• Published 19th Sep 2016
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Hecate's Orphanage - BlackRoseRaven



Cadence and other ponies from across countless parallel worlds work together to protect their universe from monsters.

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Where In The World Is...

Chapter Seven: Where In The World Is...
~BlackRoseRaven

Cadence and the rest of her team left the greenhouse district for the streets of Imperia, and it didn't take them long to reach Castle Imperia, where the Orphanage's more sensitive and bulky operations were housed. The group began to form up a little more as they walked through these halls, and Cadence risked a look back at the others before she smiled faintly as La Croix tipped his hat to her, Moonflower shrugged awkwardly, and her father only gazed at her softly. She appreciated them putting this aside for her, even if she knew that she would probably get a lecture from her father later, and that ache inside her told her she had to try and make this right, Swan or no Swan.

Engineering was two levels down from the ground floor of Imperia: they took an elevator for Orphan personnel down to the employee lobby, where Cadence expected to be sent off to either Advanced Equipment or redirected to a briefing room, but instead, three bright blue orbs shot up to the little group before they could even approach the directive board that kept track of all the orders for Dogmatists and Orphans alike.

The orbs spun rapidly around the four as Moonflower recoiled and La Croix groaned, and then the three spheres coalesced before they shimmered with bright light, and a tall, semitranslucent figure formed in front of them: a lithe dragon, dressed in a simple suit and with a little bow-tie at his neck, the faintly-blue projected hologram scowling with a very distinct, very aware grumpiness.

“Seneschal.” Cadence saluted the holographic projection: Seneschal was the AI system in charge of Decretum, who kept all the machinery in working order, kept an eye on the other intelligent and self-sufficient mechanisms, and took care of many of the administrative chores and duties that Hecate and Thorn didn't have time for.

Seneschal grunted back at them, and then the AI said grumpily, in his oddly high-pitched voice: “Hecate has requested that you join her and her company in Sector B. While I think you should all be staying clear of the assemblage workshops, apparently we're going to 'make an exception' today, because that's worked out so fantastically for everyone.”

Seneschal made a sarcastic little wave of his hands, and then he gave a silent sigh before absently snapping his fingers at a nearby door. There was a beep, and then the electronic door unlocked and opened, the AI saying in a sour voice: “As if this is a good use of all my processing power.”

The AI sparked out of existence before Cadence could say anything, and the three blue orbs shot off through the doorway he had opened. The ivory mare shrugged after a moment, then she said finally: “Well, uh... let's go.”

“This seems strange. You don't think... you don't think that Hecate is going to make Dogmatists out of us, do you?” Moonflower asked worriedly. La Croix laughed at this, but it sounded a little forced and worried, even as Cadence sighed and looked almost imploringly back at Moonflower, who was looking fearfully back and forth. “I most definitely do not want to be a Dogmatist!”

“She's not going to make us into Dogmatists.” Cadence said tiredly, but Moonflower only shifted anxiously as they walked down the sterile steel hall before turning a corner, Cadence looking ahead and muttering: “Let's see, Sector B...”

Her eyes locked on a sign down the hall, and then she rolled her eyes as Moonflower blurted: “What if she's going to make me a Dogmatist, as an example? What if she takes away my beautiful brain, or worse, covers my beautiful body in metal? Oh Tartarus, what if she shaves off my mane? My gorgeous mane, Cadence!”

“She's not going to do any of those things, Moonflower. Stop being dumb.” Cadence said dryly, and Moonflower huffed and glared at her before the ivory mare smiled reassuringly, halting at the intersection to say quietly: “Hecate doesn't operate like that and you know it. If she wanted to turn you into a Dogmatist, she'd tell you. And then you, being you, you'd probably try and run away and cause a riot in Decretum.”

Moonflower looked thoughtful at this, and then he nodded a few times before smiling a little. “You're right. Of course! Hecate would tell me, and then I, with all my mighty power, would fight my way through these steel soldiers and escape to freedom! And then, what a game we would play!” Moonflower spun dramatically to the side, thrusting his hooves into the air as he half-shouted: “Yes, mighty Empress Hecate and her Clockwork minions, and you, my former friends and now my most-hated enemies, chasing my endlessly through the worlds, fighting, horn and hoof to capture me, but no! I refute your every attempt! I, the renegade god of darkness, gong by the name... uh...”

Moonflower blinked stupidly as he realized that he was alone, and then he winced and scurried hurriedly down the hallway, bolting around the corner and wheezing in relief as he saw the others were still visible down the corridor, the stallion leaping after them to rejoin the group as he blurted: “Don't leave me alone like that, I don't want Hecate to think I'm slacking off!”

“Now why would I ever think that, Moonflower?” asked Hecate irritably as the doors in front of them slid open, and Moonflower paled as he stared up at the steel goddess before she simply snorted and gestured shortly to the side.

Cadence kept her head high and professional as she walked calmly past, her team following her into the large workshop. There were all manner of machines here, and a strange figure was at the worktable, smoking a cigarette and arguing loudly with the all-too-familiar Brynhild, and Cadence steeled herself before she took a quick breath, ignoring everything else in the room as she strode quickly over the cement floor to the sapphire mare.

Luna Brynhild turned towards her with a moody scowl, ignoring whatever the demon at the table said to her, and Cadence met the mare's gaze before she bowed her head, but carefully kept her eyes locked with Brynhild's, not looking away as she said in a steady, quiet voice: “I'm sorry.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then Luna Brynhild smiled before she simply shrugged and waved a hoof. Then she turned, gesturing to the mare at the workbench and saying cheerfully: “Danzsöngr, this is Unfun Cowlick.”

So-called Unfun Cowlick rolled her ice-blue eyes, the mare turning on the small stool towards them with a scowl, and the Swan writhed inside Cadence as the ivory mare did her best to suppress a shudder. The demon was sallow, without fur, the only skin that covered it plasticky and translucent over a body covered in large yet tumorous looking muscles and blackened flesh and bruises. A thick, octagonal collar was locked around her neck, vials of bubbling liquid plugged into this, and more vials were plugged into metal slots and sockets fused throughout her body, cables and wires standing out of these and burrowing through naked flesh and muscle like mutant, shivering worms.

Her stringy, dead mane was held back out of her eyes by a frayed, faded bandanna that had once likely been a bright crimson, and now was more of a bloodstain pink. She rolled the cigarette between her teeth slowly before she rudely blew out a stream of smog into Cadence's face, and god, it reeked not just of smoke and tobacco and chemicals, but death and misery... “She's your best?”

“She and her team are on thin ice at the moment, but that will only encourage them to find the target faster. They know if they fail, the consequences will be dire.” Hecate said coldly, and Moonflower whimpered a little and shrank his head as La Croix gave a weak laugh.

The demon grinned wryly at this, then she returned her eyes to Cadence before she snorted and instead looked at Luna, asking shortly: “Want the job?”

Luna grinned as Cadence looked up in shock, but before the ivory mare could say something – or worse, the Swan could rise up in anger – Hecate snapped: “We already agreed-”

“Deals change.” Cowlick replied rudely, her eyes flicking towards the Empress of Decretum fearlessly before she turned towards her. “They're better. You know they're better. I'm not interested in your second-rate pass-me-downs. Deal with it.”

Hecate strode slowly forwards, but Cowlick only bared her yellowed teeth fearlessly. “Yeah, come on, let's rumble. I'm not stupid enough to think you won't kick my ass, but sometimes losin' is sweeter. I know just how your body works and I can hurt the hell out of you, and the moment you lay a hoof on me, Hel removes her support. You need me. And now more than ever before, you need me more than I need you.”

There was silence as Cadence stared in disbelief at Hecate, who was only glaring furiously down at the demon, her hands flexing slowly like she wanted to strangle the demon. But a moment later, she suddenly smiled coldly, asking calmly: “How about a wager?”

“What the hell could you have that I would be interested in?” Cowlick asked moodily, but Luna looked up with interest as Cadence frowned worriedly, nervously looking up at the Empress of Decretum.

“The target.” Hecate said calmly, and the demon bared her fangs as she leaned forwards with a snarl, but the mechanical goddess only crossed her steel arms and continued: “If Luna Brynhild can find and secure the target before us, I have enough leverage with Hel to have you permanently moved to Decretum or Endworld. I'll give you a workshop and free reign, wherever you want, to live out some pathetic mockery of family life with your little colt.”

Cadence's eyes widened at this: their mission was to retrieve the son of this demon? And this demon was important enough to request that? And Hecate was betting- “If the Irregular Hunters retrieve Rustproof before Luna Brynhild, both you and he will come and work for me in Decretum. I will very literally own you.” Hecate leaned slowly down into Cowlick's face, as the demon mare snarled up at her. “And I will take full advantage of that fact every single day.”

The two glared furiously at each other, and then Cowlick slowly grinned before she reached up and pulled her cigarette out of her muzzle, calmly putting it out against Hecate's steel breast before she said coldly: “Let's up the ante. If I win, I get whatever three Dogmatists I choose. And if you win...”

Cowlick looked down for a moment, and then she said quietly: “Hell, what else do I have to offer? Anything you want. Take it. But you know they're going to find him. They knew me, and they know Valhalla, and they know Terra. They can jump through the worlds whenever they please. They could tear you apart like you were made of string and paper.”

“This isn't about how well they fight, and I would have expected you to remember there's more important things than just raw strength.” Hecate said coldly, looking contemptibly down at Cowlick. “They're idiots.”

Luna huffed loudly at this, but then she only shrugged amiably after a moment as Scrivener rolled his eyes and Morgan gave the sapphire mare a flat look. Cadence, meanwhile, was only looking worriedly up at Hecate as the Empress of Decretum glared down at the demon, and then Cowlick finally nodded before she said abruptly: “Deal. What the hell do I have to lose? You got a deal.”

“Good.” Hecate smiled thinly, straightening before she created a holographic screen off to her side, tapping a short series of commands across it.

A moment later, a loud siren filled the air, and all eyes looked stupidly upwards before a mechanical voice said calmly: “Warning. Class One alert detected in... Castle Imperia, Engineering. Alerting Archives of potential breach.”

“Oh, thou great cheating bitch!” Luna shouted furiously, one of her eyes twitching as Scrivener and Morgan both flinched, looking wildly back and forth. “We... I will-”

Then Luna simply shouted wordlessly at the mare before she spun around and charged towards the nearest exit, Morgan and Scrivener scrambling after her as Cowlick threw her head back and laughed loudly.

“You know that ain't gonna do much.” the mare said mildly as she looked up at Hecate, a wry smile playing over her face. “All you're going to do is get your own place wrecked up.”

Hecate only snorted, looking coldly down at Cowlick before she turned her eyes towards Cadence. “I have granted Class E clearance to yourself and your team. You may go to Valhalla to begin your research.” The mechanical mare's eyes flicked contemptibly towards Cowlick, as she added icily: “Which is a world Luna Brynhild and her idiots are not allowed to enter, by the way.”

Cowlick narrowed her eyes at this, but then she only snorted before she reached up and hammered a metal plate on her own foreleg, which popped open and let her pull free a carton of cigarettes, the mare yanking one of these loose before she muttered: “Doesn't matter. They ain't smart, but they're real good at what they do, Hecate. Now let me talk to your little fillies here.”

“Fine. Cadence, once you're done with Bani, report to Thorn for special equipment.” Hecate stopped, then slowly turned a deadly look on Moonflower, leaning down and adding calmly: “Moonflower. After you return from your mission, I have scheduled us for a special discussion session regarding some non-work related activities you have taken a part of.”

Moonflower turned almost dead white, smiling weakly up at Hecate, but then the mechanical mare's attention was diverted as Seneschal's voice announced through a loudspeaker: “Queen Hecate, energy fluxes report multiple portals opening and closing throughout Decretum, several of them unauthorized! The ghost subjects also appear to have fled Decretum.”

“Ghosts. Yeah. I guess they are.” muttered Cowlick, and then she shook her head slowly before she stuck her cigarette into her mouth, and without looking, Hecate absently gestured towards her, and the tip of the mare's cigarette burst into flame, the demon giving a wry smile as she blew smoke rings out of her nose.

Then, without either goodbye or even a glance in their direction, Hecate turned and strode quickly away, leaving Cadence and her team alone with Cowlick. The demon smoked her cigarette in silence as she studied the ivory mare for a few moments, and then she turned slowly on the stool, going back to tinkering with the mechanical parts on the workbench in front of her as she said calmly: “I don't really care who you and those little colts are. La Croix I've met before, once or twice. And you I've heard a whole lot about, and that Hecate has a lot of money and time invested in you. She says you and your boys are the best, though, and that's all I really care about.

“I want you to find Rustproof and bring him back here, alive. If you don't find him, don't come back. Because he's alive out there somewhere, no matter what evidence might point to the contrary.” Cowlick said with cold conviction, the mare looking steadily at the device in her hooves as she tilted it back and forth, adjusting nodes and connecting wires. “Sure, I think Luna is gonna find him way before you do. But I ain't stupid, Candy, or whatever the hell your name is. So here's the deal.”

She halted, putting the device down before she turned back towards Cadence, and her eyes glared into the ivory mare's own, her gaze so intense that it felt like she was burning through her and into her very soul. “I brought some equipment for you and yours to use. I know I'm giving you an edge over my own team, but I don't care. I want that colt found, and the sooner, the better. Valhalla is a good place to start, and hell, Hecate might even be able to pull some strings and get you a meeting with Terra, which would speed things up. But I know the artifact warehouses, I've been there: there are a dozen possible rings that Rustproof could have built or used leading to a dozen variations of Midgard, and you don't have the time to check them all.”

“You've been to Valhalla?” asked Cadence incredulously, and Cowlick snorted contemptibly.

“I've been everywhere, Candy. Someone has to do all the grunt work, and apparently that's me.” Cowlick retorted, and then she continued irritably: “But getting back to actual important things, the only way to track Rustproof is to activate all those portals and probe them with the detectors I've sent up for you. But even that's going to take time, and there's no guarantee that Rustproof didn't make another jump from any of those worlds, or that what those detectors find will be him, specifically. Any major electromagical energy signature will set them off.

“So you're going to need luck. But you might be able to follow him, all the same. Wherever Rustproof's been, I can guarantee you there will be technology, enough of it to set those sensors off.” Cowlick smiled moodily. “But it's been a long time, and all I know for sure is that... my boy ain't home. He's somewhere out there, and you're going to find him, and you're going to bring him back.”

Cadence steadied herself, and then she gave a quick nod before she bowed her head to Cowlick, trying to pull herself together and be professional again, promising: “We'll find him. We'll find him as soon as possible.”

“Good.” Cowlick said shortly, and then she turned away, returning to the device on the table. “Get lost. I have things to do.”

Cadence gave a brief smile, and then she nodded once before sighing and turning towards the rest of her team. She gestured at them, and Moonflower and La Croix both scurried around and hurried for the door, while Sombra fell in step beside her, giving her a questioning look.

She nodded to him after a moment, grimacing a little, but she didn't answer until they were safely out of the doors. “It's going to be difficult, yeah. Not just because we're now being pitted against...” She did her best to fight down the Swan, but all the same, contempt bled into her voice as she said: “The Valkyrie... but because if those probes are too sensitive, they're going to detect Decretum technology. Furthermore, we don't know the scanning area or time, so...”

“We will just have to trust in Miss... Cowlick's judgment.” Sombra replied softly, nodding to his daughter before he added in a gentler voice: “And I know it is very difficult for you to... swallow your anger and the Swan, but I am proud that you did. The Swan is not you anymore, Cadenza. And you are no longer the Swan.”

The ivory mare smiled a little at this, nodding a few times before she looked up at La Croix, asking: “When did you meet her?”

“Helheim days. She be one of Hel's top researchers. Glad she don't remember me too well, she punched me across a room before.” La Croix muttered, rubbing absently at his muzzle. “You don't want to piss that one off, Cygne.”

“I figured. She's also our client right now, La Croix, so we sort of wouldn't want to piss her off anyway.” the ivory mare said, and La Croix grunted before Cadence took the lead. “Let's go see Thorn, then, and-”

“Do I have to? I mean. It's not that... of course I mean...” Moonflower fumbled, and then he gave a weak little giggle as La Croix looked at him with amusement and Cadence sighed and rolled her eyes. “Please don't give Hecate more excuses to turn me into a Dogmatist.”

“For the last time, she's not going to do that.” Cadence said in an exasperated voice, before the ivory mare looked ahead and added pointedly: “And anyway, she's much more likely to punish you if you disobey her and don't go get your equipment from Thorn, now isn't she?”

Moonflower opened his mouth at this, then licked his lips nervously before he closed it moodily before he dropped his head, grumbling a little under his breath. “I... suppose that's a fair enough point. Very well. I... just don't blame me for how Thorn reacts with titillating joy when he sees his fair black knight striding towards him.”

Cadence somehow doubted this would be the case, and sure enough, when they reached the outfitters, Thorn offered a small smile to Cadence before he gave Moonflower a look that was almost sympathetic, Cadence thought wryly. “Queen Hecate has given you special authorization, and I'm to go over the equipment with you all in special detail. You have...”

Thorn glanced to the side, calling up a holographic screen and touching quickly over it before he muttered: “Forty-two minutes before you have to report to the portal hub. You'll be leaving through Deck B, private access.”

“So we're really going to Valhalla?” Cadence asked, unable to hide her surprise, or the faint hint of anxiety in her voice, which Thorn only responded to with a short nod.

“Yes. You'll be meeting Queen Terra.” Thorn replied calmly, and Cadence's jaw dropped as she stared with shock, but Thorn only shrugged, answering: “Hecate made a special request, that's all. She wants this seen through. Bani is... important. This is a priority mission, and...”

Thorn seemed to lose track of things for a moment, but then he cleared his throat and picked back up with his usual almost-cold professionalism: “On top of our equipment, you have been issued a supply of electromagic probes.”

The stallion half-turned, picking up a metal case and opening it to reveal six rune-covered spheres: they looked very similar to Hecate's spherical security drones, but the runes over them were very distinct, and the thick glass insulated what looked like some kind of dark gemstone core. “These were already preprogrammed by Bani to detect very specific types of electrical energy. They have a detection radius of three miles and work on timed activators. In other words, after you open a portal, you will hold the probe towards the portal and turn it on. The probe will guide itself through the portal, then fly for either one hour or until it detects the distinct energy it's looking for. Then it will automatically return and go into read-only mode.”

Thorn demonstrated by dropping the probe into his mechanical hoof and squeezing it, and the probe beeped a few times before it projected a holographic, three-dimensional map. “It assembles the recorded data into a map from the release point to where it detected the energy radiating from. It shouldn't be too difficult to manage.”

The others nodded, although Moonflower was looking almost desperately at Thorn, and La Croix seemed like he was just nodding along to avoid looking dumb. Cadence got the gist of it, though. “We only have six?”

“As long as they don't detect the signals emitted by the technologies that the target was known to work with, they're reusable.” Thorn replied calmly, and then he turned towards the holographic screen still at his side, his horn glowing faintly and the orb lighting up with the same aura as he muttered: “I can try and teach you how to interface with the orbs, too, they're more magic artifact than technology, but you may not have the time to learn-”

“I can learn, I can learn, Thorn!” Moonflower said hurriedly, stepping quickly forwards and almost bodychecking Cadence out of the way, earning a glare from the mare. “And you know, about dinner the other night, and... about your mother... your... Hecate-mother, I mean, I-”

“We only have forty minutes, Moonflower, we can discuss this later.” Thorn cut off bluntly, and Moonflower visibly deflated, staring at Thorn as Thorn looked back with maybe the faintest blush, but that might have just been Cadence's imagination. “Please sit down. I have a lot to go over.”

Moonflower mumbled and dropped his head, and Thorn put the orb back into the case before he picked up another metal box with telekinesis, opening it to reveal a large bracer with what looked almost like a glass screen of some kind on it. “This uses the same technology as the probes, but is used for directional detection. It's fairly straightforward, and should be easy enough to adapt to in the field.

“Lastly...” Thorn put the box aside, and picked up a third, final container, opening the latches over the strangely-shaped case before the stallion carefully lifted some kind of large gun free: it was made out of ivory metal, the grip stylized to look almost like a large wing, the barrel squat and rectangular, with a thick, fanged axe blade standing out of the bottom of it, but when Thorn flicked a switch on the side of the gun, the barrel extended with a whir, the gun becoming a long, elegant rifle.

“This is the Multipurpose Artillery Rifle Equipment System, or a MARE-System. It can be custom-fitted in a variety of ways. This one has a heavy cutting blade, a telescopic barrel with a rail system, and it fires...” Thorn glanced towards the open case, pulling a large clip free from the shaped foam, which he fed into a slot on the side of the white rifle before he worked a lever attached to the trigger-guard with surprising ease. “These. Loads seven, fires miniaturized silver stakes. But it has a modular loading system, and you can use a variety of ammunition and noncombat augments with it.”

“I... wait, me?” Cadence recoiled, rearing away from the rifle and holding up her hooves before she said with badly-hidden disgust: “No. No, I am not using one of those... those-”

“It's been assigned to you.” Thorn said shortly, and then he flicked the switch on the side to distend the barrel before he thrust it into her forelegs, the mare wincing a bit as she uncomfortably cradled the rifle. “Don't think of it as a gun, or as a toy. It is a tool.”

Cadence nodded awkwardly a few times after a moment, and then she looked down at the rifle before she shifted it hesitantly, muttering: “I don't think I'll be very good with this, though...”

“You have time to adjust and learn.” Thorn replied, and then he glanced over at La Croix. “Although the mission was originally procure on-site, Hecate has granted you access to medical storage. Moonflower, Sombra, you are also both permitted to equip yourselves with any artifacts you may require from the Special Provisions Room. Help yourselves while I get the rest of your equipment.”

Sombra nodded calmly as La Croix grinned before he turned and ran towards the door that led into the storeroom where the medical supplies were kept. Moonflower, however, lingered, his eyes as big as plates as he stared at Thorn with his head hung and ears drooping.

Thorn looked uncomfortably back at Moonflower for a few moments, and then the sapphire stallion finally cleared his throat before he asked with the faintest, awkward blush: “Do you... want to come help me get the equipment ready?”

“Yes!” Moonflower brightened immediately, leaping forwards, and Cadence couldn't help but smile despite herself. Sure, Moony was always a little dramatic, but she had to admit, when he wasn't pulling his stupid 'penultimate god of darkness' shtick, he could be kind of cute. And it was nice to see that not even Thorn was immune to Moonflower's quirky charm.

Thorn sighed a little, but then he nodded before turning around, gesturing to the stallion to follow. Moonflower did, a little overeagerly, Cadence thought with an amused smile. She supposed that even if Moonflower was far older than Thorn, however, he had all the maturity of a sixteen year old. An entitled, hormonal sixteen year old, at that.

Cadence paused, then glanced down at the rifle in her hooves, poking the switch to make the barrel extended, then quickly distending it again. She grimaced a little, then hesitantly grasped the clip, pulling it carefully free before plugging it back in to try and understand how the simple mechanism worked. Sure, she supposed it was pretty, for a gun, but by the Horses of Heaven, she hated these ridiculous toys. They were nothing more than cheap pieces of-

Cadence fumbled the rifle, then flinched as it went off with a tremendous bang, a bit of dust and rubble hailing down from the ceiling as Cadence stared dead ahead. For a few moments, she simply breathed in and out before she slowly, creakily looked up at the ceiling, and shrank her head down between her shoulders at the sight of the gleaming stake sticking out of the roof, the mare trying to grasp this with telekinesis before she winced as she realized it was magic-resistant, and she couldn't get a grip on the slippery metal-

Thorn emerged back through the door, carrying the large case that contained her equipment, and he set this down in front of her before he straightened and looked her moodily in the eye. Cadence looked uncomfortably back at him, and then the stallion sighed before his eyes flicked up to the ceiling, looking at the half-buried stake.

“I'll have a Worker Drone repair that later. For now, get your gear on, and get ready. You're running short on time.” Thorn said after a moment, and Cadence saluted awkwardly before the sapphire stallion turned and headed back through the security door.

Cadence very carefully put the rifle aside, then opened the case and smiled despite herself at the sight of her armor. It had been almost perfectly repaired: there wasn't a single sign of the damage that it had taken only days before. But the Dogmatists were truly exceptional when it came to repair and replication.

By the time she had finished putting her armor on, Sombra and La Croix had both returned: her father was now wearing an augmentation ring around his horn, and La Croix was busily sorting ingredients into a little attache case he had pulled out of his hat. The zebra had also fitted the sensor bracer onto his foreleg, and Cadence appreciated that he had taken the initiative to do that: it was the little things that helped their team function better.

Moonflower was taking a suspiciously long time with Thorn, however, and Cadence was starting to get concerned. Not really for Moonflower; well, alright, maybe a little bit for Moonflower. It was pretty clear that Moony didn't handle rejection very well, and Thorn wasn't exactly known for his tact or candor. And more important than Moonflower's feelings was the fact that they were starting to run thin on time.

But finally, the two stallions emerged, and to Cadence's surprise, Moonflower was actually wearing armor for once. A polished silver helm, a simple Pegasus-style fiberglass breastplate, and had he actually put on the utility packs without her needing to threaten him with bludgeoning?

Moonflower smiled lamely at them, and then Thorn emerged, placing two more large cases down with telekinesis as he said calmly: “Here's the rest of your equipment. Cadence, remember, you're taking the MARE System.”

Cadence gave a strained smile as her eyes flicked down to the rifle she'd left sitting on its case. It was tucked neatly away in a simple cloth holster, the clips of ammunition were clipped to the bandolier she had found along with everything else in the case, and... “I... really don't...”

She looked up lamely as Thorn looked at her sourly, and then she grinned awkwardly and held up a hoof as she patted her rose-colored breastplate. “I don't know if I'll be able to carry it with my throwing knives. I don't want the belts-”

“It goes over your shoulder. Equip it.” Thorn said shortly, and Cadence winced a bit before the sapphire stallion created a holographic screen beside him, muttering under his breath. “We're running short on time. I'll explain the rest of what you need to know while you get your gear ready, then I'll do a check over each of you myself.”

Cadence decided it was better not to argue, as much as she loathed putting the rifle on her back: still, while Thorn could make her take it, he couldn't make her use it, and she could always just throw away a few of the clips to make it look as if she had tried the gun once or twice. But most of her attention was captured by Thorn's brisk briefing.

They had to move fast, they knew that, but they were only being given two days in Valhalla, and today counted as one of those days. They had a formal meeting with Queen Terra, and if they were lucky, she would provide them a little bit of extra help to deal with the complicated task of assessing and probing the portals. Otherwise, they were going to have to handle all of that themselves.

Hecate was also compiling research reports for Cadence, and the Empress of Decretum had been told that Terra was having her best aides do the same, so that the Irregular Hunters would have as much information about where Rustproof might have gone as possible. It made Cadence wonder uneasily just what kind of power Hecate really held in the grand scheme of things, if she was able to even make the Queen of Heaven set aside time for them.

Cadence also had to bite back a few nasty comments about Terra being a demon; thankfully and not, there was a lot more to concentrate on than the Swan's pettiness. Moonflower visibly paled slightly when Thorn said calmly and seriously this was their last chance: they had to succeed in this mission, or they would all face reevaluation and replacement.

The ivory mare both appreciated and hated Thorn's bluntness, but it certainly gave her extra motivation to keep the Swan under control. Thorn was also very clear about the fact that they were not going to be under Decretum protection for most of this mission: if anything went wrong, there would be no reinforcements to come in and help them, and no way for them to call for an emergency retreat.

That also meant there wouldn't be any supply drops, which meant they would be getting no extra munitions and no medicine or treatment. Cadence gave her father a nervous look, but Sombra only smiled briefly, the stallion giving her a silent nod: he would manage, one way or the other.

“Questions?” Thorn asked, as he finished his briefing: Moonflower immediately rose a hoof, but Thorn only looked at him until the winged unicorn slowly lowered his foreleg and shrank his head back a little, and Thorn said shortly: “Good. You have a little over fifteen minutes left for final prep. La Croix, you're free to go. Sombra, I'll check you first. Cadence, Moonflower, make sure none of your gear is loose.”

Moonflower dumbly patted at himself as Cadence double-checked her knife belts and armor, although she knew that Thorn would find something loose, as he always did. She also guessed that he had probably been the one to put Moonflower's armor on, even if he was acting as brisk and professional as always.

Thorn nodded at her father as he finished checking him over, and Sombra smiled before he turned and headed quickly towards the doors, giving Cadence an encouraging look as he passed. The ivory mare only smiled lamely before her eyes flicked up as she saw Thorn approach Moonflower, and the black stallion whispered loudly: “Why do you have to check it again?”

“Professionalism.” Thorn replied in a mutter as he picked up the container that held the probe devices to slip into one of the larger pouches on Moonflower's body, and then he asked quietly: “What did you want before?”

“Oh, I... well...” Moonflower shifted almost meekly, and then he asked lamely: “You and I are going to see each other again, yes? I mean... this isn't...”

“We're not getting rid of you.” Thorn absently tightened one of the cusps on Moonflower's shoulder, and then he shot a glare at Cadence, who hurriedly looked away with a blush and pretended to be extremely interested in one of the nearby shelves.

But after a moment, Thorn sighed before he looked back at Moonflower and said grumpily: “Yes. We can... see each other again. It wasn't... it wasn't terrible.”

“Wasn't terrible!” Moonflower almost sang, and then he sprang away from Thorn before the sapphire stallion was even done his check, excitedly dancing over to Cadence and blurting: “It wasn't terrible! It wasn't terrible!”

“That's great, Moonflower. Uh... why don't you just go up to the portal hub and wait for us there?” Cadence said, and then she smiled despite herself with Moonflower gave a cheery, bird-like noise of agreement before he bounced happily past and out of the room.

Thorn gave her a grumpy look as he approached, but Cadence only shrugged and said finally: “He wasn't going to calm down, and I think you must know that, Thorn. So uh... he wasn't terrible, huh?”

The sapphire stallion gave her a sour look, but as he began to check over her armor, he shifted a little on the spot before saying almost grudgingly: “It wasn't a bad night. He touched me a lot more than I wanted him to, but... he was cuddly and overaffectionate, not... grabby, if that makes any sense.

“We had dinner. We walked around a little, then we went back to my apartment. But we just talked.” Thorn continued, as he tightened her knife belts and adjusted one of her holsters. “Well. He talked. And bragged. And mashed himself against me he was a teenage filly and I was his favorite cute-animal-shaped pillow.”

Cadence snorted in amusement at this, and Thorn's mouth quirked just a little bit into a smile before he shook his head, then said softly: “I don't think we're going to end up dating seriously or anything. But... we'll be... friends, at least.”

“Yeah. I hope so, Moonflower could use a few more friends.” Cadence hesitated, and then she asked curiously: “Thorn, do you... have any friends?”

Thorn looked awkwardly away for a moment, and then he said finally: “Necrophage.”

“Necrophage.” Cadence repeated disbelievingly, and Thorn muttered something as he quickly finished up the equipment check, the ivory mare holding up her hooves and saying quickly: “I'm not judging you or anything, Thorn, I just mean... it's kind of a surprise to hear that out of all the ponies, well, Necrophage is-”

“Necrophage is fine. She... she likes to talk to me.” Thorn said defensively, and Cadence looked at him oddly, but the sapphire stallion only shifted his gaze away before he grumbled: “Go ahead and get out of here. I have to go down and check on our guest, Bani.”

“Cowlick.” Cadence said before she could stop herself, and Thorn frowned, but the ivory mare cleared her throat before saying finally: “She likes being called Cowlick.”

After a moment, Thorn only nodded, and Cadence smiled awkwardly before she turned and headed quickly to the door. She couldn't help but glance back as she walked through, and she saw Thorn was already tapping away at a holographic screen, meaning she could easily escape without further embarrassment... “Thorn, you're um... you're not a bad guy. And you should... try and talk to ponies. Me, or Necrophage or-”

The electronic door closed with a thump in front of Cadence, cutting her off, and she stared at it for a few moments before hurriedly turning her eyes ahead and all-but-galloping down the hall, figuring there was no need to humiliate herself further now.

But back inside the equipment room, Thorn only sighed and shook his head before he gave the smallest of smiles, nodding a few times. Maybe it was a little later in life, but he was having some interesting experiences these days all the same, he thought. And getting to know these ponies... really wasn't such a terrible thing after all. But for the moment...

Thorn returned his attention to his current job, putting the equipment cases back into storage for now, and then picking up his clipboard to levitate it beside him and fill out the report form as he headed out into the halls. He finished most of the required paperwork before he entered engineering, but then frowned as he found that Bani – or Cowlick, as she did indeed prefer – was smoking a cigarette and wandering around.

“Excuse me.” Thorn said calmly, and Cowlick looked up with a grunt: he thought her eyes widened ever so slightly, that she was a little too intensely-focused on him, but all the same... “My name is Thorn Blackfeather, and I am Hecate's-”

“Holy hell. And here I thought sons were always supposed to look like their daddies.” Cowlick whistled loudly, then she spat out the butt of her cigarette and crushed it under one hoof, Thorn's features tightening ever-so-slightly at the splotch left on the steel floor. Cowlick noticed it, though, and her grin stretched wider as she remarked: “Well, now you look a lot more like your dad.”

Thorn only grunted, then narrowed his eyes as Cowlick popped open a panel in her foreleg to take a pack of cigarettes out, the stallion saying distastefully: “Smoking is against Decretum policy.”

“This ain't just a hobby, kid, I need the chemical high.” Cowlick retorted, before she added wryly as she reached up and touched the collar around her neck: “Also, before you make me piss in a cup, I'll let you know I've got a few drugs in my system. You're not going to fire me, are you?”

Thorn looked evenly across at Cowlick, and then he said heedlessly: “If you need nicotine then we'll have a Dogmatist or someone on medical staff provide you with a patch or pill. No smoking in the facility.”

Thorn held out his steel hoof, and Cowlick scowled at him horribly, before she leaned forwards and questioned icily: “And what the hell are you going to do about it, short stack?”

The stallion looked steadily back at the demon, and then he calmly lowered his mechanical leg before he dropped his clipboard in front of him, flipping through a few pages. He started to write, and Cowlick grinned widely at him, the demon saying in a contemptible voice: “Yeah, that's what I thought. Gonna write me up. Write a letter to Hecate, right? Well, Hecate ain't gonna lay a finger on me, and-”

Thorn finished the image he was drawing on the paper with a flourish, and Cowlick felt the crackle of static through the air a moment before all the strength simply went out of her body, the demon dropping to the ground with a boneless thump. She mouthed wordlessly as her cigarette rolled out of her lips, and then she wiggled uselessly on the floor as she struggled just to look up at Thorn with disbelief. There had been no magic, no flash and sizzle, no great burst of energy, and yet here she was. Helpless.

Thorn calmly spun the clipboard around with telekinesis, lowering it in front of her face, and Cowlick stared in horror at the sigil that was drawn over it, with her mortal name written in demonic inside the sketched series of runes. “I'm a member of the Archives, which is why I've been placed in charge of looking after you and your needs.”

Cowlick glared furiously up at Thorn as one of her eyes twitched, and then she slowly hissed through her nose before she muttered: “Fine. Let me up.”

The sapphire stallion smiled thinly, then he straightened and erased part of the sigil. Cowlick immediately felt her muscles loosen, the mare closing her eyes before she sprung suddenly forwards with a snarl-

Thorn was fast, leaping backwards, his expression cold as Cowlick landed before roaring and jumping at him as she slung a hoof out. But even as he lashed his clipboard and pencil to the side to redraw the symbol, the stallion's mechanical foreleg rose and caught Cowlick's hoof, crushing down on it with enough strength to halt her attack and make her eyes widen in surprise before electricity burst down the length of his steel limb.

Cowlick howled in frustration and pain as she felt the strength sapped out of her again, but this time, it was joined by roughly two hundred thousand volts of electricity, rendering the mare helpless as her muscles spasmed and lightning arced between the metal plating across her body.

After a mental count to ten, Thorn finally dropped Cowlick's foreleg, and the demon groaned loudly as she continued to sizzle for a few moments on the ground, her body twitching and smoldering a little before she rasped: “You don't know... jack about current, do you... kid?”

“Amperes are for killing. Voltage is for pacification.” Thorn replied briskly, bringing his clipboard back in front of him and flicking through it for an empty report file. “I'll be making notes and recommendations based on your behavior and productivity for the next while. Some of this information will undoubtedly be sent to Hel.”

“You... bitch.” Cowlick growled, attempting to get her front hooves under her, but she could barely wiggle on the ground, the mare glaring up at him furiously. “You think you're some little Inquisitor? God-dammit, do you know who the hell I am?”

“Yes. And I don't care.” Thorn replied bluntly, and Cowlick stared up at him as he looked back at her over his clipboard, his eyes cold. “Do you know who I am?”

There was silence for a few moments, and then Cowlick gave a slow grin before she said with faint entertainment: “Yeah, I do. I do now. Now let me the hell up.”

Thorn only looked at her, and Cowlick rolled her eyes before she said sourly: “I promise I won't try and clobber you. Let me up. You got my word now, kid.”

For a moment, the sapphire stallion continued to survey her, but then he gave a short nod before he once more removed part of the sigil. Cowlick grumbled under her breath as she felt her strength return, her body shivering a little before she shook herself roughly out as she climbed to her hooves, muttering: “You remind me a little of your sister. Your evil sister, not the Blood Seer one.”

Thorn frowned slightly, but his voice remained steady and professional as he responded: “That is classified information. Keep the discussion to a minimum.”

“Yeah, yeah, I am.” Cowlick paused, then turned around and stomped over to her cigarettes. She swept the box up and shoved it towards her muzzle, but then sighed loudly when Thorn held his steel hoof out, the demon grumbling under her breath before she walked over and slapped it down in his grip.

Then, before Thorn could pull away, Cowlick grabbed his steel limb and pulled it forwards, the mare examining it quickly before she muttered: “Damn. I haven't seen anything like this in a long time. Soulstone core, I'm guessing? And this alloy... Hecate's been up to some new tricks. That motor on your shoulder, too, is that corruption-based?”

Thorn scowled a little more as he pulled his leg away from the mare, flexing it before he replied moodily: “That information is provided on a need-to-know basis, and you don't need to know.”

Cowlick only grinned at this, however, shaking her head before she said wryly: “Something big must have crawled up your ass and died. Something with a lot of teeth, I'm guessing. But I'll give you this, kid, you're fast on your hooves, and that prosthetic is a hell of a lot stronger than I expected it to be. You want a gun?”

The stallion looked sourly at Cowlick, and Cowlick looked at him thoughtfully before she grunted and nodded. “Yeah. Let's get you a gun. I got to keep myself busy somehow.”

“I don't want a gun, thank you. I want you to do your assigned work.” Thorn replied irritably, and then he sighed when Cowlick only shrugged and turned, ambling away. He was rather surprised by how the demon suddenly seemed like she was in a good mood, given what had just happened... “Why aren't we going into your workshop?”

“Already reserved one of the hangars and I already put your toy soldiers to work. They know what they gotta do.” Cowlick replied with a shrug, and Thorn flicked quickly through his clipboard to make a note of this. He knew that Hecate would have to have authorized such a significant change of venue, but he didn't know why the Empress of Decretum would shuffle so much around, whether or not the LUN was important for their scanning and communication purposes.

But admittedly, Thorn was reassured when they stepped into the hangar and he saw that Cowlick was telling the truth. The Worker Drones had already assembled the base for the machinery, and there were several Dogmatists and Replicants present doing their own jobs. Well, most of them were, Thorn noted: Necrophage was happily bouncing around her sister, as Muse pointedly ignored her while levitating large pieces of machinery so Dogmatists could weld and modify them.

“Excuse me.” Thorn muttered, and then he strode quickly towards the two. Necrophage spotted the stallion long before he reached her: the hangar was almost half a kilometer wide and tall, and Thorn again couldn't help but wonder why Cowlick had decided to take over all of this massive area, or how Necrophage's voice could be that much louder than the drilling and the banging and the laser-cutting.

“Hi, Thorn! Hi hi hi!” Necrophage called happily, leaping wildly back and forth. Thorn glowered at her, tempted as always to shut down her personality programming, but for some reason, he simply never could bring himself to. “It's so super great to see you, sir!”

“Calm down, Necrophage. Why aren't you working?” Thorn asked shortly, and Necrophage smiled at him brightly, which he took as a sign he was not going to like her response.

“I am working!” Necrophage replied earnestly, nodding fervently before she gestured at her sister several times with her head. “I'm helping my sister-from-the-same-mister stay happy and focused!”

“That would just be your sister.” Thorn said tiredly, and then he shook his head slowly before he looked over at Muse, who sighed in sad agreement. “How are you today, Muse?”

Muse gave him a soft, sad smile; while Necrophage was squat and stocky and had jaws like a tyrannosaurus rex, Muse was tall, almost divinely-beautiful, her coat a sultry pink, her mane a perfectly-straight azure-white that spilled naturally around her shoulders. She wasn't quite perfect, though: she had black rings around her eerie blue eyes from constant insomnia, and several small, thorn-like horns formed a natural crest across her forehead, all a crystalline black.

She radiated grace and sorrow, as she whispered quietly: “Hello, Thorn Blackfeather. I'm alright, don't worry about me... and excuse my sister. Necrophage has done all the work that Cowlick requested for her to do.”

“You refueled everything already?” Cowlick asked curiously as she approached, and Necrophage smiled brightly and nodded as she happily bounced in a figure eight around the demon and Thorn; the sapphire stallion rolled his eyes at this, but Cowlick barely seemed to notice, only continuing to look thoughtfully ahead. “Guess I underestimated how much you can all do.”

“Hecate has made sure we're all at optimal performance levels!” Necrophage said cheerfully, happily leaping over to her sister and throwing a foreleg around her neck to mash their cheeks together with a bright grin: thankfully, Muse was so used to this she didn't lose concentration on the large, heavy machinery she was still levitating. “Yay!”

“Yay.” Muse murmured, giving the faintest smile before she lowered her eyes, and Thorn studied the beautiful and terribly-sad Replicant for a few moments, until she looked up and asked quietly: “Can I be of service?”

“Yes, actually.” Thorn said after a moment, and Muse tilted her head before the stallion asked: “How long do you think it would take for you to learn to use a PAC?”

Muse frowned at this: Psychic Amplification Crystals weren't exactly standard equipment for a Class IV Dogmatist like herself. “Well, I... I suppose it would not take very long. A week?” she ventured meekly, then she nodded hesitantly as Necrophage bounced beside her and smiled encouragingly. “Yes. Roughly a week.”

“Alright.” Thorn created a holographic screen to one side, tapping in a few quick commands before he said calmly and clearly: “Authorize Class IV Replicant Muse for auger-type equipment. Furthermore...” Thorn hated to do this, but he only hesitated a moment before continuing: “Schedule Muse and... Class IV Replicant Necrophage for training.”

Necrophage bounced eagerly around in a circle, cheering loudly, as Muse blushed slightly and lowered her head with a whispered 'thank you.' Thorn only sighed and shrugged as he dismissed the screen, replying: “I know that you and Necrophage function better when you're together. It's beneficial to train you both at once.”

“Well, looks like you have a heart under there after all.” Cowlick remarked, and Thorn shot her a moody look, which made the demon snort in amusement. “That look I recognize. I used to get it a lot from your parents.”

“Hey, we were just talking about his parents the other day!” Necrophage said excitedly, and Thorn winced a bit as the squat mare scuttled forwards, and even Muse looked up in interest. “Did you know them? Were they really cool? Were-”

“Necrophage, please get back to work! Cowlick, come with me!” Thorn barked, and Necrophage winced in embarrassment and dropped her head with a lame smile as the sapphire stallion marched off.

Then he frowned and looked over his shoulder, and he scowled as he saw Cowlick simply standing there and chewing on her lip. They looked at each other for a few moments, and then Cowlick asked blandly: “Are you ashamed of them?”

“No!” Thorn snapped, his voice so loud and sharp it surprised even him. He also heard the faint breaking of rhythm from the Dogmatists, how the mechanical ponies all shifted ever so subtly in reaction. “I mean... no, I am not. The information is classified.”

“Yeah, except you're a big boy now, aren't you, kid? Sure, I understood when you were just a foal.” Cowlick shrugged, looking disdainfully at Thorn as he glared back. “I got why not even I was really allowed to get more than a glimpse of you, and me and your parents were tight. But your parents also knew you were never going to live a normal life, and they didn't just send you here because they wanted to make sure you were protected, kiddo. They wanted you to be strong.

“Now look at you. Sure, something bad happened, and you lost a leg. You got a better one now.” Cowlick said simply, shrugging briefly. “Sad, tough maybe, but true. And you know it, too. You're strong now. Strong enough to be your own goddamn stallion, and not some little foal that any asshole demon can sweep in and kidnap.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then Thorn said quietly: “I will respect Hecate's word on this until she says otherwise. She is the Empress of Decretum. And more than that, she is my mother, and that commands far more respect.”

Cowlick chuckled quietly, and then she said softly: “Yeah. You're right, it sure as hell does.” The demon paused, and then she added wryly: “Too bad I don't have a whole lot of respect for Hecate, but I sure as hell do for Luna Brynhild, Scrivener Blooms... and yeah, sure, for Morgan Heldóttir, too, now that she's pulled the stick out of her ass. Although it's apparently migrated right on up into yours.”

“Oh my god, those guests who showed up out of nowhere are your parents?” Necrophage blurted, and then she leapt excitedly forwards, grabbing Thorn in a fierce embrace and making him wince as Muse leaned forwards with a worried look, holding out a hoof and half-whimpering for her overexcited sibling to calm down. “Oh wow wow wow wow w-”

“Emotions off!” shouted a voice, and Necrophage went slack and immediately stepped back from Thorn, staring emptily at nothing. With her emotional rendering turned off, she became extremely efficient, but also hollow, driven purely by logic and commands from her superiors. Thorn admittedly hated to see her like this, but Hecate, on the other hoof...

Thorn looked awkwardly up at the security sphere floating in midair, which projected an image of his mother's face after a moment. Even through a blue-tinted hologram, she managed to glare at him furiously enough to make him shrink his head down between his shoulders a bit as she snapped: “And what precisely is this, Thorn Blackfeather? Did you really just schedule a psionic training session with Necrophage?”

“Necrophage has passive psychic ability. We've had satisfactory results in the past with training her, and she and Muse both display markedly-increased learning ability when they're together.” Thorn began, but Hecate only gestured at him to be quiet, which he decided was probably best to do for now.

“And what about the fact that you just went over my head and started babbling about your lineage to everyone within earshot?” asked Hecate waspishly, and Thorn cleared his throat as he looked awkwardly in the direction of Cowlick.

But then the stallion took a breath before he said quietly: “My family is important to me. I will always consider you my mother, but now I am an adult and... I am ready to engage with them and I would like to meet the rest of my family.”

“Huh. Nice, kid.” Cowlick remarked thoughtfully, and then she looked up and said calmly: “I told 'em, not him, you jealous metal bitch. Now, before you get your steel panties in a knot, I also have something Hel told me to say, now that the kids are out of the house: Gjallarhorn sings, whatever the hell that-”

“Thorn, report to my office immediately. Cowlick, I am granting you full permissions, do anything and everything to get the LUN online as soon as possible.” Hecate interrupted, and she dismissed the link before Thorn could even think to ask any questions, her projection vanishing as the security orb immediately whizzed away.

Cowlick whistled slowly at this, and then she remarked: “Must be serious as hell. Alright, Thorn. I'll get these guys moving, you do whatever the hell you need to do.”

Thorn looked at Cowlick for a moment, and then he nodded briefly before turning and striding quickly away. Muse and Necrophage both watched him as he left, the latter struggling to raise a hoof to wave silently after the stallion even through her emotionless state. Cowlick couldn't help but grin a little at this, studying the Replicants before the demon couldn't help but gaze back in the direction of the hangar exit, glad to see that even if he was a little too serious for his own good... Thorn Blackfeather was still his parents' son.

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