//------------------------------//
// Shadows Where There Should Not Be 
// Story: Hecate's Orphanage 
// by BlackRoseRaven 
//------------------------------//

Chapter Fifty Seven: Shadows Where There Should Not Be
~BlackRoseRaven

Thorn Blackfeather led the way to Penumbra's office as if he had walked the halls of the Royal Treasury a thousand times, burning with a determination and ferocity that Cadence had never seen in him before. Not like this: Thorn could be cold, and Thorn tended to steamroller everything in his way, but she had never seen him like this.
Demons parted in front of them like a tide, and Thorn didn't so much as acknowledge them; Phraxis kept giving almost imperceptible glances towards Thorn. But Thorn wasn't slowing, was instead keeping his eyes ahead and his head high, ignoring everything in his path as his body trembled maybe ever so slightly. 
Cadence wanted to ask... but ever since they had left the tower where they had fought the Fyrjarl, they had been on a hard march, until they reached the treasury. He had only stopped long enough to announce that he was on Archive business before shoving his way through the gigantic but helpless guards to lead his team into the catacomb of corridors...
They pushed through another door into a massive, open room that had doors branching off in all directions and was dominated by a massive fountain in the center. Cadence glanced back and forth at the demons who were simply gawking at them from around the edges of the room, where they were clustered in little groups and cliques.
“What are you doing here? How dare you!” roared a voice, and Thorn halted before he made a short gesture, Cadence immediately shifting herself to a ready position as Penumbra stormed towards them, his eyes burning with fury as shadows steamed and twisted around his body, the hell-horse snarling: “You have no authority to embarrass me like this! Thorn Blackfeather, I will see your rank and status torn from you for-”
“The Fyrjarl is in Decretum custody. I am here as a representative of Decretum and Empress Hecate, not a member of the Archives.” Thorn said coldly, and Penumbra choked on his own words as he stared at the stallion with disbelief. “Penumbra of the Long Forsaken Night. I order you to surrender. Pending a transfer request, you will be held for questioning at an appropriate prison facility here in Helheim.”
“You... you cannot speak to me like that! Do you think you can just order me into submission, Thorn Blackfeather?” Penumbra stomped forwards as the entire room seemed to darken, Penumbra's form distorting and becoming larger, more monstrous, as the shadowy stallion hissed: “Do you mistake me for some common criminal, and not the Treasurer of Souls, granted protection by Hel herself?”
Thorn looked fearlessly up at the demon looming towards him, and then he replied calmly, with unmistakable contempt: “I do not think of you as a 'common criminal,' Penumbra. My disgust and loathing for you is far, far greater than that. You are not a common criminal. You are a coward, a parasite, and a betrayer. But you are certainly not a common criminal.”
Penumbra was snarling smoke, his body blazing with black flames, his gangly, broken form shivering with rage before he roared furiously as he leapt forwards, but Thorn leaned forwards and intercepted him with a hard punch, making the demon scream in shock and agony as he was knocked off his hooves, skidding backwards and rolling up to his hooves. 
Cadence saw her chance and lunged forwards, streaking towards the stunned demon-
She bounced off some kind of invisible forcefield, flinching in pain as she hit the floor face-first, before Penumbra hissed and slashed a hoof out, swatting her away as his leg became a whip of shadows. It didn't hurt that much, but it was still incredibly humiliating as the mare crashed down in a sprawl with a groan as Thorn said coldly: “Penumbra has the same Archive protection as I do. Only I-”
“No. Lord Penumbra, you have attacked an officer of the Archives. Under Section 100, I am required to inform you that-” Phraxis grimaced as Penumbra sent a blast of dark energy at him with a gesture, a wall of ice forming in front of the magistrate and absorbing the worst of the explosion of black fire before it crumbled to the ground, the Ice Devil muttering: “I'll take that as a waive of rights.”
Phraxis stomped a claw into the ground, and Penumbra hissed in shock as ice spread up from the ground around one of his legs. But then the demon tore backwards, his body becoming smoke and formless shadow for a moment before he solidified as the room continued to darken, the demon becoming more monstrous as the shadows around them pulsed with an eerie life of their own. “You two alone aren't strong enough to stop me! I will erase both of you from-”
Vextus Lux rose her hooves in front of her breast, and a ball of light formed in front of her, pulsing with beautiful radiance. It filled the air with warmth, but Penumbra screamed in pain as his body immediately shrank as the darkness was driven back. “Cadence, summon your magic! We cannot harm him directly, but we can cancel out his powers!”
“You scum! I am not alone! I have been granted more than just a stupid brute by Thokk!” Penumbra roared, and he snarled at them even as he slunk backwards, hissing: “Atropii! If you want more souls, you must protect your master!”
Thorn's eyes widened as cloaked, shadowy creatures flickered into being all around them, all of them armed with twisted and gnarled scythes clutched in claw-like gauntlets, all of their faces hidden beneath cracked and ugly golden masks that were studded with gemstones. Atropii: they were dishonored Reapers, soulless and greedy mercenaries, and unlike any demonic soldiers, they wouldn't be hindered by his status.
The stallion opened his mouth as Penumbra grinned, but then both of them looked up in surprise as Phraxis simply loosened his collar and said distastefully: “Please deal with them shortly, Aphrodisia.” 
And then, to the shock of all present, Phraxis leaned back and began to sing, his voice booming and melodious, making the air vibrate with the force of his song. Cadence felt the Swan twist inside her in shock as her eyes filled with tears at the beauty and the power of the song, before she watched with amazement as the Atropii tumbled from the air, writhing on the ground as they dropped their scythes and clutched at their masked faces.
In a flash, Aphrodisia leapt forwards, her teeth bared as her scythe seemed to guide her more than she guided it, slashing through the mask of the closest Atropii. It exploded into smoke with a scream of misery, and Aphrodisia lunged towards the next as the song continued to echo through the air around them and the dishonored reapers struggled uselessly to try and resist the effects of the melody.
Penumbra howled in fury and rage as he sent blasts of dark energy rocketing towards Phraxis, but Cadence flung herself in front of the Ice Devil, her wings glowing white as she shielded herself with them and they absorbed the worst of the blast.
She felt the Swan take over for a moment, her wings glowing brighter before the snapped open as they both flared with holy light, and Penumbra screamed in misery as he staggered backwards, covering his eyes as he was bathed in eerie radiance. For a moment, he was just a too tall, too thin stallion, and Thorn immediately took the chance, leaning forwards and shoving his mechanical leg out, his metal hoof exploding forwards to slam into Penumbra's face and knock him crashing backwards.
The demon burst apart into shadows the moment he was out of the light, streaking out of sight before his voice hissed from all around them, as the darkness rapidly grew and encroached against the light cast by both Vextus Lux and Cadence: “Worthless mortal, I will teach you to be afraid...”
“I am not afraid of you.” Thorn said quietly, as his eyes traced back and forth as his mechanical hoof wound itself back into position. Cadence and Vextus Lux both fell in beside him as Aphrodisia tore the mask from the last Atropii, and it screamed as it exploded into ashes, the sound echoing over the last few notes of Phraxis' song.
The Ice Devil grimaced as he settled, shaking his head once before he rubbed at his mouth, muttering: “We need to cancel out his magic.”
“What if he runs?” Aphrodisia asked worriedly as she joined the group, the mare grimacing as she looked uneasily out into the darkness that was deepening all around them in spite of the light they were conjuring.
“He won't run. He's a Pride demon.” Thorn responded with a shake of his head, as his eyes searched quickly back and forth through the deepening shadows. He could see things now, moving in the blanket of blackness, as Penumbra's chuckle wafted through the air around them.
“As if you know me...” Penumbra murmured, before Cadence's eyes locked on dark, pony-shaped shadows twisting through the darkness around them, faint, echoing laughs rumbling out of the darkness as Penumbra whispered: “The darkness is not your friend, Thorn Blackfeather, no matter what you might believe... I have always lived within it. I have always been part of it. And now, it is part of me...”
Thorn didn't respond, his eyes tracing back and forth through the darkness before Phraxis tilted his head and scowled slightly, muttering: “He's summoned more Atropii. I can neutralize them, but I can't destroy them.”
“Elska hates them.” Aphrodisia muttered, as she looked back and forth with a grimace before she scowled as she shouldered her scythe. “I've never seen magic like that before, though...”
“None of you, not even you, Phraxis, can understand me or stand against me. I am in control. And I think I will add your souls to my personal collection...” Penumbra's voice grinned as his darkness encroached on the circle of light, and Cadence gritted her teeth as she saw more shapes moving in the shadows, as she caught sight of claws, and maws, and jagged teeth... “What's wrong? Are you afraid of the dark, little demons?”
“Phraxis. I need you to freeze the fountain.” Thorn instructed calmly, and the magistrate nodded before he turned, shoving a claw towards the water. It only took a few moments for it to solidify, becoming a darkly-gleaming mountain of ice. “Defensive positions. Cadence, keep the light as bright as possible. Vextus, beacon flare. Aphrodisia, defend us.” 
“I trust you, Thorn. Cadence, ready yourself.” Vextus Lux muttered, and the High Priestess took a breath before she suddenly brought her forelegs up above her head, yanking the ball of light she had created with her before she leaned forwards and flung it hard at the structure of ice.
It shot through the air, punching through the darkness like a cannonball as shadow-monsters scattered away from the light. But the moment they were out of its holy glow, Cadence felt the darkness snap around them like a physical trap, her magic feeling feeble against the jaws of shadow that bit at their safe haven. Monsters roared and swarmed in on all sides, but Aphrodisia moved like lightning, her scythe dancing through the air around her, driving back both monsters of darkness and Atropii hiding beneath Penumbra's shadows.
Cadence gritted her teeth, arching her back as her body trembled, pouring all the energy she could into her magic, fighting back against the suffocating shadows as much as possible. It was bare seconds before Vextus' spell smashed into the frozen fountain, but they were some of the most brutal moments that Cadence had ever experienced.
The mountain of ice lit up, magnifying Lux's light as it trembled violently, and the shadow-beasts were sent reeling from the radiance as the darkness struggled to suffocate the magic of the High Priestess, Penumbra howling in frustration as monstrous squeals and rasps echoed through the air.
The frozen fountain trembled violently, before Penumbra laughed sharply as it shattered, exploding into gleaming, bright fragments that hailed in all directions through the air, the demon roaring: “Fools, you can't... you... you can't...”
Thorn stood with his head bowed forwards, his body trembling and his horn glowing brightly, a bit of blood leaking from one eye and his nostril as the fragments of glowing ice floated through the air, electricity sparking between the shards of starry frost. He breathed slowly in and out, his eyes looking dead ahead, his body tense before he slowly rose his head, as if struggling under a great weight, and as he did so, the countless glowing fragments of ice began to move through the air, tearing through the blanket of darkness, forming a spiraling galaxy of frozen stars.
“Kill him! Kill him!” Penumbra roared in shock, as the glowing frost shredded the almost-physical shadows, steadily bringing light back to the room. Shadow monsters exploded as frozen stars ripped through their bodies, even as they scrambled towards Thorn, but even those who made it through the maelstrom were rebuffed by the intense field of light that Cadence was struggling to hold up, her eyes glowing with ivory light as her horn trembled and flared with pain.
Atropii shot in, but they were blasted out of the air by spikes of ice from Phraxis or slashed down by Aphrodisia's scythe. Only one managed to slip past, shooting for Thorn, but it was slammed backwards by a thunderous telekinetic blast from Vextus Lux before Aphrodisia leapt on it with a snarl, slamming her hoof down to shatter its mask before she grinned cruelly as it screamed and dissolved beneath her.
“No!” Penumbra roared, and Thorn's head snapped to the side, his eyes locking on the demon as the shadow-stallion sent twin blades of darkness rocketing towards the stallion. But Thorn stepped forwards at the same time, snapping his own horn down a moment before the blades of black energy hammered into him and knocked him crashing backwards.
Penumbra began to grin before thousands of glowing stars of frost descended on him from all sides like a tidal wave, burying the Pride demon beneath their effervescent flow as he screamed in agony. For a moment, both light and darkness intensified, tearing at each other like living beasts before there was simply silence.
There wasn't light, and there wasn't darkness: there was just that same pall that seemed to fill every place in Helheim, as Cadence slumped with a gasp, rubbing at her aching head. She looked slowly around, before her eyes fell across the room on the fallen body of Penumbra: Phraxis was already heading towards him, but why was only the magistrate...
She heard a whimper, and the mare turned before her eyes widened at the sight of Thorn: both Vextus and Aphrodisia were leaning over him, the High Priestess quickly surveying his wounds as Aphrodisia whimpered again. Cadence stumbled quickly over to the stallion, but before she could take more than a few steps, his eyes opened and he whispered: “Secure... the target...”
“I...” Cadence looked at him for a moment, staring over Thorn: his chest had been torn open, his breast badly burned all the way to his throat. His good leg was trapped beneath his body, and there was blood running from his eyes and his nose and his mouth, and he was so pale and his eyes were glassy and... and he's right. “Yes, okay. I got it.”
Cadence forced herself to take a breath, then she turned and hurried quickly across the room even as she gritted her teeth. But as she walked away, Thorn smiled faintly before he let his head slump, as Vextus Lux murmured: “Aphrodisia, numb him.”
Aphrodisia nodded, then she leaned down and whispered something sweet and soft into Thorn's ear before she gently breathed a stream of orange mist over his face. It filled the stallion's mind with a strange, soft pleasantness that pressed back against the... no, he wasn't in pain. It didn't hurt. He was too lightheaded already, and he thought that all the nerve endings had been seared away, anyway. There was just... a tickle. A cold tickle. A-
Aphrodisia's fangs sank into his shoulder, and Thorn shuddered before he blinked. His mouth fell open after a moment, a bit of drool falling from his jaws as he stared at the ground, and the Inquisitor grimaced a bit before she pulled and murmured: “He's really bad. He's... he's really bad. I don't want to give him more than this, it might...”
“That's enough anyway, Aphrodisia, thank you.” Vextus Lux said softly, as she gently rolled Thorn onto his back. She hesitated for a moment, but then carefully grasped his mechanical limb, rolling it gently backwards so she could access the hidden catch. It took her a few moments, but she managed to unlock it from the base and pull it gently off, putting it aside so she could move Thorn onto his back.
She gently settled her hooves against his breast, then she closed her eyes as she breathed slowly, silently pushing her magic into him-
An icy hand seized her by the hoof and yanked her off, Hel lifting her easily to head level as she snarled: “And what do you think you're doing?”
Vextus Lux stared in shock at Hel, and Aphrodisia flinched before she leaned up and almost shouted: “Let her heal him! You have to, otherwise... look at him!”
Hel scowled down at Aphrodisia, reaching down to shove a finger against her nose, making her wince as she growled: “Now you watch your tone, little missy. As you recall, I was very nice to you, much nicer than I had to be to a couple of rogue demons who thought they could just skip the Hell part of Hell.”
The Inquisitor trembled for a moment, but then she leaned up and whispered all the same: “But you can't just let him die, Nanny.”
Hel slowly ground her teeth together, and then she swore under her breath before she almost flung Vextus Lux into the ground. The High Priestess winced, then she leaned back with a shiver when Hel pointed at her, the goddess saying coldly: “You listen to me, and you listen good. Stabilize him. But put even an ounce more of corruption into that blueberry than you have to, and I will cut your hooves off and make you walk across a sea of broken glass, do I make myself clear?”
“Y-Yes, Queen Hel.” Vextus Lux bowed her head with a tremble, and then she took a slow breath before she turned towards the stallion, silently leaning down and placing her hooves against his body. She began to slowly, carefully channel her magic, and Hel watched her for a few moments moodily before the ice puppet spun suddenly away and stormed to the other side of the hall, where Phraxis had restrained Penumbra within a block of ice as Cadence lingered nearby.
Hel stopped in front of Penumbra, clicking her tongue moodily as she put her hands on her hips, and the demon looked up at her weakly: his shadows had been completely dispelled from his body, leaving him nothing but an emaciated, long-limbed stallion who smiled weakly, fearfully at the puppet as he whispered: “I... I did exactly as you asked, I was... a double-agent, I gathered information and... I have... I...”
“You know, as much as I'd love to say credit where credit is due, well... I just can't. Because you weren't trying to be a double or even a triple agent. You were just trying to milk both me and Thokk for as much as you could.” Hel said contemptibly, flicking her wrists out to either side. “And somehow, I'm sure that Thokk was just as ready to shoot your pooch as I was. What I really needed to know, Penny, was what it was Thokk gave you power over. And now I know the old witch has Atropii, which I guess I should have expected but... oh, I really didn't want to put in a call to Thanatos. He and I don't get along very well. Stiff crowd. Very grim. No patience. No good humor!”
Hel tapped at her nose, and then she smiled suddenly before leaning slowly, slowly down,and Cadence shivered at the emotions she felt, even from the ice puppet. The malice, the fury, the anger; and it wasn't just because of betrayal. There was a strange whisper in there, of something...
Of course. If Morgan Heldóttir really was a daughter of Hel... Cadence couldn't help but look towards where Thorn was being tended to, and by the time she looked back at Hel, the ice puppet was gone, and Penumbra was sobbing helplessly, quaking violently in his frozen prison.
Cadence studied the ice demon, wondering what Hel could have said to him... but considering how hard he was crying, maybe she didn't want to know after all. 
Instead, she turned her attention towards Phraxis, hesitating for a moment before she walked over to the Ice Devil and asked: “What was that song?”
Phraxis narrowed his eyes at her for a moment, and Cadence leaned back a little as they studied each other, before the Ice Devil sighed and pulled out his silver pocketwatch, studying it silently for a few moments before he murmured: “A Reaper's Dirge. My father taught it to me.”
Cadence leaned back in surprise at this, asking before she could stop herself: “Your father was a Reaper?”
“Yes.” Phraxis squeezed his pocketwatch for a moment, then he slipped it back beneath his suit jacket before he asked: “Do you know what Atropii are?”
“Sort of. I've never fought them before.” Cadence admitted, and Phraxis nodded briefly. “They're Reapers who... don't have a master? Or have started gathering souls for themselves?”
“Reapers are synthetic life created by Thanatos. They are manufactured in the World Without End. Their lives are linked to their scythes, which contain fragments of souls and are what give the Reapers their powers.” Phraxis gave Cadence a moment to understand this, then he continued: “However, sometimes Reapers become corrupted, and these soul fragments migrate from their scythes into the Reaper's body, taking it over. This is what creates an Atropii.”
“That's why they replace their masks, isn't it? Gold is a magic conductor and the gemstones must be used to contain the soul's energy.” Cadence mused, and Phraxis gave the slightest of smiles.
“Good. You learn quickly, Swan.” he remarked, ignoring the scowl from Cadence. “Most Atropii are driven to collect souls: partly to sustain their lives, but partly because it's simply what they were programmed to do. Their corruption doesn't change that programming: it only frees them from the control of Thanatos. They naturally gravitate to serve those who can offer them a means to sustain themselves, just as Reapers will automatically follow the orders of those linked to the Cycle.”
“Thokk can give the Atropii all the souls and energy they want.” Cadence muttered, before she scowled at the crying Pride demon. “And I suppose he would have been able to do the same.”
“Yes. But now he's been cast out. I suspect by now a new Treasurer of Souls has already been appointed and is being moved into place.” Phraxis shrugged a bit, looking with distaste at Penumbra. “Stripped of his status and made an outlaw, he won't last very long in Helheim. He'll probably beg Lord Blackfeather to take him back to Decretum.”
“Why didn't Hel just step in and stop all this? Why does she play these games?” Cadence asked suddenly, looking over at Phraxis, but the Ice Devil only gave her a wry smile, and the ivory mare sighed and nodded slowly before she muttered: “Right. Hel is Hel, and Hell is Hell.”
Cadence turned her eyes back towards Thorn Blackfeather, before she smiled briefly as she saw him wobbling to his hooves with the help of Vextus Lux and Aphrodisia. He was unsteady on his three legs, but both mares helped him, and he seemed determined to complete his task.
He approached, and Penumbra looked up with a snarl through his teary eyes, as he shouted in a weak, petulant voice: “You! This is... this is all your fault! Everything was going so well until you showed up here with your... your whores!”
Thorn looked over at Phraxis, but Phraxis simply nodded to him, and the sapphire stallion gave a tired smile before he turned his eyes back to Penumbra and said: “You will be held here, in Helheim, until such time as we can retrieve you for interrogation in Decretum. For all intents and purposes, you are now a prisoner of Empress Hecate. Your surrender is unconditional and you will be treated in accordance with the POW-12 Convention.” 
Penumbra began to open his mouth, but Phraxis cut in smoothly: “But if you'd prefer to challenge this decree, we can have you transferred to a prison in the Circle of Tragedy while you wait on appeal. I'm sure the prisoners there will be more than happy to make you comfortable: after all, how many souls have you culled from the various prisons over the years?”
The Pride demon whimpered and closed his mouth, trembling a little before he shook his head hurriedly, and Thorn smiled briefly before he said quietly: “Then my business here is done. Cadence, we...”
Thorn stopped as a chill ran through the air, and then he slowly forced himself to turn around, Aphrodisia wincing and Vextus Lux looking up almost pleadingly as Cadence narrowed her eyes at the figure that had joined them. Ascarion loomed over them with interest, Thorn's prosthetic limb cradled in his grip as he said softly: “Come, Thorn Blackfeather.”
“Wait, he's wounded! You can't-” Cadence winced as Aphrodisia hurriedly reached up and covered her mouth, the Inquisitor shaking her head vehemently.
Ascarion only chuckled softly, however, before he turned his sockets back towards Thorn as the sapphire stallion said quietly: “Please pardon my bodyguard. She is protective and unfamiliar with Helheim's customs. I will submit to you willingly.” 
Ascarion only made an idle gesture with one hand, and Thorn smiled briefly before he looked back over his shoulder and said quietly: “Don't worry. During Punishment... you can't die.”
“Just come back, okay?” Aphrodisia said almost pleadingly, and Cadence gritted her teeth, hating how helpless she felt, as Thorn only smiled at them before he turned his eyes forwards, limping towards Ascarion. 
The tall, looming devil reached out a hand to gently touch Thorn's horn with one bony finger once the stallion drew close, and then they were both simply gone. For a moment, Cadence could only look helplessly at the empty space as Aphrodisia lowered her head, but Phraxis simply smoothed out his suit before he said softly: “Inquisitor, please help me escort Penumbra to a fitting holding facility.”
Aphrodisia looked like she wanted to argue for a moment, but then she sighed and nodded, lowering her head and mumbling: “Okay. I'll help.”
She hesitated for a moment, then smiled briefly at Cadence, saying: “Hey, I'm sure I'll see you again soon, okay? You take good care of Thorn! He's a real cutie!”
Cadence only watched Aphrodisia as she bounced over to Phraxis, who had already lifted the trapped Penumbra into the air with magic. She almost bumped into the Ice Devil, but he quickly sidestepped and gestured at her pointedly, and the mare grumbled but nodded, trotting quickly along at his side.
As they strode away, Vextus gently touched Cadence's shoulder, saying softly: “There's nothing else for us to do here. Let's return to the mansion. Thorn will meet us there, and you have problems of your own to prepare for.”
“Yeah. Yeah, of course.” Cadence said after a moment, and then she sighed a little as she rubbed slowly at her face, murmuring: “I guess I just wish... victory meant more.”
Vextus Lux only smiled soothingly, and then she turned, and the ivory mare followed after a moment, trying not to think of how every triumph these days only seemed to lead to further pain and failure, because they seemed to be nothing more than pawns in a game between two cruel goddesses.

Thorn wasn't sure how long it was before he returned to the mansion, shouldering his way in through the front doors: for him, it felt like days had passed. Days of grueling, agonizing torture, punctuated only by a few brief periods where he was debriefed by Hel's officers, or where Ascarion gave his mind a chance to rest so the pain didn't drive him completely insane.
The stallion silently adjusted his prosthetic limb before he pressed his hoof against his burnt chest, breathing quietly in and out as he closed his eyes. Ascarion had been kind enough to restore his body: unlike Vextus' magic, Ascarion's didn't function on demonic corruption and thus didn't pose the same risks to him. But it also left him... aching. He could feel where every cut, every scrape, every bruise had been, and it was hard to feel both terror and gratitude at once for the devil.
He supposed this was how his mother had felt about Tormentas.
Thorn smiled tiredly, then he shook his head slowly as he scraped silently at the ground with a hoof before he shook himself briefly. But before he could even finish crossing the entrance hall to the stairs, Justine and Juliette appeared, rushing towards him worriedly.
For once, he was glad to see the twins, as they gently supported him and half-carried him up to his quarters. They were selfish, evil, greedy creatures that normally played off the emotions and perceptions of others, but in part because they proudly considered themselves the property of his parents, and in part because he had grown up with them, every now and then he got to see what was behind the simpering and the pandering of the Allelois. Juliette doted over him with almost maternal love, gently tending to his aches and pains, while Justine saw to getting the rest of the mansion in order and attending to his other needs. 
Demons were so fond of their games, Thorn reflected quietly, as he closed his eyes and settled into bed. He knew there was still work to be done, but for the moment, he couldn't resist the urge to rest a little, to let himself sleep, and Juliette wasn't helping with the soft lullabye she was singing...
Thorn awoke after a few hours, feeling much better. He sat up in bed, and then smiled briefly as he found Cadence sitting nearby and reading, the mare looking up from the book with a sigh of relief as she muttered: “Thank the Horses of Heaven. I was getting worried I was going to be stuck dealing with these freaks on my own for the rest of the day. How are you holding up?”
Thorn only gave a small smile and shrugged a bit, then he absently rubbed at his chest before he said softly: “I don't think I'll be able to accompany you on the assault. I apologize.”
Cadence only smiled briefly in response, and then she asked hesitantly: “So what happened? I... did you know that...”
“Yes. I did. But my first concern is Decretum, in spite of my allegiance and gratitude towards Helheim. Furthermore...” Thorn shook his head, smiling briefly. “Hel has enough to worry about. Decretum... the Clockwork Empire is dedicated to protecting the worlds. No matter what the cost. I hope this helps prove that to Hel.”
Cadence nodded slowly, and there was silence for a few moments before Thorn silently lowered his head and murmured: “I knew all about torture and Punishment in Helheim, Cadence. I knew the theory, the history, everything about it... or I thought I did. I had no idea what the experience was like and now I...”
Thorn halted for a moment, looking silently down at his mechanical leg before he shook his head and asked quietly: “How long has it been since you returned from the Circle of Treachery?”
“Six, eight hours maybe?” Cadence replied, and Thorn gave the briefest of smiles, shaking his head slowly as the mare asked quietly: “How bad was it?”
“Awful.” Thorn admitted after a moment, lowering his head before he closed his eyes, thinking silently. “I think it was at least seventy hours of torture. Three breaks. Two of those for interrogation.” 
“What?” Cadence asked with disbelief, leaning down and staring at the stallion. “But... but it's only been-”
“Punishment takes place in special 'compressed' dimensions, inside sealed compounds. The Inquisitors registered to these specific punishment centers can modify reality inside their zones to an extent...” Thorn smiled a bit, shaking his head slowly. “Time is just a system of measurement. Accelerating particles and...” He halted, seemed to taste the words for a moment, then simplified: “Magic lets them do whatever they want.”
Cadence studied him for a moment, and then she asked: “Is that why you look like you've been healing for weeks instead of just a few hours?”
“Partly. Ascarion healed me afterwards. He's professional.” Thorn said, and Cadence couldn't help but smile despite herself: she imagined that was the best compliment anyone could ever get from Thorn. “He was also... very good at his job. I was not just punished for disobedience, I was punished for pride.”
“You are... you can be a little...” Cadence laughed a bit after a moment, rubbing at the back of her head as she looked at Thorn for a few moments, then asked softly: “So they just... hurt you?”
“Yes and no. They teach you, through pain and suffering. Not just physical torture, although there was... there were...” Thorn shivered a little, steadying himself with a slow breath before he nodded a little, and Cadence frowned uneasily at this before the stallion murmured: “Punishment centers are insulated with soul-binding magic. It prevents your soul from leaving your physical body even after the point you should be dead. It means they can do... they can push even a mortal like me well past what he should be able to endure without permanent consequences.”
Cadence grimaced at this, not liking what it implied, and there was silence for a few moments before the sapphire stallion murmured: “I'm still too injured to be any help to you, but before I left I was told we would be moving tonight. I'm guessing... four hours to prepare. Your strike team should arrive in two or three.”
“My strike team?” Cadence asked dumbly, looking surprised, and Thorn smiled wryly up at her.
“Well, you didn't think I'd send you in alone to save the day, did you?” he replied softly, and Cadence laughed a little despite herself, before the stallion shook his head slowly and murmured: “They should be demons you're capable of working with. Can you tell if anything's changed?”
Cadence hesitated: she had tried earlier to look into the Astra, but she hadn't been able to get any sense that things had changed, and when she thought too much about what was going on in the physical world, that somewhere, her father was... “I don't think anything has, but I just can't... focus. I mean, I can try if you want me to, but...”
“I trust Hel.” Thorn said as he let himself drop back into the bed, and Cadence couldn't help but give him a faint smile, which earned a curious tilt of the head from the stallion.
But Cadence only shook her own before she murmured: “I guess I just find it hard to believe. Hel's your grandmother, isn't she? But she sent you to be punished for... three days straight. After using us as pawns.”
“We all have roles we have to fulfill, games we have to play. Sometimes we have to keep up appearances... funny as that is for me to say.” Thorn quieted, rubbing absently at his mechanical limb for a moment. “It's easy to say that Hel should have just fixed the problem, but I think she's aware that Decretum needs information about Thokk more than she does. I think, in a way, this is Hel giving us what we need... but with so many eyes watching, Hel has to play her cards close, can't appear weak, has to be the Goddess of Helheim she's always been known as, and not...”
“The Mother. The Creator that she is, in truth. How much has she sacrificed?” the Swan mused through Cadence's mouth, and Thorn quirked an eyebrow at her before Cadence blushed and shook her head, rubbing hurriedly at her jaws.
“Sorry. I... the Swan and I are working things out.” she promised lamely, although she didn't know how true that was. She was still struggling for control, to feel like she was the one in power, while the Swan just took her over whenever she felt like it. 
Thorn only let it slide for now, however, glancing away before he let his eyes wander around the darkness of his room. Cadence looked around as well, at the crystal stars hanging from the ceiling, at the bookshelves full of children's books, at the furnishings, the neatly-arranged toys and dolls, and the massive, blacked-out windows, before she murmured: “This was your room, huh?”
“Yes. I should probably have it updated some day, but... I guess I like the memories.” Thorn shifted a little, then he smiled to himself as he pointed at one of the pictures on the wall. “Móðer drew that for me. She drew a lot of the silly cartoons on the walls.”
Cadence somehow wasn't surprised by that, as she let her eyes draw over said silly cartoons. She smiled a little despite herself, though, shaking her head for a moment as she muttered: “You know I'm never going to like her though, right?”
“I don't expect you to. And I know that Tormentas has been training you and giving you information about her as well, and is likely why you ended up in the Cloister.” Thorn said even as he settled into bed and closed his eyes, and Cadence smiled lamely. Then she blushed ever so slightly when Thorn shifted a little, and there was a clanking before the stallion's prosthetic limb floated loose and dropped onto the bed beside him. “Excuse my manners, I just feel very sore still.”
“I can leave if you want.” Cadence said awkwardly, but when Thorn didn't reply, she only shifted on the chair before she asked in a softer voice: “Is it... hurting?”
Thorn continued to remain silent for a few moments, and then he said finally: “Yes. It always hurts more after... exertion. It never really stops hurting, to be honest, but I worry about it more when there's no pain, as strange as that might sound.”
“I sort of understand.” Cadence said, and there was quiet for a few moments before she steeled herself, then asked the question she had been wondering from the very beginning: “Thorn, tell me honestly... can we beat Thokk?”
“Yes.” Thorn said quietly, without hesitation, and yet that didn't sound like the entire answer. Cadence frowned at him, leaning forwards a little, and Thorn sighed a little, not opening his eyes, and yet Cadence felt his attention focusing all the more on her as he said softly: “I know what you really mean, Cadence. It's not just about Thokk. You're smarter than that, whether you want to be or not. I don't know what the cost of defeating Thokk will be. I believe in you, though, Cadence, and I believe in Moonflower and La Croix and Sombra. I believe in all the Orphans: ponies are capable of incredible things when they work together.”
He shifted a bit, then sighed as he rubbed slowly at his stump of shoulder, murmuring: “But Thokk is like nothing we've ever faced before. And every time we get close to grasping what she's after, she slips away. She's like controlled chaos, erupting in all directions, but somehow always channeling it towards some goal. And these Voidborn are unprecedented: we still don't entirely understand how to fight them. Almost worse yet are the Primordials...”
“But they die. All these things die. We do not trust Mother Hecate as you do, but we still see her as a Mother, in some ways... we serve her loyally. But we fear that this Ithavoll project will give us pause to think otherwise. We do not want to kill you, Thorn Blackfeather... but we will. You understand that: even Cadence will turn on you should you threaten those we both care for.” the Swan said through Cadence's mouth, and Cadence winced and flailed for control of her own body, but the Swan easily pushed her down for the moment.
Thorn remained silent, but he didn't seem threatened or perturbed in the slightest, only continuing to rub slowly at his shoulder before he said softly: “Danzsöngr, neither myself nor Empress Hecate would put you or any other Orphan at any unnecessary risk. Nor would the Ithavoll project ever harm or replace you... that... that is not what I am afraid of. It's that power often has a mind of its own, and it has a habit of corrupting the intentions of those who wield it.”
The Swan looked thoughtfully at Thorn for a few moments, and Cadence felt a strange shiver run through her body before she was gazing not just at Thorn, but into him, through him, using him like a lens as she found herself staring into the Astra.
And in gray shadows, surrounded by darkness and suffering, Thorn lay in a puddle of blood, eyes empty, body broken, in the bowels of Decretum, dying alone and powerless as some horrible thing bore down on him...
Cadence flinched, and Thorn frowned slightly as his eyes opened, the ivory mare rubbing at her face slowly before the sapphire stallion asked quietly: “What is it?”
Cadence didn't want to say it. But before she could reason with or stop her, the Swan took over, looking up and meeting Thorn's eyes as she said calmly: “Decretum will burn, and you will die.”
Thorn looked back at Danzsöngr, meeting the Swan's gaze fearlessly before he replied calmly: “I will make my own fate. Until then, I will stand, as will Decretum.”
With that, Thorn settled back against the pillows, and the Swan frowned thoughtfully at this before Cadence twitched as she took control back over her body, hugging herself and looking awkwardly at Thorn before she mumbled: “Sorry. I uh... I still don't know how all this stuff works.”
“No one really knows how the Astra works. Maybe that's why Thokk's shown an interest in you, Cadence.” Thorn murmured, before he opened an eye and asked: “Can you ask the Swan to look through reality, then? I want to know how fast we'll have to move.”
Very quickly. But only moments have passed. There is still time, plenty of time. the Swan soothed in Cadence's mind, and Cadence couldn't help but wonder yet again how much control the Swan had, and how much it could see; as much as it made her afraid, maybe it wasn't exaggerating when it said nothing was beyond its sight.
“She says it's only been a few seconds, if that. That we still have plenty of time.” Cadence relayed, and Thorn nodded briefly before he sighed a little in what sounded like exasperation. And before Cadence could ask why, she flinched as icy hands grasped into her shoulders, the mare immediately stiffening up before she ground her teeth together slowly.
“Well, you did wonderful, my wonderful little wafers! Especially you, Thorn, you perfect blueberry scone you!” Hel said brightly, before she suddenly seized the chair that Cadence was sitting in and spun it around, forcibly tilting it back as she leaned over it and glared almost furiously down at the mare, as Cadence's eyes widened in surprise. “So perfectly it only makes up for how miserably you failed, Danzsöngr!” 
Cadence mouthed wordlessly, before the Swan took over and asked almost curiously: “How did we fail you, Mother? We had thought we succeeded with everything that was of importance.”
Hel snorted loudly, then she flung the chair backwards, but the Swan easily rolled with the falling furnishing, landing smoothly on her hooves and continuing to look curiously up at Hel as the goddess growled: “What kind of bodyguard are you, failing to protect blueberry here? Why didn't you kill Penumbra when you had the chance, and avoided this whole mess?”
Cadence blinked at this, suddenly back in control as she leaned forwards and blurted: “But how? He was protected by-”
“Oh come on, Swan, you should know better than that! You should have been able to punch right through that protection!” Hel snapped with a huff, and then she crossed her arms and glowered over at Thorn, adding moodily: “Also, don't make Phraxis do your dirty work for you anymore, got it? I've already gone ahead and chucked Penny through a portal, though, he'll land... oh, somewhere in Decretum. I knew that guy was bad news. He was always whining.”
Thorn only sighed a little, and then he carefully started to slip his way out of bed before Hel added helpfully: “Also, hey, I can totally fix you up with a great new arm if you want! I got demon arms, bear arms, dragon arms, horse arms... well, I guess those are legs. I have lots of different legs, too, is what I'm getting at. And what I'm getting at with what I'm getting at is if you give me two minutes and some thread, I can stitch you back together perfectly fine-o!”
“Thank you, Nanny, but I'm fine.” Thorn responded politely, and Hel huffed before she eyed the stallion moodily as he added: “It's also very difficult for us to determine what you want when you won't openly share your-”
“Whoops.” Hel snapped her fingers as Thorn lifted his prosthetic, and then he winced when it sparked violently before falling back on the bed with a thump. “Oh, silly me! I just anti-magicked your limb somehow! Gosh, what a butterfingers I am! With magic! That I totally didn't aim or concentrate in the first place!”
Thorn only sighed a little as he half-crawled onto the bed, and Hel scowled a little before she added moodily: “Also there are literally a thousand things you should be thanking me for before you go whining about a few simple stupid things you stupid idiots should be figuring out your own stupid selves. How hard is it to kill everyone instead of taking them alive?”
“That's not how we operate.” Thorn replied calmly, as he locked his mechanical limb into place before grimacing as it sparked. Hel narrowed her eyes at him, her fingers wiggling by her side before she yelled incoherently as she pointed at him, sending a blast of thunder at the stallion, but Thorn simply blocked it with his mechanical limb, only grimacing a little at the brightness of the electricity coursing over the steel leg before the stream of electricity died out.
“Dammit all to here, who the me was stupid enough to cast an anti-magic spell over your stupid robo-stomper?” Hel huffed a little as she put her hands on her hips, before she suddenly became serious as she leaned forwards and said in a quieter voice: “And that is not how I operate, Thorn, which you should know by now. Oh, sure, I admire your plunging for information... but do you really think you can get a Fire Giant like Surt to talk, or that Penumbra won't just spit out anything but lies?”
“We have ways of ensuring we extract the truth from subjects.” Thorn said calmly, smiling briefly up at Hel. “I understand your concern.”
“You know I hate that phrase more than any other in the entire dictionary.” Hel said moodily, and Thorn only continued to look at her steadily before Hel suddenly turned her eyes towards Cadence. “But you. I'm here for more important reasons than to give you a scolding and a spanking, so don't look so eager, you creepy little vanilla wafer. I'm giving you some of my very best, and I want you to take care of them, capiche? Because otherwise I am going to capere you and make me a new set of pillows.”
Cadence only scowled up at Hel, in spite of the uncomfortable mix of emotions she felt now whenever she looked at the ice puppet, and how it was so easy to stare through the dancing, frosted chaos in front of her and into the truth of Hel, at the heart of the goddess, at the- “Hey! My eyes are up here!”
Cadence blinked a few times, and the ice puppet huffed as she primly adjusted her snowy dress, muttering: “You've been learning too much from the Valkyrie, I swear. I get you kind of get a wing-boner over her or whatever, but-”
“I do not! I absolutely hate her!” Cadence almost shouted, blushing slightly as one of her eyes twitched, and Hel snorted in amusement and held her hands up in mock surrender, which only made Cadence glare all the more furiously as she snapped: “Look, I don't need any goddamn help, I'll go myself if I have to, just-”
“No. You are too valuable to lose.” Hel said coldly, deadly serious for a moment before she suddenly clapped her hands together in front of herself, brightening with a grin. “And far too interesting! I just gotta find out how this all works out! I have so many questions, after all, and I'm so excited to see where this arc stretches out to... and what'll happen next season? Will there be another eleventh hour power-up? Or are things all going to go to... well... here?”
Hel paused for a moment, and then she leaned forwards and said mildly: “But oh, one more thing, since... you know, I do kind of want to get this out of the way, here and now. Both of you, listen up close to Nanny for this one.”
Thorn frowned, and Cadence narrowed her eyes suspiciously as Hel looked back and forth, before the ice puppet said in a soft, serious voice: “Thokk has to die. No last minute mercy, no imprisonment, no surrender. Thokk dies. That's what I've been saying from the very start, and oh, sure, at first it was because I had a few personal worries and a very personal problem with her, but now... now it's very different. Believe you me, this goes above having my pride injured and petty morality.
“And just to make a point as to how utterly, absolutely serious I am about this...” Hel turned her eyes towards Cadence, saying calmly in the ancient tongue: “Danzsöngr of the Swan Maidens. You are free. No jarl may command you. No Father may demand of you. No Mother may beg of you. No Creator may define you. You are free, Swan Maiden. Your dress is your own.”
Cadence felt a shifting inside her. Nothing changed, and yet everything did, as she looked down for a moment at her golden hooves before she looked up disbelievingly, and Hel sighed in exasperation before she spread her arms and said loudly: “The Valkyrie is better than you in every single way, but I guess you can probably keep Thokk busy until Brynhild shows up to take care of what you can't.”
Cadence blinked slowly, before the Swan roiled inside of her, and the ivory mare laughed loudly as she said contemptibly: “If you want to test our freedom, Hel, you need only ask.”
“Well, see, that would be kind of defeating the point, because if you're not free and I order you to do something it'll have the same effect on you if I tell you-” Hel began, ticking her fingers back and forth before the ivory mare simply slashed her horn out, blasting the ice puppet apart with telekinesis.
Thorn grimaced a bit as a bit of frost pattered over him, absently brushing it quickly away before he looked mildly over at Cadence. But before he could speak, the remains of the puppet swirled themselves up from the ground, locking back into place as the goddess grinned widely.
“Well then. It's a start, at least. But the real test will be seeing what happens when Thokk tries to shut you down. And don't bother putting on an act or anything, Thokk will know if you're faking it to try and make it.” Hel said mildly, waving a hand before she spun around towards Thorn and poked her finger into his nose, saying softly: “Kill the witch. And once ding-dong, the witch is dead, I'll owe you and Hecate a favor. Everybody wins, as long as Thokk dies.”
“We'll deal with Thokk as we see fit, Queen Hel.” Thorn bowed his head respectfully, and Hel snorted, but then nodded grudgingly back before the sapphire stallion asked quietly: “Are the soldiers prepared, then?”
“Who needs an army when you have a hulk?” Hel asked with a wry grin, before she pranced towards the door, rubbing her hands together as her eyes gleamed. “You see, I'm not much of one for modern warfare with lots of soldiers. Too big, too loud, too messy. That's the kind of stuff we do here in Helheim every day! No, oh no. Come with me and I'll show you the real reason Heaven's never come knocking on our gates but we used to go trying to sell 'em a brand new shiny god on a regular basis!”
For some reason, Cadence felt as nervous as she was curious, the ivory mare grimacing a bit as Hel yanked open the door and danced cheerfully out into the hallway. But all the same, when Thorn followed calmly, Cadence fell in step beside him, the mare muttering: “You know, I don't think I'll ever get used to being shoved around like this.”
“It's part of what makes you an excellent leader.” Thorn said, and Cadence smiled wryly despite herself before the sapphire stallion added, as they stepped out into the hall: “Hel, it would be nice to know if we-”
“A lot of nice things will kill you dead, Thorn, so stop all you whining.” Hel grumbled up ahead, and Thorn simply gave a wry smile before Hel spun back forwards, ignoring them the rest of the way to the main hall.
Hel bounced her way cheerfully down into a throng of waiting demons with a wide grin before she spun around on one heel, shoving her arms out and asking brightly: “So what do you think of this, Cadence? Is it great or is it great?”
Cadence looked with surprise over the demons she was apparently going to be taking with her: Vextus Lux, Tormentas, Aphrodisia, and several others she didn't recognize, including several massive Destroyers. She looked over at Thorn, but the sapphire stallion looked unperturbed and unsurprised as he said softly: “You're ready for this responsibility, Cadence. Lead the assault and save your family.”
“Yes. And we shall take care of the young prince, fear not.” added a soft voice, and Cadence couldn't help but shiver a bit as the Lady of the Moon strode calmly out of the crowd, smiling a soft, sultry smile as she walked up the steps to Thorn to kiss him gently on the forehead, before she turned her eyes towards Cadence and instructed: “Take whatever you need. All doors are open to you, Cadenza Danzsöngr. You have one hour. Correct, Lady Hel?”
“Hey, I've done my bit. You guys figure the rest out yourselves.” Hel huffed, then she twiddled her fingers before vanishing in a burst of frost.
Cadence shifted uncomfortably as she looked out over the dozen demons she was suddenly in charge of, but then she glanced up in surprise as Thorn gently grasped her shoulder. He didn't look at her, keeping his eyes out over the crowd, but he spoke to her, saying quietly: “Know them. Trust them. Believe in yourself. You can prepare them from the provisions room, Tormentas can show you where it is.”
“Alright.” Cadence stopped, looking at Thorn for a few long moments, feeling his emotions as the Swan twisted inside of her, before she asked: “How much of this was planned? From the start, you knew you'd be... where are you going? Why are you so...”
But Thorn only smiled over at her, as the Lady of the Moon chuckled softly before saying gently: “You have your duties, as we have ours. That is all there is to it. Now go, Swan. Before the hour draws too late.”
Cadence hesitated only a moment longer, then she nodded, heading down the stairs and automatically shouting for the demons to step into line. And she was surprised when they obeyed, forming a tight group in front of her, even the proud Tormentas smiling at her with a bowed head, ready to listen.
And yet even as she stepped naturally into the role of leader, she wondered in the back of her mind how much of this had been planned from the start, and if perhaps all of this had been meant to lead her here. If this was what Hel had really wanted all along: the Swan to lead her war forces into one last, devastating strike against Thokk.
But both the Swan and Cadence thought if that was what it took to save her family, and put an end to the evil that Thokk had brought, then she would bow her head to the Queen of Helheim, and serve the enemy to kill the foe that threatened them all.