//------------------------------// // 2. Family Business // Story: Planet Hell: The Redemption of Harmony // by solocitizen //------------------------------// Planet Hell Solocitizen 2. Family Business 47th of Planting Season, 10,044 AC In charged Thunder Gale and Hill Born, hollering and laughing. Their hoof-falls clattered on marble tiles iridescent in the light of the setting sun. Thunder Gale scrambled up the back of an elegant couch and sent dust flying as he dropped onto the cushion on the other side. Pictures of dead pegasi emperors lined the walls around him, and their eyes seemed to follow him. “Die, Imperial rat!” Hill Born growled. He sank his teeth down on his firing bit, and let loose a volley of foam darts over the crest of the couch. Thunder Gale let the darts rain down on him and pressed his body flat against the couch. He scooped them up in his hooves and loaded them into the bopper-gun mounted on his shoulder. He waited for an opportunity to strike, much like how he imagined a real soldier would in a trench. When the darts stopped raining, and Hill Born stopped giggling, Thunder Gale struck. He flashed out from behind cover, took aim at Hill Born’s lime green face, and chomped on his firing bit. Whistling darts battered against every inch of his green body. He reared up on his hind legs and used his two front hooves to shield his face, but he stumbled back, and tumbled down into the vase and pedestal behind him. The ancient family relic, gold plated and covered with hard to pronounce gems, hung in the air for a fraction of a second before shattering against the marble. “Oops,” said Thunder Gale. “Are you okay, Hill?” Hill Born’s eyes locked onto the vase and he yelped in terror. Thunder Gale winced. “What have I done?” Hill Born dragged his front hooves down his face. “What am I going to do? I told you! I told you we shouldn’t have gone in here! You don’t think we can fix it, do you?” The palace air conditioning rumbled on, and little bits of the pottery sped across the floor and entrenched themselves in the cracks between the tiles. “It’s so broken that if it were a pony, it would get a closed casket funeral.” Thunder Gale shrugged off his bopper-gun as he climbed off the couch. “What does that even mean?” Hill Born asked. “I don’t know. I think that’s a way of saying it’s really, really, dead.” Hill Born lay down in front of the air vent and corralled as much of the debris as his short reach allowed. His ears flopped down and he chewed on the end of his hoof. “If one of the cleaning ponies or Fancy Tie finds out I broke this, I’ll get in so much trouble,” he said. “But it won’t stop at me. They’ll take me to my mom and she’ll get in trouble. What if they say she can’t cook at the palace any more? What if they make us go back to Lower Pegatropolis? I don’t want to move back there.” Pegatropolis was the most important place in the Pegasus Empire. It was where the Imperial palace was, and where Thunder Gale and his dad and mom and big sister lived. It wasn’t until about two years ago that Thunder Gale met Hill Born, and he learned there was much more to Pegatropolis. Beneath what he always thought was solid ground was a second city full of earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi. The upper city was built on top of a great roof supported by ginormous towers in the lower city. With the exception of the servants and their families, all the ponies in the upper city were pegasi. “What am I going to do? My mom can’t get in trouble over this.” “Let me think,” Thunder Gale said. As much as he wanted to run or hide from the mess, his friend was shaking and could hardly stand. He wouldn’t be able to flee with him. Hill Born had said that perpetual night shrouded the lower city. Lots of ponies down there were sick, something about the air or pollution. That was why his mother applied as a cook at the palace when the position opened up: it was the only way a family of earth ponies could get out of the smog. Thunder Gale thought of his dad. He wouldn’t leave his friend behind no matter what, he thought. He’d find a way to make things right. So he pushed his fear aside and put a hoof on Hill Born’s shoulder. “What are we going to do, Thunder?” he asked. “I don’t know, but we’ll think of something. They’re not taking my best friend away.” Hoof steps clattered from up the hall and the two colts froze. The door swung open, and there stood Fancy Tie, a grim unicorn with a mean chin and a meaner pair of eyes. Thunder Gale didn’t know exactly what his position was, but all the other servants were afraid of him. Fancy Tie’s eyes locked onto the shattered vase right and then narrowed in on Hill Born. “Hill Born, what have you done?” Fancy Tie loomed over the quivering colt. “Do you have any idea how much trouble you’re in?” “Please, I’ll find a way to fix it, honest,” said Hill Born. “Just don’t tell my mom. Don’t get her in trouble!” Thunder Gale stepped between Fancy Tie and his friend, with his wings unfurled as far as they would extend. “Actually, Mr. Tie, sir, it’s all my fault, Hill Born had nothing to do with this.” He collapsed his wings flat against his sides and met Fancy Tie’s gaze. “We were playing Griffons and Soldiers, and one of my darts knocked the vase over. It was my idea to come in here in the first place. Hill didn’t even think it was a good idea. I forced him to, and he was trying to cover for me by helping me hide my mess.” “What?” Fancy Tie’s eyes widened. “You did this? I expected this sort of reckless behavior from earth pony rabble, but not from you.” He stepped forward, and his eyes narrowed into an executioner’s glare. Thunder Gale heard stories about Fancy Tie’s face right before he disciplined a pony. Hill Born said it was cold, merciless, and burned with a righteous fury that invoked fear into the entirety of the palace’s staff. One glance at Fancy Tie’s grim face was enough to send Hill Born into hiding behind his own tail. But instead of running or hiding or pleading, Thunder Gale held his ground. He kept his wings unfurled and glared right back at Fancy Tie until his stare melted. Thunder Gale dropped into a combat stance he saw on a holovid, and pressed his ears flat against his head until Fancy Tie’s advance broke. “Just wait until your father hears about what you’ve done,” he said. Without touching Thunder Gale, Fancy Tie ushered him out of the room and down the hallway. Looking back, he caught the slightest glimpse of Hill Born peeking out of the room as they rounded the corner out of the eastern wing. Thunder Gale shot him a nod. They waited outside his father’s office without speaking. The great windows next to Thunder Gale overlooked the palace gardens, which buzzed with life and blooming flowers of every color. The sky overhead was endless and alive with shuttlecraft and ornithopters, and the late afternoon sun cast long shadows through the pillars, archways, and the royal gardens that swayed as if alive. A pair of dignitaries wrapped in colorful togas trotted up to Fancy Tie and asked to speak to Thunder Gale’s father. “His Eminence is preoccupied with the the Praetor of the Griffon Colonies,” Fancy Tie told them. “It’d be best to come back a little later.” They looked to one another and then turned to leave, but before they did they paused to admire the flowers blooming outside and told Thunder Gale, “that it was an honor to meet him,” and that he was, “a very lucky young colt to have such a wonderful family and live where there’s a garden and flowers nearby.” He wasn't in the mood to talk to them, and would have done anything for them to shut up. “They’re all for looking, not eating.” Thunder Gale snorted. “Picking just one of those flowers is a serious offense to the royal family, and those found guilty pay their debt to society publicly.” “Don't mind Master Gale.” Fancy Tie shook his head and forced himself to laugh. “He's merely having a go at you. As you can see, he has quite the sense of humor! I assure you, the royal garden is maintained for the enjoyment of our guests. Please, help yourself to as many of the blooms as you desire.” They looked to each other and excused themselves. “That was very rude of you,” Fancy Tie said after the two pegasi in the colorful togas were out of earshot. “Whatever, they came here to talk to my father and look at the stupid plants outside.” Flowers didn’t grow naturally on Hellas, but one of Thunder Gale’s great-great-great-great-grandfathers brought a bunch to the palace grounds after a war with an earth pony kingdom. Everypony that visited the place just couldn’t shut up about the silly plants. “No, they came here to visit the royal family, which by definition includes you,” Fancy Tie said. “Sooner or later you’re going to have to learn some decorum befitting of your role. I hope I’m there to see it happen.” Thunder Gale ignored him. He tapped his hoof on the marble floor and kept his eyes focused on the door to his father’s office. Every now and then he heard his father raise his voice from somewhere behind the door to his study. He had never seen his father like that up close, and he never wanted to. Ever. After waiting outside for the longest time, the doors to his father’s office opened, and out walked the bestest dad in the whole galaxy. The sight of his son brought new life into his eyes. “Your Eminence, please excuse me for interrupting.” Fancy Tie stepped between them and bowed his head. “That’s fine, I needed a break,” said Thunder Gale’s father. “I’m assuming you’ve brought my son here because of the mess in the east wing?” “Yes, Your Eminence. I found him with one of the servants’ children. They were playing a game and Thunder Gale shattered a priceless royal artifact. Would you ask me to discipline him?” “No, that will be all, Fancy Tie,” he said. “You’re dismissed.” Without taking his eyes off the floor, Fancy retreated down the hall and out of sight. He waited until he was sure Fancy Tie was gone before asking, “How did you know about the vase?” His eyes widened and his wing’s unfurled in alarm. “You saw everything, didn’t you?” “Yes, I know you lied to keep your friend out of trouble.” His lips and eyes tilted up into a smile. “When the vase toppled over, a silent alarm was triggered and the palace security was alerted. When they saw it was you they sent the security footage to my private terminal.” “You’re not mad?” Thunder Gale glanced at his hooves. “I am troubled that you were playing exactly where you were told not to, but more importantly I—” “I’m sorry. He was chasing me and I wasn’t really looking where I was going and I didn’t mean for anything to break.” “That’s okay, we can talk about that later.” His father tapped the door open behind him and, with a gentle nudge of his hoof, guided him into his office. “I am much more impressed than I am mad. Here, come in, I have something I want to show you.” No pony was ever allowed into his father’s office, except for his most trusted advisors and close family. Thunder Gale couldn’t help but smile a little bit. He must have done something really, really right. His father’s mane had greyed a bit since last time he saw him. His father’s office was large, but cluttered with so many dirty dishes, stacks of paper, and info disks that the space disappeared. It smelled like day old hummus in there. The words “Report From Griffin Annex” hung in red words above a long desk in the center. When Thunder Gale stepped inside, his father locked the door and shut the blinds. He darted over to the holographic projector on his table tapped a button to dim the overhead lights. “I don’t get it,” Thunder Gale said. “What did I do that made you so happy? I broke a bunch of rules.” “Besides rough-housing indoors, you acted with courage and you put a friend before yourself.” Thunder Gale’s father retraced his path around the stacks of paper and put a hoof on his shoulder. “Staying true and defending those around you is a trait most ponies never bother developing. I’d never fire the head chef on account of something you and her son did. Besides, the vase was just a replica. The real De le Rote is in a vault.” With a flick of his father’s hoof, the holographic projector flashed. Thunder Gale blinked and recoiled, and when he opened his eyes an image of Hellas hovered above the projector in exquisite detail. While mighty oceans and endless hills dominated the sunny side, the night side was cobwebbed with an intricate network of orange lights. Thunder Gale awed at the sight. He’d seen the real thing from orbit many times before, but he hadn’t ever seen it in his father’s office. “Help me remember, what are some of the wildest places we’ve traveled to?” asked his father. "We went to Moon Base One not too long ago.” Thunder Gale tapped his hoof as he dug up places from memory. “And we went to The Burning Hills in the Southern Continent about a season ago, and then there was that place with the really big pillars and the old coliseum.” “The Arena Grounds.” “Yeah, those, and a really long time ago we went to the Arctic Circle and saw the snow lions and Spring got scared and actually thought timber wolves were real and out to get us.” Thunder Gale chuckled, but then quickly shut up before he said anything about the part he played in tormenting his big sister. “You forgot about all the places your mother and I took you when you were just a foal.” His father took his hoof off his shoulder and looked right at Thunder Gale. “I bet you think you’ve seen quite a bit of Hellas.” “Yeah, I guess so.” He shrugged. “What if I told you that you’ve only seen a small portion of it? What if I told you that you could spend your entire life traveling and still not see all that our world has to show? I bet you also think that Pegatropolis is pretty big, too, but what if I told you that if you were to take all the ponies in Pegatropolis and multiplied them by one thousand, that you’d have less than half of Hellas’s total population?” Thunder Gale studied the hologram rotating in front of him. He tried but couldn’t wrap his mind around just how big it really was. He shrugged and said, “I don’t know.” Swiping his wings through the air, Thunder Gale’s father zoomed out until Hellas dwindled down to a tiny dot hanging in the air. There were more dots in the room now. A pink speck near the door, a ball of fire near the window, and a cluster of rocks to Thunder Gale’s left. “This is our system, Pegasus Prime, and there are two more inhabited worlds in it and over thirty self-sustaining stations and outposts,” said Thunder Gale’s father. “There are just as many ponies living off world in the system as there are on Hellas itself.” “How come you’ve never taken me to see any of them?” he asked. “I don’t know why, exactly.” Thunder Gale’s father tapped his chin and shrugged. “I guess your mother and I thought you wouldn’t get much out of it. It can be quite an ordeal reaching some of those settlements and they’re not nearly as diverse or enriching of an experience as anything you’ll see on Hellas. You’ll see them eventually. If you plan on getting a degree in anything besides the creative arts or medicine, you’ll be shipped off to Kronos Station for military training.” Before Thunder Gale got the opportunity to examine any of the projections around him, his father flicked his wings again time and the system shrank into an orb the size of his hoof. All around him orbs circled in the air, there were hundreds of them, each with their own light and their own name dangling above them. Thunder Gale’s eyes darted to each of them, and he opened his mouth to ask a question but all he could think to say was “wow.” Each little orb was its own system, each with its own worlds as diverse and wondrous as Hallas, and there was just so many of them. He had seen maps before, but not like that, and not with that perspective. “Do you know what this is?” his father asked. “Is this the universe?” “No, this is just the Empire.” His father chuckled and pointed to an orb directly over Thunder Gale’s head. “Explored space is much bigger. That right there is Delphion, to your left is Sagittaron, and by the door is the Griffon Annex.” He paused ever so briefly before saying that last one. Thunder Gale didn’t know much about the story of the Griffon Annex, but he knew that it was an endless source of trouble for his father. Before grandfather died, he conquered the last two independent griffon worlds. It had something to do with protecting themselves should the earth pony kingdoms ever try to invade. Thunder Gale’s father had spent his entire career trying to undo what grandfather did, but he said it wasn’t as simple as packing up and leaving. Another swish of his father’s wings and once again the image zoomed out. There was a momentary pause as the projector loaded up and rendered the image, time enough for the anticipation to boil up in Thunder. “We have one more stop to make,” said Thunder Gale’s father. “After that, you’re welcome to explore the holograms in more detail.” The hologram loaded, and the room flooded with pale green light. Thunder Gale shut his eyes reflexively, and when he opened them again, the room was full of stars. Bright orbs dangled in every free inch of air, while half complete holograms coated his body and every physical object around him. He unfurled his wings and watched in awe and delight as entire civilizations twirled and danced. He sat down on his haunches and grabbed a free floating orb with his front hooves, and pulled it apart until the image zoomed in and revealed a lush, blue world buzzing with tiny lights. The label above it read ‘Arion.’ With a gesture, the hologram collapsed down and rejoined its brethren in the stars cape. “There are over five million charted systems in explored space, and only a thousand of those are actually inhabited in any capacity.” His father emerged from the sea of light and extended a wing over Thunder Gale. “Only half of those worlds are actually considered colonized and a part of the galactic community.” His free wing swiped, and all but one tiny portion of the map remained. A blue sliver of stars dangled right over the projector. “That’s Imperial Space, it’s just one portion of something so much greater.” “Why did you want to show me all this?” “Your big sister doesn’t want to inherit the title, she has decided to pursue a degree in the arts and your mother and I have no intention of stopping her.” He looked to his son, and watch his eyes as they darted from star to star. “I was uncertain about the future of our family legacy. Your mother and I always just assumed that Spring would succeed me and that would be that. I never thought the job would fall to you. “What you did today made me proud. Our tribe may only be a small portion of the galaxy, but the actions made by our nation have far-reaching effects that ripple out to the rest of the galaxy. The pegasus tribe has always served as the peacekeepers and the protectors of harmony, and it’s a legacy that dates back since before the rule of Celestia and even the founding of Equestria itself. In order to rally the tribe toward those ends, the Emperor has to have enough empathy to understand where the ponies around him are coming from, and to remain dedicated to them enough take risks for their benefit and safety, even if it means putting himself in jeopardy. Just as you did today for Hill Born.” Thunder Gale looked up to his father. “Does that mean that my mane will start turning grey before it should, too?” he asked. “I’m not going to lie to you, it’s not always a fun job.” His father scratched the back of his head and tucked as much of the grey as he could behind his wreath. “But it’s an important one and it’s fulfilling in its own way.” Thunder Gale stared into the floor; he suddenly felt very small in such a big room full of planets. “Hey, you don’t have to decide right away,” he said to Thunder Gale. “In fact I’d be a little worried if you rushed into it.” “Okay.” “Just keep it in mind for now and if you want—and that’s a big part of it, you have to want it—when you’re much older you can apply for military service and work toward having my job one day. I’m sure you’d make a fine Emperor.” “Really?” “You stand up for others and you're loyal to more than just yourself.” Thunder Gale’s father flicked the projector off with a flick of his wings. “There’s more to it than that, but you already have the makings of a great leader and you made me proud today. Just listen to Fancy Tie from now on when he tells you not to play somewhere, okay?” “I won't.” “Now, let’s go see what your big sister and mother are up to.” Thunder Gale’s face lit up. More than anything else in the world, he wanted to make his dad proud.