//------------------------------//
// Verse Eight 
// Story: Gjallarsong 
// by BlackRoseRaven 
//------------------------------//

Verse Eight
~BlackRoseRaven


Once they are sung, words cannot be undone,


They taint our perception of life and world,


Subtle, like poison; and how our minds shun


that they could be so easily curdled.



But reality is weak, paper-thin,


And easily torn by a strong belief;


The world is shaped by glory and sin,


Warmed by our happiness, burnt by our grief.



The Dragon plots on, compelled by his pride,


And the Princess flies the banner of war,


They follow the chorus, dance as the tide


of judgment comes, to make what is, no more.



And still the child sings, from within the earth:


No one can doubt Gjallar, or his Song's worth.



This was no longer a war. 'War' could not describe the chaos, the anarchy, the bloodshed. There was no point anymore, no one trying to win: the goal was merely not to be the first to lose.
News came from the griffin kingdom that the palaces had been ransacked, the temples and their sacred Creed burned, the gates of 'schools' and 'sanctuaries' where they imprisoned griffins tainted with black magic wrenched open to unleash these hybrid mages on the world.
News came from above, that the cloud cities had fallen into turmoil, as the Kirin shed what little remained of their peaceful ways and began to stir up hurricanes and blizzards. And as they tampered with nature and the natural order, evil things had leapt upon the once-glorious people of the sky, scavengers and vultures that attacked the weaker Kirin now that they were no longer protected by numbers or the strength of unity.
The diamond dogs mined furiously, digging deeper into the earth any sane creature had ever dared in their search for the minerals and materials that would help power the weapons of their cruel overlords... and down in the depths of darkness, fell prey to terrible and hideous things that now crawled towards the surface, lured by the fresh meat above.
The dragons attacked settlements, feasting on ponies and gathering treasure as they made themselves new aeries amidst the ruins of Equestria. But soon enough, the proud, greedy beasts began to turn on each other and the hordes they had agreed to help, claiming enormous, sprawling pieces of territory for themselves and attacking anything that dared to enter their domain without suitable tribute.
Celestia stood on the tallest tower of Canterlot Castle, gazing out at the ravaged city below before she closed her eyes and lowered her head. She was struggling to maintain some kind of control over her country... but over the last few months, many of the distant towns and cities had closed in on themselves, becoming their own city-states. But even if she was a Queen, she no longer had a land to rule: it had been taken over by packs of bandits, by hideous monsters, by wild beasts and renegades who dared to blame her for the nightmare that had all started with the griffins...
She trembled, but then forced her head to rise, forced herself to gaze out over the burning city below. There were riots, all throughout Canterlot, because she had finally chosen to retreat to the Castle of Harmony, in the Eternal Forest. The ponies thought she was abandoning them... and bitterly, she wished that she was. Valthrudnir was right: they were insects. Worthless insects, animals driven purely by primal instincts. And without a strong hoof to guide them and keep them in line, this is what they fell to: squabbling and screaming and attacking each other in panic when the most sensible thing they could do was unite against the foe that wanted to kill them all.
But no. It was more important that they place blame, that they punish the people who might have sinned against them... than they united to stop the people who would, with certainty, kill them. They wanted to be heard, and they wanted to strike out against the hoof that had fed them for all these years because they thought that she would still take care of them if they did. Or perhaps, in their foolishness, they believed that if they made enough noise, she would come in and coddle them as if they were nothing but foals, babies...
Celestia smiled thinly down at Canterlot, and then she shook her head slowly before turning around and striding into her room. Two Dogmatists looked back at her, bowing their heads calmly: one was Vice, and the other was a calm-looking Pegasus, with a pretty yellow coat and a smooth pink mane. In her bodysuit and armor, she looked just like a normal pony... but Prudence had already proven that she was one of Valthrudnir's elite when a dragon had been foolish enough to try and make an attack on the castle. “Are you ready to go, Miss Celestia?”
“Almost.” Celestia said shortly, and then she took a slow look around the room, making sure that everything important had been removed before she said quietly: “Prudence. Go on ahead and attend to the last of the arrangements for transport. Vice, I will leave you here to act as regent and relay my orders to the city and what forces we leave here. Understood?”
Both Dogmatists saluted calmly, and then Prudence smiled, saying kindly: “Everything will be alright, Miss Celestia. Death is a kindness. Death is freedom.”
Celestia turned her cold amethyst eyes to Prudence, and then she said softly: “Well, before I can be free, Prudence, I have business to attend to. The other nations must be destroyed. Or they will burn my country and people along with their own.”
Prudence bowed her head politely, and Vice said contemptibly: “You should let them. Let us leave for Decretum instead of trying to maintain this pointless front. This whole world burns. Let it burn. You owe it nothing.”
Celestia looked at Vice for a few moments, and then she strode slowly over to the stallion before slapping him viciously across the face. Vice's eyes bulged in shock as the mask of skin that covered his features tore, revealing the steel beneath as Celestia said coldly: “I will not be chased out of my world, Vice. This world owes me, and I will see that debt repaid in full.”
Vice lowered his head hurriedly, before flinching when Celestia grabbed his loose mask and simply tore it off, tossing the realistic skin aside to reveal nothing but shaped, featureless metal. “I also don't take advice from cowards who hide their faces.”
Vice shifted slowly, then he nodded silently before Celestia brushed past, heading through the open doors. The Dogmatists both turned, and Vice bared his metal teeth at Prudence as she easily hip-checked him out of the way with a mocking smile.
Celestia ignored the two as she made her way quickly down stairs and through the halls of Canterlot: halls that were almost completely empty now, she reflected bitterly. There were few ponies willing to work anymore, and instead most of her staff was made up of Dogmatists and her loyal Solar Guard... but even they were starting to lose faith, she thought. Especially with the way Equestria was fracturing, thanks to hordes and the raiders and the monsters...
Celestia shoved open the door to Thesis' quarters... and then she halted and straightened as Singing Lark stumbled to her hooves from where she had been sitting beside Thesis' bed, the maid flushing deeply and dropping her head as she stammered: “P-Princess... I, I mean Queen Celestia, I-”
“How is he doing?” Celestia asked in a suddenly quiet voice, losing the coldness that had become so second nature as she strode up beside the mare. She looked down at her son, who was breathing weakly in bed, a mask over his face and all manner of machines beeping quietly around him, monitoring him and keeping him.. alive, for lack of a better word.
But was he really alive like this? He looked so cold and pale, even beneath all these blankets, and his body had grown so thin, and there were so many tubes and cables and they had to put her child in a diaper, of all things, because he could no longer tell when...
“He was awake for a little while.” Singing Lark said quietly, and then she reached out and silently touched Thesis' hoof, whispering: “He was... trying to pretend it was all okay. But he's... I... I'm sorry, Queen Celestia, I don't...”
“Celestia. Celestia, Singing Lark. I do not want us to be separated by status or titles. You are like a sister to my son, and that makes you like a daughter to me.” Celestia said quietly, turning towards the mare and smiling down at her faintly. “I assume you will be making the journey with us?”
“Yes, please. I would like to.” Singing Lark nodded with a faint smile. “I... I should get back to work, though, if I want to be-”
“Nonsense. I would prefer you here. From now on, taking care of my son is the only job you have to worry about.” Celestia said softly, reaching up and stroking back the mare's mane soothingly, before she said quietly: “We will be leaving very soon. Is there anything you need?”
Singing Lark blushed and shook her head quickly, before she looked over at Thesis, asking hesitantly: “Is... do you think he's well enough to...”
Celestia smiled faintly, then she replied honestly: “I don't know. But I do know that if we stay here, we will eventually be attacked. Canterlot is no longer safe: our enemies have taken control of the air, and it will be some time before we can gather our resources and armies to march across Equestria. Besides, Canterlot was never meant to be our home.”
“It... was, though.” Singing Lark said, looking silently towards the designs on the wall that faced the foot of the bed, and Celestia turned... and oh, how it hurt to look at those painted silhouettes. The outlines of Singing Lark and Thesis, traced again and again and again as they had grown up together, side-by-side... “I remember coming here for a few months every year and... I... I'm sorry, I don't mean to-”
“You don't need to be nervous with me, Singing Lark. Family is the most important thing in the world, and you are family.” Celestia soothed, then she leaned forwards and hugged the mare suddenly, the earth pony blushing deeply before the Queen of Equestria pulled back and smiled faintly. “But unfortunately, this business won't wait. A team will arrive to fetch Thesis, but I will ensure they will respect you, too, and your importance to both myself and my son.”
“Thank you, Celestia.” Singing Lark murmured, bowing her head humbly, and then she cleared her throat before asking hesitantly: “Is there anything you want me to do?”
“You're already doing more than enough.” Celestia reassured, and then the Queen of Equestria turned and leaned down, silently kissing Thesis' forehead before she whispered: “I love you. We'll fix you, Thesis. I promise.”
Celestia straightened, gave one last smile to Singing Lark, and then she turned and headed out into the hall. The moment she stepped through the doorway, her face hardened, her eyes going cold again before she said calmly: “Vice. Go and prepare an escort. Prudence, get the medical team and keep an eye on them. Treat Singing Lark as you would me.”
Both Dogmatists nodded, turning to stride quickly away on their tasks, and Celestia watched them walk away before she turned to head in the opposite direction, scowling darkly. Where was Valthrudnir, or the shipment of resources he had promised them? The mines were almost impossible to access now with the diamond dogs and worse things crawling all over them, and they were running out of the resources necessary to make ammunition and repairs...
She had to protect her family and herself, first and foremost. Nothing else mattered to her anymore: she had devoted so much of her life to this nation, to maintaining peace and harmony her way, and... it had all been thrown back in her face. There was no point in pretending anymore that these ponies and the rest of these nations were anything but animals, filthy and weak and...
“Celestia.”
The mare's eyes widened, and she whirled around to see Valthrudnir standing in the hall behind her, the dragon looking at her with a smile... but... nervousness, too, she thought. And yet her heart leapt at the sight of him, the mare's features breaking into her own warm smile after a moment before she strode fearlessly up to him and embraced him tightly.
Valthrudnir stiffened slightly and winced, reaching his arms up, hesitating... and then he awkwardly pushed her back, clearing his throat and saying distastefully: “Please do not waste our time with such... pointless contact. We are working in a limited scope.”
Celestia only smiled again up at the dragon, asking softly: “Did you bring the supplies that you said you would?”
“Not here. I had the supplies delivered to your Castle of Harmony.” Valthrudnir replied, gesturing absently with one hand before he said quietly: “For once we seem to be in agreement. The security of the Castle will be necessary once you begin the first phase of your... transition.”
Celestia frowned up at the dragon for a moment, before her eyes widened slightly, and she asked in a disbelieving yet almost shamefully eager voice: “You finished the project?”
“The first phase.” Valthrudnir interrupted quickly, scowling a little as he nervously smoothed out an invisible wrinkle in his suit. “This is not as simple as conversion to Dogmatism, Celestia. Certainly some of the processes will be similar, but it will be much longer and much more painful and involved, requiring extensive-”
“I understand, Valthrudnir. I am prepared.” Celestia replied quietly, as she forced herself to calm down, raising her head and meeting the dragon's amber eyes. But Horses of Heaven... was she actually excited about this? “I... never thought I would be willing to undergo this kind of procedure but...”
She halted, then smiled a bit and looked up at Valthrudnir, saying softly: “Family is the most important thing, above all else. I consider this a step towards... acknowledging one-another as true family, Valthrudnir.”
“That is a notion I could do without hearing.” Valthrudnir said distastefully, scowling down at the mare as he reached up and adjusted his choker grumpily... but then he bit his lip for a moment before asking hesitantly: “How is your... family?”
Celestia smiled faintly, lowering her head before she murmured: “Worsening. Weakening. Trying his hardest to put on a strong face, but he didn't wake up this time when I went to see him. I hope... this journey isn't too hard on him.”
“I have brought Beauty to ensure that he receives what medical care he requires.” Valthrudnir answered as he glanced over his shoulder, and then he added after a moment, almost grudgingly: “She will also... take blood samples and make other necessary measurements. Because of his differing physiology, he will require more... modification.”
Celestia looked at Valthrudnir for a few moments, seeing how he was trying to be honest with her, trying to tell her what was going on, and she hesitated for a few moments before asking impulsively: “Did you... what did you have planned for him? What were you trying to do?”
Valthrudnir looked down for a few moments in silence, and then he sighed before saying quietly: “I had many plans, Celestia. And I realize only now how many of my designs were not as... excogitated as they could have been. Thesis was... too valuable a resource to waste. Thesis is...”
The dragon halted, clearing his throat before he reached into his suit and produced a set of playing cards, silently beginning to shuffle them as he muttered: “I still don't know why I'm here, Celestia. Why I've agreed to all this. Why I have wasted all these years here, or why I am continuing to waste all my time in this place... why I do your bidding like a little dog...”
Valthrudnir scowled as he continued to shuffle his cards, and Celestia smiled faintly and shook her head slowly before she said softly: “Do you have time to walk with me, Valthrudnir? We don't have to talk. I just want to spend a little bit of time with you.”
“I have... projects and... this is a waste of time. We are already behind schedule and I should be taking Beauty's assistants to set up the laboratory at your castle and...” Valthrudnir fumbled to a halt as he nearly dropped his cards, and then he scowled and riffled them together quickly, glowering down at the smile on Celestia's face. “Oh, don't give me that look, you are not nearly as ignorant as the rest of these plebeians are, no matter how much you insist on acting like an idiot brood mare with me.”
Celestia chuckled softly, and then she replied: “If you need a reason, Valthrudnir, then on the way down... tell me what you need me to do, for this... transition.”
“There is not much you'll be able to 'do' while this is taking place...” Valthrudnir said after a moment, scowling a little, but he fell into pace with her as she turned around, and the mare smiled a little. She thought he liked this too... maybe, like her, he even needed a moment to rest. He was just... not as aware of it as she was. “This process will be painful. You will be incapacitated for most of it, and you will be quarantined. We cannot risk any interference of any kind while you undergo this transition. The first phase alone may take months.”
“Whatever you need me to do, I will do, Valthrudnir.” Celestia confirmed, and then she asked: “How many phases are there?”
“The first phase will be the longest and most painful. It involves grafting genetic code and making other difficult but necessary primary changes.” Valthrudnir responded, looking down the hall with a scowl as he continued to moodily shuffle his cards. But he seemed to be slowing his pace maybe just the smallest amount, as if he was grudgingly enjoying the walk with her as he continued: “To ensure your protection, I have also brought two Class II Tyrant Wyrms. They will terraform the Eternal Forest and destroy any interlopers.”
“You told me that your Tyrant Wyrms served better as weapons than as terraformers.” Celestia said pointedly, and Valthrudnir only smiled wryly over at her.
“They did not fulfill their intended purpose as planned, but all the same, they are capable. Furthermore, the Decretum project...” Valthrudnir scowled a little, looking moodily away. “It has not been a complete failure. There is still an opportunity to revitalize it, it... merely will take time. I have been thinking of shutting the systems down, but... I do not believe that I will. Not yet.”
Celestia looked ahead and thought for a few moments in silence... and then she finally smiled faintly before her eyes flicked towards the dragon, saying quietly: “This world was once beautiful, and now...”
The ivory mare quieted as they approached a broken window, and Valthrudnir leaned forwards over her, resting a hand against the damaged stone as they both gazed out past Canterlot, at the ruptured and cracked mountains. Here and there, chemical fires burned from crashed Torpedo Cruisers that had been carrying radon shells or some other deadly agent that had gone down with them.
The walls of Canterlot were cracked, and buildings had fallen into ruin here and there. In some places, gorgeous architecture had been torn down and replaced by soulless cannons that stretched towards the sky, while in others, faceless tents had been set up to provide provisions and rations as part of the little relief efforts they were capable of.
Canterlot was crumbling... and Celestia knew it was like this, all around her country. Even from here, her sharp eyes could see Torpedo Cruisers and Kirin cloudships in the distance, many of these no longer piloted by soldiers of an army, but sky pirates and scavengers. Her country was being demolished... and she held the griffins accountable for all of this.
She closed her eyes, and then shook her head slowly before murmuring: “Why, Valthrudnir? How did it come to this? I understand that we played some role in this ourselves, that... your weapons and technology... they were too much for us. And when the griffins were able to steal it, and the Kirin were able to replicate it... it was too much at once. We suddenly had... machines that allowed the weakest earth pony to fly though the air faster than a Pegasus and perform more devastating magic than a unicorn.”
“It is not my fault, Celestia.” Valthrudnir said irritably, and when the mare glared up at him, he looked resolutely back... then sighed softly and added quietly: “And it is not yours, either. Your only fault is that... you are above these insects and you wasted too much of your time placing yourself at the same level as these stupid animals.”
Celestia blushed slightly as she looked away, and there was silence for a few moments before Valthrudnir sighed and leaned away, saying moodily: “I have never seen real beauty in nature. Nature is... chaos. Unkempt fields, filled with flowers that all clash in color, beneath a sky of scattered wavelengths that you animals perceive as 'blue.' What is beautiful in that? What is beautiful about dying leaves at harvest, or mud in spring? What is beautiful in frost and snow?”
The mare studied the dragon as he looked bitterly out through the window, and then she leaned up and asked quietly: “And when you look out at this, what do you see?”
Valthrudnir looked out the window again... and then he sighed softly before saying quietly: “Failure and misery. And these things are far uglier than the ramblings of nature.”
The dragon moodily brushed at himself, and then he murmured: “I suppose Decretum is far from 'beautiful' as well... but ugly as my world is, at least it serves a purpose. A purpose can make anything more worthwhile.”
“Something we can agree upon.” Celestia said softly, smiling briefly over at the dragon before she turned towards him, asking: “Is there anything you find beautiful, Valthrudnir?”
“I am not going to waste my time by replying with the idealistic drivel you want me to.” Valthrudnir said irritably, shoving away from the wall and turning to storm down the hall as he returned to shuffling his playing cards in his hands. “We are late. The Dogmatists and your pitiful ponies require their commands.”
Celestia smiled again all the same as she strode quickly after him, and the two fell in step again as they made their way to the great hall. They found Vice waiting for them there, along with a pony that Celestia didn't recognize: she looked like a winged unicorn, with a tall horn and a violet coat, but even though she lacked any visible mechanical parts, she all the same was clearly a Dogmatist from her lack of a cutie mark and the way that even Vice looked wary around her.
“Celestia, this is Wisdom.” Valthrudnir said calmly, gesturing towards the mare. “She will be taking over responsibility for your operations while you are incapacitated.”
“Only if she satisfies my expectations.” Celestia replied calmly, as the violet mare turned and approached them before bowing her head in respect. “Is she another of your elite?”
“She is the leader of the Hexad, as a matter of fact. She has proven to be competent in matters of command, as long as she is monitored.” Valthrudnir said distastefully, although Celestia recognized that was the closest thing to a compliment he was able to give when it came to anyone he considered a subordinate. Still...
She looked at Wisdom, studying the mare for a few moments before she asked calmly: “How many bæns of energy can you generate, Wisdom?”
“Thirty thousand controlled, three hundred thousand maximum.” replied the mare crisply, saluting sharply, and Celestia studied her intently. She herself could generate a maximum of seventeen thousand bæns of magic energy before she started to lose control...
Valthrudnir smiled thinly, perhaps with the slightest hint of pride... at least until Celestia asked: “What is the minimum amount of energy you can generate?”
Wisdom frowned slightly, then said slowly: “I don't understand, Queen Celestia. I'm not... generating any energy right now-”
“You're currently generating almost ten bæns of energy. You're leaking energy at a rate of a almost a hundred bæns per minute. You are wasting magic.” Celestia said almost pleasantly, and Valthrudnir frowned as Wisdom flushed a little under the ivory mare's predatory gaze. As she looked coldly down at the purple mare, she felt... “You're stressed. That's not something I usually feel in the Dogmatists, but you and your Hexad are both superior and inferior in that regard, aren't you?”
Wisdom forced her head to rise, meeting the monarch's eyes as she replied steadily: “My regeneration is-”
“Unimportant. I can name at least fifteen different spells off the top of my head that exploit the magic resonance leaked by unicorns as a means to locate them or analyze their abilities and those around them.” Celestia stopped, then surveyed Wisdom coldly before there was a sudden pulse, and Wisdom gasped as the color literally drained from her entire body, leaving her as nothing but a silvery, almost shimmering statue. “I also see that you cannot detect cloaked magic.”
Wisdom shifted before shaking herself hurriedly, her body quickly regaining its color as Valthrudnir snorted. “So I see that even you can be petty, Celestia.”
“No. We've already made too many errors due to overconfidence. I would like to avoid making another.” Celestia replied, and Valthrudnir looked surprised by the venom hidden in her words before the ivory mare asked Wisdom suddenly: “Your choice is between saving me and saving Thesis. Which do you choose?”
Wisdom looked confused, shifting uneasily before she stammered: “Q-Queen Celestia, that doesn't make sense, I... I'm going to be stationed-”
“I do not enjoy repeating myself.” Celestia interrupted, and Wisdom fell silent, lowering her head before the Queen of Equestria prompted: “Well?”
Wisdom was silent for a few moments, and then she said finally: “The priority I have been given is to protect you...”
“That is neither an answer, nor correct.” Celestia said shortly, and then she looked moodily at Valthrudnir. “Vice can follow simple directives. I've left him in charge of Canterlot. He can handle basic decision making.”
The unicorn Dogmatist immediately rose his head slightly, grinning widely over at Wisdom, who lowered her head with a humiliated blush... but Valthrudnir snorted, gesturing towards the two and replying wryly: “For a moment I was going to applaud you, Celestia, but then you recommend this useless android? Vice is nothing but a failed AI cobbled together from a generous donor's organs. Don't let his mechanical body fool you: he is no better at making decisions than any of these other useless specimens.”
Valthrudnir gestured shortly through the great hall, as Solar Guard looked silently, uneasily up beside silent Dogmatists, and Celestia scowled slightly before replying calmly: “No matter what Vice is or is not capable of, I would prefer a dozen who recognize the limited scope of their intelligence to one mare who does not understand proper self-control.”
“I am... I am already learning.” Wisdom almost pleaded, and Celestia looked up with a slight frown before the purple mare bowed her head, saying quietly: “Please. I'll do whatever you ask. You can leave Vice here and I'll be your voice and hoof from the Castle of Harmony.”
Valthrudnir clicked his tongue thoughtfully at this, and Celestia looked coldly at Wisdom for a few moments before she nodded grudgingly, even as the dragon instructed: “But you must not disturb Celestia unless it cannot be avoided. Messages will be passed through screens I will have installed. Only Beauty and her cohorts will be permitted inside the quarantine zone, unless special circumstances dictate otherwise.”
“Yes, Lord Valthrudnir. Of course.” Wisdom bowed her head quickly to the dragon, then hesitated only a moment before turning her eyes towards Celestia, asking hesitantly: “Is that alright with you?”
Celestia looked meditatively at Wisdom, and then she finally sighed and nodded, replying finally: “I suppose. Valthrudnir, I thought your Hexad didn't require hoof-holding?”
“She will do adequately, Celestia. I will admit that many of my projects still lack the true capacity to think and react, but Wisdom will do adequately.” the dragon dismissed calmly, before he glanced over the rest of the soldiers and asked moodily: “Is this the extent of the escort you were able to gather?”
“They will be more than sufficient.” Celestia replied calmly, looking over the Dogmatists and elite soldiers: what had her most worried was... “We will have to move slowly, though. I was considering moving Thesis by magic, but I'm not sure how he would handle the shock of traveling through a portal, and most of the equipment has to be moved with him...”
Valthrudnir grunted, looking down meditatively as he riffled the cards in his hands before he said moodily: “Yes. Slow and easy, avoiding as much combat as possible. Wisdom, I will entrust their care to you, while I go ahead to Castle Harmony and see that the facilities are readied by the time you arrive. Move as soon as possible, Celestia.”
With that, Valthrudnir simply vanished into thin air, and Celestia sighed a little, shaking her head slowly before she turned her eyes towards Wisdom meditatively. She studied the mare, who looked back at her uncomfortably, before Celestia said softly: “Three hundred thousand bæns is an incredible amount of energy. Even the largest radon bombs that the griffins have used against us generate, at most, perhaps half that when they explode.”
She stopped, then studied the strange Dogmatist for a few moments before saying finally: “Something about you strikes me as off, Wisdom. Different from the other Dogmatists. Why is that?”
Wisdom only lowered her head again, then she murmured hesitantly: “The Hexad and I are... created by a different process than other Dogmatists. We were created to be command units, and Lord Valthrudnir found... a different method to...”
She stopped and fumbled for her words, before clearing her throat and looking up with a hesitant smile. “What's important is that we are loyal and here to serve, Queen Celestia. I will be your second-in-command, your... student.”
Celestia frowned slightly as she studied the purple mare in front of her, seeing a strange longing in this Dogmatist's eyes before she shrugged and sighed. “Fine. But only if you prove that you're worthy of it, Wisdom. And first, we have to...”
Celestia stopped, then looked silently over her shoulder as the doors at the back of the hall opened to let in a team of Dogmatists carefully pulling what looked almost like an enormous tent on wheels. They were followed by a tall Dogmatist unicorn with a pale ivory coat and beautifully-styled purple mane that fell across one half of her face, who walked on two legs and had hands covered by thick black rubber gloves: the white lab coat she wore was almost impeccably clean, and holographic screens floated around her as she gave orders to the other Dogmatists.
But the moment Celestia approached, this bipedal mare quickly laced her fingers together in front of herself and bowed politely. “Queen Celestia, it is an honor to meet you. My name is Beauty and you have my word that-”
“How is he?” Celestia interrupted tersely, and Beauty straightened with a smile as she reached up and carefully adjusted her mane, smoothing it down to hide the Y-shaped scar over her face.
“Awake and cognizant. He seems very weak, Queen Celestia, but I have confidence that with a bit of help from the regimen we plan to start him on, he should recover some of his strength.” Beauty replied calmly, bowing her head politely to the mare. “Over the last month, we have developed several new experimental protocols that-”
“Mother?” came Thesis' voice, and Celestia immediately pushed past Beauty to the tent opening, pushing her way through the opaque plastic sheets to step into the crowded room beyond. It was filled with machinery on wheels, all hooked up to the walls and the bed that dominated the center of the room, as well as what looked like little platforms and benches that ponies could stand or rest on to ride along as the tent was moved.
Thesis was propped up in bed, and he smiled faintly as he saw Celestia, turning his head slightly to carefully nudge away Singing Lark and the spoon of liquid she was trying to get him to take. “Hey, Mom... going home, huh?”
“We are, Thesis. You're going to get treatment, and we're going to take care of you.” Celestia said quietly, gazing almost longingly at her son before she gave a brief smile and added: “Take your medicine. Don't get Singing Lark in trouble.”
“Hey, everypony's being nicer to Songbird than to me. Not really fair, you know? Someone should be making things hard for her.” Thesis replied quietly, and he shifted the little he could, closing his eyes for a moment in discomfort before he whispered: “Hurts like hell. I know I can't feel anything in any of my legs, but... they all still... hurt.”
“I know. Take your medicine, Thesis. It will help with the pain.” Celestia soothed, and Thesis smiled faintly before he gave a weak laugh.
“I don't know. I hate the pain... but at least I'm feeling something there.” he whispered, closing his eyes for a moment, and there was silence before he sighed and opened his mouth wide, and Singing Lark smiled faintly before she carefully poured the spoonful of medicine into his mouth.
Thesis swallowed with a grimace, and then he muttered: “Now if only they could make the medicine taste good.” He halted, then smiled a bit up at his mother before saying softly: “But I guess that's a stupid thing to complain about.”
“You have every right to complain about things, Thesis. I'll see what we can do about sweetening that up for you.” Celestia answered in a tender murmur. “Rest as much as you can while we move. I'll check on you later.”
Thesis nodded a little, and Celestia gave Singing Lark a warm smile before she turned and left. The moment she pushed through the tent flap, she looked over at Beauty with a calm, questioning expression, and the mare bowed her head before murmuring: “While we don't want to compromise the integrity of the medicine, it shouldn't be too difficult to add an artificial sweetener... I simply didn't consider that a triviality-”
“Trivial pleasures are the only pleasures my son has left. See that you make sure he gets the most out of those things he can still enjoy.” Celestia ordered in a harsh voice. “If you keep him alive but in pain, you're only prolonging his suffering. As far as I'm aware, that is the opposite of medicine.”
“Yes, Queen Celestia, you are correct. I apologize.” Beauty said humbly, shrinking a bit away from the ivory mare.
Celestia snorted, then she turned towards Wisdom, saying coldly: “Area scans. As wide as possible while we move. If you detect anything...” Celestia's eyes searched the crowd of Dogmatists before she said coldly: “Then you, Prudence, will exterminate whatever is leading the threat.”
“Yes, Miss Celestia. Of course. And I promise that my good friends will put anyone who tries to get close to Prince Thesis without permission to sleep.” Prudence said softly, bowing her head from where she was standing with the rest of her team, and Celestia smiled thinly. At least some of these Dogmatists seemed competent.
“Then we move.” Celestia said quietly, and she strode quickly through the ranks of Solar Guard and Dogmatist, heading towards the door as Wisdom hurried beside her, Vice shouting an order to the guards as he followed, and the rest of the caravan began to draw after them, heading out of the crumbling castle of Canterlot on the beginning of their journey through the dying nation of Equestria.

Celestia stayed at the head of the column for the entire journey: the size of their caravan attracted several sky pirates in Torpedo Cruisers, but these were quickly blasted out of the air by Wisdom's deadly magic or the cannons mounted on several of the plodding Dogmatists. There were several ambushes laying in wait as well, which confirmed Celestia's concern that there were spies in their ranks... but whether they were bandits or griffin army loyalists, they were quickly slaughtered by Prudence and her soldiers, often long before the caravan itself even came into sight of where the trap had been set for them.
The journey wore on Thesis: the constant rocking and movement, and worse, the excitement, the yelling, the noises that he was unable to do anything about. Still, though, in a way it was good for him: he was more alert and active, had more of a sense of things... moving. Perhaps there was even a bit of hope that this new place would bring healing for both himself and his mother.
Celestia thought that, like her, Thesis had tired of the war, and tired of taking care of ponies, and tired of getting nothing in return but pain and heartache and suffering in spite of everything they had given to Equestria. She thought he was glad, like she was, that they were going to look after themselves now instead of worrying about the rest of the world.
Not that Celestia wasn't determined to end this war, and on her terms. But afterwards, she would see that everything was put together right, instead of left to fester again. No, she would have order. She would have justice, and she would no longer be so kind in doling out mercy. Mercy had only led to weakness, had been taken advantage of by everyone she had given it to.
She loved her people, and wanted the best for them. And because of that, she would teach them strength with a hammer and an iron hoof.
Celestia smiled thinly as they strode through the Eternal Forest, Wisdom on one side and Vice the other. The Forest had changed, she thought: it was silent, and it was darker than she remembered, the trees almost trembling in fear, the ground blacker, warmer under her hooves...
And then she saw it, looming ahead, and fear ran through her body as her eyes widened, even if she recognized all the same what it was. The creature grinned at her through draconic features that were scaled in black but pockmarked with ugly, grayish scars that ran across its face like cracks. It was enormous: thirty feet at the shoulder at least, she imagined, and its head craned down on a terribly long neck as it grinned widely at her, hellfire blue eyes glowing like beacons as it rasped in a voice that hurt her ears, and pierced into her brain in an alien language she all the same understood: “You are much smaller and weaker than we expected.”
“And you must be Tyrant Wyrms.” Celestia said coldly as she looked up,  forcing herself to take a breath before she stepped forwards, glaring up at the creature before her before she ordered: “Step aside, and let us pass.”
The Tyrant Wyrm chuckled quietly, but then the monster obligingly shifted to the side, bowing its head and revealing the large, lazily-pumping pistons of bone standing out along either side of its spine as it murmured: “We bow to your command, as we have been told to. It does not matter to us: either way, this entire world shall burn soon enough.”
“Scavengers.” muttered Celestia, as she strode quickly past the beast. A second Wyrm waited not much further ahead, but it only smiled coldly at them, already off the past and lounging in the black bog of the Eternal Forest. Celestia barely shot it a look as she passed, the mare instead looking forwards to the Castle of Harmony in the distance, which was crawling with Valthrudnir's Worker Drones.
The mare didn't care, though: as long as the puppet-like ponies of metal and plastic stayed out of the way, Valthrudnir could do whatever he wanted. As they approached, the portcullis was raised high for them, and the dragon himself emerged, tapping his wrist as he said irritably: “You are more than twenty minutes late.”
“We had several delays.” Celestia said shortly, and then she turned and looked over her shoulder at Vice, saying calmly: “Go and prepare for a strategy session, once-”
“No, there is no time for that. We should begin the protocol immediately.” Valthrudnir interrupted, and Celestia frowned as the white dragon approached her and reached down to grasp gently into the back of her neck, his fingers trembling the slightest amount as he murmured: “Every second counts.”
Celestia hesitated... then she sighed before saying quietly: “I will see Thesis is set up in his room here, and then I will join you, Valthrudnir. Perhaps in the time between then you can give Wisdom, Vice, and any other officers you need to their orders.”
Valthrudnir grumbled under his breath, but then nodded moodily. He strode back into the courtyard, then stepped aside, Vice and Wisdom joining him after a moment, and all three watching as Celestia led her small army and the tent that contained her son past, and into the open double doors leading into her magnificent castle. It was not nearly as tall or large as Canterlot, but it was built solidly, and stretched deeper into the earth. And it was much safer from attack, with the natural defenses provided by the Eternal Forest and its distance from most settlements.
Then the dragon scowled as Vice said disgustedly: “She is wasting our time and resources, Lord Valthrudnir. I recommend simply erasing her memory or implanting control nodes. Beauty can do it easily while she's making Celestia into a Dogmatist.”
Valthrudnir clicked his tongue, and then he calmly smoothed out his suit... before suddenly stepping forwards and kicking Vice savagely in the throat, knocking the android on his back in a squall of surprised static before the dragon stomped down on his chest, crunching steel beneath his loafer-clad foot as easily as he would brittle glass.
He glared down at Vice as Wisdom winced away, before Valthrudnir enunciated, slowly and icily: “Do not ever speak of your superior like that again, or accuse me, however roundaboutly, of wasting energy. Any matters I choose to pursue are matters you should devote your fullest attention to, do you understand? And you will not ever question who I decide to put in charge, nor will you flaunt your weakness by whimpering about them to me while they are otherwise indisposed.”
Valthrudnir stepped off Vice, who was sparking and fizzling weakly on the ground, the android giving a few mechanical, coughing attempts at apology... but Valthrudnir only kicked the robot moodily away before he turned his eyes towards Wisdom, asking shortly: “Do you understand your orders?”
Wisdom quickly bowed her head, murmuring: “I shall treat her as I treat you, Lord Valthrudnir.”
“See that you do.” Valthrudnir glanced down at Vice, then added distastefully: “You are under Wisdom's command now. Repair yourself, and then return to Canterlot. Rule over it like your own little fiefdom if you must, but remember that you are subject to Wisdom's decree. If she decides to replace you with a braying donkey, you will acknowledge it with grace. And I will only commend her for her namesake on such an occasion, so do not even imagine coming to me to tattle or grovel like a child.”
“Yes, sir.” the android finally rasped, before he slowly picked itself up from the ground as his horn glowed, metal clanking and groaning as it began to pop back into place, circuits and wires repairing themselves beneath the mechanical stallion's shell as he added quietly: “I meant no disrespect to... Queen Celestia, either...”
“Like a foal, just as I said.” Valthrudnir remarked derisively to Wisdom, and then he shook his head before saying with disgust: “Do one thing right, Vice, and see that you keep Canterlot Castle defended. I do not desire to be forced to move all of my operations, and I will be thoroughly displeased if my personal laboratory is intruded upon.”
Vice nodded, not daring to speak this time, and Valthrudnir smiled thinly before he turned to head towards the doors leading into the facility. He snapped his fingers after passing through them, the doors slamming shut on the faces of Vice and Wisdom and locking themselves tightly... although Wisdom only turned to liquid, passing smoothly through the cracks in the door and splashing along the ground before quickly solidifying back into a mare that hurried up to the dragon's side.
He rolled his eyes in distaste at this, but all the same gave the mare his attention as she asked nervously: “I'm not questioning you, Lord Valthrudnir, but... not even the Prophet has the kind of power that you want to give Queen Celestia...”
“The Prophet is nothing more than a living radio, relaying signals to make it easier to track down the core world...” Valthrudnir clicked his tongue distastefully. “And I suppose she keeps an eye on the Clockwork King for me as well, that... worthless chunk of metal that operates Decretum's systems so woefully. I should have anticipated that even the supercomputers and AI nodes could not possibly hope to handle my vast intellect without some form of software failure... it seem even machinery is inferior to my superior mind.”
Wisdom only remained silent, and Valthrudnir put his hands behind his back before he muttered: “This... this is simply another experiment, Wisdom. Even with a fraction of my power, it will be but a fraction. Celestia will be as strong as any other Jötnar, but I am superior to that. Should there be a... malfunction, an error... I will simply rectify it by use of superior force. Furthermore, if the application is successful... she will be strong enough to perform any task that I normally must waste my time and energies on, meaning that we can locate the core world twice as quickly...”
Valthrudnir fell silent, frowning a little. Why did it seem like he was making up excuses? And why was he wasting his time, trying to explain this to the stupid little purple pony in the first place, who even after years of training, apparently still hadn't learned to just keep her idiotic mouth- “And sir, what about Thesis?”
Valthrudnir halted in the middle of the corridor, then slowly turned towards Wisdom, who winced and lowered her head before the dragon leaned down and said coldly: “He is none of your concern, Wisdom. Or are you afraid that when the Replicant project is complete, you and the rest of the Hexad will be so thoroughly outmoded that I'll have no choice but to scrap all of you?”
“I apologize.” Wisdom said quickly, dropping her gaze, and there was silence for a moment before Valthrudnir grumbled and gestured at her irritably.
“Go and fetch Celestia. Bring her to me. I will be getting the machinery ready in her room for the first phase of the transfer.” Valthrudnir said distastefully, and Wisdom nodded quickly before turning and scurrying off, the dragon watching her go before he sighed loudly and shook his head slowly. Decent help was so hard to manufacture... no matter whether you started with pre-made ponies or built the pawns yourself from scratch...
Valthrudnir frowned as he turned to head down another corridor, strolling slowly through the halls at his own pace. He was doing this purely because he wanted to, for his own reasons. He had made this decision on his own, with no input from anyone else, and he was not being pushed or manipulated or goaded into it...
Why was he doing this? Why had so much of his focus gone from what he had originally come here for – merely a... a research trip to better understand the numerous faults and defects of this idiot race of ponies – and instead turned to trying to care for two of these animals? It didn't make any sense to him, even if one of them was partly his own creation...
Valthrudnir swore under his breath, reaching up to rub at his temple slowly. No, he was in no great rush. And it wasn't as if he had been doing nothing all this time: he had been running experiments in Decretum as well as in this world, synthesizing new chemicals, building new weapons, designing new modifications to the Dogmatists that would make these ponies go from chaos-loving beasts that pretended to love order, but really just loved getting what they wanted, to cogs and gears in one grand clockwork, one perfect set of machinery that would forever be able to run in true, absolute order.
He was the ultimate force of law and good in the universe. He wanted to make sure everything had a place, and everything accepted its place, to prevent any further chaos and strife. He wanted what was best or these ponies, whether they understood and accepted that or not.
Then why had he selected this one pony in particular? No, it made sense, didn't it? She was strong. She was stubborn. She could think, coldly and logically, and she challenged him fearlessly and she made him feel...
Why did it matter what she made him feel? Valthrudnir scowled. As if he could feel anything for any of these insects apart from some kind of passing amusement in their follies.
Then why was he still here? Why hadn't he destroyed this world? Thesis was supposed to be nothing more than a curiosity, a pet project: a creature that bore a mix of his genetics and the pony's would be much stronger, capable of learning and evolving faster, would be the basis for his Replicants, the breed of design that would replace the stupid Dogmatists. After all, the Dogmatists made excellent foot-soldiers, but beyond that, their purposes were very limited: they were classified as either industrial or military, with a few rare command and administration units scattered between these designations.
Valthrudnir shoved his way moodily into an airlock, tapping his foot impatiently as the doors sealed behind him and cleaning chemical vented through the room, the vents whirring annoyingly around him. The moment the doors ahead opened, he stormed through and snapped: “Systems online!”
Screens flashed to life around this room filled with complex machinery and comfortable furnishings, a strange mix of sterility and luxury. Valthrudnir glared around the room in disgust: why had he gone to such great lengths to have the Dogmatists make this place so comfortable for a preening, stupid, useless, idiotic-
“You're late.” Celestia said softly, and Valthrudnir's eyes widened in surprise as he spun on one heel, staring at the mare with shock. She was comfortably resting on a bed nearby, the mare smiling at him before she said quietly: “Beauty will be here in a few minutes. I had her stay with Thesis for a moment, since he fell asleep and... I was worried about him.”
“Thesis will be fine.” Valthrudnir said gruffly, and then he smoothed out his jacket as he looked at Celestia, and Celestia looked back at him, and... why? Why? “Why are you my weakness?”
Valthrudnir halted, the faintest blush appearing in his cheeks as he childishly lifted his arms, as if to protect himself or try and yank the question out of the air. But Celestia only smiled at him, before she shrugged and said softly: “I think you care about us. No matter what it seems like, I think you care about us.”
The dragon scowled at her, and then he said coldly: “All I care about is making these worlds a place of sanity. Do you know how many worlds I've been to, Celestia? How many I have tried to fix, and how many I have been forced to simply erase in my crusade? I am trying to-”
“I don't care. Come and sit down.” Celestia said softly, patting the seat beside her, and Valthrudnir was struck silent, looking at her dumbly, at this... stupid, worthless mortal made of horse-flesh and pastel colors and... and...
Valthrudnir grumbled under his breath, then he strode over to her and sat down beside her, glaring at her as he balled his hands together in his lap. “Don't care. As if you don't care about all the... lives wasted, or the worlds that I've seen. I have been in the courts of gods and found them to be nothing but... bullies and charlatans. I have seen the Underworld, Celestia, and walked the ice of Helheim. I have made entire worlds crack in half with my power, and you say 'I don't care,' as if I am some... some kind of ignorant mountebank, some-”
Celestia leaned up and kissed his cheek, and Valthrudnir was struck dumb again, reaching up to touch this before the ivory mare buried her face against his arm, hugging it silently as she whispered: “I don't care because you're here with me now, and family is all that matters, Valthrudnir. I have faith in you, because you are my family, and Thesis' father. You talk about yourself like you're a tyrant... but nothing tells me more that you don't want to be the cruel dictator you act like, more than the way you struggle so hard to justify yourself, to rationalize everything away. To make yourself feel like you're the only real person in the entire universe, and the rest of us are pawns and puppets... because it's too frightening to imagine all the pain and heartache you've caused if the rest of us are real, isn't it?”
Valthrudnir looked away, not letting her words get into his mind, telling himself she was... quibbling with philosophy, speaking of things her savage, crude, hay-filled mind couldn't understand... but when he tried to stand up, her forelegs were like an anchor, holding him down. And worse was the feeling that he didn't want to pull away, that what made it so hard to resist was... “Celestia, I... am not... I do not...”
“We can fix things.” Celestia said simply, resting against him and closing her eyes. “You won't be alone for much longer, Valthrudnir. You have the power to do good... actual good... if you just let yourself trust. If you just let yourself... sink down to our plebeian level.”
Valthrudnir laughed faintly at this... but then he only lowered his head and closed his eyes, sitting with the mare on the comfortable couch in the sterile room of cold machinery, the mare holding tight to his arm as he sat with his trembling hands clutched in his lap... but hoping, secretly and silently, that she would never let him go.