Hecate's Orphanage

by BlackRoseRaven

The Ties That Bind Us

Chapter Thirty Five: The Ties That Bind Us
~BlackRoseRaven

“I was careless.”

The stallion's eyes flicked to the side, raptly studying the unicorn who had spoken. He was sitting there, with his friends. No, not just friends: family. Siblings.

Family was the most important thing.

The stallion returned his eyes quietly to the table in front of him, picking up the hot chocolate between his hooves. Rig would say it was a foal's drink. He really didn't care what Rig thought, though. Rig still couldn't even call him by the right name. The only reason he still worked with Rig was because he was like a long lost brother... and... family was the most important thing.

He didn't want to let down his family. He wanted to teach. He wanted to be with his family, the best, and the worst. And that was why he was here. For family's sake.

The stallion picked up one of the cookies off the table, spinning it on his silvery hoof before he bit into it with polished metal teeth, chewing slowly. He closed his white eyes, savoring the taste. Horses of Heaven, these were good. He remembered all the years spent eating purely for caloric maintenance, drinking corruption, fueling himself like a machine...

How had he forgotten how good food had been? How had even that part of his mind been taken away from him?

“You weren't careless! Dude, you shot him in the face with your hoof, that's pretty awesome.” replied one of the stallions with a grin, slapping his target on the back. “For an administrator, you fight pretty damn good.”

“Hecate taught me everything I need to know, I told you. To be prepared for any situation.” replied the sapphire stallion, in his little knot of family. The sapphire stallion paused, and he felt it: yes, the target was looking at him. But who was going to make the first move?

He didn't like what he was going to have to do. He didn't want to do it. But either he did this job, or the witch would send in another hunting dog like Sol Seraph. No, it was better that he did this himself, while Rig continued to try and track down his family the old-fashioned way.

He had his mind back. He had to be careful, but he could stay in control. Mistakes that had been made in the past wouldn't happen again.

He hoped his mother wouldn't blame him for this. But he had to obey Thokk. For a thousand different reasons, he had to obey Thokk, not the least of which because the lives of so many others were at stake.

He had to obey because family was the most important thing.

He straightened calmly, not caring that the hood of his cloak had fallen back slightly, revealing the smooth black of his hide, a glimpse of his too-perfect features, the tip of his short, brush-cut ivory mane. His white eyes looked calmly at Thorn Blackfeather, and as this candy shop went silent, Thorn Blackfeather looked back at Thesis.

Antares stared with disbelief at the cloaked stranger, and Innocence frowned; Scarlet Sage looked horrified, terrified, and furious all at once; near the counter, Pinkamena dropped a box, and it struck the ground with a noise like a gunshot, jelly-filled donuts spilling over the floor, spreading icing and filling like blood.

But before anyone could move, the silence was broken by Thorn quietly and calmly excusing himself from the table. The three-legged stallion approached Thesis fearlessly, bruised and battered, but proud, not showing the slightest hint of disability as he leaned down and said in a soft voice: “Mother has been waiting a long time for you.”

“Mother...” Thesis looked down for a moment, and then he laughed quietly and shook his head slowly before his eyes roved silently up to Thorn. The stallion stood, and he towered over Thorn: this Prince of Equestria, this perfect Replicant, this biological weapon and... “That makes you my little brother, if you call her that. Both my brother and my nephew. Funny.”

“Yes. I am.” Thorn said quietly, and they looked at each other in the dead silence of the candy shop before Thorn said calmly: “We should go, Thesis.”

“I need to...” Thesis looked down at this sapphire stallion with newfound fascination, his eyes roving over the bruised stallion who had

REPLACED HIM.

Thesis frowned and closed his eyes tightly, reaching up to touch his head as a malignant, living hatred tore through his mind. His other hoof reached up sharply, trembling, and Antares snarled as he leapt to his hooves, but Thorn didn't flinch, didn't move away.

And slowly, Thesis' hoof lowered to settle on Thorn's shoulder, the Replicant closing his eyes before he whispered: “I apologize. All the years spent with the programming... I'm weak, Thorn. I can't... return to our mother. I have... to do things, I would rather not do.”

“Come home.” Thorn urged quietly, and Thesis squeezed down on his shoulder, trembling slightly, before Thorn said softly: “We can fix-”

“It can't be fixed!” Thesis shouted, whirling towards Thorn as his eyes flared with fury, but even as he shoved Thorn away, he clenched his eyes shut, getting the rage, the hate, the emotion back under control. “I... I apologize. I need...”

He stopped, then shook his head quickly before taking a slow breath and straightening, his eyes hardening as he looked at Thorn and said calmly: “I need you to come with me. I will not let any harm come to you, Thorn Blackfeather. But I require information about Decretum's new operations.”

Antares began to step forward, but Thorn replied in a crisp, calm voice as he straightened: “If you require information, come to Decretum and see for yourself. Hecate will be more than happy to supply it. Perhaps Thokk will reconsider attempting to make war on us once she sees what we are truly capable of.”

Thesis smiled faintly, studying the sapphire stallion before he shook his head slowly, murmuring: “Tenacious. And smart. Mom taught you well...”

He stopped, then slowly allowed his eyes to rove towards Antares, adding quietly: “I'm here for another reason as well. I'm looking for your parents. I have... a few things to discuss with them.”

“Well, they aren't here, so why don't you get lost, Thesis?” Antares said shortly, glaring challengingly at the Replicant, but there was fear in his eyes, too, Thesis noted. That was good: his nephew had some inkling of the threat that he was faced with. “Don't think I'll let you take my little brother without a fight, either, like you tried to kidnap my sister when she was a foal!”

“I'm sorry I did that. I'm sorry for everything.” Thesis said quietly, and he lowered his head before shaking it slowly, murmuring: “Even if I know that's probably insulting to hear now. I'm... I wasn't very well. I'm still not very well, but I am stable. The entire reason I'm here is to minimize the bloodshed.”

Antares laughed dryly, and then he pointed at himself and said sourly: “You do know that I was here when you destroyed this town, and when you literally ripped out one of my dad's ribs. Also Mutt's wing. Also, one of your Replicant friends tried to murder all my friends.”

Thesis studied Antares for a few moments, and Antares glared back at him before Thorn said in a low, serious voice: “Antares, shut up.”

Antares blinked, mouthing wordlessly, before Thorn turned back towards Thesis and said calmly: “Stop being a coward.”

Thesis looked at Thorn for a few moments, and then he said with equal soft seriousness: “Coward or not, I can kill this entire town with one hoof behind my back. Do you want me to do that?”

“Go ahead.” Thorn replied unflinchingly, and Antares gaped as Thesis narrowed his eyes slightly, the two glaring at each other before the sapphire stallion stated: “I am far from impressed by empty bluffs or shows of strength. I still have work to do. If you won't accept my counteroffer, then get out and go back to Thokk, and tell her if she wants to negotiate any sort of deal, she can send a representative if she does not desire to speak to us in person. But you will not be taking me by force.”

Thesis smiled thinly at this, and Antares stepped forward, adding brazenly: “Yeah, asshole. Because I'm gonna kick your ass if you so much as try to lay a hoof on him.”

“Antares, please stop helping.” Thorn said in an exasperated voice, giving the stallion a flat look, but Antares only huffed loudly and glared back at him before the sapphire unicorn returned his eyes to Thesis, adding in a softer voice: “How do you think Hecate is going to feel when I tell her what happened here?”

Thesis looked away for a moment, and then he shook his head before he reached back and calmly picked up his mug of hot chocolate. He paused, looking down at it for a moment before he murmured: “We all do what we must, Thorn Blackfeather. Family is the most important thing, isn't it?”

He sipped at it slowly, then smiled briefly before he shook his head and said finally: “There are still good things in the world. I'll see Mom again, one day. I'm trying to help. This time, I really mean that... I know it's hard to believe, but... this isn't like it was before.”

“Yeah. I've heard that before, from a lot of people.” Antares said quietly. “Usually, they're the ones who are trying the hardest to justify their own sins.”

Thesis only shrugged, then he sipped slowly at his hot chocolate, simply looking at Thorn as Thorn looked back, until Antares asked dryly: “So uh, are we going to fight here, or what? Seriously. This is boring. Right, Sin?”

Innocence grunted loudly, and then Pinkamena leaned over the counter and growled: “First of all, you assholes are going to go outside, and not wreck up my house.”

“Yeah. Okay, assholes, let's get out of this house. You first.” Antares said, glaring at Thesis, but the Replicant didn't budge, instead sipping slowly at his hot chocolate.

“When I'm done.” Thesis replied, apparently undisturbed by the group of ponies all glaring at him. He didn't seem to notice when Pinkamena whistled sharply, and didn't seem to care when Sleipnir came out in his breastplate, carrying a massive axe that he passed to the demon as she hopped the counter and approached with a furious fire in her eyes.

Thesis only looked at Thorn, and Thorn looked back at him, as the stallion drank down the rest of his hot chocolate, then picked up the last cookie from the table. He began to raise it to his mouth, then he suddenly halted and smiled, breaking it in half before he offered it to Thorn, saying quietly: “It's pretty good.”

“Pretty good? Now I'm really going to mess you up, asshole. Those are a lot better than 'pretty good.'” Pinkamena growled, although even she seemed surprised by the way Thesis was acting. He was almost completely different from what any of them could remember when the stallion had been alive: the fits of rage were still there, the unpredictability, the refusal to talk about anything and the demand that they go along with his plan...

But he offered half a cookie to Thorn, who took it and sat, unafraid, in front of the stallion he called 'brother.' They ate slowly, and Thesis gave a warm, honest smile when Thorn finished, asking: “Pretty good, huh?”

“Yeah. Very good.” Thorn smiled a bit, asking curiously: “What's your favorite food, Thesis?”

Thesis looked surprised by this question, and then he frowned in thought and rubbed at his chin before he looked up suddenly and smiled again, replying thoughtfully: “I've always loved cherries. Cherry pie, cherry desserts, cherry anything, really. But especially these delicious little... they're like little cupcakes, but they're stuffed with filling, and-”

Antares loudly cleared his throat several times, leaning pointedly in even though Scarlet Sage was looking uneasily at Thesis with much of the rest of the crowd that had gathered. “Uh. Hey. Hate to interrupt and all, but, like, we're all here to. Have a battle to the death, I thought?”

“I would much prefer to speak of baked goods.” Sleipnir said positively, and then he plopped himself down beside Thorn and Thesis, throwing a foreleg around either stallion... and while Thesis stiffened slightly, it seemed more out of awkwardness than anything else, as the enormous earth pony said cheerfully: “I enjoy rhubarb!”

“No one likes rhubarb. Don't be an asshole, Slap.” Pinkamena grumbled, although she was studying Thesis intently now as well.

“I don't want to kill anyone. I just...” Thesis stopped, and then he shook his head slowly, frowning a bit as he reached up and rubbed at his head before he sighed quietly and murmured: “It felt so good to escape for a little while... it feels so good to... Thorn, please. Come back with me, to Thokk. Please. We're family, and-”

“And family must do what is best for family. Can thou not see, thy little brother is trying to do what is best for thou, Thesis?” Sleipnir said gently, and Thesis looked up at the earth pony silently, as Sleipnir smiled faintly at him. “Nay. Thou can, can't thou? And yet thou... cannot.”

Thesis looked down, and then he clenched his eyes shut, breathing slowly in and out before he said slowly and carefully, as if it took a great force of will: “I can't... disobey Thokk. When I disobey...”

Thesis looked up with a sudden snarl, reaching out and seizing Thorn by the shoulders as he said coldly: “You are coming with me. Thokk demands your presence.”

And here, Antares saw it: the flash of the Thesis he had known, the distorted, the damaged, the damned Thesis, the Thesis that had been nothing more than a monster driven by insanity and hatred and the broken circuits in his frayed mind-

“Thesis.” Thorn's voice was calm and unperturbed, even as Thesis began to lift him into the air. “Get control of yourself.”

Thesis trembled, and then he clenched his eyes shut before he slowly lowered Thorn back to the ground, whispering: “I'm sorry. But I am in control. I am in control, except when...”

“You go against Thokk's programming. Thokk hasn't healed you. She's just inflicted another batch of mental programming on to you. You don't just mean that you don't want to or won't do these things. You're incapable of it. If you fight, you revert.” Thorn said quietly, and Thesis gave a faint smile that told Thorn he was at least half-right.

The sapphire stallion looked away for a moment, before he said softly: “You still won't take me, Thesis. You understand that, don't you?”

“I will do whatever I have to, in order to protect my family. In order to see promises fulfilled. In order to... not be alone.” Thesis said quietly, and there was silence for a few moments before the Replicant cleared his throat, and then he looked away and shook his head briefly. “I... shall we step outside, then?”

“If we have to.” Thorn replied, and Thesis nodded before he began to turn, then he blinked in surprise and leaned back as a bright pink pony seemed to appear out of thin air in front of him with a bright smile and a white box that she popped open, even as Pinkamena visibly flinched in horror.

“Did you mean these?” she asked inquisitively, and Thesis hesitated before he reached into the box and pulled out what looked like a frosted ball of dough. He bit into it after a moment, and then he smiled and nodded, and Pinkie Pie giggled a little before she said warmly: “You should take some with you when you go!”

“Sissy, get the hell away from him!” Pinkamena shouted in a strangled voice, but Pinkie Pie only huffed and shook her head, leaning past Thesis to look pointedly at her sister.

“He just needs a friend! You should all be nicer to him.” she scolded, and Pinkamena dropped her axe with a rattling clang to the floor and looked disbelievingly at her sister, before Pinkie Pie smiled brightly and added in a softer voice: “He's not a bad guy. Maybe he looks a little like a bad guy, but he definitely isn't.”

Thesis lowered his head in quiet gratitude as he finished eating the baked treat, and then he turned and headed towards the doors of the candy shop. Pinkie smiled over her shoulder, and then Thorn reached up and took one of the cherry balls, taking a bite out of it and nodding when the bright-pink earth pony smiled at him happily. “They're very good. Thank you.”

He ate his in a few quick bites, then strode past, leaving the sweets shop to find Thesis standing in the mostly-empty road, his cloak placed over the railing, and his back to Thorn: a back that wasn't flesh and blood, but instead had ugly, chitinous metal plating grafted over it.

Thesis stretched himself out slowly, and without looking around, he said quietly: “I would prefer not to hurt you. Are you sure you won't come with me?”

“I don't want to see you hurt, either, Thesis. But it seems today we are on opposite sides of the battlefield.” Thorn said quietly, before he smiled briefly and asked: “What do you want me to tell Mother?”

“Tell her...” Thesis looked away, and then he only shook his head as Antares emerged, with Pinkamena and Sleipnir on one side, Innocence and Aphrodisia the other, and Scarlet Sage following behind. “Well, you won't have to worry about that. I won't fail in my mission.”

“Failure is not the root of all evil. Apathy is.” Thorn replied calmly as the ponies fell into position around him, and then he shook his head before saying softly: “I'll ask you one last time to stop, Thesis. This is not a course of action you want to pursue.”

“Yeah. You don't just swoop in and try and steal little brothers, you know. He's just a kid.” Antares cut in loudly, before he leaned forwards and added in a quieter, more serious voice: “Once you might have beaten us all with one hoof tied behind your back, Thesis. But we've grown up since then. And the longer you draw this out, the more of us will show up.”

“Numbers aren't always an advantage, Antares. Not when this is a little more complicated than just raw combat.” Thesis responded, lowering his head politely. Antares scowled at this, but the Replicant had already turned his attention back to Thorn, asking quietly: “Are you really going to put them all at risk?”

“At this point, it doesn't matter what I do, Thesis.” Thorn replied calmly, giving a brief smile to the stallion. “Not that I've ever had any control over what Antares and his friends do, of course. In the short time I've known them, I've very quickly learned that no matter what I do or say, they're going to do whatever it is they want.”

Thesis smiled a bit at this, and then Antares stepped forwards past Thorn as the others readied themselves. Thorn shifted backwards, removing himself from the field, knowing he would only get in the way without his prosthetic limb, but he was admittedly surprised when Antares said with surprising tact and gentility: “As funny as it sounds, I don't really want to fight you, Thesis. I know it's not smart and I remember how badly you hurt us before. I'm not in my best shape after the encounter with Sol Seraph and her father, and I can read you enough to see... you at least believe you're trying to do something good here.

“I also know that you tried to do something good in the past, and when things didn't go your way, you basically gave up, gave in, and you killed a lot of people. You blamed us for a fight you started. I'm not saying that because I want to insult you; I'm saying that because if that part of you is still in there somewhere... I know it means...”

There was quiet for a moment, Pinkamena grimacing as Sleipnir shifted slowly on his hooves and Aphrodisia bit her lip. Thesis lowered his own head silently, and then he said softly: “I'm not going to concentrate on the past. And I... will not kill. Let me prove to you with my actions instead of my words, though. My words, I know, are meaningless.”

Thesis stepped forwards, raising his head before he smiled slightly as his eyes flicked over the ponies in front of him, and then he asked in a lighter voice: “You think you have enough ponies, or do you want to go and get more?”

“Hey, if you're afraid, you just have to ask for one-on-one, and I'll kick your ass myself.” Antares retorted, although he seemed genuinely surprised at the same time by Thesis' amiability.

The Replicant shrugged, and then he smiled again before replying quietly: “Nah. I walked into this. Either I walk out of it under my own power, or I don't. I knew what I was getting into.”

“Still doesn't feel entirely fair.” Antares said mildly, and then he glanced over his shoulder, grinning and winking at Sleipnir and Pinkamena. “Hey, how about having us kids get the first go? Scar, you count as an old mare, you stay back too.”

Innocence growled and stepped forwards, raking a claw against the ground, as Aphrodisia bounced up beside Antares with a bright smile. Sleipnir laughed as Scarlet rolled her eyes, and Pinkamena snorted before she said moodily: “You're lucky I like you, kid. Yeah, whatever. Get your face punched in. I'm sure there'll be more than enough to go around.”

The demon glared at Thesis, but Thesis seemed unperturbed, only looking curiously at Antares before he smiled slightly and said thoughtfully: “Not bad. Tactical assessment.”

“Hey, shut up, you don't know what we're doing.” Antares said grumpily, and then he cleared his throat before suddenly straightening and bowing low. “Good fortune to you in the fight.”

“And may you win with honor.” Thesis replied calmly and honestly, bowing his own head low to expose the back of his neck, before he smiled when they straightened at the same time.

There was silence for a moment, and then Antares seemed almost to vanish, Thorn's eyes widening in surprise as the stallion appeared in front of Thesis with a sharp jab-

Thesis simply tilted his head to the side and retaliated with a hard thrust-punch into Antares' breast, the crystal-winged unicorn's eyes bulging as he was knocked skidding backwards through the street. He slid to a halt, then gasped loudly for air as Thesis remarked easily: “You're pretty fast. But not quite fast enough.”

Antares narrowed his eyes a little at this, and then he whistled sharply, and Aphrodisia and Innocence both reacted immediately, the demon becoming a burst of black smoke that whirled in towards one side of Thesis as Innocence blinked out of existence and reappeared in the next moment on the Replicant's other side, claws already raised.

Thesis moved even faster than either demon or scaled unicorn, his front hooves snapping out to either side and slamming into both Innocence and Aphrodisia, the demon squeaking as she was punched back into physical reality and Innocence squawking as she was knocked skidding on her back across the road. Antares, however, leapt immediately forwards as he saw his chance, grinning as his horn glowed with white energy-

With incredible grace, Thesis twisted his body and brought both rear hooves lashing upwards in an arcing kick across Antares' face, knocking him staggering to the side with a gasp before Thesis caught himself on his front hooves and slammed both hind legs out in a vicious followup kick. Antares was sent hurtling backwards, but this time he was caught by the scruff of the neck by Pinkamena before he could hit the ground.

Then the demon slung him to the earth anyway, making him wheeze as she snapped: “Stop screwing around, kids, or you can forget what I said and I'll deal with that bastard myself!”

“Yeah. Sure you will.” Antares mumbled, and then he yelped when Pinkamena seized him by the mane and slowly hauled him up to his hooves, before the stallion squeaked when she swung her axe hard into his rump, knocking him flailing forwards.

In midair, Antares' crystal wings suddenly spread as his horn sparked, creating a platform of white energy beneath him, and childishly comical became deadly serious as he launched into a savage attack straight at the Replicant's face.

Thesis caught Antares by his hooves and half-spun, flinging him off to the side before he sharply brought a forelimb down, intercepting a hard punch from Aphrodisia. Without losing a beat, he twisted his foreleg to the side, grasping her by the wrist and quickly bending her foreleg backwards and making her squeak as her whole body was forcibly bent, while at the same time the Replicant twisted out of the way of a slash of Innocence's horn before he slammed his elbow down onto the back of her head, sending her face-first into the ground with a loud thud.

“You're mean!” Aphrodisia whined loudly as she struggled to pull her foreleg free, and Thesis looked towards her as he rose an eyebrow before his eyes suddenly narrowed, and he ducked sharply, a moment before the demon's scythe whickered through the air where his head had been only seconds before.

Before Aphrodisia could react, Thesis twisted her foreleg hard, flipping her off her hooves before he slammed a hoof into her stomach in midair, launching her across the battlefield with a gasp. She landed on her back with a thud, groaning in pain as her scythe dropped out of the air a moment later, and Thesis calmly returned to all fours, looking back and forth almost curiously at the trio of stunned ponies around him before he gave a slight grin. “Incredible. I'd forgotten there was so much more to fighting than just... war.”

“Aye, friend. But thou art not fighting, remember. 'Tis no brutal brawl or silly skirmish, but a test of strength and honor!” Sleipnir said jovially, stomping a hoof firmly as he grinned widely at the stallion. “And I must say, that I look greatly forwards to meeting thee in the contest!”

“And I you.” Thesis replied pleasantly, bowing his head politely towards the earth pony before his eyes flicked over his shoulder, saying mildly: “You certainly don't back down from a challenge. I'll give you that.”

Antares only growled, then threw himself at Thesis' back. But with ease, Thesis launched himself off the ground and somersaulted over Antares, landing neatly on all four hooves and only smiling slightly as the crystal-winged unicorn skidded to a halt with a curse before throwing himself at Thesis in a wild frontal assault.

Thesis continued to smile as he smoothly backpedaled, allowing the stallion to drive him backwards into the road. Thorn couldn't help but watch with fascination, the way the two fought: Antares, he knew, was just trying to analyze Thesis, learn what he was capable of, but Thesis was smoothly controlling the flow of the entire battle, leading his opponents where he wanted them to be, isolating them from each other before taking them down, but he wasn't fighting to do damage, Thorn noted, even as Thesis caught Antares by the foreleg before before twisting hard to the side and throwing the stallion down into the dirt.

Antares bounced over the road with a squawk, rolling onto his back and laying in a prone, stunned heap as Thesis smiled in amusement down at him, before the Replicant shook his head slowly and said softly: “You're not even trying.”

“I... I totally am trying!” Antares defended, wheezing a little before he picked himself up and shook himself roughly out, complaining: “It's not my fault that you're so-”

“Amazing?” Thesis interrupted easily as he flexed one foreleg slowly, winking over at Antares, who stared for a moment at the bulge of muscle before he huffed loudly.

“You're not that sexy.” Antares retorted, and then he halted and blushed deeply, blurting out: “Not that I think you're sexy! I'm just saying that if you think you are, you're completely wrong! There's nothing wrong with stallions saying that other stallions definitely aren't sexy because I don't find them sexy at all what the hell are you talking about?”

Thesis looked mildly at Antares for a few moments as Antares gave a wide, stupid grin, and then the Replicant said kindly: “You know, no one would blame you for it. I mean, sometimes I look in the mirror and get distracted by just how handsome I am.”

Thesis posed for a moment, flexing his strong, handsome frame, and Antares awkwardly looked away with a faint, wheezy giggle before he howled loudly: “I need an adult!”

“Finally.” Pinkamena muttered, and then she leapt forwards, grinning sharkishly as she shouldered her massive axe and leapt towards Thesis, who looked fearlessly up at the demon with a slight smile as she pounced and slashed her weapon savagely down-

Thesis caught the deadly battle axe between his front hooves, Pinkamena swearing as she was halted before he twisted the weapon hard to the side, yanking it loose from her hooves and sending it flipping into the air. Pinkamena snarled as the axe was flung towards the sky, but she turned her stumble into a shoulder charge, not missing a single beat in her attack.

The Replicant caught her by the shoulder and easily redirected her, throwing her past him as he reached up and caught the axe by the handle with his other hoof. Pinkamena growled as she spun around, kicking up a spray of dirt with her hind hooves, but she twisted right into a firm swing of her own axe, the flat of the blade smashing into her and knocking her almost comically flat, leaving her staring stupidly at the sky.

Thesis absently squeezed the handle of the battle axe, and then he whistled a little before tossing it off to the side, saying mildly as his eyes roved thoughtfully down to the demon: “Pretty impressive. You're much smoother than I expected, too.”

Pinkamena glared, and then she suddenly shoved herself off the ground and kicked both hind hooves savagely into Thesis' face, knocking him backwards with a grunt of shock and a spray of black blood as his eyes bulged. Before he could recover, Pinkamena slugged him savagely with a two-hoofed tomahawk, knocking him face-first into the ground before she seized him by the mane-

Thesis leapt forwards, catching the demon by her hind legs and hefting her into the air before he slammed her down on her back, Pinkamena bouncing backwards with a grunt of surprise before the Replicant smoothly somersaulted backwards when Antares attempted to lunge into him, the stallion swearing before bringing up one of his crystalline wings to shield himself from a hard counterpunch.

Thesis' hoof hit with enough force to crack Antares' unnatural wing, making the stallion arch his back with a hiss of pain before the Replicant bore forwards, slamming a precise, sharp blows into the appendage even as Antares channeled magic through his wings, doing his best to bear up under the assault. Before Thesis could literally punch his way through the stallion's wing, however, Aphrodisia lunged in from the side, her scythe whickering out-

The Replicant dropped almost onto his belly, beginning to counterattack before his eyes widened and he instead flung himself backwards, rolling quickly over the ground and kicking up to his hooves as he narrowly avoided being impaled on the spikes of rock that tore out of the earth where he had been a moment before. He was fast, Thorn noted with interest, but not fast enough to avoid Innocence as she blinked into reality beside him and slammed a claw now sheathed in a heavy, bladed gauntlet into Thesis' face.

He was launched off his hooves by the force of the blow, his eyes bulging in shock before his body flipped and he landed smoothly, skidding backwards and blinking as he reached up to touch his bloody face. Energy faintly misted off his damaged features as they sluggishly healed, the stallion wrinkling up his muzzle and working his jaw slowly as Innocence grinned widely, her gauntlet-covered claws flexing as she sat back and growled: “Not so tough now, are you, asshole?”

The ponies picked themselves up and assembled themselves in a ready line, their eyes locked on Thesis as he slowly stepped backwards, looking meditatively over the group assembled in front of him. His eyes flicked to the side, noting that Sleipnir and Scarlet Sage were still at the edge of the battlefield, near Thorn... although neither were guarding him, the two only spectating as Thorn rested calmly, watching the fight with clinical interest.

Thesis shifted slightly on his hooves, returning his eyes towards the group that was slowly moving to encircle him. There were other ponies gathering as well, staying on the edge of the battleground for now, but plenty of them looked ready to fight: these weren't frightened ponies, convinced of their own powerlessness, but people who would do anything and everything in their power to protect themselves and each other from anyone who would threaten to do them harm.

If only every Equestria could have such commitment, Thesis thought, as he readied himself with a smile as his eyes almost enviously moved over the ponies around him. If only his Equestria had been so strong, then, he knew, Valthrudnir never would have succeeded in his plans, and perhaps everything would have been different.

But there was no point in reflecting on that now, he thought, as he took a slow breath and scanned the ponies around them, sensing them, letting his instincts take over as he said softly: “Your coordination is admirable, but your confidence may be misplaced.”

Antares smiled wryly as he flexed his cracked wing, and then he glanced back and forth before he replied pleasantly: “Well, don't get too cocky yet, pal. We're just getting warmed up ourselves, after all.”

Thesis began to smile, before his eyes widened as Antares suddenly whistled: in a flash, Aphrodisia lunged in with her scythe, but the Replicant quickly shifted to catch the pole of the deadly weapon before it could slice into him.

He swore as Innocence blinked towards him, vanishing from the spot and reappearing with her steel claws already rending towards his exposed back, but Thesis smoothly kicked both hind legs backwards as he pushed off the pole of the scythe, slamming into Innocence's face and knocking her head back as she swore in frustration-

A gold-and-red comet streaked out of the air and smashed into Thesis' armored back, knocking him flat as he gasped in shock before he flinched as the tiny Pegasus that had smashed into him began to violently stomp up and down on the now-dented plate covering his back, Avalon shouting: “How many of you assholes do we have to kill?”

Thesis swore as he felt magic beginning to bind him, and the Replicant suddenly bucked upwards when Avalon tried to stomp down, the Pegasus squawking as she was sent springing off his back and up into the air.

Thesis yanked his legs up at the same moment to rip them loose from the magical coils trying to snare him, and then he dropped and ducked under a slash of Aphrodisia's scythe before rolling to the side to avoid a punishing chop of Pinkamena's axe. Without slowing, he backpedaled and swung a hoof sharply out at the same time, slapping away a blast of magic fired at him from Innocence before he sidestepped sharply to avoid Avalon smashing into his face.

The Pegasus hit the ground hard enough that it would have broken the legs of any other pony, but the tiny mare simply leapt back up into the air, launching off the ground with enough force to kick up a cloud of dust that buffeted Thesis and made him curse and flinch. It was enough of an opening that Antares was able to leap in and slam both hooves down into Thesis' back as they flared with white fire.

Thesis gasped and stumbled before he half-spun and lashed a foreleg out in a counterattack that was more of a shove than a strike. But he was off-balance now, the plate of metal on his back visibly smoldering as Thorn narrowed his eyes slightly, watching intently as Aphrodisia and Pinkamena both burst apart into black smoke and whirled sharply in on either side of Thesis.

The Replicant reared back and slammed both front hooves out to either side with such force that it seemed to make the very air shake, but he struck nothing but the air as both demons twisted straight up towards the sky in streaks of black smog. Thesis realized too late it had been a diversion, before he arched his back and howled as Innocence sent a superheated ball of plasma slamming straight into his armor-plated back, the metal instantly becoming sizzling hot and making the flesh around the graft smolder and steam.

Thesis stumbled forwards, baring his metal teeth in a snarl before he looked back and forth, but there was nowhere to go: in a moment, both Aphrodisia and Pinkamena dropped out of the air and harrowed him with slashes of their weapons, forcing the Replicant to try and concentrate on dodging and evading even as the plate on his back sizzled and crackled.

Antares swept in, smashing a hoof into Thesis' face and making him curse, but instead of countering the crystal-winged unicorn, Thesis leapt suddenly backwards and kicked both rear hooves savagely into Pinkamena, knocking her sprawling with a series of swears. Aphrodisia lashed in from the side, but Thesis caught her scythe and half-spun, smacking Antares across the face with the pole of the weapon before he could help.

The Replicant flung the scythe – along with the demon still clinging to it – off to the side, a moment before Avalon smashed into the heated plate on his back, making him howl and stagger. Avalon kicked viciously off his back when he tried to spin around, then dropped almost on top of Thesis' face, harrying him with a vicious series of kicks and punches.

Thesis dropped his head under the flurry, then lunged suddenly upward and smashed his skull into the mare's stomach, knocking the wind out of her before his head slammed a second time into her and knocked her crashing backwards.

She bounced across the ground with a squeak, and Thesis gritted his teeth as he quickly turned to catch both Antares and Aphrodisia when they lunged at him, catching the punches they sought to connect with before he twisted their forelegs firmly, smacking them painfully into each other before he yanked them forwards so he could seize them both by their heads and slam their skulls together.

They both collapsed, and Thesis wasted no time in leaping past them, gracefully twisting his body around in midair and slamming both rear hooves out in a vicious kick that smashed into Innocence just as she blinked into reality. She was knocked hurtling backwards with a gargle of shock, landing on her back and skidding painfully over the road as Thesis ducked under a deadly swing of Pinkamena's axe.

He was so fast, so fluid, so graceful, Thorn noted, smiling faintly as he watched the way Pinkamena snapped her axe back and forth in wide, sharp, fast cuts, and Thesis simply danced his way through the attacks like a cobra, even if he was clearly more than a little distracted by the metal plate slowly melting its way off his back.

Thesis moved forwards in a sudden, straight thrust strike that smashed into Pinkamena like a train, hammering her off her hooves and sending her crashing down on her back as her axe flew out of her grip. She coughed blood, but Thorn felt Sleipnir only tense slightly beside him, the enormous earth pony cheering: “Thou art doing fantastically well, phoenix!”

“Oh shut the hell up, Slap.” groaned Pinkamena, as she slowly began to pick herself up off the ground, grimacing as she spat a bit of blood off to the side before she glared balefully at Thesis, who was breathing hard as he slowly composed himself, his body still trembling with clear pain as energy steamed off his back. “What's wrong, fudgecake? You not feeling well?”

“Not particularly.” Thesis muttered, and then he shook himself out before he reached back and hesitantly touched the edge of the half-melted plate, before hissing under his breath and muttering: “Still hot... I can't-”

Before he could finish, a gauntlet-covered fist smashed into his face, and Thesis was knocked staggering dumbly to the side as Innocence landed beside him before sharply whirling her horn, a cyclone of magic tearing through the stallion and knocking him crashing down onto his side with a curse.

He rolled quickly to the side, but before he could leap up to his hooves, Innocence sharply swept her horn down as it pulsed with power, and Thesis was yanked down to the earth by a surge of energy. Thorn's eyes widened slightly as he felt the distinct tingle of that energy: electromagnetic force. Very impressive.

Thesis gasped, magnetized to the ground by the plate on his back, and Innocence punched both her claws into the ground as she grinned widely, her horn giving another pulse of power as she shouted: “Stay still!”

Vines covered in bared thorns ripped out of the earth, seizing around Thesis' limbs and forcefully beginning to restrain him even as he snarled and fought to tear his legs free. But before the Replicant could tear through the vines, Innocence's horn gave another pulse as she said pleasantly: “Don't think so.”

Green, living vine turned to emerald gemstone that refused to let Thesis so much as budge an inch, the Replicant's eyes bulging in shock as Innocence grinned widely and shouted: “Alright, let's send him-”

Thesis gritted his teeth and flexed his body before he roared and tore upwards, and Innocence's jaw dropped as the Replicant tore free from the ground, the melted plate tearing loose from his back in a burst of blood and steaming energy, the gemstone tendrils wrapped around him shattering into useless fragments of green shrapnel.

Thesis snarled as he landed on his rear hooves, his eyes flicking back and forth as pain sparked through his body. He used the pain, the shock, the sudden desperation to sharpen his focus as everything went in one fell swoop from almost a game to a serious confrontation, where his instincts told him it was kill or-

No. He would not kill.

But that didn't mean he had to be nice, either.

Thesis almost vanished from the spot, slamming a hoof into Antares' face before the stallion could react; before Antares could even hit the ground, Thesis was already driving his elbow backwards into Aphrodisia's throat, stunning her, before he half-spun to drive his hoof into Pinkamena's skull: not simply to punch her, however, but to use the demon like an axis, hammering her to the ground as he vaulted over her body.

He caught Avalon in midair as she dove at him, the only pony fast enough to process what was going on – and yet still not fast enough to dodge – before he crushed the tiny Pegasus into almost a ball as he flew towards Innocence, ramming the tiny pony face-first into Innocence and knocking them both backwards.

Thesis moved like lightning as he half-turned, leaping towards Thorn as for a moment, the objective blotted out all else in his mind, old instincts, old programming rising up as he drove himself towards his target with a snarl and leapt out to seize him-

Sleipnir caught one of Thesis' hooves, and Thesis stumbled to a halt, his mouth falling open with disbelief as the enormous earth pony only smiled kindly down at him before saying softly: “'Tis quite understandable that we may lose ourselves when excited, friend. But I truly believed thou when thou said thou art better than thy failings.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then Thesis lowered his head slightly before he pulled his hoof gently away, and Sleipnir smiled at him as the Replicant turned his eyes to Thorn. “Your friends are strong. But you must know by now that I'm stronger.”

“I don't know about that, pal.” Antares muttered as he slowly straightened, grimacing a bit at the sight of Thesis' exposed back: he could see raw muscle, and a gaping wound, inside which what looked like synthetic parts clicked alongside flexing flesh and shifting bone... “Great job, Sin.”

Innocence scowled at how sarcastic Antares sounded, the mare rubbing at her face slowly before she muttered: “Hey, it's not my fault that he apparently wasn't put back together right.”

“Who the hell cares? Let's kick his ass.” Avalon growled as she picked herself up, scraping a hoof against the ground, and Pinkamena grunted in agreement as Aphrodisia shook herself roughly out, then barked like a dog at Thesis before growling loudly at the Replicant.

They were a lot tougher than he expected: but this time, of course, he wasn't insane and deluded, and attacking with an army. He was by himself, well aware of how much damage his every blow did, and as much as he wanted to get through their ranks, he didn't want to hurt these ponies.

He breathed slowly in and out, then flexed his body before he lowered his head: still, maybe it was the only way. His body ached so much, and with that plate removed from his back, the gaping horror of a permanent wound he had was left exposed to the world, for all eyes to see...

His eyes lingered silently over the ground, before they roved upwards as Sleipnir shifted slightly aside, and Thesis licked his lips slowly as his gaze settled on Thorn's amputated limb. He studied the synthetic, slotted node at the end of his stump, and then Thesis smiled faintly before he shook his head slowly and whispered: “Some family we are, huh?”

“We are.” There was no mockery, no sarcasm, no disagreement. Just a serious acknowledgment, and respect, he thought. Maybe even the faintest hint of admiration that he knew he didn't deserve, as his eyes tried to lower, but Thorn wouldn't let him. His gaze was like a physical thing, holding him in place, as the sapphire stallion said quietly: “I'll see to it that we develop something more protective for you than a metal plate, as soon as possible. I'm sure we can decide on an acceptable neutral territory where you can accept it.”

Thesis laughed a little, shaking his head slowly even as he smiled briefly and said softly: “Nothing really convinces you to stop once you set your mind on something, huh?”

“I learned that from Hecate. We only ever fail because of our own weakness.” Thorn replied with a shrug, and Thesis nodded slowly in agreement, lowering his head a little before the sapphire stallion said gently: “And that is why I am not going to give up on you, either.”

Thesis smiled a bit at this, opening his mouth before his eyes suddenly narrowed, the Replicant visibly stiffening before he muttered: “You are not needed here.”

Antares felt it, too: a cold, unpleasant presence that sent chills along his spine. He looked back and forth as Aphrodisia growled low in her throat, body stiffening and hackles rising, while Pinkamena rose her head, looking serious and grim.

The presence fluttered around them: Antares could see it in the corners of his eyes, only when he didn't look directly at it. It was something vile, something condescending, something that stank like the Void, with a different, far-more sinister energy than Thesis.

“Tsk, tsk.” hissed a voice, as that blurry shape moved restlessly back and forth, weaving between them, seeming to peer over them patronizingly as it stayed just far enough outside of reality that none of them could do anything about it. “Won't the Lady Thokk be displeased with this? Oh, Heimdall. How the mighty have fallen.”

“My name is Thesis, Rig. Please remember that.” Thesis said evenly, and then he slowly turned around, shifting almost as if to protect Thorn as he added calmly: “Why don't you show your face instead of skulking around in the shadows? I don't think any of the ponies here appreciate that.”

“You've grown so soft, Heimdall. And so traitorous. It's disappointing.” the entity called Rig replied distastefully, a moment before a shape twisted into being beside Innocence, making her shout in frustration as it grasped her by the scruff of the neck with a clawed hand and yanked her up into the air.

She grabbed wildly at its wrist as Antares snarled, but Thesis was the first to react, snapping: “Put her down, Rig!”

“Fine.” Rig said moodily, and the creature almost flung Innocence down. The mare swore as she bounced over the ground before she looked over her shoulder at Rig, then grimaced and quickly hopped away, shivering in revulsion at the thought that this thing had touched her.

Rig snorted in disdain at this, looking with contempt over the ponies as he crossed his bony arms: he looked terribly thin, his body somehow jagged, his legs and arms unnaturally bent and twisted. His body seemed to ruffle and flow like it was made of a thousand different liquid shadows, and a long, rotting tail of feathers hung out from behind him in a fan, eternally bleeding ashes that barely kissed the ground before they faded from reality. A half-cape of ugly black feathers hung around his shoulders, with the same strange and seemingly-endless flow of ashes spilling down from it.

His hands were yellowed and scaly, bird's scaly claws tipped with jagged black talons. His head was a white skull, with a long , ugly beak: red hatred glowed in the sockets, but Antares couldn't tell if it was some kind of mask or not, since the beak didn't move, and yet the ugly thing spoke all the same: “Stop playing around, Heimdall. We have to go. I found your precious quarry.”

“My brother?” Thesis' eyes widened as he turned towards Rig, biting his lip as he looked quickly over his shoulder at Thorn before he suddenly turned his eyes back to the creature and snapped: “Then we leave immediately! Take me to them, I will bring my brother to Thokk!”

Rig snorted in contempt at this, pointing past Thesis at Thorn and retorting: “You were given another job by Thokk, Thesis! Complete your-”

Thesis snarled, his eyes flashing before he began to open his mouth, and then he suddenly closed his jaws, took a slow breath, and then he looked over his shoulder at Thorn again before asking quietly: “Decretum, or Endworld?”

“Decretum. We'll be waiting.” Thorn replied calmly, and then he added after a moment: “Tell my parents... tell them I said hello.”

“Tell them we all said hello!” Antares declared, and then he halted and scratched moodily under his chin as all eyes turned towards him, the stallion mumbling: “That sounded a lot better in my head.”

Thesis smiled a little as Thorn shook his head slowly and Pinkamena rolled her eyes, and Rig looked around with contempt and disgust before he started: “Heimdall, it is shameful that-”

“We know where Thorn will be. He will be in Decretum. I can go to fetch him at any time, and I am sure Thokk will be pleased that Empress Hecate will simply open the door for our arrival.” Thesis replied evenly, before he added in a sharper voice: “Scrivener and Luna can move through the worlds as they please and have already escaped us too many times in the past. Either we take this opportunity now, or we risk losing them again and spending days, weeks, or even longer trying to find them and capture them. Let's not waste any more time, Rig!”

Rig shifted slowly, and then he snorted, scowling over the ponies. “Fine. But know that your true desires are translucent, Heimdall. And I highly doubt Thokk will be half so accommodating of your... longings.”

“Thokk will have no complaints when we return to her with the Valkyrie and my brother.” Thesis retorted, shaking his head shortly before he turned his eyes towards Thorn, his gaze lingering on his little brother for a few moments before he said softly: “I will... see you soon.”

Rig snorted in disdain, but then Thesis turned towards him and said shortly: “Open the path to the Bellona. We'll prepare and depart immediately.”

“Fine.” Rig snorted, looking slowly over Thesis before he waved an arm irritably outward, and there was a thrum before a rip twisted itself open in reality, the vortex shimmering eerily with a magic unlike any of them had ever seen before. But Thorn recognized it, all the same, even if the others didn't know what to make of it: Asgardian magic. Almost the same power that Thokk had used.

Rig surveyed them distastefully for a moment, and then he simply turned and stepped into the portal he had created for himself. Thesis lingered longer, looking over his shoulder at Thorn, before he glanced up in surprise as Antares said softly: “I'll take care of him, pal. You go see my folks. Guess they'd be pretty mad if I kicked your ass, anyway. That's kind of their thing, after all.”

Thesis looked at Antares for a few moments, and then he smiled faintly and nodded before turning towards the rift in reality and leaping through it. He vanished in a flash, and there was silence for a few moments before Avalon asked disbelievingly: “We're just letting him leave? Just like that?”

“Just like that.” agreed Antares, smiling slightly over at Avalon as he shrugged easily, and the mare glowered at him horribly before the stallion absently stretched one of his forelegs out, adding in a quieter voice: “Let's not pretend the dude was trying that hard, either. If he wanted to take us down, there's no way we would have been able to stop him.”

Avalon grimaced at this, hovering moodily in the air as she looked grouchily off to the side, and then Thorn said, almost abruptly: “Thank you.”

Antares looked up in surprise, and then he simply shrugged before grinning wryly, saying softly: “Hey, no worries. I got a feeling this is just the beginning, anyway. And like I said...

“Mutt and Dad would be mad as hell if they didn't get a chance to fight him.”