Gjallarsong

by BlackRoseRaven

Verse Nine

Verse Nine
~BlackRoseRaven

The news of Celestia's retreat to the Castle of Harmony spread far and wide, and the attacks on Canterlot redoubled, from both the dying griffin army as well as the pirates and raiders. Within weeks, the city fell, devastated and left in ruin. It was quickly occupied by the remaining soldiers of the griffin army, who sought to use it to regroup their scattered forces and perhaps marshal their forces together into a unit that would be capable of trying to create some kind of order across Equestria.
Instead, the sky pirates, the rebel griffins, the bloodthirsty Kirin and the savage diamond dogs all descended on Canterlot. The city erupted into its own small but devastating war: one that lasted only a very short time before the sky pirates shelled the griffin army with radon bombs.
Vice watched it all from above: Canterlot Castle had been spared most of the chaos, but now that the last of the griffin army had been destroyed and it seemed as if most of the nations had been reduced to nothing but feudal war bands, he knew that the castle would be next. Defenses were prepared, but they wouldn't last long: even to the Dogmatists, the magically-enhanced radon shells were lethal, and the radioactive gas cloud they left behind lasted only a few hours, but during that short time, reduced even the hardest of marble to nothing but brittle, decayed brick, easily smashed apart by the diamond dog vanguard.
Canterlot Castle was shelled, and a day later, once the worst of the short-lasting radiation had died down, the horde made its attack by ground as the sky pirates circled above, blasting apart towers and making it impossible to escape by air. Not that any of the Dogmatists or the remaining Solar Guard had any plans to try and escape: side-by-side, they were ready to die, fighting to the last breath.
Fight they did. And die, they did, as the horde tore through the castle like an unstoppable tide, with Kindynas in the lead, the mechanical diamond dog eagerly making a rush through the castle to the royal quarters. He tore through Thesis' room, laughing as he ripped the Prince's models down, tore apart his armor, smashed pictures and furniture alike, and destroyed the faded designs traced on the walls.
He saved only one thing: a strip of cloth from Thesis' pillows, which had the Prince's scent on it. He loved the smell of the pony; he hated the smell of the pony. It was the reek of nobility, and flesh, and strength; it was the stench of sweat, and a broken spirit, and a body that was too stupid to die.
It was the smell of prey he had yet to kill.
Kindynas loitered his way through the castle, smashing things here and there where he pleased, grinning his metal grin at the sound of the sky pirates pelting the castle from above. Yes, this world was beautiful, he thought. This world was the way it was meant to be: where the strong dominated the weak, where they were all truly equal. They lived the same, the masses of prey huddled in terror, the predators in snarling packs, dominated by those who earned their kingship with their claws and fists. They died the same, in the mud and the dirt.
He was no longer a slave or a runt, digging in the earth. He no longer had to live in fear of the whip of any master: the ponies had made him dig for crystal, and the ponies had fed him dragon's blood to make him stronger, and the flawed gemstones that didn't hold their poisonous magic properly. But over time he had grown too large and powerful for them to control, so he had eaten those ponies, too.
Other ponies had locked him up: so what? He had liked it in prison. When someone got in his way, he killed them, and he ate as much as he could before the guards stole his bounty like scavengers. He believed that eating his enemies made him stronger, gave him their strength as well. And even after he'd been locked up in solitary, every now and then, some pony or some other criminal would give him a gift: a corpse to eat. He would eat it all, and chew the bones until the guards came to take it away. He liked the guards: they respected him. They knew that if they had a troublesome prisoner, they could just lock him up with them, and he would take care of it for them. It was a mutually beneficial relationship.
But then the griffins had come, and at first he had hated them, because they had ruined his perfect little kingdom. But then they offered him pony-flesh. They offered him a challenge, and he had grown lazy in prison. And soon, he realized they respected strength, above all.
So he would play with them for a while. Except then... then he had met the Prince of Ponies.
How humiliating that first fight had been! Beaten so badly the griffins had been tempted to leave him behind... but no, after they woke him up, he tore the head off the griffin officer. And then he killed the Kirin, and he killed the ponies they had left alive, and sent his brothers out to chase down the mudpony. The other griffins had respected him after that, because they respected power.
They brought him back to the griffin land, and there, he told them that Thesis had killed the officer, and the officer had killed the ambassadors. The griffins did not trust him, but the rest of the soldiers knew better than to speak out. Besides, they were not weak. They were not tattling puppies, like the ponies were.
Some of the other criminals included alchemists, and ponies who had worked on the magical machinery now being put into use throughout the pony lands. They were able to make him armor to protect his legs, and made him even stronger, mending the scars left from his fight with Thesis and turning his already-strong claws into lethal blades.
They had discovered that the Prince of Ponies was working at an ore mine: a valuable target in its own right, made irresistible by such an important pony being present. Kindynas had gone there, hungry for battle... and he had been humiliated again.
He still didn't know how the pony had defeated him. How he hated the pony prince! He was not even real, only a mud-golem, and still, this Prince of Ponies had lived a life in blessings and happiness, even more so than the rest of his weak-kneed, primping race!
The ponies had taken Kindynas to a place he did not recognize, where they had tortured him. The little fur left on his body had been shaven off, so they could better see the damage their tools were doing. But he did not break. He laughed through the pain they inflicted on him, and roared for the Prince of Ponies to come and fight him again, even though they had peeled the armor from his body.
But he was strong. Stronger than any pony, stronger than anything any pony could do to him. And he watched them die, when the griffins and the Kirin attacked with their poison bombs. He watched as the toxic gas stripped the flesh from their bones, while he only grinned. And when they griffins invaded the prison and found him, skinned and steaming but horribly alive in spite of the radiation eating away at his flesh, they had brought him aboard their ship, and he had told them to make him strong again.
And they had. Griffin engineers and Kirin magicians had worked together to armor his body in unstoppable steel, replacing his dying flesh with powerful machinery ripped out of the metal ponies they had killed. Charged gemstones were implanted throughout his body, enhancing his strength and accelerating his regenerative powers.
They had made him invulnerable. He had been their greatest weapon, charging into the battlefield, laughing as he killed. And because the griffins respected power, they came to idolize him, and the fact that he was free from any law, any 'Creed.' He made them see that they were only restricting themselves, foolishly. He made them see that strength and power were the only things deserving of worship. And he told them that when Equestria died, they would have an entire nation, free for the taking, where power would truly rule.
The flying island had fallen, killing many of the griffin and Kirin commanders on board and crushing the base below. Bloodthirsty and eager for revenge and battle, Kindynas and his like-minded war-brothers quickly took control of the army, roaring that they didn't need such toys, any more than they needed to obey the weak officers who had proven too feeble to survive the destruction of their precious sky-castle.
But he knew that the point had truly struck home when they had caught the Prince of Ponies, trying to escape. Kindynas reveled in those memories, even now... even if the dragon magician had shown up and stolen the brat away before Kindynas could finish him off. But his victory had been assured and absolute... and the dragon had not been seen for months now. Kindynas had no trouble imagining why, though: he had likely fled, abandoning the weak ponies to their fate.
There was more than one kind of weakness, after all. There were few like Kindynas was, truly strong, never fleeing a battle, never giving up the hunt for prey, willing to do anything in the pursuit of strength. But these ponies were born into privilege, not drudgery and slavery. They had been made weak by it. So weak, that it had infected even the steel they tried to hide beneath.
Kindynas strode into the great hall on the ground floor, and his steel grin seemed to widen as he found several griffins pinning down a metal pony. But he was not metal like Kindynas was, oh no. He was not steel, but cheap tin, like all the rest of the metal ponies.
The mechanical diamond dog strode over to the metal pony, and studied him with interest. One eye was broken, leaving only white glass staring at him from the other socket. But it seemed to see him all the same, as the pony rasped in a voice riddled with static: “They are not here.”
“We know where they are, pony. And we will go to them, once we have brought down your white city.” Kindynas retorted, spreading his arms wide and smiling coldly. “We will leave your country in pieces. We will break it down to dirt and dust. And then we shall grind the faces of your princess and prince through it.”
“She is called Queen Celestia now.” retorted the mechanical pony, and Kindynas laughed before he placed a metal foot on the mechanical pony's face, crushing his head slowly down into the ground as he sparked and fizzled like a broken toy.
“She is called whore.” Kindynas replied mockingly, and then he looked over at one of the griffins, ordering: “This one will make good scrap. Bring his body and the other metal ponies that have not died of the green gas. We will give them to the Kirin so they will give us more weapons. There are many treasures left in this castle. Tell the dogs to begin stripping the gemstones and metal. We will take everything we can before we raze this place.”
“Wait!” the mechanical pony rasped, and Kindynas looked down at the mechanical stallion as it struggled to raise its broken features, before it pleaded: “I... have much i-information on the enemy. They are weak right now. Valthrudnir is not present, but they have many defenses, but... I can-”
The mechanical pony was cut off as Kindynas threw his head back and laughed. He laughed, long and loud, as the griffins traded looks before the mechanical diamond dog suddenly stepped forwards and stomped savagely down on the steel pony's head, his metal skull crunching inwards as he gave a final scream of static.
The mechanical pony was left twitching lifelessly, sparking weakly as he lay in ruin, and Kindynas sneered through his steel jaws before he said coldly: “Do you see, my brothers? What weakness. Even when the ponies replace their soft flesh with metal, they are no less brittle. They are pathetic. And they think they can bargain with us, that they are in control and command.”
The mechanical diamond dog kicked the corpse of the metal pony as the griffins nodded raptly, growling between themselves as they acknowledged him, and that he was right. Kindynas studied them, before he smiled coldly and simply walked over the corpse of the steel stallion, crunching it under his metal feet as he said dismissively: “But we shall all the same make use of such broken toys. Bring him, war-brothers.
“And once we are done harvesting this scrap, we will seek fresher prey.”

After Canterlot fell and Vice was killed, Wisdom relayed a message to Valthrudnir. Valthrudnir was furious with Vice's failure... but also forced to recognize that no matter how ignorant and worthless he considered the savage hordes, they had also become a very real threat.
New equipment was sent from Decretum, and massive defense towers were constructed around the Castle of Harmony. The remaining members of the Hexad were also deployed and stationed around the fortified structure to ensure that the Queen and Prince of Equestria were both kept safe. Soon, the skies above were stained with permanent, whirling clouds filled with electricity and antimagic, and the Eternal Forest had been corrupted into a sprawling black marshland, where the few trees that hadn't rotted away under the perversion of nature became greedy parasitic sentinels.
Only one crew of sky pirates attempted to attack, but Courage of the Hexad made short work of their craft, knocking them out of the sky and killing most of the crew. A salvage crew later retrieved the Torpedo Cruiser to examine it: it worked on the same basis as most Kirin technology, magic crystals and lift charms, but employed rudder systems that were crude imitations of the flying battleships Valthrudnir had made for them.
They discovered that these magical crystals could only hold a charge for roughly one day's worth of flight, then they had to be recharged: they also seemed as if they burnt out easily, requiring constant replacement. That made it much more obvious with the Kirin and griffins had gone to such great lengths to befriend the diamond dogs and gain their support... and more importantly, access to their mines and gemstones.
It wasn't long after the failed raid that a griffin ambassador managed to cross the marshes, seeking an audience with Queen Celestia. Instead, he met with Wisdom, who only surveyed him coldly as he humbled himself before her, offering a full surrender to Equestria, telling a long and broken story about how the griffin nation had turned on itself in bloodlust, how the Creed had been destroyed and their temples burned, how their nation was falling apart. And now, in order to survive, the few honorable griffins left would need the protection of the ponies.
Wisdom was not very interested in the griffin's pleading, but all the same, she gave him lodgings for the night and promised an answer for him tomorrow. She took his requests to Queen Celestia, who was sealed away inside the cocoon of her room as she underwent her painful metamorphosis... and she was rather surprised by the answer that that Queen of Equestria gave after a few hours of meditation on the subject.
The next day, Wisdom announced that Celestia had made her decision, and that she would generously extend sanctuary to the griffins. The griffin ambassador was sent away, and the moment he left, Wisdom went to ensure that the proper lodgings were prepared for the arrival of their new guests.
A small army of griffins marched to the Castle of Harmony: they were beaten, badly-equipped, and many were suffering from radiation sickness and infections. They were escorted by Courage and Valor of the Hexad to their temporary lodgings: the entire army was crammed into the dungeons, where they would stay until they had 'earned the trust of their benefactors.'
Wisdom offered to take care of the ill and injured: many of the griffins obliged, if only to escape the cramped confines of the cells. The were brought upstairs to what had likely once been a ballroom, but had now been converted to a cot-filled dormitory... but it was far better than being trapped downstairs, and gave the griffins room to breathe and walk around. And after a few hours, Dogmatists arrived to treat the sickest and weakest of the griffins, giving them medications that relieved the worst of their pains.
Over the week that followed, griffins were brought out of the dormitory and taken to surgery, where their wounds were treated... and then control nodes were forcibly implanted in their brains, reducing them to mindless automatons. These griffins were then sent in batches to Decretum, shipped like cargo to the Clockwork World, where Valthrudnir had them retrofitted with armor and exoskeletons that enhanced their reflexes and durability.
The griffins became suspicious about what was happening to their comrades, as more and more vanished... but there was nothing they could do. In the end, when the last surviving soldiers were given the choice to convert or die, many of the griffins chose conversion: at least they would live on as warriors, and at least they would be given a chance for revenge against the rebels. They were already broken in spirit from being forced to submit to Equestria, and they had no home to return to, nor any other victories to seek.
These new Hoplite units were tested in a short skirmish against griffin raiders a few days later: the Hoplites vastly outperformed their former allies, shredding the bandits with their superior agility, weaponry, and strategy. Only one Hoplite was injured in the battle, while none of the raiders survived, in spite of orders to try and take prisoners for questioning... but the Hoplites seemed incapable of leaving survivors.
The Hoplites became an integral part of the defense of the Castle of Harmony: they were able to run quick patrols through the Eternal Forest, their teams sweeping constantly and tirelessly through the corrupted woodland to exterminate any raiders or spies who tried to sneak through the black bog. They also performed short scouting missions for Wisdom, and every so often, strikesharps modeled after the original griffin teams were sent out to destroy any particularly-troubling gatherings of bandits at the edge of their secured territory.
The Castle of Harmony was safe in its own dark bubble of sanctuary, although it wasn't entirely happy, either. Thesis was undergoing constant treatment and therapy, and he knew they were purposefully keeping any information about the war or even the happenings in the Castle away from him, while Celestia was locked in her room, undergoing extensive surgeries and modifications on every level of her being.
Still, it was not that they were without happiness, even in these long days. Thesis and his mother talked often: they couldn't visit each other thanks to the quarantine of sorts they were both under, but Celestia had been given floating, crystalline eyes she was able to speak through thanks to the machinery in her room, letting her keep a literal eye on events around the castle as well as 'visit' her son.
In spite of the fact that he had no function in most of his body, Thesis had strangely found... a sort of serenity that Celestia envied. He wasn't happy, and he was worried about the war, and always probed his mother for as much information as he could, even though some of the things he learned only made him seem even more unhappy... but he was calm, and accepting. There were no more tears over what had happened to him, no more outrage: he wasn't always passive, and he became embarrassed and upset at times over everything he needed help with... but at the same time, he was dignified, and he was... grateful.
Celestia had such pride and respect for her son... and felt such pain, too. The fact that he had suffered so much, that he had accepted it, as if it was his lot and nothing could change it... but no. She would see her son walk again. Just as she would see this war ended, and she would ensure that every last enemy paid for their sins against Equestria.
And finally, after months locked away in her room, Celestia emerged. Her body ached, and she knew this was only the beginning of the transformation... but she had made it through the worst of it. The pain no longer threatened to consume her, and her body was adjusting to its modifications: she no longer felt weak, or like she was pushing through a haze most of the time. She felt strong. Stronger than she had ever been.
Long, thick tubes twisted through her flesh here and there, surfacing through her skin like worms diving through the ivory tundra of her body before burrowing back into her flesh. Scales had grown over her skin here and there, and her mane and eyes both glowed with supernatural power. Her entire body pulsed with strength: so much that she struggled to contain it all, as she bared now-sharp teeth in a wide grin before forcing herself to take a breath, forcing herself to calm.
Celestia took a slow breath before she started to walk through the Castle of Harmony, heading towards her son's room and taking in every detail along the way. Her legs wobbled a little under her, unused to going any longer than short distances... but soon, they grew used to carrying her body again. No, more than that, she could feel muscles awakening as if from a long sleep, eager to run...
But for now, she resisted the urge to gallop, pacing herself on her way to her son's room. She smiled to the Dogmatists she passed, and she thought she saw new respect and new emotions in them when they looked at her... but perhaps her period in confinement had simply let her return to the world with renewed senses. Perhaps now, she was simply finally ready to look past their steel shells, and see the ponies beneath.
She hesitated all the same outside her son's door, looking down at herself: she was far from pretty right now. She knew that when the transformation was complete, she would look much more like her old self, and she wouldn't need all these extra chemicals and synthetic veins, that her melded and grafted genes would sort themselves out... but no.
She believed in her family. She knew her son.
Celestia pushed open the door... and smiled hesitantly as she saw Singing Lark sitting beside Thesis, talking to him, spending her time there with him. Celestia looked at the two for a moment, until Thesis swiveled his head just enough to look at her... and then his eyes widened.
He stared at her for a moment, and Celestia felt pain, and fear, and worry, as she forced a smile through a face that had grown sallow and thin with the long nights and liquid diet she had been living off of... and then Thesis' face parted in a smile before he whispered: “Mom. You're okay.”
“At least... as okay as I can be. It's good to see you... both of you.” Celestia said, smiling over at Singing Lark, who bowed her head humbly with a deep blush, her eyes flicking nervously over the ivory mare... but Celestia saw not fear, but concern in that look, and it touched her, as she said softly: “Don't worry. I'm... alright. I'm not at my best, but... this is only necessary for now.”
“I hope so, Mom. You look like you've lost a little too much weight.” Thesis smiled a little more, shifting the little that he could as he added softly: “And for you, that's saying something.”
Celestia chuckled quietly, shaking her head slowly before she replied gently: “And you look like you've finally started to put some on weight. You still have some tone, too... I take it you've been keeping up with your therapy?”
“Yeah. I promised, right?” Thesis smiled a little, lowering his head a bit. “Whether or not I'll ever walk again, I know that... I have to keep it up. I don't want to turn into a raisin.”
Celestia laughed quietly, then she smiled back and said softly: “You are going to walk again, Thesis. I promise you that: one way or another, we'll make sure you walk again. Valthrudnir is working hard on ensuring that we do more than simply... heal your broken spine.”
“You mean replace the missing vertebrae. I'm missing roughly half my backbone, Mom, I know.” Thesis said softly, and then he laughed a little at the look on Celestia's face, saying wryly: “Hey. You know, I'm the one who's supposed to be making a big deal about it and all, not you.”
“Thesis.” Celestia sighed after a moment, shaking her head before she smiled faintly again. “You'll never change, will you?”
“I hope not.” Thesis replied honestly, and the two looked at each other for a few long moments before the stallion asked in a quieter voice: “Mom... what's going on out there?”
Celestia softened, then she shifted a little before looking towards Singing Lark. The mare only blushed a little, however, before she said finally: “He's... he has been driving me pretty crazy, trying to get me to find out things for him, but... I think it would be better if he heard it from you.”
The mare sighed softly, closing her eyes and bowing her head forwards... but then she nodded briefly before looking up and saying quietly: “I'm sure you know by now that Canterlot has fallen, and Vice was killed. I'm sure you've also heard about the Hoplites, who now play a major role in our operations. But things are much more bleak than those events alone may have led you to believe.”
“That's already pretty bad, Mom.” Thesis said quietly, looking up at his mother uneasily, and the mare smiled faintly as she looked back at him, nodding slowly.
“Yes, it is.” she agreed after a moment, then she looked away before saying finally: “The griffin nation has fallen to a coup. The king has been replaced by a ruthless dictator who has already turned his attention to subjugating the Kirin. The Kirin themselves are in the middle of their own bloody civil war: I suppose giving an advanced society of former pacifists weapons and leading them on a crusade was a mistake on their part.”
“Still makes me sad that the Kirin turned on us like they did... I can hardly believe it.” Thesis murmured, shaking his head slowly. “There must be something else going on there. Just like with the griffins, there must-”
“A nation's politics do not always reflect its leader's true aims, Thesis. A nation may turn a blind eye to a coming attack to ensure the people are outraged, and likewise, a nation might profess to want nothing but peace and harmony while doing all it can to urge on the coming war.” Celestia halted, and then she shook her head slowly, sighing and murmuring: “I think that dissenters inside of Equestria must have spoken with another nation. I'm not sure who, but... the nations forming a united front against us was clearly planned from the start.”
“I doubt they meant to let it get this far out of hoof, though.” Thesis muttered, looking over at Singing Lark, who reached up and squeezed his shoulder gently, and the stallion silently turned to drop his cheek against her hoof, squeezing it silently the best he could between his head and shoulder. “Are you saying that the nations around us are self-destructing?”
“I'm saying they're barely nations anymore. The new griffin warlord is only interested in consolidating his power as fast as possible, and in the process of doing so, he's destroying his own culture, and his country's former alliances. The Kirin have lost control. Their sky cities are falling apart, and the griffins attacking them has only resulted in the last of the peaceful Kirin being slaughtered.” Celestia sighed softly. “And a new faction has formed, that I know you saw before the rest of us did, Thesis. The barbarians. The horde.”
Thesis nodded slowly, looking down for a moment and chewing on his lip quietly before he murmured: “Equestria has fallen, hasn't it? We're all that's left.”
Celestia nodded and gave a faint smile, her eyes roving downwards before she murmured: “Most cities have broken off contact, either by force or voluntarily. Almost all of them have declared themselves to be their own territories, with smaller towns banding together to build defended zones. But they won't last long on their own. The sky pirates and bandits who aren't part of the horde at Canterlot will doubtlessly turn on them as easy prey.”
Thesis sighed and nodded slowly, lowering his head before he asked quietly: “What do they even want? It just... doesn't make any sense to me anymore, Mom. They're just killing us.”
“I think now all they want is sport and bloodshed. They hate us, Thesis, and they want us, our people, every trace of our nation to be erased.” Celestia sighed, shaking her head slowly. “As a matter of fact, I think they want any trace of civilization to be destroyed completely. They want to live in a world ruled by nothing but force and chaos.”
Celestia halted, then she looked grimly up as she flexed one large hoof slowly. “Well, I won't give them chaos... but I'm more than happy to provide all the force they might desire.”
Thesis smiled a little, and then he said quietly: “Hey, Mom. Don't... go overboard, okay? This... killing them all won't fix my back or all the ponies who died.”
Celestia looked down at the stallion for a moment, and then she reached up and squeezed his shoulder gently, saying softly: “Alright. But for now, Thesis, rest. I'll come back and see you later.”
Thesis nodded, and the ivory mare glanced towards Singing Lark before she smiled at her and said softly: “Thank you for taking such good care of my son. Remember to take care of yourself, too.”
The mare only blushed, lowering her head quietly as she murmured her own 'thank you,' and Celestia studied her for a moment before she reached out and patted her gently on the shoulder. Then she turned and let herself quietly out... and was somehow unsurprised as she found Valthrudnir waiting for her, the dragon studying her meditatively as she looked back up at him calmly.
“You're a day early.” he said finally, and Celestia chuckled softly before the dragon reached down and carefully touched her neck, muttering: “Impressive. Your biorhythms have accelerated and your genetic structure seems to be accepting the transformation well. Phase two can begin-”
“In a few days.” Celestia said calmly, and Valthrudnir scowled at her before the mare said softly: “I would like to attend to the little nation I have left, Valthrudnir, and I would like to ensure that Thesis is getting the best possible care. Which brings us to our next subject...”
“Do not attempt to control the conversation, you...” Valthrudnir broke off and only scowled at her, crossing his arms childishly, and Celestia smiled widely up at him before the dragon's eyes flicked to the side and he muttered: “You... chimera.”
“Is that the best you can do, now that I have some of your genetics?” Celestia smiled slightly, and then she asked softly: “Can your powers still effect me?”
Valthrudnir frowned at her thoughtfully, and then he snapped his fingers, and Celestia felt a strange tickling over her skin... but that was all. The dragon clicked his tongue and put on his best disdainful scowl... but yes, Celestia could see the interest and the pleasure in his eyes. She wasn't offended by the way he was looking at her like an experiment gone right, however, or a curious bit of material: he could look down at her all he wanted. It didn't change the fact that he was slowly but surely helping her become his equal.
“Very well. Phase one has apparently been more successful than anticipated. Phase two is merely a merging and smoothing process, in any event, and will be followed immediately by phase three, where we remove these unnecessary components.” Valthrudnir said calmly, reaching down and absently touching one of the tubes. “By then, your physiology will have adapted fully and they will no longer be necessary.”
“I hope so.” Celestia glanced at herself, and then she shook her head briefly before glancing up at the dragon and asking quietly: “But what about Thesis?”
Valthrudnir sighed... but then he shifted before saying grudgingly: “Thesis is a homun...” He halted at the pointed look the mare gave him, and scowled for a moment before saying moodily: “Fine. Thesis is different, if that better suits your pointless need for euphemisms, and he reacts differently to chemical compositions that would have much more notable effects on most ponies. The protocol has begun having... long-term effects on him, Beauty has noted, but it is not enough on its own to heal him.”
Valthrudnir stopped, then he looked down and said quietly: “However, he is now strong enough to survive surgery that will restore his basic mobility. During this process we will also...”
Valthrudnir stopped, fumbling for the right words, and Celestia softened. The dragon ground his teeth together in frustration, and then he suddenly balled a hand into a fist and slammed it against the wall, growling: “Why do you even have to know? Why can't you simply be satisfied with the fact that-”
“I trust you, Valthrudnir. But he is our son.” Celestia said quietly, and she smiled at him before adding softly: “And I have faith that you aren't going to hurt him or change him now. Thesis is... Thesis is a lot like us both.”
“He is nothing like us both. He is...” Valthrudnir scowled and looked down, then crossed his arms almost sulkily before muttering: “It doesn't matter, his personality is not important to the discussion. I will slate his surgery for tomorrow, and the first round of genetic enhancement.”
The two looked at each other, and Celestia nodded slowly before Valthrudnir shifted a little, then continued suddenly: “And while normally I would not speak of future plans or beyond what I feel is immediate and thus needs to be known... I... will not be satisfied simply allowing Thesis to walk again. I will remedy my... lack of... my not... entirely-accurate estimate in full and ensure that Thesis becomes strong again, as he was meant to be.”
Celestia smiled softly up at the dragon, and then she said quietly: “I think Thesis would really like to hear that from his father.”
Valthrudnir scowled horribly, but all the same, he glanced hesitantly up at the door before he simply snorted and turned on his heel, muttering: “Then he can wait until the exoskeleton's designs are completed. Designing a device that can properly interact with his unusual physiology has proven more difficult than anticipated, as he cannot be affected by my powers.”
“I have faith in you.” Celestia said softly as she followed after him, and the dragon only grumbled before the mare asked in a more serious voice: “What about the nation? What do you suggest as a plan of attack?”
Valthrudnir lowered his head meditatively, and then he said finally: “While I am not fond of how repugnant the land becomes when terraformed by my Tyrant Wyrms... all the same, I would recommend beginning large-scale environmental conversion. The mire, as simpletons refer to it, quickly becomes self-sustaining and aids carbon production, which in turn accelerates the function of my Dogmatists. It also seems to create peculiar psychosomatic reactions in the living... likely due to the mutative nature of the Clay of Prometheus, which even through the mire is still more than potent enough to affect organic structures...”
Celestia only smiled at Valthrudnir, studying the way he moved, the way he talked. She could almost feel his emotions, and the flow of his energy; he sounded so haughty and arrogant, but now she could see that he was really just excited, that he wanted to share his discoveries with the world...
He gave her a moody look, and she chuckled quietly before saying softly: “It's like I'm seeing the world in a whole new light. That's all.”
Valthrudnir only grunted, and then he shook his head before frowning in surprise as the mare said softly: “Go ahead. Transform the land. Almost every pony here has undergone some kind of conversion at this point, and by now I recognize that we all have to make sacrifices. That my country will never be what it once was...” She stopped, then looked thoughtfully at a Dogmatist as they passed the mechanical pony, who was fastidiously repairing an ornate carving with incredible speed and precision. “But maybe we can make something better out of it, together.”
The dragon only looked moodily ahead, muttering: “I suppose there's nothing wrong with having... what you ponies call hope. Although I am tempted all the same to label it delusion.”
Celestia chuckled quietly, and then the two remained silent until they reached the throne room. The Hexad all bowed to her respectfully as she took the throne, and Valthrudnir stood beside her, resting a hand on the back of the chair and overseeing the proceedings as the Queen of Equestria smoothly took up her reins. He rarely interrupted, however, seeming content to simply keep an eye on things for now.
After a few hours of discussion, Celestia returned to see Thesis while Valthrudnir excused himself for 'important preparations.' She told him about his surgery... and while Singing Lark was elated, Thesis seemed... stunned. Maybe a little worried, even dubious. But Celestia could only imagine what it had been like for him these last few months, trying to accept the fact he could no longer take care of himself.
She spent several hours with him, until Wisdom pulled her away because there had been a disturbance. Celestia left her son's side reluctantly... and the moment she stepped out of his room, her features became cold and hard as she snapped: “Where are they?”
“Approaching through the Eternal Forest, a force of at least thirty bandits.” Wisdom replied quickly, dropping her head and looking uneasily at the mare. “They're carrying flags and they appear to have hostages...”
“I will meet with them myself.” Celestia said coldly, and Wisdom's eyes widened in surprise before the Dogmatist scurried quickly after the ivory mare as she stormed through the castle. “Make yourself useful. Fetch Prudence.”
“Yes, Queen Celestia!” Wisdom said quickly, dropping her head before she turned quickly down a side hallway. Celestia scowled after the mare, then shook her head in disdain before she turned her eyes forwards, flexing her body and deciding that this would be as good a time as any to test her new powers.
Wisdom and Prudence met her in the courtyard, along with a team of Dogmatist soldiers. But Celestia only dismissed the team of mechanical ponies: the two Hexad would be more than enough to deal with any dregs that she didn't. She did, however, accept the flowing, fur-lined cloak they offered her. Crimson and white, with golden chains and brooches to keep it secure... it was suiting, she thought, for the Queen she was becoming.
They marched out to meet the approaching bandits on the main road through the forest: it was a very short exchange. The bandits offered their slaves – already dying of radiation sickness, Celestia could see – and information, in exchange for food and treasure. They further threatened that if they were turned down, they would kill the slaves, hinting that there would be an attack on the Castle of Harmony soon after.
Celestia weighed her options for a few moments in her mind... and then she simply looked at the grinning stallion who thought he was in charge and in control. She wasn't quite sure how her powers were supposed to work, but...
Her eyes flashed, and the stallion exploded into nothing but chunks of gore and viscera. The bandits were frozen in shock by it, and Celestia looked thoughtfully at the four smoldering hooves and the puddle of blood that was all that was left of the raider, before her eyes flicked to another. Was it really that simple?
Another bandit exploded in a hail of gore, and several of the raiders turned to flee, screaming in terror. Celestia let them run as she returned her eyes to the broken dregs in front of her, before she smiled, ignoring the pleading, the crying, the sudden, babyish bawling for surrender and mercy as instead her eyes turned towards a slave.
The slave looked at her... and then a moment later, the mare gasped, her body trembling before she slowly stood up. And as she stood, her sallow, weak body filled out, becoming so healthy and beautiful she almost glowed. She reached up... and with her bare hooves, she tore the metal collar binding her neck in half, staring in disbelief at her own strength.
One by one, the other slaves were healed, and Celestia smiled warmly. Yes... this was true power, she thought. Not that she was about to underestimate the ability to destroy, but this... why couldn't Valthrudnir recognize what a wonderful gift he had? Why did he always use his powers merely to destroy? Did he not understand his own gifts?
Still, Celestia felt a little... wobbly after her exertion. Yet all the same, she was strong and collected as she told Wisdom to gather the bandits and lead them back to base. They were going to politely allow themselves to be escorted to the dungeon... and when she sensed a bit of rebelliousness in some of the scum that had dared to march on her castle, she only gently gestured towards the remains of the two she had already obliterated with but a look, reminding them of what the consequences for disobedience would be.
Valthrudnir had given her the power to destroy her enemies... and more importantly, the power to heal and aid her people. And soon, Thesis would be healed too, she thought giddily... although there was a strange, sad irony in the fact that Valthrudnir's powers could not affect their own child, or one another. She supposed that everything had its limits, however...
They returned the castle, and Valthrudnir chastised her for abusing her powers before she was ready: it was so backwards that Celestia had to laugh. Valthrudnir didn't take quite as much amusement as her in the situation, but he did at least finally grudgingly admit he was glad that she was already showing some control over her newfound abilities... and perhaps he was the slightest bit impressed that she had already figured out how to use these miraculous and terrible powers.
She asked him if there was anything he couldn't do, as they sat in quiet together, just the two of them in a private room. Valthrudnir considered for the longest time, and then finally, grudgingly explained that there would always be things out of his reach. So much depended on perception, leaving him limited to what his own senses could detect, or else risk disaster.
His powers would allow him to destroy this world if he so saw fit: he could shake the nations apart, fracture and shatter the tectonic plates that the nation sat upon, bring flood or fire... but he couldn't do it selectively except in the broadest strokes. And his powers had side effects on the world: should he bring a mountain crashing down or burn away a forest, his strength would often scar the land or otherwise distort reality, attracting unpleasant and curious things.
Likewise, he could not simply snap his fingers and erase every griffin from the face of the planet. He could certainly erase plenty of them, with ease: if he looked down upon a specific place or time, he could annihilate every last creature of his choosing in that location. But to do it across the world, to simply wish them away... he knew from experience that his powers would pick and choose almost at random, annihilating every living thing in one area, and leaving smatterings of the species he had attempted to eradicate across the globe for whatever reason.
That prompted a question Celestia couldn't help but ask, in spite of knowing she shouldn't: “Why have you... destroyed so much, Valthrudnir? Why destroy, when you can fix it all?”
“In pursuit of fixing it.” Valthrudnir replied disdainfully, looking away... but Celestia saw, all too clearly, why he made himself seem so oblivious, so staunch in his refusal to believe that she or any of her kind might have actual feelings.
So instead of pursuing it, she slipped over to him and sat beside him, resting her head against his shoulder. He was silent, but he didn't push her away as the rested together that night, side-by-side, until the mare closed her eyes and allowed herself to sleep.
Valthrudnir let her sleep. He didn't concern himself for once with why she had fallen asleep against him, or with what it meant, considering how her biology was adapting and her physiology transforming. He only cared that she was finally being quiet and resting... and when he was sure she was deep asleep, he picked her up and carried her silently through the castle to her room, to settle her down in bed. He looked at her for the longest time, and then he awkwardly pulled a blanket over her, haphazardly tucking it around the mare's body before he swore under his breath and turned to let himself out.
He busied himself with other things until the next day came, and managed to avoid Celestia for most of it until just before Thesis' surgery. She came with him, of course, and Valthrudnir told her that she could watch from behind a glass wall with him while Beauty and her assistants did their work.
They watched in silence from the observation room, gazing down into the surgical theater at Thesis, who was laying on his belly with a mask over his face and machines hooked up to monitor his pulse, among other things. He wasn't completely unconscious, but he was numbed for the procedure, most of his back an open, gaping hole as Beauty carefully removed tissue, muscle, and even bone to make way for the mechanical parts gleaming on a gurney next to the table.
The surgery took almost six hours, most of which Celestia and Valthrudnir spent in silence, only watching. Valthrudnir occasionally made notes here and there, and Celestia only asked a few questions, such as why her son's blood seemed so dark and thick. Valthrudnir answered it was because of the treatment he had been undergoing, and that it was the first of several changes his physiology would be undergoing.
It was a frightening answer to the mare, but all the same, as she gazed down at her son silently, she felt that if Valthrudnir was telling the truth... if Thesis would walk again... then it would all be worthwhile.
When they were done, grafts were applied and healing magic was used to complete the process, along with chemical injections. Electrodes were attached to Thesis' limbs, and he was carefully wheeled back to his room, where he could recover in quiet, as machines beeped and occasionally sent small pulses of electricity through his muscles, making them flex and twitch.
Celestia insisted on sitting in the room with him, studying her son. He had terrible scars over his back... but all the same, he seemed to be breathing easier, and he shifted ever so slightly now and then as the electrodes hummed quietly and sent impulses through his body, stimulating his nerves and muscles even as he slept.
Thesis was slow to awaken... but when he did, he yawned, and then grimaced and flexed reflexively against the pulse of the electrodes, his forelegs immediately rising-
Thesis halted and stared at the blanket covering his body, the stallion blinking slowly before he suddenly sat up, throwing the blanket off and staring at his forelimbs. His hoofs flexed, and he trembled violently as Celestia smiled radiantly and Singing Lark leaned forwards, gazing at him brightly...
It all blurred together. Thesis leapt off the bed, hugging them both, laughing... and even though his legs almost gave out from under him and he almost knocked the machinery down, all the same, he was able to stand, to walk... to move on his own. It took Celestia chastising him to finally get him back into bed after he nearly wore himself into collapsing.
But he could walk again. He could move his limbs, and even though he felt weak, and he ached terribly, he also felt more alive than he'd ever been. It was more wonderful than he could begin to express. It was the first moment of hope Thesis had experienced in the longest time.
That night, after his family finally left, Thesis dozed on and off... until he woke up to realize he had a strange visitor, leaning in the doorway. The white dragon was gazing at him, his arms crossed and his expression neutral, his amber eyes observing him in silence until Thesis sat up.
Valthrudnir shifted uncomfortably, as if he hadn't realized that Thesis was awake... and then he simply stepped backwards and closed the door, leaving Thesis gazing across his room in silence. But finally, the stallion smiled faintly before he looked down at one hoof, lowering his head as he whispered: “Thank you, Father.”