//------------------------------//
// A Piece of the Past 
// Story: My Son, My Soldier, My Hero 
// by That_Random_Pony 
//------------------------------//


"How's the arm?" 

Draco flexed his arm and stretched it out, feeling a few stings of pain. "It's nearly there," he managed to sigh. 

"Good," Jerosh nodded. "Tomorrow we'll be meeting in the same room."

Draco's expression fell. "What? But, I JUST got out of this bed," he exclaimed.

"Father broke his arm three times in one training session with our grandfather," Jerosh chuckled softly. "He went back the next day and broke both legs and his spine. After that, he went back and returned with a collapsed rib cage and a severed arm."

That still didn't ease Draco's thoughts, and he voiced as much. "I can't do what our father did, Jerosh," Draco said firmly. "I'm nowhere near his level."

"No, you aren't," his brother said. "But Father did all of this when he was TWO cycles younger than you."

His youngest brother's jaw dropped as he tried to comprehend it. "But… how could he–"

"You're still training at a slower pace, Reku'un," Jerosh softly told him. "You won't be able to do what our father did for another few months, since the thermite will speed your rites' development. You're devoted, I know, but even devotion won't make this easier. But you're keeping up, and I'm sure you will now."

Draco let out a small sigh and nodded, turning to the door as it slid open. "Good to see you standing," Jaqeluu smiled softly. "Jerosh."

The eldest nodded softly, and they did their friendly greeting. Jaqeluu did the same to Reku'un. "Where are the others?" Draco asked.

"They're on a short trip to tell Ichima where the ships will be," he said. "We've had to follow the planet's orbit so the exterior wouldn't be affected by the changed in gravity for so long."

He nodded slowly, realizing Ichima was the name of one of their goddesses. "Do you really think my mo–Celestia is Ichima?" Draco asked.

"There's no doubt about it," Jerosh nodded. "She controls the star, and her sister controls the moon. They're equals and opposites all at once. Just as we've all seen in Minira."

"You've seen their mother?" Draco asked in disbelief. 

The two brothers laughed at their youngest's statement. "No, but our ancestors have," Jerosh smiled. "Especially the first Reku'un. And the first Signa."

The revelation surprised him… but at the same time caused a bit of doubt to form. Doubt that Jaqeluu picked up on. "We don't lie, Reku'un," he assured him. "Without their direct intervention, we would never have become what we are today."

"And what was the reason she came?" Draco asked.

"Another story for another day," Jerosh chuckled. "I need to go, my brothers. The Protiiglo are having a meeting about the actions we would take if the Arthanians attack early."

"Go," Jaqeluu said. "I'll be here to keep him company."

Jerosh nodded one last time to Draco and left. Jaqeluu went over to the counter to Draco's left and looked over the images of the shattered bones and torn muscles. His gaze fell to the necklace Draco had been looking at, and he picked it up from the counter. He looked at the carvings and gems carefully, then sighed lowly as he lowered his head.

"Was it… for your wife?" Draco asked softly.

Jaqeluu laughed softly, wiping his eyes as he recalled his beautiful partner. "No… no, it wasn't," he chuckled. "I'd made her something nearly as beautiful… and this wasn't mine to give in the first place."

Jaqeluu walked over as he held onto it, sitting on the bed while he still examined it. "Then… who did it belong to?"

He saw his brother's hands tense slightly, and a smile grew slowly. 

"It was Heraj's (Mother's)" 

The words slowly sunk in as Draco regretfully looked to the floor. He gasped softly when he felt the silver-like chain rest on his bare chest, followed by the medallion itself. Jaqeluu locked the chain behind his brother's neck and moved away. 

"The day we… escaped… she told me to find you. She told me to never stop looking until I found you," he sighed. "And when I did, I was to give you this."

He looked out of the window to the side.

"I was so caught up with the excitement that we found you… and that you were alive… that I forgot about this," Jaqeluu said. "And on top of that, you didn't remember us. And we were worried about your training."

Draco kept staring at the medallion that belonged to his mother. "What… what did she look like?" Draco asked. "Did she look like any of us?"

His brother shook his head softly. "Unless one of us were female, no," he chuckled. "But… you do have her curiosity. And her stubbornness. We saw her throw one of Herod's (Father's) Protiiglo through a wall because he wouldn't agree on attacking a horde."

Draco laughed out of surprise, holding the amulet as his laughter died down. "Did she really?"

"She was strong, she was loving, and she was always gentle with each of us. I think Herod was the only one who ever scolded us," he laughed. 

Draco looked over the beautiful carvings and gems. "Do you miss them?"

Jaqeluu looked to his brother, then to the floor. "Not a minute goes by that I remember their touch," Jaqeluu sighed. "Their voices… their love… I'm sure the others miss them as well… but I don't think I'll ever truly be over their deaths."

"Why not?" Draco asked.

"Because I felt so much more than any of our brothers could," Jaqeluu said. "I feel every emotion of every Signa and every regular on this ship. The emotions of every pony on the land beneath us. And the emotions of every other ship's crew. I can never stop feeling… and I loved to know that I had the love of our parents… and that we made them proud."

It reminded Draco about Cadence's ability… but to an extreme. 

"I shouldn't be rambling like this," Jaqeluu sighed, wiping his eyes. 

"It's fine, Jaqeluu," Draco smiled. "We're brothers."

"Yes… but as an Oracle, I need to keep myself composed," he argued gently. "I can't dump my feelings, even if it is our parents. The only thing I should ever say is that they were excellent warriors… and parents to die for."

An Oracle was a person of great mental stability and power, as Draco had learned. Jaqeluu had shown all the attributes of one, and once he turned 35, he would officially brought into the Oracle's Circle. Only three Oracles existed, and he would make four.

"I need to check on Kugoro," Jaqeluu said, placing his hand on Draco's shoulder. "I'll see you soon… perhaps next week, if Jerosh does in fact train you."

They laughed softly, and Jaqeluu disappeared behind the closing doors.