//------------------------------//
// A History Of Violence 
// Story: Hecate's Orphanage 
// by BlackRoseRaven 
//------------------------------//

Chapter Ninety Six: A History Of Violence
~BlackRoseRaven

Cadence studied Brynhild silently, wondering what the mare was thinking as they sailed back towards the soul furnace. They were all exhausted and beaten and downtrodden: the Norns had escaped, and it was obvious they had been lured away on a wild goose chase. They had at least managed to get in contact with the soul furnace, and the facility was apparently still secure: the RED were running a full check of the zone around the facility, but nothing had disturbed the lockdown or been detected by the sensors... not that that means anything. Loki is tricky.
Cadence sighed a little, then she scowled at Brynhild as the Valkyrie glanced towards her. There was only a few feet of space between them, but also an almost tangible wall of dislike and distrust as they glowered a little at one another.
No, the animosity was more one-sided than that: Cadence glared, but Brynhild only looked sour and so very tired, the ivory mare thought, as the Valkyrie said grumpily: “I do not feel much up to fighting thee right now, Danzsöngr. Nor do I feel like arguing or elsewise amusing thee.”
“I don't need you to amuse me, Valkyrie.” Cadence grumbled, then she shifted a little before finally sighing and asking reluctantly: “Are you... okay?”
Brynhild blinked in surprise, and then she gave a brief, wry smile, looking away and tapping a hoof against the railing of the ship. There was silence for a few moments, until the mare finally said suddenly: “Thesis. 'Tis an interesting choice for a mate, Danzsöngr. And while in the past I would not have minded... try not to eat his head after thou art done with him.”
Cadence gritted her teeth, but then she snorted as she looked away, grumbling: “Because you can't handle him, right?”
Luna snorted at this, then retorted: “I can handle any male! Why, I would boast I could handle any number of males, too, but I am not Freya.” 
Cadence rolled her eyes, and Brynhild grinned before she shook her head and said mildly: “'Tis true. But fear not, prudish Swan, I shan't discuss in detail too much of what-”
“I've done more things with...” Cadence caught herself as Brynhild gave her that awful, frustrating, mischievous look she hated, and the mare scowled before she decided it was probably better not to go down that road. And I don't want to imagine what she's done with some people... “Besides, it's more than that with Thesis. Not that it's any of your business, either.”
“Well, 'tis a little, he is both a former foe and a current brother-of-sorts, and I know not which makes him more important to me.” Luna replied reasonably, and Cadence simply scowled at her before Brynhild turned her eyes back out towards the sea, asking in a softer voice: “How is he?”
Cadence hesitated, then she softened in spite of herself, looking out at the endless, dark ocean as she answered quietly: “Stronger than you think.” 
Luna smiled a little bit, and then she said softly: “I am sure he is. He has always been strong, though. 'Twas he who did this, I shall have thee know.” 
She reached up and tapped gently on her soulstone horn, before she grinned and added: “But I should thank him, really. Without him I would not have my precious Prúðbikkja. Fate works in the strangest of ways, does it not?”
Cadence hesitated for a moment, not knowing if it was polite to ask, not knowing if she cared, not knowing if... I want to know, but I want Thesis... “So uh... I mean...”
“I wasn't really all that sane back then.” Thesis said delicately as he slipped into that space between them, and Cadence and Luna both relaxed slightly as he smiled from one to the other, nodding to Luna before he reached up and tapped awkwardly on his head. “That looks good on you at least, you know. Really uh... cool.”
“Aye. That is what is most important, that I look cool.” Luna said seriously, nodding in return before she asked in a softer voice: “And what of thee, Thesis? The Swan says thou art fine, but the Swan is a foul judge of character.”
“Lucky for me.” Thesis said with a smile, and Brynhild chuckled in spite of herself before the stallion shook his head and answered with a glance at Cadence: “I am okay. A little sore. A little worn-down. Not in the top shape I once was, not really feeling the whole... 'military combat model' thing so much anymore, but... I'm stable. Mentally more than physically. But I think it's better that way, yeah?”
“Perhaps for thee. Just make sure thou art never too boring, Thesis. I would much prefer thee to be a murderer than boring.” Luna replied with a wink, and Thesis rolled his eyes in amusement before the Valkyrie questioned: “Now tell me, for 'tis important: which of thee is the ruler in bed?”
Cadence scowled horribly, but Thesis only gave Luna an amused look before he said seriously: “I think it's pretty obvious that I'm totally as in charge in bed as I am everywhere else.”
Cadence smacked the back of Thesis' head, making him wince before he grinned lamely, rubbing awkwardly at his skull. “See?”
Luna grinned in amusement at this, grunting as she nodded once before she remarked: “I truly see the resemblance to Scrivy in thee now. And to my son, Antares. I am sure the two of thee would get along splendidly.”
“Thank you, Luna. I really appreciate hearing that, especially from you.” Thesis said with an honest smile, before he cleared his throat as he lowered his head, murmuring: “I'm trying to do my best to uh... be the stallion I always wanted to be. Not the puppet that I was.”
“Aye, I know the feeling. 'Tis what I am trying very hard to do as well.” Brynhild agreed, before she turned her eyes back towards Cadence, studying her for a moment before she asked: “And what of thee? Art thou content to be the same old troublesome Swan, or does thou see to be a better stallion as well?”
“I'm a mare.” Cadence said stiffly, resisting the urge to point out that the Valkyries had always been the troublesome ones, and the Swans had always simply followed orders. “And I'm... me. That's all there is to it.” 
“That is indeed.” Luna conceded, and then she chuckled softly before she turned her eyes back out to the stormy seas, studying the foul weather above as she asked softly: “What do thee remember of Loki? Both of thee. I know thou must retain something of Heimdall after all, Thesis. Although... thou art very little like the Watcher of the Worlds.”
Luna smiled slightly at the stallion, who chuckled and shrugged, saying wryly: “Like I said. There are memories, pieces there, but... I'm definitely no Heimdall myself. I'm me.”
“Good. I like thee. Better than I liked wretched Heimdall.” Luna said amiably, before she shook her head and added mildly: “And 'tis not what I asked, so do not insult me by avoiding the question.”
Cadence scowled, but Thesis smiled a little before he said finally: “I remember that you were a giant pain in the ass.”
“Everybody remembers that.” Cadence grumbled, although Brynhild nodded seriously in agreement, looking pleased with herself. 
Cadence hesitate for a few moments, and when Brynhild's eyes flicked curiously towards her, she grudgingly admitted: “I remember the first time we met, Valkyrie. When you tried to ambush me in the tunnels beneath Valhalla.”
“When I...” Brynhild's eyes widened after a moment, a grin cresting her features as she smacked a hoof against the railing and exclaimed: “Yes! That is right, isn't it? I remember now, 'twas after a long, miserable day I had spent tending to the babes of Valhalla, but Gunnar whispered to me of the Swans and a way to meet them, and I was most curious-”
“So you attacked me, yes.” Cadence said sourly, and Brynhild snorted in amusement as Thesis cocked his head curiously. 
“I would not say I 'attacked' thee, Danzsöngr, 'twas more like... I decided to 'play' with thee. 'Tis not my fault thou cannot handle me when I am rough.” Luna retorted with a disdainful sniff, tilting her head back before she added: “Furthermore, I did not kill thee, and I had every chance and right to.”
“You did not!” Cadence snapped, glaring at the Valkyrie, before she huffed and grabbed Thesis by the face, pushing him firmly out of the way before he could say anything to defuse the situation. “I wasn't able to fight-”
“Well, aye, I know, that is why I did not kill thee. And thou art still not able to fight very well.” Brynhild interrupted blandly, her eyes twinkling with mischief, and one of Cadence's own eyes twitched visibly as she gritted her teeth. “Now, Swan, 'tis perfectly fine, thou art-”
Thesis attempted to wiggle out from under Cadence's hoof, and without looking at him, she smacked him firmly across the face, making him squawk and stumble back before Cadence took a step towards Brynhild and leaned aggressively forwards, growling: “At my full strength. Unlike now. And if it wasn't so important that we work together, I would gladly-”
“Okay, okay, whoa, time out, guys. Let's take this down a notch, huh?” Thesis said reasonably as he carefully slipped up to their side, grasping the shoulder of either Valkyrie and Swan as Brynhild grinned and Cadence scowled horribly.
But when Cadence tried to swing a hoof at him, he reached up and caught it, looking at her mildly before he said gently: “Come on, Honk. Don't be that way.”
“Honk!” Brynhild blurted, and one of Cadence's eyes twitched.
“Don't call me that! Either of you!” Cadence snapped, then she glared at Thesis, wiggling her hoof free from his grip, but he met her eyes evenly, and after a few moments she finally grumpily lowered her head, muttering: “She started it.”
“I did not!” Luna shouted, sounding outraged, before she paused meditatively and rose her head, tapping on her chin moodily. “Well. Perhaps I did, but 'twas millennia ago. I do not know whether to be touched or disappointed in thee.”
Cadence scowled horribly, but she managed to resist snapping at the Valkyrie as she took a slow breath, and Thesis took the opportunity to say quickly: “We've got a lot going on right now. Let's try and get back to the whole 'getting along' thing instead of the 'let's kill each other' thing.”
Luna opened her mouth, likely to say something horrible, but Thesis leaned towards her pointedly as Cadence glowered, and after a moment the sapphire mare huffed before grumbling: “Only because I am being scolded from all sides like a foal. I am not a foal. Thou art all stupid.”
Luna paused for a moment, and then she suddenly turned serious as she looked in the direction of the soul furnace, murmuring: “Something is wrong, Swan. Can thou feel it?”
“Yes.” Danzsöngr said calmly, and Cadence swore mentally and struggled wildly in the mental prison she had been shoved off into, but then she grudgingly calmed when she felt the Swan's silent, firm plea to let her speak.
Luna looked with surprise at Danzsöngr, who looked back at her for a few moments before she gave one of her honest but struggling smiles, saying softly: “You haunted us. Defiled our halls many times, pursued us on our patrols, discovered how to tell us apart and even our names. 
“You do not entirely remember. That is fine: it was many years ago, and we know that your mind is instead full of a thousand other thoughts. And it can be hard to remember; those times were not always pleasant, and sometimes it is difficult to tell what was dream and what was reality, what is imagining and what is truth.” Danzsöngr continued, before she reached out as if to touch Luna, saying softly: “We are grateful to you for it now, though. We studied you, as ally, and as foe. We became familiar with you, and with the workings of the Valkyries. You were...”
The Swan seemed to struggle for a word, and Thesis asked after a moment, even as he cocked an eyebrow skeptically at Luna: “A role model?”
“I am a fine model, Thesis!” Luna said proudly, poking at the stallion with one hoof before she turned curious eyes back towards Danzsöngr, asking: “But 'twas not so long ago, Swan, that thou would have just as readily murdered me as flattered me. Perhaps even more so.”
“Who is to say we would still not? There is a fine line between love and hate; that is something you and Mother Freya have also taught us.” the Swan answered with a shrug, and Luna smiled in amusement at this.
There was silence for a few moments, and then Danzsöngr said, almost abruptly: “There is great danger ahead. The Astra does not let us see the future or make predictions: only what is, what has happened, and what must be.” 
“And what must be is not the future?” Luna asked ironically, but Danzsöngr only smiled. “Fine, Swan Maiden. Then why not use thy special eyes to see what trouble is brewing on the horizon?” Luna suggested mildly, tilting her head towards the Swan curiously.
“Something is blocking our vision. It is not just because the ocean is so full of life that it makes it... difficult for us to see, the Astra cluttered by so many...” Danzsöngr didn't have the words, gesturing slowly, awkwardly, and Cadence couldn't help but reflect moodily that the more real and alive the Swan seemed to become, the more it seemed to stumble, to get confused... “I am not confused, Cadence. Instead I recognize now that others have no concept of what it means when I say the embers, or the flame. They do not understand these things, and I cannot... explain.”
“Because thou art stupid?” Luna asked innocently, but Danzsöngr only looked at her as Thesis cleared his throat awkwardly, and after a moment the Valkyrie shifted and said grumpily: “Let me speak to the other Swan again. Thou art irksome.”
The Swan smiled strangely at this, and Luna leaned away slightly in vexation before Danzsöngr said softly: “We are blind to what is beyond us, but not to what is right in front of us. You are afraid, Valkyrie. Do not deny it.”
Luna scowled horribly, but as Thesis frowned and Danzsöngr only stared at her, the Valkyrie shifted slightly before she finally muttered under her breath: “I am not afraid.”
She shifted slightly, then continued in a low voice: “But fine. I am not... happy, either. 'Tis difficult. We have never faced such a foe as Loki... not even when we were young, Swan. If thou wert ever young, that is.”
“Only in the times before the Aesir.” the Swan answered, and the Valkyrie smiled wryly. “But how we can be young if we were never born? You were made, just as we are. You are mud, stolen flesh, and dragon's blood.”
“Nay, that is one addiction I have actually broken!” Luna joked with a small smile, and the Swan stared at her strangely as Thesis gave a lame smile, before Luna sighed and lowered her head, muttering: “Shut up, Danzsöngr.”
“You cannot escape who you are, in your core. Your downfall will not be at the hands of others, but your own, Valkyrie.” the Swan said, and Luna scowled, opening her mouth, before her eyes widened in surprise as Danzsöngr clumsily hugged her, saying calmly as she leaned against the Valkyrie: “We do not blame you. We have great compassion for you.”
“I... do not want thy compassion.” Luna grumbled under her breath, struggling grumpily before she huffed and shoved the Swan off, glowering at her. “I do not know what thou art learning from these ponies, but 'tis all wrong.”
Danzsöngr only smiled at her, before she said calmly: “We see you, too.”
Luna scowled again, although even from inside the Swan, Cadence felt the nervousness of the Valkyrie. But thankfully, Thesis intervened before either mare could do or say anything, asking: “What do you sense on the horizon, Luna?”
“I sense there will be a fight. 'Tis what I sense and all I care about. Morgan could tell thee more, Thesis, so perhaps thou should go and speak to her.” Luna said pointedly, leaning towards Thesis, and the Replicant her her an amused look.
“You know, if you want to get rid of me, you just have to ask.” he said, then he shrugged before adding pointedly: “Just don't kill each other, okay? We're going to need to be in top form for whatever happens. I have a bad feeling too.”
Thesis quieted a little towards the end, and Luna shifted uneasily as Danzsöngr only turned her eerie, endless eyes on him, before she said simply: “Yes. We love you.”
“Uh... I... well, I mean, I would tell you I love you too but then Cadence might punch me but at the same time I guess you're kind of Cadence so it's really nice and uh...” Thesis rubbed lamely at his skull as Luna snorted in amusement, and the Swan only continued to study him in that measuring, soul-searching way she had. 
There was silence for a few moments, and then the Swan simply nodded, and Thesis nodded awkwardly back before he finally turned and walked away, heading across the ship. Luna and Danzsöngr watched him go, before the Valkyrie said softly: “I admit, I still find it difficult to believe a Swan could love. But thou art a strange Swan, Danzsöngr... and while I question the workings of thy mind, I begin to wonder...”
She turned towards Danzsöngr, and Danzsöngr looked back at her for a few moments before she said simply: “It is what you believe it is.”
Brynhild snorted, and then the Swan shivered before she shook her head vehemently, Cadence growling: “It's not. It's... it's just not. And you can stay the hell out of my body, Swan.”
“Funny, to tell that to thyself. Thou sounds like Freya: tired of thy mare-parts. And whilst I understand it at times, I must say, I am far too used to stallions to ever go back to men.” Brynhild remarked, and Cadence scowled at her. “Well, I am sure thou never had the pleasure before, but-”
“I know how to treat a stallion, Brynhild, I had a few relationships before Shining Armor.” Cadence said stiffly.
To her surprise, Brynhild smiled at her, then replied cheerfully: “Then thou art very fortunate indeed, Swan. For I too know how to treat a stallion, but unlike thee, I can think of only one or two relationships I had before Scrivener, and all the rest was all just sex.”
Cadence did her best not to scowl too much, assuming this was some kind of dig at her, and Luna glowered back at the Swan before she rolled her eyes and grumbled: “Oh, fie on thee. Thou cannot even take a compliment properly. But I should not be surprised. Thou art nothing but rude brute force.”
“Says the Valkyrie whose only magic is to summon those stupid hand things and punch people with them.” retorted Cadence, and Luna huffed loudly, glaring at the Swan.
“I use far more magic than that! I wield fire and ice and great powerful explosions as well!” retorted Brynhild, before she added grumpily: “And they are the Jötunnfang, insolent Swan, and they are made for crushing my foes.”
Cadence scowled, before she shook her head and sighed, muttering: “I don't know why I even try and deal with you. It's impossible. I don't know how your partners manage it, they seem normal.”
“'Tis funny to hear Morgan and Scrivy being called 'normal.' 'Tis not a word one would usually associate with either a Clockwork Pony or a... whatever Morgan is. Lich of the umpteenth rank, I do not know.” Luna said amiably, gesturing absently back and forth with her hooves, and Cadence gave a wry smile at this.
But she resisted saying anything too negative, instead simply nodding once before she said finally: “I just hope they're useful when we fight-”
“They are useful and I am useful, Swan. In fact, we are more than simply 'useful.' We are no longer tools, Danzsöngr.” the Valkyrie interrupted, sounding almost exasperated with her.
And Cadence replied before she could stop herself: “Unlike you, I have not lost or forgotten my purpose.” She stopped, winced internally at what she realized she was implying, and then she added sharply: “And the Valkyries can never appreciate what the Swans endured as 'tools,' either.”
But Brynhild only looked at her for a few moments, then she finally shrugged in answer, and Cadence felt both relieved and humiliated all at once, glowering for a moment before she finally turned away, and hating the feeling that she was retreating.
Brynhild only smiled wryly at the mare's back, then she sighed softly, shaking her head before she turned her eyes back out over the dark, endless seas, murmuring: “Well, perhaps there is hope for that one yet.”

It was clear something was terribly wrong as they approached the tower, from the energy in the air and the wild thunderheads that swirled above, eerie lightning crackling through the skies as acidic rain pelted the seas. But it was the cannon fire that tore across the face of the ship that convinced Cadence things had gone from bad to worse, the ship rocking from the violence of the shells as Aster roared: “Shield the ship! Those guns will tear us to ribbons!”
“It's an ambush! We're well within firing range of their weapons!” Thesis shouted, then he stumbled and cursed as cannon fire tore into the seas around them before a spray of bullets tore across the bow, the crew diving for safety beneath the hail of splinters that pelted them. “We have to charge! Protect the front and ram the docks before they can tear us apart!”
“You're insane!” Cadence shouted, but Thesis only grinned at her, and she knew there was no time to countermand the order; more than that, she trusted him, grimacing even as she snapped: “Moonflower! Push us forward, let Morgan handle protecting the front!” 
Moonflower winced at this, but then he stumbled around in a circle as Morgan leapt up to the prow of the ship, her body thrumming with power as she created a massive, domed forcefield in front of the freighter. Bullets plowed across this, but Morgan barely flinched, holding the magic steady. “I've got it! But I can't hold it up forever!”
“I'll get it, I'll... get it!” Moonflower blurted out, his horn thrumming with magic. He snapped his horn down without thinking, and the crew of the ship were nearly all knocked flying as a pulse of power erupted from the boat and launched them forward, sending them shooting across the water.
Bullets and artillery rounds tore and crashed against the shield protecting the face of the boat, making colors flash across the tangible darkness protecting them as they streaked towards the shore. It was all that Cadence could do to cling to the deck as they flew across the water, bouncing over the waves.
Mobile artillery manned by Worker Drones slowly adjusted their aim as a Voidborn shouted almost desperately: “Come on, come on! Shoot them, Loki's counting on us!”
The Pegasus Voidborn stumbled a little over her own hooves, watching with horror as the massive ship tore across the water towards them beneath the bombardment, the mounted guns doing too little, the mobile artillery turning too slow, too late-
The ship crashed against the end of the docks, striking with such force that it tore up wood and metal before keeling forwards with a loud, clanging crunch, the little island shaking with the force of impact. Worker Drones were knocked off their hooves and guns were knocked off targets, Husks scrambling to get back into turrets and to move to defensive positions as the Voidborn picked herself slowly up with a groan, muttering: “This can't get any worse.”
The thrumming shield of dark energy that had been protecting the front of the ship exploded in a blast of magical shrapnel, blades of force hammering across the docks. The Voidborn leapt backwards with a squawk as she was nearly caught by one of these massive shards of magic, before her eyes widened in horror as the chunk of magical shrapnel didn't just punch a hole in the dock where it hit, it set it aflame, necrotic fire greedily spreading over both wood and metal.
The Pegasus staggered back from the ghastly flames, wincing as they licked at her dull-yellow coat and her dark-tan ponytail, swearing in frustration before she looked up in horror as a sapphire mare she recognized all too well erupted from the front of the ship, roaring: “Stolen toys cannot stop me, cowards of Loki!”
“Oh, this can't get any worse! It can't!” wailed the Voidborn as she scurried around in a circle, bolting towards the freight elevator, but she only made it a few feet before something hammered into her back and crushed her into the ground, pinning her helplessly to the metal floor.
She wiggled uselessly before she was rolled over and crushed into the ground, wincing away, eyes staring with terror up at Luna Brynhild as the mare snarled, then blinked and did a double take. It gave the Pegasus Voidborn just enough time to kick Brynhild off and squirm hurriedly backward to her hooves, stumbling away before Luna said dumbly: “Thou? I... I remember thou, vaguely, thou art...”
Her brow furrowed, before her eyes widened as the memories flooded back, of North Neigh, and... “Swiftly Wing! Thou coward!”
Luna lunged and stomped a hoof down, and Swiftly squawked as she leapt backwards, wincing away as she shouted: “There was nothing I could do!”
“Thou fled! Fled-”
“Fled into an abyss! Fled into the apocalypse! What the hell was I supposed to do, Luna? You couldn't stop it, the unicorns couldn't stop it, no one could stop it!” Swiftly shouted angrily back, but her voice was full of fear and pain as she stumbled hurriedly away, flushing in humiliation.
But Luna only snarled, lunging after her: without looking, her hooves went out almost of their own accord, punching away the Husks that tried to attack her from either side like they were nothing more than sacks of grain. “Aye, but at least we tried, and not a damned day passes when I do not wish I had awoken earlier, that I had not been more prepared for him, for the Jötnar that even the Gods- nay, even the giants themselves failed to stop!”
“Get her! Get her, stop her, forget everything else and get her!” shouted Swiftly almost desperately, and the Husks looked up in confusion from what they were doing before two of them wheeled their turrets around, massive machineguns opening fire on Brynhild as the sapphire mare swore and snapped her horn out, flinching as her Jötunnfang burst into existence in flares of flame and frost-mist on either side of her to narrowly shield her from the devastating gunfire.
She was pinned under the force of numbers as Swiftly Wing fled, but it took much of the pressure off the crashed ship, Cadence leading her team quickly down onto the docks with Aster and Scrivener, as Morgan shot through the air above, sending bolts of magnetizing lightning crackling down from the skies to disable and destroy the machines of war set up along the docks.
“The hell is going on here?” La Croix asked in disbelief as a Worker Drone attempted to grab him, the Loa wincing back before he shoved the machine-puppet away. “This ain't right!”
“I'm no genius, but I'd guess Auriculos is behind this somehow!” Thesis said as he leapt up beside Cadence, slamming a hoof through the face of a Husk: it shattered away to dust under his touch to Cadence's surprise, and the stallion gave a wry grin before he said quickly: “Take out everything in the way, let's push to the closest console.”
“Seneschal said everything was fine!” Cadence grumbled, even though she knew enough about computers to understand-
“You probably figured this out already, but I doubt that was actually Seneschal.” Thesis responded, before he winced as a turret began to veer towards them, shouting: “Moonflower!”
Moonflower blinked, then snapped his horn out with a winced when the turret began to open fire; several bullets hit the ground around them, but then the rest veered wildly up into the air as a shield of gravitational energy formed at their side.
Several other Husks seemed to snap out of their confusion, but it was too little, too late: in moments, they had plowed through the emplacement and Cadence broke off with Thesis as she called: “Take care of the enemy forces! We'll find out what's going on!”
Moonflower spun around, snapping his horn out to send out a massive pulse of gravitational energy that hefted Husk and Worker Drone and artillery platform alike before he gritted his teeth and snapped his horn down, slamming them into the ground with gigaton force. The docks ruptured under the force of the magic, cracks spreading through wood and metal as slats and unlucky Void forces collapsed into the toxic sea below.
La Croix ran towards a turret, wincing as he leapt up into the sea and grabbed the controls: it was so easy, he thought, and yet this was the last place he wanted to be even though he knew it was where he was most useful, gritting his teeth as he spun the turret to the side before opening fire on the Husks that were trying to assemble into some kind of formation.
Bullets ripped through the Void soldiers, Husks hissing and looking up in frustration and disgust as their bodies were torn apart by the bullets, steaming energy until they collapsed or literally dissolved beneath the steady gunfire.
Sombra made his way to the other mounted guns, the dark energy that streamed from his body the only tell that he wasn't completely calm. He leapt up on top of the first gun platform, slamming his hooves into the weapon to spread crystal rapidly across the cannon, heedless of the Worker Drones that got caught in the spreading corruption to be petrified in gemstone along with the weapon.
Husks opened fire at him, but Sombra only lunged into the crystal in front of him, phasing through it to leap out the other side of the weapon and drop on top of a smaller turret. He kicked the driver out of the seat before he grasped the controls, his eyes flaring with dark magic for a moment as the machinery squealed before black gemstone tore out of the weapon from all directions.
Sombra narrowly leapt away before the gun exploded, and then he quickly created a shield of black crystal, blocking fire from another turret: he only had to protect himself for a few moments before the turret was blown to ribbons by a powerful blast of red magic from Aster, however, the mare shouting: “Heaven or Enfer, this is my home, and you are not welcome here!”
Worker Drones exploded in great blasts of electricity as Aster's magic tore through them, going up one after the other like candles in flares of crimson magic. The mare grinned cruelly, eyes blazing with dark power as the crimson veins pulsed sickly across her form, rasping: “None of you will be spared! All of you will feel my power!”
The docks shook with the force of another boom of magic from Moonflower, thunderous force ripping across the shipyard to knock both friend and foe off-balance, some of the sense returning to Aster as Cadence winced over her shoulder and snapped: “Goddammit, Moonflower!”
“Can't babysit the kids forever.” Thesis said absently as he yanked the metal cover off a panel, then he shoved a hoof into the cables and grimaced as he simply tore, sending up sparks as he glanced at the freight elevator: the gate was raised, but the elevator itself was, too: that Voidborn Luna had apparently recognized had already managed to flee. The funny thing was, he didn't recognize her either...
The stallion grimaced as he yanked out some of the wiring, digging through the cables as Cadence smashed Worker Drones away from his back, grumbling: “They're worse than zombies. How the hell could Auriculos do this?”
“The drones are literally just drones. Robots. They're a lot simpler than the old ones Dad used to use, and yes, that's a good thing. They don't bleed.” Thesis answered as he attached several of the wires to his Mission Drive, muttering: “Horses of Heaven I've never been very good at this, how do I... yeah, okay. Okay, uh... let's see if-”
“There you are! What are you doing, I've been trying to reach you for hours?” howled Seneschal's voice from the bracer, making both Cadence and Thesis wince. “We're under attack!”
“No, really?” Cadence asked waspishly, one of her daggers appearing like magic in her hoof so she could slam it up into the throat of a charging Husk. She twisted hard to the side, nearly beheading it, and the Husk collapsed to the ground in a gasp of mist before she glared back and forth, but most of the enemy forces here had been mopped up, weapons disabled and broken, parts of the shipyard sinking into the sea as their ragtag group slowly drew in on their position. “We're not staying down here.”
“I don't want you to stay down here, I...” Seneschal's voice distorted for a moment, and then he blurted, suddenly urgent: “All the facility's security protocols have been compromised! We've detected massive Void surges near the furnace itself and data corruption is rampant! We can't-”
“Seneschal, do a scan of the entire facility and mark all Void energy signals and isolation points.” Thesis ordered sharply, and Seneschal squawked before the Mission Drive fizzled and crackled as Thesis looked seriously over his shoulder as ponies began to fall in around them. “Cadence, we're going to take your team and hit them from below, work our way up to the facility. Luna, I want you to take Scrivener and Morgan and make your way to the top of the structure. Secure the observatory and then make your way around to the rear of the soul furnace and see what you can do there.”
“Aye. We will do our best not to take all the fun before thee and thine get a chance to play.” Luna bragged, but then she hesitated before becoming serious, asking quietly: “Swan, can thou see?”
“No.” Danzsöngr answered, shaking her head and giving the faintest of frowns as she easily took control of Cadence's body. She stretched a hoof up towards the sky, focusing, but... “Something is here. We feel it. We feel the presence of Loki. But we cannot see. We cannot be sure it is not a trick. Something is lurking in the Astra. Beware, Valkyrie. Something calls for your Queen.”
Luna couldn't hide the way her eyes shifted towards Morgan, but Morgan only smiled faintly before she said quietly: “We'll meet whatever might be waiting for us ahead the same as we always have. I can't see much either, though: something powerful is blocking things out here. It must be using psionic amplification or vibration to distort the detectable wavelengths...”
“No one has any idea what you just said, but I trust you know what you're doing.” Thesis said blandly, and Morgan sighed a little as Scrivener shrugged in agreement, before Thesis added in a lower voice: “I trust you. Get moving. Secure Haruspex if you can, with our luck the bastard's been put to work in the labs already and he might be in danger. I feel like he's got something to do with all of this.”
Morgan nodded, and Luna grunted before she flicked her horn towards Scrivener Blooms, the stallion wincing and flinching as black ooze splattered out of his back before he wheezed loudly as a pair of muck-covered leather wings extended from his sides, flapping slowly before he muttered: “Would you believe that I had managed to forget how much that stings?”
“Aye, thou always were a great coward, hiding from pain.” Luna said mildly, before she glanced over at Danzsöngr and said finally: “I look forward to seeing thee on the battlefield. And not just as enemy.”
“Good luck, Valkyrie. And be careful. There are greater threats here than you may yet realize. That is all we are sure of.” Danzsöngr answered calmly, and Luna scowled at her before the Valkyrie finally grunted and turned, leaping up into the air to be followed a moment later by both Morgan and Scrivener.
As they winged away, Danzsöngr released control of their shared body back to Cadence, the mare shaking her head vehemently before she scowled and grumbled: “Goddammit.”
Thesis smiled reassuringly to her, then he turned his eyes back towards his Mission Drive as Seneschal wheezed: “There, I've marked all the points of interest I could. I hope you have a decent plan, Prince Thesis, the enemy has us blind, outmaneuvered and outnumbered. This is ludicrous!”
“This is no different from any other day or any other mission.” Thesis answered as he calmly turned his eyes back to the waiting ponies, yanking the cables free from his Mission Drive before he tapped quickly over it, bringing up a holographic map of the facility. It fizzled weakly with static before red and blue dots appeared rapidly across the projection. “Okay. It looks like the enemy has been here long enough to set up checkpoints. We don't have any solid information because it looks like the first thing Auriculos did was jam communications and take over the security systems, so every camera, every turret, every laser grid works for him now.”
“Good thing we were planning to blow this place up anyway.” Cadence grumbled, and Thesis gave her an amused look.
“Yes, we can punch our way through, true. But there's a cleaner way to deal with things than that.” Thesis answered, before he pointed quickly across the map. “These blue dots represent allied units who haven't been terminated yet. There's a group a few floors up that we should be able to rendezvous with. We'll get information there. We should secure as many friendlies along the way as possible as we head up to here.”
“That's a big cluster of red. How was Seneschal able to scan the area, though?” Cadence asked after a moment with a frown, and Thesis smiled slightly.
“Intelligent sonar from a Clockwork Titan, I'm guessing. He can probably isolate the Void and Clockwork signals pretty easily, but that doesn't mean these signals are right, or there aren't worse things waiting for us. A lot of things won't show up on the emergency scans so don't take this as gospel. But where there's clusters of Void signals...”
“That's likely where the enemy is.” Cadence said, not knowing a better way to phrase it.
“That's likely where the enemy's active. I'm guessing they're searching for more than just the obvious, since the soul furnace is kind of hard to miss.” Thesis expanded blandly, before he pointed at that cluster of red and said in a more serious voice: “This is the server room. Auriculos must be dredging the data: he'd know that he's not going to be able to get any useful information here on Decretum's movements, so he has to be searching for something else. Some kind of data on the furnace, or something we missed in the data logs that's important to Loki.”
Cadence grimaced, before Aster said uneasily: “How could that be, though? Salazar did not know how to work those machines. Only the simple artifacts and the soul furnace.”
“The servers weren't in great shape, but I know they've been repaired. Data loss probably wasn't that severe, and Valthrudnir's projects always had some kind of low-key monitoring. But hell, for all we know, he might be after some of the original data, from back when this place was active.” Thesis said, shaking his head briefly. “What's important is we find out.” 
“Perhaps we should consider breaking into two teams. One to secure our allies, and one to engage Loki's forces.” Sombra suggested, but Thesis shook his head.
“Not when we don't know what we're up against. It's too dangerous. We move as one squad.” Thesis said firmly, looking around at them all; he noted the miasma leaking off Sombra, the veins pulsating over Aster, the wild look in Moonflower's eyes. “Hey. I need all of you here with me, okay?”
The ponies all looked at Thesis, and then Sombra bowed his head and took a slow breath, focusing his attention on Thesis as he apologized: “I am here. And I will do my best to remain so.”
Thesis smiled briefly as Aster and Moonflower both murmured in agreement and La Croix gave an awkward grin, before Cadence said quietly: “We should start moving in, though. We'll do what you say, Thesis. Just lead the way.”
“Alright.” Thesis stepped back, studying the open freight elevator shaft before he muttered: “We go in there and we're going to get that dropped on our heads. Sewage access has been blocked off by now, so... we're going to do this another way.”
Thesis turned around, quickly surveying the wreckage of the docks before he pointed at one of the damaged artillery cannons. “There's our ticket in.”
Cadence had a feeling she wasn't going to like Thesis' idea: after ten minutes of hard work and a lot of improvisation, she was extremely sure she didn't like Thesis' idea, muttering: “This is utterly insane. Utterly insane.”
Thesis only grinned as he leapt into the control seat, aiming the cannon as far up the cliffside as he could before he said wryly: “Hey, they'll never see it coming.”
With that, he fired, the gun platform rocking with the force of the blast, the massive round smashing through the veneer of stone and leaving a gaping wound in the cliffside. Immediately, La Croix vanished as both Aster and Cadence took to the air with ropes, shooting to the hole.
Husks had already appeared to check out the disturbance, and Cadence dropped in on them like a whirlwind of death, slicing the throats out of two of the Void entities before she simply flung the third through the hole: even if the fall wouldn't kill it, she was sure that it wouldn't be in much of a mood to fight after, either. 
She and Aster secured their ropes to the broken but sturdy beams they found, and La Croix reappeared after a moment beside Cadence, saying worriedly: “Don't look good. Husks comin' in, and looks like every security system be on. And there are... looks like some of the Dogmatists tried to fight, but...”
“Okay.” Cadence checked over her shoulder with a grimace, watching as Thesis, her father, and Moonflower all made their way up the ropes, before she shook her head and muttered: “Keep an eye out and keep us informed. Hopefully they're just trying to block us in, not attack.”
Cadence was relieved when La Croix smiled awkwardly and saluted her before he headed to do his job without complaining: it gave her a moment to breathe, before she reached down and caught Thesis' hoof, pulling him up into the hole as she started: “Husks-”
“I figured. Let's go where they're not.” Thesis said, and Cadence smiled briefly before she cocked an eyebrow in surprise as Thesis headed to a flat wall, feeling quickly along it before he suddenly grinned, then simply leaned forwards and slammed a punch into the broken drywall.
To Cadence's surprise, he managed to knock a hole through the wall, grimacing a bit as he dug through dust and broken plaster before he said quickly over his shoulder: “Come on, we should be able to break into maintenance from here and sneak our way up to the next level.”
Cadence hesitated, then gestured for Aster to go next. She helped Moonflower and Sombra up the ropes and sent them through the hole as well before she sighed in relief as La Croix appeared, saying quickly: “Follow a little behind. We're going to try and sneak through maintenance.”
La Croix saluted her before he vanished into the ether again, and Cadence let herself through the hole, just in time to watch as her father disappeared through an open hole in the ceiling. She caught the loose rope hanging from the opening and smiled up at Sombra as he glanced down at her, and he nodded quickly after a moment before he turned his eyes up and continued to ascend.
She followed him up, and after a few moments of climbing, she found herself in a dimly-lit room full of cables and wires, a broken, musty fan hanging over their heads: lucky for them, since it looked large enough to be able to chop any of them to ribbons if it had been on, armor and all. It was cluttered and uncomfortable here, but thankfully it only lasted a few moments before Thesis managed to pry an access hatch open: too small to fit through, but enough to give them a bit of air and get rid of that sense of claustrophobia.
He leaned carefully forward, peering through the hatch and muttering: “Lots of activity. Not just Husks, plenty of drones moving cargo around... I can't tell what they're doing, though. It looks like they're searching for something in particular.”
Thesis hesitated, then he shook his head before he said finally: “The blue is on the other side of all this red. We might have a hostage situation from the looks of things here: these guys obviously aren't worried about a fight.”
Cadence nodded, checking their surroundings before her eyes locked on an opening above the broken fan, and Thesis confirmed her feeling a moment later: “That should be a maintenance access tunnel up there. We can use it to sneak past the cargo bay, and hopefully get an idea of what's up ahead.”
“Great. Past the giant fan.” Cadence muttered, before she asked quietly: “La Croix, can you sneak out and take a look at what they're up to?”
“Be careful.” Thesis warned, and the Loa frowned before the Replicant explained quietly: “The security systems are active. Some of the cameras are calibrated to detect spirits.”
“Oui, no worries, monsieur. I be used to avoidin' peepin' eyes.” La Croix answered with a brief smile, before he vanished from sight. Thesis turned his eyes pointedly to Cadence, and she sighed before nodding once, scowling past the broken fan before she gestured at Thesis irritably.
He stepped forwards to grasp her, boosting her up the wall so she could reach the hole in the ceiling, and then Cadence spun around and held a hoof down to him, pulling him up to the gap. Then she winced as Moonflower blurted: “What about us?”
“Quiet!” Cadence hissed through her teeth, and Moonflower winced and slapped his front hooves over his muzzle before she added in a grumble: “Stay here and stay safe. If we need you, we'll...”
“Cause a huge, impossible to miss disturbance.” Thesis finished, and Cadence rolled her eyes before she turned around, grimacing a bit as she lowered herself slightly so she could carefully begin to half-crawl down the low-ceiling tunnel.
Thesis followed behind her, the two stopping every so often at a hatch if they felt they could peek out of it safely, but the sight below was always the same: a busy cargo hall, Husks patrolling as soullessly as the Worker Drones that were hauling crates back and forth.
They wiggled another hatch open, and this time they were finally rewarded with a different sight: two Husks were standing in front of a closed bulkhead, both of them armed with Clockwork weaponry. Cadence narrowed her eyes, and after a moment, Thesis confirmed her suspicion: “Gesicht's rifle.”
“Think the RED are in there?” Cadence asked, and Thesis gave a wry smile.
“Not all of them. Thespis and Karie could both get out too easily. But let's take a look for ourselves.” Thesis suggested, and Cadence gave him a mild look. “We're going to make a lot of noise anyway. Or are you saying you can't handle a dozen Husks or so?”
“Let me get La Croix-” Cadence started, reaching for her Mission Drive, but Thesis winced and quickly caught her foreleg. “What?”
“Don't turn on communications. Auriculos will know.” he answered quietly, and Cadence grimaced, but then nodded: she hadn't considered that. That would also explain way back when the Nzambi attacked the port... “Can't you like, summon him somehow? He's like a spirit.”
“Bit more complicated than that. Besides, all y'have to do is say my name, and here I am.” La Croix said dryly, and both Thesis and Cadence twitched slightly as they looked quickly back over their shoulders at the Loa, who was grumpily brushing at himself. “I already checked. The big newt be in there with a few o' them Dogmatists, but I didn't see any of your other RED amis.” 
“Are they safe or injured?” Thesis asked, and La Croix hesitated, which was more than enough to answer Thesis' question. “Okay. Change of plans. Can you give them medical attention, then meet us...”
Thesis looked towards the end of the maintenance passage musingly, muttering: “This is an inflow pipe, so there's an exterior vent, which means... yeah. Cadence, go back and help the others up. I'm going to the end of this pipe. Both of you, meet me there.”
“Fine.” grumbled Cadence, before she added moodily as she wiggled her way around: “But you're getting as bad as your mother when it comes to jerking me around.”
“You'll hate me more if I explain.” Thesis answered, and Cadence scowled as she made her way back down the pipe, before the Replicant turned a wry smile towards La Croix, saying finally: “Well, you know your job.”
La Croix sighed, then he nodded with a grunt and vanished, and Thesis shook his head once before he carefully closed the hatch and turned to head back down the pipe, only hoping that he could get his team through safely, and that they could save as many lives as possible.
They had already learned the hard way what Loki was capable of, after all.