Chapter Forty Six: A Pact With The Puppetmaster
~BlackRoseRaven
Scrivener and Luna were in the darkness of the dreamscape, the two looking at each other silently, picking up the changes in both of them. Scrivener was a little bulkier, a little more... scaly... and dark points of triangular horns stood out from the back of Luna's skull, mostly hidden in her sapphire mane but... there, all the same.
She stomped one cloven hoof against the dark, warm... somehow soothing mire beneath them, and then sighed softly as she noted this change as well, murmuring: “We are becoming something else, Scrivener Blooms. Both thou and I are. I wonder though... is this because of thee, being a Clockwork Pony... or because I am a fallen Valkyrie, so awash with the night?”
“Don't blame yourself. Let's... not blame either of ourselves right now. Besides, what's uncomfortable is that... this is comfortable, yeah?” Scrivener asked quietly, and Luna smiled faintly before they both turned. In that single movement, however, they went from standing in the middle of a dark world, to suddenly inside the massive, looming stone hall that Valthrudnir had built for himself.
The Jötnar himself was seated calmly in a platinum throne, a calm, cold smile on his features as he looked down at them from the raised landing at the top of the curling sets of stairs at the end of the hall... yet Scrivener thought he actually looked worried. Maybe even relieved to see them, as the white-suited dragon asked in a pleasant voice: “Back for more advice?”
“Yes.” Scrivener said plainly, not bothering to argue, and Valthrudnir looked both intrigued and surprised by the stallion's lack of anger, lack of insult, lack of... anything.
Luna was the one who stepped forwards, though: her eyes were calm as she looked up at the Jötnar, and her voice was even as she spoke: “I do not trust thee, Valthrudnir. Thou art no Nightmare Moon, with whom I could ever hold an alliance, fragile as I admit it sometimes becomes and much as my hate for her oft grows strong. But my husband and I have... decided to swallow our pride, and believe thou will aid us, if only because... of Thesis.”
Valthrudnir was silent, tapping a finger slowly against the arm of his throne before he simply gestured to Luna to go on, and the mare smiled wryly. She took a moment to gather herself again, then continued as calmly as she could: “Thesis was far beyond us. Further than any foe has ever been... including thee. Nay, even Cheshire is beyond our power at this point, although... we have much to discuss with our friends and family, and hope to find a way to conquer him. We hope to conquer all of them, but... we require aid.”
There was silence, and then Scrivener and Luna both glanced to the side in surprise at a quiet swirl of energy that ran through the air, before Twilight Sparkle faded into being on Luna's other side, the Lich smiling faintly at them as she murmured: “I'm not letting you two go though this alone. And besides, Valthrudnir... I think you want to protect us. Protect me. If only to see what happens when... I give birth.”
Valthrudnir snorted in distaste at this, leaning to the side as his amber eyes moodily burned into them. “Oh please. Trying to compel me by appealing to my interest in the development and mutation of you insects is a fool's gambit. You talk to me like I'm simply some lurking presence, looking down on you tiny, wanton little creatures for entertainment and amusement... when in fact, you long ago ceased to entertain or amuse me.
“But I do recognize that unfortunately, my sentient existence has become tied to the continued existence of Nihete. Or Scrivener Blooms, yes, do not correct me, tiresome little quadrupeds.” Valthrudnir sighed and waved a hand moodily when Twilight looked at him almost pleadingly and Scrivener and Luna both glared. “Until a more suitable vessel comes along, I understand that we must, to some degree... cohabitate.”
There was silence, and then Scrivener couldn't help but say quietly: “You know, it's funny. You sound almost like you're telling the truth. Why the sudden change of character?”
Valthrudnir smiled icily, and then he turned slowly around before looking up at the enormous window wall behind him, studying his own figure in painted glass. The Jötnar grasped the back of his throne, and the ponies were surprised to see the trembles running through the dragon... but they all caught it, before Valthrudnir said quietly: “Unfortunately, it seems that I... underestimated, again, the effect that your kind can have upon me. I... I am a superior, powerful force. Your emotions should be nothing to me, you are... nothing but bits of flesh in which microorganisms thrive, guided by blood and data and electrical signals...”
The Jötnar shook his head slowly, and then he turned around and clenched a hand into a fist, his eyes flaring as he suddenly almost shouted: “And I am of the Jötnar! I am the only one of my kind left, a Frost Giant that can bend the universe to my will, that I have proven again and again death means nothing to! I will never permit myself to be destroyed or forgotten and I am powerful enough to see my visions through to fruition and reality, so...”
He stopped, looking down as he slowly let his fingers unfurl, whispering: “So why is it that I feel the emotions and memories of you pathetic lesser life forms influencing my thought and values at all... it... it makes no sense. You are nothing but fleshy pawns, puppets on strings, toys to me... I... I am superior, the ultimate being. I am real, and you are not.”
Valthrudnir looked away, and Scrivener shivered as Luna shifted uneasily, neither knowing what to think. But Twilight was looking at him almost with sympathy in her eyes, and her gentility, her willingness to reach out to others even as terrible as the Jötnar made both Luna and Scrivener hesitate.
Thankfully, the uncomfortable silence was broken by Valthrudnir turning his cold eyes back to them, seeming to shrug off his emotions as he reached up and into his suit jacket to pull out a deck of cards... but Scrivener noticed he didn't quite start shuffling them. He only played with them idly, as he muttered: “But... that, of course, is... is besides the main point as well, you plebeians merely distract me so much with your nattering and whining that I missed the main point.
“Do not forget what Thesis is. He is half self-entitled sun goddess and half Jötnar, all adapted and configured specifically for operating as an aggressive military command unit.” Valthrudnir explained in a more-confident voice as he began to shuffle the cards, his body visibly loosening up as he did so. “I, of course, favor intellect and strategy over brute power... but recognize that power is a necessity in all things as well, to some degree. Thesis was designed to be able to overpower what he could not outthink, and to outthink what he failed to overpower. He is very nearly perfect.”
Valthrudnir paused and looked down thoughtfully, continuing slowly: “But he has stolen and corrupted my technology... he is operating far outside what he was programmed for. Yes, he has some semblance of free will, just as the Clockwork Ponies do, but never, ever forget that no matter what they look like, how much they bleed or scream or say, they are nothing more than synthetic toys. Machines, often designed for one singular or specific purpose.”
Scrivener grimaced at this, and Valthrudnir snorted at him, looking with distaste at the charcoal stallion. “Oh please, Nihete. Don't start. Besides, thanks to the fact you've bound the jumble of mitochondria and electrical signals you call your 'soul' together with the Valkyrie Brynhild, it's now impossible to know whether or not you actually ever had free will, or if even when you were playing the role of a normal pony, you were simply operating within the parameters of your intended function and design. Replicants were made to infiltrate pony society, after all... and if possible, work their way into important areas of said society. Need I point out that being Court Poet gave you access to not only the heart of your self-important Equestria, but Freya and then Brynhild as well?”
The stallion shivered at this, and Valthrudnir smiled coldly before he made three cards dance through his fingers, spinning them around to show the images of Celestia, Luna, and Twilight Sparkle on them. “You also interacted with Twilight Sparkle... a pony important in most of these layers, as I recall. All Replicants are preprogrammed with knowledge of their superiors... even with the Clay of Prometheus dormant inside you, and the Kundalini not yet awakened, you would have recognized her as a target. Wisdom and the Hexad, after all, were responsible for Decretum, beneath only the Prophet and the Clockwork King.”
Scrivener wanted to reply in anger, in denial, but then he and Luna both felt something tickle in their minds before they looked sharply at each other, trading a thought between them even as Twilight shook her head in violent denial. The Lich looked over at the two, then gritted her teeth as she mistook their mental conversation for hesitance, leaning up and saying fiercely: “You're wrong! Then how do you explain the way Scrivener never turned into a monster even after he began to wake up, how he never bowed down to Decretum or... or the way he...”
“Silence yourself, ragdoll.” Valthrudnir's voice was almost soft, and Scrivener and Luna both snarled furiously up at him as Twilight flushed, before the dragon danced the revealed cards back between his fingers before calmly shuffling them into the deck, explaining softly: “And simple. Nihete is a puppet on a string... but these strings are pulled by a new master now, aren't they, Brynhild? I wonder how much of Nihete's personality is his so-called 'free will,' and how much is simply a reflection of what you want him to be... likewise, Lich, I'm sure you find 'Scrivener Blooms' almost too perfect to be true at times, performing the actions you want to see him perform or telling you precisely what you expect him to say...”
Twilight laughed shortly, but she was too afraid to reply: too scared of how this monster would twist her words around, as she shivered once before Luna growled: “Thou art not doing a good job of making allies right now, Jötnar.”
“As if I would ever want to be friends with your ilk.” Valthrudnir said distastefully, looking moodily to the side before he fumbled his cards and cursed in disgust as they spilled everywhere. Luna snorted at this, and Scrivener looked up with a sour smile as Twilight shifted uneasily, the Jötnar muttering several furious, vulgar-sounding words in another language as he looked down at the uneven clusters of cards in either hand.
Then he tossed them angrily away in a sweeping gesture, and they burst apart like smoke as they were thrown into the air, the rest of the cards on the ground vanishing as well. There was silence for a moment as Valthrudnir lowered his head forwards moodily, eyes closing as he breathed slowly in and out, before he said in a distasteful voice: “That is all besides the point and nothing but unprovable, theoretical discussion in any event. Cheshire, Protelea, and Psukhikos all seem to be operating within their standard protocols: they're obeying the commands of a superior unit, Thesis.
“Thesis' actions as a leader do not concern me. What does is the fact he has been bastardizing my technology and my ideas from Clockwork World... that he seeks 'completion.' He's developed a sense of self beyond what was ever intended and it is... concerning. Especially because whether or not what he speaks is the truth, the idea that he wishes to reject what he was programmed for...” Valthrudnir looked contemptibly away, as he reached into his vest, and this time pulled out a multicolored cube, covered with tiny symbols as well as colors. He began to absently play with this, twisting the sides back and forth as Scrivener found his eyes slowly, awkwardly drawn to the toy.
There was silence for a few moments, and then Luna rose a hoof, and Valthrudnir gave her a moody look before she asked curiously: “Why art thou playing with a... what is it called, Scrivy? A rue-brick block? Rue, does that not mean street in some fanciful language of yore? Why is it called a street-brick block?”
Valthrudnir shuddered as if in pain, before he held up the device and said disgustedly: “This is a puzzle block, not a simpleton's toy. There are only three different colors for its six sides, but the symbol patterning is different for each. It is far more complex than your normal plebeian toys.”
“I bet Ross would love one of those.” Scrivener remarked mildly, and Valthrudnir twitched, looking infuriated even as Luna nodded thoughtfully and Twilight did her best to resist a smile.
“You dare compare me to some mentally-handicapped idiot savant?” Valthrudnir snapped, and all three ponies glared up at him before the Jötnar looked incredulous at their reaction, rearing back slightly as if honestly surprised. “Don't tell me you actually desire to defend such an incompetent, such a... a waste? He is nothing more than a defective gear, to be either repaired or destroyed-”
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Scrivener almost shouted, staring in disbelief up at the Jötnar. “I mean, seriously! How... how can you think like this? How can you not see that... this is exactly why your own plans backfired again and again, that... that we're living, breathing, real people, not just toys and parts of some grand machine! Goddammit, Valthrudnir, Ross may be a little off but at least he doesn't have his head jammed so far up his own ass it's threatening to come back out his neck!”
“Do not speak to me that way, you insolent little worm!” Valthrudnir snapped, stepping forwards before he angrily flung the puzzle cube down at Scrivener, and the stallion yelped as it bounced off his face and knocked him sprawling. Luna shouted in fury at this, leaping upwards... and smacking straight into the invisible barrier that protected the Jötnar, Valthrudnir looking at her with disgust. “Oh by dead and savage Ymir, Valkyrie, are you truly this stupid, or are you simply so desperate to be seen defending Nihete that you're willing to fling yourself again and again into the shield you know protects me like the helpless little bird you are into a glass window?”
“Will you stop it? Stop mocking us, stop being such a... a bully!” Twilight shouted up at him, looking back and forth before the Lich seized the fallen puzzle cube with telekinesis, then snapped her whole head to the side and flung it with all the force she could.
It shot past Luna as the winged unicorn peeled herself off the barrier, and all eyes watched in shock as the cube smashed into Valthrudnir's muzzle, knocking his head back as he roared in frustration and pain. He stumbled backwards, then anchored himself and grabbed at his nose with a look of humiliation, pain, and fury in his eyes... but it faded away into raw disbelief as he slowly drew his hand away and looked at the silvery blood on his fingers.
He bared his fangs, giving a snarl that turned his handsome features into something primal, and bestial, and cruel... and fearful, too, as he looked up almost like an animal caught in a trap. Scrivener, Luna, and Twilight all looked up at him, and then the Lich trembled a little before she suddenly blurted: “I'm... I'm sorry.”
Valthrudnir stared at her blankly, as if he didn't understand what she had just said, silver blood dripping slowly from his nose before the Lich shivered once and repeated quietly: “I'm... I'm sorry. But you need to stop doing this. Trying to intimidate us, mocking us, attacking us, I... we... we need to work together. You said yourself you recognize that we need to work together, even if you do hate us. So... so please. Let's... let's try and work together.”
“She's right, Valthrudnir... and clearly, you are not as invulnerable or untouchable as you would like to imagine yourself to be.” added another voice, and the three ponies all looked over their shoulders to see Nightmare Moon standing behind them, a sultry, almost pleading smile on her face, but a calm, cold look in her eyes, calculating and cruel as she looked up at the dragon. “Why not try and swallow your venom, or at least direct it towards other outlets for now... it would serve us all better in the long run.”
Nightmare Moon's horn glowed, lifting the puzzle cube from where it had fallen, carrying it through the air to hold it up in front of Valthrudnir, and the Jötnar grimaced in disgust as he reached out and snatched it up. Then he shook his head slowly, wiping blood away with his wrist in a childish gesture before he muttered: “It's becoming crowded in here. I did not invite either you or the ragdoll into my presence. In fact, I did not even invite the Valkyrie or Nihete, they came to me. Perhaps you four should be the ones attempting to exercise a little respect.”
Scrivener only grunted as he shook his head out, climbing back to his hooves as Twilight Sparkle shifted uneasily, and Luna spat to the side before muttering: “Oh aye, just like all the gods and warriors of the past in the Halls of Valhalla. 'Oh, thou may guard us and take care of us and change our sodding diapers, Valkyrie, but these are the halls of warriors, not dolls in armor, and we are clearly the ones in charge and in Odin's favor!'”
“Do not compare me to idiot barbarians and savages. And you will be pleased to know, Brynhild, that I personally no longer dare undervalue the worth of you and your sister.” Valthrudnir replied disgustedly, and then the Jötnar snorted before he muttered: “Odin was a contemptible fool in many regards, but I realize more and more how sly he was in the design of his handmaidens. You all resembled nothing more than pretty things waiting to be stripped out of your armor and be put to use at the hands of brutes, but for all your gild and ornamentation, you were deadly weapons in disguise.”
“We are not weapons... I am not a weapon. I am an honorable warrior, a mother, a friend, and... many more things. But I am not a weapon, a tool, or a trophy.” Luna said quietly, looking up coldly. “And I shall not be thy puppet.
“But...” Luna gritted her teeth, and what made it harder to force the words out was the wave of approval she felt from Nightmare Moon, even as the support that came from both Scrivener Blooms and Twilight Sparkle gave her the strength to continue. “I am willing to work with thee. I... and Scrivener Blooms, my husband, my soulmate, and a proud warrior and poet, not a monster like thou desires him to be... we will both work with thee. And I do not have to speak for Twilight Sparkle, the wisest, and perhaps very best part of us.”
She quieted, and then looked silently up at Valthrudnir, shaking her head slowly. “I do not like thee. I will never like thee, nor trust thee. I believe even now thou art attempting to control us, manipulate us, and run some scheme around us that thou believes we are too stupid to understand, too stupid to recognize. And I am proud enough to believe we do not need thy accursed powers to defeat the Replicants, but I am not stupid enough to believe we can do it without... without thy damned, dark knowledge of their design.”
“I... we're asking for your help. And I think you'll give it to us, not just because if I die... something bad is going to happen to you, one way or another.” Scrivener Blooms looked up silently, smiling faintly. “Because this offers you a victory, doesn't it? Lets you feed your ego. Here we are, at your doorstep, having to beg for your help. And doing it willingly, without you coercing us. It hurts like hell but... I'd... I'd rather ask for your help now than risk seeing Luna hurt, and my friends and family hurt. Maybe Thesis really does just want us, but... he and his friends are more than willing to hurt everyone in their way to get to us, and keep cutting down innocent ponies just to power your bastardized machines. Maybe you don't care about that either, but... I do. Enough that... well... here we are. So again, asking you again... can we just try and work together?”
“Please.” Twilight added almost silently, and Valthrudnir studied the trio quietly, as Nightmare Moon studied behind them with an appraising smile, before adding her own gentle look up to Valthrudnir. Her gaze was more of a question than a plea, more of a promise than a desire...
The Jötnar nodded slowly, then he sighed in distaste before straightening and looking down at his puzzle cube. He tossed it from hand-to-hand, studying the box-shaped object as he seemed to think to himself, before nodding once and saying moodily: “Very well. I shall... attempt to restrain myself in the future from pointing out your obvious flaws and failings, and instead will make some attempt at maintaining the level of etiquette you clearly, ridiculously expect from the most superior to the most inferior life forms that you deal with.”
Luna mumbled something, but the three ponies nodded as Nightmare Moon smiled kindly. “Good. Besides, what mastery and strength is there in rudeness? You are already charming and charismatic enough to greatly amplify your powers of mind and body... your refinement and culture speak well for you. There's no need for you to lower yourself to our much lesser standards, is there? Our silly words shouldn't be permitted to upset you so greatly.”
Valthrudnir snorted at this, then he absently crushed the puzzle box into white smoke in one hand before flicking his wrist, creating a new set of tarot cards as he said distastefully: “Don't overestimate the effect you insects have on me, dark entity. Your arrogance hints of weakness.”
“I suppose that is a failing we share.” Nightmare Moon replied in a soft voice, and the dragon looked moodily at the passion entity for a few moments before she politely bowed her head and added tactfully: “Of course, I mean no insult. Rather that... we are both creatures of certain habits, are we not? We both fall into the same state of being, again and again... perhaps we should try and help each other with this, Valthrudnir. You and I have an understanding after all, do we not?”
The Jötnar gave a slow nod of agreement after a moment, looking away thoughtfully before he muttered: “Just do not attempt to lecture me again on etiquette, creature. I have little interest in such a petty mortal concern. Speaking softly is for those who have the time and effort to waste dealing with the ignorant and unwashed in kinder terms than they deserve. But I suppose that... you quadrupeds and I must put some of our usual jurisprudence aside, if we are to coexist.”
There was silence for a few moments, Scrivener doing everything in his power to resist saying anything before Valthrudnir leaned forwards and said quietly: “If you truly desire my advice, then I will do what I normally do not and bear to repeat myself to you. Let the very fact I am repeating this, that I am deigning you animals somehow worthy of my time and favor in this fashion, be enough to make it clear how serious this situation is.
“Put all your hatred and distrust of me aside, forget your... idiot moral arguments, as well as your rationalizations. Cease worrying about good and evil and corruption, and learn to harness the powers that Nihete has developed from both his tie with you, Valkyrie, and his own awakening as a Replicant of my creation. Use every tool at your disposal...” Valthrudnir leaned forwards, and there was no arguing with him this time: his expression was serious, his usual arrogance and mockery gone from his cold... and perhaps even worried... eyes. “Otherwise, you will not be able to defeat Thesis.”
“Valthrudnir, what if... what if I lose my mind?” Scrivener asked quietly, and he looked up, swallowing once as he felt himself become vulnerable, almost pleading. “It's not even... that I'm scared of you taking over. What if I lose myself? What if I... I hurt Luna, and Twilight? What if I start...”
“Listen to me, insect, because I do not want to and will not repeat what I am going to say.” Valthrudnir leaned down, then visibly wrestled with himself before gritting his teeth, muttering a curse, and forcing out: “You... were designed to handle these powers. And with the Valkyrie's strength, I... have faith... that you will not give in to the temptations of the Clay of Prometheus.”
There was silence for a few moments, and then Valthrudnir closed his eyes and lowered his head, adding moodily: “And I will... because you losing your mind serves no purpose to me at this point... if you will trust me, I will do what I can to... activate what receptors have not yet been maximized and... increase your overall efficiency. You are the vessel within which I am trapped. We are not friends, but we are necessary allies, as Thesis is doubtlessly an enemy to both of us.”
Luna frowned slightly at this, cocking her head as she asked slowly: “But thou said that Thesis was... was thy greatest creation. Was thine own... child, in a sense.”
Valthrudnir smiled distastefully. “Then hope that I misspoke, Valkyrie. And Thesis is operating outside his programming procedures as it is... if he was aware of my continued existence, I have no doubt he would seek to exterminate me, the same way the Clockwork King was willing to exterminate Scrivener Blooms after his rather entertaining little act. Idiot failure that he was...”
The Jötnar muttered in disgust for a few moments, then shook his head slowly and continued coldly: “Thesis is no longer obeying what he was programmed to do, but I doubt he has forgotten what he was trained in, long before he was modified and upgraded further. Even before his awakening, he was powerful... in spite of only appearing to be an... an 'earth pony,' as your kind calls them, he was not just Prince but Commander of the Sun Monarch's military forces. He will no doubt know that I would have him reprogrammed or destroyed for insubordination and treachery, much less his tampering with my life's work. So the only logical response he could make would be to destroy me first.”
There was silence for a few moments, and then Valthrudnir turned around, putting his hands behind his back as he looked up and murmured: “Thesis should not be active, at least not to this extent. After I shut Decretum down, all successful Replicants were sent to different worlds, to infiltrate, then wait until after I had completed my latest prototype... you, Nihete. You are the nearest to completion, the most advanced model, even if your systems were originally designed only for terraforming and environmental control. But your essence has been modified... and the Tyrant Wyrm, perhaps...”
Valthrudnir looked down, rubbing slowly at his chin, and then he closed his eyes and murmured: “What a miserable universe this is. All my power, my ability to bend reality within it, to change the flow of space and time, and here I am. Trapped inside a filthy little equus ferus caballus, who was supposed to be nothing more than a simple... maintenance worker, in comparison to the design of my other drones. And yet in the end... you may have been my greatest success, and my greatest failure. How fitting, though: I would rather orchestrate my own downfall than I would be defeated by another. At least this way, I am responsible for my own demise... would you call that justice? Or would you call that redemption, philistine?”
Valthrudnir sounded... bitter. Scrivener and Luna traded uneasily looks, as Twilight shifted slowly, and then Nightmare Moon smiled and said softly: “We've taken enough of your time, Lord Valthrudnir... excuse us. Today we will speak with our friends and family, our allies and servants, and acquire their aid. But know that we fully plan to take your advice into consideration, and I myself will be gently urging both my King and Mistress to fully accept your wisdom.”
“Good.” Valthrudnir muttered, not looking back at them as he gazed up at the painted glass, and there was silence for a few moments before Nightmare Moon smiled and turned away. After a moment, Luna, Scrivener and Twilight all traded looks, then shrugged and turned to follow as well, before the three ponies halted and looked back as Valthrudnir said clearly, without turning around: “I will not simply lay down and die. That means I will not let you or the Valkyrie lay down and die.”
Scrivener and Luna traded awkward looks, then both opened their mouths... but a moment later, there was a swirl of shadows that consumed their vision as reality around them broke apart, vertigo tearing at their senses before both ponies found themselves staring up at the ceiling of their bedroom, with Twilight curled quietly up between them.
The Lich blinked a few times, then smiled faintly as she snuggled her head against Luna, feeling the bodies of both ponies close on either side of her. She breathed slowly in and out as Scrivener and Luna traded looks past her, feeling their emotions and thoughts spilling between them as faint light peeked in beneath the thick curtains covering the windows, before Scrivener sighed and mumbled: “Alright, alright. Breakfast it is. Pancakes?”
“Pancakes.” Luna grumbled, hugging Twilight close, and the violet mare smiled despite herself before she called loudly, as Scrivener yawned and headed towards the doorway: “And the chocolate coffee, with a dollop of whipped cream!”
“Mocha.” Scrivener muttered, even as he smiled slightly at the way Luna pronounced 'whipped.' Whip-pid. I don't know why. The way she talks just makes me so happy some days.
The stallion headed out into the den room... and cocked his head curiously as he found his son sprawled over the bedding, dozing with a book half-covering his face. Scrivener softened a bit, then stepped over to Antares and hesitated for a moment, looking quietly at the scars on his back: they had sealed closed now, and the stitching could be removed, he thought.
Scrivy reached forwards, gently shaking his son's shoulder, and the glossy-black unicorn started a bit before he looked fuzzily up, knocking the book off his face. Then he blinked a few times before smiling lamely up at his father, rubbing at his forehead and saying through a yawn: “H... Hey Dad. I... I guess I must've fallen asleep out here...”
“Insomnia?” Scrivener asked as he turned to head towards the kitchen, and Antares nodded blearily a few times as he picked himself up, shaking his head out briskly. The charcoal stallion smiled faintly over his shoulder at his son: his poor, beaten-up child, still so young, and yet already nearly as scarred as his father. “How's the pain?”
“Fine, actually... doesn't hurt at all.” Antares said softly, and even though it was honest, there was almost a hint of sadness in his voice too, as he looked quietly over his shoulder at his lack of wings. For a moment there was silence, and then the unicorn cleared his throat before walking towards the kitchen. He silently watched his father preparing breakfast, and then he bit his lip before asking in almost a rush: “Can I talk to you about something, Dad?”
“Always.” Scrivener said softly, as he finished putting out the mugs as the coffeemaker began to rumble and click, and the earth pony turned around to smile a little, studying his son as his son studied him. They were so alike, but Scrivener thought... Antares was better than him. Sleeker, smarter, with sharper eyes that didn't rely on strange Clockwork powers, and didn't make him go crazy when he used them. Antares was the next generation... and Scrivener wanted to help him, every step of the way, to continue to be a better stallion than his father.
There was quiet for a moment, and Antares opened his mouth... hesitated... and then began finally: “About... Mom being pregnant. I don't... I want to help out as much as I can. I really do, but it's hard to wrap my head around, you know? I'm going to be twenty four in... what? Two weeks now?”
“I think so. Yeah, you're right. Nightmare Night is coming up quick, your mother and I almost forgot with... well... everything.” Scrivener smiled a little, stepping forwards as he added quietly: “And you have every right to be... a little... stressed, Antares. I know this is a big change for you and we surprised you with it at a rough time. Especially since we all also just found out about... Scarlet and Apple Bloom trying for their own foal.
“Don't be upset with Twilight though, okay? She deserves this. And I know you're not, I know, I just... also know that bad feelings can sometimes rise up whether we want them to or not.” Scrivener continued gently, preempting Antares before he could say anything. “And look. If you do wanna be mad at someone, be mad at me, alright?”
“I'm not mad at you, Dad. I... well... yeah, I mean. I'm a little... it's hard to put into words.” Antares looked awkwardly away, but Scrivener only smiled and nodded a few times, and the unicorn bit his lip before he shook his head quickly and mumbled: “Life seems too complicated sometimes, you know? I just... I really wish everything was simpler. I wish that it was all laid out in one neat line instead of all this stuff jamming together, and... that I could help more.”
“You help a world, Antares. You do.” Scrivener said softly, and then he shook his head before studying the young stallion and asking: “What else is bothering you, though? You look like you still have something on your mind.”
Antares shifted lamely, then he looked down and nodded once, taking a slow breath before murmuring: “I really appreciate you and everyone else working so hard to help me and take care of me and stuff, but... Dad, I... I want to go back out there, and do everything I can to help stop these Replicants. And I don't... I don't want to be treated like... you know. Like a foal. I'm... I'm an adult now. And I'm not saying I haven't really appreciated what you and Mom have been doing for me, especially after I lost my wings and all, I'm just saying I... I'm trying to grow up.”
Scrivener nodded slowly, and there was silence except for the sound of coffee dripping down into the quickly-filling carafe, before the stallion asked softly: “This is what you meant to talk to us before about, isn't it? Antares, I... I know... no, that's a lie. I don't know what it's like for you.” The stallion smiled a little. “Your Mom and I both... we still have trouble remembering how old you are. How smart and strong and independent you are. You live here with us but... you take better care of us than we do of you, I think sometimes.
“Okay. We'll... your mom and I are going to do our best to... remember that you're an adult. We will.” Scrivener said quietly, and then he turned and opened a cupboard, feeling a faint pulse in his chest even as he smiled a little over at the unicorn, who was studying him silently. “I'm making pancakes and bacon for your mother. I'll make some for you, too. If you want, I mean.”
“Okay. Dad, I... that'd be great.” Antares said after a moment, and the young stallion dropped his head awkwardly before turning around and hurrying out of the kitchen, closing his eyes and cursing himself silently. Great. Really great work, Antares... why can't I just keep my stupid mouth shut...
Luna and Twilight eventually came out of the bedroom, but it was a little awkward, even as they sat with their son. There was more quiet than usual, and it hung much heavier in the air, all three ponies trying to focus on the sound of Scrivener preparing food more than each other. Breakfast was good, but not savored, and afterwards, Luna cleared her throat and said finally: “Scrivy and I are... going to go into town. We have business at the engineering center and we should speak to Celestia. Scrivener also has other work to attend to. I do not know if we will return for supper so... do not worry for us there.”
Antares nodded awkwardly, and then Luna and Scrivener traded looks before climbing to their hooves. Twilight smiled a little at them as they left, but there were no other goodbyes as they stepped outside and headed to the forest path.
It was a comfortable, breezy morning. The leaves were mostly changed on the trees, birds were singing, it felt crisp but not cold. The sun shone above and the world was beautiful, the living forest around them seeming to breathe, to pulse with life... and Luna only scowled around at it all, grumbling: “I feel as if I have been kicked in the colt-parts, Scrivy. My colt-parts have been kicked.”
“Luna, come on. We were kind of smothering him a little. And we were just talking about how we have to treat him like an adult.” Scrivener replied quietly, and Luna grumbled and dropped her face against his neck, closing her eyes as he smiled a little at her. “You know he's just... trying to find his independence and all that. He's not moving out or anything yet, just... getting stable.”
“I will stabilize thee. Shut up, beetle.” Luna mumbled against him, and then she sighed a little and ground her face slowly against his neck, her cheek rubbing against the edge of his platinum collar as she murmured: “'Tis not fair. That is all there is to it, 'tis not fair, Scrivener Blooms.”
Scrivy only smiled faintly, and then Luna sighed quietly and shook herself out a little, straightening before asking quietly: “But what of the other things that... plague us here and now? Perhaps that is why this stings so much... there is so much weighing down on us at once...”
“Yeah.” Scrivener said simply, and Luna nodded slowly as their eyes flicked up, trading thoughts, images, and emotions with ease between them, turning that single word into a long, thoughtful answer. For a moment, there was silence between them, and then Scrivener looked ahead as their link faded, murmuring; “I kind of feel this... prickling in my mind. Like we're being watched... I can't tell if it's Nightmare Moon or Valthrudnir, though. And I feel a kind of... gentle push towards... you know. Seeing just what else these abilities can do.”
He quieted, and Luna nodded slowly before she looked away and grumbled: “I do not like feeling like a pawn in some other entity's game...” She stopped, then grimaced and looked down, muttering: “I like even less the allure of practicing with these powers has. Oh damnation, Scrivener...”
Scrivener only smiled silently, and it wasn't until they had almost come to the end of the path that Luna finally spoke again, the mare looking at him and saying quietly: “For Twilight Sparkle's sake, let us... let us promise each other. That if for no other reason, but for her and our daughter and our son and our... soon-to-be child... we shall not give in to the temptations that will come with what must be done. I promise thee Scrivy, I shall resist: now thou, promise me.”
“I promise, Luna.” Scrivener said quietly, looking up and meeting her eyes, and they sealed the deal with a soft, slow kiss, before the two parted and dropped their foreheads together, closing their eyes silently for a moment. They breathed in and out, feeling their hearts beating in time, and then they slowly stepped apart and looked up at the same moment, trading a nod in silent synchronization.
They continued onwards into Ponyville, their minds set on the tasks ahead: but even by the time they reached Cowlick's lab, they both still felt a little gloomy as Luna pushed her way grouchily through the main doors of the building, only tossing the mare sitting at the help desk in the foyer a single wave before the sapphire winged unicorn stormed onwards through the employee's only doors, and Scrivener fell awkwardly into step after his wife.
They made their way towards Cowlick's office, and Luna headbutted the door open to interrupt the engineer herself in mid-argument with Greece, as the Nibelung gestured at her almost pleadingly. Both Artificer and earth pony turned with surprise to look at Luna, and then Cowlick grinned wryly, tilting her head and asking mildly: “Well what the hell has you looking like someone took a piss in your cereal this morning, Luna?”
“Do not ask. And I do not eat cereal.” Luna retorted grumpily, and Cowlick rolled her eyes before the sapphire mare straightened and declared: “We are here to discuss thy research with thee, Cowlick. And we are also here to claim my Iron Horse. I desire to ride it in circles throughout Ponyville and run over all ponies who annoy me. Possibly while shooting angrily into the air.”
“I wish I hadn't given up making guns sometimes. God, that thing that Apple Bloom put together for you. Pisses me right off. Why the hell couldn't you have asked for that while I was still making guns?” Cowlick asked grumpily, and then she nodded after a moment and slipped her back hooves off her desk, hopping to the floor and nodding to her as she smiled slightly. “But hey, lemme show you something else first, okay? And if this don't brighten your mood, then nothing will.”
Luna cocked her head curiously, but she nodded as Greece lamely rose a hand and opened his mouth, but Cowlick cut him off by adding flatly: “And hey, what the hell are you doing, lazing with your thumbs up your butt? Go on, get back to work on that damn project of yours, you're the one who says it's gonna be the greatest new thing ever.”
“I... I never said that and... alright, alright.” Greece sighed and slumped, then smiled awkwardly over at Luna and Scrivener as both ponies looked with entertainment at the dwarf, while Cowlick only huffed and stomped past. “Uh. Hello. I'll catch up to you as soon as I can, but-”
“Guys, hurry up, come on! Otherwise I'm gonna have to break out the negative goddamn reinforcement!” Cowlick shouted over her shoulder, and Scrivener winced a bit as Luna grumbled and turned around, the two hurrying out as Greece lamely waved after them.
Cowlick huffed at them, but then only grunted and turned, leading them quickly through the facility's halls and down towards the testing area. Luna and Scrivener both decided it was better to be quiet for this journey, even though Luna couldn't help but fidget a bit, curious to know just what it was that Cowlick was apparently so proud of: when the engineer put off fun and games, and moreover, made them wait to see her newest invention instead of bragging all about it, it often meant she had developed something with serious potential... be that for good or evil.
But since Cowlick had stopped making lethal weapons after her son had passed away, it hopefully meant it was something good, as they headed towards the testing area in the basement... and then Luna cocked her head in surprise as they strode straight past, the engineer saying mildly over her shoulder as the two stumbled a bit behind her: “No, it ain't there. Come on, keep up... here it is.”
“Oh no. I don't want to go in there.” Scrivener said morbidly, looking up at the sign above the door that read: 'Chemical Lab.' “I'm going to end up getting blown up.”
“Only a little, you giant pansy. Now come on.” Cowlick hammered on the armored doors, leaning up to glare through the plate glass windows as she muttered: “Stupid-ass security precautions. We have demons and Nightmares on regular patrol, who's going to be stupid enough to try and steal chemicals here when they don't even know what any of these do... god, I need a cigarette...”
Then there was a loud clicking before the doors were pulled open by two Nibelung in plastic-looking suits, and Cowlick grunted to them before striding through and heading straight towards a large, steel table that sat in the middle of the room, calling: “Someone bring me the White Matter sample, and uh... test bed C with some arid soil!”
Two more Nibelung hurried off towards the rear half of the room: it was dominated by free-standing shelves stacked with supplies, in front of a back wall made up of cupboards, cubbyholes, and locked cabinets, Scrivener grimacing a little as Luna gazed around with fascination. With the complicated equipment, the electrical lights, the burners and chemicals and glass, the Nibelung in hazardous materials suits and goggles here and there keeping an eye on experiments and everything else, it all looked like some mad scientist's lair... which described it pretty well, considering Cowlick.
The engineer was looking mildly over at Scrivener as the stallion slowly looked up at the pipes and emergency vents in the ceiling, and then she whistled to get his attention before gesturing absently at the Nibelung approaching with a large, flat tray filled with... dirt? “Use your evil powers on this, will you? Need some of that black gunk.”
Scrivener grimaced a bit, but Luna only looked down curiously as the Nibelung set the tray on the ground before hurrying back to whatever chores he had, and the stallion sighed after a moment before mumbling: “I have claws now, you know.”
“And you're still nothing more than a giant pansy. Now come on, it's important.” Cowlick said plaintively, even as another Nibelung approached carefully with a large, circular tube made of some kind of clear plastic and banded steel. It looked almost like a tiny barrel with a screwed-on top and some kind of large, squishy black handle, but Cowlick cleared her throat to get his attention before he could examine it too closely. He looked at her moodily, and she pointed a few times at the tub of dirt. “Don't got all day here.”
Scrivy finally sighed, then stepped one hoof forwards into the dirt, concentrating. His claw automatically flexed open as he grimaced a little, his blood boiling in his veins as he felt the corruption spilling out, and the dry soil rapidly began to rot away into black sludge, Scrivener wheezing after a moment and drawing his claw back with a grimace as he flicked it a few times, dark ooze dripping from his palm as he muttered: “There. Happy now?”
Cowlick grunted as she looked down at the tub, watching as the last of the dirt rotted away into mire, before the engineer reached over to pick up the tube. She cradled it against her body as she quickly unscrewed the top, muttering: “We'll see who's complaining in just a minute...”
Luna cocked her head with interest as Scrivener simply continued to shake out his claw, feeling the dark blood in his veins gradually settling before he looked up as Cowlick pulled off the lid off the tiny barrel, revealing the reason for the squishy, spherical grip: extending out of the bottom of the steel lid was a glass dropper, currently filled with a bright white liquid that for some reason, made Scrivener's eyes hurt just to look at. “Okay, watch this.”
Cowlick held the dropper over the mire, squeezing it a few times and spilling the white liquid out: at first, nothing happened, and Luna and Scrivener both simply looked blank before Cowlick shushed them loudly when the sapphire mare opened her mouth. Luna glared at her, but the engineer only glared back, still cradling the barrel against her body and the dropper in her other hoof, before she grinned widely and nodded a few times, saying firmly: “There, look!”
Both ponies looked down... and stared in shock at the fact the mire was rippling, writhing almost like a living thing in pain around the trails of white liquid. And slowly, the corruption began to lose its color, becoming an ugly, sludgy gray that made Scrivener shiver and the dark liquid in his own veins seem to boil as if in sympathetic pain, his head rearing back as Cowlick muttered: “Yeah, suck that up, you greedy little slimeball.”
“You found a way to kill the mire?” Scrivener asked incredulously, and Cowlick grunted before shaking her head after a moment, gesturing again at the goo. The stallion frowned, then returned his eyes to the black mire before he grimaced a bit at the sight of it: even though most of it had turned gray, it was already starting to darken again in some areas towards black.
“Almost. The problem with this stuff is that it's self-replicating... but we're on the right track. Once I get this juice more concentrated, the White Matter should be able to outright neutralize your corruption. And I'm guessing if it works on yours, it'll work on the rest of the goo that Clockwork World uses too.” Cowlick said calmly, and then she finally put the tube aside and turned her attention to screwing on the lid, even as she added in a quieter voice: “But that means this stuff can probably kill you, Scrivy. Maybe you too, Luna, even if I don't think otherwise even at full potency this kind of thing will be able to make a pony more than a little sick. I need you two to be okay with that fact before I work any further on it.”
The two looked at her quietly, and then nodded slowly, and Cowlick sighed as she nodded silently as well before grimacing and looking almost embarrassed now as she cleared her throat. “Now, I'm gonna be honest here with you. A lot of this stuff I didn't make myself, I commissioned my friends in Manehattan to put it together for me. They got a lot better tools for chem analysis and all that stuff over there. Here, our specialty is more... Clockwork tech, and mechanical parts. I'm still working with 'em, keepin' an eye on them, don't worry about that. Narcissa ain't gonna be stupid enough to try and run a game on me.
“But here's the problem.” She turned towards them, clearing her throat. “We're gonna need money to buy up the supplies and the work time. Here in Ponyville, I'm happy to work for you guys for free, so long as you guys keep me in good supply with all the materials and parts, and give me the leg-room you so generously do. Let me tell you, getting parts for my own projects and the freedom to do what the hell I please... that satisfies me more than a hefty paycheck. And it ain't like we're poor, anyway... we've got plenty of contracts and commissions constantly coming and going, more than enough to let me pay my people and keep myself well-stocked with booze and coffin nails.
“But Manehattan ain't Ponyville. They ain't gonna do the work just because it's the right thing to do or anything like that. We need to pay them, seventy percent up front, thirty percent later, and cover additional supply costs on top of that. I hate begging you for it, but I'm gonna need a hefty amount of money.” Cowlick said quietly, and Scrivener and Luna traded looks before the engineer added mildly: “And no, Manehattan is in the next barony over, so Celestia can't just lean on 'em and make 'em cry uncle. Nor do I think she can authorize much in the way of payment.”
“Great. Well. At least we know where my book money is going to, now.” Scrivener said dryly, and then he rubbed slowly at his face and said finally: “I'll go get you one of those big fancy checks from the bank, okay? And I'll pay you more money in increments as I can. We'll see what other money we can dig up, too.”
“Alright. Thank you.” Cowlick said after a moment, and when the two looked at her in disbelief, she glowered back. “Fine, then, screw you both, happy? Look, when money gets involved, I get uptight on instinct, okay? Money makes everyone more bitchy and things more complicated. I hate feeling like there's a stick shoved up my ass and that I gotta smile and make nice with all the colts dressed in fancy clothes who ain't worked a day in their life, like those bastards who published you, Scrivy.”
“Actually, Underbrush was apparently a slave hoof like me. Which is why he's so intensely bitter despite having enough money to buy Valhalla.” Scrivener muttered, and Cowlick snorted in amusement before the stallion looked curiously over at the... “White Matter, you called that, right?”
Cowlick grunted and nodded, loosening up a little as she grinned over at him. “Yep. Once they synthesize up a potent enough batch of it, I'll buy out the formula and we'll set up the equipment here to make it. I'm gonna have to build another facility, though, or restructure some of the rooms here. But I figure this stuff is gonna be important for us to have on hoof, yeah?”
Scrivener nodded, and Cowlick hesitated before she asked: “You guys got a few minutes to spare? Something else you two should see. Won't take long, I don't think, then we can go and look at your Iron Horse, Luna, and get you all set up.”
The two traded looks, then nods, and Cowlick grinned and grunted before she shouted over her shoulder at the working Nibelung: “Hey, lock the White Matter up, and scrape the stuff off the tray for hazardous materials! Hold onto it, though, you idjits incinerate another sample on me and I swear I'll knock you into next week, you all got that colts?”
Then Cowlick turned her eyes forwards and strode towards the doors, and Luna couldn't help but remark wryly: “I hate to say it, but thou may be an even greater tyrant than even Celestia could ever dream to be, Cowlick. 'Tis rather terrifying, all-in-all. There are not supposed to be creatures more the worser than my beloved big sister, after all, but thou would make a Tyrant Wyrm cringe.”
“Well, thanks, I do my best.” Cowlick replied wryly, and then she rolled her eyes before grumbling and beginning to yank at the doors with a curse. “Oh I hate these goddamn locks... who the hell installed these stupid things? I'm gonna shoot them, I can never... ha!”
Cowlick managed to yank the doors open, then grunted and nodded firmly before striding out into the hall, then glaring past Luna and Scrivener over her shoulder, making both ponies wince to either side as the engineer shouted: “I'm gonna be back here in half an hour or so, so don't lock the damn doors this time, got that?”
There were only mumbles from inside, before Scrivener finally remarked dryly: “You know, Cowlick, people are always telling me that I need to work on my people skills. But you're really helping me to realize that... I'm definitely far from the least-social person out there.”
“Shut up.” Cowlick grunted in response, and then she began to nuzzle at her vest as she led them down the hallway, muttering: “Stupid damn idjits. I'll have you know I used to be just the most social little pony you ever did meet, I just realized how stupid it was to be nice all the damn time to ponies after I started working on all those stupid community projects I had to do in university... at least this way I get a little damn respect and they know from the start who they're dealing with, instead of... forcing smiles and... stupid damn... here, here we go.”
Cowlick turned and shoved the doors open to one of the workshops, and Scrivener and Luna both looked up with surprise as Shiny glanced up curiously towards them. Cowlick grinned at him as she rose her head, pulling a cigarette free from her pocket with the gesture, and then she frowned a bit at the Clockwork Pony, asking incredulously: “Are you still not done charging? You're worse than that damn portal ring we set up, you glutton.”
Shiny only smiled lamely at her: the hatch on one side of his body was open, and there were several large cables extending out of some kind of machine feeding into his body. The device was apparently powered by glowing rods made from voltaic topaz, the ends of these sticking out of the top of the rectangular power modulator, and Cowlick sighed before asking instead: “You doin' okay, then? That thing still working properly?”
“It's fine. Thank you.” Shiny replied quietly: his language skills had mostly returned, and he was no longer saying the wrong words when he tried to form a coherent sentence. Instead, he simply forgot a word now and then, but it wasn't like even Scrivener could ever remember what he was saying half the time. “It's nice to see you, Luna and Scrivener.”
Scrivener smiled a little, bowing his head as Luna stepped forwards with a firm nod in return, even as both noticed the way Shiny always tensed up around Scrivener: it was a mix of subconscious fear and respect, a little different from the wariness he favored Luna with. Cowlick pointedly ignored the quasi-tenseness in the room and headed straight for Shiny meanwhile, and she leaned down to poke at the cables hooked into him, feeding energy into his power cells.
“Your brother did a real great job, I gotta say. On and off he's been helping round Shiny out with a little bit of help from Greece and Ten... know it's hard to tell with the hatch open but uh... Shiny, turn, let 'em see you better.” Cowlick half-ordered, straightening and slapping at Shiny's shoulder a few times, and the Clockwork Pony nodded awkwardly.
He turned his other side towards them, and Luna smiled slightly after a moment: she definitely noticed her brother's handiwork. Not just the fact that Shiny was now a lot less bulky, but his ridged armor had been smoothed down, and overall it gave him a much cleaner, neater look. His legs still looked a little thick, and his movement was careful and a bit heavy-hoofed, but all the same it was definite improvement. “Aye, thou looks thinner. Some of the fat has been trimmed from thy metal bones, I see... how does thou feel?”
“I feel... I feel a little better, thank you.” Shiny looked up with a small smile, nodding once. He hesitated, then continued quietly as Cowlick headed over to one of the tool benches: “I am...going to attempt to interact more with society in Ponyville. Cowlick and Ross have been... very good to me.”
“Damn straight we have.” Cowlick agreed as she returned with a screwdriver, and then she leaned forwards and half into Shiny, the Clockwork Pony wincing as she continued loudly while beginning to tinker with something inside him: “Now, Shiny here might not have gotten off to the greatest start with you guys, but I think he's got a lot of potential to be helpful as all hell around here. But everyone else thinks I'm crazy. Do you think you could get some ponies to help guide Shiny around a little more? And you know he's damn interested in Twilight, too.”
“Cowlick, please!” Shiny cringed a bit at this, and Cowlick huffed... then yelled brazenly as Shiny swayed on the spot as electricity blasted over his body, the Clockwork Pony only wincing but Cowlick crashing and rolling backwards, her hooves and vest smoldering a little.
Cowlick shouted several loud, violent vulgarities, one of which made Luna begin to giggle wildly and another that made Scrivener gape. Then the engineer grumbled and tossed her half-melted screwdriver away, muttering: “Okay, not the brightest idea. Oh, yeah, by the way. I probably should have mentioned this earlier, but uh... I reconfigured Shiny's core. So right now he's about... oh... let's pull an estimate out the air and say a hundred and twenty percent stronger than he was before. Guy had some serious rust and wear and tear, I kid you not.”
Luna stopped laughing at this, and Scrivener looked up in surprise as Shiny smiled awkwardly, before both ponies glared, but Cowlick only huffed and shrugged as she strode over to the machine powering Shiny up and turned it off. “Screw you guys, he's a defensive unit. What's he gonna do? Stand in the doorway and get between me and my cigarettes?”
She paused, then glanced stupidly down as she realized her cigarette was now lit, and she grinned widely before she absently patted her hooves over her body. “Providence is clearly telling me to smoke. Who am I to deny that? Anyway, you guys beat the snot out of him so bad before he'd still have nightmares about it if he ever slept. Trust me.”
“No. Never. Trusting you is a horrible idea.” Scrivener said dryly, and Cowlick replied with a particularly-rude gesture, making the stallion scowl before he sighed when Luna poked at him a little with her horn. He pushed the sapphire mare's head away after a moment, then grumbled to himself before saying finally: “But... well... we'll trust Shiny. Just not you.”
“Good. Okay, Shiny, you unhook yourself, you're fully charged or damn near, you probably just haven't adjusted to having a bigger fuel tank yet. You two, come with me, we'll head over to the garage and I'll show you your Iron Horse, Luna. You can take her out for a spin, and I even got a surprise for you, Scrivener.” Cowlick said easily, waving a hoof at them, and the stallion looked morbidly at the engineer as Luna grinned in delight, stomping her hooves on the spot.
Shiny looked almost sympathetically at Scrivener as Cowlick strode quickly past, shaking herself briskly out, and as they followed her into the hall Luna couldn't help but ask curiously: “Does thou not feel those burns over thy body, Cowlick?”
“Not so much. I doubt half my nerve endings work anymore with how often I've fried myself.” Cowlick replied absently as she led them down the corridor, and the engineer grinned wryly over her shoulder. “Or hell, maybe I just like it a little. Bet you understand that, Luna, the way you're always zapping everything in sight. Maybe I should be talking to Scrivy about that, though...”
“I hate you.” Scrivener said plainly, and Cowlick laughed as they reached the shutter door at the end of the corridor, and the engineer reached up to yank down a switch. A beeping filled the air as the shutter slowly began to rise, and Luna licked her lips eagerly as Scrivener looked at her desperately. “Why do you need to have one of these things? Why can't you just-”
“Valkyries rode into battle on horseback! As we are... well... horses... 'twould be too awkward to saddle thee. Well, outside of the bedroom.” Luna winked over at him, and Cowlick cackled as Scrivener turned bright red and stared at her. “Can thou not just be happy for me? Nay, can thou not find it inside thy wretched little heart to be proud of Cowlick? This is a mighty achievement! A grand accomplishment! We now have wondrous machines capable of traveling great distances upon their power alone, and that...”
Luna halted in her rambling as she and Scrivener stared out into the garage beyond, and Cowlick grinned widely as she strode inside and winked over her shoulder, approaching the brightly lit-up platform upon which sat the machine that had drawn Luna's attention. She looked at it with awe, and Scrivener with something like horror, as the engineer said easily: “I custom-made yours, as a little gift from me to you, and added some... quirks. You two are both gonna love it, I think. I'm just finishing up the schematics for Antares' model now, while I got ten more that are being sold off to the highest bidder to keep this place running and help pay for the White Matter stuff... but come on, Luna, you seen it, you might admire it, but that ain't nothing until you take her out for a spin.”
Luna Brynhild grinned eagerly as Cowlick winked, and then the sapphire mare shivered in excitement before she said quickly: “Epona. My steed shall be named Epona. Oh, had it a mouth I would kiss it! Yes, yes, I must ride her now!”
And Scrivener could only stare as Cowlick grinned widely and Luna pranced towards the metal machine, a gleam in her eyes that was half-nostalgia and half-excitement for the prospects of the future.