother on the stage, a bright flash could be seen atop the highest tower of the castle. None of the ponies in the crowd seemed to notice, but Luna and Harmony had been waiting for it.
Following the flash, the sun slowly started moving. Harmony watched patiently as the sun made its way to its zenith, and stayed there.
Most ponies simply cheered. The sun was much too bright to look at directly, so most of them cared little. A few, however, seemed unsure of what to think. Luna was among these few, looking almost worried about what had happened.
The crowd returned its attention to Harmony, as she began a second part of her speech.
“Behold, my subjects, the first act of many to come. The sun is at its zenith, representing the harmony which we hope to soon bring to this land.”
Celestia returned not too long after Harmony finished her speech, and gave Luna a nervous glance. Equestria was at peace, so what was there for Harmony to do?
“Now then, Celestia... We do believe you have something we ought to be wearing?” Harmony smiled.
“Something you ought... Oh! My crown!”
Celestia closed her eyes and lowered her head, allowing Harmony to levitate the crown her daughter was wearing off of her head. The crown floated gently through the air, enveloped in a bright red aura, before landing softly atop Harmony’s head.
“Thank you, Celestia,” Harmony said, slightly raising her voice to make herself heard over the cheering crowd.
“No need for thanks, Your Majesty. It was only my duty.”
“Please, call us Mother. Or at least Harmony.”
“Very well, Mother," Celestia smiled.
Celestia and Luna both turned to leave, intending to let Harmony enjoy her crowd.
“Celestia, wait.”
Celestia turned once again, this time curious as to what her mother wanted of her.
“...Mother?”
“I’m afraid that you still have some things to attend to, Celestia.”
“Now?”
“Well, no. We’d rather spend the day with you, actually. Luna still doesn’t seem too accepting, but you don’t seem to have any problems with our presence.”
Luna shot her mother an angry glare, but was interrupted by her sister just as she was about to voice her thoughts.
“Spend the day with me?” Celestia asked.
“That is what we asked, isn’t it? It is our opinion that you’ve been trying to get to know more of us, rather than getting to know us , and that’s something we’d like to change.”
“Well... I don’t see why not. Luna, do we have anything else planned, for today?”
“I... don’t think so, Celestia.”
“Well then, that’s settled,” Harmony said.
“But... you have ponies to care for, Harmony! It’s the day of your coronation! You should be celebrating with your new subjects!”
“Our subjects won’t be going anywhere,” Harmony laughed.
“I... suppose not. That still leaves us one problem though, Harmony. What would you like to do?”
“Perhaps... you could explain our duties to us?”
“You haven't studied them?!”
“Well, not in great detail, no. We've been rather occupied getting used to the castle.”
Luna’s frown deepened.
“I suppose that I could do that... I didn’t really have anything else planned for today,” Celestia said.
“Wonderful!” Harmony smiled. "When can we start?”
“You want to start as soon as possible? You're sure you don't want to celebrate?”
“Why would such a thing be necessary? We’d much rather be a effective leader than a festive one.”
“I... suppose that’s a more sensible thing to do. What would you like to know more about?”
“Everything.”
“Everything?”
“Please,” Harmony nodded.
“You do realize how long this is going to take, right?”
“Not too long, we think. The basics are already there, all you need to do is brief us on what’s changed.”
Celestia simply kept quiet, considering what she’d have to explain to Harmony, and what she’d probably already know.
“So... shall we begin?” Harmony asked.
Celestia paused for thought, then nodded. “I don't see why not. But... what about Luna?”
“Luna can entertain herself for a while. She must have developed quite the talent for it in our absence.”
Another angry glare from the younger of the two sisters. Harmony paid her no mind.
“How did you...?” Luna hissed.
“How did we... what? Surely Celestia must have been too busy to entertain you, at times.”
Celestia frowned, mimicking her sister’s expression. “Well, yes.”
“Then Luna should be fine. Shall we begin our lessons?”
Celestia nodded, and the two of them left the stage, leaving the still roaring crowd somewhat surprised. Luna was left, still wearing her frown, to decide on something to do by herself.
Moments later, Celestia and Harmony had retreated to Harmony’s room. They were sitting opposite one another, Celestia simply trying not to focus on Harmony whilst Harmony herself was looking for some easy way to start the conversation.
“So, what have we missed?”
“Excuse me?”
“The changes. Obviously, some things must have changed since our departure. We’d like for you to explain what those things are, and how they’ve changed.”
“Well... Did you know about Winter Wrap Up?”
“The annual cleaning of the snow? Yes, we know of it.”
“Hmm,” Celestia said, putting a hoof to her chin in thought.
“Is that really all that’s changed?”
“Do you know of Nightmare Night?”
“Nightmare Night? No, we’re not familiar with this event.”
“Good. Well, not good, but... you understand.”
Harmony nodded once, indicating that she wanted Celestia to get on with her explanation.
“Nightmare Night is an annual event, in which the younger ponies dress up as all kinds of things and go out to collect candy from the adults.”
“Collect candy? It’s just given to them, free of charge?”
“Well, yes. Most older ponies have foals of their own, so it really doesn’t matter too much.”
“What an odd tradition...”
The two of them kept talking for hours, discussing every detail of some of Equestria’s traditions, as well as some of the tasks Harmony would have to fulfill as the new ruler of Equestria. Harmony was often surprised by some of the apparently odd traditions Equestria had gained in her absence, while Celestia was in turn surprised at Harmony not being familiar with some of Equestria’s oldest legends and traditions.
“Is that really all we have to do? Try to fulfill our subjects’ requests?” Harmony asked.
“Well, yes. That’s your only major daily task. You have several other weekly duties, but I’ve already explained those.”
“Just one more thing, Celestia?”
“Yes, Harmony?” Celestia asked, yawning.
“You seem tired.”
“I am. What was it you wanted to ask?”
“No question. We just wanted to tell you that you look tired. Perhaps you should rest.”
“But the sun is still up...”
“So the sun dictates your life now. does it? Go to sleep, Celestia. We’ll wake you up when it’s time to lower the sun.”
Celestia felt another yawn coming up, but stifled it. “If you say so, Harmony. You know where to find me, I trust?”
“We do.”
“See you soon, then.”
Harmony simply nodded in response, and watched her daughter leave. Celestia went straight for her chambers. She found it odd that she was tired at this time of day. The sun was still at its zenith, so there really was no reason for her to go to bed, other than a lack of sleep. Perhaps, she thought, the lack of sleep surrounding Harmony's arrival was getting to her at last.
The princess shoved the thoughts aside as she entered her chambers; they’d do her no good while she was trying to rest. she climbed onto her bed, trying her very best to keep her mind blank after so many hours of conversation. Sleep took over almost as soon as her head hit her pillow.
Celestia’s sleep was rudely interrupted as Luna burst through the doors to her sister’s bedroom. “Celestia! Get up! Now !” she angrily yelled, scanning the room to find her sister.
Celestia sat up, and responded drowsily, “Luna? What’s wrong?”
“It’s Harmony! She’s refusing to let me raise the moon!”
“Well, of course she is,” Celestia said, still drowsy. “It’s not even near nighttime yet.”
“But it is ! The sun should have gone down hours ago!”
“What ?!” Celestia yelled, suddenly wide awake.
“Exactly! Now would you please get out of bed and talk to her?!”
Celestia nodded, and got up. Not bothering to make sure her mane looked decent, Celestia instantly followed her sister, who had already galloped out of the room. The two sisters rushed straight for the tower they used to lower the sun and moon, but found that the doors had been locked, and the lock reinforced by magic. It would seem that Harmony was willing to take precautions to ensure that her daughters didn't do their jobs, for whatever reason.
Forgetting about the lock for the time being, the princesses headed straight for the throne room. When they arrived, Harmony was nowhere to be found. A nearby guard, after yelping in fright at the site of the angry sisters, told the princesses that Harmony hadn’t been in the throne room recently.
The two sisters shared a look of concern, both worrying about their mother's whereabouts.
“Where is she?” Celestia asked.
“Do you really think I’d know that?” Luna frowned, visibly annoyed.
“You’ve more of a chance than I do.”
“If I knew where Harmony was right now, I wouldn’t have us running around the castle looking for her," Luna snapped. "You left your bed a few minutes ago, Celestia. Perhaps it's about time your mind wakes up as well.”
Celestia smiled, despite the desperate situation. “You were always the nocturnal one, Luna; I'm tired. Now, come on,” she said. “We’ll see if she’s in her chambers. Why didn’t you warn me sooner, anyway?”
“I was researching in the library,” Luna said, as she began to walk.
“Again?” Celestia asked, not bothering to look her sister in the eye as the two of them picked up their pace.
“The librarian missed the book you found. Who knows what else he might have overlooked?”
“Point taken,” Celestia said, smiling slightly.
A few moments later, the two sisters arrived at the door to Harmony’s chambers. Luck was on their side, this time, as Harmony was there. Her door was locked, however.
“Harmony. Open the door, now,” Celestia said, her voice firm and with a hint of anger, although the princess herself was still trying to catch her breath.
No reply came, except for the sound of a key turning in a lock. The two sisters entered immediately.
Harmony was sitting on her haunches, in the middle of the room. On her desk lay the book Celestia had found, containing the only information she had found on her mother. Harmony gave the sisters each a stare, before speaking softly, “What is the meaning of this?”
“The sun. Why haven’t you woken me up to lower it?” Celestia asked.
“It’s not time yet.”
“Yes, it is. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because it wasn’t time yet . Are we speaking a language you don’t understand, Celestia?”
Celestia angrily jerked her head in search for a clock, and found one on Harmony’s nightstand. She raised a hoof in a pointing gesture, and Harmony casually turned her head to see what her daughter was pointing at.
“Harmony, it is past nine 'o clock ! The sun should have gone down hours ago!”
“Really, Celestia? Should it have?” Harmony answered, still calm as ever.
The question caught Celestia off guard, and she needed a moment to come up with an answer. “Of course it should have! Exactly what kind of question is that?”
“A serious one. Why must the sun rise, or be lowered, when you want it to? Or rather, when you claim it to be necessary. Why is the entire world’s schedule based on yours?”
“Because I’m the only one who can raise the sun!”
A smile twitched at the corners of Harmony's mouth. “Why would the sun need raising at all? Wouldn’t it make much more sense to let nature run its course?”
“How could you say that?! Of course we need to move the sun! If we don’t keep the sun and moon in rotation, we’ll be stuck in perpetual daylight!”
“We still don’t see the problem. Isn’t daylight exactly what you’re here for? Why are you complaining? Honestly, I'd have expected Luna to make a fuss, but not you .”
“Because we need nights!”
“Perpetual night, then? It wasn’t big success last time,” Harmony said, casually glancing at Luna, that same slight smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “But perhaps a second attempt might prove a little more rewarding?”
Luna glared at the remark.
“You’re missing the point, Harmony!” Celestia yelled, now growing panicked.
Harmony regarded Celestia once again, this time with a look of contempt. “No, Celestia. You are missing the point. For far too long this kingdom has been at your mercy. No more, we say. It’s time we bring some peace to this kingdom. Some real ... harmony.”
“What on Equestria are you talking about?! The kingdom has been at peace for centuries ! If anything, helping me lower the sun on time would’ve been the best thing you’ve done so far!”
Harmony scoffed. “You will not address us like that! We are the queen of Equestria, and you will behave yourself accordingly! We strongly suggest you follow your sister’s example!”
“And why shouldn’t I address you like that? You’re making a huge mistake, and you haven’t even bothered to tell us why !”
Harmony turned away from her daughters. “It must be done,” she muttered, suddenly barely audible.
“What?”
“The sun is to remain where it is,” Harmony said, still facing away, her voice now loud and commanding. “Move it, and we will have you taken into custody. You will do as we say, and that’s final. Now, leave.”
Celestia shook her head. “No. Luna and I aren’t going anywhere until you allow me to lower the sun, and her to raise the moon! This has already gone on for far too long, Harmony.”
Harmony turned to regard her daughters once again. “Indeed it has, Celestia,” she smiled. “As we said, your so-called balance has been going on for far too long. It’s time we show you just how wrong you’ve been, all these years.”
“Time we... what? Exactly why are you doing this, anyway?! Why didn’t you tell us sooner? We could have discussed this!”
“Because you wouldn’t have believed me.”
“Explain yourself!” Celestia yelled, stomping a hoof in rage.
“If I had told you about my plans, you wouldn’t have let me execute them. It was for your own good, really.”
“How could this possibly be good ? Keeping the sun raised means that crops will die, and ponies won’t be able to sleep! This can only end badly! Are you so deranged that you can’t see the consequences of your actions?!”
Harmony shook her head, her horn lighting up with magic. The restraint visible on her face, Harmony was doing her best to keep herself from releasing the energy building up in her horn. “You will not speak to us like that!” she yelled. “One more word in such a tone and we’ll have you removed from castle grounds, by force!”
“Go ahead! Do so! Luna will be right there to take my place!”
Harmony took a deep breath, exhaled, and apparently regained some of her composure. “Will she, now? She seems awfully compliant, so far," she said, a slight quiver in her voice. "Really, you’re the only one making a fuss, Celestia.”
“And with good reason! You’re upsetting the balance of the entire world, Harmony!”
“Are we? Because last we checked, you were the ones moving the sun and moon around like they were but toys, hanging in the sky for you to play with!”
“You know what I mean!”
This time, Harmony smiled. “Yes, we do, but we don’t agree with it.”
“This isn’t a matter of agreeing or not! You’re causing irreparable damage!”
“Nonsense, and don’t make us tell you again. We won’t hesitate to act upon the threat we’ve made. One more word from you, and you will be escorted off of the castle grounds!”
Celestia bit her lip, trying her very best to restrain herself. Harmony was wrong, anypony could see that, but getting herself banished wouldn’t exactly do Celestia any good.
Harmony smiled upon noticing Celestia’s restraint, nodding once. “Good. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’d like to go and enjoy the sunlight, while it lasts.”
This last little jest proved too much for Celestia. “Enough! You’re going to let me lower the sun, and let Luna raise the moon! You will not upset over a thousand years of balance!” she roared, forfeiting all previous notion of patience she had tried to hold herself to.
“Balance?” Harmony laughed. “Stop lying to yourself, Celestia. You can’t seriously believe that what you’ve been maintaining all these years was balance.”
The question took Celestia by surprise, and she once again didn’t fully understand what her mother was trying to say. “Of course it’s balance!” she rebutted. “Keeping the sun and moon in rotation is what allows us to live !”
“We still don’t see how that’s related to balance.”
The sheer ignorance Harmony was displaying was too much for Celestia to bear. The princess frantically tried to think of examples, of things to change Harmony’s opinion, but nothing came to mind. Nothing more important than the survival of life on Equestria, at least.
“Are you really so blind, Celestia?” Harmony asked upon seeing her daughter’s confusion. “Do you truly not see what we’re implying?”
“No,” Celestia admitted, getting desperate. “I don’t.”
Harmony sighed. “It was only to be expected.”
“Go ahead then, explain yourself!”
“Always so dramatic, Celestia. Just accept that it’s for your own good and move along, now. You’re embarrassing yourself.”
“This has nothing to do with embarrassment, or doing good! You’re hurting ponies, Harmony!”
“We suppose it would look like that, to you," Harmony said, nodding once.
“Stop this! Celestia yelled. “I’ve worked a thousand years to uphold the balance we can still enjoy today! I’m not going to stand idly while somepony else destroys it in a matter of minutes ! You’re going to let me lower the sun, now !”
Harmony sighed. “Guards?” she mused.
“What?” Celestia asked.
Harmony simply stared at her. “We warned you.”
One of the nearby guards trotted up to Harmony, a confused look on his face. “Yes, Your Highness?”
“Escort Princess Celestia off of the castle grounds, please. If she resists, feel free to use force. We won’t mind.”
The guard seemed reluctant, but a deadpan stare from Harmony convinced him to do as she said. He walked up to the princess, gesturing for two more guards to join him as he walked.
“So... Princess,” he said. “Are you going to come along quietly?”
Celestia eyed him as though she was about to attack him, and it took some effort for the guard to remain steadfast. A few seconds later, Celestia realized that the guard was only doing as he was told.
The princess sighed, and walked along with the guards quietly, eyes downcast. As she made her way out of the room, Luna moved to follow her.
Harmony raised a hoof to stop her daughter, but Luna kept on walking, disregarding her mother’s presence entirely. “Celestia? I’ll see if I can talk some sense into her,” she said, as soon as they’d put some distance between themselves and Harmony.
“She’ll need a lot more than some sense,” Celestia barked, frowning. “If she seriously thinks that keeping the sun and moon in place is doing good , we’re in trouble.”
“Again, I’ll talk to her. She can’t possibly be serious about this. No opposite of Discord’s would do something like this.”
“That's hard to believe, Luna. Try to keep in mind that she banished me from the castle ground no more than a minute ago. Me , her own daughter, banished for disagreeing with her on something so basic. What's gotten into her?”
"I don't know, Celestia. But I'm going to find out. One way or another, this is going to end."
Celestia nodded once. "True, but as you said, she wouldn't have done this if she really were Discord's opposite. She'd realize that what she's doing right now is upsetting balance, not upholding it."
"As I said, Celestia; I'll talk to her. This could be a simple misunderstanding."
"Simple, Luna? Nothing about this is simple. If we don't fix this soon, ponies will get hurt. I hope this is all a misunderstanding, but considering the lock and now this... I don't think it is."
"What else could it be?"
"I don't know," Celestia said, eyes downcast. She bowed her head as she continued to walk. "I just... please, Luna, fix this."
"I can only try, Celestia."
The rest of the walk was finished in silence, as both sisters contemplated what had just happened.
“Celestia?” Luna asked, as they walked up to the castle’s gates.
“What is it, Luna?”
“Where are you going to go?”
“I don’t know. Perhaps I’ll stay at my student’s, for now.”
Luna nodded. “I was just about to suggest that.”
“Don’t worry about me, Luna. I’ll be fine. Worry about Harmony.”
Luna’s turn to nod. “Let’s just hope this doesn’t last too long. Harmony will come to her senses, I’m sure.”
“Let’s just hope she does. Until then, I’ll be living in Ponyville, I suppose.”
Celestia turned to leave, but jerked her head back as she remembered something.
“Luna?” she asked.
“Celestia?”
“Keep me informed?”
“I will. One of these guards will be at your student's doorstep within a day, perhaps two. I'll make sure to provide him a letter with the details on Harmony's... state of mind.”
“I’m sorry, Princess,” one of the guards interrupted, shaking on his legs. “But we were ordered to escort you off of castle grounds. I’m afraid that you have to leave.”
Celestia broke her eye contact with her sister, and turned to face the guard. “That’s alright,” Celestia told him, trying her very best to smile. “You’re only doing as you’ve been told. No harm done.”
With that, Celestia turned to leave. “Goodbye, Luna,” she said over her shoulder. “I'll be back before long, I promise," she said, spreading her wings.
Luna simply watched her sister fly away, her silhouette slowly fading as she approached the horizon.
“Goodbye, Celestia.”
