Hecate's Orphanage

by BlackRoseRaven

All The Wrong Places

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty One: All The Wrong Places
~BlackRoseRaven

Stronghold roared in fury as she crashed against Freya like a raging tide, claws slashing viciously back and forth against her, but Freya deflected each and every attack with her swords, grinning widely and undaunted even as she backpedaled under the ferocity of the assault.

She caught a rending slash of Stronghold's claws against her smaller swords, then batted the snapping mace-tail of the Draekin away before she stepped forward, Tyrfing whickering down in that one vital moment of opening. Stronghold was fast, however, her horn flaring with magic and deflecting the attack even as she was forced backwards on the defensive beneath cuts from the heavy blade.

Stronghold snarled as she finally caught Tyrfing in her claws, ignoring the burst of steam that went up when it sliced into her palms before she jerked the huge blade backwards, catching it in her claws before she roared and slashed back out with it at Freya. The Valkyrie was forced to backpedal again, dancing backwards as Stronghold reared back on her hind legs, slicing the oversized sword back and forth with surprising grace before she lurched forward and tried to bury the blade through the Valkyrie, who narrowly deflected the stab into the ground before she spun around and kicked Stronghold away.

Stronghold's claws sank into the ground as she skidded to a stop, but she was grinning as Freya yanked Tyrfing free from the earth, crystal eye glowing and her expression of joy mirroring Stronghold's as she roared: “That's it! Yes, you would have made a fine Valkyrie, Stronghold Halfdragon, anger issues and all!”

Stronghold gave the barest hint of a chuckle, licking her lips almost eagerly before she frowned when Freya suddenly sheathed her swords with a smile, stepping back and saying easily to Discombobulation: “She's ready.”

Stronghold opened her mouth, and then stared in shock when Bob simply snapped his fingers, a green rift ripping through reality before she simply stared when Throna stepped through with a faint smile, followed by a massive, metallic dragon covered in bones and battle armor. She flushed in embarrassment and glared at Freya with something like betrayal, before her eyes widened slightly as Freya said kindly: “Terra, I know you disagree with me on most things, but this is something we can both appreciate. She fights like a young Brynhild. Namely by screaming profanities between kicking and biting me. But it works for her.”

Terra laughed loudly as Throna strode towards her sister, then she said softly: “I know you can't be stopped by fighting, Stronghold. You'll always come back for more war, no matter how much it hurts you. But I know war can fix you, too. War is perhaps the only thing that can.”

“You... you don't know me. Traitor.” Stronghold hissed, but all the same, she was too surprised to do more than back away hesitantly, and the way she stared at Throna, it was with longing, and love for her family that had never died. “I... you gave the world to that faggot!”

“Better than what you would have done with it! Who's the traitor now, Stronghold? And no, I don't care about our beliefs, or God, or any of that rot!” Throna stepped forward and slapped her sister, and Stronghold's jaw dropped as her head drew back, as Throna glared at her and said sharply: “You betrayed us. And that was the one thing you promised you never would, that you would never turn on family. But you did. For the greater good? For your own selfish gain? Or because... because...”

“Because... I was tired.” Stronghold whispered, lowering her head slightly before she gave a short laugh, saying quietly: “We're all a bunch of traitors. Now get out of my way. I'm going to fight-”

“You are going to fight. But you are going to fight for me, Queen of Heaven, your so-called White Dragon.” Terra said firmly, and Stronghold looked up with a furious snarl as Terra gave a wry grin. “I fear I'm not much of a 'god,' of course. Never have been, never will be, neither. But I'll make you a promise, Stronghold. Fight for me, be one of Heaven's Valkyries.”

Terra leaned slowly down into Stronghold's face, meeting her eyes before she said softly: “Fight for me against the fool who thinks he holds your leash, who thinks he's convinced you there's nothing left to fight for... and I'll let you fight me. You can punish me with your own claws, lass... if you think you've got the brass balls to, that is.”

Stronghold narrowed her eyes, before Freya said softly: “I promised I wouldn't fight Loki's forces. And I won't. I haven't fought you, after all. I was just testing you. And I could have killed you-”

“No. You could not have. This is insolence. This is no game. I...” Stronghold rose her head slightly, then she looked down at her sister, at Throna, and she bit her lip before she swore quietly under her breath and asked softly: “You put them up to this, didn't you?”

“I told them. Maybe in that, I betrayed you. But our world is gone.” Throna shifted a bit, before she looked up and said nakedly: “He hurt me, Stronghold. What did you always do when someone hurt me?”

Stronghold was silent for a moment, and then she turned away, flexing her claws as her body steamed for a moment before she visibly and metaphorically firmed herself, her eyes narrowing as she said coldly: “I hurt them back.”

Throna smiled despite herself, and then Stronghold said callously: “I'll kill Moonflower if I see him. But you offer me... a better fight than him. A... reason.” Stronghold glanced back at Terra, sizing her up before she said softly: “I smell your reek, demon. And yet I taste the truth in your words, too. And if Freya was any good-”

“I'm a better fighter than her, you ungrateful sot.” Freya snapped, and Stronghold gave a wry grin before the Valkyrie said in a colder voice: “We need to know what Loki-”

“You know, Freya. You know, and that, I think, is why you won't fight him.” Stronghold replied contemptibly, raising her head slightly. “He wants you all here so he can kill all of you at once. But he may have underestimated both the Goddess of this World and the strength of these... ponies.”

Stronghold smiled distastefully, shaking her head before she looked almost longingly out at the battlefield, growling: “There are so few worthy adversaries now in Loki's army. These stupid, worthless, pathetic ponies somehow defeated them all. Maybe I should continue to fight for Loki. Maybe I should find the source of that power-”

“Oh shut up, sodding grape. Peddle your whine somewhere else.” said Terra flatly, and Stronghold bared her teeth at her, but Terra only grinned to show off her own fang-filled maw in response. “And watch who you get in a measuring contest with, lass. I have a prettier smile than you.”

“Well, those god-puppets are glass cannons, that'd be a good place to start. You might be a bull in a china shop, but it's amazing how many bulls turn into incoherent puddles of tears when the china starts fighting back.” Discombobulation said pointedly, making an offhand gesture with his prosthetic limb. “And let's not forget that it seems like Loki's let loose a few nasty things into this reality that normally aren't here at all. I hear most of the awful things you find in the Void are invulnerable until you find that right item in the secret temple, but once they come out of the Void, they're subject to the same rules and regulations as the rest of us not-online players are.”

Stronghold looked thoughtful at this, even as the Draconequus apologized: “I'm still a little rusty. Do you know how many weeks of content I've missed? I can't watch YouTube all the time, you know. I almost could, but then I found out the hard way they banned those fancy glasses. I suppose Hecate technically has the copyright to glowing eyewear in this universe.”

“Beyond the puppets is Loki himself. The greatest challenge of all. And I'm sure Moonflower is on his way to fight him.” Freya said, and Stronghold visibly ruffled up at this.

“Fine. I'll protect the worthless...” Stronghold scowled at the look Throna gave her, before she said disgustedly: “I can't believe you made friends with that lout.”

“I can't believe you wanted to sleep with him!” retorted Throna, and the sisters glared at each other before the younger suddenly smiled faintly, lowering her head as she whispered: “Our world is gone.”

Stronghold lowered her own head slightly, her eyes shifting away almost guiltily before she said quietly: “I never wanted that. Everything I did... and then... it didn't matter. It... didn't matter.”

Stronghold's eyes shifted down, and then she shook her head and muttered: “It doesn't matter. I'm not here to cry about what can't be changed, though. Point me where I must go and I'll destroy everyone in my way, then come back so I can kill the rest of you cowards.”

Terra glanced over at Discombobulation, who huffed a bit as he rose his hand, complaining: “One of these days, you ponies are really going to have to learn how to do a portal spell, honestly. It's really not that hard to click 'go to last location,' you know.”

With that, the Draconequus snapped his fingers and created a rift, and Stronghold ran fearlessly towards this, leaping into it without looking back. It snapped shut, and Discombobulation hesitated before he said finally: “In the last inning, you don't usually call for help from the other team.”

“My sister's never fought for anyone but herself. I think... all it took was finding the right way to speak to her.” Throna smiled briefly, glancing between Freya and Terra before she said: “Thank you for doing that.”

“No need for it. It's a language I know well, after all. Stronghold reminds me a little of Celestia... of the old Celestia.” Freya paused for a moment, then she shook her head and returned her eyes to Terra, saying quietly: “Now, Queen Terra, as much as you'll argue with me, you need to get somewhere safe. Take the softie with you.”

Both Terra and Throna glared, but Freya held up a hoof. “Peace, you know it's true. You might be planning to escape your duties, Queen of Heaven... but for now, you're still Queen of Heaven. Loki wanted this. Wanted us all here. And we were stupid enough to come, even the people like me, who shouldn't be here in the first place.”

“Yes, but you've always be terrible about inserting yourself into places you're not wanted. I know that in intimate awful awkward detail.” Discombobulation said mildly as he hugged himself and gave a mock shudder, and Freya smiled in amusement before the Draconequus added: “And I'd be more than happy to take these folk a hop, a skip, and a jump-”

“No, I need your help. We need to call an old friend. And for that, I could use your assistance too, Terra.” Freya said pointedly, and Terra shifted slightly before the Valkyrie looked up moodily as there was a clanging in the distance, followed by the faint echoing of growls and screams: “Of course. The vermin already smell us. They're worse than rats.”

Freya unsheathed her short swords, spinning them calmly to the ready as Terra grinned wryly, asking teasingly: “Are you sure you want me safe, lass, or do you just not want me to show you up again?”

Freya only smiled thinly over at the Ironjaw, before Throna growled and anchored herself, her horn blazing as she said shortly: “I may be no Killing Light like my sister, but all the same, I am Draekin and I have my pride! Let's destroy these invaders and claim this territory for ourselves from the enemy. Then we all get what we want.”

“A battle, a sanctuary, and a place to call the Hatter. Very well. Bob, see what you can do to secure this room while we mop up the mess, then.” Freya ordered, and Discombobulation nodded before he stumbled when she leaned up and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, adding gently: “And take care of yourself. I don't want to have to dig you out of the Void.”

“Don't worry. I've had my fill of deus ex machina and last minute rescues.” Discombobulation replied even as he awkwardly touched his cheek, and then he smiled lamely before he vanished from sight as a door in the side wall was smashed open, both screaming ghouls and silent, armored Husks charging in.

Freya grinned, her eye gleaming as she turned to face them as Terra teased: “Are you sure you don't want to hide, Valkyrie Queen? I thought you promised-”

“Not to fight Loki. But I made no promise I wouldn't protect you. And I don't think these pawns really count.” Freya answered condescendingly, and Terra huffed loudly at her before the two moved forward in almost perfect time against the swarm of enemies.

And Throna felt both meek and blessed to be able to watch as the Queens of the Battlefield tore into the enemies that dared to try and stand against them.

Thorn Blackfeather had detected a signal he hadn't expected to come across, and had made a side-trip on the way to Cowlick through an abandoned building. He paused only once, when he found a disabled Dogmatist, taking a moment to uplink the last event data it had recorded and put its remaining operational systems into rest mode before he continued deeper into the building, past dead ghouls and a few zebra corpses.

Thorn found a group of Nzambi in the wreckage of a cafeteria clustered around the doors to the kitchen, and he approached fearlessly with Muse and Necrophage. The five Nzambi looked up from whatever they were doing with snarls as he approached, before the one in the lead sneered when Thorn calmly pushed himself up to his hind hooves, saying something crude in his own language.

Thorn all the same got the gist of it, responding: “Whether it is a custom you have abandoned or not, I all the same wish to honor it, in the hopes that-”

A packet of powder flew at him, but Muse created a psychic wall that deflected it back over the Nzambi, several of them swearing violently but only one of them smart enough to leap out of the cloud before it settled and dissipated. The other Nzambi were left scratching and hissing under their breath, bodies covered in visible sores as Thorn distastefully drew his eyes along them: their ornamentation was ostentatious, decorative, disgusting. There was no culture to them: just selfish expressions of self, and how they felt the what of who they were made them better than everyone else, because once upon a time they had been Bondye's Chosen.

Thorn flexed his dark limb slowly: he could sense them, smell them, almost taste them. Everything was heightened: his perception, his reflexes, his strength, but also his anxieties, his emotions, his aggression. It was hard not to give into those urges, to force himself to ask: “Why are you here? Loki betrayed Bondye and seeks to subsume all existence into the Void. You have nothing to gain.”

One of the Nzambi snorted, then he replied brazenly: “Better to be on the winning side than the losing, little one. Now, back away while you still have the chance.”

The Nzambi dug out a bottle of green powder that seemed to shiver and bubble with an eerie vitality, holding it up as he said with a grin: “Move at all, interfere at all, and I'll drop this. Then all our bodies drop. You, me, the mbwa jike behind this door, all of us. I don't want to do that. I like this body. But unlike you, I don't need my body. So what's your-”

Thorn flicked his horn, ripping the vial free from the Nzambi's grip before it could react, and he flung it to Necrophage, who simply chomped over it and swallowed it whole. The Nzambi stared in disbelief for a moment, and then Thorn slammed his corrupt claw forward, seizing the Nzambi by the head before he crushed it back against the metal door.

The Nzambi fell dead, and the other Nzambi stared in disbelief before Thorn withdrew his hyperextended limb, claws flexing as the stallion said coldly: “I do not have patience for games. Surrender immediately or be destroyed.”

At least one of the Nzambi looked ready to fight, snarling for a moment before there was a tremendous bang, and instead it stumbled stupidly forward, most of its face missing. The zebra corpse fell on its broken features, the back of its head crunched in from the force of the bullet that had torn through the door behind it, and one of the other Nzambi simply abandoned the body it was puppeting into spirit form.

The rest of the Nzambi lost their will to fight after that, following suit and escaping their corpses, and Thorn grimaced and moodily brushed flecks of gore from himself as Necrophage called worriedly: “Is that you, Lady Silver?”

“Who else would it be, pig?” Silver growled, and a moment later, the heavy doors were shoved open, Silver grimacing a bit as she emerged from the kitchens, grumbling: “For once, I am glad my sister has such an obsession with security.”

“Are you hurt?” Thorn asked as he dropped back to his hooves, and Silver gestured moodily at the scratches and dings across her body before she frowned behind her mask as her eyes locked on Thorn's exposed, corrupt limb, but the stallion only shook his head as he answered: “My condition is acceptable. I-”

“Talking like a computer makes you no less a pig, Thorn Blackfeather.” Silver chastened, and Thorn gave a small smile before the mare shook her head slowly and said quietly: “I am fine. Concerned. Angry. But fine. I... my sister must have saved me. I felt her grasp me, and fling me away from the castle before it...”

“Was destroyed.” Thorn said, and Silver scowled.

“Collapsed.” she corrected icily, glaring challengingly at Thorn, but he only nodded before the mare continued as her eyes roved downward, losing much of her ferocity: “Some little good it did, though. Those Nzambi found me almost immediately, hounded me into here and I had to... hide. Hide in the kitchens. Hide like a coward. I... I am not a coward!”

Silver stomped a hoof angrily, gritting her teeth before she looked up and ordered: “Take me with you, Thorn Blackfeather. Take me back to my sister, take me to her. I... I won't let her hide me away like she's ashamed of me!”

“We will.” Necrophage promised, and then she blushed and covered her muzzle as Thorn cocked an eyebrow at the Replicant with surprise. “Sorry, boss! But... I... I mean, she wants to...”

“She has to fight by her sister's side. I know you understand, sir. We do, too.” Muse added quietly, giving a small smile to Silver, who grumbled under her breath as she looked away in embarrassment.

“Let's go.” Thorn said almost abruptly, and then he turned around as he made a quick gesture with his corrupt claw, Muse and Necrophage both nodding and falling back to escort the mare as he led the way back out of the facility.

As they moved, Thorn explained: “Our first stop is a communication relay that's been reestablished by Bani. Our goal should be to reestablish the ground network, so we can reactivate Endworld's automated defenses and drone systems.”

“No, we need to find my sister.” Silver said firmly, and Thorn frowned a bit, but didn't look back or interrupt as the mare continued harshly: “All the security and weapons and toys in the world won't help against Loki! Other than Hecate, who else has the power to take on that lunatic?”

“We all have the power to stand up against evil. Evil succeeds simply because we don't.” Thorn answered, and Silver laughed shortly at this.

“Easy to say, but what do you...” Silver stopped, watching Thorn's back silently as they walked on, before she asked bluntly: “Do you really believe that? Then what does that make these Orphans, if any pony could stop evil if they only tried?”

“The people who stand up.” he answered simply, and Silver gave a small smile despite herself as they emerged back onto the street. “Stay close. Muse, scan for threats; Necrophage, keep your eyes open.”

“Yes, sir!” Necrophage said brightly, opening her eyes comically wide, and Silver rolled her own as Muse smiled a little despite herself. “Peeled like grapes! Which doesn't actually work all that well, so more like oranges!”

“What about these little piggies, Thorn? They're eager to serve. Can they hack at the root of evil, too? Can they even cut down the branches? Or, without a pony to guide them-”

“We are not having this conversation right now, Silver.” Thorn said quietly as he held up a hoof, and Silver glared at his back before she frowned when he flexed his black claw, stiffening slightly. “Something's not right.”

Only a moment later, Atropii appeared all around them, and Thorn grimaced as he narrowly managed to duck out of the way of a scythe before Muse unleashed a psychokinetic shockwave, knocking the Atropii off-balance. Necrophage began to leap into the air, but then she squeaked and curled up into a little ball instead when a scythe tore over her head, ripping through the mask of the Atropii she had been lunging at.

By the time she thumped to the ground, the Atropii had been torn apart by Reapers, who were being led by Aphrodisia as she floated eerily in the air, her eyes cold as she surveyed the crumbling remains of the soul-stealers. Then she looked at Thorn, studying him for a moment before her pallor lightened slightly and she dropped to the ground, giving a faint smile as she said quickly: “Cowlick needs your help! We... I was supposed to come look for you, but the Atropii...”

Aphrodisia almost apprehensively twisted her scythe in her hooves, squeezing it slowly as she whispered: “Elska hates them. The Reapers hate them. Our first instinct is to destroy them. To avenge Lord Thanatos...”

“I have an escort. Continue your operations.” Thorn said, and Aphrodisia smiled faintly before she suddenly hugged him, burying her face against his neck, and Thorn straightened slightly before he closed his eyes as the black veins receded slightly, allowing her to hold on to him for an extra moment before she gently pushed him off.

“You can't just be cold and pretend it away, Thorn. It's okay to be mad sometimes. Let's both not let what's inside us take us over, okay?” Aphrodisia asked, and Thorn smiled briefly before he gave a small nod.

Apps nodded firmly back, then she looked sharply up as the rest of the Reapers vanished, the mare shivering a bit. But she resisted whatever had called her for a moment, turning her eyes to Thorn and saying with sudden urgency: “Lots of Atropii are appearing. Lots of them. The Reapers are here in honor of Thanatos, but even we can't be everywhere at once. Only most-wheres.”

With that, Aphrodisia vanished into black smoke and jetted off, and Thorn frowned for a moment before he looked up into the sky, muttering: “Not everywhere at once... just most-wheres. Of course. Divide and conquer.”

Thorn started quickly forward again, and Silver swore as she fell in behind him before she asked: “ Do you really think-”

The stallion only nodded shortly before he frowned in surprise at the sight of something shooting into the sky, then he grimaced as a Husk crashed to the ground near them, bouncing bonelessly away to land in a broken, stunned heap. He turned his eyes quickly back ahead, noting where it had come from: She secured the power station itself. Interesting.

“We need to get up to the roof.” Thorn ordered, and Silver snorted before she leapt into the air, flapping her powerful wings to launch herself quickly ahead even as Necrophage squawked and Muse winced.

But Thorn only shook his head before he glanced back over his shoulder, saying curtly: “Launch.”

Muse blinked, but then she nodded quickly as she flicked her horn up, and Thorn steeled himself as he was hefted into the air before the mare leaned forwards as her eyes flashed, sending Thorn rocketing through the air.

At the apex of his flight, Thorn was able to see the roof of the power station, where Cowlick had set up a bevy of defenses with her son and jury-rigged a communications relay from a damaged mobile terminal and a hoof-full of salvaged satellite dishes.

Thorn concentrated, and then he blinked out of reality and reappeared on top of the roof, skidding a little as vertigo and forward momentum propelled him onward. But he caught himself quickly as he strode towards where a massive Cowlick was easily carrying a massive steel girder over one shoulder towards some immense antennae tower that Rustproof was building. “Bani, I need access to your-”

“Oh, good, the kid is here.” Cowlick interrupted as she slammed the girder into place to serve as a crude support, Rustproof not even flinching as he began welding it to the anchor plate. “Need you to give me your authorizations, and-”

“Listen to me, you oversized hog!” shouted Silver as she flew up into Bani's face, and the demon growled in disgust: before Silver could even start to say anything, a huge hoof seized her, crushing the mechanical mare before she gasped as she was slammed down into the ground and pinned.

“Bani.” Thorn said coldly, but Cowlick only bared her sharp, rotten teeth in a nasty smile.

“What, Thorn?” she retorted, and then her eyes flicked pointedly towards his ring. “I'm calling the shots, and I know what we have to do. You poster and preen all you like, but I'm the biggest, the meanest, and the smartest here, and since the Archives no longer have power you can't just-”

Thorn extended his black claw towards her, and Cowlick gritted her teeth before she snarled, veins bulging across her body as she flung Silver away before she stomped a shaky leg forward. She gasped as the chemicals in her collar bubbled, foaming at the mouth before she took another step, forcing herself to move against the hex-

“Momma. It ain't worth it.” Rustproof said quietly, and Cowlick stopped dead before she looked back at her son, the giant of a stallion looking up at her quietly. “We're all in this together.”

“Goddammit. Just like your Dad.” Cowlick muttered, before she loosened her stance and nodded grudgingly, growling as she turned back to Thorn as his hex faded: “Look, punk. Even with the EMP, we're drawing enough power from the auxiliary machinery to serve a range of about ten miles. But we don't have enough power to keep local security running, and if you reset the power grid, you're going to turn the lights back on but all your fancy computers are going to reset, too. How long is that process going to take?”

“Fifty two seconds and thirteen milliseconds.” Thorn answered, and Cowlick stared at him before she gave a wry grin, and the stallion hesitated before he added: “But you're correct. We'll cause a system shock if we try and bring all the sectors back online at once. If crucial systems overload...”

“Right.” Cowlick glanced up as an Orphan jumped on a turret, opening fire on a group of Husks below attempting to climb up the building, and she grimaced before she ordered: “Use your authorization to kill some of the nonessential systems. That won't be enough, though, not with how this entire place is wrapped in Hearth's Warming lights, so cut all power to the sectors bordering the city and the castle.”

Thorn's eyes widened slightly, and Cowlick bared her teeth in an icy smile before she said harshly: “Genesis is gone. Cut it loose.”

“If I turn power off to Genesis, we'll lose Dogmatist data. The more facilities I cut, the more Seneschal will be damaged, the more drones will remain offline-”

“And your Mommy won't get any help because she'll be in a blackout zone, sure, I get it. Too bad.” Cowlick said, before she leaned forward, narrowing her eyes at Thorn. “Do it. Who knows how much these bastards have damaged. This attack seems insane but it's been heavily coordinated, and I wouldn't be surprised if they try and overload us the moment we start bringing things online. You're running out of time.”

Thorn grimaced a bit, and then he nodded abruptly before he turned to head quickly to the console as Necrophage and Muse both joined them, one floating and the other scrambling wildly up over the edge of the rooftop.

Silver swore under her breath, then she lunged to her hooves and leapt after Thorn, shouting almost desperately: “We have to help Celestia! After all she's done for us-”

“That's precisely why we can't disappoint my mother now.” Thorn said quietly as he accessed the mobile terminal, grimacing and grasping at his corrupt claw before he tapped in a quick command, images and graphs flashing across the screen. He keyed in his authorizations, then glanced back at Necrophage, saying calmly: “I need your Mission Drive to scan my biometrics.”

Necrophage hopped quickly forward, and Thorn leaned back to tap a command across her Mission Drive before he leaned down into the projected screen that appeared, grimacing as it scanned across his face and eyes. Then he straightened and turned back towards the terminal, grimacing a bit as he entered a flurry of further commands.

Silver frowned as she approached, leaning over Thorn's shoulder before she blinked, then snapped: “Are you insane?”

“Possibly.” Thorn replied dryly, and then he grimaced as he finalized the command and the monitor crackled with static before the terminal died.

“What the hell did you just do?” Cowlick shouted as she wheeled on them as the entire sector went dark, before Rustproof winced and leaned back, hammering on the side of his head.

Thorn only straightened, then he smiled as a klaxon went off, answering: “Redirected power temporarily. I'm reducing the circuit load.”

Cowlick's jaw dropped as in the distance, a rocket lit up the dark skies as it streaked up into the air. She stared at Thorn, and the stallion said quietly: “Class III, incomplete, no boosters but a working communications array. The rocket isn't powerful enough without the additional thrusters to get it to safe orbit, but the decay should take about an hour before it falls. That's one hour of spotty communication coverage across Endworld. More importantly, it's cycling an alert signal: every drone, Dogmatist, and inactive unit it passes over will be given the order to scramble and deploy on invasion protocol.”

Cowlick was silent for a moment, and then she gave a wry smile as power flickered back on, although Rustproof grimaced as he said: “I ain't detecting any other signals...”

“In five minutes the satellite will self-deploy. Until then, communications are shut down across all networks while the generators start cycling up.” Thorn locked gazes with Cowlick, saying calmly: “By the time power and communications are restored across Endworld, I want Loki gone. Do I make myself clear?”

“Sure, boss. Whatever you say.” Cowlick grinned slightly, before she threw down the girder she had been shouldering as she said: “I haven't seen a lot of Hexad. If I were Loki, I'd cut that sector off early. Rusty and I can hit that sector.”

“Necrophage, Muse, go with them. Silver, I won't give you any orders, but if you really want to help, you go as well. The Hexad will obey you.” Thorn half-turned, looking coldly across the unlit sector: strangest of all, in the distance, in the powered-down sector where the ruins of the castle lay, he could see the brightest of lights from across the entire mechanical city. “I have business in Genesis.”

“Be careful, Thorn! And take this, you might need it! You'll need it a whole lot more than me, anyway!” Necrophage said quickly, pulling off her Mission Drive and offering it to him with a smile, before she added quietly as the stallion took the device and simply let it merge into his black-corruption limb: “I wish I could go with you.”

“You're always with me.” Thorn said softly, and Necrophage smiled radiantly at him before the sapphire stallion turned and ran fearlessly to the edge of the building, leaping off as Cowlick grinned despite herself.

“At least he knows how to leave in style. Just like his goddamn parents.” she remarked. “Okay, Rusty. You stay here, we're going to head over to the Hexad barracks. Right, Silver?”

“And then we push across the city.” Silver said, glaring challengingly up at Cowlick.

Cowlick snorted, then she answered: “First thing's first, babe, don't get your panties in a knot. For now, let's go wake up the robots.”

With that, Cowlick turned, and Silver growled before she nodded and followed with Muse and Necrophage, tossing one last look in the direction that Thorn had gone, hoping that he had made the right decision, and that her sister was still alive.

Luna stabbed viciously forward with her spear, but Loki slapped it away contemptibly before he blasted her backward. Scrivener caught the Valkyrie, however, then flung her roughly back at Loki, and Luna flipped at the last moment to slam both her hooves with a satisfying crunch into the Prime's face, knocking him flying backwards.

Before he could recover, Morgan appeared behind him in a blaze of shadow, slamming him down into the earth before she seized him with her magic and rammed him violently again and again into the street.

But then the earth exploded upwards, chains of stone snapping violently at Morgan and smashing her back and forth before she was slapped out of the sky with a curse, hitting the ground hard before jaws of rock suddenly snapped around her and swallowed her into the ground. Luna swore before her eyes widened in horror as she was seized from behind, and then she snarled as electricity ripped across her body, spasming but refusing to cry out.

Scrivener leapt at Loki, but the Prime simply stepped backwards, stomping on his head and crushing him face-first into the ground as he held Brynhild high like a trophy, the colors across his body thrumming malevolently as he growled: “See, the worst part of all of this? It's how dirty you're going to make me, you goddamn-”

Loki felt a force rip across his body, sending him floating helplessly into the air before he was slammed down into the ground, Scrivener and Luna both flailing wildly as they were carried away from the Prime on the ripple of force that nearly split reality. They both landed with dull thumps as a shadowy snake twisted out of the ground before it reformed into Morgan, staring with awe at Hecate as the Jötnar mare strode slowly, fearlessly towards Loki as the Prime picked himself up.

“Oh, what, you want to go again? Come on then, I got your-” Loki was cut off as Hecate vanished from the spot and reappeared in front of him, hoof slamming into his stomach like a freight train and sending colors of pain bursting across the Prime's form as his body bent and arms flung almost comically out.

There was a thrum, and Loki was blasted high into the air by a volley of force, flipping wildly in all directions before Hecate flicked her horn almost dismissively, and a terrible flare of light erupted around the Prime, trapping him inside a miniature sun. He screamed in agony as he was whirled around and around inside the nuclear inferno, Hecate fearlessly glaring up into the tiny star she had created as the others stared in awe, the entire sector irradiated in blinding light for a few moments before Hecate snarled and dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding a blade of magic that ripped apart the earth where she had been a moment before.

Loki snarled from where he was now standing behind her, Astra-wrapped body smoking as he flung several more blades of energy after her, but Hecate spun around and blocked all of these with a shield of energy before she unleashed a blast of her own in retaliation. It smashed into Loki, but his body shattered like cheap glass, and Hecate reacted too late as the Prime stepped out of reality behind her and seized her by the horn and one ear, snarling: “Bad pony!”

He twisted viciously, Hecate grinding her teeth together as he simply tore her ear off as her head was jerked forcefully backward, before his eyes bulged in shock as Hecate kicked off the ground and half-flipped backwards, somehow 'landing' upside down in the air as if standing on a platform none of them could see.

A moment later, Loki was knocked flat, flailing wildly and covering a face that had been seared by a laser of magic before Hecate kicked down towards him, but the Prime managed to slam a lucky kick across her head, knocking her sprawling to the side before he screamed: “Get her!”

Puppets appeared all around Hecate, tackling her from all sides, struggling to bind her down as she shook back and forth against them, and Luna swore before she lunged forward, Scrivener and Morgan following quickly after. The Valkyrie slammed into one of the puppets, then batted another almost in half with her spear before she gasped as electricity surrounded her, flailing uselessly as Loki snapped: “Oh, go away and wait your turn!”

With that, Luna was hurled violently into the air, flipping wildly out of control before something slammed into her, jerking her roughly onward. She swore under her breath, flailing angrily against the thing before her eyes widened in horror as squid-like tentacles seized her, crushing her into the rubbery body of the hideous parasite-thing that was shooting through the air-

Morgan appeared beside her in a flash of darkness, snarling as she rammed down a hoof boiling with darkness into the head of the sky-squid-thing, and the beast squealed as it fell from the air, Luna still in its tow. The Valkyrie barely managed to twist herself loose before it smacked wetly down against the roof of a building, Luna crashing nearby and rolling several times before she came to a halt with a groan of pain.

She slowly picked herself up as Morgan landed beside her, the Valkyrie glaring into the distance as her head heeled and her extremities throbbed. It felt like she had been whipped through the air at a thousand miles an hour... maybe I was, damnation. “Damnation! How did he throw us so far?”

“He threw you that far.” Morgan corrected, and Luna scowled at her horribly, and Morgan gave a brief smile as she turned her eyes back towards the beacon in the distance: Hecate's star had faded, but it was still there, still casting a light over the entire sector, but far enough away from where they had landed that it was just a painful pinprick of light. “Why didn't he kill you or throw you into the Void?”

“Because you are nothing to him.” growled a voice, and Luna stiffened slightly before she looked coldly over her shoulder as Ignominious approached, his eyes burning with rage, his spotless armor gleaming. Husks strode on either side of him, emotionless, but both dressed-up in similar armor, yet to Luna they looked like little more than living dolls for the Voidborn to play with. “You don't get it, do you? He is the Prime! He wasn't interested in a few more puny souls! No, he took much more valuable things than that... and he has merged with all those monsters to become whole!”

Ignominious sounded almost desperate, not confident, not triumphant, and Luna smiled thinly as Morgan gestured to the side, opening a portal that Scrivener emerged through after a moment. “Thou does not sound so sure, Ignominious. And aye, believe me...” Luna's eyes roved towards the fallen Ahriman, her eyes narrowing as they locked on one of the screaming horse-spirits still chained to the ship. “I know what crime he has committed.”

“But not all, oh no. Destroying World Without End destabilized us all, brought us yet another step closer to the Void. He's really going to do it. He's not going to take us all out of there, he's going to put us all back.” Ignominious whispered, his eyes almost haunted as he straightened and shook his head slowly, then he gritted his teeth before he leaned forwards and barked suddenly: “This is your fault! Why didn't you listen? Why didn't you come with me? Luna, Luna my love, there's still time to run away-”

“No. I do not run.” Luna said quietly, before she asked softly: “What did thou think would happen? Hast thou not seen his power? Hast thou not heard him speak?”

“I... I thought...” Ignominious crumbled a little, looking down and shaking his head weakly. “Why would anyone want that? I thought it was another deception. He's... he's not going to give us eternal life, he promised the Jarsongildi we would exist forever, but instead... he's just going to erase all of existence. I don't understand. What is he after?

“But it's too late to stop, to fight, to do anything. He's savaged your worlds. He's bringing the Void into this universe and pouring this universe into the Void. We can't fight him, or stop him. It's hopeless...” Ignominious looked up, trembling, before he whispered: “All I want now, my love... is to be with you, until the end... come with me. Come, come with me...”

“Ignominious, look at me. Look at where I stand, between those whom I love, and who love me. Thou cannot ask me to abandon them, any more than thou can ask me to abandon this universe in its time of need.” Luna replied with a brief shake of her head, her gaze pitying. “Great stupid fool. There is no defeat until either thou can fight no more, or thou surrenders.”

Ignominious gritted his teeth, and then he rose his head high, his eyes flaring with... no, that wasn't rage. That was fear, mascarading as anger, as he shouted: “I will not be dragged back to the Void alone, Luna Lightblade! I will take you with me... even if I must kill your accursed love-slaves to do it!”

“Then do it. Hecate can take care of herself until we are done with thee.” Luna replied grimly, cracking her neck as Prúðbikkja appeared beside her in a thrum of blue flame, and Ignominious laughed harshly before he slapped the Husks on either side of him away like toys as his body began to ripple and change.

“I... I still have the power granted to me by Loki... I will use all of it, all of it, to destroy you! It's pointless to resist, Brynhild... this has all been nothing but chaos and distraction to draw all of you in, to bait the net, and now Loki will call forth the Terrors from the Void as he feeds off all the energy being released... you fools, you're only making him stronger with every life you take!”

“Good. I am sure I will need a challenge to sate me once we are done with you, worm.” Luna growled, and Ignominious snarled as his features became a mix of equine and wolf, his whole body boiling with darkness as a long body-tail snapped behind him but four huge legs stretched forward, clawing at the ground with paws and hooves.

The malformed monstrosity lunged forward, roaring, many times their size, and yet Luna only fearlessly snapped her horn forward, sending a fireball into Ignominious' face and knocking his head snapping back as he howled in misery. Blue flames licked and danced across his features, freezing where they touched before he wildly swiped at his own face, brushing it off, but the frostfire coalesced in midair into one of Luna's Jötunnfang.

Ignominious howled as he was driven backwards by the mighty fist of ice, knocked rearing back before Morgan appeared above his head, slamming him with a tomahawk backed by telekinetic wrath to knock him flat against the ground. His long body-tail snapped out, and Scrivener Blooms leapt forward and caught this, pinning it to the ground before his Talons flexed, and Ignominious screamed as corruption rapidly spread through his tail and crystallized it.

He writhed back and forth, managing to twist himself around and snap his tail out, flinging Scrivener backwards as he grinned widely, but then Morgan snapped her horn down and sent sonic reverberations thrumming through his crystallized tail, the Voidborn arching his back before his eyes bulged and he screamed in agony as the black gemstone simply exploded into shrapnel.

Ignominious fell forward, and right into Luna's Jötunnfang, the second fist forming so the mare could viciously pummel him backward, slamming him down against the ground before she delivered crushing blow after blow down into his face as Scrivener summoned claws of corruption from the earth to bind him down, and Morgan floated above, countering any attempt of Ignominious to try and lash out from beneath the hail of blows crushing down into his face.

All his power, Luna reflected bitterly, and it was over in moments, Ignominious gasping as he shrank down into a pitiful mass of broken stallion, curling up in the fetal position as her Jötunnfang finally relented, black goo bubbling and boiling around him before it finally settled as Ignominious rasped: “H-How... how can you be so...”

“Because I am not alone. Because I am not afraid. Because unlike thee, Ignominious, I have not given up before the fight has even begun.” Luna growled, shaking her head in disgust before she allowed her Jötunnfang to vanish as she straightened and rose her head, taking a slow breath. “The fight is over. 'Tis time for thee to surrender. 'Tis time to move on. I... I am not thine.”

“But you didn't say you don't love me.” Ignominious whispered, clawing his way up to his hooves before he snarled, raising his head, babbling through his fear as his sword and shield appeared in bursts of shadow: “If I kill them, you'll love me, you'll come with me, it's all their fault that-”

“Ignominious!” Luna roared, and he quailed as she stomped forward, glaring at him furiously even as tears spilled down her cheeks. “Of course I loved thee! I loved thee first! I loved thee with all mine heart! I loved thee as friend, as partner, as more! And now... now that time is over.”

She fell silent, her spear trembling at her side as she lowered her head, whispering: “Now that time is over, Ignominious. For I loved a stallion. And if thou hast ever, ever loved me... be a stallion, please. Be the stallion I first saw thee as, that I first knew thee as.”

“I...” Ignominious trembled, then he took a slow, quaking breath, lowering his head even as he straightened, before he confessed weakly: “I'm afraid.”

“We are all afraid.” Luna said quietly as she stepped forward, readying her spear, and Ignominious smiled faintly before he looked down at his sword and shield, weighing them both in his magic in front of him before he rose them slowly, locking them at the ready.

“I... I am Ignominious of the Jarsongildi, Paladin formerly of the Second Order of the Holy Skies...” Ignominious stopped, then he laughed briefly, shaking his head before he looked up as he whispered: “No. No, I am... I have no name. I earned no name. The rest of them... they found their names, but I never did. My talent seemed to be for running away... my greatest feat was playing sidekick to the three great heroes. Why not remain Ignominious D'Equess, instead of pretending...”

He quieted, then he looked up and trembled as he set himself as Luna looked across at him silently, the stallion breathing hard before he gave a shaky smile and said: “I... I won't run away.”

Luna gazed back at him, and then she slowly steadied herself, the two looking across at one another before Ignominious gave a raw, wild yell as he ran forward, and Luna sprinted out to meet him, waiting for the hapless stallion to swing: she easily deflected the sword strike, then thrust.

The stallion trembled as he caught himself on his hooves, sword and shield falling to the ground as he gasped weakly for breath, wanting to do anything, anything, but die on his knees, clenching his eyes shut before he felt his legs buckle beneath him-

Luna caught him in her forelegs, and the stallion trembled as his head dropped against her. He shifted, but his hindlegs refused to work anymore, and he could barely bring his forelegs up to her shoulders, laughing weakly as Prúðbikkja ground lightly against Luna's side as the tip of the spear sparked behind Ignominious. “You... always were fast...”

“Thou art one to talk.” Luna said quietly, smiling faintly, and Ignominious smiled weakly back up at her, gazing silently into her eyes before she whispered: “There. There is my stallion.”

“Yes, always... always, Luna, always... and yet... I feel strange. Satisfied.” The stallion smiled again, looking up at her almost wonderingly before he murmured: “You've always been so beautiful. An... inspiration. But not much... of a leader, are you?”

“I have only ever pretended to lead. I like to show the way and walk the path first, but I truly hate to lead.” Luna answered softly, and Ignominious closed his eyes as he silently rested his head against her, Luna hugging him tighter to her chest and trembling a little before she blurted out: “Don't go.”

“I have to, my love. It's past my time. I understand that now, that all I was ever searching for... was myself. Silly of me... looking in all the wrong places...” Ignominious smiled faintly, and then he whispered: “I feel free. Don't cage me now. I'll never be brave enough to fly again.”

“I know. But I am greedy. Selfish. And 'tis unfair: I have to lose my first love twice.” Luna murmured, before she leaned down and silently kissed under his horn, closing her eyes before she gently touched their horns together. “Be free. Be free, Ignominious.”

“Thank you.” Ignominious smiled, one last time, and then he closed his eyes as he curled his head against her chest, clutching into her and trembling once before his body thrummed and dissolved into motes of light that swirled silently around Luna's spear.

The Valkyrie sat back, watching silently as Prúðbikkja vibrated faintly as it was lifted into the air, stretching almost longing after the swirls of light that caressed along it before she gently took it in her telekinetic grip, the horn-tip of the weapon glowing like a beacon for a few moments before she rubbed quietly at her eyes with the back of her hoof.

But after a moment, she steadied herself as Morgan and Scrivener both silently touched her shoulder from either side, and the mare nodded once before she rose her head and promised: “I will not give in either. We... have wasted enough time on my follies. 'Tis time for us to go.”

Morgan and Scrivener both nodded firmly in agreement as Luna shook off the last of her sadness. There was no time for that anymore: she still had a job to do, and an enemy to stop.

Even if this universe belonged to someone else now, they could pretend to be heroes this one last time.

One last time.

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[Randomfastreader]

The ultimate cliff hanger, or more appropriately the ultimate voidhanger. Get it? There hanging onto the edge of the void waiting to fall in.