Hecate's Orphanage

by BlackRoseRaven

Home

Chapter One Hundred and Three: Home
~BlackRoseRaven

This was it. This was what she had been waiting for – and fearing – ever since Loki's attack. There was no turning back now; it was time for her to go... home.

Cadence shifted slowly in her polished white armor, her head high and framed by a new helmet made with all the latest in Clockwork technology. Her belts of knives were cinched tightly around her body, her large daggers holstered at her waist, and the rest of her equipment was stored securely in the small pack in the middle of her back.

She had never been more prepared, and yet she had never felt less ready in all her life for anything. Even with all her friends beside her, even with her father's support, even with...

She glanced to the side, and Thesis gave her that stupid, charming grin of his as he tapped lightly on the crest of his simple breastplate, saying easily: “We look good. Stop worrying, your ex-husband is going to love me.”

“Yes. That is clearly my biggest concern,what Shining thinks about you.” Cadence said sourly, before she shook her head and drew her eyes back along the rest of her team, asking quietly: “Are all of you still up to this?”

Moonflower glanced up with a small smile from where he was standing almost protectively beside La Croix, straightening a little as he answered: “Yes. Yes, look at me, all... shiny and ready to go!”

He laughed awkwardly, shifting a bit in his new set of crystal-insulated armor: it was black, polished, and beautiful, a perfect replacement for the armor that had been destroyed... how many times now? They had fought so many powerful enemies, they had suffered so many defeats and won so many battles, but sometimes those victories had come at the higher cost.

Her eyes roved to La Croix, who smiled awkwardly as he shifted slowly to the side: Hecate had carved and shaped a beautiful wooden prosthetic leg for him, and La Croix had covered it with charms and runes, which glowed with faint, eerie radiance.

The Loa tugged his cape carefully over to hide his limb, and then he nodded, adding in a subdued voice: “Oui. I be just fine, Cygne, don't you worry your pretty little head 'bout me.”

The mare smiled faintly, and then she let her eyes rove towards Sombra, and her father simply bowed his head to her politely, the new purifier on his back humming quietly: it was louder than she remembered, but she knew that was in part due to the fact this one was more like Thesis' exoskeleton, lacking a full protective cover.

He looked tense, she thought. He was smiling, trying to be reassuring, but she could almost feel the intensity coming off him, the nervousness, the... less-than-readiness. Somehow, that comforted her, though: she hated the reminder that her father was a pony, just like the rest of them, but at the same time it helped her be strong, because it reminded her she had someone to be strong for, someone who needed her to put her best hoof forward. Well, someone other than just Thesis, that was.

She smiled briefly again, then shook her head before she took a breath and forced herself to look forwards, murmuring: “Alright. Then raise your heads high, people, we have a job to do and I don't want to see it screwed up. Let's show Hecate that we're ready for this.”

The others nodded, picking themselves up a little, even as Moonflower nervously kept an eye on La Croix and Sombra shifted ever so slightly. But she did her best to turn her gaze ahead to watch as the portal ring was prepped, remembering what Thesis had said to her before they had assembled: if she could settle her own mind and emotions, the others would follow suit.

And she was somewhat surprised by just how right he was, as she watched out of the corner of her eye how her friends and teammates fell in around her as she calmed down. She had never really thought about how much they relied on her before, and realizing how deep that bond was... it was frightening to her. It was a level of responsibility she didn't know if she was ready for.

But Thesis nudged her gently, gave her that smile she loved and hated, and she sighed a little as she covered up her gratitude by saying dryly: “That includes you too. Fall in.”

“Hey, I'm totally your boss, you know.” Thesis said mildly, before he winced when Cadence punched him in the shoulder, awkwardly rubbing at it before he said finally: “That's assault.”

“You're an ass.” Cadence said dryly, and the stallion only shrugged amiably. Cadence opened her mouth to further reprimand him, but then she heard the telltale stomp of Hecate's hooves and instead quickly straightened, facing back ahead, and the rest of her team did the same.

Hecate passed by the group, studying them intently for a few moments before Thesis saluted crisply, saying in a surprisingly-professional voice: “Ready for deployment, Empress Hecate. Request mission update.”

“All parameters remain unchanged: each of you is outfitted with a Mission Drive capable of detecting Void signals. Use these to find the source of these signals and exterminate it.” Hecate answered, before she glanced back over her shoulder at the portal ring as a faint thrumming began to fill the air. “The portal is set to quick deployment: if you lollygag, expect to be spliced. Your point of arrival has been changed from outside Canterlot to the manufacturing facility beneath the Crystal Empire.”

Sombra frowned ever-so-slightly, while Cadence winced visibly, but Hecate only held up a hoof before explaining patiently: “This will create a much weaker ripple through reality: it might be enough to allow us to sneak up on Loki's forces. Furthermore, this facility has already been stripped bare: if Loki's forces do track the portal, they won't find anything of interest.”

Cadence was tempted to argue, but her father thankfully stepped in, saying softly: “You are right. Mi scuse: it is simply hard to put aside my feelings for my people and what was once kingdom.”

Hecate only gave a thin smile, then she gestured towards the portal as it began to power up, instructing: “To be clear, the same rules apply: you are to avoid contact with the inhabitants as much as possible and concentrate on your mission. Do I make myself clear, Cadence?”

“Yes, ma'am.” Cadence said, fighting down her embarrassment as she saluted the Jötnar mare, and Hecate looked at her evenly until Cadence promised: “I won't involve anyone any more than strictly necessary. I know my mission.”

“Good.” Hecate stepped back, then she turned her eyes towards the portal, even as she said: “Good luck, and remember that failure is not an option: do not allow yourselves to fail. You are all above that.”

Thesis and Cadence both saluted again, and then Hecate ordered sharply: “Move out!”

The portal crackled, a vortex swirling into life inside the ring as Cadence lunged forward, leading her group quickly towards the portal: she was afraid of a hundred things as she leapt into the rift, but there was no time to look back, no time to slow down, no time to do anything but plunge forward, and then gasp as she ripped out the other side-

She skidded to a halt with a dumbfounded look in middle of a crowded room, then squawked as Thesis barreled into her from behind. Sombra barely managed to stagger around them, and La Croix and Moonflower both tripped and landed in sprawls, staring just as stupidly at the ponies around them as Cadence mouthed wordlessly, then shoved herself up to her hooves as she asked disbelievingly: “What's going on here?”

“W-We could ask you the same question!” blurted out a pony in a lab coat: she seemed just as shocked as everyone else, but the mare shook herself vehemently before she began to furiously jot notes, shouting at the other slack-jawed scientists around her: “Quickly! Get Regent Blueberry on the line! We need to contact Princess Celestia right away about this! The Ambassadors will want to know tout-suite!”

“Th'only thing that better happen tout-suite is that this pédé gets off my tête.” La Croix grumbled, and then he shook himself and shoved at Moonflower until the unicorn staggered off him, the others picking themselves up before the Loa winced and hurriedly said: “Uh, Cygne? Think we got a problem!”

Cadence began to look up, before her eyes widened as she stared at her father, who was smiling kindly, and then at the terrified-looking security guards and mages that had flung themselves back against the wall. One of them was trembling violently, and as Cadence watched, he held up a charm, staring as tears of fear ran down his cheeks at Sombra before he began to mumble rapidly away.

Sombra was the bogey, the monster under the bed, the terror of the Crystal Kingdom. Over all her years in Decretum, she had almost forgotten that: she had never even considered what it would be like to show up in this world with her father at her side, because she had put out of her mind just what Sombra had been to these ungrateful-

Calm down, the Swan said softly, and Cadence grimaced but nodded as she began to open her mouth, before she stared as her father calmly strode forward.

The ponies stared in terror as the whimpering soldier clutched tighter around his charm, voice quavering and stumbling before Sombra gently placed his hooves over the stallion's own, smiling down at him with kindness and warmth as he finished gently: “Poiché: è Dando, che si riceve: Perdonando che si è perdonati; Morendo, che si risuscita a Vita Eterna. Amen.”

The stallion stared at him, and Sombra smiled kindly before he leaned forwards and gently kissed his forehead in blessing before he said softly: “Peace, friend.”

Sombra stepped back and left the crowd in stunned silence, and thankfully, Thesis took the initiative, waving a hoof to get everyone's attention as he said loudly: “Hi!”

When at least most of the eyes in the room turned towards him, he continued pleasantly: “My name is Thesis, and I am the Regent of the Clockwork Empire, the people behind the creation of this abandoned facility. My team and I are here to investigate disturbances in this world, but first of all I would like to know just how much of the facility here you've managed to bring online. We should take an inventory to make sure-”

“No! This is now the property of the Crystal Kingdom! As you said, this facility was abandoned, and we will not tolerate any interference!” declared the scientist mare who was scribbling madly across the sheet: Cadence scowled at her. She was an earth pony: a crystal pony, from her glittering green coat and the nasty, selfish look in her eyes.

Cadence reflected moodily that maybe she was being a little racist, as she drew her eyes critically over the mare: the perfect lab coat with the oversized ID badge and the self-important black bun of the crystal pony's mane told her that this mare took herself very seriously. Too seriously: a fact confirmed as the scientist continued: “No, this facility is our property and our research here is too important to be compromised. We need to interview you all immediately, there are so many questions that I have that-”

Thesis cleared his throat, then he pointed at Cadence and said mildly: “Do you see her? She doesn't like you very much. She punches the things she doesn't like. She punches them really hard.”

The scientist mare stared, then she asked incredulously: “Are you threatening me?”

“He's warning you.” Cadence said shortly, and the mare skittered backwards even as she continued wildly writing notes before Cadence ordered: “I want to speak to Regent Blueberry or whoever is in charge of the Crystal Empire. I also want to send a letter to Princess Celestia and I want access to your research files.”

“What my friend Honk here is trying to say is that it would be great if we could discuss what's going on with whoever's in command, and if you do show us what you've uncovered so far, maybe we can answer some of the questions you must have and work together to safely and securely explore the rest of this facility. You must have a lot of questions, and we have no interest in reclaiming this place, okay?” Thesis slid in quickly, and Cadence glowered at him, as glad as she was that he was able to be diplomatic when he wanted to.

The scientist shifted uncomfortably, then huffed when a guard said nervously: “The Regent has been informed, and uh... a representative is on his way...”

He nervously touched a device on a harness that Cadence recognized as a walkie-talkie, and Thesis smiled slightly before he asked: “So how much experience do you guys have with technology?”

“That is none of your business!” snapped the scientist, and Thesis shrugged amiably before he calmly rose his foreleg to tap along his Mission Drive, completely ignoring the mare even as she continued haughtily: “You still owe us an explanation! And don't think that we're going to let you just walk away with the secrets of this facility-”

Thesis' Mission Drive fizzled, and then Seneschal's voice huffed loudly out of it as the lights in the room flickered, the AI grumbling: “This is nothing but a waste of processing power. And both the hardware and software are ancient! I can barely interface with this version, it must have been driven by an alpha model of the Clockwork King...”

Seneschal paused, and there was a faint beeping before the AI grumbled: “Well, at least that should be serviceable... orders received, yes, yes, I'm not stupid...”

Seneschal grumbled himself into silence, before the scientist mare asked sharply: “Who was that? Is that device some kind of communicator? Is there another portal location, did you-”

“That's enough, Longsearch.” came a voice, and Cadence looked up with a frown before her eyes widened slightly in surprise at the sight of the grizzled, dark green stallion who came forward, his eyes lingering on Cadence. Where he wasn't covered by the regal purple armor of a Captain of the Guard, he was pockmarked by scars, including the prosthetic front leg he limped forward on before he bowed his head slightly forward, although they all felt the magic he scanned them with, even as he greeted politely: “I am Captain Clarion Call of the Royal Guard of Equestria. I hope you don't mind me saying so, but you look like a military unit.”

“I prefer the term 'justice friends' myself.” Thesis answered delicately, before he paused for a moment, studying the stallion intently, then he clapped his hooves together and said suddenly: “732nd Brigade, right? I mean... the Homeguard division, that probably makes more sense to you. You're wearing brass armor. As in top brass, not, like, you know. Brass-brass.”

Clarion smiled slightly, then he extended a hoof, and Thesis strode forward before the two shared a complicated hoofshake. Clarion chuckled at this, then he stepped back and smiled wider, answering: “Guess that answers your question. And answers a lot of mine, too, even though you're... quirky.”

“I'm fun.” Thesis replied with a slight smile, and then he glanced back at Cadence: when she gave him a pointed look, however, he simply nodded before asking: “What are the Princess'-”

“Before we get into anything, let's get out of here. I need to sit down. Been on patrol for too long.” Clarion said mildly, and Thesis nodded, taking the hint. “Let's head up to the castle. I'm sure Regent Blueberry will be thrilled to know you're not monstrous invaders.”

Cadence smiled wryly at this despite herself, and then she simply nodded when Thesis called her and the rest of her team to order, trying her best to quell the feeling in her stomach that things had already gotten much more complicated than she had hoped they would.

The Regent was a portly blue stallion, Blueberry not just in name but in stature as well, Cadence thought. That was a little unfair, maybe: he had always done his best with things, after all. But thankfully, while he was capable of keeping the kingdom running smoothly, he had never been the brightest stallion.

But more than Blueberry, Cadence was preoccupied with looking around the tower, and it took all her strength to sit quietly here at the table instead of lunging to the window, to look out at the Crystal Empire, to see the country she had left behind so long ago...

She blinked a few times as Thesis said something to her, and then she sat up awkwardly and asked lamely: “What did you say? I... sorry, I was lost in my own thoughts.”

“Smooth.” Thesis said mildly, and the mare scowled at him before he glanced around the table: Moonflower was just staring, La Croix was moodily tinkering with his prosthetic leg, and Sombra looked like he was caught in a pleasant reverie, but she knew that the nostalgia had to be even greater for him than it was for her. “Well, at least you guys aren't the only ones uh... 'lost.'”

Clarion grunted from where he had his head in one hoof, yawning loudly before he said tiredly: “We don't do a lot of talking under the General. We mostly just try not to get yelled at.”

“Archon?” Cadence asked before she could stop herself, and Clarion blinked in surprise as he rose his head slightly, before he narrowed his eyes at her curiously.

Before he could speak, however, Thesis quickly said: “Before we get too off track, what the Blue guy here wanted to know was our long-term plans. But we're not going to be here long-term, right?”

“Yes. I mean, no, we aren't. A few days, hopefully. We just need to track down the Void presence here and deal with it. Then we can return to Decretum. I mean, Endworld.” Cadence said as she looked at Blueberry, and more importantly, away from Clarion. “We don't want to cause any trouble for Equestria or the Crystal Empire or anyone else. There are dangerous things-”

“We've dealt with dangerous things before. It was a few years ago now, but one of our Princesses and her husband took on this organization of assassins, the Phalanx Guild...”

“Phoenix Guild.” Cadence corrected before she could stop herself, and Clarion gave her a crooked smile as he tapped pointedly on his nose, the mare swearing inwardly at herself and shifting back slightly in her seat before she said hurriedly, as Blueberry only looked confused: “I was briefed on it. We were all... we discussed it.”

“Yeah. Of course. What'd you say your name was again?” Clarion asked as he straightened a little, and Moonflower and La Croix both awkwardly shifted away as Thesis looked mildly at Cadence, and Blueberry only shifted nervously, smiling lamely between them as he half-held up a hoof.

“Cygne.” Cadence said stiffly, and Clarion nodded slowly before he winked and tapped on his nose.

“Well, Cygne. That's a nice name.” Clarion smiled slightly before he said mildly: “You know, Miss Cygne, I think you're going to like the Ambassador. He was a Captain of the Guard himself, you know. He's on his way here right now.”

“What?” Cadence shouted, leaping up from the table, and Blueberry stared at her as the Royal Guards positioned at the door both tensed, but Clarion only gestured at them absently as Thesis cleared his throat and covered his muzzle with both hooves.

There was a long, awkward silence for a moment, and then Cadence awkwardly sat herself back in her chair before Clarion added: “He's led an interesting life. I'm sure you'll want to get to know him. And his uh... well, she's not quite his wife, but more than a marefriend.”

“I know about that, too.” Cadence said stiffly, and then she quickly took her seat back, adding shortly: “We'd really like to just keep this as professional and brief as possible, for all our... oh shut up.”

She glared at Thesis, who was grinning widely behind his hooves, and then she sighed and turned her eyes back to Clarion, asking almost pleadingly: “Is he really coming here? I mean, I just... think it would be faster if we didn't have to deal with any ambassadors. Or anyone. At all.”

“Sorry, miss. They were in the area, and they're who Princess Celestia prefers to talk through. No offense, Regent Blueberry. It's just that uh... you deal more with the Crystal Empire and this sounds like an issue that we should all be facing together.”

“Oh yes, of course, none taken!” Blueberry said quickly, before he smiled and nodded rapidly, adding: “I still think of him as the Prince, anyway, you know! I always ask for his advice whenever I have to make any decisions, I'm so glad that he decided to live here. Or maybe I should say have a home here, considering how often he's out there, having all those adventures!”

Cadence smiled a little despite herself, and Clarion grunted as he sat back, his bones creaking as he looked at Cadence for a few moments, then said simply: “He'll be happy to see you.”

Cadence's smile became fainter as she lowered her head, and then she winced when the voice of the stallion she'd never forgotten asked curiously: “Glad to see who?”

Cadence was on her hooves in a moment, and she looked at him: the stallion she'd left behind, the stallion who made her head reel when she saw how... how different he had become. He was so much the same, and so very, completely different from what she had remembered, as she stared at him with a mix of fear and envy and anxiety and so many other emotions, emotions she didn't have words for, emotions that punched her in the stomach and ripped her heart out and made her eyes ache and her body fill with warmth.

He was handsome, with his roguish, streaked blue mane that was far too perfect of a mess to be anything but carefully styled. He had a heavy, brown leather jacket over a body that was a little more toned and athletic than Cadence remembered: he had always been handsome and well-built, but now he seemed... sleeker, she thought. Better.

His blue eyes locked on her, and he studied her intently for a moment before blushing a bit when a beautiful, rose-red-colored Pegasus mare leapt suddenly up behind him, leaning over the unicorn's shoulders with a bright smile on her face, which was framed by a beautifully-styled white-and-red mane.

Her gorgeous green eyes locked on the mare, reflecting the bright jewel on her forehead as she exclaimed: “Is that who I think it is? Oh, darling, it's been... and look, Shining Armor, she brought her father, too! What a wonderful day!”

“What? No, you have to be mistaken-”

“Of course I am, dear. You haven't forgotten, have you? It's Miss Take.” the mare greeted warmly as she hopped away from Shining Armor, striding quickly towards Cadence, and the mare gave a lame smile before she leaned awkwardly back when Miss Take embraced her tightly.

She slipped back, but caught Cadence by the shoulders before she could pull away, looking warmly into her eyes as she said softly: “My. You've changed so much, dear! Oh, I know I'm being rude, but please do introduce me to all your handsome friends here...”

“Um... who's your friend?” Shining asked awkwardly as he approached, and Cadence couldn't stop from giving him a dry look, the stallion wincing back automatically before his eyes bulged and his jaw dropped, mouthing wordlessly before he almost squealed: “Cadence?”

“Uh. Hi, Shine.” Cadence said awkwardly, and Shining stared at her as his head slowly tilted to the side, mouthing working spasmodically and Cadence gave a lame smile before she suddenly spun around and blurted out through her blush: “Hey let me introduce you to my squad!”

Miss Take only gave a genuine smile as Shining continued to gape, while Cadence nervously flitted around the table, quickly introducing each pony. “This is... I'm sure you remember Daddy! I mean, Sombra, this is my Daddy, Sombra. My Father. He's... better now, and uh... this is La Croix, and this is Moonflower, and uh... here's Thesis.”

“Here's Thesis.” Thesis agreed amiably, and then he hopped up from the table and strode over to Shining with a smile, extending a hoof towards the staring unicorn. “I've heard a lot about you! Cadence really never stops talking about you, which is funny, since I'm her new coltfriend!”

“Oh, Cadence! And he is a handsome fellow, too, and so charming. You had better be careful or I'll steal this one from you too!” Miss Take gushed, then she firmly elbowed Shining in the side, making him blink before he gave a lame grin and took Thesis' hoof, shaking it awkwardly.

“It's... nice to meet you all.” Shining Armor said finally, and then he cleared his throat awkwardly before he reached up and nervously played with the pendant hanging from his neck, giving a dumb smile to Cadence as she noted the ring, and felt...

She didn't feel hurt, or possessive, or even upset at all. She felt a strange little double-thump in her heart, but that was it: maybe a hint of envy, maybe a little bit of... regret, but that was more because when she looked at Shining Armor, she saw the stallion he had always wanted to be, and the stallion he could have been all those years ago if they hadn't been such... cowards.

No, the past was the past, and they had been a good couple. They had lived, laughed, loved together until it had been time for them to go, and what she should be happy to see was that Miss Take had taken care of her... her friend, not her husband, not her lover. Her friend. That was strange to think, but it made it a little easier to smile a bit, to straighten, and she took a breath before she reached up and silently took off her helmet, so Shining could see her face clearly.

She was so different, almost unrecognizable, and yet very much the same. But he had changed, too, she thought: time and experience had changed them all.

Well, maybe not all of them, as Miss Take complimented kindly: “You pull off a short mane very nicely, Cadence. And you're still as pretty as ever. Oh, I want to know everything that's happened! You'll have to come visit with me for a while, we've got so much to catch up on!”

“Hi Cadence.”Shining Armor said lamely, and Miss Take gave the unicorn an amused look before he finally shook himself out of his reverie, then smiled awkwardly when Sombra joined them, nervously studying the dark stallion before he said finally: “Hi uh... sir.”

“Friends. I never got the chance to thank you both for helping my daughter, and for helping me.” Sombra said with a gentle smile, looking from Shining Armor to Miss Take, and Shining gave an awkward smile as Miss Take studied Sombra with kindness and curiosity. “I hope that I can begin repaying this debt now.”

“Oh, dear, there's nothing to repay! We're just so glad to see that you and Cadence made it out okay. We were very worried, you know, but I had a feeling we would all see each other again one day.” Miss Take said kindly, before she clapped her hooves together and smiled brightly. “I know this is all supposed to be serious business, but would you like to come over for tea? Shining and I have the nicest little house, and you know how much I love flaunting, darling, do come!”

Cadence shifted awkwardly, but then Thesis smiled and agreed: “Sure, it sounds like we should be talking to you guys, anyway, and-”

Cadence elbowed him firmly, glaring at him, and Thesis huffed a bit as he rubbed his side before he said pointedly: “I'm the Regent.”

“I'm going to shove your head up your ass if you pull rank to make me...” Cadence stopped, looked awkwardly at Miss Take and Shining Armor, then she looked back at Thesis and hissed through her teeth: “We can talk about this later.”

“I feel like we're having our first public spat and it's pretty great.” Thesis said with an almost unsettling amount of cheerfulness, and Cadence groaned and rolled her eyes before the stallion glanced back at the table, asking the bewildered Blueberry: “Do you mind if we take the discussion somewhere else, then? I mean, I'm sure you must have other work to do and all.”

“Uh... no, no... but... Cadence? Is that really the Princess of Love, the Crystal Princess?” Blueberry asked, looking confused. “But... why didn't you tell us?”

“I am also surprised at this turn of events.” Clarion said in a completely-underwhelmed voice, and Blueberry clearly missed his sarcasm as he nodded vehemently, while Shining Armor shot the stallion a curdling glare. “What? It's not like anyone could have ever predicted this.”

“You were always one of my favorite guards, Clarion. You'll be a good commander, just like Amadeus Archon, but with... much less yelling.” Miss Take said gently, before she brightened and clapped her hooves together. “Oh, Shining, that's right, of course! We'll have to contact dear Amadeus as well!”

Cadence looked up at this, unable to deny the burst of happiness it gave her as she blurted: “Archon's alive?”

“Of course Archon's alive. It's not like a little thing like a miniature supernova is going to kill him.” Shining Armor said, and then he smiled awkwardly when Cadence looked back at him, and she shuffled on the spot and smiled lamely back.

There was an awkward silence for a moment, and then Miss Take called kindly: “Boys, now, don't be shy, come join us. Mister Blueberry, Clarion, we'll take it from here, and don't worry, I'll send a letter immediately to Princess Celestia and let her know...”

Miss Take noted the way Cadence shifted, and the mare softened, saying quietly: “Now don't be like that, dear. Just because we're sad to see you go doesn't mean we aren't happy to know where you've ended up, you know.”

Cadence gave an awkward smile, but she felt touched, admittedly. And when Miss Take smiled at her in return, she saw honest, real gratitude and affection in her eyes, before Cadence squawked when the mare suddenly hugged her fiercely and whispered: “I missed you.”

“I... missed you too. Both of you.” Cadence murmured, as she hugged the mare back: the half-Changeling who had stolen her husband. And yet there was no venom in those thoughts anymore, because honestly... “I wouldn't be here without you, though.”

“And I take great pride in that, don't think otherwise! Right, dear?” Miss Take asked with a bright smile as she sat back, glancing over at Shining Armor, and the stallion gave that awkward little smile again himself as he nodded a bit, rubbing the back of his head and looking everywhere but Cadence's eyes.

He finally smiled at her lamely, then winced when Miss Take smacked his shoulder gently before she turned back towards Cadence, saying softly: “Well, let's not dawdle. I do hope your business isn't so important that you can't spend a few minutes catching up.”

“Uh...” Cadence hesitated, then she bit her lip as she glanced at Thesis, and the stallion gave her a smile and a shrug before she sighed and nodded, saying finally: “We can discuss it on the way. I'd like to... look around a little, anyway.”

“Then we can do two things at once, darling, and that's just perfect.” Miss Take said kindly, before she winked over at Clarion and added: “Three if we go by the museum.”

“Don't steal anything.” Clarion said dryly, and Cadence couldn't help but smile, wondering just how often priceless artifacts and treasures were going missing from private homes and museums. “I'll wait for your report, and in the meantime, I'll try and calm down the research teams in the underground, get them to quiet down operations for a day or two. Horses of Heaven know they're moving too fast for my liking, anyway.”

“They just want to understand what's down there. But uh... I guess we have some help with that now, and it sounds like... is there anything we should know?” Shining Armor asked, trying to be professional, but again, he couldn't look right at her, and Cadence had trouble trying to capture his eyes as she shifted awkwardly on the spot.

“Hey, no worries. I opened some of the ports since the power's back online and pinged Seneschal, our uh... basically he's like a magical spirit that lives inside our computers, and does stuff for us.” Thesis said, waving his hooves a little. “Anyway, he'll monitor the facility and make sure that no one does anything silly.”

Miss Take smiled in amusement at the Replicant, then she said kindly: “Like a Hivemaster, we know, dear.”

Thesis looked dumb at this, and Shining explained quickly: “Basically it's like a parasite-”

“We Changelings don't like to be called parasites, darling, not even by the ponies we love.” Miss Take said disapprovingly, and Shining looked at her mildly until she admitted: “Although, yes, the Hivemaster is not Changeling, but a uh... rather unpleasant little bug that keeps the Hive comfortable. Not for our sakes, but for its own, because otherwise they make delicious snacks for the Drones.”

“You're a Changeling?” Moonflower asked dumbly, and Miss Take touched her own breast with an exaggerated pout. “Well, I just, I mean-”

“Half-Changeling, to cut hairs. My father was a pony.” Miss Take corrected, and then she turned and tugged Shining Armor gently around in a circle with her, the unicorn wincing but following as she added: “But let's not waste any more time, shall we?”

“Right. Uh, yeah, we'll be back here to discuss things, anyway, and Seneschal will be willing enough to talk. Horses of Heaven knows he loves to talk.” Thesis added quickly to Blueberry and Clarion, and then he waved before hurrying after Miss Take, and Cadence sighed and followed with the rest of her team after a moment.

They strode through the halls of the beautiful castle-tower, and yet Cadence couldn't help but shiver as her eyes roved back and forth: here and there, she could see the Absent, the not-living stains of emotion that still haunted this place, which for all its wonder and beauty...

“I wish that I could tell them that I was sorry. That it was the only way I could think of to save them all, to protect them from the Brokenhearted.” Sombra said softly, and then he shook his head slowly before he murmured: “But evil begets evil and so I became the disease.”

“Don't say that, Daddy. You did everything you could, and more.” Cadence said softly, before she glanced up with a small smile as Miss Take looked back at her curiously, although she thought Shining Armor tried to sneak a glance over his shoulder, too.

“I can't help but notice that you and that other stallion have rather odd devices on your backs... built into your bodies, dare I say. And among the wreckage of that facility...”

“Dogmatists, I'm guessing. There were probably a few in cold storage, or maybe in the workshops. Dad always left some behind, just in case. Then, you know, forgot to poke airholes in the box or leave out some food or anything like that.” Thesis said blandly, before he shook his head and explained: “We're not Dogmatists, like the robot-ponies you probably found. We have these machines to... help us. Keep us free from the bad stuff we were both infected with.”

Cadence smiled a little at the way Thesis worded it, and Miss Take nodded before she said kindly: “I'd like to know more about them, but of course I don't want to be rude at all, dears. And of course I'd love to hear about your friends, too! Moonflower, you're such a handsome unicorn... I dare say you're even prettier than my husband, and Shining does spend so much time in the mirror every morning, you know. Mostly on his mane. And La Croix, what a fabulous cape... charmed, too, I take it?”

Moonflower blushed and smiled awkwardly, and La Croix blinked in surprise, hesitating only a moment before he grunted and nodded. “Oui. Cygne here's always sayin' I should wear somethin' better, but... 'swhat feels right, you know?”

“I do indeed, handsome. Just look at what I'm wearing.” the mare answered with a wink and a gesture at herself, clearly not indicating her jewelry, but her entire body. “I first started wearing this old thing when I snuck into Canterlot one fine day, and I haven't stopped wearing it since.”

Cadence smiled despite herself, before she looked up as they stepped out of the tower through a set of doors she didn't remember, onto an enormous set of stairs leading down to the smooth stone square that the majestic tower stood in. Cadence couldn't help but smile as she gazed out over the beautiful, sprawling kingdom-city beyond, full of the gorgeous architecture of the Crystal Ponies, where everything seemed to shimmer and sparkle with warmth.

“It is greater than I ever could have imagined it would be.” Sombra said with a soft smile, his eyes roving back and forth before he chuckled quietly and murmured: “It does not justify what I did, but... it does make me feel better to see. It's wonderful, isn't it, mi amore?”

“Veramente bello.” Cadence agreed with a small smile, and Sombra chuckled quietly before the mare shook her head as she added quietly, gesturing with a faint look of amusement at the statues of the winged unicorns that decorated the four corners of the square: “See you had a bit of work done.”

“Something to remember our Princess of Love by.” Shining Armor answered, and he gave her the smallest of smiles before he said finally: “A lot of people missed you. I missed you. And we all weren't entirely sure... how to go on without you.”

“But we managed. Not very well, of course, but we managed all the same. Now you can look at everything we've done and tell us how we should have done it better, dear. I'd like that.” Miss Take added with a mix of teasing and honesty that made Cadence blush a little.

“I was never that bad.” she said awkwardly, while knowing full well that... well, I still am. “It's really nice to see, though, and... I'm sure you did a great job with everything. How much have you been involved with... well... all this?”

Cadence lamely gestured out at the world around them, and Miss Take chuckled before she smiled over at Shining Armor, answering: “Not as much as you might think. We're ambassadors and diplomats... mainly. Every now and then, Archon or Celestia gives us a little mission on the side, something a bit more towards my... other talents.”

“Yeah, but... we don't do that a lot. Usually never. Mostly.” Shining Armor said awkwardly, giving a lame smile over his shoulder before he cleared his throat as he led the way down the main street, past curious ponies and beautiful homes and storefronts and architecture that brought back such nostalgia, and yet never longing.

Because every step Cadence took, every moment she spent here, reminded her that this had been her home, but it wasn't anymore. She had a new home now: and as driven as she felt to protect this world, especially, from Loki's sinister plans, at the same time, she knew she would have to leave this world behind, too. And seeing Miss Take and hearing about Archon and walking with Shining Armor... she knew this world had its own protectors, too. And for the first time, she really understood what Hecate meant when she said that the worlds had to learn to survive on their own.

“I'm not here to stay.” Cadence said almost abruptly, and Shining Armor blinked and stumbled to a halt, bringing the entire group to a stop, and Cadence smiled at him hesitantly before she repeated: “I'm not here to stay. I don't... want to step on any hooves or... you know, cramp your style, Shine. I'm just here to help, and then I'll be on my way. I know that... you guys can handle anything else that happens here.”

Shining Armor smiled awkwardly over his shoulder at her, licking his lips before he said softly: “I know. I... I appreciate you being up front about that, Cadence. And it is... really good to see you again. It's just... weird, and all.”

He halted, then smiled despite himself as he added: “I don't want you girls fighting over me, after all.”

Cadence rolled her eyes as Miss Take giggled a little, before Thesis grinned as he leaned in with a wink, saying cheerfully: “You don't have to worry about that. If anything, they'll fight over me.”

Shining gave Thesis a dry look, before he looked grumpily at Miss Take as she said thoughtfully: “You are quite a handsome stallion, I must admit... in a different way than you, of course, ShyShy. You have a wonderful personality and a wonderful mane. This one is exotic, bold, courageous, strong...”

Thesis winked and flexed a foreleg with a grin, and Cadence rolled her eyes in amusement as Miss Take gave a little trill and said delightedly: “Very strong!”

“Okay hey great cool that's enough.” Shining Armor said grumpily, and Miss Take smiled at him teasingly, which only made him huff a little before he turned pointedly forward to lead them on, saying: “We live over in Emerald District. We have a nice little place.”

“That's nice. Hey, I heard you were a Prince, right? I'm a Prince, too!” Thesis said cheerfully, and Shining Armor pointedly ignored him even as the Replicant rambled: “Yeah, originally Mom – Princess Celestia – didn't want me in the military, but I was never very good at being a Prince, being basically the greatest supersoldier warrior ever created, so I eventually joined the military, became like, the youngest Commander ever before I was sent to a super-secret task force. Actually I knew Cadence when she was just a little girl! I was here before, like... here-here before. I met her Dad, too. We totally have a lot of history.”

Shining Armor was pointedly glowering ahead, but Miss Take smiled warmly at Thesis, asking with interest: “So just how old are you then, darling? I know it's impolite to ask a mare's age, but I always had the feeling you were from another time, Cadence...”

Cadence only grunted, and Thesis smiled as he answered: “I'm pretty old. It's hard to say: the years have all blended together, and I guess it's not exaggerating to say I've died once or twice. But I'm over a thousand. Still in my prime, though.”

Thesis posed a few times, and Miss Take chuckled as Shining Armor shot a horrible look over his shoulder, before he blushed when the half-Changeling said: “Oh, don't mind my husband, dears. He's just been a little out of sorts ever since he found his first gray hairs.”

“I don't have gray hair! I'm not old! I'm... also great, I'm also in my prime, completely!” Shining Armor blurted out, shaking his head vehemently before he glared over his shoulder at Thesis, adding grumpily: “You really don't have to keep showing off.”

“I'm not showing off. If I was showing off I'd lift that wagon over there or teleport onto the roof or hold your marefriend and Honk over my head.” Thesis said mildly, before he winked and added: “I could lift you over my head, too, but I'd only do it for the benefit of the mares, even if you are kind of pretty and all.”

Shining scowled as they turned down a side-street, and Thesis grinned before he blinked in surprise, reaching suddenly up and bringing down the visor of his helmet as information flashed across it. Miss Take frowned slightly, while Shining only glared ahead, grumbling: “She's my wife, not my marefriend, and it'd be better if you could keep your hooves to-”

“Hey, La Croix, I think some of your friends are here. What do you suggest we do?” Thesis asked, Shining twitching as Cadence frowned before she narrowed her eyes slightly, focusing on the Swan's powers...

“Nzambi. Does that mean Veliuona is here?” Cadence asked sharply, immediately locking on to the positions of the enemy: there were two of them, both on the rooftops of a large building ahead, both of them armed with high-powered rifles that were scanning the crowd... “Are they waiting for us?”

“Do you want to go say hello?” Thesis asked, and Cadence smiled slightly before she launched herself to the side, vanishing into an alley. She didn't even need the Swan's help to navigate swiftly through the back streets before she took to the air once she was around the back of the Nzambi: for a moment, it was like she was a foal again, training under the tutelage of the warriors she was already pushing the limits of.

Before either Nzambi could scent her or detect her friends, Cadence was behind them: she pounced on the first, slamming a dagger through the back of his skull and killing him instantly, and even before he could completely turn to ash and before his friend could react, she was immediately across the rooftop, seizing the other Nzambi by the throat and pinning him on his back before he roared in pain and frustration when she speared her dagger through his chest: she knew it would keep his spirit bound to his body. She wasn't entirely sure how she knew that, but all the same...

The Nzambi snarled at her as he sluggishly tried to bring his rifle up, and before she could think better of it, Cadence stepped forward and punted him off the rooftop as she snatched the rifle out of his hooves. He fell into the square below with a howl, Crystal Ponies scattering away in shock as the Nzambi crashed down on his back, party mask popping loose from his face before he hissed when Cadence landed on top of him and pinned him to the ground.

“Well, I see you're as forward as ever.” Miss Take commented, and Cadence looked moodily up at her: the half-Changeling was perched on the edge of the fountain in the center of the square, smiling, but watching her with sharp interest. “I must say, though. You've caught a rather ugly rat there. And here I thought Pain was bad.”

The Nzambi swore at Miss Take in its own language, and the half-Changeling clucked her tongue as she said mildly: “Well, I don't have to be telepathic to know that was very rude of you to say.”

The Nzambi only grinned, then gasped when Cadence slammed its head down against the square as the others joined them, La Croix grimacing before he asked sharply: “The hell are you doin' here? No, no, I don't believe for a moment that Madame Veliuona-”

The Nzambi growled at La Croix, then spat something in response that made the Loa flinch, his eyes widening slightly before he snorted and retorted: “No, that ain't-”

The Nzambi, however, only grinned and challenged something else in its language, and La Croix shifted uncertainly before he shook his head and muttered: “No. I ain't stupid enough to fall for that. Cygne, you can let this one go. Send him on back to his Masters. Ain't nothin' but a chaoui.”

Cadence scowled, but then she nodded and reached down to yank her dagger free from the Nzambi's chest. She squeezed the handle slowly, tempted to kill it as the Nzambi looked up at her with a mocking grin, and its smile curdled on its muzzle before it snorted and made some threat or insult, then simply collapsed limply as the evil spirit fled the body.

Cadence grumbled under her breath as she sheathed her dagger, before Shining Armor asked her awkwardly: “Was that really necessary? The... whole throwing him off a roof thing?”

“Yes.” Cadence answered grumpily, knowing that there was no way Shining could know otherwise, and yet he would, anyway, by her tone. Her sulky, don't-argue-with-me voice, which had the same effect as ever as Shining cleared his throat and looked away.

“Don't be a bitch, Honk.” Thesis said mildly, and Cadence gave him a venomous look as Shining's jaw fell open.

And then, maybe before he even realized he was doing it, he defended: “Hey, she's not a bitch! Don't call her that, you... jerk.”

Shining cleared his throat as Thesis looked at him with one cocked eyebrow, and then he shrugged amiably before he turned his eyes to La Croix, asking: “What was he saying? Let me make a wild guess, no, wait: it's bad.”

“Tres mal, yeah. I wanna... get somewhere quiet 'fore we talk, though. Just in case.” La Croix said uneasily, looking back and forth before he asked: “Cygne, you see anything? Anything at all?”

Cadence frowned slightly, but then she allowed the Swan to push her aside for a moment, grumbling mentally as the Swan scanned the area, before it said calmly: “No. There is nothing here that does not belong. The spirits have fled.”

The Swan paused, then slowly turned, putting her back to the sun as the mare felt a strange compulsion, before she pointed through the crowd, past the buildings, towards the horizon... “There. The Astra is glowing.”

“What does that mean, Danzsöngr?” Thesis asked quietly, striding up beside her, and the Swan looked at him for a moment before she returned her eyes to the horizon, as the Swan told Cadence the answer, then allowed her to take control back.

Cadence shivered a bit, and then she shook her head before she murmured: “Something's trying to manipulate it. Not like Auriculos. He had no idea what he was doing, he tried to do it through chemicals and technology. This is... different.”

“Cadence?” Shining Armor asked uneasily, and the ivory mare glanced back over her shoulder at him as he looked at her uncertainly. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah... yeah, Shine, I'm fine. I just... I guess you could say I have a friend who I carry around with me everywhere now. A friend who won't let me die.” Cadence grimaced a bit, shaking her head briefly before she sighed, then glanced up as Miss Take smiled at her warmly.

“So the story came true, then, did it?” she asked teasingly, and Cadence looked at her blankly before the half-Changeling said gently: “The soul that gathers enough love becomes indestructible, immutable. And I can see you've gathered quite a bit of love and respect, Cadence, dearest... and something tells me there are many more ponies waiting for you back where you call home now. Not that this isn't your home, of course...”

“It was, but it's not anymore. You're right, Miss Take... I do have a home waiting for me, and... a lot of ponies I'm very lucky to know.” Cadence smiled briefly, glancing over at Thesis, who only smiled back with a wink before she cleared her throat and turned her eyes back to Shining Armor. “How uh... are the borders the same?”

“Yes... actually, no.” Shining Armor said after a moment, and Cadence cocked her head curiously as Miss Take brightened and nodded. “There's the same sphere of magic protecting the Crystal Empire, and Equestria hasn't expanded its settlements much further north, but they've been building a protected overground road between the nation and the... well, we call it a colony now. I mean, I know it's technically its own kingdom but-”

“No, that is well and good. I would prefer our nations be as one than separate. That is how we were meant to be, before the eternal winter cut us off from one-another.” Sombra said, before he smiled and added gently: “But there will be time to discuss such things later.”

“Uh... yeah.” Shining Armor said awkwardly, before he cleared his throat and said finally: “We can't really... 'expand,' so to speak, because we don't want to meddle with the output from the Crystal Heart or the tower. But we've been able to make Heartstones, these pebble-sized replicas of the Crystal Heart, that we've used to create a highway to Equestria...”

“It's much easier if you see it for yourselves, darlings, and I'm sure you will. After all, I doubt it's merely coincidence you happened to point in the direction of Equestria.” Miss Take added, and Cadence couldn't help but give a wry smile. “Yes, dear. I know, and I appreciate the fact that you want to be professional about this, but you know you're always welcome here.”

“Always.” Shining echoed, and then he looked awkwardly around before he cleared his throat and turned, waving a hoof as he shouted at the gawking crowd: “Nothing to see here, move on! Uh...” He paused, then flicked his horn, sending a flare of light into the sky before he added loudly: “Soldiers will be here to take evidence shortly, so if you want to stick around to give statements...”

Immediately, quite a few ponies turned and hurried off at that, and Shining Armor smiled wryly before he glanced over his shoulder and said mildly: “Some things never change, I guess. Remember when we were trying to find out what happened after the Changeling attack?”

“And all anyone cared about was that the battle was over and they all just wanted to go home. I can't blame them.” Cadence answered with a small smile, and then she shook her head and glanced down at the zebra's corpse, asking quietly: “Is it really okay just to uh... leave this here?”

“Yes, dear. Try not to worry your pretty head about it. I'm sure they all just think it's a Changeling assassin or something else prejudicial like that. I swear, all these steps we've made with Chrysalis, and you ponies see one Changeling and decide it must be a world war.” Miss Take said mildly, waving a hoof airily before she turned and strode off, Shining sighing but smiling as he fell in after her, and Cadence following with her team after a moment.

Thesis glanced back and forth as they headed down the street, before he looked up as Miss Take asked curiously: “Just what is that marvelous device, sweetie? It looks like it's telling you all sorts of information, but that's not an enchantment, is it?”

“Oh, this? This is the standard OA-SYS ID Optic. We just all call them visors, though. Most of our troops have helmets like this, it provides real-time information about the battlefield... whatever that means. Basically it tells me about stuff and warns me what's around.” Thesis answered, and Miss Take cocked her head with interest.

“Does it tell you that I am a Changeling?” she asked, and Thesis smiled slightly at her.

“Sort of. I can't see through your disguise-”

“Oh, this isn't a disguise, dear, I don't do disguises.” Miss Take interrupted pleasantly, winking at the stallion. “I much prefer to think of this as a healthy expression of who I am.” She paused, then glanced over at Cadence with a small smile, adding: “But then again, I suppose we never really know what's inside of us until we're pushed to find out... and you are so very beautiful, darling.”

“Yeah. Even with my short horn.” Cadence said dryly, glancing awkwardly up at this, but Miss Take only gave her a look that was equal parts kind and entertained. “I don't know if... I really like who I am being out there for everyone to see.”

“Oh, darling. You should never be ashamed of who you are.” Miss Take chided, and Cadence smiled despite herself before she added warmly: “Tell me more about your friends, if they're not going to speak up for themselves!”

Moonflower looked up dumbly, and La Croix gave an awkward smile before he apologized: “Pardonnez-moi, madame. 'Spose there's just been a lot on our minds recently... and uh... you know, we don't want to interrupt nothin', either. Seems like y'all got lots of catchin' up to do, after all.”

“Certainly, but I know Cadence has never been the talkative type. And I'm sure you can all tell me all kinds of embarrassing stories about her... especially you, Sombra, as her... father, yes?” Miss Take ventured, and Sombra chuckled quietly.

“Yes, I am her father.” Sombra said softly, and his smile answered the part of the question Miss Take didn't ask, the half-Changeling bowing her head humbly. “Life has taken many strange turns, but I feel as my daughter does: this is your world now. I certainly wish to offer all I can for its protection, but... my home is with my daughter, and I have found a greater purpose.”

He paused, then smiled and added: “Not that it is very hard to find a greater purpose than being a beast without a mind, a tyrant without a heart... but I am glad those days are past.”

“I have to ask, dear, and I hope it's not too personal...” Miss Take began, then she pointedly hip-checked Shining Armor when he attempted to grab her, the stallion wincing before he smiled embarrassedly over his shoulder as Miss Take asked: “At times, it seemed like the Sombra-who-was was perfectly sane; rather vile, no offense meant, but sane. How do you explain that?”

Cadence scowled, but Sombra smiled as if he appreciated the question, answering quietly: “Because it was at those times I was at my worst. When people think of madness, or sickness, they think of either a frail old pony, rotting away in a corner, or a screaming, deranged beast. But insanity is more than that, comes in more shapes and forms than rage and sound; it comes in bitterness, in torment, in hatred.”

“Now there is a truth if I ever heard one.” Miss Take agreed with a smile and a nod, before she said softly: “I mean no disrespect, of course. But as Shining has told me many times, my curiosity will be the death of me one day.”

“I think you live readily by the philosophy that all knowledge exists to be obtained; there is nothing wrong with that.” Sombra answered with a bow of his head to her, before he smiled and added: “After all, you seem to know it is also important to cherish friends and family.”

“One of the most important lessons the Queen Mother ever taught me was to keep those I trust close, discard the rest, and cherish whatever family I can make for myself. Even Changelings have their favored kin, you know: we're not nearly as bug-like as many ponies like to think we are.” Miss Take said with a wink towards Shining, who looked awkwardly away. “Although I'm very glad that I've been able to dissuade a pleasant few from that notion...”

“Okay, uh. House is just up ahead.” Shining said in a lame attempt to guide the conversation away, and Cadence gave a small smile. It was true, she thought...

Some things never changed.

Comments

[Mira Starlight]

Been waiting for a month and a half for this moment. All I can say is that it is truly amazing. Aww, yes.