Truth Behind Harmony

“Um Ixen?”

“What is it,” asked the kirin, turning to face the Element of Generosity.

“I was hoping you could wait at the boutique for me, I have a few questions I must ask your mother before I return.”

“I can do that young one; just do not take too long, I have a feeling important things will transpire once you return.”

Rarity nodded and then ran in the direction she had spotted Mercury and Harmonia had run off to, catching up to them soon after and getting the goddesses attention.

“Ah lady Rarity, what do I owe this pleasure?”

“Your highness I…I wanted to ask you what are your sister plans for mine, you see she was captured by your sister and I…I want to know…”

Harmonia froze, not knowing what to tell the recently awakened alicorn. She knew she deserved the truth, but then she knew the inevitable questions of why she did nothing would arise. But she had to answer her, so Harmonia decided to settle for part of the truth; she deserved that much at least.

“I can reassure you Rarity that your sister will not be harmed by Discordia…but most likely Discordia will have made her into one of her children by now…which is not a very pleasant process to discuss.”

“Please, I must know.”

Harmonia sighed, “Very well, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Have you ever heard the pegasi axiom about how to make the perfect soldier?”

“Of course I have heard it, everpony has heard of it. It states that to create the perfect soldier you have to get them young and train them so that all they know is the way of the soldier.”

Harmonia nodded, “My sister is of the same mindset…but her methods of converting such children to her ways are rather…perverse…”

“What do you mean?”

Harmonia sighed, “My sister is a creature of many vices, and a creature of many lusts. One particular lust focuses around…around the wanting after the young. She…she awakens them to the carnal pleasures…to their lusts…and in so doing she makes them hers…”

“You…you mean my sister is in the hooves of some sex fiend, what kind of sister is she?!”

“She is my sister, and while yes it is wrong to you what she is doing, that is the way her society runs.”

“Society, how can a society run on morals like that, it's unpony like, it can’t exist!”

“But it does,” said Harmonia simply, “and it’s the world your sister has been taken into…though if I know my sister she will most likely take special interest in her.”

“If you’re trying to reassure me it’s not working, how can her taking interest in my sister be any better?”

“Because ones who don’t get sent among the masses to help with the “learning process” as they explore their new wants. She believes that “breaking” them in this way allows them to form much stronger bonds with each other and thus be a much stronger army, and from what I have seen this has sadly held true, her “children” are not only driven by their belief in their cause, but by the bonds they share with each other.”

“But what of Sweetie…what would such…such liking of Discordia get in regards to her status.”

Harmonia hesitated, sighing before she spoke. “The only thing that will change is how the others see her, beyond that I am unsure.”

Rarity couldn’t accept any of it, turning away from the regal pony with a huff and walking off, heading back to the boutique.

Rarity made it back to her home, finding Ixen inside, Spike wrapped comfortably in her claws as she looked up at Rarity.

“Ixen wha…what is going on here?”

“I am sorry lady Rarity…I just couldn’t wait any longer…I had to see if he was the one…”

“The one what, you’re not making any sense dear.”

Ixen looked down at Spike for a moment, brushing a claw over his face as he snuggled up closer to her. “Could you come and sit please, this will take a little while to explain.”

Rarity walked over and sat, watching the way she cradled Spike, and watching the way he clung to her. “It’s almost as if he thinks you’re his mother,” she said with a laugh, only to spot a look on Ixen’s face that gave her a puzzled look. “You can’t be serious, you’re his mother!”

“Not directly no, but one of my wives is. It was long ago, and she had become very sick, so sick that she had become unable to take care of her egg. Unfortunately this meant I had to take the egg far away, someplace where she could not find it.”

“Why is that,” asked Rarity.

“Dragon females are very protective of their young, so protective that even when deathly ill they will try and protect them. I couldn’t just take care of the egg myself, nor hand it off to another mate to look after because if it was close to her, she would try to find it and become worse. So I did the only thing I could think of at the time, I took it to my sister Celestia. I put spells on his egg, to make sure that he would not hatch till his mother became healthy enough to care for him. But then I lost Discord, and then the elements were stolen…so I wrote Spike off as lost.”

She rubbed Spike’s head, smiling as he grumbled and batted away her claw. “It only took one look, and he knew who I was, and he ran into my arms…I…I thought I would never see him…”

Rarity hugged her, letting the poor mare sob on her shoulder, and after a while the mare lifted her head off her shoulder, and then looked at Rarity. “Lady Rarity, I know this might seem imposing, but I need the Fire Ruby that my son gave you.”

“What, why for?”

“Lady Rarity, have you ever wondered why my son fell for you the way he did?”

Rarity shook her head, and then watched as Ixen lifted up one of her claws, a flame appearing in her palm. In the flame appeared the image of a beautiful female dragon, her scales pure white and her spike's purple, but it was the dragon’s eyes that fascinated her the most, for they looked exactly like hers. “She…she looks like me, who is she?”

“This dragon is Cleopatra, Spikes betrothed.”

“Spikes betrothed, how is that possible?”

Ixen smiled, “When a new egg is born, it is common for the older families such as mine to come together and chose mates for our children. We can sense what gender our children are before they ever hatch, and thus we are able to play match makers if we choose. Their eggs were placed together for a little while, long enough that the magic that lives in all dragons allowed them to touch in a way, letting them know each other before they even took their first breathes. He instinctually knew what his mate looked like, and sadly when he saw you, his instincts mistook you for Cleopatra.”

“But why dose that require you to take my fire ruby from me?”

“Because Fire Rubies are sacred to dragons and kirin, for when a dragon or kirin carves a Fire Ruby into the shape of a heart and gives it to somepony, it is treated as a sign of utter devotion, and unless you give me the ruby, he will be unable to return to his intended while you hold it.”

Rarity stared at her in shock, not wanting to believe her ears. “You…you can’t be serious, it’s just a rock.”

“Gems are not just rocks Lady Rarity; they are magic made solid, trapped potential waiting to be freed. Dragons and kirin are creatures of magic, thus gems are the perfect food source for us, for it keeps our magic healthy and stable. Fire Rubies are the most magical of these constructs, and when a dragon or kirin carves one into the shape of a heart, it infuses some of their being into the gem. So when he gave that Fire Ruby to you, he gave a part of himself to you, a part that was meant for Cleopatra. Now please, could you go get it?”

Rarity hesitated, realizing she didn’t really want to give up the precious item, for she had become deeply attached to it, and through it Spike. “I…I don’t know if I can do that…I…I must admit I have grown rather fond of…of your son…maybe we…”

Ixen placed a claw over her mouth, “Lady Rarity, as much as I would love for him to fall for you…you cannot be with him.”

“You don’t know that…”

“Lady Rarity believe me, you cannot. I know it probably sounds romantic to you to be in love with a dragon, but the fact is if you try and be with him, even if your current state, he will kill you.”

“What, Spike would never…”

“Not intentionally no, but it would happen none the less, and believe me, it would not be good for either of you. I have seen it happen many a time, a dragon thinks he can be gentle enough, a pony thinks they have figured everything out, but it always ends the same.”

“Then how can you do it, you have mated with dragons, yet here you sit.”

“That is because I am kirin, so I only come away from my matting with mating scars.”

She moved her mane to the side, showing Rarity the deep scars and bite marks along her shoulders and neck. “Mating is a very violent act for both dragons and kirin; that is why you cannot be with him, now I ask you again, will you bring it to me.”

Rarity hesitated for a moment, then got up and left the room, returning moments later with the fire ruby in her magical grip. She handed it to Ixen, who gently set it down before getting up, turning to the white alicorn with a serious face. “Alright, there is one more thing I need you to help me with.”

Applejack and Rainbow slowly walked back to Sweet Apple Acres, Rainbow keeping a wing draped over her depressed marefriend. After the initial excitement of Applejack having wings had worn off, she had realized that Applejack had been yelling at her the whole flight, and had gotten a rude reminder of what had transpired earlier. Now they slowly walked, Applejack trying to stay strong, Rainbow wishing she would just let her feelings out.

They finally reached the farm, and saw that Applejacks parents had arrived, Apple Spice crying over the body of her dead mother as Tex tried to comfort her. They spotted Rainbow and Applejack walking up the road, both of them looking a bit surprised by the sight of them as alicorns, having not been in the mayor’s office to see the transformation, but soon returned to what they had been talking about.

“Honey yah can’t blame yourself for what happened…”

“We knew Tex, we knew that once the elements chose them that our families would be in danger, and now they have mah baby!”

“Honey we’ll get her back, yah know Discordia won’t hurt her.”

“...Do you guys need help with…with the burial,” asked Rainbow as they reached them, still keeping Applejack close to her. The two nodded, and then picked up the body, carrying it with them as they headed over to the Zap Apple Field. When they reached the field, and then went over to the first tree that she had ever planted, knowing where it was by heart.

“Granny always wanted to be buried here,” said Tex, “this place always reminded her of the good old days.”

Rainbow nodded, and then caused them all to gasp as she lit up her newly gained horn. She didn’t know how, but she knew how to use it, and dug a perfect grave for them to place Granny in. The group laid Granny in the grave by hoof, then Rainbow levitated the pile of dirt back inside, and then she carved words into the tree over her grave, which read…

Granny Smith

Loving Mother and Grandmother.

Great Apple Mare

They were simple words, but they fit her perfectly in Rainbows opinion. She then walked over and sat down next to the grave, bowing her head to the tree before speaking. “Goodbye Granny, I…I will miss our talks…”

Tex and Apple Spice were next, saying their peace before Applejack walked up, sitting down and then leaning her head against the tree, crying as she spoke. “Goodbye Granny Smith…I will miss you, ah just…Ah just hope heaven needs you more than ah do right now…”

She then got up and walked back to Rainbow, letting her strength melt away as she leaned against the her, hoping beyond hope that this would be the last loss she would ever have to experience.

Rarity gazed at the construct she had helped build outside, wondering again why it was needed. It was a sphere entirely composed of amethyst crystals, built around Spike at the behest of Ixen.

“Ok, now we are ready.”

“Ready to do what, I still am wondering what this is for?”

“Spike has been asleep in his egg longer than I ever intended, as such he is far younger then he should be, so I am going to help him grow into what he is meant to be, a fully grown dragon.”

“What, but why would he need to be a fully grown dragon, what purpose could that server.”

“Because,” said Ixen as she placed her claw on the sphere before continuing to speak. “Once everything is decided tomorrow, I will be taking Spike home.”

Flames then surrounded her claw, leaking down over the sphere as it started to pulse, rising into the air as its magic began to take shape. Rarity watched as the silhouette of Spike appeared inside the sphere, convulsing and growing as the sphere pulsed rhythmically with the crackling magic that surrounded it.

Finally the sphere melted away, leaving Spike lying on the ground, the fire ruby clutched tightly in his hand as he lay curled on the ground. From what she could see he was about as tall as an alicorn now, which struck her as odd as she turned back to Ixen. “I…I thought you said he was going to be made a fully grown dragon?”

“He is a fully grown, for his age at least. I thank you Rarity for helping me, I just hope his guardian will understand once I decide to take him home with me.”

“I am sure she will, Twilight will understand, and Spike deserves to know where he came from.”

Ixen nodded, then walked over and laid down next to Spike as another dragon showed up, landing and wrapping himself around the pair. Ixen lifted her head up, smiling at Rarity as she spoke, “Go home dear, Spike is in safe claws, and you need your rest.”

Rarity nodded, and then walked back inside the boutique.

Fluttershy giggled as she undid the last of Luna’s ropes, letting the regal goddess roll back onto her hooves as she giggled as well. “That was fun dear Fluttershy, and it was especially fun with your new little tricks you used with your horn.”

“I’m glad you liked it, I was really worried I wouldn’t be able to pull it off, though you could have warned me about how intense horngasms were.”

Luna giggled as she blushed, but then cringed as a spike of pain shot through her head.

“Luna what’s wrong?”

“So…somepony has usurped the moons hold from me, she is screaming…it hurts…”

Luna then collapsed on the floor, convulsing as a scar grew over her cutie mark, causing Fluttershy to gasp in horror. Fluttershy quickly went into action, picking up the princess and running outside, not noticing the look of the moon as she charged off to find Twilight and Celestia.