Metempsychosis

by BlackRoseRaven


Metamorphosis

Chapter Twenty Three: Metamorphosis
~BlackRoseRaven

The warped, corrupted Equestria grew worse with each and every day that passed, and even fighting as hard as they could, victories were few and far between for Luna and Scrivener. The world had reached a new level of hostility while they had been away, gone from laying brackish and dead to actively hunting anything and everything that so much as moved, much less possessed even a speck of life.
It was like even nature herself had been murdered, and some ghastly phantasm had set itself up as pedantic god in her place, striving to do anything and everything that would incite further chaos and destruction. The sun moved jaggedly through the broken sky, impossible to predict, and corruption regularly rained from the clouds, poisoning the land and further warping the undead forests and the world itself.
Within the first few days, Luna was forced to set up new wards to help combat the wraiths that were attracted to magic and vital force, seeking to feed their endless hungers and create more mindless, vampiric specters like themselves, and to also work to keep out the pesky slimes that were much more nuisance than threat. They tried to attach themselves to the ponies like ticks to drain the nutrients out of their bodies, leaving ugly bruises whenever they managed to get a good hold on one of the two equines.
At the end of the long first week, Luna had forced the sun to lower from the sky: it had taken a surprising amount of energy, however, and it felt like something had fought them every step of the way until it had finally passed beneath the horizon. The period of 'night' had only lasted two hours... but in that time, no less than thirty-two creatures of shadow showed up at their home as Scrivy and Luna stood carefully just inside the protective wards they had traced around their run-down cottage.
A dozen Nightmares, a handful of Velites, low-level demons, and a few Phooka and other creatures that rested in that awkward zone that was halfway between intelligent beast and cunning monster. Out of the group, the Velites would be the least troublesome: in the Looking Glass World, their spirits could be extracted, and then revived alongside the other Pales when the time came for that.
All the same, Luna had ordered them all to pledge their loyalty to her, one after the other: for many of the creatures, it was a solemn task done with surprising calm and straightforwardness. Their word was their bond, even though they were thought of as liars and betrayers, but they were neither: their victims were first victims of themselves before they became the prey of these manipulators who twisted the words of those that asked these dark entities to grant their desires.
Luna listened carefully to their words, and was pleased when at the end of it all, she had only been forced to sharply ask a few of the creatures of the night to be more specific, or to change their oaths slightly. Little as she liked it sometimes, she was experienced in these dealings and the gathered monsters all-but-revered her. To them, she was still Nightmare Moon: and inside her, the darker part of her personality delighted in the new servants she had gained.
Once the oaths were sworn and the ritual of sorts completed, Luna made a promise of her own: in a few weeks, she would open the Bifrost and bring them over it into Looking Glass Equestria beneath the cover of darkness. Until then, their only job was to survive the threats of the corrupted world around them. What was unexpected, however, was the hesitance of some of the creatures of darkness to leave: the Velites claimed strength in numbers, the Phooka dawdled, and one of the Nightmares was eager to stay behind so it could send messages back and forth if necessary between Luna and its 'siblings.'
Most of the creatures had gone back into hiding, but Luna had ended up permitting the others to stay... and within a week, the Velites had built up some small but stable structures around their cottage, including a stables and slop-trough for the Phooka, and the Nightmare spent a lot of its time buzzing around the inside of their home, studying both Scrivener and Luna almost hungrily. It was never hostile... only creepy, and perhaps even more awkward than Pinkamena had ever been. Luna took to calling it their 'pet,' and the Nightmare seemed to consider this a term of endearment rather than mockery and deprecation.
It was now like they lived in a creepy little camp... a camp that grew a little bigger every few weeks, as even a few desperate Nibelung tried to join up with them, among other Velites, surviving beasts that slunk through the shadows, and strangest of all, Pales that were attracted for one reason or another to the congregation of the supernatural. But nor was it all positive: nastier demons bent on feeding or destruction sometimes attacked now, along with other creatures drawn in by the sensations of magic in the air or whatever other lures their twisted senses detected.
But something that truly interested Luna was when she declared she was ready to take the first wave of dark creatures cross the Bifrost, and several Velites and the eager-to-serve Nightmare had asked if they could stay behind for now. Luna and Scrivy had both been surprised, but permitted it, curious to see if it was a true show of loyalty or some kind of trick.
The first wave consisted of almost forty creatures of shadow they led quickly through the Empty Forest during starless, false night, Luna grimacing in disgust about how the sun had refused to set again and would likely rise all too quickly. Opening the Bifrost had tired her, and she had no idea how the creatures would hold up passing through the indescribable vortex across the rainbow bridge... but although it seemed to hurt the creatures, they all passed through... and into Looking Glass Equestria's starry night, the creatures staring around themselves with awe at the life and energy of the world they passed into.
They looked almost childlike: demons gaped innocently, Nightmares shivered beneath the starlight in relief, Velites touched the trees and dragged their bony hooves through the grass. These things, considered awful monsters, reacted with the same happiness the Pales often did to stepping into this new world for the first time... and in spite of everything, Luna smiled faintly. She was trying to think of them like a weak disease she was using to vaccinate Looking Glass Equestria against far-worse illnesses... but more and more, she saw in them herself, she saw in them life and dignity and a desperate desire to continue to exist.
She brought them first to Ponyville, to check in with Greece and Illyria and another Architect, Babylon, who registered each and every one of the creatures and assigned them jobs. Odin had apparently devised a system to help keep these beings of darkness busy and give them a place in the new world... and for the eight days Luna and Scrivener spent in Looking Glass World while the Bifrost regenerated, they observed the creatures of darkness closely and their interaction with the world around them.
Scrivener was so fascinated he had started keeping a journal filled with notes and observations, and Luna often added her own thoughts and feelings to this. It felt very personal to them both, like they were delving into the abyss as well as gazing into it, now no longer simply fighting monsters but dining with them as friends and family... and in many ways, both darkness-tinged ponies were excited and reassured by what they saw, despite the perverse natures of many of their newest additions to the world they were helping rebuild.
In some ways, it was easier to get the creatures of shadow to work alongside them than it had been to convince the Nibelung to act as laborers: the dwarves were not as tightly-bound by their word of honor, and furthermore required lodgings, provisions, and entertainment, otherwise they would regularly ruin half the things they built while trying to find something to do outside of work. Demons and Nightmares, on the other hand, immediately found nooks and crannies they could hide in during the day, hunted for wild prey in the early evening – often alongside Phooka, which they shared the scraps with – and then went efficiently about their jobs they were assigned. And Velites simply did what they were told, day or night, tireless and obedient.
Even Odin found it interesting, and for the most part, he left Scrivener Blooms and Luna alone after seeing how they were already keeping track of the new creatures they had brought into Looking Glass Equestria. It was a task that Scrivy took pleasure in, however... awkward as it was sometimes when some supernatural entity would catch him watching and wander over to look, or when he'd been writing notes on Nightmares and a Phooka had sat down beside him, and he'd absently petted the half-animal creature for ten minutes while reviewing notes until he realized what he was doing.
Pollen was both excited and a little scared to see other Velites roaming around... but once reassured that they were victims like her and not predators, she interacted with them willingly enough. The other skeletons were a bit brainwashed in a few cases, and a few others had forgotten what it was like to have once been mortal... but none of them were worshipers of Veliuona, and all of them were eager to obey once they heard that an end to their endless suffering was coming.
Discombobulation was a little flustered by the fact that now Nightmares and demons were regularly showing up at the cabin, the chaos entity hiding in his aquarium and grumbling about the presence of Helheim, but the creatures ignored him so long as he ignored them. Not that the Draconequus could always put safety first, but since Luna only had to stop a Nightmare from attempting to eat him once, she thought the chimerical creature was doing a better job of keeping himself in line than she could have herself.
When it was time for Scrivy and Luna to return to the corrupted layer of reality, they left their journals and logbooks behind and only took a bag of simple supplies. Odin warned them again about the state of the world when they left, and Luna had grumbled out a promise to be careful before they had opened the Bifrost and made their way across, back into the twisted, mutant world... and straight into an ambush.
The skirmish was brutal: low on energy from summoning the bridge but high on adrenaline and endorphins, Luna and Scrivener ended up in a melee with wraiths and a middle-tier demon. The wraiths they crushed first: awful entities clad in rags, hiding their skull-like features beneath cowls, they were halfway between zombie and ghost and drained the energy from anything they could sink their claws into. The demon, meanwhile, flitted around the edges of the fight until the wraiths had been killed, then attempted to grab Scrivener from behind... only to first get two rear hooves slamming into its horned, scaly features before the earth pony dropped flat as Luna lunged over him and plunged her horn into the monstrosity.
The wound was far from lethal, and had only enraged the demon: it gnashed its teeth, clawed at them, slithered rapidly around on its body table and propelled itself faster with the bony wings that extended from its serpentine back, claws ripping against the ground as it yanked itself along and looked for a vulnerability. It was hunger in a physical form, gluttony that longed to feast upon them, and far tougher than it looked.
Finally, after taking a bit of a beating, the monster tried to bite Luna... and the winged unicorn had replied by slicing its lower jaw off in a single neat parry. The demon had finally fled at this point, and Scrivy and Luna had grumbled, both bruised and battered and cut as they'd stumbled their way back through the Empty Forest to their cottage for some rest.
There were scars of battle around the cabin... and while the Nightmare and one or two Velites had survived, the other creatures that had stayed behind had not. Demons were sweeping back and forth across corrupted Equestria, as were other entities of destruction, all hellbent on taking down as much of the world as they could before they were taken down themselves. It was enough to make the living ponies uneasy, wondering if their time here was finally at an end.
They rested, and the Nightmare watched over them almost fawningly... a feeling that was still strange, even if no longer uncomfortable. Luna had started calling this particular Nightmare 'Melinda' after the witch in the famous poem, and the entity had only attempted to point out once that they already possessed names they held in secret and silence before Luna had glared at her and the creature had decided it would graciously accept its new name.
Over the weeks that passed, they fought against monstrosities, demons, and even what seemed like the world itself come alive: they gathered more creatures to their cause, found more Pales, and Luna decided that there was no longer any point in being too cautious or careful. Instead, she led Scrivener on wild adventure: they explored past the Frozen Reef, they dredged the sacred vaults and catacombs of Canterlot, they crossed back and forth across Equestria further disturbing the already-disturbed land, every now and then accompanied by creatures of the night that eagerly banded with them.
In the months that passed, Scrivener found himself battered and bludgeoned and beaten by everything from Nibelung and Velites more interested in one last battle than a chance at salvation, to mutant dragons, monsters that were all-but-legendary, and demons of every tier. And yet at the same time, despite the carnage, the mayhem, the violence, and spending every few weeks passing over the Bifrost to transfer Pales, servants of the night, and the few objects of value they managed to get their hooves on, it also felt strangely-quiet. The nightmares when they slept had become lulling and calmer, and even Valthrudnir had faded, showing up only once or twice, his presence and the feelings of corruption in Scrivener's mind both seeming to diminish as time passed.
Finally, after eight months of living in this rotted-out, self-cannibalizing Equestria, Scrivener sat up on his bedding and blinked his eyes tiredly, rubbing absently at his features as his collar all-but-glowed around his neck. It was a bit scuffed and worn now, and the earth pony's body bore several ugly scars from the battles he had fought... and he couldn't help but smile a bit as he glanced towards Luna, who childishly grabbed at a pillow and pulled it over her face with a mumble as she refused to get up. Her body was still almost pristine... there were only a few hints of marring here and there, and that was all they were: hints, hidden to even the observant, known only by Scrivy because he knew every inch of her shape and form.
He admired her as he reached out, rubbing a hoof gently along her spine... and Luna sighed a little as her mane twisted backwards, half-spilling up along Scrivener's frame as she mumbled beneath the pillow: “I do not wish to get up today, Scrivy. We just crossed back across the Bifrost yesterday. It had been nice and calm and quiet and for once I wish to enjoy this... I demand coffee to further my enjoyment. Make Melinda put on coffee, the creature can make itself useful for insisting on staying even after every other creature has long gone on to Looking Glass world.”
Scrivener reached up and gently patted the pillow over Luna's face, and she grumbled a bit beneath it before the earth pony pushed himself off the bedding with a yawn, glancing absently around the dusty, damaged living room before he turned and made his way towards the kitchen, not bothering to look for his glasses. He glanced up, unsurprised, when the Nightmare materialized beside him, smiling at him kindly as she bowed her head respectfully: even after all these months, the odd creature was still as loyal as ever, and as polite and flattering as when they had first begun to work together. “Shall I, Scrivener Blooms?”
“No, it's alright, thank you.” Scrivy smiled a bit as he went about the process of putting the coffee on, taking his time as the Nightmare nodded, then the earth pony asked curiously: “How are things looking outside? Any pests in the area?”
“It has been... empty.” the Nightmare replied after a thoughtful moment, and the smoky, dark equine strode slowly past Scrivy, almost sultry, glowing white eyes seeming oddly soft. “Storm clouds are overhead, blocking out the sunlight and keeping the world dark. Corruption is trying to whisper something and the world gasps for breath: do you feel it, brother?”
“He is not thy brother, Melinda, do not be obnoxious.” Luna called from the den, and the Nightmare sighed a little as she turned towards where Luna was finally sitting up in front of the fireplace, grumbling a bit as she attempted to keep the blankets up around her shoulder as her black pearl bounced gently against her breast. “Truly, though, nothing abound? Perhaps we shall actually get a day to relax after all.”
Scrivener grunted in agreement as he turned the coffeemaker on, then turned to open the refrigerator... and cursed under his breath at the reek that floated out of it, shutting it firmly with a look of disgust as his eyes flicked back towards the coffeemaker and he realized it wasn't working either. “Something drained the battery. Looks like you'll have to go without your coffee.”
“Nonsense, I'll do it the old-fashioned way, then.” Luna replied moodily, and she flicked her horn towards the fireplace, blue flames immediately bursting into being. “Would thou mind checking the battery, then, Scrivener? Perhaps 'tis just a loose connection.”
The earth pony nodded to her as the Nightmare looked curiously towards the machinery, murmuring as Scrivener headed for the back door: “Strange. We had no visitors while you slept, and no difficult weather.”
For some reason, this didn't help Scrivy's foreboding as he stepped outside, glancing up at the cloudy, dark sky overhead before something caught his eye: not the floating chunks of stone here and there, not the foul clouds or the flashes of flickering light that danced throughout some of them... but something else beyond as he frowned a bit. Then, as he gazed back and forth over the splotchy clouds, he realized that the sky above had turned completely black... and for some reason, it made his stomach clench. No violet, no crimson, and no baleful glow of the red sun, even though the air around him seemed gray and listless.
Yet the luminescence had no source: it was as if the air itself was emitting that strange, phantasmal gray light, and Scrivener frowned deeply as he walked slowly out into the back yard before something chuckled quietly behind him, and the earth pony looked over his shoulder in surprise... then gritted his teeth at the sight of Valthrudnir lounging complacently against the side of the house, the ivory dragon grinning widely as he held up a hand of five cards... five tarot cards, the reading that Scrivener had almost been able to put out of his mind, as the Jötnar said kindly: “It looks like today's the day, slave-pony hack. Today is the day past and present and future all collide, and we see just how resourceful you and Brynhild really are. Can you conquer Fate? Can you outmatch the Norns? Only know one thing, Scrivener Blooms... this time I'm not going to let you cheat and change the ending of the story.”
Scrivy began to open his mouth, but Valthrudnir only laughed and grinned, flicking his wrist and tossing the five cards into the air, and they floated in a row in front of the earth pony: the Hanged Man, the Lord of Sorrow, Judgment, the World, and the Lord of Loss in Pleasure. Scrivener's mouth closed and he fell silent as he gazed over these, as his eyes roved along their twisted images... and then Valthrudnir calmly pulled a platinum-framed pocketwatch out of his suit jacket and looked down at it as his amber eyes gleamed dangerously. “I'd say you have about sixty minutes before you die. Do prove me wrong if you can; I enjoy our games.”
The Jötnar flickered out of existence as Scrivener looked up in horror, feeling a tremble roll through his body before he spun around and charged into the cottage to find Luna already on her hooves, looking at him with concern before her eyes widened as their gazes met and locked and traded memories and thoughts in a flurry before she cursed under her breath, turning and flicking her horn to the side to throw the steel kettle and metal netting out of the fireplace, snapping towards the surprised-looking Nightmare: “I keep a set of runes in the bedroom, fetch them now, creature!”
The Nightmare winced and scrambled away without questioning as Scrivener hurriedly tore through the cupboards and Luna leaned down to slice her own forelimb open, cursing under her breath before she flicked the blood into the blue flames as her horn gave a sharp pulse, and they immediately flared upwards and turned a darker sapphire as she asked the earth pony incredulously: “But what does the echo want?”
“I think he wants us to suffer, that's all... if we live, he gets to keep torturing us, and if we die, he gets to feel like he's won. I don't even know if he's right or not about the world collapsing but... something out there is wrong and he...” Scrivener shivered a bit as he dug several pouches out of the cupboards, then picked these up and hurried over to Luna, who took them with a grimace. “He knows things.”
“The echo may not be Valthrudnir himself, but if it possesses his memories, instincts... aye, I do not doubt the sick and pedantic god studied the collapse of every layer he destroyed. He would know the signs well.” Luna muttered, and then she cursed under her breath before the Nightmare hurried back with a black case, adding darkly: “The Bifrost is collapsed and if the monster spoke true we have but one choice and one chance.”
Luna's horn glowed and yanked the case free from the Nightmare's jaws, and it winced and staggered before the case opened and dropped to the bedding, the winged unicorn's eyes flicking back and forth over the square tokens inside, each made of bone and engraved with different runes. She quickly but carefully selected a handful of these, lifting them into the air as she concentrated her magic, then flicked them into the fire... and the flames twisted and swirled upwards, filling the entire fireplace before they became almost crystalline.
The semisolid fire pulsed with iridescent light as Luna and Scrivener gazed into it apprehensively... and then Luna threw her head back with a sigh of relief as Odin's voice echoed out of the fireplace, concerned and surprised: “Brynhild? Has something happened? There's some kind of interference...”
“Then likely the creature spoke true. The world seems to be either nearing or beginning the collapse, Odin... we need to access thy portal to Valhalla in order to escape.” Luna said sharply, and for a few moments there was a sense of hesitation from the flames before Luna gritted her teeth and and shouted: “'Tis no prank, cyclops!”
For a few seconds longer there was silence... and then a tired sigh before Odin said quietly: “It's in Ponyville. Go into the cellar of the house past the statue of the noble witch, there's a false wall to the left.”
“Odin... I thank thee.” Luna responded quietly, and then she nodded firmly before turning away from the flames and grimacing a bit as she ordered: “Nightmare, fly ahead! Scrivy, there is no way we can cross that distance by hoof or wing... I shall teleport us. But it shall be unpleasant.”
“Just like our first date.” Scrivener smiled a bit despite himself, and Luna gave him a look for a few moments before she shook her head with a snort as the Nightmare vanished from sight. “Wait, Luna, before we go... is there anything we need?”
“Coffee, still, but I'll settle for tea in Valhalla. Come, Scrivener, let us make haste.” Luna muttered, even as a twist of fear spilled through her gut, and the earth pony nodded as they headed for the front door, the winged unicorn throwing it open... and grimacing at the gray aura that filled the air outside before her eyes flicked up to the clouds overhead, and she cursed under her breath. “The world begins to more and more to resemble the bastard child of Helheim and Ginnungagap, made up of all the worst qualities of both. But what else would a dying world resemble?”
Scrivener grunted in agreement... and then Luna turned towards him and embraced him suddenly and fiercely, and the earth pony looked up in surprise even as he hugged her back on instinct. For a moment, they rested together like that, the winged unicorn's mane and tail twisting forwards and around him as she pulled him closer, then shook her head slowly and murmured: “Perhaps this is Valthrudnir's truer and crueler plan... to make us indebted to his machinations and evil and terrible mind, to pretend to save us only so he may mock us...”
“It's just an echo. It's been... dormant for the most part, too. Let's just... hope for the best for now, and concentrate on getting out of here.” Scrivy replied quietly, and Luna nodded slowly before she and Scrivener pressed their foreheads together, both of them concentrating as electricity sizzled along their bodies.
Luna's horn began to glow as her mane and tail pulled tighter around the pair, squeezing one another closer as Scrivener poured his concentration and energy towards the winged unicorn, and her magic spilled through the bodies of both ponies before a swirl of sapphire mist twisted around them, corkscrewing upwards before vanishing into sparkling motes of blue.
Moments later at the outskirts of Ponyville, electricity sparked through the air, and then a swirl of sapphire smoke rose from the ground before coalescing and reforming into the shapes of the two ponies, their bodies still pressed together, forelimbs still tightly-embracing one another. Then another jolt of electricity shocked through the air around them, and they knocked their heads together firmly before Scrivener fell backwards with a groan, steam hissing up from his body as Luna staggered backwards and her ephemeral locks flickered violently. “Damnation!”
They both looked at one another stupidly for a moment, Scrivener on his back, Luna's legs wobbling as she stood before she shook her head firmly as the two regained their senses... and then they both stared in dumb surprise as a Nightmare flickered into existence beside them, Melinda leaning forwards as if she had never left their side and saying quietly: “The atmosphere is becoming riddled with energy, laced with Helheim's corruption: the effects this will have are... undesirable.”
“No, I did not imagine that.” Luna muttered drolly, and then she shook her head quickly, grimacing a bit as the air around them seemed to pulse with the same unnatural aura as Scrivy climbed carefully to his hooves. “It is not yet enough to interfere too much with things, but it explains this supernal light. Come, let us hurry: I do not wish to tarry.”
“I agree.” Scrivener nodded as he fell into step beside Luna and the Nightmare followed them anxiously, the earth pony glancing back and forth as they strode towards Ponyville, hooves crunching ice and gravel beneath them as he added quietly: “It's so quiet...”
“The pureblooded demons would have sensed this first, and fled back to Helheim... then the shades that remain here in this world would have felt it next. Now that I am aware of what this energy means, I can feel the prickling of this energy... but it still confuses more than it does scare. It is not that I doubt your judgment, my wiser siblings... it is that I worry this is only a phase closer to destruction, not imminent destruction itself.” the Nightmare said carefully behind them, then she winced a bit when Luna shot her a moody look over her shoulder. “ I am only voicing an opinion.”
“For once, I wish to err on the side of caution. And furthermore, thou forgets that a phase can last anywhere betwixt seconds and years.” Luna grumbled, and the Nightmare bowed her head in respectful accord.
Then the three halted and looked up in surprise as electricity surged over a nearby building, the arcs of energy growing and strengthening, becoming almost blindingly-bright before the remains of the structure tore itself free from the ground and lifted into the air, dirt and rock and wooden debris tumbling off it... but the broken pieces of building fell towards the sky instead of the ground. It rose slowly, hauntingly, and Luna shivered a bit as above their heads, the clouds ripped themselves apart and revealed more of the void of the black sky above.
“And if there ever was an omen we should hurry on our way, 'twas that.” Luna muttered, watching as rotten earth and a few broken boards floated out of the hole in the earth, and she shook her head quickly as she hurried onwards, looking back and forth for the shattered remains of the statue of her lost student, Trixie the Brave.
Scrivener Blooms and the Nightmare followed anxiously before the male winced as he glanced towards another ugly crater in the earth, and Luna's eyes flicked towards this quickly before she grunted in agreement. “The statue is gone, but aye, this is where it was located... that means... look, there!”
Luna pointed past a listing, collapsed house, to where a second building lay in complete ruin, covered with thick, jagged ice... but beside the piled debris of this was a half-imploded cellar door, and Luna ran towards this and then flicked her horn, yanking them off their hinges and throwing them both to the side with a single hard telekinetic pull.
Recoil surged along her body, and she arched her back with a curse, half-staggering as Scrivener felt a twist of pain roil through his own being as he skidded to a halt beside her, but Luna only quickly shook her head with a grumble, muttering: “'Tis likely due to the energy in the air, that is all. It amplifies everything... positive and negative. Let us hurry out of here.”
Scrivener grunted in agreement, following quickly towards the steps leading down into the rotten earth, and she grimaced a bit in disgust at the reek of death and must that floated up out of it, the earth pony close at her heels and the Nightmare bringing up the rear. As Luna's eyes adjusted to the darkness, she winced at the sight of spiderwebs, and then cursed under her breath at the sight of the slimes clinging to the walls and floor here and there before her eyes flicked towards a wall that seemed to be vibrating faintly, small sparks twisting here and there over it.
The illusion was almost perfect, but the buildup of energy in the air was creating a strange distortion effect, and Luna grinned as she lowered her shoulder before simply charging into it. She crashed through in a hail of wooden splinters, runes violently sparking for a moment over the debris before sizzling quickly out, and Luna let out a grunt of victory as she grinned at the sight of an ancient, circular tablet of stone that rested against the back wall of the rot-smelling hidden room, gemstones carved into an intricate pattern of exotic symbols all-but-glowing over it as she called easily over her shoulder: “Scrivener Blooms, I require thy concentration. 'Twill sting only for a moment. Nightmare, halt the slimes from attacking us.”
Scrivy stepped up beside the winged unicorn, looking awkwardly back and forth through the cubical, hidden room as Luna dropped her head forwards, and then he winced and hurriedly lowered his own. Slowly, the breathing of the two began to even out as their heads bowed further, their mixed soul swirling, their minds and bodies and emotions synching up as Luna's horn began to glow even as sparks of energy twisted over their bodies.
In front of them, the gemstones in the tablet began to glow in response before it began to tremble, a faint rumbling filling the air... and then, as Luna and Scrivener rose their heads and gave a final, firm shove with the combined strength of their energy and will, the circular stone slab glowed brightly and the light spilled brighter and higher, blinding and enrapturing the two even as they staggered backwards from the recoil that sparked and twisted along their bodies as it transformed into a golden, glowing portal.
For a moment, they could both only stare... and then Luna grinned widely, breathing hard as a strange tremble of excitement twisted through her before she turned her eyes to scrivener, saying firmly: “Come, husband... let us find out if my old home truly is as glorious as I remember.”
Scrivener laughed a bit at this, and then he gazed towards the portal as the Nightmare hesitated at their backs, but Luna only grinned widely as she looked over her shoulder, saying easily: “Worry not, Melinda... there have been worse things in Valhalla than thee. Come, though, before the portal closes!”
She turned back towards the golden light, laughing as she leapt into it, and Scrivener snorted in entertainment as he followed quickly after her, wincing and yet grinning, exhilarated in spite of the pain that sparked along his body as the Nightmare followed last. The journey was incredible: running through a tunnel of sound and fire and light, it was like being inside the Bifrost instead of traveling overtop it, breathing hard as they sprinted for seconds that felt like hours before ripping out of the other side of the vortex.
Luna immediately skidded to a halt, and Scrivener staggered to a stop beside her, the Nightmare stumbling out last and then hissing in shock as it cowered backwards behind the two. A radiant sun shone down from where it hung in a clear blue sky above, and they stood upon a wide dirt highway that was lined on either side with immense trees filled with blue apples that stretched for countless miles. All that either of them could do was stare... and then the Nightmare slowly straightened, its eyes wide as it whispered: “The sun does not burn me here... there is a stabilizing presence in the air. Everything is different from the physical realm, even from Helheim... do you feel it?”
Luna answered this question by closing her eyes and tilting her head back as she took a deep breath, and Scrivener shuddered a bit as a strange euphoria rollicked through his system, filling his body with strength. Luna's ephemeral locks all-but-sizzled with new vitality as her mane and tail wafted backwards in the windless air, and then she grinned widely as her eyes opened and gazed up at the bright, but far from blinding sun overhead, irises sharp and intense with the strength flooding her form as she whispered: “Aye. I do. For we are in warrior's paradise: where the body is flooded with strength, where the strong are blessed to be who they truly are at heart, where we may laugh and sing and fight without grim death lurking around each and every corner.”
She turned suddenly, and Scrivener and the Nightmare both turned to follow her gaze... and all three gazed with awe towards the immense castle that was only a short distance away at the end of the dusty highway, protected by a massive moat and an immense, half-raised bridge of polished wood. The outer walls were made of gray stone that seemed somehow vibrant, and immense towers stretched towards the sky around an immense central structure of stone and metal, simple and yet beautiful in its design before Luna threw her head back and laughed in delight. “Yes, Valhalla itself! Valhalla of Asgard... I feel both like I am coming home and visiting for the first time, and 'tis... 'tis truly strange.”
Scrivener Blooms smiled warmly as the mare blushed a bit, and Luna's eyes roved towards him as his gaze trailed almost shyly towards her, the two studying one another as the link that bound them seemed to become almost like a physical, tangible thing for a moment, a radiance pulsing for a moment around them both in the secret shapes of their mixed souls... and then another reverberation echoed through the air, and Scrivy grimaced a bit as he glanced down in surprise. Luna frowned at him, and then she gritted her teeth as her heart thudded in her chest painfully and her head bowed forwards, her mane sparking violently as the Nightmare backpedaled away from the two in surprise and fright. “Siblings?”
“What's happening...” Scrivener grimaced in pain, leaning his head forwards... and then Luna's horn gave a sudden, dazzling white pulse, and the earth pony arched his back with a scream of shock and agony as blood burst from one of his ears and his features rippled like water, reality around the pony distorting as charcoal coat became ugly black scales, his eyes widening in fear as he began to shake his head violently and Luna stared at him with horror... then shrieked in denial as her horn gave another pulse and Scrivener's body began to glow brighter, feeling his pain, his terror, and something deeper and darker and fouler-
Scrivener clenched his eyes shut as his body warped and distorted... and when he opened them, he was standing in the darkness of his own mind, trapped in the claws of the bog-beast as Valthrudnir stood in front of him with a triumphant grin on his features and his arms crossed, eyes glowing with malicious pleasure as he said with delight: “You walked right into my trap.”
“What are you doing? H-How are you doing this? Luna! Nightmare Moon!” Scrivener howled in agony as another pulse of pain ripped through his body, and then his head lashed and twisted to the side, his form warping, becoming half-pony, half-wyrm before he glared towards Valthrudnir as rage and hate flooded through his mind, trying to rip forwards through the bog beast's claws as he snarled: “I'll kill you!”
“Excellent, you're progressing wonderfully. Go ahead, give in to those primal emotions... anger, hatred, sorrow, and suffering; that's what feeds my Wyrms. It will only serve to accelerate the transformation. Scream all you want, your precious Valkyrie can't hear you when she has her own problems to deal with.” Valthrudnir replied calmly, and Scrivener threw his head back with a raw, senseless yell even as horror flooded through his being, struggling to repress himself even as the rest of his very soul roiled with the need to give in to everything bottled up inside of him.
The Jötnar smiled knowingly at him at this as he reached into his suit jacket, then produced the hand of tarot cards, fanning the five out and saying mockingly: “But I suppose I can answer your question without worries... it was a brilliant strategy that I put together, I must humbly admit. And for a while, I was concerned that I would only be able to kill you and Brynhild, until I realized there was a much greater opportunity to be had if I bided my time. So that was what I did, feeding off you and Brynhild like a common demonic parasite. Degrading, yes... but some sacrifices must be made for the sake of victory.”
“I'll rip you apart!” Scrivener snarled, and then he howled in agony as the claws of the bog-beast tightened around him even as he felt his body pulse with pain, even as his teeth grew larger in his jaws and terrible light glowed out of his transformed eye, feeling the scales spreading further over his pony-half as his body increased in size. “Let me go!”
“Temper, temper.” Valthrudnir mocked, and Scrivener snarled, furious and maddened, managing to almost yank himself forwards before the monstrosity pinning him down tightened its grip and jerked him back. It only seemed to further please the Jötnar, however, as he laughed quietly and said softly: “Better than I ever could have hoped. Yes, emotions are such an immense flaw in mortals. They steal all perceptions away from them. Tweak them in the right directions... and you can make a mortal do anything you want. Then again, they are so often willfully-blind to begin with... it made it so easy to convince you and the Valkyrie bitch that I was focused on you alone, and that my Tyrant Wyrm's corruption was only able to affect your mind... when in reality, that pretty romantic link between your souls permitted me all the access I desired to Brynhild as well.”
This made Scrivener freeze up, staring in shock at the ivory dragon as he smiled coldly. “I even almost had her convinced to start this process earlier, too. That dark part of her soul is so convinced it's a secondary consciousness it even thinks it has its own thoughts, you know... thoughts I dripped a little poison into now and then. So-called 'Nightmare Moon' was too arrogant to believe she could ever be influenced by outside sources... and Brynhild thinks so low of that part of herself she is eager to find more reasons to despise it. They further influenced your emotions, your passions, your... sickness... under my bidding, without knowing it. And they almost poured Fenrir into you because of my suggestion. It's only too bad that you and the Valkyrie are both cowards. The Nightmare Moon part I can at least respect for its ruthlessness.”
Scrivener snarled... but even as he felt the fury bubbling up inside him, he forced it back, whispering: “I won't let you win. I beat you once, Valthrudnir. I won't let you win, not when you're nothing but a goddamn shadow in my mind.”
“Oh, but that's only made me all the more dangerous to you, hasn't it?” Valthrudnir replied softly, glancing down at the fan of cards still in his hand before he reached up and gently tapped the last card in line: the Lord of Loss in Pleasure. “You are flawed, and pathetic, and easy to break. You give in easily under the right conditions, although it is admittedly a delightful change of pace that instead of torture, all I have to do is throw the vermin a piece of poisoned cheese, and he gorges himself happily to death on it.”
Scrivener snarled, and then his head dropped forwards, feeling the scales spreading further, body thickening and warping in the awful claws of the monster as he tried his hardest to fight back... then threw his head back and snarled furiously: “Then why don't you let me show you what kinds of things I've come to enjoy, Valthrudnir?”
“Do not worry, beast, there will be time for that shortly.” Valthrudnir replied mockingly, and Scrivener's body bucked as the last of his pony features were swallowed up by scale, the last of his mane bursting off his skull and falling in a useless hail of straw-like hair to the ground as he felt awful desires roiling inside him and the bog-monster shifted its grip behind him, seizing into his shoulders to pin him down as its heavy, filthy and terribly-hot body dropped over his to hold him in place. “Don't you want to hear the rest of my brilliance? How I continued to keep my presence known to you alone, how I made you two focus on what I was doing to you while this whole time I've been using that very link you yourself can control Brynhild through in order to complete my plans? I cannot express my delight that you both missed this entirely! If anything proves that you are both idiots and I am the supreme intellect in this pathetic set of worlds, it is most definitely that.”
Scrivener's eyes glowed with unholy sapphire light as he lashed both gnarled front claws out and ripped into the ground, clawing savagely at Valthrudnir, but the Jötnar grinned as he continued to stand calmly, just out of range. “I even couldn't resist dropping hints about this, as you should be able to see from the reading I so generously performed for you...” He held up the fan of cards, pointing calmly at it as Scrivener only growled in response, feeling his thoughts becoming alien, monstrous instincts taking over. “I even warned you ahead of time... a Tyrant Wyrm, powered by a Valkyrie soul. You will be the body, and Brynhild will provide the energy, the strength... after all, here we are in Valhalla, a place where we become reflections of our true souls... and pretty little Brynhild just happens to specialize in transformations and polymorph effects on top of that.”
Scrivener shivered in horror, looking up at this as he snarled... then he forced his passions down, struggled to get himself under control as he whispered: “But how did you know that...”
“All I needed to wait for was Brynhild to enter an energy-rich environment that would enhance her magic a little further, or to manipulate her into doing something that would increase either your power or her own... either effect would have helped greatly in getting me towards what I desired.” Valthrudnir replied softly, and he finally closed the fan of cards into one hand and tucked them calmly into his suit jacket, his amber eyes glowing with malicious, savage glee. “And now you're all mine, Scrivener Blooms. I have all the ingredients: Brynhild's power, your mixed soul, an environment laden with energy that will actively influence and help the process of your transformation, and the last ingredient... the corruption that has been growing and spreading through you. And once it fuses into you, you will become a new pet, a new puppet who will do whatever I please... and my very first target can be that other cheater, Odin himself.”
Scrivener began to open his mouth, and then Valthrudnir held up a hand as his eyes gave a flash, saying curtly: “Checkmate.”
He snapped his fingers, and the bog-beast above Scrivener roared as it pounced downwards, bursting into dark liquid that swirled and roiled over the transformed once-pony, and Scrivener screamed in his mind at the agony of it surging over him, fusing against him, hardening and ripping into his veins, his mind, his heart, his soul. It ripped through him, savaging his spirit as he convulsed wildly, and the Jötnar only laughed as he strode backwards and spread his arms, shouting: “It's too late to struggle now, pathetic animal! You were mine from the very first moment the Tyrant Wyrm stretched its gift into your mind... now you'll make a serviceable warship until I can gather the materials I need to reconstitute my own body!”
A claw ripped upwards as the howls of agony became animals roars, and then it slammed into the ground as a head tore towards the sky, dripping with muck, its eyes glowing, unholy blue lamps as the mottled Tyrant Wyrm rose with a snarl. It was immense now, the last of the mud sliding from its worn dark scales, its features brutal and vicious, and Valthrudnir laughed as he clapped his hands together, his eyes glowing with triumph. “Perfection! A machine restored and rebuilt, the first of my pets renewed, destruction incarnate to destroy my enemies and-”
The Tyrant Wyrm growled slowly as it leaned down, narrowing its eyes, and Valthrudnir frowned immediately at this even as he hesitantly took a step back: the creature towered over him now, its eyes blazing, a bit of drool dripping from its jaws. For a moment, they only looked at each other... and then the Jötnar snarled, raising a fist and shouting: “I command you! I was the one who created you! As we speak, your host body is transforming to accommodate you and you will do my bidding, you are made of-”
“I am made of the corruption you used to hide and protect yourself, the corruption that links you to me... but that corruption was only a puppet, never alive, never with its own consciousness, and all of that has been poured into me. Valthrudnir, I am rage, and hatred, and destruction, but all of that is directed towards the only object I see right now in front of me.” the monster snarled, and Valthrudnir's eyes widened in horror at the sound of Scrivener Blooms' voice, elevated to a terrible degree before the Tyrant Wyrm grinned widely. “You remembered to take away my fears, you transformed my body, you corrupted my will... but you forgot about my mind. You put my mind in this deadly puppet of your own design, forgetting that the puppet serves you, but I do not bow to you: all you filled me with is a need to destroy and kill. And guess what the first thing I'm going to destroy is, genius?”
Valthrudnir rose a single finger, his jaws falling slightly open... and then he simply swallowed thickly, looking stupefied before the Tyrant Wyrm's jaws lunged down and snapped shut over him, the ivory dragon shrieking as his legs managed to kick once before the Wyrm lashed its head back and its teeth crunched down with awful power. In moments, the echo of Valthrudnir was devoured, ripped apart and swallowed greedily down before the monstrosity slowly ground its teeth together, leaned back... and then spat out several saliva-covered, rotting playing cards that dissolved slowly into ashes as they floated towards the dark ground.
The enormous beast snorted in disgust at this, bowing its head forwards as it stood alone in the realm of its mind. It shivered weakly for a few moments, breathing hard, and then fell forwards with a howl of misery, grasping at its skull with its front claws before Scrivener's voice rasped: “No... don't give in... don't let it take over... no, no, no, no
“No, no, no!” Scrivener cried miserably, throwing his head back... and he stared up at the blue sky above even as his body gave another terrible pulse of pain, his eyes glowing with awful sapphire light as Luna shrieked, grinding her hooves against the ground as she tried to pull away... but her glowing horn was dragged inexorably forwards like metal towards a magnet, her hooves leaving narrow trenches through the dirt as it gave another pulse, and the earth pony howled in agony that Luna felt ripping through her own mind as well. It drowned out Nightmare Moon, it sent static surging through their linked souls... and Melinda had already vanished, fleeing in terror from whatever was happening to her so-called 'sibling' winged unicorn and earth pony.
Except with his rippling, changing frame, he no longer seemed like merely an earth pony: his body seemed like it was beginning to warp, distort, transform, a terrible, pulsing aura shimmering around him of mixed white-and-black. It made it difficult to even look at him as Luna felt herself drawn closer... and the closer she drew, the more she felt her energy drained from her body, poured into Scrivener, accelerating the transformation all the faster.
Tears fell from Luna's eyes as pain ripped through her body, trying to yank herself backwards again... and then a strong hand seized her shoulder and managed to shove her away, and the aura died down slightly as she was pushed to a distance. Luna looked up with a gasp to see Odin looming over her, the once-god looking with horror towards Scrivener... and the winged unicorn couldn't repress a cry of misery as she saw how he looked awfully... melted, twisted, trying to continue to transform even as he visibly fought against himself.
“By Yggdrasil...” Odin whispered, and then he shook his head quickly before Scrivener looked up at him pleadingly, and the once-god gritted his teeth as he reached down and yanked a sword free from where it was sheathed at his side, and Luna's eyes widened as the falcon-headed being quickly drew the blade back, muttering as Scrivener stared at him helplessly: “I am sorry, but this is all I can do.”
He stabbed downwards... and Luna lunged forwards with a shriek, striking the sword with her horn, guiding the deadly, thin blade away from Scrivener's face and instead sending it plunging into the collar around the male's neck, shattering the gemstone and severing the thin metal, but only managing to score a shallow cut before Luna threw herself savagely against Odin, knocking him crashing backwards. He rolled once with a curse of surprise as the winged unicorn stomped in front of Scrivener Blooms, shouting furiously at him: “Monster! Thou wouldst sacrifice us both rather than save him?”
“No, this sword will kill the body but bind the soul.” Odin grimaced as he slowly picked himself up from the ground, but his eyes were dark as he rubbed slowly at his chest, the sword hanging loosely from his other hand... but all the same, Luna held herself at the ready as the once-god said quietly: “I have to kill him, Brynhild. He's caught in the middle of some awful magic I recognize all too clearly as Valthrudnir's tampering. It will hurt you, but it will not kill you. Only his body will die, and then your pact with him will be severed. You can visit his spirit here in the warrior's heaven any time you like.”
“Not good enough! I would prefer to die myself than sever that which lays between us, Odin, and if thou tries to harm him, then I will stop thee. I will kill thee.” Luna snarled, leaning forwards as tears streamed down her face, and the once-god looked surprised before the winged unicorn looked over shoulder, trembling, as Scrivener stared back at her helplessly, gargling and shivering before he howled in misery and dropped his head forwards... and Luna moaned in not just pain, but horror at the way his body rippled and shifted.
“Brynhild... look at him.” Odin said gently but firmly, straightening and gesturing outwards with his free hand, and the winged unicorn shivered as her eyes stared helplessly at the pony. “The transformation has already gone wrong... it will madden him or kill him anyway, and you will die if it fails... but if it succeeds, if he gives in to it completely, he will become a Tyrant Wyrm, and we cannot ever permit one of their kind to live. You know this. It will like-as-not consume you; they do not know love, it will not be your husband any longer... and while I admire Scrivener's bravery in battling this transformation, he cannot last much longer. Either he dies... or he becomes a monster.”
For a few moments, Luna could only stare over her shoulder at Scrivener, trembling, as he looked back with his glowing eyes, his body rippling before bulking up, then shrinking downwards, letting out another scream of agony as a hoof split apart into a claw to rip at the ground, then seal tightly back together into a hoof once more... and then the winged unicorn clenched her eyes shut and bowed her head, whispering: “I understand.”
Odin nodded slowly as he began to stride calmly forwards... and then Luna lunged towards him, and then once-god stared in surprise for a moment before he automatically swung the sword upwards, and Luna snarled as she slashed savagely into this with her glowing horn, shattering the blade of the weapon like glass before her hooves collided savagely with his ribs and crushed him down into the ground, the falcon-headed being coughing blood as he arched his back in shock before Luna pinned him and glared down into his eyes, snarling: “I will not abandon my soulmate.”
Odin stared up at her, panting hard, and then Luna turned around and strode towards Scrivener, the aura pulsing, growing brighter and larger as the winged unicorn willingly stepped towards him now, her own horn glowing more and more as she smiled faintly at him until she was standing with their faces only inches apart. Then, slowly, she lowered her horn towards him, touching it to his forehead, and Scrivener felt the pain dying out as time seemed to slow, both surrounded in a terrible glow of radiance and darkness as Luna whispered: “It's okay.”
She laughed a bit, then closed her eyes and continued softly: “I love thee. Thou art my husband, my best friend, my soulmate, my... my everything. Everything we have done, we have always done together. And now, thou stands upon the threshold of a change but I want thee to know... it's okay. It's okay, whatever happens. I love thee. I am going to stay beside thee, and I am not afraid. As long as we walk the path together, nothing else matters... not what others think of us, not what the world wants us to be or do, not society, not even the gods or the Norns or anything else.
“No matter what, Scrivener Blooms, I am here for thee. Luna Brynhild, Nightmare Moon... I am thine, thou art mine. We are each other's rulers and servants, but we are also always equals. We are also always together, and loyal, and fight for one another, not just beside one-another.” Luna smiled faintly as she opened her eyes, looking slowly up, and Scrivener's own glowing eyes flickered before she kissed his lips chastely, then nodded once and whispered: “I do not care what we become, or what we do. I do not care about Valhalla, or Equestria, or the countless layers. Not if I can spend all that time with thee, together. If we are to become evil... if we are to become villains and destroyers... let it be. We will still be together, even if we are monsters... I would rather be a monster beside thee, doomed to Helheim's torments, than a heroine Valkyrie alone in Paradise any moment of any day. I love thee, Scrivener Blooms.”
Scrivener stared at her, at the depth of her devotion, her love, her indescribable loyalty and affection as his body rippled, feeling their hearts beating in time, their souls mixing together, their gazes locked and countless thoughts and memories and feelings spilling between them... and then, even through the pain, even as the glow built higher, Scrivener smiled with faint but true happiness, and he whispered: “I love you too, Luna Brynhild. Always.”
The glow around them built, swirled with darkness and shadow, and Odin winced back from it even as he sat up with a curse under his breath, covering his features with his arm... and when he slowly drew his limb away, he stared in disbelief, whispering: “Impossible.”
Scrivener Blooms lay on the ground, the earth pony bleeding from several ugly wounds in his body, steam rising from his form... but he was breathing slowly and regularly, and his eyes were only half-closed as Luna rested with him protectively curled against her, one hoof stroking slowly down his back. She was smiling tiredly, and her ephemeral mane and tail had transformed back into light-blue hair as she looked down at her husband, saying quietly: “Sometimes, Odin, all it takes is a little love, and a little reassurance. That which lurks inside us cannot be fought with a sword or blocked with a shield, old fool. I had hoped you had learned that by now.”
Odin only laughed faintly, and then Luna glanced tiredly towards the once-god as she slowly laid her head down atop Scrivener Blooms, closing her eyes as the earth pony closed his own, and she murmured: “Please do not kill us whilst we get some much needed sleep, old lecher. There will be time to beat upon one-another later.”
“Of course.” Odin murmured, and he rubbed slowly at his aching chest as he carefully pushed himself up to his feet, then looked silently down at these ponies beneath the blue skies and warm sun... and he smiled.