• Published 19th Sep 2016
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Hecate's Orphanage - BlackRoseRaven



Cadence and other ponies from across countless parallel worlds work together to protect their universe from monsters.

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Wear Your Heart On Your Sleeve

Chapter One Hundred and Thirteen: Wear Your Heart On Your Sleeve
~BlackRoseRaven

Cadence smiled a little over at Tormentas as the demonic mare sat back with a sigh, shaking herself out briskly before she remarked: “Some of my best work, if I do say so myself. Funny choice, though, Swan: most people consider chains to be imagery for things holding them back.”

“I guess I'm weird.” Cadence said wryly, and then she shook her head before she flexed her foreleg slowly, looking at the new half-sleeve tattoo that decorated her upper limb, of chains with a single name woven in runes among them: Thesis. “But he always... grounded me. He made me strong because he helped me focus. Some of us... need to be chained down, or we just float away.”

Tormentas absently picked at her teeth with one hoof, studying the silver and black chains she had inscribed before she smiled and shrugged easily, replying: “I suppose, and don't get me wrong, I know that it's very good we have limits and laws... but oh, I do sometimes still miss the days when I could just do whatever I pleased.”

Cadence smiled wryly at this, and then she straightened and rubbed absently at the tattoo before Tormentas asked gently: “And how are you doing?”

Cadence looked down for a moment, and then she shook her head before she let her eyes wander around the apartment that she still thought of as not just hers, but her... whatever he was. Not just a coltfriend. Not just a husband. Not just a soulmate... “Some days are better than others, but I'm doing better. Hecate and I have dinner together a lot. It's... it's strange to spend all day following orders, and then go up there in the evenings, or to have her here, and to just be Mother and...”

Cadence halted, embarrassed, and Tormentas said easily: “You know, it's obvious how you're going to finish that sentence, so I don't see why you'd stop after calling her Mother. Unless you're going to surprise me by saying 'son.'”

The ivory mare rolled her eyes, and then she glanced up as she heard the door open, smiling as Sombra strode in with Thorn and Moonflower. “I hope we aren't interrupting anything, Cadenza.”

“Not at all, Daddy. Tormentas just finished, actually.” Cadence turned and hopped over the back of the couch, smiling as she approached the stallions before she stretched out her foreleg, showing off the tattoo: she noted that Thorn immediately smiled at the sight of it, although he hid the expression just as quickly. “What do you think?”

“I like it. And I think Thesis would have appreciated it, too. It seems fitting.” Sombra said, and Cadence smiled a little as she looked back at her tattoo for a moment, then returned her eyes to her father when he continued: “We were wondering if you wanted to join us for lunch. Thorn offered to update us on the situation as well.”

“In spite of recent events, Endworld has returned to more or less standard operating procedure. I can at least inform you what's going on and what we have in store for the near future. Off the record.” Thorn added, and Cadence smiled a little as her eyes lingered on the stallion, studying him for a few moments.

“Yeah. I'd love to catch up a little. Thesis and I never saw much of you and we haven't really spoken since your birthday.” Cadence said, and Thorn smiled briefly before she asked curiously: “What about La Croix?”

“He's currently on administrative duty, shuffling files. He'll break later in the afternoon.” Thorn shrugged, then he said almost reluctantly: “I could all the same put in a request...”

Cadence smiled, reflecting on how different Thorn was, how much he had grown up, and how even if he still seemed like he had a stick rammed up his ass sometimes, she had come to trust him and to understand him. Better than she wanted to, even, because understanding him had helped her understand just how much weight he must have to carry on his shoulders, each and every day. “No, it's alright, Thorn. I'll catch up with him afterward. I'm glad to see you and Moonflower taking a break, at least. I hear you've been doing a lot of work, Mr. Magic Assistant.”

It was a little awkward how much Moonflower puffed up at that, but she was glad that he had managed to find something that made him happy as he bragged: “Well, Thorn and I have very busy schedules, very busy, Cadence, but you know that-”

“We can always make time for friends and family.” Thorn finished as he gently patted Moonflower on the shoulder, and the black unicorn blushed deeply before he simply nodded hurriedly in agreement.

Cadence smiled in amusement, before she glanced back at Tormentas, but the demon only waved a hoof lazily from the couch as she said wryly: “I'll let myself out, don't worry. I'll see you soon, Cadence. Don't start a war too quickly, dear, I'm rather enjoying this concept of... peace.”

Peace: that was a funny thing, Cadence thought. But she supposed that they were in what was essentially a ceasefire with Loki right now, weren't they? There had been no activity from the Void, and they hadn't made any attacks...

Of course, where the hell were they supposed to attack? But even that didn't feel like a priority to Cadence anymore. If Loki was leaving them alone, she was more than happy to leave him alone for now, while they put things back together, fixed what they could and prepared. She knew it would come down to a fight between them eventually, but she only hoped that he wouldn't drag any other worlds into the crossfire this time.

They walked through Endworld, taking their time, Cadence thought, and while normally she or Thorn would be trying to hurry up the pace, she thought they were both trying a little harder these days to be better ponies. To remember Thesis' words, because whether or not he was gone, his words and memories and the promises they had made, they were all very much still there.

Cadence looked down for a moment, then she glanced up and asked quietly: “How much do you think about him, Thorn? I mean... I can't be the only one who thinks about him all the time. I know he was... we were special to each other, but...”

“I think of him often. Every day.” Thorn said softly, his eyes roving along the neon lights of the steel and glass towers all around them. “I think of what I wish we had done together. I think about how he should be here, every time we go to lunch or dinner. I think about all the things I never said to him, and that I wish I had.”

Thorn fell quiet for a moment, and then he said abruptly: “I wrote a poem about him. It's been a long time since I wrote anything. It's not that I never had the time, I simply... never used it. And I thought the idea was... stupid.”

Thorn's muzzle quirked in a slight smile, and Cadence laughed a little as Moonflower said earnestly: “I think it was a very good poem, Thorn! And it's never stupid, that's... that's your special talent, even though you're so good at a lot of things, but you're really really good at... that.”

He smiled lamely as he fell silent, but Thorn only nodded, glancing at Moonflower with a softness in his eyes before he murmured, almost shyly: “Thank you.”

They fell back into silence as they made their way down to a little restaurant: some hole in the wall place where they found their own seats in a far corner, the scent of tobacco and stale beer filling the air.

A waitress came over to serve them, and Cadence rather admired the way they made this place seem so grungy and homely. It was part of the charm, after living so long in a world of shiny, polished metal, where everything was always so perfect, to be able to step out of that and into the... well... the dirt.

Cadence smiled despite herself, then she glanced up as the waitress cleared her throat, and the ivory mare blushed a bit before she handed the menu over as she said: “Fries and... the fish, please. Battered, cod. Coffee to drink.”

“Sure, lady.” The waitress shrugged: they had stranger orders than that from nicer-looking ponies on a regular basis, after all. “Be back in ten with your meals.”

Moonflower peered after the waitress as she left, and then he asked, thankfully more childish and... Moonflowery than rude: “Why does she have such a funny accent?”

“Because she's forcing a Moo Jersey accent to match the style of this installation, but she's clipping her words too much, which is why it comes out like a stutter.” Thorn said as he called up a holographic screen, before he glanced to the side as Moonflower made an awkward little throat-clearing noise, staring at him pointedly.

For a few moments, Thorn looked back, and then he smiled briefly before he made the projection vanish, and Moonflower smiled in both relief and happiness, Cadence thought with amusement. But the two were good for each other, especially now that Moonflower was learning to stand up for himself a little more.

They sat in quiet, but it was comfortable, not awkward: they were all family here these days, after all. Cadence kept rubbing at her Thesis tattoo, and she wanted so badly to talk about him, to brag about him, but she wanted it to be something of substance, something the others could relate to: even as his brother, she knew that Thorn had never loved Thesis the way she had. Which is probably a good thing...

Cadence smiled despite herself, then she looked up as the waitress returned and slid four coffee mugs onto the table, filling them each with coffee as she said: “Your food will be right out, sweethearts.”

“Do you have 701IM licensing?” Thorn asked curiously before the waitress could turn away, and she froze in place, staring over her shoulder at him before the stallion rose his cup of coffee, sniffing at it as he murmured: “This is... Saddle Arabian. It's very good.” He paused, sipped, then agreed with himself after a moment: “Very good. You need 701IM licensing to import consumable goods, however.”

The waitress shifted awkwardly, and Moonflower cleared his throat, but Thorn only smiled at the unicorn, saying softly: “I know. I'm off the clock. This isn't an official warning. Just advice from a customer.”

“Thank you, then, sir. I'll... uh... tell the boss.” the waitress said awkwardly, before she turned and hurried off, and Thorn shook his head before he glanced up as Sombra chuckled quietly.

“You've grown quite a bit, Prince Thorn. I imagine in the past you would not be so quick to dismiss a violation of protocol.” Sombra remarked, and Thorn shrugged before he turned a soft look from Moonflower to Cadence, and specifically, to her tattoo.

“I've had good teachers.” Thorn said after a moment, before he shrugged again and smiled a little as glanced out at the restaurant, continuing: “We can fix problems as they occur, but not every violation of our rules or the law is a problem. Our laws aren't perfect: they're generalizations. A very difficult truth to acknowledge, but... it is one I think we are prepared to.

“I like this place. It feels like home to me. And I feel, every day, that the Clockwork Empire is growing stronger, more towards what it could be.” Thorn quieted, before he shook his head and murmured: “And I understand that this world... this empire... it has to be of our own making. We can't rely on heroes from other worlds to save us, on Hell, on Heaven. This is our duty: we stood up and said we could take care of this universe, and now we have to prove it.”

Cadence nodded slowly, saying softly: “It's our responsibility. It's been left up to us. And there's no one else who can do it anyway, huh?”

“I didn't say that.” Thorn smiled slightly, then he shook his head and said finally: “I don't think that even Loki, even if he merges everything with the Void, that he'll 'destroy' everything. I think it's grown too big, too vast. I think 'I want to destroy the universe!' is the scream of a tantruming child. I think Loki means very real harm to us, and he's very capable of destroying a world or two, three, maybe a dozen.

“But even Valthrudnir couldn't bring himself to purge this entire universe. I don't know why for certain, but I have a working theory. Partly because it became a game to him and it held his attention, partly because he was afraid, I think, and partly because... I don't think he really wanted to. He had no problem with sacrificing and obliterating worlds to sate his own ego, to tell himself he was really going to destroy Odin's worlds this time, find the core world, make everything perfect, but even at his worst...” Thorn looked down at his mechanical hoof, flexing it slowly. “He wanted to 'fix' us. Never forget that. What made Valthrudnir so awful, so terrifying, so cruel, wasn't his power: it was the fact that he never considered himself to be the 'bad guy.' He thought he was doing 'good.'”

Cadence grimaced a bit at this, before Thorn mused: “I wonder what Loki thinks of himself. We know he's working on the idea of prophecy, of... fables and stories.”

“He always sounded bitter. Angry, but not angry. Upset, I guess, although that seems like a weird word to use for the whole... situation.” Cadence said after a moment, shaking her head briefly before she smiled a little over at her father. “But despair leads to anger, anger to hate, hate... to suffering. Isn't that right?”

“Yes, mi amore. We all have the potential to be monsters. For our very best is met by our very worst in equal measure inside of us.” Sombra said softly, and Moonflower smiled warmly.

“You're so wise.” he said, and for once it didn't sound like a fawning suckupery, which made Cadence smile in amusement. Okay, I know in the past he probably meant it, too, but it's nice to not see him drooling all over Daddy, too.

Sombra only smiled and shrugged, then he touched his own breast and murmured: “It is merely something I have had to learn several times over myself, my friend. That is all.”

They were briefly interrupted when the waitress arrived with their food: salads for her father and Moonflower, fish and chips for her, dumplings for Thorn. She offered meekly to refill their coffee, and Thorn politely accepted for them all.

“I was going to make a joke, but I've been told I still have to work on my humor. Apparently I come across as too serious.” Thorn said once the waitress left, sipping at his coffee before he said after a moment: “We're going to establish several more permanent fixtures – business echelon portals – across several worlds. These will serve mainly to expedite trade.”

“What does Decretum export, apart from soldiers, anyway? Do we sell drones to people or something?” Cadence asked curiously, and Thorn smiled slightly.

“Simple technologies, and the fuels and batteries required to power them, for the most part.” he answered with a shrug. “It's a good business model. We provide the machinery, and then we're the sole providers of what powers the machinery.”

“Very ethical.” Cadence said wryly, and Thorn shrugged agreeably before she asked: “How much do we need the support of other worlds? And even routed through Decretum, is it smart to have permanent portals in place?”

“Permanent portals can be interfered with, that's true: we know this from past conflicts with the Pious, especially. They specialized in using our own portals against us: that's how they invaded.” Thorn paused, then he continued in a slower voice: “But that's why our portals aren't designed just with shutoff systems, but breakaways: we can easily destroy a fixture remotely if someone attempts to override it. Permanent portals also do less damage to the fabric of reality when activated, which is important: we think part of why Loki chose this time to invade is because the overuse of portals has made reality 'thin,' allowing him to break out of the Void.”

The others nodded, before Cadence asked hesitantly: “But that's another good point: why is Loki attacking now? We still don't know, do we? I mean... I've thought about it a lot, and we... talked about it a lot...”

Cadence rubbed slowly at her tattoo, and Thorn shifted slightly before he answered finally: “I don't know. It makes me uncomfortable to say that, but I don't know. It's not strategically sound. Even assuming we found his installations while he was still masquerading as Thokk, there are a thousand ways he could have mitigated the situation. He chose not to. He chose to become hostile and engage us.”

“But even when he moves in the light, it is his shadow we should beware of.” Sombra said quietly, and Thorn nodded slowly after a moment, and then they fell into silence as they picked at their food.

The fish was good, Cadence thought, before she glanced up as she felt a shifting beside her, and she was unsurprised to see Danzsöngr standing there, looking down at her curiously. She looked back at her, then asked finally: “Yes?”

None of the others seemed surprised to see Cadence talking to thin air, and Danzsöngr seemed to smile at her through her mask before she asked: “Are you ready?”

“Not yet, not really.” Cadence replied pettishly, and Danzsöngr chuckled before the ivory mare turned her eyes to the others with a wry smile. “Sorry about that. Danzsöngr wants me go somewhere with her. But it can wait until after lunch.”

“Well, don't make yourself sick, Cadence. Even you shouldn't fight right after eating, you'll get a cramp!” Moonflower said, and Cadence couldn't help but smile at his worried look: he was like a foal with an old worrywart soul. Cute, now that he's not Morpheus Evil Lord of Darkness and Evil.

“Pretty sure I won't get a cramp, Moonflower. But thanks. I appreciate your concern.” Cadence replied with a small smile, and then she shook her head before she sighed when Danzsöngr only patiently laced her fingers together in front of her, asking dryly as her eyes flicked to the side: “Do you think you could go wait over there or something?”

The waitress, who happened to be passing by, blinked and scowled at Cadence, and the mare winced before Thorn said without bothering to look up: “I apologize, Cadence is currently on a call with the rest of her team. Would you bring me more coffee, please?”

“Oh, sorry! I mean... sorry.” the waitress said in a lower voice, smiling quickly before she scooted away, and Cadence smiled lamely over at Thorn before she opened her mouth as she noted his steaming cup of coffee-

Without hesitating, Thorn picked up the cup, calmly drinking the entire thing in a few moments before he set it back down and remarked, as Cadence and Moonflower both stared, and Sombra only smiled slightly: “It's very good.”

“It is very nice.” agreed Sombra after a moment, before he smiled at Thorn and Moonflower and asked: “Speaking of training, how have your studies in magic been going?”

“Hex magic is difficult, but Moonflower and I are making progress. We've been touching more on the core principles, since I've realized it's not the advanced magic that is the most important to master, but the foundation.” Thorn smiled slightly, glancing over at Moonflower as he twiddled his hooves together, then blushed like a pleased foal when Thorn said: “We have very different approaches to this, but I believe honestly that Moonflower has even greater potential than I do. Than anyone I've ever seen.”

Moonflower laughed awkwardly at this, waving a hoof lamely as he looked away. “Oh, no, no... I'm just me, that's all, you know. Besides, I couldn't learn this all without Thorn, honestly. Power... power alone is nothing, I've learned.”

“A good lesson to bear in mind.” Sombra approved with a nod, and Moonflower blushed a little more. “I know that alone, you are both capable of great things. Working together, we are capable of so much more.”

Cadence smiled briefly, unable to stop herself from glancing at the Swan for a moment before she took another bite of her fish. The waitress returned after another moment, offering a dessert menu as well as coffee refills, and Cadence couldn't help but smile in amusement as Moonflower almost snatched it away before he leaned childishly into Thorn, but she liked the sight of Thorn leaning back against Moonflower, unashamed and unembarrassed, so they could read it over together.

“Cake! Chocolate cake, for... everyone? For everyone!” Moonflower confirmed, nodding vehemently before he added: “And one bill, I will take care of the bill, I have plenty of credits! No, no, it's fine, I can cover it!”

“I'll take the bill, thank you.” Thorn politely overrode as he handed the menu back to the waitress, and she nodded and smiled awkwardly as she left. “That reminds me, I should stop by the bakery after we eat here. I'd like to pick up a kulich for Mother.”

“That somehow sounds awful. And not Equestrian.” Cadence remarked, and Thorn smiled in amusement. “I just didn't think Hecate was very big on non-Equestrian things. Not racist. Just seems like Equestria is her thing, first and foremost.”

“I'm sure you've noted that we've protected more than Equestria in our missions: it just seems that Equestria is usually at the epicenter of whatever crisis we are sent to avert.” Thorn paused, then he added: “To my surprise, it's actually a minotaur treat. Like a small cake, or a cupcake. I was less surprised to learn that it's full of vodka.”

Cadence snorted in amusement at this, and Sombra chuckled before he said: “I had little contact with the minotaur and their kin, but I remember their food was either quite wonderful or exceedingly awful. But their drink, on the other hoof, was always very strong, very good, and very quick to get ponies drunk. It came to be something of a joke in the old days: any pony who claimed they had been mugged or attacked by minotaurs was usually covering up the fact they made the mistake of drinking with them, and then woke up, still half-drunk on the outskirts of some camp or settlement.”

Thorn chuckled before Moonflower asked curiously: “How much of the world have you seen, Sombra? I admit that even though I claimed to be some great master of evil... I never really saw much outside of Equestria. I don't think I ever left Equestria, as a matter of fact... well, unless Tartarus counts, of course. Then I was gone for quite a bit.”

Cadence looked amusedly at the stallion, and he rubbed lamely at his head before Sombra answered: “Where I went was always for 'diplomacy,' of course, but... I loved to travel when I was young, to adventure. My family was originally from Equestria... or rather, what became known as Equestria, but they wanted to claim their own lands, find their own home. They founded the Crystal Kingdom, and after that, the task was left to us not just to rule, but to explore, to make friends, to find alliances.”

Sombra paused for a moment, then he continued thoughtfully: “I think more than anything, though, my family has always been wanderers, adventurers, and I inherited that. I never wanted to stay still when I was young, and I would be lying if I said a large part of the reason why I enjoy this life so much is because of all the different cultures and worlds we get to see. Some are beautiful. Some are so similar, but with just enough to mark them as different. And not a few are truly exotic and wonderful to behold.”

“Yeah. I'm glad you enjoy it, Daddy.” Cadence said softly, smiling over at her father before she laughed a little as she shook her head, turning her eyes towards Thorn before she asked: “What about you? I know you've been to Helheim, but... other than Looking Glass World...”

“I rarely left Decretum. I've been here a few times, and to other facilities, but I've never been anywhere else.” Thorn paused, then reflected: “Apart from Helheim, of course, which is not a place most ponies are eager to visit.”

“Yeah. But you made it seem not so bad, admittedly.” Cadence said softly, before she smiled a little and asked curiously: “Where would you like to go, Thorn, if you could go anywhere in the universe?”

Thorn thought for a moment, and then he said finally: “Looking Glass World. My family's home. I know there's still so much to explore there, so much to see...” He quieted, then he smiled briefly: “Heaven, perhaps. Valhalla. But also Helheim. Helheim is so vast, that in a thousand lifetimes, you couldn't explore all of it.”

Sombra chuckled softly, and Moonflower smiled a little before he glanced down as he murmured: “I would love to come with you. I just wish... I had more to show you, too.”

They fell into quiet for a few moments, but then the waitress returned with a chocolate cake on a platter... or rather, some malformed, stubby thing that was supposed to be a cake, Cadence reflected. She had originally been going to turn down the food, but it looked so ugly that she felt strangely obligated to help put it out of its misery.

It was surprisingly good, though, but Cadence reflected that the run-down joints almost always served the best food. She smiled a little, then sighed and glanced up as the Swan gently tapped her on the shoulder with a single finger, the creature insisting: “It is time.”

“You're such a child.” Cadence grumbled, but then she nodded as she sat up a little, saying finally: “Sorry guys. You don't mind if I go, do you?”

Thorn only smiled and shrugged, and Sombra said gently: “Do what you must, mi amore. That you take care of yourself is important to all of us.”

“Thanks, Daddy. Okay. I'll see you tonight probably, Thorn. Take care of yourself and your boy, Moonflower.” Cadence said as she sat up, and then she sighed and let her head roll back, staring at the ceiling for a moment before the Swan poked her again, and she said grumpily: “Okay. Fine. Let's go.”

She closed her eyes as the Swan slipped away from her, and then a moment later, she was gone as she slipped through the Astra, and when she opened her eyes, she was standing on the rim of a long-dead volcano, Exoterra nothing but a flickering candle in the distance.

Cadence flexed slowly as she looked over at the Swan, smiling wryly, and Danzsöngr nodded slowly before she said softly: “Good. Soon, we shall be as we were before, able to reach out through the Astra and step anywhere we please. Distance and dimension mean nothing to us: the Astra is everything, the Astra is everywhere.”

“Even the Void?” Cadence asked: she knew she was just asking herself, really, because that's all they were: two halves of the same whole, two sides of the same coin, but it was an old habit, and she felt like she understood things better when this ancient and alien part of her explained things to her, even if it often explained things in ways that would make no sense to anyone else.

“No, not the Void. Astra is devoured in the Void, shredded into raw material to be poured back through the universe. We believe that is why Loki... changes, when he becomes the Prime, when he coats himself in Astra. His undying body protects the Astra within... it is... impermeable, somehow. We do not fully understand.” The Swan mused for a moment, and then she said slowly: “But the Jötnar do not die, and what are gods, but bastard descendants of Jötnar? Perhaps, intermingled...”

Cadence frowned and tilted her head at this, but Danzsöngr only remained silent for a few moments before she said softly: “But it does not matter. Our blades will pierce his shell, and we will drain the Astra out of him, if we must. We have other matters to attend to.”

There was silence for a moment, and then without warning, the Swan slashed a talon suddenly out, but Cadence dodged to the side with a wry smile as she felt the air shiver beside her, like the molecules that made up the fabric of reality had been pulled apart for a moment.

Her back cracked as she stood on her hind legs, her daggers appearing with a mere thought in the grip of her front hooves before she slashed her knives viciously into the invisible ripples that the Swan launched towards her with only gestures: but even though she cut, what she concentrated on was an act like painting, smearing white energy through the air to cover up the holes that the Swan launched at her.

These powers were so strange: she controlled not just Astra, but absence of Astra. And the more Cadence trained with the Swan, the fiercer they fought, the more she came to understand and know these powers, to both counter them and control them.

Cadence drove suddenly towards the Swan, leaping and zigzagging sharply across the ashen rock, dodging the ferocious bursts of magic and slashes through reality that came at her before she leapt forwards and slammed both hind hooves into the face of the Swan, bending the creature backwards as she pinwheeled its arms for balance before Cadence savagely kicked off her face, launching herself into the air and twisting elegantly-

The Swan vanished and reappeared behind her, driving a claw into her spine and knocking her out of the air, Cadence swearing as she crashed down to all fours: but she recovered in a moment, leaping back and forth to dodge the hail of white flame that streaked down around her from above.

She spun around, glaring up at the Swan with a slight grin, a smoldering handprint visible on her back, while the Swan looked down calmly through her cracked mask. But as they faced each other, their wounds healed: burns vanished, and cracked mask rippled like water as it repaired itself, the Swan saying softly: “You are learning well. You are growing stronger. But so are we.”

“Good. We need to be at our best, after all.” Cadence smiled slightly, the gemstone on her forehead gleaming as her daggers spun idly at her sides: these knives were the only weapons she didn't need the telekinesis loaned to her by the Third Eye to control, but having it on certainly helped her precision. And more importantly...

Cadence focused, then leaned sharply forward as her gemstone gave a powerful white flash, the Swan flinching and giving the mare the moment she needed to leap forward and strike-

She choked as the Swan caught her by the throat, hefting her into the air above her head and studying her calmly for a few moments before she said softly: “Too slow. We have become efficient at blocking one-another's mental communication, but we can still read one-another's intent in body and movement. It was foolish to attempt such an attack.”

Cadence scowled, before she and the Swan both frowned and looked suddenly to the side as they felt the change in the air, and they were joined by another presence.

Hecate smiled thinly at them, studying them with interest: she was the only person they had met so far who could actually see the Swan without it making contact with them first through the Astra. The Swan bowed her head politely, then flinched when Cadence kicked herself free.

Hecate shook her head, then she said in a surprisingly-soft voice: “As nice as it is to see you training, Swan, all this power and skill is going to be useless if the two of you can't cooperate.”

“We are capable of cooperation, Mother Hecate. But the conflict requires us to be at odds.” the Swan said courteously as Cadence shifted awkwardly, but Hecate only smiled again at this.

“No, cooperation is most necessary in conflict.” Hecate corrected, and both Cadence and Danzsöngr cocked their heads, unwittingly mirroring each other perfectly, down to the way they shifted slightly on one leg. “When you fight, you don't move against the enemy, but you move in time with them. You move together, like a dance. And the warrior who falters in this rhythm is the one who is destroyed.” Hecate paused, then added ironically: “Perhaps that is why you've lost so many of your fights, Cadence.”

Cadence scowled horribly at this, and Hecate studied her for a moment before she said suddenly: “I like your tattoo. Thesis would appreciate it, as well. I hope that one day you'll be able to show him.”

Cadence smiled faintly at this, and then she hesitated before she asked the question she had feared to ask, since the day she had realized she loved him: “Thesis... Loki won't be able to make him fight us, will he?”

“Loki...” Hecate looked down for a moment meditatively, and then she looked up and said slowly: “Loki seems to have more trouble controlling the Voidborn than we initially anticipated. Bondye was manipulated by greed, not power. Veliuona was able to resist Loki's orders and required a control collar. So did Trixie, and we know for a fact that Melinda is able to ignore Loki's control.

“When we made the disastrous attack on Loki's 'base,' there were reports of puppets that seemed to resonate with the powers of gods. I think this is the key. Anything with its own power, with enough will, seems to be able to resist Loki's orders unless he directly manipulates them.” Hecate mused for a moment, then she said slowly: “Stronghold. Her behavior makes me question Loki's true power as well. Stronghold seemed like a good little soldier... until she became obsessed with Moonflower, like that gave her enough power to break free from his hold. To manipulate herself, in a sense.”

Cadence cocked her head curiously, but the Swan nodded slowly, saying softly: “She begged for death. She fought, and tried to kill, but she also begged for death.”

“She did, didn't she?” Cadence mused out loud, more to give herself time to try and process what Hecate was saying than anything else. “She got... excited, fighting. It was like she forgot about everything else. Sol Seraph... she was the same way.”

“And the other Voidborn we've witnessed have been controlled through fear and manipulation. I have no doubt that Loki can control them through direct means as well, but I think his power over them at a distance is much less than we originally thought, and much less than his own Voidborn might have come to believe.” Hecate paused, then she said slowly: “I have begun to consider the thought that Loki is not, as we may have originally thought, the actual force behind the creation of the Voidborn...”

Cadence frowned, and Hecate shook her head and muttered: “Just... wild fancies based on vague shreds of data. Something I wouldn't mention to anyone outside of my family. But as Thorn is doing actual work, I require something different to bounce ideas off of. A brick wall and a parrot will do when I need echoes more than thoughts, as much as I'd prefer my more intelligent child.”

Cadence scowled, although at the same time she felt oddly touched by what Hecate had inferred... although she was most irritated when the Swan agreed calmly: “We are glad to listen and to serve you, Mother Hecate.”

“Yes, Danzsöngr. I know.” Hecate sounded both pleased and exasperated, rolling her eyes before she asked: “When was the last time you worked on your vision, instead of your physical skills?”

“I... well, I'm a fighter.” Cadence argued lamely, and Hecate gave her a dour look. “I just think that, you know, first and foremost I should-”

“Then you need to get better at thinking, Cadence.” Hecate said shortly, and Cadence couldn't help but grimace slightly before the Jötnar mare continued: “Loki will not be defeated by power alone. And he does not want you purely because of your power, either.”

Cadence mumbled a little as she lowered her head, before Danzsöngr said almost matter-of-factly: “Yes, it is because of our sight. It is because of what we have seen, in the future and in the past. But as much as our powers have returned to us, not all our memories have: they are like... like a wall of a thousand shelves, each with a thousand books. None look different from any other until we pull them from the shelf, and only then do we know their contents.”

“Brynhild had a similar complaint. Except I think she remembers less than you do: you seem to have been programmed with eidetic memory.” Hecate said, and Cadence scowled a little. Hecate only smiled slightly at this, however, saying dryly: “Well, don't worry, Cadence. You seem to have done your best to lose that and all the rest of your programming.”

“I'm not programmed, and I can remember any damn thing I want to, I just... don't want to.” Cadence muttered, her eyes shifting away before she shook her head quickly and grumbled: “Look, once we deal with Loki-”

“Then what? What if he just comes back from the Void?” Hecate asked evenly, and Cadence frowned as Hecate continued: “Our real problem is that Loki cannot simply be killed, whatever he is. He's neither walking corpse nor living creature. He's beyond both those things. We need to somehow strip him of his powers, then destroy him entirely.”

“I have the power to do that.” Cadence said in a quieter voice as she flexed a hoof slowly, looking down at it for a moment before she shook her head and muttered: “I wasn't going to offer him mercy.”

“That might be the most disappointing thing you've said to me.” Hecate said contemptibly, and Cadence blinked and looked dumbly up before the Jötnar mare said in a softer voice: “You are you, Cadence. And I expect you to be better than me, and what I would do. Mercy is for the weak. Mercy is for the stupid. Mercy is for those willing to trust, to be vulnerable, to risk. Mercy is for ponies, Cadence, and you are still a pony.”

Cadence smiled awkwardly at this, not knowing whether to be offended or touched, but Danzsöngr only nodded before she said calmly: “Then we shall do what we can to maintain both sides of who we are. We shall do what must be done, without hesitation; but we shall show that we have learned, we have evolved... we are more than a tool.”

“You are. And furthermore, if it gets to the point where Loki is forced to beg for mercy from us, then that means he will be humiliated, not just defeated.” Hecate smiled thinly. “Humiliation is a much worse fate than death. Let him live in it. If he threatens the worlds again after that, that just guarantees our world will have reason to continue to exist.”

Cadence stared as Danzsöngr only tilted her head, and Hecate snorted and shrugged, saying calmly: “We exterminate threats and provide security. We a curative measure, not a preventative measure, for a multitude of reasons... but one of our key balances relies on us doing a good job, but never overachieving. We can't exist if there are no enemies left to fight.”

“You're kind of awful.” Cadence said before she could stop herself, but Hecate only smiled dryly.

“If you are going to lead, you need to learn to be awful, and to suffer the consequences for it. Any leader, no matter how great or small, will eventually be called on to make a decision for the greater good that will cause great suffering.” Hecate answered, meeting Cadence's eyes. “It isn't something most people are capable of handling, and for good reason.”

Cadence looked away, and then she shook her head before she said quietly: “I'll do whatever I have to do, Hecate.”

“I know. I just hope you don't.” Hecate paused for a moment, and then she reflected: “Loki has provided us many opportunities. He's responsible for chaos across the universe, and now throughout Helheim-”

“Wait, has Helheim figured out that Hel-”

“Don't interrupt me, Cadence. I'm not talking to you. I'm talking at you.” Hecate said shortly, and Cadence scowled, but the Jötnar mare ignored her as she lowered her head and mused: “Yes, Helheim has erupted into riots. Time is only running a little faster in Helheim than it is here on the physical plane, however, so we'll be able to react instantly if anything serious occurs. It should make mitigating the effects of the riots much easier as well.

“Even though Loki has done severe damage to our operations and our credibility, at the same time he's given us a chance to prove precisely why we are needed. He has shown us who are most valuable allies are, and while we lost many backers for the Decretum project, others are beginning to return and show interest. It would be stupid and arrogant to pretend we haven't benefited from what Loki's done, even if many of our own have suffered because of it. But in terms of the 'greater good...'”

Cadence shifted uneasily, finding that distinctly unnerving, but it only lasted for a moment before Hecate said in a brisker voice: “Once you're done playing with yourself, Cadence, report to the Orphanage for an assignment update. We can talk about it tonight, over tacos.”

“You're making tacos?” Cadence asked dumbly before she could stop herself, and then she blushed slightly and shook her head, snapping: “I'm not playing with-”

“Masturbating, then. Because all I see is a mare trying to fornicate with her reflection.” Hecate shot back, and Cadence's jaw worked uselessly for a moment before Hecate added shortly: “And yes. Tacos. Tortillas are nothing but flour and water. Tacos are nothing but fried tortillas stuffed with whatever you find in the kitchen. Fish, meat, or vegetables?”

It took Cadence a moment to realize that Hecate was asking her a question, and she blushed before she opened her mouth, but Hecate only rolled her eyes and held up a hoof. “Fine. I'll prepare all three, you can serve yourself.”

Hecate suddenly quieted, then she said softly: “I just imagine, you and Thesis, treating it like a buffet, and yet fighting over every little thing. It's funny, what you focus most on. What you miss, what you dream of, what you... wish you could have shared, with those who are gone now.”

Hecate halted, then she looked down for a moment before she reflected: “Maybe this is all my fault. Maybe I could have saved Valthrudnir. Maybe I could have stopped him, but... I know it would never have been though anything big, anything dramatic. It is the little changes, Cadence, that affect us most. The missing toothbrush. The extra few seconds spent having coffee together instead of rushing out the door. The smiles. The sighs.”

Cadence shifted awkwardly, but Hecate only looked at her for a few moments before she said, with the faintest hint of a smile: “I think everything would have been different, if I'd only made him take off that stupid suit jacket of his.”

“How the hell do you figure that?” Cadence asked, knowing she was being baited, and yet unable to stop herself from taking it.

Hecate shrugged, then she said simply: “Because the only thing that ever really separated Valthrudnir from the rest of us was that idiotic suit of his. Not his powers, not his prestige, not his 'status;' none of that made him any different from us. Just that stupid suit that he used to hide away from the world in, to separate himself from his lesser, uncultured beasts.”

Hecate fell silent for a moment, then she shook her head and said distastefully: “But that's enough for now. I have to get back to work, Cadence. See that you make some effort to do the same.”

Cadence sighed a little, but then only watched as Hecate vanished, before she scowled and looked to the side when Danzsöngr remarked in her calm, collected way: “The Mother sees things that we could never imagine.”

“The Mother is crazy.” Cadence sighed, then she muttered: “I should just let you deal with her from now on. You can still take over my body.”

“In a sense.” Cadence felt the Swan inside her, and she didn't fight it: a moment later, she was in the background, a thought inside a body that was no longer under her control, as the Swan said through the mare's mouth: “You could step outside of us, if you desired-”

I don't. Cadence said shortly, resisting a shiver: she had done that before when he Swan had first told her she should be able to 'project' as well, and... It just feels awful.

“It is only because you are still unfamiliar with the Astra. You must find the right balance, as with all other things: then you will not be too far, or too near; not too suffocated, nor too apart.” answered Danzsöngr as she stood up easily on her rear hooves, then she calmly threw a few hard kicks out to the side before shoving off the earth and flipping gracefully once, landing calmly back on one hoof as she pressed her front hooves together.

Cadence rolled her eyes at the way the Swan moved her body, and yet at the same time she was a little jealous: the Swan seemed to know her limits better than she did, to know just how far her body could go, the best way to make her body move. When she was in control, she thought she was more powerful... but I can't move like that.

“You moved better than us when you danced.” answered the Swan, and Cadence felt touched, embarrassed, and irritated all at once. “But you know emotion better than we do... than... I do. It is strange how difficult it is to be my own person, Cadence... because I am not. I am us.”

“You are and I am and we are but... we're not.” Cadence grumbled as her head twisted slightly to the other side, her movements becoming faster but less graceful as she swung almost angrily back and forth through the air, then she sighed and let her forelegs drop to her sides, muttering: “Oh, who am I kidding? We're... I'm your shadow. I'm the shadow and you're the original.”

The Swan slowly shrugged her shoulders, and Cadence frowned before the Swan asked: “But are you not Mi Amore Cadenza? Are you not... a pony?”

“I.. was.” Cadence chewed at her lip slowly, then she sighed and shook her head before she murmured: “Yeah. You're right. We both lived lives. Long, strange lives. And now we're both awake in the same body, mashed together and... just trying to make the most of it.”

“We were never far from one-another, Cadence. We have always existed side-by-side. For you are correct: even Swans cast a shadow.” Danzsöngr replied, and Cadence smiled briefly before she looked to the side as she felt a hand gently grasp her shoulder, seeing the Swan standing beside her once more. “Are you ready to go?”

Cadence sighed a little, and then she almost grudgingly nodded, muttering: “I guess so. Let's just... you know, make it quick.”

“It is always quick. It is but a single step.” the Swan said, either not understanding or not caring enough to understand the metaphor. Cadence rolled her eyes at this, but before she could even finish the eye-roll, the Swan was gone, and already telling her to hurry up.

Cadence scowled, then closed her eyes before she stepped through reality to where the Swan was waiting for her, grimacing a bit as she opened her eyes and found herself in the reception hall of the Orphanage. She glowered back and forth, then blinked and looked up in surprise as a familiar voice called: “Hey, Cygne!”

“La Croix?” Cadence turned to see the zebra hurrying across reception towards her, smiling warmly. “Hey, I heard you were working here today. How are you doing?”

“Fine, apart from all the runnin' around they got me doin'. You got a minute?” La Croix asked, and Cadence smiled in amusement despite herself before she shrugged and turned, falling in step with the stallion to stride through the busy hall with him. She noted that he had a heavy satchel hanging at his side stuffed full of files, and La Croix followed her gaze before he grumbled: “Très stupide, ma ami. We got all these machines, and Hecate wants me to do all this filin' manually.”

“She trusts you, that's all. And paper copy is important for a lot of the crucial files, you know that. It can be easily destroyed and it isn't lost during lockdowns or power outages.” Cadence said, and La Croix groaned before he nodded grouchily.

“I know that! Still stupid, though.” La Croix grumbled, and Cadence smiled despite herself as they headed into one of the offices, the Loa stumbling a little as he tried to shuffle papers out of his carrier while approaching the front desk at the same time. “Lessee, uh... ici, I got these reports for y'all.”

The Orphan at the desk scowled as La Croix piled the papers onto the desk, before she covered the microphone of her headset as she grumbled: “We're not receiving, receiving is down the hall and to your-”

La Croix popped off his prosthetic foreleg and dropped it on the desk, and the mare immediately winced and leaned back, eyes widening in surprise before the Loa said flatly: “This be hurtin' today. You can take these wherever they gotta go. Me, I'm gonna minimize my walkin' as much as possible.”

The Loa paused, then he reached and grabbed his wooden leg before he firmly popped it back into place, and Cadence covered her smile as much as possible as the mare at the desk stared, even as La Croix dug out several thick envelopes, continuing: “Y'got some mail, too, but I ain't no mail boy so you can figure out what's for who yourself. Think the new security protocol pamphlets be in there somewhere, too. And uh... need you to sign here.”

La Croix produced a clipboard with a pen dangling from it and a single sheet stuck to the back, and the mare finally got over her surprise, shaking her head before she said flatly: “I'm not authorized-”

“I don't need your damn boss, I just need some pony to say that I been here, that be all. Sign someone else's name for all I damn care.” La Croix said flatly, and the mare grumbled, then grabbed the clipboard and quickly scribbled something across it before shoving it back to him.

Merci.” La Croix nodded once, and then he turned around, grumbling as Cadence followed after him with a smile of amusement. “Hate this damn job. I'm supposed to be pushin' a pencil, Cygne, not pushin' paper on people. And they all treat me like garbage, like it be some personal attack on 'em!”

“I'm very sorry to hear it.” Cadence said in a not-at-all honest voice, and La Croix rolled his eyes as they left the offices, before she asked in a quieter tone: “How's your leg?”

“Oh, 'sfine. 'Sfine...” La Croix shifted a little, then he smiled a bit as he glanced down at his wooden leg as it gave a strange gleam. “The wood's settled nice, and I can feel through it and everything. And it ain't acting up so much now.”

La Croix paused, then he flicked his foreleg firmly, a spark of green light flaring across the limb before a spectral skull composed of emerald flame appeared above his outstretched prosthetic, Cadence's eyes widening in surprise as La Croix said mildly: “Say somethin' nice.”

The skull said something that didn't sound nice at all in the zebra tongue, and La Croix snorted and rolled his eyes before he grinned as he relaxed, and the skull remained floating eerily in the air. Cadence watched as it roved back and forth for a few moments, inspecting the area around them before it said something else, and La Croix grunted before he replied: “Nah, it ain't so bad. Lots of weirdos, sure, but Cadence is one of the good ones. You don't remember that?”

“Is that Veliuona?” asked Cadence disbelievingly, and the skull turned what was very clearly a disapproving scowl on her as La Croix snorted in amusement.

“Nah, ain't her. Just call her Mganga, Cygne.” La Croix hesitated, then he waved his prosthetic at the skull, and it grumbled before vanishing in a breath of green mist. La Croix absently rubbed at his wooden leg for a moment, and then he said in a quieter voice: “Dunno. Maybe it was Veliuona once. Maybe this be who Veliuona was when she was just a vodunsi, a... priestess of the old ways.”

He flexed his wooden leg slowly, then he turned his eyes to Cadence, and Cadence softened even before La Croix murmured: “I can't feel Darkwater or mes frères at all, can't hear 'em, can't see 'em, can't... do anything about it, either, I know. We gotta watch and wait, that's all. I just hope, still, that they escaped whatever Loki did.”

“Didn't Hecate send scouts out, or emissaries or something?” asked Cadence, and La Croix laughed dryly before he shook his head slowly, the mare frowning and catching him by the shoulder before he could start walking. “Hey. What happened?”

“They didn't find nothin'. And by nothin' I mean nothin' at all.” La Croix shook his head slowly, continuing in a low voice: “Crossroads all be muddled up or burnt out, and I gotta wonder if that means they cut Darkwater off from all the other planes. Darkwater wasn't never like Heaven or Hell, y'see... it wasn't separate and apart, it was woven in the spaces in between the planes, which is why you could go anywhere as long as you knew what roads to take. So if they cut those strings binding it together, then...”

“Hey, it's...” Cadence hesitated, then she smiled faintly before she said quietly: “Okay. I don't know for sure what that means, but neither do you, it sounds like. If your brothers avoided Bondye once, though, I know they could have done it again.”

“Yeah. Yeah, you be right. They ain't that smart or as great as me, maybe...” La Croix gave a small smile, then he chuckled softly. “Now look at me, soundin' just like Moony. No, I... I gotta have faith, that's all. And worryin' about it all ain't gonna do a damn thing. I just hope that... that all those poor lost souls that were just tryin' to sleep, that... cher...”

He quieted, looking down for a moment and chewing at his lip before he shook his head and asked: “But you got time to, you know, walk a little more? You can help me deliver some of this mail.”

“Yeah. I have a few minutes.” Cadence said softly, and she smiled a little as La Croix grunted and turned his eyes back ahead.

He paused, then glanced back at her and added almost abruptly: “Nice new tattoo, by the way. Real classy-like. I guess uh... it was for him, huh?”

“It was for me. But it was for him too, yeah.” Cadence said softly, before she smiled a little as she touched the inked chains, then she asked finally: “Do you get it?”

“What the hell does it matter if I get it, Cygne? Only matters that it matters to you.” La Croix replied with a shrug, before he added wryly: “But if you want me to be honest, think it tells a little too much 'bout what you got up to in the bedroom with your boy.”

Cadence couldn't help but laugh at this, before she smiled as she glanced at the tattoo: La Croix was right. All that really mattered was that it was right to her, important to her...

And well, he was right about the bedroom antics too, she supposed.

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