Gjallarsong

by BlackRoseRaven

Verse Eleven

Verse Eleven
~BlackRoseRaven

Celestia awoke with a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. She tried to reason that it was because of everything she had been through: a series of painful grafts and surgeries, followed by a long period of... strange dreams and visions.
She breathed quietly in and out, then began to get up to search for a mirror... before she paused and instead slowly held her hoof up in front of herself, concentrating; a moment later, a mirror simply appeared above her hoof, the mare smiling slightly as she looked into this and studied herself silently.
She tilted her head slowly back and forth: her eyes were strange still, glowing and yet surrounded by dark shadows, sunken into her face... but everything else looked smooth... beautiful, even. And it had been such a long time since she had felt beautiful, let alone looked it.
Celestia chuckled quietly, then she shook her head slowly before she simply dismissed the mirror with a thought, smiling as it vanished from sight. She climbed out of her bed and stretched slowly, then strode towards the airlock, her regal cape floating over to her and wrapping smoothly around her body as she walked.
As the airlock sealed around her, cleansing mist venting in from all sides, the mare chewed absently at her lip, feeling another bolt of... apprehension. She felt like something had happened with Thesis... but then again, between Valthrudnir and her son, she knew that anything was possible.
She smiled... but she felt another bite of worry as she strode out of the airlock. She could feel their presence, at least, somewhere... together? Why didn't it reassure her that the two of them were together? And yet even from here she could feel a... calmness from Thesis, she thought, although Valthrudnir seemed aggravated... wasn't that normal?
Something was wrong.
Celestia frowned at the feeling chewing through her, the mare looking at the floor before she shook her head quickly and hurried a little faster, her ephemeral mane sizzling quietly as it swayed out behind her. She was being paranoid, she knew, but... she just couldn't shake this impossible feeling that something, somehow, was...
The mare almost shoved the doors to the training room opened, and Valthrudnir flinched before spinning around with a snarl, opening his mouth... and then his eyes widened in shock as he saw Celestia, the dragon going limp before he forced a smile, straightening and saying in a stumbling voice: “What a... a surprise. You weren't supposed to wake up for...”
Celestia began to frown... but then her eyes were drawn towards Thesis as he stepped forwards, and instead she smiled at him. He looked strong, tall, dressed in form-fitting armor that was shaped to allow the strange machine on his back to stand free... what she guessed was the exoskeleton. “Thesis. It's wonderful to see you.”
Celestia strode forwards, then began to reach up to hug her son... but then froze. She looked at him fearfully, one foreleg half-wrapped around him, her eyes staring at him as Thesis only continued to look up at her... calmly, emptily. He simply stood, his expression detached, his eyes distant and staring right through her, even as he acknowledged in an almost-solemn voice: “Mother.”
Slowly, the mare stepped backwards, staring disbelievingly at her son before her teeth grit together, her body trembling as she felt how... how hollow Thesis was. She took a breath, struggling to maintain control even as she felt reality itself twisting around her with her rage, before she asked in a low, deadly voice: “What have you done?”
“There... there is no need for overreaction, Thesis has... that is to say, while I am very much aware of what this seems like at the moment, I...” Valthrudnir caught himself in the middle of his sudden bout of stuttering, before he cleared his throat and straightened, looking down at Celestia with as much imperiousness as he could muster as he declared: “This is not my fault. It seems that Vice, the idiot android you chose over Wisdom to lead operations in Canterlot – who lost you Canterlot, I might add – has been tampering with the other Dogmatists and giving them orders to damage equipment related to Thesis. They sabotaged the original exoskeleton before Thesis could receive it, but I have implanted – temporarily! – neural nodes to help Thesis with his confusion. And the pain resultant from Vice's tampering.”
Celestia looked up at Valthrudnir for a few moments, and she could feel his emotions. His uncertainty, his fear, his childishness... but she didn't need to sense any of that to see clearly that he was lying. “Tell me the truth.”
“I... I have.” Valthrudnir argued, then he quickly strode behind Thesis, gesturing down at the exoskeleton on his back and explaining: “This device uses powerful chemicals to induce accelerated function: in simple terms, it makes Thesis stronger. But the device was tampered with and introduced too much chemical and damaged Thesis' neurons. So for the moment, synthetic lobes are handling most of Thesis' decision making and accelerating his thinking. He recognizes and understands you, but his emotions are simply-”
“Not there.” Celestia whispered, looking at her son and trembling a little before she reached up, silently stroking his face. “Oh, Thesis...”
“He was out of control. He attacked Dogmatists. He...” Valthrudnir halted, then cleared his throat before he continued in a colder voice: “And you should be thanking me! He was insane, all caused by your favorite-”
“Get out.” Celestia said quietly. Valthrudnir frowned at this, looking down at Celestia as if he couldn't understand what she had just said, and the mare snarled before her eyes flashed as she looked up at him, roaring: “Get out!”
Energy crackled through the air around them, and machinery went haywire, sparking violently in all directions as Valthrudnir flinched away in shock. He looked back and forth in disbelief before snarling and opening his mouth... and Celestia shouted at him furiously and wordlessly, stomping towards him, the waves of her rage cracking the ground and buffeting the dragon like physical blows, making him stumble in surprise before he was half-chased to the door by the mare, throwing himself through and hitting the wall opposite with a curse before he turned towards her, eyes wide, staring at her with disbelief as she stood in the doorway, snarling at him through the tears running from her glowing eyes.
“Stay away from my son.” Celestia snapped, and then she stepped backwards, the doors to the training room slamming shut hard enough to warp the metal.
Valthrudnir mouthed wordlessly... and then he slowly squeezed his claws into the material of his shirt, breathing unevenly in and out as he carefully pushed himself up against the wall. He stared at the door, visibly shaken, his head slowly moving back and forth in weak denial before he looked back and forth, saw the Dogmatists all staring at him... but when he snarled in reflex, it wasn't anger in his eyes. It was self-loathing, it was humiliation, it was fear.
Valthrudnir shouted something wordlessly, vanishing from the spot... and Celestia felt him go. Bitterly, she hoped he never came back from wherever he went, as she turned towards her son, trembling and walking up to Thesis to silently cup his face, turning his head back and forth... but he had healed so completely she couldn't even see the marks from his surgery. And the exoskeleton on his back... the more she looked at it, the sicker it made her feel.
Why? Why had Valthrudnir done this? Why had she allowed, even encouraged this? The mare shook her head weakly, then she stepped backwards, almost desperately lowering herself in front of him, looking into his eyes as she whispered: “Thesis? Thesis, please... speak to me.”
“What would you like to discuss, Mother?” Thesis asked in a hollow voice, and Celestia had to bite back a whimper as she stared at her child. Her poor child...
“Thesis, what... do you feel? Are you... are you in there? Can you... Thesis, please...” Celestia whispered, slumping slowly to her knees before she leaned forwards, embracing him tightly around the neck... and he didn't react. Didn't embrace her, didn't stiffen, only stayed still, and calm, and terribly, hollowly serene...
“I am here, Mother. I do not feel anything. I understand things now.” Thesis said quietly. He did understand things, now that all those pesky emotions were gone. He had thought before that he had understood what it was like to think purely, to not be fettered by... feelings and worries and confusion, but now he truly understood. The neural nodes secured his mind against invasion and chaos: they helped him to think faster than he ever had, to process things better, and ensured he would never be sidetracked by unproductive thoughts... Mother did not understand, however, because Mother was not programmed like he was. “You do not need to be sad. I am your son. I am at full operating capacity.”
Celestia stared with disbelief at Thesis, and then she slowly, weakly shook her head before whispering: “No, Thesis. No. Don't you understand that... the very fact that you just said that means that... that this is all terribly wrong?” She trembled, biting her lower lip hard enough to draw blood as her eyes shimmered with sorrow. “Oh, Thesis... I... I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry...”
Thesis only tilted his head ever so slightly in response, his empty white eyes drawing down towards her before he stated: “Apologies follow errors or grievances. There has been no error nor grievance. You do not have to apologize.”
“There have been too many errors and grievances to count.” Celestia replied roughly, squeezing into her son before she lowered her head and clenched her eyes shut as she buried her face into the side of his neck, pulling her son closer to her and squeezing him as tight as she dared. “Oh, Thesis...”
The stallion remained silent this time, patiently waiting until Celestia finally pulled away, the mare looking down at him with tender sadness. Eventually, she reached up and gently touched his face, then whispered: “We're going to... to make you better, Thesis. I hope you can believe that.”
“Belief is based upon preconceived notions founded in both fact and desired outcome. Belief is a system of estimation. I cannot believe in becoming better because I have already reached my maximum operating capacity.” Thesis said emotionlessly, and Celestia shivered as she looked silently at her son, before she carefully took his hoof as if he was a foal and gently tugged on him.
And whether he acted like a machine or not, he toddled along at her side like a child when she pulled him forwards, the stallion keeping his eyes dead ahead and not speaking, not questioning, neither pulling away nor slipping closer to her.
Celestia led Thesis to the surgical theater, pulling him into the room as Beauty looked up with surprise at the two. The Dogmatist began to open her mouth, but with only a glare, Celestia silenced her before she asked coldly: “When can these nodes be removed from my son's brain?”
Beauty shifted uneasily, and then she said hesitantly: “Queen Celestia, I... this was a very dangerous surgery to begin with. Neurosurgery is a difficult process, requiring precision to the nth degree... but... perhaps I can offer an alternate solution?”
Celestia narrowed her eyes... but she felt the Dogmatist's emotions and confidence, and after a moment she relaxed slightly, even though her voice remained icy when she prompted: “Well?”
Beauty sighed in visible relief before she carefully strode towards the operating table, resting her hands on it as she explained carefully: “The nodes, as it stands, are programmed only with... very basic parameters. He may seem as if-”
“He seems to have been lobotomized. Get to the point, Beauty.” Celestia ordered, and the Dogmatist winced and dropped her head, nodding awkwardly.
“Yes, of course. The point is that the nodes do not act as replacements, but more as gates that are currently shut to prevent any emotional reaction. We can reprogram the nodes without removing them, however, and that way, Thesis will be able to experience and show emotion while... remaining in control.” Beauty smiled hesitantly, bowing her head silently to Celestia, her curtain of mane falling away from her face to reveal the enormous, Y-shaped scar that ran down one side of her otherwise pristine features. “Perhaps in the future, the nodes will be safer to remove but... I must advise against that for now. Both because the surgery has been so recent and because Thesis is...”
She shifted uncomfortably, and Celestia studied Beauty for a few moments before she asked quietly: “Beauty, who did this to my son? Was it an equipment malfunction, or was it Valthrudnir?”
The Dogmatist's eyes flicked fearfully to the side, and that was all the answer that Celestia needed. She smiled after a moment, however, even as her eyes remained locked on Beauty, the ivory mare saying quietly: “Alright. I understand. Fix my son, Beauty, that's all that matters to me. Make him able to feel again.”
“Yes, Queen Celestia, of course.” Beauty lowered her head respectfully, and then she gestured awkwardly to the surgery table. “Please guide Thesis to the table, and... we'll get him comfortable. Restraints or equipment won't be necessary, but he may experience some discomfort, and I may need you to... keep him calm.”
“Of course.” Celestia said softly, and then she gently tugged on Thesis, who obligingly approached the table and allowed himself to be guided onto it. As he laid down, Celestia reached up and gently stroked his face before she said quietly: “Beauty is going to help you now, Thesis. Alright?”
“I do not understand. I am coherent. I am functional. I am efficient. Why do you wish to reduce my performance?” Thesis asked, although he only continued to stare up at the ceiling with his dead fish gaze.
“What is the most important thing in the world, Thesis?” Celestia asked quietly, and Thesis turned his head slightly to look at her.
“The air, which specifically includes oxygen and carbon gases.” Thesis replied after a moment. “Although water and sustenance are also required for life, without any atmosphere, life could not exist. Organic entities can survive for extended periods of time without sustenance, but lack of oxygen proves fatal to organic entities within minutes, while lack of carbon severely reduces the productivity of Dogmatist and Decretum-based technologies.”
There was silence for a few moments, and then Celestia shook her head before saying softly: “The most important thing is family, Thesis. We are more than the sum of our biology, and the most important thing in the world is family.”
Thesis only shifted slightly at this, and then he said finally: “I do not understand. Family provides security, but it is based in pack instinct. It is not a necessity. Safety can be found in other methods and safety itself is a luxury, not an absolute necessity. Many organisms exist in constant threat and danger.”
“It's because you don't understand this that we have to fix it, Thesis.” Celestia said softly, before she looked up at Beauty, who had rolled back one of her rubber sleeves and was tapping away on a small keyboard that was built into her mechanical arm. “Well?”
Beauty looked up and nodded hesitantly, saying finally: “Yes, I can connect wirelessly to the nodes... if you're ready...”
“Are you ready, Thesis?” Celestia asked gently, turning her eyes down to her son.
Thesis only looked emptily up at her, then stated: “I am prepared and will obey any orders I am given, although I do not understand the necessity of this.”
“And that is precisely why it is so important we do this.” Celestia said softly, shaking her head slowly before she turned her eyes up towards Beauty, her voice immediately becoming colder as she ordered: “Do it. And do it right.”
Beauty nodded hurriedly, then tapped a few buttons before she rose a hand, creating a holographic screen in front of herself. Readings blinked over this, and the mare studied it intently as her fingers returned to her wrist keyboard, the Dogmatist murmuring: “Thesis' brain chemistry has been significantly altered, and he may display... behavioral issues. There has been some degradation in function that has apparently been compensated for by the nodes...”
“I don't care. I want my son to have his mind back. We will work through whatever problems he has together.” Celestia said shortly, and Beauty nodded again quickly.
“Of course, Queen Celestia. I only want you to be aware that he will... need your attention.” the mare replied quietly, and Celestia studied Beauty for a few moments before she gave a slow nod in response, lowering her gaze back to her son.
After roughly an hour, Thesis' eyes cleared slightly. He began to display more expression, chiefly discomfort. Beauty seemed hesitant to continue trying to alter the nodes, and Celestia decided to trust in the Dogmatist when she said Thesis would now start to come around: it would just take some time for his brain to 'wake up,' so to speak.
Celestia took Thesis to his room, half-carrying him with how confused and foggy he was. But after a few hours of rest, he opened his eyes to look at her, and whispered: “Mom?”
Celestia smiled softly, and hugged her son. And although it took him a moment to return the embrace, and he seemed almost to shiver beneath the contact, he all the same did eventually hug her back.
Over the next few days, Celestia didn't see a single sign of Valthrudnir... but she also kept herself occupied more with her son than with keeping the Castle of Harmony stable. Wisdom had proven that she was competent enough to handle most of the operations here herself, after all, and Celestia was much more concerned with Thesis' problems than the Dogmatists.
Thesis was... sad, and angry. Simple words for complex emotions that couldn't be described any other way: he seemed to be nothing but a pit of pain, and Celestia was distraught by what she saw in her child these days. Once Thesis had been unbreakable: even when it seemed like he'd given up entirely, he would still manage to smile, or he'd still make some stupid remark and... keep plodding forwards. Even when he had accepted the fact he might end up paralyzed for life, he had... there had been dignity in it.
There was no dignity anymore. He just... stopped every now and then, hung his head, and cried. He grew angry and shouted at Dogmatists for no reason... except Celestia could feel his emotions and knew her son well enough to understand it was a response generated by fear. He was afraid of everything... afraid of being hurt, afraid of being attacked, afraid that if he didn't strike out first, he would never be able to strike at all.
What had Valthrudnir done to her child?
But all the same, she stayed at Thesis' side, every day, helping him as much as she could. She stayed at his bedside when he slept fitfully, keeping him safe through the night. And she believed that they were making progress... even though the fact that she had so much power now, that she could affect reality with nothing more than a thought, now seemed like a hideous joke when she had come back to find her son so... badly hurt.
She would have preferred Thesis to be... weak, but able to walk, able to function like a normal pony... over superpowered but with the emotions of a traumatized, broken foal. And worse yet, when she'd heard about Singing Lark...
Celestia lowered her head in silence at Thesis' bedside. The Dogmatists like Beauty thought that Thesis was destroying himself purely because of the chemicals in his head, but Celestia knew differently. The chemicals had something to do with it, certainly... but Thesis had been poisoned into killing his own sister. The Dogmatists could never, ever understand the scars that had left on Thesis' mind, especially now that it had been left so brittle by the pain and paranoia...
She knew what betrayal felt like. It ate into her every single day...
Celestia looked at her son silently, where he slept fitfully in bed... and then she bit her lip for a moment before looking silently down at her hoof. Then, without letting herself hesitate, she reached out and placed her hoof against his forehead before she closed her eyes tightly...
And a moment later, Celestia was standing with Thesis, both of them bare of the changes and scars they had accumulated over these last long few years. Thesis looked at her with surprise, and Celestia smiled back at him before she looked ahead, taking in a slow breath as she gazed over green fields beneath the sunny blue sky... “I have something to show you.”
“Mom? But... how... where are we?” Thesis asked in disbelief, and Celestia smiled softly again over at him before she turned her eyes back ahead.
“Not where. When.” she replied, and then she strode forwards, and Thesis followed after her curiously... before his eyes widened as they approached two little foals. One was a light blue, and the other pale ivory... and Celestia smiled wryly at the bow in the larger one's mane. Oh, how she'd hated that stupid bow.
The foals laughed together as they shared secrets and gossiped like the little fillies they were, telling each other all kinds of stories. Thesis and his mother watched in silence, and as they did, the years seemed to spill past like sand, the foals growing up, changing, laughing, sharing secrets, telling lies, arguing, fighting, embracing, forgiving... and all around them, the world turned from grass to stone to a city street to a marvelous castle...
And then there was suddenly only one pony, sitting alone, staring longingly up a long flight of stairs to a set of open doors. The sun seemed to shine out from these doors, laughter and cheer spilling out with the light... but none of it ever touched the mare, who was left in shadow.
“I betrayed my sister, Thesis. What you did was terrible... but it was also not your fault.” Celestia said quietly, and Thesis trembled as he lowered his head before the mare said softly: “I don't claim to understand what happened to you, but I do know that you never would have hurt her if you were in control of yourself. And I know she tried to save you, as my sister tried to save me.”
“I killed her.” Thesis whispered, looking down and closing his eyes tightly, trembles running through his body. “I killed her, Mom... who cares if I was-”
“I care. And she cared. She cared so much she threw herself into your path to try and save you.” Celestia replied quietly, before gesturing ahead as the blue mare cried out, trying to crawl towards the light... but the darkness had become sticky, grasping into her, pulling her back. “Just as my sister cared about me...”
The darkness consumed the mare... and then a terrible, black pony erupted from the shadows, leaping up the steps and charging into the light. There were screams and cries and horror... and then a great and terrible, heartless burst of heat and blinding energy that made Thesis flinch back. And when he looked up again, he saw his mother, cold and proud, standing over the black pony, who was crying and broken on the ground, pleading, holding up her hooves...
And then, there was a burst of light... and a moment later, darkness, Celestia lowering her head and whispering: “Thesis, there are fates worse than death. There is abandonment. There is being consumed by hate, and pain, and demons... whether they are evil spirits or the monsters we create ourselves. There is being beaten and broken and left groveling at the hooves of people you once trusted... there is being cast out of your home, and sealed away by your own sister, who didn't even try to heal you...”
Celestia closed her eyes, lowering her head before she whispered: “Thesis, I sealed my sister away in a place where even with this newfound power, I can't reach. I can't touch her mind... and I can only imagine what that must mean for her. Imagine how alone she must be... how betrayed, how... hurt. Banished, forever... does she wander the dark side of the moon, Thesis? Or is she trapped within its very core?”
She shook her head slowly, then she gazed towards her son and said quietly: “You told me you had a strange dream before. You couldn't remember all of it, but you knew they were all there: Sworn Tenet, Red Sky, and Singing Lark. Thesis, these are all ponies who tried to save you... and who, I think, are still trying to save you.”
Thesis looked down, and then he closed his eyes tightly before whispering: “But why? I'm... I didn't deserve any of the things that they did for me. I'm just...”
“Monster or hero, Thesis... you were a soldier, a friend, and a brother. They didn't save you because you have some great destiny, because you are some chosen one, or because you're special to the world. They saved you because of duty, and honor, and because you were special to them.” Celestia replied quietly, looking silently ahead through the darkness as fragments of memories echoed around them, flickering in and out of reality before the mare gave a faint smile. “Family is the most important thing, Thesis. Remember that. Hold on to that.”
Thesis looked down, then he closed his eyes and lowered his head before he whispered: “I'm scared of what I'm becoming. Of what I'm going to become...”
“Thesis, I have faith that no matter what happens... things will always be set right.” Celestia replied, turning her soft eyes towards her son. “Even if you and I... are wrong about everything we've done, even though our world is... terrible things have happened, and I more and more question what we have done, what we are becoming... there are other worlds out there. And there will always be someone to set the balance back right.”
The stallion was silent as he looked down at the ground, chewing on his lip slowly before he lowered his head and murmured: “I don't know if I'm strong enough. I don't want to fight anymore, Mom. I don't want to...”
He halted, and then looked up as Celestia turned towards him. They looked at each other for the longest time, and then the mare approached and hugged him tightly around the neck, closing her eyes as she said softly: “You may not want to... but I want you to. Sworn Tenet wanted you to. Red Sky wanted you to. Singing Lark wanted you to. Will you please try, Thesis? Will you try, for them?”
Thesis looked up at his mother, and he trembled as the memories collapsed around them, returning them to reality... but even the cold air made his nerves tingle, and the machinery standing out of his back felt so heavy... he forced himself to nod, taking a breath before he replied shakily: “Yeah, Mom. Yeah. I... I promise. I'll try.”
Celestia smiled at him softly, then she drew back and nodded once herself before she murmured: “Alright, Thesis. That's all I want you to do... to try your best. That's all anyone can do.”
Thesis nodded a little, and then he looked down silently at his lap, hugging himself silently. Celestia studied him for a little while, but then leaned in to kiss his forehead, murmuring a soft 'I love you' before she excused herself.
She left Thesis' room, but didn't get very far before she found Valthrudnir waiting for her, the dragon standing in the middle of the hall with his arms crossed, but his expression was uneasy, his emotions scattered. They looked at each other for the longest time, and then Celestia finally gave a brief nod to him before asking shortly: “Where is the enemy?”
“On the move. A substantial horde has gathered.” Valthrudnir replied tersely, scowling at her... but she felt relief from him too, before he turned and gestured at her. “Come. We must prepare our defenses. Even between us both and the army within this castle, their numbers are vast: it is not that I fear for ourselves, but rather-”
“Yes, I understand.” Celestia replied curtly, and there was an uncomfortable silence for a moment before Celestia asked quietly: “How have they managed to band together? I thought all the other nations had fallen by now: I can't imagine why these scum would have any interest in working together.”
Valthrudnir snorted, and then he answered in distaste: “That is precisely the problem. They have ransacked and destroyed everything... except this final bastion. I am sure the warlords have agreed to share the spoils of this conquest between themselves... just as I am equally sure they all plan to turn on one-another once the battle is finished.”
“There won't be any of them left. Can't we destroy them ourselves?” Celestia asked calmly, and Valthrudnir gave Celestia an almost uncomfortable look before he hid it beneath a thin smile.
“Of course an insect like yourself, who has gone so long without true power, would want to flex her newly-acquired strength. But you lack the discipline and the mental fortitude to properly put such cosmic abilities to use as yet, Celestia. Restrain yourself.” Valthrudnir replied pompously, and the mare gave him a dark look before Valthrudnir continued: “Furthermore, while there is some... barbarian amusement in engaging with these combatants on their own level, there is no strategy in tempting their radioactive arsenal. You may still die from a direct blast, and I would be... irritated.”
“Irritated. But in this case, Valthrudnir, I may all the same agree that discretion is the better part of valor.” Celestia said after a moment, lowering her head. “But isn't it possible to shield yourself with that same magic while you fight?”
Valthrudnir sighed in exasperation at this, gesturing towards her irritably. “Give you the slightest amount of power, and again, here we are. Do not forget you have but a fraction of my power, Celestia. And even with my full strength, it requires discipline, focus, and strength of mind to maintain these abilities. The longer my powers are exerted and the more created instead of culled from the environment, the more energy they require to maintain. Furthermore, what you should fear is not running out of power, but running out of control: strength this great often has a nefarious will of its own.”
The ivory mare grimaced a bit, but for once, she didn't doubt the dragon. They walked on in silence... and yet Celestia reflected that they walked, instead of teleporting or portaling or any of the other ways they could instantaneously move through reality now. But then again, Valthrudnir seemed to linger here and there, and his eyes kept flicking towards her, and even though he was trying to hide his emotions, she could feel...
They stopped in front of the throne room, and as the dragon reached up to the doors, Celestia said quietly: “I'm not forgiving you. But I know you... tried. You did a horrible thing, Valthrudnir, and you made a mistake-”
“I do not make mistakes!” shouted the dragon, rounding on her and snarling down at her, and Celestia's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden flare of anger and aggression and pain she felt. “I did what was best, and you will be the one to regret your decisions, Celestia, when Thesis relapses due to the damage done by Vice's meddling and your own stupid need to involve yourself in every single plan that I make!”
There was silence for a few moments, Celestia looking at the dragon disbelievingly... and then she closed her eyes, taking a slow, steadying breath. But she wasn't angry... she was... “Valthrudnir...”
“No. Enough. We have a job to do.” Valthrudnir muttered, turning and shoving the doors angrily open to storm into the room beyond, and after a moment, Celestia followed with a shake of her head, watching the way the dragon snapped and shouted and mocked the gathered Hexad... but she could see how humiliated he was by his own outburst, how all this lashing out was just a child temper-tantruming because he couldn't deal with his own emotions.
The meeting was short, at least: Courage had already scouted out the army marching on them, and they numbered in the thousands. More worrying than the infantry were the warships: dozens of Torpedo Cruisers were protecting Kirin cloudships and several Equestrian airships that had been modified by the pirates and likely carried both more soldiers and radioactive explosives.
They had artillery, as well: motorized and magically-propelled catapults for the most part, and a few massive cannons that had been put on wheels and were being pulled along by pony slaves. It was possible they had other siege equipment as well, cloaked by magic or hidden among the wagons and carts that the barbarians had their serfs pulling.
The timing was in their favor, at least: with Celestia recovered, she would be able to contribute both strategy and her powers to the battle, and she was eager to put her strength to the test. She and Valthrudnir would place themselves at either side of the marching horde, where they could both unleash as much destructive potential as possible without interfering with each other.
With the clouds laced with anti-magic and lightning the enemy warships were moving in low above the forest: they would be vulnerable to cannon fire, and thus made the easiest targets for the Castle of Harmony's own artillery. The Castle itself would be shielded by Wisdom's magic to protect it from enemy fire, while the Tyrant Wyrms and Dogmatists would provide the main line of defense on the ground.
The enemy number was vast... but with their superior weaponry and strategy, they could use the enemy's numbers against them: such a massive force was both easy to monitor and easy to hit from even a great distance, after all.
But the enemy was approaching quickly: they didn't care about formation or rank, how their soldiers mixed together, how some lingered behind and others hurried ahead, whether they were vanguard or not. And to counter the threat, they would have to move equally quickly.
As the Dogmatists assembled, Valthrudnir opened a portal for Celestia, ordering her to go through: it was both a frustrating and somehow endearing gesture from the dragon. She was surprised when he followed her through, however, and they both ended up in the shelter of a rocky ridge, where Celestia could wait until the enemy forces arrived... which wouldn't be long, she thought.
Valthrudnir looked down at her, and she looked back at him before he suddenly said abruptly: “Be careful. Your powers... these are not...”
Valthrudnir shifted back and forth uncomfortably, and then he suddenly reached up and tugged at his choker as he lowered his gaze, muttering: “I was told once to... imagine shaping even destruction as creation. It is a ridiculous notion as they are opposing forces, but then again the savage who told me this put the 'moron' in oxymoron.”
He looked away, and Celestia looked up at him for a few moments before she sighed and leaned up, grasping into his suit with her front hooves and gently tugging him down so she could kiss his cheek, a flush crawling up from the dragon's collar before she said quietly: “I'm still angry with you. But I'll be less angry if we can put a stop to this horde.”
Valthrudnir only grumbled under his breath in response, his eyes flicking away before he brushed at himself and then turned, vanishing with the movement. But his emotions lingered, and Celestia shook her head with a chuckle before she settled back against the rock, closing her eyes and breathing slowly as she dropped into calm meditation.
The army was vast and undisciplined, and she heard their raucous shouting and stomping long before she saw them approaching. She realized after a few moments that she couldn't hear the machinery, however, nor the clank of wheels... and when the mare leaned out from behind the rock wall, she saw there were only a few scattered groups of diamond dogs and griffins passing by, who had apparently gotten so overeager that had pulled far ahead of the rest of the group.
She closed her eyes as she leaned back, trying to sense Valthrudnir... and yes, there he was, almost a kilometer away. And after a moment, she thought she felt him feeling her, before a mental message hummed through her mind... and the mare nodded slowly. She would wait.
It was almost twenty minutes before the main body of the army started to pass: they crowded between the scattered trees, as their mighty warships sailed slowly overhead. Celestia knew that this was their chance to strike, and she was tempted to start things off with the kind of savage force that these barbarians would appreciate... but instead, she forced herself to be subtle, as her eyes roved up towards one of the massive airships.
She shaped her thoughts like magic, imagined the ship's magic engines suddenly cracking, and a great burst of force pushing it down from the sky... and after a moment, there was a terrible boom before the ship rocked in the air, then suddenly dropped, soldiers yelling and scattering in shock as Celestia smiled coldly. Her eyes glowed with power as she looked at the warship, imagining all that energy released by the engines twisting like snakes through the ship until they found...
The warship erupted in a tremendous blast of hellfire as its munitions exploded in one enormous burst. And as the explosion rose into the air, Celestia smiled coldly, her eyes still glowing as she stretched her powers up into the explosion, shaping fire into meteors...
From the pillar of hell that had erupted out of the ship, an avalanche of fiery boulders exploded, streaking down to the ground and erupting in massive blasts that hammered through the scattering ranks of the army. Voices screamed and shouted and panicked, some of them raising weapons as they looked desperately for their attacks, others simply turning to free, some only collapsing in the mire in panic... panic that was quickly infecting the rest of the army.
The sky pirates in the Torpedo Cruisers were quickly fanning out, however, even as one of their ships was blasted apart by a comet that streaked out of the blaze. Celestia narrowed her eyes slightly... but then smiled coldly as another airship suddenly rocked violently, explosions tearing through its hole as an artillery shell punched through it.
Celestia could hear shouting, screaming, roaring: she saw that rough units were forming, following whoever was large, mean, and smart enough to try and marshal some order into the soldiers. The ivory mare stretched her mind out again, closing her eyes as she took a slow breath, searching...
A griffin's head exploded before it could give an order, and soldiers screamed. Another former officer attempted to take control, and he burst into flames, screaming in agony. The earth swallowed a diamond dog that had been rushing along a group of barbarians, trying to get them out of the fray; a Kirin in battle armor was blasted high into the air, then screamed as his horn exploded in a crackle of lightning.
Celestia smiled coldly... before her eyes widened as a voice yelled at her, the mare's head snapping up as she saw a griffin staring at her with a mix of horror and fury. He began to raise his crossbow... and then was nearly knocked out of the air as a cannonball shot past him, smashing into the rock face above Celestia and sending chunks of heavy stone hailing down.
Celestia reacted on instinct, snarling as a wave of force erupted from her body... and the chunks of stone simply froze in the air. The mare stared up at these in disbelief... and all around her, time seemed to slow to a crawl, even as she heard cannons and artillery firing on her, radon shells and cannonballs hurtling lazily through the air towards her...
They slowed to a halt before they could reach her as Celestia breathed slowly in and out, and then she slowly rose a hoof, her eyes glowing with hellish power before she gave a slow smile. Time returned to normal, and for a moment, the munitions continued to float in front of her... before the mare simply flicked her hoof, and the cannonballs and radon shells streaked through the air with an air-shattering boom of thunder that was joined shortly by the sound of the artillery munitions crashing through enemy ships.
Torpedo Cruisers exploded, cloudships and airships shook and began to drop from the sky, and barbarians panicked as Celestia only laughed, her eyes blazing as reality trembled around her. She grinned widely, raising her forelegs, and the rock face behind her erupted, exploding into massive pieces of shrapnel as the mare roared: “I will show you the power of my nation!”
Celestia slashed one hoof forwards through the air, and a storm of rocks tore forwards, smashing through the scattering, screaming ranks of soldiers. Her cruel grin stretched wider as she shoved the other hoof out to the side, and the remaining stones floating behind her launched themselves in rapid succession into the earth some hundred yards away, quickly forming a jagged barrier that blocked the soldiers from heading towards the castle as she shouted: “I will show you the power of a Queen!”
The mare leapt forwards, spreading her wings and flapping them hard as she launched herself down to the ground, landing in plain view... and only laughing as cannons fired at her, caught by the invisible force protecting her. She felt immutable, unstoppable, all-powerful as she simply flicked her horn forwards, sending cannonballs and shells shooting back again to their senders, blowing more ships out of the sky as artillery hailed around her from both sides and soldiers rushed back and forth, howling and shouting in terror and panic.
Griffins dove out of the air towards her as maddened diamond dogs rushed her, and Celestia smiled coldly as she looked up and stomped one hoof down: the griffins she locked her gaze on exploded into chunks of bloody gore as spikes of earth exploded out of the ground in a path towards the diamond dogs. Most of the pack was unable to avoid these in time, screaming as they were impaled and hefted high into the air on the stakes of rock, but one of them managed to dash to the side before shooting towards her and leaping high-
He froze in the air before contact, and Celestia chuckled quietly as she shook her head slowly, then leaned up into the dog's trembling face and said softly: “You see, that's the problem with you. No one's trained you properly. No one's taught you how to heel.”
She flicked her horn, and the diamond dog was slammed down into the earth before Celestia stomped it beneath one hoof, smiling coldly at how easily she crushed the insignificant insect. Then her glowing eyes flicked up, watching as her smile widened at the beautiful sight that greeted her: a warship that had been torn apart by cannon fire was slowly falling through the air towards her, explosions rattling its hull, smoke pouring from its body, the insects and scum and parasites that populated the horde leaping off the burning carcass as she only laughed...
She caught the falling ship with her powers, smiling as she easily hefted it... and then a pain shot through her mind, a cold, sharp crack that made her back arch and her eyes bulge. The ship was crushed like tin in her psychic grip as Celestia gasped, blood spurting from her nose as her whole body shook, before she threw her head back with a roar.
There was a terrible flare of light and a hellish blast of force that made reality itself tremble around her, impacting the mire under her hooves with so much power it turned it to crystal and turning everything else within a dozen feet of the mare to nothing but mush. Celestia dropped her head forwards, gasping and panting, trembles wracking her body before she yelled wordlessly again as another immense pulse of power pounded through her form...
“Celestia!” Valthrudnir shouted, and Celestia looked up as bloody tears spilled down her cheeks, the mare whimpering and staring as Valthrudnir appeared out of thin air in mid run, charging towards her. But just as he drew close, her whole body spasmed and she screamed as another relentless blast of energy tore out of her body, knocking the dragon skidding backwards through the muck.
The dragon gritted his teeth, then cursed as a Torpedo Cruiser fired a radon shell at him, the dragon beginning to bring a hand up... but Celestia's head snapped up, faster than even he could react, and the shell exploded in midair. And to Valthrudnir's shock, the explosion itself turned to green blades of crystal that shot themselves wildly through the air, ripping through flying ships like butter and turning any unfortunate bandits they passed through to crumbling heaps of ash.
Then Celestia screamed again, and another blast of force ripped through the world, buffeting him as he rose his arms to try and defend himself. He stumbled all the same, then snarled as he looked up: even though the barbarians who had witnessed Celestia's initial display of force were fleeing, the rest of the horde was trying to push forwards even through the hail of artillery fire from the castle in the far distance and the random waves of force...
“Celestia! Listen to me!” Valthrudnir shouted, as Celestia convulsed on her hooves, head snapping back and forth. A boom of force tore through the air, but Valthrudnir didn't bother to look up: everything that came close to them was being intercepted or destroyed by Celestia's powers as they went completely out of her control, the mare consumed by her own strength and need to destroy and avenge... “Control your idiotic, primal emotions! Swallow them! And if you cannot swallow them, then throw them out of you!”
Celestia screamed again, her head dropping forwards, clenching her eyes shut as she felt herself spasming, her body quaking with anguish before she snarled, her eyes snapping open as she looked forwards. Hate, pain, rage, righteousness and wrath all commingled, before she leaned forwards and screamed, pouring all her emotions and energy out into one massive wave of force.
The mire in front of her erupted into a surging tidal wave, Valthrudnir knocked off his feet by the force of it and staring in disbelief as the roiling black poison became a storm of hideous nightmares and laughing dragon-beasts that stampeded towards the approaching army, in a black herd a hundred feet wide and dozens of feet tall. The barbarians didn't even have time to react, and their screams were smothered by the mire as the black wave washed over them, muck and poison and magic crushing the life from them and stealing the strength from their bodies as the tsunami of hate surged on.
Celestia trembled, and Valthrudnir's jaw fell open as he watched in disbelief as the entire bottom half of an airship was torn cleanly off by a wave of black-matter-beasts that smashed against it, the rest of the ship quickly falling to the barren earth behind the terrible tsunami.
Slowly, the dragon turned his eyes towards Celestia, as the mare hiccuped once before her eyes rolled up in her head and she collapsed to the earth. Valthrudnir stared at her... and then he crawled quickly over the mire she had turned to crystal beneath them, the dragon grasping into her and whispering: “I-Impossible... I... can't have...”
Valthrudnir shook her almost meekly, and then he trembled as he saw... bruising spreading across her coat, blood spilling from her face... this wasn't possible. The power she had displayed was impossible, because even if she was smarter than the other animals, she... couldn't have such discipline, such imagination...
“Celestia, wake up!” he whispered, but the mare didn't stir, only shivering on the mire. The dragon swore after a moment, then looked up, swallowing thickly as he saw, in the far-flung distance, that the wave of poison was still tearing through the world... “How...”
Valthrudnir shook his head, then he picked up the mare, carefully lifting her in his arms before he turned, creating a portal wide enough to carry her through. He emerged into the halls of the Castle of Harmony, then kicked Wisdom aside when the Dogmatist made the mistake of approaching and getting in his way.
She hit the wall with a wince, but quickly followed after the dragon, saying hurriedly: “We detected an incredible surge of magic... it must have been at least a million bæns of energy! Lord Valthrudnir, did you-”
“Shut up.” the dragon growled, and Wisdom's jaw snapped shut, but she continued to doggedly follow after him as he continued quickly down the hall, ordering in a cold, clear voice: “Beauty! Report to Celestia's room immediately and bring your medical equipment! And Wisdom, since you seem so eager to get underfoot, at least make yourself useful and get me a status report on what has happened to the enemy horde.”
“Yes, sir! I'll send Courage out to scout and I'll scry their operations and... report back to you once I have confirmation!” Wisdom said quickly, saluting the dragon sharply before she turned and bolted away, and the dragon scowled after her with irritation.
But then he turned his eyes back forwards, hurrying to Celestia's room. He set the mare gently down in her bed, and as he stood up, he felt... powerless. He was only able to stare down at her, barely able to feel her energy, watch as her strange bruises pulsed and twisted beneath her skin and blood trickled slowly from one nostril...
Valthrudnir stared at Celestia, and then he silently took one of her hooves as he slowly sat down on a chair that formed from the air beneath him. He had shared his power with her... and she had done something beyond his wildest imaginings with them. She had been terrifying in her destructive power, in her anger, in how she had... created to destroy.
He closed his eyes, trembling: Ymir's words. He only understood them now... but no, Ymir had just been an old fool! Ymir had been nothing but a bully, keeping him down, urging the other Jötnar to kick him when he was weak, laughing at his pain and saying stupid things and trying to get him to do all these philistine tasks that had always been so beneath him... but the others had acted like he should be grateful for being forced to crane his head down to their level...
Ymir couldn't be right. And he, Valthrudnir, was never wrong. He hadn't been wrong about Thesis... he hadn't been wrong to give this powers to Celestia, this wasn't a mistake...
Beauty entered the room, and Valthrudnir quickly looked away as he squeezed Celestia's hoof before he dropped it and quickly shoved his chair backwards, turning a hard scowl towards Beauty. “You are late. And her biorhythms are becoming erratic. If she suffers because of your tardiness, I will not overlook it, Beauty, and nor will I show you mercy.”
“Yes, sir. I understand, Lord Valthrudnir.” Beauty murmured, even as she quickly opened a case filled with medical equipment, the mare selecting a needle as she asked uneasily: “Will her powers react if...”
Valthrudnir opened his mouth to scoff at the Dogmatist... then thought of the wave of mire that Celestia had conjured and slowly closed his muzzle, now not so sure that he wanted to see another instinct reaction from the mare... and as his eyes flicked down to her, he realized he was afraid for her, as much as he was afraid her lashing out might be capable of hurting him... or even...
“More?” Celestia whispered, and Valthrudnir stiffened before the mare's eyes opened, Celestia coughing weakly before she said softly: “I don't even have the strength to raise my head... go ahead, Beauty. Do your tests.”
“Not tests yet, Queen Celestia. A powerful sedative, first...” Beauty murmured, gently slipping the needle into Celestia's foreleg, and the ivory mare flinched before the Dogmatist depressed the plunger and soothed: “Sleep now. Rest, what I'm seeing seems to be energy degradation... I'm sure that as long as we-”
“Do not lie, Beauty. Tell us the truth.” Valthrudnir said harshly, glaring at the Dogmatist, and Beauty flinched in surprise before Celestia reached up and silently touched the dragon, who looked down at her with concern that he didn't want to feel.
Her hoof slipped down into the hands in his lap, and he grasped into her reflexively, leaning towards her. They looked at each other for a few long moments, and then Celestia smiled faintly up at him before she whispered: “You were right. Your powers were too much for me, Valthrudnir. They're too much for any mortal to handle. Absolute power... corrupts absolutely.”
Valthrudnir scowled at her, and then he leaned down and said softly: “Do not be arrogant, Celestia. I am not corrupt and your power is... far from absolute.”
Celestia laughed faintly at this, and then she smiled up at him with a strange happiness, as she whispered: “That is your special gift, Valthrudnir. You are... so arrogant and rude and you think so little of us... but your power has never corrupted you. It's not power you have to fear, it's...”
Celestia's eyes fluttered, and then they slowly closed, and Valthrudnir looked down at her silently before he shivered and shook his head quickly, then he shoved himself away from her, the chair he had summoned vanishing before he turned an almost furious glare on Beauty. But Beauty only bowed her head to him silently, and after a moment, Valthrudnir said shortly: “Run your tests. Tell me when you have a timeline for her vital decay. I expect her to be in surgery in one hour and modulators and stabilizers implanted back into her body.”
“Yes, Lord Valthrudnir.” Beauty bowed, but Valthrudnir only turned and quickly made his way out. The moment he was back in the hall, however, he had to stop and lean up against the wall opposite her door, the dragon trembling as he tried to steady himself.
What had he done?
The dragon gritted his teeth... then looked down in surprise, stumbling to the side as a voice asked worriedly: “Where's Mom?”
Valthrudnir looked down at Thesis, and Thesis looked up at Valthrudnir, with both anger and fear. The dragon stared at the stallion, who was trembling, his legs quavering beneath him, but seemed almost... defiant, and determined, all the same, as he asked again: “Where is my mother?”
Valthrudnir slowly pointed towards the door, and Thesis hurried towards the airlock before the dragon said quietly: “I... I am not responsible for this. For you, or for the fact that your mother cannot... handle listening to orders.”
Thesis looked at Valthrudnir's back silently... and then, as the dragon started to walk away, the stallion turned around and said in as brazen and clear a voice as he could manage: “When... when we go to take back Canterlot, I'll lead the attack.”
The dragon halted, frowning before he turned around, asking contemptibly to hide his curiosity at this statement: “Really? And what makes you think that we will be attacking Canterlot, or that I would even consider you a useful asset in such an event?”
“Because I know that's where the horde is going to retreat to. And because that's where the warlords have to be. And I know that was where you had your own operations, and you don't like giving up your toys.” Thesis said bravely, and Valthrudnir narrowed his eyes... although the stallion had a point. “And because... I am not a coward like you.”
Valthrudnir snarled... but then he only snorted in contempt before he said coldly: “We'll see what you are shortly, Thesis. You are only fortunate that it is in everyone's best interests that you stay on your hooves... but if you keep up this behavior, I don't think I'll have a hard time convincing your mother to adjust those nodes in your head to make you more cooperative.”
Thesis only smiled faintly at this, and then he turned away from the dragon as he replied quietly: “It was my mother who taught me that there's a time for politics, and then there's a time for saying what's on our mind. But at least I'm not the one trying to hide behind her anymore.”
Valthrudnir snarled at the stallion as he entered the airlock, his eyes blazing and his hands clenching into fists so tight that his trimmed claws dug into his palms, drawing silvery blood... but what frustrated him most of all was the fact that, in spite of all the anger he felt...
No. The dragon ground his teeth together, and then he slowly unclenched his hands, looking down at his bloody palms before he took a slow breath and closed his eyes, then he turned around and strode quickly away.
He had other things to take care of. He had projects to pursue. He had a strategy to craft and he had problems, problems that the ponies, not he, had made, that would have to be fixed. It was their fault. All of this, was all their fault. He was superior to all of them, above all of them, and he would never, ever allow these... these ignorant savages to lay their blame at his doorstep, when he had always been so generous, when they didn't feel like he did, didn't understand things like he did, were only animals and he was superior... in every way.
He did not make mistakes.