Hecate's Orphanage

by BlackRoseRaven

Suffocating Static

Chapter Seventy Three: Suffocating Static
~BlackRoseRaven

To Cadence's great surprise, they docked at the port without any trouble. A single Clockwork Titan was standing guard in front of the doors leading into the cliffs and presumably up to the facility: it asked for their authorization, and it didn't recognize Cadence's current status, forcing her to override it before calling Seneschal.

There was no signal, however: it was like they had passed into some kind of dead zone. Was that why they had lost contact? But somehow, it disturbed Cadence more than if they had been ambushed in these brackish waters by Loki's forces.

Short-range broadcasts still worked, however, and with the help of a Dogmatist, Cadence was able to send out a signal through the entire facility, alerting the Decretum forces of their presence and updating their status. While Brynhild and Freya paced impatiently, and Aster sat silently with Moonflower, Cadence shifted quickly through log files and the available status reports, checking on the state of the facility.

It looked like they were doing what they had been ordered to do from their arrival: secure the soul furnace above and clean out the rest of this facility. It looked like everything here was just fine... apart from the fact they were unable to ping Decretum or Endworld, of course, which meant that none of their portals would work, much less any of their interdimensional communications.

Cadence finally settled on sending one of the ships out to sea with a small contingent of Dogmatists and two of the RED Replicants. They would simply keep sailing until they found the edge of the distortion, and then they would contact Decretum and ask for further instructions.

The ivory mare led the rest of her troops into the facility to inspect and secure it: Aster was plainly uncomfortable, but with Moonflower encouraging her, she was staying by their side.

Freya seemed like she was simply rewalking the route to the top of the tower, as if the one time they had passed through this facility had been enough for her to memorize the path; but for all Cadence knew, it had been. The Valkyrie urged them on every time they started to slow down here or there, sometimes complaining, sometimes simply tapping a hoof as Cadence paused along the way to check on whatever was going on, while Brynhild seemed torn between childish amusement at Freya and irritation with the entire situation.

Eventually, they ascended to the top of the island, and Cadence grimaced a little as they found it still in ruins. She looked back and forth, then sighed as she looked over her shoulder at the ponies accompanying her, saying calmly: “Alright, uh... form two lines, and stay close. This area is still unstable, so don't stray from the path. Let's just head straight for the laboratory.”

“What happened to Haruspex, the Blood Seer?” Freya asked, and Cadence frowned slightly before she accessed her Mission Drive with a small scowl, hating how it was already becoming second nature to toggle through the goddamn thing after she'd spent so long ignoring its existence.

“Uh... okay. Haruspex...” Cadence mumbled, shifting through personnel logs before she said finally: “Here we are. He was set to be transferred to Decretum as a prisoner after interrogation, but it was delayed when they began to have issues resolving the connection. Uh... yeah, he's actually being held in the laboratory, still.”

“I wish to speak to him.” Freya said, in that mild way that told Cadence it wasn't a polite request, but an order.

Cadence steeled herself mentally, then she looked over at Freya and replied in the same, equal tone: “You can speak to him afterwards, Freya. For now, we are going to head to the laboratory and check the status of the observatory above.”

“Why?” Freya asked with painfully-childish, painfully-false innocence, and Cadence gritted her teeth for a moment.

“Because I am in charge of this operation. And because, Freya, we may need your advice. Some of the instruments in the observatory have been repaired, but they're Jötnar in design, so...”

“Well, I'll give you a point for trying to flatter me, Cadence, but Odin knows you need to work on that a little. Why not just tell me instead what a pretty woman I am and that you would be sorry to see me go, as pleasant as it is to watch me leave?”

Freya flicked her hindquarters with a wink, and Cadence's lips slowly puckered before Brynhild, surprisingly, scolded: “Now cease that, Freya, the only thing grand about thy buttocks is how great and round thy ass is. Let the mare do her job.”

“Well, Brynhild, it's nice to see that you haven't just betrayed the Valkyries, you've decided to lick the Swan's feet as well. But you always did like trying new things, and you always had a fetish for filth.” Freya said pleasantly, although her glare was like acid.

“Hey. Enough.” Cadence said clearly, and both Valkyries scowled as they grumpily returned their attention to her, Cadence saying shortly: “We don't have time for this. We need to figure out why we're being blocked. Otherwise, if we get attacked-”

“Aye. Very well, have it your way. Although I would not be surprised if an ambush was already on the way.” Freya said carelessly, before adding thoughtfully: “Or perhaps Loki was counting on this. We're all out of the way now, he could freely attack-”

“Okay. Let's move. Double line formation, come on.” Cadence said clearly, turning and striding quickly ahead, and then she rolled her eyes as Brynhild and Freya immediately muscled their way to the front of the line and began to roughly shoulder each other back and forth, before they both pretended to be interested in something off to either side the moment Cadence glared back over her shoulder at them.

Cadence rolled her eyes, then turned her attention back forwards, muttering under her breath as she approached the broken causeway that cut through the center of the metal ruins. Worker Drones were busily moving through the rubble, but Cadence wasn't sure what they could even accomplish: so much had been left in ruin and disarray that the only way they could likely make progress was by first tearing this shattered city down.

Slowly, they made their way across the crumbled causeway: it had been patched and repaired in places, at least, and made an easy enough path to follow to the laboratory. Cadence couldn't help but look up with a grimace at the eerie fog of dark energy crackling and thrumming above: was it stronger than it had been before?

“Those poor souls have been burning for so long. It's awful.” Morgan Heldóttir murmured, and Cadence smiled faintly: she didn't want to imagine how many Husks were lingering here. “Maybe... we have to shut this down. It might be what's interfering. That magic output is so intense...”

“We'll see. Let's head to the observatory. The controls should all be there.” Freya said, suddenly serious and businesslike, and Cadence nodded.

“Keep in formation. Just in case.” she said quietly as she led the way to the doors. They opened even before she reached them, pulled by a pair of Worker Drones, and Cadence frowned as she found a Clockwork Titan already waiting for her.

It bowed slightly, and Cadence frowned before a garbled voice said: “Cadence... good... see you... rived in adequate... shape.”

“Seneschal?” Cadence asked, looking surprised, before she frowned and questioned: “Does that mean that Manes managed to get out a signal? I can barely understand you.”

The Clockwork Titan clumsily straightened, then sparked visibly before it clicked several times, going dead still. For a few moments, Cadence sat awkwardly in front of it, and then Freya slowly leaned forwards and said meditatively: “Perhaps the dolly ran out of power.”

“There. Buffering may add a few pauses here and there, but it should be easier for us to understand each other this way.” Seneschal sounded very pleased with himself, although his voice was still slightly distorted, and the Clockwork Titan was moving clunkily, unable to copy whatever gestures Seneschal was trying to do through it. “It was merely a matter of brute-forcing the signal once we knew the state of the facility. This Clockwork Titan, in fact, was placed here for the express purpose-”

The Clockwork Titan suddenly froze and cut off, head tilted to the side, one hand raised, and Cadence scowled a little as Freya remarked mildly: “Oh, aye, Valthrudnir. What a true work of genius you've built here. And let's not forget all the obvious work Hecate has put into-”

“I exceeded the buffer rate, it will not happen again!” blurted an embarrassed-sounding Seneschal from the body of the mechanical golem, and then he fell awkwardly silent again, the golem once more frozen.

Cadence began to open her mouth, but Seneschal suddenly jerked before he continued, as if there hadn't been a five-second break: “Now, as I was saying. We have to.” A sudden stop, a long, awkward pause. “Establish a more powerful uplink. This is likely Loki's doing, but not simply.” Pause. “Loki. This type of interference is generated by-”

“I really don't care, Seneschal, and the more you try and explain it, the... uh... more you break up.” Cadence said awkwardly, deciding that was probably more tactful than the more I want to kill you. “What do you need us to do?”

Seneschal huffed at them, then promptly froze in place. After ten seconds, Freya said sourly: “Let's leave the tin can behind and go to work. I can figure this out myself. I'm sure these contraptions are little different from Frey's.”

“Oh, aye, 'tis not as if thy home was littered with all the broken parts of Frey's many wondrous inventions that he had been silly enough to let thee touch.” Brynhild said mildly, and Freya grunted moodily, glowering at the mare.

“Shush yourself, little girl, or I'll bend you over my knee and spank you. And not in the way you like, Brynhild.” Freya retorted, before both Valkyries looked up as Cadence cleared her throat loudly and pointedly.

Cadence turned her eyes forwards, thinking for a moment before she ordered: “Gesicht, Karsilamas, Faunus, secure the facility, protocol... uh...” Cadence closed her eyes, wracking her mind for a moment before she muttered: “The one with all the threes...”

“3-1-3-2-5-3-0!” blurted Moonflower, to Cadence's surprise, and she looked over her shoulder at him dumbly before she cleared her throat quickly and nodded.

“That one. Take two Dogmatists each.” Cadence said, glancing back at the small crowd of Decretum forces. “The rest of you Dogmatists, spread throughout the facility and take up ground positions in accordance with the uh... same protocol. Prepare to defend.”

“Yes, sweetie. As you wish.” Karsilamas said with an idle glance around, as if she was only humoring the mare. Faunus and Gesicht were at least a little more professional, although Cadence figured that was probably in part because she had sent Thespis off with Manes after lecturing him like a child for his stupid stunt at the hotel.

Cadence ignored the three of them, though, as they quickly selected their Dogmatists and led them away: they would patrol through the laboratory, stopping to secure any weaknesses they found along the way. Then they would relay...

Cadence halted, then frowned and looked down at her Mission Drive, tapping it before ordering: “RED, Sound off.”

The RED Replicants replied in irritated voices, including Manes and Thespis, to Cadence's surprise, and the ivory mare frowned before asking shortly: “Why didn't you file a report, Thespis?”

“We only just moved into communications range. Besides, you didn't request status updates.” Thespis retorted, although Cadence thought he sounded as surprised as she was that they were able to communicate at all.

“Stay in contact. Reports every fifteen minutes.” Cadence said after a moment, before she winced when the Clockwork Titan suddenly jerked in front of her.

“Exactly! That was our first clue, that local communication has only shown intermittent...” Seneschal broke off, the Clockwork Titan listing slightly to the side, and Cadence groaned loudly as Freya rolled her eyes before she suddenly strode forwards.

“I am heading up to the observatory to see these new toys. I don't have patience for tea parties with broken dolls.” Freya grumbled, and Cadence sighed but only gestured moodily after the ivory mare, not bothering to argue with her.

Instead, she looked over her shoulder at those who remained: her own team, Aster, and Brynhild and her partners. For a moment, Cadence looked over them, and then she glanced up curiously as Seneschal said: “The soul furnace itself needs to be secured. Many of the security protocols meant to protect the furnace have broken down and are in the process of being repaired and replaced. It must be...”

Seneschal broke off again, the Clockwork Titan twitching, and Cadence sighed tiredly before Morgan volunteered quietly: “We'll head down to the soul furnace, if you want. We can set up some wards along the way, they should work temporarily, at least. And I can sample the magic and see if that has anything to do with... what's going on.”

Cadence frowned a little at the violet mare as she approached, looking almost pleading. For a few moments, they studied each other, until the Swan whispered: It must be important.

“Yeah.” Cadence murmured, and then she shook her head quickly before repeating: “Yeah. I would appreciate it. I'm trusting you to do that.”

Morgan smiled after a moment, nodding silently before she winced when Brynhild flung a foreleg around the mare and nearly throttled her, declaring firmly: “Fear not, Danzsöngr, I shall do my best to keep this wretched mare in line. And should the evil Lich step out of place, I will punish her. I will punish her roundly.”

Brynhild grinned, shoving her face against Morgan, and Morgan glared at the Valkyrie before she said sourly: “And the evil Lich will make the heroic Valkyrie sleep on the couch again if she keeps this up.”

Brynhild whined loudly at this like a dog, and Scrivener sighed before he promised, as he gently pried the two mares apart: “We're here to help. We won't do anything without your okay.”

“Okay. Thank you.” Cadence answered, as Seneschal twitched back to life, but then the AI only watched silently as Brynhild left with her partners, Morgan leading them quickly away, likely able to sense out the direction of the soul furnace through magic, Cadence guessed, since it didn't seem like they needed any help finding their way.

“You should head to the observatory. As the buffering software seems to be broken on this device, I've decided to instead update your...” Seneschal broke off, and Cadence closed her eyes and rubbed slowly at her temple.

When the Clockwork Titan didn't pick up after about ten seconds, the ivory mare rolled her eyes before she turned and said dryly: “Well, let's go. We can see what Freya's doing in the observatory and maybe get a sense of what we should do ourselves.”

“It's so strange, being here. But it's not as frightening as I thought it would be.” Aster murmured, and Cadence softened a little as Moonflower reached up and gently squeezed his friend's shoulder. But Aster only smiled, lowering her head slightly before she whispered: “The hardest part is thinking about...”

She quieted, then shook her head before mumbling: “Well, I will... be of what assistance I can to you. I am still the same mare I was, after all.”

“Yes, talented, strong... a little too loud for my liking, but better than most mares, all the same.” Moonflower said gently, and Aster smiled a little wider, gazing at him softly. “Just don't wear yourself out trying to keep up with me.”

“Oui, because I am the one who has to work to keep up with you.” Aster said softly, and she shook her head a little before she squared her shoulders and smiled over at Cadence. “I am sorry, madame. Don't feel you have to hold up on my account.”

“It's alright. I don't think we really have to rush, anyway.” Cadence replied, although something inside her disagreed as she started forwards, adding: “Let's just take our time finding the observatory, give Freya a chance to figure out what's going on there.”

The others nodded, and Cadence smiled as confidently as she could as she turned and walked past the still Clockwork Titan, only hoping silently that she could figure out what was going on here. Because the faster she was done here, the faster she could figure out how to get Hecate to let go to the world she still sometimes thought of as 'home.'

Cadence was satisfied a thousand times over with the results of the many checks they'd run. Plenty of worries were gnawing at her, but very few of them were about this soul furnace, making it difficult to concentrate on the matter at hoof.

Seneschal's connection was still extremely choppy, but he was able to connect more consistently to the Clockwork Titans and the computer systems in the base in general. Once they erected a better communication tower and programmed it properly, the problems would likely resolve: something Cadence was very anxious to get done.

She paced moodily around the observatory, looking every so often at the screens and instruments as if she knew what any of them meant, trying to distract herself and look busy at the same time. Her father was seated nearby, calmly sipping tea and reading one of the Blood Seer's journals, while Freya was tinkering away with the machine, muttering every so often about 'stupid Jötnar toys.'

Finally, the Valkyrie rolled her eyes before she looked up and scolded: “Swan, an anxious dog circles less than around the food table than you do. Now stop before I plant you like a tree instead of a scrap-begging bitch.”

Cadence halted, scowling at Freya's back, and the Valkyrie huffed as she turned her attention back to the observatory, muttering: “Foolish to send that idiot and his parallel down to 'check' on Brynhild. And what does that Loa think he's doing, warding this place? As far as I know, Darkwater's servants dislike a creek. I'm sure they'll be loathe to cross the oceans in pursuit of a squirrel like him.”

“Have you figured that machine out yet?” Cadence asked, trying to ignore the rest of the Valkyrie's grumbling, and Freya grunted as she adjusted a dial with a scowl.

“Oh, aye, I know well enough how it works: it uses the same coordinate system as most portals do, including the ones Hecate uses.” Freya answered, although she looked and sounded less than happy. Well, less happy than usual. “But the gears are stripped and the dratted machinery isn't working the way it should. The coordinates I enter on the dials aren't matching up with the coordinates that I see through the telescope... which itself is nothing but a dismal piece of blurry glass. About as useful as the cyclops of any gelding.”

“The cyclops of... oh goddammit. Great. Why would you be... no, don't answer that.” Cadence shuddered for a moment as Freya looked over her shoulder with a wry grin, and then the ivory mare mumbled: “I don't even know what you're trying to do.”

“Take a look at what's going on in the universe. This is an observatory, after all.” Freya replied with a shrug, before she sighed and slipped back from the control panel, saying in a more meditative voice: “As long as the furnace is still running, we might as well put it to use. It takes massive amounts of power to gaze through time and space, after all... not to mention feed whatever other wicked little goblins that Valthrudnir must have hidden away here.”

Cadence grimaced a bit, before she frowned and asked slowly: “What do you expect to find? Do you... are you looking for Loki?”

“I already heard from Hecate what you might ask for, although I was hoping you wouldn't, Swan.” Freya said dryly, measuring Cadence with her single knowing eye. “I know it may sound strange, coming from me of all people... but sometimes you need to simply trust in your betters.”

“I don't think of Hecate as my 'better.' I don't think of anyone as 'better' than me or 'worse' than me.” Cadence said moodily, and Freya grinned wryly.

“Now, girl, you and I both know only half that statement is true. You certainly never think anyone is better than you, no.” replied Freya mildly, and Cadence scowled darkly before the Valkyrie added almost dismissively: “But either way, it doesn't matter. The machine is broken and I don't know how to fix it. Oh well.”

“Oh well.” Cadence repeated almost disbelievingly, but just as she began to open her mouth to tell Freya as politely and kindly as she could to shove her head up her rump, Sombra cleared his throat and pointedly looked over the top of his book at her.

“Mi amore, perhaps we should focus on the reason we are here, anyway. The sooner we complete the communication tower, the sooner we can leave here, and focus on finding Loki.” Sombra advised, and Cadence grumbled a little under her breath before she finally nodded almost sulkily, even as she shot Freya a curdling glare.

Freya only smiled sweetly in return, but then became more serious herself as she asked: “And is there any way we can hurry that process along? Or is it just a matter of waiting for all the little metal men to do their jobs? Because I've never been fond of dwarves.”

“I always heard you were too fond of dwarves.” muttered Cadence, and Freya scowled horribly at her before Cadence forced herself to rein herself in, saying in a calmer voice: “No. There's not really anything we can do. The tower will just take time for the Dogmatists to set up.”

She hesitated for a moment, then frowned as the Swan gently nudged her, asking for control. Cadence was loathe to give it, but knew that the Swan could just wrench it away, and at least asking gave her the chance to... well... what do you want me to do, say okay and give you a treat?

The Swan smiled at her mentally, and Cadence resisted shivering before she sighed a little, letting her head drop. And a moment later, the Swan took over, straightening and looking at Freya before asking: “Shall we plant a Root of Yggdrasil?”

“What in the bloody hell would...” Freya suddenly paused, chewing on her lip thoughtfully before she nodded after a moment, muttering: “Aye, perhaps we could. I haven't done that magic in a long time, though, Swan... longer than before the fall of Asgard, when Vanaheim and Asheim were still separate.”

The Swan only smiled, and the Cadence blinked as she took control back, asking dumbly: “What the hell is she talking about?”

But Freya only chuckled and shrugged amiably, before she closed her eye and said meditatively: “The real question, of course, is whether or not I can stretch a root into one of your metal worlds... Endworld, no. But Decretum... and I am sure that rustbucket friend of yours can speak to us through there, can't he?”

“Decretum and Endworld are directly connected, yes.” Cadence said dryly, and Freya gave her an amused look, which made the mare scowl. “What?”

“You make a good parrot.” Freya remarked, and Cadence scowled deeper before the Valkyrie nodded once and said mildly: “Fine, I'll just be on my way, then. Are you coming to watch, Swan?”

Cadence grunted after a moment at the invitation, before she hesitantly glanced at her father, but Sombra only smiled before he said gently: “Go ahead, Cadenza. I'll stay here and inform the others if they arrive before you do. I know there's still plenty of work to get done, after all.”

“Aye, Swan, stop wasting your time here. Come waste your time somewhere else.” Freya advised, and Cadence rolled her eyes, but then sighed and turned to follow as the Valkyrie strode past her, muttering: “Now, let's see, there looked like there was a tower taller than this one, and the higher the better...”

“I don't know if everything is accessible right now. The Dogmatists have a lot of work to do, if you haven't noticed.” Cadence warned, and Freya grunted. “And a lot of areas have been sealed off as a safety precaution...”

“Oh, aye, safety. It's not at all like you've netted yourselves in to be ripe for the slaughter.” Freya remarked, and Cadence closed her eyes in consternation before the Valkyrie suddenly shouldered a closed door open.

Cadence followed her through, then winced in surprise when Freya kicked it closed, before the Swan flinched in surprise as she was pinned firmly back against the wall. Her eyes widened in shock as she felt something cold and metallic press into her throat, and then she snarled and rasped, even as Freya pressed the sword tighter to her neck, her single eye looking callously, coldly down at her: “I am getting so sick and tired of you.”

“Anyone can betray you, Swan. Remember that. Remember it well.” Freya said softly, sliding the sword slowly along Cadence's neck, and the mare shuddered a bit as she felt that awful sensation of tearing skin, that wetness as a bead of blood slid down her throat. “Now, I'm not foolish enough to think simply chopping off your head will kill you. You're... complicated. But sometimes when you want a plant to grow, you have to prune it down. Harshly.”

Cadence snarled at this, but Freya only smiled thinly before she asked mockingly: “Don't you become more useful, the more you return to being a Swan? Don't you realize how lucky you are, Cadence? If I could die and return to my old body, I would eagerly kill myself. And as many times as it took, at that.”

“I am not you.” Cadence retorted as scathingly as possible, and Freya snorted. “Get the sword off my neck or-”

“Or what, Cadence? You'll kill me?” Freya smiled contemptibly. “Nay. I'm not afraid of you, Cadence. And I'm only a little worried about what the Swan can do. Freed or not, I'm still the better fighter than either of you. And the Swan has no reason to resist me, either. Isn't death what you want, Swan?”

Cadence felt herself grasped, almost embraced, before the Swan took control. Slowly, Danzsöngr rose her eyes to Freya, meeting her ruthless gaze before she said calmly: “Your help is unnecessary. And together, Cadence and I are far stronger than you, Mother.”

Freya smiled thinly at this, then suddenly pressed forwards, but the Swan reacted faster, shoving her hooves up and forcing the blade back. Freya's other swords appeared as the Valkyrie moved like a whirlwind of death, but the Swan vanished like a ghost before her eyes glowed as she instructed Cadence calmly: I will see. You will strike.

The Swan opened her eyes and saw through the Astra, and Cadence felt such sorrow, such pain, such confusion, such despair, and most of all, such raw passion...

The passion moved, and the Swan moved with it, evading swords that sang with every strike, that glowed with the essence of friend and foe alike. And Cadence saw Freya as she ducked, and the Astra rippled and spoke to her, and Cadence somehow knew that it was time.

She struck forwards with absolute precision into Freya's side, and Freya gasped as she staggered backwards, gritting her teeth as her swords trembled in the air, then simply dropped as she grasped weakly at her breast. And then the Astra was gone, the knowledge was gone, the Swan was gone, and Cadence was left panting quietly on trembling legs before the Valkyrie muttered: “Brings back memories.”

She slowly squeezed into her side, just below her foreleg, and then she smiled faintly as she closed her eye, murmuring: “That was where my sister struck me down, years and years ago now, while I was under the influence of Valthrudnir. Aye, you are strong. And aye, I should change my ways, but I'm an old she-bitch and I have no real desire to. I talk through my swords. And I want you useful, and strong. And Cadence, you frighten us all.”

Cadence frowned at this as she reached up and silently rubbed at her throat, before she shivered a little: both at the look Freya was giving her, and the fact the wound on her neck had already healed closed. “Why?”

Freya smiled for a moment, and then she said softly: “Not because you can kill us, and not because you're a puppet, come to life. But because you can see into each and every one of us. And what did you see, when you saw me, Swan?”

“Loss. Despair. Nihilism. Ferocious angry passion, directed at... nothing. All of it tempered only by love. Deep, endless love for your family. Love that feels unrequited. Love that you can never express.” Cadence said, not even knowing where the words were flowing from, only knowing... it was all true.

“A frightened wolf bites at everything around her.” Freya muttered, and then she sighed softly before saying quietly: “It would all be easier if I could just kill you myself. But we need you, Swan. And I've been told to give other people a chance to prove themselves, because I've been given so many myself.”

She absently flexed a hoof, then straightened and looked at Cadence before saying bluntly: “Let me kill you. Become what you are becoming all the same. I need you strong. You need to be strong to fight Loki. Because I cannot.”

“What?” Cadence frowned, and Freya shook her head in response, making the mare scowl. “No. You just tried to kill me. You can answer this question.”

“Why don't you just figure it out for yourself, Swan? It shouldn't be too hard for you.” retorted the ivory mare, and Cadence rolled her eyes at this.

“Because that's pretty obviously rude. And because I want to hear the answer from the horse's mouth.” Cadence retorted, and the Valkyrie gave a wry grin.

“All we have are horse mouths here.” Freya replied dryly, and then she shook her head before muttering: “But aye, fine. Why not?”

Freya looked around the little storage room they had wrecked with their short melee, and then she sat herself back on a broken box before flicking her horn, two of her swords vanishing and Drengr coming to rest in her hooves, which began to glow with magic as she slowly began to clean and sharpen the sword against one imbued hoof. “How much do you remember, of the old times? Well, rather... how much has your Swan-mind shared with you, Cadence?”

Everything we know. But... “The Swan says... it was in the darkness when Loki was tried. That it remembers the Valkyries had taken over... and we were, or she was...” Cadence fumbled for a moment, and then she sighed before murmuring: “I remember... the Swans were assigned to guarding Loki. In the dungeons of Asgard. And Thor, too... but why didn't he order us to let him free?”

“Because Odin had promised him that he would not be punished. I remember it so clearly now... Odin telling poor Loki that he knew it was all plot and deception. And meanwhile, he ordered us to gather Loki's children, to make his family pay for his crimes, while he reassured his son...” Freya smiled faintly, silently rubbing at her breast. “And I was eager to do so.”

Freya was quiet for a moment, and then she said softly: “Loki took the blame for the deaths of Baldur, of Frey, and even for old Mimir, a god who had been reduced to his sorry state long before Loki had even arrived to the Aesir.” Freya licked her lips slowly, and then she shook her head and muttered: “And we ate it all up. Loki must have known, even then, about Valthrudnir... but I suppose he didn't know that Odin had lost his powers to the Jötnar. Everyone else always celebrated the 'victory' of the Aesir over Ymir, but...”

Freya was quiet for a few moments, and then she returned her eyes to the Swan. “Loki was a thief, a coward, an idiot. But that simply made him the same as all the rest of us. But Loki was also... stubborn, in a different way than the rest of us. Determined, I suppose is a better word. For I am stubborn, but determined? Rarely.”

She chuckled quietly, then shook her head before continuing quietly: “And he held his word. He had his faith in us. He loved Odin, and respected him... and Odin so rarely did anything to deserve or earn that respect.” Freya shook her head, looking down bitterly before she whispered: “I suppose I always saw the man in him he did eventually become, and not the man he was back in those old days. I saw what he could be, what he did be, but that doesn't excuse me, or what he did to his own children and family. If anything, it makes that so much worse... and how I wish we gods could die and go to hell, because erasure is too pleasant, too small a price to pay for all the sins upon our heads...”

Cadence gave Freya a moment of silence, and then she asked quietly: “Is that why Loki is someone...”

“I owe him a great debt, Swan. I killed his children, heartlessly. I was the one who was there alongside Odin, tying him down with the desiccated remains of his own brood.” Freya smiled wryly, lowering her head and murmuring: “For a thousand reasons, I cannot fight Loki, Swan. But at the same time, I must do all in my power to ensure that... someone can.”

Cadence nodded slowly, before she scowled and asked moodily: “Maybe you could have done something other than try to cut my head off, then.”

“I will kill you, Swan, if it suits my interests. And I won't even feel bad about it, because all death seems to be is an inconvenience for you.” Freya replied evenly, and Cadence grimaced at the seriousness in the Valkyrie's voice, before Freya sighed and added moodily: “But if you both are so against it...I'll do what I can to respect your decision. I only think that...”

Freya quieted, then she said in a softer voice: “The Swan were meant to do more than just gaze through the Astra. A Swan should be able to move through the Astra as well, letting them go to places even a Valkyrie's steed would have trouble reaching. Perhaps I got overeager, as always, and should have better explained myself. Or perhaps I should have been quicker, and killed you, and together, we could go to wherever Loki is hiding.”

“I cannot see him.” the Swan said calmly through Cadence's mouth, and she felt as surprised as Freya looked. “He helped to shape and create us. And likewise, he helped to devise protections against us. We are blind to him. We cannot step to him.”

The Swan paused, then continued, as it gazed meditatively at Freya: “We... understand you, Freya. You have always been in charge. You are of the old days: that is why many do not... fully comprehend why you are, the way you are. The days when a woman did not have a voice, but if her actions proved right, she was rewarded. You were scorned and derided: you served men and were placed in charge of protecting the Aesir and training the Valkyries, not because you were adept, but because then you would not harm your charges. They were whelps. They were fools. And how often, instead of speaking out, 'this man is traitor,' you simply killed the spy? Often enough, I think, after you tried to use your voice, and after you were mocked and repelled and insulted for daring to harm a man's honor. For all any god had to do in those days was say 'woman, you are fool,' and then no matter what evidence you brought against him, the sin was upon your head for staining his honor, and all were seen as forgery and lie. But when you simply killed...”

“Then they called me lioness. Then they thought of me as a dragon. Then they applauded, out of fear, not respect, as I held up the severed head or hand of a traitor and proclaimed his sins.” Freya smiled wryly, her single eye studying Cadence silently. “Aye, Swan. You and I are not so different. I, too, perhaps am closer to Swan than I have ever been to Valkyrie.”

“We will choose to take that as compliment, rather than insult.” Danzsöngr replied politely, and then the Swan smiled in her strange, disconnected way before she said gently: “Old habits die hard. We know this well, Freya. But it is a mare's world now, and you are the most revered of all mares. There is no need to rule through brute force.”

“Well, you said so yourself, Swan. Old habits die hard. And no matter how you dress it up, I still feel like a horse.” Freya paused, then scowled down at herself as she kicked one hind leg irritably, adding moodily: “A horse that hasn't enjoyed the company of studs enough, at that.”

She rolled her eyes, then turned them back towards Cadence as the mare shuddered a little and shook herself out as the Swan ceded control back to her, the Valkyrie wasting no time in asking irritably: “Well, are you ready to go or not, little miss? We've wasted enough time with your dawdling.”

“I hate you so much.” Cadence grumbled, glowering over at the mare, and then she sighed and added dryly: “Are you actually going to try and do this... Yggdrasil thing? What the hell is that, anyway?”

“I don't know whether to be amused or annoyed that you're asking me, instead of your friend the Swan.” Freya replied, and Cadence only gave her a sour look before Freya shrugged and said mildly: “Better to show than to tell.”

With that, the Valkyrie made Drengr vanish, shaking out her hooves before she hopped off the box and headed for the door. Cadence sighed, then followed after a moment .But as they walked together, she thought about the Swan's words, and she bit her cheek before she murmured: “I always thought you were just a bitch, but... I guess when I think about it... it makes sense.”

Freya only grunted in response, then she replied almost grouchily: “I don't need your understanding or your compassion, Swan. I learned a long time ago that looking for that from people is foolish and pointless. Better just to do, and if you're wrong, to apologize afterward. That's all there is to it.”

Cadence only shrugged hesitantly, and Freya sighed as she muttered: “Celestia was always the same way. I wonder which of us influenced the other more?”

She fell into one of her moody silences as they strode along together, and then she suddenly shook her head before saying quietly: “But the best thing to do is leave the past in the past. Perhaps that seems a little strange, coming from someone born and forged and who seeks only to carry on the old ways, but... the past is the past. Let it remain there.”

Cadence smiled a bit, then said quietly: “Daddy would say those who refuse to look at their past and learn from it are doomed to repeat the same mistakes.”

“Well, your father is a stronger man than I am.” Freya said with a touch of irony, and Cadence laughed a little. And when Freya lapsed into silence again, this time the ivory mare didn't try to push any subjects: she simply studied Freya as they made their way through the laboratory, never asking for directions, but never quite wandering or getting lost, always on the way to wherever it was that Freya had set her mind to.

Her throat hurt, and she hadn't forgiven Freya for that little nasty attack. She didn't think Freya would have actually killed her – although she knew that might be naivety of her part, because Freya certainly operated by a different set of rules and morals than most people – but she was well aware that Freya probably was serious about forcing her and the Swan to merge more, or... whatever it was they were doing that happened every time she died.

Except it wasn't just dying that was doing it anymore, was it? Every moment of every day, the Swan was there now, learning, evolving, changing, just as Cadence felt more and more... alien. She was so different from all these ponies, and she felt like she was only becoming more different as time went on. That something inside her was changing, more and more. That she was waking up to who she really was.

That was an awful thought. Cadence grimaced mentally, then she looked up and asked, in spite of already fearing the answer: “If you had killed me, do you really expect me to have forgiven you?”

“No, but the Swan would have. The Swan would have been much less annoying than you, too.” Freya retorted, and Cadence scowled as they headed up the stairs, before the Valkyrie added moodily: “Perhaps it was only a test, too. For us both.”

Cadence began to open her mouth, but she felt the Swan gently grasp her, mentally turning her focus to something else, and the ivory mare sighed a little before she mumbled: “I wish you'd just stop playing all these games.”

“I have stopped. You're the one trying to get me to pick up where I left off.” replied Freya, and then she added dryly: “It isn't too late for me to put my sword through your skull, child. And if I had really wanted you dead, I have cleaner ways than dirtying my sword with your blood.”

Cadence decided not to reply to that, only scowling at the strange, warlike Valkyrie as they shouldered their way into a narrow stairwell. She had begun to realize more and more that Freya was just a wild storm of chaos: for all her thinking and intelligence and cunning, for all her ability to strategize a hundred steps ahead of the enemy, she lived from moment to moment, doing things as her instincts compelled her to... and her instincts were of the primal, vicious, ruthless sort, meaning they were far from always 'good.'

“I can feel your eyes on my rump, Swan. Now, normally I don't mind a pair of eyes watching the only part of me that still seems as fine as it ever was as a woman, but in this case, I would prefer you not to stare.” Freya said without looking back, and Cadence only sighed even as she awkwardly averted her eyes with a grumble.

They were silent until they stepped into the top of the tower, and Freya glanced around the empty, ruined room before she said softly: “You know not to expect an apology. And you know by now how I work, I'm sure... or at least you likely caught a glimpse of that, among everything else I don't want to imagine you saw when you gazed into me through the Astra. So stop sulking, Swan. And be satisfied that I've decided not to force you to evolve any more than you already have.”

“The Swan and I will evolve at our own pace.” Cadence said shortly, although even she wasn't sure what she precisely meant by that.

Freya only gave a wry smile in response, eyeing the mare moodily, and then she suddenly turned away and said: “There's more than enough room here for me to create a root. Keep yourself in a corner, Swan. I wouldn't want you getting any dirt on you, now.”

“I have an awful feeling that this is a stupid idea all of a sudden. Why is that?” Cadence asked moodily, looking back and forth uncertainly. It only now occurred to her to wonder why the hell Freya wanted to be as high as possible to summon a 'root,' and... “Will this really help make a connection?”

“Aye. 'Root' is a bit of misnomer, as I'm sure you've figured out by now, Cadence. It's more like... branches, stretching between worlds.” Freya smiled slightly, glancing back for a moment at Cadence. “We didn't always have the benefit of Hecate's silly toys, after all. Nor did we need them.”

Cadence only grunted, then sat back and frowned, watching as Freya began to weave her horn back and forth, the Valkyrie muttering: “Much harder to do this as a horse, but at least the wand is built right in. And now... here... we go...”

Freya gritted her teeth, narrowing her eyes as she slowly tilted her head to the side, and Cadence could feel the air itself thrumming with the exertion and the energy of the Valkyrie, her eyes widening slightly as she took a nervous step back.

She watched as Freya slowly rose her head, breathing slowly, and the room rumbled violently, Cadence looking back and forth as dust hailed down from the old, crumbled stone, as bricks cracked and the world shook with such violence Cadence was afraid the entire tower was going to end up collapsing. She began to open her mouth, but then Freya yanked her head backwards with a snarl, her eyes flashing before she shouted: “There!”

There was a tremendous boom as the tower shook, bricks and chunks of loose debris hailing down from the ceiling... and then, only silence, as Freya breathed hard in and out and Cadence stared blankly around at the great big... nothing. What the hell. “Uh... Freya?”

“Yes, I know. I have to say, I'm impressed myself with my own power. Perhaps your kind would have made fine war-mounts one day...” Freya smiled slightly over her shoulder at Cadence, a glint in her single eye. “Well, you know what I mean. Not your kind, Swan, but-”

“I get it. What did you even do? I thought the root was a physical thing.” Cadence interrupted, and then she stared when Freya calmly stepped aside and pointed to a tiny little thing that had broken through the floor of the room, Cadence almost stumbling over her own hooves to hurry forwards and then stare down at the tiny object with disbelief.

It looked, literally, like the small, naked root of a tree. Cadence mouthed wordlessly at this, then she looked up at Freya with disbelief, but the Valkyrie only shrugged amiably before Cadence finally asked stupidly: “This?”

“That.” Freya agreed, before she shrugged and said mildly: “Only a damned fool would think it would have to be some great whopping thing to be powerful, Swan. Now tell me, are you such a fool?”

Cadence grumbled under her breath, scowling a little at the Valkyrie before she said moodily: “I don't see how this is-”

“Yes, I know you're blind.” Freya retorted, and Cadence huffed before the Valkyrie said mildly: “Use your senses. You shouldn't even have to cheat and ask the Swan how this works, but feel it with your magic, woman.”

“I'm a mare. Not a woman.” Cadence muttered, but then she sighed and closed her eyes, channeling her magic-

She felt it almost immediately: the pulse back, the feeling like there was some massive, untapped source of energy nearby. And it wasn't coming from Freya, either: Freya, to her, felt like a guttering flame at the moment, making Cadence realize with surprise just how much energy she had poured into the spell.

She opened her eyes, but the Valkyrie clearly, purposefully misunderstood her, saying mildly: “Maybe you're more dumb than I thought. Yes, Cadence, all you have to do is focus on this 'root,' and you can speak through it to someone on the other side... except I'll need you to get your precious jarl's permission before I create a root in Decretum. I don't want her idiot little robots hacking up my work.”

“You need to rest.” Cadence said plainly, and the Valkyrie shrugged.

“I am resting.” Freya replied in a surprisingly-reasonable voice, and then she chuckled quietly before saying softly: “Go. Do your business. I'll... rest here until you get back, Swan.”

Cadence hesitated, studying Freya for a moment, but then she finally nodded before turning to head for the door. She paused, however, then looked over at Freya and asked: “The 'root' of Yggdrasil... it can be used to do more than just speak to people through it and whatever it's paired with, right?”

“A root can reach any of its siblings, no matter where they are.” Freya smiled slightly, shrugging a bit. “As for what that means, I'm sure you'll figure it out, Swan. Now give me some peace and quiet. All your worrying is giving me a headache.”

Cadence sighed a little, turning around, before she stopped at the door as Freya added suddenly: “And if you ever need to die, Swan... don't worry your head about it. I'll be the one to do it. But I do want you to promise me one thing... and it's that you never kill yourself.”

Cadence looked back over her shoulder in surprise, and Freya chuckled quietly before she said softly: “I don't think it would be a good idea to test your undying will against the power to kill anything, Danzsöngr. That's all. Now get out of here.”

For a moment, Cadence lingered, but then she nodded slowly and turned. Freya sat for a moment, and then she sighed softly before she reached up and silently pressed a hoof over her eyepatch, murmuring: “No, Hel. She chose to live, and I will not kill her without her consent. I don't know what the Swan wants either, but...”

Freya paused, then listened to the whisper that came from her crystal eye for a moment before she smiled wryly and muttered: “Well, goddess, long after we're both gone, all these ponies will still be here. Before we take things into our own hands, let's give them a chance to do right by themselves, shall we?”

A quiet laugh echoed through her mind, but Freya thought that Hel agreed, and the Queen of the Valkyries only hoped that she was making the right choice in sparing Cadence, and letting the Swan decide her own fate.

Comments

[Polaris_Brightstar]

Another BRR epic?! Only one thing to say about this:

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT! er uh, I mean yay!