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// Octavia's Embers 
// Story: Harmony's Creed 
// by Gapeagle 
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Dear Vinyl,

I write this letter to you because I know that tomorrow will be my last day alive. You may know and will certainly know this if you ever read this letter, but I have enlisted as an Imperial Captain in the Royal Guard. Empress Trixie, since I have served as an Assassin, allowed me to skip all sorts of training and made me an officer in the Imperial Army. It was a pleasant thing for her to do, but I know my rank will not save me on the battlefield.

Vinyl, I am sick and growing weak. I still have not identified the disease I have acquired, but I know it focuses on the joints of my body. I need to force myself to walk and move. I am seemingly shackled to my cane as I cannot last without putting my weight on it. Yet, I shall be leading my troops, the 36th Battalion, on the outskirt mining towns that border the greedy Crystal Republic. My task is to beat the Crystal Immortals that are holding the Equestrian mines. It's a simple mission, but one I am confident I shall not survive.

So I write this letter, making sure that my last day here is not wasted. When others know that their time has come, they go out and party, trying to squeeze every ounce of joy out of their dwindling hours. I have no such opportunity. Before me is a suit of golden armor and my sword. One is meant to prevent my death while the other is my tool to bring death on another. As I write this, I have much to consider when reflecting on my life as a whole. 

When I joined the Brotherhood, I was lost. I lacked self-confidence and I lacked hope. Being young and already a failure at what I believed was my purpose in life, I was ready to give up. I was ready to quit and start anew or not start again at all. Fortunately, I chose the former. You of all people know how hard it was to make me happy. You of all people know how hopeless I was. Yet you and Twilight pushed me onward. I did not deserve such care and affection, but you granted me it anyway. For that, I say thank you.

Not much changed after I lifted myself off the ground. I thought everything I did served some magnificent purpose. I believed that I was living a life of dreams, being with close friends through a war that even the most knowledgeable of people knew nothing about. We were unsung heroes. We had the responsibility of guiding Equestria, our home. I felt that I had everything, but alas, I had nothing. With a Brotherhood, small in number but strong in heart, I was a weak link. I saw the Brotherhood as a tool, a weapon. I did not need the love from the Bearers. I did not need to feel that I was part of a massive family. I was a cog in the machine of conspiracies. That was all I needed to believe.

In my youth and ignorance, I rejected friends. I kept myself locked up and you were the only one with the key. In my proud stoic nature, you were able to melt me. You were able to bring about an excitement that made me happy. I smiled plenty, but only around you were they sincere. I can only give you thanks for how much you have made my life worth living. I can only think fondly of our old memories, for there was only a rare time when we were not happy together.

Vinyl, you and I shared countless adventures and suffered through terrible loss, but we stayed together. We cried, we laughed, we insulted, and we praised together. The former apprentice and the former cellist. We were a duo that took the Brotherhood by storm.

However, these next words may surprise you. I am jealous of you. I have always envied your relaxed views on life. I have always wondered how you could remain in a good mood when the world burns around you. In my seriousness, I never believed I found true happiness. I could awe at Canterlot and its people, but I never felt a part of it. You threw yourself into the masses, I simply watched. You poured joy into the gray while I sucked it out and left it dry once more. In my jealousy, I kept myself even colder. I scoffed at your silly ways. I put you down for thinking differently. You never did that to me. You always held my opinion in respect. For those little acts of Kindness towards me, I say thank you.

As I recount the times we had such intellectual conversations and all the times we wondered about the most silly of things, I can only feel regret. The last time I saw you, you were not the Vinyl I know. You are not the Vinyl I am thanking. For the second time in my life, I perceive you as a stranger. When I look into your red eyes, I no longer see the joy of life, but pure wild ambition. The Vinyl I thank would be thankful for every breath she breathed, yet you now are ungrateful. It does more than break my heart to see you so vastly different. Sometimes I wish I said "yes" to you. Sometimes I wish that I jumped out the window to pursue you and to go on Discord's insane crusade. Chaos does not seem so terrible with the concept of living with you forever. However, my duties to being Loyal to you would make me reject your offer. You and I both know that you have fallen into being a minion of the Lord of Chaos. Vinyl, you have fallen down a great hill and are stuck. I so desperately want to go down and save you, but I know that I would be stuck at the bottom as well. 

I cannot tell you how tempting it is. I make myself even believe that dying with you at the bottom will make me a better friend. However, it will not. Even though I no longer use the name "Assassin" I still believe that the Brotherhood's intentions were pure. Harmony does exist, Vinyl. Do not let anyone, not even Discord, tell you that it does not. With only one more sunset in my life, I have come to this revelation. Harmony is alive and we simply ignore it. That is why I must keep to what I believe in. I believe in Harmony above Chaos.

While Chaos is the turmoil of emotions and Order is the restriction of Freedom, Harmony is not a combination of them. Harmony is the natural form of Love. It does not take place in the government. It is not held by Kings or Empresses. It is the acceptance of what is good in this world. We fought for Harmony, believing it was something to be earned, but it is something that we all have. Harmony is within us all and we only need to find it. Harmony is the knowledge that we do not know everything. Harmony never forces itself upon another, it never rules with an iron fist or even a giving hand. 

Harmony is Laughter. It is the feeling of joy we receive when something amuses us. It is the hope we find when everything else crashes down. It is the satisfaction we get when others are happy. It is the passive bliss we feel when we see others succeed. Laughter is but a way for living to be enjoyable. It is a reason to keep going through all our trials.

Harmony is Generosity. It is the will and drive to help others. It is the knocking on your door when a poor man needs shelter. It is the woman who requires just a helping hand with her chores. It is the child who has lost his pet. It is the drive to help everyone of these people. These are but tests of our Generosity. Such little things in life that we have the opportunity to be a part of. 

Harmony is Honesty. It's the encouragement we tell a friend who has failed. It's the stubbornness we have to guide another on a path of righteousness. It is our passion to do everything we do to the best of our ability. An Honest man keeps lies away and will go beyond the call of duty to make sure his work and reputation is his absolute best.

Harmony is Loyalty. It's the part you and I share. Loyalty goes beyond a soldier's duty or even a peasant's oath. It is found in fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, husbands, and wives. Loyalty is our call to action. It is our call to reason. It's the devotion to protect who we love. It is the will to go through Hell just to get back your friend. It's also the will to not let your friend go downward. To go through Hell just so that your loved ones would not need to. One cannot teach Loyalty, not in the slightest. It's a sacrifice that comes often too late. 

Harmony is Kindness. It too is a sacrifice. It's the giving up of oneself for another. It's the splitting of food when rations are low. It's the little things that we do to make one's life just a bit happier. It's the small acts that let us be an example to others, so that they could also do acts of Kindness. There is no boasting in Kindness, no loudness, barely noticeable. It sits in the corner and never speaks. It is awkward yet completely necessary. However, whenever you encounter Kindness, you cannot help but become happier. 

Harmony is Magic. It is the will to improve and strive for more. It is the friends you make, the ones you love, and the ones who mentor you. It is the old man who gives you wise advice. It is the friend who pushes you forward. It is the mother who teaches you about the world. We are always students, learning something new each day. Magic can only survive on Friendship and Knowledge. Without friends, it does not thrive within oneself, thus dying. Magic is necessary for all the other parts of Harmony to be pure, otherwise they would be tainted within the realms of the mind.

So you see, Vinyl, in my lifetime I have made a discovery. Harmony has never been about who rules or who does not. It is all based on the virtues of man. It's within all of us, yet there are many who shun it or lock it away. The Assassins failed in Harmony. We tried to force it, but instead it must be taught and discovered. We should have taught Harmony by being examples of such living. Only then we would be recognized as true unsung heroes. 

Please, Vinyl, remember my words. I do not care if you forget my name or my face in your immortality, but please remember this letter. In all my achievements, battles, and heroic tales, this revelation is the only noteworthy discovery of my life. To sum up Harmony in a way for all to understand, I believe there is only one way to state it.

"Love others like you love yourself."

That is the true Harmony's Creed. Remember that.



Adieu one final time, my friend. Be well in your Chaos and I pray you find content in whatever the future holds for you. Discord does not deserve to have you under him. 

In undying love,

Octavia Melody.


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