Upheaval: Breaking Point

by Visiden Visidane

Loyalties

Upheaval: Breaking Point

Chapter 15: Loyalties

The trek to Bastion City quickly proved difficult for Fangbreaker's survivors. Many of the injured had to be carried, or put on the few wagons that they had managed to save. The worst had already been flown ahead, leaving the unicorns and earth ponies to move as best as they could across the plain.

The morning cold eased slightly when the overcast sky let a few of the noon sun's rays reach the ponies. It was a small comfort. Commander Dreadstep urged his troops to go at a brisk pace. Bastion City's defenses had to be ready before the wolven so much as approached it.

Despite fatigue, the weight of their failure, and short rations, they were making good time. A trip from Bastion City to Fangbreaker was the first thing most of them had ever done to join the Legion. They had moved on to the road that connected the two places, which served to ease their journey somewhat.

Not everypony endured the trip with ease. Vanguard Clash watched as Twilight and her friends traveled through rough terrain. They held themselves up well, but the pace made things difficult. Twilight winced with each step of her right foreleg. As the day wore on, even the hardy Applejack was showing signs of fatigue.

Rarity trailed behind her friends, panting, and sweating heavily. "Surely, a little rest won't bother anypony?" she muttered. She was about to kneel down for a break when Vanguard walked up from behind her.

"Keep moving," Vanguard said.

"We have been traveling all morning!" Rarity said. "All you gave us for breakfast was a couple of mouthfuls of that disgusting sand you call 'feed' and a small cup of water! It's unreasonable to ask us to keep going like this!"

"Being reasonable has to step aside for necessity, Miss Rarity," Vanguard answered. He bumped against her slightly, urging her to keep moving forward.

"Can I at least ride on those wagons for a short rest?" Rarity looked longingly towards one of the wagons. Spike had been allowed on them. Vanguard had reasoned that the dragon shouldn't tax his friends' strained strength by riding on them and his stubby legs would only cause him to fall far behind.

"Your rest will demand payment from the ponies pulling those wagons," Vanguard said. "Not a good way to endear yourself to them. Let me ask you, have you noticed any sidelong glances being tossed your way?"

Rarity looked around her. "Well, now that you've mentioned it, I do feel like I'm being watched."

"That's because you are." Vanguard pulled Rarity to her hooves. "You've been under scrutiny the moment ponies noticed those diamonds on your flank."

"And what does that have anything to do with resting a bit?" Rarity asked as she dusted herself.

"The common perception out here is that you chosen are weak and spoiled," Vanguard said. "If you confirm those perceptions, you will find yourself surrounded by enemies before we can even make it to Bastion City."

Rarity swallowed, and quickened her pace.

Vanguard's tone softened. "I know it's hard. Keep going for now, and you'll earn respect eventually."

He walked ahead and settled into keeping pace with Twilight. "How's your shoulder?" he asked.

"Painful," Twilight replied, "but I'll be fine. How are your burns?"

Vanguard gave a wry smile. "Annoyingly itchy, but I'll live."

Twilight also smiled. It was a while before she decided to speak again. "So, about your father…"

"What about him?" Vanguard asked. His father had found him earlier that morning. There was no burst of emotion from Sharpfangs like Scarlet Rabbit had shown, only a brief hug and a "glad you're back, son". He also provided Vanguard with enough concentrated feed for several ponies, much to Twilight's horror, and their friends' curiosity.

"Share it with your new-found friends," Sharpfangs had said. "You should see your mother, colt, she'll be glad to see you're alive." 'I'll think about how glad she is while she's kicking my flank for making her think I was dead,' Vanguard thought.

"I've never seen a pony like him before," Twilight said.

"The fangs are odd, I take it?"

She nodded. "Well, there's that."

"He's a quarter wolven," Vanguard said. "Approximately anyway. Bloodlines don't lend themselves to neat fractions, and yes, that would make me around an eighth of a wolven."

Twilight watched him curiously. His remark about his heritage had been casual, as if he was talking about his favorite food. "How did that happen?" she asked. She inhaled sharply, eyes wide for a second. "If-if it's alright for you to tell me, that is."

"It's not some painful family secret, and you wouldn't be the first to hear it," Vanguard replied. He paused, remembering the first time he told this story. From being a controversy, his wolven blood was now nothing more than a curiosity within the Legion. With the wolven however…he put the thought out of his mind. The wolven were deluded, and this "breaker" myth their crone was trying to push on him meant nothing. "It started with my great grandmother. Her patrol was ambushed by wolven one day, and she was captured. Unfortunately, that band of wolven raiders was led by a particularly perverted wolven." His expression darkened slightly. "When a Special Operations squad finally rescued her, her wings had been gnawed off, and that was only one of the monstrosities that this wolven inflicted on her."

"What a monster…" Twilight whispered, her nose wrinkling. "…even among wolven."

"Perhaps," Vanguard said. "Although, I recall that one of the original reasons for the wolven attacking was that King Fenrir wanted to take Princess Luna for his bride. This one may not have been so particular after all."

"Princess Luna?" Twilight asked. "Wait, how did you know about that?"

"We have books here, Twilight Sparkle, and I read," Vanguard replied. "Naturally, my grandfather horrified everypony that saw him. My great grandmother kept him, though. 'Pony blood is stronger that wolven blood.' she said. She meant it too. She raised him by herself, I'm told."

"And what she said was true, right?" Twilight asked. She had brightened at the mention of books. She even looked a little giddy, and moved with a bit more spring in her step. Vanguard hid a smile. The reaction didn't come as a surprise.

"He did his best to prove her completely wrong," Vanguard replied. "He ended up a criminal, got caught, and hung. Not before he repeated his father's despicable deed. Not surprisingly, there was a large outcry for my father to just be killed the moment he was born."

Twilight still looked hopeful. That smile he was hiding crept out just a bit more.

"He would have been too, but the matter somehow reached Prince Terrato," Vanguard said. He took on a reverent tone. "He forbade them from taking his life. 'This pony will be condemned only by his own actions and nopony else's' he said. My father got his chance. He was a decent enough pony to earn his life and, strangely enough, the affections of a young, up and coming flight captain. There you go. That's 'how it happened.'"

They were quiet again. When raucous laughter and high-pitched giggling burst ahead of them, they looked ahead. Scarlet Rabbit was flying low, and chatting up Pinkie Pie. The two were sharing jokes, unmindful of the ponies around them.

"It must have been hard on you," Twilight said softly.

Vanguard snorted. "Hardly, my father's done all the work. He's the one who was nearly killed for being born. All I have to put up with is the occasional 'dog' comment."

"The way you talk about him, you must really admire Prince Terrato," Twilight said. It was easy to notice her attempt to change the subject.

"He's our prince," Vanguard replied. "By his words, I'm alive. By his leadership, the Barrier Lands still stand."

"Have you ever met him?" Twilight asked with a tilt of her head.

Vanguard shook his head. "I don't need to. Serving under him is enough for me. What about you?"

"Me?" Twilight shrugged. "I haven't really gotten to know Prince Terrato to have much of an opinion."

"I mean your opinion about his sister. You're Princess Celestia's student. You must know her better than anypony."

"Was," Twilight answered in a low tone, her eyes downcast.

"I apologize if I'm poking at still fresh wounds," Vanguard said.

"It's fine." Twilight let out a long exhale. "And I do admire her. She's kind, patient and wise…the perfect teacher and princess."

Vanguard raised an eyebrow. "I'm a little surprised."

"Why's that?" Twilight asked.

"You sing her praises even though she banished you here."

A frown creased Twilight's brow. "She banished me because she believed that it was for the good of Equestria. She's always thinking of what's best for Equestria, even if…even if I don't agree with her." Before Vanguard could respond, Twilight went on. "I know what a lot of ponies in the Legion think. They think she's an evil nag who doesn't care about them. That's not true!"

"You don't have to convince me," Vanguard said.

Twilight's eyes narrowed. "What do you think of Princess Celestia then?"

"I think nothing of her. She's the prince's sister who hasn't done anything to make me care one way or another."

"You don't care that she divided Equestria?"

"I defend my home as best I can with what I have because I live here, not because there are ponies a thousand miles away depending on me. Besides, Prince Terrato has worked with this division for centuries. It's never bothered him, so why should I be bothered?"

"I think you should care," Twilight said. "Because those ponies a thousand miles away would if they knew what was going on here."

"Are you going to start preaching about 'the truth'?" Vanguard asked, the smile gave way to a frown. "Pyre Valor did that often. She went about it the loudest just before she hit me with a fireball and betrayed the Legion."

"I'm sorry," Twilight said, her ears going limp. "What she did was wrong. But if she intended--"

"She's a traitor," Vanguard growled. "I don't care what she intended. Her actions condemn her. Hundreds of good ponies are dead because of her and the north is in danger. All of that because of her loyalty to 'the truth'. By the prince's law, I will kill her the next time we meet."

Twilight gasped. "But she was your friend!"

"And she betrayed that friendship too. Pyre has chosen her side, and I've chosen mine."

Twilight fell silent. She looked above her, and Vanguard did the same. It was already afternoon, and it was starting to get cold again. As hard as she tried to look well, Twilight was clearly struggling with her shoulder. Even the soldiers looked tired. Behind her, Rarity looked like she was about to fall face-first onto the ground. Applejack and Fluttershy walked next to her in concern, but they were beginning to struggle as well. Rainbow Dash flew just a little ahead of her, now involved in a loud conversation with Pinkie and Scarlet.

"Twilight," Vanguard said. Some of the edge had gone from his voice.

"What is it?" Twilight answered warily.

"Do you still consider yourself loyal to Princess Celestia?"

The wariness turned into a determined frown. "Of course."

"Yet, you believe that the ponies of the Heartland should know the truth of this place?"

"Yes, I do."

"But that goes against your mentor's wishes."

Twilight focused her gaze on the ground. "Sometimes...sometimes loyalty doesn't mean agreeing with a pony in all things," she said. She laughed wryly. "Listen to me. That sounds like something I should be asking Spike to write down so I can send it to Princess Celestia."

Vanguard let himself smile as well. "You make a good point, though. I just hope my loyalty isn't tested in the same way as yours."

Twilight nodded, and their conversation moved to lighter matters. Talking seemed to help her ignore the pain of her injury, and let the day wear on faster. It wouldn't be long now until they reached Bastion City.

---

Located close to the Western Barrier Land's center, the Gray Sentinel stood watch over Equestria. Atop the Alicorn's Perch, the tallest peak in all of the Barrier Lands, the massive fortress served as Prince Terrato's home. From this place, he directed the Equestrian Legion whenever he wasn't out among them. From the blade-like spires to the individual rooms, no mortal pony was involved in the construction of this place, only Terrato's mastery over stone and metal. No mortal pony lived in the Gray Sentinel either. Silent, pony-shaped guardians of iron and stone performed all the necessary maintenance. He refused to make use of the Legion's resources for housekeeping.

The Gray Sentinel's size had nothing to do with Terrato's sense of extravagance. Should the Legion be faced with the most desperate of situations, he planned to gather as many as possible into the fortress in a final stand until Equestria's enemies bled to death trying to destroy them, a time that he believed would never come.

It was also a time that now played out at the very edges of his mind. He consulted the map of Equestria laid out before him. The wolven had broken through his northern front, and were bearing down the ponies who lived in his realm. Reinforcements from the western and southern fronts were still on the way.

"You are my defender."

Terrato's eyes narrowed. Celestia asked him to work miracles. Part of him was flattered, even excited, at the chance to assure his sister that Equestria was safe while he stood watch. Most of him, however, could only brood over the unnecessary cost of Celestia's "faith". He was deluding himself if he believed that this situation was a mark of her faith. In truth, this situation was proof of how much his dearest sister wanted nothing to do with him.

To complicate matters, he now had to play foal-sitter to Twilight Sparkle and her merry band of rebels. If they were still alive. 'I told you that it was going to bite your flank, Celestia,' he thought. 'Now I have to worry about whether it's going to take a chunk off.'

"You cannot hide out here forever, big brother. The changes will force you to act."

Then, there was Luna.

Terrato was no longer sure what to make of his younger sister. He had suspected that she was trying to get him on her side in another attempt at taking over their eldest sister's rule, and that she still stank of Nightmare Moon's influence. But, earlier, she was the one concerned for his realm. She even looked like she wanted come over to the Barrier Lands and take up post with him.

That was something he could not allow. He still remembered that moment, even if more than a thousand years had passed. He had just come back from his greatest victory over Fenrir. He was soaked with wolven blood. His horn was broken and still smeared with bits of Fenrir's eyeball. He had triumphantly flown back to his sisters with a glorious tale of what he did to those who wanted to harm them. Luna was happy that her "suitor" had been punished, and the sight of her joy warmed his heart. A withering, disapproving stare from Celestia ruined that moment. From then on, Luna was off-limits. The barrier came to be in that same year.

Something went through Celestia's barrier again. Terrato snorted. Just how often was that barrier going to be breached? He recognized this one too. 'As if on cue,' he thought.

Luna materialized across the table from him. "What did I tell you about coming here?" Terrato asked.

"Our sister doesn't need my support right now, big brother," Luna answered. "You do."

"Am I a crippled old stallion so that my filly of a sister has to help me?"

"You need help and our sister won't aid you. Let me."

Terrato rounded the table and stared Luna in the eye. His face was but an inch from hers when he saw her quiver slightly, but she did not back away. "I will break your wings, and kick you back to the Heartland if you won't go on your own," he growled.

Surprisingly, Luna held his gaze. Was this even the same filly who ran crying under him when she first heard what Fenrir intended? "If you want a fight, big brother, look to the north. I'm not blind. There are three chairs in this meeting hall you designed. You've always meant for the three of us to lead a united Equestria together. We can start here!"

Terrato snorted and turned away. Luna was right: this room was designed as a meeting room that could accommodate him and his sisters. It was an idiotic pipe dream that he kept for some reason. "Do what you want," he said. "Go north. Find Twilight Sparkle if you want to make yourself useful."

Luna brightened at his words. "Does that mean you will let me stay and help?"

"Stay out of the fighting and concern yourself with Celestia's batch of rebels. If I find out that you've been fighting, you're going back to the Heartland with hoof-prints on your face." Terrato exhaled loudly. 'Well, I'm not getting Celestia's approval either way,' he thought. He froze when a pair of forelegs embraced him from the side.

"Thank you," Luna whispered. "For trusting me this much."

A familiar warm feeling enveloped Terrato for a moment. His forelegs moved on their own to hug back, but he quickly stopped himself, and pushed her away. "Get going before I regain my sanity," he said. She smiled in return, then cast her spell. In a flash of dark blue, she was gone. 'I'm sorry, Celestia,' he thought. 'But I have to build miracles out of something.'

Comments

[Blik]

Poor Terrato. That vision of his won't just be a pipe dream, even if its realization is still later than sooner.

Really liking this story. Celestia is characterized in a way that is both realistic and perfectly meshes with her demeanor in the show. I don't know whether I'm apprehensive or excited, though, to see it all fall down around her ears, which will surely happen now that Luna and the Elements are involved. Keep up the good work.

In closing, "Luna and the Elements" would be a decent name for a rock band.

[Pogmin]

I shall break the 2 year embargo on comments on this particulat chapter.

[PaulAsaran]

You make a good point, though. I just hope my loyalty isn't tested in the same way as yours.

That's foreshadowing if I ever saw it.

Terrato still needs to be slapped. Does he really expect Luna to not fight? Impossible, she's more a warrior than he is (though he would undoubtedly scoff at that statement). I'm also annoyed that Luna treats Terrato more like a brother who needs to be pleased. "Does that mean you'll let me stay?" What the buck is wrong with her? He can't keep her out! Unless he wants to leave the war effort to his generals and let the wolven trample all over Equestria while he's fighting to keep her in the Heartland, that is.

Luna needs to learn her place, and that place is not begging her siblings for acceptance of her decisions.

[Solarkness]

5483658 You talk if it's a matter of strength...

It's a matter of respect. Luna respects Terrato, just as Terrato respects Celestia.

And you see how that is going... (*cough* The Northern Equestrian Legion is losing *cough*)

It is unreasonable, their trust is so great it is a weakness, it doesn't allow simply slapping with a fish and saying: "Fuck you, you can't stop me bitch."

[Widow Peak]

"He's a quarter wolven,"

Sorry, what? So you are telling me they left the half foat-cub live, despite being the offspring of a race they have been fighting for centuries?

-Sigh-

Honestly, at this point I am just reading to see the end. I feel no connection with any of the characters. Not Celestia, not Terrato, not Luna, not Scarlet, not Pyre, not Blademane, not Vanguard. Not even Twilight.

"Am I a crippled old stallion so that my filly of a sister has to help me?"

"I will break your wings, and kick you back to the Heartland if you won't go on your own,"

And Terrato being a moron does not help. We are given basicaly zero insight information about the characters. We know what they do, but not really why they do it. It is like they are being complete arses just because they are complete arses.

[Emkozul]

I shall break the 6 year embargo on comments on this chapter!
Terrato is a fairly interesting character. As an Only Child I am an outsider to the Sibling Respect that Terrato has for Tia and Luna has for Terrato. Although I have noticed neither of the Elder siblings respect Luna's ideas....

[Baineblade]

10650310
The dynamic is probably as follows:

Celestia: Eldest sister, makes aaaalll the big decisions. Pushes her brother away for the sake of her dream, Tries to shelter her littlest sister from the horrors of the world, wants to be the big defender to their little sister.

Terrato: Middle child, looks up to his elder sister and follows her will and guidance. Loves his little sister, but knows his elder sister looks down upon what he does and what he represents to Luna.

Luna: Loves her sister, but loves her big brother as well. She sees Terrato as her defender, there to keep the scary ones away in the dark of the night as she was growing up. Now that she's grown up, she's striking out on her own and Celestia doesn't like it and Terrato doesn't want to deal with it for fear of Big Sisters disapproval.