//------------------------------//
// Through The Black Mirror 
// Story: Decretum 
// by BlackRoseRaven 
//------------------------------//

Chapter Seventy Two: Through The Black Mirror
~BlackRoseRaven

The first thing Luna and Scrivener were aware of was that it was terrifying to stride through this black tunnel of darkness filled with the sounds of relentless machinery, unable to make out anything more than the faint shape of Gymbr ahead of them. The second thing was that it hurt: it froze Luna's blood in her veins, but made the corruption in Scrivener's boil, and filled the mental link between them with wails of static.
After seconds that felt like minutes, they finally staggered out the other side... and behind them, the dark rift crackled with such violence that it knocked Luna and Scrivener stumbling forwards as it snapped closed, Gymbr glancing calmly over its shoulder as it said softly: “We hope that no one tried to follow. It will not have ended nicely for them.”
Luna gritted her teeth with a shiver at this, wishing she'd glanced back before she slowly looked up as her eyes focused... and her mind tried to process the world she was looking at, as she whispered: “By Mimir's head... this... this cannot have once been Equestria...”
“The very air... reeks of corruption...” Scrivener shivered, unable to bring his eyes up, only staring down at the ground... a ground that stank of asphalt, chemicals, and diseased blood, made of blackened, charred stone, dark tar, and what looked like the black mire created by the Tyrant Wyrms.
Noxious smoke rolled by like mist, and slowly, Scrivener forced himself to look up, the same expression of horror spreading over his features as he looked at the endless wasteland in front of him. Jagged red and black mountains bit at the crimson sky in the distance, and instead of trees, there were terrible obelisks of dark stone leaning out of the mire here and there, carved with intricate runes, like collections of signposts directing ghosts to nowhere. There were a few shapes in the distance that could be buildings, others that were possibly monuments... but for the most part, the only distinguishing features among the broken and hollow landscape were the enormous, dull metal pipes, many of these steaming in places where bolts had come loose and dripping with black poison and liquid corruption.
There was only one defined building, which seemed to be where the pipes were heading towards: what had once clearly been Canterlot Castle, but was now some awful, black and steel shape that even from here, they could hear harrowing rumbles emanating from. And then both ponies looked at Gymbr as the creature said softly, without turning to face them: “Look behind yourselves, sweet Scrivener, beloved Luna.”
Slowly, both ponies did so... and then they staggered forwards, spinning around and staring in shock at the gargantuan monolith they stood in the shadow of. It was tilted slightly backwards, likely from years of settling into the mire, and enormous, silent tankers rested to either side of it, as well as unmoving pistons that were steaming faintly on exposed, complex engines. But the body of the object itself was made of massive plates of dull, blurry glass that were covered in thin cracks and larger fractures. The monstrous mirror had to be at least sixty feet tall and perhaps forty wide, and although it emitted no sense of power... gazing into it, at the blurs and swirls, felt like gazing through a dirty window into another world entirely.
Scrivener and Luna stared over this with horror, as Gymbr calmly turned and said softly: “The Black Mirror. Clockwork World's gateway to other worlds... pretty, isn't it? A massive channeling altar, powered by...” Gymbr closed its eyes, tilting its head upwards as its horn gave a faint pulse. “A thousand souls. That is why it can open and close so quickly... was easy to activate, even from across the layers...”
Luna and Scrivener stared in horror, and then both ponies hurried to the side, running around to the back of the mirror... and staring in horror at the sight of the massive, crystalline dome on the other side of the structure. It was what was holding the massive rectangle of glass up, although several of the supports and pipes had rusted away and clogged shut with rust or hardened corruption. But the cracked dome, while dirty, was translucent... more than transparent enough to see the countless bodies crammed into the other side of it, electricity sizzling every now and then through the piled-in corpses.
Scrivener shook his head weakly as Luna breathed hard, then snarled as her horn glowed and she began to step forwards... but the sapphire light stuttered out as Gymbr's own horn took on a dark shimmer and the creature stepped around the mirror, asking curiously: “What are you doing? There is no necessity to free them... in fact, this may be the only easy link between worlds-”
“And I shall not use the defiled dead as stepping stones to get from one world to the next!” Luna retorted furiously, shaking her head with a growl as Scrivener grimaced and nodded in agreement. “We shall simply force another way back with this one destroyed, but those souls deserve rest... and if this is truly the greatest gate between worlds, then let us destroy it and rob Decretum of the ability to strike at Looking Glass World with ease!”
Then Luna stopped and frowned, looking sharply at Gymbr and asking slowly: “Tell me, creature... if thou believes this so important... then why is it undefended?”
But it was Scrivener who answered, looking down and saying quietly: “Well, Luna, think about it... in this world, what's there to defend from? All serve the Clockwork King and his Prophet. Ultimate order... everyone does what they're told.”
Luna grunted and shivered, meeting Scrivener's eyes, trading images and memories back they both looked up in surprise as Gymbr said softly: “Then we shall destroy the Black Mirror, while you both go to our clearest destination. First we shall decipher and understand it, and then we shall wait for you to reach a safe distance. We have no desire to waste energy protecting you both from the explosion that shall result, nor with fighting the army that will undoubtedly arrive to discover what has happened here. Do not fear... your energies resonate with us. It will be easy for us to catch up.”
Luna and Scrivener traded apprehensive looks, before the sapphire mare asked slowly: “And exactly why should we give thou this leap of trust and faith... and moreover, why should I not pummel thee into the ground for thy particularly-irksome choice of words?”
“We apologize. But do not forget that we are powerful; modesty is not our strong point. But we are also honest, as you should have learned by now... we wish to aid you, and if you are afraid we are sending you into a trap or benefit at all from your demise, you are mistaken.” Gymbr leaned slowly down, and both Scrivener and Luna winced a bit as the creature said softly: “We must save Antares Mīrus. That is our desire; to achieve this end, however, we will require your aid. Yes, becoming more than a Tulpa has granted us all the powers our storied memories tell us we should have. But it has also created a vulnerability in us: we are not a thought-from masquerading as the physical, we are the physical, in the physical realm. Which means that other physical forces will hurt us.”
“That's why you wanted to come with us... you want us to watch your back.” Scrivener said slowly, then he frowned and asked after a moment: “Why not just... create an army, though, if you have such godlike power?”
And Gymbr laughed quietly at this, looking to Luna and answering in a voice that took on more of her tones: “And where would be the fun and honor in that?”
Luna smiled wryly, then she nodded hesitantly before sighing softly, glancing at Scrivener Blooms and muttering: “'Tis not as if we have much choice in either event, Scrivy... we must trust in the creature. No matter what it is, what it does, what it desires; it is here, and we must take its word. And it knows this, does it not?”
“We do.” Gymbr agreed kindly, and then it bowed its head to them, adding gently: “We do not care if you refer to us as male or female. Speak freely to us. We will not harm either of you.”
Scrivener only grunted as Luna grimaced a little, then the sapphire mare turned and muttered: “Aye, yes. So used to say the Barons, too. Yet how many dared to then speak freely and wert beheaded within moments?”
“Now, Luna, we are not the Barons. We are you.” Gymbr called calmly at their backs, and Luna shivered a bit as she kept her eyes forwards, even as Scrivener couldn't help but glance awkwardly back. “Do not fear. We shall rejoin you shortly... head onwards, to the only possible destination, and do not turn back.”
“Yes, of course not.” Scrivener muttered, and he and Luna both looked up towards the only shape in the distance: maimed, warped and distorted Canterlot. “Do you get the feeling we were just very subtly given an order?”
“Aye, I do, and what frustrates me further is that I know not what to do about it but to bear it for now.” Luna replied in a mumble, and Scrivener nodded slowly before the two ponies looked back and forth at the dark mire and bleak corruption all around them, both shaking their heads slowly. “By all that is, Scrivener Blooms... Valthrudnir did not just burn this world... he poured evil that I cannot express, cannot describe into its core and roots, transforming it into a... a place worse than Helheim. 'Sinister' does not begin to do justice to it...”
Scrivener grunted and nodded, shivering despite himself as he and Luna strode forwards through the wastes, both looking up at the red sky... and the sapphire mare shivered as she realized that there were no clouds, no stars, no moon, and no sun. Just a ceiling of red and poisonous light that poured down from the sky, stealing all sense of day and night... worse by far than the light of the Evening Isles in the first layer they had placed an anchor, so long ago now...
Luna looked silently down as Scrivener breathed slowly, tasting the corruption in the air, feeling the mire under his hooves... and not wanting to admit that he felt a strange, almost comforting heat whenever they passed over a particularly large patch of dark, deathly bog. Then he glanced up as the winged unicorn whispered suddenly: “Scrivener... what have we both become? For what affects thou affects me, and I know that... did thou not have that immunity to the corruption, we would be poisoned by it by now. And in my mind, Nightmare Moon is excited, speaks of paradise... but oh, I look around myself and I do not see paradise. I see... I see..”
Luna trembled, looking ahead before she snarled and spat to the side, saying fiercely: “Oh, why lie! I do not see paradise, but I do not see Hell... gods damn me, but I see and smell possibilities, Scrivener Blooms, and I loathe myself for it! I feel strong in this world now, even with the corruption all around us, and I wonder... I think of the visions thou gave Wisdom that have crept into my mind, I wonder if we can raise some great and dark nature in place of a great and dark machine and... and...”
Luna breathed hard, then she shook her head out as her starry mane sparked violently, Scrivener looking across at her quietly before he said softly: “I know.”
The winged unicorn looked over at him for a moment, and the earth pony shook his head slowly before he gazed ahead and whispered: “Luna... I feel a call. A beacon... beyond Canterlot. Something is crying out to us... and while I want to rescue Antares, and stop the Clockwork King, I feel like Visionary's powers... they're pointing the way to something we have to find. Something beyond Canterlot...”
He shook his head, then looked down, continuing weakly: “Maybe... maybe it was Visionary's powers, Visionary's intent all along that the corruption would do this. That destroying the Hexad would give me their memories and feed so much poison through me that it would give us this.. this immunity to the corruption in the air. She knew about the corruption already in my mind and spirit and... I...”
Scrivener broke off, sounding weak and tinny in his own ears, but Luna was nodding slowly, looking at him worriedly before she said finally: “'Tis possible, is it not? It must be, Scrivy, it... it must.”
“It must.” Scrivener muttered, looking down and shaking his head before he said quietly: “Otherwise... the Tyrant Wyrm must have had worse effects on me than we ever realized, or maybe... staying in corrupted Equestria for so long...” He stopped, then laughed sourly, looking down and whispering: “Not that corrupted Equestria had anything on this... even when it became insane and was beginning to lose cohesion, it wasn't like this. This is worse than chaos, and reality tearing apart. This... this is Valthrudnir's 'genius.' This is Valthrudnir's plans and heart and soul, all bared and brought to light...”
Luna shivered a little at this thought herself, shaking her head slowly as she and Scrivener continued on in silence, only occasionally looking up and around themselves... but there was nothing to see. No life, few landmarks, and the only sound was the pumping and gushing of sludge through the stacked pipeline some forty feet away, and neither pony dared to approach this.
Then they both glanced sharply up at the sound of a rumbling through the air, looking over their shoulders... and staring in shock at the enormous, black explosion that ripped into the sky, arcs of blue lightning sizzling through the air as blasts rang through the wastes. Both ponies gaped in shock at the sight of the earth visibly rippling and smoke bursting outwards... and then another, second explosion rumbled upwards, a mushroom cloud stretching towards the sky as enormous chunks of rubble flew in all directions, leaving streaks of fire and electricity and smoke behind them.
One meteor fell dangerously close to them, smashing down only some ten feet away, and Scrivener and Luna both winced and backpedaled before the stallion grunted in shock as he hit something. He looked over his shoulder with a wince, and stared in disbelief at the sight of Gymbr, the creature smiling calmly down at him and saying softly: “Do not fear, our friends. We are at a safe distance. The waves and smoke should both settle before they reach us here... and besides, our goal lays in the opposite direction. If we continue towards it, we shall be fine.”
“Aye, then let us do that.” Luna agreed with a wince, watching in horror as the mushroom cloud continued to grow and expanding, lighting streaking violently through it as another ominous rumble tore through the air. “By all that is, monster, what did thou do?”
“Monster... yes, perhaps we still are a monster. But there is little difference between monsters and gods.” Gymbr said thoughtfully, turning and striding calmly forwards, and Scrivener and Luna both shivered as they looked after the creature before they strode quickly forwards, falling into pace behind Gymbr. “But we do not entirely appreciate being referred to as such all the same. It brings back bad memories.”
“Memories... they are not memories!” Luna snapped, before she could stop herself, and Gymbr cocked its head curiously even as it refused to look back, continuing onwards, and Luna ground her teeth together before plunging forwards, even as Scrivener winced and dropped his head a bit. “Thou wert never alive, thou never... we never did the things described in that damned story, Odin was not our enemy and... they are not thy memories!”
“They are the story that forms our past. Whether we lived them or only dreamed them, they are still our memories.” Gymbr replied in an infuriatingly-calm voice, and Luna grumbled under her breath as the creature led them onwards with a slight smile, gazing out towards Canterlot in the distance. “Besides. There is no greater truth than that which is told in dreams.”
“Damnable creature, speak not in riddles, 'tis vexing.” Luna muttered and Scrivener lowered his head moodily, trying not to let himself think too deeply on what the strange being was saying.
But only a few minutes later, their attention was drawn from arguing with Gymbr to looking nervously up at the sky as enormous metal birds flew slowly onwards overhead... but Gymbr only glanced up, saying softly. “Do not fear. They are blind to us: they gaze only at the sky, not the earth below. Foolish.”
“But we need to be careful... if soldiers are sent in to check on what happened back there, the only place they could come from is Canterlot.” Scrivener said slowly, but Gymbr only chuckled quietly. “What? What is it?”
“Do not forget who opposes us. The Prophet that gazes across time and space, into other worlds and realities.” Gymbr answered, tilting its head towards them with a smile, and Luna nodded with a frown of understanding before the creature continued softly: “Strange that she did not see us... stranger still that, as we are not being swarmed in upon by minions and soldiers, she has not taken notice of our presence.”
Gymbr paused, then added meditatively: “Or perhaps she has. But why would the Prophet permit us to stride onwards? Why, in fact, did she not send her soldiers the moment the Black Mirror was activated? To miss such a thing... it would point to blindness, or foolish arrogance... and the Prophet has not struck us as foolish nor as arrogant.”
Scrivener looked down, frowning, as Luna nodded slowly, before Gymbr looked up and said thoughtfully: “Perhaps a cruel trap awaits us. Perhaps we are meant to feel safe. Or perhaps there is a greater scheme at work here... we do not know. We are not sure. All we can do is continue forwards, and find what awaits us... but at least our journey shall not be uncomfortable.”
“Speak for yourself.” Scrivener muttered, and when Gymbr smiled over its shoulder at him, the earth pony shivered a bit and shook his head slowly, saying quietly: “Walking through this world, Gymbr, seeing... feeling almost good... that bothers me more than if every glance at this hellish wasteland made me want to vomit...”
Luna nodded in slow agreement, and Gymbr looked at them with a strange thoughtfulness in its eyes before it gazed forwards again towards Canterlot, saying softly: “Yes. Yes, we have so much we desire to learn from you both...”
“Then perhaps thou can teach me whatever atrocious magic thou used to create that magnificent explosion. 'Twould be nice to have a spell in my arsenal that could make even Celestia wet herself in fear.” Luna said meditatively, and Gymbr chuckled quietly at this before the sapphire mare glanced up at the red sky and shivered. “'Twould be nicer still if thou could do away with that blasphemous crimson sky...”
Gymbr only smiled, looking ahead as its black-fire mane and tail swirled slowly backwards, and Scrivener and Luna both looked silently towards the creature before turning their eyes ahead. They continued through the treacherous black wastes, Gymbr gazing forwards and keeping their pace steady and calm, refusing to hurry... and for how little the two trusted in it in other ways, they had faith in its ability to sense whether they were moving too quickly or too slow. If Gymbr wasn't rushing, it meant Antares must still be okay... and they were both well aware that this creature, anything but stupid, perhaps had other unspoken reasons for keeping them moving at this almost-relaxed march.
Scrivener and Luna couldn't help but stare at some of the things they passed, though... here, a massive, long-abandoned guard tower, leaning heavily and surrounded by broken hulks of strange machinery. There, the pipeline fed into some kind of massive, octagonal tank, that was rumbling ominously and had at least half a dozen other pipes sticking out of it: a hub, fed from a multitude of pipes to pump fuel and poison out in a variety of directions, although Scrivener didn't dare guess where the toxic payload was coming from... or what these countless veins running across the skin of the dead wasteland went.
And as they drew closer to Canterlot and the mountain range, the ground under their hooves became brittle rock, layered here and there with ash. They also began to see signs of other creatures: prints of hooves, trails, pieces of metal, and eventually a cracked asphalt road that they stepped onto and began to follow. Gymbr was as calm as ever about this development, taking it almost carelessly casually... but Luna and Scrivener both began to feel anxious.
They followed the road into the outer steppes of the mountain range, Canterlot far closer now. It loomed ominously against the sky in the distance, visible above even the tallest mountain between them and the structure, and Scrivener shivered a bit as he noted there were massive pipes and ancient, rusting supports jutting from the underside of the castle and all along the cliff beneath the foreboding building. There was something simply... horrifying about it, that dragged in both Luna and Scrivener's attention, neither of them realizing that Gymbr had stopped before its hooves clicked loudly as they snapped apart into claws, and it reached up to seize both Scrivener and Luna by the mane, holding them in place as they both flinched at its grip.
Before even Luna could snap at it, though,  the mare's sharp ears picked up the steady thundering of hooves, and she looked slowly up in horror to realize that there was a metal bridge some fifty feet ahead and perhaps only a few yards above their heads, heavy steel pillars feeding down into the rocky earth to support the sagging structure. Many of the additional supports on the bridge had long snapped, and it stretched from the gaping tunnel in the cliff to their left to what looked like a high road cut into the side of the mountain on their right.
Luna realized they had no cover: the road they were following cut through a U-shaped ravine, and the sides of the cliff were steep and had few nooks or crannies to hide in. As she wracked her mind for options, the creatures above began to stride onto the bridge... and Luna's mind went blank as she stared at them with something like numb horror, shaking her head slowly and disbelievingly.
They were shaped like ponies... but that was where the similarities ended. They had naked gray flesh instead of colored coats, sunken black eyes, and no manes or tails that Luna could see. They were hideous, broken, naked things, like unloved, unwelcome newborns that had been thrown out to die, but had been raised as a twisted joke from their earthen cradles to serve a force that knew love and mercy no more than it understood dignity and compassion.
The creatures walked in double-file across the bridge, not looking around, only staring mindlessly ahead, devoid of emotions and curiosity. Large metal bins hung off the sides of several of the creatures, some almost overflowing with chunks of crystal and large pieces of ore, as Scrivener whispered: “Worker Drones. But they're worse than the memories ever said...”
Luna grimaced in disgust and nodded slowly, as Gymbr dropped its claws away from them as they clacked loudly back into hooves. It calmly stood, looking up at the bridge as the double line of Workers filed slowly onwards, none of the automatons noticing nor caring that they were being watched as they strode on over the rusted metal.
The parade of Worker Drones moved past after a few minutes... and Scrivener grimaced in disgust as Gymbr murmured quietly: “What foolishness... in our world, we made our people strong, and gave them freedom. His mechanical toys have neither of those things, nor dignity, emotion, or hope.”
Scrivener and Luna both nodded slowly before Gymbr calmly began to lead them onwards, and both equines fell in step behind him. The mountains grew steadily higher and steeper as the road under their hooves sloped gently upwards through the narrow trench. Gymbr kept his eyes forwards, but Scrivener and Luna couldn't help but look skywards: not only were more Thunderbirds flying by overhead, sometimes low enough that the two could faintly hear the beats of their metallic wings, they were passing beneath more bridges and by rusted, warped hulks of lamp- and signposts.
Finally, as they drew close to their destination and the warped, corrupted Canterlot towered terribly high above on the mountaintop, Gymbr calmly gestured ahead. Slowly, Scrivener forced his eyes down, past the massive pipes that in some cases were thicker than the mightiest tree of the Everfree Forest in Looking Glass World, that rumbled as ominously as a rabid dragon protecting its territory.
There was a massive, broken pipe near the bottom of the cliff, spilling an enormous waterfall of black ooze into a sinkhole that had formed near the base of the mountainside, broken pieces of road and what had likely once been a steel bridge standing up through this mess... but to the side, there was also a wide, metal ramp, half-eaten away by corruption. It led up to a massive, sunken stone archway and a pair of rusted metal doors that had warped slightly open from either so many years of the awful, humid heat radiating up from the rock, or perhaps the corruption's influence. “There. Our destination... our passage into what was once Canterlot.”
Scrivener and Luna nodded slowly, and as they approached the metal doors, Gymbr's horn glowed darkly before it simply flicked its head to the side, and the massive doors screamed in protest as the same aura surrounded them and they were dragged forcibly open. Scrivener and Luna both winced and looked back and forth at the sound, but Gymbr neither slowed nor sped up, continuing at the same calm pace as it said softly: “Have faith, Luna and Scrivener. This world is not like ours. To these creatures, a sound is only a sound... neither warning nor curiosity.”
The two ponies nodded hesitantly as they followed the third creature to the ramp and up into the stone hall beyond. They looked back and forth as Gymbr led the way forwards, at walls shored up by rusted and ancient pillars of both steel and stone, at abandoned mining tools and what looked like a rusted mine cart tipped on its side, a payload of broken, unpolished gemstones spilled from it like dried blood.
Then the trio halted at a loud humming that whizzed through the air before both Scrivener and Luna set themselves as a spark of light shot towards them, but Gymbr only looked coldly, unflinchingly up as the gleam grew quickly closer and larger before it flashed brightly... and a moment later, Valthrudnir was standing in front of them, the Jötnar snarling down at them as he pointed angrily at the trio and shouted: “In-In-Ingrates!”
Scrivener snarled and stepped forwards, feeling the corruption boil in his system at just the sight of the monster as Luna glared furiously, but Gymbr only cocked its head curiously before its eyes narrowed, murmuring: “Amplified illusion.”
“Oh, as if y-you plebeians are so worthy of my at-at-attention t-that I'm g-going to come to you, w-when you fools seem intent to c-come to me.” Valthrudnir's retorted disgustedly, and Scrivener relaxed slightly as he realized that the outline of the Jötnar was fuzzy, and his movements a bit jerky. It really is just some kind of... projected image... “H-How dare you worthless l-little in-insects set foot h-here!”
“We don't have feet, we have hooves.” Scrivener said dryly, holding one of these up and shaking it absently, and the image of Valthrudnir snarled at him before the charcoal stallion leaned forwards, glaring at him. “Besides. You're the one who called us out, Valthrudnir. You're the one who not only messed with our world... you kidnapped our son, you coward.”
“T-there is no cowardice in u-utilizing superior strategy.” Valthrudnir retorted, standing straighter and looking down at the trio with disgust. “And I d-did plan to send y-your son back to you... after I h-h-helped him see the g-glory of my ways, that is. But now you fools are forcing m-my hand, and instead I shall have to e-end the game prematurely!”
“Oh fear not, Valthrudnir, the game shall indeed end shortly... we shall ensure that!” Luna snarled, and the Jötnar smiled icily at her before Luna leaned forwards, eyes blazing with fury as her mane sparked. “We shall rescue my son, and then we shall hunt thee down and rip both thee and thy false Prophet apart!”
Valthrudnir only laughed at this; one short, sharp 'ha!' repeated again and again and again,  as stuttering as his voice before there was a flash of light, and a whizzing sound as glowing orb shot rapidly away from them, his voice fading even as he mocked: “Y-You are free to try, B-B-Brynhild! Go a-ahead, 'save' y-your son... h-he c-c-cries for you from his cell up above!”
Scrivener and Luna both snarled furiously, but Gymbr only shook its head, stepping forwards and saying softly: “No, do not fall for the treachery of the Jötnar. He desires to see us in panic... he desires to try and use our emotions against us. If we rush, we shall only play into his games and his claws.”
Scrivener and Luna both grimaced, but nodded hesitantly as they continued slowly forwards, and the creature smiled and nodded calmly back to them as it turned its gaze ahead, saying quietly: “We shall not permit Antares Mīrus to be harmed. He is our savior. He is the guiding light. He is... Polaris.”
Both ponies looked for a moment towards Gymbr as they began to stride forwards down the long, wide tunnel, and then Luna asked hesitantly as she leaned forwards slowly: “Creature... I do not say that I either disagree, nor that I do not understand... but why is it that thou art so... so... so dependent upon my beloved child?”
And Gymbr smiled at this, not looking at either pony as it gazed ahead before saying softly: “Because you are us, and he is everything we were supposed to build, supposed to cherish... and only succeeded in corrupting and destroying. He is Midnight Hour's antithesis. He has brought love and hope into our heart... he makes us think of something other than ourselves.”
Both Scrivener and Luna nodded silently as they made their way through the tunnel, realizing in time that it was an abandoned mine: there was little down here, though, and they were guided onwards by rusted signs and collapsed tunnels, forced to continue down the relatively-straight path formed by the reinforced main tunnel. Every now and then, they came across the rusted, dead body of a fallen Worker Drone... and Scrivener couldn't help but shiver at the sight of these. Flesh that was somehow metallic, rotting slowly and smelling of copper as they decayed for countless years...
They eventually found themselves in an enormous cavern that was filled with piles of ore and gemstones. Tools and mining equipment rested off to one side, and there was some kind of large, square platform at the very back of the cavern, several rusting steel boxes resting on this and the lift surrounded by thin safety rails. Gymbr approached this calmly as Scrivener and Luna both frowned and followed, the sapphire mare glancing up into the dark, open shaft above as she muttered: “'Tis some kind of... elevator, is that the term?”
“But there's no power.” Scrivener said quietly, shaking his head as he approached what looked like a control panel, poking at it with a grimace. “I don't understand any of these symbols or anything, either...”
“Then we shall fly.” Gymbr said calmly over its shoulder, and its horn began to glow... before it smiled and closed its eyes, bowing its head politely when Luna gave it a sharp look. “We apologize. We do not intend to overstep our bounds, do not fear; Scrivener Blooms, shall we transform you?”
“Just... just wings. Go ahead, Luna.” Scrivener grimaced a bit, and Gymbr smiled calmly as Luna's horn glowed sapphire as she turned her eyes on Scrivener, the earth pony closing his eyes as the modular plates on the sides of his armor glowed and clicked out of place, before cursing at the pain that shot through him as wings stretched and expanded out of his sides, hearing a sick splatter and not wanting to guess what it was.
Luna shivered a bit, her eyes locking on the sight of the dark corruption that burst down as a pair of large, leathery, and powerful wings formed, and Scrivener flapped these once with a wheeze, clearing more dark ooze from them as Gymbr said softly: “Fear not. It is just... an adjustment.”
“Oh. Wonderful.” Scrivener muttered, as the glow died around Luna's horn before he winced and cracked his back, flapping his wings again: they didn't feel as stiff as they often did when first formed, but on the other hoof, his back now ached... but that too was fading. Mostly, it was the thought of the corruption that had splattered all over that bothered him... “I... we should get going.”
“Aye. There is no time to dally, no time to worry and think.” Luna agreed quietly after a moment, and Gymbr nodded calmly before the sapphire mare spread her wings, gazing hesitantly over at Scrivener. “Art thou ready? 'Twill be a tough climb.”
“We have an important goal to reach.” Scrivener said quietly, and Luna smiled faintly before she nodded firmly, their eyes locking, images trading back and forth between them: of family, of embracing Antares, of their foal growing up... and they both steeled themselves before leaping upwards, wings flapping hard as they took to the air.
Gymbr followed after them as they spiraled slowly up and up and up through the long stone passage, Luna leading with her teeth grit and eyes glowing with determination. It was almost ten minutes of hard flight, pushing up and up and up, as around them stone first became laced with cables and thrumming pipes, then turned slowly to concrete and metal.
Luna's eyes locked on a glint above, and as they ascended, she realized it was a metal ceiling, with several enormous, visible gears in it, jammed with cobwebs and hanging, weakly-sparking cables. She also realized that one of the walls to the side was not a wall at all, but some kind of sliding door, and the winged unicorn grinned a bit as she guided her flight towards this,  noting that it was open just a little...
She brought her horn forwards, slipping it into the gap between the ajar doors, then twisted her head hard to the side with a grunt: with a puff of dust and a scream of rusted metal, the door slid slightly open before Luna brought her front hooves up, seizing the side of the frame and shoving the door hard to the side to open a space wide enough for her to comfortably pass through and drop to the cement beyond. Scrivener and Gymbr followed her in, the charcoal stallion glancing back and forth at the sloping, dusty stone corridor to the large, steel double doors at the end. “Well, 'tis only one way to go, at least.”
Scrivener nodded with a grimace, before both he and Luna frowned when Gymbr cocked its head curiously, staring intently at the doors before saying softly, as it began forwards: “Our host has sent a clown to entertain us. Shall we?”
Luna felt herself tensing up as Scrivener looked sharply ahead, and Gymbr smiled, as calm as ever before it flicked its horn forwards, knocking open the double doors at the end of the corridor as they approached. And Luna and Scrivener both snarled, freezing in their steps for a moment as Gymbr only continued to walk into the enormous hall beyond, as a deep voice shouted eagerly: “Herrófriðr has been waiting for you, ponies!”
The two equines shot forwards, dropping into ready positions on either side of Gymbr as they faced across from the monstrous, headless centaur. It was standing in the middle of what seemed like an enormous warehouse used for shipping and receiving: humongous steel crates and boxes were stacked at the sides of the area and against decaying metal shelves, the ceiling high overhead supported by warped girders and the walls and floor cracked with age. A battlefield that gave all the advantages to the centaur that was almost five times larger than them, in other words: home turf, no place to hide, and wide, long, and tall enough to let it move freely.
And Herrófriðr wasn't alone, either: standing at the ready, swords and shields glowing with malevolent magic, were no less than six Dullahan. Herrófriðr laughed, and had it a head, Scrivener knew the monster would be grinning as it rose its kite shield and reached over its shoulder with its free hand to yank a saw-bladed sword free, letting the tip of the jagged-bladed weapon drop down against the cement. “Filthy little maggots! Do not be afraid, Herrófriðr shall make your death quick!”
“Thou art the monster that stole our son... oh, aye this battle shall be quick, but 'twill be Scrivener Blooms and I that do the slaying!” Luna snapped angrily, snarling across at the centaur as she readied herself. Scrivener rumbled in agreement, and then both ponies glanced at Gymbr as the creature stepped forwards before Luna said sharply: “The monster is our quarry!”
“Do not fear. We shall not interfere... we simply desire to even the odds.” Gymbr replied quietly as its horn began to glow darkly, and then it flicked it upwards, and the six Dullahan gave rasping cries as black fire burst upwards over them, armor quickly beginning to melt away to nothing as they staggered backwards before Gymbr smiled as it leaned forwards, eyes beginning to glow as the aura around its horn flared higher, and black fire turned to solid obsidian crystal around the Dullahan, ensnaring them in gemstone cages.
Then Gymbr threw its head back and laughed as its dark fire mane sizzled upwards, the godlike creature rearing as its horn gave a pulse... and the black prisons and the Dullahan helplessly sealed inside were shattered like glass from the wave of force that rippled through the area, both Luna and Scrivener stumbling and staring at the horrible power of this creature as Herrófriðr staggered backwards with a roar of shock and disbelief, chunks of crystal and metal bouncing off its massive frame. A moment later, Gymbr dropped calmly back to its hooves, and it smiled before glancing up, saying softly: “We sense reinforcements. Please excuse us, Luna and Scrivener. We shall clear the path ahead... join us once you are finished with the clown.”
With that, Gymbr simply vanished from sight, and Luna and Scrivener traded looks as the rubble that was all that remained of the Dullahan settled, and Herrófriðr snarled at them before the creature roared in an enraged voice: “You dare mock Herrófriðr? Herrófriðr shall crush you!”
The centaur smashed the flat of its saw sword against its shield, then it snarled as it charged suddenly, violently forwards, and Luna and Scrivener barely had time to react before they leapt to either side. As the monster lashed its sword out towards Scrivener Blooms, Luna attempted to fly in from the side, flicking her horn to launch her spear free from its sheath as it extended rapidly up to full height before stabbing viciously forwards... and hitting only the monster's shield.
It didn't even turn towards her as it swung its arm out, knocking the spear away and slamming the kite shield into Luna's body to knock her backwards. It half-spun, swinging the massive saw sword out, and Luna barely managed to flap her wings and launch herself skywards before the blade whickered by beneath her. She snarled and retaliated with a lash of her horn, sending a fireball towards the massive centaur, but it easily blocked with the kite shield again, not even jarred by the blast before it snapped its sword upwards in an overpowered rising cut.
Luna winced and shot to the side, and then her eyes widened when Herrófriðr lunged and slammed the sword down in a halving slash, the sapphire mare trying to throw herself out of the way, but then hissing in pain when the edge of the blade caught her, tearing a scar through her armor and hitting with enough force to knock her flying backwards into a pile of crates. She bounced painfully off one, then managed to flip herself to land on her hooves on top of a second large steel container before her eyes widened when Herrófriðr simply barreled forwards with his shield raised in front of himself.
Luna leapt to the side and spread her wings, quickly shooting out of the way and only focusing on getting out of the path of the centaur; behind her, less than a second later, Herrófriðr simply smashed through the crates and charged into the metal shelving beyond, shrapnel and debris flying in all directions from the force of his impact.
It was already turning again, too, intent on pursuing Luna before her eyes snapped down as Scrivener shouted to her and threw her spear high into the air: with only a thought, Luna  caught it and stabbed it viciously inwards towards Herrófriðr's collar. It slipped just over the tip of its shield, denting in the thick metal around his nonexistent neck before the centaur swung its  sword up, catching the spear's neck between the teeth of his saw-like blade and then twisting hard to fling the polearm away like a toy, shouting angrily: “Stop struggling, harlot!”
Luna snarled and responded to this by flicking her horn down, sending another blue fireball rocketing towards the creature as Scrivener leapt into the air and shot towards Herrófriðr's back. But the monster's reflexes were horrifying: it not only swung its shield upwards to smash into the fireball, blocking the worst of the damage and ignoring the blast, it continued to half-turn and smashed the shield into Scrivener's face, knocking him backwards through the air before it slammed the pommel of its sword down into Scrivener's stomach.
It was like having a tree rammed into his gut, and Scrivener was knocked to the ground as Luna gasped, then shrieked when the centaur stomped a front hoof down on Scrivener once, twice, th-
Before it could slam its hoof down on the battered earth pony a third time, he snarled and swung all four limbs up, catching the bottom of it and gasping in pain as he felt his bones bending as mire and black blood dripped from wounds ripped wider by the exertion, but it was far better than the agony of being crushed once more. He could feel his denting armor tearing back against his own body as he flexed hard, trying to push the hoof up even as it bore savagely down... and then Herrófriðr roared and staggered forwards when Luna snapped her horn down and sent a blast of lightning hammering into its back, shouting furiously: “Keep thy wretched hooves to thyself, monster!”
Luna flicked her horn, her spear shooting up from the ground to float beside her as she dove forwards, but Herrófriðr leapt around in a circle, at the same time swinging its saw-sword viciously outwards in a turning cut: Luna only grinned, however, her eyes flashing as her spear snapped up in front of her, and blade meant to cut through anything slammed into the pole of a weapon designed never to break, Herrófriðr snarling in frustration and disbelief as Luna's horn glowed and her front hooves smashed into the spear's pole on either side of where it met the blade, fighting back against the strength of the goliath as her mane and tail sizzled with electricity. “Impossible! Stupid girl, you alone cannot be a match for Herrófriðr!”
“Nay, 'tis thou who art not the match for me! I am Luna Brynhild, and I am a Valkyrie!” Luna roared in return, and then she snarled as her eyes glowed, shouting: “And I am never alone!”
Scrivener leapt upwards from the ground, flapping his leathery wings hard to propel himself faster and further before he slammed his front hooves into Herrófriðr's underbelly, using them like an axle as he kicked both rear legs viciously upwards as hard as they could. They smashed into the underside of the centaur's equine underbelly with enough force to make the monster rattle, denting in its metallic body as Scrivener defied gravity, snarling as he felt Luna's rage flowing through him, giving him more strength as he began to pummel his front hooves savagely upwards as hard as he could in a vicious tattoo into its unprotected underside.
Herrófriðr roared in rage and fury, twitching and losing focus, letting Luna push forwards before it suddenly leaned forwards and slashed the saw sword out as hard as it could in a burst of raw power. Luna yelled in shock as both she and her spear were launched helplessly across the room, the sword ripping another long scar through her armor. Then the centaur leapt upwards, Scrivener flailing wildly as he began to fall before he stared stupidly a moment before the heavy, massive body of the centaur slammed viciously down on top of him as Herrófriðr landed heavily on its knees.
The stallion howled in pain, crushed back into the floor and feeling his ribs cracking and his armor crunching inwards. A moment later, Herrófriðr leapt back to its hooves, backing up and snarling downwards as it rose its sword high... but then the centaur flinched at the roar that echoed through the hall from Luna before it half-turned, and grunted in shock as Luna dragged a massive freight container into the air with telekinesis, the heavy metal crate spinning violently around her as she rolled her head on her shoulders before snapping her horn forwards as her eyes glowed ivory with rage, sending it flying at the metallic monster.
Herrófriðr snarled, anchoring itself into position as Scrivener hurriedly scrambled to his hooves and stagger-ran out from beneath the centaur. Then the metallic centaur roared, and Scrivener couldn't help but stare as Herrófriðr swung its kite shield out, battering away the enormous container to send it crashing to the ground like a train rumbling off a cliff... before Luna grinned sharply, already snapping her horn forwards to follow up with with a blast of lightning.
Herrófriðr was fast enough to automatically raise its other arm... but all this resulted in was the blast of lightning slamming into his saw-sword, and it was drawn down it like a conductor into the monster's metallic hand, which immediately began to smoke and smolder violently as enormous arcs of electricity tore up and down the centaur's sword. It howled in pain and surprise, staggering back and forth before flinging the weapon hurriedly to the ground.
Herrófriðr roared with fury, reaching back and yanking an enormous war-hammer free from the collection of weapons hanging from its side, and Luna snarled as the centaur charged for her, tensing herself before flapping her wings to narrowly launch over a vicious swing of the hammer. It smashed instead into a steel crate, crumpling the top like paper before Luna dropped low to avoid a wild swipe of its shield, then she winced and quickly flew backwards as Herrófriðr chased after her, smashing the hammer viciously down through the air back and forth, crunching craters into the floor. “Herrófriðr will crush you no matter how you try to run, worthless girl!”
Luna dodged back and forth, as Scrivener gritted his teeth and launched into the air as a wild, insane idea rose in his mind at how invulnerable this thing seemed, and the winged unicorn glanced over at him sharply before she returned her eyes to Herrófriðr, dropping to the ground and gritting her teeth as her horn began to glow brightly. Herrófriðr reared back, bringing its hammer far back before swinging viciously downwards with all its strength... and just before contact, Luna exploded into blue mist, the hammer uselessly passing through this and smashing deep into the ground instead, the centaur overbalancing and half-falling forwards.
Herrófriðr grunted in surprise as the blue mist snapped upwards around the hammer and twisted backwards, reforming rapidly into a wincing Luna as she gasped once and blood dripped from her mouth and nose: the hammer had still hurt like hell ripping through her, whether she'd been incorporeal or not. Then Scrivener Blooms shot over her head, and Herrófriðr wasn't able to react with both its arms out in front of it to hold himself up, as the earth pony shot straight down the dark gullet of the centaur.
It reared back in surprise... and then Luna grinned viciously as a massive bang sounded from inside the monster's hollow body as Scrivener hit something before the earth pony began to ricochet around inside the creature's chest, smashing viciously back and forth as Herrófriðr reared and then began to howl, dropping its war hammer as it staggered and its arms swung wildly through the air.
Luna flicked her horn, her spear flying quickly over to her before she leapt up and began to viciously stab it forwards in a cruel staccato against Herrófriðr's chest, following the trail of dents left by Scrivener's wild smashing. The centaur howled in misery, clawing at the air, unable to counterattack as Luna snapped furiously: “How does it feel to have something other than a helpless foal inside thy stomach, wretched child-thief!”
“Herrófriðr... k-k-kill... you both!” The monster howled, and then Luna snarled as she shot forwards and swung both rear hooves up to crunch in a large portion of the beast's weakened chest before, inside, Scrivener Blooms leapt upwards, kicking off the back plating and flapping his wings firmly as he threw himself as hard as possible in a straight dive-
Scrivener smashed straight through the monster's chest, and Herrófriðr threw its arms wide with a howl of misery, cracks tearing through its body as its chest was torn almost in half from the force of the stallion ripping through him as Luna leapt backwards. Scrivener hit the ground hard and rolled, wincing in pain and bleeding from where the metal edges of the centaur's body had torn against him, but the pain was nothing compared to the battle-rage and the pleasure he took in the monster's pain.
He skidded around with a snarl as Luna dropped to a ready position beside him, as Herrófriðr staggered back and forth, then dropped to its knees with enough force to rattle the entire room, slamming its hands into the ground in front of it as weapons fell free from its sides. It gargled weakly, clawing at the ground as it shivered once, and Scrivener and Luna traded sharp looks and nods before both ponies ran to either side of the beast.
Before it could recover, Scrivener seized one of the weapons that had fallen free from Herrófriðr, wrapping both his forelegs around the enormous hammer before he half-spun and slammed the mallet hard into the side of the creature. It howled in misery, then arched its back in agony as Luna's horn glowed and slammed a war axe hard into its upper back, the winged unicorn shouting: “Abomination, how does thou like the taste of thy own tyranny?”
Herrófriðr howled, barely able to move as Scrivener and Luna swept up fallen weapons, swinging and smashing them viciously into the centaur, battering it as they circled around the metallic monster and crunched limbs, broke armor plating, smashed apart its upper body. It was helpless, unable to turn, unable to move from the pain and the rapidly-accumulating damage before Luna finally snarled, horn glowing as she lifted the monster's still-sparking saw sword with telekinesis as they reached the front of the monster again, and Scrivener ran forwards before throwing himself into the air, flapping his leathery wings hard. He shot upwards and kicked both rear hooves hard into the pommel of the blade as Luna flicked her horn at the same time, sending it firing like a missile straight through Herrófriðr's already dissected chest.
The centaur howled, struck with enough force to knock its upper body arching backwards as metal flew in all directions before it shrieked as its headless torso and limbs simply shattered apart into shrapnel and broken, useless pieces of alloy, leaving only the lower body behind. For a few moments, this shivered weakly, bleeding silvery blood... and then the silver liquid turned to cement, and the steel of its broken body turned to brittle porcelain that cracked, then crumbled away into dust.
Scrivener and Luna both breathed hard, looking forwards over the wreckage of the hall and the ruins of the monster. They both shivered for a moment, then traded a grim look as Luna spat a bit of blood to the side and flicked her horn to lift her telescopic spear to the air, her eyes flashing as she said quietly: “There shall be neither mercy nor quarter given here... there is neither time for it, nor compassion in my heart for these foul scavengers.”
“Then let's keep moving, Luna.” Scrivener said quietly, reaching up and grimacing a bit as he touched his cracked armor, and the winged unicorn nodded as her spear collapsed and slid itself back to its sheath. “We'll join back up with Gymbr, take a moment to do some quick repairs... then push upwards into Canterlot and find our son.”
“And destroy anything that dares get between us and him.” Luna agreed quietly, nodding firmly and looking darkly across the warehouse hall as her eyes glowed with the promise of retribution. And Scrivener smiled grimly after a moment, nodding slowly as he fell into step beside her, two determined, unstoppable warriors of the night ready to do anything it took to rescue their child and stop Clockwork World... anything at all.