Hecate's Orphanage

by BlackRoseRaven

These Miserable Lost Souls

Chapter Thirty Three: These Miserable Lost Souls
~BlackRoseRaven

Freya calmly entered the observatory with Sombra and La Croix on either side of her: unlike the rest of the laboratory, this massive, dome-shaped room was dusty, but devoid of major damages or debris. Files and books were cluttered, but stacked in shelves and on tables instead of littering the ground; equipment and trinkets rested across tables and on top of metal cases instead of being spread out in piles of wreckage.

At the far end of the room, a broken telescope hung from the ceiling, staring sightlessly out of a hole in the roof of the observatory. And in front of this, there was a large desk and chair, the occupant currently sitting with their back to them as he wrote slowly away in a notebook.

Freya absently flicked a bit of blood off her sword from the mages they had dealt with on the way up, and then she let her weapons fall to loose ready positions around her as she asked pleasantly: “Are we interrupting?”

“Not at all, Freya. It is an honor to meet a Valkyrie like yourself here.” replied a stallion's voice softly, and the hoof that had been writing set down the quill before the occupant turned his chair around with a smile. La Croix's eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the old stallion: he was missing one of his hind legs, and he only looked like an earth pony... except... “Has Salazar already fallen?”

“I expect so. Either way, my companions are dealing with them, and I have no reason to doubt their strength. He was very quick to try and trade your life for his.” Freya remarked, but the old stallion only chuckled quietly.

Freya slowly drew her eyes over the male: tired brown eyes, a short, graying mane, scruffy looking features and a salt and pepper coat, where the salt was turning ivory and the pepper was turning charcoal with his age. He wore an old, old dress jacket... part of an ancient mage's guild uniform, if she had to guess. The amulet around his neck, however, was much newer: it was a piece of blood quartz caged in enchanted gold, likely used to amplify his powers.

Her eyes flicked towards his cutie mark, examining the simple red stone for a moment before she said quietly: “You will have to pardon me, friend, but I have little patience when it comes to dealing with Blood Seers, and many reasons to end these chats as quickly as possible. Can you give me a reason why I should not kill you out of hand?”

The stallion looked thoughtful, not threatened, before he calmly placed his hooves into his lap and said softly: “I know what you are here for, Freya. A certain destruction entity... one that you believe Salazar's mages have captured.”

Freya nodded, even as La Croix winced and Sombra frowned slightly. But the Blood Seer only smiled before he shook his head and said quietly: “But where are my manners? I know your names, of course, but you don't know mine. My name is Haruspex. I am, as you have guessed correctly, what you call a Blood Seer. My particular talents are in divination and augmentation.”

“Why were you working with Salazar, Haruspex? Or precisely, why was he working for you?” asked the Valkyrie as she slowly approached, even as she cautiously scanned the area with magic to make sure there weren't any traps waiting for them. Haruspex looked old and frail, but she was well aware that if he got so much as a drop of her blood, it could spell her demise.

“I summoned him, of course. He was Hellbound, but the properties of his damnation were very interesting and useful to me. I was able to use him to create and train other mages in the ways of the order...” Haruspex chuckled quietly. “But that was foolish of me. Young, brash, arrogant mages, given the strength of blood magic. They weren't ready for it. They couldn't handle it. In a way, you have done me a great service eliminating my... failed experiments.”

Freya grunted at this as Sombra frowned, then asked quietly: “What other experiments have you done, Haruspex? Many lives have been lost here-”

“To power the furnace. You haven't seen the furnace yet, have you?” Haruspex smiled, and then he turned the chair back around with a squeak of metal, Freya narrowing her eye as he reached for something on the table, but when the stallion wheeled back to face them, he held up the remote he had picked up before saying gently: “Watch.”

He tapped a button on it, and on one side of the room, a dusty glass screen kicked into life, static fizzling faintly over it before an image appeared, and Freya's eye widened in surprise at the sight of what looked like a massive, glowing orange core filled with writhing, silently-screaming souls, as Haruspex said quietly: “This is the furnace. A vast vat of souls, heated by the magma cores throughout this facility... providing enough energy to bring this entire facility back to life. Or at least it will, once we obtain a few more souls...”

Freya snorted at this, striding forwards and asking coldly: “We? I think you overestimate your power, Blood Seer. Or how long you will live.”

Haruspex looked up fearlessly as the Valkyrie approached, before he smiled when she halted a few feet away, even as her swords floated dangerously around him. “You can kill me, Valkyrie, if you want. But I know you are curious, so hear me out, first.”

Freya rumbled moodily, but Haruspex only chuckled quietly before he gestured towards the screen, saying softly: “I have foreseen all of this. That is how I knew to come here. Why I... rushed, to capture the lives I did. I have restored as much power as I could, using armies of the dead, manipulating Salazar... who would have done far worse things, had I not kept him on a tight leash, I might add. For you know how gazing into the future works, Freya: you do not see one possible reality. You see many of them, often all at once.”

“I do not have the time for lectures, old man. Get to the point.” Freya ordered, and Haruspex nodded politely, lowering his head almost submissively.

“Of course.” He paused to gather his thoughts, then continued calmly: “There will be a great threat to this world in the future... the very near future, I believe. This threat will kill me, and the Swan Maiden will return to challenge it. Not only her, but the Night Maiden as well...”

Freya frowned at this, leaning forward intently, and the Blood Seer smiled as he closed his eyes, resting back in his seat as he murmured: “But the furnace is key to driving out this evil. In a sense, it is the furnace that will draw the evil here in the first place... but at the same time, this... Void-static I see will be defeated by it. I would say destroyed, but I am not sure such things can be destroyed.”

Freya grunted, looking down at the Blood Seer, who opened his eyes to gaze back up at her as he said quietly: “You know that I speak the truth, Freya. I do not see lies. I cannot see what I choose to see. But through the secrets written in blood, I can see the future.”

“Perhaps... but to see this future, you had to touch the blood of someone involved in it. Who is...” Freya halted, and then her eye widened slightly before she said softly: “Aster. And before her...”

“Before her, those who had come in contact with her. Terra Volta is a far island nation, but it trades with many. She was one of the ponies I was searching for... Salazar, and the slave trade, made finding her much easier. After that, I knew it was just a matter of letting things run as they would.” responded Haruspex, the stallion shaking his head briefly before he gave a quiet chuckle. “Yes. It was cruel of me. But cruelty is sometimes the answer.”

The Valkyrie scowled at this, and then she hesitantly lowered her swords. La Croix stared in disbelief, but Sombra was only frowning deeper, looking uneasily at the Blood Seer before he asked quietly: “What do you know of this evil? Why did you not simply...”

“Ask you?” The Blood Seer smiled, replying gently: “Because what will be will be, isn't that right? Imagine if I had asked you; how would things have been any different? I had to work through Salazar, after all, and he was never... the most kind of ponies. Not even when he was alive, I would assume. But of course, I gaze into the future... not the past. The past... that is something much harder to decipher.”

Freya didn't say anything, the Valkyrie only studying the Blood Seer silently before she asked softly: “Why should I let your prophecy come true, and leave you alive, Haruspex?”

“Because you know what I have done, I have done for the best.” Haruspex straightened calmly, lacing his hooves together in his lap as he looked evenly back up at the Valkyrie. “I have done it not for power, not for evil, but because we will be united in the future against a common, dangerous enemy. I did my best to minimize the damage, I can promise you that... but when working with beasts-”

“They have a tendency to bite.” Freya muttered, shaking her head before she said grimaced in disgust, shifting slowly.

Haruspex, however, only gestured around at the observatory, saying quietly: “All of this will change hooves soon enough, anyway. You know as well as I do that the true owners will be returning here. I do not know who that is: all I know is that I see myself, shackled by golems and ponies of metal, and they will seal my magic but keep me around, just in case. I know I will be uncomfortable, and there will be many interrogations... some very creative. And I will tell them, again and again, what will happen, what is coming, but even with all my warnings...”

“Thokk will come. Thokk will attack here. But why?” Freya muttered, before she asked quietly: “What is that furnace? Why is it so important?”

“I do not know.” Haruspex said honestly, and Freya growled before the Blood Seer continued: “All I know for certain is that such a powerful forge, made with all those souls, creating all that energy... it is forbidden not just because it is a thing of great evil, but because of the sheer power it must generate. As you know yourself, Freya... such necromancy may never be right, but it does have its uses, does it not?”

Freya sighed quietly, lowering her head and shaking it slowly before she muttered: “You leave me with few choices, Blood Seer. And what I itch most to do is to cleave off your head and be done with all this nonsense. No future is certain. And none are safe from the changing times.”

Haruspex only nodded with a smile, and there was silence for a few moments before Freya finally swore and began to turn away. Before she could, however, the Blood Seer said calmly: “The destruction entity you're looking for, Freya, is not here. I think part of you always knew it wasn't here. But you were drawn here, all the same, weren't you?”

Freya smiled wryly as she paused, half-turned away from the stallion, and then her eye flicked towards the Blood Seer as she replied evenly: “Call it a woman's intuition. That, and... I've never been fond of leaving stones unturned. If there is a fight to be had, that's where you'll find me.”

Haruspex chuckled quietly, and then he said softly: “With Salazar's demise, the slave chains will lose their magic as well. The few of my mages who survived, too, will weaken: Salazar's blood gave them strength, and Salazar's death will take it away. Only one will remain marked by Salazar...”

The Valkyrie frowned slightly at this, but Haruspex simply shook his head before he said softly: “No, pay no heed to me. Just the wonderings of an old stallion, trying to understand that which he has not seen.”

He leaned back in his chair with a chuckle, and then he shook his head slowly before murmuring: “Well, enough is enough. I will remain here, and you can go back to concentrating on other things. A few souls are still needed for the furnace, but I'm sure we can both agree that the pirates below will make fitting enough fuel for the fire, wouldn't you say?”

Freya didn't reply, only grimacing before she turned away and strode towards the exit, La Croix gaping in disbelief. The Loa began to splutter, but Sombra only reached up and gently touched his shoulder, saying quietly: “There is nothing we can do here for now, my friend. It is best that we... follow Signora Freya out.”

“I would get up to show you the door but... I'm not very good at that, these days. So please do excuse my lack of etiquette.” Haruspex said softly, and Sombra nodded politely over his shoulder, even if La Croix thought it was a little strained. “Yes, my friend. You recognize the necessity of evil... even if you struggle against it, too. But sadly, all things in life are very simple... and sometimes, one must be sacrificed for the good of many.”

“This sounds like a whole lot more than one.” La Croix muttered, before he added in a lower voice, as Sombra calmly led the Loa out: “C'est des connaries, Papa Sérénité. What the hell is going on here? Are we really just going to walk away?”

Freya closed the observatory doors with a flick of her horn behind the two stallions, making La Croix flinch at the bang, before she said in a dry voice: “Believe me. I like it less than you do, Loa... but yes, we are. That Blood Seer is old, wise... and doing what he believes to be right, even if the acts he has committed are atrocious and unforgivable. Still... there's almost something noble in it, considering the fact he knows that he will be punished terribly for these sins, yet he moves to commit them anyway, because...”

Freya looked up as La Croix shifted uneasily, before the Valkyrie shook her head and muttered: “What do you think creatures of the Void would do to this world, were they allowed to run free inside it? I suppose terrible things, considering the future he must have seen.”

“You really believe that? That he sees the future?” La Croix asked uncertainly, and Freya nodded without hesitation, which made the Loa grin uncomfortably. “Madame, not even the gods truly know what's gonna happen... we fortune tellers, well, 'sall just a trick of sayin' what people want to hear, y'know?”

“No. When you look into the future, you do not glimpse one, but many... unless you happen to catch a point of destiny. Because there are things in our lives which must happen, and will happen, no matter what we do to try and stop it...” Freya looked back over her shoulder, one of her swords shifting back and forth uncertainly beside her before she shook her head and muttered: “Our job here is done, though. Without Salazar, the mages are no longer a threat and can no longer take slaves. Haruspex is a danger only to his own former acolytes. And he knows that Hecate will come for him, sooner rather than later.”

Freya led the way back down the empty halls of the laboratory, the mare only giving a disdainful look to a whimpering, gasping mage that they passed, who pleaded weakly to them for help. But they only walked onward, Sombra looking pityingly at the former seer as La Croix winced away from the sick-looking stallion.

They met Cadence, Moonflower, and Aster roughly halfway back to the room where they had left them. Freya's eyes immediately locked on Aster, who had strange red veins pulsing beneath her skin now, the Valkyrie drawing her eyes over the uneasy-looking winged unicorn before she said moodily to La Croix: “The mare, marked by Salazar.”

“I... I'm okay, though. I am. He's gone and now...” Aster's eyes shifted uneasily back and forth, before she lowered her head and whispered: “Now I don't know what to do.”

“You'll come with us, of course.” Freya said without hesitation, and Cadence looked up in surprise before the Valkyrie asked: “Is there a place for her at your Orphanage?”

“I... well, yes, that... I was actually going to suggest that myself, if you have nowhere else to go, Aster.” Cadence said after a moment, nodding and giving a small smile to Aster, who looked both grateful and uncertain at the same time.

Cadence's eyes turned towards her father, and in the brief smile he gave her, she understood that things hadn't gone entirely to plan. She frowned a little at this, but Freya only shook her head, saying moodily: “Hecate and I will have to have a little talk about the Blood Seer who ran this place, that is all. For now, let's leave. Hopefully the pirates offered enough of a distraction that we should be able to get out of here quickly and quietly. And with a little more luck, they won't have sunk the ship.”

There was no real choice but to agree: Cadence was only half-surprised that this had all turned into nothing but one big dead end, although at the same time, she was glad they had come out here. She thought it was pretty safe to say this fell under the 'exceptional circumstances' category, especially since they had discovered another Decretum facility and all: Hecate would be pleased to know about it, and would want to come in and shut it down. We never got to see that furnace, though...

She looked at Freya, wondering if she should ask if they could take a look around... but then she decided against it as she returned her eyes to her father. No, it felt like... like something unexpected had happened, and the entire mission had just changed.

Well, changed in such a way that they were apparently abandoning exploring this facility to return to hunting down the destruction entity, which was really back where Cadence had thought it would be... “What happened?”

“We'll talk about it later. For now, I want to concentrate on leaving.” Freya replied in a pleasnat enough tone, but there was a certain edge to her voice that told Cadence trying to worm any information out of her would probably be a bad idea.

They left the laboratory without any further incident, and Freya grimaced as she looked up at the sky, at that malignancy being caused by all that evil energy in the air, coming from the sacrifice of so many souls... “Should we not do something?”

Cadence looked over at Aster with surprise, but Aster was looking almost desperately at Freya, who was only calmly surveying the air. Cadence thought she saw a hint of... disgust, or contempt, or... something in Freya's eye, but all the same, the Valkyrie said patiently: “We are done here, Aster. You have had your revenge and the only souls to feed the furnace now will be the fools who helped create it in the first place. There's no more need to worry your pretty little head about that. Instead, you should worry about yourself, and that toxic blood in your veins.”

Aster shifted uncomfortably, biting her lip nervously as she looked down at herself, but then Freya's eye drew back up and she muttered: “There's no point in dawdling here. Let's get out of here. We can sit down and have your tea party once we're back on the ship, if you can't wait until we get to dry land.”

Cadence only forced herself to nod instead of arguing, as much as she wanted to. Aster shifted uncomfortably and uncertainly, but after a moment, she seemed to realize there was no point in arguing either, and instead, the group simply fell into step, following after Freya.

Sombra seemed unhappy with whatever had happened. La Croix kept fidgeting, like he wanted to blurt something out in spite of the fact it would obviously be useless: Freya had clearly made up her mind, after all, and they all knew by now the chance of changing the mare's mind was slim to none.

They made it back to the empty elevator shaft without incident: getting back down through the interior of the pillar was a little more complicated, however. It seemed as if the death of their master had somehow riled up the remaining Drowned, who were now patrolling the halls, no longer trying to wield weapons or use tools, but simply stumbling towards whatever living thing they happened to see to try and kill it.

There weren't many of them, at least, but it did force the group of ponies to be more cautious in their descent, as the Drowned seemed to be able to sense their passage through the walls and closed doors. Several smashed their way out of a small bunk room as they started to pass it, for example, and had given Moonflower quite a scare when they'd managed to grab him, but Cadence and Aster had made short work of the zombie-like creatures.

They also came across fresher corpses: pirates and mercenaries who had worked for Salazar, Cadence thought. What bothered her most of all about these was Freya's grim reaction to them, as if she had expected this somehow.

Cadence wanted to know what the hell had happened above, but the Swan and her own nervousness stopped her from asking. The Swan just wanted to trust in Freya; the rest of Cadence saw that Freya was just waiting for somepony to say something stupid to her, so she could take her mood out on them.

They finally made their way out to the port, after only a few more skirmishes. Cadence winced a bit as she saw one of the docked pirate ships was on fire, the mare studying this uneasily before she shook her head and asked hesitantly: “How do we get out of here?”

“The same way we came in, of course. Everyone, insulate yourselves with magic, and get ready to take another swim.” Freya instructed.

Cadence internally groaned, but did as she was told: again, one-by-one, they leapt into the water, and swam back over to the wooden serpent which was thankfully still waiting for them. Yet as it carried them swiftly away beneath the waves, Cadence couldn't help but look silently back, feeling unfulfilled, and as if despite everything they had done, they were leaving with more questions... and perhaps the faintest sting of failure.

Cadence was pissed off, but there wasn't much she could do about it. She couldn't believe that Freya had chosen to leave the Blood Seer that had apparently been running the Decretum facility and the slavery operation alive. What the hell was she going to tell Hecate?

Sure, Freya acted like it was a good idea, but Cadence was starting to understand that Freya always acted like her ideas were good, even if she wasn't sure about them, or hell, even if the Valkyrie knew her own ideas were bad. And the Valkyrie kept taunting her, saying that if it bothered her so much, they could debate the point in the old ways, but the Swan wouldn't let her fight a Mother. And Cadence wasn't stupid enough to think she could bring down a juggernaut like Freya, anyway.

So the mare did the only thing she could: she paced in an angry circle on the deck of the pirate ship, as it limped its way back towards the shores of Equestria. There wasn't much room to pace, as cannonfire and flames had weakened and ruined much of the upper decks, but there was enough room for her to storm around in an angry circle, at least.

Freya was down in the cabins, and the others were all helping out around the ship. Maybe that was the other thing that frustrated Cadence: she couldn't really help anyone with anything right now. The mare grumbled under her breath as she approached the railing, leaning out and grouchily scanning the waters, before she sighed quietly as she reached up and pulled her rifle off her back, studying this silently for a few moments.

She hated guns. Toys, tools, weapons, whatever you wanted to call them: all you did was point, pull the trigger, and whoever the gun was pointed at was killed. The Swan, of course, loved it: the Swan saw it as a wonderful piece of equipment to add to her arsenal, requiring more finesse than strength to utilize...

Maybe that was part of why Cadence hated it so much. Except, no, she knew it was more than that. The gun suited the Swan because the gun was like the Swan: soulless, a tool, a weapon that didn't take responsibility but put that weight on others. And as Cadence had learned, from everyone who had tried to control the Swan so far, most people weren't nearly as capable or responsible as they considered themselves to be.

Cadence sighed quietly, then she took aim with the rifle as the barrel extended. Her hoof slowly stroked the trigger, then gently grasped into it, not squeezing yet; her eyes gazed down the sights, the mare looking off into the distance as she felt herself calming rapidly, the rifle slowly scanning the horizon...

“Not much to shoot out here.” said a mild voice, and Cadence winced before looking over her shoulder at Freya, nearly fumbling her rifle into the sea. Freya looked at her calmly, and Cadence looked back, straightening a little and half-tempted to salute, but the Valkyrie seemed to sense this, smiling slightly as she rose a hoof and preempted: “Just here to talk, Danzsöngr. You know how to talk, don't you? Not just argue with me.”

Cadence sighed a little, and then she replied moodily: “I've done a lot for you, Freya. I've left my team in your hooves-”

“Yes, but you always argue about it. Even now you're arguing. Very different from the Swan that I started this journey with, the one always trying to please me...” Freya chuckled softly, shaking her head slowly. “Brynhild was like that, too, you know. In this world and the last. And I, of course, just had to push her and push her... because I believed in her, and because perhaps people like me shouldn't be idols. You idolize a bear for its strength, a wolf for its prowess, the hawk for its sharp eyes... but none of them purely because they are killers.”

Cadence shifted uncomfortably, looking awkwardly up at Freya, who chuckled again before she said gently: “But that is not what I am here to talk about, Danzsöngr. You want to talk about what we've done, and more importantly, what we didn't do? Fine. I am here to talk about it. Let's hear what you have to say, Swan Maiden.”

The Swan immediately began to wrestle for the surface, but Cadence did her best to control it, to keep it down, as she reached up and rubbed at her face before muttering: “I'm... not the Swan. My name is Cadence.”

“Your name is whatever others choose to call you, Danzsöngr. Besides, you're no more a Cadence anymore than I am a Celestia.” Freya said with a surprising tenderness, and Cadence shifted a little before the Valkyrie asked: “What would you have done? Would you have killed him? Taken him prisoner? Or something else? Normally I don't entertain other people playing at commander, but in this case, I will. Tell me what I should have done.”

Cadence bit her lip, but this was precisely the chance she'd wanted, wasn't it? So instead of backing down, in spite of the fact that everything – Swan especially – wanted her to, she instead met Freya's eye and said quietly: “I would have taken him prisoner, and if he refused to cooperate, killed him as a measure of last resort.”

“Alright. So we will assume that nothing went wrong and he is now here, on this ship, even though that means you would have had to drag him through hostile territory and then yanked the three-leggged mule along behind us while we rode the wooden serpent back here.” Freya pointed off into the distance, towards where only the edge of the poisoned sky above the tower of rock was visible. “What about that facility? Did you leave anyone behind to guard it? Did we stop to exterminate every last carcass and mage? Or are we abandoning it to the next eager set of claws, who might be far more interested in dredging those dangerous facilities above than our Blood Seer friend was?”

Cadence shifted uncertainly, biting her lip, but the only thing she could think of to answer was: “I don't know.”

“At least you're honest.” Freya turned, looking off into the distance, and Cadence stepped up beside her before the goddess said quietly: “Hecate, myself, perhaps every other leader in the world... we don't really know what we're doing, Danzsöngr. We speak in proud, loud voices and say things with firmness, with logic, but there's no knowing what is good and what is ill. And the worst is when you have to go against what you believe, because it will preserve the beliefs and lives of others.

“Aye, if I could have, I would have killed him. But there are too many uncertainties. And leaving him up there is foolish, and dangerous, certainly: but more foolish and dangerous than letting his disciples take over?” Freya shook her head slowly. “I don't think so. And if the old stallion is telling the truth, he will maintain what he has to. If the furnace is as important as he believes... it's best we keep our hooves away from the forbidden thing. Let others decide whether it is important enough to sacrifice souls for... I don't want anything to do with it.”

“But isn't standing aside, letting that happen... just as bad?” Cadence asked quietly, and Freya smiled a little.

“There, Hecate and I differ in opinion. Hecate, I know, will come in here, with her... guns and her machines and her laws, to take back what I suppose is rightfully hers anyway.” Freya replied calmly, shaking her head briefly before she sighed a little, saying quietly: “But I? The fox could kill the weasel and stop him from eating the chickens, but why risk the bite, and worse, the farmer's wrath? The weasel will kill a chicken, the farmer will chase the weasel, the fox will slip in and eat his fill while they distract each other. It is simply nature.”

“We're above animals. Or at least, we're supposed to be.” Cadence said quietly, and Freya snorted in amusement at this, cocking her head towards Cadence.

“Are we really?” she asked curiously, and Cadence bit her lip before Freya chuckled and shook her head slowly, saying softly: “There's little difference between gods and beasts, and those caught in between. We're all just struggling to survive.”

Cadence shook her head almost vehemently, and then she replied firmly: “No. We're better than beasts, Freya. Even if it's harder, even if it hurts us... because we can do things that hurt us but benefit others, that's what makes us different from animals. Because I can look at what's best not just for me but for everyone else, and make myself do it. Because I can think, and I'm not driven by... my urges alone, by my instinctive need to-”

Cadence halted, biting her lip and lowering her head, and Freya chuckled quietly at this, studying the mare for a few moments before she said softly: “You can't run away from it forever.”

Cadence grimaced and looked away, and Freya simply shrugged as she studied the smaller mare for a few moments before she shook her head. “Well, anyway. What's done is done. We still have a job to do, anyway, and I know you don't want your matron disappointed in you.”

Freya turned to walk away, and Cadence hesitated before she finally said impulsively: “I'm not... I'm not the Swan. I hope you know that I'm not just... serving you or trying to show you respect because of that. You're... someone I want to look up to.”

Freya halted, and then she looked over her shoulder silently for a moment before she gave a brief smile, saying softly: “I'm not worth anyone's respect, Danzsöngr. But I do appreciate you saying so, all the same.”

Cadence cocked her head curiously, but the Valkyrie had already turned and walked away, leaving her – and inside her, the Swan – feeling confused. She shifted uncertainly for a few moments, then finally shook her head before she simply shrugged and looked back out over the sea.

It was monotonous, but peaceful, too, Cadence thought. It was slow going, and she felt anxious, and hated doing nothing, but at the same time, she thought all that was because she'd gotten so used to being in danger or on the move outside of Decretum, she'd forgotten not every world was nothing but a cesspit of constant action. As a matter of fact, most of the worlds were peaceful, weren't they? Well, peaceful by their standards, anyway. Bad things might still happen to good ponies, but nothing like the horrors Cadence spent her time fighting...

She smiled a little: funnily enough, she wasn't complaining, really. She'd come to enjoy her life. Sure, it was hard sometimes, but she was blessed in a lot of ways, and she had to remember that. Even with the Swan, and the whole 'not dying' thing.

“Then again, I guess a lot of ponies would say that made me lucky, too.” Cadence murmured, resting her chin on her hooves as she looked out over the ocean, before she shook her head briefly and smiled again to herself. “I guess it's not so bad, really.”

She quieted, her eyes roving downward as she kneaded the railing for a few moments before she shook her head and murmured: “You know, if Freya can try and talk to me, I think that means you can, too... Danzsöngr. Or am... am I Danzsöngr, like Freya keeps saying? Who are you really, Swan? What are you? Why can't you and I coexist?”

The Swan was silent as Cadence lowered her head: she hadn't expected an answer anyway, but still, she'd hoped for... something, at least. And now she was thinking again, about that uncomfortable moment in the facility, when the Swan had somehow invaded her psyche...

Cadence turned her eyes back out towards the ocean, looking at how big, how wide it all was, how everything was at peace. It comforted her a little, made her feel less suffocated by her own thoughts.

Her father eventually joined her, and they didn't need to speak. She simply nestled herself a little closer to him, and they watched the waves in quiet, and Cadence felt her problems bleeding away, like they were growing smaller by the moment. But Sombra had always been able to do that for her...

She chuckled quietly, then looked up at her father and said softly: “Remember when we were trying to kill each other?”

Sombra smiled wryly back at her, the stallion shaking his head briefly. He wasn't as fond of remembering the days he'd spent with the mind of a beast himself, but for Cadence... “It just... always reminds me that sometimes you just... can't imagine what's possible. I thought you were a monster, but you're not. You're my Father. You're the most important thing in the world to me.”

Sombra smiled softly at his daughter, and then he leaned over and kissed her forehead gently, chiding softly: “That touches me, mi amore, as you are my shining star, my miracle: but I wish that you would find someone you can share more with than you can with me. Romance, perhaps that different sort of love.”

“I know. But I don't need that. I just need to know that... there's someone who understands me in the world.” Cadence replied softly, smiling up at her father with a nod, before she shook her head and added quietly: “You really do mean everything to me. And I remember when I first met Hecate, I was going to kick her ass because she said it would be better to leave you to die.”

Sombra only smiled again, and Cadence looked out over the ocean before she said softly: “It really amazes me sometimes, how far we've all come. I remember at first it was you and me, and I was being mentored by Hecate herself. I remember when La Croix joined us and we became Team 0-0. He was so nervous!”

“Well, I was bein' chased by Bondye and all. Still am.” La Croix said mildly, and Cadence smiled slightly over her shoulder as La Croix sauntered up to join them, with Moonflower following with a curious look. “Anyway, y'all didn't exactly give me the nicest welcome, either. You took a little warming up there, Cygne.”

“I was nervous too. And I guess I didn't like the thought that there were going to be more ponies that I'd have to share Daddy with.” Cadence laughed a little at herself, shaking her head slowly before she said in a softer voice: “You were strange, though. I mean, I had no idea at first why Hecate thought you should be part of the team... more than that, why Daddy and I needed anyone else.”

“Hey, but I know a trick or two that got us through some hard times, oui?” La Croix winked and brushed out his cape before he added in a quieter voice: “But hell if I know why Hecate didn't just keep me workin' in her labs or wherever. She got lots of other places she could've put me. But she wanted me to be with you, and well... I'm glad now that the cards fell that way. Guess I wasn't exactly pleasant to work with before, though. And mo chagrin for that, Cygne.”

Cadence only waved a hoof dismissively, and then Moonflower added quickly: “And of course, I was absolutely appalled by the fact that Hecate wasn't just going to keep me prisoner, she was going to put me to work! And following a mare, no less!'

Cadence gave Moonflower an amused look even as the stallion feigned a shocked pose, and La Croix snorted in amusement before he said mildly: “Ain't much separatin' you from being a mare yourself, rein de la nuit. Probably a good kick or two.”

“Oh shut up. You were even worse. I mean, I was suppose to listen to an arrogant little stripehorse with no fashion sense?” Moonflower sniffed disdainfully, and Cadence sighed even as La Croix grinned in amusement. “But I suppose... I don't know. At some point, you all became more than just my subordinates. You were accomplices, allies...”

“Friends.” Cadence said, and La Croix and Moonflower both smiled and nodded. “And I think... we've all helped each other grow, and change. I see more and more now why Hecate brought us together. Because as much as we might have hated each other at first, you each teach me something new every day. Sometimes, sure, it's hard to put up with both of you...” Cadence looked pointedly between the two, who both gave Cadence the same look in return, until she admitted: “Alright, alright, and I know it must be hard for you to put up with me. But after those initial bumps... there's no one I'd rather fight beside.”

“I will admit, I suppose the reason Antecedes and I always worked so well together was because he was never afraid of challenging my opinions and... well, everything else. Very argumentative. You'd just love him, I'm sure.” Moonflower said mildly, before he smiled over at Sombra and added quietly: “And I respect what you've taught me too, if I may say so. Perhaps I know my... I might draw very close to the line of acceptable or not when it comes to showing my admiration for you, but you've taught me it's better to be kind and humble than loud and proud. At least sometimes.”

“Y'know, you say that, but you still go around, monologuin' your dumb ass off, and gettin' the rest of us in trouble.” La Croix pointed out, and Moonflower huffed loudly at the stallion before the zebra chuckled and added: “But I s'pose we get along, all the same. Wouldn't change you for the world, Moony. Not even if it meant things'd be a whole lot quieter.”

“You have such a way with words, friend.” Moonflower said dryly, reaching up to firmly hammer on the top of La Croix's hat and knock it down over his face. La Croix huffed before he quickly wiggled it back up to its usual position, but then he cocked his head in surprise as he saw that Moonflower had quieted and actually become... serious.

Cadence frowned as well, tilting her head, and Moonflower silently tapped his hooves together for a few moments before he asked finally: “Are we going to bring Aster back with us? Do you think... do you think she'll be okay?”

Cadence automatically looked at her father, and as always, Sombra was ready with an answer, nodding calmly before he replied softly: “I think she will be, Moonflower. Her will is very strong, and whatever is happening to her, there is no better place than Decretum for her to receive treatment.”

Moonflower nodded a few times, and La Croix hesitated before he added: “If y'want, y'know, I can take a look at her for you. Funny, though. Seein' you all worried 'bout a pretty mare like her. Usually you refuse to go near 'em 'cause les filles c'est des choquant.”

“Oh, shush. I'm not that bad.” Moonflower said crankily, putting his hooves on his hips and huffing at La Croix, before he bit his lip and added in a quieter voice: “And I appreciate the offer, but... I'm not as afraid for her health as I am for her mind.”

La Croix nodded slowly, and Cadence smiled briefly before she said softly: “We'll get her back in one piece, Moonflower. Now, don't take this the wrong way, but... do you think she's maybe a reflected version of you?”

Moonflower huffed again at this, straightening and puffing his chest out as he declared: “I am unique to all the worlds, thank you! No, she may be... similar to me, that is for certain, but she is definitely not me. Only I am me, Cadence, and you would do well to remember that.”

Cadence rolled her eyes, and La Croix said dryly: “Good thing, too, 'cause one of you be more than enough.”

Moonflower scowled at the zebra, who glared back at him before the two stallions looked up with surprise as a meek voice said: “I think I am fine. I am just... shocked, by everything that has happened.”

The one-winged unicorn shifted aside to let Aster enter their little circle, the mare smiling faintly as she rubbed at the red veins pulsing silently under her skin before she shook her head quickly, then she murmured: “It does not hurt anymore, at least, but it feels very... hot, still. I just keep thinking of Salazar... he is dead, and yet, I don't feel... my parents haven't come back, we didn't bring that place crumbling down, we avenged... nothing. We did nothing.”

“We stopped Salazar. You stopped him, Aster. You conquered him, and we put many of the poor souls trapped in that place to rest. We did save lives, one way or another, and... as Freya said to me earlier, if the Blood Seer was telling the truth, then this is the best course of action we can take. Unfortunately, sometimes swallowing your anger, your own hatred, is the best thing you can do.” Cadence smiled a little, glancing over at her father. “The point of revenge shouldn't be about making ourselves feel better. It should be to help the victims find peace.”

Aster nodded a few times, looking down and silently rubbing her hoof over the broken deck, before she murmured: “Many of my crew died, fighting the enemy battleships. I can feel that weight on my conscience, it's... it is very painful.”

She smiled briefly, then turned towards La Croix and said quietly: “À chaque fou plaît sa marotte, non?”

“Oui.” La Croix chuckled quietly, then he shook his head before looking over at Moonflower and adding: “She be talkin' bout you, by the way.”

Moonflower rolled his eyes as Aster smiled briefly, shaking her head before she said softly: “I do feel that I owe you, Moonflower. You gave me the confidence and the strength I needed to survive this. If there is ever anything I can do to repay you, I will be more than happy to.”

“Well, we're not done yet, Aster. Besides, you did it yourself. I just did the little I could to help you out along the way.” Moonflower replied with surprising gentility, before he turned his eyes towards Cadence and added proudly: “Although I think this goes to show that I can be a perfectly capable leader as well! I'm certainly very pleased to see you finally trusting my judgment and all. I have excellent judgment of everything from decisions to character.”

Cadence sighed at this, shaking her head slowly. Then she looked up, asking finally: “How long until we get to port from here?”

Aster glanced up, checking both the sky and scanning the horizon, before she smiled a little and said: “I can't be entirely sure, but... I would say probably a few more hours. The ship was very badly damaged. We are fortunate it's still seaworthy... or, well, afloat. If not for your ship, we wouldn't be traveling anywhere, really.”

Cadence nodded meditatively, and then Moonflower asked curiously: “So what will you call yourself now? You are planning to come with us back to Decretum, yes?”

“I... I am. I don't know what I am, really, but...” Aster shrugged a bit, smiling briefly as she flapped her wings a few times before she sighed a little, looking over her shoulder at these as she murmured: “I always thought having these would make me... respected, privileged, powerful. But all they did was attract trouble. Salazar thought I was someone I wasn't, and so...”

She lowered her head, and as the others looked at her, she answered the question that Cadence had badly wanted to ask, but been resisting up until now: “The enslavement charm... meant that even when I ran from him, I was pulled back to him. I did not tell any of you about it because... I don't know why. I didn't think it could be removed. I didn't think it mattered. Maybe I thought that if I left it on, Salazar would be less prepared, would think I was 'obeying' him... maybe part of me was obeying him and his mental orders.”

Aster shook herself out, then she smiled briefly. “I... I am sorry. I was frightened and stupid and... only thinking of myself. But I knew that you would stop him, and... I suppose we did. I just never expected to end up feeling so... unfulfilled.”

“I once destroyed the entire world, you know.” Moonflower said matter-of-factly, and both Cadence and La Croix groaned and rolled their eyes, starting to turn away, before the stallion said in a quieter voice: “It was the greatest mistake I have ever made. I was childish, and stupid, and I did it all out of the desire for a revenge that... went entirely, terribly wrong. I thought I was evil back then, you see, but...”

He chuckled quietly, shaking his head slowly before he murmured: “Well, it's good that you won't be making the same mistakes as me at least, Aster.” He paused, then smiled and rose his head, adding quickly: “But if you'd like to hear about all the conquering and the many great triumphs I had in my past, I'd be more than happy to tell you about them!”

“And I'll tell you about all my quests and crusades during my short stint as a pirate captain, and how even now the sea quakes in fear at the very mention of the Black Fleet!” Aster replied with a smile, and the two laughed before turning to walk away, already starting to brag to each other.

Sombra smiled softly at this, while La Croix and Cadence both traded amused looks before the zebra shrugged, saying mildly: “Boy, she gonna be real disappointed when she finds out he's a pédé.”

Cadence sighed, but inwardly agreed, smiling in entertainment despite herself before she turned back to look out over the gentle sea and the beauty and calm of the endless waves, beneath this soft blue sky... and in spite of the chaos of the past, and the worries for the future, she felt peace.