Takato’s victory

As they entered the castle, Hikary noticed the three guards coming towards them. Judging by the banners they wore, these were not just random soldiers, but ponies in command. They stopped as they saw Takato, unsure of how to react. After all, Takato was the prince and heir, but he had also just launched an attack upon the castle.

“It is all right.” Takato said to the guards.
“My father is unable to continue his reign. I will take over command from here on.”
“My lord.” The guards said, bowing deeply before the prince.
“In the castle gardens you will find a golden pony and a unicorn. Make sure those two are properly cared for; they have suffered several injuries and bad treatment under my fathers’ command. I also want one of you to inform the rest of the guard that my father’s reign is over; they are to obey me now. What’s more, find me a messenger and send him to me so I can instruct him on how to send the message to the other parts of the kingdom, and the west.”

“Yes, my lord.” The guards said, and they quickly trotted towards the garden while one of them turned around and ran back into the castle.

“What about your father?” Hikary asked, wondering why they had left the High King there.
“He will not go anywhere. We’ll take care of him later.”
“What will you do with him? Surely you do not wish to keep him here in your castle.” Takato resumed walking, following Hikary towards his mother’s room.
“Nah, that was not my plan. I will not take his life… I am not like him. But I will not leave him here either. I think I will send him somewhere away, in the countryside, where he will be looked after but contained so that he can never regain any form of power again.”

“A wise decision. Up here.” Hikary said, pointing towards the stairs ahead of them.
“It has been so very long since I last set foot in this castle… I would almost lose my way.” Takato commented. Hikary giggled. The castle was truly a maze, and amazingly big too. Compared to this, even their new castle looked like a tiny house.

Hikary led Takato through the castle corridors, hoping she remembered the way correctly. After she had told Takato that they had met his mother locked up in a room, he had insisted she would bring him to her right away. Taira had stayed behind to guard over Shanjahen and look for Stelline, who had ran off from the fight at the first opportunity. “I think it’s over there.” Hikary said, pointing at a door that was slightly open.

Takato dashed towards the door and ran into the room, Hikary following him closely. Thankfully, she had not been mistaken. Lit by the flickering light of a candle, her face was full of sorrow as the old pony stared out of the window at whatever was left of the fight below. She looked so much older then Shanjahen… but Hikary found it rather hard to believe that that was true.

“Mother…” Takato whispered. The shadow moved, staring blankly at Takato.
“I’m home, mother.” Takato said more firmly after he had made sure the old pony was indeed his mother.
“Takato…” her voice as soft as a whisper in an autumn storm, Inanna’s face lit up as she recognized her oldest son.
“My boy...” Inanna slowly walked towards him, her hoofsteps cut off by the soft carpet on the ground.

“I’m here, mother.” Takato took a step towards his mother. “I’m so sorry… I’m so sorry I left you.”
“Shh… don’t talk.” Inanna said to her son, hugging him tight.
Hikary felt like a third wheel, here with this reunion between mother and son. So many unspoken emotions, and she understood all of them, remembering her own reunion with her mother a few years back. Regina… how was she doing now? They had already been gone for so long…

Getting closer to the castle, Ruki began to hear the sounds of an ending battle. Cheering ponies, no more fighting... Had the news already travelled that fast? Then again, Ruki had no recollection of how long she had been gone. Looking at the sky, she could see the first faint rays of sunlight trying to push back the dark night. Morning already… Ruki had underestimated the size of the royal garden if she could walk around in it for so long without realizing this much time had passed.

Getting ever closer, Ruki began to hear the voice of ponies closer to her. Two male, one female, but she could not make out yet what they said. The female voice, however, she recognized without any trouble. Mother… An ancient voice inside her told her to stop, but her legs kept on walking, unable to listen to dead voices from the past any longer.

“Please, take her to an infirmary. Make sure she gets plenty to drink, but not too much at the same time. Maybe soup, yes, make her soup. And find someone to tend to her wounds; they look as if they might get seriously infected.” Ruki heard her mother say, but it was still too dark so she could not see who she might be talking to. The subject, however, she could guess; the poor unicorn who barely escaped getting her horn cut off by Shanjahen’s brute.

“Yes, my lady.” The male voice replied, and Ruki guessed it belonged to one of Shanjahen’s guards… or better, Takato’s guards.
“Good. Get going, then. I’ll accompany you until we are inside; then I must find Takato.” As Ruki passed another set of trees, she realized she was very close to her mother. The men were indeed of Shanjahen’s former guard, and they were guiding the unicorn inside, who looked completely dazed. She was probably in shock, Ruki thought.

“Mother…” Ruki tried to say, but her voice was surprisingly soft, as if all the volume had been taken out of it by that single blast she had sent. Nevertheless, her mother noticed her.
“Ruki…” Taira said, her voice fading away as if she wasn’t sure what else to say.
“Can I… can we talk for a bit?” Ruki asked.
“Yes. Yes, of course. Guards, I leave Stelline up to you.”

Ruki waited as they watched the guards lead Stelline into the castle.
“Do you trust them?” She wondered out loud.
“Yes. I know their loyalty to Shanjahen was forced on them; once they learned his rule was over… you should have seen the look in their eyes when they saw that.” Taira pointed at the shaking body a bit further away.

“Oh…” Ruki gazed at what was left of the High King. Surely, he was alive, but Ruki was unsure if there was anything left of him beyond that.
“Ruki… will you listen to me for five minutes? I won’t ask more than that. I understand your anger. You may not believe me, but…”

Ruki looked at her mother, for the first time inspecting the features of her face closely.

The void which she had seen in her mother’s eyes that day in the mountains in the east was no longer there. Instead, her eyes shone with a brightness even the prana could not match. There was sorrow, and sadness… but also determination.
“Yes. I am… I want to hear it. Your story, I mean. Please… I want to understand.” Ruki wasn’t sure what she wanted her mother to hear, but she was happy her mother had offered an explanation on her own.

“I… I don’t even know where to begin.” Taira snorted.
“The story is so long by now… But here it goes. When I met your father, Ruki… I was running away. I had broken free of a force that had kept me in darkness for almost all my life, using me only as a way to obtain what he truly desired. His name was Aras. As I later found out, he was what remained of the only male guardian this world had ever seen… but I’m getting ahead of things.

I met your father, and fell hopelessly in love. You were born… and I loved you so, so very much it was almost painful. But every day, every moment… I knew Aras might come for me. I feared what he would do if he found me. So when my sister Rain… Hikary as you know her, who was also under his spell, arrived at the island… I went with her willingly. Not because I wanted to, but because it was the only door she could offer me that would keep you safe.

I went back, and Aras locked my memories without even looking at them, forcing me to be his slave once more. That is how you met me, Ruki, all those years later. I did not recognize you back then… my memory was locked away. But somewhere, deep inside, I knew I had to protect you. I send you away, telling you never to come look for me again, so that you might remain safe, outside of Aras’ view.

Eventually, Aras was defeated by me and Twinkle Star… my sister, and I learned that I still had a family who I belonged to, and a people waiting for me to rule them justly. Slowly but surely, I found the key to all those unlocked memories. You, Ruki, have been on my mind ever since the day I unlocked those memories that belonged to you. I looked everywhere for you… but I couldn’t find you.”

“I was pretty well hidden.” Ruki grinned.
“That you were.” Taira agreed.
“So you… you only wished to protect me?” Ruki asked.
“Yes. I know I did not do it in an elegant way… but I had no other option. I didn’t even remember you, only the strong feeling of protecting. I’m not proud of anything I did… I’m ashamed of so many horrible things. But I have learned to tell myself it was not of my own doing. I was forced, left without a choice.”
“I… I think I can understand. In a way… Maybe I did the same thing.” Ruki sighed, remembering the countless times she followed Takato without even realizing she also had the choice not to go.

Shanjahen uttered a wordless cry, making both Ruki and Taira look up.
“You think he is in pain?” Ruki asked, suddenly concerned. She never wanted to hurt anyone.
“I don’t know. I asked those guards to send me some more ponies so we can move him and inspect him. You hit him pretty hard, though. Even without the prana… I’m not sure what such a blast would do to anyone.”

“I didn’t want to hurt him… What did I do?” Ruki asked, feeling tears in her eyes once more.
“You unleashed your eastern power, which you should not be able to do here, and used it to guide prana. I’m not sure how it works, but you were able to channelling prana better then I’ve seen either Takato or Shanjahen do. Maybe your father has something to do with that… I just don’t know.”

“I want to understand. I was never able to use that power, even in the east. Takato tried to make me use it countless of times, for he realized it was hidden deep inside me. Apparently it was sealed away by prana… but even after Takato had removed that, I was unable to even feel it. And here, suddenly… it came bursting out as if I didn’t even have any control over it. How did that happen? What did I do?” Ruki asked desperately.

Taira took a step towards her.
“I don’t know, Ruki. By all means, it shouldn’t have happened. But it did. I promise you though, if you want to… I will help you find out why you were able to do this where no one else could.”
Ruki gazed at her mother, wondering if she could trust her mother’s words. A voice inside her said she did not even know this person, but from somewhere deeper came the feeling that she wanted to trust her.

“Okay. We’ll figure it out…” A big yawn interrupted Ruki’s sentence.
“Oh my, you must be exhausted.” Taira said.
“Maybe a little.” Ruki answered, knowing that was an understatement.
“Let’s go find you a bed to sleep in then. I’m sure we can find one.” Taira smiled.
 “That might be nice… I don’t think I’ve slept at all the past three days.”
“I’m sure you haven’t… you’ve been made to carry a big responsibility.”

“I…” Ruki choked, for the first time grasping that it was now all truly over. Her mother was here… The mother she had longed and searched for all her life was here, worrying over her. The High King was gone. Never ever would she be forced to go on missions doing things she never wanted to do. Takato would be High King, and she would be able to leave him, to go to a life she had dreamed of for so very long.