//------------------------------//
// Discussions Over Dinner 
// Story: Absolution 
// by BlackRoseRaven 
//------------------------------//

Chapter Nine: Discussions Over Dinner
~BlackRoseRaven

Scarlet Sage and Apple Bloom lived in a cozy, large townhouse: their neighbors were friendly and they got along well with the ponies around them. They kept their little section of yard almost obsessively neat, and Scarlet Sage kept a small garden alongside the fencing that separated their property from their neighbor's. She and Apple Bloom loved to work in the garden together, even if all they had room for was a small, rectangular patch of flowers and herbs.
The inside of the house was gorgeous: the basement had Apple Bloom's shop, which was always kept neat and organized and polished, and mirrored what she'd been taught by Cowlick. The kitchen was kept just as tidy, and the den room had old, cozy furnishings, paintings on the wall, and a few pretty potted plants, including an enormous taper that was slowly trying to spread its domain through one entire corner of the room.
Their bedroom upstairs, likewise, told a world about the two: the bed was large and plush and soft, but while there were three pillows on one half, there was only one on the other. On either side of the comfy furnishing was a nightstand, and these mirrored each other in many ways: neatly organized, both with a family photo, both with books. But on one table, there was also a blindfold for sleeping, while the other had an artist's sketchpad and several pencils.
A trunk rested at the foot of the bed, filled with odds and ends, and stuffed animals sat on a folded blanket over the top of it: the plush toys faced towards a large closet with mirrored doors. Bookshelves rested against the side wall, opposite the large, open windows: they were filled with mythology, engineering and carpentry texts, a few art books and a few other pieces of particular literature half-hidden here and there. But all along the top of the shelves were figurines, binders, notes, and other trinkets: a bit of chaos amongst all the perfect order.
Antares marveled over the room, like he always did, as he stood in the doorway. His own room was much, much messier... but it was more than the neatness. For him, with his acuity and his ability to read into everything he saw, stepping into someone's bedroom was often like stepping into their mind, seeing their inner thoughts, their whole personality, laid out in front of him. And seeing the way that Apple Bloom and Scarlet Sage reflected each other as much as they meshed together... it made him smile, and gave him a lot of hope for their future.
The young stallion glanced back and forth, then his eyes settled on a black binder with a large, red sticker stuck to it on the top shelf, and Antares smiled again as his horn glowed and he lifted it free with telekinesis. He put it gently down on the bed, flipping it open and beginning to page through the notes inside as he mumbled: “Now Scarlet Sage said... here it is.”
He paused and peered down at the page he had turned to, glancing quickly over it: they were notes that Scarlet Sage had made on Cancer, the monster's disease, and what had happened when she'd analyzed several samples of the destruction entity that they'd managed to scrape up. He read quickly through the file, then nodded and closed the binder, lifting it up with telekinesis... and groaning when he fumbled it in his psychic grip and accidentally tossed the binder through the air, sending it clattering down in front of the closet.
Antares mumbled as he approached the mirrored doors, making a bit of a face as he looked at his own crystal-clear reflection: he wasn't too fond of mirrors, for some reason. It was almost like they made him look into himself, and he wondered for the umpteenth time why Apple Bloom and Scarlet Sage had...
Slowly, Antares looked back up into the mirror as he stood in front of it, seeing himself, and the bed behind him before he blushed red and scooped up the binder in his forelimbs, mumbling: “Oh not thoughts I want to think about, not thoughts I want to think about.”
He grumbled a little, beginning to turn before he paused and leaned to the side as he realized the doors were a little ajar... and Antares hesitated for a few moments before he carefully leaned forwards, peeking between the crack in the mirrored doors. Something glinted inside, and the young stallion smiled after a moment before he was unable to help himself from carefully pulling one of the doors open to gaze in at a beautiful set of battle armor secreted inside the closet.
It rested on an armor stand, gorgeous and lightweight and polished, and Antares pulled the second mirror door open so he could look in at the second set of armor that stood beside it. Both Scarlet Sage and Apple Bloom had been trained in combat by his mother, Luna, even if neither of them seemed like fighters... but they could take care of themselves and each other well. For a few moments, he marveled over the battle armor, how it was clearly well-cared for despite being hidden away like a secret, before his eyes roved absently along the shelves and cubbyholes in the wall of the closet... and then he stared dumbly at a few objects he was fairly certain he wasn't supposed to see before he hurriedly closed both doors.
Antares turned... and almost ran right into Apple Bloom, who was looking down at him mildly. Antares creakily looked up at her, then he offered a weak smile before dumbly holding up the binder, saying lamely: “I. I got it.”
Apple Bloom looked at him for a few moments... then she sighed and reached forwards, messing up his mane with a hoof as she grumbled: “Anypony else and I'd tan their hide, you know that? But come on, Antares, dinner's about to be served and I guess I can let it slide. Did a lot of damn fool things myself when I was your age, after all... and made the much worse mistake of looking in your parents' closet, too.”
Antares laughed in spite of himself, feeling relieved as he lifted the binder with telekinesis before heading out the door, glancing curiously over his shoulder at Apple Bloom. “Yeah? Did my Mom catch you or anything?”
“Yeah, of course. And her inviting me to 'try 'em out' was way scarier than if she'd just yelled at me or something.” Apple Bloom smiled slightly, shaking her head slowly and saying ruefully: “Your Mom always scared me a little, to be entirely honest. Mostly 'cause I was afraid of what she'd do if I ever tried to call her bluff while she was acting like she was flirting with me. But I know she and your Dad were... were good ponies. Great ponies... some of the best.”
Antares nodded with a faint smile as they stepped out of the hall and headed down the stairs together, before the glossy-black stallion murmured softly: “They are, Apple Bloom. They really are.” Then he glanced up, and laughed a bit as they walked down the hall and into the kitchen, adding: “You're great ponies too, though, you and my big sister... much better with other ponies, too, I think.”
Apple Bloom only shrugged with a smile as they passed through the back door and out into the semi-enclosed back yard, where they'd set up a large, square table for their guests. Twilight and Celestia were already seated at the table, both looking comfortable: passing ponies greeted them and gazed with interest at the Baroness, and there were eyes here and there peering out of windows, but they were still more respectful of their semi-privacy than ponies would have been in a lot of other places.
Scarlet Sage was setting out dishes of salad and a few other plates she had prepared, including a bowl of venison dumplings she put down near Twilight with a bit of a smile. The Lich glanced up at her thankfully with a slow nod, even as she blushed and rubbed at her face a little, and the other pony that had joined them for this meal cocked her head curiously as she asked: “What's that? They smell good.”
Twilight only mumbled a little, glancing embarrassedly away from Prestige Luster, and Antares smiled as he approached and sat awkwardly down beside her. When Twilight and Celestia had returned to the library and found the two working diligently together, they had both forgone scolding them for running off and instead Celestia had mentioned the dinner they had been invited to. And surprisingly, Prestige had agreed to come of her own free will, only nodding lamely when she had been asked if she wanted to join.
Celestia kept looking at the two intently, as if she knew something was going on between them, and Antares knew he was going to have to tell everyone sooner or later. As he put the binder down on the table, Twilight's eyes turned towards him and she asked: “Did you see anything interesting?”
“No, what?” Antares winced, glancing over at Twilight with surprise, and when the Lich frowned at him he realized that she was talking about the notes, not... oh Horses of Heaven. “Uh. I mean... well, I don't think so. Aunt Tia, maybe you should take a look, though. You know a lot more about this kind of thing than me.”
“I do. And I'm glad to answer any questions you might have.” Celestia replied calmly, and Antares reflected morbidly that now everything sounded like innuendo. He picked up the book, and then the ivory winged unicorn continued in the same easy tones: “Although I wouldn't recommend trying to jump into bed with this kind of thing right away Antares. Not until you know more about what you're getting into, and have a firmer grasp of the situation.”
Antares stared across at Celestia, who looked at him with her calm amethyst eyes as Twilight only shifted in her seat and looked almost impatiently at the house, where Scarlet Sage and Apple Bloom had run off to. Prestige, meanwhile, slowly rose her head as she saw Antares and Celestia looking at each other, before the ivory winged unicorn smiled and glanced back down at the binder now in front of her, adding almost offhandedly: “Of course, your mother would tell you to go right ahead with all speed, as would Sleipnir. But both would probably advise some degree of protection. Especially if it was your first time... otherwise you might end up being tied down by responsibilities you're not ready for to something you've put together with a pony you might not be with forever.”
Now Twilight glanced up curiously as Antares and Prestige both continued to stare at Celestia, before the rainbow-maned winged unicorn looked up with a slight smile and a wink. “But of course we're only talking about organic samples. A rubber glove should be enough protection for safe handling.”
Twilight glanced back down at her plate, even as Antares silently but wildly fidgeted, jaw working spasmodically as Prestige flailed her hooves and shook her head violently, but Celestia only hummed to herself, looking pleased as she returned her eyes to the binder. A few moments later Scarlet Sage and Apple Bloom came back, the Pegasus carrying the last of the plates of food for dinner and the earth pony a large bottle of wine, and they both looked awkwardly at the spastic young ponies before Celestia drew their attention with a curious question: “Not that I doubt your abilities, Scarlet Sage... but are you sure these are correct? The regeneration rate you noted here is extraordinary, even by a chaos entity's standards...”
“I tested it three times over several hours, and it never decreased.” Scarlet Sage answered as she set the food out on the table before sitting down on Prestige's other side, and Apple Bloom sat beside her fiancee, between the Pegasus and Celestia. “I think the results are a few pages further on... and did you see the energy charge? That's only an estimate...”
“I did, and even if this was overgenerous, the amount of bioenergy this creature is giving off is incredible. We might be able to use that to track its movements.” Celestia said thoughtfully, nodding slowly. “Apple Bloom, what do you think? You know what technology and Kilby Kwolek are capable of far better than I do.”
Apple Bloom smiled at the ivory mare, nodding firmly once. “I think Cowlick could do it, no problem. I think I might even have an idea myself about how we could do it. Maybe we can put that scary new toy of Cowlick's to use once we do. After seeing that thing in action, I'm pretty sure there ain't much that could survive being caught in its sights.”
“Parsimony?” Antares asked curiously, glancing up, and Apple Bloom nodded before she frowned curiously at how flushed Antares still looked. But the young stallion hurriedly shook his head before he asked impulsively: “Hey, have you been helping out Rusty at all with his project?”
“That crazy thing he's trying to build to impress Cowlick?” Apple Bloom grinned widely, shaking her head. “I get him parts now and then sometimes, but that's about it. The colt wants to do the whole thing on his own, has for all these years now... and you know what? I think he's finally got a working design. I think he might even manage to impress Cowlick, once it's done... and should be finished real soon, at that.”
“Good. I can't wait.” Antares smiled warmly, relaxing a little more now as Celestia closed the binder and put aside the file. Conversation turned to other topics as they began to dole food out, and Antares nodded gratefully as he took some of the venison dumplings when Twilight offered him the bowl: unlike most ponies, he'd been eating meat his entire life. He knew that his parents had often eaten meat themselves, although he was fairly certain his ability to process this kind of food had been passed on from Nightmare Moon, like his sharp teeth.
About halfway through the meal, however, Prestige quietly touched his side, and Antares glanced at her, studied her, saw into her... and he smiled after a moment at the look she gave him, turning his eyes forwards and clearing his throat quietly. All eyes looked towards him curiously as he rose himself up a little, and then he said awkwardly: “I... I just wanna say something.”
He fell quiet for a moment, as Twilight tilted her head slowly before swallowing the dumpling in her jaws and asked: “Well, what is it, Antares? We're all family and friends here. Even... you, Prestige, you're a friend.”
“She is... Prestige and I are... she's my marefriend.” Antares stumbled out finally, looking lamely up, and Twilight's jaw fell open as Scarlet Sage and Apple Bloom both stared, while Celestia only calmly continued to pick at her salad, eating slowly as she looked at the young stallion curiously. “We uh... yeah.”
Antares sat down, grinning dumbly over at Prestige, and the silver-maned mare sighed and closed her eyes, dropping her face against a hoof as she muttered: “Smoothly done, Antares.”
The young stallion grumbled a little, and then Twilight spluttered loudly before she asked incredulously: “And when did this happen? How did this happen? Oh Horses of Heaven, this didn't happen at the library, did it?”
“Mom!” Antares almost shouted, blushing deeply as he shook his head violently and rose his hooves. “I just... we haven't done anything, we just kissed and-”
“You what? When? Why? Where? What?” Twilight stared at him, jaw working as she looked almost desperately back and forth between the two. “But... I thought... I thought you and Meadowlark were...”
Antares blushed red again as Prestige looked up grumpily, but there was a pang of injury in her eyes as she crossed her forelegs and spat out: “What? Am I not good enough for him?”
“To be fair, we all know you do call pretty much everyone in Ponyville a splinter horn, slave hoof, or mudwalker on a regular basis.” Apple Bloom said pointedly, as she reached up and squeezed Scarlet Sage's shoulder soothingly, helping stir the Pegasus from her stupefaction. “We're just con... curious, I mean, we're curious about the way you two... got together.”
Prestige sulked a little, slumping back a bit in her seat, but thankfully either young pony was spared from answering as Celestia glanced up and said kindly: “I'm sure that they have their reasons, and Prestige and Antares both... are rational, reasonable ponies. At least most of the time.” She smiled a bit, adding quietly: “I'm hoping that you both learn from each other, through your relationship. However long or short it lasts.”
“Thanks, Aunt Tia.” Antares mumbled awkwardly, bowing his head forwards with a nod and a bit of a blush, and Celestia nodded slowly in return to him. Apple Bloom and Scarlet Sage both traded apprehensive looks, and Twilight settled slowly back, still looking almost suspicious before she sighed quietly and nodded with a mumble in hesitant agreement.
The rest of dinner was a little awkward, interspersed with quiet conversation here and there, but the food was good and the ponies settled with each other. Prestige looked uncomfortable but appreciated the silence, and Antares glanced nervously back and forth before he winced at the look on Scarlet Sage's face as dinner came to an end, and he nodded awkwardly, not needing to be told as he stood up to help her gather up the used plates and cups and other trappings.
Brother and sister headed into the kitchen, putting the dirty dishware in the sink, and then he sighed a little and looked up at her awkwardly as she stood for a moment by the counter, then finally asked in an almost pleading voice: “Why?”
“I... I don't know.” Antares said awkwardly, and Scarlet Sage looked at him tiredly, but then just gestured for him to go on, and the glossy black stallion mumbled: “Well, she's... I dunno. I mean... she's...”
“She's racist, rude, mean and entitled.” Scarlet Sage said flatly, and Antares winced even as he looked up at her almost as if begging for mercy, and the Pegasus sighed again before she stepped forwards, reaching up and gently grasping his shoulders as she gazed down into his eyes quietly. “I just want you to be okay. I want to know that... this is really something you want. That she... is really someone you want in your life, like that. I'm scared you're going to get hurt.”
“I know. I know, and I can't... I can't pretend I don't understand or get mad and say that's impossible, because... well, we've spent four years with her.” Antares laughed a little, glancing down and nodding a little as he murmured: “But she's... she's getting better. I think beneath the... the 'proud unicorn' front she always puts up, she's not a bad person at all. She just needs time and understanding and I think... I know that she's learning. She's becoming a better person. She's not just a unicorn, she's a pony, and I know she's starting to get that.”
Scarlet Sage hesitated, then she sighed tiredly and finally nodded, murmuring as she reached up and stroked his mane back gently: “Okay. Okay, Antares, okay. I'll trust you, little brother, but... boys are stupid.”
Antares only smiled a little, saying softly: “Lucky for you and Apple Bloom then, huh?” He laughed when Scarlet Sage shoved him with a wry smile, then she shook her head slowly before their eyes met again. “Thank you for... for looking out for me, Scarlet Sage. I... I think I can handle this, though, I think I'm doing the right thing.”
“I hope you're right, little brother.” Scarlet Sage studied him, then she sighed a bit and added finally: “I guess Aunt Celestia's right, though, too... you two can learn a lot from each other. When I don't think of Prestige as... Prestige... it makes it easier for me to think about how she's talented, and she's smart, and she is pretty. Those things are all usually outweighed by the fact she's Prestige, but... I'll try and look past that for you.”
“Gee, thanks.” Antares said wryly, and then he began to turn to head back outside before cocking his head when Scarlet Sage smiled and caught his shoulder with a hoof.
The Pegasus turned, heading over to open the refrigerator... and Antares smiled warmly when she pulled out a blueberry pie, his eyes lighting up as he took this from her in a light telekinetic grip. “Hold on, I have a few more treats here, too... don't worry, I did the cooking but Red did the baking, she's way better at that than I am.”
Antares smiled warmly, nodding before he laughed a little, and Scarlet Sage looked over her shoulder curiously even as she pulled out another pie that he easily lifted into the air. “Nothing, nothing, just... you know, you really took after Mom and Dad in a lot of ways. You can cook but you can't bake, you speak your mind, you don't care what ponies think of you... I admire you a lot. I wish... I wish a lot that I was more like our parents.”
Scarlet Sage smiled softly at this, glancing down and murmuring softly: “You are, Antares, in more ways than I think you understand. You're honorable, and strong, and stubborn.” She paused, then glanced up and added easily: “And sometimes you do things that no other pony really approves of but you still make it okay.”
“Thanks, really.” Antares laughed and shook his head, then he hesitated as the Pegasus pulled out one last platter before he turned to head for the back door, asking curiously over his shoulder: “Mom and Dad... did they... I mean, I hear funny stories all the time, and I know they lived... a lot differently from other ponies did...”
“They did.” It was Twilight who answered, as Antares stepped outside and approached the table, and he turned his eyes towards her automatically. For a moment, the Lich hesitated, glancing at Prestige... and then she sighed a little and nodded, reaching up with a faint smile to rub at her collar as she said quietly: “After all, your parents and I... the three of us were... together, like you know.”
Prestige looked up in surprise at this admission, blurting out even as Scarlet Sage and Antares put the desserts down on the table: “So those rumors are true?”
“Yes and no.” Twilight said with a sigh, glancing awkwardly over at Prestige before she nodded a little. “It's... a little hard for me to talk about and ponies are... well, they're curious but they don't want to hear about it, you know?
“Antares, your parents were... strange, weird ponies.” Twilight smiled a little as Celestia glanced up with a quiet laugh and nod of agreement. “But that's just part of who they were... it was part of what made them wonderful, and open-minded, and... and special. And I know growing up was a little funny for you for a lot of reasons, in the years that they were there, but I want you to just always keep one thing in mind: what they meant to you, what they mean to you even now. Don't worry about anything else, not even my opinion of them, and... just think of how you felt they stacked up as your parents, Antares. That's what matters most.”
Antares Mīrus nodded slowly, looking down thoughtfully before he sat carefully back in his seat as Scarlet Sage gazed over at him with a faint smile. For a few moments, there was only quiet, and then Prestige looked up and asked softly: “Is it true that Scrivener Blooms could use magic?”
“Yes and no.” Twilight replied quietly, smiling a little as she glanced over at Celestia, who nodded slowly. “Scrivener and Luna are linked... they share one mixed soul. They could... reach into each other, affect each other in incredible ways: Scrivener was able to mimic Luna's ability to fight and her athleticism, and Luna was able to see through Scrivener's eyes.
“Scrivener was... was not a normal pony. Celestia and I have talked about this a lot over the years, Antares. And we think that... maybe we should share what we figured out with you, and I guess now's as good a time as any.” Twilight glanced hesitantly at Celestia, who nodded slowly as both Antares and Scarlet Sage looked up, Apple Bloom and Prestige both leaning forwards as well... but with more curiosity and less intent, even if Apple Bloom looked a little worried for her fiancee. “It's important you know, though.”
Antares nodded a little, looking quietly across at Twilight before he asked softly: “This has something to do with... with because of how he was sick, right? Because of the fact there was corruption inside him... and how he could see things.”
“That's right.” Twilight replied quietly, glancing towards Scarlet Sage. “You were both... gone, when it happened. When me, Celestia, Luna and Scrivener, and... Gymbr... killed Wisdom, and Scrivener got the last piece of the puzzle...”
She quieted, rubbing slowly at her features before she smiled faintly and closed her eyes, adding softly to Prestige: “That's how I became a Lich, Prestige, to answer your old question. Wisdom poisoned Scarlet Sage, and then she killed me. I... I was carrying a music box as a gift for Luna and Scrivener, and I was able to begin the process and bind myself to it, and... Gymbr and a close friend...”
“You don't have to protect me, Twilight Sparkle. It's okay.” Celestia said quietly, before she turned her eyes to Prestige with a calm nod as the young mare looked up with surprise in her silver irises. “I finished the ritual. I'm responsible for making her a Lich.”
“What you're responsible for is saving my life, Celestia. I may be dead but... I'm still alive, too.” Twilight said softly, gazing over at the ivory winged unicorn with a faint smile, and then the Lich hesitated before turning her eyes back towards Antares and Scarlet Sage, who both still looked anxious. “You both know that Scrivener was... healed. But that's not... entirely the truth. He wasn't simply healed, he was... it made him stronger. And the corruption didn't go away... it was flowing freely through his veins.”
“What do you mean? What does that mean?” Scarlet Sage asked apprehensively, and then she frowned and shook her head, saying finally: “But Mom and Dad went and saved Antares and... and... everypony always tells me they looked so good, so healthy... are you saying that means that even if they survived, he'd be sick again? He'd have died no matter what?”
“You think Dad... was...” Antares shook his head in disbelief, then he shook his head sharply as he studied Celestia and Twilight, feeling a twist of what was almost betrayal in his chest mixed with... “No. No, no, that's... that's not...”
Twilight lowered her head silently, and Antares saw the doubt in her... and then he swallowed as he looked towards Celestia, her amethyst irises meeting his own eyes calmly... but the confidence he felt in her wasn't reassuring this time. It scared him, as he shook his head again and whispered: “You think my Dad was... turned into one of them? And you think that... that he's...”
“I... Antares...” Twilight looked up hesitantly, shaking her head quickly as she rested her hooves on the tabletop with a sigh. “I know it's hard to think about, but... I...”
Celestia reached over and touched Twilight's shoulder as the Lich quieted, the ivory mare's eyes still locked with Antares' as she said softly: “Yes, I believe that.. for some reason, Scrivener became like the Hexad. Like Decretum's soldiers, a Clockwork Pony. It's not a pleasant explanation, and it brings unpleasant thoughts to light, but it's also the only possible explanation I've worked out over literal years of thinking about this. About why he gained the strength he did, about how he could survive the corruption, and how Visionary could pass her powers to him, the first Clockwork Pony your father and mother encountered and the only one who ever proved to be an ally.
“Antares, I'm not saying your parents aren't out there, and are not alive... I cling to that I still want them back, and no matter what, and I pray for your success...” Celestia quieted, then looked evenly across at Antares, murmuring: “But you have to be prepared for what you might see. What you might encounter. And to consider the alternative reasons that Luna and Scrivener may not have returned from Clockwork World...”
Scarlet Sage shivered a bit, shaking her head slowly before Antares paled a little as he looked across at Celestia, as she looked calmly back at him. He wasn't able to look away, wasn't able to tear his eyes free from hers, wasn't able to stop himself from seeing her honesty, her dedication, her honor... and yet below it all, there was something else, too. He saw a million turning gears as fire vomited out of great furnaces and splashed molten magma against indestructible metal; heard a thousand clocks ticking, countless hands moving in different directions and at different speeds but all for one single objective, all eager to ring out at midnight; he smelled polish, and golden metal, and most of all, the coppery scent of blood.
Antares shoved himself backwards, finally breaking eye contact as he knocked his chair over, gritting his teeth as he looked aside and Celestia closed her eyes, bowing her head forwards... and for a few moments, there was only silence before the young stallion breathed hard and turned around to stumble inside, shivering violently. The table was silent, and then Prestige stumbled to her own hooves and turned, hurrying after the young stallion, and the quiet was broken as Scarlet Sage looked at Celestia and asked weakly: “Why?”
“Because you deserve the truth, both of you. And because... Scarlet Sage, your brother is going to find your parents no matter what, you understand that, don't you?” Celestia said quietly, looking over at the Pegasus, who shivered a little even as she nodded hesitantly. “None of us here know what happened... only that the Decretum was destroyed, and Luna and Scrivener have not returned. They could be alive... they could be dead... or they could be... different. Antares needs to be prepared for that... even if I know that I could tell him his father and mother had transformed into Tyrant Wyrms and I know that he would still go after them, intent to save them.”
“Celestia... how can you be so callous?” Scarlet Sage whispered, shaking her head in slow disbelief... and the ivory winged unicorn looked up with a faint, sad smile, her amethyst eyes glowing with pain.
“Antares needs to be prepared for the worst, so that when the time comes, he can make the right decision.” Celestia said quietly, before she lowered her gaze and whispered: “Because I wouldn't. Even in the worst case scenario, even imagining the most awful thing I can... that Scrivener and Luna haven't returned from Decretum because they've not destroyed it, but conquered it, and are preparing their own war machines... I wouldn't, couldn't stop them. I'd ask them to come home, and if they refused... I'd ask them if I could stay with them, instead. I might... lie to myself, or maybe I'd put on a show of pretending to stand against them for a little while. But I'm not Sleipnir, and I'm not Luna: after everything that's happened, everything I remember and want... I just want my friends and family back together, and to once more share our conversations and comforts.
“The story Discombobulation told us, of Gymbr, supposedly written first by the Norns... it's still one of my favorites.” Celestia closed her eyes, shaking her head slowly as Scarlet Sage and Apple Bloom both shivered, but Twilight Sparkle smiled faintly and reached up to touch the stitching along her features in understanding. “It's cruel and evil and violent, but we had one-another, and we were truly free. True freedom...”
She lowered her head, then confessed with a faint laugh: “Every day this last decade has been a struggle to not interfere with Antares' training, to not push him any harder than I already have. To not simply walk up to him and tell him: 'let's go find your parents,' and set off on a journey through every single layer, if we have to. I have a thousand years of betrayal to make up to Luna and Scrivener still... and countless more for everything else that has happened.”
Celestia fell silent, and Scarlet Sage lowered her head as Apple Bloom swallowed a bit and Twilight sighed softly, reaching out to pick up a dumpling from the bowl as she murmured: “I'm sorry, Scarlet Sage, Apple Bloom. We ruined dinner.”
The Lich bit down into the food, chewing slowly, and Scarlet Sage shook her head silently before Apple Bloom looked across at Celestia, asking finally: “You... you always put Equestria first, though. And you ain't left after them yet...”
“Only because I don't know where to go. And... I try, Apple Bloom, but I'm growing very tired of being a Baroness.” Celestia shook her head slowly with a quiet sigh, murmuring softly: “I know ponies look at me as a leader. I understand that, and I understand why. But... for the last few years, I've also been carefully, quietly pulling ponies aside to interview for a position of retainer. I would like a few years, perhaps a decade, where I don't need to worry about the problems of every other pony in Equestria. Where I don't need to be Equestria's figurehead and unofficial queen, with the way the other barons and baronesses all constantly look to me for advice. I need to find myself again, like I did long ago... except this time I need to do it properly.”
The table fell silent... and inside, Prestige was awkwardly standing across from Antares as he sat on a couch, eyes closed, hooves shoved up against his forehead, breathing a little hard. He had never seen that deeply into Celestia before: she had always guarded herself from him, and he had never truly been able to pierce through her defenses, see so deeply inside her... but now he had. She called herself a Valkyrie, and now he truly understood why, and what that meant: it scared him more than he could say.
Finally, he shivered a little and looked up, and Prestige frowned a bit before she said quietly: “I thought you... when you did that thing, you saw...”
“I see what's inside of people. But I can't... I saw... sometimes I see...” Antares fumbled his words, then he shivered and gritted his teeth before looking to the side and murmuring: “I saw my aunt's true face, and I saw... what she was willing to do, how far she was willing to go, to get my Mom and Dad back. I saw... who she was, a long time ago, and how that's still part of who she is today... I saw all that but that doesn't mean I can... that it doesn't have any power over me... she... she's my aunt. She's always been so good to me, so kind, I always admired her but now... and just looking into her I saw...”
He stuttered to a halt again, and shivered... and then Prestige stepped forwards and carefully hugged him around the neck, and the young stallion closed his eyes and instinctively wrapped a foreleg tightly back around her before pulling her closer. It surprised the young mare as she was yanked into a firm embrace... but then she settled against him, quietly resting her head against his own as she murmured: “It's... it's okay, Antares. It's okay.”
Antares Mīrus breathed a little harder, then he nodded slowly and slumped a bit, still holding tightly onto her as she squeezed him slowly around the neck. For a few moments, there was only silence between them, and then he finally relaxed little-by-little before glancing aside, murmuring: “My Mom and Dad are alive, and... and they're okay. My Dad isn't a monster. No matter what anypony thinks, my Dad isn't a monster.”
Prestige only nodded quietly against him, and then she sat back a bit and studied him quietly before hesitating and reaching out to touch one of his leathery wings. It flapped a bit as Antares looked up at her, and then Prestige said softly: “Antares... as you said to me, it's... we can become who we want to be. Some ponies, including... including myself at one point, would consider you a monster for these wings. Would assume you tampered too deeply in polymorphic magic or transfigurations, even if the truth is very different. I... I believe what you say about your parents.”
Antares smiled faintly at this, looking up at her as she gazed back at him, and then Prestige smiled hesitantly before quickly pulling away, shaking herself out and saying quietly: “Let's return and... fetch dessert, shall we? Put this behind us. I'm sure that the Baroness only wishes the best for you, no matter what her character may be. She deserves... the same understanding as me, does she not?”
“Yeah. Yeah, you're right. Thank you, Prestige.” Antares said softly, shaking his head a bit before he closed his eyes, bowing his head forwards in what was half-thought, and half-prayer. What you look like, what you are, none of that makes you a monster... it's what you do with what you're given. Your actions... my Mom and Dad aren't monsters, and they aren't dead. I'm gonna find them, I'm gonna save them... I'm gonna prove it. “Okay. Let's... let's go.”

Slowly, a hideous white limb stretched up out of a pool of slime and rotting garbage in the depths of the sewers, rising out a drainage canal to grasp the slick stone walkway and haul an ugly, mottled white and yellow body onto the cold cement. It laid like a beached whale for a few moments, an emaciated, ugly figure, and Cancer rasped quietly in and out before he snarled in fury as his red eyes glowed and slime spilled down his face like tears. “That little bastard...”
The monster pushed itself up to its claws, shivering once before retching, and then it snarled as it rose its head, eyes flashing as it began to haul itself along the narrow walkway. It passed through a set of bars without slowing, melding easily through the steel as it hissed to itself: “Oh, I'm gonna hurt him. I'm gonna hurt him good, I'm gonna hurt him bad, I'm gonna peel his skin right off his body and make him eat it, then I'm gonna cut it out of his stomach and drown him in it! Then I'm gonna set him on fire and see how he likes it!”
Cancer gargled, then he shook his head violently back and forth before snarling: the last thing the monster had expected was that its own volatile body would ever work against it. But apparently he had a nasty little vulnerability after all: beautiful as he thought fire was, he had gone up like a firecracker that had been dipped in gasoline for good measure. One little light, and poof...
Cancer shivered: his whole body ached from head-to-hoof, and he'd barely saved himself from being destroyed by blowing himself into pieces. He had sacrificed far too much strength in doing so, though, and his body was taking a long, long time to heal after the trauma it had sustained. He needed a fresh, living being to leech the life out of... preferably something big and stupid that he could easily rip  his way into and use to lay low for a while. He had no idea what time it was now, if hours or entire days had passed... only that he was still hurting as much now as he had been before.
The destruction entity glared back and forth as it reached the end of the walk and slithered off into a larger tunnel, wading through the putrid water. It was just lucky for him that there were plenty of ways down into the sewers through the piping and a few open grates and cracks... but the piping was difficult for him to slither his way back up through, and he had no doubt they'd be sealing the rest of the easy ways in and out of his domain soon enough. But what did that matter? If they wanted to get him, they'd have to come down in here... and it was wet and slick and filthy in these sewers, all things that played to his advantage and would help keep him safe from being set on fire again.
“Need to work around that weakness... need to figure out a way to keep myself safe... need some goddamn eats!” Cancer yelled the last, and then he glared as several large insects skittered hurriedly by along a wall, muttering: “Sorry, boys, but small fry like you would just make my need for some munchies worse. Why ain't there ever a body around when you need one? Hey, I'll cut you bugs in if you lure me up something tasty.”
Cancer looked moodily at the wall, and then he turned his eyes away from the skittering bugs before he sniffed loudly at the air, looking back and forth before hurrying on ahead. He growled as he rounded the corner, then grimaced in disgust as his eyes locked on the carcasses of several rats, dead from nibbling on the slimy goo that was growing over the walls.
Then the monster blinked in surprise before he peered up at this, striding slowly forwards and reaching up to touch the goop... and he grinned after a moment, rasping: “Oh, sweetie! I left you behind? I'm so sorry, honey, you come back and give me a big old hug now, hear?”
The fleshy goop trembled, then bubbled for a moment before sliding slowly downwards, twisting its way up Cancer's forelimb and melding smoothly into his body. The creature twitched as his form thickened a little, some of the strength returning to him as he rasped quietly... before grinning slowly, licking his teeth eagerly as he murmured: “Baby oh baby. Not as good as a meal, but what do you know? Looks like my stuff grows down here real good, and ain't that a good turn of events for me?”
Cancer turned, approaching another slimy mess of goo over a wall, licking his teeth slowly: the goop he left behind seemed to continue to naturally try and grow and evolve even without his presence there to pull the strings and add mind to mayhem, and Cancer rumbled as the slime added to his body, restored some of his strength. Then he glowered down at the dead, rotting rats before he swept one up and dropped it into his jaws, swallowing it whole; for a moment, he made a face, swirled something in his cheeks... and then he spat out a tiny, broken skull, grumbling: “Just ain't as good as I hoped, dude, just ain't as good as I hoped.”
The monster sighed, then moodily turned and headed down the passage, muttering: “Gonna find me, gonna get me, gonna taste me some real good meat sooner or later, oh yes I am yes I am. But for now... I gotta find a safe place to hide, I gotta prowl around, growl around these catacombs, make sure ain't no one down here trying to mess up my day...”
He ground his teeth together with a snarl, then he twitched, his red eyes glowing brighter as he rasped: “Annihilate them. Murder them. Revenge...”
He shook his head quickly, then spat to the side and added in an indignant shout: “That's right, too! That's what I gotta do, moment I get me a chance! I gotta whole list of odds and ends to take care of while I kill every snotting creature above, but ooh, ooh, ooh, at the top of that list I'm putting 'kill the crap out of that stupid pony that burnt me up!' Yeah! I'm gonna rip him, and I'm gonna tear him, and I'm gonna kill the hell out of him! Kill the freaking hell out of him!”
Cancer stomped his hooves childishly, then he bounced back and forth with a yell of fury before dropping into the shallow water, rolling back and forth and flailing in all directions, sending up splashes of water as he screamed: “How dare he do that to me! How dare that stupid, worthless little runt think he's on par with me? How dare he try to dance my dance when toddler-boy looks like he ain't even old enough to give another pony herpes!”
The monster continued to shriek and yell to itself for a while, rolling and spasming through the water before it suddenly halted, all four limbs sticking high in the air, still on its back and snarling at the ceiling above as water flowed around the monster. “I should leave right now and go tear his ass a new hole... but I can't get outta here yet. I gotta get stronger, I gotta regain my old strength, and that little punk-ass bitch is gonna have all kinds of protection around him, I bet... he showed up with the big white weasel and the zombie. Stupid zombie... gonna stay the hell away from her. Gonna put her back in her grave if she messes with me again, but gonna stay the hell away from her while I do it. Don't wanna catch me no dead-pony cooties again.”
Cancer shivered a little, hugging himself with all four limbs before he rolled over and bounced to his feet, gritting his teeth and shaking his goblinoid head violently as he began to storm down the murky sewer corridor once more. “But that kid... that stupid, stupid kid... ooh, that damn, stupid, filthy, rotten kid... yeah, he smelled weird, though, didn't he?”
Cancer licked his teeth slowly, looking suddenly musing as he dropped his head a bit lower, muttering: “He smelled real funny. Weird-like. Edible-like... and the white weasel, the one who tried to cut me up, oh, why didn't I gobble her up when I had the chance? She looked so sweet and tasty, and if I could gnaw on one of those... well, that would solve all kinds of problems, yeah? I just gotta steer clear of the psycho zombie. Making herself rot... makin' me, me, die, when it's my job to make everything else in existence die... who the hell does she think she is? Ain't no one allowed to do that to me!”
The monster snarled in fury, then it twitched violently before dropping its head forwards, muttering: “They got all kinds of each-others, though, and that makes it harder. Ooh, I got my sweet poisons, and all my diseases, but... it was nice, real sweet, havin' me some pets to run ahead and gnaw on things for me, yeah. Yeah, I really liked that... they did some damn fine work, and I was damn proud of 'em. But... maybe, maybe, maybe...”
He looked away thoughtfully, then rumbled to himself as he reached up and rubbed at the underside of his muzzle. “I gotta find me some test subjects. See what else I can do if I just really believe in myself, if I put just a little faith in myself and then reach for the skies... well, not for the skies, really, more for their brains...”
The monster grumbled to himself, nodding a few times before he rose his head and scowled at the mossy ceiling above. Then his eyes narrowed as he heard something ahead before he grinned slowly as a voice murmured: “No, be careful... we be careful, monster is here...”
“Let it come.” muttered another voice, and Cancer slowly dropped down, body melting and reshaping, becoming serpentine as he began to slither easily forwards beneath the surface of the shallow water. “All the teams are getting in position. One of us is bound to run into that freak and the entire point of this is to drive the bastard out of hiding.”
“Now shush, sweetie, our enemy isn't deaf or dumb.” chided a third creature... and Cancer hissed to itself as it slithered into an intersection and peered through the murky muck at the sight of a Nibelung carefully adhering something to a wall, while a Pegasus hovered calmly with a rifle in his front hooves, and a demon of some kind smiled beneath her seaweed mane, eyes glowing, the water around her turned both dead black and yet sparkling clean from her presence alone. “You don't wanna give away the surprise now, do you?”
The Pegasus only snorted, shaking his head: he was dressed in light blue armor, and he looked warily at the Kelpie... and Hevatica looked calmly back, still smiling, even as her senses tingled faintly. Slowly, she blew the Pegasus above her a kiss, and he glared at her as their eyes met... and then his irises widened slightly as the Kelpie's glowed, and her voice sang softly through his mind: The beast is here... go on. Tell Lady Twilight or the Dawn Bringer.
“I... screw you.” The Pegasus muttered, shivering a bit, then he turned and flitted down the tunnel, and Hevatica grinned in approval even as she half-lidded her eyes: whether they were uncomfortable or not with the roles they played, the Starlit Knights all did their jobs well, and worked well alongside the servants of the night.
Her eyes slipped to the side, towards where the water was clearly being disturbed by the monster that she had heard coming from a hundred feet away... and then the Nibelung nodded once as he finished affixing the device to the wall. “Done. Fancy-corn could not do better!”
“I believe you, sweetie.” the Kelpie said kindly, and then she smiled and reached up to catch the Nibelung's arm as the dwarf began to turn away, the worker turning his attention to her with curiosity. “No, sweetie. Let's go this way. We should report in, first.”
The Nibelung paused for a moment, then he nodded slowly before the demon and dwarf both turned. Hevatica glanced over her shoulder once towards the device, checking it... and in her peripheral vision, making sure Cancer was still watching, before she turned her gaze ahead and began to hum softly as she half-led the Nibelung along the tunnel.
Cancer watched as the two left, then it licked its teeth before slowly reforming, pushing up out of the sewer water as it whispered after the two as they vanished into the darkness ahead: “Oh, don't hurry too fast now... what's this, what's this tasty delicacy you've left for me... ooh, I gotta poke it, I gotta, I gotta!”
The creature grinned as it slipped up to the strange, rectangular device before his eyes widened and he sniffed it greedily, whispering: “It's a bomb! A delicious, nutritious bomb! They were gonna try and blow me up or blow me down or seal me in, but ooh, ooh, ooh, look at this...”
Cancer grinned widely, shoving  forelimb against the explosive device, and the monster's slime rapidly spread through the machine, devouring the explosive material it could smell within, swallowing down gunpowder, cramming its way through nodes and frying circuits as the monster cackled with delight... and then it frowned stupidly before the bomb beeped once, and Cancer squealed as it penetrated some kind of canister laced with pleasing chemicals and touched something that... “Oh Ginnungagap, that hurts!”
It yanked its limb back... and its foreleg shattered into pieces as Cancer shrieked, then looked down at itself in horror as coldness spread violently through its body. Blue mist was steaming up from the device now, turning everything around it instantly to ice as what felt like liquid Helheim burned through Cancer's veins, the monster's mottled white skin turning a faint bluish pallor as it literally froze from the inside-out.
For a few moments, there was silence... and then two Nightmares flickered into existence on either side of Cancer, smiling ruthlessly as one said quietly: “What pleasure. It is just as our mortal friends predicted, is it not, sister?”
“And it is delightful.” said the other Nightmare, before it easily flicked its horn forwards... and Cancer shattered like glass, frozen debris made of monster spilling through the water before the Nightmare whispered softly: “Goodbye, foul creature. Now be burned alive.”
Both Nightmares vanished from the spot, the water rippling where they had once been, leaving the broken pieces of frozen Cancer floating silently on the surface of the water for a few moments. Everything was quiet and silent, no sound in the tunnels but for the soft slosh of water and the tickling of the legs of unseen things crawling along the walls... and then this was joined by a quiet but insistent crackling as the frozen bits of Cancer trembled before sinking beneath the surface of the warm, sludgy water.
And a moment later, Cancer burst up from the shallows, gasping and panting hard, snarling in fury: large, horrific cracks were slowly merging and healing together like a grisly humpty-dumpty that was determined not to give in to fate, and the monster snarled before raising his head and screaming down the tunnel: “You're gonna have to do better than that! Come on, come on, come on, come and face me like the pissant little sissies you are!”
There was silence for a moment... and then Cancer slowly rose his head as a quiet splashing filled the tunnel, before his eyes widened at the sight of Hevatica strolling calmly towards him. On either side of her, Pinkamena and Aphrodisia were both grinning viciously, mother and daughter almost like twins in that look as Hevatica said sweetly: “Oh, I was so hoping, darling, that you would survive... now my delightful friends and I get to honor your request.”
Cancer stared stupidly at the three demons... and then the mottled white destruction entity screeched and spun around, bolting off down the tunnel as he called hurriedly over his shoulder: “Did I say 'pissant little sissies?' I meant to say 'sweet darlings who are so pretty!'”
Hevatica only smiled, trading a look with the demons on either side of her before they eagerly gave chase: everything was going exactly according to plan.