//------------------------------//
// Love Loved No More 
// Story: Hecate's Orphanage 
// by BlackRoseRaven 
//------------------------------//

Chapter Seventy Four: Love Loved No More
~BlackRoseRaven

Hecate seemed surprised that Freya wanted to create a root of Yggdrasil in Decretum. Surprised, but willing enough, to Cadence's amazement, to actually step through reality and fetch Freya to bring her to Decretum so she could create the sibling root in some secure, hidden place.
Hecate returned with Freya to check on their operations and the status of the soul furnace, and Cadence was relieved she could report that everything had moved forwards better than expected. The Dogmatists had converted some of the laboratory's equipment into a communications amplifier under Seneschal's guidance – well, hers, really, since Seneschal had been constantly blinking in and out of communication – and they had almost finished building an antennae tower that would further improve their signal.
Morgan Heldóttir had warded the area around the soul furnace for them and helped insulate the systems with magic, and it had helped a little with their communication issues: for once, their problems might end up being completely benign, Cadence reflected. And that would be good on one hoof, but on the other... 
What if, right now, Loki was attacking their homeworlds? What if they had wasted their time here, and Loki had used it to seed his minions through other worlds, Voidborn and Husks who were attacking, killing, everything they had ever held dear...
“Back to Midgard, Swan. Stop trying to float back up to Heaven.” Freya said mildly, and Cadence scowled horribly as she turned a moody look towards the Valkyrie, who only grinned wryly in response. “What, still mad at me?”
“Not still.” Cadence muttered, shaking her head and turning her eyes pointedly away from the Valkyrie: ever since their little 'meeting' two days ago, Freya had been constantly haranguing and harassing her, and Cadence thought at this point that the Valkyrie wanted her to lash out and do something stupid. The only reason Cadence hadn't tried to put her hoof through Freya's face was solely because of how increasingly sure she was that was precisely what the Valkyrie wanted her to do.
Over the last two days, they had done enough work for even Hecate to be satisfied with their progress, and she was recalling most of their forces from the soul furnace. A few of the Dogmatists and the Worker Drones would be left behind to ensure that operations finished smoothly, but Cadence and her team and the irregular additions to their group – namely, the Valkyries and their company – would all be withdrawing to Endworld. 
Hecate had already stepped back through reality, but before she had left, she had given them explicit instructions to set up a portal in the forest outside of the port town where they had arrived. That meant another long sea crossing, but Cadence could understand the reasoning, at least: if there were any enemies watching them, they didn't want them to lock on to the portal signal.
Cadence was just trying to focus on getting back to Endworld, because the sooner they were done with this mission, the sooner she could start pushing Hecate to let them at least humor the idea Loki might be attacking the worlds they had come from. Some part of her was painfully sure that Loki hadn't been lying or trying to deceive them: after all, he had the resources and the cruelty to do something heinous and vicious like going after the people they cared about back home...
Home: what did that word mean, really? She had come from Valhalla, but she could never consider those golden halls home. They were a place to be admired, to be worshiped, even: Heaven, for her, was a paradise she could never attain, only marvel at and, if she was lucky, spend her brief hiatuses there, serving the immortalized desires of the ancient rulers.
But Decretum and Endworld, the Clockwork Empire: that was her home now. That was what she thought of as 'home...' except, of course, when someone brought up that world she had grown up in with her father, the world she had woken up in after not one, but two deaths: she couldn't forget all the people there, and she didn't want to, either. She owed them too much, from Princess Celestia to Miss Take and Amadeus Archon and... Shining Armor.
Cadence closed her eyes, taking slow, measured breaths: in and out, in and out. She knew that Freya was looking at her and probably coming up with some new witty one-liner, but she didn't care: all she cared about was keeping herself calm and keeping the situation here under control until they finally managed to cross the sea, set up the portal, and return to Decretum. Or Endworld. Or wherever it is we're going.
She felt a hoof grasp her shoulder, and the mare looked grouchily up before she frowned in surprise at the look on Freya's face, the Valkyrie giving her what was almost a gentle smile before she said softly: “Everything will be as it must be. That's the little comfort I can give us both at the end of the day.”
“Some comfort.” Cadence said wryly, and then she sighed quietly before nodding once and lowering her head, muttering: “I just want to get out of here. Can we do that?”
“Well, it looks to me like the ship is just about ready to sail.” Freya replied mildly, and Cadence looked up towards the end of the docks before she sighed in relief at the sight of Aster finally approaching.
“Oui, the ship is prepared whenever you are ready. The cargo is loaded and all quarters are prepared.” Aster replied with a smile, bowing her head to them, and Cadence smiled back as she studied the mare for a moment: Aster honestly looked a hundred times better than when they had first come here. Sure, that probably had a little to do with the fact they were now leaving, but Cadence knew that facing her demons here had helped exorcise the painful memories she had of Salazar and his nefarious schemes.
Cadence gestured at the others, and there were not a few sounds of relief from the crowd: whatever else this facility might have been, it certainly wasn't designed to be comfortable for its occupants. The halls still stank, a lot of the interior was still in ruin, and the dormitories hadn't been cleaned yet by the Dogmatists or Drones, who all prioritized the machinery over comforts.
Not that Cadence had slept, she reflected, as she boarded the galleon. She didn't bother tossing out orders: she was letting Aster handle commanding the ship for now, and figured the rest of her team could just relax during the crossing. It was better that they stayed out of the way than tried to get anything done, after all, and Cadence was beginning to realize that they had been sent out here together more than just because they were trying to track down Loki, but because Hecate had known that all of them needed to step back for a moment.
What was Moonflower thinking and feeling right now? Luna, who, no matter how much Cadence disliked her, was also suffering one of the worst hardships a mother could bear, or at least one who loved her child, and even Cadence couldn't deny how clear it was that Luna loved her son. Freya, who had been so shaken by Loki that she had refused to fight, almost died, and now still refused to take up arms against him. 
This had hit home hard for all of them, though: even La Croix, she supposed, although for the zebra, the real shock had come after they had arrived. She had only really realized that after she had found a protective charm had been slipped into her bag, however: she wondered if anyone else was aware of how hard La Croix was working to protect them.
They had done their duty here, however, and now the best thing they could do was head home and convince Hecate to let them visit their homeworlds. And from there, track down Loki – or at least where Loki was staging his forces from – and then strike hard and fast to hopefully end this conflict.
Cadence wandered away, lost in her own grim thoughts, not realizing how palpable her anxiety was, or even that her companions were watching her as they climbed onto the main deck of the ship. They let her wander ahead before Brynhild said softly: “'Tis strange. For a puppet designed to destroy, she seems to feel much. Even I am not so kind, and I am a much better model of toy.”
Freya sighed and shook her head, before Sombra said quietly: “My daughter has always been a gentle soul, beneath her hard exterior. She burdens herself perhaps too much with cares for others.”
“What an awful bunch we are.” Moonflower murmured, looking silently down at one of his own hooves for a moment before he glanced up with a small smile. “I know we've always been so lucky to have Cadence. I do. She's better to us than we deserve... isn't that right, La Croix?”
“Yeah. She be too good, even . Fou Cygne gotta learn to take care of herself sometimes and not carry all the burdens a la monde on her shoulders.” La Croix added with a brief shake of his head and a little laugh, and there was silence for a moment before he said quietly: “But everything feels real complicated right now. We got that diable, Loki, comin' at us from where we can't see. We got Decretum in ruin, but Hecate a Jötnar and all these weird new Dogmatists walkin' around. And now Bondye...”
“Now, don't worry your pretty little head, Loa.” Freya said mildly, turning her eye in the direction of the zebra with a slight smile. “As I said, all that will be, will be. Try and take some comfort in that, spirit. I thought your kind knew that everything is eventual.”
“That's a terrifying thought.” Moonflower mumbled, and then he winced in surprise when Luna threw a foreleg around his shoulders and smiled at him kindly.
“It does not have to be! For it means that good will come to us as surely as evil does.” Luna paused, then leaned in and added pointedly: “And if thou art to win the battle for my son's heart, thou must be brighter than the burning sun.” 
“I don't even know if I should.” Moonflower said glumly, and then he squeaked when Brynhild snagged one of his ears with a huff before she began to drag him off, the stallion whining: “It's not my fault she's so nice and happy and-”
“Focus on thyself, not her! Come, come, thou art coming with me and we are going to make thee over, as ponies say!” Brynhild extolled as she led Moonflower away, and Scrivener and Morgan traded an amused look as Sombra cocked his head curiously and La Croix gave a wry smile.
“Usually it be Moony's type who want to do all the makeovers.” La Croix said mildly, and then he shook his head before saying finally: “He is a good guy, though, and... he be real bon with your son. I mean. If that ain't too awkward to say or nothin'.”
Scrivener only shrugged amiably, and Morgan smiled a bit before she said softly: “I just want my son to be happy. And if Moonflower and Thorn can work things out, then that's what I want to see happen. They did seem good together.”
“And if one person in this family can have a healthy relationship, that would be a nice change of pace.” Scrivener said mildly, and Morgan gave him an amused look. “Hey, ours is great. But healthy? I'm not so sure about that.” 
“Our relationship works. That's what matters.” Morgan said, before she sighed a little as Moonflower squealed in the distance, and Luna cackled. “Alright, alright. I guess it's my turn to go get her.”
Scrivener nodded amiably, before glancing up as Sombra asked: “Would you mind if I borrowed a bit of your time, my friend? I would be curious to learn more about you and your adventures with your family.”
“I like to call them Luna's adventures, because generally everything that happens to us is her fault.” Scrivener replied, but then he nodded and said finally: “It'll be a good distraction. And I guess we could all use a bit of time for... quiet.”
Sombra nodded and smiled, and La Croix sighed as the ship slowly began to roll away from the docks, gazing nervously back at the facility as he murmured: “Oui. Quiet. Let's just hope it stays that way, mes amis.”

Cadence awoke with a start some hours later. She clambered out of her bunk, stumbling across the wooden floor, aware that something was wrong even before she was aware of where she was.
She dragged herself to the stairs and stumbled quickly up onto deck, where she was immediately woken up by the cold rain pelting them. She swore under her breath, uselessly waving a hoof back and forth as if to try and ward off the rain before the ship listed violently to the side as a great, massive wave crashed against them, a peal of thunder tearing through the air above their heads and adding to the cacophony of chaos.
“Hold fast! Get the ropes, don't let the sails tear!” Aster roared over the storm, and Cadence looked up to see the mare standing at the wheel, her head high, her horn glowing with magic to make her a beacon among the mad scramble across the decks. 
Cadence began to stumble towards her, before she swore as a wave crashed over the deck, the ship rocking violently and sending the ivory mare stumbling towards the rails. She barely stopped herself from being hurled overboard, gritting her teeth and clawing at the deck to yank herself forwards as she realized that a lot of the crew had ropes tied around themselves, likely to prevent themselves from meeting a watery fate.
The ivory mare managed to get to the steps leading up to the wheel, and Aster waved at her before shouting down to her over the storm: “Either get back under deck or help with the sails! They are coming-”
Something snapped above, and Aster fell over with a gasp, swearing violently in her own language. But in a flash, Cadence was up the steps, seizing the wheel's other side and twisting it slowly back with a grunt, before Aster seized a nearby rod of wood and shoved it through the spaces in the wheel, locking it into place as she muttered: “Or perhaps you should take over here. Keep the wheel straight and beware the pressure.”
“Just straight?” Cadence asked dubiously, but Aster only smiled wryly in response.
“Oui, straight to get through this storm, and to keep the rudder from being snapped off. We can figure out our bearings once we are through the onslaught!” Aster called, already moving quickly away from the mare, and Cadence grimaced before she swore under her breath as she was nearly yanked off her hooves when the wheel jerked violently to the side.
She fought to straighten it with a curse, then gritted her teeth as she leaned her weight into the wheel to try and hold it steady, hearing the old wood creaking loudly. It was a struggle, but thankfully a short one before Aster returned with a set of chains, and suddenly Cadence understood why there were two large metal rings bolted to the deck on either side of the wheel.
As they chained the wheel into place, Aster continued to shout orders to the crew. She was truly in her element, battling the storm, running the crew, unafraid and unflinching and unhindered even beneath the pelting rain, the blinding lightning, the deafening bangs of thunder.
And bit-by-bit, the rain began to lighten, the ship began to settle, the waves became less fearsome as they forged through the storm. Aster remained in control, however, gazing up at the clouds and studying them even as she ordered: “No lollygagging on deck, if you have time to stand, you have time to clean!”
“You're good at staying in command out here.” Cadence said, glancing over at the mare, and Aster gave a small smile and a shrug before they both looked up at the clouds, Cadence asking after a moment: “Is it settling down?”
“It looks like it, but I do not know for certain. The seas can be treacherous. We must always respect that nature is far more powerful than us.” Aster replied after a moment with a small smile and a brief shake of her head. “I need to keep the crew in line, but you did well here, Cadence. You are a strong mare.”
Cadence smiled awkwardly and shrugged lamely, and there was silence for a moment before Aster cleared her throat as she glanced up into the lightening rain, murmuring: “But I must attend to the crew. Please keep an eye on the wheel, madame. Once we are out of the worst of these winds, we shall find our heading.”
Cadence nodded briefly, then sighed as she leaned against the wheel, but it seemed secure with the chains attached and all. So instead of trying to hold it steady, she let her eyes rove out over the ship, watching as lanterns were lit and debris was scooped up and the ragtag crew assembled themselves.
She smiled a bit in surprise at the sight of Moonflower among the mess: she hadn't expected to see him up out of his quarters. Before her, even, but she supposed she had a lot on her mind.
She sighed a little, then frowned slightly and looked up as a peal of lightning illuminated the deck brilliantly for a few moments: where was Brynhild? She could see Freya, and Brynhild's partners, but not the Valkyrie herself; was she down below? No, even as much as she hated the Valkyrie at times, she knew that Brynhild loved to be in the middle of the chaos, whether or not she could do anything to help...
Her eyes happened to rove up the mast, over sails that were being hurriedly, tightly furled, before she frowned slightly as she caught the telltale blue flame of Brynhild's mane at the top of the mast. Cadence cocked her head curiously: Luna was staring stiffly out into the sky, and there was an intensity in her eyes that almost made them glow like emeralds, before Cadence grimaced as lightning hammered through the air again, lighting up the world, illuminating the splashing waves as water sprayed up over the ship, as something in the distance twisted through the waves-
Cadence's eyes widened as she leapt up over the wheel, but the world was black again, making it impossible for her to- You are only foolish. But never blind.
The ivory mare flinched as pain shot through her head, before she gasped as her eyes opened, staring into nothing and everything all at once, seeing everyone around them, their hopes, their fears, their relief; and beyond the ship were a million million particles of water all flowing together as one, forming an infinite ocean full of infinite life that all burned with the primal desire to survive, but one, one thing, one great and awful thing burned with something worse, with rage and pride and poisoned love and-
“Brynhild, he's coming!” Cadence shouted as she stumbled backwards and covered her eyes, pain tearing through her body, her whole form going numb as she felt hot blood running down her face and over her hooves, and she was both panicked and dimly, distantly unsurprised as her legs wobbled beneath her.
She heard hooves coming towards her, but no, no, they should all be going the other way, running into the ship, because-
Something massive smashed against the side of the galleon, making it rock violently, and voices shouted in panic as Brynhild flung herself into the air with a snarl, joined a moment later by Morgan. The storm whipped and wailed around them, thunder echoing through the sky, but now that sound was joined by cruel, jagged laughter: his laughter, the Valkyrie realized with horror and disgust, just as she had felt his presence in the weather, his magic... but how? How? 
“Face me, coward!” Brynhild roared furiously, her spear bursting into existence beside her in a flare of blue flame, her mane and tail both blazing trails of fire and starlight. “I am here! I am here!”
“I see you perfectly well.” growled his voice, and Luna looked down to watch as a dark, terrible shape rose slowly up out of the ocean: a mighty, monstrous leviathan, a serpent armored in metallic scales and with great, hateful eyes that glared furiously up at Brynhild: Jormungand remembered her,  Luna thought with a cruel grin. And it was the blackest irony that along with this beast, his 'master' had returned as well.
A charcoal unicorn dressed in elegant silver armor glared up at her, his poisoned, maddened red eyes regarding her with hate and disgust. His dark mane whipped loosely around his features, and a red cape flapped around his body, embroidered with the symbol of the enemy, Loki: but Ignominious had never been very good at choosing sides, Luna reflected bitterly, as she said in a calm, quiet voice: “This is thy one and only chance to withdraw. Persist, Ignominious... and that beast shan't be enough to save thee.”
“Foolish little Luna Lightblade. For all your moralizing and bragging about what a good pony you were, I see you ended up in the same place as I did. The cold, cold ice.” Ignominious replied mockingly, completely ignoring the mare's words as he bared his teeth in a cruel grin, and the mighty, massive, endless snake-abomination beneath him hissed, as if in agreement. “You couldn't stop yourself from pursuing power, could you? But don't worry. I understand. I understand it all too well. And that's why I know, that now that I am powerful, I am truly strong, stronger than you, you will come to me. You will break before me, Luna. You will love me again.”
“Thou art such a fool.” Luna said, almost pitying as she shook her head slowly, and then she rose her head and took a slow breath, asking quietly: “Where is Loki?”
“In a place you can never reach. Or at least...” Ignominious smiled coldly, before he extended a hoof, his gaze glaring, staring, pleading with hers as he commanded: “Not without my help. Come to me. Surrender, and join me, Luna Lightblade. You've been weak for long enough. Nothing matters, can't you see? But we can still be together, and enjoy the little time we have, before Loki makes everything nothing... we can indulge every fantasy, enjoy all the things I know you've always lusted to, all those things you tried to enjoy as Nightmare Moon...”
“Such pleas fall on deaf ears, Ignominious. For I am no more Nightmare Moon than she is me, as thou should know well from the last encounter we had.” Luna said coldly, but Ignominious only chuckled, smiling mockingly, knowingly, at Luna, and making her frown.
“What a fool you are, Brynhild. If only you could open your eyes and see.” Ignominious said contemptibly, before he leaned forwards and said callously: “I am now a member of the Jarsongildi, and Loki has blessed me with unfathomable powers, Luna!”
“Unfathomable only to thee, I suspect: I see nothing special in front of me. Only another Voidborn, another fool who hast not counted his blessings and learned from the life he failed to live.” Luna retorted contemptibly, snorting in disgust before she glanced to the side and said shortly: “Tame the storm, Morgan. And recall thy pet, Ignominious: if thou hast any honor at all, thou shall face me as a stallion. Not as the beast thou became.”
Ignominious only snorted in contempt, shaking his head before he said coldly: “You are not the one in control here. And to teach you that, Luna, I am going to make you suffer, as much as I possibly can. And with the power I have been given from Loki, Luna-”
“Loki, the trickster? Loki, who laughed most when the prideful were given their just desserts?” Luna asked ironically, and then she shook her head with a snort before she said quietly: “Thou must learn to better consider thy 'gifts' and from where they come.”
“I have had enough of being lectured by you, little Luna.” growled the Voidborn as he leaned aggressively forward, before his eyes flicked up in surprise as the storm around them began to lighten. “Melinda! Do not fail me!”
“The only failure here, Ignominous, is thee.” Luna said contemptibly, shaking her head before she thrust her spear towards the stallion as the rain faded out, even as the skies swirled with black clouds above, thunder and lightning still booming through the open air. 
Ignominious snarled at Luna, then he leaned back, eyes blazing, as Jormungand rose higher and higher, towering above the fearless mare as his rider proclaimed furiously: “I'll make you beg for mercy, beg for the sweet release of death if you don't-”
“Demand heaped upon demand, and as always, thou stalls before the battle. Thou art as weak and naive as ever.” Luna retorted, shaking her head grimly before she pointed the spear at him, saying coldly: “I will not falter. Fight, then, Ignominious. Show me thy new 'power.' And we shall see who has grown stronger.”
“Oh, silly, stupid mare...”  Ignominious grinned darkly, his eyes blazing as his body began to smolder with malignant energy. He boiled with darkness, his red eyes becoming crimson spotlights as he hissed: “I have power that you cannot imagine... I have been infused with the power of a god!”
Ignominious flexed as his entire body became a terrible, thrumming darkness, his eyes blazing like spotlights, and his body no longer standing atop of the monstrous world-serpent, but merging with it; Luna's eyes widened at the sight as Ignominious laughed, continuing to mock even as he melded entirely into the body of the great snake: “Can you stand against the might of Loki's children, Brynhild? I am the inheritor of his children! I have become-”
“Loki's junior. Or perhaps thou art just Ignominious Junior... the child of a child, made of energy strained out of the Void and combined with the might of monsters.” Luna said with disgust, shaking her head in disgust before her eyes flashed as she roared fearlessly: “I am Valkyrie! I do not bow to god or beast or monster, Ignominious, and I especially do not bow to the likes of thee!”
Jormungand hissed at her... no, Ignominious hissed. There was no Jormungand, Luna realized, as she saw the spite and the hate in the world-serpent's eyes: there was only Ignominious, puppeting a power she knew he could never wholly control, as his voice echoed from the beast's endless jaws: “You'll do more than bow before the end of the day, Valkyrie... I'll see you on your knees!”
The beast lunged towards her, jaws that could easily swallow her whole opening, fangs like scythes gleaming, but Luna only smiled coldly before she flapped her wings sharply once, evading the serpent's attack before her spear stabbed savagely downwards and into one of Jormungand's eyes.
The world serpent wailed in Ignominious' voice as it yanked backwards, huge body sending up a great splash as it twisted and dove into the sea, its massive coils roiling through the water as the beast's voice howled from seemingly everywhere: “I'll devour you for that!”
“Promises, promises, but thou never were very good with thy mouth.” Brynhild muttered as her eyes flicked back and forth, before she swore when she saw the great serpent's coils lash up against the side of the freighter, making the ship rock violently as the Valkyrie roared: “Face me, coward!”
Instead, Jormungand's coils twisted upwards, seeking to wrap around the ship to crush it out of existence: but instead of coming down on the galleon, they crushed down into a dark shell of energy, Moonflower gasping and shivering on the ship as Morgan grimaced and fed what energy she could spare into the shield, but her body was already shaking with the effort it took to suppress the immense storm.
Jormungand rose up out of the ocean with a furious snarl, the serpent's eye already healed, its fangs bared in rage. Luna immediately shot towards the beast, but then swore as its tail shot up from the sea like a spear, narrowly dodging around the lash of the appendage as its coils tore up out of the sea to try and catch her and crush her.
But the Valkyrie dodged back and forth through the deadly maze of serpent coil and geysers of water, the mare snarling as she twisted upwards before stabbing her spear out, but this time Jormungand twisted his head to the side, her weapon scratching uselessly along the surface of those armory scales as Ignominious hissed: “You can't hurt us with that stick!”
The beast lunged at her again, and Luna snarled as she flung herself to the side while parrying the immense beast's muzzle to the side with her spear, retorting: “I do not need a spear to crush a worm beneath my hooves!”
She dodged the world-serpent's jaws again, then slashed her spear down, leaving a scar across the beast's scales before she drove the weapon into its gums when it tried to bite her. Jormungand hissed as it yanked away again, but Luna only swore under her breath as she weaved back and forth, narrowly avoiding several massive coils that tried to slap against her like battering rams.
Jormungand roared at her furiously, then lunged forwards, and Luna narrowly dodged the dive before the massive sea-serpent smashed down and splashed through the water, vanishing into the depths of the ocean even as its enormous, endless coils continued to rise and twist through the air, attempting to sweep down Luna and crashing and smashing against the sides of the helpless galleon.
Luna snarled, but she didn't think Ignominious was even aware of the ship at this point: the ship was simply caught in an ocean that was too small to contain the all-but-endless body of the mighty leviathan. And if she didn't end this battle quickly, Ignominious was going to destroy them, and who knew how much of this was the doings of the idiot who had always been too eager for power, and how much was merely the writhing of the beast-instincts of Jormungand.
The world-serpent tore suddenly up out of the water behind her, and Luna's eyes widened, but she didn't have enough time to turn around before the monster's jaws clamped shut around her. She gasped in pain as acidic saliva splattered her and the creature's tongue lashed up, but the mare immediately stabbed savagely downwards, burying her spear through the soft appendage to make the world serpent scream in agony, ejecting Luna with a hard whiplash of his head and flinging both the Valkyrie and her spear free.
Luna swore as she flipped violently several times through the air, Prudbikkja torn from her grip before she looked up with a snarl as the monster lunged at her. And almost on instinct, she snapped her horn forwards, sending out a blue fireball that smashed into the creature's face and exploded with a tremendous bang.
Jormungand's charge was deflected, the world-serpent roaring in frustration as he swayed to the side, crystals of ice gleaming brightly over his features as embers of flame and frost floated in the air around it. It shook itself out, but before it could fully recover, the frozen shards and sparks of blue hellfire coalesced in front of it, and the world-serpent had just enough time to hiss before a massive fist smashed into its face and knocked it crashing into the ocean with a tremendous splash.
Luna breathed hard, her eyes blazing, black veins pulsating under her skin as her second Jötunnfang whirled into existence, the mare snarling: “If thou desires wrath and vengeance, Ignominious, then I shall be all too glad to avail thee!”
Jormungand roared, the massive world-serpent snapping its head up and diving towards Luna even as its tail shot out of the water behind her like a spear, but Luna half-spun and slapped away the end of the beast's tail with one massive claw of frost as the other Jötunnfang slammed forwards and viciously punched into the leviathan's skull. Jormungand swayed with a gurgle from the power of the blow, eyes bulging in shock before a fist of frost drove up under the world-serpent's chin. 
Jormungand rocked backwards as Ignominious gasped in misery and disbelief, before he howled in pain as the icy claws slammed a volley of punches into the world-serpent's face, the creature's head jerking helplessly beneath the hail of blows before the enormous snake hurriedly flung itself away, diving back into the depths with a tremendous splash as its coils lashed upwards in defense.
Luna seized into its body with her Jötunnfang, grinning cruelly as her whole body thrummed with power, the Valkyrie roaring: “Come out of your hole, worm!”
The claws of ice twisted savagely as they yanked upwards, and the great, endless body of Jormungand spasmed, sending up waves and geysers of water as it writhed in agony before the beast's head tore up out of the water, lunging wildly at Luna from below.
And without so much as a twitch, Luna flung the beast's coils away as she half-turned and drove a fist into the world-serpent's face, broken fragments of tooth flying out of its jaws with a scream that echoed even over the rage of the thunder above. The serpent howled as it twisted around and dove beneath the waves again, its coils lashing back and forth, making the galleon rock violently in the waves that rippled through the ocean.
Luna breathed hard in and out as her Jötunnfang fell to loose, ready positions on either side of her, the huge claws flexing and glowing with power. Almost more than she felt comfortable putting out, as black veins pulsed beneath her sapphire skin, her sharp teeth grinding together slowly as her glowing eyes raced back and forth. She knew that couldn't be the end of it: Ignominious had too much pride to give up that easily.
On board the ship, nervous crew stumbled through the orders that Aster shouted to them as she paced along the top deck, her eyes worriedly flicking up towards Luna every so often. Cadence had bandages over her eyes, the mare breathing hard and trembling as she clutched at her bloody eyes: there had been so much life and energy around her that gazing into the Astra had almost melted her brain. Something the Swan had evidently not been prepared for, either, as Cadence couldn't feel its presence at all.
Her body twitched, and her nose wrinkled up as she smelled something, some awful stink that was almost enough to rouse the Swan. Her head rose slightly, and her eyes widened behind the cloth before she leaned forwards and shouted: “Look out!”
Scrivener looked up almost too late, stumbling out of the way by luck more than anything else when Ignominious lunged at him, the unicorn snarling in fury, dark energy fuming off his body as he slashed a glowing white sword back and forth with telekinesis. “This is all your fault!”
Scrivener swung a Talon up, deflecting a strike from the sword before he slammed a hammer fist across Ignominious' muzzle, the smoldering stallion staggering backwards with a gargle of surprise before Scrivener leapt forwards and simply slammed his skull into his foe's. There was a sickening crack before Ignominious collapsed to the floor of the ship, a bit of drool falling from his mouth before he shook himself violently and looked up with a snarl, opening his mouth-
A frozen fist the size of a small house slammed down into Ignominious and smashed him straight down through the deck of the ship, and Luna snorted in contempt. But a moment later, the ship shook violently before the massive shape of Jormungand tore upwards through the deck, ripping the galleon in half as ponies scrambled wildly for safety, Aster roaring orders as best she could over the sound of the ship ripping into two pieces.
The serpent dove past Luna, coming out and out and out, ever lengthening, a body miles and miles long passing by her as the world-serpent splashed back beneath the waves. Luna only shot past it, however, ignoring the beast for the moment as she instead used her Jötunnfang to seize one half of the galleon, grunting with the effort to lift it enough to keep the hull floating as she shouted: “Freya!”
Freya was there in a moment, using her magic to contort and reshape the wood, roughly capping the broken half of ship as Morgan did the same with the other half. Aster was still roaring orders fearlessly, while Moonflower was scrambling to pick himself up, horn glowing as he tried to calm the storm that was beginning to rage again thanks to the distraction caused by the ship breaking in half.
The world-serpent roared as the oceans rippled around them, and Luna looked back and forth before she dropped the mended ship, raising her Jötunnfang as she roared: “I am your opponent!”
“And I will exploit your greatest weakness.” snarled Ignominious' voice, as the oceans rippled, the waves roaring around them and whirling into a maelstrom as rain began to fall again, winds growing into a whipping cyclone that drove the sea around them into a fury. 
Luna snarled in frustration as she looked back and forth, but she couldn't trace the movements of the great sea beast beneath the furious waves. But the maelstrom was growing stronger by the moment, and the halves of ship were quickly being pulled into the deadly whirl of water: if she didn't do something soon, they were going to be swallowed up by the raging sea.
The sapphire mare gritted her teeth, before she looked suddenly upwards as her horn blazed with sapphire light, shouting: “Part the clouds! For it is not the beasts, but the moon that controls the sea!”
Morgan swore as she was buffeted away from patching the hull by a wave, but then she focused her magic, sending her energies to Luna and upwards into the sky. She felt the magical energies of both Melinda and Moonflower, and she grasped into them both, gritting her teeth as she didn't try to fight them, but instead redirected them, twisting and manipulating their flow.
Moonflower flinched in surprise, his eyes widening, while Melinda's energy reacted with more... no, not violence, not even truly force, but instead a twisting, a turning that sought to redirect the redirection. 
But all the same, Twilight kept steady, breathing hard as she allowed the storm to worsen, even as she pressed into the center of the cyclone with her magic. And even as the winds raged and the rain stormed and lightning thundered through the skies, the clouds began to split apart, revealing the full moon glowing like an eye in the dark skies above.
Luna gritted her teeth, focusing on the moon, her Jötunnfang flexing as they glowed with energy. Lighting sparked across the Valkyrie's body as she floated higher into the air, her eyes blazing and her back arching as she summoned up all her strength, making the seas tremble as she arched her back and pulled with all her might.
The moon flashed above, seeming to grow larger as a massive thrum of magic erupted through the air. The halves of ship were almost violently ejected from the maelstrom, crashing and splashing out to still-chaotic seas as the whirlpool intensified, a distinct divot forming in the waters that sank steadily deeper as the raging spiral of water grew fiercer and fiercer, corkscrewing deeper into the ocean.
Jormungand roared, the massive sea serpent suddenly bursting up from the ocean, but its coils were seized by claws half-formed from ice and water, its endless body yanked into the whirl of water. The leviathan thrashed violently around as it tried to yank itself out of the tide, but just as it began to yank itself loose from the wild spiral, one of Luna's Jötunnfang crashed savagely into its face, driving it back into the whirl as the Valkyrie shot along above its head, slamming blow after blow into it with her claws of frost-fire.
The world-serpent writhed helplessly as it was punched deeper and deeper into the whirling seas, Luna snarling in fury as energy crackled around her body, the Valkyrie thrumming with untamed power as the moon glowed above, as if with the mare's savage pride. 
Blow after blow drove down into monster's face, the almost-endless worm spasming violently as it was yanked around and around the deepening corkscrew that twisted towards the ocean's depths, Ignominious screaming in agony beneath the roars of both monster and stormy sea. 
Jormungand was yanked to the center of the deep whirlpool, its own coils smashing against its body as Luna drove downwards, her Jötunnfang pummeling the world-serpent cruelly into the crushing singularity of water that fed down to the ocean floor. The enormous beast's own size and weight worked against it as it was dragged down, down, ever downward, flailing uselessly around as Luna's frost-fire claws crashed mercilessly down on it over and over.
And then, suddenly, the beast was gone in a burst of smoke and water, the leviathan vanishing before a massive torrent of seawater exploded upwards, crashing into Luna and knocking her reeling backwards with a gasp of pain as her Jötunnfang went wide. And a moment later, Ignominious lunged up through this, once more in stallion form, features both furious and desperate-
Brynhild's massive claws slapped shut around him, catching him and crushing him before the mare half-turned and flung him with a roar into the stormy air as she recovered her balance. Ignominious yelled incoherently as he flipped head over heels before he screamed in misery as the Valkyrie pursued him, relentlessly slamming blow after blow into his body with her claws of magic, pummeling him through the sky.
Finally, as Ignominious fell backwards in disbelief, the mare charged into him and drove him backwards into the waiting palms of her massive claws, the floating hands forming a wall that she savagely, mercilessly pummeled the stallion into. Punch after punch slammed across his face, the stallion howling in misery, then convulsing, then finally only laying numb beneath the hail of blows, almost cradled in the claws of the Valkyrie as she finally came to a stop, covered in sweat and rain and saltwater that trailed down her muzzle, and hid the tears that streaked her face.
She leaned over him, breathing roughly, her body aching, and Ignominious lay. His Voidborn body was steaming energy, twitching uselessly, covered in cracks as if he was made of glass. Strange light shone out of these wounds throughout his body as he panted weakly, staring with disbelief up at the mare before he rasped: “This... isn't possible.”
“Nay. This is the path thou hast chosen for thyself. And this is the only outcome thou shall ever receive, Ignominious.” Luna said quietly, shaking her head slowly as she looked calmly and contemptibly down at the weakened Voidborn. “Relent. Surrender, and return to the Void.”
“I'll come back, Luna... I'll never stop coming back, for you...” Ignominious trembled as he reached up with a snarl to grasp the mare's shoulder, but his grip was weak, his eyes frightened more than furious as he rasped breaths in and out. “I'll... I'll return, and you will love me again, and you will be mine...”
“I am no one's, Ignominious. Not in the way thou thinks I am, not in the way thou desires me to be.” Luna replied quietly, and then she shook her head slowly before murmuring: “Stupid, foul little foal. Why, Ignominious? Why can thou not simply accept, move on, relent... or perhaps...”
She looked at him silently, but Ignominious only grinned up at her even as his body began to dissolve, hissing: “Because you will be mine. You must be mine. And I will never give up, I will never relent, until-”
“Until the day thou art nothing and no more, Ignominious, aye, I understand. How tainted thou hast been. How tortured thy soul is.” Luna smiled ruefully as she silently reached up and squeezed the hoof gripping into her so fearfully, she thought. His grip was so very weak, in spite of how desperate he was to seem strong. “I feel sorry for thee. 'Tis no wonder thou art so... brittle.”
Ignominious snarled furiously, but he was unable to lean up with his body dissolving rapidly, his eyes filling with desperation as he shouted, flecks of saliva splattering over Luna's face: “You will be begging for me by the time I'm done with you! You will love me again!”
“I have never stopped loving the stallion I met, all those years ago.” Luna said bluntly, before she smiled almost kindly as she gave his hoof one last squeeze, then she gently slipped backwards and away from the glowing body of the Voidborn as she whispered: “'Tis too bad thou art not him.”
With that, Luna allowed her Jötunnfang to gently part, and Ignominious slid free from the massive claws of frost-fire, falling towards the ocean below in a stream of particles and light. He stared miserably up at her as he fell, before clenching his eyes shut and dissolving above the calming sea, leaving glimmers of energy sparkling through the air for a few moments before Luna sighed and shook her head, shaking her Jötunnfang out once before she let them dissolve.
She glanced up at the moon above for a moment, then smiled faintly as she watched the clouds slowly fraying apart above, revealing the stars; so distant, so bright, so careless and yet not uncaring, she had always felt. She breathed slowly in and out, then shook her head before closing her eyes as she felt both Morgan and Scrivener's worries, murmuring: “I am well. I am fine. 'Twas easier than I had expected, but... he was not as strong as I had thought. Perhaps 'tis because the consistency of his body must be changed, to allow him to transform so freely; perhaps 'tis because, truly, he is naught by a tortured and lost soul...”
She hovered for a moment, then shook her head with a sigh before tilting backwards and allowing herself to freefall towards the ships, where Aster and Freya were both quickly marshaling the crew out of shock and her friends and family were waiting for her.
But instead of winging first to her partners, Luna twisted her flight to descend to the deck of the ship-half where Cadence was seated. The ivory mare scowled from under the cloth over her bloody eyes as La Croix looked up with an awkward smile, saying: “Uh... Cygne, there's a-”
“I smell her. “ Cadence grumbled, and Luna smiled wryly despite herself: for some reason, the Swan always made her feel better. “Beat him up?”
“Aye. 'Twas not hard, these Voidborn are little different from any other foe: if thou pummels them enough, they crumble.” Luna remarked mildly, flexing her hooves before she hesitated, then said finally: “I am grateful to thee.”
Cadence blinked behind the blindfold, looking dumbly up, and the Valkyrie repeated grudgingly: “I am grateful to thee. I shan't say for what. I shall not repeat myself further. But know that I am and while we are not friends, I am glad to have met thee.”
Cadence shifted a little, and then she awkwardly lowered her head before she muttered awkwardly: “I am... I'm glad we met, too. As much as I hate you and you frustrate me, at the same time... I know that you're a large part of what pushed me to become... better. And you've influenced the Swan, too...”
Cadence halted, then suddenly frowned as the Swan whispered in her mind, before she rubbed at the blindfold and said slowly: “That's right. You used to fight us, didn't you? You'd pull stupid pranks...”
“Because kicking the dog is all the child can do when she is the shame of the rest of the family.” Luna smiled wryly, shrugging a bit before she sighed a little and lowered her head, muttering: “'Tis nothing I am proud of. 'Tis nothing I am... not proud of, either.”
Cadence shrugged a bit, grumbling: “Dumb pranks and purposefully interrupting us... but Swans, we see in black and white. An interruption is an interruption. Trespassing is trespassing. You're lucky we didn't kill you, Valkyrie.”
“So thou art the Swan?” Brynhild asked mildly, and Cadence sighed a little, shifting uncomfortably before the Valkyrie grinned wryly. “Aye, this is why I am drawn to thee. As I said before: thou always makes me feel better.”
“Oh, I'm so glad for you.” Cadence said acerbically, and Luna shrugged amiably before the ivory mare asked finally: “Are you okay?”
“Fine. Better.” Luna said after a moment, and then she paused before she flicked her horn, and her spear appeared beside her in a burst of blue flames as the mare smiled slightly, shaking herself out before she said finally: “I hope in the future, Swan, you deal with the Voidborn half as well as I have. 'Twould be embarrassing for me to fell the world-serpent, and thou to be unable to handle a wretched nag like Sol Seraph.”
“Go away, Valkyrie.” Cadence said tiredly, but all the same, she couldn't help but smile a little as Luna laughed loudly.
For as much as she hated Brynhild, she had to admit that at times like this, she was glad to have the Valkyrie by her side.