//------------------------------//
// Setting Out 
// Story: Metempsychosis 
// by BlackRoseRaven 
//------------------------------//

Chapter Nine: Setting Out
~BlackRoseRaven

“That’s the last of it.” Scrivener glanced over his shoulder towards Luna as he carefully fitted a painting wrapped in several layers of thick cloth into the back of the repaired wagon: they had simply gutted the interior and broken down much of the frame to replace it with the squat, rectangular body that now made it up. It was smaller and left them less room, but Luna and Scrivener had long ago figured out the short list of things they wanted to bring with them to Looking Glass World when the time came for it, and they had few possessions that were irreplaceable that hadn’t already been moved.
As it was, the ironwood-fortified wagon would likely make it across the Bifrost. The heavy-duty Pegasus Guard wagons they had found in the ruins of Canterlot, after all, usually lasted two, even three trips back and forth before the armored wagons became so brittle that a simple knock against them would cause their surfaces to crack apart like cheap porcelain. But neither of them wanted to take the chance that the ironwood could be eaten through, letting enough of the powerful energies of the Bifrost into the interior of the carriage that these few material possessions that held such meaning to them would be destroyed.
The paintings of Scrivener Blooms, Twilight Sparkle, Scarlet Sage and others, books and sketchbooks and notepads, an odd collection of quills and fancy ink jars and a few other odds and ends; these were all things that had been packed into the back of the wagon, all of it wrapped in thick cloth and often insulated further by pillows and cushions. Then Scrivener grimaced a bit as he stepped back, rolling his shoulders absently in his armor… and he smiled despite himself at the way it clung to his frame, at how natural it felt now over his body as he looked towards Luna and said softly: “I remember when I used to complain about this.”
“Thou still complains about it, Scrivy. Thou complains about everything, ‘tis what thou does.” Luna replied with a slight smile, drawing her eyes over him slowly, all the same proud of the way he moved so naturally now in his armor after so many years of learning to stand and fight alongside the winged unicorn. “But thou looks good… if I may say so with perhaps only a touch of pride and self-satisfaction.”
Scrivener smiled amusedly at her as he leaned back and posed for a moment: only the heavy helm protecting his head, engraved with the emblem of the ash tree, hadn’t been forged by Luna. The rest, from the silver pauldrons that armored his shoulders, engraved with the crescent moon, to the black breastplate over his body, silvery chain mesh along his hindquarters and legs, and the supple dark leather that acted as cushioning between metal and flesh, had all been shaped and pieced together by the powers of the winged unicorn. “You, immodest? Never.”
“Thou art a braggart and a fool.” Luna smiled amusedly all the same, however, and then she stepped back and rose to her full height, spreading her wings slightly as she rose her head imperiously. “And ‘tis done like this, Scrivener Blooms. Thou must be bold!”
Scrivy laughed as she posed, but he drew his eyes admiringly along her body all the same: she was clothed in armor just a tad lighter blue than her body, her helm designed to cradle her tall, spired horn, the layered plates of metal over the thick dragon-scale leather that tightly clothed her body spaced so that her wings could comfortably rest through the slots in the armor. She was beautiful, powerful, alluring… and Scrivener’s gaze was both adoring and tender as he drew his eyes along the front of her armor, where she had etched both lunar symbols and a tangle of dark roses, the engraving almost glowing black.
Then Luna leaned forwards with a soft smile as she relaxed, reaching a hoof up and quietly adjusting the new pair of glasses on Scrivener’s face, making the male snort in entertainment. “Don’t do that, Luna. It’s bad enough you insist on recreating them and shoving them on my face every time I lose a pair… I don’t need your hoof-prints all over them too. Also, you have a very bad habit of sticking things in my eye.”
“Thou has pretty eyes. Like a mare’s. ‘Tis only the natural course that something should end up being poked into them by their own gravid magnetism.” Luna retorted, and Scrivener looked at her blankly, not knowing how to take this statement even with the link they shared. Then Luna huffed and swung a hoof at him, and Scrivy winced as he blocked this with a foreleg before stepping quickly out of range when she attempted to swat him again. “Frustrating creature.”
“One day, Luna, you’ll be normal. And that will be both a very boring and very happy day, even if I’m sure that the day after you’ll be back to your usual insanity.” Scrivener said dryly, and Luna rolled her eyes before the two stepped forwards and headbutted one-another lightly, then the male reached up and gently stroked a hoof across her armored breast, the engraved patterning glowing faintly as he felt not only it, but secreted beneath the armor, the black pearl that Luna wore over her heart.
She softened as she drew her eyes over him… and then both winged unicorn and earth pony glanced towards the deconstructed patio, where Pollen and puppet-bodied Pinkamena were pulling up the last of the ironwood boards that made up the front of their cabin. They were working efficiently, Pollen covered in dirt and Pinkamena grumbling as she roughly yanked boards loose, but then piled them neatly and precisely, every now and then straightening out the stack she had formed off to one side.
Pollen, meanwhile, simply tossed the boards aside into a messy heap, and Pinkamena twitched slightly at the clank of every wooden slat against the others, making Scrivener smile despite himself as Luna said mildly: “Children, thine parents are about to leave. Will thou not take a moment from the fun and games to bid us farewell?”
“Fine, if you insist, mother.” Pinkamena rolled her head on her shoulders, sounding exasperated as she stood up and then glared over at them with her gemstone eyes, the look remarkably distinct even with her marionette features. “Gee, I sure will miss you and dad while you’re out destroying the world and reaping the souls of the dead. Don’t worry though, I’ll take care of the pet rock and the bottled-up bug, I won’t eat or kill either one of them… I’ll try and restrict myself to just maybe breaking a few bones here and there.”
She shot a look towards the Velite, who winced a bit and held a board up between them like a shield, and Luna sighed and rolled her eyes before her horn glowed blue as she irritably flicked it to the side, Pinkamena wincing as several screws and bolts loudly tore themselves out of her body before two of her limbs fell off and the puppet crumpled on its side with a grumbled curse. “Thou art not nearly as amusing as myself or Scrivener Blooms, Pinkamena. The color of jealousy does not lend itself in flattering ways to thy dead visage.”
“So I should just stick with the colors of blood and death, then?” Pinkamena asked sarcastically as she half-rolled onto her stomach with a grumble, reaching out to begin fitting one foreleg back into place as she muttered: “Stupid touchy Nightmare Moon…”
“I’ll touch thee back into the grave.” Luna grumbled in return, and then she sighed and turned her attention to the Velite, adding dryly: “Worry not, Pollen, Pinkamena will grow more amiable as time passes, I am certain. Thou should be thankful and wary of the fact the creature likes to stick to its word.”
The Velite mumbled a little in response to this, then awkwardly reached out as if to help, but Pinkamena only glared at her as she managed to yank a foreleg back into place, the possessed marionette grumbling as the fasteners that held her limb in place twisted themselves slowly back into their holes. “I want you to know you’re all worse than sissy ever was.”
“Worry not, Pinkamena, ‘tis exactly what I always intended.” Luna replied dryly, and then her horn glowed when the possessed puppet reached for a bolt that had torn loose, tossing it easily just out of reach, and the half-demon grumbled under her breath. “Well. This has been a rousing sendoff. Scrivener Blooms?”
Scrivy smiled a bit he headed over to the satchel bag they had prepared for the journey, filled with a few implements to aid with Luna’s more-complex magic, parchment and ink and a quill, a few good luck charms and several other odds and ends. The weight was almost comfortable as Scrivener slipped it on, and Luna smiled after a moment at him before she glanced towards Pinkamena and Pollen, the puppet sitting grudgingly up on its haunches, the Velite standing and leaning towards them half-anxiously. “Worry not, friends, we shall return as soon as we are able. Finish the fortifications of the wagon, listen to one another, and take care of Discombobulation.”
“Yeah, yeah, get going.” Pinkamena said rudely, and the two ponies rolled their eyes as the skeleton sitting beside the puppet mumbled awkwardly, but this only made the possessed marionette snort and glare at her. “Fine, pet rock, go ahead and spit it out.”
Pollen shuffled a bit, then rose a hoof and said lamely: “Good luck and… I hope things go well. We’ll… be here.”
“One of us will be, at least.” Pinkamena said grouchily, and Scrivener and Luna traded looks, then both sighed at the same time before favoring the puppet with the same flat glare, the possessed marionette grumbling a bit as it flopped backwards. “Whatever. I’m out.”
Despite her words, however, the puppet only moodily sat… and Scrivener rolled his eyes as Luna gave a sigh and turned around, saying irritably: “Come then, Scrivy. Before this grows any more theatrical, ‘tis time for the march ahead. Perhaps we shall encounter some stupid Nibelung on the way that shall alleviate my sorrows and frustrations.”
The two ponies turned as Pollen waved awkwardly at their back and Pinkamena grumbled to herself, and winged unicorn and earth pony both strode across the heavy planks they had laid over the ditch to pull the wagon across, stepping out onto the dusty path through the Empty Forest beyond. And as always, both glanced quietly back over their shoulders once, looking at their ramshackle cabin and the mostly-repaired wagon that stood in front of it, Velite and half-demon both gazing at them still from the ruins of the pulled-apart deck.
Then the two turned forwards again, and Luna smiled a little despite herself as she murmured softly: “We walked this very same path so long ago, Scrivy… I remember so clearly, daydreamer, how much hope we had. The tension, the excitement…”
Scrivener laughed a bit, lowering his head forwards as he said quietly: “Sounds like you remember a little differently than I remember, Luna… I remember a lot of whining and complaining. Mostly from me, of course, but you did a little yourself.”
“Aye, perhaps there was that too, but I also remember that in our depths, there was a gladness for the journey… and we did discover so much, didn’t we? We found my past, my origin… we made new allies, and new friends. We conquered old enemies and ourselves, and we clawed through the worst of evils that the universe could throw at us and still found a measure of success. Even if we failed too, aye… we all the same also found our shades of victory amidst the grimness and the gloom.” Luna hesitated, looking towards Scrivy and murmuring softly: “And I am excited for this journey, even if part of me is saddened that reality has become so damaged, that… our time here is almost over, and we have saved so few lives compared to all that was lost.”
“Yes, Luna, but we are saving everypony we can… all the same, we’re pushing forwards. We can’t let despair and the disappointment of… what happened, and in ourselves, overwhelm us.” Scrivener replied quietly, glancing towards Luna, and the female smiled faintly as she nodded slowly. “Now come on. Let’s go back to you trying vainly to be optimistic and me being pessimistic. Everything works a lot better that way.”
“I am attempting to be optimistic, does thou not listen to the words I so speak?” Luna asked grouchily, and Scrivener snorted in entertainment as he shook his head with an amused look to her. “Silence, knave. Wretched creature, thou art utterly insufferable. ‘Tis fortunate I am so fond of thee, ‘lest otherwise I would be tempted to leave thee in the middle of the forest for the Phooka to gorge on.”
“Now, you and I both know that the Phooka have better things to eat than us.” Scrivener replied dryly, and Luna grunted at this and nodded thoughtfully. They both studied each other for a few moments as silence fell between them, sharing thoughts and images and emotions that seemed almost random… and then they both faced ahead even as they slipped instinctively closer at the same time, sides almost pressing together as they strode quietly and calmly past dead, warped trees along rocky, barren earth.
For an hour, they walked in silence… and then both of them looked up as an unearthly shadow flitted across the path in front of them before it halted near the edge of the forest. They both halted, studying this with curiosity as it stared back at them… and despite the strangeness of it, neither of them felt malice or aggression.
It was like a Pale, but instead of white and surrounded by sparkling, incandescent frost, it was deep black, smoke humming softly around it. Its eyes glowed solid ivory, blank and bright and yet not without a sense of intelligence, of emotion that made their rhombus-like shape twist as the large, pony-shaped figure leaned towards them almost expectantly for a moment, pawing a  hoof against the ground… and Luna growled at it as she leaned back irritably, asking sharply: “Is that a challenge, creature? Well, I am sorry to disappoint thee, but I have not the time to have another race through the wilderness. My husband and I are heading northwards… thou will have to find other playmates.”
The dark equine spirit looked almost disappointed as it shifted in place silently, then it half-turned and whinnied loudly, and a moment later several more dark spirits rushed across the road, seeming to form from thin air as the creature turned and shot into the woods alongside the rest of the group, and Luna shook her head as she muttered: “Strange creatures…”
The pack of dark equines vanished as quickly as they had appeared, and Scrivener and Luna traded a look before they started forwards again, the winged unicorn almost sulking as the male gave her a slight smile, saying mildly: “That was a very grown-up-”
“Shut up, Scrivy.” Luna grumbled, and the male couldn’t help but throw his head back and laugh, and Luna sighed before complaining loudly: “Well, ‘tis incredibly irksome, they are… I know not even what they are! Strange entities, not Nightmare, not Phooka, not demons despite their odd and peculiarly-similar appearances, but they are more physical than the Pales of ponies yet all the same seem perfectly capable of vanishing as they please and move like the fleeting wind! And did thou not see what the creature did? It taunted us! Taunted us! And plainly, we are in no shape for any challenge… ‘tis cowardly. That thing, whatever else, is a craven coward, asking for… another foolish race when… when we are obviously too busy for another foolish race. Foolishness.”
“I love you.” Scrivener said simply, and Luna huffed and headbutted him lightly, making the male snort in entertainment before he added mildly: “Also, you need to stop being so damned competitive about everything. We’re living the apocalypse, and your immediate concern every time we see those things goes from ‘we need to continue herding souls to Looking Glass World’ to ‘oh stupid ghosts I’m going to outrace the stupid ghosts and pummel them.’”
“I shall pummel thee if thou continues this.” Luna grumbled moodily, and Scrivener laughed and shook his head, then frowned a bit as he caught a glint in the corner of his glasses… and immediately Luna shot a look over her shoulder as the two halted, staring in surprise to see one of the dark specters calmly standing in the road behind them, surveying them curiously. “And what manner of nonsense is this?”
It only continued to calmly look at them, however, and Scrivener and Luna both frowned a bit as they turned slowly around, studying it. It was closer than any of them had ever stood before, watching them without fear, and without malign intent… and this close, they could see it closely resembled an earth pony. But the build was a little different somehow all the same, subtle details that they could see but could not define… and then the creature calmly stepped towards them before bringing a hoof forwards through the dirt and scratching out an image in rapid, easy movements.
The two frowned and stared at the picture it drew for them: two circles, with an arch drawn between them. Then it leaned to the side and drew a quick X through one of the circles, and Scrivener and Luna traded looks before the dark shape patted this circle, then drew its hoof along the archway to the next and tapped it firmly.
Luna and Scrivener looked up at the dark ghost… then they looked at one-another, trading thoughts, ideas, emotions and reasoning in a tumult and immediately settling on one distinct possibility before they both returned their gazes towards the creature, Luna asking slowly: “Thou… perhaps thy whole strange herd… wishes to travel across the Bifrost?”
The thing nodded solemnly… and then, surprisingly, it bowed deep to them… but before Luna or Scrivy could speak, the specter simply vanished from sight, and the two stared at the space it had once occupied before Luna gritted her teeth, then blew a loud raspberry in disgust. “I am not a… a butler, or a… chauffeur between worlds, creature! Thou cannot just order me to do this for thee and then… damnable creature!”
Luna stomped forwards and mashed her hooves violently against the drawing, bludgeoning it into an indecipherable mess, and then she sighed and turned around, saying moodily: “Come, Scrivener Blooms. ‘Lest the creature be foolish enough to show its face and we end up losing more time thanks to my need to pummel it roundly.”
Scrivy smiled awkwardly as he turned and followed her, even as he felt beneath the anger her swirl of apprehension, mixing with his own suspicious thoughts. After all, they still didn’t know what these entities were, nor what it meant that the creature had seemingly asked to cross the Bifrost to the Looking Glass World. It was more questions, more weight, added to the unpredictable future… and neither pony liked the thought of the possibilities that could be laying in wait.

Scrivener Blooms grumbled under his breath as Luna tinkered with his armor, sliding plates back and opening sleeves in the mesh, leaving two almond-shaped openings revealed on his upper back before she said kindly: “Now relax.”
“I hate flying.” Scrivy muttered… and then he winced as Luna flicked her horn with a grin, and the male arched his back slightly, his body glowing as dark skin pushed outwards, then expanded and spread into large, leathery bat-like wings that flapped once at either side of the male as he wheezed and leaned forwards, saying grouchily: “I really hate how much you enjoy giving me wings, by the way. Both the fact that it stings like hell, especially as my muscles have to limber up and my whole body has to get used to having them every freaking time, and even worse, how much you enjoy dragging me into the air with you.”
Luna only grinned, however, and she gestured calmly at the tundra around them, which was speckled with cold, icy frost, the jagged peaks that surrounded the ruins of Canterlot in the distance. “Well, what would thou prefer, Scrivener Blooms? An extended march through demon-infested territory, or a quick, sharp flight that shall hopefully permit us to avoid the worst of the atrocities and simply wing past those few monsters that den in the sky?”
“I also don’t like you.” Scrivener said finally, and Luna laughed as she shook her head, then watched with a warm smile as the male flapped his wings moodily a few times. “Tyrant Wyrms don’t have wings.”
“Oh, stop it, Scrivy. Now thou art just being miserable for the sake of misery.” Luna scoffed, and then she leaned over and kissed his cheek gently, adding softly: “Now come, handsome daydreamer. Let us take wing.”
Scrivener shuffled for a moment on his hooves, then he leaned forwards with a grimace as he flapped his wings again, taking an easy breath as he felt his body adjusting, muscles that were both new and old flexing slowly and limbering up before he nodded and glanced towards her with a dry smile. “Alright. Weird, though… I almost want to run into The Stampede now and let off some steam.”
“Thou art becoming far too much like me. Except thou always were a jerk, as thou likes to say.” Luna replied mildly, and Scrivener laughed despite himself as he shook his head slowly before the two turned forwards, flapping their wings once in synchronicity before they both broke into a short sprint, then leapt into the air, taking flight in graceful time before Luna pulled slightly ahead, smiling slightly as Scrivener fell back behind her.
They sped over the ground, keeping themselves moving low to avoid attracting the attention of any beasts that might lurk in the moody clouds of the crimson-stained sky. As they flew, Luna bowed her head forwards, smiling faintly as the air whistled past her and she breathed slowly in and out, bittersweet feelings rolling through her body. Flying reminded her all too much of being distant from the earth, of being up, locked away in the ivory sphere of the moon… and she shook her head silently to herself as her mane sparkled and twisted out behind her before she glanced over one shoulder with a small smile, watching as Scrivener Blooms flew behind her with much less grace, bobbing a bit in the air as he all the same worked to keep pace a few meters back.
The male smiled back at her supportively, his own dislike of heights and flying pushed aside to encourage her… and she faced back ahead with a faint blush kept hidden by the wind whipping against her face, murmuring softly to herself: “Foolish, obnoxious, ridiculous… loyal… poet…”
She laughed despite herself, then arched her body slightly to sail higher, and Scrivy followed as their thoughts swirled together, his body guided by her own movements. And as they flew together, the discomfort slowly peeled away… until finally, they were again only aware of the fact they were together, traveling, on a journey to the north as they shared thoughts and images and words, their minds working as one as they flew tirelessly for hours.
They only had one close call: a snarling dragon raged at them as they passed, feral and foaming at the mouth, lunging to the air and clumsily flying after them with a ripped, wounded wing as it clawed madly at the air and spat streams of fire in their direction… but Luna and Scrivener were too fast, easily outdistancing the beast as it limped through the broken sky, and it had dropped back down on top of another peak to roar angrily at them before turning around and trudging back to its aerie. Luna had blown a raspberry at it childishly, but thankfully she hadn’t gone back to kill the pathetic beast… dragons could survive in this hell-encrusted world, but from eating the gemstones that often became tainted with the poisons that seeped through the earth and appeasing the rest of their hunger by gobbling down Nibelung and demons, they rapidly degraded from intelligent creatures to rabid animals.
Scrivener Blooms and Luna pushed onwards, bypassing Canterlot, going over the wretched remains of Pegasus Point as sunken cloud houses that had once belonged to Pegasi floated listlessly in pieces that still hadn’t yet dissolved. They flew, not stopping as the hours passed, even as their muscles began to ache, passing next over the once-bustling metropolis of Hosston, remembering their short and uncomfortable journey through a city that was now nothing more than a necropolis covered by crystalline ice, a den of Haunts and monsters with hearts colder than the snow they lived in.
The two finally came to a halt at the edge of the Northedge Strait: an immense, frozen river that had once been crossed by the largest bridge in Equestria, but Charger’s Crossing had long collapsed into ruin, the ancient stonework of an unknown civilization lost forever. Scrivy and Luna quietly gazed towards where part of the pass rested, half-frozen over and covered in snow, like bones that were trying to defy winter’s grasp. For a few moments, the two studied these remains silently, their wings furling against their bodies… before Luna smiled a bit, saying quietly: “Our time thus far has been excellent. We have pushed hard and fast… let us break for a short while to recover our strength. Thou brought us a meal, yes?”
“Of course.” Scrivener smiled over at her as they both stood on icy tundra… and yet despite the snow and frost-covered rock beneath their hooves, all the same, the air wasn’t cold. There was even a hint of warmth… although it felt ominous as it often did, as the two cleared some of the snow away and then sat down to rest before the male dug out several wrapped pieces of fish.
Luna flicked her horn, and blue flames burst up in front of them, melting away snow and ice around them… and Scrivener gave her an amused look before he rolled his eyes as Luna grinned, lifting the pieces of fish from his hooves with telekinesis and passing them into the flames. The paper didn’t burn, however, even as steam began to rise up from the food, making Scrivy shake his head and remark dryly: “You need to stop abusing your powers.”
“I do not desire to eat cold fish, Scrivener Blooms. Besides, ‘tis what my powers are there for. To abuse, and to be abused.” Luna replied kindly, and then she flicked her horn, and the blue flames whiffed out before one wrapped packet floated to Scrivy and the other hovered its way to her own hooves, the female ripping the paper off the top and then taking a quick bite.
She chewed meditatively as Scrivener only looked down at his quietly… and Luna’s gaze softened as she looked over at him, inviting quietly: “Go ahead, Scrivener Blooms. ‘Tis good. There is no reason for thou to be so shy, none at all… merely eat and enjoy.”
“I’m not shy, I’m… worried.” Scrivener admittedly finally, even as he unwrapped his own fish. He had salted it and treated it with spices, and when he bit into it, it was warm and succulent, the male chewing slowly, relishing the taste… but grimacing all the same as he swallowed and said quietly: “It’s not natural, Luna. We’re supposed to eat apples, and hay, and green leafy things. And now? Now we eat meat, and fish, and other living things. We’re… predators, not just prey.”
“Thou art worrying too much again.” Luna said softly, and she slipped herself a little closer to him, her mane softly swaying outwards to tickle against his side as she leaned towards him and smiled a bit. “The food is good. And thou can handle it, at least in small amounts… too much, and even we get sick, after all. And is that not a good sign, Scrivener Blooms? That aye, we may eat of other living things… we may even enjoy it, when properly prepared. But Scrivy, all the same, to eat too much will make us ill, perhaps even kill us. Just as we may both enjoy battle on some deep dark level… but know that too much of it… will result in our demise.”
She quieted, looking down… then she took another bite of her fish, and the two ate for a little while in quiet before Scrivener glanced up and said finally: “Your metaphor was a lot better before you tried to tag on that comparison at the end of it.”
“Beetle.” Luna muttered, and she hit him firmly in the shoulder, the male smiling a bit as he swayed to the side before she sighed a little and rolled her eyes, adding moodily: “One day thou shalt push too far, Scrivener Blooms, and I shall turn thee into soup.”
“You’re soup.” Scrivener nudged her firmly, but Luna only laughed and shook her head at this, giving him an entertained and exasperated look. Scrivy smiled back as he tossed the last piece of his fish into his mouth, and then he laughed a bit and held up a hoof when Luna offered the last quarter of hers. “No, you need to keep up your strength too.”
“Aye, but thou art hungrier, and I am the tougher one here. ‘Tis my responsibility to take care of thee.” Luna retorted, and she shoved the fish at him, Scrivener wincing as he took it before she winked and leaned forwards, kissing his nose gently. “Eat up.”
Scrivener grumbled at her, but he smiled all the same as he ate, and Luna nodded firmly as she stood up and stretched her wings out, gazing northwards as she became more serious and said quietly: “The weather will grow more chaotic the further we push… and I think we had best rest for a time in North Neigh, much as I… dislike the idea.”
The earth pony grimaced a bit, his leathery wings twitching as he leaned back… but then only sighed and nodded slowly, muttering: “I suppose you’re right, it’s just… going to suck, though, yeah. But if you were serious about pushing as deep as the Black Baroque…”
“I have second thoughts about it, aye. Many second thoughts… but all the same, I was serious, Scrivener Blooms, and I believe that… it is the best course of action.” Luna hesitated all the same, however, grimacing visibly as she rubbed slowly at her face with a hoof and grumbled: “Terrible, awful place that it is, filled with… bad memories and worse designs and like-as-not monsters, but… there may be many souls there. We shall den in the very heart of inequity in North Neigh, to recover our strength when we reach that accursed place… then we push to the Black Baroque, and from there, drag free as many souls from the clutches of Helheim itself that we can.”
“You’re so poetic. And epic. You really missed your calling, Luna, all that exaggeration and pride would have made you a better poet than Buck Kiskaddon. Rancher, poet, interesting hard worker type.” Scrivener smiled slightly, glancing over at her as he tossed the empty wrapper of paper away and said softly: “But as I’ve learned, the best poets are the ones who just… do it.”
“Writers. Thou art all a strange breed of creature.” Luna replied dryly, and Scrivener nodded agreeably to her before he smiled a bit as the winged unicorn’s horn glowed, lifting the saddle bag back onto him and strapping it firmly into place. “In any event, Scrivener Blooms, let us be on our way again. We shall fly across the strait whilst the weather looks hospitable enough, then take another short break and judge the terrain ahead. Let us avoid Snow Saddle and as much of the Barrens as possible, however… those wastes were a terrible enough place in life, I cannot imagine what they must have crumbled and transformed into now that the world has plunged into such darkness.”
Scrivener nodded after a moment at this in agreement, and then he grimaced a bit and stretched, asking mildly: “Is it really such a good idea to fly on a full stomach?”
“Thy stomach is far from full, glutton, I have seen thee eat ten times as much as that and still complain that thou art hungry.” Luna retorted, and Scrivener rolled his eyes before she winked at him. “Fear not, Scrivy. I shan’t force thee to do too many barrel rolls.”
“Wonderful.” Scrivener muttered… and then he sighed as Luna ran forwards and leapt into the air, flapping his own wings a few times before leaping forwards to take off and fly after her, calling loudly to her back: “If I throw up, you’ll feel it too, remember!”
Luna only laughed at this, however, shaking her head as she flew onwards, grinning… but after only a few minutes, the two were flying with Luna in the lead and Scrivener following close enough behind that her starry tail kept brushing against his face, his eyes mostly-shut as they concentrated on one another and powerful winds whipped past, knocking both  of them off course every so often even as Luna’s horn glowed and her mane sizzled around her, cursing as she guided them more by magic than sight as the wind painfully whipped against her body and face.
Beneath them, to make matters worse, the ice was surging and transforming, twisting like it was alive and sending sharp, jutting spears and blades of frost clawing upwards, like the river had become sentient and predatory, like it was trying to stretch upwards and bite hungrily at the ponies as they passed.
They cursed as they forced forwards, the bitter wind ripping and gouging past them as the two shoved fiercely through the onslaught of the gale… and after almost an hour, the windstorm finally ended as the other side of the strait finally came into sight, the two breathing hard and beginning to descend as the ice crackled and settled loudly over the surface of the river as if it too had given up on trying to snare the ponies above as prey.
Large pieces of enormous stone bridge lay here and there amidst the ice, including a pillar that had been shoved upwards and stood like a tower frozen forever in mid-plummet, leaning with strange malevolence towards the shoreline. And beyond, the land was veiled in frost, sharp black rocks jutting here and there like thorns pushing through a skin of pale, dead ivory, the only other color coming from dark smoke that rumbled slowly upwards towards the sky over the horizon.
Luna and Scrivener Blooms both flew in low and slow, settling hesitantly on the frosted plains: the snow beneath their hooves was packed and solid, a thin veil over frozen land. For a few moments, the two only stood, surveying the land slowly… and then Luna grimaced and set herself as they heard snarls in the distance, Scrivener looking up with a mutter of: “Well, wonderful.”
A howl rose up… and four dark shapes raced forwards over the tundra, their heads wolf-like skulls, their bodies semisolid, flowing and boiling like viscous liquid over bones of white ice. Terrible, sickening light burned out of their sockets as their clawed paws ripped against the ground, another one howling eagerly as the pack of four Hellhounds rushed towards the ponies: animalistic demons of Helheim, vicious and savage predators that possessed awful guile for all their bestial terror.
Blue, visible organs pulsed beneath the bony cages of their open chests, misty cold smoldering off the monsters as they shot eagerly towards them, moving with uncanny speed as the pack of monsters smoothly moved into a line formation to attempt to flank the ponies from either side… and then Luna snarled as she flicked her horn to the side, a wall of blue flames erupting from the earth between them, and the Hellhounds skidded to a halt with barks, snarls and yelps as Luna said disgustedly: “And to think, once upon a time I wanted a Hellhound for a pet.”
With that, Luna cracked her neck before she and Scrivener both stepped quickly backwards and anchored themselves into place as the Hellhounds roared, the four creatures breathing out a terrible pall of white and blue mist that froze the burning flames solid before two lunged eagerly forwards, shattering through the barrier of now-frost with snarls… but Luna only grinned widely, her eyes flashing as she leapt forwards to meet one with a fierce headbutt, knocking it flat into a stunned heap before she shattered its skull with a savage stomp of her hoof, and the now-headless demon squealed from its throat and skittered backwards.
The other attempted to leap at Luna’s exposed side, but Scrivener tackled it and slammed it down with a grunt before he smashed his hooves down, shattering its ribcage and crushing the bluish organs inside, the monster howling miserably as it clawed wildly at him before shoving itself backwards through the snow. Scrivy began to lean forwards, but then he caught a sharp warning that flashed into his mind from Luna before he instead leapt back, and a Hellhound crashed and skidded over the ground where he had been a moment before.
Luna snapped her horn downwards, sending a blast of blue flame rocketing into the Hellhound that had just missed Scrivener, and it was blown backwards in a torrent of sapphire fire before the creature shrieked, and then exploded into bony shrapnel in a gush of black smoke and icy fog. And, without a pause, the winged unicorn easily half-turned and lashed her horn across the chest of the last Hellhound when it tried to pounce on her, wincing as one of its claws ripped against her face in a lucky swipe that tore a deep enough wound for scratches to form over Scrivy’s own features, but the demon dog was thrown backwards, and it spasmed in the snow with a yelp before it flopped over and hurriedly scuttled away.
The other two Hellhounds turned to follow it, the headless beast staggering drunkenly as it tried to follow after the other two wounded creatures. Luna glared after them as they fled, ignoring the slashes on her face as she leaned forwards and shouted at their retreating hindquarters: “Foul cowards! Run away then, like the mangy curs thou art!”
“Yes, Luna, antagonize the pack of Hellhounds.” Scrivener said dryly, and Luna glared at him before the male stepped towards her and gently kissed her cut-open cheek, making her flush a bit as he tasted her blood, and ice, and the barest hint of sulfur. “Sit down and close your eyes, I’ll help you heal that.”
“I… thou art… fine.” Luna mumbled embarrassedly, and Scrivener smiled as she dropped back on her haunches with a huff, grumbling: “All the same, ‘tis ridiculous. Utterly, stupidly, grandly ridiculous. Stupid overgrown demon dogs…”
She closed her eyes as she continued to grumble, and Scrivy leaned forwards, concentrating on her wound and on their link, Luna’s eyes fluttering a bit as she bowed her head forwards… and then she smiled faintly as her horn glowed brighter, falling quiet as the wounds took on the same aura and slowly healed as Scrivener Blooms focused her powers for her using his own concentration and energy. Healing wounds that couldn’t be seen otherwise could be tricky… putting too much energy and effort into using magic to knit a wound back together could leave a large scar or other nasty side effect.
As the cuts on Luna’s face closed, the shallow scratches over Scrivener’s became smaller, not vanishing entirely but going from bleeding lines to shallow grooves, and he sat back after a moment with a grunt and a nod. Luna turned her gaze back towards him, smiling softly, and Scrivener Blooms smiled back after a moment, tilting his head curiously… but she only laughed a bit and shook her head, saying softly: “It always calms me, for some reason, when thou uses my magic. ‘Tis strange, is it not? But many things about us are strange, aye… and I would not change any of it for the world, not one bit. We are wonderful like that, Scrivy. Wonderful and weird and… I love thee.”
“I love you too, Luna.” Scrivener said softly, emotions passing back and forth in a soft swirl between the two, and then they pushed their foreheads together for a moment, eyes sliding closed as Luna’s mane swirled around her and her horn gave a faint pulse.
They relaxed as the last of the adrenaline brought on from the skirmish left their bodies… and then they both straightened and breathed deeply, Luna gazing over him affectionately before she said quietly: “The Hellhounds will not return. Furthermore, sent running injured as they were, they will attract the interest of any other predators in the area that may be looking for easy prey. Let us walk a little further inland, and then we shall stop to rest again… I do not wish to linger here. Charger’s Crossing… I can only ever see it now as a bad memory.”
Scrivener nodded after a moment, and the two quietly made their way forwards, striding over the hard snow and studying the tracks they came across every so often, the two quiet and contemplative as they shared memories and reassurances and worries. Luna’s mane swayed backwards, sizzling softly, and Scrivener rolled his head on his shoulders, adjusting his glasses absently as he murmured quietly: “I’m worried that the memories are only going to get worse as we push further in, Luna. For both of us. And we’ll need to be in good form for what’s ahead.”
Luna couldn’t help but smile faintly at this, nodding slowly as she studied him for a few moments. “’Tis true, Scrivy, but… I also believe that we will be kept too busy facing other fears for even the most powerful and terrible of memories to sink their claws too deeply into us. There is much to do, after all… much to see, much to concern ourselves with. And perhaps another good fight or two, to keep our spirits high.”
Scrivener smiled despite himself as they walked quietly onwards, striding northbound along a road that no longer existed, heading to the ruins of a town that they had saved from one evil, only for another to bring about Ragnarok. They had done good, for ponies who hadn’t all deserved it… but despite the childish part of him that wished they had done things differently, that wished they had ignored the letter and somehow made everything work out okay even if it meant North Neigh would have been razed  to the ground… part of Scrivener felt proud of the fact that he and Luna together had overcome their own worries, their own rationalizations, and their own selfish urges to help out the ponies of the bitter hometown he had grown up in.
Even if Ragnarok had still come, after all… they had saved innocent lives, even if the delay had only been for a day. And Scrivener smiled a bit as he and Luna shared a look before she said softly: “Sometimes, thou art so pessimistic thou transforms into the most indulgent, frustrating, annoying optimist there is, beetle. ‘Tis difficult to keep up with at times, foul creature. Why must thou be so… wonderful and terrible, and in the same breath?”
“Beetles are often flesh-eating.” Scrivy remarked mildly, and Luna laughed and shook her head before she checked him firmly, and the male smiled, staggering a bit but then firmly checking her back, making Luna grin as she stumbled and her eyes glinted with mischief. “Besides, you know me. I like being predictably-unpredictable at times. Although mostly I blame the fact that we’re soul-bound so I get force-fed all your emotions, whether I like it or not. It’s really all your fault, Luna.”
“True, most things are, especially when it comes to thee.” Luna nodded agreeably, drawing her eyes over him with entertainment. “Foolish daydreamer.”
“Arrogant Nightmare Moon.” Scrivener replied, and they traded a smile before they both turned forwards, gazing over the barren tundra and continuing onwards. As they walked, a quiet snow began to fall as dark clouds swirled slowly in the skies above, moving in strange, spiraling patterns in spite of the fact they could feel no wind… and yet it was almost welcome, blocking out the marred red-and-violet sky, darkening the world… but their eyes were used to darkness, and it was comfortable as they marched onwards, unhurried.
The thought of stopping to rest was forgotten as they continued the quiet walk: suddenly, the world around them was peaceful, and the two reveled in it, feeling almost more as if they were out on a comfortable stroll than on a rapid march to the far north. Above, the skies were a turbulent sea of writhing silver and gray cloud, and around them was nothing but devastated tundra with the occasional mutant, blackened tree here or there amongst the rocks… but all the same, there was an eerie, indescribable beauty to the corrupted world that the two felt in their strange mixed soul more than they saw with their eyes.
They walked quietly, taking their time, enjoying the scenery and the rare, odd feeling of serenity, letting it last. It felt like a good omen, more than anything else, and the two relished the peace it brought… the idea that maybe, just maybe, everything really was going to work out alright, and it wasn’t just words they both mouthed to make themselves feel better but doubted in their heart of hearts. And then the two traded a soft look, feeling tingles running through their minds as they gazed at each other, catching the same thought at the same time: it wasn’t that they doubted things would work out… only that they could make things work out for all the ponies who deserved it more than they did themselves.
Scrivener and Luna smiled faintly at each other, halting in the snow amidst a small grove of twisted and charred trees, and the two studied one another before Luna said softly: “Incredible, Scrivy. ‘Tis incredible, what love is: but answer me a curiosity, will thou? We are soulmates and soul-bound… but after that, what am I to thee? Friend, beloved, or wife? Or, with thine chauvinistic attitude, should I say only ‘mare?’”
She nudged him playfully, and Scrivener laughed as he leaned in and kissed her cheek before replying amusedly: “Oh right. And there’s nothing wrong with the fact that you treat me like I’m only a stud at ranch half the time.”
“Well, my handsome stallion, I do not think most males would complain about being that to me. I never had complaints in the past, after all.” Luna retorted, giving him a teasing grin as she leaned towards him, and Scrivener cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to avoid the memories stirred up from the winged unicorn in their mixed soul before she threw her head back and laughed. “Oh, cease, ‘tis not as if thou has any cause to feel envy or jealousy… ‘tis not like thou did not have partners of thine own.”
“Yes, but. Not five hundred years of them. Five hundred rather busy years of them.” Scrivener pointed out, and Luna glared at him before headbutting him, knocking him back on his haunches in the snow with a grunt before he shook his head quickly, then winced and held up a hoof when she leaned forwards insistently. “Okay, okay! You’re… you’re my best friend, Luna. Soulmate and then… best friend. And wife is probably somewhere at the bottom of the list.”
“Why?” Luna cocked her head curiously, sitting attentively, and Scrivener smiled a bit as the female surveyed him with softness in her eyes. “I remember our marriage… Celestia performed the ceremony, with perhaps a little jealousy, perhaps a little pride… and Twilight Sparkle sat on and watched. ‘Twas in front of our home, and even before we were bound in soul… but all the same, thou wert so proud that day, Scrivy, I know thou wert. Thou gazed upon me with such adoration and happiness…” She grinned playfully, leaning forwards with a wink. “Does thou now regret thy decision and realize I am far too much mare for any single male to handle, even one as stubborn as thou art?”
Scrivy rolled his eyes at this with a sigh, and then he smiled as he leaned forwards, replying quietly: “Because while our marriage was a wonderful celebration of love, it was also a formal state of affairs. I didn’t marry you to make you my wife, Luna… I married you because I love you enough to give up everything and everypony else in the world for you, if I had to. I’m honored and proud to have you as my wife, but there’s something in those words, ‘wife’ and ‘husband,’ that makes them two different things, for two people that have chosen to go through life together on the same path. I don’t look at us like that. I look at us as one pony, one person, one… soul. And if I have to look at us apart, I want us to be friends first… because best friends don’t need to keep secrets from each other, but the wives and husbands of every community I’ve ever lived in always seem to be doing something behind one-another’s back.”
“Scrivener Blooms, thou grand and reckless and arrogant and stupid fool.” Luna smiled faintly at him, her eyes warm and tender as she leaned towards him, saying quietly: “I… refuse to admit thy words have touched me. ‘Tis only because thou art… so worked up over this and the soul-bond between us transfers thy emotions to me that I feel so… touched. So loved.”
“’Twas never the ring that bound them, ‘twas never the marriage that married their souls, they lived in one-another’s eyes from the very first day.” Scrivener recited softly, and when Luna turned beet-red, he grinned widely and leaned forwards despite the thrill of love and warmth and romance that spilled through him, saying teasingly: “Now who’s the wife in the relationship?”
“Oh, shut up, Scrivener Blooms!” Luna reached ahead and seized him by the back of the head, firmly shoving his face down into the snow, and Scrivy laughed despite himself before he reached up and grabbed her, yanking her down with her. They wrestled and rolled together, sending up puffs of white as they rolled over the frozen earth, laughing and smiling before Luna shoved him down and pinned him by the shoulders, grinning as she straddled the male and held him firmly on his back as he winced at the unfamiliar feeling of his leathery wings squeezed beneath him, and then the winged unicorn leaned down and kissed him firmly.
Their jaws worked together slowly, lovingly, her mane sparking as it stroked gently down over his features and sizzled through the air around her, her hooves grinding slowly against the pauldrons covering the earth pony’s body as his own rubbed up along her sides, feeling out the shape of her armor and the familiar adventure of the body that lay beneath steel and leather… and then the two pulled slowly apart, and Luna grinned widely down at the male as she kept him pinned in the middle of the snowy road, saying seriously: “We shall have to ensure our foal has better judgment and values than us, Scrivener Blooms. We find such romance in all the wrong places.”
Scrivener Blooms snorted in amusement at this, reaching up as he gently grasped her face and smiled slightly. “Luna, when we have a foal, he or she-”
“’Twill be a colt, of this I am sure.” Luna said pompously, and she slipped off Scrivener before half-helping and half-yanking him up to his hooves. “Mostly because I cannot imagine what it would be like to try and handle a filly whom is half-myself and half-thee. ‘Twould be the most miserable, violent little filly ever to be born. But all the same, I would love her and cuddle her and kiss her bruises better, even should she burn down a city or two.”
The male gave her an amused look, saying mildly: “And a colt could just as easily turn out the same way, Luna. Or even worse.”
“Yes, but if it were a colt, more would believe me when I blamed thou for not raising him properly.” Luna replied blandly, and Scrivy groaned and rolled his eyes. “’Tis true, thou knows. Ponies are always nattering on about sons taking after fathers and daughters taking after mothers. Even if there is no truth to the statement apart from the truth we choose to make, all the same, there is a comfort knowing that thou will be held more accountable if it is a boy, and a terror in the fact that they will hold me accountable should it be a girl.”
“Luna. I. Days like today, I really just have no idea what to do with you or say to you.” Scrivener said finally, and Luna nodded seriously to him, making the earth pony drop his head forwards with a grumble before he started forwards again, saying mildly: “Come on then, mother of the year. Let’s keep going on the way to North Neigh. Maybe if you work out all your violent urges before you give birth, the foal will be born as peaceful and calm as a lamb.”
“Wish not such cruelty upon our child, Scrivener Blooms! I will be thoroughly disappointed in both of us if the child is born tranquil and serene and loving and boring.” Luna replied firmly, stepping forwards and bumping firmly against Scrivy, and the male snorted in amusement as he stumbled a bit before smiling over at her as they continued forwards, Luna nodding and saying quietly: “Believe me when I say I want the best for our child, Scrivener Blooms. Oh, from the bottom of my heart, I want nothing but the absolute best. But the best things in life often come from first experiencing a little pain, or a little rain, and all the other unpleasantries that existence has to offer. Yet without them… ‘twould be no life at all, would it? I know that our experiences, for example, have shaped us both greatly… I know that we have been able to find serenity and true happiness in even the strangest and darkest moments because… of what we have lived through. Because we have lived those moments. And I would not change that, Scrivy. ‘Tis cruel to wish a life of tranquility upon another. It would be a life without passion, adventure, and likely without any-”
“Don’t finish that sentence, I know what you’re going to say.” Scrivener interrupted flatly, and Luna shot him a devious grin, making the earth pony sigh and then shake his head, giving her an entertained look. “But fine, Luna. What should I wish for our child-to-be, then? An interesting life, like the old oriental proverb and curse? Or a life full of storms, but with a few blissfully-sunny days here and there?”
Luna lowered her head thoughtfully at this, the two walking in silence for a few moments as the male looked at her curiously… and then she gazed up and smiled at him, saying quietly: “Wish for our child only to be, Scrivener Blooms, and that the foal will come into life, ready to stride upon his or her own path. Wish only for the foal, Scrivy. Let us not take away from the child’s future by already trying to shape it into what we think is best.”
Scrivener looked at her thoughtfully as they walked along… and then he smiled at her softly, lowering his head a bit as he said quietly: “You really will be a wonderful mother, Luna. I’m glad you’ll be there to make up for my mistakes with everything.”
The winged unicorn only laughed and blushed a bit, however, looking ahead as they walked down the snowy path together beneath the soft fall of ivory from above, and she replied quietly: “Nay, Scrivener Blooms, together we shall be good parents, and neither of us the greater or the lesser, as it is with all things between us however we might play at one-another. I am thine, thou art mine, the same blood runs through our veins, our heart beats as one and our connected soul swirls throughout our bodies. Where we may fail when apart, together there is no other possibility apart from success… and that is why I have faith that we will have a foal, we will love and cherish it, we shall make the best of parents. And why I feel that we can, we will, we must succeed in our given mission, my love… my friend.”
Scrivener Blooms smiled across at the winged unicorn and nodded, and as they strode ever northwards, he felt the warmth and love in their bodies rekindling their hope for the future.