Decretum

by BlackRoseRaven

Determined Damnation

Chapter Seventy One: Determined Damnation
~BlackRoseRaven

“We can do this! We have to do this!” Twilight Sparkle shouted, looking back and forth between her friends, who all looked back at her uncertainly, fearfully. After all, they had never faced anything like this before: Discord, Chrysalis, they had been powerful, true... but they had not been... like this. Like the monster out there... a real monster, a murdering monster, who was burning, destroying, slaughtering... who had no mercy, who seemed so absolutely unstoppable.

They didn't know where Celestia or Luna were. All they knew that for as far as the eye could see, there was death, there was rot, there was fire and ice. The monster had set the world aflame, was torturing and tormenting ponies, was building up awful structures of steel and stone. And it was like they six had been purposefully overlooked... while the dragon-shaped creature had picked off, one by one, the foals, their friends, their families...

The Elements of Harmony gleamed around their necks, reflecting the tears on many of their faces as they looked at one-another, terrified, not knowing what to do, not know what to believe... but still, they gathered behind Twilight. Her words guided them, gave them strength, and gave them direction, told them the things they already knew to be true but were too afraid to act on...

They found the monster in a field, and the Jötnar smiled as he turned towards them, bowing politely once as if he had been waiting for them the whole time. In the distance, they could see Canterlot, a terrible broken wreck that was being steadily burnt away into nothingness as he gestured the once-beautiful castle, the symbol of unity that had become nothing more than ravaged ruins. “What do you think, ponies? I'm destroying all that isn't necessary, to rebuild it in my image... I'd forgotten what fun it can be to take this time, now and then, to simply enjoy my power and my handiwork...”

“Why are you doing this? Why can't you just leave us alone?” Twilight shouted, and Valthrudnir only threw his head back and laughed.

“As if I should waste my time trying to explain such concepts to such uncultured, plebeian minds as yours... there's not a drop of worthy knowledge and intelligence among your kind, is there?” Valthrudnir flicked his wrist in disgust and dismissal. “You're less than common. You ignorant, unwashed ponies, you are all nothing but festering garbage-slugs upon the reeking decay of a decadent, uninspired dung-heap.” He leaned forwards, grinning mockingly. “That means I don't like you or your world, little ponies, to put it all in small words you can understand.”

Rainbow Dash shouted, but Twilight held up a hoof before she gritted her teeth, then called over her shoulder: “Girls! Use the Elements, focus!”

“Oh yes. Your so called Elements of Harmony. I've been waiting for this.” Valthrudnir crossed his arms, laughing as he shook his head slowly. “Celestia put such stock in you all. Let's see if she was right to... it's too bad her pretty, precious beliefs didn't do anything but make killing her and her lackey easier.”

Twilight looked up with horror, and ponies all trembled before tears began to spill down Twilight's cheeks, and she leaned forwards, shrieking: “I won't let you hurt anyone else!”

“I've heard that many times, little pony.” Valthrudnir reached a hand forwards, then clenched it slowly into a fist, smiling coldly as he said softly: “And not a single person has been able to stop me yet... much less some low-brow filthy animal such as yourself.”

Twilight snarled, her eyes and horn beginning to glow as the Elements of Harmony all began to gleam, and Valthrudnir smiled calmly, giving them the time, letting them build that link, charge up that power as the force of it lifted Twilight into the air. The gemstone in the tiara on her head glowed brighter and brighter as the collars gleamed and sparked... and then Twilight's eyes snapped open, glaring white, staring across at Valthrudnir and filled not just with harmony, but hatred from this... this awful thing as the magic poured out of her and the others, taking on the form of a bright rainbow that tore across their charred reality and slammed down towards Valthrudnir...

And the monster only laughed, shielding his eyes with one arm, the rainbow of magic and power and harmonious energy crashing into this as he said mockingly: “Is this the best you can do? Your weak queen in her ignoble throne proved to be more worthy than this. How foolish, how absolutely... pathetic!”

With that, Valthrudnir swung his arm out, and the rainbow of energy turned to glass in a ripple; glass that promptly shattered and exploded into glimmering dust, knocking the six ponies staggering with screams and sending Twilight crashing to the ground with a gargle, shocks of agony ripping through them as the Jötnar smiled and rose a hand. “A demonstration.”

He snapped his fingers... and Twilight felt the Element of Magic resting on her head tremble violently before the gemstone shattered. And one by one, the others inset into their collars exploded into fragments, ponies screaming and howling as Valthrudnir said softly: “Such low and... childish magic. I have nothing but contempt for you and your kind, requiring glass lenses to look through and harness what you excuse as 'power...'”

Twilight looked up... and then she screamed, not knowing what else to do, what else to say, as she ran forwards, and the others followed her... but they were no match for him. He toyed with them, slapping Rainbow Dash from the air and punting Applejack like a toy, picking up Pinkie Pie and slamming her into Rarity before crushing them both into the ground, stepping on Twilight Sparkle and grinding her into the earth as he drove a fist down into Fluttershy to nearly break her back. He snapped limbs, left bruises and bloody wounds, and mocked them the entire time he beat them all mercilessly, the ponies unable to do anything but suffer at his claws until he was satisfied.

He snapped his fingers... and with just that, they were each sent to their different Hells. Their different prisons... all except Twilight Sparkle, who lay bleeding in front of him, staring weakly up at the Jötnar as he squatted in front of her and said softly: “I'm going to take all your friends away from you now, one-by-one. You see, in almost every world, you and your friends have some kind of role. Are treated as if you are special. No, no, don't attempt to wrap your tiny, philistine mind around the concept I am generously attempting to explain, you cannot understand it with your insignificant mental capacity.

“Pay attention to this instead, which with your hive mentality for your pretty little friends, you should at least be able to understand.” Valthrudnir leaned slowly down, smiling ruthlessly as he held up a single finger and twirled it easily. “I'm going to twist each of your friends around on their heads. I'm going to indulge my curiosities, and include you and your friends in the design for the new world order I am going to bring about here, as part of my testing ground for what should be an extremely interesting little project.”

“N-No...” Twilight rasped, and Valthrudnir laughed before she whispered: “Won't... won't let... you...”

“Oh, really?” Valthrudnir reached down and flicked her nose mockingly, and Twilight moaned in pain and shivered on the field. “This isn't a child's cartoon, little equus ferus caballus. This is real life, where good and evil do not exist as you would like them to, where decisions and errors of judgment have very real consequences that cannot simply be undone just because you want them to. Where no one is incorruptible, and we all have secrets inside ourselves, secrets we are desperate to keep, to lock away, to never think about...”

“S-Stop...” Twilight whispered, trembling, and Valthrudnir smiled coldly down at her as she shivered weakly on the ground. “I believe in them...”

“Good. Go back home, Twilight Sparkle. To your pretty little library. I'll return for you once I finish dealing with your friends...” Valthrudnir stood straight, laughing as he rubbed his hands together easily. “Yes, they will serve me well. Even better once I convince them to see the world my way, and they accept my gifts willingly... it will make them far easier to control.”

Twilight trembled and whimpered, and Valthrudnir smiled coldly down at her... but it was only the beginning. Almost every day, Valthrudnir visited her... mocking her, and extracting information from her, and goading her into conversations. Talking arrogantly about how he was torturing and warping her friends... but never hurting her, constantly telling her it was all for their own good, extolling that the world he was building would be peaceful and flawless.

And within a month, Valthrudnir had done it: one-by-one her friends had fallen... as well as countless other ponies, transformed into awful machinations, all with their own purpose, so many built to destroy. But as Twilight had stared in horror at them from the ruins of the burnt-out library, Valthrudnir had said calmly: “Not destroy, oh no. They are going to be spreading my message... they are going to be aggressively defending our goals. Our goal, after all, is a universe where everything works, where there is law and ultimate order... not all this paltry, worthless chaos.”

“But there will still be parties, and fun...” whispered Delight, looking almost pleadingly at Twilight as she smiled with her too large teeth. “Join us.”

“We can be together. Together forever. Family and friends, all looking out for each other.” Valor said softly, raising her head and gazing out with her sister's eyes from beneath the brim of her hat.

“Yeah, Twilight. No more lies, or goin' behind each other's back. Achieving out dreams. Our real dreams, not... having to listen to what ponies say we can or can't do.” Courage added, voice sharp but eyes begging.

“We can search for knowledge together... we'll have more in common under Valthrudnir than we ever did left to our own devices.” Beauty murmured, looking up with a faint smile.

“Please, Twilight. We need you. And together, we can bring peace to this world... to all the worlds...” Prudence said quietly, bowing her head forwards respectfully.

For a few long moments, there was silence... and then Valthrudnir smiled when Twilight looked up with teary eyes, whispering: “What do you want me to do? I can't... you were right. You won... but... I can't... I can't fight this. I can't just turn my back on all my friends and leave them...”

She shivered, then smiled weakly as tears finally spilled down her face, before Valthrudnir said kindly: “I want you to walk with me, Twilight Sparkle, and I'll take you to a place where you can be made whole... where you can become what you have always been, the tie that binds, the central gear that keeps these five running smoothly...”

Twilight nodded weakly, and her five transformed friends all smiled and parted for her, letting her follow the Jötnar out. And together, with the five following behind them, they walked for hours, as Valthrudnir bragged and monologued and Twilight listened numbly. When it got too hard to listen, she looked over her shoulder at her friends, who all looked up at Valthrudnir with belief and zealotry in their eyes... so bit-by-bit, she forced herself to believe, too.

Twilight wasn't sure when or how they arrived, but eventually they stood in front of an enormous well, filled with silver liquid. And Valthrudnir smiled at her calmly as she looked back at him, before he said softly: “I could just throw you in, but that would defeat the purpose of this exercise. Climb in, and let it swallow you up, and you have my word... when you emerge, it will be into a new world, where you will be content, where you will be strong... where knowledge is power and wisdom is the greatest virtue of all.”

“Wisdom...” Twilight whispered... and when she looked over her shoulder, at her five transformed friends as they smiled and nodded to her, gestured to her eagerly... she slowly walked forwards, up the stone, small steps at the side of the well... and she took a deep breath before plunging in.

There was silence that lasted for a few long minutes, Delight eventually whimpering and tugging at Valthrudnir's pant-leg worriedly, but he only grimaced in disgust and kicked her away. And then a metallic hoof emerged... and a moment later, silvery Wisdom crawled out of the well, dripping with the material that her entire body had become, her eyes glowing and her horn sparking as she whispered: “I feel... strange...”

“Yes, it's bonded well with you...” Valthrudnir grinned slowly as Wisdom staggered over the edge of the well, his eyes glowing as he reached out and touched her horn with a single finger, and Wisdom gasped as a spark shocked through her system before her old colors returned. “Wisdom, my perfect savior, my chosen one. Beneath only the Prophet, beneath the Clockwork King. Come, we shall speak further. Perhaps now that I have elevated your existence to something with meaning, I can elevate your mind to something capable of comprehension, if not true understanding and intelligence.”

And as Valthrudnir turned away, the world turned to darkness as Wisdom lowered her head and whispered: “It was all inevitable. My friends... all turned to darkness. But I'd be lying if I said he lured me in with just that... he lured me in with a promise of power, a promise of knowledge, a promise of... no, not love. He does not love, and I never fooled myself into believing that. But... he replaced Celestia. I need, have always needed... someone to look up to...”

Wisdom silently turned towards Scrivener Blooms... and then she reached up and scrubbed quickly at her features with a hoof, and when she lowered it, her face was somehow... softer. It was not Wisdom... it was Twilight Sparkle, as she smiled and whispered: “Thank you, Scrivener Blooms, whoever... whatever you are. In these brief moments as I fade away, I... I feel relief. I know my friends must have, too. I understand now...”

The Twilight that had become Wisdom closed her eyes and tilted her head upwards... and in a flash, there were five other ponies around her, smiling, happy, free of the evil that had infected them all before Twilight

whispered: “Oh god, Scrivener... Scrivener, no, no, don't die... please don't die... p-please don't die...”

Scrivener frowned slowly at this... and then his eyes blinked once, then twice as he looked up, and grunted, his frame flexing, his eyes glowing for a moment as corruption leaked down his features. Then he smiled weakly after a moment as he gazed up at Twilight Sparkle, reaching a hoof up and silently stroking her face, smearing bloody tears over her cheek as he murmured: “I'm okay.”

“Scrivener!” Luna leapt forwards, and Scrivener groaned when the sapphire mare all but tackled him, burying her face against his neck and trembling as she whispered: “Damn thee, Scrivy, I... I thought...”

“He is fine. We would not simply let him die. We would not let any of you die.” added another voice softly, and Scrivener winced and looked up in shock at this to see Gymbr standing next to Celestia, who was only sitting with her head bowed, trembling a little. “It is good to see you awake, and well.”

“I... what?” Scrivener gently pushed Luna back, shaking his head out before he sat up, then looked over at Twilight with a wince as she smiled faintly and rubbed at her face, the stitching covering her body pulsing slowly. “Twilight...”

“I... it'll just... take some adjustments.” Twilight glanced away for a moment silently, and then she shook her head and returned her eyes to Scrivener, asking finally: “Are you sure you're okay? I... Scrivy, you fainted, and we thought your heart stopped, and... the mire...”

Scrivener frowned a bit as he glanced down... then realized with shock that the ground beneath them in a wide radius had transformed, rotting into dark, bog-like corruption. He hurriedly leapt up to his hooves... and all eyes looked up at him with surprise. All eyes except for Gymbr, that was, the Tulpa only smiling as it said quietly: “Just as we had hoped. But please, excuse us. We desire to see Scarlet Sage... we desire to help her as well. It feels good to help.”

Before anyone could speak, Gymbr simply rolled its head on its shoulders before vanishing from sight, and Celestia trembled a little, staring at the space the creature had been in before for a moment. Then she clenched her eyes shut, dropping her head forwards and whispering as Scrivener, Twilight, and Luna all looked at her: “I am so sorry, my friends. Again, I've failed you all, as... seems to be what I am good at. I failed to protect your children, to protect your friends, I failed to protect... you, Twilight Sparkle. Twice... look... look what I've done to you, out of greed, out of need to have you in my life. And I failed you, too, Scrivener... this could have killed you, torn you apart from the inside out...”

“Stop, Celestia. Stop.” Twilight said quietly, shaking her head and dropping to her hooves as she smiled faintly, and she slowly strode over to the armored, ivory equine, reaching up to touch her armored chest gently, stroking hoof slowly over golden plate as Celestia looked down at her with miserable eyes. “I started this. I tied my spirit to the music box, poured all of my life into it that I could, hoping... hoping for something like this. Because... I can't leave you, and Luna, and Scrivener alone. Especially not... Luna and Scrivener.”

She laughed faintly, glancing over her shoulder at the two as they both smiled a little, and then she drew her eyes slowly back up to Celestia, saying quietly: “You and Gymbr... saved my life. You didn't... turn me into a monster, I don't... feel like a monster.” Twilight looked down quietly, reaching up and touching her chest. “I've died... but I feel more alive now than I ever have before. I just... need... to adjust.”

She reached up, silently stroking over the stitching covering her chest, and Celestia closed her eyes as she turned her head away, asking quietly: “I wonder if any of us can escape the destinies the Norns wrote for us... or if one way or another, we'll all end up... what they decided we should be...”

“Celestia... 'tis not like thee to get this way after a battle. 'Tis not like thee to allow... pain and unnecessary heartache and self-loathing to overwhelm thy common sense.” Luna said quietly, striding slowly forwards before she smiled faintly and looked up, gesturing at herself. “Look upon me, Celestia. Look, I am... my son still, he is missing, my daughter lost in illness, but my husband is not dead and Twilight Sparkle is...” She looked silently to the side, and Twilight blushed and lowered her head a bit. “She is still Twilight Sparkle, and that is enough for me, for now. Please, Celestia... raise thy head. Shove away these unwelcome thoughts... let thy callous, logical mind work around the details and come back to us, big sister.”

Celestia looked silently at Luna for a moment, and then she closed her eyes and nodded slowly, looking nervously back and forth before she blinked and reared back in surprise when Twilight hugged her suddenly and fiercely, burying her face against the larger mare as she whispered: “Thank you. For doing everything you could.”

The ivory mare closed her eyes... but after a moment, returned the embrace as tight as she dared, and Scrivener and Luna both smiled faintly as they stood up and prepared to head back home.

They made their way back to the cottage in silence, and the four decided it was better... simply not to talk for now, to simply try to get a night's rest in. Scrivener and Luna headed to bed, Celestia went upstairs, and Twilight stayed up for a while after gently putting the music box that was her phylactery, that contained her life force, her vital essence, her very soul, on the mantel of the fireplace. It all-but-glowed, and when Twilight started to feel a little scared, a little sad, and her thoughts began to whirl, all she had to do was open it... and the melancholy, beautiful music that streamed up from it settled her.

She stayed up by herself most of the night... then quietly went to check on Scrivener and Luna, spending the longest time just looking at them... gazing over them, quietly and peacefully, watching out for them, until she realized the deep wounds still hadn't closed in her shoulders. So she headed back out to the den room, and did her best to dig up some string and sew the wounds sloppily closed, opening the music box to keep herself as calm as possible during the awkward, uncomfortable process.

She was a Lich, just like she had been in that terrible story. She was dead... and yet not, sustained through magic, and her connections to this world. It was a lot to think about, a lot to take in... but even though it scared her, and she wished she was still alive... she still felt... like herself.

“Stop that, you're doing it all wrong. Didn't you ever learn to knit, Twilight Sparkle?” chided a quiet voice, and Twilight looked over her shoulder in surprise as Discombobulation strode in from the kitchen, reaching down and taking the thick black string and needle away from her. She blushed, then glanced forwards with a faint smile as he began to easily suture the open wound closed, the Draconequus shaking his head moodily as he murmured: “Just look at you, what a dirty, filthy, rotten mess. Well. You're not actually rotting, which I'm very glad for... you teenagers and your need for body modification. Couldn't you have stuck to drugs and tattoos? You're supposed to be the perky cheerleader who hunts zombies, after all, not a zombie yourself.”

“Do you have to joke about everything?” Twilight asked quietly, glancing up, but her tone was more curious than accusatory. Then she cocked her head curiously, when Discombobulation chuckled softly. “What?”

“I only joke about the things I'm okay with. And I'm only okay with this because the only things that changed here, are that now you can take a worse beating than me... which is embarrassing... but you can also be killed by someone smashing that pretty music box of yours.” Discombobulation replied calmly, and then he hesitated before sighing softly, finishing his stitching and neatly tying it off before he put the needle and thread aside, then reached up and grasped her shoulders gently with his hand and metallic claw. “Twilight Sparkle... you have no plans to become Twilight Shadow, do you?”

“I am what I am and that's all I am.” Twilight replied quietly, and Bob smiled slightly as she glanced down and murmured softly: “I think you said that to me once before, and now I finally understand it, Discombobulation. I... I'm going to make the most of this. And I'm not going to waste time crying about it.”

“You died to live, in real life as well as a silly story. You thwarted old Grim and kicked him in the ass on the way out... I like that. But this time... you haven't sacrificed what makes you, you, in order to do it.” Discombobulation closed his eyes, leaning forwards over her and squeezing her shoulders slowly. “But our love it was stronger by far than the love, of those who were older than we – of many far wiser than we – and neither the angels in heaven above, nor the demons down under the sea, can ever dissever my soul from the soul of the beautiful Annabel Lee.”

Discombobulation paused, then he added wryly: “I'm not even going to try and take credit for that. It was written by a poet perhaps even more insane than Scrivener Blooms. I have a feeling they would get along very, very well. As a necrophiliac he'd probably also like you.”

Twilight only laughed a little... but it felt good to laugh, good to relax a bit, and she shook her head before smiling and closing her eyes, letting it fill up her spirit. Her strong, alive spirit, as she sat silently with the Draconequus until the morning, when Scrivener Blooms finally strode calmly out and smiled at her... and Twilight and Discombobulation both stared at the earth pony before he frowned and asked finally: “What?”

“Scrivener... I...” Twilight shook her head in disbelief and amazement, and then Discombobulation popped to his feet, almost knocking the violet mare over before he swept a hand out, a full-length mirror appearing in a puff of smoke.

Scrivener winced automatically away from this... then stared in dumb surprise at the mirror, leaning forwards with a gape of shock as he whispered: “What the hell... I... I got up feeling good this morning, but I figured that was because for once last night there were no visions or nightmares and... I... I...”

He stared at his reflection, tilting his head back and forth before he rose a foreleg and marveled over himself: the weight he'd lost had come back overnight, his coat was healthy and perhaps a shade darker than it had been before, and when he opened his mouth, he saw that his teeth not only sparkled in gums that were healthy instead of jaundiced and rotten, they had become... sharper, thicker, larger.

He reached up, touching his scarred features as he shook his rugged mane out, before he testingly poked along his own body... and he realized with amazement that he wasn't just numb, or feeling good: he was good. He was healthy, he was vital and strong... and Scrivener looked back and forth before he suddenly ran forwards, pushing past Discombobulation as the Draconequus winced before Scrivener hurried through the kitchen and out into the backyard.

Bob shoved the mirror firmly downwards, making it vanish through the floor as reality rippled, and then he turned to chase after Scrivener, and Twilight followed a moment later, still looking stunned. They both passed Celestia, who had been sitting outside on the deck, polishing her armor and Tyrfing in the pre-dawn darkness and was now staring in disbelief as Scrivener ran around to the side of the house, asking incredulously as Twilight passed: “What happened?”

“I don't know.” Twilight only shook her head quickly, and Celestia put her gear aside as she stood quickly up, before Discombobulation, Twilight, and Celestia all stared as Scrivener grunted and dragged a large training dummy carefully out of the side of the house, the violet mare asking dumbly: “What... what the hell are you doing?”

“Testing something.” Scrivener muttered, and the three stared incredulously as, without further ado, Scrivener reared back and began to slam his hooves across the dummy, pushing almost viciously forwards as he visibly put much of his strength into each and every blow.

It was enough that the exertion apparently woke Luna up, who came out to see what was going on with a flushed, excited look on her face before Scrivener finally smashed the training dummy off its base, knocking it rolling as he dropped down and breathed hard. A faint sheen of sweat covered his body, and he looked up with disbelief before he grinned weakly over at the four, as Luna whispered: “Hope beyond hope, answered... what once was poison, now becomes his strength...”

“I feel... I feel strong. I feel like... I don't know. It's so hard to describe... it's like I'm... me.” Scrivener reached up and touched his own chest, frowning as he looked down... then he shook his head quickly and strode forwards, smiling awkwardly as he said mildly: “I mean, I guess there's still the worry that I could spontaneously fall over and die, but-”

Celestia flicked her horn down as the earth pony drew close, drawing a thin cut against Scrivener's shoulder, and the charcoal stallion winced in pain and surprise as black blood oozed out of the wound. Luna glared at her older sibling, but Celestia's eyes locked on this as she reached slowly up, touching the dark ooze before she murmured quietly: “Scrivener, this is not a pony's blood. This is... this is corruption.”

Scrivener glanced at his shoulder, smiling faintly, feeling unsurprised before he closed his eyes and murmured: “Somehow I... figured. But Celestia... I'm still me. You believe that, don't you? I mean... look at me. I'm... I'm still me. I'm healthy and strong and I feel... not happy, not with everything that's going on, but ready. Confident, and... and my mind has settled. All the knowledge of the Hexad is running through me, but it's not jumbled up anymore, it's smooth, and I can see their memories, I can summon up their thoughts, with only a few blank spots here and there...”

The ponies and Draconequus looked down at him quietly, and then Scrivener reached up and rubbed slowly at the corruption as it hardened over Scrivener's shoulder... and Celestia's sharp eyes locked on to this, watching as it filled in the wound... and then hardened, turning into flesh. Into glossy, dark coat, as Scrivener looked slowly down at where the scratch no longer was before Luna said softly: “I have faith in my husband, and in my husband's strength. And Celestia, if he knows now the way to Decretum, if he has absorbed the the corruption and made it his own... must we not take this opportunity?”

“I... I agree that... we do not have the time to linger on this issue. And I have faith in Scrivener too, Luna...” Celestia slowly looked at the earth pony, meeting his eyes before she said quietly: “But neither of these things is cause for excessive haste, or to not analyze or try to understand what has happened.”

“Celestia, I will not leave Antares in the claws of the Clockwork King and his machinations!” Luna shouted suddenly, and Celestia looked surprised at the outburst, as Luna leaned angrily forwards and snapped: “I will not allow thee to analyze us up and down, to waste all this time that Scrivener and I could be spending in preparation for a quick and merciless counterattack on Clockwork World, to save our son! To end this damnable nightmare once and for all!”

“Wait...” Twilight interrupted, looking up with a frown before Celestia could speak, and then she whispered: “Wait. You and Scrivener... what about us?”

“I... Twilight...” Luna softened as Celestia frowned, looking hurt more by this than the previous outburst, and even Discombobulation crossed his arms and looked down at Luna with disapproval. “I am sorry, but... thou cannot come with us. Thy soul is in that music box... oh, I am sure thou could travel to the ends of this planet, and still be fine, but... Twilight, thou cannot cross entire worlds and leave the box here. 'Twill most certainly kill thee, and leave thee torn asunder in... in a way I do not want to imagine. And nor can thou march into a war zone carrying that beautiful box with thee. One attack, one strong spell... one fall... could spell doom for thee. Thou knows that I cannot risk that. Thou... cannot risk that.

“And Celestia, thou art needed here. To lead Equestria, even as just a Baroness whom the other Barons respect enough to trust and side with.” Luna continued quietly, and she smiled faintly as Celestia closed her eyes and bowed her head silently. “I am honored by thy love for me and mine and thy wish to stride into battle with me... but thou and Sleipnir must protect this world. Must stay here... in case we fail, in case there are more of Valthrudnir's machinations afoot, and most of all... to protect Equestria and Valhalla.”

There was silence for a few moments, and Discombobulation shook his head slowly, leaning down and asking quietly: “Are you so determined to die that even granted this second reprieve, you'd prefer to march in alone and outnumbered, instead of with an army?”

“If we bring an army to Decretum, we will lose.” Luna said quietly but firmly, looking up at Celestia, who gazed back down silently. “Thou knows this. A slow-moving army will be annihilated by the superior numbers and forces of Clockwork World, and will be easy to see. Easy to attack. Easy to destroy. But Scrivener and I, moving in alone, will be capable of piercing straight to the heart of Decretum... to find and save Antares, and then, if we can, strike to the Prophet and the Clockwork King.

“And this is part of our atonement. Part of our honor, and righting mistakes.” Luna smiled a little, looking up... then she winced when Celestia slapped her hard across the face, dropping her head forwards as her starry mane sizzled.

“You have nothing to make up for, Luna... and I don't want to hear you or Scrivener saying that again. That is neither reason nor excuse...” Celestia closed her eyes tightly, lowering her head forwards before she whispered: “I don't want to lose you, little sister. You have to promise me you'll come back... and please. Give us... give us today, at least. Let me head to Ponyville, prepare a few quick tests, see what help I can find and what I can figure out. Give us at least a few hours, so I can know this isn't some elaborate trap or Scrivener Blooms isn't getting better simply to get worse.”

“Scrivener and I... we... have business to attend to, anyway. Aye, I suppose that... we can wait until tonight.” Luna whispered, head still bowed and cheeks flushed before she looked up silently. “I am sorry, Celestia.”

“I know you are... and yet you're not. You and Scrivener want to do this alone... feel for some stupid reason that you need to, and I know I can't talk you out of it. I know, even worse, that your reasons are valid... and I know that...” Celestia laughed faintly, looking away. “The more ponies we send, the more ponies will die, and many of our friends are wounded and the rest have foals and... not even the Starlit Knights would last long trying to fight through Decretum. Twilight cannot travel the distance, Pinkamena and Sleipnir will refuse to be separated and yet I cannot send them both with Aphrodisia here, and worse, the fact that Clockwork World has set an obvious lure for us...”

She sighed and closed her eyes, bowing her head forwards... then she simply turned and headed for the house before hesitating and glancing over her shoulder at Discombobulation, saying quietly: “I could use your company.”

“And I could use yours.” Discombobulation glanced over his shoulder at her with a small smile, then he looked down and shook his head slowly, saying softly: “If you continue to live by the sword, Luna Brynhild and Scrivener Blooms... you know that you will die by it.”

The two only nodded silently, and Discombobulation hesitated, then turned and followed after Celestia as Twilight looked silently at Luna and Scrivener. They gazed back, and then Twilight closed her eyes and bowed her head forwards as they were left alone on the patio, before she whispered: “Promise me you'll make it back. Promise me... that tomorrow, the day after, a week, a year, however long it takes... you'll come back to me.”

Scrivener and Luna traded a look, and then they both looked up, gazing silently at the violet mare before Luna murmured softly: “I promise, Twilight Sparkle. We shall return to thee. But thou must promise us that until we do... thou shalt care for Antares Mīrus, should he return before us, as if he wert thy own.”

“He is.” Twilight smiled faintly, and Luna laughed quietly and nodded slowly as Scrivener gazed softly at the violet mare, his eyes drawing over her before she bowed her head forwards. Her mouth went dry as she breathed slowly, shivering a little, but even now, trusting in them: she had childishly asked them something impossible... but they had responded all the same with an honesty she could feel that they would. Not that they would try, not that they would do their best... they would return. And she believed in them, and in that, no matter how suicidal the course of action seemed, no matter what happened in the future.

The trio quietly made their way inside, and Twilight looked up at the music box on the mantel as Luna rested on one side of her and Scrivener the other. For a few moments, there was only silence... and then the violet mare closed her eyes and laughed faintly, whispering: “It's funny. If I hadn't bought that... well... I wouldn't be...” She halted and looked down. “I guess I'm not quite alive anymore, am I?”

“You're you. You're here with us and... that's all that matters right now.” Scrivener said quietly, glancing ahead, and Luna nodded in slow agreement.

Twilight looked back and forth between them, and then a bloody tear spilled slowly down one cheek as she whispered: “I don't ever want to leave you two. I don't want to be without you. I'm just scared that I'm... I'm...”

Scrivener and Luna both gazed at her before Twilight leaned forwards against the charcoal earth pony, and he hugged her silently, pulling her closer as he closed his eyes and murmured quietly: “I'm apparently full of corruption, you're a Lich, Luna's Nightmare Moon... and none of it matters. All that matters is that we have each other, and we're going to use what we've been dealt to... protect our family and friends, to fight for our world, to... to save our son.”

Twilight nodded, then she looked up at Scrivener, then over her shoulder at Luna, and the two curled closer to her, closing their eyes. Urges and needs and desires rollicked through her system, and the Lich trembled a bit before Scrivener kissed her forehead, just beside her horn, as Luna hugged her tightly and murmured softly: “Do not be ashamed, Twilight Sparkle. Thy body and spirit are adjusting, mixing with the wild fury of emotions I cannot begin to imagine... pain and need to help and... desires that as always, strikes often at the worst of times. But we are here for thee, Twilight... we are here...”

And they were. In every way, something she could always take comfort in, that drove away any shame she ever felt, that made her feel... healed, and stronger. That brought faint stirrings of joy to the surface, even amidst the darkness... that made her brave enough to whisper her secrets to them, before they answered her...

Around noon, after sharing time and intimacy, Twilight helped Scrivener and Luna into their armor, fussed over them, and then allowed Luna and Scrivener to fix the stitching on her body that Discombobulation hadn't attended to. A few new rips had opened up over her form from well... both from exertion, and just from her body transforming, adjusting, she thought. She felt like... like she was wearing too-tight clothes, that were threatening to rip with her every movement, and she thought it would be a while before she either got used to that feeling or her spirit and body adjusted to her new form.

She had few questions, and the ones she asked were mostly to get confirmation and reassurance... after Discombobulation had told them Gymbr's dark story, after all, she had taken an interest in necromancy and such powerful, forbidden magic, wanting to know if what the Draconequus had spouted off about Liches and their kindred was true or not. Not that she'd ever expected to use it on herself... but it had been darkly-fascinating. Like Scrivener's poetry... the comparison made her smile.

She was only apart from them only briefly, when Scrivener and Luna asked for a moment of privacy, and Twilight had hesitated, but then nodded slowly. She had left... and Scrivener and Luna had traded looks before the sapphire mare had approached the puzzle box as Scrivener had quickly picked up a sheet of parchment and a quill. Only a few minutes later, they had emerged, both looking like a great weight had been lifted from their shoulders, and Scrivener had smiled as he held up a letter in a sealed envelope, Twilight frowning in surprise before he'd only said softly: “Put it in your music box.”

She had done so, but gotten nothing about what was in it out of them. And as the three had gone outside, Scrivener and Luna in full armor and Luna with her spear holstered safely, Twilight insisting on carrying the other bags of things they had thrown together and trying to badger them further about the letter, the trio had been surprised to find Gymbr sitting in the grasses, a bouquet of flowers in one claw. It rose its head and smiled at them, inhaling the perfume of the roses before it said softly: “Hello, our beloved family. We are glad to see you all, together... we envy it, but respect and adore it as well.”

Scrivener and Luna both looked nervously at the creature as Twilight shifted awkwardly, and then Gymbr smiled softly at the two, saying gently: “We will help you open the way to Decretum, retrieve Antares, and destroy Clockwork World. We are powerful now... and we are eager to take revenge on those who have hurt us so. For what hurts you... hurts us. What hurts Antares... hurts us more.”

Scrivener and Luna traded looks, hesitating... but then Twilight leaned forward, gazing between the two and saying quietly: “Please. Don't turn down his help. You already keep insisting on going in as soon as possible and... and not letting us come with you.”

“That... I... very well.” Luna sighed after a moment, and Twilight smiled a little before Luna looked hesitantly forwards and asked slowly: “But monster, creature, Tulpa... whatever thou art... why now does thou reach out to offer such aid? Before, well...”

“Because they have hurt us badly... but all of you have accepted us, even if but for a moment. And that was enough to bring us from thought-form... to reality. To restore our strength almost completely...” Gymbr smiled softly, then tossed the bouquet of roses outwards... and in midair, the flowers transformed into enormous birds of every size and color, bursting upwards into the sky as the three ponies leaned back in shock. “We are no Tulpa, no thought-form, any longer. We are conscious, and have shed our cocoon of a child's toy and shape, have fed off so much thought and energy, have been acknowledged as an entity upon our own... and thus, we have become an entity upon our own.”

Gymbr stood slowly, striding forwards and leaning slowly down, towering, majestic, and terrifying as its mane of black fire swirled slowly without wind, and it smiled calmly over the ponies as they felt the power and the pride it emanated, the sense of overwhelming and inevitable triumph. “With our strength, your plan to attack Decretum is no longer a suicidal and foolish gambit. We shall lay waste to all in our way and save Antares, and free him. Then we shall make our way to the Prophet and the Clockwork King and they shall learn of the grave error they have committed in trifling with us.”

Scrivener and Luna traded another look as Twilight swallowed thickly... and then Gymbr simply turned, smiling to itself as it said softly: “It is wonderful to be alive. To be in reality... to be validated. Yes, we may not deserve this... but we are not so pious or foolish to turn away this gift of a winter's day.”

Scrivener, Luna, and Twilight followed the strange winged unicorn, none of them speaking as they made their way to Ponyville. And as they strode into town, ponies stared at them, bowed their heads, and parted for them, Scrivener and Luna awkwardly bowing their heads as Gymbr smiled at the attention and Twilight self-consciously hid herself between the others.

They reached the library without incident, but inside was a gathering waiting for them... although the group was stunned into silence when Gymbr strode through first, smiling calmly. Scrivener, Luna, and Twilight followed in, Twilight blushing and lowering her face, trying to hide under her short bangs as ponies turned their eyes towards her, before Pinkamena barked: “Hey, look at us!”

“Pinkamena.” Celestia said sharply, and the demon grimaced... but after a few moments, Twilight hesitantly rose her head, stepping forwards as Scrivener and Luna gazed towards her. Eyes roved from Gymbr to Twilight... and then Celestia closed her eyes, saying quietly: “Please, friends, she is the same Twilight Sparkle...”

“Anypony can see that, Celestia.” Pinkamena said irritably, and Sleipnir smiled after a moment as Aphrodisia nodded firmly in agreement, before the demon glared across at Twilight and said sharply, as the violet mare blushed: “Don't you go trying to hide your goddamn face from us, you hear me? That's just stupid.” She paused, then added wryly: “Besides, if you're really dead, now I got someone around I can beat on all day and no one can say a word about it.”

“Thou shall always have me, too.” Sleipnir said softly, reaching up and rubbing his wife's back with a hoof, and Pinkamena smiled a little after a moment before the vine-maned stallion looked forwards and added quietly: “But little sister, and fair brother... I am hurt that thou desires so badly to do this alone...”

“You should let us come with you. At least... those of us who are well enough to fight.” Applejack said quietly, then she reached down and grimaced, rubbing slowly at a broken hind leg in a cast as she muttered: “Then again, maybe that's just me, wishin' I could be out there goin' with you myself...”

“Me too.” Rainbow smiled a little after a moment, looking up and nodding slowly before he hesitantly glanced towards Gymbr, asking finally: “What about...”

“Do not fear us, Rainbow Dash... we do not intend to harm you or anypony here... not even if you desire our gifts.” Gymbr bowed its head slowly, closing its eyes and saying softly: “When last we were so generous... we discovered too late that everything we had done, we had done for ourselves. That is why we have decided to only share knowledge and instruction with friends and family... our strength, we shall save to demonstrate to our foes.”

Rainbow swallowed awkwardly at this, as ponies looked awkwardly back and forth, Spike reaching out to squeeze Rarity's hoof, and Celestia closed her eyes, seeming to think for a few long moments before Meadowlark stepped forwards. Luna looked down in surprise... and then realized that all of Antares' friends were here, even though Avalon was bruised and battered and worst of all, looked honestly scared, and Aphrodisia was wrapped in bandages, even if she was also growling angrily. “Lady Luna... Mister Scrivener... you'll... you'll save Antares, right? He said you were sick, though...”

“We are going to save Antares, we are... and... I'm not. Not anymore, at least.” Scrivener smiled a little, straightening... before he frowned when Pinkamena leaned forwards and narrowed her eyes at him, then the demon suddenly charged, and the earth pony winced in surprise before she slammed into him and bit firmly into the side of his unarmored neck, making him howl in surprise, pain, and vexation as he shoved at her and Luna and Twilight both immediately tried to drag her off. “Goddammit, this isn't the time for this!”

Pinkamena laughed as she allowed herself to be thrown backwards after a moment, rolling easily once before skidding on all fours as Sleipnir winced and Pinkie Pie jumped forwards to grab at the gray-pink mare, even as the demon loudly licked and slurped at her lips. Celestia, however, was almost studying the reaction: both watching as Scrivener's wound filled with mire and healed, and the way Pinkamena shivered before dropping her head forwards as her body rippled once, whispering: “Twilight and Luna both reek of it, just from being in contact with you... but you, Scrivener, oh ho, no wonder you're suddenly back on the tips of your hooves like a damn ballerina, instead of laying in bed like a corpse. Your corruption before was delicious but this stuff? This stuff is exquisite.”

“What does it mean?” Celestia asked sharply, and Pinkamena threw her head back and laughed, and the ivory winged unicorn narrowed her eyes, saying slowly: “Pinkamena, today I am not in the mood for-”

“It means that I want to gobble Scrivener up and hog him all to myself as a private ten-course meal. It means that his blood would probably kill or drive a normal pony insane with a big enough dose of it. It's chock-full of emotions, energy, and insanity, and I'm willing to bet that little Scrivy has more in common with a big bad Tyrant Wyrm than ninety percent of us want to admit.” Pinkamena grinned widely over her shoulder, licking her lips slowly. “But me, Twilight, Luna... and surprisingly, you, Princess Sunshine... all like that, don't we?”

“Quiet now, Pinkamena. This gathering was supposed to be for putting together information, and spending time with friends and family. All you are doing is upsetting the foals and worrying the others.” Gymbr said softly, and Pinkamena grumbled but bowed her head moodily to the creature, falling quiet as she backed up to sit beside Sleipnir.

Then Gymbr calmly looked over the gathering as Scrivener rose his head, rubbing awkwardly at the still-wet, mostly-healed wound on his neck. But it was Luna who spoke, gazing up and saying softly: “My husband and I are prepared to leave shortly for Decretum. To all of thee, we promise to save Antares... and Celestia, we have promised Twilight Sparkle we shall return.” Midnight cyan eyes locked with amethyst irises, sister and sister studying each other before Luna said softly: “Trust in us, big sister. This is the battlefield Scrivener and I know best.”

Celestia nodded slowly, looking down... and then Cowlick glanced up from the group, saying firmly: “You just make sure you get back here in one piece, both of you. And bring some stuff from Clockwork World when you do, I wanna see if I can replicate more of their techno mumbo-jumbo.

Luna smiled after a moment and nodded firmly as Scrivener grunted in agreement, and there was quiet for a little while before Celestia finally stood, saying softly: “Then let us all... spend this time together. Share, wish each other well, and... celebrate.”

“Celebrate. A strange word... but a good one. We approve.” Gymbr murmured softly, and then it nodded slowly, sitting back with a calm smile. “Yes. Celebrate.”

The others agreed, with words, with body language, with their actions, as they took the time to spend with one another, to converse, to help Luna and Scrivener relax and even try and take up odd and strange conversation with Gymbr. The course was plotted, after all, and there was nothing anyone could do to change Luna or Scrivener's mind... so the one thing that this gathering could do was help them relax, remind them of what they were fighting for, and that they had people counting on them not just to fight... but to come back from the battlefield alive.

Sleipnir and Luna sang, and Scrivener and Celestia talked, Celestia relaxing little by little with the others, even though she still seemed... hurt, and a little betrayed. But she knew she had to stay behind, too: and she was proud of them. She didn't have to say it, only the way she looked at them was enough...even as she implored them to be careful, to focus on saving Antares, to not take any stupid risks.

Cowlick and Greece helped them sort their equipment and tossed in a few things they had brought from the labs; Spike and Rarity insisted on giving them a good luck charm they had made, and Scrivener had smiled, honestly touched, as he'd slipped the silver disc embossed with vines, blossoms, and the crescent moon under his armor for safekeeping, while Luna traded tight hugs with the two; Pinkamena and Aphrodisia traded hugs and insults with Luna and Scrivener and made them promise to come back in one piece, and bring Antares safely home.

They talked to others, shared stories, joked with Discombobulation, smiled with Fluttershy and Nirvana, teased Soarin' and Big Mac as the Pegasus awkwardly leaned against the crimson stallion, and reassured Applejack and Rainbow Dash that none of what happened as their fault.

Pinkie Pie helped them as much as she could, but what helped most of all was her optimism and cheer and her almost child-like belief in them. Ross shared this, but also added that he knew Gymbr would help a lot... that Gymbr might be able to save them. A strange phrase, coming from Ross... but then Cowlick called him before he could say anything further on the subject, and the unicorn just smiled and bounced away as others had come forwards to renew conversation, offer advice and help, share tokens of affection and faith with them.

And as evening began to draw on, Scrivener and Luna humbly thanked each and every one of them, personally, as Sleipnir, Pinkamena, Twilight, and Celestia got ready to leave as well. They wanted to at least see them off... but before that, Scrivener and Luna had one final stop to make.

Ponyville was almost silent, but it was far from deserted: rather, ponies were in every window, and gathered quickly on the street to watch as Scrivener and Luna walked with Gymbr trailing behind them, calmly speaking with Discombobulation, as they were escorted onwards by ponies who were all family to soul-bound sapphire mare and charcoal stallion. But Luna and Scrivener were barely aware of the ponies... barely aware of anything except their goal, as they headed towards the Ponyville General Hospital.

The group, including Gymbr, waited in the lobby while Scrivener and Luna made their way to the ICU. There, they found Apple Bloom, holding a silent vigil still over Scarlet Sage... and she smiled faintly up at them as Luna asked quietly: “How is she?”

“Stable, but... still comatose. Gymbr was here before, just looked at her...” Apple Bloom shivered a bit, shaking her head and looking down at Scarlet Sage's silent, barely-moving body, as beside her monitors quietly beeped and clicked. “She's going to be okay. That's... that's what I keep telling myself, anyway.”

Luna nodded slowly, and Scrivener reached a hoof up to quietly touch Scarlet Sage's shoulder, gazing down at her silently before he smiled a little and adjusted the sheets. Apple Bloom looked across at them, hesitated, then she asked finally: “Do you... do you want me to leave?”

“Why? You're family.” Scrivener said softly, glancing up at her and smiling a bit, and Apple Bloom blushed and looked down before Scrivener leaned forwards, kissing Scarlet Sage's forehead and murmuring: “I love you, daughter. We'll be back, okay? We're... we're gonna get Antares.”

Luna nodded firmly, then she silently leaned down and kissed her daughter's still, cool cheek, murmuring: “Fear not, Scarlet Sage. Thou shall always have our love and our faith. Concentrate only upon getting well, and... we shall see thee as soon as we can.”

There was silence for a few moments as they both sat back, looking at her for another moment before they both turned to leave. As they headed out of the ICU, they were both surprised to hear Apple Bloom call their names, and they halted to glance over their shoulders as the mare walked towards them.

She leaned up, hugging Scrivener first, and the male smiled faintly as he returned the embrace before Apple Bloom turned to hug Luna next. She held it for a few moments, then sighed softly and drew back, glancing down and rubbing at the back of her head before saying finally: “You guys take care of yourselves, okay? You don't just mean a lot to Scarlet Sage, you mean a lot to a lot of ponies... including me.”

“Don't worry about us. We always seem to come back, one way or the other.” Scrivener replied softly, and Apple Bloom nodded hesitantly before the charcoal stallion reached up and squeezed her shoulder gently. “I'm glad Scarlet Sage has you. I know you'll take good care of her.”

“Just remember to take care of thyself as well... thou art like a daughter to us, too.” Luna said quietly, and Apple Bloom smiled faintly and nodded a little. “Good luck to thee, Apple Bloom. We shall return as soon as we can.”

Apple Bloom nodded slowly, and then she simply stood and watched as Scrivener and Luna turned to make their way back towards the lobby of the hospital. Neither looked back, not even as they strode through the waiting room and they were rejoined by their family... not even as they strode out of the hospital, onto the road beyond, and calmly made their way away from Ponyville in silence, the only sound the wind whispering through the grasses in the deepening dusk.

They halted after only a few minutes of walking, and Scrivener glanced over at Luna, thoughts and images swirling between them before she closed her eyes and smiled faintly. But before she could speak, Gymbr strode calmly forwards between them, sending chills down the two before it turned slowly around and said softly: “This is where we part ways, cherished friends. Celestia... do not follow us. Do not betray your promise and your honor... do not lose yourself. They have promised to return and will make good on it, we guarantee this.”

Celestia lowered her head a bit as Sleipnir looked at her with surprise, but Pinkamena only grinned sourly, glancing over at the ivory mare and asking coldly: “What, Princess Sunshine? You really thought you could just pretend to help them open the portal and run on through it? What kind of screwed up, stupid, childish plan is that?”

“They're all I have, Pinkamena.” Celestia said simply, looking over at the demon... and when Sleipnir looked at her with a slow frown, stung by this comment, the ivory mare shook her head and murmured: “No, that... that is not what I meant precisely. Sleipnir, you know I love you... that you mean so much to me, truly, my little brother. But Luna... I betrayed worse than I betrayed you. It's a price I still have not fully paid, and my sins still weigh on my shoulders. Letting me plunge in alone to Decretum, or with a monster alongside me to bring down the Clockwork King... that makes more sense, doesn't it? Maybe then I could feel as if... as if I have done something worthy to begin cleaning the blood from my hooves...”

“It doesn't make any sense at all... and it's very respectable on the one hand, but very selfish on the other.” Discombobulation said gently, and then he reached a hand up, squeezing her shoulder slowly as Celestia looked up at him quietly, trembling a bit. “Would it really be honorable to sacrifice yourself so you feel better... and leave your family and an entire nation behind to mourn your death and fall apart without you? Luna and Sleipnir would kill themselves and the whole nation if you left them alone for a week with even something as harmless as some paper and crayons.”

“Do not insult me, Discombobulation, 'twould take far less than a week and I would not even need the paper.” Sleipnir corrected kindly, and Celestia laughed a little despite herself as Twilight looked up with a faint smile. “Now Celestia... little sister has asked us to have faith in her, and... so I shall have faith in her. And she is right... we have an obligation here, as delightful as it would be to charge headlong into Decretum... but we must be prepared for violence against us and to protect this world and Valhalla. Although I think... Luna and Scrivener simply desire to take all the fun for themselves, too.”

Luna smiled a little, and Scrivener shrugged a bit before Twilight looked up and asked quietly: “You'll remember your promise, right?”

They both nodded, and Twilight hesitated only a moment before striding forwards and raising her head, closing her eyes; her lips met Luna's first, the kiss short and sweet... as gentle and tender as it was when she turned her head to kiss Scrivener next, before the violet mare stepped back and looked between them imploringly, saying softly: “Come back. Please come back. I love you both too much to lose you.”

They both nodded, looking softly across at Twilight before Pinkamena added quietly, looking up as her features smoothed out: “Luna, I like you, so don't die... and Scrivener Blooms, I know better than these idiots to not bother with words with a poet, so... look at us.”

Scrivener hesitated for a moment... then he closed his eyes before slowly slowly them as they lit up with faint sapphire luminescence... and his breath caught in his throat. He saw Celestia's burning radiance... Twilight, light that somehow burned dark... Sleipnir's primal confidence and his beacon-like joy... Pinkamena, her true demon's form exposed in his vision, but the radiant, translucent wings that stretched up from her back glowing white. “I ain't gonna let them replace you, no matter how long you're gone. I'll kill anyone they try to make my new cellmate. So get back here before my hooves get too dirty.”

Scrivener nodded and closed his eyes, concentrating... and when he opened them, just like that, the visions were gone. Easier than it had ever been, despite the faint, familiar ache that rumbled through his eyes... before Gymbr said softly from behind them: “We envy you all, your dedication... your love. It was what we desired... it was what we destroyed. Come, Scrivener Blooms, Luna Brynhild... all you must do is focus in your minds, and tell us where you want to go.”

Scrivener and Luna both turned around to face the creature, the images rising up long before the words did as Gymbr's eyes glowed emerald... and both ponies shivered for a moment, feeling it somehow reaching into their minds, drawing out their knowledge, before it smiled calmly as its horn glowed with black light.

And behind it, a terrible, black vortex slowly opened, white lightning shocking violently through the rift as the sound of howls and clanking gears echoed out of the darkness, and Gymbr smiled softly before it turned and strode into the portal... and knowing no other choice, Scrivener Blooms and Luna Brynhild followed the creature into swirling, screaming darkness.

Comments

[Koekelbag]

You know, even if we're already so far (with only 4 mayor chapters to go, it would seem) I still haven't the faintest idea who the Prophet and the Clockworld King could be... and I applaud you for that, honestly speaking.

Ehrm... well, I do have one idea (wich would explain a lot), but that would be so... devastating... I'd rather not have it as an option.