Hecate's Orphanage

by BlackRoseRaven

Nostalgia

Chapter Eight: Nostalgia
~BlackRoseRaven

Portaling to Heaven had been easy; boring, almost, apart from how exciting it was to actually be going to Valhalla, and through one of the private, upper-echelon-only portals at that. Cadence had both been tempted to strut and slink her way around the ambassadors, scientists, and other high-ranking personnel who were normally the only ones here: of course, Moonflower ironically had fit in very well with them with his charm and bluster and narcissism.

Hecate had shown up quickly, and then all-but-thrown them through one of the private portals. They had arrived in Valhalla, and Cadence had instantly felt a... a change inside her, a shifting, a silent awakening that was completely different from the Swan's usual violent clawing at her consciousness. No, the Swan just wanted to observe, it felt like, even though there hadn't been much to see at first, since they had arrived in some kind of high-security area, and quickly been escorted out of the sterile steel room and down a sterile steel hall by knights in white armor.

Now they were sitting in some kind of waiting room, just, well, waiting. Cadence looked uncomfortably around: chairs lined the walls, there was a small table with some magazines, and an aquarium that Moonflower was all but pressing his face into, staring like a foal at the brightly-colored fish swimming in aimless circles.

Her father was actually reading one of the magazines, and La Croix looked grumpy, but he was keeping himself busy grinding up more powders. That left her to find something to do with herself, but she felt like her stomach was in knots, and she couldn't make herself focus very well, and being here in Valhalla made her feel so... so homesick.

Cadence sighed a little, rubbing at her face with a hoof before she nervously looked at her father. But the stallion only glanced towards her and gave a slight smile before he returned to his magazine, and Cadence grumbled a bit, but she did feel comforted, if only by his confidence. Although of course, she also couldn't help but feel a little annoyed, too: how did he always manage to stay so calm and pleasant?

But thankfully, one of the doors leading out finally opened, and two ponies strode in: one of them was a graying unicorn with a short brown mane, a clipboard floating beside him that he jotted hurried, nervous notes on, and the other was a smiling, youthful-looking earth pony with a speckled palomino coat. This latter pony grinned at them brightly, saying exuberantly: “Welcome, welcome to Heaven! Now, I won't waste too much time with formalities, but my name is Pipsqueak and this is Excelsior. I suppose you could say we're sort of Queen Terra's administrators, and-”

“And I told you lads to hold on five sodding minutes, is that really so hard?” complained a loud voice, and Cadence looked up sharply as she felt the Swan twist inside her at the sensation that washed over her. Her eyes hardened, her breathing quickened, her whole body tensed as her hooves slowly squeezed into the arms of the chair before a figure pushed into the room, continuing crankily: “You complain I'm late all the time, but then you dump so much sodding paperwork on my sodding head that my claws feel-”

Cadence couldn't stop herself. Couldn't control the Swan, as she launched herself fearlessly straight at the demon: the demon was a dragon, triple her size and who knew how many times her weight, with scales of living steel and horns like a crown, wearing necklaces and bracelets made out of bones and fangs taken from her likely countless kills. No, this was a demon, a demon inside their sacred halls, inside Valhalla, and it needed to be destroyed.

Cadence snarled as slammed straight into the dragon-demon, knocking it skidding backwards with a grunt of surprise. Pipsqueak immediately scrambled backwards in horror, and Excelsior went dead pale as he dropped to the ground, covering his head with his clipboard. La Croix and Moonflower had roughly the same reaction, while Sombra immediately leapt forwards, shouting his daughter's name, but it wasn't Cadence who was in control right now. It was the Swan.

Danzsöngr's horn glowed brightly as she pounced onto the wingless dragon's back, and the demon roared as she shook herself wildly back and forth before snarling and twisting to the side, throwing herself at the wall to try and crush the mare. But this only played into the ivory pony's hooves, as she flung herself upwards before slashing her horn down to send a blast of white magic into the dragon's face the moment she hit the wall, making her roar as she automatically grabbed at her seared steel features.

The steel dragon crashed down on her back, and Danzsöngr dropped onto the demon's stomach, grinning coldly as she began to viciously pound away at the demon's exposed underbelly. But before she landed more than a few blows in, a claw swept at her, which the Swan dodged easily, but she wasn't expecting the demon-dragon's tail to snap up and twist around her neck, yanking her backwards and flinging her face-first into the wall.

Danzsöngr bounced off and caught herself on all four hooves, but just as she spun around, the dragon crashed into her and pinned her back against the steel wall. The mare swore in frustration, glaring up at the dragon, who glared back at her as a bit of blue flame and smoke escaped her jaws, and her sapphire eyes met the icy gaze of the Swan...

And then, suddenly, the dragon grinned widely before she threw her head back and laughed loudly. Danzsöngr was stunned by the reaction, staring up at the demon as she felt the pressure release, and as the Swan receded out of confusion and perhaps the slightest bit of embarrassment, Cadence shook herself wildly out before she flushed deeply as she realized that she had just attacked the Queen of Heaven. “I, uh... I'm...”

“You're full of fire, that's what you are, lass! Glowing embers, easily brought back to flame!” Terra laughed again, the demon and monarch who ruled Valhalla stepping backwards with a strangely-pleased look. “Now... oh, get up, you great cowards. My kin and I do far worse for our hellos down in Cairnmór. More's the pity we don't have time to continue to introduce ourselves... Cadenza, is it?”

“Most people call me Cadence.” the ivory winged unicorn said awkwardly as Pipsqueak and Excelsior both nervously picked themselves up. The mare was barely able to believe that she hadn't just completely ruined... well, everything. I just attacked the Queen of Heaven, all because I sensed a demon. What the hell is wrong with me? “I... uh... I'm sorry, by the way-”

“Oh, don't say that, lass, you did fine. Isn't your fault these rooms are all so damned small, I always feel like a sow trying to squeeze herself through mouseholes.” Terra complained, gesturing absently with one claw to the waiting room, which was now covered in debris and wreckage from the short, fierce combat between the two. “Now, much as I wish I had more time for idle chatter and another round or two, we should get down to business. You wouldn't believe how much nonsense I have to put up with on a daily basis! All I want to do is train the Valkyries, but nay, nay, Terra, you must be a good little girl and sit your great sodding ass on your great sodding throne...”

Terra sniffed disdainfully as she glowered over at Pipsqueak and Excelsior, who both simply shifted lamely before Cadence asked quickly: “There are Valkyries here? And uh...”

She finally looked around at the rest of her team: La Croix was only hiding a grin as he put his tools away, apparently not disturbed in the slightest by the fact she had just tried to start a fight with the Queen of Heaven. Her father was looking at her with both concern and relief, and Moonflower was pasted awkwardly against the wall of the aquarium like he was protecting it, his eyes wide and still staring at Terra with something like horror.

“Uh. Moonflower?” Cadence looked pointedly at the black stallion, who blinked before he hurriedly cleared his throat and almost leapt forwards.

Terra cocked her head quizzically, and Cadence quickly introduced : “This is my team. Moonflower, Sombra, and La Croix. I'm sure you know why we're here, and-”

“And I also know why you must be interested in the Valkyries, and why you couldn't stand to see an Ironjaw like me perverting your sacred halls, lass.” Cadence blushed deeply, but Terra only grinned and winked. “No harm done. In fact, when we have more time and are on better terms, I'd like to have a little spar with you, test my might against you, Swan Maiden, whatever you are. But my kind eat birds, you know.”

Cadence only forced herself to smile, not letting the Swan rise up, and Terra studied her before she grunted and turned, gesturing quickly with her head for them to follow as she began to walk. “Come along then, you lot. Excelsior, Pipsqueak, the two of you go find Tauros, I want the young prince to meet this lass.”

“Uh... Prince Tauros is probably in a meeting at the moment...” Pipsqueak started, but when Terra turned a glower on him, the palomino pony danced on the spot for a moment, biting his lip before he nodded and hurried off ahead, with the gray unicorn and his clipboard following quickly behind.

The halls here were plain stone and steel still, but it was already starting to feel different as they walked through the castle, more of Valhalla's energy seeming to permeate the air, the sense of coming home, and yet not filling up Cadence's body as Terra explained kindly as they headed down the hall: “There have been a lot of changes since your time, Cadence, which I'm sure you know and understand. Aye, it certainly has not been easy for any of us, but... in the little you'll see of Valhalla before you have to leave, I hope you feel we've done well.”

Cadence only shrugged a bit, before Terra pushed open the doors at the end of the corridor with a smile, and the mare's eyes widened as she instantly felt the confusion in her stomach completely overwhelmed by a sense of... of belonging.

They strode out of the stone passage into a massive, gorgeous golden hall that was full of life and activity. Warriors, heroes, nobles strode back and forth through this causeway through Valhalla, sharing conversation and laughter on the way to work or other business.

“Aye. We have worked long, and hard, to restore Valhalla to what it once was. The outer territories of the Vale are still badly damaged, but we're getting there, little by little.” Terra smiled a bit, adding softly: “And much as I once viewed the ponies as nothing but tender morsels, watching the way they work and unify has been an inspiration. Well, if such soft little things can band together to do such hard work, surely an Ironjaw of Isenertos like myself can deal with a few more years of signing papers and playing at monarch!”

Terra chuckled, and then she tilted her head as Sombra asked curiously, even as he bowed his head to her respectfully: “Queen Terra, is it true that your clan serve mainly as guardians of Hel, and as her peacekeepers in Helheim?”

“Smart lad, you are.” Terra smiled at Sombra, looking pleased as she nodded. “Aye, that's right, that is both privilege and duty of my clan. I suppose it's part of why for all the rabble-rousing I deal with, they don't try and remove me from my station as Queen.”

Cadence shifted uneasily at this, and Terra chuckled before she turned her eyes towards the mare with a slight smile. “Fear not, Swan, I have no plans to keep this up for much longer. A few more years, and Tauros will be old enough to step up in my place... he is certainly already more than ready and willing, after all. And as Kvasir's son, it is only his right. Besides, it will be a relief to return to the field; Freya and that sodding fiochag Morning Glory do nothing but mock me up and down for being some 'lady of the courts' these days.”

“Freya? Freya is alive?” Cadence leaned forwards, her eyes widening in shock. “Does she know about Brynhild, that-”

“Oh, aye. And I'm sure Freya must know about you, too: she's always been one to keep her ear to the ground, that one. Her head down, and her counsel close.” Terra replied absently, and then she turned and began to stride through the hall, nodding and smiling to ponies here and there that they passed as she continued easily: “Now, I must ask you a few questions, of course, and pretend that I have some kind of care for what you're doing. Don't get me wrong, I do. But I trust Hecate's judgment, and as far as I'm concerned, seeking a lost soul is a righteous cause in any form it takes.

“But for the sake of Valhalla, and more, for the sake of its endless bureaucracy, I all the same have to ask you what you plan to do, and if this is all really necessary.” Terra paused, smiling slightly over at Cadence. “I also heard, you see, that there's a certain trio of ponies out there, looking for this lost soul themselves...”

“Brynhild.” grumbled Cadence, feeling the Swan stir, but as they walked through the halls of Valhalla, it seemed to feel... pacified. Apparently it had swallowed its bitterness for the demon as well, which was a strange surprise for Cadence, considering that generally the Swan wasn't much of one for understanding or putting aside differences. “Why does everyone keep treating her like she's some kind of savior? She's Outlaw!”

Terra snorted in amusement at this, giving the ivory mare a slight smile before she said kindly: “I may not have the best opinion of Luna Brynhild myself, lass, but I wouldn't underestimate her either were I you.”

Cadence only grunted as she looked away for a moment, and surprisingly, it was La Croix who spoke up. “Oh, no, we know, believe you me, Madame Terra. But, and pardonnez-moi if I be speaking out of turn... ain't like you want to overestimate her, either. She real good at beating stuff up, sure. But she ain't so good at...”

La Croix gestured a few times to the side, and Terra looked thoughtful before she nodded after a moment with a slight smile of agreement. “Aye, very well, I suppose I must give you that, Fetch. But she's got two smart ponies with her, and she never leaves a job unfinished.”

“She don't, no. But we be pretty smart ponies ourselves, Madame.” La Croix replied, then he tipped her a wink. “And somethin' tells me I don't think you'd say no to gettin' a chance to show the Jument de la Lune that she ain't always all that, non?”

Now Terra looked interested at this proposal, and then she grunted and nodded, saying musingly: “Aye, it would be quite a look on her face... and well, I suppose there isn't no harm in making sure this lost soul is rescued as quick as can be. I know that Hecate wouldn't waste the time were he not important, and there were no promises to be fulfilled.”

Terra turned, leading them down a rounded corridor before she shouldered her way through a large set of red double doors, and they emerged onto a stone walkway that circled around the outside of Castle Valhalla. Cadence couldn't help but look up in awe, a warm smile spreading over her face at the familiarity and beauty of it all: the crisp blue skies above, the gorgeous turrets and white and gold towers, and beyond the enormous walls that bordered the castles, the endless, verdant green fields, filled with life and bounty...

The Swan... smiled. And Cadence smiled with it, before she blinked in surprise when her father gently touched her shoulder and gestured ahead, saying kindly: “They're waiting for us.”

Cadence looked up with a blush as she realized Terra was almost a hundred feet away, Moonflower and La Croix standing with her. The ivory mare hurried forwards, opening her mouth to babble out reasons and excuses, but Terra only laughed and shook her head, saying kindly: “Don't worry yourself over it, lass. I'm the same way when I visit Cairnmór, and I'm never away for more than a few months. I can't imagine what it must be like for you, Swan Maiden.”

“It's... soothing.” was all that Cadence could think to say to try and explain the impossible feelings running through her. And after a moment, she couldn't help but smile up at Terra, and she didn't know if it was her or the Swan who said: “Valhalla is safe. Demon or not, you are protecting Heaven and ruling as a Queen should.”

“Nay, I rule as I must, and I look out for the people, not my own self.” Terra chuckled, but she seemed to appreciate the compliments even as she waved them off, regarding the mare for a few moments before she turned and gestured for them to continue. “Come on now, normally I'd portal us there, but... as I have a bit to explain yet and you seem to be enjoying the air, we can walk.”

Cadence nodded eagerly, taking a deep breath of the clean, fresh air of this beautiful world of Asgard, upon which Valhalla sat. In the back of her mind, she knew she should be pushing forward for the sake of the mission, but every part of her wanted to stay here, to enjoy this, to bathe in the sense of being where she belonged, doing what she had been made to do...

What she had been made to do.

Cadence shivered a little as her blood suddenly went cold in her veins, her eyes quickly focusing forward as that warmth in her chest drained away. She looked down for a moment, but forced herself to quickly throw the feeling off even as the Swan shifted inside her almost in confusion, as if what was wrong with taking pleasure in its purpose, as if saying that this was what they were meant to do: be a gear of Valhalla, be soldier, be servant...

Only Sombra seemed to notice, the stallion drawing a little closer to her and looking at her with concern, but Cadence only shook her head briefly before she forced her head up, listening as Terra talked. Not a lot of the conversation stuck in her head as they followed the path down to a staircase that led into a courtyard, but she managed to grasp the important details, at least.

There were twenty or so portal rings for them to look at: Terra had already had the rings moved to a secure test facility only a short distance outside of Castle Valhalla. The little building had everything they needed: bunks to rest, volunteers to help them out, supplies, and of course, armored doors with heavy locks, so if they accidentally let anything into Valhalla, they would have to deal with it themselves and would remain safely quarantined from the rest of Heaven.

Terra hadn't looked at the reports herself: she had let Excelsior and her son Tauros handle examining and compiling them. Cadence had barely remembered that this wasn't really the first time they had looked for Rustproof, or that Hecate had agreed to send all the mission information ahead to Heaven. Terra talked about it all so naturally, less like she and Hecate were business associates and more like they were old friends, and Cadence found it... strange.

She understood that Hecate had a lot of connections. But Hecate was cold, professional, and demanded authority and respect. Why was it that she respected Luna Brynhild, when Brynhild seemed like the complete opposite of Hecate? Why was she sending what sounded like confidential log files that Cadence hadn't been allowed to request access for to the Queen of Heaven, who talked about it like they had just had a discussion over coffee?

Cadence's thoughts were brushed away as they left Castle Valhalla through the massive main entrance, however: as they strode across an immense wooden bridge that spanned the deep moat, Cadence felt both a burst of exhilaration at the beauty of the seemingly-endless dusty road that stretched off to the horizon, cutting through the sea of green fields, and a strange longing in the Swan. Not for this beauty, but to turn around, return to the safety, the sanctity, the castle, where it belonged.

Cadence shivered again, hating how even when the Swan was being less than murderous, it still could ruin even beautiful moments like this one. But as they continued down the path, she managed to make herself focus on the group, and on Terra, as the Ironjaw said wryly: “I hate that I've come to find it so natural to do nothing but talk and order people around. Aye, don't me wrong, I do enjoy ordering my smallers and lessers about. But it's much less fun doing it when they fear my title, not my strength.”

The ivory mare only grunted in response as she followed slowly, before Moonflower suddenly rose his head and blurted: “There's magic in the road!”

La Croix blinked, and Sombra looked up curiously before Terra answered: “Oh, aye, there is. The Vale is a huge expanse, after all, and not everyone has the magic to create a portal. Therefore, they developed magic that would... speed you up, so to speak, as you walk along the road. It distorts movement somehow by some... damned Heaven-magic, so that the further you walk along it, the more distance you cover with each step. One step becomes two, two becomes four, you understand. And that effect continues as long as you stay on the path, and keep yourself moving.”

Cadence looked off the road... and she could indeed see some kind of funny distortion in the air, and like reality was skipping now and then around them, like there were pictures missing from a video. She could remember this, and she remembered that this magic had originally been sown by Frey, one of the greatest architects Valhalla had ever known...

The ivory mare was barely able to remind herself to keep walking as memories twisted through her mind and the Swan murmured inside of her, but thankfully she didn't have to walk very long before Terra signaled for them to stop. They did, and the strange feeling of magic and distortion faded before the Ironjaw dragon gestured towards a square, stone building in a narrow field, a twisting sandy path leading up to this almost-ominous looking structure, which stood out as so strangely alien amongst the beauty of the rest of the Vale.

“We call these Blocks. I'm sure you'll never guess why.” Terra said ironically, and then she began to stride towards the building, continuing: “Aye, Valhalla still has a portal hub, but security is much tighter these days, and many of our resources are now divided up instead of stuffed into one big pot, considering the lessons we learned with both Gymbr and the Pious.”

“Who is Gymbr?” Cadence asked, and Terra chuckled at this, shaking her head slowly.

“Something I suppose we'd all sooner rather forget. I fear not all of us can escape being what we were born as, no matter how many times we try to change, lass. Sometimes, our own weakness is just too great.” Terra shook her head again, and then she smiled briefly as she looked up and muttered: “And sometimes we're all fools to trust the scorpion in the first place.”

Cadence only shifted uneasily, frowning a little, but there was silence as they approached the armored door leading into the windowless Block. Terra hammered firmly on the door, and when it didn't open, she shouted: “Oi! You had better not be slacking off again in there, or I swear I'll throw you to the Wendigo in the wastes, Airid!”

There was a clunking after a moment, and then the door was finally hefted open, and Terra stepped back with a sigh as another Ironjaw grinned awkwardly out at her, replying lamely: “Apologies, Lady Terra, but the gears are still broken. We haven't been able to make all the repairs yet.”

“Aye, well, aye, I know lately we've been a little thin on help. Now, Airid, these ponies will be in your care. Treat 'em well, help 'em with what they need.” Terra said briskly, and the Ironjaw nodded hurriedly: Cadence noted that unlike Terra, his scales were a little darker, and he had a distinct scarring over his face that looked as if it had been done by acid. But he was also wearing an amulet of some kind... “I swear, Morning Glory sent you up from Subterra just to make me miserable.”

Airid lowered his head slightly, but he was smiling all the same, and Terra grumbled before she suddenly reached up and smacked him on the shoulder. “Aye, you're not doing terrible, lad, but keep it up. No shirking.”

Airid nodded, and Terra turned her eyes to Cadence, saying mildly: “Well, this is where we part ways for the moment. I'm sure my son will be about to see you sooner or later: Hel knows he never listens to his mother these days, though, which I suppose is not entirely terrible, and he's got some other 'business' or other to take care of. But fear not, Pipsqueak is a good lad and will do his best to see that he visits, if only to check on your operations here.

“I need you to remember something though, Cadence: you only have until this time tomorrow before I will have to ask you leave Heaven, if you haven't left already.” Terra said quietly but firmly, and Cadence nodded as she looked up into the dragon's eyes, even as she inwardly grimaced: that wasn't a lot of time. “Don't you worry about filing reports or keeping me informed, the good people here will take care of that for you. You just get your job done, Swan Maiden. I've been told to expect great things from you, and I do.”

“I will.” Cadence promised, saluting after a moment, and Terra smiled at her indulgently before she shrugged and reached up to pat the mare on the head. Cadence didn't know quite how to respond to that, although she did her best to swallow her scowl until Terra turned to leave. Then the mare turned her glare on La Croix and Moonflower, who were both grinning at her like school foals. “Knock it off. Come on, let's go inside.”

She turned towards Airid, who smiled at her brightly: somehow his behavior was a complete contrast to Terra, as he shifted quickly out of the way and continued to hold the heavy steel door up for them. “Hello, Lady Cadence! Me and the others are really excited that you're here, and we're looking forwards to helping you as much as we can.”

“Uh-huh.” Cadence said awkwardly, and then she cleared her throat before hurrying inside, her father following with a thoughtful look before La Croix and Moonflower shoved each other out of the way and stumbled through the door at almost the same time. “Guys. Serious.”

La Croix grunted, and Moonflower sniffed disdainfully, but thankfully they both calmed down when Cadence focused the power of her scowl on them. Airid looked at them curiously, but then he simply shrugged before carefully lowering the steel door back into place, turning and gesturing down the metal hallway. “I'll show you to your rooms, you must want to rest after-”

Moonflower perked up, but Cadence shook her head and interrupted: “If you don't mind, we'd like to look at the portal rings and the reports first. We don't have a lot of time, so every moment counts.”

Airid nodded after a moment, smiling embarrassedly and bowing his head as he apologized: “Of course! I didn't even think about that, I'd be more than happy to... right, yes, this way.”

The Ironjaw hurriedly turned and strode quickly down the hall, and Cadence followed after a moment with a small smile. Her team fell into place with her, even though Moonflower was grumbling now about having helmet mane and wanting to rest his evil little hooves, but the mare just let him moan and complain, figuring it was better to let Moonflower get it out now.

Airid led them to a staircase that descended to a heavy steel shutter: this one worked, at least, although it seemed to take forever to grind its way up the rails it was on. But once they were through, Cadence could see they were in some kind of enormous testing facility, and to her relief, there was a portal ring already locked into an anchor system that rested in the center of the room, holding the ring in place and supplying power drawn from the cables that covered the ceiling and floor.

The Ironjaw tripped a little over some of the loose cabling as he headed towards a sealed booth, and a sigh came from the open door before a unicorn walked out, complaining: “Watch what you're doing, you big lug. We just finished prep, we don't need you tearing this down again.”

“Sorry, sorry.” Airid said hurriedly, and then he turned and gestured towards Cadence. “This is the guest we were told about, and uh... they want to get started immediately, they were asking for the reports-”

“Yes, thank you, Airid. Lady Cadence? My name is Dawn Sorrow.” The mare smiled at her: she was pretty; almost too pretty, the unicorn's white body as smooth as polished stone, her hooves glinting like silver, her eyes a strange, supernatural crimson. Her long, straight blonde mane fell over one shoulder, and her cutie mark was of a magic crystal, but it had an odd red tint to it, like it had once been a different set of colors but they had all faded to pinks and russets for some reason.

Cadence studied the mare warily, but Dawn Sorrow seemed unfettered as she said calmly: “My lab partners, Brazen Bold and Kiev, should be back from the workshop any moment with the reports. They wanted to finish double-checking some facts and calculations. It could be any of the portals, but... we'd like to narrow the list down.”

Dawn pointed towards the back of the room, and Cadence frowned a bit as she strode across the wide stone hall to the large, rolling shelf units that held the other rings. She counted... “Twenty two?”

“Twenty eight, actually, but five of them were so broken that we had to send them to the workshop for repair and analysis. They won't be ready for a few days, which I understand is outside your time frame, so instead Kiev has just been copying the coordinates.” Dawn replied calmly, and Cadence winced a bit.

“I thought we only had twenty.” Cadence said, as she turned and approached Dawn, and the red-eyed mare smiled at her almost condescendingly.

“Yes, but several rings were in storage and they didn't think to check the damaged articles. Fortunately I did.” Dawn replied calmly. “These were also recovered from the area that your lost little piggy was in.”

Cadence frowned a little, and then Dawn gestured towards the portal ring that was already anchored in the center of the room, just waiting to be supplied with power. “This is the most likely candidate for what you're looking for. There are five others after that that also fit the criteria. If neither Kiev nor Brazen Bold has discovered anything further in the reports, then I guarantee you it will be one of these six. Unfortunately, two of those are broken rings.”

“Great.” Cadence muttered, and then she looked over at her father, asking uncertainly: “If we can get the runes and coordinates, can you maintain an arch long enough for Moonflower to generate a portal?”

“Yes, mi amore... but that's asking a lot of Moonflower.” Sombra said, as the black stallion looked up at the sound of his name from where he had been half-hiding beyond La Croix, which was weird behavior, even for him. “He would have to hold the portal open for the probe, after all.”

“Right. Forgot about that.” Cadence grimaced, looking down. That put them in a fine mess...

“Oh, come now, I don't think-” Moonflower started, and then his eyes suddenly widened and he nearly shoved La Croix flat as he leaned over the zebra and yelled in panic: “Cadence, watch out, don't let her bite you!”

Cadence blinked and spun around, wincing as she found Dawn standing almost uncomfortably close now. The stony mare only gave a thin, half-teasing smile that revealed just the tips of her deadly fangs, as she said softly to Moonflower: “Dear, if I was interested in feeding... I would much rather sink my teeth into you.”

Moonflower whimpered and ducked back behind La Croix, who groaned loudly as he straightened slowly, cracking his back with a grimace. Cadence turned uneasily back towards the unicorn, which she now recognized as Nosferatu, asking uncertainly: “Why are...”

She realized a little late that was probably a rude question, and the Swan Maiden cleared her throat before trying to think of something better to say, but Dawn Sorrow only laughed quietly before saying calmly: “Airid, myself, and a few others are working here as part of an exchange program between Subterra and Valhalla. We trade knowledge and expertise and benefit alike from it.”

“Right.” Cadence said after a moment, and then she looked at the portal ring, asking finally: “Can we start it up? Moonflower, I need the probes.”

Moonflower looked lost, and Cadence sighed before her horn glowed, opening one of the packs on the stallion's side to pull out the container that held the probe devices. He smiled lamely at her after a moment, dropping his head, before he winced when Dawn Sorrow asked: “How did you know what I was, little one?”

The mare moved so gracefully it was like she was gliding through the air towards Moonflower, who whimpered and cowered back, before the Nosferatu stopped dead, as if she'd thumped into an invisible wall. She blinked and frowned, then her eyes narrowed suddenly as she looked at La Croix, who brushed at himself before he said moodily: “Sorry, mademoiselle. Your types can't get too near to my types. We just ain't meant to be amis.”

The Nosferatu smiled thinly at this, and then she turned and strode calmly away towards the booth, finally answering Cadence: “We can at least begin cycling up the systems. Unfortunately, it will take time between activations for us to recalibrate the equipment, especially with how long we'll be holding the portals open for. This technology wasn't meant to be used like this.”

“It'll survive.” Cadence grumbled, striding towards the portal ring before she put down the box of probes and opened it. She grimaced: she hadn't learned that spell from Thorn, so...

A hoof gently touched her back, and the mare glanced up over her shoulder at Sombra, who smiled down at her kindly before he said softly: “It will be fine, Cadence. Just trust in yourself, and in these good people helping us.”

Cadence blushed and looked down, and then she sighed and nodded a little before murmuring: “I'm trying my best to, Daddy. It's all just...”

She bit her lip as she looked up at the portal, hearing machinery beginning to rumble to life as several of the cables around the room twitched as if they were alive, electricity sparking over the portal ring. The mare gazed at this silently, and then she shook her head slowly before she murmured: “I don't even know what it means to be alive or dead anymore. Mortal life, afterlife... mortal, immortal, whatever I am... what's the difference anymore?”

“There is no difference between us as a people, Cadenza. That difference is determined by what we choose to do with ourselves.” Sombra answered gently, reaching up and squeezing her shoulders comfortingly. “I know how you've felt lately. Frustrated, confused... perhaps envious and out-of-place. And that's all okay. But meeting Luna Brynhild and your rivalry with her changes nothing about who you are, mi amore.”

Cadence shifted a little, and then she lowered her head and murmured: “It just feels like it changes everything. And we need to accomplish this mission and...”

Cadence broke off, then she shook herself out and picked herself up as the portal began to hum quietly. “Well, we should all focus on the job anyway. La Croix, Moonflower, are you guys ready?”

“To sit around and wait? Oui, Cygne. I got all kinds of stuff to keep me busy.” La Croix said mildly, and the ivory mare gave him a foul look.

Moonflower only shrugged awkwardly, and then he looked at the portal ring with confusion, saying slowly: “So we take this portal...”

“No. We just send the probe through.” Cadence said tiredly as she picked up one of the probes, studying the spherical device in her hoof before she glanced up over her shoulder as Dawn Sorrow emerged from the metal and tinted glass booth.

“Ten minutes. We have to power up slowly to avoid causing undue deteriorating in the rings.” Dawn explained offhoofedly, and then she glanced up as the armored door leading into the room opened, the mare smiling thinly. “There you are.”

Cadence glanced over her shoulder, and her eyes widened slightly in surprise: while Brazen Bold was simply a Pegasus – and likely a mortal who had died on Midgard, but earned his time here in peace and paradise in Valhalla, what some ponies called an angel but was properly termed a Benevolent – Kiev was a Nibelung Architect.

The Nibelung were a race of bipedal creatures that were mostly wolf, with a little pig thrown in: they had heavy, matted fur for the most part, with squat frames, canine features, and large, boar-like tusks sticking out of their muzzles. They weren't generally known for their intelligence, but they had once been a prosperous and intelligent race until civil war had destroyed their plane, and Helheim had swept in to mop up the rest.

Most Nibelung were mercenaries, or contract workers: fighting and laboring were all they really knew. All of them, that was, except for the Architects: Nibelung of great intellect who had been trained at their last-standing Academy, most of them more than a thousand years old and easily identified by their more upright posture and the fact they tended to cut down their tusks. Kiev's, for example, were almost completely missing, and the stumps were capped with silver.

He also seemed middle-aged for a Nibelung: wrinkles around his eyes, and as tall and stately as he was, he stooped ever so slightly forwards, as if it pained him to stay too far upright. His fur was graying, but his golden eyes still blazed with intelligence as they surveyed the ponies thoughtfully before he halted and bowed his head, saying calmly: “Swan Maiden.”

“Architect.” Cadence replied, bowing her head in return before she straightened, feeling both a strange sense of familiarity as well as a complete confusion as to what she should do next. “Uh... do you have the reports?”

“Yes, right here.” the Pegasus Benevolent said gruffly, giving Dawn Sorrow a noticeable berth as he walked around her. He pulled a large stack of papers out from under one wing and passed them to Cadence, who began to skim quickly through the files as the Benevolent continued: “We weren't able to narrow down our findings any further, but we did manage to pull the coordinates and rune sequence from the damaged ring and include it on one of the pages. We can probably graft it over a blank ring if Airid can go get one for us.”

Airid, who until now had been quietly sitting in the corner, hurriedly jumped forwards and nodded, making Moonflower jump and Cadence look up in surprise: she had forgotten the Ironjaw was present. “Yes, definitely, right away! I'll be an hour at the most!”

The Ironjaw turned and scrambled for the shutter, and the moment he was gone, the Architect said calmly: “Three.”

“Five. Terra will catch him and scold him and he'll forget what he was supposed to do.” grumbled Brazen, and Cadence smiled briefly before she looked over the Pegasus: a little chubby, very serious features, surprisingly well-developed forelegs, which meant he was probably an engineer or mechanic. “What else do you need?”

“I'm not sure.” Cadence looked back down at the files, and her father took over automatically, the black unicorn smiling and bowing his head towards the two even as Dawn Sorrow turned to wander back into the booth.

“Along with the probes, do you have any recommendations on how we can better determine if we've found the correct world? We're looking for a specific energy, from what I've been told...”

“Yes, but energy wavelengths are very hard to calculate. Age will also play a factor here: for all you know, any machinery may have shut down years ago and your probes might not detect anything.” Kiev nodded, and then the Architect rubbed meditatively under his chin before he said slowly: “It's highly doubtful that this portal was used by one pony alone to escape Valhalla... and even if he has moved on, surely some of the others have not. We could scan for the presence of Benevolents. They are a much rarer occurrence in the Midgard plane than demons.”

Brazen snorted at this, saying mildly: “Probably because it's a lot easier to be happy in Heaven than it is in Helheim. But I don't know if we can make something capable of that...”

Kiev only shrugged, then looked at the portal ring as it began to glow, saying quietly: “How long does each probe run for?”

“Uh... an hour, I think, unless it finds something.” Cadence said finally, and Kiev nodded before lowering his head, closing his eyes meditatively.

“Assuming these first few portals are incorrect, we have at least five or six hours, factoring in cooldown and setup.” Kiev glanced over towards the booth, asking: “Do you have this under control, Dawn?”

“Yes, of course. You and Brazen go ahead. I would recommend a shorter-range scanner: Benevolent are unlikely to have survived in a hostile world, and are also unlikely to have moved very far from the portal's original location.” she said almost dismissively as she stepped back out of the booth, before she gestured towards the portal as energy crackled over it, and a swirling vortex of white and black began to form inside it. “Give it ten seconds or so and it should be ready.”

Cadence nodded, then she looked down at the probe in her hoof as all eyes watched her curiously. The ivory mare did her best not to look up as she tried to remember how the probe worked, giving it a squeeze-

The spherical crystal came to life, glowing brightly for a few moments before it jumped out of her hoof, then beeped once before shooting into the portal. Cadence stared after it, and then Dawn Sorrow said, with the faintest hint of condescension: “That was eight seconds.”

“Five seconds would be enough for the portal to stabilize to the point where such a small object could pass through.” Kiev remarked, and then he nodded politely to the ponies before turning and striding back towards the shutter, Brazen grunting and following after him.

Dawn Sorrow only smiled after the two before she turned her eyes towards Cadence and the others, asking: “Is there anything else that I can help you and your friends with?”

“I think we've got it, thanks.” Cadence replied after a moment, grimacing a bit at the way the Nosferatu looked at them with such natural arrogance and narcissism.

Dawn Sorrow simply shrugged, then turned and headed back into the booth, presumably to do whatever it was she did in there. Cadence turned her own eyes back to her own team of Irregulars, and saw that they were all looking at her, waiting for some kind of pep talk or orders or...

Well, there wasn't a whole lot she had to say right now, or they could do. The mare glanced down at the reports she was still holding in one hoof, and then she sighed a little before saying finally: “Daddy, maybe you could help me go over these files. La Croix, I don't know what we're going to be up against, but I'd like you to do some all-around potions prep. Moonflower, uh... be helpful.”

Moonflower looked over at La Croix, and the zebra groaned before he grumbled under his breath, then pulled his hat off and muttered: “Aye aye, Cygne. I'll foalsit.”

“Hey! I am extremely helpful!” complained Moonflower, and La Croix only grunted as he dug around in his hat before he pulled out a plain stone pestal and bowl, which he held out to Moonflower. The winged unicorn snatched these away from the zebra, glaring at him before he made a grabby gesture with one hoof, and La Croix grumbled to himself as he dug around in the seemingly-infinite reaches of his hat before producing a large sack that he flung at Moonflower.

The self-proclaimed god opened this, then winced at the putrid stench that came out of it before he complained: “You always give me the gross things!”

“Hey, you wanna be helpful? Be helpful.” La Croix gestured pointedly at the bag of likely rotting material as Cadence awkwardly slid herself backwards, before the zebra looked over at the ivory mare and asked in a more serious voice: “You gettin' the heebie-jeebies, Cygne? Because your instincts ain't usually wrong, and when you start talkin' like somethin' bad's about to happen...”

“No, I... not exactly.” Cadence hesitated, and then she said in a quieter voice: “I don't know what we're going to be faced with and I don't have any... particularly good or bad feelings right now. I only know that we're racing against the clock here, and we have to do this as close to perfect as we can. I need you guys to be at your best and... I need you to keep me at my best, too, so we don't end up screwing this up.”

Sombra gazed at her, his kind eyes giving her all the encouragement she'd ever need, while Moonflower laughed as he put the bag aside and leaned forwards with his usual grin, saying cheerfully: “Cadence! I may be evil, but I'm no traitor or coward or... loser! No, I have no intention of letting you or anyone else here down, especially not myself, since...” He dropped his head a little as he held up a hoof, looking much more meek as he said lamely: “I really don't want to be a Dogmatist.”

Cadence sighed, and La Croix added with a wink: “Don't you worry, Cygne. Sure, I know better'n most that those ponies in particular be trouble... but they attract more problems than a toad does warts. We gonna beat 'em, don't you worry about that.”

The ivory mare smiled in relief, and then she held her hoof out. Sombra chuckled as he put his own on top of hers, and La Croix groaned before he sighed and put his own forwards, Moonflower looking pleased as his ended up on top.

“Irregulars!” they declared together, as their hooves shoved up into the air, and the four smiled around at each other as Cadence felt that moment of pride and camaraderie that she lived for, that always assured her that no matter what happened, everything would be alright.

Everything was going to be just fine.

Hecate stood silently in a private room in Imperia: a room that had been restored in painstaking detail, by her own two hands. Or her body's claws, she supposed, as she looked down at these, studying the way the metal flexed and shimmered before she sighed quietly and crossed her arms. The furniture wasn't quite right, but it was very close, from the red sheets to the armor stands that were covered in hanging paper gliders and birds...

Her eyes roved silently over a picture illustrated over the wall: she had added curtains to protect this precious memory from any prying eyes, and the mare flinched automatically towards the pullstring for these when the door opened. But then she relaxed slightly as Thorn entered, quietly closing the door behind himself. She meant to scold him, but she couldn't quite bring herself to.

Thorn joined her, and he looked at the ponies painted over the wall: he recognized them, knew all their names, but he had never met any of them; Hecate reflected that maybe he had never even really met that version of Princess Celestia, who stood so proudly with her son, Thesis, and the friends he had taken as family...

“Gjallarhorn sings.” Thorn said quietly, and Hecate nodded slowly before the stallion asked: “What does it mean? What does it have to do with your son?”

“Your brother.” Hecate said before she could stop herself, and Thorn smiled faintly up at her, even as Hecate reached up and slowly rubbed at the bridge of her muzzle, muttering: “Ridiculous. Data fault. But I don't know what Hel is playing at here, yet I think I'm starting to understand, too.

“What did the scans say?” she asked suddenly, looking down at her son, and Thorn created a holographic screen beside himself that he turned towards her with a gesture, Hecate studying this intently for a few moments before she muttered: “Nifle effect. A weakening in the walls of reality by an unknown cause. But the Gjallarhorn went missing and Valthrudnir was only able to produce cheap duplicates... furthermore, no one can play it to the same effect that Heimdall was able to, or...”

Hecate's eyes silently roved to the image of Thesis on the wall, and then she shook her head slowly before Thorn asked in that quiet, blunt way of his: “Could Thesis be alive?”

“Impossible. He was...” She couldn't say it. She didn't know why, but she couldn't say it, as she scowled and shifted her gaze away before shaking her head and muttering: “There's no trace of Thesis in Heaven or Helheim, and he was both atheistic and quasi-divine. The Void was waiting for him, not an afterlife. He can't possibly...”

No, that wasn't true, was it? Valthrudnir had returned from the Void... and what about Luna, Scrivener, and Morgan? From what she had heard, they had been utterly erased, but something had thrown them back into reality...

Still, there were other solutions. It was simply Hel, being cruel, she thought. Playing games with her mind, making her remember all those times before, when she had been... and Thesis had been... stop it. Focus. “We need to discover what's going on. This weakness in the folds of reality isn't explainable, it's almost Midgard-wide. How did we miss this?”

“We have no reason to check universal density. Nothing else is out of the ordinary and there's been no major fluctuations. Until you had me actually check the stability of reality across several worlds...” Thorn shook his head briefly before he shifted the screen back towards himself, paging through it and adding: “We have nothing beyond the usual rare Terror attacks, as well, so nothing seems to be trying to eat into our reality. But while the Void is normally separated from Midgard by an almost completely impassable, one-way barrier of energy, this thinness means that something of exceptional power – Jötnar level power – could conceivably create a controlled portal instead of just a Void vacuum.”

“Valthrudnir.” muttered Hecate, and Thorn frowned a little. “I saw him torn apart and thrown into the Void with my own eyes, but... all the same... this reeks of him.”

“I don't think that's possible.” Thorn said slowly, and Hecate glared at him, but her son only looked steadily back as he explained: “From what we know of the Void, it's a place that absorbs and devours energy. While we know that somehow, some entities subsist and even thrive in this environment, they have to be completely different from us, perhaps even on a molecular and not just biological level, in ways that we simply can't understand. The Terrors we've encountered, after all, are incredibly hostile and incredibly alien organisms that defy what we would call 'rational physics.'

“But that's part of the point: they're completely different from us. We're all made of the same building blocks of energy at the end of the day: they're not. They're... a modified form of matter. They exert energy in a different way, as well: there's plenty of reasons to deduce that magic or supernatural powers that normally work in our nine planes wouldn't function properly in the Void.” Thorn continued, shrugging as he looked steadily up at the Empress of Decretum, before he he added in a softer voice: “He can't come back.”

Hecate glanced down for a moment, and then she said after a few seconds of quiet thought: “You've been reading. And looking at personal files.”

“Yes.” Thorn smiled briefly, and Hecate shook her head slowly before the sapphire stallion said quietly: “It's possible something could open a portal from this side, however. Have any Jötnar survived? Apart from Hel, does anything you know of have that level of power?”

“I do. So does Theophilius Carter, the Mad Hatter.” Hecate looked meditatively to the side. “Morgan Heldóttir has the power, but perhaps not the will. Freya might, if she would dedicate five minutes to discipline instead of hedonism. Moonflower, with the help of an augmenter, may just be able to cheat his way into it thanks to his control over gravity.”

Thorn looked up in surprise, and Hecate smiled thinly. “You don't think I put up with that idiot because of his charming personality, do you? Moonflower can exert almost as many bæns of force as I can. His problem is that he is an idiot and does not seem to understand the potential he has. Which is why I hope you will be a good influence on him.”

Thorn cleared his throat and smiled lamely, and Hecate was quiet for a moment before she looked back at the wall, saying in a softer voice: “Thesis never had a marefriend. Never had any significant other. But he had his sisters, and he had his brothers-in-arms... or perhaps I should just say his brothers, because that is what they were to him.

“Thesis never had a chance to completely live his life. I want that for you, even if I don't agree with everything you do, have done, and will continue to do.” Hecate continued, looking over at Thorn. “I made many mistakes with Thesis. I made more towards the end, when I... broke. When I became weak, and selfish, and that selfishness made me stupid and blind.”

Hecate lowered her head, and Thorn smiled at her. But after a moment, she shook her head briskly before looking up and saying coldly: “I was also not as hard on him as I should have been. What about this nonsense with Necrophage and Muse?”

“I'll train them personally, I've already remedied that error and found a place for them on my schedule. Once Muse is trained to use the PAC, her psionic ability should be great enough to let her see across layers. We can use her to keep track of Team 0-0.” Thorn answered, and Hecate had to admit she was impressed. She had considered upgrading the Replicants herself, but she supposed that even she fell into the trap sometimes of forgetting that the Replicants and Dogmatists were more than hardware, as much as she looked at them as her people.

The mare looked down for a moment, and then she nodded once before she looked back at the mural on the wall. She studied it silently, and then glanced to the side when Thorn asked: “Do you want him to come back?”

“Every day.” Hecate murmured, as she felt a gear inside her armor catch and clank, the ivory mare closing her eyes before she shook her head briefly. “Wanting it won't make it happen, though. And I have no intention of jeopardizing everything I've worked for, and... everything that my son would have wanted by foolishly opening a portal to try and bring him back, however, if that is what you're asking, Thorn.”

Thorn only looked up at her for a moment, and then he hesitantly stepped towards her, but Hecate gave him a cold look before she said icily: “If you hug me, I will not be as kind to you as I was to your mother.”

“You are too hard on yourself.” Thorn said before he could stop himself, and Hecate blinked, then sighed before she dropped her face in one metal hand, and the sapphire stallion couldn't help but smile a little again before he said quietly: “I'll get back to work.”

Thorn turned and headed for the door, and Hecate watched him go before she sighed again and looked back at the mural, murmuring: “I know, Thesis. He's a fine, strong stallion. I just hope...”

Hecate quieted, and then she reached out and gently pulled the string to close the curtains over the painted wall, lowering her head as she remembered the life she had lived, in spite of all the pain it had caused her... because that pain, and that life, held all the reasons she needed to continue to push forwards on the path she had chosen.

Because no matter what happened, she would not let her new family and empire suffer as it once had again, no matter what the cost.

Comments

[HoneyFeather]

Hecate? The goddess of magic? While I'm reading Percy Jackson?! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mira Starlight]

7586092
You know what's really funny? 'Tis the fact that the Greek Hecate is the goddess of magic, but pony Hecate rules over a world powered mostly by non-magical technology. Decretum tech is non-magical, right?

[HoneyFeather]

7586149 Decre-what? That is funny, though!

[Mira Starlight]

7586629
Decretum is another name for the Clockwork World, which Hecate rules over.

[HoneyFeather]

7586649 OOHHHHH. Ok! Thanks!

[Mira Starlight]

7586665
You're welcome!

[Wightsquall]

I would like to know what the real-world equivalent of a baen is.

[BlackRoseRaven]

7652251

One baen is roughly the amount of magic energy it takes for a unicorn to light up their horn. The more baens a unicorn can generate, the stronger they are, generally-speaking.