Hecate's Orphanage

by BlackRoseRaven

With Neither Mercy Nor Honor

Chapter Eighty Nine: With Neither Mercy Nor Honor
~BlackRoseRaven

Thorn led Team 0-0 into Canterlot, and one of the most disturbing sights he had ever seen. There was no hostility, no sign of struggle, no death, but rather, every person, every animal, every thing in Canterlot had been frozen in time.

Thorn was stone-faced, but even Sombra couldn't hide the distress and fear it caused him to walk past ponies frozen in midstep, ponies frozen in mid-speak with half-smiles formed on their faces, ponies frozen in the air with wings extended, as if petrified and suspended by invisible strings from an unknown marionettist.

There was an apple cart that had been overturned, its sprawled contents floating in the air in a never-ending avalanche. Here were several foals laughing and trapped forever in midair, with one friend about to tumble on his side. Here was an old beggar, a look of gratitude shining up through the dirt smeared across his face, as the sun glinted off a single bit that was floating in midair, casually thrown from a stallion in a business suit.

There was beauty, and wonder, and terror in it all as they strode through the streets of frozen ponies, as they passed a water fountain where the water had turned still and unmoving, even as the sunlight danced in sparkles and rainbows through the cascade of glassy drops floating in midair.

Canterlot Castle was much the same: beautiful, and terrible, full of suspended life. Cadence's eyes roved back and forth uneasily, the mare shaking her head slowly as they walked past a pretty young mare frozen in mid-flirt, the flag of her tail coy and provocative, but the stallion's eyes locked on her face, his smile sincere, his satchel half-opened to reveal the flowers inside with blood-red petals perhaps forever caught in petrified bleed, their bittersweet perfume assaulting her senses as they passed. “What happened here?”

The question rang through the silence, but no pony answered: the sound of their hooves across the floor was already almost too much of a perversion in this dead and endless silence as they continued through the halls with Thorn leading the way.

Thorn followed his instincts: he knew that Melinda would be waiting for them, and there was only one place where it made sense for her to be. And they found her there, in the empty throne room; or no, not entirely empty, Thorn realized, as he gazed silently through the pillared audience hall and noted Princess Luna hanging from the ceiling inside a massive birdcage, bells jangling quietly on the bottom of the dangling prison as it swayed slowly back and forth.

Princess Luna appeared to be unconscious: her body was shifting and twitching every now and then, so she wasn't in the same state as the rest of the world around them was. Melinda herself seemed pleased to see them – and as calm and collected as ever – which made Cadence feel more uneasy than she wanted to admit: even if Melinda had help casting and maintaining whatever spell she had over Canterlot, how could she still be so... unfazed? “I'm glad to see you all made it, safe and sound. I was starting to get worried that dear Trixie had been too tough on you.”

She approached Thorn and smiled as he took her hoof almost before she could offer it, kissing it in a sign of respect before she kissed the air on either side of his face. But instead of letting him draw back, she caught him quickly before he could pull away, studying him intently before she murmured: “You're doing better, dear. I'm glad to see it. Although...”

She reached up, silently tracing under Thorn's missing eye, and then she clucked her tongue quietly before asking: “Would you like me to fix that for you, dear? I'm sure you have your own ways to deal with such things, but... I can't help but feel partially responsible for not being able to warn you about the halfbreed.”

“We consider that racist now, Melinda.” Thorn said gently, and Melinda gave a small smile and nod.

“Yes. Well, the old ways, as I say far too often, I know. But it's true: it's all still very much ingrained in me.” Melinda apologized with a bow of her head before her eyes roved towards Moonflower, adding kindly: “I heard that you did very well with Trixie, Moonflower. I would like to offer you some advice, dear, if you are willing to accept it, but I do not wish to impose.”

Moonflower looked blankly at Melinda, but he was spared the trouble of having to respond as Cadence stepped forwards and asked shortly: “What do you want with us?”

Thorn scowled slightly, but Melinda held up a hoof quickly, saying gently: “It's alright, dear. I suppose I deserve a bit of a scolding, after all I've put you through. I can understand being a bit... short-tempered, whether I like it or not. But of course, again, I think of the old days, when mares were seen, but not heard, and if they spoke they were always polite...”

Melinda smiled slightly, her eyes glinting strangely for a moment as she looked at Cadence. “But then again, I was never very fond of that rule myself.”

“Neither was my daughter.” Sombra said politely, stepping forwards and gently touching Cadence's shoulder as he bowed his head politely. “All the same. We offer our own apologies. We are simply... concerned.”

“And of course you have every right to be.” Melinda replied pleasantly, before she scowled slightly as her collar visibly steamed as the runes over it thrummed, absently reaching up to adjust it as she murmured: “Pardon me. I'm afraid that Loki is becoming rather obstinate.”

She closed her eyes for a moment, and the sense of magic coming from the collar dimmed before Melinda smiled and returned her eyes to the ponies. “Now. Where were we again?”

Cadence glowered, but with both her father and Thorn looking at her pointedly, she kept herself quiet. Melinda studied her almost curiously for a few moments, and then she turned her eyes towards Moonflower, who was looking uneasily at the mare. “You seem like you have a lot of questions, dear. Go ahead, ask the important ones.”

Moonflower shifted awkwardly, giving a lame smile before he began to look at Thorn, but Melinda gently caught him by the muzzle and turned him back to face her, saying kindly: “It's best not to always rely on the leadership of others, dear. Your questions are your own. Please ask them.”

The unicorn shifted back and forth awkwardly, and then he gave a lame giggle before he asked hesitantly: “Trixie is... your student?”

“Yes, my dear. And what a talented young mare she is!” Melinda said kindly, nodding to the stallion. “I found her and Veliuona on one of the islands in the Void. I had to separate the two precocious youth. Veliuona was not very interested in being helped in any way, shape, or form, but Trixie recognized me and was eager to experience what I had to offer.

“She has grown well since then. She has a great capacity for magic but a far greater thirst for knowledge, and that and her temperament are even more important than her power.” Melinda explained, before she glanced over at Thorn and said gently: “Again, I hope she wasn't too rough on you, but also that she remembered what we had discussed. Trixie has always been very high-energy.”

“She did, thank you.” Thorn said politely, before he asked: “It may not be polite, Melinda, but I have to be direct: why are you here?”

“I won't insult you by saying it's purely because of Loki. You know that I am very interested in you and your friends, Thorn Blackfeather, and I am curious if you will live up to the high expectations that Lady Hecate has for you.” Melinda replied gently, her eyes meeting Thorn's evenly. “You know that I am here to both teach you and to test you: if you truly desire to be the inheritors and the protectors of this universe, then you should be willing to prove your worth as such, no?”

“We've discussed this before. But even acting on a professional level I'm not sure I should be speaking for the intentions of either Queen Hecate or the Clockwork Empire as an entirety.” Thorn replied politely, and Melinda smiled at him.

“Well, Thorn Blackfeather, then what do you think?”

Thorn looked down for a moment at this, and then he hesitantly chewed on his lip before he finally looked up and said quietly: “I understand what you want to do. I'm just not certain it's the best use of our time.”

Melinda, however, smiled at him knowingly before she asked: “So would you prefer to be fighting actual threats, in that case? Because perhaps part of the reason I'm here is because I worry that you and yours aren't ready for some of Loki's more dangerous ilk... and I want to prepare you for when the inevitable day comes that you must confront him yourselves. Even if you can stop me, that's no promise that you can stop him... but at least we'll both be able to rest easy, knowing we prepared for it as much as possible.”

“And the Void is your home now. This universe is in our hooves, not yours.” Thorn said quietly, before he gave a faint, tired smile before he said honestly: “I'm so tired of all of this, Melinda. I don't want to do it anymore.”

It was such a blunt, bare, open statement coming from Thorn, making Cadence stare and La Croix and Moonflower both nearly gape, but Melinda only gently took Thorn's front hoof in both her own, smiling at him kindly as she said softly: “I know it's been hard for you. Especially for you, darling. But you know that just because you don't want something...”

“It doesn't mean I can just ignore it, I know. I appreciate your kindness, Melinda. The last thing I want to come across as is ungrateful.” Thorn said softly, although his eyes didn't quite rise back to hers. But Melinda only smiled at him, and Cadence wondered silently why Melinda was being so maternal with the stallion. “You still haven't entirely answered my question, however.”

“Acute as always, Thorn Blackfeather. I know that you've already dealt with Bondye, but I know you're not foolish enough to think that was all Loki was doing in that world. With Loki, everything has another layer to it: every plan is only the bridge to another.” Melinda explained quietly as she turned around and strode towards the throne, silently stroking a hoof along the furnishing as her eyes roved up to the cage above, where Luna hung, helpless and yet safe. “Even I am entirely unsure as to what Loki's plans are: but for as far-seeing and all-knowing as he is, he is also... childish.”

Melinda paused, then she turned back towards them with a small smile: “Your mother, Thorn Blackfeather, Hecate... is more than powerful enough to defeat Loki at his best. Even the powers of the Void and the Prime as they are, are no match for the Jötnar that Valthrudnir had become: the ironic 'safekeeper' of all these worlds he had sought to destroy, since who would dare to step foot in them, knowing such a danger was present?”

Melinda chuckled quietly, before Cadence couldn't help but ask: “If you believe that Hecate is strong enough to protect the worlds-”

“But I don't. I said that Hecate is strong enough to defeat Loki, dear, but the worlds are another matter, and not a matter for any one person to handle alone. Hecate has her own tests and torments to endure, of this, I can rest assured: power is not a happy thing, whatever you might believe.” Melinda said gently, smiling faintly at Cadence as she shook her head slowly, before she enunciated quietly: “What I have yet to see, is if you are capable of protecting these worlds. If this Orphanage... is truly what Hecate meant it to be. Or if you are all not Orphans, but only... children.”

Cadence scowled, but understood what Melinda was saying all the same, while Thorn glanced back at Moonflower and La Croix as they both shifted in embarrassment. But Sombra only smiled, saying with gentle but undeniable conviction: “I believe more in the ponies I have met in Hecate's care, and their dedication, than any others I have ever met. And that is no insult to the heroes, the champions, the lords and ladies who served beneath me: for never so much was asked of them as what has been asked of these ponies – and what they have risen to – every single day of their lives.”

Melinda chuckled quietly, before she countered gently: “And yet, still more might be asked of them yet. Will they be able to rise to that occasion as well?”

“I believe they will, signora.” answered the stallion without hesitation, and then he gestured gently at La Croix and Moonflower, saying softly: “My friends have already risen to face greater odds than I could have imagined possible. And if anything I am only ashamed of the fact that it has taken me this long to understand their true potential.”

Melinda smiled at this as both the stallions shifted in embarrassment, and then she sighed as the runes over her collar thrummed again, more insistently than they had before. “Pardon me. I'm afraid that Loki is losing his patience. He can't see us, of course: I have taken every precaution to ensure that. But he can likely tell from the lack of activity that I am disregarding his orders.”

Melinda paused, then she smiled before she gestured around at the throne room, saying gently: “I've evacuated this area of the castle, and put the rest of Canterlot into effective stasis. They won't interfere with us, and nor will we harm them. And the princess is safe, of course.”

“What have you done with the Tablet of Dreams?” Thorn asked, and Melinda smiled and shrugged.

“It lacked the power Loki was searching for, so I simply disenchanted it and left it aside.” she said casually, before she cocked her head as Moonflower visibly twitched. “Did I do something wrong?”

“It was... just... it was more than just a tablet to us, you know.” Moonflower said quietly after a moment, looking up and biting his lip. “Did he... I mean...”

“It was a tablet, dear. A construct mocking life through nothing more than a voice. You cannot tell me that the world has changed so much that we must treat even a piece of stone...” Melinda broke off at the look she was receiving, and then she sighed tiredly, looking perturbed even as she said finally: “I apologize. Once more, the world has changed... more than I expected.”

She looked at them almost suspiciously, as if waiting for one of them to reveal they were just teasing her, but Moonflower only shook his head before he suddenly leapt forwards and nearly knocked Thorn over as he blurted out: “What kind of world did you even come from, Melinda, to not be able to value something that speaks, that feels, that... that would have screamed when you started squeezing it with your magic! So what if he didn't have a face, or a-”

“He? I do not understand. Moonflower, dear, it was a piece of stone. A tablet with a false consciousness. Why would I feel bad about it?” Melinda seemed flabbergasted as she stared at Moonflower, as if she couldn't comprehend what he was saying. “I don't even understand your concern for your 'constructs,' but I honor them and at least attempt to be polite, but... I cannot understand showing concern over a silly piece of rock.”

“He was not a 'silly piece of rock!'” Moonflower shouted, before he winced when Thorn grasped him and almost yanked him backwards.

But the sapphire stallion had his eyes focused on Melinda, and Melinda frowned before Thorn asked quietly: “What do you mean, 'constructs?'”

“You know my feelings on your Dogmatist puppets, Thorn Blackfeather. I understand having 'friends' who are of lower caliber, and I will humor your beliefs and customs, but I still cannot fathom the idea of being 'equal' to something that was built in a lab. That makes it an experiment. Not a life.” Melinda said, and then she frowned slightly, tilting her head to the side as black veins visibly pulsed for a moment through Thorn's features as his teeth bared for a split second.

But Thorn visibly reined himself in, breathing slowly through his mouth before he turned his cold eyes towards Melinda, saying quietly: “As much as I respect you, I can't help but feel insulted, Melinda. The only thing that separates me from a Dogmatist, or even a Replicant, is that I was born-”

“Which makes all the difference, dear! Born things have souls.” Melinda said earnestly, leaning forwards with a smile and a shake of her head. “But things made from pieces do not. Golems do not. Constructs do not. They are merely puppets, animated by magic-”

“Perhaps people used to tell themselves that higher-functioning golems, that animals, that 'lesser races' do not have souls so they could feel less bad about playing with their lives and using them as slaves.” Thorn stated bluntly, and Melinda frowned at this, even as she looked stung, Cadence thought.

There was silence for a few moments, and then Melinda sighed as her collar thrummed again, reaching up to steady it before she said in a more businesslike voice: “Perhaps we should move on, before Loki sends someone to check up on us, or we delve too deeply into an emotional discussion we are both... invested in. I would rather not argue.”

Thorn bowed his head after a moment in agreement, and Melinda stepped backwards, measuring them anew with her eyes before she frowned when Moonflower stepped forwards, almost shakily stating: “I'll fight you.”

All eyes turned Moonflower in surprise, before La Croix said in a low voice: “Y'didn't get hit on the tête or anything, did you Moony? Because-”

“I can do this. I can do this.” Moonflower muttered in response, shaking his head quickly before he looked up at Melinda, challenging in as stable a voice as he could: “I... I defeated your student and... I will put a stop to you, too, Melinda the Sky Witch, for only a legend can defeat another legend and... and I am a legend here! I will... stop you!”

Melinda gave a thin smile, tilting her head slightly to the side to eye the stallion almost coldly before she asked calmly: “And what makes you think that I am interested in meeting such a challenge? You are not at my level, Moonflower. Even when I tested you before, all of you were unable to keep up with the gentlest of my magic. You do not even understand how to deny a hex.”

“Then fight me with magic alone! I mean... magic-magic not... hex-magic or... curse magic or whatever it is. A battle between two unicorns!” Moonflower almost pleaded, and Melinda studied him with a frown before the stallion stepped forwards and bowed his head as much as he could, mumbling: “Please.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then Melinda finally sighed before she nodded almost grudgingly, saying moodily: “Very well, Moonflower. Prove to me how much you have grown since last we met, then. I hope it is significant.”

“It is.” Moonflower promised, and Melinda finally seemed to smile a little before she twitched irritably when her collar glowed again, before she looked up in surprise when the stallion blurted: “Why do you wear that when you could just take it off?”

“Because I suppose... I do care more than I want to admit.” Melinda half-answered with a small smile, before she sighed as she straightened, saying quietly: “Step back, please.”

“Good luck, Moonflower. Melinda.” Thorn nodded politely to the mare, and Melinda nodded back to the stallion.

“Don't be stupid.” Cadence said finally as Sombra smiled and gently squeezed Moonflower's shoulder as La Croix gave him a hesitant smile, and Moonflower laughed awkwardly before he turned his eyes back towards Melinda as the group of ponies withdrew to the back of the throne room.

Melinda straightened calmly, and Moonflower winced as the first pulse of her magic echoed through the room, causing the floor to glow brilliantly as it was cleaned of dust and residue as the Mother of Witchcraft said calmly: “May we leave as friends.”

“Yes.” Moonflower said awkwardly, and then he bowed hurriedly, and Melinda gave a slight smile at this response.

“You're lucky you're very endearing, darling.” she chided gently, and then she shook her head before her horn glowed brightly as she said calmly: “When I first began to train Trixie, I allowed my magic to be seen as much as heard. I will do the same for you, Moonflower, although when we meet next, I hope that you will be strong enough to counter my magic without needing your hoof held.”

Moonflower opened his mouth to argue, and then he squawked as he was blasted off his hooves by an explosion of concussive force, landing with a squeak on his head before he fell to a prone position as Melinda sighed. “Dear, a foal should have been able to see that...”

She broke off with a frown before wincing in surprise when Moonflower popped to his hooves, straightening and shouting: “Your puny magic cannot hope to harm the impervious shell of the-”

Melinda flicked her horn, and Moonflower squeaked as he was blown into the air before Melinda caught him with a telekinetic sledgehammer and crushed him down into the ground, squishing him flat into the ground as the mare said dryly: “Trixie had much the same issue as you did, announcing her every attack, yelling and shouting all the time, and-”

Melinda suddenly stopped and cocked her head, frowning in surprise before she leapt backwards with a slight smile as a blast of black lightning ripped through the air where she had been standing a moment before, Moonflower rolling back to his hooves with a grimace as the Mother of Witchcraft said softly: “Impressive. It admittedly took Trixie quite a long time to understand that her bluster could be used to her advantage for more than... provocation.”

Melinda flicked her horn, but this time Moonflower lashed his own back and forth, dispelling the blasts of magic force before they could fully form before he sent out a blade of black energy, but Melinda easily dispelled this with a smile, saying kindly: “All missile attacks will be dispelled or negated, Moonflower. You haven't mastered shifting frequency.”

Moonflower replied to this by slashing his horn down, but the massive peal of lightning that stuck down from the air above Melinda was easily redirected with nothing but a wave of her horn, leaving scars along the earth next to her before it fizzled out as she said gently: “It will not work. You're too obvious. You should focus on grace, more than glory.”

The stallion began to focus, his horn thrumming with power, but Melinda only smiled, her eyes glinting ever-so-slightly, and yet every pony present felt that flex of power as Moonflower's eyes bulged before he suddenly fell forwards, gasping weakly as his limbs twitched uselessly at his sides. “You see? Focus is everything. One touch is all it takes.”

Moonflower struggled weakly as Cadence swore, starting forward, but Thorn quickly caught her as he said sharply: “Don't. This is not our fight.”

Cadence gritted her teeth as she looked at Thorn, but Thorn only continued to look ahead, his eyes locked on Moonflower as the stallion twitched on the ground. Melinda glanced up for a moment with sympathy, but then sighed as she returned her eyes to Moonflower, saying gently: “Well, dear, I do promise to at least make this quick...”

Her horn began to glow, before she looked up in surprise as that aura intensified suddenly and violently, shaking her head back and forth before Moonflower leapt up to his hooves and snapped his horn down, another volley of dark lightning exploding through the air, this time drawn to Melinda's horn like a lightning rod and driving her skidding back several feet before she snarled and snapped her head to the side, using raw force of magic to shatter the bond of magic.

She glared at Moonflower as he grinned at her, before he squawked in pain as he was blasted into the air by a wave of force, then slammed straight down-

Moonflower caught himself with magic before he could crash down onto his face, then he snapped his horn forward, and Melinda gaped in shock as the large unicorn in full armor came streaking towards her like a bullet before he smashed into her like a cannonball, knocking her bouncing backwards into the throne with a tremendous bang.

She fell prone for a moment, looking stupefied as Moonflower rolled backwards to his hooves before he snapped his horn out, and a black sphere formed around Melinda and the throne. But it only lasted a moment before the ball of energy was shattered to oblivion, Moonflower staggering with a curse before he stared at the sight of Melinda, who was hovering in the air, her mane twisting like serpents, her whole body thrumming with limitless magical power.

She looked irritated, if anything, expression cold and contemptible, but she spoke in an even voice as Moonflower stared up at her with undeniable fear: “Don't worry, dear. I'm not as annoyed with you as I am with myself. But I assure you. I won't be struck by such an impish attack again.”

Moonflower began to lean forwards, then gasped in shock as he was immediately driven face-first into the ground by a surge of magic that nearly crushed the life out of him. He struggled against the bands of energy that seized around his body, then gasped as the magic became a powerful tentacle of thrumming lightning that hefted him into the air, before the lightning transformed into a twisting coil of crystal that left Moonflower helpless and suspended before the floating Melinda.

She studied him intently, and Moonflower gritted his teeth and leaned back slightly at the psychic intrusion he felt before he shoved violently back at the telepathic claws, and Melinda's eyes widened in surprise, head wrenching back as she grasped at her skull. Her magic fluctuated, enough for Moonflower to immediately snap his horn out and shatter the crystal pinning him.

He dropped to the ground as Melinda swayed in midair with a grimace, then she steadied herself as Moonflower's magic blasted past her, the stallion staring stupidly as his attempt to reverse gravity accomplished absolutely nothing.

“A nice try, dear, but your gravity magic can't affect me when I'm already in defiance of it.” Melinda said gently, before she flicked her horn calmly, and Moonflower gritted his teeth as he felt gravity simply vanish from around him, sending him floating freely into the air. “How will you deal with this?”

Moonflower's eyes widened as he felt the air itself escaping from him, starting to suffocate as he looked fearfully over his shoulder, but his friends were all still only standing, watching him, unharmed. It made him both relieved and further panicked: if Melinda was really powerful enough to manipulate the world around her with that much control and precision, then how could he possibly...

“If you fail, Moonflower, it's because you gave up, not because Melinda beat you!” shouted Thorn, snapping Moonflower back to reality. “Fight!”

Melinda frowned, before she grimaced and leaned back slightly in surprise as Moonflower snapped his horn out, protecting himself within a bubble of air, her eyes widening slightly in surprise before the stallion lashed his horn forwards, sending another blast of gravity magic towards her.

The mare deflected the blast with ease, before she scowled ever so slightly as it created another sphere around her, trying to create a cage to crush her inside of. But with only a wave of her hoof, the magic was completely dispelled-

A second rush of magic hammered into her, and Melinda gasped in pain and surprise as she was slammed face-first down into the ground, then hauled off her hooves and flung into the ceiling with enough force to crack the cement above and make Luna's cage bounce and jangle. The Mother of Witchcraft was stunned by the force of the blow, enough that she lost concentration on her magic, and Moonflower snapped his horn down even as he fell out of the air as gravity abruptly returned, focusing all the power he could into sending Melinda rocketing straight down and smashing through the foot-thick stone floor.

Dust and debris filled the air as Moonflower wheezed loudly, then he squawked in pain as an invisible force seized him, hefting up into the air before he howled in misery when electricity exploded across his body, nearly searing his skin to his armor as Melinda said softly: “Congratulations. You successfully injured me. It will not happen again.”

Moonflower was slung to the ground by that invisible force: it wasn't telekinesis, because he could still feel it, gripping into him, making it hurt where it felt like claws were holding him as Melinda calmly floated up through the hole, her mane disheveled, her expression unreadable as her cold eyes measured Moonflower callously, as that force firmly began to twist as it crushed down on him. “Do you think that it was a wise choice, Moonflower, to try and fight me? Do you think you are anywhere near my level? Did you even consider the consequences for your own actions, your own behaviors?”

Moonflower howled in misery as one of his legs twisted violently, shattering at the shoulder, then again at the elbow. He spasmed helplessly on the ground beneath what felt like ten thousand tons of pressure and magical fury, his eyes rolling in his head as he struggled to push back against the force of magic crushing around him as Melinda continued, calm and ruthless: “I am your enemy, Moonflower. Did you think that because of your potential I would shy away from treating you as such? Our desires are, must be, superseded by our duties. Only the strong survive, Moonflower! Only the strongest survives!”

Moonflower choked and heaved foam as the pressure crushed around his throat, eyes rolling in his head, limbs flexing and spasming uselessly, his broken leg kicking weakly out over and over again. He spasmed, maddened and lost in the pain and the inevitability on oncoming, rushing, crushing death, his jaws working helplessly, staring sightlessly, helplessly out at Melinda as she wavered only for a moment before-

Melinda flinched backwards in surprise as something struck her, her eyes widening as she looked up in disbelief even as she naturally reflected the feeble attempted hex. She looked at Thorn, but Thorn glared back at her before she scowled when a blast of white light washed over Moonflower, knocking him rolling painfully forwards but banishing the invisible beasts that had been tormenting him, as La Croix quickly dropped to his friend's side to start mending his broken limb and Toad scrambled worriedly over to his friend and master. “I did not expect such rudeness from you.”

“You summoned assistance, breaking the rules of the duel, Melinda. No assistance from any source.” Thorn replied, and Melinda sighed in exasperation as she dropped to the ground, the hole in the floor instantly mending beneath her.

“Is that your excuse, dear? Because I do not consider that to be 'assistance.' I consider that to be nothing more than an extension of my magic.” Melinda said contemptibly. “They are not intelligent. They are not sentient. They are puppets, nothing more. And if I am to entertain the fallacious beliefs about your robots, I would ask that you entertain my beliefs about-”

“Your own 'fallacious beliefs?'” Thorn interrupted, and Melinda looked less-than-pleased: on the one hoof, Cadence was glad to see Thorn standing up to the Mother of Witchcraft for them, but on the other... I'm not sure she's someone we really want to piss off. “They were not merely extensions of magic. They were separate entities; even puppeted, they were not generated by you but foreign entities brought from an outside source for assistance, when this was inferred from the start as single combat.”

“Talk in all the broad, fancy terms you like, dear, but it does not change the truth of the matter., that you have stepped in and broken the laws of the duel.” Melinda snorted in disdain, stepping forward as she narrowed her eyes at Thorn, focused on him and only him: which was good for the moment, as Cadence prowled slowly to the side of the throne room to try and flank her as La Croix continued to patch up Moonflower. “In the old days we would see oathbreakers branded as outlaw, and to be put to death would be a welcome mercy!”

“Mi signora, your days were lived long before any of ours, except perhaps my daughter. And I say again, 'perhaps,' for who knows how the flow of time has lain?” Sombra interrupted politely, leaning forwards and bowing his head humbly. “Let us settle this through diplomacy, not threats and-”

“The time for diplomacy is over.” Melinda stated, voice cutting through them like a chilling razor in its finality. “Those without honor-”

“Are outlaw, and doomed to ruin.” Thorn finished calmly, then he stepped forwards and sharply bowed, exposing the back of his neck, and Melinda grimaced but quickly dropped her own head, with maybe the slightest flush at her collar, like a filly caught with her hoof in the candy jar. “May your victory be swift.”

“And the outcome certain. And pardon me. Allowing my temper to get the better of me is my own folly.” Melinda said almost humbly, although there was a strange mix of bitterness and amusement in her voice too, Cadence thought.

The two straightened, and just like when they had first fought, they both leapt into action, except this time what passed between them was invisible and yet not intangible. A massive sense of force and frustration whiplashed between the two, before Melinda's muzzle quirked in the slightest of smiles, asking: “So are you our savior?”

Thorn began to step forwards, and then he blanched as he was hefted into the air by telekinesis before Melinda slung him savagely sideways, sending him crashing through the wall of the throne room as she said in an almost disappointed voice: “Apparently not. My apologies, darling, I keep forgetting how low your level of magic output is.”

“You leave him alone!” Moonflower shouted as he shoved himself up to his hooves, and Melinda glanced up in surprise a moment before his childish but ferocious attack struck her, blasting her off her hooves with a thunderous burst of gravitational energy.

Before she could recover, Moonflower caught her in midair and tried to slam her down into the ground, but Melinda dispelled the bands of magic around her before she dropped not onto the floor, but instead into a rift in reality, reappearing directly behind Moonflower before she focused in on him. But to her surprise, her hex was rebuffed before Moonflower awkwardly tried to kick backwards, managing to just smack her in the face with one hoof.

She stumbled in shock, grasping at her muzzle and mouthing wordlessly a moment before Cadence came out of nowhere, slamming a hoof into the back of Melinda's head and shoving her face-first into the ground with a tremendous crash. The Swan was merciless, stomping down on the back of Melinda's head before she yanked her up by the mane and slammed her other hoof once, twice, thrice across her face, then she picked her up and snapped her neck in one fluid motion.

Melinda gargled, her eyes wide with disbelief and horror more than pain before she yelped when Cadence seized her around the barrel before the winged unicorn kicked off the ground as hard as she could, launching herself up towards the ceiling with a boom of force at her passage.

She slammed Melinda back-first into the roof, then landed a volley of punches against her body before Cadence seized the witch by the shoulders and flipped around, forcefully trading positions with the Voidborn unicorn before she kicked savagely downwards, sending Melinda rocketing straight down through the air to slam into the floor with enough force to crack cement and shake the entire structure. Melinda groaned weakly as she clawed at the floor, before she screamed in agony when Cadence dropped on top of her, her back loudly shattering, and she simply... dissolved?

Cadence was left standing stupidly on top of broken floor, before she looked up with a snarl as unharmed Melinda stepped out from behind a pillar, the unicorn eyeing her almost disapprovingly as she said coldly: “Well, with behavior like that, I can see why Loki wants your 'assistance' so badly. But I do not have time for brutes.”

Cadence felt the force of magic wash over her, before she trembled as a sudden desire filled her mind: one that she knew was terrible and awful and wrong, and yet it spoke to her on a primal level as she looked down at the dagger that had magically found its way to her hoof, her mouth going dry as she thought what a wonder, what a bliss, what a relief it would be to plunge it into her own throat, and let the red flow out and the great escape of nothing flow in. To have an answer to the greatest of mysteries: would the power of annihilation defeat the power of rebirth?

Cadence tilted her head back, spinning the dagger around and deaf to the reactions of her friends, her family, before her eyes widened in surprise as a claw seized her wrist and another grasped her shoulder, a masked face leaning down beside her ear to whisper: This is not the way.

Then the Swan was gone, and Cadence gasped for breath as she stumbled backwards, Melinda quirking an eyebrow in surprise before she started to open her mouth-

Magic erupted through the air, and Melinda swore in frustration as she was blasted backwards by a massive thrum of gravitational force, gritting her teeth as she skidded to a halt before Moonflower followed up with another blast of power.

Melinda deflected it off to the side, the wave of gravity shattering a pillar into shreds: she caught the rocky debris in her telekinetic grip before she snapped her horn out, sending a storm of shale and shrapnel towards Moonflower, but the stallion deflected it with a shield of black energy as he shouted: “I am your opponent, Melinda! Leave my friends out of this!”

The Mother of Witchcraft scowled as she flicked her horn, transforming Moonflower's shield from black energy to black ice, and the stallion plowed face-first into it with a thunk as she scolded: “The only thing you have managed to prove, Moonflower, is how little you are up to the task. You cannot even-”

Moonflower blasted the shield of ice apart, then flung the frozen shrapnel at Melinda, but the mare easily dissolved the frosty shards before they could hammer into her, snorting in contempt before she cried out in agony when a blast of white flame smashed into the side of her face, knocking her off-balance for long enough that Cadence was able to dash in and slam a hoof into the side of her neck to crush her against the wall, the ivory mare snarling before she laid in with a series of vicious strikes.

Cadence saw the thrum before the shockwave of magic struck her, giving her just enough time to steady herself against the blast so she could catch herself when the force of magic flung her away. She started to lunge forward again, but Melinda vanished from the spot and reappeared on the far side of the throne room, saying shortly: “I won't let that happen again.”

Cadence began to lunge, before she swore as a ripple passed through reality, a moment before the floor beneath them cracked apart and exploded into floating islands of stone and cement, the mare's eyes widening in shock as she looked past them to see nothing but floating, wild color and light. And as the world trembled, the walls around them shattered and peeled away, becoming nothing but dust as La Croix shouted: “Careful, mon amies! We be trapped in some kind o' rift!”

“That is correct. I've displaced reality here.” Melinda said calmly, and Cadence looked up in shock to see the mare was now calmly sitting in the throne, even though a moment ago she had been dozens of feet away, near the far corner of the throne room. But that was the least strange of things, as the ceiling crumbled into dust, but the cage holding Luna only began to float slowly and serenely around the arena, in complete defiance of gravity, along with the remains of several broken pillars.

Except when Cadence tried to move, she felt a strange weight in her body, like she was glued to the platform. She jumped all the same, but came down with a painful thud immediately, her wings unable to catch the air- “This is beyond you. This is beyond where brutality can succeed.”

A blast of magic slammed into Cadence, then hauled her into the air before slamming her down into the ground. She vomited blood from the force of impact before La Croix leapt over her, throwing out a burst of powder that banished the malicious spirits augmenting Melinda's telekinetic force as he shouted: “She got some kind of nasty voodoo-”

“Coursers, eliminate him.” Melinda said ruthlessly, and La Croix stared as reality erupted in front of him, black skeletons of horses wreathed in hellfire ripping into this hellscape reality, screaming as they dove at him-

Sombra appeared in front of La Croix, creating a wall of black crystal that the skeletons uselessly exploded against as he said quietly: “Nightmares.”

“Ain't Nightmares. I seen Nightmares. Those things ain't it.” whispered La Croix as he grasped at his chest, trembling a little as he stared at the cracked wall of black crystal, and Melinda laughed quietly from the throne as she shook her head slowly.

“Yes. But I called them Nightmares. In my day, the beasts you now know as Nightmares we simply called Black Spirits.” Melinda said quietly, before she continued softly: “But they are not Horses of Hell, any more than they are muddled, emotional spirits. They are something... different. Lesser and morer.”

Melinda slipped out of the throne, before she frowned as Moonflower caught her eye as he hopped and scrabbled up onto another floating island of stone, saying in a shaky but determined voice: “We're not done yet! I... I refuse to be afraid of you!”

“I am not interested in your fear. At this point, I am not even interested in your respect.” Melinda answered, before she stretched a hoof towards him, and Cadence's eyes widened in shock as four of Melinda's Nightmares appeared in midair above Moonflower, circling greedily once before they all dove down together, their flames burning blacker for a moment before they crashed down and exploded in a tremendous gout of black hellfire.

Cadence snarled and leapt immediately to the next island, ignoring both La Croix and her father as her eyes flashed, feeling the Swan opening up her senses as Melinda looked towards her. The witch spoke, calm and cold, but Cadence didn't hear her words: instead, she saw the ways her eyes flicked back and forth, felt the thrum of energy as Nightmares appeared with giggles and cackles, ripping into this reality from the hellhole they had spawned out of-

Cadence leapt to the side as Nightmares smashed into the island she had been on a moment before and the one directly in front of her, and then she sprung up to a floating pillar, charging along it and ignoring the hell-beasts sweeping past her before she leapt off the end of the stone column, streamlining her body as she dove straight towards Melinda.

Melinda scowled up at the ivory mare as eight Nightmares exploded into being around her, all of them lunging him with shrieking screams, and Cadence snarled before her entire body glowed with white light as they smashed into her from all sides in an explosion of dark fire. For a moment, there was nothing, only smoke and swirling black flame, and then a streak of white light shot out of the cloud and tackled Melinda with enough force to smash her through the throne, the witch gasping in shock as she was slammed down onto her back before she screamed in agony and disbelief when Cadence's long daggers pierced her shoulders and pinned her into the ground.

Cadence's front hooves burst into white flame before she began to slam punch after punch down into Melinda's shocked features, sending up bursts of steaming energy as the Swan said coldly: “We are stronger than the castoff of the Underworld. We have grown stronger. You have only grown more arrogant.”

Melinda snarled, then snapped her horn forwards before another punch could collide with her muzzle, and Cadence was blasted into the air before a team of Nightmares ripped into reality around her, cackling as thorny, dark vines tore out of their bodies and seized around Cadence's limbs and body, pinning her as they charged swiftly away into the swirling, brightly-colored nothingness with the mare trapped between them.

Moonflower's eyes widened in shock, before he looked up as Melinda wrenched herself off the ground, tearing the daggers out of her body and tossing them down as she breathed hard, disheveled and furious and fuming energy. Every breath out sent out a gust of smog, her eyes blazing, her mane floating as static energy rippled across her body as she snarled: “Well, if you wanted to make me angry, you have succeeded!”

“We want to stop this. This does no benefit any of us.” Sombra said calmly as he stepped forwards, La Croix nervously lingering behind him. “You-”

“Silence.” Melinda said coldly, and Sombra flinched as his horn sparked with painful magic before he gasped, his body thinning rapidly, his features becoming tense and pale as the purifier on his back whirred violently, sparking as the mechanism went into overdrive. “Step aside, old baron. You are weak.”

“Yes. I am. But I will fight, all the same.” Sombra replied as steadily as he could, trying to gather up his magic, but it was useless. Not just because the purifier was going into overdrive, but Melinda was damping his magic, making it impossible for him to concentrate any of his powers.

Yet all the same, he pushed back as calmly and strongly as he could, and Melinda scowled as she focused in further on him for a moment before her eyes suddenly flicked to the side as La Croix appeared beside her, flinging a bottle towards her-

The bottle halted in midair, then simply disintegrated, La Croix staggering back a step before he gasped and grasped at his throat, eyes bulging as he began to choke. He fell forwards, mouth working wordlessly, eyes rolling helplessly up towards her as she loomed over him and said in a soft, disdainful voice: “Well, it seems even your kind are not immune to my persuasion.”

La Croix clenched his eyes shut, struggling to breathe, and Melinda studied him callously for a few moments: she knew that it wasn't the lack of air that would kill the Loa, but cutting off the flow of blood and energy in his body, which had apparently decided to manifest itself as suffocation.

Melinda smiled thinly, then, without looking up, she caught a blast of gravity magic against her hoof before she frowned slightly: she ignored Moonflower as he yelled at her, instead studying the roiling sphere of gravitational energies in her hoof: why was it so hard for her to counter? Why wasn't she able to lock on to Moonflower's magic the way she was with any other unicorn?

She began to turn her attention towards him, then gasped in shock as the orb of condensed magic exploded in her hoof, knocking her skidding sideways before she leapt up into the air and caught herself, floating above the broken remains of the throne.

Moonflower leapt to another island so he was directly facing her, glaring up at her almost challengingly, and Melinda smiled thinly before her eyes flashed. But Moonflower only shivered, then he shook his head vehemently before he glared up at her, and Melinda's eyes became less cruel and more measuring as she said quietly: “There was no pressure in that hex. If I wanted to make you kill yourself, I could still do it easily. Do not congratulate yourself so lightly.”

“I'm not congratulating myself at all, Melinda. I'm... I'm standing up to you.” Moonflower said firmly, leaning forward and shaking his head vehemently. “I'm not afraid of you!”

“You should be.” Melinda said, sounding almost disappointed, and then she simply gestured at him, and four Nightmares erupted out of the air and shot down towards the stallion-

Moonflower slashed his horn out, and a shockwave of magic pounded the four monstrosities backwards with shrieks, the eruptions of magic and black fire from her destroyed Nightmares washing over her harmlessly. She remained floating, scowling and bleeding energy before she frowned slightly as she reached up and touched her breast even as Moonflower shouted at her, some threat or promise... “I'm afraid I have no more time to waste.”

Melinda rose her head high, her collar sparking violently before it shattered into pieces, and Moonflower staggered backwards in shock as Melinda spread her forelegs wide, her whole body suddenly glowing with energy as she summoned up all her reserves of power. Yet even as she did, the steam of energy bleeding out of her wounds intensified, her form smoldering and starting to char away with the pulse of power thrumming through her.

Moonflower staggered backwards, gaping in terror, the crystalline insulation of his armor pulsing erratically before the magical stone shorted out and caused the armor plating across his body to crack and crumble. He shook his head in gibbering, wordless denial as he stared up at her, at the raw power she was putting out before he gasped in pain as a force of indescribable magic tore across him, burning the armor plating away from his body and leaving him naked and vulnerable, trembling and struggling not to piss himself in fear.

The Mother of Witchcraft glared down at him, the feeble, the failure, the fraud, and Moonflower trembled. There were no more challenges, no words, no speeches: this was true power. This was a strength that did not have to speak. This was the beast who did not have to bark.

Melinda blasted him backwards with little more than a thought, Moonflower hurtling helplessly into the air before he simply fell. He smashed down, back-first, into an island, bouncing high into the air off it before the cement shattered away to nothing beneath him, leaving him falling into a void-

La Croix tackled Moonflower out of the way and into another island, but then he gave a raspy howl as a Nightmare swept down and smashed into him, carrying him away before it exploded in a black blast that knocked the Loa flying into the air, only for another two Nightmares to appear above him and smash themselves bodily into the zebra, cackling even as they exploded and sent the Loa rocketing straight down into the ground. But La Croix was saved by a pale Sombra, who narrowly managed to fling himself beneath the zebra and catch him with a gasp of pain.

Moonflower stared at his friends, before his eyes widened in horror as Melinda simply shattered the island beneath them and sent them tumbling into the abyss. He leapt forwards, but Melinda's magic caught him and forcibly spun him around, levitating him in front of her as she said quietly: “They are gone. All of them. Now surrender, and you will be, too.”

Moonflower trembled for a moment, and then he snarled through the tears forming in his eyes before he shouted furiously: “Never! I'll make you give them back!”

“There is no 'giving back.' They are gone.” Melinda retorted cruelly, as she flung Moonflower backwards, sending him crashing and bouncing across an island of broken cement before she pointed at him, and Nightmares ripped through reality, lunging down with cackling laughs, smashing into Moonflower and the island to shatter pieces of it away and burn and injure the stallion. “They are gone. You are a failure. The old ways may be cruel, but I understand better now that they are right: defects like you... faults in nature... should be exterminated, hold no hope. There is no hope for our world. There is no hope for any of the worlds; the only future lies in the Void. And when Loki makes everything nothing, when the Prime destroys everything and itself, perhaps-”

Melinda was cut off as a surge of power smashed up through her Nightmares, knocking several of them off-course, magic coursing over them before they exploded in great geysers of black flame. The mare narrowed her eyes in surprise as she saw Moonflower below, snarling up at her as tears spilled down his cheeks, the stallion rearing back on his hooves as he roared: “I will still fight for them! I will fight for my world! I won't let you win!”

Black and purple might swirled along Moonflower's horn before he snapped his horn towards her, and Melinda's eyes widened as a beam of hellish black with a malicious violet core shot through the air. She immediately shoved both hooves down, channeling all her power into countering the ray of not-energy with her own magic, augmented further by a stampede of Nightmares that ripped out of reality all around her, charging heedlessly into the face of the onrushing beam and using their bodies and the immense dark magic stored within them to try and drown it.

But the beam was too powerful: it pushed forwards all the same against the onslaught, Melinda's eyes widening further in disbelief as magic unlike anything she had ever felt pushed up towards her, backed by Moonflower's rage and sorrow and all that raw emotion that was burning off him, as he culled energy from every part of his body and focused it all into the intense ray of destruction. She felt her body weakening, felt her form beginning to give out under the pressure of fighting back against the magic as she shook her head in mute disbelief, before she desperately flung herself downward even as she poured all her magic into not stopping the beam, but deflecting it-

There was a bright flash, and Moonflower flinched backwards with a gasp before he stumbled and collapsed on his side, breathing hard. He blinked a few times, then looked slowly up in disbelief to see his friends laying around him, bruised and battered and beaten, but... all alive. All okay.

He leapt to his hooves, laughing weakly as he looked back and forth in confusion: but everything was okay. There wasn't a single sign of damage to the throne room, and Thorn was already on his hooves and standing over... Melinda.

Moonflower staggered towards her, not knowing whether he wanted to snarl or smile, but then he stumbled to a stop and stared down in disbelief as he saw almost half of the Mother of Witchcraft's body was simply... missing. She smiled faintly up at him, one of her hooves gently held in both of Thorn's: her only remaining hoof, he realized. The rest of her legs had shattered away, like broken glass, leaving only jagged, energy-bleeding remnants behind.

“I apologize.” she said honestly, and Moonflower blinked before Melinda whispered: “I have always had such... a terrible temper. I have always been... very hard on ponies. The Void did not do much to temper me, I am afraid, as much as it did teach me patience, for... I cannot harm my students there. I forget... how soft, how brittle, ponies are. And I forget... how it is that mortality... that makes you and yours so strong.

“You have much to learn, Moonflower. You are not yet ready, and I will come and test you again in the future, but... you have focus. You have passion. And you have friends, which I... underestimated. I never had... many friends.” Melinda smiled faintly, whispering, as her eyes traveled to Thorn: “And you should learn the value of that, too. I used to mock 'friendship.' I'm sure you did, too. But... we are the fools. We are the weak ones. Or... were. I am getting stronger. I am sure that you are, too, my darling.”

Thorn answered by gently kissing Melinda's hoof, and the mare laughed faintly before she turned her eyes towards Moonflower, who asked weakly: “Why? Why do all this? Why...”

“Because you must be ready. I cannot defend you. I cannot defend the worlds I am no longer part of, that I have no more vested interest in.” Melinda smiled faintly, shaking her head slowly before she closed her eyes as her head drifted to the side, sighing softly as she murmured: “I will return to the Void. I will... continue to keep an eye on Loki. It will only be a brief breath, don't worry. I just need... to go home, for a little while.”

Thorn nodded, then looked pointedly at Moonflower, making him fall silent before the sapphire stallion returned his eyes to Melinda, saying quietly: “We both acted out of anger. Let this be a lesson to us both.”

“Don't be so diplomatic, Thorn... it doesn't always... do favors...” Melinda murmured, before she sighed softly as she tilted her head back, her body shattering away into motes of dust that floated silently into the air, her voice echoing softly around them as the last of her essence faded: “Even here, in the Nothing, there is Something... perhaps it is in this emptiness, where we can find true, infinite possibility... if only we can dare to face ourselves...”

Silence fell, and Moonflower breathed softly in and out before he turned to look at Thorn, trembling for a moment as Thorn sat with his head lowered in thought, until he looked up and gave Moonflower the briefest of smiles.

Moonflower shook for a moment longer, then he lunged forwards and kissed him firmly, and Thorn smiled again as he returned the kiss, his eyes not entirely closing before he gently reached up and pushed Moonflower back, murmuring softly: “I'm glad to see you, too. But we still have a job to finish.”

“Yes. Y-Yes, of course.” Moonflower blushed and smiled in embarrassment even as he shifted uncomfortably away, before he looked up with immediate gratitude and relief when Thorn gently brushed a hoof along the back of his neck and gently adjusted his necklace. “I'm... I'm sorry about the armor.”

“It's fine. You're in one piece. That's what matters.” Thorn said quietly, even as he turned his attention towards the cage above, and Moonflower blushed deeply and nodded hurriedly before the sapphire stallion glanced back and called clearly: “Sound off!”

Cadence mumbled something grumpily from the floor as she slowly pushed her aching body up to her hooves, and Sombra smiled faintly as La Croix grumbled from beside him, nervously adjusting the purifier as he grumbled: “Y'know, y'should really be the one doin' this, Thorn, I bet you a whole lot better at it than I am.”

“Alright.” Thorn said after a moment, turning to approach, and La Croix looked up with an awkward smile that was a mix of embarrassed and relieved as the stallion approached, studying the control panel that La Croix had exposed.

“You have it set correctly to gear down, it's just been overcharged by Melinda's magic. We can't do much apart from waiting.” Thorn said after a moment, as he closed the control panel before calling up a holographic screen, reviewing the statistics that scrawled over it before he frowned as the image filled with static.

“I will be fine, thank you. Mi amore, are you alright?” Sombra asked, and Cadence grunted before she sighed as she pushed herself up from the ground, smiling awkwardly into her father's pale features.

She ached, sure. And she felt as if she should have done better. But she didn't think she had been hurt: the Nightmares had flung her into the whirling colors of the nothingness, but in the end, here she was. Safe and sound, and her daggers were right here in front of her.

She scooped them up and holstered them both as she mumbled: “Embarrassed, I guess. I feel like...”

She frowned uneasily as something painfully pulsed in her head, and the Swan went rigid inside of her: did that mean there was another threat? Was it Halfdragon?

“What is it?” Thorn asked quickly, as he tried to recalibrate the Mission Drive built into his leg.

La Croix looked up with a frown, and Moonflower shifted nervously, looking back and forth as he asked worriedly: “Is she still here? Is Halfdragon here now? What's going on?”

Cadence shook her head as Sombra looked uneasily at his daughter, and the mare opened her mouth, before her eyes widened in disbelief as the Swan suddenly seized control of her, wrenching her head around as the Swan forced her to see.

“Horses of Heaven.” Cadence whispered, and then she spun towards Thorn and shouted: “We have to run!”

Thorn frowned, a moment before the world began to shake, the stallion staggering with a grunt of surprise before he stepped quickly to the side with a grimace as the thin chain holding the cage suspended above snapped, sending it crashing to the ground.

Princess Luna snapped awake a moment before she was flung face-first through the cage door as it popped off, yelping s she hit the ground, and Cadence swore as she wrestled control back, grabbing the Princess and hauling her up to her hooves as she shouted: “Come on, come on, we have to go!”

“Cadence what are you-” Thorn grunted as he was almost flung off his hooves as the floor cracked and shifted beneath their hooves, dust hailing down from the ceiling as the world shook. He swore and grabbed at his mechanical limb as his mechanical armor squealed, feedback pulsing painfully through his damaged helmet.

Sombra gritted his teeth as he felt his purifier stutter and spark on his back, and La Croix grabbed at himself with a wince of shock as he flickered in and out of reality even as he fell with a painful thump on his side. Moonflower gasped as pain raced down his spine and over his horn, as he felt a strange, numbing, crushing weight on all sides- “Oh no, no! No!”

It was impossible, but he recognized it. He recognized that feeling, that sense of everything rushing away as he looked up almost desperately, before he cried out in pain, and terror, and despair, as the rear wall of the throne room shattered before it was sucked violently backwards by a swirling singularity of white, a hole in reality that was greedily devouring the world around them, that led directly into the Void.

Cadence stared in horror at the pulsating Nothingness stretching towards them, and Moonflower cried out, in wordless misery and fear, stumbling backwards before Thorn staggered in front of the group and shouted: “Go! We have to run, now!”

But it was useless, Cadence knew: even as they turned and ran, they could feel the world, reality itself tearing apart around them, shattering, devoured into the Void. Eaten up by the singularity that was both so distant and oh so very close, breathing greedily down their necks, shattering away the world behind them as they fled...

And above, Loki watched, standing on a broken island of rock and earth that had come untethered from the planet. He crossed his arms, eyes trailing after the ponies as they ran: not that there was anywhere to go. The planet's core had already been devoured by the largest singularity, and the other holes in reality were just speeding the process up. This planet was dead, and soon, Hecate's precious little children would be too.

He smiled thinly, then frowned in surprise as a rift ripped open beside him, Melinda storming out onto the island. Loki gave a wry grin at this, tilting his head towards her and remarking: “Well, just couldn't keep away, could-”

“Stop this, Loki. Stop this immediately. This is too much, too far!” Melinda hissed, glaring into the man's eyes, and Loki gave her a mocking smile that didn't do much to hide the way he nervously shifted backward. “This is not what was planned!”

“It's not enough. I was considering doing this to all the worlds, but I don't get enough energy from the harvested souls. Opening holes to the Void is-”

“You will cease this immediately, Loki, or I will put a stop to it and then I will put a stop to you!” Melinda suddenly roared as she reared up, her eyes blazing with hellish light, her mane twisting around her head like living serpents, and Loki squeaked as he fell back on his rump and scrambled away from the mare fearfully.

Melinda snarled furiously as she stepped forwards, veins pulsing through her coat, her whole body thrumming with hellish energy as steam burst out of her nostrils. Loki winced away from her as she leaned threateningly over him, before the mare suddenly stepped back and said coldly and contemptibly: “Give them a chance. You are above this. You promised me you were above this.”

“Promises were made to be broken.” Loki muttered, but then he grimaced as he shoved himself up to his hooves, before he winced when Melinda seized his arm with magic, leaning back slightly but unable to pull away; or rather, not wanting to risk it. He wasn't nearly at his full strength right now, and even if he became the Prime, Melinda knew all his strengths and all his weaknesses...

“Fix this.” Melinda ordered, and Loki gave a theatrical sigh before he snapped his fingers, grimacing slightly as the rips in reality sewed themselves shut. Not that it would do much good, he thought, as he looked down at the world below: a world that had cracked and shattered apart, over the face of which countless lives had been lost and countless more would yet die, nothing left but shattered islands of cities and dying nature...

Melinda nodded to him once, then she vanished from the spot, and Loki put his hands in his pockets before he muttered: “Not worth the effort, anyway. I still have to heal. I have all the time in the world. No need to rush now, here at the end of it all. I just need to be patient. Time is on my side, not theirs. Remember that. Silly.”

Loki absently slapped at his own cheek a few times as a rift opened behind him, before he slowly slipped backwards into this, muttering: “Patience, patience, patience... no one can touch me in the Void, and I have all the time in the universe to heal...”

Melinda, meanwhile, had reappeared on a floating chunk of street, where Moonflower was curled up in the fetal position, whimpering and shaking his head in disbelief. The rest of Team 0-0 were scattered around this island and another, but they were confused and lost: there was no gravity, no sense of up or down, no atmosphere: there was just the floor beneath your feet, and if you were unlucky enough to step off that... the great, dark nothing.

“Moonflower! You have to restore some form of order to this world!” Melinda said sharply, and Moonflower blinked several times before he looked up at the mare, staring at her as if he couldn't see her, right until she slapped him firmly, making him squawk and rear up in surprise. “There is no core, no axis, and the Void that has leaked into the world has corrupted the natural laws of the universe. But you can fix it!”

“I... what? H-How, no... I'm not... you fix it! You did this!” Moonflower shouted, before his eyes widened in shock as Melinda tackled him and slammed him down on his back, glaring down at him furiously.

“I did not!” she shouted, and then she closed her eyes, took a slow breath, and repeated quietly: “I did not. I am trying to help you. But this is not my world and my magic is not enough to restore this. But yours is. You can give some sense back to this world: not enough to fix it forever, but enough to stabilize it, to stop the atmosphere from fleeing, to save the few lives you can. Do you want to save them, Moonflower? Or do you want to leave them to die?”

Moonflower trembled, before he nodded and asked weakly: “What do I do?”

“Trust.” Melinda answered with a faint smile as she held a hoof out to him, and the stallion took it, letting her heft him up to his hooves before she guided him to the edge of the stone island and pointed down, past shale and stone and broken, naked earth. “Your magic was not given to you to destroy. Now use it, as it was meant to be used.”

Moonflower stared down into the mix of blank space and chaos and nothingness. He stared into the abyss, until the abyss gazed back into him: he stretched down, and the darkness opened its arms for him, waiting, praying, asking for an answer.

And before he could hesitate, Moonflower gave it.