Hecate's Orphanage

by BlackRoseRaven

Descent Into Tartarus

Chapter Eighty Six: Descent Into Tartarus
~BlackRoseRaven

Moonflower took the lead without even realizing it, Antecedes and Neato Burrito flanking him as Pinkie Pie hopped along at her coltfriend's side. Thorn – with Toad still perched on his head – walked with Throna behind them, explaining more about Hecate's Clockwork Empire and Valthrudnir, while Cadence brought up the rear silently with her father and La Croix, feeling uneasy.

Not just black birds, the Valkyries, but white birds... Swans. Did that mean other Swans had fallen to the world below? Or had this prophet really foretold the future, and seen her in some hazy, distant vision, enough to be able to warn Luna and Celestia of her coming?

Why had a prophet seen her, if that was the case? And why-

La Croix cleared his throat awkwardly, and Cadence blinked before the zebra said quietly: “Ain't none of my business, Cygne, but uh... you look like you're workin' yourself up when that mare probably just mistook you for a fairy tale some wannabe-fortune teller told her. That's how we work, y'know: we tell you a lie, with a little bit o' truth to it. Or we just make up somethin' that sounds real important and real fancy-like. That's how that lady sold Moony those damn beads he still be wearin' round his neck, after all.”

Cadence smiled a little despite herself, before her father reassured: “It means nothing, Cadenza, except that perhaps there was once another here.”

“Maybe. Maybe there was a Swan or a Valkyrie or... someone. Maybe this Order of the White Dragon really was driven on a crusade by Valthrudnir, maybe they killed one of my sisters or one of the Valkyries under his orders without even knowing it... I mean, Valthrudnir was a Jötnar, and just because there's no record of him being here, that doesn't mean anything, does it?” Cadence realized she was almost rambling, rationalizing her own frustrations and fears, forcing an unlikely order on what she wanted to believe instead of what she knew was likely fact, but... she couldn't stop herself. She couldn't stop, because... “I just can't believe in coincidence, you know? Or that it's not connected somehow, that we're here on a world that somehow knows about me, but-”

“The world does not know about you, Cadence. Princess Luna was barely coherent when she spoke that phrase, and it wasn't just because it was archaic dialect.” Thorn cut in, and Cadence winced a bit as the stallion gave her an irritated look over his shoulder.

But after a moment, Thorn seemed to catch himself: he didn't apologize, but audibly and visibly softened as he said: “You're seeing what you want to see. What you think needs to be true, because that's what makes sense in your mind.”

Cadence mumbled a little, shifting awkwardly and doing her best not to argue, before she glanced up as Throna added almost grudgingly: “We had both priests who spoke with our so-called God and many prophets who claimed to do the same, or who saw a great future for all Draekin who followed his divine will, but...”

Throna sighed a little, lowering her head and murmuring: “Oh, who really believes in God anymore? I would like to, but even my faith wavers. And Stronghold... I question some days if she ever believed.”

The Draekin looked moodily at the ground, and then she shook her head shortly before muttering: “No, that's a lie. Stronghold believed. Perhaps she believed firmer than I did. But she didn't believe, really, in God, or the White Dragon, or the higher power or whatever you want to call it, she believed most of all in the Order. She wanted to carry its commands out to the letter. And when they excommunicated her and her soldiers for refusing to stop what she saw as her holy duty, it... destroyed her. She believed too much. I was saved by... believing too little.”

Throna shook her head, then she glanced over at Cadence and smiled a little. “Sorry. I remember all the old times and... bah, the memories it brings back. Good and bad. The good ones are worse because I remember what Stronghold used to be like.”

“I still never know if I should apologize or just brag about fighting her with you.” Moonflower said awkwardly, and Cadence snorted in amusement as La Croix cocked his head, but Throna only grinned a bit.

“Brag about it. Leave off the part where you kill her, because I don't have half the stomach my sister did. But I think she'd like to hear about what a fierce foe she was, and that you remember her.” Throna said, before she glanced up and added quietly: “But we should probably stop that prattle for now.”

Moonflower glanced up as Antecedes nodded slowly, and the black unicorn shivered a little as his eyes roved over the foreboding approach to Tartarus: the brooding fortress that housed the Gates of Pandemonium loomed over them, seeming to sit in a pall of eternal darkness in spite of the brightness of the day, and...

“Something's wrong.” Antecedes said quietly, and Cadence's eyes narrowed as Thorn looked up, rapidly inspecting the fortress. From what he could see, it had likely been one or two assailants using magic, and...

“Casualties.” Cadence murmured, as she noted the bodies of soldiers and broken constructs: the soldiers seemed remarkably unblemished, but the iron golems looked as if they had exploded... literally. Who could turn constructs into walking bombs?

But Cadence already knew the answer to that question as Antecedes asked in a low voice: “What precisely are we dealing with here? As much as you've filled me in Thorn, somehow I feel like you haven't told me the full extent of these creatures...”

“Antecedes, they are beyond what you have imagined them. And I'm not exaggerating for a change.” Moonflower said honestly, and Antecedes looked at the stallion for a few moments before he grimaced slightly and nodded slowly.

“I don't like the sound of that.” he muttered, and then he returned his eyes to the fortress, studying it as the crimson light of his sockets intensified, the red veins covering his bones pulsating. “There's a residue, like nothing I've ever felt before...”

“Void energies. Most of this damage was done by powerful magic, but this isn't Melinda's work. This magic is different. Antecedes, Throna, please wait here. Team 0-0, fall in, we move in-”

“Excuse me?” Throna interrupted, sounding offended, and Thorn glanced back over his shoulder at her before he winced as she childishly seized him by the tail and dragged him backwards so she could glare through his visor. “Healer or not, I was Draekin, and we never run away. Furthermore, it's my duty to protect this country.”

“The Gates of Pandemonium haven't been blown open, or we'd have even more annoying things than Moonflower to deal with. You'll need someone who can reopen them for you when you're ready to leave.” Antecedes said calmly, and Moonflower smiled briefly.

“You're usually the last person to come to a fight.” he remarked, but Antecedes only chuckled and shrugged.

“I'll let you handle the fighting, Moonflower. I'll just hold the door.” Antecedes paused, then he added quietly: “Besides. I've... gotten fond of Equestria. You already ruined that once and blew it up. I don't want to see it destroyed a second time by someone who might do a better job of it than you did.”

Moonflower chuckled, then yelped and reared back in surprise as two ponies in brightly-colored costumes appeared in a burst of fireworks in front of them, a stallion in a blue costume and a mask with a horseshoe on its face shouting: “Do not worry, boss! El Casco is here to save the day!”

“Along with Ex Parte, to quash the opposition!” added the pink mare in the bright pink casual suit and black, almost executioner-like mask, both of the Luchadors striking sharp poses as Cadence gaped, La Croix stared, and Moonflower turned beet-red.

Thorn, however, only looked at the two costumed ponies before he turned back towards the fortress, saying: “Alright, then let's move in quickly to secure the objective. There may be hostiles present. Cadence, I want you up front with me, along with Ex Parte and El Casco. Sombra, bring up the rear. Moonflower, Antecedes, artillery position. La Croix, Throna, stay in the center.”

The ponies moved to their appointed positions with little fuss, Thorn letting Cadence take point as he added to her in a lower voice: “I'm not detecting any Voidborn or hostiles, but you might be able to see something I can't.”

“I'm more worried about those... other things.” Cadence muttered, shaking her head shortly. “Aetherhaunts or whatever they were called...”

“I don't think this is the right kind of magic. But we should be prepared for anything, agreed. I'll calibrate my visor as we move.” Thorn replied, and Cadence nodded even as she looked uncertainly at the stallion until he said quietly: “Eyes front, Cadence. We need to move.”

Cadence nodded, turning around and starting forwards: even with Thorn behind her, it still felt like he was leading the way, something she both envied and admired. She did her best to keep her attention from wandering as they made their way up towards the face of the fortress, but the closer they got, the more her skin wanted to crawl off as she shivered and whispered: “Something... this is something beyond the Void...”

“Stay focused.” Thorn said quietly, and Cadence grimaced a bit but nodded all the same, even as she uncertainly shifted a little, half-glancing back towards the stallion and wondering- “I have things under control. Let's focus on what's ahead.”

Cadence smiled lamely, then she turned her eyes back forward, concentrating on the fortress ahead as the Swan roiled and shifted inside her. But she couldn't quite lock on to what the Swan was feeling: the Swan itself almost seemed confused, as a matter of fact, as if it had felt something it hadn't felt for many, many years...

Cadence was brought out of her distraction as her eyes settled on the front of the fortress, the mare grimacing slightly as she noted the massive hole in the front wall where either a set of gates or doors had once been. Thorn called the group to a halt in front of this, studying the edges of the hole slowly before he asked: “Antecedes, Moonflower, do you see anything wrong here?”

“Yes.” Antecedes said almost immediately, a scowl audible in the skeleton's voice. “The stone has softened around the edges of the breach. Transmutation?”

“Most likely. La Croix, I need to talk to one of these guards.” Thorn said, and La Croix grimaced a bit before he nodded with a sigh, striding out of line to join Thorn beside the corpse of one of the fallen soldiers.

The zebra studied the dead body for a moment, and then he muttered: “Huh. Ain't no sign of trauma, not so much as a bruise or a burn...” He reached down, carefully pressing a hoof against the side of the guard's neck, which moved easily. “No sign o' rigor. No signs of death at all... 'cept the big obvious one. Étrange.”

La Croix carefully touched along the body as Thorn frowned, before the Loa's hoof glowed as green lightning crackled along the corpse below, murmuring: “Réveillez-vous.”

The dead body shivered, mouth opening wide in a silent scream as its eyes bulged out, before the corpse slowly pushed itself up to its feet. It was a stallion, armor a little loose on his frame, his features stretched and pale and frightened still even as he turned towards La Croix and asked: “Yes?”

“Incredible.” Antecedes muttered, although Throna looked horrified more than anything else as El Casco muttered and crossed himself.

La Croix only ignored the others, however, leaning forwards as he asked with more gentility than Cadence usually saw him treat the dead with: “What happened, mon ami?”

The dead guard stared at La Croix for a moment, and then he shook his head before he whispered: “We never expected someone to attack us. Not like this. Not like this. Everything was supposed to be locked up safely beneath Tartarus. Why would someone attack a prison? Why would they want to free these monsters?”

“Who attacked you?” La Croix asked, firmer this time, and the guard blinked before he shook himself slowly, his eyes drawing back and forth.

“I don't... I'm not...” The soldier frowned, then he lowered his head as if confused, as if he was unable to figure out... “I don't know. I know I died. I know I am dead. But I don't remember. There was only... bright light. Then... emptiness. I was gone. I am gone. Why am I here?”

La Croix grimaced, then he sighed before he said moodily: “Course it can't be easy. Ain't never easy, is it? Okay, mon ami... hold real still.”

The Loa rose a hoof and touched the soldier's head, but he almost immediately gasped in pain and staggered backwards, swearing under his breath as he shook his smoldering hoof out. “Zut! I can't even get a glimpse of his memories... but it's like somethin' just... just took his life away. I ain't never seen magic like that before...”

“Could it be a hex?” Moonflower asked worriedly, but Thorn shook his head as he studied the corpse as it slowly sank back down to the earth, the sapphire stallion frowning uneasily.

“No. I'm sure this isn't Melinda's work. Not just because of the residue, but hexes don't work like this. They were afraid. So afraid, it scarred their minds.” Thorn said slowly, before he looked ahead and said quietly: “Let's move in. Stay on guard.”

Cadence nodded as she took point, La Croix muttering a short prayer for the corpse before falling back as Antecedes glanced over at Moonflower, muttering: “I guess you didn't make everything up after all. Then again, I shouldn't be surprised. You aren't creative enough to make those stories up.”

Moonflower huffed at this, then he looked away awkwardly as Toad added from where he was still perched on Thorn's head: “'Strue, Moony. You remember when you tried to-”

“We need to move in quietly. No conversation unless necessary.” Thorn cut off, before he added as he glanced up at Toad: “You may want to retreat to a safer location.”

“Hey, I'm keepin' a lookout here! Besides, if anything kills me I'll just revive. Don't worry about it, you won't even know I'm here, promise.” Toad said airily with a wave of a hand, before he shivered a bit and added uneasily as they entered the ruins of the fortress: “Hey uh, is it just me, or did the temperature just drop?”

“Picking up spectral readings. Cadence, La Croix, watch for phantasms.” Thorn ordered, ignoring Toad as he strode down the hall, in the lead in spite of Cadence remaining at point. Readings flashed over his visor as he looked back and forth through the ruined entrance hall: barricades had been hastily assembled here and there, and there were plenty of signs of combat, unlike the exterior. But also unlike the exterior, there were no bodies...

“This doesn't look good.” Throna muttered, as Thorn led them past the barricades towards the back of the room, where a hole had been blown in the wall: unlike the almost-neat breach in the front wall of the structure, this hole had been made by pure force, burn-marks staining the surfaces around it... “What are we dealing with here?”

“Not just Voidborn.” Thorn murmured as they entered the next corridor, before his eyes narrowed as he saw several ponies ahead in uniform clustered near a door-

“Oi! What happened here?” Throna shouted, pushing out of line before anyone could stop her. But before she could leap to the front of the line, Thorn halted and reached out to catch the Draekin, the mare glaring at him for a moment before her eyes widened in shock as one of the guards glanced calmly back over his shoulder, revealing a skull that had been bludgeoned and crushed by some tremendous force.

“Oh no. I think we just found out why there ain't no dead in there.” La Croix whispered, as the group of dead soldiers all calmly turned towards them. The zebra leaned up so he could see over the others, feeling a malignancy in the air that he almost recognized, before he swore as he saw the nearly-invisible strings of magic leading up from the corpses to the grinning, invisible spirits above- “Kibaraka!”

Cadence swore under her breath as her eyes locked on the spirits above the corpses, snapping as her horn glowed with ivory light: “They're being puppeted, we need to-”

Antecedes snapped his horn out, a red pulse traveling down the hall, and the spirits hissed before they suddenly spun around and retreated, vanishing through the walls and ceiling as the corpses simply collapsed to the ground. La Croix grimaced slightly as he leaned away from the skeleton, but the archmage only reached up and rubbed moodily at his horn. “That should keep them away for a little while. We need to get to the Gates of Pandemonium before whoever attacked here does something stupid.”

“Right.” Thorn agreed, unfazed as ever, and then he pushed past Cadence to lead the way down the hall, the ivory mare following him uneasily to the door, where he halted for a moment as he dragged his hoof along the door, murmuring: “It's been trapped. Moonflower, I need you to disenchant this.”

Moonflower blushed a bit, smiling lamely before he hurried forwards even as El Casco grumbled: “The boss don't got to take orders from nopony, you know! You better ask the boss nicer next time, or I, El Casco, will have to step in and defend his honor from you, you-”

“It's okay, Neato... I mean, El Casco. I uh. There are some ponies even I listen to. Who I respect, I mean.” Moonflower answered as he approached the door, his horn glowing before he frowned uneasily as he reached out and touched the door, shivering a bit as he muttered: “Strange. I don't recognize this magic at all. I... yes, I can dispel it, though, of course.”

He smiled awkwardly at Thorn, and Thorn only nodded before he replied quietly: “I know you can. I don't have enough power to brute-force it, but you do. Be careful.”

Moonflower blushed a bit, then he nodded hurriedly before he cleared his throat as he turned his eyes back towards the door, his magic aura spreading over the front of the door as he muttered: “Alright. I... yes, it's not very hard to erase. But it's strange, it feels like-”

The Swan rose suddenly, violently up, and Danzsöngr lunged forwards, seizing both Thorn and Moonflower to fling them backwards as she flapped her wings out, covering herself with them as they glowed white a moment before the door exploded. Shrapnel and fire pelted the group of ponies, knocking most of them off their feet and leaving even Throna laying stunned.

A voice tittered on the other side of the mangled hole, before it hissed in disgust as Cadence's wings flapped hard out to either side, bloody and broken but the mare herself still whole and snarling in frustration more than pain as she shouted: “And who the hell are you?”

“Wouldn't you like to know? Come find out. I'm so bored here!” whined the creature as the smoke cleared, and Cadence narrowed her eyes as she caught sight of something strange and alien slithering away down the staircase beyond and instead shouting to someone else: “Velly, Velly, Velly! They're coming, they're almost here, did you hear?”

The monster's voice faded out, and Thorn grimaced before he reached up and tapped quickly on his visor, muttering: “Primordial detected. Prepare analysis. Meanwhile, search all archives for deceased entities with names similar to 'Velly.'”

Information scrawled rapidly over Thorn's visor as he picked himself up, absently pulling a bit of shrapnel out of his armor before he gave a brief smile. “Thank you, Cadence. Everyone, sound off.”

There were mumbles and groans, before Throna wheezed as she picked herself up: “Now that I recognize. Stronghold led me into more than one explosion in the old days, but I'm not as spry as I used to be.”

“The source magic was different, though. That wasn't planned. Someone was just waiting for us to start dispelling before they did... that.” Antecedes muttered as he rubbed at his bare skull, before he asked: “Neato, Pinkie, are you both alright?”

“Ha ha! It will take much more than that to harm El Casco or his reina Ex Parte!” declared the stout earth pony as he bounced up to his hooves, and his partner nodded vehemently in agreement as she leapt to her own to strike a pose with him, despite their torn costumes and bruised and battered bodies. “Now we shall strike down on this enemy like the rush of a thousand hooves!”

“These losers are gonna get the book thrown at them, and I'm gonna pin them with the maximum penalty!” Ex Parte added, striking another pose.

Thorn pointedly ignored everything apart from the curling stairs leading down, the stallion muttering: “Scans indicate a depth of about a hundred feet. Does it really go down that far?”

“The fortress is mainly to house the soldiers. The actual defenses and security measures are far below.” Antecedes explained, before he glanced over at Moonflower and continued: “Only a few powerful criminals have actually escaped, and it's not because Tartarus is in its own pocket dimension: it's because if you do manage to sneak out of that dimension, you end up underneath a mountain, buried under countless tons of rock and dirt.”

“And then you have to dig your way out.” Moonflower shivered a little, shaking his head and grumbling: “That is just the last thing I wanted to remember, Antecedes, thank you so much for reminding me of that.”

“He wanted to know.” Antecedes shrugged, then he turned his eyes back to Thorn and continued: “Down those stairs is a checkpoint, and past that is another set of steps that leads to Outer Pandemonium, where the gates to Tartarus are.”

“Sounds like we might have gotten lucky, though. Whoever attacked here might not have gotten past the checkpoint yet. Stronghold wanted this place as secure as possible.” Throna said, and Thorn nodded before he started down the stairs.

“Hey, hey, whoa, aren't you gonna at least try and organize them a bit, slugger? I mean, this is all a lot to take in and all that.” Toad warned, but Thorn only smiled briefly at the frog's words before he glanced back over his shoulder.

“Single file.” he ordered simply, and then he turned his eyes back ahead, dividing his attention between the descent and the data flashing across his visor as he muttered: “Interesting. Tighten parameters, add necromancy and necromantic behaviors.”

Data flashed past before the results in front of his eyes were reduced to one file, and Thorn smiled slightly as he murmured: “Open. Display analysis. And Neato Burrito, Pinkie Pie, please stop following so closely.”

“These ponies are not here! We are El Casco and Ex Parte!” boasted the stout earth pony, before he winced when Cadence glared over her shoulder at him, hurriedly falling into line behind her as Ex Parte scowled as she dropped back behind her husband, looking almost suspiciously at Cadence. “But uh. We shall do our best to listen.”

“I'll listen to the judge. But hostile witnesses get more than subpoenaed, they get put in submission.” grumbled Ex Parte, with a pointed glare at Cadence, who glowered back before she turned her eyes back ahead.

The descent was uneventful, but Thorn wasn't surprised, any more than he was surprised when they entered a long, open corridor that had once served as a security checkpoint, and found it had been converted into an arena of sorts. The walls and floor had all been torn apart, as if by some tremendous force, and entire walls had been knocked down and freakishly warped, like something had grabbed them and twisted them into new and horrible shapes, denying the laws of physics and reality.

Thorn looked back and forth slowly as Toad shifted nervously on his head: there were piles of corpses all along the walls, and his visor beeped as it detected the presence of malicious spirits milling back and forth eagerly, as if they were excited. He could also feel a strange magic numbing his horn: it didn't feel like it was designed to inhibit his magic so much as convert it: in other words, it's made to stop specific types of magic from being used effectively. I'm guessing exorcisms.

He turned his eyes ahead, and at the other end of the hall, he noted two entities: one was a twisting, turning, giddy-looking Primordial, giggling as she slithered back and forth eagerly on her long, serpentine tail. Her snake-body fed up into a slender, humanoid torso, but her arms were bat-like, with thick, leathery wings that constantly flexed, unfurled, then tightened again.

She giggled again, leaning forwards as her eyes bulged from her sockets, her canine jaws slavering as oversized ears flicked and twitched back and forth, cooing: “I want them! Oh, Velly, let me claim them! I'll share the dead bodies with you, just like all the rest, huh?”

The second figure grimaced slightly, leaning away from the Primordial: she stood on her rear hooves, but she was clearly a zebra in spite of her strange stance. She wore what looked almost like funerary garments that draped around her body like veils, swaying in the windless air with an eerie life of their own, and she was bedecked in beautiful gemstones and golden jewelry. Charms were twined through her tight. two-tone dreadlocks, tattoos covered her body, gold chains hung loosely across her body, and a strange, hexagonal collar of steel was tightly cinched around her throat, that clashed with the beauty and solemnity of the rest of her ornamentation.

She began to speak, but Thorn quickly stepped forwards, bowing deeply to her before he grunted as he shoved himself up to his own hind hooves so he could meet her surprised green irises, saying crisply: “Queen Veliuona, Goddess of the Cursed Shades, Mistress of the Dead. My name is Thorn Blackfeather, son of Luna Lightblade, and I stand before you today as Regent of Decretum and the Clockwork Empire, servant of Empress Hecate. I request parley.”

“The son of...” Veliuona stared at him for a few moments, before she gave a strange, faint smile as she touched her own lips, whispering: “Yes. Yes, I see it now, in your face, and your father in your eyes. I remember them both. I remember them well... and your aunt, of course. And... many other things.”

Veliuona paused for a moment, glancing down as she pressed her forehooves together, before she closed her eyes when the Primordial growled: “I want them! Come on come on come on stop taking so long let me-”

“Quiet, Techtonia.” Veliuona said sharply, and the Primordial flinched away anxiously before the zebra returned her eyes to Thorn Blackfeather, studying him for a few moments before she said quietly: “I have never forgiven Celestia for betraying me, you know. Your mother was accomplice to that.”

“We were all manipulated by Valthrudnir. But he has been defeated and friends and enemies change. May we parley?” Thorn asked, and Veliuona was silent for a moment before she frowned slightly, then narrowed her eyes slightly as they gleamed uncertainly.

“A Loa of Bondye is with you. Step forward, Loa.” Veliuona ordered, and La Croix winced a bit before he groaned when Thorn stepped aside and gestured politely back at the zebra, both reassuring and commanding.

La Croix hesitantly strode forwards, then he cleared his throat as he awkwardly swept off his hat, saying lamely: “Uh... bonjour, madame. We certainly heard o' you in Darkwater, though I uh... never expected to uh... make your acquaintance and all...”

“I do not trust Bondye's ilk. What are you doing here, with these ponies, mwongo?” asked Veliuona contemptibly as she held a hoof up towards the Loa, and La Croix winced as dark energy crackled along the zebra goddess' foreleg.

But Thorn caught La Croix by the shoulder, looking down at him pointedly, and after a moment La Croix nodded before he turned his eyes back towards her, taking a slow breath before he answered quietly: “I ain't got nothin' to do with Bondye no more. 'Smatter of fact, me and a priestess of the old ways worked together to send him down to his own personal l'enfer after He Above stripped him of his powers. I ain't no friend of Bondye.”

There was silence for a moment, and then Veliuona lowered her hoof, studying the Loa intently as she murmured: “Interesting. I believe you are telling the truth. And in spite of my vendetta against ponies and my desire for eternal life, I have always respected the rites and rules of He Above.”

“Well, I don't, so let me kill them!” whined the Primordial, but Veliuona only gave the creature a scathing look before she returned her eyes to the Loa, as La Croix smiled awkwardly in relief.

“No. You will not kill them, Techtonia. Not yet.” She studied them for a few moments, then said meditatively, even as she almost nervously adjusted the strange, heavy yoke collar around her neck: “First we will parley. I want to hear what you have to say, Thorn Blackfeather. I want to hear what you would offer me. And as a word of advice... I detest liars.”

“I have no reason to lie to you.” Thorn responded, and Veliuona smiled thinly.

“Diplomacy is founded on lies. So are alliances, so are friendships, so are all things with ponies. Tell me why you won't disappoint me, like every other pony and beyond has?” Veliuona asked bitterly, and Thorn Blackfeather gave just as calm, just as cold a smile in response.

“Because we will either come to a mutually beneficial agreement, or negotiations will fail and we will eliminate you as a threat.” Thorn answered, meeting Veliuona's steady gaze.

There was silence for a few moments, and then Veliuona chuckled quietly before she said softly: “Perhaps you are not a liar after all, pony. Good. But I'll need more than firm words from you.”

“You're wearing a control collar. We could remove it, to start with. I have the feeling you don't want to operate under Loki's banner.” Thorn said calmly, as he gestured towards her with one hoof, and Cadence was admittedly impressed he was still managing to stand on his rear legs without so much as swaying. “I need to know how much you can resist Loki before we attempt that, however.”

“I am stronger than he gave me credit for.” Veliuona said quietly but firmly, even as she reached up to silently touch her collar, before she scowled when the Primordial shifted anxiously beside her, half-glaring and half-pleading. “The problem, of course, is not really the collar, but...”

“Come on! Enough playing pretend! And I know it's just pretend, because if you ever tried to run away, run away, run far away...” Techtonia leaned suddenly up, grinning cruelly as she almost shoved her face into the zebra's, one finger dragging slowly across the mare's throat. “I get to eat you all up.”

Veliuona scowled, reaching up and shoving the Primordial away by the head, and Thorn turned his eyes to the entity, studying it intently before he said simply: “Then we will eliminate the threat.”

The Primordial cocked its head curiously, and Veliuona smiled indulgently before her eyes flicked back and forth thoughtfully. Then, with only a wave of her hoof, the spirits that were floating anxiously over the corpses were dismissed, vanishing one after the other and floating grudgingly back through the walls, abandoning the piles of corpses around the room.

“Then why not make it a test? Prove your intentions. Show me what you are capable of, and then we will talk, kidege.” Veliuona said, and then she bowed politely, and Thorn bowed in response before the zebra said in a colder voice: “Techtonia. I am going down to Tartarus. Deal with these wapumbavu.”

“I don't know what whomp-em-bavoos are, but I know just how to deal with these ponies!” Techtonia cackled as she spun eagerly towards the ponies, her eyes blazing as her long-fingered hands flexed. “I can't wait to see how fun they are to squish and thrash and crush and smash!”

Veliuona only smiled thinly as she turned around, taking long, calm strides towards the far door before she paused and added over her shoulder almost idly: “Kidege, volcanoes are very dangerous, but their fury is also short-lived. I expect you to survive.”

Thorn didn't reply, dropping back to his hooves as Veliuona left through the door, and Techtonia giggled as she twisted back and forth on herself eagerly, licking her lips as she whispered: “Now, now, now... which one of you do I kill first?”

“Begin analysis.” Thorn said as he focused on the being, a new data stream replacing the old on his visor, before he ordered coldly: “Cadence, engage. Gamma pattern.”

Cadence lunged forward, hitting the ground low before springing high to try and surprise the Primordial, but the serpent-thing only laughed as she sprung upwards, grabbing wildly at the mare as she cried out: “Fun, what fun!”

Cadence agilely spun herself sideways, swinging a hoof savagely down into the Primordial's head to knock it crashing backwards with a squawk. The mare landed a moment later, swiping her horn out to unleash a blade of white magic, but the energies simply bounced off the creature's body harmlessly; just like those twins. That's what Thorn wants me to find out.

She lunged forward, but then swore in frustration when Techtonia half-spun and slapped the mare away with her coiling tail, snorting in disgust as she shoved herself up and hissed: “Nice try, bird-pony, but I'm not as weak as my sister! I'm sure you remember her. You killed her!”

Cadence snorted as she picked herself up off the ground, before she frowned as she rubbed at her face slowly: something felt wrong. Like some kind of electrical charge had been passed on to her, but how would that-

Techtonia suddenly yanked a hand backwards, and Cadence was jerked through the air, a net of electricity flashing into existence around her for a moment before she smashed painfully into a wall, then swore in frustration as she was slammed into the ground, Techtonia cackling before she looked up in surprise as Moonflower stepped up beside Thorn and said bravely: “I... I'm the one who killed your sister, actually!”

“Yes... yes, it was you!” Techtonia almost marveled as she reared back in surprise, eyeing the stallion for a few moments before she suddenly lunged forwards, but she skidded to a halt when both Ex Parte and El Casco leapt in front of Thorn and Moonflower.

Thorn slid a step backwards, continuing to analyze the Primordial as the Luchador flexed and posed, declaring: “If your sister was anything like you, culebra, then I'm sure he punished her for all the right reasons! And you, who threatens my amigos, are gonna get stomped on by the mighty hooves of El Casco!”

“You better back off, because otherwise you're going to end up getting wrapped up in vinculum juris! And none of us here will be responsible for whatever you reap, because volenti non fit injuria... and I got a whole lot of injuria here just for you!” Ex Parte added sharply as she struck her own pose.

Techtonia giggled, then she dropped onto her hands, her eyes gleaming as she flexed her fingers against the ground and asked mockingly: “Oh, and-”

“Dodge!” Thorn shouted, shoving Moonflower to the side, and El Casco and Ex Parte narrowly flung themselves out of the way before spikes of rock exploded up from the floor, nearly impaling them as Techtonia cackled.

“You weren't supposed to do that!” she cried through her own laughter, before her head was wrenched to the side by a savage kick to the face, blood and teeth flying from her mouth as her eyes bulged in shock before Cadence dropped and tomahawked both front hooves into the back of the Primordial's neck, sending her smashing face-first into the ground.

The creature bounced, then suddenly flipped forwards, body-tail snapping out and lashing against Cadence to knock her flying backwards into the crowd. But before the Primordial could flip itself completely over, El Casco leapt in and caught the creature's tail, grunting in effort as the squat earth pony wrestled against the power of the Primordial's coils, shouting: “Oh ho ho, it seems I've caught you, culebra! What are you going to do now?”

Techtonia whirled around and lunged at El Casco, but Ex Parte suddenly dove forwards, seizing the Primordial by the face and tackling her to the ground as she roared: “Objection!”

Techtonia bounced once with a squeak before El Casco leapt forwards, twisting her tail around as he and Ex Parte both dropped on top of the Primordial to pin her against the ground. The monster writhed in frustration, hissing and shouting angrily before Cadence leapt forwards, her daggers gleaming in her hooves before she dropped on top of Techtonia and slammed both knives down into her stomach, the Primordial screaming in agony as Cadence wrenched downwards and eviscerated her.

Both of the Luchadores flinched in shock at the viciousness of Cadence's attack, which gave the Primordial the moment she needed to wrench herself upwards, knocking all three ponies flying. But this time, Cadence recovered in midair, twisting herself around and lunging forwards again as the earth ponies nimbly caught themselves-

Techtonia roared, and blasts of hot air erupted down the hallway, shoving the entire group of ponies backwards. Thorn swore under his breath as his armor sparked and crackled, the readings on his visor going haywire as he felt a charge of electricity spreading across his body. “Moonflower, Antecedes! Reverse the ionization! Sombra, blanket the ground!”

Moonflower and Antecedes both concentrated their magic as Sombra slammed his hooves into the ground, squaring his shoulders and pushing back as much as possible against the waves of wind and trembles through the earth as a thin veneer of black crystal spread rapidly across the floor.

Techtonia snarled in frustration, then hissed as her winds were rebuffed and dispelled by unicorn magic. “No fair, no fair! You're not supposed to fight me!”

“Seismic activity! Watch for cracks!” Thorn barked, and Cadence couldn't help but grin wryly as she heard and saw the shattering in the black crystal beneath her, giving her enough time to leap to the side to avoid a spike of stone that ripped out of the earth. The stallion was always thinking at least two steps ahead... “Sombra!”

Sombra shoved his hooves against the blanket of crystal, leaning only slightly to the side to avoid a blade of rock that jutted violently out of the earth towards him, before Techtonia hissed in fury as black stone began to rapidly crawl up across her body, trying to lock her down. She flapped her wing-arms wildly as her tail snapped back and forth, but the corruption spread rapidly over her before she howled in frustration as both Ex Parte and El Casco seized her by the limbs, yanking her down and pinning her to the earth as she shouted: “No no no no no! Stop it stop that stop that!”

Her voice rose in a scream of fury, the world shaking violently as both Antecedes and Moonflower winced as a pulse of energy that tore through the air, a moment before they were knocked off their hooves as the blanket of black crystal over the floor simply exploded as the ground ruptured. The earth cracked and shot up in all directions, the walls distorting and the ceiling rumbling as spikes of earth tore down from the roof as well.

Cadence swore as she narrowly avoided a blade of rock, and Thorn grimaced before he blocked another spike of earth that shot out of the ground with his steel limb, skidding backwards from the force of the impact. “Interrupt that magic! Moonflower!”

The black unicorn looked up with a curse before he yelped as Throna seized him suddenly from behind, shouting: “Just blast her, you stupid idiot!”

The Draekin simply flung the unicorn down the closing tunnel, Moonflower flailing wildly before he snapped his horn out, a blast of gravitational energy ripping down the corridor to smash the Primordial backwards into the wall with a squeak. Moonflower himself was knocked out of the air by the recoil from his powerful spell, bouncing face-first off the shuddering floor before he was knocked flying by a wave of rock that tore out of the ground.

“Now, counterspell!” Antecedes shouted, his horn glowing crimson, and Throna and Sombra both quickly pitched in with their own magic, the passage around them shaking and the walls twisting even more violently for a moment before the trembles and spikes of rock finally began to recede back into the earth, Antecedes asking quickly: “Throna, can you hold that?”

“Duchessa, hold the magic and I shall fortify the tunnel!”Sombra said quickly as he slammed his hooves into the ground, purifier whirring loudly on his back as corruption spread rapidly over the floor. Throna, meanwhile, lowered her head slightly as she gritted her teeth, focusing on pouring her magic through the earth: but it was like using magic to try and stop water from flowing, or the wind from blowing; the Primordial's natural influence over the earth was so great that her presence alone was preventing the Draekin from completely insulating the ground.

Techtonia growled as she picked herself up, before she snarled at the group of ponies her flayed body trembled, blood flowing freely around the innards hanging from her opened stomach. But she barely seemed aware of the fact her body was nearly turning itself inside out as she glared at the group, hissing: “If you don't want hugs, and you don't want kisses, I can get angry instead!”

She flapped her large, bat-like arm-wings once before she stretched her long-fingered hands out, her eyes glowing as the air around her began to shimmer. Moonflower flinched, awakened from his daze by the feeling of hot, burning air buffeting into him, before he gasped, his eyes and mouth instantly going dry, his body almost steaming at the intense heat the Primordial was putting out.

He grabbed at his face on reflex, wincing away before he insulated himself quickly inside a bubble of magic. He blinked rapidly, then held up a hoof as Ex Parte and El Casco went charging by, before both Luchadores stumbled as they slammed into that wave of raw, dry heat, the heavier, stouter earth pony collapsing first as Ex Parte rasped: “H-Hurts...”

“We have a problem!” Moonflower shouted as he concentrated his magic, shielding both of the earth ponies in his aura before he carried them backwards with telekinesis, and Thorn looked up before he grimaced as he felt the wave of hot air roll over him, the heat rapidly intensifying and threatening to cook him inside his own armor.

“Cadence! I'm marking the target!” Thorn said sharply, and Cadence looked up in surprise before she winced when Thorn ordered: “Shoot her!”

There was no time to argue: instead, the mare yanked her MARES rifle off her back, the barrel extending as she quickly took aim as bright points of light appeared over the Primordial, who only hissed in response: “You can't kill me! I refuse, I said no, and that means-”

Cadence felt the Swan take hold and guide her, and she squeezed the trigger, sending a stake of gleaming steel pounding straight into the Primordial's head with enough force to snap her skull backwards. The next shot pounded into her exposed throat, and the third slammed into her breast, tearing a hole cleanly through her body.

The air began to cool immediately as the Primordial trembled, her body rapidly turning to brittle stone, her blood becoming flakes of shaved metal as she shivered violently before whispering: “No... n-no, no, oh no...”

The Primordial wailed as she arched her back, her body spasming once and sending cracks through the soft stone she had become before she simply shattered into gravel and flakes of metal. But Cadence grimaced as Thorn only reached up and adjusted his visor quickly, feeling the unnatural energy surging through the air already as he muttered: “Stay on guard. This isn't over yet.”

Cadence gritted her teeth as she saw a shape coalesce into being above the wreckage of the Primordial, Throna frowning as she asked uneasily: “Wait, what do you mean, it-”

“Is that a spirit? It can't be, not in the normal sense.” Antecedes interrupted as he leaned forwards in surprise, staring at the shape slowly forming in the ether, invisible to all but the eyes of the few ponies who could gaze beyond the natural world, and Thorn's augmented visor. “The energy flow is too different, the-”

The ghostly Primordial looked up with a cold smile on its vain and perfect and angelic features, before it stretched a finger out towards the skeleton, and Antecedes had a moment to try and channel his magic before he was knocked off his hooves by a tremendous blast of concussive force, the shockwave of hot air washing painfully over the others around him as Moonflower shouted a denial as Antecedes crashed to the ground in a pile of broken bones.

But after a moment, the skeleton stirred before he picked himself up as best he could, scowling as a few shattered bones fell out of his cloak before he muttered: “Don't be a drama queen, Moonflower. I'm fine. Now if you want to make yourself useful, we went over what you're supposed to do in this kind of situation before, do-”

The Primordial gestured idly, and Antecedes was blown backwards by another concussive blast, but this time Sombra managed to catch the frail body of the skeleton before it could slam into the ground, Techtonia laughing eerily before she mocked: “What's wrong? Has it all come crumbling down? Has it...”

Techtonia clicked her tongue, glancing over her shoulder before she gestured idly backwards with one slender arm, and La Croix yelped as he was blasted backwards, fizzling back into reality to slam painfully into the door before he winced and vanished, a moment before several spikes of rock could jut up through his body. “Become too difficult for you to fight me?”

Cadence swore under her breath as she drew her eyes over the being: she looked almost the same, apart from her lack of wings, and yet she was entirely different: her specter almost thrummed with confidence and strength, and the moment Cadence thought she locked in on her, she felt those energies fizzle, like she was cycling through different wavelengths to make it impossible for them to target her. And the way she spoke and moved-

Moonflower gritted his teeth as he stepped forwards, his horn starting to glow, but Techtonia yawned and idly flicked a finger, a spike of rock drilling up from the floor and into the unicorn's chest, leaving him half-suspended as he gasped in pain and grasped uselessly at the spear of rock that had buried partway through his armor. “You tried. But I'm... impatient. Don't you know? The Prime is calling.”

“Tell me about the Prime.” Thorn said, and Cadence grimaced even as she put her MARES rifle away: either the stallion was trying to buy time, or...

“I'm not stupid, little one. Especially now that you've sheared away that thin veneer of chaos.” Techtonia said contemptibly, before she pointed at him, and Thorn flinched backwards as concussive blast went off right in front of his face, shattering his visor and peppering his features with pieces of glass.

Black veins pulsed through Thorn's features as he gritted his teeth, clenching his eyes shut before they opened slowly as best they could: pieces of broken glass littered his face, and one of his eyes was bleeding and looked uneven in the socket, Cadence's eyes widening in horror as Techtonia asked quietly: “How are you without your toy? How are you without your sight?”

Thorn trembled, clenching his eyes shut, before Moonflower whispered: “No... not again. I don't want to fail again.”

“Oh?” Techtonia turned with a sly smile, tilting her head with interest towards Moonflower before she asked contritely: “And just what are you going to do about it, little pony?”

“Send you back where you came from.” Moonflower said, voice hardening as he straightened, his eyes burning and horn blazing. “You leave him the hell alone!”

“Boo hoo. Go ahead. There's something you don't seem to understand, though: we came here to die. We crawl out of the woodwork expecting to be crushed like cockroaches, because cockroaches we are until our shells are stripped away... then we're one with everything. Just as we were meant to be.” Techtonia tittered, but Cadence only bared her teeth before the Primordial spread her arms and mocked: “Besides, if I wanted to kill you all, you'd all already be dead!”

“We'll see who dies first!” Moonflower snapped, before he lashed his horn down, a black hole ripping into reality behind the entity. Thorn tried to croak something, but it was lost in the growing roar of magic as the strength of the black hole intensified, and Techtonia laughed loudly as the earth and remains beneath her was torn up, but the spirit herself was left unharmed.

“You stupid fool, you can't even see me! How do you expect to-” And then Techtonia twitched before the spirit's eyes widened in surprise as the energy of the black portal changed behind her.

Antecedes smiled thinly from where he was being supported by Sombra, his horn gleaming with malicious red light as Techtonia snarled in fury as her body became almost corporeal. The spirit tried to lunge out of the pull of gravity, but then she gasped in pain as La Croix appeared in front of her and kicked both rear hooves into her as hard as he could, sending up a flare of green light as he shouted: “Hit her, Cygne!”

Cadence snapped her horn out, sending a blast of white magic streaking past La Croix to hammer into the specter of the Primordial, and Techtonia howled as she was knocked back into the black hole, struggling wildly against the swirling absence of light and life before she suddenly began to laugh. She laughed and laughed as she was dragged into the torrent of darkness, grinning widely and cruelly even as she was pulled into the depths of the black hole. “Fine! Have it your way! But don't say I didn't warn you... you're playing right into his hands! Soon, we shall be one, and there shall only be the Prime!”

Techtonia laughed loudly even as she vanished into the black hole, until her laughter was finally cut off when the swirling singularity slammed itself shut, leaving them standing in the ruins of the battered corridor. Moonflower breathed hard in and out, then he spun towards Thorn, stumbling and rushing towards him as he blurted: “Thorn! Thorn, are you okay, are you-”

“What do you think?” Thorn snarled as he spun towards Moonflower, who skidded to a halt, eyes wide and features going pale as he stared at the stallion's black-bloodsoaked features. Veins pulsed across his twisted face as he opened his mouth, teeth gleaming...

And then Thorn clamped his jaws and eyes shut, and he exhaled loudly through his nostrils before he said in a calmer, quieter voice: “I mean... yes. I am okay. I apologize, my... adrenaline got the better of me.”

Thorn breathed slowly in and out, and Moonflower gave a shaky smile before Throna walked up and said curtly: “Sit and shut your trap, Thorn Blackfeather. Those wounds need to be treated immediately.”

“I'm not sure that-” Thorn winced, cut off when Throna seized him by the head and forcefully shoved him back into a sitting position, and then he grimaced when she yanked off his helmet and threw it aside, starting: “That is Decretum property and-”

Thorn's eyes bulged open when Throna shoved a claw into his mouth and seized his tongue, and Moonflower stared in horror as La Croix scurried over, saying awkwardly: “Uh, maybe you better let me and Papa Sérénité deal with this one, madame, Thorn here ain't-”

“His blood may be strange but his flesh is mortal. Besides, flesh is flesh, no matter where it comes from. It's just the spices that make it different.” Throna reasoned, before she scowled and added shortly: “Try to bite my claw again, boy, and I'll rip your teeth out.”

Thorn scowled around her paw, but he was clearly unable to speak, looking frustrated and humiliated, but a little more like himself, too, Cadence thought, as she noted that the black veins had receded a bit from his face. Still, his eye looked... bad. It looks really bad. “Thorn, what are your orders? Throna, can you take your claw out of his mouth?”

“In a moment.” Throna said moodily, and then she finally nodded before drawing her claw back, saying finally: “Mouth dry, pulse uneven, and you're fortunate none of those pieces of glass went down your throat. You're younger than I thought, too. I had you pegged at thirty. Not mid twenties.”

Thorn scowled a little, and Throna grinned as she winked and remarked: “There. That's a little more your age. Now, you, zebra. What do you have for me to work with?”

La Croix looked blankly up, but then he nodded hurriedly, starting to rifle through his bag as Thorn shook his head before turning his eyes pointedly to Cadence. “We keep going. Veliuona is waiting for us below. I... I don't like what just happened. I'm...”

Thorn, for a moment, struggled, and it was always so strange for Cadence to see this perfect, aloof unicorn try to find the right words before he finally sighed and looked towards Moonflower, saying quietly: “I appreciate what you did. I honestly do. And I'm sorry about lashing out at you. But something is wrong with these Primordials. They either act like wild amalgamations of chaos and destruction or they shed their skin and become... sinister. And more and more, it seems like Loki is...sacrificing them to us.”

“It could be how he intends to grow more powerful. They often speak of 'rejoining the Prime,' and has been explained to us, there were few true Primordials to begin with, weren't there? All of these different creatures are merely pieces of greater Primordials, given life through exposure to chaos energy in Ginnungagap.” Sombra said slowly, and Thorn nodded and frowned before he gritted his teeth when La Croix suddenly stabbed his hornet needle into the side of the unicorn's neck with a muttered apology.

Thorn only closed his eyes for a moment, black veins pulsing briefly across his face before Throna began to meticulously and efficiently remove the shards of glass from his features with her nub-like claws: at least whatever La Croix had injected Thorn with seemed to help him deal with the pain. Finally, as Throna paused to examine his damaged eye, he nodded and muttered: “Yes. That is definitely a possibility. I just... yes, I know I brought the subject up, but... we have to focus on Veliuona. My mind is just... unsteady. Cadence, I need you to take over command.”

“No.” Cadence said softly, and Thorn blinked in surprise before he swore in pain as he grasped at the side of his head, looking up at Cadence with a mixture of disbelief and confusion.

The mare smiled back at him even as Moonflower half-glared at her – and for him to glare at her, she knew he really had to care a hell of a lot about this pony – and then she leaned towards him and said as clearly as she could: “I respect the chain of command. You are my commanding officer and... you're still uh... operating at... satisfactory performance levels?”

The slightest of smiles twitched at Thorn's features before Throna chided: “Stop all this twitching and moving and whining. I learned a long time ago none of that is helpful.”

Thorn nodded slightly, then without looking at Throna, he said with unsettling calm: “Remove my eye. I know it's too damaged to be healed.”

“I...” Throna hesitated, then she looked back over her shoulder at the others before she sighed a bit, saying moodily: “It will... I don't have the tools...”

“I got you covered, ma amie. And I uh... if Cygne gonna listen to you, then obviously I am too, boss, but uh... y'sure you want this? That's all I'm asking.” La Croix added hesitantly, and Thorn gave the Loa a brief smile before he nodded slowly.

La Croix sighed a bit, and Moonflower shifted nervously before he looked at his fallen, unconscious earth pony friends, then back at his wounded partner, Thorn gazing back at him silently with a working eye and a bleeding mass. The black unicorn opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Thorn leaned in and said quietly but firmly: “This is not your fault. If you want to help me, then... be here with me.”

“I'm here with you.” Moonflower promised, immediately stepping closer, and Thorn smiled faintly as he nodded slowly to the stallion: for a moment, it was just them, and only them, in spite of all the people around them, in spite of the battle they had just endured.

“Yes. I know.” Thorn said softly, and then he took a slow breath before he rose his head: but even as he spoke to La Croix and Throna, it was Moonflower he focused on. “I'm ready.”

Moonflower smiled faintly, and then he took a breath as he sat back a little, just enough to be out of the way, but still well within reach of the stallion he loved, silently promising that he would not fail him, ever again.