Synthesis of the Atheist

by BlackRoseRaven

A Fork In The Road

Chapter Thirty: A Fork In The Road
~BlackRoseRaven

Hollow Star and Luna Brynhild studied each other in silence for a few moments as Scrivener shifted uneasily nearby. The three were in the privacy of Luna's backyard: Antares and Twilight were both already in town, and there was no one around for miles except for them, and probably a few wandering Phooka.

“A week has passed, Luna. Now let's see if you keep your word.” Hollow Star said softly, the metallic behemoth gleaming as her golden-fire mane wafted slowly around her features: but unlike usual, the unicorn had no metal covering her skeletal features, but it only served to make her somehow even more intimidating as she leaned down and almost demanded in a clear voice: “Release me from my bonds, and I will make my oath of loyalty to you willingly.”

“Not yet.” Luna said calmly, and when Hollow Star began to grin callously, the sapphire mare glared up at her. “For one, thou arrived early, this is not the time I told thee to meet us here. For another, we are waiting for one last guest to arrive. Then I shall release thee.”

“Oh, yes, I'm sure.” Hollow Star rolled her eyes, leaning back and looking distastefully over at Scrivener Blooms as the stallion awkwardly pawed at the ground with what was no longer a hoof, but now a gleaming claw. “I want his blood.”

Scrivener looked up sourly, and when Luna looked pointedly down at the stallion's claw, he winced a little and glanced down, then closed it tightly... and flinched in pain even as it clicked loudly as it locked together. It felt strange, but now the claw looked almost exactly like a hoof with a few thin lines in it, and it was much more comfortable for Scrivener to walk on. The stallion couldn't help but wonder if – no, why lie, when – his other hoof was going to change a lot these days... sometimes, as a matter of fact, he thought that the process had begun already, but he hoped that was just paranoia.

Hollow Star smiled as she drew her own eyes down to the claw, asking curiously: “Why hide what you are, Scrivener Blooms? But then again, I see that it's Luna who insists on it... did you ever stop and think she's ashamed of you? No, of course not, that's too easy: I think she's really ashamed of herself, for what she clearly is inside.”

“Does thou have to become a horrendous bitch every time thou does not get thy way?” Luna asked in an exasperated voice, and Hollow Star only snorted before the winged unicorn muttered: “Now I understand all the better why Celestia was often so frustrated with me, however. But... there, obnoxious harpy, here arrives our guest.”

Hollow Star frowned, then glanced sharply up as a firebird fluttered down and landed in Luna's mane, the sapphire mare slowly looking up with a horrible scowl as Burning Desire cleared his throat, flapping his wings and settling himself as he said awkwardly: “Hello there, uh... Morning Glory.”

“Hollow Star.” the Destroyer enunciated slowly, and then she glared at him and added with disgust: “If you are still here when I am released from my bonds, I am going to slaughter you, no matter who you attempt to hide behind, Ardent Desire.”

Burning laughed awkwardly at this, then leaned down and whispered nervously in Luna's ear: “This is a really bad idea. This is a really, really bad idea.”

“Oh enough, both of thee, stupid idiot foals!” Luna shouted suddenly, and then she violently shook her head back and forth, Burning Desire clinging to it with a yelp before the firebird squealed as her mane exploded into blue flames and electricity, and the polymorphed demon wildly lunged free and zigzagged into the air as Hollow Star stepped forwards before she could stop herself.

The firebird burst apart into flames in midair, then reformed into Burning Desire, who staggered awkwardly away from Luna before his eyes bulged as the sapphire mare said clearly: “Hollow Star, thou art released from servitude.”

Hollow Star flinched as her eyes glowed... and then her white irises locked on Burning Desire, who stood like an animal frozen by a sudden blast of bright light. They stared at each other, before Hollow Star grinned coldly... then the Destroyer blinked in surprise as Luna strode past with a frustrated look on her face, Scrivener awkwardly hurrying after her as Burning Desire tried to make himself tiny and the Destroyer stared over her shoulder.

“Wait, where are you going?” Hollow Star asked incredulously, and then she winced in surprise when Luna spun around on the patio and stormed back towards the steps.

“Away from thee! I have had enough of this... constant mocking and whining and bickering, I fetched thee because thou wert supposed to be strong and an ample warrior... and oh sure, thou did well in the battle, but it does not change the fact that even if we were forced to resort to nefarious means, we bested thee.” Luna said contemptibly, her whole muzzle wrinkling up with the face of disgust she made. “And aye, thou wert excellent help against Kismet, but 'tis not like Celestia could not have done such a spell, and Twilight has already begun to learn that magic!

“No, we worked so hard to get thee as a favor to Burning Desire, and because he claimed thou would be a mighty help. Well, thou art not a mighty help, thou art nothing but a whiny foal and a constant source of headache!” Luna glared at them both, then added sharply: “And thou, Burning Desire! We get thy sister, and thou says 'oh I shall make it up to her' and 'oh I shall fix things' and instead thou runs away to Subterra and dumps this mess upon my lap! Well, no, I say, no! So let me tell both of thee this: Burning Desire, deal with thy own problem, thou dug the grave, thou can lay in it for all I care. And thou, wretched, stupid witch... if thou wants freedom, take it, and may it bugger thee off into the sunset! Go away, thou art not needed, thou art not necessary, goodbye and fare thee well!”

Luna spun on her heel, storming towards the open backdoor that Scrivener had already vanished through, and both demons stared disbelievingly as the sapphire mare strode inside and slammed the door violently. Then, once inside and safely out of sight, Luna covered her mouth to suppress her childish giggles as Scrivener scowled at her and muttered: “If this doesn't work, we're going to be cleaning up Burning Desire's remains for years, Luna. And Twilight and Celestia are both going to murder us.”

The sapphire mare only huffed and waved a hoof, then turned and shoved the side of her head against the backdoor, trying to listen through it, as outside the two demons continued to simply sit and stare. And then Burning Desire blurted, before he could stop himself: “I don't think you're useless.”

Hollow Star looked slowly over her shoulder at him, eying him coldly, and Burning Desire smiled faintly up at her before he lowered his head and rubbed a hoof slowly through his fiery mane, murmuring: “You always took care of me, after all... well... when we were... you know. Even though I know... things didn't go very well, I want you to know that... my favorite memories are still of us, being brother and sister like we had been when we were kids... since you always took care of me back then, too.”

He stopped, then looked up and added finally: “And I've been a coward, she's right about that, too. After everything I said, I ran away and... you're my little sister, and I love you, and I said that... you had every right to beat me up and hurt me after what I did to you and... I'm... I'm going to live up to that promise now. I'm not going to run away, Morning Glory.”

Hollow Star looked at him silently, and he looked back up, then said quietly: “Just know that I'm sorry, okay? About... everything.”

He closed his eyes and bowed his head forwards, waiting silently for the blow... but then he felt a hoof settle gently on either shoulder, and he looked slowly up to see the Destroyer looking down at him quietly. Their eyes met, and they studied each other for the longest time before the mare finally said: “No resistance. No fight... no glory. Revenge against you is meaningless now... I get no pleasure from it, and I already destroyed Cupidus... I did it for both our sakes. You won't fight me, and the only thing I can enjoy is fighting. You stole that from me too, Ardent.”

“That's as silly as me saying all I enjoy is sex because I'm a Lust demon.” Burning Desire smiled after a moment, reaching up to rub at his face silently before he awkwardly reached both forelegs up as far as he could, and Hollow Star winced as the smaller demon lamely attempted to hug her: but with how large she was, all he really managed t do was to cling to the front of her. “I love you. I'm gonna help take care of you now, like a big brother should.”

“You can't even take care of yourself.” Hollow Star muttered, and then she pushed him firmly off before closing her eyes as her mane wafted down over her face, hiding her features from view for a moment. Then she cursed quietly and shook her head slowly before reaching up and brushing the curtain of golden flames away, and Burning Desire smiled radiantly as he gazed up at her: not at the thin, emaciated features of the witchlike Hollow Star, but the beautiful, confident face of his sister, Morning Glory. “Just... just don't get in my way. And stand up for yourself, you're a descendant of Duke Magister.”

“Sir yes sir.” Burning Desire intoned wryly, and the Destroyer smacked him firmly enough to knock him over with a yelp, the Passion curling up slightly on the ground before the mare sighed tiredly, then turned moodily around and strode over the patio.

She reached up and hammered firmly on the backdoor, and there was silence for a moment before it opened, Luna looking up... then staring in horror and throwing herself backwards, and the Destroyer blinked and winced before Luna pointed and shouted: “Put thy witch's face back on, terrible apparition! By all of Asgard, thou looks like a pink Celestia! Away, away with thee!”

“Shut up!” the Destroyer snapped, and Luna winced a bit as Scrivener awkwardly poked his head in from the living room, before glowering over at the sapphire mare: she did look a little similar to Celestia, but Scrivener thought that was mostly because of her sheer size and fiery mane. And possibly the fact she's covered in metal. I'm too used to that on Celestia now, too. “Luna, I am honor-bound to offer my loyalty to you... freely. I am... I am Morning Glory. And I have made up with my brother, Ardent Desire.”

“What, no, we didn't make out, that's why you went to Hell in the first place.” Burning Desire said dumbly, and without looking, Morning Glory kicked a rear hoof backwards and knocked him sprawling into the yard again with a yelp. “Sorry!”

Luna looked meditatively at Morning Glory, studying her, slowly meeting the Destroyer's white eyes before the sapphire mare smiled after a moment and bowed her head forwards. “I am honored to accept thee as my charge, Morning Glory.”

Morning Glory smiled, and for a few moments there was silence between them before the Destroyer paused and tilted her head, asking slowly as Luna grinned at her: “Wait... this was all set up, wasn't it? This was a trick.”

Slowly, the Destroyer turned a baleful look on Burning Desire, who winced and held up his hooves as he babbled: “Hey, don't look at me, I had nothing to do with this! Nothing, nope, not a thing! It... I... I'm just as angry and offended as you are! And surprised too!”

Luna snorted in amusement, and then she said cheerfully: “Aye, 'twas a trick, but fear not Morning Glory, thou art not the only victim. And I truly was sick and tired of hearing both of thee bicker. But I thought 'twas most likely thou just needed a push to finally be at peace with thy sibling, and 'tis a pleasure to see that I was right and will not have to scrape Burning Desire off the lawn. Well, watch Scrivy scrape Burning Desire up, I do not do the yardwork.”

Morning Glory twitched a bit, glaring furiously at the winged unicorn, but Luna only winked and turned away, calling easily: “Come, we must head into Ponyville now, we have important business to attend to! Kvasir is meeting us at the library and 'twould be very rude to keep the administrator of Valhalla waiting.”

“I'm going to kill you, Luna Brynhild. One day, I will kill you. And it will be a very happy day.” Morning Glory said disgustedly, and then there was a whoosh of flames behind her before she felt something land on her head, and the behemoth demon straightened slowly so her head almost brushed the underside of the staircase. “Ardent.”

“What? We're siblings again!” Burning Desire said cheerfully from where he was sitting happily in her golden-fire mane in firebird form, the aureate flames wreathing harmlessly around him as he looked brightly down at her. “I'd carry you if you were a pretty little birdy, instead of the largest, most beautiful mare I've ever set my eyes upon!”

Morning Glory was silent for a moment, moodily looking straight ahead, and then she suddenly stepped forwards and slammed her head as hard as possible into the wall above the doorway, crunching in the solid wood and leaving a whimpering Burning Desire hammered into the wall, twitching weakly as red feathers floated slowly down.

The Destroyer carefully ducked inside and slipped through the kitchen, keeping herself hunched low with a grumble so she could pass through the house, and Scrivener looked awkwardly up from where he was packing things into a saddlebag to say carefully: “You know, uh... this was definitely all Luna's idea. She's the trickster here, not me.”

“Coward. Why are all stallions cowards?” Morning Glory muttered, and then she glanced grumpily around at the pictures on the wall, studying both photographs and framed paintings as she asked: “Will we be leaving soon?”

“Tonight or tomorrow, yeah, especially since Kvasir told us he detected another ping. He's not sure whether Thesis even know about the anchors or not, since he doesn't seem interested in them... but whatever he's doing, it's creating enough of a pulse to resonate with the anchors.” Scrivener said quietly, and then he smiled slightly and glanced up. “We just need to figure out if it's the same place you detected Kismet getting thrown back to, or somewhere else.”

Morning Glory nodded slowly, and then she glanced moodily over her shoulder as Burning Desire strode in, giving his sibling a flat look before the fiery stallion asked quietly: “And I take it violet will be going with you and Luna and...”

“Celestia, probably, maybe a few other people. We need to get all the information together first though, before we make any big decisions. That and Luna wants to make sure we get to do the brunt of the work ourselves.” Scrivener smiled slightly, and then he climbed to his hooves and glanced down at his locked claw, before saying awkwardly: “Excuse me. Gotta get on my armor.”

“Wait.” Morning Glory said mildly, and the charcoal stallion glanced up curiously... and before he could react, a chain shot out of the Destroyer's back, twisting around and sinking painfully into the stallion's side, and his eyes bulged in shock before the chain twisted once, then ripped back and free. Scrivener staggered with a groan as Luna stumbled out of the bedroom down the hall with a snarl, half-dressed in her armor.

Burning Desire was gaping up in horror at his sibling as withdrew the chain, studying the corruption coating the last inch or so thoughtfully before sticking this into her mouth. Her tongue twisted slowly around the links of the metal appendage, eyes glancing only mildly at Luna as the sapphire mare snapped: “What in Mimir's name art thou doing?”

Scrivener rubbed moodily at the hole in his side, which was thankfully already healing, and then Morning Glory said mildly: “Helping myself to a small sample, that's all. I'd almost forgotten what his blood tasted like... and I want to keep it firmly in mind. Just in case I come across something else like him... I want to know if they taste the same, or whose is... better.”

“Thou... thou art... thou art a witch!” Luna snapped, her eye twitching and mane sparking, and then she grumbled under her breath before turning around and saying moodily as she walked away: “Kvasir had best have good news. Otherwise I shall have to torment him until I feel better, and perhaps feed him to the witch so she ceases trying to eat my husband.”

“I have good news.” Kvasir said quietly, reaching up to adjust his tie with his strange hands as his eyes calmly surveyed the ponies at the table. He seemed unsurprised by the addition of a Destroyer to their ranks, but then again, being administrator of Valhalla let him keep a sharp eye on what was going on in the many layers of Midgard below.

Luna looked up expectantly as Celestia tilted her own head slightly, and Antares fidgeted a bit beside Morning Glory, finding it difficult not to look at her now and then. Not because of her physical changes, but because she seemed like an entirely different person... even if she was the same abusive, abrasive demon she'd been before, too.

Cowlick was sitting at the foot of the table, looking grumpy as a Nibelung Architect beside her smiled with interest, dressed in a traditional kilt and vest, his squat body strong and gray-black fur smooth and clean. Greece, one of the most-trusted and talented among the Architects in Ponyville, if not all of Equestria. He was the patient, meticulous skill and reason that tempered Cowlick's insane, often-violent genius and ingenuity.

Kvasir's eyes roved to them for a moment, and Cowlick made a particularly rude gesture at the god before she grumbled and began to dig out a cigarette from her vest. Kvasir gave her an ill look, then he shook his head and turned his eyes to Luna, saying calmly: “The energy surge the anchor detected took place in a layer you've been to before. And once more, I saw that same strange storm and energy cloud as I found in the layer you recently visited.”

“Were you able to see anything else?” Celestia asked quietly, and Kvasir shook his head slowly, earning a frown from the ivory mare. “What about... we've been dealing with a death entity named Kismet, who appears to have been forced into working for Thesis. Morning Glory was able to forcibly recall him to whatever layer he was sent here from. Were there any signs of his presence?”

“He was a death entity, not a reaper?” Kvasir asked, and when Celestia confirmed with a nod, the homunculus frowned and leaned forwards, slowly tapping his fingers against the table, dropping his head in meditation.

After a few moments, he finally looked up and said thoughtfully: “At any given time, there are very few incarnations of primal or elemental forces in the world. The presence of chaos or destruction entities can be easily detected on any layer, even if we can't always pinpoint their exact location. There was no sign of a death entity on that layer that I could see. I can check again, but I'm confident it was not there.”

“Which layer is it?” Luna asked curiously, and Kvasir gave her a moody look before the sapphire mare huffed. “Oh come now, thou art mapping the layers, art thou not? Thou must have names for them, or at least can share some details!”

“It's an inner layer, closer to the core world. I believe it was the second layer you visited, the second anchor you laid.” Kvasir said after a moment, and then he returned his eyes to Celestia, saying calmly: “Now, since I know more about what to look for, I-”

“Little Luna and Nice Celestia!” Luna exclaimed after a moment, grinning brightly over at Scrivener Blooms, who looked blank for a moment before his eyes widened slightly as he understood what she meant. “That is the layer with Little Luna and Nice Celestia! Oh, then most definitely we have to... oh damnation, if it is not where Kismet ended up, then...”

For a few moments, Luna looked frustrated, as Kvasir glared at her and the others ponies looked curious, and then the sapphire mare brightened before pointing at Antares, saying firmly: “Nay, this is perfect! Antares Mīrus, I am tasking this layer to thee. And more importantly, Scrivener Blooms and I must be excused for the moment to pen a letter. Twilight Sparkle, keep us informed.”

“Horses of Heaven I miss the days when we could be apart.” Scrivener mumbled, and then he sighed and smiled awkwardly as he pushed himself away from the table, since Luna had already leapt over to the door and shoved her way through.

Twilight stared after them as Celestia sighed as well and shook her head slowly, but Sleipnir looked cheerfully up from where he had been sprawled half-asleep over the table next to his sibling, asking: “Does this mean I may go too, big sister?”

“No. Stay here, we might need your thoughts on things.” Celestia said calmly, and Sleipnir groaned and dropped himself crankily back into his forelegs before Cowlick cleared her throat loudly and waved a hoof in the air. “Kilby Kwolek, we'll get to you in a moment, but I think for now we should let Kvasir-”

“Screw the pretty boy, what's he know? You don't send a goddamn accountant to rodeo for you, do you?” Cowlick asked mildly, rolling her unlit cigarette between her teeth, and then she added distastefully: “And I seriously need to get out of here, I need a smoke and to get back to work at the labs. Besides, I can make this quick.”

Cowlick straightened, and Kvasir grumbled before gesturing to her, saying moodily: “Then by all means, go ahead. I'm sure the fact you run your own auto-shop by far outweighs my knowledge, I'm only in charge of what you little ponies refer to as 'Heaven.'”

“Great, so you're the guy who puts skirts on stallions after they die and doles out the grape juice. Besides, does my ass look like it's going to end up plunked down in Heaven?” Cowlick asked distastefully, and Kvasir rolled his eyes as he dropped back in his seat, grumbling under his breath. “Good boy, glad to see we understand each other.

“Okay, listen.” Cowlick looked back and forth, becoming more serious as she explained quietly: “I've dissected and studied a few of the Silverbacks captured recently from the Ponyville, Canterlot, and Manehattan areas respectively. We all knew they were poisonous, but like Shiny and Antares both said, all of them are now producing corruption, too. This stuff, though, it ain't like the samples I've got from Clockwork World, or the stuff in Scrivener's bloodstream. I dunno if I'd say it was more toxic or less toxic, I just know that it's different. I have some experiments running with it right now, though, and I promise to let you guys know whatever I find out, as soon as I find anything, okay?”

Cowlick paused, then she added quietly: “I also took the initiative and sent an old pal of mine a letter, got him to send a work crew out to the area where I figured the bugs are coming from. Well, there ain't nothing there anymore... just collapsed ruins, so that's a dead end. But what gets me is that these things are all the same multiplying and spreading throughout Equestria, but we have no signs of any nest or anything... and they seem to be evolving, getting nastier and badder. I'm going to try and figure out how they work, but all I know right now is that they're not machines, like most of Clockwork World's assery.”

“Has Shiny been able to tell you anything else?” Antares asked quietly, and Cowlick smiled faintly before shaking her head slowly, and the young stallion nodded a little as he looked down, rubbing hesitantly at his face. “Maybe... maybe I could go and talk to him, Cowlick. Not about this, just... about... other stuff.”

“Nah, don't worry your head about that, kid. Shiny's with Ross right now, they get along real well, and... well, more than us helping the poor bastard, I think he's gotta sort a few things out in his own head, first.” Cowlick said quietly, glancing over the table, and Twilight shifted uncomfortably before the engineer gave her a wry smile. “Don't you start too. Ain't your fault any more than it's your kid's.”

Twilight blushed a little and smiled faintly at this: at how casual, comfortable Cowlick was saying that, but before she could speak, the engineer looked towards Celestia and said slowly: “I do have one idea, though. Something that I thought of while working on the science project these bugs provided me with. I can call some friends of mine in Manehattan, get them to look at the chemical composition of the corruption... see what makes it tick. If the bad guys are using it for something, maybe for power or... I dunno what, it'd be nice to have our own antidote to it, right? And hell, we can even test it on Scrivener.”

Celestia sighed tiredly, but then she nodded hesitantly after a moment, saying quietly: “You're right. Not about testing it on Scrivener, I would much prefer we used inert matter, but even in the old days... when we fought Tyrant Wyrms, we used blessed oil to tamper with the power of their mire. If Thesis is trying to use the corruption for something else, we need to learn to block it out.”

“This Thesis bastard better not have any of those things at his disposal. If he does, I might have to get into the weapon-making business again, in spite of everything I promised Rusty.” Cowlick muttered, and then she shook her head slowly before glancing up and smiling wryly. “Alright. Well, floor's yours again, noble mister god. I'm gonna go back to work, Greece here can fill you in about everything and anything else, like the portal rings we're building.”

“Thank you, earth pony.” Kvasir said distastefully, and he watched as the engineer shoved herself away from the table and headed to the door, before the homunculus shook his head slowly and asked moodily: “So would anyone else like to say something, before I continue? Freya? Sleipnir? Oh, well, at least Little Miss Nightmare and her butler aren't here, that's one stress less.”

Twilight shifted awkwardly as Antares coughed a few times, and then Kvasir sighed tiredly when Celestia gave him a gentle smile, the homunculus god hesitating before asking in a quieter voice: “How is... Scrivener Blooms holding up, with the voice of Valthrudnir? Is there anything I should know about in that regard?”

“If you want to know, you should speak to Scrivener Blooms. He'll deflect the question once or twice, but then he'll be honest. As long as you're honest with him.” Celestia replied almost reassuringly, and Kvasir grumbled to himself before nodding moodily once. The ivory winged unicorn smiled, then asked: “Have you noticed any further Replicant or suspicious activity in any of the other layers? And do you know the method they're using to travel between worlds?”

“None... but I did figure that out, yes. It's the same trick that Valthrudnir used to move his forces between layers as well, with the Bifrost sealed shut.” Kvasir said quietly, nodding slowly. “He goes over their design in great detail, as a matter of fact, in several of his texts: he refers to them as 'freight platforms,' large-scale portal devices the size of this room, perhaps larger, capable of creating tunnels through reality to each other between layers, as long as you know the specific coordinates and codes necessary.”

“Maybe we could replicate that design.” Greece suggested from down the table, holding up a hand, and Kvasir frowned at him before the Nibelung smiled a little and shrugged. “We could even modify it, perhaps... turn it into a one-way portal, but one capable of sending someone... anywhere, and without breaking down immediately afterwards.”

Kvasir only shook his head slowly, replying moodily: “While it's a tempting option because I would no longer have to worry about being called down to act as a personal ferry-service to and from different worlds, I can't help but think that it would be dangerous as well. Oh, no, my concern is far less that some evil entity is going to get its claws on the designs and mount an attack on the core world... it's more that I'm very concerned I will be forced to endure regular visits from Brynhild and all her friends.

“Speaking of which.” Kvasir slowly turned his eyes towards Antares, who looked blankly up at the homunculus god as he shrank a little in his seat. “I was told that a reaper was spotted in the Vale of Valhalla, delivering a letter to a certain mare and stallion. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?”

“Uh. Nope.” Antares said awkwardly, and when Kvasir narrowed his eyes moodily at him, the stallion grinned weakly and said lamely: “I definitely don't have the power to summon or control reapers, you know. I mean. Who would I even ask? Who would do that? I... why's it a big deal?”

“It is a 'big deal' because the living do not send letters to the dead. At least, not ones that are supposed to be delivered. It is a big deal, because apparently they wrote letters back... and not only that, when the other peacefully passed-on souls found out that there was a reaper in Heaven acting as a delivery boy, there was a small riot in paradise. And apparently in the madness that ensued, the reaper escaped with at least several hundred letters from deceased relatives, and is now floating around this very layer, delivering letters.” Kvasir said moodily, and Antares' mouth worked slowly as Celestia coughed and a few other ponies stared at the god. “There is not supposed to be any communication whatsoever between those passed on, and those who have not. There are very, precious few so-called 'psychics' who are anything but a sham, or those sensitive to emotions that have stained an area. You, Antares, are beginning to prove to be just as much a frustration to me as your mother.”

Celestia coughed again, and Antares glanced at her... then stared as he realized she was trying her hardest to hide a smile and suppress a laugh. Sleipnir was gazing incredulously at his older sibling, but soon enough, the enormous earth pony began to giggle like a child, which immediately attracted a horrible look from Kvasir.

The goliath stallion cleared his throat violently several times as Celestia kept a hoof plastered over her muzzle, coughing loudly once more as Twilight gaped at the two, and then both ponies jumped slightly as Discombobulation appeared behind them and dropped a hand on either pony's shoulder, remarking mildly: “Congratulations, Antares, you've brought a brand new holiday I'm going to call the Day of the Dead to Equestria. I'm calling it that because I really love those little candy skulls you get in Mexico, and I think we can all get behind remembering those who've passed on by drinking, eating, and partying.”

Celestia giggled a little, then hurriedly caught herself when Kvasir glanced towards her sharply, as Sleipnir clapped his hooves together in delight before declaring: “Then I agree! Kvasir, this is a wondrous idea! Every year, we should all receive letters from-”

“No. No, no, no, that would be an administrative nightmare, and it would increase the already-overflowing requests for 'visits' that I'm getting, and I am not going to deal with running a tourist attraction in Valhalla.” Kvasir reached up and rubbed at his temples slowly, clenching his eyes shut. “Life and death are not supposed to be tampered with and I already have enough on my plate without thinking about the implications of-”

“You talk like a Greed devil. I hate Greed devils.” Morning Glory remarked moodily, looking down the table, and Kvasir slowly opened his eyes to glare at the Destroyer before she narrowed her gaze slowly. “Or no, maybe you're just a coward. Helheim, after all, freely makes contact with the mortal plane. Powerful demons even escape Helheim, like I did. But then again, angels and the soft souls of Valhalla have always been weak, haven't they?”

“If you're trying to bait me, you'll have to do much better than that. I've spent years now dealing with being ordered around by Valkyries and gods and upstart little mortals.” Kvasir said distastefully, dropping his hands to the table and leaning moodily forwards. “I have had to endure laughter, mockery, and worst of all 'friendly pranks' from Sleipnir and the ever-so-nice Valkyrie Brynhild. I have had mortal underwear put on me, then yanked up over my face. Hel herself could not be more intimidating or frustrating than these wretched little ponies are.”

The Destroyer looked moody for a moment, and then Morning Glory said dryly: “So I see. You're impotent. It's not that you don't want to, and it's not that you're afraid of the repercussions. It's that you can't handle managing these silly little mortals and saying no to them and assuming a little bit of responsibility. You're like every other paper pusher I've ever met, be it in Hell or on the mortal world. Delegate, delegate, delegate, let's keep it the same because otherwise I might have to actually do work if the system is no longer a failure.”

Kvasir glared at this, hammering his hands on the table as he asked incredulously: “Do you know how much work I do every single day? The endless piles of paperwork, the effort it takes to keep track of the souls in the Vale, to... to monitor Valhalla's drunken sots? To deal with Helheim, and the other worlds out there, and constantly keep an eye on-”

“Yes, I can clearly see from right here how much work you do. It's okay, my big brother was the same way. But now he has his own little palace where he can hide all day if he likes, and a big strong demon to call 'mommy' and cuddle him better when Burning gets all sad.” Morning Glory replied mockingly, and Kvasir gaped as the other ponies at the table stared at the Destroyer.

Then the homunculus ground his teeth together before turning and angrily kicking over his chair, and he finally spun around and stormed towards the library door, muttering furiously the entire time. He ripped it open, then stumbled backwards in surprise as a black-cloaked reaper calmly floated inside past him. The homunculus stared incredulously as the others looked up in shock, Twilight and Antares both leaping to their hooves as Greece nearly fell out of his chair.

The reaper, however, was clearly not a threat: its scythe was hovering along behind it, and the silver-masked, terrifying creature of death was loaded down with large sacks filled with rolled up letters. It calmly floated across the room towards Antares, then paused in front of him, hovering silently and looking down as Antares stared back up at the reaper blankly, before the creature calmly rose a silver claw and flicked it.

Two letters rose up out of one of the sacks, floating over to Antares, and the stallion awkwardly reached up and took these, stuttering out a 'thank you' as best he could. The reaper nodded slowly, then silently turned and floated over to Twilight next, who stared in surprise as the creature extracted another letter and held it down to her. The Lich took it after staring wordlessly for a moment, and without a sound, the reaper calmly floated towards the doorway.

It brushed past Kvasir, who was still standing and holding the door open with one hand, and the reaper made its ways peacefully onwards before a gray Pegasus mare with a blonde mane and bright gold eyes trotted curiously into the library, looking back and forth before she looked up at Kvasir and asked: “Did Ponyville get a new mail carrier? Oh, hi Miss Celestia! I got your mail here!”

The Pegasus smiled and dug in a saddlebag at her side, then pulled out a bunch of letters, before wincing when Kvasir snatched them away and glared down at her balefully. The mailmare leaned slowly back with a wince until she fell backwards out of the doorway, and the homunculus grumbled under his breath before he strode over to the table, threw the letters down, and then strode back towards the open library door, leaving and slamming the door behind him.

There was an awkward moment of silence, and then Discombobulation cleared his throat from where he was still companionably leaning on Celestia and Sleipnir, remarking: “Well, I think congratulations are in order. We all get a new holiday thanks to Hummingbird over there.”

Morning Glory looked sourly up at this, and Celestia smiled slightly as she glanced up, saying kindly: “Not yet, Bob. The day still has to be officially declared by Canterlot, for now it's an annual occasion. Although if it's... very interesting that Kismet went to such great lengths to keep his word to you, Antares.”

“The Great Reaper? And are those letters really...” Greece looked back and forth at Antares and Twilight, who had both unrolled their letters. The young stallion didn't look up, trembling a little but smiling brightly as his eyes raced over the words, while Twilight managed to tear herself away, nodding a few times as she laughed faintly.

“Yeah, this... this one's from my parents. It's short but... they're... it's...” Twilight swallowed thickly, reaching up and rubbing slowly at the stitching over her chest as she whispered: “It's amazing.”

Celestia softened at this, and then she smiled faintly as her eyes turned towards Antares, as the stallion swallowed a little before murmuring: “Yeah, it... it really is. Excuse me, I gotta go find my friends and... and show them this.”

“And I'm going... I... need to go and talk to Luna and Scrivener, excuse me. Oh, Celestia...” Twilight halted and smiled over her shoulder, hesitating only a moment as Antares hurried to the door with his letters. “Luna and Scrivener said... they trust you to divide the groups up fairly. I know it's... asking a lot but...”

“No, I appreciate it. It lets me be a little selfish.” Celestia smiled slightly, and Twilight blushed and nodded before turning and hurrying out with her letter, and the ivory winged unicorn softened a bit as she murmured: “I wonder...”

“As do I! This is all most wondrous!” Sleipnir agreed jovially, although Celestia only laughed and shook her head slowly as the enormous earth pony looked with a benign smile to Morning Glory. “And thou, beautiful creature! What a sly demon thou art, and how I approve so heartily of such delightful trickery! I doubt we will have the fortune of a reaper ever again being ordered to act as a messenger for the departed, and it saddens me further that not all who live will be able to hear from those who died... but... let us be joyous for those who shall, shall we not?”

“You are a strange creature.” Morning Glory remarked, and Sleipnir nodded childishly before the behemoth demon calmly leaned toward him, the metal plates over her massive frame shifting before a chain twisted out of her back and reached down to slowly stroke Sleipnir's face, brushing back his locks of vine and ivy as his eyes slowly widened. “You are aware that I am a Destroyer, correct?”

“Will thou... destroy me?” Sleipnir asked roguishly, grinning brightly as he leaned towards her and waggled his eyebrows, and Morning Glory laughed and shook her head slowly before he asked suddenly, reaching out and touching her metallic breast: “Is it only thine own metal thou can affect, or can thou manipulate the properties of other metals as well?”

“That depends on the metal. But most, yes, I can manipulate to my will. You're smarter than you look.” Morning Glory remarked, and then she paused and glanced over towards the Nibelung even as her chain absently stroked down Sleipnir's breast, the enormous stallion smiling warmly. “You, you are an Artificer, correct? And the vile little earth pony mentioned something about portal rings.”

“Yes, that's right. We're in the process of building two of them right now, since the Bifrost can only be used once every seven days or so. They're fragile, but they should be strong enough to get you where you're going safely.” Greece replied after a moment, nodding hesitantly as he looked awkwardly over at the Destroyer. “We're trying to add a power supply in too, get more energy running through the rings and hopefully make it easier to open the portal, but... this is a mix of Cowlick's technology and old Nibelung craft, things that even when I studied at the Academy were very, very old and all but lost to us.”

“Yes, because you truly seem ancient, dwarf.” the Destroyer said dryly, and Greece cleared his throat awkwardly before the demon asked mildly: “Just how old are you, Nibelung?”

“Thirteen hundred, give or take a few decades.” Greece shrugged embarrassedly, and when the Destroyer stared at him and her chain dropped limp, the dwarf cleared rubbed the back of his head and laughed lamely. “Well, you know. I skipped a few years at the Academy. They told me I was a very fast learner.”

“The Architects are all very old, Morning Glory. They've lived long, long lives in Niflheim, most of which were spent defending their last remaining Academy. Even in Asgard, we knew the dwarves... and the elves, too, but sadly...” Celestia shook her head slowly, then smiled a little as Discombobulation hesitantly reached up and touched under her chin quietly.

“The thing about words is that meanings can twist just like a snake, and if you want to find snakes, look for them behind words that have changed their meaning. No one ever said elves are nice. Elves are bad.” the Draconequus said gently. Celestia only gazed up at him, and he looked back down at her for a few moments before clearing his throat and looking away, adding: “I would rather live than die. I would rather die than survive as a monster.”

“I don't know if I agree with the latter sentiment, Bob. But I also suppose that depends on precisely what you mean by 'monster.'” Celestia replied softly, and he smiled a little as they met each other's eyes before the chimerical creature cleared his throat and quickly staggered away, looking embarrassed as he rubbed his hands together.

Celestia, however, only smiled as she turned her eyes back forwards, gazing down at the table for a moment before she said quietly: “I'm going with my little sister and her partners, Bob, and... I would like it if you would come with us, too.”

The Draconequus looked at her with surprise and a faint smile, while Sleipnir huffed and glared over at his sibling, asking dryly: “And I suppose thou art now going to rob me of the awkward enjoyment of having this delightful creature's chain in mine lap by telling me that I must stay behind with my sweet phoenix, is that not so?”

Celestia only smiled and shrugged, and the stallion groaned as Morning Glory glanced down in surprise, then hurriedly withdrew her chain from where it had fallen and into her back, as the stallion looked almost pleadingly over at Morning Glory. “Oh demon, can thou not do something about my wretched sibling? Is she not ever so cruel and unkind and unjust to me, is there not some remedy thou may apply to my wounded self?”

The Destroyer favored him with a mild look, then turned her eyes respectfully to Celestia, as the mare said quietly: “I'll be sending Antares, Meadowlark, Aphrodisia and Avalon with you... and if her parents okay it, I'll send Tender Trust as well. If you like, however, I have no problem sending Sleipnir and his wife, Pinkamena, with you too... but know that as it is, the new generation is already... very adept.”

Morning Glory looked thoughtfully at Sleipnir, who grinned brightly and nodded rapidly as he said hurriedly: “Please, please, oh thou must agree! If thou does, 'twill thrill my phoenix!”

“I should find that disgusting and repulsive, that you have a wife and yet all the same are flirting with me, but I think I've spent too long in Hell to care.” Morning Glory paused, then studied the stallion as he grinned over at her and winked cheerfully. “That, and... she knows, doesn't she?”

“Well of course! Marriages are founded upon honesty and mutual agreement, are they not?” Sleipnir asked warmly, tilting his head, and Morning Glory was surprised into smiling again as Sleipnir winked. “See, 'tis simply that... I have always lived a generous, healthy lifestyle most appreciative of mares of every shape and size, and while my phoenix is most active and hungry, all the same she dislikes it when I become... excessively clingy. So I am permitted to work out my particular passions with other mares so I do not 'suffocate' my wife. Although to be honest, when we tried that once, she did rather seemed to enjoy-”

“Sleipnir.” Celestia said mildly, but Morning Glory laughed and shook her head slowly, and the enormous stallion only gave a wink to his big sister before the ivory winged unicorn leaned forwards and looked calmly towards Greece, asking clearly: “How many ponies can the portal ring handle passing through?”

“Safely, or should I just assume that you and Luna will want to push things as always?” Greece asked with a slight smile, and Celestia simply nodded, making the dwarf laugh and shake his head slowly. “Of course. Safely I'd say six... stretching it, and if the ponies move fast... I'd say eight. But they better be prepared to move quickly.”

“Eight it is.” Celestia said softly, glancing over at Sleipnir with a slight smile, and he gave a small squeal of joy. “And if I remember correctly, this is also a layer that Pinkamena has been in before... hopefully the Princesses will remember her, at least. It could speed things along.”

“Well, either way 'twill be fine.” Sleipnir said cheerfully, and then he hopped out of his chair before smiling and bowing his head to Morning Glory politely, asking kindly: “Gorgeous creature, would thou like to accompany me to meet my lovely wife? I think 'twould be quite a joy all around for all of us, would it not? And I have a feeling both she and my wonderful daughter Aphrodisia will adore thee, Morning Glory.”

“What a strange creature you are.” the Destroyer remarked, but then she nodded slowly, looking with interest over Sleipnir as she murmured: “Yes. Yes, this does sound appreciable... if I may be excused, Mistress Celestia...”

“By all means. And Greece, you can go as well, I know you're probably anxious to get back to your projects.” Celestia said softly, and the Nibelung bowed politely as he excused himself, following Sleipnir and the smiling Morning Glory out. It left Discombobulation and Celestia alone in the library, the Draconequus rubbing his metal arm awkwardly as he stood a few feet away, and the ivory equine smiling faintly, not looking at him but gazing silently across the room.

Finally, the mare said quietly: “I would really appreciate you coming with us. When you're there, Bob, things always seem less dire.”

“Yes, but when I'm not there, you usually make it through okay anyway. When I am there, sometimes everything gets... discombobulated, if I may for a moment be so bold and selfish to serve as a verb. Is that a verb? I'm about ninety percent sure that's a verb.” Discombobulation rubbed at his face meditatively, then he blushed and covered his features childishly when Celestia looked over her shoulder at him with a soft smile. “Peeker.”

“No worse than you.” Celestia said softly, and then she shook her head slowly before asking hesitantly: “About Antares... what did you show him?”

“The ending of Paradise Lost.” Discombobulation paused, then he strode over to the table and sat quietly down on it, lacing his fingers together in his lap as he gazed down at the mare, and she looked up at him. “I feel a little bad using that reference, after all. Words are the only thing you can really steal from the dead, you know. Loot, magic and rare weapons, quest-related objects? The dead don't need those. If they did, every RPG and fantasy game wouldn't let you plunder and grave-rob. But words... well... steal their words, tell everyone you're the smart cookie that came up with those quotable quotes and phrasable phrases all by yourself, and you siphon immortality from the there-and-gone. And then Lovecraft's ghost kicks your ass.”

Celestia nodded and gave a small smile, silently looking up at him as he looked back down, and then the ivory winged unicorn said quietly: “I think I told myself so often that we would never last because I was scared of rejection. I was scared of when eventually you were going to push me away... but I suppose I hurt you first.”

“Yes, you did. But it could have been worse, too. Or at least that's what I try and tell myself, on the long, cold nights.” Discombobulation paused, then he reached up and gently squeezed Celestia's nose for a moment before chuckling a little as he let his hand fall away, and she looked tenderly up at him. “Are you ever cold, Celestia?”

“Aren't we all, sometimes?” Celestia paused, then she smiled slightly and asked: “Do you want me to fix you a drink, or would you prefer just to go upstairs?”

“And I thought my pickup lines were direct.” Discombobulation said wryly, and then he cleared his throat before reaching forward and gently touching under Celestia's chin, saying softly: “I appreciate the offer, but... for the moment, let's just start with that drink, shall we?”

The ivory mare nodded, looking softly up at the chaos entity before she stood up, then hesitated before leaning up and kissing the Draconequus' cheek gently. He blinked and reached up with a blush to touch his face as Celestia calmly walked around the table... but when she returned a few moments later with a glass of whiskey and a cup of cola floating beside her, she was somehow unsurprised to find that Discombobulation was nowhere to be seen.

The mare sighed softly and shook her head, smiling despite herself as she poured the whiskey into the cola glass without slowing, then set both cups down on the table. Her eyes roved back and forth until Ratatoskr suddenly hopped up onto the table with a chitter, and she turned her eyes to him as he held up a tiny little key with a tag on it, Celesta cocking her head curiously as her horn glowed to lift this free from the squirrel's little claws.

She studied it for a few moments, then smiled softly despite herself at the tag, before closing her eyes and tucking the key quietly back into her rainbow mane for safekeeping. She smiled a little to herself and shook her head slowly, glancing down at Ratatoskr and saying softly: “A key, labeled 'Heart.' I have to admit that's a little cute, even coming from Discombobulation.”

The squirrel only chittered quietly, then ran forwards and leapt upwards, landing on Celestia's shoulder and hurriedly scrambling through her rainbow mane and onto her back to curl up comfortably, and the mare smiled and shook her head slowly before she glanced to the side, saying quietly: “We have business to deal with now though, yes. I need to track down Antares and his friends, for one thing... Nirvana and Fluttershy, too, and... I'm thinking perhaps Spike as well, what do you think?”

The squirrel only chattered in response, but Celestia nodded thoughtfully before she glanced towards the glass on the table. She smiled despite herself, then levitated it over to her and tilted it back, drinking the contents in only a few large swallows before setting the cup back down and striding towards the door, shaking her head briskly once.

The mare strode out into Ponyville, and she was unsurprised to see that there was quite a bit of activity in the streets: ponies looked excited as they compared letters, ran back and forth, conversed with each other and simply tried to understand what had happened. Celestia smiled to herself at the sight, feeling strangely... warmed by it all. Sure, it went against all the established rules of life and death, of communication with spirits and forces beyond the veil... but more and more, she was becoming okay with things like that.

“Luna's rubbing off on me.” Celestia murmured to herself, and then she shook her head and gave a quiet laugh before turning and striding calmly down the street after a moment of consideration. She was fairly certain she knew where Antares would be, however: if he wanted to show all his friends, the easiest place to gather them today was...

Celestia walked out of the gates of Ponyville, and smiled as she turned to stride down a well-trod path through the fields towards the animal care center outside of town, pleased to see that her guess had been correct: she could see Antares standing beside the corral, a mud-covered Avalon hovering above as Aphrodisia and Meadowlark crowded in on either side of him, and Tender Trust sat calmly with her family, listening respectfully.

The ivory mare approached just as Antares finished reading quietly: “'Wishing you all the best, Rustproof.' I... I just... isn't that amazing? And... oh, Aunt Tia! How long have you been there?”

All eyes looked up at Celestia, but she only smiled softly, saying gently: “It's alright, Antares, I just got here... I don't want to interrupt, either, I just need a moment of your time to remind you and all your friends to get ready as soon as you all can, and head to the library. You'll be going with Morning Glory, Pinkamena and Sleipnir to another layer.”

“This is going to be so cool!” Avalon said enthusiastically, flipping once in midair and sending mud flying everywhere, then wincing and looking awkwardly down at her muck-splattered friends, Antares, Aphrodisia, and Meadowlark all glaring up at her. “Whoops. Uh. Sorry. Just excited.”

“Yeah.” Antares said sourly, and then he shook his head slowly before rolling up the letter in front of him and smiling a little over at Celestia. “I'll... I'll be back in a few minutes, Aunt Tia, I promise. I just need... a few minutes here.”

“I understand, and take as long as you need, we have a few hours still... I just need to gather everyone back up so we all know what we're doing, since I have a feeling Luna will want to push to leave early in the evening. Fluttershy, Nirvana, I'd like to speak to you, if I may.” the ivory winged unicorn added, gesturing to them politely, and the Phooka and Pegasus traded looks before they both nodded.

The three made their way a short distance away, and then Celestia turned with a gentle smile to Fluttershy, saying softly: “If it's alright with you both... I'd like Tender Trust to go with Antares and his friends as well. It would be a good learning experience for her.”

“Oh, I... I don't know...” Fluttershy shifted uncomfortably as Nirvana rumbled uneasily, then the two traded a look as Fluttershy added in a nervous voice: “This is a little sudden, too, Celestia, and... I'm not sure if Tender Trust will even want to go. And even if I've... passed down to her everything that I was taught, it's not so she'll be a warrior. It's so she'll be able to help and protect others, be confident in herself...”

“I understand that, very well. But I think this would help with that, too.” Celestia replied, and both Phooka and Pegasus looked up at her as Celestia continued: “This would be a chance for her to bond with her friends, and feel more involved. To experience another culture... more than that, to experience the Equestria that once was, in a sense. And where they're being sent... there's risk, certainly, but it's also a familiar place, that won't react as badly to ponies from another world as other layers might and have in the past.”

Fluttershy bit her lip uncertainly, and Nirvana rumbled again before saying something quickly to her, and the Pegasus nodded and replied in that same scintillating language. Then she hesitated and asked a question, and Nirvana sighed tiredly and dropped his head forwards before giving a single slow nod, making Fluttershy smile faintly.

She leaned over and kissed the Phooka's cheek quietly, and Nirvana mumbled to himself, before Fluttershy looked up and said softly: “Only on the condition that she isn't expected to fight. I... I would like to please be very clear about that. Sparring with her friends is one thing, but that's very different... that helps her feel more like she's part of the group, and helps her friends learn and master themselves. I'm okay with her going, but... I don't want her on the front lines... please.”

“Of course. I respect that.” Celestia bowed her head forwards politely, and then she smiled softly and looked up, adding quietly: “But I believe this will be good for her. And I think it'll help the others accept her more as an adult... even my niece sometimes has trouble remembering that your young daughter is an adult by Phooka standards.”

“It is hard for me to remember, as well.” Nirvana mumbled, and Celestia chuckled quietly and nodded before the Phooka glanced over his shoulder, saying softly: “But they are all good ponies, even the demon. They are strong.”

“They are.” Fluttershy agreed softly, giving a small smile before she glanced up at Celestia, asking kindly: “Would you like to come inside for a cup of tea or anything? I'm sure I can afford a few more minutes before I go back to work... Avalon is a very hard worker, and she's been helping out a lot. We're putting in a new irrigation system, something Apple Bloom designed for us... it's hard to believe that she's so grown up now, isn't it?”

“It's hard for me to believe you're all so grown up, Fluttershy... I still remember the days when Twilight Sparkle was just a little filly, just starting to learn magic...” Celestia glanced down and laughed quietly, then smiled and shook her head slowly. “So many years have passed now. Sometimes I don't know what to make of it.”

Fluttershy nodded, and then Celestia straightened and said kindly: “It's nice of you to offer, but I have another stop to make, and then I have to get back to the library. Thank you for giving Tender Trust this opportunity. I appreciate it, and I know she'll make the most of it with her friends, and that Antares and my brother will take care of her.”

The Pegasus and Phooka both bowed their heads politely, and Celestia bowed back before turning and striding away, heading back into Ponyville. But it didn't take her long to find the next person she had decided to talk to on a whim: he was replacing a window as he hummed to himself, a belt of tools hanging around his waist.

He stepped back and glanced thoughtfully over the storefront, rubbing absently at the underside of his muzzle before Celestia cleared her throat, and the purple-scaled dragon jumped slightly before looking over his shoulder and smiling warmly. “Hey, Celestia! Great to see you! What can I do for you, you need something fixed at the library?”

“No, but I do need you to join us at the library, if you can.” Celestia said kindly, and the dragon cocked his head curiously as he turned to face her. “Luna, Twilight, Scrivener and I will be going to another layer shortly. Discombobulation is also coming with us, but I was hoping that you would join the group as well.”

Spike reared back in surprise at this, touching his own broad chest as he said awkwardly: “Well, uh... that's a nice thought, Celestia, but I have.. oh, I dunno, a dozen or so other repairs to do around Ponyville over the course of the next week, and I'd have to talk it over with Rarity and everything, and well... I mean...”

“Spike, please.” Celestia smiled slightly, tilting her head towards him as she said softly: “I know that you learned a lot from Sleipnir, more than just how to work the forge. You're strong, and your dexterity is superb.”

Spike blushed and began to argue, and Celestia calmly flicked her horn, launching a hammer out of the nearby toolbox towards the window, and the dragon winced as he quickly snatched it out of the air by the handle. Then the male paused with his arm extended, balanced on one foot and the hammer held out as Celestia smiled slightly, before the dragon gave her a wry look and said mildly: “I'm starting to believe all those stories Sleipnir loves to tell about you. But why me, really?”

“It would be reassuring for Twilight to have an old friend along. And you would round out the group nicely. You're also a dragon.” Celestia said politely, and Spike shook his head and laughed at this, reaching up to rub at the tattooing around one bare bicep with a smile.

“Yeah, a dragon who gave up size and a lot of his longevity to fuel this magic charm here.” Spike tapped the tattooed enchantment, before he sighed and smiled a little. “No. No, I wouldn't trade it for the world, no. This way I can stay with ponies, the people I actually like, instead of... probably dying horribly in a strange world with strange dragons that would want to do strange things to me. I can't even speak their language.”

“Yes, but you still have a dragon's strength.” Celestia said pointedly, and Spike shrugged embarrassedly before Celestia said mildly: “If you think I won't grapple with you to prove my point, you're completely wrong, you know. I used to wrestle with Sleipnir all the time.”

“He told me you always won, which scares me a lot because every time he goads me into hoof-wrestling, he usually throws me to the floor.” Spike said mildly, and then the dragon rubbed at his face awkwardly before he said finally: “I haven't done any adventuring for... years. I'm part of the Starlit Knights, sure, but I'm strictly support. And you know Rarity will kill me if I come back with so much as a scratch.”

Celestia gave the dragon a look, and he finally nodded hesitantly, rubbing a hand through his headfins slowly and mumbling: “But yeah. Yeah, okay, yeah, I gotta be there for Twilight and I don't wanna turn you down, Celestia. I still have to wonder if you have some other reason for wanting me to come along, though.”

The ivory mare only smiled slightly and shrugged a bit, and then the dragon asked hesitantly: “Hey... is... is she holding up okay? With everything that's happening to Scrivener, I mean, I... I worry about her a lot. I know she's supposed to be... nearly-indestructible and all, but... she's still the same Twilight to me, and Twilight's always... things get to her sometimes, she gets so worked up and I don't get to see her as much as I'd like to.”

“Well, you'll get to be there with her on this journey, Spike, and I know it'll do a world for her. But I think... she's holding up as well as she can.” Celestia nodded slowly, looking down and then murmuring: “But I understand what you mean. A body of steel doesn't make the heart any less vulnerable.”

Spike smiled a little, then he glanced over his shoulder at the fitted window before he nodded a few times and tossed the hammer back in his toolkit. “Well, I guess I'd better run and talk to Rarity about things. Are we leaving right away?”

“No, but please try and be at the library soon. I need to go over what everyone's doing and I'm sure my little sister will want to leave as soon as she gets her own things in order... whatever that happens to be.” Celestia replied, and the dragon nodded a few times before the mare smiled. “I'm glad you're coming with us. It makes me feel better about things for some reason... I guess I just have a feeling.”

“I've uh... I've always kinda wondered. Can you like, see the future?” Spike asked lamely, and Celestia laughed and shook her head before the dragon blushed and shook his head. “Yeah, just forget I asked anything, sorry. I always heard a lot of weird stories as an assistant.”

“You might be surprised how many of the stories were likely based on truth.” Celestia smiled slightly as she turned away, then paused and glanced over her shoulder, adding quietly: “You don't need to be able to see the future to prepare for it, Spike. You just need to trust your instincts... your instincts will always lead you to the best possible outcome, even when they lead you wrong, because sometimes you have to fail first in order to secure victory later.”

Spike only smiled awkwardly and bowed a little, and Celestia gazed at him with amusement before turning her eyes forwards and striding down the streets of Ponyville, thinking of how years ago, Spike had been Twilight's Number One Assistant... and how some roles, it seemed, you never really stopped playing.

Comments

[Shirohige]

Great, again. Looking forward to the new adventure they're going on into the layers. And, as mean as Pinkamena is, she's still a great character, and finally deserves that damn trip she's been wanting to go on so much. Hopefully, you show her a lot.

[Lelouch Vi Britania]

Scrivener's claw/hoof reminds me far too much of Gymbr, far more than I'm comfortable with. Avalon may be excited now about going to another layer, but wait until she sees her father as a mare....

[ezy goin]

Sorry I'm late, intervening plans delayed me. Anyway...

She reached up and hammered firmly on the backdoor, and there was silence for a moment before it opened, Luna looking up... then staring in horror and throwing herself backwards, and the Destroyer blinked and winced before Luna pointed and shouted: “Put thy witch's face back on, terrible apparition! By all of Asgard, thou looks like a pink Celestia! Away, away with thee!”

I loved this part. Be careful of what you wish for Luna, because sometimes what may at first seem like a good thing can actually be worse than what you had before.
My favourite character in this story right now is Kismet. I can just see him turning on Thesis if the chance presents itself.

[Koekelbag]

“He was a death entity, not a reaper?” Kvasir asked, and when Celestia confirmed with a nod,

Ehrm... so Kismet, the being referred to as a "Great Reaper", even multiple times last chapter... isn't a reaper? What?