Decretum

by BlackRoseRaven

Doomsayers

Chapter Thirty Eight: Doomsayers
~BlackRoseRaven

Scrivener Blooms and Luna were sitting together on either side of a smoldering fire, both wearing their armor, smiling together in the comfort of camping out in the Everfree Forest. Not their Everfree Forest, however, but an Everfree Forest in a different layer of reality, where they had a few days ago hidden the last anchor in the deepest, darkest grotto they could find amidst the marsh-beasts and bog-water and enormous carnivorous plants.
After the meteor had hit their layer of reality, Luna had felt a distinct need to get the last anchor planted as soon as possible, and she had spoken to Odin about it after he had come down from Valhalla to talk to the Strange Ones and to Celestia about what had happened. The once-god had agreed after a little wheedling to let them leave in a few days and plant the anchor in the last layer of reality they would have to make a journey to.
They had ended up ripping through reality in some nowhere-spot near Central Equestria in front of a donkey dragging a cart along. His jaw – and toupee – had both dropped in shock at the sight of them, and Luna had cheerfully stolen the wig and put it on her own head, prancing along as Scrivener embarrassedly dragged the cart past and called an awkward apology.
It had taken them a few days to get their bearings and make their way across Equestria, coming into the Everfree Forest from the south and pushing through, dropping the anchor on the way. Now they were here, where they had rested in comfort for the last few hours and discussed how they were going to get to Ponyville. Luna was determined to get keepsakes and to investigate the ponies of this layer, and Scrivener was admittedly a little curious himself despite knowing they should probably stick to the mission. But they still had two or three days before the Bifrost would be recharged enough for them to cross... and they were perhaps only an hour or two away from the village now, and it had been such a pain in the flank to drag the armored wagon through the forest that it would really be a shame just to give up and turn back now...
“Precisely!” Luna agreed, catching Scrivener's stream of thought, and Scrivener gave her an amused look before the armored mare continued with a grin: “Besides, 'tis somehow relaxing, isn't it? Especially with everything we have to worry about... this madness with Clockwork World, the thought that they may be gathering against us, all the riddles and confusion... well, 'tis nice to simply relax and make a little mischief? 'Tis a well-deserved vacation!”
Scrivener snorted in amusement, then he shook his head and rubbed absently at his polished armor, saying softly: “I'm just glad no one objected too much when we said we wanted to do this alone. I'm glad to know that... even if something does happen back home, Antares and Scarlet Sage will be safe. That everyone is there to look after each other.”
“Aye, even Odin.” Luna said softly, nodding after a moment as she rested back with a small smile. “But best of all, Scrivy? This is the last anchor we shall have to place, and then we may return to life as is the norm for us. Well... almost. Or perhaps the fact that an enemy looms on the horizon is normal, is it not? We always have had enemies, after all... too many enemies, lurking always close. I suppose that Clockwork World is just part of the norm, with that in mind.”
Scrivener grunted at this, saying dryly: “Don't talk like that, Luna, that's a scary thought, seriously. You say things like that and I have to wonder if some part of you doesn't like the idea of going head-to-head with whatever horrible things Valthrudnir's had up his sleeves.”
Luna grunted in response to this, shrugging after a moment before she smiled a little and admitted: “And what if I do, Scrivener Blooms? Is that truly so wrong? I am a Valkyrie still, whatever else I may be, and... thou knows that the thrill of battle... 'tis like music for me. 'Tis inspirational. And there is no greater pleasure than mastering a powerful opponent... and whilst I loathe and hate everything about Valthrudnir, I can think of no stronger opponent we have ever faced apart from him.
“And even more so, after all he did to us, Scrivener Blooms, to everything we cared for, to our world... nay, the universe itself...” Luna shook her head slowly, closing her eyes and digging a hoof against the ground. “He did not deserve the merciful, fast death we gave him, no matter how humiliating and painful his defeat. So nay: the last thing I shall mind is slaying the beast once more.”
Scrivener nodded slowly, looking down and muttering: “Never thought of it like that. Certainly brings a silver lining to the hell of a dark cloud he is...” The earth pony paused, then reached up and slowly rubbed at his face. “And to be honest... maybe that's just what I need to get over all these nightmares of everything he did, too.”
“See? Even the worst of nightmares can hold positive thoughts. So do not be so pessimistic, poet.” Luna replied kindly, winking towards him before she flicked her horn, and the flames in the fire-pit whiffed out as she stood easily and gazed towards Ponyville. “But come. 'Tis time to go.”
Scrivener smiled after a moment at this, nodding again as he turned to hitch himself up to the cart, and then he laughed when Luna strode over and kissed teasingly just above his collar, making him twitch a bit as she whispered in his ear playfully: “Perhaps we shall find the ponies of this layer to be more accommodating to our needs...”
“Now stop that, Luna, you can be naughty later. For now, let's just concentrate on not pissing them all off and making a good impression.” Scrivener replied amusedly, pushing at her firmly, and Luna laughed and nodded, grinning at him as he shook his head and said mildly: “I swear you have more testosterone than Sleipnir.”
Luna huffed a little at this, but only checked him lightly, making the male stumble and smile amusedly before they both turned to carefully pull the wagon forwards. The Forest seemed to welcome their passage, light shining through the canopy to reveal the easiest way forwards as branches and trees seemed to tilt and sway of their own accord, gesturing them onwards, helping them find their way.
It was an easy, comfortable journey, Luna and Scrivener smiling warmly as they eventually stepped out onto a dirt road, meandering forwards, vital and strong. The journey had been a good one, had loosened them up and energized them, their mood was high, the sun was shining overhead, and even the puffy clouds in the sky seemed happy and inviting as they headed onwards. The Everfree Forest around them thinned gradually, until finally they stepped into beautiful fields... and beyond that, there was unprotected Ponyville, sitting alone, without walls or barriers guarding it. As guileless and open and comforting as a baby.
Scrivener and Luna headed quickly down the road, Luna grinning widely, Scrivener smiling warmly as they approached the outskirts of the village... and they were greeted only by silence. Raw, empty silence, as they passed between the houses, and all that built up energy, that happiness, that excitement, curdled in their stomachs. It became trepidation at first, but mutated quickly into outright fear and disbelief as they pushed deeper into the village and found the signs of battle.
Crushed-in fronts of homes, splatters of blood, streaks of... Luna didn't want to guess. The two continued into the town, the only sound the wagon clanking behind Scrivener, and yet he barely felt the pull of it now as they hurried towards the center of town.
Luna's mind locked on Twilight Sparkle and the library... but as they entered the square, the winged unicorn stumbled to a halt with a moan of horror and disgust as Scrivener stared in horror, standing and shivering as he stared up at the sight of an all-too-familiar violet unicorn hanging by a tattered rope from the banister of one of the library balconies.
And she wasn't the only grisly ornament: the corpses of other ponies decorated the library. Crushed into the walls, laying in horrible, desiccated piles, dangling by ropes with terrible, broken grins of rigor mortis on their faces. They reeked of rot and decay, and yet they hadn't been dead long: the scavengers had yet to come, only a few birds feeding off the broken bodies that had been staked and impaled on branches and javelin-like timbers.
The winged unicorn breathed hard, shivering, not wanting to believe the horrors she saw: the Twilight of this world gone, dead, along with her friends, and others. Others she both could and could not identify, as her heart thudded in her chest before she began to snarl... and then something lunged towards their flank on Scrivener's side, the earth pony reacting too little, too late, before a tremendous force smashed into the armored wagon, crunching in the side of it and sending it rolling violently to the side.
Scrivener was yanked along with it, yelling with a curse of pain as Luna began to turn before the front of the library exploded, and some terrible streak of shade ripped through the cloud of dust and gore and splinters, lunging forwards and sweeping a pair of claws viciously downwards. Immediately, Luna leapt to the side, dodging automatically towards Scrivener as the wagon skidded to a halt on its side before a third creature leapt around the side of a building and swept a claw downwards towards the harnessed, trapped earth pony.
Scrivener did the only thing he could do, left dangling sideways in the harness as he was: he swung himself forwards and curled up into a little ball, and the claw just narrowly scraped through his tail as it tore through the timbers extending from the front of the wagon. Scrivener fell to the ground with the severed arm of the transport, and then he threw himself forwards, half-rolling as Luna leapt towards him and swept her horn out, leaving a thin scratch over Scrivener's armor as she cut the harness free as she passed before they both dropped and anchored themselves as their attackers surrounded them.
Then their eyes widened in horror, recognizing not only the malevolence the monsters emanated, not only their small and sleek but terribly-familiar forms, but the burning sapphire lanterns of their eyes. They were grinning, showing off deadly, inwards-curving fangs in mottled, black-and-white scaled faces, looking like they were made of scraps of dark and light leather that had been sewn together at random. Their shapes were draconic, but wingless: six gnarled horns stood around their heads to form twisted crowns, and ugly, long piston-spikes of bone jutted cruelly from their shoulderblades, sparking with electricity as serpentine tails whipped back and forth.
They looked like Tyrant Wyrms, but they weren't behemoths of terrible size: they were built wide, but perhaps only a little taller than Celestia. And they were almost perfect matches for one another: the only difference was the wild patterning of their black-and-white, marred scales, even their voices sounding similar as they gave rough, low chuckles.
Scrivener and Luna both snarled in fury, pressed almost back-to-back, Luna's mane sparking with electricity and becoming like blue fire as she snarled: “How dare thy kind show thy hideous faces... and do not think I have forgotten thee, oh no! So thou wert the invaders in the Forest that night...”
“Brynhild thinks she knows us, understands us, brothers.” one of the Wyrms said mockingly, and something twisted in Scrivener's mind at the sound of that voice, at the sound of their horrific language, as Luna only snarled in greater fury. “Shall we kill her now?”
“Yes. We shall rip them apart, by the order of the Clockwork King.” agreed one of the other Wyrms, its eyes glowing brighter blue as they slowly began to circle, prowling as enormous, deadly claws scraped slowly against the ground. “They strode right into our trap, after all; they must be eager to die.”
The last Wyrm licked its lips hungrily, then exhaled a burst of blue mist, whispering: “Remember, brothers. Our Verses and gifts do not harm this one. But he is only prey: let us enjoy shredding them apart.”
They were snarls of agreement, and then all three Wyrms leaned forwards and roared loudly at the same time, Scrivener and Luna wincing at the powerful waves of sound that reverberated through the air around them before the beasts all lunged forwards... and immediately, Scrivener dropped down into a ready position as Luna threw her head back and roared in response, her horn and mane glowing as she unleashed a raw, unfocused shockwave of force.
It didn't harm the Wyrms, but the blast was enough to knock them backwards and disorient them, the creatures snarling in fury before Scrivener lunged towards the Wyrm closest to him and furthest from the other two, leaping upwards as the creature looked surprised before the earth pony dived into the Wyrm's breast and tackled it onto its back, digging all four hooves into its body as he kicked savagely off it to leap back to safety while the creature howled in shock and rage more than pain as Scrivener shouted furiously: “I am not afraid of you!”
The other two Wyrms snarled as they crashed to the ground... then one screamed when Luna leapt forwards and swept her horn down across its face, knocking it backwards as it grasped at its head. The second lunged in towards her side, biting savagely, but Luna leapt quickly into the air, flapping her wings once as she snarled before diving straight down and seizing the creature by the head and throat, the Wyrm's jaws snapping shut as its glowing eyes widened in surprise before Luna roared, horn glowing as she flapped her wings and heaved forwards as hard as she could at the same time, a telekinetic hammer smashing against the Wyrm as she flung it viciously in the same moment into its stunned brother.
The two Wyrms were sent crashing backwards into a pile, and Luna arched her back as her horn glowed brighter, swinging her horn upwards as it unleashed a pulse, blasts of lightning hammering down again and again into the stunned Wyrms with enough force to send up bursts of dust and smoke as the creatures shrieked, Nightmare Moon roaring from Luna's jaws as her eyes glowed: “We are no harmless ponies! If you desire death, we shall give you slaughter!”
The Triplet that Scrivener was battling lunged at him, roaring, sweeping its jaws out and its claws forwards... and propelled by Luna's fury and his own surging adrenaline, with both Luna's memories ripping through his mind and a furious, almost barbaric need to simply hurt these monsters, Scrivener leapt forwards with a snarl as animal as the beast in front of him, leaping over the claw to grab onto the Wyrm's features before he slammed a hoof directly into one eye. The creature howled as its head snapped backwards, and Scrivener cursed as he was flung over its back before its tail snapped up and whipped him across the face, knocking the earth pony crashing back down. He hit the Wyrm's own back, bouncing off it before he half-rolled with a grimace of pain as the Wyrm bucked and hissed, trying to look back over its shoulders as Scrivener skidded along its scaled, wide body before he managed to spin around and leap forwards, smashing a hoof into the base of one of its long, conical pistons.
The bone cracked, and the Wyrm howled before Scrivener seized the piston in both hooves as the Wyrm spun on the spot, knocking Scrivy free but also tearing the broken bone from its body as it howled in pain, then leapt forwards with a snarl... and Scrivener stabbed upwards even as the Wyrm dove over him, feeling its claws rip against one of his shoulders before the monstrosity screamed as its own bone buried through its breast like a spear. Black blood gushed out over Scrivener before the terrible beast tore backwards, staggering as it shook its head wildly, continuing to roar in fury and pain and frustration as the spearhead of bone tore free from the now-gaping wound.
The other Wyrms had barely regained their footing, roaring as they unleashed streams of blue, toxic mist towards Luna to drive her back, but they had already both been badly burned and charred from the winged unicorn's vicious onslaught of magic and rapid melee attacks. Then Luna dropped to the ground a short distance away, eyes blazing as Scrivener rolled to his hooves and rejoined her, both ponies breathing hard as the Wyrms surrounded them, wounded and hissing in frustration before the Triplets traded looks... and then slow, vicious grins.
All three closed their eyes as Luna and Scrivener frowned, readying themselves as they faced out of the group, before Luna's eyes widened as a steady hum began to build in the air, electricity and swirling darkness twisting over their bodies before they rose their heads, eyes glowing through the cloaks of shadow that now covered their bodies. Luna glared at this, then she snapped her head forwards, unleashing a short fireball... but it exploded uselessly against the dark, smoky armor covering the Tyrant Wyrm, leaving not a mark, not a scratch.
Both ponies snarled... and then the Wyrms traded looks and wide grins before they whispered all at once: “Enough games. The Prophet was right: we must destroy them using the Hymn.”
The Wyrms chuckled quietly, darkly, and Scrivener and Luna both set themselves before the Wyrms rose their heads, their blue eyes glowing brighter before a terrible hum began to build in the air as their jaws opened at once. Their movements synchronized as the darkness shielding their bodies faded slightly, their eyes glowing brightly before they all threw their heads back and laughed: three short, sharp 'has!' that made Scrivener and Luna both flinch.
They began to circle, and with each step of their claws, black mire began to spread outwards over the ground as Scrivener readied himself, Luna's horn glowing slightly as she snarled: “The Black Verses hold no power over us! Speak them if thou dares but we shall strike back at thee with the very evil thou holds dear!”
But even as the corruption spread, even as the air bubbled with darkness and malicious power, Scrivener could feel this wasn't the Verses: this was something different, something on a completely new level they had never before experienced, and the earth pony snarled as he set himself, beginning to feel desperate, before the Wyrms suddenly laughed again, then they all craned their heads forwards, moving as one being as they chanted in the same echoing voices in their terrible, dark language:

It made Scrivener's stomach curdle as he gasped, and Luna flinched, her head twisting to the side as electricity sparked through her mane. Vision blurred, nausea rose, and then the winged unicorn roared as she leapt towards them... but the Wyrm she attacked neither tried to intercept nor defend itself, Luna's horn smashing uselessly into that strange, immaterial dark armor before she screamed as she was blown backwards by a terrible recoil of black energy, Scrivener catching her against his body even as as the same dark lightning sparked over him, his body flexing before the Wyrms chanted again:

The agony in their bodies sparked, growing more intense for a moment, like the words were ripping their wounds wider as their blood bubbled in their veins. Scrivener felt the corruption in his mind twisting violently, responding somehow as he mouthed the words of the Black Verses: “Shallock... shallock tes'cra tal...”
And it did nothing: it did nothing to interrupt the Wyrms, nothing to drive them back, didn't even distract them as they continued mockingly in their growing chant:

It was nothing they had ever fought before. Nothing they had ever dealt with as Scrivener and Luna could only sit back and stare as the monsters continued to circle, their eyes glowing brighter, drawing strength from the song as the corrupted mire that had spread out from their claws bubbled almost eagerly beneath them, feeding them more strength as stone tile and rock rotted down into the boggy, terribly warm ground. And sickeningly, Scrivener could feel familiarity in it, could feel himself almost drawing strength from it even as the monsters grinned viciously as they sang in terrible, mocking, rumbling voices:

Luna threw her head back and howled, every word like a knife stabbing into her mind and heart, every beat of their staccato laughter like a sledgehammer to her skull and sanity as blood burst from Scrivener's jaws, the male staring mindlessly forwards even as the corruption in his mind boiled higher, felt like it was flowing from his ears, his nose, his mouth, as his mind rapidly began to process what was going on.
The Wyrms grinned at them, delighting in the effects of their awful song, their terrible dark 'Hymn,' and yet Scrivener felt two things: a strange recognition, like his ability to see beneath things was kicking in, mixing with the natural talent for words that had let him decipher and understand the Black Verses to begin with. These were not the Verses, though: they were insanely more complex, insanely more powerful, and yet they stemmed from the same source and relied on some other principle he could feel just beneath the surface... before the Wyrms leaned forwards, half-shouting and half-singing mockingly, breaking off for parts of the grisly chorus into duets that was followed up shortly by a roaring declaration from the third Wyrm:

Scrivener clutched Luna back against him, gritting his teeth as the winged unicorn howled in agony and fury, Nightmare Moon twisting and screaming inside her mind as the words tore through her. Scrivener felt the same agony, felt like his heart was in a vise, felt like his skin was being peeled from his body as his blood boiled through his raw flesh, but there was a sick and terrible fascination, too. An overpowering amazement, awe, even desire, as his mind worked madly: he understood the words, but there was something else, a scheme, a pattern, a design that maybe they could counter, they could neutralize, if only he could figure out what it was.
The Wyrms laughed at them mockingly, and Scrivener felt the pain lessening for both himself and Luna before the winged unicorn stumbled to her hooves, eyes blazing and furious even as bloody tears leaked from them, her mane snapping viciously back and forth like electric serpent as the Wyrms seemed almost surprised for a moment, pausing in their synchronized prowl before Scrivener leaned forwards and rasped: “We have to fight fire with fire... we need to stop their song...”
“I know...” Luna snarled, then she leaned forwards, eyes glowing as she snapped: “If the Verses do not work, Scrivener, then let us halt one song with another!”
“That's what I was thinking but... but I'm no songwriter, and there's something... something specific... I can't...” Scrivener wheezed as he clawed to his hooves, the Wyrms grinning at them now, looking almost excited as they halted and faced towards the two before the male looked at Luna as she gazed at him furiously... desperately. He nodded after a moment, clenching his eyes shut, hating the way he knew the Wyrms were giving them time like a cat playing with a mouse before he whispered to her: “I'll give you the words. You sing.”
Luna cursed at this, but then she swallowed thickly and nodded as Scrivener clenched his eyes shut... and then the winged unicorn looked up, breathing hard before she leaned forwards and clearly sang in a powerful, echoing voice, her horn glowing faintly, magic adding more force to every word:

The Wyrms flinched backwards slightly, then hissed as a vibration seemed to rumble through the air at the third line, but then they only looked disgusted before they leaned forwards, snapping their jaws once in derision before roaring back:

Luna's legs shivered beneath her as she stumbled backwards, eyes going unfocused as she felt the words hammer into her, every syllable-
Scrivener's eyes widened sharply, a flash going off in his mind before he looked at Luna with a crazed grin, and the winged unicorn looked stupidly back before her mind processed the mental order he sent her, and she shook her head wildly for a moment before snarling as her horn glowed.
Immediately, all the Wyrms dropped to ready positions, grinning and looking eager to intercept another wild attack... but instead, Luna flicked her horn upwards, and shocks of energy passed along her body as she gasped before Scrivener leapt forwards, yelling wildly. The Wyrms only laughed, however, then one of them lashed viciously out with a simple backhand when Scrivener leapt towards them, the slap hitting Scrivener squarely in the skull as dark energy shocked over him, and Luna stumbled with a cry of pain as dark energy burst over her own body as Scrivener crumpled onto his back, rolling once before he fell limp, clenching his eyes shut as he forced himself into unconsciousness even as the Wyrms mocked in chant:

Luna hissed, cursing under her breath as a dazed feeling ripped through her body... but adrenaline was pumping in her veins as well, keeping her barely conscious as the magic she had twisted over herself sent painful, wakeful needles piercing along her spine and through her body. It kept her energized and on her hooves, however, breathing hard as she stood over Scrivener and muttered as the Wyrms laughed again before beginning to slowly, excitedly circle: “Thou art truly insane, Scrivener Blooms...”
Scrivener, meanwhile, had allowed himself to be knocked unconscious because he needed time: and as he had hoped, he was shaken violently out of his stunned state by Nightmare Moon, the scarred – and worse, scared – creature looking down at him and asking sharply: “What do you require of me, Scrivener? As much as we trust in you, had this not worked...”
“We'd be dead either way. I need time, Nightmare Moon.” Scrivener replied tiredly, slowly crawling up to his hooves and gritting his teeth, rubbing at his face with one claw: but he didn't even have time to care he was in his half-wyrm form here in his subconscious. “I need to stretch seconds into minutes. I can only do that in a dream state and the Wyrms weren't about to let me lay down and rest. Better to get myself hurt and knocked out, and trust in you to wake me up.”
Nightmare Moon nodded slowly, before she said quietly: “But you cannot control time. Hard as you and Luna and I may try... it is uncertain that you will not be awake within moments. Moments of our time, not reality.”
“Then help me. Keep me down here in the darkness for as long as you can, stretch out time as much as possible, I know you can.” Scrivener said sharply, and Nightmare Moon nodded quickly, looking down at him with absolute trust, absolute belief before the male dropped his head forwards and muttered: “Syllables. Their verses... their lines... one, two, three, and... eight? No, no, their laughter, that jagged ha-ha-ha, that's the real key, the clue... nines. Nines!”

Luna howled in agony, snarling as she stood over Scrivener, the terrible song hammering against her viciously as she rocked back and forth. Her stomach was churning and turning, nausea making it impossible to focus as the Wyrms circled, accenting their twisted song with playful bites at her and with sways of their heads. They were grinning, eyes glowing brighter, and the mire had begun to vibrate with every syllable as the words pierced to the very soul.
Scrivener was convulsing weakly on the ground, blood dripping into the mire, partly sunken into the bog. The winged unicorn looked down at him, breathing hard, before her head raised sharply as she felt a sharp pulse in her mind before she swung a hoof down into Scrivener's face, wincing at the pain... but it was dull compared to the aches ripping through her body, and Scrivener snapped awake after a moment with a gasp before he looked up at her, teeth grit, eyes desperate and yet determined as words filled Luna's mind before she clenched her eyes shut and then leaned forwards, singing fiercely as her horn glowed, channeling the same magic she used to power the Black Verses into the words:

And what came out was nothing like the Black Verses: no feeling of malevolence, no poisoning the air, but a radiant, harmonious melody that tore into the toxic vibrations around them, that made the mire beneath their hooves bubble violently before beginning to harden into shale as the Triplets writhed in shock, electricity sparking violently over their bodies as their forms steamed violently. They hissed and snarled, looking both shocked and infuriated as they lost their synchronization for a moment.
Luna grinned widely as Scrivener yanked himself up to his hooves, rasping hard... and then, almost desperately, the Wyrms snarled before roaring back furiously, the air vibrating with their voices as pain ripped through the bodies of the ponies and drove them down to their knees:

The balance tilted in favor of the Triplets as Scrivener vomited blood and Luna's mane fizzled violently, the creatures seeing to regain strength as they drew in closer, jaws half-open as they breathed hard and snarled furiously, eyes glowing brightly before Luna snarled, then shoved herself to her hooves and threw her head to the sky, and Scrivener dropped low, tearing his hooves into the mire and concentrating, pushing all his strength to Luna, drawing on every reserve of energy he had and giving it to her as he felt her transforming all that corruption, that blackness, that evil magic into pure harmony as she belted out:

The Wyrms staggered, and then one of the creatures suddenly shrieked, its cloak of shadows bursting up like black smoke around it before the monster reared back slightly, body steaming rapidly as its scales quickly lost all color, head snapping back as a last blast of blue smog burst up from its jaws before it petrified completely, and the other Wyrms staggered away from this as Luna and Scrivener both dragged themselves to their hooves, feeling a surge of renewed hope, of renewed power. The monsters were channeling the force so easily because they were made of the corruption, powered by the very Hymn they sang... and as that was drowned out and neutralized...
The Wyrms snarled, then both creatures turned their eyes towards Luna and Scrivener before retaliating savagely as they advanced, biting viciously at them as the dark, shadowy energy covering their body twisted and sparked when they howled their fierce chorus:

It ached, every word like a sword lashing against their bodies and minds, and Scrivener and Luna staggered backwards from the creatures' advance... before they both snarled, looking up as they set themselves, and the Wyrms stumbled to a halt. Then, slowly, Luna cracked her neck before she leaned forwards and roared:

The Wyrms convulsed, howling as steam and blue mist hissed up from their bodies before one of them half-stumbled to the side, petrifying rapidly even as it began to struggle forwards as the last of the shield of shadows wafted off of it. Electricity sparked over the stone statue, frozen in a look of rage and horror as only one Wyrm was left standing, its jaws working stupidly as blue mist floated up from its maw, its eyes flickering weakly as it shivered on the spot , already partly turned to stone from the harmonious melodies that it had barely survived. “Impossible...”
“Light shines brightest in darkness... and poisons can usually be refined into antidotes.” Scrivener rasped, then he cleared his throat and spat to the side before grinning coldly as the Wyrm snarled at them... and yet the expression was fearful as well as furious. “Good. Luna?”
The winged unicorn nodded firmly once, and then both she and Scrivener took a deep breath as the Wyrm scrabbled backwards before the ponies leaned forwards and sang in a powerful duet:

The Tyrant Wyrm writhed as electricity tore up and down its body, its jaws working wildly as steam and smoke burst off the monstrosity before it started to lunge forwards as the cloak of darkness vanished from around it... and then it simply crashed to the ground, claws extended uselessly in front of it, jaws gaping and staring at nothing as it turned to solid gray stone.
Scrivener and Luna sat back, breathing hard, looking at the petrified statues... and then they stumbled backwards as dark smoke belched into the sky from the ground around the frozen Wyrm Triplets, crawling over the statues and blocking them from view before slowly fading... and leaving nothing behind as the mire beneath their hooves turned to brittle shale and lifeless dirt. And Scrivener and Luna traded looks before the winged unicorn grinned wryly, shaking her head and saying darkly: “Let them be taken. It matters not... the point is proven, is it not? We will conquer anything that Clockwork World throws against us... no matter who or what they are.”
Scrivener only smiled faintly in response, still feeling as if his insides had turned to mush as his vision faded in and out a little, and then Luna shook her head slowly before she looked silently towards the ruins of the library, murmuring: “No, Scrivener Blooms... we may not rest just yet, wounded and tired and beaten as we are. First... we have another duty to attend to, for these... these poor ponies.”
The earth pony stallion looked slowly up... and then he nodded as he hauled himself to his hooves with a grunt, and Luna gave him a faint smile before she buried her face against his neck for a moment, giving him a silent 'thank-you' as he closed his eyes and pressed back against her, saying the same in return even as he felt a mix of triumph and sorrow tear through his aching heart.

Scrivener and Luna took down and laid out every corpse as best they could, paying special attention to Twilight and her friends. The two living ponies were bleeding, aching, and confused and admittedly a little scared over what they had encountered and fought off... but at the same time, they both felt that they wouldn't have to worry about another attack on this layer. They had clearly demonstrated they would gladly fight anything Clockwork World had to throw at them... and that furthermore, they would win.
They covered the dead, and then Luna lit an enormous signal fire, too tired to do anything else. The blue flames spread over the houses she had chosen, burning and spreading, but not consuming them, and not going out of control as the winged unicorn and Scrivener Blooms quietly laid themselves down.
The signal fire burned until nightfall, and Royal Guards arrived from Canterlot to investigate it and why there had been no response from anypony in Ponyville. They were confused by the sight of Luna and Scrivener, and horrified when the two led them calmly to the town square and the countless bodies... but Luna didn't want to explain what had happened to them. They tried to reason with her, tried to intimidate her, but Luna only said quietly: “I will only speak to the Princesses of this. 'Tis not a story I desire to repeat.”
Just after dawn, a group of ponies arrived, escorted by Pegasus Guard in sky chariots: Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and Shining Armor. The Captain of the Guard started to go about his duties, professional, calm, even as the Princesses walked forwards, staring in horror at the damage to the village. He approached Luna and Scrivener... but then his eyes caught on the sight of the violet horn standing out from beneath a sheet, the frazzled, streaked mane... and he stumbled, then shivered before turning towards this, shoving the soldiers that were taking in the body count out of the way to rip the sheet back before dropping to his knees as tears filled his eyes, letting out a harsh sob.
Princess Celestia only stared blankly, and Princess Luna breathed hard, looking back and forth disbelievingly before her eyes settled on the armored Luna Brynhild: the pony who looked like her and did not at all in the same moment, as Luna whispered: “I wish to offer my condolences to all of thee. The heartache that thou must all feel... and the confusion, aye. But listen. Listen to our story, and... we shall tell thee what we can.”
And in silence, the ponies listened: Luna summarized who they were, then told of coming in to Ponyville and finding three Tyrant Wyrms here. The creatures had likely used their Hymn and the Black Verses to eradicate most of Ponyville, hence the lack of serious damage they had seen on many of the bodies. She left out how so many of these corpses had been left to ornament the library, and yet as Celestia stared up at a dangling rope, she seemed to recognize it anyway before the Princess of the Sun whispered: “And in a single moment... my world was taken away.”
There was a heavy silence, punctuated only by the occasional sob and the murmur of guards, as Scrivener and Luna simply sat. Their armored wagon had been wrecked, but they had salvaged the supplies they could out of it already and put them into the saddlebags beside them. Celestia and Luna studied them as Cadence tried to comfort Shining Armor as he cried over his sister's corpse.
There was nothing to say, nothing they could say: the guards had orders to head to City Hall and attempt to find any relatives of those deceased, but many of them had been born and raised in Ponyville, and the town had been their family. The now-dead, now-gone village. Many would simply be buried.
Celestia offered them lodgings at Canterlot, cordial even if shaken; but it was clear how deeply it affected her on the ride back, crammed into a chariot, looking across at the Princess and watching as tears flowed down her face, glowing in the sun's light. Scrivener and Luna had no reason to refuse, after all.
The next few days passed mostly in silence and contemplation, as the two healed from the battle. They were questioned often: sometimes angrily, sometimes almost accused, other times thanked. The world had gone completely upside down for these ponies, after all, and all Luna Brynhild could say to the terrified and sorrowful Princesses was: “They are after us, first and foremost. What thou must do is tend to thy nation, thy people, and... take care of thyselves and each other. Let us handle revenge; it is not a task for the innocent.”
Scrivener and his wife both wanted to stay for the funerals... but the also knew they had to return home, as soon as possible. Furthermore, ponies were suspicious of them here in Canterlot, even if Princess Celestia was simply... shell-shocked, and her younger sibling was little better off. Cadence, too, seemed to ache deeply for everything that had happened, and Shining Armor had gone on leave, feeling like he failed to protect Equestria: more importantly, he failed to protect his little sister.
So instead, Scrivener Blooms and Luna Brynhild left as soon as they felt the Bifrost was serviceable, saddlebags strapped over their bodies. They opened the rainbow bridge in Canterlot Gardens, guarded by a crowd of soldiers and the Princesses... who, even at the sight of the immense magic, were only able to stare blankly. But Luna understood it, better than they would ever know, as tears flowed down her own cheeks even as she and Scrivener ran up the rainbow archway and tore through the hole in reality, feeling energy surging around and through her still-sore body, but this time bringing no joy with it, no sense of adventure, of thrill, of power.
If anything, it only grew worse as they ran along the endless and yet too-short bridge, breathing hard, the vortex of swirling energy around them seeming to fade, to darken... and then Scrivener frowned as black lightning streaked by before the rainbow bridge shuddered violently beneath their hooves, and Luna looked down as the male felt a strange prickling sensation in his mind, like that corruption inside his head was being excited again by something...
He glanced over his shoulder, and his eyes widened in horror at the sight of the Bifrost not shattering... but being devoured by a terrible, gaping darkness that was rushing towards them like a cloud of poisonous smog. He turned immediately ahead, sending the thoughts to Luna, but she was already snarling, already sprinting harder, faster, even as her sore muscles screamed in protest against her stained and damaged armor.
They shot along the bridge as the darkness chased them, the vortex of sound and light around them become shadows and pain as the bridge began to crack further and further, the cloud vomiting down this narrow tunnel catching up rapidly, and Scrivener could almost hear clanking gears and screaming on the other side before he and Luna tore violently out the other side of the Bifrost, running down the other side of the archway and leaping out onto the road outside Ponyville, both skidding to a halt.
The winged unicorn looked up to see the Nibelung guards only a few dozen yards away, by the open gates: it was dusk, then sun having just set, the sky still faintly tinged with light, Ponyville just beginning to slow down. In other words, for once the timing was good as Luna looked up with a snarl as the Bifrost shattered and black smoke steamed out of the hole in reality as it shivered and distorted, then rapidly began to grow into a swirling black vortex, the winged unicorn shouting: “Alarm! Sound the alarm!”
The Nibelung panicked at this, but one of the dwarves hurriedly turned to sprint into Ponyville as others ran for the guard towers and the doors as Scrivener and Luna set themselves. They had recovered as much as possible over the last few days, but their bodies were sore, they were still drained and tired, and Scrivener cursed under his breath as Luna gritted her teeth and said coldly: “We need only hold them here, Scrivy... we will buy all the time we can against... against whatever is coming now!”
There was a rumble from the black vortex as Scrivener nodded, the two ponies watching... and then staring in horror as three stone statues burst out of the dark portal. They crashed to the ground, a petrified set of Tyrant Wyrm Triplets still frozen in their death throes, and Luna snarled before she shouted furiously: “Do not mock us, or we will make sure all of thy world suffers a fate even worse than this!”
And as if in response, the dark portal rumbled violently before vibrations twisted through the air as something tore through in a burst of dark smoke. The object fell to the ground with a tremendous crash, and Scrivener and Luna snarled at the sight of it: it looked like nothing more than an enormous, silvery orb, as large as a boulder, a meteor...
The portal above closed, and Luna and Scrivener only stared for a few moments before the silver sphere seemed to simply melt into the ground. Then Scrivener's eyes widened as he realized that it hadn't simply melted: some of that silver goop had spread forwards, was twisting itself like living slime over the petrified statues and soaking itself into the stone...
The far right Triplet suddenly twitched violently, then creakily stomped down, anchoring itself into a new position as its jaws closed and its features became emotionless. A moment later, the other Wyrm statues did the same, leaving narrow cracks here and there in their own stone bodies as they moved like jagged puppets. The two ponies cursed under their breath, readying themselves before instincts howled in both the pony's minds, and they looked up sharply as the ground began to tremble.
And a moment later, a terrible, monstrous shape made of rock and earth and silver, shifting metal ripped itself out of the earth behind the Tyrant Wyrm statues, its body uneven and heavy, its arms shapeless and ending in vicious claws, head only a rough shape at first... but as it rose up into the air, jaws filled with sharp teeth formed and laughed, and eyes of silver liquid split open as nostrils formed in a face that became dragon-like, horns spiraling out of its skull as Scrivener and Luna stared at the behemoth with horror.
The upper body looming out of the ground grinned widely as it leaned forwards, and then Valthrudnir's voice asked coldly, mockingly through his features made of stone and liquid metal: “Did you m-miss me, Brynhild and S-Scrivener Blooms?”
The two snarled, staring up in horror at this creature before it laughed jaggedly, the voice strange, echoing as it continued cruelly: “O-Oh how l-long I have waited for this d-day! My day of r-r-revenge on you and B-Brynhild for what you d-d-dared to do to me!”
“Did you develop a speech impediment in death?” Scrivener asked flatly, frowning at the strange stuttering, and even as Valthrudnir snarled down at him, he felt like something was... off. “Valthrudnir is dead. Who... what... are you?”
“I am the Clock-Clockwork K-King!” the massive, stone construct declared, leaning back before grinning and patting himself gently on the chest, sending down a hail of rubble. “Well, not r-really me... this is just a n-nice way for me to extend my reach beyond Decretum, what you call C-Clockwork World, and h-h-have a hand in k-killing you myself; a simple trick for a Jötnar a-as mighty as m-myself!”
“It does not matter who or what thou art... we are going to destroy thee. No mercy, no quarter, no surrender.” Luna replied quietly and coldly, setting herself as her eyes blazed, and Scrivener grunted in agreement as he leaned forwards, flexing slowly as he readied himself as well. “And then we shall chase thee all the way back to thy pathetic little toy world, and bring it crashing down around thy head before we rip thee limb-from-limb, monster and imposter!”
The stone Valthrudnir only laughed, jarringly, like one harsh, repeated sound again and again, then he grinned as he easily held up his stone claws, gesturing calmly with them, and the petrified Tyrant Wyrms began to move jaggedly as if they were being puppeted, two of them advancing as the third stayed back in front of its master. Emotionless marionettes made from the corpses of soulless machines of destruction... it was almost disgusting enough to make Scrivener believe this truly was Valthrudnir. “V-V-Very well, then let us p-play! And after I k-kill you, I shall take great d-d-delight in destroying your precious h-home!”
“The game ends here!” Luna shouted furiously, and she and Scrivener both charged as the rocky construct gave another of its strange, repetitive laughs. It rolled one of its wrists, and immediately, the Wyrm statue Luna was lunging at reared up before slashing its front claws down viciously at her.
The winged unicorn quickly flapped her wings to send herself at a higher target on the creature, the claws just scraping past her before she smashed into its neck, almost tearing its head from its shoulders before she snarled as she twisted past it and slammed both hooves hard down into its back between the stone spikes of its petrified piston-bones. Cracks spread through the stone as the creature bucked and rocked, moving in time to the Valthrudnir construct's sharp gestures.
The rock goliath's other hand was guiding the second stone figure in a fight against Scrivener, but it was clear most of his attention was on Luna as the earth pony weaved back and forth beneath and around claw strikes, smashing his hooves and slamming his armored frame hard up against the stone statue, chipping off chunks of stone here and there. Scrivener could feel a growing fury, a growing anger, and the corruption in his mind bubbling higher and higher, spreading and spilling through him, urged further by Luna's battlelust.
He blocked a hard swipe of a claw with his foreleg, the stone claws ripping through the armor and tearing plating and mesh fabric away from his limb to leave ugly cuts, yet Scrivener barely felt it... and neither did Luna even as the same cuts formed on her own body as she leapt off the Wyrm puppet's back, gracefully arching her back and spreading her wings to do a quick aerial roll out of the way of a lunging claw before she kicked both rear hooves hard into the face of the Wyrm, shattering its stone features, knocking the puppet's head back before Luna dropped suddenly to the ground and thrusted her horn into its chest.
She snarled as she focused her magic and fury, then shoved forwards as she released a vicious blast of focused telekinetic wrath and blue fire. The explosion that resulted seared her own features, but sent the puppet rocketing backwards as the construct Valthrudnir flinched and hurriedly covered its own face, the smaller stone puppet smashing into one of its forearms before exploding in a tremendous bang. Chunks of rock and silvery liquid burst down from the damaged construct, and the stone Valthrudnir snarled, losing its focus for a moment.
Then golden light shone down over its features, and the construct looked up in blank surprise for a moment before its eyes widened and it snapped both hands quickly upwards: the third, unused stone puppet was immediately launched into the air, flying high to crash into a golden meteor shooting towards the rocky Valthrudnir. The enormous aureate fireball exploded as it collided with the Wyrm statue, pelting the construct with blonde fire and chunks of melted rock as the Valthrudnir construct howled in fury and frustration as it vainly attempted to shield itself with its forearms.
Celestia landed a moment later beside Luna, her eyes glowing as Luna grinned widely, looking up at her big sister and rasping: “And for once, I am glad to see thee in full fury, big sister...”
“Clockwork World?” Celestia asked quickly, and when Luna nodded, the ivory equine looked over her shoulder at the others who were approaching: Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle among their number. “Rainbow Dash! The clouds, like we discussed!”
“On it!” Rainbow shot immediately skywards, followed by several Pegasi, and then Celestia turned her eyes forwards, beginning to charge as Luna followed quickly.
The construct Valthrudnir snarled down at them, and Twilight stared in horror, recognizing the Jötnar from a glimpse of dark, faded memory. Inside her, something pulled taut as she looked forwards, watched as the construct made a quick gesture that made the puppet Scrivener was still hammering on knock the earth pony flying, and then the violet mare gritted her teeth as flashes of her friends ran through her mind... friends she had lost every one of, a world and a home she had lost because of what Valthrudnir had done.
Her horn glowed brightly, and Twilight leapt upwards, taking to the air with a yell before she snapped her head upwards, and a tremendous blast of blue lightning ripped down from the skies with a crackle of power, smashing into the construct's upper arm. It jerked to the side with a snarl that turned to surprise as the stricken area rapidly froze over, most of its upper limb becoming entrenched in ice that made liquid metal brittle and pried open the spaces between its stony flesh, and then Twilight snapped her head forwards with a yell, her eyes glowing as her horn sparked before releasing a fireball, magical recoil knocking her flying backwards.
The focused fireball crashed into the construct's upper arm and exploded with a tremendous bang, ice shattering and rocky shrapnel flying in all directions as liquid metal splattered down like blood. The construct howled in shock grasping at its arm as there was a distinct, terrible crunching before the limb simply peeled off and collapsed, the arm crashing to the ground and shattering into useless rubble.
Silvery liquid metal spilled through the earth and into the ground, and the Valthrudnir construct snarled in fury as Twilight fell to the ground and Celestia halted in mid-stampede to look over her shoulder in amazement. Luna, meanwhile was still charging, along with the other ponies and Nibelung that had joined them... before her eyes widened when the construct slammed its remaining claw into the ground, sending cracks ripping through the earth and knocking ponies flying.
Celestia looked forwards too late, and the shockwave slammed her off her hooves as well, the ivory equine cursing at herself for letting herself get distracted. Scrivener, picking himself up, was thrown backwards and sent rolling from the blast, and Twilight winced, knocked sprawling as well before the Valthrudnir construct shouted furiously: “Arrogant little insect, how dare you!”
He flicked his wrist, and the remaining Wyrm puppet broke into a sprint, covered in cracks and damage that the fast movement only worsened, but it was more than solid enough to hurt, to kill, as it leapt towards Twilight and she only stared in shock... and then Scrivener leapt in front of her, raising his forelegs and cursing in agony as its claw slammed down into them, feeling the stone, jagged talons ripping through the little armor that remained over his forelimbs before the puppet wrenched its claw back.
It swiped at him as the Valthrudnir construct cursed, but Scrivener leapt backwards before the Wyrm marionette bit at him savagely. The earth pony did the only thing he could to avoid this, diving over it and snagging its horns and neck with a wince before the animated statue shook violently, then snapped its head upwards.
Scrivener was sent flying straight up into the air as he was dislodged, his body flipping once before he arched his back as the Wyrm began to raise its head and open its jaws... and Scrivener dove straight down into its stone skull, smashing into it and shattering its head and neck into fragments as he tore through it like a sledgehammer to hit the ground with a curse in a crumpled heap.
The statue staggered backwards, headless and covered in battle damage, Scrivener laying half-prone in front of it and bleeding heavily from forelegs that both felt broken, and the Wyrm puppet trembled for a moment. Then it stepped forwards, raising one claw, but it was blasted backwards by a bolt of light; and as golden flames began to spread over the stone, eating into it like acid as it rolled backwards, Celestia flicked her horn firmly, and the statue simply exploded in a blast of fire and sound.
The Valthrudnir construct gazed over them with shock, gravel spilling down from its stump of an arm like blood, its eyes disbelieving before it snarled... then frowned when there was the patter of droplets against its muzzle. Then it hissed as more water spilled over it, rubbing at its features before it looked up in shock at the rain that was beginning to fall, quickly growing heavier as the construct hissed, then writhed as the liquid quickly began to spill through its stone body.
Rain poured over the creature and over the crowd of ponies and others, staring up at the construct as it first tried to shield itself, then snarled and simply leaned forwards even as its eyes flickered violently and rippled in its sockets. Silvery liquid was beginning to bubble and leak through its body, water diluting and destroying the bonds of the liquid metal as it leaned forwards and rasped: “Y-You filthy mortals... a-a-always... ch-cheat...”
It snarled, reaching forwards, but everyone was out of its reach even before its claw began to tremble, then simply shattered, its arm falling apart bit-by-bit like soggy bread. Its body was beginning to dissolve as well as it rasped, chunks of its frame peeling and falling off as its head began to distort and collapse. Ponies and Nibelung – and others from the village now – gathered in front of it, looked up at this horrendous monstrosity as it was brought low by simple rain, the creature snarling and breathing hard before it whispered: “B-But this was j-just a test... to... m-make sure you know... that I will not be s-stopped. My t-true forces... have begun moving in your country. It won't be long now before... b-before... you suffer at... the... h-h-hands of y-your own...”
It tried to grin, even as half of its face sloughed slowly off into mud and silver muck that splattered loudly to the ground, and then it threw what remained of its head back and laughed before declaring: “Fare w-well, Brynhild and S-Scrivener Blooms! Try not to die too q-quickly... I want you t-taken alive so I can k-kill you myself!”
Then, slowly, the laughter of the terrible thing faded out as it simply crumbled apart rock, mud, and silvery liquid splattering down to reveal the core of the destroyed construct: a glassy, cracked orb filled with dying light, surrounded by a cage of black metal bars. Steam hissed up from this at contact with the rain as water seeped inside it and its malevolence was extinguished... yet all present knew it was only the start of what was yet to come.

Roughly a week later, the defenses around Ponyville had been completed: high-pressure sprinklers that would interfere with the creatures of Clockwork World... at least the ones that used the silvery liquid metal for blood. Cowlick had finally gotten a sample of it from the ruins of the construct and analyzed it: it was an electrically-charged, metamorphic substance. Adding water to it destroyed the charge that gave it cohesion and let it 'hold' various shapes, and interfered with the chemical makeup... or at least that was what Cowlick guessed.
They had talked a lot about things over the week: about Valthrudnir, about Clockwork World, about what they had experienced. And Luna was the first one brave enough to bring it up: it had been less of an attack, and more of a mockery and a declaration of war. Valthrudnir – or whoever was impersonating him – wanted to let them know they were coming. Possibly out of arrogance, possibly out of cruelty... most likely out of both.
Clockwork World wanted them scared, wanted them to believe, to truly believe, that Valthrudnir had returned and that they were once more at war with the Jötnar himself, not just the remnants of his machinations. The worst part was not knowing what was true: from what the Norns had said to the sheer malevolence of the creature: Scrivener felt like it was Valthrudnir, and yet... not Valthrudnir.
The earth pony had suggested that the Norns themselves were behind this, but Odin had shaken his head slowly, pointing out that the Norns preferred illusion and magic that controlled life and death. The Valthrudnir construct had been formed of stuff more akin to what he called alchemy, and Cowlick called 'bizarre science meets magic.' Not that it meant the Norns were friends or even allies, only that they likely weren't behind the appearance of the pseudo-Valthrudnir or Clockwork World.
But there was little they could do, apart from prepare, prepare, prepare. The problem was there was no way of knowing where the conflict would begin: all they knew was that Luna and Scrivener were the main targets of Clockwork World, at least at this point. But to get to them, who knew what their enemies would be willing to do?
All they could do was warn Ponyville, and have Celestia spread word to the other baronies that there was a possible danger. But not all of the Royal Council knew – or believed – that Celestia was friends with Odin, a once-god who had created all these layers of reality. And not all of them wanted to believe that Equestria could once more be facing a serious threat, thinking it was only paranoia after Celestia had been attacked by 'unknown forces' months ago now.
And yet... Scrivener and Luna were well aware it could be worse, too. To keep themselves busy more than anything else, they had started construction on the second level of their house, and for now they were staying in the library with Twilight Sparkle. They had spoken to Antares Mīrus and Scarlet Sage about their plans, and neither of them had a problem with it; Antares hadn't even seemed surprised, or taken it as anything strange, only smiling and nodding happily. It reminded his parents what a miracle their son was, in more ways than one; it reminded Scrivener and Luna that no matter how dark things got, there was always a bit of light.
And one day, after Meadowlark's birthday party at Sugar Cube Corners, Scrivener, Twilight, and Luna, Antares and Scarlet Sage, Spike and Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Nirvana, and Discombobulation had all been hanging around afterwards, lingering in one another's company. Pinkie Pie and Pinkamena had been cleaning up, Pinkie rambling cheerfully about how she was so glad there were so many new foals around Ponyville these days and Pinkamena grumbling under her breath before she simply sat down at the large table set up in the middle of the room with a sigh, tossing the rags she had been using to clean up into a bucket. Pinkie Pie opened her mouth, and Pinkamena said flatly: “It's evening and past closing. We can finish in the morning. Or I'll finish later tonight, I never sleep anyway.”
“Well... I guess you're right.” Pinkie smiled softly at her twin, walking over and sitting down beside her, and Pinkamena grumbled and hid her face in her forelegs. The other ponies joined the twins, and Pinkie Pie smiled wider, looking over them as she said quietly: “Real nice to see all your faces here... especially after, well, you know how it's been. And these little parties... I know they might seem silly sometimes, but it's so nice to see everypony... here, forgetting about everything, even if just for a little while.”
“We should have regular meetings. Like the drunks do.  And all the black coffee we can drink.” Discombobulation slowly looked over at Scrivener, who sighed and gave him a flat look before the Draconequus cleared his throat and then stood suddenly from table, holding up a hand and saying courteously: “Or, if that idea doesn't work, because only one of us here is an alcoholic...”
“I'm not an alcoholic. It was not alcoholism, it was a temporary dependency.” Scrivener said dryly, holding up a hoof, and Luna reached up and squeezed his shoulder gently with a wry smile. “But okay, Bob, what are you suggesting, since you keep looking at me? Poetry readings? Book club?”
“I'm suggesting that you have a nice tall glass of shut the hell up.” Discombobulation said kindly, and then he held out a hand to Pinkamena, who slapped it firmly with her hoof up and then down before they punched hoof and fist lightly together as eyes around the table glowered. “I told you I'd say it to him. You owe me a cupcake.”
“I said coffin cake, not cupcake. Help yourself.” Pinkamena grunted, jerking her head towards the back of the room, and the chimerical creature rubbed his hands together before he turned his attention back over the table.
“But before I do, since some enjoyments are best savored and others we should plunge right into... I am suggesting that you all listen as I tell you a story. And like all good stories, I shall start with a prologue.” Discombobulation bowed politely before he touched his chest as he began in a calm, carrying voice: “Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a Draconequus of wealth and taste...”