Upheaval: Reckoning
Chapter 28: The Younger Sibling
With a quick turn and just a bit more bounce in her gait, Celestia rounded the little circle of pink flowers. On her back, her little brother squealed with delight and held on tightly to her neck and mane.
"Take care now, your highness!" her guardian, Animus Arcem, called out to her from a distance.
The great city of Empyrea housed many gardens, each one a veritable forest on its own. It was the flowers that constantly drew Celestia to them. The riotous explosion of colors and the storm of fragrances, both of which were contrasted by the carefully ordered buildings and streets of the city, always enchanted her. "Oh, relax, Arcem," she said with a giggle. "I'm not going to drop my little brother!" She turned to look at Terrato. "Isn't that right, Terry?" The little gray foal would have replied with something if he didn't have a hank of his sister's pink mane in his mouth.
A cold breeze suddenly blew through the garden, halting Celestia in her tracks. For a moment, even the warmth of Empyrea itself receded, leaving her shivering and puzzled. She looked around to see what was going on and quickly realized that she wasn't the only pony who had noticed. Animus Arcem ran towards her, his face marred with concern.
The moment passed and Celestia put the strange sensation out of her mind. "Your highness!" Animus Arcem said once he was close enough. "I think we should return to the palace now."
Celestia barely heard her guardian, however. She looked past him and noticed the lone alicorn walking the street just outside the garden. He was coming from the direction of the palace. There was no mistaking her older brother, Oceanus. His mane was a wave of myriad shades of blue, constantly ebbing and flowing like the waters of the seven rivers. His coat was a silver that gleamed brighter than the spires of Empyrea itself and his eyes were of a blue so dark and deep that it seemed as if light itself failed to illuminate their depths. He walked down the street with his usual formal gait, graceful and controlled all at once. Right now, however, he stepped with just a bit more force than he normally did.
"Big brother!" Celestia called out. Before Animus could stop her, she lifted Terrato with her magic and handed him over to her guardian before running towards Oceanus. It was likely that her elder sibling had just come from the palace after meeting with their parents. His day of ascension must be close! She checked her appearance as she ran, making sure that there were no leaves or petals on her and that her mane was neatly arranged and clean of her little brother's spit.
There was no warm smile from Oceanus when his eyes focused on her, but Celestia already expected that. Her older brother was the most formal, most regal pony in the entire Eternal Herd, a match even for their father and mother. That didn't stop her from trotting happily just in front of him as he walked. She knew that, past that serious mien, he must be beaming inside. His long strides made it difficult for her to catch up with her short legs, but she made up for her lack of height with enthusiasm. "Did you just finish speaking to father?" she asked excitedly. "You must be ascending soon! When's the coronation?"
"Get out of my way, Celestia."
"What?" Before Celestia could even think about her brother's words, his magic enveloped her, lifting her off her hooves and dangling her right before his face. His magic felt like a sheaf of frost wrapped all around her. She whimpered, tears immediately springing from her eyes.
"I said out of my way," Oceanus said. His voice was colder than ice and harder than stone. He flung her to the side, sending her tumbling against the pavement. She cried out when her shoulder slammed hard against the stone.
Animus Arcem was next to Celestia in an instant. He helped her to her hooves and then glared at the passing prince. "You go too far, Prince Oceanus!" he said angrily. "What has your sister done to be treated like this?" Terrato, curious about what was going on, started climbing down Animus.
Oceanus didn't even look back. Celestia galloped towards him again. There was no mistaking it. She must have done something horrible to offend him. She was ready to kneel down and beg for forgiveness once she caught up to him. "Your highness, no!" Animus called after her. She heard him cast a spell and turned her head briefly to glance behind her.
When Celestia looked ahead again, Oceanus's sword, a slender, translucent blade of dark blue, was already swinging towards her face. There was no time to try to duck, she closed her eyes and the blade bit into her face, just above her right eye.
Pain, pain that Celestia had never felt or even imagined before, surged into the cut and burst into her mind like a violent flood. She flew backwards, tumbled against the unfeeling stone of Empyrea and then right into Animus Arcem's hooves. She pressed a hoof against her right eye and trembled as she felt something wet and sticky trickle down her face. With her left eye she saw that Oceanus had stopped to glare at her. His lips moved, but she could hardly hear the words because of the ringing in her ears. She saw the movement, however, and read the words. "What makes you so much better?"
"Oceanus!" Animus Arcem charged at the prince, his horn crackling with magical energy. Another second passed and he was careening towards the opposite direction. Oceanus walked on. Celestia wanted to chase after him and ask what she had done wrong. Why did he have to hurt her? More alicorns were arriving in the area as Oceanus disappeared from sight. She heard a soft tapping to her side and looked to find Terrato crawling nearby.
A trickle of tears had escaped from Celestia's right eye and then mingled with the blood. The mixture continued to trickle down and then dropped against the floor. Terrato, still puzzled by everything that had just happened, crawled over to inspect the drop with his hooves. The little grey foal tapped against the blood and tears and got them on a hoof. His eyes wide, he brought the hoof against his mouth and gave it a lick.
Celestia opened her eyes with a start and found herself back in her room in the Royal Palace. After sitting up, she put a hoof to her face and found it still a little moist. She had been crying in her sleep apparently. Her hoof also traced the very thin scar that cut across her right eyebrow. It was difficult to notice, even if somepony was actually looking for it and if it wasn't covered by her mane all the time. However, with so many traces of Oceanus being uncovered recently, she had been more and more conscious of it.
"What makes you so much better?"
The questioned continued to linger within Celestia's mind. Oceanus had not ascended the throne that day. Their father refused to give his eldest the throne even if it meant delaying the cycle. Though neither he nor their mother made any announcement, many within the Eternal Herd assumed that it was Celestia who would ascend to the throne. The cycle must continue. After ruling for so long, Sanctus Dominus and Divina Gratia must step down, allow themselves to be diminished, and rejoin the herd while others took to the throne. That was the way of the Eternal Herd. If it wasn't Oceanus, once so promising and majestic, it had to be somepony else.
"What makes you so much better?"
She questioned her father's decision so long ago, when she was a hurt little filly clutching at her wounded face. She questioned it now as a princess who had gone against her father's wishes. She had thought that she was doing the right thing only to make so many bad choices and face their consequences.
A knock on her door brought Celestia out of her moody reverie. She made sure that her eyes were dry before the second knock.
"Celestia?" It was a concerned Terrato who spoke through the door. "Are you alright? I heard you cry out."
"I'm fine," Celestia replied. She didn't recall crying out. She had probably done so while she was asleep. Terrato had heard it somehow. That didn't surprise her this time. Just what part of Canterlot didn't her brother have eyes and ears in?
The door opened and Terrato looked into the room. "You missed breakfast," he said. "Luna asked me to see if you're alright so…are you sure you're alright? You slept in rather late this time."
"Last night was rather taxing," Celestia answered. "I'm surprised Luna is already up and about."
"So am I," Terrato said. "Our little sister's been quite busy lately and she says she can't afford to take too much time recovering." His eyes narrowed. "She's been a little too busy if you ask me."
The sudden shadow across her younger brother's face was enough to tell Celestia what he really meant by that. Though he officially shared authority over the Legion with his sisters, it was hardly a secret to Celestia that her brother had agents out there who answered only to him. She stood up and looked at him. Terrato was careful not to take so much as a single step into her room. Whatever concern he let his voice show, he now masked with his face. He had been noticeably distant these past few days and his actions have been more subtle. There were no grand announcements and no masses of troops marching across Equestria. The draft and training went on, but it did so quietly. Yet, Terrato was moving. Squads of Special Operations ponies were all over the Heartland, always watching and reporting to him. For all his rumble and roar, when Terrato wished to be silent, he was.
It was one of his less understandable moves that now urged Celestia to speak up. Cadance's report had disturbed her and Terrato had been tight-lipped about the whole affair. "Terrato," she said. "Tell me your plans with the Draco'dim. Why did you bring them to the Heartland?"
"Maybe you should get something to eat first, Celestia. A meal and a bath would help you through the day before we get to those matters."
"I'm not a foal that needs your constant nursing, Terrato. Tell me now and, maybe, I can enjoy my meal and bath with my mind at ease."
"Fine," Terrato replied. He stood there so stiffly that Celestia felt uncomfortable just looking at him. It dawned upon her that she didn't like seeing him so stone-faced and distant. Fierce and impatient Terrato, always looking for a fight and boisterous with his affections towards his sisters may fill her with concern, but this quiet, defensive Terrato left her with a cold feeling within.
"You don't need to stand on ceremony," Celestia said. Come inside and sit down. I'm not taking you away from pressing matters am I?"
"No." Terrato sat on the floor, still a good distance from Celestia. A few more seconds passed before he spoke again. "The Draco'dim are necessary to keep the Heartland's dragons in line," he said.
"In line by killing them in numbers?"
"Their methods are brutal, their members are arrogant, and their long-term goals are highly suspect. They enforce two rules, however, which remain useful: no eating ponies and no invading their settlements. I would bring them in even if they had no intention of coming to the Heartland just to avoid diverting resources to control these newly un-enchanted dragons. That's not even the case. The Draco'dim have agents of their own and they would have found out about the situation with the Heartland's dragons anyway. All I did was exploit Afralhadar's sense of "honor" to gain some benefits for the Legion."
"You're said it yourself, Terrato," Celestia replied. "These are pride dragons. They won't stop with 'keeping dragons in line'."
"I know," Terrato said.
Celestia waited for her brother to say something else: a reassurance from him that the Draco'dim will ultimately not prevail in their tyranny, an apologetic acknowledgement of the whole dragon issue. Instead, she felt as if she was watching a fortress lock down. "And where does Spike fit in all this?" she asked. Luna had already told her about Spike's journey to the Western Barrier Land.
"What are you talking about?"
"Before the division, Drellhadar and Reinfadora entrusted one of their eggs to me, one that was enchanted by temporal stasis. Spike hatched from that egg."
"Really? Small world. Who broke the temporal stasis?"
Celestia frowned at the very obvious lies and misdirection. "Twilight Sparkle," she replied. The whole thing was one giant accident. Several of the directors who were examining Twilight despised her father and didn't want her enrolled. They were able to pull enough strings to gain access to the egg. They then proceeded to 'test' Twilight with a task even full-fledged graduates from the academy would have found impossible. Twilight managed to somehow. Just in time to impress Celestia as she was on her way to the academy to reacquire the egg.
"Twilight Sparkle," Terrato said flatly. "Of course."
"I don't think it's a stretch to assume you found out about all of these things during your first visit to Canterlot," Celestia went on. "What are you planning for the sole surviving son of the Dragon Scourge?"
"I just want him to grow stronger and help out his friends," Terrato said.
"Terrato…"
Terrato let out a sigh. "Yes, Spike will have a role to play, just like all of his friends," he said. "I won't say more than that." He looked at her, his stony expression cracking slightly. "I don't like this. He's hardly more than a hatchling. However, the defense of the realm must come first." Terrato stood up and looked to the door. "Do you need anything else from me?" he asked.
"No," Celestia said. She thought of looking into the matter more deeply. Luna had mentioned that she had eyes in the Barrier Lands already, but Celestia doubted whether they would be able to gain any information that Terrato didn't decide to feed them anyway. This was his game and he has had hundreds of years worth of practice. Luna meant well and she led well ,but there was a great gulf between the two when it came to experience. Besides, there had to be a better way than the three of them trying to outmaneuver one another. Terrato would speak eventually. If he could just trust his sisters more, there wouldn't be any need for this. Celestia had thought about it and realized that this was something she had to work on. She walked towards her brother slowly and reached out to place a hoof on his shoulder. Part of her face, just above her right eye, tingled and ached. She didn't let this make her back down this time. It was Terrato who flinched. For a moment, he looked ready to pull back as if she was trying to stab him with a weapon. He forced himself to settle down and her hoof touched his shoulder. "Take care of yourself, Terrato," she said. "Luna isn't the only one I'm worried about being overexerted."
The gesture had caught him off guard. His lips twisted slightly, but he didn't say anything else. With a brief nod, he turned around and left.
It was only after he was a good distance from his eldest sister's room did Terrato let himself relax a little. He was only too glad to get back to work. He had pressing concerns coming in from Special Operations. The one that stood out the most was the disappearance of Rainbow Dash and Black Rose's involvement in it. Special Operations was already out in force.
As he neared his destination, he actually welcomed the transition from the white and gold halls of the Royal Palace to gray stone of its barely maintained dungeon. Canterlot had a small jail for most of its very rare criminals. The dungeon was supposed to be for more dangerous political prisoners. Supposed to be anyway. When Barrier Lands ponies arrived to inspect it, the dungeons housed nothing other than rats and spiders.
After a few minutes of walking, Terrato was joined by a legionnaire, Captain Bladescrape of Special Operations' Ninth Squad.
"The prisoner transfer has been completed successfully, your highness," Bladescrape said after a brief bow.
"Good," Terrato replied. "Did he cause any trouble?"
"He showed a great deal of cooperation. We were suspicious, of course, but we didn't encounter any actual difficulties."
"So his sister hasn't bothered to fetch or silence him," Terrato mused out loud. "That narrows it down to him not being a threat, being full of misinformation, or us actually doing a good job." He looked towards Bladescrape. "Has he said anything else?"
"A lot actually, your highness," Bladescrape said. "He's provided us with information on how to identify Black Rose's agents, but he's cautioned us that she has probably changed many of her usual methods now that she knows he's turned on her."
"And how has his information been so far?"
"Surprisingly effective nonetheless, your highness. We've confirmed several agents already." A shadow fell across Bladescrape's face. "Black Rose has a frighteningly large information network."
"Of course she does." Terrato didn't bother hiding his smile of admiration. The two of them stopped in front of Blue Moon's cell.
Black Rose's younger brother was both manacled and shackled to the three walls of his cell. He was still horn-locked and six guards stood by his cell at all times. Upon Terrato's arrival, Blue Moon did as best he could to kneel down. The other guards swiftly bowed their greeting.
Terrato studied the unicorn for a while. Blue Moon's rise within the Legion would have been a legend all on its own. Except that he spent most of his career under his sister's shadow. Among certain legionnaires, he was known as "Legionnaire Almost" in comparison to his sister: almost as powerful, almost as smart, and almost as pretty. Terrato had carefully watched the unicorn back then. He was concerned that Blue Moon was resentful of Black Rose's acclaim and that he would try to sabotage her. He never did. On the contrary, he worked closely with his sister, supporting her every endeavor and going so far as to lead her special squad.
" I've been hearing about how helpful you've been, Blue Moon," Terrato said.
"I wish only to serve Equestria, your highness," Blue Moon replied.
"And that's what you'll continue to do."
Terrato paused as he continued to study the prisoner. Blue Moon's sincerity seemed genuine. Perhaps the unicorn stallion really did go against his older sister because she had gone too far and that his loyalty to Equestria had always been pure and unflinching.
Even considering that left Terrato feeling the bitter sting of shame inside. Unflinching loyalty. He had been so confident before that such a thing was one of his strengths. Recent events had left him full of doubt. Things were so much easier when "do as Celestia asks" served as his guiding principle. Reunification had left him examining his own ideas about Equestria and doubting the things he had done and planned on doing. Looking at the unicorn now, it was likely that Blue Moon had gone through something similar. He turned towards Bladescrape. "Let him out of there," he said.
"Your highness?" Bladescrape asked as he blinked in confusion.
"Keep him horn-locked and under guard, but I think Blue Moon deserves a little mobility and a change of scenery," Terrato added.
"I am honored by this show of trust," Blue Moon said.
In response, Terrato's horn flashed with magic. Most of the ponies in the room blinked and then looked around. Nothing seemed to have happened. Blue Moon kept his gaze on Terrato, however. The look on his face showed that he understood.
"As you should be," Terrato said. He was about to say more when, all of a sudden, he felt an all too familiar wave of magic gently caress his mind. Black Rose. Black Rose was trying to contact him. The brazen move left him astonished for a moment and then made him smile. Why was he even surprised? This was classic Black Rose. He saw the other ponies around him look at him with concern. "Keep on being useful, Blue Moon. I'm in constant need of agents these days and I'll be happy to take the ones Black Rose loses." With that, he cast another spell and teleported out of the palace.
High above Canterlot, Terrato looked around for a secure place and then considered having this meeting with his sisters. He dismissed the thought, however. Black Rose would simply cease trying to contact him if things weren't private. He flew on, distancing himself from the capital until it was a mere speck by the horizon. Only then did he cast the spell that would bring Black Rose's image before him.
"It is so nice to see you again, your highness," Black Rose said. In the magical image, she was reclining on a bed, her mane and tail carelessly spread all round her. His gaze lingered on her wings. The black feathers looked lovely. Black Rose wore power well and with ease.
As futile as it likely was, Terrato was already working on tracing the spell back to its source. "Black Rose," he said. He focused on the most pressing concern. "What have you done to Rainbow Dash?"
"So quick to the point. Indulge me a little and I'll tell you in all honesty."
Terrato used to find the little games amusing. That was when they were limited to just the two of them and didn't involve the lives of the Elements of Harmony. "Alright," he said.
Her usually playful gaze suddenly softened. "Tell me, beloved, if I returned Celestia's power and turned over my resources to the three of you, can we go back to how we used to be back then?"
"Yes," Terrato replied. He matched her tenderness with his own, making it sound like he was imploring her. "Come to Canterlot and restore my sister's power. You can take your place with me once more. You can lead the Legion as you used to and I'll defend you from anypony who insists on punishment."
The answer actually gave Black Rose pause. For a moment, her eyes widened in wonder. After that, her lips slowly curved into a smile. After a few more seconds, she burst into laughter. Terrato let himself chuckle a little as well. "Point taken," she said.
"I thought so," he replied. There was no need to say anything else to say about that pointless, indulgent idea. The trust was gone. He was never going to believe any surrender from her and she was never going to believe any promise of reprieve. "Now, can we get to more serious things?"
"That was a serious thing," Black Rose replied quietly. "But I will talk about Rainbow Dash. She's in a rather uncomfortable situation at the moment." She took a more reassuring tone at the sight of Terrato's concern. "There's no need to worry, my prince, I don't want the Elements of Harmony dead."
"Where is she?"
"Now where's the fun in just telling you right away? That would leave poor Longstride in a bad spot."
'Longstride," Terrato thought. He remembered the silent pegasus who always kept to himself even when the rest of the Thorns were together. Black Rose was pitting her special squad against the Elements of Harmony. "What happened to 'in all honesty'?" he asked.
"Isn't my reassurance enough?" Black Rose asked. She put on a mock hurt face. He snorted in response. "Very well, since you're so serious. I wish to negotiate a trade, my prince. I will set your Special Operations on the right path towards Rainbow Dash. Mind you, I won't hand her to them gift-wrapped. I also have a good idea of what's going on in the Eternal Herd. I have some tidbits that you are certain to find useful about the oh-so-charming Gravitas."
"And what do you want in return?" Terrato asked.
"A meeting with you in person," Black Rose replied. Any trace of mocking or amusement disappeared from her face. "Just the two of us in a specified place. No violence or trickery. I will tell you all I have just promised."
"What's wrong with magical communication?"
Black Rose's tone saddened. "If you don't understand, my prince, 'stone-cold' is too warm a term for you. I think you do understand though. It's just a little difficult to accept because of the things I've had to do.'
Terrato did understand. At least, he believed he did. He also knew that dealing with the Ninth Rebellion would be far easier than this. Oceanus would likely be strong enough to rip him and his sisters apart with glee but, at least, he was a complete monster that Terrato could charge at without hesitation. "Name the place," he said.
The smile returned to Black Rose's face. "Won't your sisters be suspicious?" she asked. "Shouldn't you consult with them first?"
"They already are," Terrato replied. "And with good reason." He could imagine some the responses already. Luna would vehemently refuse and say this was about as blatant a trap as possible and that Black Rose may as well dangle a giant cage over a piece of carrot. She'd have a point too. This had all the signs of a trap. A void knife to the heart and Black Rose would have power over the sun and the earth, if she didn't explode from taking in too much power. Although it could be argued that the obviousness was the guarantee that it wasn't. Still, this was a certainly a risk he was taking. What for? Some bits of information that he and his sisters could acquire through other means? 'No,' he admitted to himself. He knew the truth. The information was important and were what pushed him to risk this, but that he wanted to see Black Rose in person as well was also a reason.
As for Celestia…he pushed the thought away with a snort. If this had happened yesterday, he'd have a clear idea of what Celestia would say. This morning muddled those expectations up. "Well?" he asked. "Let's hear it."
"The Heavenly Basin," Black Rose said.
Terrato snorted. The Heavenly Basin, the place where it all should have ended. Getting there alone would be quite a trip. Black Rose was giving Longstride a head start. He hoped that Rainbow Dash was made of sterner stuff. "Let me make some arrangements," he replied. There would plenty of those. He was meeting the enemy in a place of her choosing. Preparations had to be made, including contingencies in case Equestria had to function without him. Perhaps he should consult with Luna and Celestia, just to give them warning about what might happen. If he played his cards right, he could very well find out what her plans for Regia Carnifex were.
For an instant, it seemed as if Black Rose's face had lit up in anticipation. After that instant, she had that serene smile once more. "I'll see you there then," she said.