Hecate's Orphanage

by BlackRoseRaven

The Heart Of A Giant

Chapter Sixty Three: The Heart Of A Giant
~BlackRoseRaven

Luna gasped as she crashed backwards, rolling painfully to a prone position before she dragged herself up to her hooves as Gymbr prowled towards her. The creature seemed invulnerable, even more powerful than she remembered the savage god being... but then she smiled wryly as her broken horn sparked uselessly, shaking herself briskly as she muttered: “I suppose we are different too... but Gymbr, I am... disappointed...”

“You shall give us glory!” Gymbr leapt forwards with a roar, but Scrivener Blooms flung himself out of nowhere, smashing into the side of the winged unicorn and knocking him crashing through a half-crumbled wall.

As Gymbr began to recover himself, Morgan Heldóttir reappeared, shaking her head and muttering: “I can't find them. For all I know, Loki could have thrown the Norns back into the Void, or onto the moon, or... anywhere! We can't-”

“They can restore Gymbr as long as he lives, aye. But we have one trick left up our sleeve, do we not?” Luna grinned widely, and Scrivener winced as Morgan shifted uneasily, yet the Valkyrie pressed all the same: “We have no choice!”

Morgan swore under her breath as Gymbr smashed his way out of the rubble: he was regenerating too fast, his power as incredible and ferocious as it had ever been, and the only reason he hadn't done worse harm to them was because he seemed lost and confused, only throwing himself at them and rarely using his powers, as if half-drunk and trying to fight off the control that Loki had over him...

But there could be no mercy. For a thousand reasons, they could no longer show Gymbr mercy, Morgan knew, not with that growing sense of desperation, the chaos that was tearing across all of Decretum in the distance: and if he started using his powers, then even being a hundred miles away on this little work-camp island among the barren wastes, it wouldn't be enough.

Morgan's body burned with shadows, dark fire spreading over her entire form as she whispered: “Then let's just make this quick. We have to stop Loki, too.”

Luna nodded firmly, and Scrivener took a slow breath as Gymbr began to stagger towards them. But as black light filled the air, the god-beast staggered before covering his face with a claw as the darkness stung his eyes, as black energy lashed and twisted and snapped against him. “We are not impressed by such tricks!”

Gymbr lashed his horn down, retaliating with blasts of dark magic, but they did nothing to the thing that now faced him. Gymbr frowned in surprise, before his eyes widened slowly and he shook his head in disbelief, whispering as the world around him shuddered before the presence of the great and beautiful and powerful thing that now stood before him, that threw its endless shadow over the once-unstoppable god and weighed him down beneath its presence alone: “You cannot be. You cannot be.”

But it was.

Across Decretum, Orphans and Dogmatists were fighting losing battles. Husks and Elementals simply continued to surge forwards, often supported by hideous, malformed monsters from the Void, and the awful Lost Souls that had been set loose by Loki's traitorous powers. The Lost Souls cried out, making Orphans shudder: some were still sentient, others were only shapes and pieces of living memory, but all of them were helpless to do anything except what they were ordered by Loki. And all of them were composed of volatile Void antimatter, poisoning reality with their very existence, killing the loved ones who only sought to save them or embrace them, exploding in massive pulses of toxic Nothingness when they were struck.

When the order rang out across Decretum to go to ground, the first fear was that they had been defeated, that Hecate had fallen, that Ithavoll meant Decretum was preparing to go out in one final blaze of glory. And as Loki's forces marched over the wreckage of Clockwork Titans and pony alike, as grinning and savage Tyrant Wyrms turned on their handlers and began to storm into Imperia from all directions, drawn by the powers of the Void, bowing their heads in eager obedience to the one who commanded the same essence that powered their ghastly machinery, the forces of Decretum dropped into hiding, some crying, some praying, some full of despair and fury.

A group of Orphans fled down a broken highway, before one of them shouted and dropped to a ready position as a vortex spun open in front of him, yelling: “Get to cover, get to safety, just keep-”

A massive combat transport shot out of the vortex, the stallion hitting the ground and gaping in shock as the armored carrier flew over his head before it smashed to the ground, the Kirin on top of the transport swinging the gun around to open fire on the Elementals that had been chasing the soldiers of Decretum, making the pack scatter with yelps.

The transport skidded to a halt, and the door on the back was thrown open, forming a ramp to the ground that Kirin streamed down as a Bushi roared: “Fan out, and engage the enemy! In the name of Empress Hecate, destroy them all!”

Across Decretum, more vortex spun open, the Kirin of Fyrverǫld flooding in from all directions. And countless miles away, in an ancient, hidden laboratory, machinery thrummed to life as massive, modified Clockwork Titans came online and rapidly went about their work, sorting and activating the hundreds of glowing capsules that filled the laboratory with eerie light.

Decretum shook as massive, hidden gates opened in the wasteland around Imperia, muck and mire spilling down but going unnoticed as immense airships rose with mighty rumbles into the sky. The humongous war zeppelins floated ominously over Decretum, lined with large, acorn-shaped capsules on rails encircling the hull of each ship, several of which detached as the huge zeppelins moved into position.

The massive pods slammed down into the earth and crashed through buildings with pinpoint accuracy, giving Decretum soldiers the chance to escape as Loki's forces warily approached and inspected the capsules. Then a group of Husks readied themselves as one of the capsules suddenly hissed before the hatch on the front popped off in a burst of steam.

A pony emerged, walking on her hind legs with a cold grin on her face. Her mane was scraggly and blonde, her orange eyes malicious and surrounded by surgical scars, her forelegs huge and red and wrapped in chain, and already raising her modified minigun with ease as she roared: “All hail Empress Hecate!”

She opened fire with the minigun as she strode out of the pod, the Dogmatist moving fearlessly as the pods around her popped open as well: a pink blur that was nothing but giggles and huge fangs leapt out of one, tackling an Elemental and biting savagely into its neck as it screamed beneath her, but from another pod, a perfect clone of the orange mare emerged, from her coat color to the weapon she held in her hooves, marching into battle and opening fire with a savage grin.

Above, flying Husks and Air Elementals streamed towards the airships, but many were immediately engaged by not only renewed waves of metallic Thunderbirds, but Kirin pilots in flying vehicles and airborne combat armors. The few Husks that managed to press passed were almost immediately blown out of the air by Dogmatists that left streaks of lightning in their wake.

The clones withdrew up in front of the airships before one grinned, marked as a leader only by the patch on her spiky black armor, the blue pony saying contemptibly into her headset: “Thunderbolt Unit 3 seeking clearance to engage at will.”

“Negative, Courage 3-23. Wait for KAD to disengage.” Seneschal said crisply, before the AI quickly shifted his attention to another section of the battlefield, ordering: “Prudence 5-02. A Voidborn has been detected in your vicinity. Eliminate it, then exterminate the remaining enemy forces.”

“Yes, of course.” a soft-yellow Pegasus murmured as she gently extracted a hidden blade from the throat of a Husk, then she guided him carefully to the ground as his body began to dissolve, even as she instructed: “Delight, it would be nice if you could offer a distraction.”

“You got it!” said a bright pink pony, bouncing on her hooves before she eagerly hopped out into the open. Husks immediately pelted her with magic, but any wounds she suffered healed almost immediately as she leapt back and forth, shouting loudly: “I'm a distraction, I'm a distraction!”

Prudence smiled over at two clones, and then all three Pegasi almost vanished from the spot. They were almost invisible as they slipped quickly and efficiently past the Husks and into a building where a Pegasus was striding back and forth, muttering to herself as she fearfully looked back and forth, nervously clutching a communicator on one shoulder as she said hurriedly: “Look, I need to withdraw, I-”

And too late, the Pegasus realized she wasn't alone, before she choked as wire tightened around her throat. Then blades buried into her stomach, her throat, her arteries, energy steaming up from the holes in her body as her eyes rolled helplessly in her head, before the efficient assassins tore their weapons outwards, ripping the wounds wide as the Prudence almost cradling the Voidborn against her gently lowered the dying pony to the ground, whispering: “Shh, shh. It'll be over soon. Don't cry now... I'll stay with you as you go back to sleep.”

Across the battlefield, the tide was turning, and Loki staggered backwards in disbelief as Hecate, even with her body smoking, her screen shattered, her steel body visibly failing, managed to drive him back yet again. Even with all his power, it was like the machine was feeding off something even stronger than him, that the Void couldn't break down... but that was impossible. It was impossible... wasn't it?

The Prime snarled, then he gestured almost desperately outwards, at the wounded that filled the square, at the chaos that filled the air, as he screamed: “Is this what you wanted? Hecate, it is pointless! Every time your toy soldiers fight back my forces, I'll just bring them back! Again and again and again, I can bring them back! My powers are infinite, and you cannot resist this attack, you cannot hope to win... go ahead, call out more soldiers, bring out more weapons!”

Loki pointed angrily at an airship high above, roaring: “The more you call, the more you bring forth, the more I kill! The more I kill, the more power I gain, the more soldiers I can send back to fight you! I will make brother bleed brother! I will make sister kill sister! I will make mothers and fathers destroy their children, and I will leave children to die, as sacrifice, before their parents! Look, Hecate! Look at your son, and watch him die!”

But Hecate refused to take her eyes off Loki as she dragged her broken war body forwards another step, the goddess replying coldly: “Pedantic, and childish. My empire shall not be slowed, shall not be stopped. All I have to do is kill you.”

Hecate paused, then smiled coldly as a fuzzy reading sparked over one of her lenses, and the mare closed her eyes before her head withdrew into her war armor, sinking out of sight even as she said softly: “And you have missed your chance to kill me.”

Loki snarled then he stepped forwards and shoved a hand out, and a blast of Void energy ripped across the war body of the mare, smashing off its limbs, sending its heavy body crashing and rolling backwards before it finally crashed to a halt as the Prime hissed: “All you are is a stupid toy inside a stupid tin can. One that I'm going to kick into the Void and let rot until you come begging for death.”

The Prime began to step forwards, and then a pulse echoed out of the broken body of the war machine, and Loki frowned before he stumbled backwards in surprise at the next pulse that slammed through the battlefield, making him mouth wordlessly as he felt a terrible familiarity, as he felt something he had never expected to feel again-

The remains of the machine exploded, but not a piece of shrapnel touched the ground, gleaming metal fragments floating eerily in the air as a hoof slowly stretched out of the broken cradle of metal that remained. The silver hoof touched down, then was joined by another as a figure emerged from the ruins, from the war-mother body, from the mechanical womb.

Silver hooves attached to the long, elegant legs of a powerful equine body. A tail and mane of lightning and raw energy crackled around the gorgeous mare, as powerful wings stretched out for a moment before settling against its sides, as an exoskeleton hummed ominously on its back. Small vents hissed softly on the figure's sides, and thick cables fed from machinery into flesh, merging somehow seamlessly with the entity's pale, gorgeous skin.

A heavy steel collar gleamed around the being's neck, and Hecate rose her head proudly high as her body thrummed with power. She paused to glance for a moment at one hoof, flexing it slowly as Loki stared at her disbelievingly, before he blurted dumbly: “What?”

Hecate only smiled at him, as with only an idle thought, the broken ruins of metal slammed themselves together behind her, wreckage and shrapnel forming into a beautiful silver throne that she rested calmly back in. But Loki only laughed shortly at this, the Prime striding forwards as he said contemptibly: “And after all of that, this is how you'll face me? This is what you threaten me with? Oh no! A pony! It's a pony!”

Loki waved his hands back and forth as he stormed around in a circle, before he spun back towards Hecate and said coldly: “Well, I am not impressed. Of course, I get it. How many years did you spend as literally the head of Valthrudnir's operations? Must be nice to get your body back. Yeah, okay, sure! Be selfish! But be honest, too! If you wanted to die in your old body, by all means, then-”

Hecate calmly rose a hoof, and Loki gasped in shock as he was hefted into the air, the Prime's eyes bulging as the mare said softly: “It is time for you to go away.”

Loki snarled, then he shoved himself free of her telekinetic grip, staggering backwards as Hecate calmly stood up from her throne. She cracked her neck as the vents on her sides hissed open, the machinery on her back humming to life as she flexed and gathered her strength, and Loki's words caught in his throat as he went from furious to shocked, staggering away from her as he rose his hands in front of himself almost as if in a plea, his head shaking weakly as he whispered: “Those... those powers...”

Hecate spread her forelegs out to either side as a sphere formed above her, growing into a boulder that thrummed larger and larger moment after moment, clear and glassy and yet full of a power that Cadence and the Swan shivered and at were drawn to, for all the pain and fear and desperation they felt. Cadence felt both hope and despair, wonder and awe and absolute terror as Loki staggered backwards step-by-step, shaking his head and whimpering in his throat before he croaked: “Jötnar p-powers... V-V-Valthrudnir's...”

“You are not welcome in Decretum. You are not welcome in my universe. Leave, and do not ever return.” Hecate said contemptibly, as she slowly straightened, raising one hoof above her head, and the now-massive sphere of crystalline energy thrummed powerfully as it hovered above her hoof as Loki fell back on his rump, whimpering incoherently.

Hecate leaned forwards, and her whole body pulsed with power as she snapped her hoof out, flinging the orb at Loki. Loki screamed as it shot towards him, spinning around and sprinting away, but the orb pursued him, passing harmlessly through the living and their surroundings, keyed to one entity, and one alone.

Loki leapt desperately into the air, vanishing from the spot, but when he reappeared above the wastes of Decretum, the orb still followed, closer than ever. He shot through the air, but the orb chased him, teleporting closer and closer to him every time he blinked out of reality, before he made one last, wild lunge into the skies above Imperia-

The orb appeared in front of him, and Loki howled as he plowed into it, immediately yanked to the center of the orb before immense, crushing force bore down on him from all sides as the orb slowly, steadily shrank. He spasmed helplessly, flailing uselessly back and forth as the sphere grew smaller and smaller by the second, the force ever-increasing before Loki's eyes bulged in horror as he felt his physical body literally being torn out of the Astra, and the Astra being forced off of him, peeled like the skin of a banana, his hands pressing uselessly against the skin of the sphere as it crushed relentlessly down.

And Loki screamed as he did the only thing he could think of doing, throwing himself backwards through reality and shattering a hole into Nothingness, sending himself hurtling into the Void. The orb snapped down around the hole in reality, sealing it as Hecate glared up at the sky, but then she snorted in contempt as she felt more than saw the flakes of Astra and energy floating down through the air.

She sat back in her throne, her body pulsing with aches she didn't let show as she ordered sharply: “I require a Beauty unit!”

Immediately, a portal opened, and a bipedal, beautiful unicorn in a lab coat stepped through, calmly pulling thick black gloves on over mechanical hands as she asked: “How may I be of service, Empress Hecate?”

Beauty straightened, absently adjusting her corkscrewed purple mane and revealing the large, ugly scar that covered one side of her face for a moment, but Hecate only gestured outwards and said calmly: “Medevac. One is a Voidborn, but he is to be treated as an ally. Replicant Class VI.”

“Of course, Empress Hecate.” Beauty promised, before she rolled the sleeve of one elbow-length glove back so she could access the keyboard hidden under it. Hecate turned her eyes away from the Dogmatist, however, instead watching as Hel carefully leaned over Thesis, placing her hands against the trembling Voidborn and healing the damage that she could with the little power she had.

“Did you do it?” she asked in a soft whisper, as some sense came back to Thesis' eyes. The Replicant blinked weakly as he felt some of the cracks across his body closing, processing the goddess' question slowly, but then he nodded briefly once.

Hel smiled at this, and then she mussed up his mane gently before she grimaced and rubbed her hands together compulsively, magic thrumming over them to clean them as she carefully stood up and hobbled over to Cadence. Sombra, La Croix, and Moonflower all stared at her with varying degrees of disbelief, gratitude, and amazement, but Hel ignored them all as she dropped beside the Swan, checking her wounds over.

She was badly burnt by the toxic non-energy, but very much alive, Hel noted, and the goddess smiled in faint relief before she leaned down and whispered gently into Cadence's ear: “Just stay still, sweetie. It's all going to be okay, you'll see.”

Then Hel flinched when Hecate said calmly: “Hel, I think we need to have a chat.”

With Loki gone, many of the Lost Souls immediately fled, the Prime's control over them broken. Many Elementals fled as well, giving in to fear and terror as the Husks were beaten back by the forces of the Hexad Army. Tyrant Wyrms became docile, and the bizarre glitches across Decretum's systems ceased.

The Orphans were either in Imperia or the Orphanage, or they were with their families, celebrating or mourning. Hecate let them for now, as she sat silently in Thorn's room with Hel leaning on a cane beside her, both of them standing over Thorn Blackfeather.

He and Necrophage had been found at the edge of a waste trough: they had either washed up or crawled out on their own power, and Hecate was glad they had done so before they had been poured into the recycling basin: if they had fallen into the pit, they likely never would have escaped, or even been found. Thorn was badly injured, and something was wrong with his stump and his blood, but they had to run more tests, and as tempted as Hecate was, she knew she couldn't simply heal Thorn with her infinite powers, not unless it was absolutely necessary.

It would lead to other temptations. It would be too easy to start 'fixing things' the way that Valthrudnir had. To convince herself...

Hecate shook her head briefly, and then she looked across at Hel, who smiled awkwardly back at her before she said lamely, clapping her hands together: “Well, uh... I think I'll stay here! It's clean here. And I have to talk to my daughter and I know they'll probably be around here to see their kid who they gave to you because clearly that was such a good idea!”

Hel covered her mouth quickly as Hecate gave her a flat look, and then she peeped: “No sarcasm. I swear. You're great! Don't Vally-wally me.”

Hecate sighed tiredly, shaking her head slowly before she simply flicked her horn, creating a chair out of thin air and dropping it to the ground beside Thorn's bed as she said coldly: “Just send them to me once you're done with them. Loki is still out there. He will-”

“Yes, yes, but you felt it as well as I did. You really popped his bubble.” Hel grinned as she gingerly set herself down in the chair, before she looked up and said in a suddenly serious, soft voice: “You watch yourself, sweetie. I know you're going to get asked a whole lot why you just didn't break this new body of yours out sooner, but...”

“No one can handle this sort of power.” Hecate murmured, and then she shook her head slowly before scowling at Hel when the goddess looked at her with sympathy, she thought. “I don't need your pity.”

“But you're not even surprised to receive it!” Hel exclaimed, before she tossed her cane in the air, then bopped Hecate firmly on the head with it, making the mare scowl all the deeper until Hel said in a quiet voice: “Another trait of the Jötnar, and why they couldn't all simply betray each other even with all their infinitely-infinite powers. They could sense intent and emotion. They could literally smell your fear. Or, you know, any other emotion you were emanating.”

“But not Valthrudnir. Because he closed himself off to everyone. Because he was... such an idiot.” Hecate muttered, looking moodily at the ground before she glanced up in surprise when Hel reached up and gently grasped her shoulder with a smile.

“Hey. You did everything you could for him.” Hel said kindly, and Hecate had to fight down the faintest of blushes as she glared at the goddess, who absently stretched her arms out before she asked loudly: “So is it hot in here or is it just me? Because I feel hot! And not in a sexy way, either. I mean in a sweaty way. Which I guess could also be taken to mean that but I don't mean that at all and that is pretty gross anyway.”

Hel paused, then she clapped her hands together. “That's your cue to leave, you know.”

Hecate only looked moodily at the goddess for a few moments, and then she said finally: “I'll have a room set up for you here in Imperia. I hope you understand that you must earn your keep, Hel, for as long as you stay with us.”

“Wow. Wow. Way to talk to a goddess who just got torn out of her own safe little subdimension. It's no wonder no one likes you.” Hel grumbled, but Hecate ignored her as she turned and left the room, satisfied that she had made her point.

Hecate wandered the halls, until her hooves brought her to another door. She gently knocked once before pushing it open and slipping inside, to find Silver sitting on a couch, looking sullen as a Beauty clone repaired her body.

Silver looked at her, and Hecate gazed back at Silver, until her sister softened a little and asked: “How is your son?”

“Thorn is well. Thesis is... I will see him in a few minutes.” Hecate replied, shifting a bit before she walked forwards and asked Beauty in a colder voice: “What is my sister's status?”

“Healthy as a... well, horse, Empress Hecate.” Beauty tried to joke, offering an uncomfortable smile, but Hecate only continued to glare at her until the Hexad clone expanded hurriedly: “Her systems are all up and running, the damages she sustained during the battle were all really quite minimal. I would say... ninety percent operative efficiency at the moment, but that's more from needing to reset then-”

“Leave us.” Hecate ordered, and the Beauty clone scurried for the door with a wince, letting herself quickly out.

“And I thought you treated the other pigs badly.” Silver muttered, earning a glower from Hecate, but she could feel her sister's emotions, could understand her better now, and she couldn't stay mad at her, feeling all that pain and confusion and...

“You were always difficult.” Hecate smiled briefly, even as Silver glowered at her, before she shook her head slowly as she strode over to reach up and silently touch Luna's forehead with one hoof, making the mare flush visibly even under the metal mask that covered her face as Hecate murmured: “I bless you in the name of the Sun, I bless you in the name of Equestria, I bless you in the name of Harmony, and Grace.”

“That is a stupid prayer and I still do not know why you say harmony and grace as if they are one thing. It shall always baffle me.” Silver mumbled as she shoved Hecate's hoof away in embarrassment, before she hesitated, then lowered her head and silently rubbed her front hooves together in her lap, until she finally mumbled: “Thank you for reminding me that we shall always be ourselves. That I will always be Luna and you... you will always be Celly.”

“Nothing changes, even when everything does.” Hecate smiled briefly, and then she stepped back and hesitated for a moment before she said softly: “I will need your help, Luna. Many are injured, and we have lost a powerful ally. I will need you to act as an ambassador.”

“Do you really want to trust this little piggy with such an important responsibility?” Silver asked distastefully, but when Hecate only nodded in response, the mare shifted uncertainly before chewing at her lip and mumbling: “I... well... I will do what must be done, Celly. I understand that this goes far above petty... problems.”

Hecate nodded again, then she turned and said softly: “Good. I'll give you time to rest and acclimate, Luna. I have to go and see Thesis, anyway.”

Silver only looked at her curiously as Hecate left, the mare forcing herself not to look back, not letting herself think too much. Was she getting soft? Or were the Jötnar's powers making her more cunning, more manipulative, more...

No. Hecate cut those thoughts off, shaking her head once before she straightened and continued calmly onward, locking her mind on her goal. She could not afford to doubt herself or question her own goals or actions. She had to keep moving, not only for her sake, but for the sake of all of Decretum, and the Clockwork Empire beyond.

Hecate let her hooves lead her to the familiar room, the room that had gone unoccupied for so long until now. A room that existed here in Imperia, and in Endworld as well: a room she had striven to fill up with memories, but until now, it had always still felt so empty...

“Stop it.” Hecate muttered to herself, and then she took another breath before she knocked once on the door, then shoved it open and strode into the room and greeted over the slam of the door behind her: “Thesis.”

“Hey, mom.” Thesis smiled tiredly over at Hecate as she approached the bedside, and for a moment, Hecate glared down at the Replicant as he looked back up at her, until he asked: “How are you doing?”

Hecate embraced Thesis fiercely, and Thesis gasped loudly in pain before he awkwardly hugged her back around the neck as best he could, wheezing a little until Hecate murmured: “Fine now. I'm just fine now. How are you feeling, Thesis?”

She gently pushed him back on the bed, and Thesis smiled tiredly before he rolled his shoulders slowly: he could feel the exoskeleton still in his back, but... “Did you power this down? It feels heavy and I feel tired. But... good. Tired, but good.”

“Yes. It was causing you to...” Hecate halted, then she shifted a bit before she said bluntly: “I don't know if we can reverse the damage that Loki did to you.”

“I'm not scared of dying, mom. I'd rather be dead than serving Loki. I should have seen that before, but...” Thesis quieted, rubbing at his muzzle slowly with the back of one hoof before he glanced up and added in an embarrassed voice: “I'm sorry I hid. I was more afraid of you than Loki, though.”

“I know you prefer a dramatic entrance by now, Thesis, don't worry.” Hecate said dryly, giving the slightest of smiles before she shook her head slowly. “I want to run some tests on you. We need to know more about the Voidborn, and while we have the opportunity, we should make the most of it.”

“Great.” Thesis laughed despite himself, looking up at Hecate for a few moments before he smiled again when she gently touched his cheek. “I know you're a hardass, Mom. But... I know you're a lot of other things, too. Thank you for... being all those things.”

Hecate only smiled briefly, but then she caught Thesis by the shoulder when he began to sit up, the mare saying calmly but firmly: “You need to stay in bed for now, Thesis. At least until we know the extent of the damage, and...”

Hecate hesitated, but Thesis only smiled up at her before he gently pushed her hoof away, then grunted as he worked himself up to a sitting position, saying quietly: “I want to make the most of the time I have. I'll rest, later, but... for now, I think I'd like to walk around with you. It's... it's been way too long since we've done that, Mom.”

The mare looked down at her son for a few moments, and then she finally sighed before nodding once, saying grudgingly: “Fine. But you have to respect me in public, Thesis.”

“I always respect you.” Thesis said, feigning an injured look as he touched his own chest, and Hecate rolled her eyes before she leaned down worriedly as Thesis carefully began to wiggle out of bed. But he only shook his head before he slipped out onto his hooves, grimacing a bit and muttering: “Maybe you could put the exoskeleton on low. Like this it's just adding more weight to my frame. I promise not to work it too hard or anything.”

Hecate sighed, but after a moment she turned her eyes towards the machine, and that was all that was needed to make the machine thrum to life, Thesis gasping as he felt his body shudder before he slowly lowered his head. Then he smiled faintly, not looking up as he mumbled: “I guess we're both Replicants now, huh?”

“Hel keeps calling me Jötnar. I suppose that must be what I am now.” Hecate muttered, reaching up and moodily tugging at her collar, before she winced when Thesis leaned into her with a smile.

“I think that whatever you are, you're still my Mom, and I can finally say that... I'm back to being your son.” Thesis paused, then he said mildly: “Death's been pretty good to us, huh?”

Hecate sighed tiredly, then she picked Thesis up with telekinesis, making him wince a bit as she carried him out into the hall before depositing him on his rump, saying calmly: “Our first order of business is to check in on the injured Orphans. I expect you to learn the name of every pony we meet today.”

Thesis nodded awkwardly, and then he looked back towards the door of his room before he started lamely: “Hey, my uh... leg is totally acting up, maybe I should just-”

“You made your decision, Thesis. Live with the consequences.” Hecate retorted, and Thesis lamely dropped his head before Hecate turned, calling coldly: “Seneschal! Report!”

Thesis staggered quickly after his mother, his pace evening out as he wheezed a little for breath. Then he looked up in dumb surprise as several orb drones came whizzing out of nowhere before projecting the image of a lithe dragon floating along beside them, the AI glaring distastefully at Thesis as he complained: “Queen Hecate, not that I don't trust your judgment, but this stallion hasn't even passed security clearance yet! I don't want to reveal more sensitive information, when it's possible that Thokky might be-”

“Loki. And he is not listening in. Verify Thesis, then, and transmit me the report through the network.” Hecate said dismissively, and Seneschal huffed before he grouchily dropped out of the air, the hologram peering at Thesis distrustfully as Thesis pursed his lips and glared back.

“Fine. You are a Replicant, Class VI, is that not correct? An elevated Class V model, in other words, command class.” Seneschal said haughtily, as Hecate ignored them both to review the information spilling over her glowing lenses. “Do you have the security codes for Decretum memorized? Have you even been trusted with high enough class authorization that I should dignify you with a response?”

“Uh, I'm the one responding. You're the one undignantly talking to me.” Thesis pointed out, and Seneschal glared at him, waving his hands at him childishly.

“Indignantly! Undignant is not a word, you buffoon. I will not tolerate buffoonery! I put up with enough as it is!” Seneschal grumbled, then he asked suddenly: “What is a Blue security event?”

“Allies damaged by friendly fire.” Thesis answered, and Seneschal huffed.

“Fine. Then explain to me what you should do in that situation, as a commander.” Seneschal retorted, and Thesis smiled slightly.

“The same thing every other unit should do. Figure out why it happened and evac the wounded.” Thesis replied with a shrug, and Seneschal grunted at him, scowling moodily. “What? Oh, let me guess, you wanted me to phrase it in command methodology. Well, I've never been great at that. Even when I was crazy I wasn't great at that. I just yelled at people a lot.”

Seneschal rolled his eyes, but before he could snap off another question, Thesis asked him curiously: “So how long have you been around here? And were you designed specifically to help out Mom, or...”

“You will refer to her by proper title when in a professional environment! And my age and design are both none of your business!” retorted Seneschal imperiously.

Thesis only nodded sagely at this, then he replied cheerfully: “Well, see, she hasn't always been my commanding officer, but she's always been my mommy! So that's why I call her Mom. Right Mom?”

“Don't be difficult, Thesis.” Hecate grumbled without looking up, and Thesis nodded and smiled up at her until the mare absently reached out and slapped him with a hoof, making him wince a bit. “I need to learn to adjust again to this body. I've spent too long bipedal.”

Thesis smiled a bit at this, replying: “You did seem to like running around on those Clockwork Titans. Not that I can blame you. But it really was kind of creepy, Mom. You're big and muscular enough as it is.”

Hecate sighed tiredly as she looked over at her son, but maybe the smallest of smiles twitched at her mouth even as she said irritably: “I don't remember why I ever missed you.”

“'Cause I'm awesome.” Thesis replied with a wink, and Hecate shook her head before she paused and frowned a little at the stallion as they stopped outside the elevator, Thesis smiling awkwardly up at his mother before he said lamely: “I'm fine.”

“I'm sure you are.” Hecate said softly, feeling the fluctuations in her son's energies before she shook her head and turned her eyes towards Seneschal. “Concentrate our efforts towards taking care of the injured for now. A time will come to pursue Loki, but if he's retreated to the Void, none of us have the power to chase him there.”

Seneschal looked unconvinced, but he sighed and nodded all the same before he said hesitantly as the elevator doors opened: “What do we do about-”

“The traitor is obvious. I'm sure he'll make his presence known again.” Hecate said distastefully as she and Thesis stepped into the car, then she simply gestured to Seneschal to return to his duties, the AI sighing before his hologram vanished and the security orbs buzzed away.

The doors of the elevator slid closed, and mother and son rode down silently together before Thesis murmured: “If I am a danger... if in any way, I ever... become a danger...”

“Shut up, Thesis. I don't have time to deal with your sniveling on top of everything else.” Hecate steamrollered contemptibly, and Thesis smiled despite himself before the doors dinged open, and Hecate led the way out as she said calmly: “We know from our examination of previous Voidborn that Loki gives them free will... or at least some semblance of it. He seems unable to exert the same level of control or influence over them as he does over lesser Voidal entities, so I have little concern for you suddenly going rogue with no Rig to manipulate your emotions or control you.”

“Rig was everything bad. Rig was... a collar, a leash, and a warning.” mumbled Thesis, and Hecate cocked her head towards him curiously, but the stallion only smiled lamely and shook his own before he mumbled: “Sorry. I don't know if I feel self-conscious or crazy or just... you know.”

“Things will take time to balance out. We still have to test whether or not there are behavioral nodes in your mind, although Thorn already reported the presence of synthetic in your back.” Hecate paused at the look on Thesis' face, then she said distastefully: “I have no urge to activate them, Thesis. Unless you start acting out and give me a reason to, of course.”

“You're an awful person, Mom.” Thesis said blandly, and Hecate rolled her eyes. But again, there was that urge to smile, and she reflected that only Thesis and Thorn could ever really do this to her.

But it wasn't so bad to smile, she thought: even now, she had reasons to smile.

Cadence felt miserable, breathing quietly in and out as she laid in a special bed in the medical center, staring desolately at the ceiling. Everything just felt so awful and pointless, like nothing they had done really mattered or had even made a difference.

Those strange Dogmatists were everywhere now: if Hecate had hundreds of these Hexad clones, and giant warships and Fyrverǫld, then what point was there to the Orphanage anymore? Especially when so many Orphans had died...

And Hecate herself, of course. She had been terrifying to behold, full of so much power, and... she is Jötnar. Not like the Jötnar, not as the Jötnar... she has become Jötnar.

“Yeah.” Cadence said, deciding there was no point in arguing or playing dumb. She breathed slowly in and out, then shook her head slowly: all these memories the Swan had, and none of what she knew about the Jötnar was very pleasant. “And Hel herself...”

Hel has plans for us. We are very curious. the Swan said softly, and Cadence shivered. She felt that even without her powers, Hel could still be very dangerous, even if she didn't wholly understand what had happened and how Loki had so easily defeated the Goddess of Helheim.

Loki... she didn't even want to think about him, and what he was. It explained why Thokk had been so easily able to order her around, of course, although she could see now, too, that there had never really been a Thokk in the first place, ever.

Everyone else was either on duty or in a medical center. She was pretty sure that everyone she knew had been injured in the conflict, even though at the end of the day they had contributed so painfully little. It was disheartening and demoralizing. And how much had they really achieved? Decretum was in complete ruin. It would take years to rebuild.

Cadence grumbled under her breath, crossing her forelegs as she grouchily rolled onto her side, before she winced and sat hurriedly up when a familiar voice asked her mildly: “Sulking?”

The ivory mare stared in surprise at the sight of Thesis, who was grinning at her widely. She saw Hecate, too, talking with one of the doctors, and Cadence frowned a bit before she asked awkwardly: “And uh... what are you doing here?”

“Well, nice to see you too.” Thesis huffed at her, and Cadence only gave him a sour look before the Replicant smiled suddenly and said proudly: “Mommy made me the new boss.”

“Oh. Great.” Cadence said with a distinct lack of enthusiasm, and Thesis scowled at her before the ivory mare began to shift out of bed, but Thesis quickly caught her by the shoulder.

Cadence glowered at him, but Thesis looked at her imploringly, and eventually the mare grumbled and relented, muttering as she sat back in bed: “I feel fine. And some of us still want to maintain a certain decorum around Hecate. We can't all be her children.”

“You all sort of are, though, I think. Mom was always big on kids.” Thesis replied with a smile, and for some reason, Cadence felt absurdly touched by that sentiment, smiling a little at the stallion as he gently squeezed her shoulder. “Anyway, you just focus on resting up, huh? You and me and everyone else, we're all going to be really busy, and a lot sooner than I'd like.”

Cadence frowned at this, tilting her head, and Thesis hesitated, then blushed slightly as he realized he was still holding on to her shoulder, clearing his throat loudly several times as he stepped back and rubbed awkwardly at his neck. Cadence frowned at him curiously, but before she could ask, Hecate approached. “Cadence. There are some matters we need to discuss.”

“Hey, let her rest at least for today, Mom. If you wear her out, then who will you have to torture apart from me and Thorn?” asked Thesis reasonably, and Hecate rolled her eyes before she gave the stallion a measuring look, and Thesis looked awkwardly back at her before he added lamely: “But hey, it's your decision.”

“Yes, it is, Thesis. The only thing you should be concerning yourself with is your own well-being for now. Seneschal has yet to verify you.” Hecate looked at the Replicant for a few moments moodily, and then she turned her eyes towards Cadence, explaining: “Thorn has returned grievously injured, and his duties as Regent will need to be filled by someone else for that duration. Thesis, once verified, will be serving as Regent, but he will need assistance: much has changed since the last time he was in Decretum.”

“Yeah, like, the place only looks a little more destroyed since we raided it for spare parts.” Thesis said helpfully, and without looking, Hecate stomped on the Replicant and squashed him into the ground, Thesis wheezing painfully from somewhere beneath the bed as Cadence winced a little.

“As you have plenty of experience dealing with idiots already, Cadence, I will be assigning you to serve as Thesis' assistant and bodyguard. I will have your authorizations increased.” Hecate paused meditatively, then she continued: “I need to break up your team temporarily, in any event. Your father and Moonflower will need to help with reconstruction efforts, and La Croix will be temporarily shifted to administration.”

Cadence nodded uncomfortably, rubbing at the back of her head, but Hecate answered before she could even think of how to phrase the question, saying in a lower voice: “I know that Loki was severely wounded and many of his forces were driven back to the Void. I have reason to believe it will be some time before Loki attempts another attack: we are going to use this time to fortify the Clockwork Empire as much as possible.”

Thesis grabbed the edge of the bed and hauled himself up to his hooves with a wheeze before he added: “If I know Mom, we'll also make contact with all our allies. Loki attacked here because Decretum represents an actual threat to his plans... or I mean, they did to Thokk. I don't know what he's really thinking...”

“Part of it was purely diversionary: he wanted to draw out Hel and eliminate her as a threat, which he was successful in. He also forced us to activate the first two stages of the Ithavoll Protocol.” Hecate moodily looked down at one of her own hooves, as Cadence looked uneasily up.

“I know I'm not supposed to ask, but... I mean, Ithavoll...” Cadence hesitated, but when Hecate looked up at her steadily, she asked quietly: “How many stages are there?”

“Three. You would not enjoy the third stage, and I will not activate it unless things become dire.” Hecate halted, then she shook her head before creating a holographic screen beside herself, moodily tapping quickly across it before she said calmly: “We have powerful allies, but we are the protectors of this universe. They should be begging us for help, not the other way around. Here is my first order to you as Regent-ad-interim, Thesis: take Cadence to Ten Moons. I trust that you did not inform the enemy of everything Ten Moons' storage, correct?”

“No, Thokk... Loki, only wanted to set up a trap and take... it was weird, he was interested in a lot of the basic power equipment and generators. Took a few energy burners, and some of the fusion cells. Nothing remarkable.” Thesis paused, then he frowned uneasily as he leaned back slowly, asking nervously: “Wait. What sector are we going to?”

“Sector Seven.” Hecate smiled thinly, and Thesis stared at her, mouthing wordlessly before he shook his head vehemently.

“Okay, that's a big step from 'no, baby colt, you stay safe in bed' to 'take a squad and wake up-'”

“No squad. Cadence will be sufficient enough support, and she is all I can spare for you, in any event.” Hecate responded, shaking her head before she returned her eyes to the holographic screen, muttering: “There. Thorn will...”

Hecate halted, then said shortly: “You can equip yourself at weapons storage with a mission drive, I've had Seneschal reactivate your old callsign and authorizations. You may take some time to rest, but I want you moving as soon as possible.”

“Okay, Mom. Be nice, huh?” Thesis said mildly, before he smiled and swayed back to avoid a swing of the mare's hoof. He winked at Cadence, then turned and strolled out of the room, but as casual as he made himself look, Cadence could see the way he limped a little, how he dragged his hind legs slightly...

“He's strong. And I trust him for more reasons than because he is my child.” Hecate said, as if reading her mind, and Cadence looked uncomfortably at the mare. But Hecate wasn't protecting herself as much as she usually did, the ivory mare thought, as she gazed silently at the... the Jötnar, yes.

And the Jötnar looked back at her before Hecate said softly: “That is correct. On both counts. Do you know whose powers these are?”

“Valthrudnir's.” Cadence said without hesitation, before she shook her head slowly, wondering silently... “But they feel so different, coming from you. I can tell it's him, but I can tell you're you, and... it's all very confusing.” She stopped, then laughed a little as she smiled awkwardly up at the mare. “Is it weird that I see you more easily now as Princess Celestia?”

“I was Queen Celestia, as I am now Empress Hecate.” the Jötnar mare retorted, but Cadence felt an odd sort of appreciation from Hecate in spite of her sharp tone, before the Empress of Decretum continued: “But I am not just here to judge your perceptions, but your status overall, Cadence. I have high expectations for you. But you have again failed to meet those expectations.”

Cadence glanced down, rubbing the back of her head as she silently rubbed a hoof over her burnt body: she had mostly healed, and she was very glad to see that her tattoo was returning as naturally as the rest of her body healed. She had been badly hurt, though, and she could understand what Hecate meant. Not because she hadn't killed enough enemies. Not because she hadn't protected enough innocent lives. Because... “I got angry. And it was my fault, not the Swan's, this time. I just... didn't think he'd be so powerful.”

“He considers himself to be the Prime, the beginning and the ending of all things. The bringer of Ragnarok.” Hecate snorted in contempt. “His composition is similar to an entity that Brynhild and her companions faced in the past. Do you know what Astra is?”

“Yes, I learned about it in Helheim. Is that... part of why you let me go, because...” Cadence smiled lamely as Hecate only gave her a look, the ivory mare nodding as she mumbled: “Operational secrecy. Yes.”

“Something like that.” Hecate gave a thin smile, and then she met Cadence's eyes and said quietly: “Combating an entity of the Astra is arguably more difficult for most people than fighting entities from the Void. But you are capable of harming Loki, even in soul body.”

“He blew me up with a thought, though.” Cadence muttered, but then she looked up in surprise as Hecate reached up and touched her shoulder.

“You know your error. The report Thorn submitted to me says that you have undergone further training and... evolution in Helheim. I will see that this is continued. And you will meet my expectations, or I will have you relocated.” Hecate said evenly, and Cadence met her eyes, seeing that Hecate wasn't joking; not that she would expect special treatment from the Empress of Decretum, in any event.

“Yes, Empress Hecate. I will not fail.” she promised: not just Hecate, but herself. Because what made Hecate's words dig into her wasn't how harsh or serious she was: it was the fact that Cadence herself knew she should have done better. That if she wanted to stand any chance of protecting those ponies she cared about, she had to do better.

And inside her, the Swan agreed.

Comments

[BlackRoseRaven]

7655233

Thank you for reading. I figured, though, that I might as well finish posting the first half of the story today. It seemed a little mean to make people wait for closure.