Chapter Forty Five: Echoes Of What Once Was
~BlackRoseRaven
Hecate strode slowly through the halls of the facility with Thorn at her side, the sapphire stallion explaining calmly: “All systems are active and the uplink is fully functional. There was some tampering done, but it's obvious that-”
“I don't care, Thorn. I already read the report.” Hecate said shortly, and Thorn bowed his head politely to the mechanical goddess before she asked bluntly: “Are you ready to lead the assault on Thokk's stronghold?”
It hadn't taken them long to decode Thokk's riddle: the clues the witch had given them were constellations, and by following the riddle, they had been able to pinpoint one star in particular. Seneshcal had converted the coordinates of this star into the coordinates necessary to create a portal to another layer of Midgard, and they had been matched to a Class D world.
Class D meant the world was in a state of extreme turmoil or was outright hostile: in this case, it was more the latter than the former. This particular Midgard had suffered some kind of massive cataclysm in the past that had ruptured the lithosphere of the world, causing it to collapse in what had likely been a series of devastating earthquakes. Now there was little life left on the planet, apart from a few tenacious colonies and dangerous, highly-evolved predatory life.
Considering what they knew... “I'm ready, but I want to request an additional twenty hours for preparation. I need-”
“Fine.” Hecate cut the stallion off shortly, and Thorn bowed his head again towards the mechanical empress, admittedly a little surprised.
As if she had heard his thoughts, however, Hecate shot her son a moody look before she explained distastefully: “Thokk has issued us a challenge, and either she underestimates our intelligence or she gave us a very simple riddle with the intent to draw us into a trap. I'd rather be prepared for the worst than go in hoping blindly for the best. Hope gets people killed.”
Thorn only nodded instead of arguing, recognizing the mood that his mother was in as he asked: “What do you want me to do?”
Hecate looked moodily at Thorn for a moment, and then she turned her attention forwards, saying shortly: “Exterminate.”
“Understood.” Thorn bowed his head politely, and there was silence as they continued down the hallway, until they entered a control room.
With a gesture, Hecate dismissed the Worker Drones monitoring the systems, the mare approaching the central navigation console on the narrow bridge. She tapped a short command over it as the doors closed behind the last of the Drones, statistics beginning to scrawl slowly across the enormous screens mounted across the walls.
Hecate moodily surveyed these for a few moments as Thorn only stood beside her calmly, before the mechanical goddess lowered her head slightly and murmured: “You have another job to do first, however. It will cut into your preparation time, but...”
“My team needs it more than I do. Where will we make the delivery?” Thorn asked, and Hecate smiled briefly as she tapped several commands over the control console, before she gestured quietly towards the screen.
Thorn frowned as his eyes roved over the assorted statistics, before his eyes narrowed slightly as he noticed something incorrect in the energy usage records... “Is that a set of coordinates?”
“Yes. They lead to an orbiting mining outpost above a Class A world.” Hecate replied with a brief shake of her head. “There should be little risk: the moon was never occupied by a parallel or alternate Luna, and it's unlikely Thokk is aware of its existence. It was only used to harvest sample materials and played host to a refinery staffed by Worker Drones.”
Thorn simply nodded, then he looked curiously at his mother as she shifted a little, the mare grimacing ever so slightly. The stallion remained silent as he studied her, and eventually Hecate growled under her breath before she looked over at Thorn and said moodily: “I suppose, though, that... I can afford to bring an older model out of stasis to send with you.”
“I can take Necrophage and Muse.” Thorn suggested, and then he couldn't help but smile a little when Hecate gave him a moody look. “They're both immune to psychic control, and-”
“And I think you enjoy their company far too much, Thorn. They are Replicants. Servants and machines.” Hecate said testily, and when Thorn only smiled a little wider up at her, the mechanical empress sighed tiredly and rolled her eyes in distaste, muttering: “Fine. I won't waste my time arguing with you. You can take them as well.”
Thorn bowed his head politely, even as he looked at her curiously, and Hecate was silent for a few moments as she looked back towards the screen before she murmured, as if in explanation: “It's pointless to leave resources unused. I'll be bringing all available units out of storage and online. Is this understood?”
Thorn only nodded even as he frowned ever so slightly at the way his mother was acting, before Hecate quickly tapped a short command sequence over the control panel, glaring at the screen as she gritted her teeth ever so slightly. Thorn studied his mother's expression uneasily, turning to follow her as she stormed out of the room: he wasn't fooled, though, by the way she seemed frustrated and angry. No, Hecate only ever looked like this when... “What's wrong?”
“Focus on the business at hoof, Thorn.” Hecate instructed coldly, and Thorn nodded quickly as he turned his attention ahead, deciding not to press the subject for now.
They walked through the facility side-by-side, the sapphire stallion keeping pace with the lumbering steps of the mechanical mare with natural ease. Every now and then he snuck a look at her, Hecate catching these little glances in the corner of her eye: it brought up memories of the past, when Thorn had just been a little foal, following her around incessantly no matter how rude she was to him, always trying his hardest, always working to impress her...
“You've never really changed, Thorn. I don't know if I should be happy about that or disappointed and ashamed.” Hecate said moodily as they walked down a long, sterile steel corridor, and a smile quirked at Thorn's muzzle. “All you've gotten is ruder.”
“I learned from the best.” Thorn replied, and Hecate gave the slightest of smiles at this as the doors at the end of the hall slid open, revealing a dome-shaped room beyond dominated by a massive, circular steel platform.
The two stepped up onto this, turning calmly around as Hecate reached out and tapped a short series of commands on the control panel hanging from the ceiling beside the platform. It thrummed beneath their hooves, a perfect, hollow circle of energy sizzling to life around the two as Thorn shifted ever-so-slightly, and Hecate snorted as she looked straight ahead, saying shortly: “Don't be weak.”
Thorn quirked an eyebrow towards her, but before he could say anything, the two were swallowed up in a pillar of light that dissolved into motes. Only moments later, the two reappeared in a bright flash on top of another teleporter in another sector of the facility, Thorn wheezing loudly for breath and clutching at his breast for a moment, while Hecate only gave a thin smile, saying clearly over the ringing in her ears: “Keep up, or I'll leave you behind and you can have fun fixing and testing the new calibrations.”
“Yes, Mother.” Thorn mumbled as he stumbled after her, but Hecate couldn't help but smile again at how quickly her son's pace smoothed out, the stallion raising his head gamely in spite of the fact he was a little pale and visibly nauseated.
But by the time they descended into what had always been colloquially referred to as the Warehouse, Thorn was back to his usual self, calm and centered, looking with interest past the latticework of girders and pipes as the enormous freight elevator slowly descended to the ground floor.
The massive platform came to a halt with a gasp of air, and Hecate led the stallion into the immense, cylindrical shaft beyond: she kept her eyes ahead, but slowed her pace so that Thorn could take in both the size of the enormous room as well as its contents, as he asked in disbelief: “Are all of these...”
“Dogmatists and Archetypes. There are plenty of Fodder as well.” Hecate answered, gesturing almost disdainfully up the seemingly-endless shaft: countless genetic capsules covered the walls, arranged in a neat, orderly framework that was divided into fifty foot sections by rings of steel floor.
Hecate turned her eyes back towards the center of the shaft: this was taken up by a massive pillar that was covered in cables, alien, long-necked drones on immense mechanical arms moving up and down the pillar on rails that crackled with electricity as they scanned along various capsules.
“Are we going to wake them all up?” Thorn asked quietly, and Hecate gave a thin smile.
“Eventually. For now...” Hecate approached the computer system at the base of the pillar, calling up a holographic screen and quickly tapping a series of commands over it. The computer core thrummed as ancient machinery came to life, and Hecate dismissed her screen and stepped backwards as the floor around the computer console slowly sank down in a large semicircle, forming a set of stairs that began at her hooves.
She strode down these as Thorn frowned curiously before following, and his eyes widened slightly in surprise when at the end of the curling staircase, he found Hecate waiting for him in a cramped elevator. He only nodded when she pointed irritably at her hooves, squeezing himself awkwardly into the lift before it descended with a rumble.
The ride was short, at least, and the room they stepped out into was small and dark, lit only by dim red lights and a dusty glass screen displaying ancient vital signs in front of a sealed steel capsule. Thorn frowned as he began to approach this, but Hecate booted him unceremoniously out of the way before she walked towards the screen just a little too quickly, the sapphire stallion blinking in surprise as the mare reached up and placed her metal palm against the screen, saying quietly: “Commence action. Begin wakeup process. Override resistors and apply stimulants. Confirm command.”
“Beginning action: initiating awakening sequence. Expediting procedure.” replied a calm mechanical voice, and Thorn winced a bit as the walls of the steel capsule suddenly pulled apart like a blossoming flower in a hiss of steam, the stallion blinded by the bright light that shone out of the glass tube beneath.
Hecate stepped backwards, putting her mechanical hands behind her back as the screen in front of the capsule flickered to display a timer. But the mechanical goddess ignored the ticking numbers, instead gazing silently at the occupant of the capsule before she said softly: “You don't have to stay, Thorn. There are things to do.”
Thorn slowly strode up beside his mother, gazing at the figure floating inside the capsule for a few moments before he shook his head, then murmured: “I thought...”
“No. I was too cruel. And I was too weak. And... I was vengeful, and miserable, and made a mistake. A mistake that I will never repeat again, Thorn.” Hecate closed her eyes for a moment, and then she looked silently down at Thorn, for a moment, only a mother looking down at her son, as she promised quietly: “It is not a mistake I will make again.”
Thorn smiled faintly even as he reached up to touch his mechanical foreleg, and then he simply nodded before looking back at the capsule. And there were no words he could say, but no need to speak, either, as the two stood in front of the capsule as moments bled into minutes. And Hecate didn't know if the process was too long, or too slow, as she waited for a mare she had tried to forget existed gradually came back to the world she had been sealed away from.
She didn't know what she was going to do, or what she was going to say, or what to expect: all she knew was that for better or worse, this was something she needed to do.
And she would not let her weakness rule her again.
Cadence and Moonflower stared around with amazement at the sight of the Warehouse: neither of them had expected it to be so massive, or that the walls would literally be lined with capsules filled with... ponies. Horses of Heaven this place is scary.
Hecate was standing impassively a short distance away, several holographic screens floating around her, but Cadence thought she was glaring at them more intently than usual through the translucent energy. Moonflower was too busy looking around like a frightened child to notice, but Cadence thought there was definitely something off.
Thorn seemed a little different, too, she thought: strained wasn't quite the right word for it, but he did seem to be preoccupied, and he seemed oddly deferential to the Dogmatist beside him. He was going through a long list at the moment, but he kept tossing little sideways glances towards the mechanical pony beside him every time she moved or shifted...
Cadence let her eyes return to the Dogmatist: she did her best not to stare, but she couldn't stop her eyes from scanning over the mare. She had a heavy, black mask over her face with tinted glass lenses and a crystalline horn, and large pipes stuck out either side of this, feeding back into steel-lined slots on either side of the mare's spine. It looked as if all four of her lower legs had been completely replaced by metal prosthetics, and her mane and tail were both made of black cable: Cadence couldn't tell if they served some ulterior purpose, or if they were just there for show.
There didn't seem to be much pony left to this Dogmatist: a huge crystal that seemed to act as a power core was visible in her breast, surrounded by armor plating welded into her body, and the very little natural coat that remained had turned an ashen blue, like the pigment had been bleached out of it from the chemicals that her body had been saturated with. Yet oddly enough, her wings seemed completely natural: Cadence wondered if that meant this Dogmatist was such an excellent flier that there had been nothing to improve on, or if she was just not meant to perform aerial tasks.
“This... this is never going to happen to us, yes?” Moonflower asked worriedly, and Thorn sighed as he dismissed the screen in front of him and gave the stallion a dry look, which made the black unicorn quail a little. “I just mean... there's... there's so many of them! And they've been locked away since-”
“They were 'locked away' by Valthrudnir. We're in the process of waking them up now, and converting these stasis chambers to serve a different purpose. I should point out that plenty of them are Fodder Clones as well, although... I suppose that in and of itself is a rather unpleasant reality.” Thorn replied as he gestured absently off to the side, and Moonflower and Cadence both frowned at him, neither understanding. “Well, let's say-”
“We are just meat.” stated the Dogmatist matter-of-factly, her voice echoing faintly due to her mask, and Thorn's eyebrows rose slightly in surprise as both Moonflower and Cadence looked at her. But she apparently didn't have anything to add apart from that, even as an awkward silence fell over the group.
“The Fodder are essentially genetic clones for important Dogmatists and Replicants. In the event that a higher-functioning Clockwork Pony suffered illness, disease, or severe injury, they would harvest organs from a Fodder to-”
“Kill the fat pigs to save the pretty horses.” interrupted the Dogmatist loudly, and Thorn winced as in the distance, Hecate rubbed slowly at her face, looking pained.
Cadence and Moonflower both stared at the Dogmatist, and Thorn said tiredly: “Perhaps we should move on to more immediate business. Cadence, Moonflower, this is-”
“Fat pig.”
“This is Silver. She is-”
“Fat pig.”
“-an elite class Dogmatist. She is comparable to a-”
“Fat pig.”
“-Hexad unit, and thus she-”
“Fat pig.”
“-will be accompanying us on a mission shortly.” Thorn had a visible vein throbbing in his neck, one of his eyes twitching, but he did an admirable job of keeping his voice steady, Cadence thought. Moonflower, meanwhile, was just staring stupidly, looking like he both wanted to comfort and hide from Thorn.
There was silence for a few moments as Thorn glared at Silver, who only sat stoically, looking off into the distance. Cadence finally hesitantly broke the tension by asking cautiously: “Silver, do you have any combat training?”
Silver looked at Cadence, and even though her eyes were almost impossible to see behind the tinted glass, the ivory mare could all the same feel the contempt smoldering off of the mare before she said nastily: “This fat pig will do her job, while Snow White and her Dwarf sits back.”
“I... hey!” Moonflower blurted, glaring at Silver as he puffed his chest out. “How dare you! I am the most gorgeous, the most handsome, the most-”
“Gelding.” Silver turned up her nose at Moonflower, who glared furiously at the Dogmatist, before the mare turned her eyes towards Thorn when the sapphire stallion cleared his throat loudly. “Don't worry, the fat pig knows her place. The fat pig will do what the sow commands.”
Hecate sighed tiredly at this, and then she said moodily: “I regret waking you up, little-”
Silver spun around and glared furiously at her Hecate, her crystalline horn flashing as she snarled: “Oh, boo-hoo, the sow upset herself, who cares about the pain and suffering she caused entire worlds, we should all forgive her because her feelings are hurt! Who cares that she was the one who fattened up all the pigs!”
To Cadence and Moonflower's shock, Hecate didn't respond, her eyes flicking away as she shifted with a flash of guilt that Cadence had never seen before, that Cadence had never even imagined Hecate, of all people, was capable of feeling. But Thorn slipped in between the two smoothly, facing the Dogmatist fearlessly as he said quietly: “Please don't speak to my mother that way, Silver.”
There was silence for a few moments, and then Silver snorted before she turned around, muttering under her breath as she lowered her head. Thorn nodded once, then stepped past Silver, explaining calmly to the stunned Cadence and Moonflower: “Silver is suffering from hibernation sickness. Her emotional facilities are not rendering properly, so please excuse her behaviors.”
“Don't apologize for me. You're well on your way to becoming a fat pig like the rest of us.” Silver muttered, and Thorn sighed as he absently touched his mechanical limb, before the Dogmatist looked coldly between Cadence and Moonflower. “Don't worry. The only freedom I have left is to say what I please. I have to obey, like all the other fat pigs. Fat and neutered and spineless pigs...”
There was silence for a few long, uncomfortable moments, and then Hecate slowly approached, pointedly stepping past Silver to look down at Cadence and Moonflower as she said in a cold voice: “Thorn has been given a special mission. Originally, he was only going to be accompanied by... Silver... but he requested the aid of Necrophage and Muse as well. Since you are both near enough to operative status, you'll both be-”
“Fattening the pigs.” Silver muttered, and Hecate slowly closed her eyes as she reached up to rub at her temples, as if searching for patience.
Moonflower slowly tilted his head, then he flinched when Cadence reached out and smacked him before she saluted with an awkward smile. “Of course. What are the mission parameters?”
“Trained pigs are still pigs.”
Cadence did her best to not look at Silver, keeping her eyes on Hecate, and the mechanical goddess seemed to appreciate this as she answered: “Delivery. You are not to question or-”
“Yes, Mother Sow. You always did have to establish your dominance, didn't you? Control, control, control.” Silver said bitterly, and there was silence for a few moments as Hecate turned a dark scowl towards Silver, but again, there was that unexpected hesitance, that dragging guilt Cadence would have never imagined Hecate could even feel.
Moonflower opened his mouth, and Hecate pointed at him without looking, the black unicorn squawking as electricity crackled over his body and he crumpled backwards in a broken heap. Silver only snorted at this, however, seeming to smile beneath the black mask bolted into her face as she said shortly: “Bully.”
“I do what is necessary. That is all.” Hecate growled, and when Silver opened her mouth, Hecate almost blurted out: “Mute!”
Silver flinched, then fidgeted on the spot, shaking her head before she gave a breathy snarl, but that was all the sound she could make. And Hecate looked almost guilty again for a moment before she shook her head and turned quickly, saying curtly: “We need to finish this discussion, that is all.”
Silver trembled as she glared up at Hecate, before the Dogmatist suddenly spun around and began to storm off. And again, there was that flash over Hecate's usually icy features, that flinch in her steel body as she half-rose a claw before she shouted: “Stop! That is an order!”
Silver came to a dead halt, and then simply trembled even as she dropped her rump on the ground, facing away as her body shook silently. Cadence stared at the Dogmatist, then looked back at Hecate with disbelief, and for a moment she saw the mare there, beneath all the layers of steel and ruthlessness and mechanical superiority that Hecate had cloaked herself in...
And it was gone in a flash, Hecate straightening before she looked down at Thorn and said contemptibly: “I don't have time for this nonsense. Thorn, deal with this idiocy and report to me once you're done. I have work to do.”
Hecate stormed off, but Cadence thought saw a subtle twitch, a quick glance stolen at Silver as the mare passed by. And it was hard to miss the way that Thorn was gazing silently after his mother, as he stood with his clipboard floating at his side and his head lowered almost solemnly, but then again, maybe Cadence was just getting better at reading his cues.
Moonflower scraped himself up off the ground, and as the black unicorn sat up, Thorn finally shook himself out before he said quietly: “This mission will operate under an intelligence blindfold. All I can tell you is that we will be going to a defunct mining satellite. This is a ghost operation, Cadence. Do you understand what that means?”
Moonflower looked dumb, but Cadence nodded as she saluted again, answering: “We don't exist.”
“No, we just don't matter.” Silver muttered quietly, and then she snorted in disdain. “I want to go.”
Thorn sighed, but turned away from Cadence to say, with that gentleness that always surprised her: “I have to stay with you, Silver. But I'll take you-”
“I do not want your company!” Silver spat, and there was silence for a few moments before she lowered her head and muttered: “I don't see why you couldn't leave me in stasis. I don't understand why she didn't just kill me.”
“Because family is the most important thing.” Thorn answered simply, although Silver only gave a bitter laugh in response.
There was silence for a few moments, and then the sapphire stallion cleared his throat before he suggested: “Silver, would you like to return to Decretum?”
“I don't know what that is.” Silver said moodily, and Cadence frowned: how could a Dogmatist not know what Decretum was?
Thorn, however, only nodded once before he said gently: “It's more pleasant than this place, at least. I can update your neural-”
“I am not a machine to be tinkered with!” Silver snarled, glaring over her shoulder at Thorn, but the sapphire stallion only rose a hoof in supplication, and the mare snorted as she looked moodily away. “Is it away from the sow?”
“Yes.” Thorn answered simply, and Silver grudgingly nodded after a few moments before she stood up and turned around. “Silver, I don't think I properly introduced you to-”
“Snow White and the Dwarf. I know.” Silver said acerbically, and Moonflower's face puckered horribly as Cadence gave the mare a flat look, but her mind was still reeling with everything she had witnessed, and the fact that Silver was able to get away with so much.
She studied Silver again, drawing her eyes slowly over the mare to size her up, to try and get a feel for who this mare really was. Silver glared back at her, but to Cadence's surprise, it was Thorn who answered the question for her, saying softly: “Silver is Hecate's sister. You are to treat her with the same respect that you treat her.”
“Such kindness.” Silver muttered bitterly, and then she shook her head slowly before she said contemptibly: “You should take it as a lesson. The sow made even me just another pig for slaughter, and locked me away until the day my meat was needed.”
Moonflower shifted nervously, but Cadence frowned at Thorn, saying before she could stop herself: “But I thought... the rumor always was that Hecate...”
“Endworld's moon was destroyed, yes. But Silver-”
“Silver is not my name. I never even got to choose my name. Did the sow take your names, too?” asked the Dogmatist bitterly, and Cadence shifted a little as Moonflower looked uncertainly at the masked mare. “She will, don't worry. It's easier when you pretend the pigs are just property. It's easier when you make something yours, because then you can do whatever you want to it and no one will bat an eye.”
Cadence looked uncomfortably at the mare as Moonflower shifted awkwardly, and then the black stallion hesitantly rose a hoof before he asked in a whisper: “Thorn, does... does that mean that Silver is actually Princess Luna and... if she's Princess Luna, and Hecate is her sister...”
Thorn simply looked patiently at Moonflower as Cadence's jaw fell open, the ivory mare staring with disbelief at the black unicorn as he nervously shrank his head between his shoulders, before he looked over at Cadence and smiled with relief. For a moment, Cadence became even more confused, before the stallion said hurriedly: “Yes, well, I know that I may have figured it out first, Cadence, but that doesn't make you any less smart than me! I mean, who knew that-”
Cadence slammed a hoof down between Moonflower's ears, making him squawk and grab at his head as the ivory mare snapped: “I know who Hecate is, Moonflower! How the hell did you not know that?”
Moonflower awkwardly rubbed at his head, looking lamely at the mare for a few moments before he said embarrassedly: “She doesn't... resemble Celestia?”
Thorn cleared his throat before Cadence could attempt to strangle Moonflower, and then he said dryly: “Back to the point, Silver... or Luna, if you prefer...” Thorn looked over at the Dogmatist, but the mare only sulked, her head lowered, her eyes downcast. “Hecate... transferred her from her imprisonment in the moon to this facility, where she underwent several operations before being put into stasis.”
“My name, my face, my free will, my life... all of it, erased.” Silver said bitterly, staring at the ground before she shook her head slowly. “A fat pig, among a thousand other pigs waiting for the slaughter. Once you've been used up, then she'll take whatever parts have yet to break and paste them together to make more of those monsters...”
“The Replicant project was terminated a long time ago, and there are no more golem projects.” Thorn said quietly but firmly, and Silver looked up. “You've only received partial information. Let me adjust your neural nodes.”
“No. This is what my sister wanted, this is what my sister gets. Her Silver Sentinel.” Silver said icily, and then she shook her head vehemently before she stood up and said shortly: “I want to get away from the sow. Take me away from the sow, Thorn Blackfeather. Take me to this Decretum. Or even further from her, if at all possible, and leave me there in peace.”
Thorn only smiled briefly, then he looked towards Cadence and Moonflower, gesturing with his head for them to follow. “Come on. You both need to update your equipment loadouts.”
“Oh, uh... yes, of course, I was going to say the same thing!” Moonflower blurted out lamely, and Thorn gave the black unicorn a quietly-amused look as Cadence shook her head slightly, striding quickly forwards.
As Thorn strode past Silver to lead the way, Cadence hesitantly allowed herself to drop into pace beside the... well, she wasn't quite sure if she really was a Dogmatist or not now. She certainly looked like a Dogmatist, but she had none of that... “So you... how much do you know?”
For a moment, Silver looked at her almost suspiciously, but then she seemed to relax ever so slightly, even as she muttered: “I know enough.”
“I used to think that a lot, too. The funny thing is, I guess I never really did.” Cadence smiled a little over at Silver, who seemed to scowl at her though the mask. “I don't mean any offense. I'm just saying that... you know. Sometimes things are a little more complicated than-”
“My legs were hacked off and I have a piece of metal literally screwed into my face. My voice has been modulated... and what does that word even mean?” Silver snapped, and Cadence shrank back a little under the fury of the mare, leaning awkwardly away. “I have had an entire vocabulary written into my brain, and there are laws I do not understand repeating themselves in my head, and memories that are not mine-”
“The neural nodes were disrupted when Ten Moons' transmissions were abruptly cut with Decretum.” Thorn interrupted patiently, and both mares looked up at him: Cadence with a bit of relief, Silver with contempt beneath the tinted glass. “Let me fix it.”
“I will not let a puppet of the sow fix me.” Silver growled, and then she frowned when there was a whimpery little growl at her, cocking her head as she looked back over her shoulder in surprise at Moonflower.
His ears were laid back and he looked frightened out of his mind, but at the same time, he was scowling horribly as he said almost meekly: “You... you be nice to him! He is a very helpful pony!”
Silver looked between Moonflower and Thorn, and the sapphire stallion gave a small smile before he said softly: “Please excuse him. He's very protective, that's all.”
The mare snorted at this, and then she said moodily: “I'm rather amazed that the sow hasn't decided to reprogram you. I can't imagine that people like you have much use here.”
Moonflower's cheeks puffed out as he slowly rose his head, his eyes blazing, but Thorn stepped in smoothly, saying calmly: “The relationships that we develop and share bear no effect on our ability to substantially contribute to our civilization. What Hecate cares about is that we are prosperous as a people, and we accomplish the tasks that we have set out to do.”
Silver looked at Thorn for a few moments, and then she snorted again before looking away and muttering: “What a truly remarkable, Utopian society. You should all be proud.”
“We are.” Thorn said softly, and Silver seemed to shift almost embarrassedly at this, before the stallion turned around and instructed: “Let's go. I've already sent a message ahead telling them to activate a portal for us.”
Silver grumbled under her breath, but she followed readily enough, and Cadence quickly fell into pace with her as Moonflower lingered a little behind, scowling horribly at Silver's back and mumbling moodily to himself.
After riding the elevator out of the Warehouse, they made their way through the sterile halls of the facility, Cadence admittedly marveling a little again at just how massive this place was: so far, Ten Moons was living up to its name.
Yet it was also emptier than Cadence had expected. Even with the Worker Drones that were now moving in squads up and down the halls, there was little life here. The halls were long and empty, the rooms all hollow and devoid of furniture, apart from a console here, a control panel there. There was none of the sense of sanctuary that Decretum had, the feeling of life, and she wondered if this was what Clockwork World had been like before Hecate had inherited it and begun putting the ruins back together.
She also realized... “Thorn, how exactly did Clockwork World come to be? How can Silver not know what Dogmatists are?”
“She wasn't spared conditioning, but she was never programmed.” Thorn said after a moment, glancing at Silver, who only sulkily looked away and muttered something vulgar under her breath. “As to your other question... you know that's something I can't just answer, Cadence. You don't have the security authorization to-”
“Valthrudnir!” almost shouted Silver, and Thorn winced as Cadence frowned, before she scowled when Silver said contemptibly: “How can you not even know about the dragon? His emblem is everywhere. His existence is irrefutable. Or would the sow like to forget the bull that bred her?”
Thorn sighed tiredly as Cadence rose her eyebrows, looking pointedly at Thorn as Moonflower just scowled, and then the ivory mare said awkwardly: “I know about Valthrudnir and... that he was the original creator, but... he died, didn't he? Or at least-”
“The Jötnar do not die. Not as you nor I do.” muttered Silver, and then the mare snorted before she growled: “Of course, I suppose that you or I die very differently as well. I am just a... toasting oven, whatever that is. I can be fixed like any other machine.”
“We're different in a different way than you think.” Cadence said after a moment, giving a brief smile before she looked at Thorn. She had a lot of questions...
But the sapphire stallion was spared answering as he led them into a large, open room with a portal ring inset into the back wall, Thorn instructing calmly: “Arrange yourselves in single file while I activate the portal.”
“Very direct. Very bossy. Just like your... well, she's not really your mother, is she? You were abandoned, I suppose.” Silver said nastily, and Cadence was admittedly rather amazed that Thorn's only response was a brief glance over his shoulder before he headed to the control panel in front of the portal, barely missing a beat. “You're being fattened up. Just like the rest of us.”
“Horses of Heaven, you're so goddamn unpleasant.” Cadence said finally, and Silver only snorted at her before the ivory mare strode forwards-
Silver firmly bodychecked her, and Cadence scowled before making herself take a breath and instead fall back behind the mare. But the moment she tried to line up with her, Silver kicked a hoof backwards, making Cadence swear under her breath as she ducked quickly away before she and Moonflower both shouted as they rammed into each other by accident, spilling over one another like dominoes.
Thorn looked back over his shoulder to see Silver standing innocently, looking off to the side, as Cadence and Moonflower shoved at each other like foals. All the same... “Please behave yourself, Silver.”
“Oh yes, always blame me. It's always my fault.” snapped Silver, the mare snorting in disgust before she looked away and added icily: “I am not your subordinate-”
“Yes, you are.” Thorn said bluntly, and Cadence and Moonflower both looked up with expressions that were torn between winces and eagerness, as the sapphire stallion said in a voice that refused all argument: “You are registered as a Dogmatist, and even if an elite class Dogmatist, I am the Regent of Clockwork World and second only to Empress Hecate. Professionally speaking, you are an officer, but I am a commander.”
Silver shook with fury as she glared hatefully at Thorn, and then she leaned forwards and growled: “If it wasn't for the neural controls-”
“Then let me disable them, and we'll see what you do without them.” Thorn replied evenly, and as professional as his voice was, there was still a clear challenge in his eyes.
Silver glared back at Thorn for a few moments, but then she sulkily dropped her gaze, and that was all the answer Thorn seemed to need as he turned around and went back to the controls, tapping calmly away at them before Silver defended: “I can't trust you.”
It was a tinny response, Cadence thought, but all the same she reached up to cover Moonflower's mouth before the black unicorn could say anything, making him huff a little but then grumble and nod. Since Thorn wasn't paying any attention to Silver now, and Silver seemed like she was deflating a little, Cadence figured there was no point in further stirring the pot.
The portal opened in a swirl of energy, and Cadence was surprised: unlike most interdimensional portals, she could actually catch a glimpse of the other side through the ravages of energy spinning inside the ring.
Thorn strode back to the front of the line, explaining calmly: “This is a direct bridge connection to Decretum. Wait at least five seconds before following: whereas your average portal is like a road, this portal is more like a narrow hallway. Silver, have you ever-”
“I have traveled by portal before. I am not an idiot.” Silver grumbled, looking grouchily away before she lowered her head slightly and mumbled in a more-defeated voice: “I'll do as you tell me to, mighty Regent Thorn Blackfeather.”
Thorn only nodded to her, then he turned and calmly made his way towards the portal, passing into it with a visible ripple of energy. For a few seconds, the three just looked at the portal, and then, for a few more seconds, Silver simply stood stoically, glaring at the rift.
After almost half a minute, Cadence cleared her throat, to which Silver immediately said grumpily: “He said to wait longer than five seconds.”
“It's been... a lot more than five seconds.” Cadence pointed out, while all the same fully comprehending that it was absolutely pointless to try and reason with Silver.
The Dogmatist sniffed loudly and rose her head, saying mildly: “I don't want to rush Regent Thorn Blackfeather or go against his instructions. Better that a fat pig like me is safe, instead of sorry. Fat pigs who don't do what they're told go to the slaughter.”
There was silence for a few moments, and then Cadence sighed before she simply strode past Silver, heading towards the portal. But just as she was about to pass through the energy, Silver bodychecked her out of the way, Cadence ramming face-first into the side of the portal ring with a shout of pain, grabbing at her bruised and scalded face as Moonflower hurried up beside her.
One of Cadence's eyes twitched as she glared furiously at the portal, but before she could lunge through the still-rippling energy, Moonflower caught her and hurriedly hauled her back, the unicorn saying awkwardly: “As much as I'd love to see her spliced... I don't think you want to get any pieces of Silver on you, dear.”
Cadence scowled horribly, and then she winced when Moonflower reached up and carefully poked at the large, bar-shaped burn across her features, the stallion asking nervously: “Are you okay? Do you feel that?”
“Yes I feel that!” Cadence snapped, slapping his hoof away before he could touch her aching face again, and Moonflower winced before Cadence closed her eyes and rubbed slowly at her face, mumbling: “I mean. Sorry. Yes. It hurts.”
“Well, actually, the pain is good! It means you weren't... burned. As badly.” Moonflower tried to explain lamely, and then he cleared his throat before gesturing towards the portal, saying awkwardly: “Would you like to go first?”
“Thank you.” Cadence said ironically, and then she sighed and straightened, looking moodily at the edge of the ring before she muttered: “Guess I'm lucky I wasn't electrocuted.”
Cadence stepped into the portal, passing through it before she grimaced at the strange feeling of claustrophobia that washed over her. The tunnel of energy around her felt tight and solid, like she was passing through a narrow tube of metal or concrete, one that was getting smaller and smaller until-
The ivory mare stumbled through the other side of the portal, wheezing a little before she looked up dumbly as Silver said distastefully: “You kept us waiting long enough.”
One of Cadence's eyes twitched, but before she could say anything, Thorn quickly intervened and said pointedly: “Silver, as a leader of an Orphan team, Cadence is your equal in rank and has shown excellence in bringing together a team of different personalities and cultures. Please do not antagonize her, or I may see fit to put you under her command so you can better learn-”
“My place?” asked Silver harshly, glaring over at Thorn.
“No. The value of teamwork.” Thorn answered, and Silver snorted.
“Believe you me, Regent Thorn Blackfeather. I have learned that lesson very well. Just as the sow wanted me to.” Silver said bitterly, and then she glared around the portal room before asking contemptibly: “Did we really pass through into another world, or did the sow think I was stupid enough to be fooled by some flashing lights in a glass hallway?”
Thorn didn't answer the mare, instead turning his eyes towards Cadence. “Your battle performance was recorded and analyzed by Hecate, and she has made several recommendations regarding your equipment that I thought you should be made aware of before we go to update your loadout.”
“Wait, I... wait, what?” Cadence blinked in surprise, feeling oddly violated as she asked disbelievingly: “Hecate was recording that whole thing?”
“Yes.” Thorn answered simply, and Cadence stared at him before the sapphire stallion shrugged. “You know what standard operating procedure is, Cadence. All units are kept track of and their abilities are regularly reassessed in both tests and live combat analyses. And you have still refused to utilize the MARES.”
“I... I don't like guns.” Cadence smiled lamely, knowing that statement was absolutely pointless to make by now. “I just... I mean, there was no chance to use it or-”
“I've already scheduled you time at the shooting range. You'll be able to practice with your MARES and learn its different functions.” Thorn said, and Cadence grumbled under her breath as Silver snickered. “Silver, I want you to accompany her. We need to test your abilities.”
“What?” Silver shouted, and then she stomped her hooves angrily, snarling: “Was this all a trick just to get me to do what you want?”
Thorn only looked mildly at Silver as Moonflower finally emerged from the portal, the black unicorn wincing slightly at the sight of two angry mares glaring at Thorn, who was only looking back at them as implacably as ever. “You need to be assessed. If you cooperate-”
Silver snapped her horn down, and Cadence's eyes widened in shock at the raw power that exploded from the mare, the air trembling from the force of the blast of lightning that tore past Thorn, melting the metal floor around him.
But Thorn didn't so much as flinch, and the lightning wasn't able to touch him as he only stood and looked at Silver until her magic wore itself out. She was left, panting and trembling as lightning crackled over her body, before she hissed as the stallion asked: “Are you done?”
There was silence for a few moments, and then the mare humphed before looking away, her shaking body betraying more than just surliness. Thorn glanced down at the melted floor around him, and then he shook his head slowly before he said in an almost gentle voice: “Cadence, please take Silver to the shooting range. Moonflower and I will join you in a few minutes.”
Silver rose her head and opened her mouth as if she was going to say something nasty, but she seemed to either lose her nerve: or hell, Cadence thought, maybe she understood that there was nothing she could do or say that would rile Thorn up. “Fine. This fat pig will do her job.”
Thorn sighed a little, and then he turned his eyes towards Moonflower, asking: “Do you want to come with us to the shooting range, or would you like to check in on Aster?”
Moonflower blinked in surprise at this, and then he hesitantly smiled before saying finally: “I would like to check in on Aster.”
Thorn nodded, and then he looked over at Cadence, asking: “Can you set up Silver at the range? Moonflower and I shouldn't take long.”
“You're so... business.” Cadence said before she could stop herself, and Thorn gave her a dry look before the ivory mare sighed and looked moodily over at Silver. “I guess I can, though. I used to get along with Princess Luna pretty well, back home.”
“Were you a servant of hers there too, little piggy?” Silver asked moodily, glaring over at the mare, and Cadence smiled wryly as she shook her head.
“No, I was a princess too, actually.” Cadence replied, and Silver raised her head slightly in visible surprise, looking up and down the mare before she snorted beneath her mask.
“You certainly look the part, Snow White.” she said after a moment, and Cadence couldn't help but give a slight smile before she shook her head.
“I used to... look a little different than I do now.” Cadence said after a moment, as she rose a golden-edged hoof and looked down at it silently for a few seconds. Then she cleared her throat, glancing up and asking: “Do you want to hear about it?”
Silver snorted, but then simply shrugged and looked childishly away. Cadence smiled a little at this, and then she glanced over at Thorn. “I guess we'll... go, then. Come on, Silver, I'll... tell you a little about myself.”
Silver only grunted, seeming less than enthused as she shrugged a bit, but all the same, she followed willingly enough. Moonflower frowned uncertainly as he stepped up beside Thorn, and then he asked uneasily: “Are you sure about this? Not that I... I know she's uh... well...”
“She's family. And she'll adjust, you'll see. It might surprise you, but getting used to Decretum wasn't easy for me, either.” Thorn said softly, and Moonflower looked curiously at the sapphire stallion for a few moments before he blushed deeply when Thorn suddenly leaned over and kissed his cheek gently. “Come on. Let's go see Aster.”
“Yes, sir!” Moonflower blurted with a smile, and then he trotted quickly along in Thorn's wake, the stallion smiling and blushing as he lowered his head, gazing with warmth at the stallion, not only because of his sudden, spontaneous affection, but at the deep, compassionate heart that Thorn had, hidden beneath all that professionalism and candor.