Hecate's Orphanage

by BlackRoseRaven

His Final Gift

Chapter One Hundred and Fourteen: His Final Gift
~BlackRoseRaven

Time passed, and as the days rolled into weeks, and the weeks became months, Cadence felt a strange sense of normalcy return to what they were doing... well, as normal as fighting battles across an entire universe of different worlds could ever feel, at least.

Helheim was in chaos: with Hel gone, the Archives had lost much of their power, and while many of the Archivists and Demon Lords were powerful demons in their own rights, they were nothing compared to the fury of millions of angry, rioting demons. There was little they could do to stem the tidal wave of chaos that was surging through every slice of Helheim.

It had an interesting side effect, however: some demons were rumored to be hiding out and seeking asylum, and Cadence was often deployed to rescue or retrieve these demons with her team. The ranks of the Orphanage swelled with these recruits, although Decretum also began suffering attacks from renegades who had heard rumors that Hel was there... except Hel was safe in Endworld, a place so far off the chain of worlds that even demons couldn't portal directly to them.

More and more, Cadence was starting to understand how even if their duty was to stop and control chaos, war benefited them more than anyone or anything else. A place was ravaged by war, and they were called in to take care of it: they could ask whatever price they wanted, and claim anything they captured on the battlefield. They could fight as long as they pleased, dragging the conflict out or ending it in one vicious attack. They left once they chose to leave, no sooner and no later. And while both sides of the battlefield were left devastated, to rebuild, they took their payment and added more strength and wealth to the untouchable Clockwork Empire.

They had demons and angels, gods and monsters, and even stranger things here in Endworld, all helping to further their cause. It was funny, Cadence thought: all these allies, all these resources, all this dedication to maintaining peace, and it was all done through eternal, endless conflict. The entire reason they had been able to forge alliances with other worlds, find new backers, gain all these new allies, it was all because they were united in protecting one-another from the bullies, the monsters, the assholes and tyrants who kept attacking them. But without those bullies and monsters and assholes and tyrants, they would be the ones at each others' throats.

But no, angel and demon worked side-by-side and with Dogmatists and Orphans; Pious prayed in the church that stood beside a laboratory facility, where scientists and machines studied energy and molecules and particles; drones and mortal ponies worked side-by-side to expand Exoterra both above and below, building towers for the living, monastic cells for the undead, storage facilities for the machine.

There was little else to do but establish their alliances and relations, and the usual work that came with being the unseen protectors of the worlds: envoys traveled between Heaven and the parts of Helheim that were trying to secure themselves against chaos, and occasionally to other worlds, both inside and outside the chain of Midgard. Some of these realms were strange and alien, full of creatures that Cadence had never seen before, such as the Greater Heaven of the Pious; others, she felt right at home in, like cloudy Skyrealm, where Thorn had met with the deities and demidivinities of the Kirin.

Cadence was anxious, sure: that nibbling feeling that there was something going on, that wish they could do something other than just wait kept gnawing at her. And sometimes it irritated her that the Valkyrie and her family got to run around like idiots, and she was just... stuck, and worse, kept in suspense every time something happened until Hecate decided whether or not she wanted to send her to investigate.

Sometimes it was tempting to try and use the Swan's power to leap across the boundaries between worlds: the Astra was everywhere, within and throughout everything, and once or twice she had already made the jump from Endworld to Decretum and back by herself. Whether a world was disconnected or not didn't matter to her: if she had been there, she could touch that Astra again, and then step to that place.

But usually Hecate sent her and her team in whenever they detected some sort of Void incursion, and so far, it had always been a disappointment: Husks, or Aetherhaunts, or rarely some Primordial. They hadn't encountered any Voidborn or Loki himself... not for two years now.

Cadence calmly polished her MARES rifle as she sat in front of the window, gazing silently out at the electric city beyond. She watched as several security drones zoomed by, followed by a larger, heavier transport drone carrying a block of materials somewhere. Likely North Section. They've been building another skyscraper there.

She smiled a bit, watching as several more of the quadcopter transport drones rumbled by, the four spinning blades that kept them aloft whirring almost silently through the air... how the hell did it do that? Thorn had explained it once, how the sound was 'deflected' towards the sky and the rest of the machinery was insulated, but she didn't fully understand it.

She flicked the switch on her rifle to distend it, then she brushed it quickly off with a cloth before shoving it back into its holster and simply hanging this on the back of the chair. She grimaced a bit as she stood up, cracking her back before she rolled her eyes and dropped to all fours when she realized she was 'standing tall' again, as everyone seemed to like to call it.

Cadence turned and strode over to the table, her Third Eye gleaming on her forehead and letting her sweep up the papers laying there with telekinesis. She shuffled quickly through them, glancing over the profiles of the Voidborn they could almost be certain still existed, and then she sighed as her eyes locked on Loki, scowling at him as he grinned out the page at her.

There were too many blanks on his page. Too much information still missing: even though they had captured Husks, confiscated the technology he was using, destroyed countless Primordials and intercepted cargo, interrogated his allies and fences...

Cadence scowled as she dropped the papers back on the desk: Loki was keeping all his Voidborn, his Jarsongildi, very close, and he himself was hiding out in the Void. By now he had likely recuperated most of his strength: two years was a long time, even if Hecate had nearly torn him in half. And sure, even a year ago she had been completely sure she could take Loki on like she had fought every other enemy, but now, after two years of training and reflection and a lot of growing up...

How ready was she going to be for an enemy who could destroy her by looking at her hard enough? She had sparred with Hecate several times, and even without using the powers of the Jötnar, Hecate was able to knock her around like a toy. When Hecate exercised those powers... I'm lucky to last a few seconds. At best.

Hecate was the only thing more powerful than Loki, and Hecate had expressed – privately – that Loki might have spent these last few years in the Void absorbing as much energy as possible, to try and make himself a match for her. If Cadence couldn't even stand on the same level as Hecate, how the hell was she supposed to fight Loki?

“Loki's powers are different. His powers are destructive and incredible, but they are not the same as the Jötnar. He cannot destroy us with a single thought or word, as Mother Hecate can.” the Swan advised, and Cadence grunted as she looked over at Danzsöngr.

Her other-half, her twin, looked the same as ever, but she had visibly changed all the same: she no longer had the same rigid body language, but instead seemed relaxed, almost natural. Her poses seemed a little forced at times, but Cadence thought that Danzsöngr was still trying to find herself, to understand emotion: two years was such a terribly long time, and yet nothing but moments compared to the countless years that Danzsöngr had lived as only a tool, in the darkness of Asgard, in the catacombs of Heaven.

Danzsöngr pushed herself away from the wall, then she picked up the file on Loki, studying it intently as Cadence scowled despite herself: she always felt like Danzsöngr was just showing off when she picked things up while projected. And it always ends up getting blamed on me when she does this in public. Like I can control her.

“You only need to ask. But I am curious. I like curiosity. It is a good emotion.” Danzsöngr said, and then she held the paper out to Cadence, saying in a more serious voice: “We know that Loki can be hurt. We know that his operations were likely connected to gathering shards of his own self, his own soul. Do you not remember?”

“Yes. But we only ever found one pony who was confirmed to be a shard, and by the time we found him he was already dead. There can't be that many pieces of his soul out there... even a powerful soul like a god's can only shatter into so many pieces. And by themselves...”

“A piece is only so strong. Even a powerful soul must have a container worthy of its strength to be able to harness its power, or it breaks.” Danzsöngr said, and Cadence frowned as she looked up at the Swan, wondering- “But reunited, the soul becomes powerful again. And not just because of power, but because of knowledge. It is like us, Cadence: with every death, your soul has flowed into ours, restoring us. Reawakening us, becoming us again.”

“I still don't know how that works. Maybe it's like a counterweight, I'm becoming you. Then you can die a whole bunch of times in a row and become me again.” Cadence muttered, even though she knew that definitely wasn't how it was going to work: she was somehow sure that she was at the end of her long string of lives. “We know Loki wants the shards, and that it'll make him much stronger. I don't see how that's new information.”

“It is not. It is reassurance.” Danzsöngr said softly, and Cadence frowned before the Swan slowly reached up, then pushed her finger into the mare's nose, making her scowl and wrinkle up her snout. “Loki is still incomplete. As long as he is incomplete, it means he is flawed. His soul will always be broken, missing pieces, pieces that have been replaced by the essence of the Prime. If we wish to know Loki, perhaps instead we should learn of the Prime.”

Cadence blinked at this, and then she nodded slowly before she shoved the Swan's hand away, saying quietly: “You're right. Maybe that's it: the Prime is composed of Astra. We know more about the Astra than anyone else. That means we should be able to figure out how to beat Loki ourselves. Assuming Hecate doesn't just... wish him out of existence.”

“Even the Jötnar cannot simply 'wish' others out of existence. They must allow it to happen.” answered the Swan almost disapprovingly, emphasizing this with a poke at Cadence's muzzle, and she scowled again before slapping the Swan's hand away. “This is what Mother Hecate spoke of when she said you do not listen, Cadence.”

“Oh shut up. You don't listen either. And stop spying on Hecate, too, every time she disassociates you or flings you out of reality it hurts me. And more importantly, she bitches at me about not keeping you on a leash.” Cadence added, and the Swan slowly huffed, then shrugged awkwardly. Well, it was more of a slow shoulder roll, but it got the point across all the same.

“Our duty is not to listen. It is to... discover.” the Swan argued, gesturing widely with one hand. “And we are curious, as we have said. It is a good emotion. Besides, we have learned that as we are free of the Mother's control, we must use our freedom to its fullest. Do you prefer when we chat with Hel? Or shall we instead follow the Valkyrie?”

Cadence scowled moodily: since the Swan was free to go where she pleased whenever she projected, she often took advantage of that to track down people who interested her, which generally also ended up being the people who most annoyed and frustrated Cadence.

Hel was under heavy guard and cooped up in some high-security installation, but of course all those scanners and soldiers meant absolutely nothing to Danzsöngr, who could simply appear wherever she pleased and choose who she appeared to, with the exception of Hecate, although Hel could at least sense the Swan's presence. Hel was also one of the few people who seemed to actually enjoy having the Swan around, holding long, rambling, confusing conversations with her, and occasionally shouting loudly at Cadence through the Swan like she was a telephone or something. And I don't know how she does that, either. But Hel... made us.

“Hel is our Mother. It is not a crime for a daughter to enjoy conversations with her mother.” the Swan tried to quip, but Cadence only looked flatly at the creature. Horses of Heaven. I've been hanging around Moonflower and La Croix too much.

“And what about Brynhild, then? She's not even a distant cousin. She's a freak of nature.” Cadence said flatly, and the Swan gave one of her slow shrugs in response, which just made Cadence scowl. “I know you have an answer.”

“I thought this was a gesture of answer. Or that it would at least end the conversation. It is what you do often to silence critics.” the Swan replied, and Cadence rolled her eyes even as she fought down a faint blush.

“That's different. They're afraid of me. And they've usually said something retarded or asked a stupid question so... it's different.” Cadence defended lamely, and then she said grouchily, mostly to divert the Swan's attention: “Stop following Brynhild around. She comes and pesters me after you do that, and I hate her.”

The Swan seemed to smile behind her mask at this, before she asked curiously as Cadence turned away: “Do you not desire to learn more of the Valkyrie? We study her. We have learned much from her. Perhaps one day, we will even defeat her.”

“I could kick her ass any time I wanted!” Cadence almost shouted, one of her eyes twitching as she rounded on the Swan, but Danzsöngr looked unperturbed even as the mare continued waspishly: “I just happen to have more important things to concentrate on than fighting the stupid Valkyrie right now, especially since we have Helheim to worry about as well as the Void.”

“Helheim is a problem that will solve itself in time. I am confident of this. Hel is, too.” the Swan said, as if this was supposed to be reassuring. Cadence only scowled moodily in response, and the Swan studied her for a few moments before she asked, honestly curious: “Why is it not? For all her faults and all the reasons you may dislike her, she is still the Queen of Helheim, and knows more of it and its denizens than all of us together. We know little of that Underworld.”

Cadence frowned at this, then she asked slowly: “What 'Underworld' do we know about, then?”

The Swan seemed taken aback by this herself, like she had just realized what she had said, and she chewed on her lip for a few moments before she said with a strange disappointment: “We do not know. It is hidden from our sight.”

“Great.” Cadence said sourly, rolling her eyes before she sighed a little, then she looked moodily up and asked: “Are we ever going to figure it out? Or is this just another one of those stupid 'one day I'll just spit out the right answer' things?”

“It is not my fault, nor yours, Cadence, that our memories are only triggered by unknowable words and phrases, by strings we have yet to pull. As I have said many times, our memories-”

“Giant library, lots of books, yes, yes, yes. I know.” Cadence sighed and dropped her face in a hoof, rubbing it slowly for a few moments. Eventually, she looked up, saying plaintively when she saw that the Swan was still giving her that endless stare of hers: “I'm just tired of feeling jerked around by things. Of not knowing everything. Of how when I sit here and try to sift through all these memories, I get lost in everything. When I know them, everything makes sense, but when I try and look at the memories nearby... I think... why are these thoughts of 'the Underworld we knew' connected not to home, but to Helheim? Why can't I just go, oh, well, I know I'm from some other place but I can't... think of that place?”

“Can you tell me what you had for breakfast a day ago? A week ago? Two?” asked the Swan, and Cadence scowled before she shifted a little as she started to understand. “You scramble for the answer, but-”

“I get it. Nice pun. I had scrambled eggs the week before.” Cadence said testily, and she sensed the Swan smiling at her. “Stop it. I said I got it.”

“Yes. We are glad that you have.” the Swan replied honestly, before she continued all the same: “Memories associate strangely. They are never 'right beside' each other, especially as they age. They shift, and categorize themselves as-”

The Swan was thankfully interrupted by a loud beeping that filled the apartment, and Cadence frowned before she looked towards the door and called: “Open comms!”

The glass dome inset into the wall on one side of the door gleamed, then projected a large holographic screen that the sigil of the Clockwork Empire flashed over for a moment before it was replaced by an image of Thorn Blackfeather.

Cadence saluted quickly, feeling like this wasn't a social call even before he said: “I need you to report to the Orphanage for briefing. We've detected a Void surge in Decretum.”

“What?” Cadence blurted, her eyes widening, but then she caught herself and forced herself to nod and salute in spite of all the questions bubbling through her, saying sharply: “I'll head down immediately.”

“Good. The rest of your team will meet you there.” Thorn said, and Cadence smiled briefly: it had been too long since the old team had been together. “Report directly to Briefing B.”

“Sir.” Cadence said crisply, and the projection vanished after a moment before Cadence spun around and scrambled up the stairs to grab her Mission Drive, then she simply leapt the banister, flapping her wings once to launch herself towards the door and wincing as it opened too slowly for her, hitting the ground a little hard and skidding under it before she staggered to her hooves and bolted down the hall.

She rushed through the residence, shouldering aside Lancer in one of the narrow halls – apologizing first, then swearing back at him instead when he shouted a volley of curses at her – then leapt out the main doors to gallop down the street at full speed towards the Orphanage. People cleared the road for her, watching with confusion: but if what Thorn had said was true, she knew that very soon everyone would be...

Panicking? That was a ludicrous thought, and Cadence smiled grimly: oh no, it wouldn't be a panic. Not with how these servants and soldiers and warriors of Decretum had been trained and hardened even further over the last two years, all while steeping in the desire for revenge and retribution against Loki for what he did to them and their loved ones.

Cadence was eager. She could almost smell the blood in the air. And she knew that was a bad thing, even if it was what she wanted to be right now: a seeker, a hunter, a killer.

“I won't let that bastard get past us this time.” Cadence muttered as she headed through the gates of the Orphanage and towards the doors of the facility, pausing only for a moment to let the scanners on either side of the door verify her Mission Drive before she strode inside. This time we're going to be ready. We know what he's capable of, we know what weapons he has, what soldiers are at his disposal. We can do this. We can stop him.

Cadence headed straight to the briefing room, and she was both surprised and relieved to find that she was the last to arrive: Moonflower, Sombra, and La Croix were already in their seats, although it looked like her father was just settling in.

“Good. Let's begin.” Thorn said as the door closed, and Cadence nodded as she quickly took her seat, turning her attention to Thorn as the screen behind him flashed on and displayed a map of Decretum. “As you are all well aware, Decretum is being expanded and fortified now that most of the repairs have been completed. Loki appears to be aware of our expanded defenses and artillery, as he appears to be forcing open a Void rift outside of the atmosphere. Scans indicate something very large moving through this portal.”

Thorn gestured at the screen, and the images changed to graphs and digital estimates, Cadence narrowing her eyes as she recognized that shape. Even though she'd only caught a glimpse of it all those years ago, she remembered all too clearly the destruction it had wrought. “Loki's weapon.”

“This is a modified Citadel-class Orbiting Space Station. Almost all COSS either crashed and were stripped of parts or destroyed, and the remaining were all thought to have been reclaimed and repurposed into floating fortresses or land bases.” Thorn explained, before he tapped the screen to advance the images again, calling up a schematic of what looked almost like a small moon filled with a beehive of crisscrossing corridors and levels. “We think this COSS is most likely the Bellona, which had been reported as crashed, but was never recovered because it landed in a C-Class world where retrieval operations would be severely hampered by the hostile terrain and wildlife. But that, of course, would not be a problem for Loki.”

“Did... Thesis know about it?” asked Cadence, her voice wavering on a little. Sure, they had talked about it a bit, but they had never really gotten much into... all that. I wanted to, but I... I wanted us to have our time together, more.

“Yes, he was debriefed on that and more during his first few weeks here. Thesis, as a matter of fact, is responsible for giving us a way to move immediately against this threat.” Thorn answered with the smallest of smiles, and Cadence blinked in surprise before Thorn glanced back at the screen, asking: “Hel?”

The screen flickered, and Hel appeared with a grin on it, leaning awkwardly forward so her face filled up most of the screen as she asked: “Hey! Is this thing on? Am I doing it right?”

“Yes. Please explain, Hel, our time is limited.” Thorn said, and Cadence felt both eager and... a little betrayed.

Part of her wanted to snap and lash out, but she mastered that part of herself as she gritted her teeth and straightened slightly, glaring into the screen as Hel hummed and fiddled with whatever she was using to talk to them before she suddenly grabbed either side of the camera and leaned into it, pale features going cold and tense in an instant as she said quietly: “I hope you're ready for this, my sweet little cupcakes. Oh, I know you think you are, but thinking you are is far, far from the same as actually being there.”

Hel paused, then she leaned away from the camera, sitting back far enough from the screen they could watch her nervous twitches: the way she smoothed out her dress over her body, played with her cane, unconsciously rubbed at her bad leg. She gathered herself for a moment, then grimaced before she finally said moodily: “Well, let's hope you are, if only so you pretty little biscuits will stop staring at me.

“Thesis and I met quite a while before he officially changed sides. I convinced him to do a little spying for me, and in return, I helped straighten his brain out. You're welcome.” Hel said loudly as she looked pointedly at Cadence, who scowled horribly in response, but managed to swallow down the many retorts she wanted to spit.

Fortunately, Hel continued quickly, her voice becoming serious again as she said: “Of course, we couldn't tell anyone about it because of Loki's power over the Void. What happened if someone important died and Loki found out? Well, we already know that, don't we?” Hel smiled wryly, then she reached up and tapped on her nose gently. “But he was a good boy, who kept good secrets. He marked Loki's ship with a great, big, and completely invisible X, and Loki won't know it's there until I teleport you right on top of him.”

“This is our chance to stop him.” Cadence breathed, and then she smiled grimly: that was Thesis. Always doing what had to be done, going above and beyond them all... Horses of Heaven, I love you and I hate you. “What do you need?”

“Wow, girl, I knew you'd be excited but I never guessed you'd be ready to listen, too!” Hel said cheerfully, clapping her hands together. “What a well-trained doggy you've become, Swanny!”

Cadence gritted her teeth, but forced herself not to reply even as her front hooves dug down against the tabletop. Then she blinked in surprise when Hel suddenly leaned towards the camera, saying quietly: “And you're going to have to put up with far worse than that from Loki, dear. So you had better get used to people calling you naughty names and saying mean things about you, or Loki's going to provoke you into doing exactly the wrong thing at exactly the right moment.”

“I know. I've been working on it.” Cadence said quietly, meeting Hel's gaze with a grimace before she rose her head slightly and added calmly, in spite of the ten thousand questions she wanted to ask: “My team and I are ready to deploy.”

Hel smiled slightly at this, then she leaned back and waved a hand idly, saying: “Oh, it's not time yet. That space station or death star or whatever you want to call it hasn't moved wholly into the atmosphere yet, and there's a whole lot of Void energy surging through there right now. It'll kill you, girl. And while you might not care much about dying, it'll kill all your pretty little friends, too. And I know you don't want Scarecrow, Tinman, and Cowardly Lion to die, do you, Dorthy? You already lost Toto.”

Cadence scowled, but did her best not to say anything before she looked up in surprise as Thorn added: “Strike Team Valkyrie will be sent in with you as well. Your mission is to subdue and neutralize all enemy forces by any means necessary and capture or eliminate Loki. Strike Team Valkyrie will be there to act as your support, and in the event that you encounter Loki, their orders are to suppress all other resistance while you deal with the target.”

Cadence couldn't help but smile at what that implied, nodding briefly once before Hel clapped her hands together and crowed: “My daughter's grown up so good! Speaking of daughters, Cadence, why haven't you grown up so good?”

She paused, then eyed Cadence meditatively with her mismatched amethyst eye as Cadence looked back at her challengingly. And after a moment, a smile quirked at Hel's lips as she tapped a finger against her chin, and then she said softly: “Okay. Maybe you've grown up a little. You lost everything though, didn't you, dear? And when you lose that much, your only choice is to grow up or get out.”

The ivory mare shifted a little bit, and she was admittedly a little relieved when Thorn said calmly: “Cadence, take your team and get ready, then report to the RDP. Take everything you think you'll need, Team 0-0 has full inventory access for this mission.”

“Sir.” Cadence saluted sharply, and then she barked, before anyone could ask any questions: “You heard him! Let's move out, people!”

Moonflower scuttled out of his chair as La Croix winced and hopped out of his, while her father only smiled and shook his head before he fell in behind them as they headed to the door. Cadence stopped to let the rest of her team go by, hesitating for a moment before she looked back at Thorn and Hel. “When this is over... I want to know everything. I want to know what Thesis did. I want to know what secrets you two made him keep.”

Thorn smiled briefly, and Hel chuckled before she said wryly: “And here I thought you were supposed to be sweet. But I guess that's why he called you whiskey, isn't it? You have a hell of a kick to you, you crazy lady you.”

Cadence only scowled, before she glanced at Thorn as he instructed: “Concentrate on your mission first. Afterwards, put in an information request, and I'm sure Queen Hecate will see that it gets to you, one way or the other.”

Cadence smiled briefly at this, then she nodded once before she turned and left, heading quickly after her team to the equipment room: not the small preparation rooms that were here in the briefing hall, but instead down a level to the Quartermaster's Warehouse, where all equipment for the Orphanage was stored.

They were scanned and greeted by the automated systems run by Portia at the armored doors, and when they entered, they found a Clockwork Titan waiting for them, Seneschal immediately snapping from the machine: “There you are! Now hurry up, hurry up, scans indicate that we only have a timeframe of thirty-four minutes, twenty-two seconds before the emergence!”

“I want everyone in full equipment. We go in prepared, we hit hard and fast, we destroy Loki. No excuses, no holding back this time.” Cadence said sharply, before her eyes flicked quickly over the others: Moonflower was already hurrying down the rows of shelves towards where the armor was stored on racks, and La Croix was moving in the other direction, towards the apothecary or medical storage.

Sombra, meanwhile, approached Seneschal to ask: “Will our communications be affected at all? Will you be sent in with us as well?”

“No, your Mission Drives should function normally: you'll be in Decretum airspace, after all.” Seneschal paused, then he added grudgingly: “Although yes, because of the sensitive nature and the importance of this mission, I will be in attendance as well. I, however, will be operating independently of the group: as long as the COSS hasn't been heavily reformatted, I should be able to interface with the systems and disable the floating base's security and defenses.”

Seneschal huffed a little, rubbing grouchily at his mechanical arms as he complained: “Me, an elite AI in charge of keeping an entire empire online and running efficiently, with enough processing power to compute ten quadrillion calculations in less than a second, and now I'm being reduced to nothing more than a common brute, strong-arming some local system into cooperating with us for the-”

“For the good of all of us, Seneschal. Or do you really want Auriculos to have the last laugh?” Cadence asked, and she could swear that the Clockwork Titan Seneschal was inhabiting just frowned at her through more than its body language.

“That simpleton, that... philistine was absolutely nothing compared to me, and even if he's successfully managed to rewire the entirety of the Bellona, it will be a matter of nanoseconds for me to subjugate their systems and reformat them to previous Decretum operating protocols.” Seneschal grumbled, crossing his arms. “Furthermore, no captured technology has shown any signs of Auriculos' tampering. While unlikely he was the sole operator of our more complex technologies, it is highly-likely that only he had the talent and experience necessary to reprogram our more advanced and autonomous machinery. Guns and other such 'toys' do not require copious amounts of knowledge for their effective use.”

“Great. Daddy... I mean, Sombra, can you make sure everyone gets suited up and coordinate with Seneschal? I'll be back in five minutes.” Cadence said, and Sombra smiled and nodded to her. “Alright. I'll be right back.”

With that, Cadence closed her eyes and took a breath before she took a step, and she grimaced slightly as she staggered across the floor of her apartment before she caught herself, then she looked up in surprise to see that the Swan had already set all her equipment out for her on the table, the entity gesturing at her armor and weapons as she said calmly: “We are prepared when you are, Cadence. Let us strike without mercy.”

“We'll have mercy if we have to. But only if he begs for it.” muttered Cadence as she approached, before she scowled slightly when the Swan picked up her bodysuit and offered it to her. “Stop doing that.”

“I am here to help. We are two sides of the same coin. We should work together.” the Swan said, and Cadence sighed, then nodded grudgingly as she stood up on her hind hooves so that the Swan could help her into the specially-shaped bodysuit, rolling her eyes.

“I'm just not in the mood to get along with anyone else today, I guess.” grumbled Cadence, shaking her head slowly before she sighed and added dryly: “I really look forward to just punching the crap out of everything, honestly. Being nice is... it's really hard.”

“Thesis would be pleased, though. Proud of you. Proud of us.” the Swan murmured, and Cadence gave the faintest of smiles: sure, in spite of how much of a troublemaker and an asshole he had been...

“Yeah. He always knew when it was time to be professional, and when we could just... be ourselves.” Cadence said softly, shaking her head and smiling briefly. “I'll never be like that. But I can at least... learn from his example, and learn to keep my head on my shoulders. He was good at that. Not letting his emotions control him. I'm...”

“We are fueled by emotion. Not so much as the Valkyries, and in a different way, by different means. But we are still beings driven by passion, and empathy.” the Swan said, as she zipped up the back of Cadence's bodysuit, before she calmly strode past as she added almost offhoof: “Our empathy has always been a great asset to us, in all our lives. It is what allowed us to understand, to see, to feel.”

“To exact revenge.” Cadence muttered, and then she grimaced and shook her head before she allowed the Swan to help her slip into her breastplate: ivory metal, modified with flexible plates so she could comfortably switch from four hooves to two on the fly.

She paused, then smiled briefly as she looked down at herself as the Swan tightened the clasps and belts for her, one of her hooves stroking over the symbols on either side of the breastplate: on the left, a simple sigil of a bird, with '0-0' beneath it; on the right, the dragon-head symbol of the Clockwork Empire, with her rank – Rex Prox – proudly displayed. Then she sighed as the Swan gently pushed on her back, dropping to all fours so the entity could calmly slide her groin plates and battleskirt on, Cadence grumbling: “Creeps me out when you do that. I wish you'd just let me do it. Get away from my... down there parts.”

“I have no interest in your 'down there parts.' But I also have no interest in seeing our container, as you put it, 'stabbed in the ass.'” continued the Swan, and Cadence gave a slight smile despite herself before she wheezed as the Swan tightened the skirt, then locked it into place, sealing it tight against the breastplate.

Without needing to be asked, Cadence shoved herself back up to her rear hooves, leaning back and forth before she kicked off the ground and flipped backwards, landing on all fours with a slight smile. “Good. That feels right.”

Danzsöngr nodded in agreement, then watched as Cadence finished putting on the last of her gear by herself: boots, belts of knives, holster and ammo satchels and her rifle. She gave herself a moment to check the last over, then she glanced up as Danzsöngr offered her the case containing all the different parts for her rifle, saying: “You may need to make adjustments.”

Cadence mentally checked the time, then she grimaced a bit before she took the case, popping it open and glancing over the multitude of parts inside, muttering: “Too bad I was just cleaning the goddamn thing.”

She selected several parts, then grumbled as she simply shouldered her rifle, turning and calmly stepping through reality again with the faintest hint of a grimace: it was much harder to carry things with her when she stepped, and she still couldn't take anyone with her when she went anywhere. As they had found out when she had tried it with Moonflower's pet frog... nasty things happen. Good thing the little bastard's got more lives than I do.

Cadence glanced up as Seneschal huffed at her before complaining: “That is extremely valuable Decretum equipment!”

“It's fine.” Cadence glanced around and noted that Moonflower and La Croix were both missing, but Sombra at least looked like he had finished: he had a vest fitted across his body and a ring around his horn to amplify his magic, as well as a collar that would keep him calm... in case the purifier malfunctions. About time we finally figured out we should always have a backup plan. “How much time do we have left?”

Seneschal huffed as Cadence simply sat down in the middle of the floor and began to attach the parts to her rifle, the Clockwork Titan eyeing her grouchily before the AI grumbled out of its shell: “Roughly twenty minutes and four seconds. You took four minutes longer than-”

“Shut up, Seneschal.” Cadence responded, and Seneschal huffed, but the ivory mare only focused on the rifle in her lap, using telekinesis to guide the bolts and magnets into the right places: it was fascinating how many different parts could be added or removed from this weapon so quickly, if you knew what you were doing... this toy, I should say. It's still a stupid toy. With a lot of parts.

Cadence attached a scope to the top of the rifle, a stabilizing mechanism that fit over the stock, and then she smiled slightly as she floated the last piece in front of her eyes for a moment, reflecting: Okay. Maybe this isn't a toy.

She locked the underslung grenade launcher into place, tightening it as she said: “I have it set for 50mm grenades. Can you-”

“Yes, yes. Portia, use your inferior drone systems to deliver a satchel of ridiculously-oversized warheads to the mare, who fails to grasp that 20mm antipersonnel rounds would be a far more effective use of her limited ammo reserves.”

“Shut up, Seneschal. If we end up fighting Voidborn or Primordials, I want a grenade that's guaranteed to put a big hole in them, not just piss them off.” Cadence retorted as she adjusted the grenade launcher and checked its manual sight.

Seneschal grumbled silently at this, then he gestured absently as a Worker Drone came walking calmly towards them, wearing two satchels filled with ammunition. “And no, that was not Portia's inferior systems' doing. That was mine. The moment I saw you I knew you were going to put in a request for more. As a matter of fact, I assumed from the moment that-”

“Yes, Seneschal. Thank you and your inferior systems.” Cadence grumbled, and Seneschal huffed loudly at this as the ivory mare adjusted the grenade launcher slightly, wiggling it back and forth until she felt the parts securely lock. It was amazing how these things worked: you could put them together with your bare hooves, and they'd never come apart.

Seneschal grumbled under his breath, but Cadence ignored him as she approached the drone, helping herself to the grenades and ignoring the rest of the ammunition: she still had plenty of Anti-Void rounds.

She loaded a grenade into the launcher, and Seneschal twitched before he complained: “Cadence, you are not supposed to-”

“Now it's ready for when I need it.” Cadence replied dryly as she loaded the rest of the 50mm shells into her ammo satchel. She patted this to make sure the bag was secure against her side and the grenades weren't wobbling around, then she looked up with a brief smile as she heard Moonflower approaching before she saw him. “Daddy, can you help him tighten his armor?”

Sombra nodded, walking over to the fellow unicorn to quickly adjust his heavy plate mail. Cadence only nodded approvingly, however: Moonflower had grabbed the right set of armor and even made sure to put together their equipment satchels. Then again, they had been doing this for years together now... but I think we're only now really starting to come together as a team. No, we've always been a good team, but now we... trust each other, I guess is the best way to put it.

Not that there hadn't been trust before, but in the past, Cadence would want to oversee every little thing, and La Croix would never share what he had in his satchel, and Moonflower had always needed somepony to hold his hoof and guide him through every little step. But now they had grown up together: something doubly proven as La Croix joined them, apologizing: “Sorry, mes amies. Had to take a second to put these together for you, Papa Sérénité.”

La Croix tossed a set of black vials to Sombra, who caught them easily in telekinesis without looking up from Moonflower, smiling and nodding in gratitude as he slipped them quickly into place on his belt. La Croix only shrugged amiably, then he turned his eyes towards Cadence before he quirked an eyebrow as he watched her adjust the holster for her rifle so the MARES would fit. “Y'really have to bring that thing along?”

“I figure they'll make me anyway. And it's been useful before.” Cadence admitted grudgingly. La Croix smiled at her almost sympathetically, but Cadence only shrugged before she turned her eyes to Seneschal, asking: “Any last minute information for us?”

Seneschal looked at them for a moment, likely sorting through reports before he finally admitted grudgingly: “Even I don't know all of the particulars for this mission. This information is all classified as highly-sensitive and was kept off-server, on a local-only network.”

Cadence blinked in surprise, and Seneschal huffed before he looked awkwardly away, grumbling: “It has been theorized that before Auriculos was deleted, he was able to establish a network tap that may allow Loki to listen in on all our communications as long as he has something deployed locally. Now, I have personally calculated the chances of this and examined every Drone and autonomous system across Decretum and Endworld for such a breech and discovered nothing, but as Empress Hecate wills, I must-”

“He could have other spies, too. It was always considered a possibility. I just never realized that they were actually...” Cadence stopped, then she shook her head. In a few minutes, it wasn't going to matter anymore. “Time to deployment?”

“Roughly ten minutes before emergence is complete. You should move to the RDP immediately.” Seneschal ordered, and Cadence nodded before she looked at her team, checking to make sure they were ready before she straightened and called them to order.

The three stallions fell in, and Cadence smiled before she shoved her hoof forward. The others immediately did the same, all of them smiling back at her before Cadence said, voice clear and strong and determined: “We are the Irregular Hunters. We are the very best that Decretum has to offer. And no matter what is waiting for us there, whether or not Loki has an entire army of Voidborn, we're going to fight our way to him and put a stop to this, here and now. Who are we?”

“Irregulars!” came the fearless reply from all three of them, and Cadence smiled.

“That's right, and we're the goddamn best. Now let's move out!” Cadence said sharply, and she fearlessly turned, taking the lead as their hooves parted, but Cadence could almost feel their hearts beating as one, their hoofsteps the drums of war as they fell into place with one-another as naturally as puzzle pieces.

They headed through the facility to the Rapid Deployment Platform: a secure, steel-walled room distinguished mainly by two things: the enormous ring inset into the floor, and the steel-barred window wall that Hecate and Hel currently both stood behind, watching as Cadence led her team into the center of the ring.

Static crackled through hidden speakers before Hecate asked calmly: “Are you and your team ready?”

Cadence saluted, and that seemed to be enough of an answer for Hecate, who gave a thin smile before she said calmly: “As you are apparently aware, Seneschal is being deployed as well. I've already ordered a bombardment against Loki's base, and the probes have confirmed that it is the Bellona. Your Mission Drives have been updated accordingly with the schematics, which will update as our probes scan for more information.”

Cadence nodded, unable to help but ask: “Bombardment? I thought-”

“Loki is just outside of Decretum's atmosphere, out of range of most of our standard artillery. Our rail guns were able to reach the Bellona, however, as are the defense satellites.” Hecate smiled thinly, then she said calmly: “Loki's forces on board the ship should be scattered and confused by the chaos. We'll track your position to avoid any collateral damage, but the bombardment will continue.”

“So we'll only have a limited amount of time. Eventually the ship will either break in half or fall out of the air.” Cadence said slowly, and Hecate only gave another narrow smile.

“Time is always limited.” she answered, and then she continued: “Evacuation will be by HAAR jump, and-”

“Seriously?” Cadence blurted, as Moonflower and La Croix traded winces, but Hecate only gave them a contemptible look as Hel cocked her head curiously.

“If the Kirin can do it, so can all of you.” she answered, then she scowled when Hel firmly tapped her on the head a few times with her cane, before she explained: “High Altitude, Aerial Retrieval. They are going to jump off the Bellona, and the Kirin will catch them in a Black Owl modified for that purpose.”

“Why do we all name our stuff after animals? It's like we're trying to say we want to be like animals or something, give up all this... well, I can't say humanity, can I? Ponyanimanity. I don't know. You get it. Well, a little, at least.” Hel winked. “Mortality and morality are only one letter off, and we don't have much of either, am I right or am I right?”

Hecate only looked moodily at Hel, who shrugged after a moment before she suddenly dropped forward on her cane, adding: “My kids will be right there with you, and I expect you to look out for them, Swan. Now, I know you hate her and all, but if you can get along with me for a day...”

“We will not disappoint either of you, Mothers. And we are capable of fighting alongside the Valkyrie. Of admiring her, even.” Danzsöngr answered politely, and Cadence shifted awkwardly, but she was glad she didn't have to actually say anything herself.

Hel snorted as Hecate looked meditatively at Danzsöngr for a moment, but then her features tensed as she looked up slightly, saying sharply: “There. The Bellona has passed out of the Void completely and the rift is closing.”

“Give it a moment, give it a moment. Always hurry up but never rush. My kids aren't even here yet.” Hel said pleasantly, raising her own head slightly before she closed one eye, grinning at Hecate as the Jötnar mare gave her a sour look. “Hey, you can't just run in and slap away at whatever, wherever, any and every time. Let it sit. Let it ripen. Give it a moment to cool down. No wonder you and the Swan get along so well.”

Hecate opened her mouth, but Hel held up a single finger, closing both eyes now as she said in a sharper voice: “Wait.”

Hecate frowned, and Hel clicked her tongue before she grimaced a bit, rubbing slowly at her face as she muttered: “Yes, yes. The Void energy is fading rapidly. And the ship is...”

“Shielding itself. That's quite a modification.” Hecate said quietly, as digital readouts and images spilled across her lenses. “Will you still-”

“Please. A little thing like that? Maybe it's a problem for you, but never for me. I just need you to loan me the juice, that's all.” Hel replied with a wink and a shrug, and then she clapped her hands together as the door to the RDP opened and Luna came strutting in, with Scrivener and Morgan behind her. “There you are! Perfect timing, cinnamon bun!”

“Aye, we felt thy call. We are ready, and... we shall behave.” Luna added in a grumble as both Morgan and Scrivener looked at her pointedly.

Cadence glanced back at the three as they assembled along with her team, naturally mingling together. The ivory mare smiled despite herself at it, before she scowled when Luna stepped up beside her and checked her firmly, winking as she remarked cheerfully: “I see thou art ready too, Danzsöngr. And I am certainly flattered by thy cutesy imitation of me.”

Luna winked as she posed in her rose-patterned breastplate, pointedly showing off the large gun holstered on her back, and Cadence wrinkled up her muzzle, but then forced herself to bite down the many retorts she wanted to snap back at the mare with, instead making herself take a breath and mutter instead: “Let's just focus on getting this job done, Valkyrie.”

“Oh, fie on thee, as if I am not the epitome of professionalism!” Luna complained, then she stomped one of her blade-like hooves as both Morgan and Scrivener glared at her, the Valkyrie grumbling before she straightened slightly and asked: “Do we move as one?”

“Your team is to support Team 0-0 in any way possible. You will obey whatever orders and instructions Cadence gives you. Do I make myself clear?” Hecate asked coldly, and Luna gave a wry smile, glancing moodily over at Cadence before she nodded briefly once. “Good. Hel?”

“Count to seven.” Hel advised, and Hecate scowled at her, before Hel clapped her hands together and said brightly: “Seven! Okay, Hecate, I'll point and you throw!”

Luna and Cadence traded grimaces, before the Swan couldn't help but agree as the Valkyrie muttered: “This suddenly feels like a terrible idea.”

“Oh, shut up and pucker up, honeybunch. You and the rest of the doughnut holes will be fine.” Hel grumbled, before she swung her cane up, Hecate calmly catching the end of this in one hoof before she narrowed her eyes, her whole body thrumming with power as Hel grinned even as her features tightened visibly, growling: “Oh, this is so much harder than it used to be... and yet I guess I've always had the advantage of practice through others...”

Cadence felt the air crackle around her, the group naturally tightening a little before she gritted her teeth as she almost saw the magic coming towards them before it hit like a tidal wave. She felt like she had been thrown into the air, flailing helplessly for a moment before she caught herself, the Swan helping to hold her steady as light and sound whipped past.

A single, tremendous boom ripped through her ears, and then she landed painfully on some hard surface, legs wobbling under her before she steadied them. She took a slow breath, then grimaced as the world shook around her... but the sound was different, echoing down a long metal and stone corridor, joined by klaxons and rumbles.

She shook herself out, then looked quickly back at her team: Moonflower was picking himself up, and La Croix wheezed as he went from ethereal to physical as Sombra calmly rolled his shoulders, purifier buzzing away. Scrivener was stretching and Morgan was already looking around, while Brynhild was... laying on her face.

She glowered at Brynhild, who grumbled on the ground before she awkwardly shoved herself up to her hooves, shaking herself out violently. She blinked a few times, then turned her eyes towards Cadence almost grudgingly, asking: “What would thou have us do?”

Cadence hesitated only a moment before she closed her eyes, stretching out through the Astra, and she felt it. Not just Voidal energy, which left trails all throughout this hall, but a familiar sense, a sense of energy she hadn't felt for two years and more...

“Thesis-” her voice quavered only slightly. “-placed the signal marker somewhere ahead. Let's push forward to it. We didn't land far off target. Let's stay together and push forward to the target.”

“As thou commands.” Luna said with a bow of her head, and Cadence smiled briefly: there was more than just an acknowledgment of her as leader in that nod. “Scrivy, Morgan, fall to the rear. I will follow behind thee, Danzsöngr.”

“Alright, Brynhild. I trust you.” Cadence said, and the Valkyrie shot her a brief smile before the ivory mare turned ahead, silently watching for a moment as the Swan-side of her walked down the hall, silently reaching a hand out, as if wishing, hoping that... no. Don't. Please. “Let's go.”

As Cadence led her group forward, the Swan entity in her vision vanished from sight, and yet she could still feel Danzsöngr lingering all around them, searching out every trace of her lost love, rewinding time in the Astra to watch his passage, to see the scattered memories stained upon this shuddering ship play out...

But there was no time for that for Cadence. For Cadence, all she could do was move forward, as the Bellona rocked around her under the enemy cannon fire. Its shields wouldn't hold up forever, and nor would the enemies inside remain blind to them for long. All they could do was move forward.

All they could do was take this secret, final chance Thesis had given them to strike Loki down, before it was too late.