//------------------------------//
// Wayward Children 
// Story: Upheaval: Breaking Point 
// by Visiden Visidane 
//------------------------------//

Upheaval: Breaking Point

Chapter 40: Wayward Children

"Look at them, Terrato. They're lost, and helpless. Even with Discord gone, they will suffer for centuries before they recover."

"Our father has ordered us to return, dearest sister. That begins and ends this matter. Let's go."

"I won't go. Not yet."

"Have you gone mad? You just saw for yourself what happens to those who go against his majesty!"

"Lexarius's rebellion stemmed from his madness, and selfishness. I go against our father for the sake of others. He will understand."

"And you will risk his wrath for what? These…these spawn of Oceanus?"

"Their parentage is not their fault, Terrato."

"Nor is their existence here our concern! We were sent to punish Lexarius, and our mission is done. Why make things harder?"

"I cannot go back to the Herd having seen this, and done nothing. I just can't."

"Then, I'm staying as well."

"Terrato…"

"Don't misunderstand me. I don't care for these ponies. I care about staying by your side."

The groan of doors opening jarred Terrato out of a reverie he shouldn't have indulged in the first place. He had been thinking far too often of Celestia these days. This was unacceptable. He had made it through centuries of isolated duty because of his ability to throw the memory of his sisters to the dark recesses of his mind. That didn't seem possible anymore if Black Rose, and Luna had anything say about it. He frowned at the latest petitioners. It was Twilight Sparkle again. Of course, she was with her partner-in-crime, Vanguard Clash, and one more chosen.

"So who's next on the list, Rough Cut?" he asked. Besides his recently appointed chamberlain, there was nopony else in the hall. Having guards for himself was a waste of legionnaires.

"Legionnaire Applejack is here, your highness," Rough Cut replied. "She asked for an audience with you three days ago."

"Oh, yes. The chosen who somehow has a message for me after almost getting shredded." Terrato gestured for the ponies to come closer. "Three days is a rather short time period to recover from a life-threatening injury. Should she really be walking about?"

"Medical apparently cleared her, your highness," Rough Cut replied. "It is quite unusual however."

Terrato shrugged. He might see into this recovery later. Celestia may have done more than just put pictures on her ponies' flanks. It might be something related to the Elements of Harmony. "I hear you have something important to tell me, Legionnaire Applejack," he said. "Let's hear it." He frowned when she quivered, and looked at him nervously. Not even a minute into the audience, and this chosen was already displeasing him.

"I-I'm here to give you a message from the Queen," Applejack said.

"Is that so?" Terrato rumbled. "Can you prove it?"

"Y-yes, your highness."

"Good. You won't leave this hall alive if you can't. Not even being Celestia's chosen will save you if I find out that you've falsely invoked my mother."

Applejack quivered some more. Terrato quashed an urge to violently shake her in hopes of causing all her nervousness to tumble out of her ears. Vanguard gently pressed a hoof against Applejack's side, and whispered something. Terrato listened carefully, picking up the words despite his distance.

"Steady yourself," Vanguard whispered. "He'll only kill you if you're lying, and I know you're telling the truth."

Terrato nodded at that. The words of encouragement had a telling effect. Applejack stopped shaking, and swallowed hard, drawing strength from her companion's steadiness.  "L-lokwoor prop-pter r-reginahm," she said. 

Terrato raised an eyebrow. "Loquor propter reginam," he said. "I speak for the Queen. I'm not going to practice the Herd's tongue with you any time soon, Applejack, but I will believe what you have to say."

Applejack let out a sigh of relief.

"Tell me what the Queen said. Don't leave a word of it out."

Applejack stared incredulously at Terrato, and he nearly laughed. This one was a little more fun than Twilight. She concentrated for some time, while he tapped a hoof on the floor.

At the end of Applejack's story, Terrato frowned, and leaned back against his seat. He closed his eyes in deep thought, leaving all of them to sweat, and wait for his response. "First Luna, now her majesty is telling me to act," he said. He opened his eyes, and turned towards Twilight. "You know my dearest sister well, Twilight Sparkle. You probably know her better than I do. Tell me, if I flew to the Heartland, and smashed her barrier to pieces, how would she react?"





When Prince Terrato turned his attention towards her, Twilight's heart skipped a beat. She had been hoping to stay in the background, and just observe him. 'Important enough to banish even me just to keep it,' she thought. "She would fight you," she said. Princess Celestia fought her own sister to protect Equestria from eternal night, and fought Queen Chrysalis to stop the changeling invasion. To protect Equestria from the influence of war, she would fight her own brother.

"She would, wouldn't she?" Terrato said. "We would end up fighting, and that would be the seventh rebellion. The Queen may as well have predicted that Celestia will be kicked in the face, then ordered me to kick her in the face."

"Your highness…"

The moment Twilight ventured to speak again, Terrato's glower returned. "Need something again, Twilight Sparkle? I've sent you home once, let you into the Legion, and spared your partner-in-crime. What else can I do for you?"

Twilight held her ground this time. Prince Terrato resorted to threats of violence quickly, and casually. He thundered, and rumbled whenever he pleased and he glared daggers in a heartbeat. Yet, underneath all that intimidation, he seemed to admire ponies who are able to keep their composure. He resorted to joking around as easily, and he was a reasonable prince. "I just want to know more about these nine rebellions that the Queen mentioned," she said.

"Twilight Sparkle wants to know about something. I'm shocked," Terrato said flatly. There was a moment of silence, but Twilight remained composed. If he wanted to refuse, he would have said no already. "Consider the nine rebellions a countdown to a great upheaval. I'd say the end of Equestria, but who am I to say what the King will do when 'roused to anger'? He could just scold us for being so disobedient."

Twilight swallowed. "T-the end of Equestria? Why? Why would the King destroy something his children protected for so long?"

"Ask your father," Terrato replied quietly.

Twilight tilted her head. "My father? But he's back in the Heartland! What does this have to do with him?"

Terrato snorted. "Not him," he growled. "The father you share with him. Before Equestria, before even me and my siblings, The King and Queen had only one child: Oceanus. He is the father I'm talking about."

"I didn't know that Princess Celestia had another brother," Twilight said.

"Don't you call him our brother!" Terrato's voice cracked across the room, sending everypony to their knees. "He cast aside all of his family relationships when he started all of this!" He lowered his voice before continuing. "I don't know what motivated Oceanus. Maybe he grew tired of being just beneath the King and Queen. Maybe he was bored. I wasn't there, and I'm not going to be presumptuous enough to think I can understand him solely on the aftermath of his actions. What I do know is that he rebelled against the Herd one day, and a great many supported him." His eyes narrowed. "This was the first rebellion. His majesty defeated him and his supporters, and hurled them out. Their battered forms crashed into this world. From the lingering traces of the King's power, Oceanus's own leaking power, and his blood, the first ponies of this world came forth."

Twilight stood in rapt attention. She had never read anything like this in any book. It was an account of creation! The first arrival of ponies into this world!

"Oceanus didn't care for his new 'children' it seemed. He and his followers crawled their way into the depths of the Eastern Waters, where they remain up to this day to recover their strength."

Vanguard's eyes widened. "The Eastern Waters," he said quietly. "Nopony has ever crossed that ocean. Those who venture too far simply disappear. To think that it holds a rebellious prince in its depths…"

"These ponies lived, multiplied, and died," Terrato went on. "When the first of them arrived before the Eternal Herd's borders, they naturally caused a stir. When it was clear that you would only continue to multiply and grow, the concern was that the blood of Oceanus within all of you would allow him to exert his influence, and gain himself even more supporters. One of the royal stewards, Lexarius, volunteered to go to this world, and ensure that its ponies embodied harmony, rather than Oceanus's rebellion."

Terrato's expression darkened. "He did well for over a thousand years. It was during his time that other…beings followed in Oceanus's hoof-steps, and formed their progeny in this world. There wasn't any war at that point as you were all still developing. Those times didn't last, however."

Terrato stared hard at Twilight. She continued to hold his gaze. She had done nothing wrong this time, and he wasn't going to punish her without cause no matter how annoyed he looked. "You were a frail lot to Lexarius," he said. "As time went on, he grew to delight less in maintaining harmony, and more in toying with his 'subjects'."

"That's why he turned into Discord." Applejack said. Twilight recalled Applejack's story about her meeting with Discord in the plane of Vestibulum. It was difficult to accept that a pony of such high stature could turn into a bizarre creature of chaos.

"Discord was given plenty of chances to cease what he was doing, and he ignored them all," Terrato said. "This was the second rebellion. When messengers couldn't get the job done, the King and Queen sent their children to put an end to his reign."

Terrato smiled, and stayed silent for a for a minute. He looked far away, reliving some experience. "I'm sure Celestia already gave you details of that encounter minus my involvement," he said. "That would have been a sight for you to see, Twilight Sparkle, it was the only time I ever saw my dearest sister actually angry. She was so angry, in fact, that it wasn't enough for her to destroy Discord outright, and send him to the Eternal Herd for punishment. She had to turn him to stone, and keep him floating helplessly in Vestibulum forever." 

Whatever cheer that Terrato showed disappeared. "With Discord's rebellion dealt with, we were ordered to return to the Eternal Herd. Another steward was to be given the task of maintaining harmony. Celestia would have none of it. She insisted on doing the task herself. When she was told to come home, she refused. Luna and I joined her. This was the third rebellion."

Twilight's jaw fell open. She could never have imagined that Princess Celestia herself had rebelled against her parents. Applejack had a similar reaction. Vanguard listened stoically.

"Under Celestia's reign, Equestria recovered from Discord's madness, and grew prosperous. By this time, however, the other races started invading their neighbors. I've told you this already, Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight nodded. Celestia had elaborated on that as well.

"After the division, Luna broke a sacred rule placed upon us siblings: never raise a hoof against each other. She allowed Nightmare Moon to possess her, and attacked Celestia. This assault was the fourth rebellion." Terrato shook his head. "I brought our parents into the matter, and I was ordered to kill Luna to send her back to the Herd. Celestia refused to take that solution. By banishing Luna to the moon instead of killing her, she committed the fifth rebellion. Again, old news to you chosen."

With that, Terrato stopped. Twilight continued to stand, and listen. When a minute of silence passed, she ventured to speak up. "Um…what about the sixth rebellion? The Queen said that the seventh was on the way so--"

"I know how to count, Twilight Sparkle," was the sharp reply. Another minute of silence passed. "I committed the sixth rebellion," Terrato said so quietly that Twilight could barely hear him. "There."

"That's not fair!" Twilight blurted out. "You had no problem talking about Princess Celestia's--" Terrato leaped from his seat, and landed in front of her.

"You're going to age and die, Twilight Sparkle!" Terrato rumbled. "But I'm not. Neither are my sisters. Tell me how that's fair, and I'll indulge you!" He turned, and walked back. "Wayward children of Oceanus! We weren't supposed to be here, and I wasn't supposed to care beyond making my dearest sister happy. Somewhere along the line, that changed. Now, I have to consider attacking Celestia for your sakes! I'd lay the blame of the sixth rebellion on your hooves, if I didn't know that it wouldn't matter!"

"Your highness…" Twilight said. She had fallen on her tail at his lunge, but there was something in his tone that made her feel…sorry for him. 

Terrato looked to the side, his ears perking. "Somepony's broken through the barrier. Just what is going on in there?"

The air at the center of the audience hall came alive with magical energy. A blast of dark purple light erupted above them, followed by something falling to the ground heavily. Everypony in the room walked over to investigate.

"Luna!"

Terrato ran ahead, and nuzzled his little sister in concern. Luna had materialized in midair following a powerful teleportation spell. There were small burns around her body, including some singed feathers on her wings, and she was barely conscious. "Get some medics in here!" Terrato roared. He gently lifted his sister with his magic, and placed her on his back. "What happened?" he asked her, gentleness and urgency warring in his tone.

"Big brother…" Luna wheezed. "The Heartland is…the Heartland--" Her legs fell limp against Terrato's sides.

"Princess Luna!" Twilight cried out. She ran up to the two alicorns with Applejack right behind her. Even Vanguard came forward. Even at a distance, she could see the wisps of smoke rising from the princess.

Terrato stomped a hoof against the floor, cracking the stone, and sending tremors throughout the building. Twilight looked on, but she still couldn't make sense of the sudden events. What had just happened? Did Celestia attack Luna? "Must everything push me into this confrontation?" Terrato growled. "Is the entire world going to rejoice when I raise my hoof against Celestia?" He looked to the south, then towards the ponies entering the chamber. Several ponies from Medical were already running forward to help. "I'm going to see to what happened myself."

"Your highness, what of King Fenrir?" Vanguard asked.

"He'll honor the pact," Terrato replied. "As for Nightmare Moon, I will leave her to the Elements of Harmony until I return. I cannot ignore this matter any longer!" With that, his horn flared with gray light, and he disappeared.

Twilight looked worriedly towards the south. "Princess Celestia…" A hoof touched her shoulder.

"Our rulers will settle things by themselves," Vanguard said. He tried to sound reassuring, but there was worry in his voice. "Our job is to make sure that the duties they left us remain fulfilled."

Twilight rested her head against the hoof. All she could do now was hope that Celestia and her siblings make it out of this safely.