Truth Behind Harmony

Celestia woke up from the old dream, smiling sadly as she lifted herself out of her bed, walking out to the balcony as she gazed at the long forgotten lights from the Crystal Empire. It had been a long time since she had had that dream, a memory held forever inside her mind, because it was the only real memory she had of her mother.

She laid herself down on the balcony, recalling that kind face and her soft spoken words, and her sky blue eyes. She looked out toward the landscape, recalling other things from the dream as well, specifically her other sisters. Back in those days they had lived in peace, loving each other as they watched over the life their mother had left behind, but now…

“Where did everything go wrong?”

She lifted her head up suddenly, for she could have sworn she had felt something out near the Everfree, something from her past. She scanned the area, but soon shook the notion from her head, convincing herself that it was because she was thinking of them.

She then got up, intending to go back to bed and get some rest, but then a cone of red light blasted out from the trees of the Everfree and into the sky. Celestia stared in shock, her eyes locked onto the familiar display, hope entering her heart as she watched.

As soon as it ended, she turned to head to her sisters room, only to see her bursting through her doors and cantering toward her.

“Sister did you see it,” asked Luna, her ears pinned to the back of her head and fear in her eyes.

“Yes Luna I saw…I’m going to go investigate. While I am gone I need you to bring Twilight Sparkle and her friends here, I have a feeling this will concern them.”

Celestia gave Luna a quick hug, and then she leaped into the sky, Luna watching till Celestia faded from sight using her magic to teleport, vanishing from the balcony as the moon arched through the sky.

Celestia landed in the woods moments later, scanning the area with her magic to try and find where the blast had come from. But as she explored, her mind began to race with thoughts, concerns which she could not quite as she moved among the trees. “It couldn’t be her, not her, her magic was too dangerous for my people to witness, and she would know that.”

As she kept walking she rounded one of the trees, spotting the familiar form lying on the ground nearby, blood leaking out from several wounds and from her closed eyes, causing Celestia to scream in panic.

“FANTASIA!”

The pony stirred, lifting her head slowly as she opened her eyes, a smile breaking on her face as she spotted Celestia.

“Celestia, dear sister…”

Celestia ran toward her, kneeling down and activating her magic, beginning to patch up her sisters wounds.

“Fantasia, what happened to you?”

“Long story dear sister,” said Fantasia with a smile, “sufficient to say things are not going well in my…”

She stopped as she began coughing, blood coming out of her mouth in large amounts, which caused Celestia’s eyes to widen.

“You have been over using you magic again haven’t you”

“I can handle…”

“No you can’t Fantasia,” exclaimed Celestia, “you know what your magic does to you when you do this; it costs you every time you go overboard!”

The younger mare stayed silent, silently thankful to hear those words again, for it had been a very long time since she had heard such concern for her well-being, a very long time…

“There,” said Celestia as she finished, “that should at least hold till we get you back to the castle, Luna was always able to patch you up better than the rest of us.”

“So she is back then?”

“Yes, she has been back for a while now.”

Fantasia contained her joy as she rose to her hooves, stretching her wings and leaping into the sky with Celestia, following her to the castle in the distance.

Luna paced around her sisters room, watched by Twilight and the others as she moved from one end to the other. Now that she had them here, she was letting her worries get to her as memories from her past flooded her mind. Apart from Celestia, Fantasia had been one of her favorite sisters, for they both shared a love for the night and for the darkness, both being nocturnal creatures. But what was concerning her now was what she knew about her magic, it was extremely destructive, bother to the world at large and its user, even with her unique traits.

“Princess, what’s the matter; is it something to do with why you brought us here?”

Luna turned to see Twilight looking nervous, and was about to speak when he heard a flap of wings as Celestia and Fantasia land on the balcony. Ignoring the gasps from the others in the room, Luna ran to embrace her long missed sibling.

“Luna, it’s been too long,” said Fantasia as the youngest of them nuzzled her, nuzzling back as the younger mare hugged her.

“Too long indeed sister dearest, I have missed you the most out…”

“WHAT!”

The three sisters turned to see Twilight and the others staring at them, Twilight looking totally flabbergasted by this new development. Celestia chuckled, walking over to Twilight and placing a wing over her in reassurance.

“Twilight, I would like you to meet my sister Fantasia, ruler of the Land of Shadows and Queen of the Vamponies.”

Fantasia bowed to the young unicorn, who still looked like she was going to collapse from shock. Fantasia herself began to falter as her strength ebbed, Luna catching her as she nearly topple over.

This seemed to shake Twilight from her shocked state as she began to notice all the patched up scars and dried blood on her body, though some of it was hard to notice due to the color of her coat, which was pitch black with strange red markings.

“Princess, what happened to her?” Twilight said, looking up at Celestia.

“That I am unsure of my faithful student, but it will be tended to, right now I need you to take your friends and wait outside, I wish to talk with her and Luna alone for a moment.

Twilight nodded, taking her friends and leaving the room, closing the door quickly as Celestia began to move. She turned back to see Luna already hard at work, the light of the moon adding to her power as she began to heal Fantasia’s wounds, wounds which no ordinary magic could touch. Celestia sat down next to her then, looking into her serpent like eyes before speaking.

“Fantasia, I know you may not want to tell me, seeing as how…”

“Celestia you need not worry, I do not hold the same grievances as most of the others do, not any more least. You’re my big sister; you know there is nothing I would ever withhold from you or Luna.”

“What I did to you all was unforgivable…”

“What you did,” said Fantasia in puzzlement, “sister you still don’t blame yourself for what happened all those years ago, you didn’t know that would happen.”

Celestia didn’t speak, for the truth was simple. She still blamed herself for all that had happened to them, especially what had transpired after she had…stolen the elements from her sisters. But Fantasia sensed her distress, nuzzling her oldest sister to try and reassure her.

“I’m sure the others will come around as I have, they will just need a little more time. Now what is it you need to know?”

Celestia nuzzled her back in silent thanks, the gesture making it easier for her as she opened her mouth to speak. “Thank you sister, I hope you are right; now please, tell us what happened.”

Fantasia nodded, “You remember the madness plague that hit all those years ago in my kingdom?”

Celestia nodded, her ears pinning themselves to the back of her head as she remembered the plague.

“Some fillies and colts began to show signs of it, or at least what appeared to be it. When I absorbed it into my body, I could not purge it, and it…it began whispering lies to me, making me do things I did not wish to do, making me say things I didn’t want to say.”

Fantasia closed her eyes then, tears leaking from them as she continued to speak, though Celestia could see she didn’t want to. “It…it even made me turn a blind eye to my own son’s pain, even when all I wanted to do was comfort him…”

Celestia heard Luna catch her breath, and she had to admit she herself was startled by this revelation. Out of all the nine sisters, only two of them had ever managed to give birth to children, so to hear that Fantasia now had a child of her own brought a smile to Celestia’s face. She quickly composed herself however as Fantasia gulped down her tears, trying to continue through the pain the memories were bringing her.

“I did…I did terrible things Celestia…I…” she breathed deep, trying to keep her emotions in check as she continued. “I made my son burn down a village, they had been getting rebellious after my nature had changed, so the voice said to make an example of them. I know he hates me for it, how can he not…”

She sniffed, her ears splayed back against her head as she leaned herself against Celestia, before finally speaking once more. “After that, I finally gathered the strength necessary and expelled that fiend from my body, what I didn’t expect was that it had its own form. It attacked me, and I was forced to run away, and I did the only thing I could think of, I came to you for help.”

“But why the brilliant display,” asked Luna, “don’t you think that was a bit excessive?”

“I would not have done so if I hadn’t been followed, for whatever had possessed me back at the palace sent something after me. I tried fighting it off with simple magic but in the end I was forced to over exert myself, and unfortunately I hadn’t kept track of how many wounds I had gathered from my previous fight, the pain was not enjoyable.”

Celestia sat there as she finished her tale, words stolen from her as she gazed at her sister. She would of never thought her sister capable of such malice, or turning her back on her people and her own child. Bile rose in her throat at this thought, but she quickly pushed it aside, for her sister was not to blame here.

Finally Luna finished with her work, the scars all gone and the blood cleaned from her body and mane. Fantasia marveled at her sister’s work, for it never ceased to be amaze her how well Luna could heal others.

“I see you haven’t lost your touch, even after all these years.”

“How could I, it was I that worked endless nights on this spell,” said Luna with a grin; nuzzling close to her.

Fantasia nuzzled back, then roes to her hooves, heading over to the balcony as she spread her wings.

“Where are you going,” Celestia asked, placing a hoof on her shoulder in concern.

“I have to go back, I left the capitol in turmoil when I ran, and I can’t leave my son there with that monster. I won’t ask either of you to go with me…”

“And you don’t need to,” said Luna, walking up beside her and spreading her wings. “It has been a long time since I have seen your home, and you might need some help in calming the public.”

“Thank you sister,” said Fantasia, before turning toward Celestia. “Celestia before I go I must ask, is it true, are they…”

Celestia just nodded, and then indicated that they should go. Fantasia smiled inwardly, glad that her suspicions had been confirmed, and then with a nod to Luna they leapt into the skies, using magic to speed off through the night toward their destination. Celestia watched as they left, a steady growing hope and a smile adorning her face, for she knew now that all was not lost between them, and she would soon see her sisters once more.