//------------------------------// // Puppets And Puppeteers // Story: Metempsychosis // by BlackRoseRaven //------------------------------// Chapter Six: Puppets And Puppeteers ~BlackRoseRaven Luna and Scrivener Blooms strode side-by-side through the Empty Forest, passing gnarled, mottled trees every so often, the rocky, jagged earth speckled with snow and frost. The red skies overhead hummed quietly, arcs of strange electricity jolting back and forth through the crimson beyond as Scrivener rolled his head absently before his sharp eyes glanced downwards through his glasses as he caught an odd glimmer. He reached down with his gnarled claw, picking up a gemstone with a grimace and studying it, warped, half-pony and half-Wyrm features twisting a bit as he muttered: “Yep. You were right, Luna… there’s Velites in the area. I’ll never get how you can know these things just by going outside.” “’Tis a warrior’s instincts, and thou knows perfectly well what I speak of, thou art soul-bound to me.” Luna retorted, and the male gave her an amused look before he gently lobbed the rune-covered gemstone at her, but the winged unicorn’s horn glowed quietly and she easily caught it in the air with telekinesis before it could hit her, leaning forwards to study the runes on the cracked surface. “Art thou sure that thou are fine like this, Scrivy? ‘Twould be no trouble to end the polymorph early if thou wanted to return to thy normal form. Thou… thou seems to be growing comfortable with thyself quickly. More comfortable than I expected… thou learns lessons faster than I do perhaps, with all the months, nay, years, it took for me to grow comfortable with Nightmare Moon.” “Yes, Luna, but this is just a reflection of my subconscious. Knowing that at any time I can go back to looking like an ugly pony instead of an ugly monster and not having to worry about ever taking on this form again probably helps me adjust to… who I am. Understand more, who and what I am.” Scrivener paused, then he glanced away and smiled a bit. “Or maybe I should say… never have to look like this again unless I wanted to.” Luna glanced towards him, and she blushed a bit at the way her heart leapt a little in her chest. More and more, she wondered if she was just trying to make Scrivener more like her… trying to make the perfect companion for Nightmare Moon… but when Scrivy shot her a dry look, she shook her head and muttered: “Shush, Scrivy, if thou gets to be paranoid so often than so permitted am I. Also, it disturbs me that we both take enjoyment in… well. Thou knows. Thou art sick. I am sick.” “Which is why we go together so well.” Scrivener said gently, and Luna gave him an amused look despite herself, a smile quirking along her features before he sat back, and winked, extending his single large wing to gently slap her side. “Look, we have other things to focus on right now, anyway. We need to track those scouts and make sure we aren’t dealing with raiders or a war band, right?” “Correct, Scrivy, and if we are, then we need to intercept it and send them scattering to the winds, so they do not have a chance to attack our home.” Luna replied softly, and she smiled a bit as the two fell into pace, the winged unicorn stepping quickly forwards and looking apprehensively up towards the enormous glacial wall that loomed all too close here, the terrible and vast Frozen Reef. “I do not like to draw this near to that barrier though, Scrivener… all walls exist for a reason, to keep things from intruding… and worse, to keep other things from escaping.” “What a pleasant way to look at it.” Scrivy muttered, and Luna grunted despite herself as they continued carefully forwards, passing through an area where more trees grew in a thick, ugly tangle, wedging their way along what seemed almost like a narrow, carved path before they emerged from speckled tundra into a wintery wasteland, the corrupted earth here completely covered with snow and chunks of ice, dunes of powder and frost forming bizarre shapes as both Luna and Scrivy glanced down, recognizing the faint tracks leading through the powder… then both looked sharply up as over the next rise, they heard a loud clattering. The two crept forwards carefully to the top of the hill and gazed in surprise at the sight of an industrious Velite camp working together only some hundred feet away, rune-covered skeletons with both bleached and yellowed bones using pickaxes and ugly tools to chip eagerly away at an enormous block of ice out of which stuck several enormous bones and half of a massive, yawning dragon skull. Luna cursed under her breath, quickly drawing her eyes back and forth: there were over thirty gathered Velites, including no less than three immense skeletons of drakes that were covered in runes and standing ominous guard at the perimeter of the work site. It was an encampment without a camp, as the undead needed little rest… and the winged unicorn shook her head slowly before she muttered: “This does not bode well.” “And look at the bones they’ve already extracted…” Scrivener muttered, and Luna followed the male’s gaze to what Scrivy had spotted near a large drake: there was already a large pile of bones of all shape and size, ranging from femurs and ribs and vertebrae to two other immense skulls. Velite unicorns were standing near these, unholy fire burning in their sockets as their horns glowed with black light, slowly inscribing unnatural runes over the bones and fusing rune-covered gemstones to them. They worked calmly and patiently, sending up faint flares of blue and black every now and then as they moved with the ease of long practice and infused instinct… and Luna cursed under her breath before her eyes flicked backwards, both she and Scrivener sensing more than hearing the sound of something stirring behind them, of snow pattering down as the winged unicorn said slowly: “I think, Scrivy, we shall have to engage these creatures…” Scrivener smiled grimly… and then without looking, he and Luna both slammed a rear hoof backwards and smashed a Velite skeleton’s skull into fine powder, the headless body rolling stupidly through the snow as the other two Velites stared in surprise before Luna and Scrivy both spun around, the male grinning widely and distorting his warped features further as Luna’s horn glowed and she snarled: “As cowardly as ever, I see!” One of the Velites began to open its jaws… and Luna immediately snapped her head downwards, sending a blue fireball slamming into the creature and erupting with enough force to blow it into nothing but fragments of ivory, the other Velite staggering with a hiss of shock. Terrible, unnatural flames burned in its sockets as engraved runes hummed over its bones, the spiderweb-filled wings of the Pegasus skeleton spreading in surprise before it leaned forwards… and then simply stared as Scrivener loomed towards it, much larger and much-more-terrifying with his distorted features as he leaned slowly down, then said mockingly: “Boo.” The Velite winced backwards, then scrambled around in a circle and sprinted away towards the warped trees, and Luna threw her head back and laughed loudly before she grinned widely at Scrivener as her eyes glowed, the two feeling excitement twisting through their mixed souls even as roars and shrieks rose up from the encampment. “Well, they beg to be put back to rest, Scrivener Blooms… let us generously give them what they desire!” The two spun around and charged over the rise and into the field, and several of the Velites only stared in shock even as two of the drakes ran forwards with snarls and roars, as bestial now as they had been in life. But Luna only grinned, throwing herself into the air as she and Scrivener traded instinct and desire and emotion and wild passion between themselves as they shot towards their foes, even as the Velites yelled furious orders at one another and began to run forwards. The first drake in line began to lean forwards, opening its jaws… and then Luna crashed across its skull, knocking its head snapping backwards with a grunt before Scrivener plowed into the thirty-foot long skeleton with his head lowered, and the ivory goliath flailed wildly at the powdery snow as its large but lightweight body was knocked backwards and several ribs were shattered from the force of the impact. Then Luna swept back down and smashed her front hooves into its upper vertebrae, decapitating the enormous skeleton before Scrivener leapt forwards and shattered the drake’s skull beneath his hooves. The second drake roared as it took the moment to close and sweep a claw out, smashing Scrivener in the side and knocking him staggering with a curse… and Luna snarled as she flinched and faint welts formed over her body, both infuriated and pleased: Scrivener’s polymorph was working to their advantage in more ways than just the terror it inspired, giving him more weight, more strength, more solidity as the male turned towards the Velite drake as its jaws lunged forwards… and the male reached up and managed to shove his front hoof and twisted claw against it, catching it by the muzzle. Luna leapt forwards with a grin as her horn boiled with blue flames, her wings spreading wide before she lashed her horn downwards, releasing a sapphire blast that smashed into the skeleton’s spine and then exploded into greedy blue flames that rapidly began to eat away at its bony body, the drake shrieking mournfully as it staggered backwards. Luna let the force of the explosion carry her backwards as Scrivener nimbly leapt away at the same time, the drake skeleton clawing uselessly at the air around it and the headless undead drake next to it bursting into sapphire fire as well, Velites hesitating for a moment in trying to attack at the sight of the destruction. Then the third drake came towards them, shooting through the air, two mismatched, draconic wings now fused into its spine and a Velite unicorn standing on its back with a snarl, his horn glowing blackly as he shouted: “Destroy Luna Lightblade and her demon!” “Daydreamer, pardon me while I deal with this. Do be a dear and keep the others entertained.” Luna remarked almost teasingly, winking down at him before she grinned as the Velite unicorn leaned forwards and a black fireball erupted from its horn, but she only flapped her wings firmly and launched herself upwards, the black sphere narrowly missing her before she shot towards the drake as it opened its jaws with a roar, then suddenly dodged to the side, easily avoiding a vicious bite and wild rake of its claws before it turned to pursue her, the unicorn Velite cursing as it was almost thrown from the creature’s back even as it howled orders and insults. Scrivener only shook his head with a snort, then ran forwards and around the burning wreckage of the other drake skeletons to find some ten Velites: skeletons of earth ponies and Pegasi, as near the Frozen Reef, Velite unicorns were hurriedly working on something as the remaining skeletons hammered wildly at the ice and struggled into broken armor and to grab what damaged weapons they could. These ten, however, had little to spare between them: bodies glittered here and there with gemstones and a few were clad in ragged, rusted armor, one or two others carrying rusted knives. One of them ran towards him… and Scrivener easily rose a hoof and crushed it into dust with a single stomp, not even needing to access Luna’s memories to halt the clumsy undead. His eyes burned and his body flexed with excitement, with a dark pleasure he both reveled in and loathed to feel, but there was no time to deny it, no time to fight it, as he ran to meet the swarm of Velites and simply trampled another feeble skeleton. A Velite lunged at his side, grabbing onto his front limb… and Scrivener flung it hard off into another before he lashed a claw across the skull of a Pegasus skeleton that tried to dive into his front, crushing it down into the ground as his tail snapped back and forth like a whip, keeping his large hooves moving, his body twisting with agile sinuousness it had learned from Luna over the years of battle and confrontation as he snarled: “Run away, and I’ll let you cling to the excuse for lives you live!” One of the Velites staggered backwards… then took his advice, turning and fleeing even as the other Velites continued to try and press the attack, attempting to swarm him with their numbers… but Scrivener leapt forwards, crushing one under hoof, another under his claw, before he swung his head savagely down into the face of another and sent it crumpling to the ground. Then he hissed as a knife whickered across his features, tearing a short cut open before several Velites lunged into his side, clawing, biting uselessly, trying to force him down, and Scrivener responded by throwing himself to the side and dropping on them, crushing the skeletons beneath his heavy weight and sending another toppling backwards even as the undead that hadn’t been destroyed hurried back to their hooves. More Velites were swarming towards him across the field… and in the air above the wintry wasteland, the drake spun sloppily around as the mage on its back hissed and uselessly hurled scorching black fireballs through the sky, Luna laughing as she circled sharply. The monster’s mismatched wings made it unwieldy, causing it to list and leaving it unable to hover in one spot, and then Luna’s eyes sharpened as she caught the opening she wanted. The creature tipped too far to one side, and it hung almost sideways in the air as it flailed its limbs uselessly to try and regain balance, the unicorn Velite on its back cursing and clinging to it… and then Luna shot forwards and ripped through the raised wing, and the drake howled in shock as it lost all chance of staying airborne and plummeted downwards, the unicorn Velite on its back yelling in terror, scrabbling wildly and stuck beneath the back of the drake as it fell belly-up… then struck squarely down into the mob of Velite reinforcements like a meteor, sending up a puff of white snow and chunks of ice as bony shrapnel flew in all directions. Skeletons staggered stupidly, several turning to stare in shock at this as the drake skeleton flopped weakly, skull cracked and only one limb still attached to the fragile construct… and then three blue fireballs hammered down from the skies, smashing in a short, straight line across the drake, and it was blown into pieces as other Velites were shattered themselves by the resulting explosions. The remaining creatures battling with Scrivy were distracted for a moment by this… and then the half-pony, half-Wyrm stepped forwards and seized a Velite by the narrow body in his jaws in a sudden burst of bloodlust, leaning up as other Velites stared in dumb shock before Scrivener bit down and the creature was torn in half, the male’s eyes glowing as he leaned forwards with a wide grin… and immediately, two more of the surviving Velites cut and fled, the last staggering backwards and whispering: “We didn’t… I… it was become this or die in Ragnarok! I don’t want to die! I didn’t have a choice!” “So you decided to serve evil ends, to try and spread your pain to others, to live forever even if it meant living as nothing but a broken skeleton?” Scrivener asked coldly, raising a hoof and then crushing the upper half of a stunned Velite body beneath it, before he rose his claw and gestured at himself. “I pity you. But you disgust me, because now I understand becoming a monster has nothing to do with what you look like. It has everything to do with the choices you make. Now run away!” The Pegasus Velite shivered, then he spun around and fled, and Scrivener looked after him with disgust before Luna flew down and landed beside him, the winged unicorn looking coldly towards the last of the skeletons as they formed a crude battle line in front of the charred remains of the crashed drake. “Thou art too kind, husband.” “Or perhaps I’m too cruel. Only the unicorn Velites can spread their sickness into others… and I personally think death would have been a much wiser choice than living forever in Helheim as nothing but a pile of animated bones.” Scrivy replied quietly, and Luna grimaced and nodded grimly as the six or so earth pony and Pegasus pony skeletons began to ready themselves to charge. Scrivy and Luna were silent, Luna’s horn glowing and Scrivener’s eyes narrowing as they sized up their opponents and traded battle plans and strategy back and forth… before a terrible roar shook the air, and the two looked up in surprise at the sound of shattering ice, gazing past the row of Velites to where bones of all shape and size glowed darkly as they floated and converged upon a block of ice, and then the winged unicorn cursed before she shouted: “We have dallied too long!” She and Scrivener charged forwards, and the half-dozen Velites began to lean forwards… but with a snarl, Luna snapped her horn upwards as it gave a flash, and a wave of ice exploded upwards, slamming into the skeletons like a tidal wave and knocking them sprawling as it formed into a tall ramp, one or two Velites managing to scramble out from beneath it but the others frozen solid as the frost spread rapidly over their bones. Both Scrivener Blooms and Luna ran up this, bypassing those who had avoided being snared in an icy prison, then leapt forwards and over the ruins of the shattered drake skeleton and charred Velite bones to sprint down the field… and then skid to a halt with matching winces as bones clacked and hissed and snapped together before something terrible began to haul itself upwards with another roar. The monster’s two immense front legs ended in ripping, scythe-like claws, ripping easily through ice and twisted earth as it hauled itself upwards to its terrible, seventy foot high glory. It snarled at them as a third huge, ugly arm reached slowly into sight from over its back, jutting rudely over a shoulder and ending in fingers made from what looked like the skeletal limbs of smaller creatures, flexing eagerly at the air. Its enormous dragon’s skull was half-covered in sheets of ice, the head alone nearly the size of their cottage, and from the side of its vertebrae-and-ice neck jutted a second, cracked and smaller skull like a bony growth, the mouth opening and closing spasmodically as steam hissed up from the awful black flames that glowed in its sockets. Runes pulsed over both where the ice didn’t cover, glowing as insanely as the dark eldritch fire that lit the monster’s sockets, its main head curled in a half-grin from the mask-like ice that covered half of its awful visage, smaller head twitching wildly and belching smoke from its sockets and clacking jaws. Its body was made of smaller skeletons and bones of every shape and size, squat and short, leading to large legs that ended only in stumps instead of talons, and a short, snapped-in-half tail twitched weakly back and forth as it hauled itself forwards. Runes glowed with sinister light over its entire frame and gemstones burned across its body, fueling the terrible construct with unnatural, horrible life… and adding to its malevolence, its sheer horror, were the unicorn Velites that had fused themselves literally into the great beast here and there across its body, giving it one awful hive mind bent clearly only on one thing as it leaned down and snarled at them, before the draconic head rasped in the voices of countless stolen souls: “You killed Veliuona. You ensured our suffering would never end. You took away our goddess, and broke our ability to control the Velite thralls. Now we shall make you suffer as we do.” “Scrivener Blooms, we battle this foe the same as any other.” Luna said quietly and calmly, and Scrivy nodded firmly despite the fear he felt in his own system, as he snuck a quick glance over his shoulder… but the remaining Velites were now only gaping in shock, perhaps even horror, making no attempt to bridge the distance towards them, before the winged unicorn added quietly: “We may require the Black Verses.” “For now, let’s do this the old-fashioned way, Luna… last time we did that, it almost killed us both.” Scrivener replied softly, and Luna smiled a little before the two faced forwards, their courage and strength mixing even as the enormous monstrosity leaned down, the Velite colossus seeming to grin wider at them as black electricity crackled over the ivory and yellow of its bones, runes and gemstones pulsing with unnatural light. “Locate the positions of the fused Velite unicorns. They are the beast’s mind… remove that, and the body shan’t be hard to take down!” Luna shouted, and then she leapt upwards and flapped her wings hard, soaring into the air as electricity crackled through her ephemeral mane as her horn glowed, eyes taking on a faint ivory sheen. “Thou art nothing but a pile of bones and arrogance, and I have no reason to fear either!” The Velite colossus roared in response to this, its unnatural third arm lashing upwards to snatch at her with surprising speed, but Luna winced as she threw herself backwards and shoved herself away in midair, fingers made of limbs that had been woven together almost like rope breezing just past before she lashed her horn down and sent a blast of electricity hammering into its hand. The colossus only snarled in irritation, however, the damage to the construct minimal as it rose its squat body higher, grabbing at her again as the smaller head breathed out a gush of black fire and smoke as the dragon skull hissed: “You cannot harm us… you cannot fight us! We are too powerful!” Luna cursed under her breath, then she flipped her body and dove straight down as she caught flashes of images in her mind from Scrivener Blooms, as the male hurriedly dashed around the monster while its attention was on her. She gritted her teeth… then her eyes widened in shock as it suddenly brought one of its forelimbs up and raked its enormous claws towards her, the winged unicorn cursing as she concentrated, a barrier of blue light appearing in front of her before the claw crashed into this. It shattered through, but the barrier absorbed most of the momentum and strength of the blow before the heavy claws smashed into Luna’s body, knocking her sailing backwards with a wince as blood burst from lacerations across her chest and limbs before the creature’s third arm lashed down, lightning fast and with freakish grace, the fingers snaring her in their grips before it began to crush her… and Scrivener Blooms winced as he staggered to a halt at the monster’s side, his eyes bulging as bloody cuts formed along his own body before he coughed and cursed as pressure built around his ribs… then he dropped forwards, almost as if in prayer, sending his energy, his concentration to Luna as she clenched her eyes shut and shoved her hooves and back against the hand attempting to squish her as her horn and eyes glowed. Pain and her link with Scrivener amplified her concentration and her power… and then she threw her head back with a howl of fury, a shockwave of blue flames erupting from her form and ripping the skeletal hand apart, the colossus grunting in surprise as the end of its limb burst into sapphire fire before Luna simply let herself drop, her horn crackling with energy and her eyes glowing white as in the distance, Scrivener gritted his teeth and arched his back slowly, his strength and energy flowing to her. The colossus roared as it brought a claw up to lash downwards… but too little, too late, as Luna grinned widely, her horn giving a short, sharp pulse as she flapped her wings and launched herself just out of reach of the monster as it leaned forwards into the attack. The sound of its claw crashing into the frozen tundra was loud… but it was drowned out by the deafening peal of thunder that ripped through the air as Scrivener turned and bolted as Luna shot through the air above the fields before twisting upwards to ascend towards the sky. She spun around as the colossus looked back and forth with a snarl as there was another massive rumble, confused… and above its head, cracks ripped through the massive wall of ice known as the Frozen Reef, the enormous wall of frost giving a third mighty crackle as walls of frozen water shifted and ground together, sending more faults tearing through the glacial barrier before massive chunks of solid, crystalline ice began to hail down in a tremendous avalanche over the behemoth. It was battered downwards with roars of frustration, bones splintering and breaking as blocks and chunks of frozen liquid larger that boulders crashed against it, sending it flopping forwards to crash to the ground on its ivory front in a burst of snow and powder, and Scrivener staggered at the shakes that tore through the tundra before he skidded awkwardly around in a circle once he managed a safe distance away, wincing and then looking up to watch as Luna flipped in midair and dropped into a straight dive. She hurtled downwards as the last of the avalanche of ice pelted over the stunned colossus, the creature snarling as it twitched a bit and its hive mind scrambled to force the massive monstrosity back upon its feet… and then Luna arched her back at the last moment, shooting forwards across the field and just past the monster’s draconic skull as Scrivener looked up and concentrated on what he had seen, filling Luna’s mind with images of where to aim as she smashed into its upper chest and directly into a fused unicorn Velite, blowing the creature into pieces before her hooves sprinted upside-down along the box-like body of the construct as her wings flapped to keep her moving despite being upside down, lowering her horn as a startled unicorn Velite that was half-melted into the lower fused ribs of the monster looked at her with shock before she crashed through it, then leapt off  the monster to hit the ground and run forwards through a hail of ice and snow as the beast arched its back with a miserable howl. Powder, bony shrapnel, and chunks of frost spilled around her as the beast’s body shifted, hailing down off its cracked and damaged form as she ran towards its hip, where another fused Velite unicorn rested with a snarl, horn glowing blackly and its lower body completely melded into the monster as it shouted at her, and the colossus roared with it in synchronization: “Your resistance is pointless! You cannot destroy us!” The Velite unicorn lashed its horn outwards, releasing a blade of black fire that shot through the air towards Luna… and the winged unicorn snarled, sweeping her own horn into this as it glowed blue, sending it bursting apart in a cloud of smog before she leapt upwards and flapped her wings hard to shoot through the air like a missile and rocket into the unicorn, shattering it into pieces before she kicked off the hip of the immense colossus and shot skywards again, replying in a furious voice as her eyes glowed white: “Do not tell us what we can and cannot do, broken vessel!” The colossus snarled in response as it began to haul itself upwards, shrugging the broken boulders of frost off its frame as it regained its senses, beginning to raise its head as its jaws fell open, breathing steam and smoke as it followed Luna’s path of flight through the air. It roared at her, and the second, warped head twitched on its neck, shattered like an egg, bleeding smoke and dark fire into the sky even as its jaws continued to open and close as they spat streams of steam and ghastly black flames in arcs that twisted violently and unnaturally through the sky, trying to follow Luna’s swift movements. “Stay still, Luna Lightblade!” Scrivener Blooms cursed under his breath as he drew his eyes quickly over the monster… then he gritted his teeth before running forwards, sweeping in a wide circle around it. Luna darted back and forth around its skull, harrying its head with attacks and keeping its attention as she dodged bites and burst of black flames, and slow, now-lethargic snaps of its limbs through the air: it rested heavily on one front arm that had cracked near the center, and the other shoulder had been disjointed, making its movements clunky and rough as its limbs wobbled every time it put too much weight on one or swung the other too hard. Scrivy leapt around chunks of fallen ice as Luna harried the monstrosity’s skull with quick attacks and blasts of lightning, the colossus roaring and biting at her, locked on the winged unicorn as it snarled: “You cannot run forever!” The colossus hissed as Luna gritted her teeth, her eyes flashing before she shot suddenly downwards as the monster opened its maw… and then its head snapped back in shock when Luna shot straight into its jaws, teeth clacking shut too slow to catch her before she spun upwards and ripped out the back of its skull, smashing a hole through the back of its head as black flames burst out around her, the winged unicorn covering her face with her front hooves even as her horn glowed and she shouted despite the burns over her body, dark fire whiffing out as she shot back into the air: “I run from nothing, monster!” She snarled as she spun back around to its front, her eyes and horn glowing, hovering in front of it as the colossus glared at her furiously, leaning forwards even as cracks spread steadily through the center skull and dark fire spilled like blood from its sockets and burned slowly over the ivory of its features, rasping: “Then you must surrender. Give up to us. How can you kill us? Our spirits are fused into the colossus, we are one with it… you are not Celestia. You have no light to purge us with. Your exorcisms will not work upon us, anchored as we are in the physical. The night cannot destroy what walks it with impudence.” “Aye, perhaps not. Therefore, much as I am loathe to do this, we resort to a different method.” Luna said disdainfully, flicking her starry mane to the side as she closed her eyes, and she channeled her powers forwards as the monster leaned towards her, snarling, not noticing Scrivener Blooms charging up its own spine, running between jutting bones and formations of frost before he dove through a broken hole in its case-like body, the monster rearing back in surprise as Scrivener crashed into the white-and-blanched tunnel of its chest, surrounded by sharp bones, staring skulls of Velites, and terrible spirits as he gritted his teeth and felt Luna’s strength flooding through him, her magic empowering him even as bony claws began to reach out of the walls and dark fire boiled slowly towards him- “Shallock…” Scrivener dropped his head forwards, his voice rough, the language guttural and terrible… and the single word made the black fire in the air turn to ice, made skeletal limbs hesitate before Scrivy grinned as he threw his head back, eyes glowing as blood leaked from them, shouting in a terrible, echoing language as electricity burst along Luna’s body as she fed him the magic he needed to give the words their full and awful might and the corruption of the Tyrant Wyrm in his mind did the rest: “You shall bow before us, servants, for we are master and destroyer, and in our presence reality itself trembles… living death, feel the despair of your own cold suffocation, the emptiness of the grave inside your very soul from which you can never claw your way out of, be brought low by the fear of the very thing which your pathetic shells embody…” Agony ripped through Scrivener’s body, his vision blurring even as a horrible ecstasy writhed through his mind and his twisted soul at the same time, and he could hear Luna laughing despite the pain in her own body as the colossus howled and fell flat, bones cracking and splintering, black fire turning rapidly into obsidian, crystalline dark frost as blurred voices shrieked: “S-Stop, stop, what are you? The pain, the fear, the evil… stop!” “Your soul bleeds dry; your suffering ends, for true torment awaits. You shall sink into the Void, where all things fade to, where the deep and eternal darkness lays, where rot and death and putrid life all comingle to one blasted essence that we, the controllers, the creators, the destroyers, shall glut upon… and know that even now, your eternal life is meaningless, but you shall feed us and from your death you will be given the moment of reason you do not deserve…” Scrivener continued roughly, leaning forwards, bracing himself against the monster’s bony body as he grinned wider, reality around him rippling even as blood began to drip from one nostril and his jaws and his single, twitching ear, even as pain continued to rip through his body… but the pleasure was growing greater as well, the sense of strength, and the excitement that came with watching as Velite skulls exploded, as the bones around him shattered and bent, drool forming at the corners of his mouth as he rasped: “You are the broken and we are the breakers. You are the dominated and we are the dominant. Bow your heads now, pathetic pawns of death, and-” And then Scrivener grunted in surprise, interrupted as the bony floor beneath him cracked and sank, looking down stupidly before it shattered outwards and the warped earth pony was sent plummeting out of the ivory case of the creature as much of its chest shattered, the colossus howling mindlessly as it tried to drag itself backwards at the same time. It narrowly missed ripping its claws across Scrivener as it backwards upwards into the frozen cliffs and the male crashed to a puff in the snow amidst ice and shale and deadly chunks of bone, and the pony looked up stupidly before he winced over his shoulder as the monster reared back, grasping at its draconic skull even as it began to crack apart, howling: “The words are like poison in our mind… what have you done? Merciful and beloved Veliuona, why do they ache so? What has the monster and its demon done to us?” Scrivener looked groggily up as the pleasure rapidly faded into exhausted pain… and then he cursed under his breath as he felt Luna’s emotions ripping through his mind as she sailed down through the air, the male gritting his teeth before he cursed under his breath as he staggered up to his hooves and fell into a stumbling run through the snow, ignoring the shrapnel of bone and blades of ice that bit at him from the ground as he gritted his teeth and the winged unicorn landed at the edge of the field, breathing hard as she leaned anxiously forwards. Scrivy felt fatigue ripping through his muscles, his mind a broken haze as behind him, the Velite colossus howled miserably again before its grasping claws ripped through its own skull, twisting as it gave jagged, insane laughs amidst the howls that rose up from it as it shrieked in a thousand voices: “Y-Yes, we understand… Veliuona waits for us, doesn’t she? This is the freedom she spoke of… we are going to her!” Then it ripped upwards, tearing its skull off as the secondary,  smaller head exploded in a blast of dark fire that rapidly froze over, becoming black ice that glinted like metal, cracks ripping through the body of the colossus as frigid frost violently spilled along the monster, and Scrivener risked a glimpse back over his shoulder, cursing and knowing it was going to be close- Blackness surged across his vision… and Scrivy’s eyes rolled up in his head as he fell forwards, flopping face-first into the snow as Luna felt a spark of agony rip through her mind, flinching… then staring in horror at the sight of Scrivy laying prone as the massive, dead skeleton of the colossus slowly began to tip forwards, countless tons of ice and bone, casting a terrible shadow that grew deeper and darker as it spilled forwards and stretched outwards, eclipsing Scrivener as it began to fall- Luna snarled, horn glowing as she seized Scrivener Blooms with telekinesis, knowing she didn’t have the luxury of being gentle as she lashed her head backwards and threw him with enough force to send herself flying to crash onto her back with a grunt of pain. Scrivy’s body hurtled through the air  bonelessly, out from beneath the shadow of the colossus before he crashed face-first and rolled through the snowy fields as the monstrous Velite-construct crashed down into the plains, sending up a gust of snow and ice and wind that knocked Scrivener’s unconscious form rolling several times as Luna was blasted backwards with a curse from the force, winded by not only the overuse of her powers but the pain ripping through her system, her mind reeling, lost amidst shapes and signs and sounds as another blast of pain tore into her before she gasped and shivered, starting to climb to her hooves… before her body grew too weak, and instead she flopped forwards, falling into mindless unconsciousness. Scrivener Blooms lay shivering and alone in the darkness, his subconscious, half-wyrm, half-pony self slowly sitting up as he breathed hard in and out. He looked tiredly back and forth, blood splattered over his face… and then he raised his head with a shiver of horror as a familiar voice said kindly: “Hello, cheating little mortal. It’s such a pleasure to see you again…” Slowly, Scrivy hauled himself to his hooves, turning around with a shudder… and then he stumbled backwards and fell to sit on his haunches, staring in horror at the sight of a bipedal, smiling white dragon in a pristine ivory suit, looking elegant and refined as the crystal, wolf-shaped bolo tie at his neck glimmered. Two long black horns stood out of his skull, and his amber eyes gleamed maliciously, his handsome features somehow childlike, petulant, for all his terrible splendor and grace. “Valthrudnir…” “Yes and no, Scrivener Blooms, yes and no.” Valthrudnir replied patronizingly, leaning back in a comfortable ash throne as he rested an arm on a table, grinning widely at the male. “You see, sadly, Brynhild was capable of killing me… merely a fragment of the Valkyrie she had once been or not, she still carried that divine spark necessary to outright kill me. A mortal like you couldn’t do it, soul-bound or not… but her horn, unfortunately…” Valthrudnir’s smile faded for a moment, grasping at one eye, and Scrivener snorted in disgust before he winced when the dragon snapped his fingers, and a massive, terrible head loomed out of the darkness around them, the snarling bog-dripping features of a Tyrant Wyrm hissing lowly as the Jötnar gazed at him distastefully. “To continue my story, and answer your question… my lovely little pets, the Tyrant Wyrms, all share a mental link with me, and were made with certain pieces of other gods and Jötnar who… how shall I put this… were persuaded to donate their organs, blood, and souls to me for my good cause.” The dragon smiled slightly, and Scrivener only gritted his teeth in disgust, the pieces falling together in his mind before he interrupted rudely: “The Black Verses. When the monster shoved them into my mind, you got a hook into my brain, didn’t you?” “Oh, you’re just as polite as you always were. The only improvement I see is that you look more now like the belly-crawling pet rock you are.” Valthrudnir replied disgustedly, and he held up a hand, gold and platinum rings on his fingers glinting as his eyes narrowed darkly. “Tell me, would you like to experience a little something I’ve been working on called molecular anti-synthesis? It’s when the bindings between the particles that make up your body begin to break down and you slowly and visibly begin to tear apart.” “Yeah, one problem. You’re dead. You’re just an echo, a ghost in the machine, a bad dream that won’t get out of my goddamn head.” Scrivener replied quietly, and he leaned forwards with a snarl as memories flashed through his mind as the dragon leaned back with a disgusted look, slowly lowering his hand. “Wait… you knocked me out somehow, didn’t you?” “Please, you fatigued yourself abusing my pet’s overly-generous gift of the Black Verses. Do not blame the fact your plebian mind cannot handle their magnitude upon me, philistine.” Valthrudnir retorted disgustedly, and then he smiled grimly and reached up to smooth the lapels of his suit slowly out. “At most, all I did was… invite you in. You’re the one who fell down the rabbit hole… you’re the one who seems so eager to linger in the darkness and pursue the abuse of the little power you have, rude little creature.” Scrivener gritted his teeth, leaning forwards as the bog-faced monster chortled beside Valthrudnir. Then the dragon crossed his arms, looking coldly down at Scrivener Blooms as he said softly: “I may not be the true Valthrudnir. An ‘echo’ is perhaps not altogether an untoward sentiment for this state I’m in. But rest assured, even at my weakest, I am still more than you ever are and ever could be. All your weapons, your strength, come from others: your pathetic little stories are stolen snippets of other pony’s lives, and your physical aptitudes come from Brynhild and her romantic and devious soul-link with you… and your most powerful weapon, the Black Verses, are fueled by the link with the Void, by dredging up the raw destructive energy and endless despair that emanates from it and surges forever within its collective ranks. “You cheated, Scrivener Blooms… you cheated, and it resulted in my demise. I will not forget that… and I will not allow you and Brynhild to go happily prancing off into the sunset together. I will not allow everything I worked for to go to waste.” Valthrudnir continued, standing slowly up and looming over him, terribly tall as he reached into his suit jacket and produced a deck of cards, starting to calmly shuffle as the fourteen foot dragon glared down at Scrivener Blooms. “So we’re going to play a game. The rules are very simple: I’m going to try and catch you at the right moment… and then I’ll destroy you. I’ll work through the corruption of the Tyrant Wyrm… and while I cannot reach out and simply make Brynhild spear you through the eye as she did me, fitting and ironic and sweet delicious justice as that would be… I can still make you suffer. I plan to make you and her suffer terribly before the end… I plan to draw this out as long as possible, Scrivener Blooms, because I don’t entirely want to kill you. “No. Destroy you, everything that makes you, yes. Kill you? Only if you force my hand or a particularly-entertaining method of death presents itself.” Valthrudnir smiled coldly, squeezing the cards and sending them flying with a quiet hiss in an accordion to his other hand, before he swept up the bottom card and held it out, facing Scrivener Blooms… and the male shuddered and winced backwards at the snarling image of the Tyrant Wyrm on the card. “But the foundation has been laid to turn you into something a little more useful, and you seem to be eager to become it. I’d like to see if I really can convince you to just give in, one way or another… and become a new breed of destroyer. You see, I have a feeling, after all, that if I can convince you to become a monster… Brynhild will surrender, too. Maybe she even wants it herself… and just imagine, using the Black Verses and the old magic to fuse yourselves together into one awesome killing machine, a Tyrant Wyrm with the soul of a Valkyrie, and which could be even further empowered by using those magic cards of mine I know you have sealed safely away…” Scrivener snarled and shook his head, setting himself and leaning forwards as he shouted: “I won’t become that! You can’t make me become that, you’re insane, you’re nothing but a goddamn nightmare that I can’t escape!” “Really, mortal?” Valthrudnir leaned down at this, grinning widely as he reached a single finger down to tap the male’s nose as he said softly: “Take a good look in the mirror, Scrivener Blooms. You’re far more than halfway there already. Now we just need to take down the rest of those mental stumbling blocks.” Then the dragon stepped backwards and laughed as the corrupt face of the leering monster grinned beside him, Valthrudnir reaching out to rest a hand on this before he held his other hand towards Scrivy, adding kindly: “Oh, by the way. Since I’m feeling generous, you may want to wake up… this entire little revelation will be meaningless if you’re murdered by Velites, after all. Go on, Scrivener Blooms, now I don’t know if I’m more eager to throw you into danger or watch you continue to persevere and survive… either way, after all, I win.” Scrivy yelled as he lunged forwards… but Valthrudnir vanished as the male felt his entire body jerk, before he shouted wildly again as he lashed his head upwards and his eyes opened… and he stared in horror as several Velites staggered away from him before a skeletal unicorn rasped: “Finally awake, demon? Good.” Scrivener Blooms breathed hard in and out, gritting his teeth as his eyes focused slowly… and then he grunted as he dropped his head forwards, looking dumbly down at the frozen ground and his manacled rear hooves before he gazed slowly to one side, then the other: he could feel a pole at his back, likely where the chains from his manacles fed into. A second pole rested horizontally, and the male’s front limbs were stretched out to either side and secured to it by chains. He cursed under his breath, struggling a bit, but the chains around his upper limbs gave him no slack and kept him standing in an awkward T, as he cursed under his breath… then he rose his head tiredly and gritted his teeth at the sight of Luna laying inside of a cage inside a circle of warding runes only a few feet away, her mane and tail sparking violently and flickering back and forth between ephemeral starlight and light blue locks as she said tiredly: “So nice of thee to join us, Scrivy. Tell me, did thou sleep well?” “Shut up, Luna.” Scrivener replied moodily, and then he winced when the Velite unicorn strode forwards and stood up on his rear hooves to seize him under the muzzle, yanking his head back and forth. “You could just ask.” The skeleton snarled at this, then slammed a hoof into Scrivener’s stomach, making him gag and drop his head forwards, eyes clenching shut as Luna flinched in the cage and cursed under her breath, then gritted her teeth as she concentrated and sent him images, numbers, and a plan… and Scrivener groaned after a moment, not just because of the pain in his system but because of what her plan entailed. A dozen Velites, but only the one unicorn at least… although most of them are armored and armed. “So there’s… no chance you can just let us go, right?” “You destroyed everything we were working for, that we were building. In a few days, we would have had a mighty dracolich to serve as the vanguard of our deathless army. And instead, you broke the bodies and spirits of every creature here and annihilated a congregation of zealots.” The unicorn Velite snarled, the flames in its eyes burning higher with rage as its horn began to glow blackly and it gestured at the devastated Frozen Reef behind it and the remains of the work site, where smoke still rose up from the shattered hulks of Velite drake and the frozen-over, destroyed colossus. Then the unicorn Velite looked squarely at Scrivy as it stepped backwards, rasping breaths in and out despite the lack of its lungs as it whispered: “How could you? Why would you?” “Because we found your scouts’ tracks at our home, maybe, and followed them back to your encampment… furthermore, you Velites have a nasty habit of holding grudges and coming after us given the chance. Well, Velites like you, I mean…” Scrivener looked coldly at the unicorn, saying disgustedly: “The ones who manipulate ponies and steal from the graves of the resting dead to replenish their sick army, still believing in Veliuona even though she was blown to kibbles and bits.” The unicorn snarled in fury and slammed its hooves into Scrivener’s stomach, making him curse in pain before he hissed when it leaned forwards and shoved its horn against his body, not gouging but instead grinding the length of it into his chest. The terrible dark glow engulfing the horn burned against his body like fire, charring into his warped flesh and sending up a hiss of steam and smoke as the male leaned his head back, agony ripping through his body as Luna clutched at her own breast with a curse of pain and anger, a welt slowly spreading and darkening as the skeletal unicorn growled: “I would not talk so loudly if I were you, demon… we know you and Luna Lightblade are pact-bound… and we are very, very eager to hurt you both.” Then the unicorn stepped suddenly backwards, and Scrivener cursed as he dropped his head forwards… before the unicorn leaned back and slammed a hoof into his face, his cheekbone cracking and his head snapping to the side as blood flew from reopened cuts on his features, the unicorn asking coldly: “What are you, monster? How did you learn the words of the Tyrant Wyrms, the terrible monsters that lived a thousand years ago, in the time before Luna Lightblade became Nightmare Moon? And what are you doing with her… are the rumors true that it was Nightmare Moon who brought Ragnarok?” “My great-great-whatever had a fetish for planet-destroying parasites.” Scrivener retorted, and the Velite unicorn glared at him furiously. “Luna and I met through a dating service. We hit it off and got married because we were both reformed evil entities. We’re both very sorry that trying to visit Helheim for our honeymoon destroyed the planet, you have my sincerest apologies.” The unicorn Velite snarled in fury, looking as if it wanted to strangle the male as Luna snorted in entertainment and grinned out of her cage, her eyes flashing in dark entertainment… but then the unicorn managed to get itself under control, cursing as its horn glowed blackly again before it slowly met Scrivener’s eyes, saying coldly: “Fine, demon. It doesn’t matter, because now I am going to peel the flesh from your bones to get the answers I seek. Once you are revived as one of us… once you become a Velite, a servant of Veliuona’s memory… I think you will be much more willing to share your secrets with us. You and Luna Lightblade both.” The creature began to lean forwards, and Scrivener snorted and mumbled something off to the side… and the unicorn immediately halted, straightening slightly as it asked darkly: “What was that?” Scrivy only shrugged, however, looking up… and the unicorn growled in frustration and fury before it rose itself up and shoved both hooves against Scrivener’s shoulders, the glow fading out from around its horn as it leaned up and shouted in Scrivy’s face: “Listen to me, ingrate, because this process can be as painful or as pleasant as you like, now what did you say?” Slowly, Scrivener Blooms turned to face the creature as it leaned towards him aggressively… and then the distorted pony only grinned widely, and the Velite had a moment of dumb surprise before Scrivener slammed his skull forwards as hard as he could into the unicorn’s head, knocking him crashing backwards before he threw himself back against the T-shaped poles as the other Velites stared in shock, and then Scrivener roared as he braced his lower hooves against the ground and shoved forwards as he yanked with his body and threw his weight and momentum into the pull of his upper limbs, and the push of every other fiber of muscle in his frame. The wooden post tore free of the scraggy soil, and Scrivy staggered awkwardly forwards on both hooves, half-hopping towards the cage as he yanked the heavy crossed poles with him, Velites staggering out of the way and shoving at each other even as the unicorn howled: “Why aren’t you idiots killing him?” A Velite leapt onto Scrivener’s back, but despite the added weight, he still managed an awkward half-step forwards even as the butt of the pole dragged against the ground… and then he threw all his weight and strength into turning around with a roar, dragging the butt of the pole around in a wide semicircle that tore a trench through the dirt and ripped through the circle of warding runes, the anti-magic ward immediately sparking violently out of existence even as Scrivener flopped forwards onto his stomach with a wheeze… but even as Velites began to step forwards with snarls and hisses, Scrivener only looked up with a weak grin of his own despite the heavy pole now pinning him. “You got this?” Instead of a reply, there was a sizzle of energy… and then a crackling boom, Scrivener wincing as the cage behind him exploded in a shockwave of electricity and sapphire fire that knocked the Velites sprawling like dominoes and disintegrated the one on top of Scrivy’s restraints, chunks of metal ripping through their ranks as waves of force rippled through the air before Luna stomped a hoof and cracked her neck loudly, pawing at the ground as she replied in a firm, serious voice: “I have got this, Scrivener Blooms.” The Velite unicorn at the back of the fallen ranks of skeletons looked stupidly up as Luna  leapt upwards, using her wings to propel her forwards before landed and charged into him, crashing against him with her shoulder and knocking him staggering before she followed up with a quick, effective slash of her horn that sliced his head from his shoulders, and the skeleton topped backwards as Luna smashed the skull out of the air without bothering to look, reducing it to fine powder. Then, as the headless skeleton began to rise, she pounced forwards and smashed it into pieces before glaring over her shoulder at the rest of the Velite band, her horn glowing sapphire as she grinned sharply. Seven were left standing: the rest had been damaged to the point where they could no longer move, and even these seven were burned, cracked, and one had several very large pieces of metal stuck through the armored vest he was wearing, rubbing awkwardly at these before Luna ran towards them. At the sight of this, one of the Velites yelled miserably and bolted to the side even as several others leapt to meet her: a force of violence powered by fury and necessity and a need to protect her beloved mixed with battle-lust and confidence in her abilities; a Valkyrie reborn, and living well up to her name. She ducked low and swept a skeleton’s front leg out from beneath it with a flick of her horn, knocking it staggering even as she moved with liquid grace to brace her front hooves against the ground and twist her body, kicking both rear hooves into the face of another skeleton and then launching herself neatly backwards with a grunt to narrowly evade the lash of a rusty sword. Then she grinned, leaping forwards, horn sparking as it parried and crashed against the rusted blade guided by the remaining Velite and not even having to look down as she stomped the knocked-flat Velite as she passed, crushing its skull in before she swung her horn hard to the side and disarmed the blade-swing Velite, knocking its weapon away before she slammed her head once, twice, thrice into its skull, the last vicious headbutt shattering the bony pate and knocking it in a broken, stupefied heap. Two more Velites ran towards her as the rattled, cracked-skull survivor of Luna’s hard kick charged at her back, and the winged unicorn glanced over her shoulder, tensing herself before she leapt upwards at the last moment and flapped her wings hard to boost her height, the charging Velite shooting past her and instead crashing into one of the head-on attackers, the two skeletons cursing as they collapsed in a pile together and the last staggered to the side… before he was crushed flat, bursting apart into shrapnel as the Luna landed on him and stomped her hooves up and down with a grunt. Then she disdainfully flicked her horn towards the two Velites on the ground, and a burst of sapphire fire washed over them, the two howling in misery as their bones rapidly charred, runes sparking violently as they began to fall apart as the flames ignored the rags and armor they wore and instead burned at the ivory of their bodies. Luna looked towards the last Velite, but it was still only standing stupidly, staring at her… and so she sighed and rolled her eyes, approaching it and glaring into the sockets of the earth pony Velite, looking imperiously down at it as it stared stupidly up at her, rusted chainmail jingling with its shivers before she asked sharply: “Well?” The Velite swallowed thickly, and then it slowly laid itself down in front of her and curled up, and Luna sighed and kicked it grouchily in the head, making it whimper and fidget weakly as she muttered: “Cowards. Thou art all great cowards. Very well, stay there then, it does me no honor to squash a whimpering bug.” “T-Thank you.” the Velite mumbled, and Luna grumbled and kicked it in the head again before she glanced towards where Scrivy was smiling exhaustedly up at her, the winged unicorn sighing as she bowed her head towards him despite the faint smile that spread over her face as their eyes met for a moment, memories, emotions and pure relief sparking back and forth between them. Then her horn glowed a faint blue as she flicked it upwards with a grimace, and the chains binding Scrivener’s forelegs shattered, falling limp and letting the male wheeze and carefully wiggle his front limbs free as Luna stepped forwards and grasped the side of the T-shaped pillar… and then she looked up in surprise as the Velite scurried forwards and grasped the other arm of it, helping her lift the pole off and shove it off to the side so he could sit up and start yanking the bolts out of the manacles binding his back legs. “What devilry is this?” “I… you know.” the Velite said awkwardly, and then he stepped backwards nervously before simply dumbly sitting back on his haunches, looking at her awkwardly. Luna looked back for a few moments, then slowly looked towards Scrivener Blooms, giving him a pointed glare as the half-earth pony, half-Wyrm snorted and managed to yank one of the restraining bolts free. He shook a manacle off… then winced as the other glowed blue before tearing itself in half as Luna bowed her head towards him, saying grumpily: “Come, Scrivy. Let us return home, this foray into the wilds has been more taxing than I expected and we still have much to do, and much to plan.” Scrivener grunted as he stood up¸ then he smiled as he approached her, the winged unicorn gazing up at him in surprise before she smiled faintly when the male leaned forwards and embraced her fiercely, whispering a ‘thank you’ into her ear, thoughts and emotions and worries and reassurances swirling between them as she hugged him tightly back, the two resting in silence for a few moments before they pulled apart… then quietly turned and began to stride away from the ruins of the Velite encampment. After only a dozen steps or so, however, Luna halted as her face twitched, and Scrivener couldn’t help but grin despite himself as she shot a horrible glare over her shoulder at the Velite that was awkwardly following them, the female asking rudely: “Looking to take me up on my offer of a swift death?” “No, no, no!” The Velite flinched, shaking its head wildly as it held its hooves up, and Scrivener had the distinct impression that if the Velite could blush, it would. “I just… well…” “Out with it creature, what?” Luna snapped grouchily, and the Velite twitched backwards before the winged unicorn added flatly: “I shall thank thee but we already have an undead pet, and one that is made of far sterner stuff than thou art.” “Wait, come on, can’t I come with you guys?” The Velite winced a bit, gesturing at himself awkwardly, and Luna’s face curled as if she had bitten into a lemon as Scrivener smiled in entertainment, half-turning and making Luna grumble as she shoved her face against the side of his neck. “I… I never chose to become this, you know, I was just… minding my own business, trying to survive in the wasteland the world had become, and then one day I’m being dragged out of bed and before I know it they’re… torturing me and…” The Velite hugged itself and shivered a bit, resting awkwardly back on his haunches and looking lamely towards the two. “But… a lot of us were like that, you know? They just kept trying to brainwash us between bouts of hurting us… and all the original Velites were fixated on was hurting everypony to make their own pain stop hurting, to… worshiping their dead goddess, Veliuona. But most of us… half of us were there because they thought becoming a Velite would let them survive in this broken world. And most of the rest were like me… poor slobs who got dragged off and tortured into these new shapes, spirits bound into our bodies as they skinned us alive and tried to make us just like them…” The Velite hesitated, looking down, and Luna sighed against Scrivener’s neck before mumbling a bit… and then the skeleton looked up, rubbing awkwardly at his vertebrae neck as he asked lamely: “So can I come and hang out with you guys? I mean. I don’t want to go find the other Velite bands, and I definitely don’t want to join up with Nibelung raiders… I just kind of… want to hide somewhere safe.” “And what makes thou think it would be safe with us?” Luna asked sharply without looking up from where her face was buried against Scrivy’s neck, as the male reached up and gently stroked his claw through her mane, making her mumble a bit and press closer. “Scrivener I demand thou eats this annoying skeleton. Thou art a giant monster. Eat him.” “I’m not giant, Luna, and I’m not going to eat him. Try and be a little nice.” Scrivener replied kindly, and then he grunted when she smacked her head against him firmly, the Velite looking at the two awkwardly as the half-pony, half-Wyrm smiled a bit towards him. “It’s alright. We’re both just a little grumpy on account of… well. What just happened. So you’ll pardon us for being suspicious.” “What… are you two?” the Velite asked hesitantly, and Scrivy and Luna both looked at the skeleton with entertainment as the creature winced back a bit, waving its front hooves. “I-I mean, you… the  zealot called you a demon and a whole lot of fancy names and said Luna probably was using you as a thrall or something. I mean… but you’re and… her… and…” “’Tis my husband.” Luna retorted, glaring at the skeleton, and the Velite rose one hoof, then simply dropped it dumbly as it gaped and processed this. “Oh… dratted stupid skeleton. Very well! Fine! If Scrivener Blooms continues to insist that we ‘play nice’ and thou seems so determined to make a nonsensical nuisance of thyself, we might as well add another freak to our growing menagerie.” “I’m… I’m not a freak.” the Velite said awkwardly in a hurt voice, but Luna only grumbled and spun around, storming forwards as Scrivener shrugged amiably before he followed the winged unicorn, and the skeleton winced and hurried after them, saying quickly: “My name’s Pollen!” “I don’t care.” Luna said grouchily, and Scrivy laughed despite himself as the Velite hurried after them, looking thankful despite the winged unicorn’s tone for its new allies.