//------------------------------//
// Mothers And Their Children 
// Story: Hecate's Orphanage 
// by BlackRoseRaven 
//------------------------------//

Chapter Forty Eight: Mothers And Their Children
~BlackRoseRaven

It was awkward, and it was difficult, and Hecate hated every moment of it as she stood in front of the door to Thorn's room. She was scowling horribly, her expression intense, and the faint scrunch of her muzzle was the only tell that she wasn't angry: she wouldn't say she was psyching herself up, either, she was a mechanical goddess, an Empress of an entire Clockwork federation...
She just hated that she had to accept the fact her personal life – her personal mistakes – played a very real part in the rule of this entire mechanical empire.
She hated the thought of showing weakness. But she hated even more the thought of sending not just her Regent, but her son away into combat, and the last thing they did was argue about Silver.
And Horses of Heaven, she hated being wrong.
Hecate took a slow breath, and then she finally slammed her metal claw against the door several times in a vague imitation of a knock. After a moment, it clicked open, and Thorn frowned slightly as he looked up at her with surprise.
Hecate looked back down at him, and then she said bluntly: “I'm sorry.”
“You're in charge, Empress Hecate, I have no place overriding the parameters-”
“Thorn, shut up.” Hecate said moodily, and then she stepped forwards and punted him backwards into his room, making him wince before the mare strode inside, slammed her claw on the button to close the door behind her, and then she softened, looking back at the stallion and saying quietly: “Thorn, Luna is my sister and I care about her very much, and I'm not used to these feelings. You're right. I did something wrong and I know I not only hurt and upset you, I jeopardized the mission. That is my responsibility and my fault. You weren't wrong. And you weren't acting childish when you submitted your report. I was. I was looking for a fault to blame you for. I was looking for a reason to shove this guilt and shame away and put the blame on someone else. And I am sorry for that.”
Thorn smiled briefly, glancing awkwardly away as he shuffled a hoof silently against the ground before he simply shrugged a little, and Hecate sighed softly before she asked: “Why is it you can speak your mind on any subject at any given time except when I need you to?”
“Because I'm your son, I guess, and that's what sons do. We're hard on our mothers.” Thorn replied quietly, and Hecate gave the smallest of smiles before Thorn strode forwards and hugged the mare's mechanical leg. “I'm trying to be understanding.”
Hecate grunted, then she awkwardly reached down and patted Thorn gently on the head before sighing softly as she strode over to one of the chairs in Thorn's den. She hesitated for a moment, however, looking slowly around the room: even if had been cleaned up, she could still see the damage that Silver had done. The sister she loved, the sister she wanted to give the world and freedom to, the sister she was so afraid was... damaged. “Thorn... what do I do with Silver? She has great potential.”
Thorn nodded as he walked forwards and sat down in another chair, saying softly: “The same thing you do with everypony else. Treat her the same as you would them. It's that simple. It's hard, yes, but it's very simple.” 
Hecate smiled dryly at her son, and then she looked away for a moment before asking almost abruptly: “How was Thesis?”
“Better than he was the last time we spoke.” Thorn said after a moment, nodding thoughtfully before he shifted a little, then said in a lower voice: “But Hel's appearance, and the phrasing that Thesis used, suggests that she's done something to intervene.”
“I wouldn't be surprised. Thesis is the perfect link to exploit: it allows her to both make a point to me as well as strike against Thokk.” Hecate muttered moodily, shaking her head in distaste. “It makes moving against Thokk that much higher of a priority.”
Thorn looked pointedly at Hecate, but Hecate only glowered back, saying moodily: “Think about it, Thorn. Do you really want Hel to take matters into her own hands?”
The sapphire stallion shifted a little, not sure of how to answer, and Hecate looked away before she muttered: “It also means that Hel has to feel threatened enough to make Thokk a priority. That's far different from before: before, Thokk was just a witch who was able to hide from her sight. While impressive, it's still nothing special. Now, Thokk has attracted Hel's attention to the point where she doesn't just want her neutralized, she wants her exterminated.”
Thorn nodded slowly after a moment, and then he said quietly: “The timing of this meeting of Inquisitors is too perfect, as well. She'll want information.”
“Tell her what you need to. I trust your judgment, Thorn.” Hecate said, and Thorn looked at his mother with slight surprise.
But Hecate only smiled a little, softening again, losing that mask of harshness as she said softly: “As not only your mother but your commander and queen, it's... time I started to trust you more, Thorn. I expect you to rule: how can I expect that when you have me superseding and correcting your every command? No, I trust you, Thorn.” 
Thorn smiled back after a moment, and there was silence between the two before the sapphire stallion asked quietly: “Do you think Cadence is ready to lead the assault by herself?”
“Not by herself, no. Her leadership performance is only satisfactory when she's working with her own team.” Hecate hesitated, and then she shook her head before muttering: “As loathe as I am to do so, I'll be sending Seneschal along to act in a leadership role and maintain communication. I don't recognize these coordinates as anything belonging to Valthrudnir or Clockwork World...”
She stopped, then shook her head after a moment before she turned her eyes towards Thorn, the two looking at each other in silence before the mare continued in a quiet voice: “War is won through intelligence and deception. Thokk knows this very well... perhaps better than I've given her credit for. We've reclaimed vast territories... but now I question if this was really to our benefit. Our resources are thinner, our systems are occupied mapping out and reconnecting portal systems, and assets that could be used to scout or search other worlds are instead combing through Fyrverǫld and Ten Moons, not to mention the myriad of other facilities and discoveries these initial ventures have led to.” 
Hecate halted, leaning back and silently tapping a claw against the arm of the chair, musing: “Thokk spoke of the Jarsongildi, but we haven't so much as heard a whisper of them since we took back Fyrverǫld. Freya returned to inform us about Primordials, and rumors about the Prime... not to mention the soul furnace we've secured there. Thokk said she wanted to create a unified world of order and rule, but all we've seen is chaos. Thokk has been conquering worlds, but then surrendering them to us just as easily and quickly. How do these things link together, Thorn?”
Thorn was silent for a few moments, and then he said slowly: “Like you said. Distraction and deception. We need to ignore the red herrings and instead look for what these things share in common. We can assume that Thokk's ultimate goal is tyranny: even if she's quick to give up her territory on Midgard, she always claims to have taken what she needs from it, first.”
Hecate frowned at this, before she lowered her head and muttered: “Her territory on Midgard. Of course. Thokk's territory extends well beyond Midgard, though: she controls and rules over the Void.”
The mechanical empress looked away, thinking silently of the attack they had planned, too few hours away. She felt an uneasy clanking inside her metal body as she thought about it, about how every mission that had even been remotely connected to Thokk had gone so far... 
Thorn interrupted her thoughts he rose his head, saying quietly: “The Voidborn are one thing, but last time we interfered with her operations, Thokk summoned a Terror against us. The fact she can bring back souls under her control speaks to her raw power, but the fact that out of all the vastness of the Void, she was able to pull a hostile, Class C Terror...”
Hecate only grunted: there was something she hadn't considered, before she frowned and said slowly: “I thought you said it was a Class B threat.”
“I thought it was as well, but I've reviewed our combat several times and it doesn't seem to match the criteria.” Thorn replied with a shrug, smiling briefly at Hecate. “It was carrying some sort of hostile organisms, but used only brute force and relied on its tough outer shell to absorb our attacks.”
“That was no Voidcow.” Hecate said moodily, shaking her head shortly before she called up a holographic screen, quickly flicking through data files before bringing up the video of the combat that had been recorded by Thorn's visor.
She fast forwarded silently through most of the images, comparing what she witnessed to the data they had gleaned from the Terrors they had analyzed over the years during their rare incursions into this reality. And while Terrors were bizarre, twisted aberrations that were all so unique and mutant, most of them shared a distinct-enough archetype that they were able to classify them to one extent or another.
Voidcows were probably the most harmless of the Terrors they had seen: they were nearly indestructible, and sometimes they tore swathes through worlds, but they were docile and difficult to anger: only too stupid to understand the things they were squishing beneath them as they roamed this brand new place they had landed in were people, and they often carried hostile parasites that were very eager to feed off the energies and flesh of the living.
This thing acted similarly to a Voidcow, but it was too small, and decidedly hostile. But it didn't display the powers of the only other thing that Hecate could think of, a Voidwolf: it wasn't trying to call for help or damaging reality around it. Hecate stopped on a particular image, of the beast's blown-open breast, and she narrowed her eyes before she muttered: “Void creatures are different from us, but they aren't without emotion. Thokk summoned this one. Maybe Thokk can exert control over the Terrors as well.”
Thorn grimaced at this, and then he asked quietly: “Why would she modify its behaviors, making it stupider? Why act like she was challenging us if she, perhaps, is instead tossing us softballs?”
“We'll have the answer in less than a day, one way or another.” Hecate muttered, shaking her head briefly. She frowned at the holographic screen, studying it intently as her mind ticked away at the possibilities, and she didn't like where her thoughts were already starting to take her.
Before Hecate could focus too deeply on it, however, the door to Thorn's room slid open, and both Hecate and Thorn looked up to see Silver storm into the room. Her glare immediately locked on Thorn, the mare approaching before she spat: “Leave.”
Thorn frowned, but it was Hecate who responded, saying evenly: “If you talk to my son like that again, Luna, I'll put you back in stasis.”
“Oh, really, Celestia?” Silver spun towards Hecate, stepping towards her aggressively. Except all the aggression immediately went out of her body when Hecate stood up, towering over her and glaring down at her, making Silver skulk backwards before the mare hung her head and muttered: “Bully.”
Hecate only snorted and rolled her eyes, before she asked shortly: “What do you want?”
“A little of my big sister's precious time, if she has a minute or two to spare. I know she's just so busy, ruling her empire, breaking promises, taking over worlds and all.” Silver retorted acidly, before she flinched in surprise when Hecate suddenly leaned down and seized her by the shoulder, making her flinch as her eyes widened behind the lenses.
But Hecate was only silent as she leaned down into her sister's face, and the two looked at each other for the longest time before Silver dropped her gaze and murmured: “I just... I wanted to see you. Spend time with you.”
Hecate shook her head slowly, and then she asked: “Then why not just say that, Luna? This act just isn't something I can encourage anymore. I want you to have freedom. I want to give you freedoms. But-”
“There's always a but. Always.” Silver muttered bitterly, and then she shook her head before jerking herself away, glowering over at Thorn. “What about him, I bet you don't-”
Hecate laughed dryly at this, replying irritably: “Thorn is my second in command, Luna. I'm sure you remember how much stress that put your poor little head through. The crying, the whining, the whimpering, the-”
“The long vacation to the moon.” growled Silver, and the two glared at each other for a few moments before Silver snorted and shook her head in disgust, looking down as she muttered: “I should have known better than to trust you.”
Hecate looked stung, but she glared all the same at the mare before she retorted callously: “And I should have known that you wouldn't be able to do a single thing I asked without turning it into a circus. You promised to help. I promised to give you freedom, but you promised to help.”
Silver laughed loudly at this, deflecting: “Oh, and my promises are worth so much more than yours? Please, for all the freedom you gave me, you still left these neural nodes implanted in my brain!”
“I have offered to remove those many times. You're the one who doesn't want them taken out.” retorted the mechanical goddess, as she crossed her arms and glowered down at the mare contemptibly. “You can't have it both ways, Luna. You don't get to be both my sister and Silver.”
“And what would you prefer me as, Silver?” snapped the mare, as she glared furiously up at Hecate. “This is your fault!”
Hecate opened her mouth, then closed her eyes and took a slow breath as she straightened, before she said quietly: “There are many things that are my fault. But how you choose to behave is not one of them. Look at yourself, Luna. Look at what you're doing.”
“I am what you made me.” Silver whispered, but her anger was visibly dwindling away now, the mare lowering her head slightly before she said in a quieter voice: “I can't be anything but me, Celestia, and I don't even entirely know who or what I am anymore. All I know is the anger and the sadness, and what they compel me to do.”
“You can't listen to those compulsions, Luna. You're better than that.” Hecate said softly, and Silver snorted and glanced away, but Hecate only smiled briefly before she said suddenly: “Luna, you can leave any time you want. You know that. I can also have your transferred to an administrative position, or you can simply rot in a tower if you want. Why are you choosing to take part in these missions?”
Silver fidgeted back and forth even as she said in a surly voice: “Because there's nothing better to do, I suppose. Or are you trying to say that I just can't help myself, Celestia? That I'm so... dumb and weak and servile that-”
Hecate snorted and rolled her eyes, and Silver snarled before she shouted furiously: “That's always it, isn't it? I say something, and you just dismiss it as, oh, another of Luna's stupid temper tantrums, or her idiotic ideas!”
“You are an idiot.” Hecate said moodily, and Silver looked as if she'd been struck before Hecate sighed before she said in a softer voice: “And you used to be proud of that. I also know you better than you'll give me credit for. You've always done this. Covered up your emotions, just like... every other Luna I've had the displeasure of meeting. That's why I won't allow myself to be annoyed by your temper tantrums or your anger, and why I know that in spite of everything... actions still speak louder than words.”
There was silence for a few moments, and then Hecate looked over at Thorn and said quietly: “I want her to assist Seneschal. I want you to make sure she's ready. I will respect your decisions as my Regent, Thorn Blackfeather.”
“Regent Thorn Blackfeather.” Silver muttered, and then she turned towards the stallion, asking bitterly: “So was it all worth it? I guess your jealousy was rewarded.”
“You're projecting. I don't know if you crave attention or punishment more.” Thorn replied calmly, and Silver hissed through her teeth before the sapphire stallion looked back towards Hecate. “I would suggest Auriculos as well. He's not trustworthy, but he is efficient.”
“Like many of the Kirin neurocenters, yes.” Hecate said distastefully, and then she rubbed moodily at her chin as she muttered: “But if Thokk has bastardized any of Decretum's systems for her own use, he might be more capable than Seneschal when it comes to utilizing them...”
“And what, I am just... forgotten? What about me?” snapped Silver, glaring back and forth between Thorn. “I have not agreed-”
“No, you have not.” Hecate rounded on Silver, glaring down at her. “But I am giving you a direct order, Luna, as my soldier, not my sister. You will obey Thorn, and you will take part in this upcoming mission.”
Silver trembled in fury... but then she only swore under her breath before spinning around and storming towards the door. But before she could hit the button to open it, Hecate said quietly: “When you're ready to talk without playing these games, Luna, you know where to find me.”
Silver only lowered her head, swearing quietly to herself again before she opened the door and almost fled from the room. Thorn smiled faintly as Hecate gazed after her sister, opening and closing one claw slowly before she shook her head and muttered: “I should get back to work. And you need to rest, Thorn. You have a mission soon.”
“And a week-long trip to Helheim.” Thorn smiled a little again as Hecate favored him with a dour look. “I'm not sure if I should be excited about it or not.”
Hecate rolled her eyes, then she said distastefully: “If you're that excited about work, Thorn, then you can go ahead and assemble a full roster for our assault on Thokk's base.”
“Invasion force?” asked Thorn, and Hecate nodded once, making him frown slightly. “Cavalry and artillery support?”
“Full force, Thorn. I didn't wake up all these soldiers to stand around and do nothing all day.” Hecate replied calmly, and Thorn smiled briefly even as he shifted hesitantly. “Don't start. I know what I'm doing, Thorn. And I have faith in the capabilities of my soldiers.”
The sapphire stallion bowed his head humbly to the mechanical goddess, and there was silence for a moment before Hecate stood up and headed towards the open door. She paused in front of it, however, shifting a little before saying quietly over her shoulder: “I won't ask you to treat Silver differently than any Dogmatist or Orphan. But she is family, Thorn, and I know you understand what that means.”
“I do. I also know that I am the stallion I am today because of the way you treated me and your expectations, Queen Hecate.” Thorn replied softly, and Hecate gave him the smallest of smiles before he added calmly: “I will do my best to ensure that I bring Silver's compliance and productivity up to acceptable levels.”
“See that you do. Now stop wasting time and get to work.” Hecate said irritably, and then she turned and headed out of the room, Thorn smiling briefly after his mother, and glad that things had taken a step back towards normal.

Cadence had a smile on her face as she left her father's room in the medical center: they would hopefully be releasing him tomorrow. Aster, who had also been putting up with all sorts of tests and medical work, had apparently been spending a lot of time with him, and Cadence was glad that they had been able to keep each other company, even if she loathed the fact that just like Moonflower, Aster tended to flirt awkwardly with her father far too much for her liking. Which is at all, really.
The ivory mare was drawn out of her thoughts by a loud whistle as she emerged into the lobby, and her eyes widened in surprise as she saw Freya standing near the doors in full armor, the Valkyrie calling loudly: “I've been waiting for you for hours, missy!”
“Freya? I didn't even know you were still in Decretum.” Cadence replied, frowning in confusion as she approached, feeling an odd nervousness twitch in her stomach. “Wait, you're not here because of the mission, right?”
“Now, is that any way to treat a Mother?” Freya scoffed, and Cadence scowled a little as she felt the Swan twist inside her, but this only made Freya grin. “There, much better! Now you seem more like one of my daughters and sisters!”
“You know, it's really weird that you refer to the Valkyries as both 'daughters' and 'sisters.'” Cadence said before she could stop herself, and Freya huffed before leaning in and suddenly licking slowly up her horn, Cadence stiffening and her head tilting to the side as one of her eyes visibly twitched.
“Well, it's fine between women because no one's going to get pregnant.” Freya replied reasonably, and Cadence glared horribly at her, which only made the Queen of the Valkyries grin widely and wink. “But maybe I'm just antsy from going for so long without getting a decent-”
“Okay, what the hell do you want?” Cadence asked grumpily, and Freya laughed loudly, shaking her head slowly.
“Something long and hard, preferably-”
Cadence pointedly turned and began to walk past Freya, but the larger mare reached out and caught her by the shoulder, smiling slightly as she said calmly: “My friend and I weren't allowed to leave right away, and then all this business with Thokk came up. It piqued my interest, so I decided to stay a little longer, let Hecate run more silly tests on Atavus, who has at least been settling down some. He and I find each other quite pleasant company, you know.”
Cadence grunted noncommittally, but Freya only continued easily: “I was actually asked... well, strongarmed, if you know what that means-”
“Coerced.” Cadence said flatly, and the Valkyrie winked at her. “Also, can we maybe get out of here? It's busy.”
“And here I thought I'd be the one trying to get you off to a private room first.” Freya commented, and Cadence slowly closed her eyes before she winced when the Valkyrie almost whirled her around and dropped a foreleg around her shoulders, half-pulling her out of the lobby and onto the connecting bridge leading into the Orphanage's main facility.
Cadence scowled at Freya, even if she was admittedly impressed by the fact that apparently the Valkyrie could walk perfectly well on three legs. Freya, however, only smiled back at her before surprising the mare by saying pleasantly: “I actually have something to teach you, too. Call it... fair payment for your help with that little mission we did together a few days ago.”
“Uh... huh.” Cadence couldn't really find the energy to make herself sound excited, although Freya only rolled her eye towards her with amusement before the smaller mare quickly shook herself loose from the Valkyrie's foreleg, careful to put a bit of distance between them even as Freya teasingly groped at her with one wing. “I've actually got a mission coming up-”
“Oh, I know. But it'll just take a few minutes, Cadence, it's building off something you do naturally as it is.” Freya replied easily, and Cadence frowned a bit before the mare asked pointedly: “You do want to be the best you can be now, don't you? Or what, are you going to turn down both a reward and something that could very well help you out on this new mission of yours? I didn't know you were so determined to make things that much harder for yourself, Swan.”
Cadence grumbled as the Swan twisted inside of her, and then she sighed tiredly before muttering: “Fine. You win. Do we need a lot of space?”
“No, just somewhere private and quiet. One of those meeting rooms should suffice, we won't be sparring.” Freya replied easily, and for some reason this made Cadence feel even more wary, before she winced when Freya suddenly broke away and strode to the side of the corridor, opening a door to stick her head inside.
The ponies in the room looked dumbly up from the briefing they were in the middle of, and Freya grinned at them as Cadence scrambled to get out of sight before the Valkyrie said loudly: “Well, Cadence, this room is in use. Excuse me, boys, I didn't mean to interrupt.”
Freya closed the door, then she smiled over at Cadence as the ivory mare glared at her furiously. “No harm done.”
“You have no idea what kind of trouble you are going to get me in.” Cadence seethed, but Freya only shrugged easily and winked at her. “I swear to the Horses of Heaven-”
“Oh, shush. You're with me. You could go and slap a dragon, and Hecate would blame it on me.” Freya retorted airily, waving a hoof absently. “It's not like you could ever do anything to stop me from causing trouble anyway, little girl.”
Cadence ground her teeth together slowly, and Freya smiled at her almost coyly as she leaned forwards, asking: “Do you want to try anyway, Swan? Say 'Mother may I' first, though.”
Cadence slowly exhaled through her grit teeth, and then she simply gestured shortly down the hall towards another door, saying flatly: “Let's try that room. They don't usually use it.”
Freya only shrugged easily, smiling pleasantly at the mare before she turned and headed towards the indicated door. She opened it and stuck her head in, then nodded once before saying mildly: “I can see why. There aren't any of those fancy screens in here.”
“It's just for closed meetings.” Cadence said, trying to keep the grouchiness out of her voice as she looked apprehensively over her shoulder: if someone happened to need this meeting room, and they were using it, well... Freya will tantrum and Hecate will hear about it and... “We could go down to the gardens, you know. Daddy loves the gardens for meditation and things like that.”
“Well, Mommy wants to sit on her rump in this dirty little room and have a little peace and quiet.” Freya replied, and Cadence had to resist the urge to leap towards her and throttle her. Something that the Valkyrie apparently picked up on as she grinned widely and remarked: “It's not good to hold all that anger inside, you know.”
“Maybe it'll smother the Swan.” muttered Cadence, and Freya snorted in amusement, the Valkyrie shaking her head slowly.
“Funny. That reminds me of Celestia. Sealing up all her emotions, which just made her angrier, of course... but she used that anger to create a sort of cage around her other emotions, and of course, the rage itself was never shown because it all went towards building that gilded prison inside herself, where she stuck me and all the other inconvenient voices.” Freya smiled a little as she reached up to calmly tap the side of her head, next to her eyepatch. “You can see how well that worked out.”
Cadence bit her lip as she followed the Valkyrie into the room, then automatically took a seat across from her at the small metal table, shaking her head briefly as she muttered: “That's... that's different. I'm different. I doubt you were ever taking over Celestia's body like... I mean...”
She looked almost lamely at Freya, but the Valkyrie only laughed and shook her head, saying easily: “No. We couldn't coexist, although I had hoped by now you'd noticed who you were talking to, Swan. And while we weren't quite like you, Cadenza Danzsöngr...” Freya smiled slightly as she tapped her nose gently. “We weren't all that different, either.”
Cadence shifted a little, and then Freya suddenly straightened and became serious, almost ordering: “Now, listen up and listen well. I'm going to teach you how to focus your magic into your body, as you do with your wings. Aye, you have a grip on it, and how it works, but not perfectly, and you can do much more with it than just making your wings sharp and strong.”
The ivory mare sat up attentively even as she grimaced a bit, but she couldn't help but say: “I already have magic to practice from Thorn-”
“Even better. Now you can do twice as much practice.” Freya replied mildly, and Cadence grimaced a bit before the Valkyrie instructed in a softer voice: “Close your eyes, and concentrate on yourself. Focus the magic into your horn as you always would, but then pull it back into your body.”
Cadence nodded hesitantly, doing as Freya had instructed: it wasn't hard to call up her magic, but as she tried to pull, she felt her heart almost stop in her chest and her lungs cramp, making her whole body shiver with pain.
She immediately dropped the magic, then swore when Freya shoved the table into her with enough force to knock her back in her seat, the Valkyrie chastising: “No! Your body reacts because of fear. Do not fear it!”
“What the hell!” Cadence shouted, and she tried uselessly to shove the table back at Freya, but the Valkyrie easily caught the edge of the metal furnishing before it could slam into her. “What the hell was that for?”
“For being weak. Now do it again.” Freya retorted, and Cadence glared at the mare as she reached up to touch her own breast. “Oh, don't cry on me now, Swan. As if I would put you in any danger I could not pull you out of.”
“You did. Multiple times, if I remember right.” Cadence muttered, but then she scowled a little as she sat back, lowering her head as she took a slow breath.
She braced herself for the unpleasant feeling this time, then hissed quietly through her teeth as she felt the pain stabbing through her chest again as she tried to pull the magic inwards. She shivered, but continued to draw down the magic anyway, and it went from a cramping, halting sensation to feeling like she was pouring icy water over her inner organs...
She gasped a few times, then hugged herself tightly as her magic fizzled out, leaving her with painful pins and needles before she swore violently when Freya shoved the table into her again and this time hit her elbow. “Keep focused!”
“What the hell am I even trying to do?” Cadence snapped crankily as she rubbed at her throbbing foreleg, glowering at the ivory mare. “Why would anyone waste their time with this if it just makes you feel like you're being filled up with ice?”
Freya rose an eyebrow, and then she remarked thoughtfully: “Already past the cramps, are you? Impressive. Usually it takes longer to adjust.”
Cadence glared horribly at Freya, but the Valkyrie smiled before she explained gently: “Your body has to adjust to the flow of energy through it, which we experience in... strange ways. It's like making your blood run backwards, it's not natural. The only difference is that you can teach your body to accept this as something that can be done without killing yourself.”
Cadence frowned a little at this, looking down at one hoof as she asked: “But why would you want to do that? I mean, if I need to augment my strength, then I can just-”
“It's different. Focusing your magic inside yourself and boosting your strength from outside are different.” Freya replied with a shake of her head, tapping her own breast absently. “For example. If I focus my magic through myself, then the antimagic that might stop me from casting through my horn can still be utilized through my body. You won't be able to use spells, no, but you'll be able to enhance yourself, and use those supernatural powers of yours still. You know that instinctively already, though: think of all the times you focused energy through your wings, even though your horn was sealed.”
The smaller mare nodded hesitantly after a moment, and then she muttered: “But I never felt this kind of pain before...”
“Well, no. Because you focused your energy purely into your wings or your hooves or what have you, you never really tried to harness the full potential of that energy.” Freya replied almost condescendingly, and Cadence gave her a moody look. “Well, it's true, little girl, no matter how you look at it. Now do it again, Swan. Pull it into your body. Make your body adjust. It doesn't know what to feel yet, that's all: it'll learn soon enough.”
Cadence grumbled under her breath, but then she took a slow breath before doing as instructed. This time, the stuttering in her chest was weaker, and there was no sensation of losing her breath, but her body felt a terrible chill rip through it all the same, spilling through her breast and pooling in her stomach.
Gradually, that feeling began to pass as well, even as she felt herself shivering. She hugged herself tightly, clenching her eyes shut until the sensation began to pass, but it still felt like there was a weight in her stomach as she muttered: “It hurts a little still.”
“Well, of course. Think of when you channel energy with your horn, if you hold that magic too long, it aches as well.” Freya answered, and Cadence nodded, hesitantly opening one eye, but she could still feel that distinct weight in her stomach, and it wasn't difficult to maintain it. It was like keeping a muscle flexed, she thought; which, she reflected, also hurt after too long. “I want you spread that energy into your limbs. Into your muscles, specifically. Boost your strength.”
“I'll try.” Cadence mumbled, as she focused on that weight in her stomach. Trying to manipulate it felt strange and uncomfortable at first, but Cadence forced herself to focus on it as magic, to remember that it was energy she could divide as she pleased.
As she felt it separating inside her, it became easier to manipulate it, sending each quarter of energy twisting into her limbs. At first, it just felt like she had redistributed that unnatural weight into other parts of her body, giving her a feeling like her hooves had turned to lead, but after a few moments she felt an almost soothing heat spreading through her legs, and she concentrated on that feeling as it grew into a distinct warmth-
The table rammed into her, and Cadence yelped, tumbling to the floor with her chair as Freya snapped: “I said increase your strength, not heal yourself!”
“I was... just...” Cadence blushed deeply as she scrambled up to a standing position, before she shook herself out as her legs tingled almost painfully under her, the mare looking down and mumbling: “Okay, but hey, I still got the magic working.”
“Yes, Mother is very proud.” Freya said irritably, and Cadence smiled wryly despite herself even as she shifted lamely again. “Once upon a time, I gave one of my Valkyries a sword, then told her to go out and kill a hundred men and bring their souls back to Valhalla. She killed a hundred and two, and came back, proud as can be... until I slapped her and told her she had failed. Do you know why?”
“Because she did not do as you asked. She killed two others.” the Swan said immediately, and Cadence winced before covering her mouth, even as she stared disbelievingly at Freya as she felt... but no, that can't be right, that's-
“Yes. And she didn't use the sword to do it.” Freya said moodily, before she leaned over the table and said coldly: “And perhaps I should just speak to the Swan from now on, what do you think, Cadence? It seems like the Swan does everything for you, after all.”
“The Swan always thinks you're talking to her because you always seem to be talking to her, not me.” Cadence replied, and then she gritted her teeth before adding sharply: “And I'm doing the best that I can and you are not my superior officer, Valkyrie! The Swan served you in her past life but... I am not the Swan, and I already shoveled a load of your crap during that mission, I am not doing it again.”
There was silence for a few moments, and then Freya chuckled quietly before she leaned slowly forward and said softly: “Careful, Swan. You don't want to push your luck, and risk getting a spanking from Mother, do you?”
“The metaphor's worn out and I have a lot to do, Freya. If you don't have anything else to teach me, then I'm going to leave.” Cadence responded, and there was silence between the two before Cadence nodded once and turned to go, even as the Swan twisted violently, angrily inside of her, but Horses of Heaven, this was the last thing she needed before a mission.
She frowned as she reached the door and it refused to open, before she sighed and turned around, glowering at Freya. Freya looked evenly back at her, and Cadence drew her eyes slowly along her horn: it wasn't glowing, but... “You know, I can still feel your magic. Moonflower used to use stealth casting in meetings with Hecate a lot to try and undermine her.”
“Handsome one, he is. A pity that my brother is his type more than I am.” Freya remarked, before she smiled slightly as she asked: “Do you feel this?”
Cadence frowned, and then her eyes widened in surprise as she felt a distinct fuzziness spread over her horn before she swore as she shook her head sharply back and forth, gritting her teeth as she pulled uselessly against an invisible bond of energy that was wrapped around her horn and absorbing her magic. Freya was only watching her with that same patronizing smile, but she was focused sharply on the mare as she asked coldly: “What do you do?”
Cadence yanked herself backwards, but it was useless: she could feel whatever was binding her starting to pull her towards Freya as it sapped the magic and strength from her body. Cadence swore as she instinctively tried to focus, but the moment she channeled any magic into her horn, the magical leash greedily devoured it and tugged even harder on her.
The ivory mare snarled in frustration as she shook herself back and forth, before she tried to physically yank away again: she felt the invisible leash tug back against her, felt the faint strain in it, but she just didn't have the strength she needed- oh, of course.
“Goddammit, Freya!” Cadence snapped, and then she anchored herself as she forced her body to focus, her muscles flexing as she pulled the energy down into herself instead of letting it flood up through her horn, her form quaking with the effort.
The moment she felt that weight of energy inside of her, she forced it to split into limbs, and her muscles flexed as she began to slowly pull back against the binding of energy around her horn. She felt it straining, still struggling to drag her forwards as it devoured her stray energy, before roared as she suddenly yanked backwards as her muscles flexed, her body almost glowing with power as she tore herself loose from the magical bonds.
Freya flinched slightly in pain as her magic was defeated, and Cadence thunked painfully against the door before she slid slowly down it with a groan to a sitting position, her eyes blinking several times as her limbs twitched weakly. She blinked again, then scowled horribly as she straightened a little... but she couldn't quite find the strength to get up as she muttered: “You are one of the worst people I've ever met.”
“Well, thank you, Swan. I'm glad to hear you think as highly of me as I do you.” Freya said wryly, and the only response Cadence could formulate was a brief, rude gesture. “Pleasant.” 
Cadence grunted moodily, and Freya sat slowly back in her seat before she said quietly: “Don't get cocky, though, Danzsöngr. You still have a long way to go.” 
“I beat your test. Not... very smoothly, no, but I passed it. And besides, I'm not alone out there.” Cadence slowly picked herself up, but now her legs had gone from being filled with heat and energy to just raw, painful needling, the mare grimacing a bit as she danced a bit from hoof-to-hoof as that agonizing tingling settled. “I'll always have my team-”
“You won't always have someone else to rely on, Swan.” Freya interrupted, almost glaring at the mare. “Or do you really want to bet that when the time comes, your precious friends will be strong enough, fast enough, smart enough to keep up with you?”
“My friends are better than me in just about every way. The only reason I'm still here is because of the Swan, after all.” Cadence retorted, and there was silence for a few moments before she smiled wryly as she realized how true that was, on so many different levels. “I mean, without the Swan... I would have died. I did die. A lot.”
She quieted, and Freya sighed a little before the Valkyrie said dryly: “You do understand that-”
“I understand that I have a lot of work to do and you're...” Cadence hesitated, before she shook her head and murmured: “You're trying to help, which I'm grateful for. But you're also trying to... I don't know how to phrase it. You make trouble. You like trouble, and you like making trouble, even when you help people.”
“I don't always like it and I don't always mean to, Swan. But... maybe I have been less direct than I could have been, yes.” Freya admitted after a moment almost grudgingly, tapping a hoof slowly against the table before she sighed and murmured: “Bob would have loved my trickery. Or scolded me for it. I don't know which I crave more.”
Cadence frowned a little, but Freya only waved a hoof, muttering: “You wouldn't understand. For a Princess of Love, after all, you seem very lonely.”
“I'm not lonely! I'm just... I have my friends and I have my Daddy. That's all I really need.” Cadence defended, before she glowered when Freya opened her mouth. “Don't even say it.”
“I wasn't going to say anything nasty, Swan. If I had your father, I'm sure that would sate me for a few years, too.” Freya replied mildly, and Cadence shuddered before turning away, but she was called back again when the Queen of the Valkyries said softly: “Maybe you're not alone. Maybe you can always count on them. But is that any reason to make yourself a weight?”
“I'm not a weight. I'm...” Cadence shifted a little, looking uncertainly at Freya before she shook her head quickly and turned back towards her, biting her lip. “Look. I am fighting to be the best I can be. I am trying my hardest to be the leader that this team needs. What do you want from me, Freya?”
“I want you to be a better person than I am, Swan.” Freya said bluntly, and Cadence frowned in surprise before the Valkyrie sighed softly and shook her head slowly, murmuring: “I want you to be a better person than I am. That's not asking much, at that, Swan, but sometimes I wonder if you can really do it or not.”
Cadence shifted uncertainly, and the Valkyrie gave a wry smile before she said softly: “The Valkyries, as you know, were crafted in my image, because I was beautiful. I still am, I suppose, in horse terms, but I don't feel it as much these days.” Freya absently gestured at herself, chuckling quietly before she continued: “The Swans were also crafted to be beautiful, but... we relied more on what we poured into them, than what we poured them into.”
Cadence had a vision, of ice, and callous golden masks, and demon-flesh... and she shivered and hugged herself as Freya said softly: “I don't know everything about you, Swan. Aye, I did my part in training you, and I was a Mother, a crafter, a creator... but others, older and wiser than I, did most of the work, and kept all the secrets of your birth to themselves.”
The two looked at each other for a few moments, and then Freya smiled a little and shook her head slowly. “I don't know if there's anyone left who really knows-”
“Hel knows.” the Swan said, and Cadence shivered before she repeated, as Freya frowned at her: “Hel knows. Hel knows... everything.”
“No one knows everything. But Hel might be close.” Freya said meditatively, as she looked down for a few moments, musing silently on something before she nodded once to herself. “Has Hel ever tried to contact you, Swan?”
Cadence opened her mouth, then she closed it slowly, biting her lip as she thought of the encounter she had just had. Freya picked up on this, smiling slightly as she studied the mare before she said in a soft voice: “Be careful, Cadence Danzsöngr. Hel may not be the dark goddess we were all once led to believe, but she is all the same a powerful force that seeks her own idea of balance. And she is selfish.” 
Cadence frowned uneasily at the Valkyrie, but Freya only looked back at her with what was almost kindness in her eyes, as she said gently: “I am not your enemy, Swan, and I never have been and never will be, and you know that. Oh, I can be rough, and forceful, and I want to have my way; I'm selfish, too. The difference between myself and Hel, however, is that I think of all of you as more than just pawns.”
“You sure show it.” Cadence mumbled before she could stop herself, but Freya only laughed and shook her head slowly.
“I do. And I think you do know that, too, you just don't want to admit it, Swan.” Freya replied pointedly, and Cadence grumbled under her breath as she looked awkwardly away before the ivory mare said in a softer voice: “You can't deny Hel, no. That would be foolish, for a number of reasons. But you can at least protect yourself.” 
“I don't know. Hel is...” Cadence shook her head, frowning uncertainly as the Swan roiled inside of her. “Hel is something more powerful and more dangerous than a Mother. Hel is like...”
Freya only chuckled quietly, nodding slowly before she asked gently: “Cadence, why don't you let the Swan talk to you?”
The smaller mare blinked dumbly in surprise at this as she looked up, and Freya shrugged before saying softly: “I don't think you'd spend half as much time fumbling around for an answer if you'd just open your mind to the Swan's voice. I understand being afraid of everything that entails, Cadence, don't get me wrong... but all the same. You should try.”
Cadence looked away, biting her lip before she frowned and looked up suddenly. “You used my name.”
“Well, yes, I was talking to you. When I'm talking to Danzsöngr, I'll use her name. And when I want you both to listen, I'll just call you what you are: Swan.” Freya shrugged again, even as Cadence frowned uneasily and rubbed at her breast.
But she was the Swan, wasn't she? She and Danzsöngr together, they were the Swan, and no matter how much she tried to avoid thinking about that, it didn't change the truth. 
“That's a weirdly heavy thought.” Cadence said finally, and Freya smiled back and nodded slowly.
“It is, isn't it?” she agreed, and then she smiled a little before shaking her head slowly and murmuring: “But don't run from it. If you try and flee it, then it'll just make it harder when the day comes when you have no choice but to accept who and what you are.”
Cadence was quiet for a moment, and then she gave a brief smile before nodding hesitantly once, mumbling: “Okay. I guess that's... not terrible advice.” She halted for a moment, then asked before she could stop herself: “Why can't you always be this helpful?”
Freya smiled, however, shrugging before she replied kindly: “I push you when you need to be pushed, and I punish you when you need to be punished. I yell when I want you to move, but I speak softly when I want you to stay still and listen closely... and it's always seemed to work. Why change?”
Cadence couldn't really argue with that, as much as she wanted to. So finally, she nodded almost grudgingly before mumbling: “I think you could try and be nicer.”
“I could be, but I won't.” Freya shrugged, then she said mildly: “Go on now, Swan, get out of here. And be careful. Hel likes to challenge us: she'll choose the worst possible time to call you to her side. You had best prepare yourself for that.”
Cadence frowned uncertainly at that even as the Swan twisted inside of her, and then she gave a final, brief nod before turning towards the door. As it opened, she couldn't help but look back over her shoulder at Freya, but the Valkyrie only smiled at her again as she stepped outside.
The door shut, and Freya reached up and silently rubbed at her eyepatch before she said quietly: “Be careful with this one, Hel. She's not half so foolish as you seem to think.”
She felt a pulse through her crystal eye as she heard the faint whisperings of laughter in her mind, but Freya only smiled wryly: Hel could play her games and hide behind her masks all she liked, but she knew the truth, just as Hecate did.
Midgard didn't need Hell or Heaven: it was Heaven and Hell that needed Midgard.