Tales from the Conversion Bureau: The Last Bastion

by Sachiel

Chapter Two

Office of the Emperor, Second Imperial Palace, Petropolis, Second Empire of Brazil, one year ago

“Presenting her Imperial Majesty Princess Isabel” Pedro, seated at his desk waved her forwards, her long, straight black hair and deep blue eyes shined in the light of the sun coming from the windows, glinting off her emerald earrings. She'd come from the funeral, they all had

She dropped to one knee

“Your Imperial Majesty”

Oh great, she wanted something, she only ever did this when she wanted something

When she was six it was to meet some Ponies (the children of his Unicorn advisors were swiftly invited for a playdate), at eight a carriage, at twelve it was a yacht, at sixteen she wanted to take on royal duties. Now she was eighteen, what was it going to be this time?

He motioned for her to stand

“I ask your leave to be allowed to emigrate to Equestria”

He glared at the Archer Guards, the protectors of the imperial family

“Leave us” they got the hint and swiftly made themselves scarce, now alone he spoke quietly and calmly

“Please explain to me why you want to go to a Conversion Bureau”
“You're the Emperor, I didn't feel right doing it behind your back” Pedro sighed
“I'm also your uncle, I promised my brother I would take care of you Isabel”
“Then let me go”
“Why do you want to go?”
“You know why”

The barrier had sped up, already almost all of the Amazon was gone, Manaus long since abandoned, the gulf coast to the north had been consumed and refugees were trickling south from Pará, some of whom had only been there due to fleeing from Amapá, Suriname and the last remnants of Guyana. By now it was obvious to all that the Empire of Brazil was finally feeling the bite of Equestria's devouring magic front

“There's a chance it can be stopped”
“Grandfather said that before you and great-grandfather said it before him”
“There's a chance”
“I don't want to risk a chance, other countries royals, other governments have gone through the Conversion Bureau, Celestia lets them retain some leadership over their people, our own subjects can go through if they want”

“Isabel...” he hesitated
“Why can't I go and lead them? Let some part of Brazil survive?”

That was it? She wanted to go? To abandon everything? To abandon her family, her empire, her species? To rule a mockery of the Empire?

His hand clenched into a fist

“No, you do not have my leave, as your Emperor, as your uncle, as your family I can't let you go to that place, I can't bear to lose you”
“I...” she started, he spoke firmly
“This discussion is over niece, now go, you have your duties to see to, duties you asked me to let you undertake, duties you can't just abandon”

She didn't get upset, didn't yell and she didn't glare at him, Isabel calmly said “...alright uncle” and quietly left the office

That was new, he didn't like it

In the middle of the night Pedro found himself in his pyjamas and dressing gown striding down the marble staircase of the palace, his silken slippers slapping on the stone floor, out a side entrance and across the still grounds to a guardhouse near the wrought iron fence that separated the palace from the rest of the city

The Archer Guard, one of many who served the revived imperial family met him outside and told him what had happened. How they'd caught her trying to scale the fence before she slipped and got her leg gashed by one of the ornate iron points, then he opened the door

Inside Princess Isabel was sitting on a chair dressed in dark clothes, her right thigh wrapped in gauze, a pile of bloodied dressing lying on the floor next to a small backpack, he looked at the guardsman

“Leave us”
“Your majesty I-”
“Wait outside the door” the guardsman saluted and left, Pedro pulled up a chair to sit across from her, the silence that passed seemed like an age, Isabel doing her best to avoid looking her uncle in the eye, him keeping his fixed on her, finally he spoke

“Why?” she looked him right in the eye, her blue eyes boring into his calm grey pools
“You know why”
“No, I don't” he stood “I don't understand why my niece, who I've raised as my own daughter, who was given everything she ever asked for, who has done so much good and brought so much joy to our family would turn her back on all that because for once, she was told no”

He expected her to yell, he expected her to cry, he didn't expect her to laugh

“You think that's it? You think I'm that selfish?”
“Why do you want to go to the Conversion bureau?”
“Why don't you?”
“I'm not abandoning the Empire, our people, our family, whatever happens I'll be here to see it through and not cut and run for a semblance of power”
“And you think I want to?”

“I don't know what you want to do, I thought you wanted to stay with your family”
“I know you want to stay, I know cousin Luis does, I know aunt Clara does, can you respect that I don't?” her vocative started to break “that I don't want to sit here and see everything I've ever known consumed by the barrier? Let everything end? Let myself end?”

That was it, that was why, it wasn't teenage rebellion, a lust for power or some grand vision, she didn't want to die, it was that simple

“You don't remember your father do you?”
“He died when I was five, so no, not really”
“He was a tough man, brave, my closest friend growing up, when he died I swore that I'd take care of you, see your prosper so that's what I'll do” he rose to his feet and made for the door

“Guardsman?”
“Yes your majesty?”
“Stand aside”

He looked back at his niece

“Go, it's better something survive of us, maybe over there you can lead what remains of our people so something of Brazil survives, like the others” she rose to her feet, limping to the door before she stopped and dug into the bag
“Here” she held out a single emerald earring, one of the pair she'd worn earlier that day “so you'll always have a piece of me and I'll never forget where I came from whenever I wear this one”

Unable to think of anything to say Pedro hugged his niece goodbye and watched her limp down the hallway and out the door, after it fell back closed he slipped the earring in his pocket and turned to the guardsman

“This never happened, princess Isabel ran away from home, by the time I was alerted and came here she'd already left the grounds and vanished inside the Conversion Bureau, do you understand me?” the guard knew better than to say otherwise
“Yes your majesty”
“Good, what is your name?”
“Joao Rocha, sir”
“I need good men with me Joao, can I trust you? Do you understand what would happen if word got out that I let my niece go to conversion willingly? We need to be united, so I'm asking you, in the name of whatever god or gods you may or may not have, can I trust you to never breathe a word of what happened here?”

For a second he said nothing and Pedro's heart hung in the air, then he dropped to one knee

“On my honour as an Archer Guard you have my word that I will speak of this to no-one my Emperor” Pedro placed a hand on his shoulder and bade him stand
“I believe you Joao, and I'm proud of you”