Hecate's Orphanage

by BlackRoseRaven

The Feckless And The Faithless

Chapter Fifty Five: The Feckless And The Faithless
~BlackRoseRaven

Cadence sat in a stone cell in the dungeon of the Estate, slowly eating salad out of a bowl as she rested back on the surprisingly comfortable cot. She studied the rune-covered iron bars that made up the front wall of the cell, and the dustless corners of the little concrete cube, and reflected how quiet and pleasant it was here, really.

Amazing, how the small prison in the mansion basement was the part that she and the Swan felt the most comfortable in. It also had the bonus of being quiet, quiet enough that Cadence could always tell when Tormentas was coming to see her, so she could steel herself for the 'training' she had to endure.

It hadn't surprised her to find out there was actually a dungeon, of all things, beneath the mansion. And not a creepy bondage dungeon but an actual prison, although apparently most mansions in Helheim came equipped with at least a few cells in the basement, which Cadence knew she should be more creeped-out by, considering what most demons probably did with their prisoners.

But it was still hard for her to think of demons as 'people.' Especially here in Helheim, where the culture was so different, where everything seemed so much more exaggerated than the world above. Helheim was a mix of strange rules and wild passions, and it was hard to take it all in. And she had a lot of her own problems to try and work out, too, not to mention the gnawing at her mind about what was going on in the world above.

One of the worlds above, anyway.

That was so confusing, too: how the hell did everyone else cope with the fact that you could very possibly encounter a parallel or alternate version of yourself wandering around Helheim? The thought alone was enough to make Cadence feel a little sick to her stomach.

Then again, maybe she was just afraid of running into an alternate version of herself. What would that other-her think? And would she herself be jealous, or snide, or...

No, those were all stupid thoughts and they weren't important. What she needed to do was just relax for a while. Thorn had already warned her there was a mission coming up, and she would have to be at her best, not stewing over the way that Tormentas was treating her.

She liked Tormentas, and she even respected her. But that didn't change the fact that the Inquisitor was also an utter, miserable bitch when it came to 'teaching.' Cadence scowled grumpily at the ceiling as she chewed up the last of her salad, then grimaced as the Swan asked curiously: And yet you acknowledge her. Why?

“Because shut up.” Cadence grumbled, but the Swan lingered in her mind, nudged at her again, and Cadence fidgeted before finally sighing and lowering her head, grumbling: “I get what she's trying to do, I guess is the best way to put it. I just hate it and don't think that... I mean, I listen to Hecate! Sure, I... grumble sometimes, and I'm not always the most professional person in the world but... hey, I'm a lot better than Moonflower and La Croix! I mean, look who I work with! I keep everyone in line and I do my job and maybe I'm not great at listening all the time but... I'm in charge of my team for a reason, right? I... just... don't like someone else bossing me around. That's all.”

The Swan seemed to smile in her mind at this, and Cadence hated that feeling. She scowled grumpily out of the cell, then finally flung herself off the cot and strode out into the narrow corridor, looking back and forth warily before she hesitated, then turned and allowed her hooves to guide her forwards.

She couldn't help but look in through an open, armored door at what was clearly some kind of interrogation chamber... or torture room, was probably a better name for it. There was a metal rack, polished to perfection, a gurney with sheets and towels piled on it, and a little wheeled table that had a cover over it, although Cadence had taken a peek at what was under there, and found scalpels, pliers, and other instruments of torture. It made her wonder uneasily what kind of things the Valkyrie and her partners practiced, here in Helheim...

She passed several other rooms, filled with other instruments, other devices, other exotic and dangerous lures. There was a massive iron maiden in one of these rooms, which had glass eyes and an eternal, cold steel grin that seemed to challenge her to step into its embrace, and Cadence swore she heard it laughing sometimes...

The ivory mare scowled at the iron maiden from the doorway, then she looked hesitantly up towards the door at the end of the corridor. It was made of some strange, dark metal that seemed to pulse with eerie life beneath the heavy iron bands that caged the steely flesh in-

“It's not alive.” Cadence muttered, and she didn't know if she was talking to that little voice in her head or just trying to reassure herself. Then again, she was in Hell, and for all she knew maybe there were living doors here, too.

She studied the reinforced door for a few moments, then reached up and carefully touched the locking mechanism on the front: a gemstone, engraved with a phrase in the ancient language the Swan had spoken. It was sort of a riddle, she supposed... “Well, more instructions, I guess. Then again, I guess Brynhild probably isn't the brightest candle in the bunch...”

The Swan chuckled at this, and Cadence smiled wryly: well, at least they could agree on the Valkyrie, still. The ivory mare shook her head, before she frowned slightly as the Swan stated: I am curious.

“I... am, too, but I guess we're kind of guests here and... it's not like we could just force the lock open, anyway.” Cadence said after a moment, returning her eyes to the gemstone before she read: “'By light of moon and blood of angels, bless me and be received.' Our magic is...”

Cadence scowled a little at herself: she was doing that more and more. No, it wasn't their magic, it was- “My magic isn't the same as hers, and neither is yours.”

The Swan clearly chose to ignore her nitpicking, as Cadence felt the twist of its emotions before it instructed: Touch the gemstone. We shall open the lock.

Cadence rolled her eyes, but she was grudgingly curious, and after a moment, she finally reached up and placed her hoof against the gemstone, muttering: “We shouldn't be doing this. And it isn't even going to work, anyway, you're-”

Her horn gave a faint, painful thrum before Cadence felt the now-familiar pain of energy twisting through her body, and the ivory mare hissed under her breath as that pain coalesced into her hoof, her forelimb shuddering before she finally gasped and yanked it backwards, snapping: “What the bloody hell are you trying... to...”

Cadence stared in disbelief as the armored door vibrated before slowly swinging open, and she mouthed wordlessly for a moment before she looked to the side, as if she expected to see the Swan there as she blurted: “What the hell was that?”

The ivory mare winced as her head twisted the other way, and the Swan replied calmly through her mouth: “Do not forget that we are from whence the Valkyries came. We are older, stronger than they are.”

“Goddammit don't take over my body!” Cadence shouted as her head wrenched the other way as she took control back over herself, and the Swan receded with a whisper of amusement, Cadence thought, and she scowled to herself before she muttered: “What we are is awful.”

The Swan didn't agree nor disagree, and Cadence sighed a little before she hesitantly stepped forwards, shouldering her way through the door before she frowned uneasily as she stepped into a bottleneck. She carefully strode down the narrow passage, surprised to feel soft, warm earth under her hooves: the ground was lush but firmly packed soil. The walls were interlocking gray brick, but the ceiling above was...

Cadence stared at the crawling vines, the gorgeous flowers, the abundant life that filled the ceiling, and yet it seemed all so dangerous, too, the tapers snaring and twisting around whatever they could find, the vines covered in deadly thorns, the beautiful blossomed black roses seeming to drip poison as the soil beneath – above? – the plants rippled and spiraled slowly, as if something hidden under the earth was slowly and endlessly roiling.

Cadence shook herself out after a moment, and then she took a slow breath before she straightened and chewed nervously on her lip. She barely noticed as she stepped out of the bottleneck, only glad that here, the ceiling rose much higher, and it helped her feel a little safer as she looked ahead through the room- oh my god.

Either side of the room was lined with iron cages and shelves and racks of neatly-arranged torture implements. There were iron doors as well, reinforced and from behind which she could hear whispers and whimpers, as if there were victims trapped on the other side. Yet all of these things were nothing compared to the fountain, the awful altar at the foot of the room: it was a massive, black stone statue of a Tyrant Wyrm, the most terrible weapon of Decretum: a beast that could rip the minds and spirits of the living apart with its fearsome Black Verses, words that channeled the destructive powers of the Void into psychic violence.

The Wyrm was posed in a roar, claws gripping either side of the fountain wall, as if it was pulling itself up from the black ooze. Toxic corruption poured from its maw in an endless flow into the whirling black pool around it, and Cadence stared at this as she hesitantly approached: it was the very same stuff that had poisoned her father: no, it was worse, she felt, as she frowned before narrowing her eyes as a strange pain thrummed through her head.

She blinked, and then stared in shock at the shells, the echoes that stood silent sentinel around the fountain. She stumbled away, staring over them: they were different from the usual echoes she saw, not just because these husks weren't just of ponies, but because they were tinged with blackness instead of glowing, empty white. A blackness that somehow gave them more vitality, let them exude more power, as they all looked towards her, before one of the hollow demons silently rose a claw and shook it slowly, as if warning her away.

Then they were simply gone, and Cadence bit her lip before she flinched as a voice said softly: “Welcome, Cadenza Danzsöngr, to our humble home.”

Cadence spun around to find herself face-to-face with the Lady of the Moon. The demon towered over her, smiling down at her as Cadence looked back and forth, fumbling for some excuse, some answer, some... “What are you doing here?”

Smooth, Cadence. The ivory mare smiled lamely up at her, but the Lady of the Moon only laughed before the enormous demon answered gently: “I am sure you can work the answer out for yourself, Danzsöngr.”

The Lady of the Moon strode slowly towards her, continuing to smile at her, and Cadence nervously took a step back before she forced herself to hold her ground, as the Lady of the Moon studied her almost curiously, stopping only inches away. Then she smiled wider before she leaned down and said softly: “It's exciting, isn't it? Let me show you.”

The enormous demon simply flicked her horn towards one of the cages, and the sheet that covered it was torn back, revealing a demon inside who screamed in surprise and threw himself back against the wall, staring in horror out at the two as Cadence winced. “Fresh meat.”

“P-Please... let me go, just let me go!” begged the demon, and Cadence felt a twist inside of her stomach. She wanted to look away, but the Swan was terribly, callously curious, forcing her to instead watch as the Lady of the Moon stepped towards the cage and leaned down to smile almost kindly at the trapped demon, like it was an interesting exhibit at the zoo.

“A Wrath subtype. He's been collared, as you can see: all of the pets and meat here are collared, for their own protection.” the Lady of the Moon explained, and Cadence shivered a little, but the Swan felt intent and interested. “For some of them, the collar converts pain to pleasure. For others, the collar keeps them from... acting out. This one has one of the latter. A touch of magic, and...”

The Lady of the Moon's horn thrummed, and the Wrath demon choked for a moment as he grasped at the collar before he simply slumped, calming immediately as his mouth fell open and a bit of drool spilled from his gaping jaws. Cadence winced, but the enormous demoness only smiled as she stepped back and said softly: “These demons are chosen very specifically. They are the scum of Helheim. They serve no purpose but to cause trouble, so they are taken, and here, we make them useful while we indulge our own desires. Similar to Justine and Juliette: before they came into the possession of our beloved King of the Night, they caused nothing but trouble. They are noble caste, you know, and more powerful than they might seem... and of course, between them, I am sure you know who the more dangerous is.”

“Justine.” Cadence wasn't sure who answered, her or the Swan. But either way, the Lady of the Moon seemed pleased. But the ivory mare couldn't help but blurt afterwards: “He doesn't seem that dangerous, though!”

“Neither does a sleeping dragon. But all the same, it is.” the Lady of the Moon said, before she turned her eyes towards the caged demon, who was slowly coming out of his stupor. “I am sure you know what 'outlaw' means, dearest Danzsöngr. To put it simply, he is outlaw. And those who are outlaw are those we give a home to. Whom we give one last chance to redeem themselves to... or at least ensure that they suffer the consequences of their actions before we send them on to the next life.”

Cadence shuddered a bit, and then she hesitated before looking up at the Lady of the Moon. The Lady of the Moon looked back at her with that calm, coy smile of hers, and there was silence for the longest time between them, until Cadence said quietly: “Valkyrie.”

“No. Only Valkyrie passion, and Valkyrie love, and Valkyrie rage. I am... complicated.” the Lady of the Moon smiled slightly, half-lidding her gorgeous, venomous emerald eyes before she added kindly: “You may call me Nightmare Moon, if you prefer. Perhaps that name will also explain to you better who I am.”

Cadence shivered a bit, shifting uneasily on her hooves before she nodded once: yes, she remembered Nightmare Moon, the dark shadow of Princess Luna. I guess that makes sense... but how... “The Nightmare Moon I knew, though, couldn't exist without...”

“Yes. Without a host, so to speak. But I have evolved beyond that, long ago.” The Lady of the Moon's eyes roved over her, and Cadence shivered a little under that gaze. She didn't like the feeling that she wasn't just being measured, but examined like a piece of meat, like- “Fierce rivalry adds itself to passion, my pet. If you are curious, the King of the Night would be delighted to show you what we do here, and Brynhild would welcome it as well... and we are all equals, when we are on the torture rack...”

Cadence shuddered for a moment, looking uneasily away, and the Lady of the Moon smiled before explaining, as she simply pulled the sheet back down over the cage and continued as if nothing had happened: “This is a place of freedom, and sanctuary, in spite of how it may look. We keep our victims in pristine health, and only the outlaws who have defied all chances at redemption are made sport of here. I do not say it is without sin: only that this is sin's home, where we do not deny our desires, where we embrace the truth.”

“And what truth is that?” Cadence asked uneasily, and the Lady of the Moon smiled at her as she turned and slowly leaned down towards her, gazing deep into her eyes, and Cadence and the Swan were both unable to stop from gazing back into that dominating, consuming emerald hell.

“The truth of who we are, of course. The truth that no matter what we strive to be, we all can never escape the core of who we are, in our heart of hearts.” The Lady of the Moon leaned slowly in, and Cadence felt the demoness' lips brush against her own, and she could neither pull away nor push forwards to return the kiss before the Lady of the Moon suddenly straightened and smiled softly. “You would fit in perfectly here. You and Brynhild will forever hate one another... but perhaps that is the way it should be.”

Cadence leaned uncomfortably away, rubbing awkwardly at her lips with the back of her hoof before the Lady of the Moon turned her eyes towards the fountain, smiling with a strange tenderness as she said softly: “You are welcome to a taste of the Prometheus Elixir if you would like.”

“I think I'll pass, thanks.” The ivory mare shifted uncomfortably, nervously looking back at the black goo before she frowned a little, then looked hesitantly towards the Lady of the Moon, asking hesitantly: “So Scrivener Blooms was a... Replicant, like Thesis?”

The Lady of the Moon scowled ever so slightly, and Cadence leaned back slightly before the enormous demoness said in a gentle but dangerous voice: “He is nothing like Thesis. The King of the Night is no project, nor child of Valthrudnir. Please try and bear that in mind.”

Cadence nodded awkwardly, but she didn't say anything, and the Lady of the Moon studied her for a moment before she nodded and said: “Very well. We will sate your curiosity: yes, our King of the Night has the full power of the Tyrant Wyrm. A Valkyrie, a Tyrant Wyrm, and a daughter of Hel. That is why they are invulnerable together.”

Cadence frowned at this, tilting her head before she asked: “So Morgan... really is Hel's daughter?”

“Yes. She is the inheritor of Hel's power and Hel's legacy. So I would recommend you ensure that you treat her with the respect she deserves, the next time you meet her.” the Lady of the Moon said calmly, and Cadence shifted uneasily, not sure of what to say. “But they were all simply ponies once. So I suppose that must give you hope too, puppet.”

The ivory mare decided to remain silent: it seemed to be the best choice for this situation. The Lady of the Moon seemed protective of her... friends? I don't know... she sounds almost like a servant, but that doesn't make any sense...

After a few moments, the Lady of the Moon seemed to settle, studying the ivory mare for a few moments before she invited, her voice teasing more than malicious: “It is rude to stare. If you have a question, then please, go ahead and ask us, as cute as your awe is.”

Cadence smiled lamely as her eyes drew hesitantly over the scarred and mighty frame of the demoness. And from the gleam of her emerald eyes, she knew that the Lady of the Moon probably already knew what she was wondering, so she only took a moment to steel herself before she questioned: “If you're really Nightmare Moon, why do you... serve Luna?”

“I do not serve Brynhild. I am her passion, her shadow-sibling. It is the King of the Night who holds my loyalty.” the Lady of the Moon replied, smiling and raising her head high with a strange pride glowing in her eyes. “If you are so curious, you are welcome to join us in our worship.”

The Lady of the Moon extended a hoof towards Cadence, and the ivory mare shifted back a bit before she gave an awkward smile and said lamely: “I... think I'll pass for now. I'm probably uh... not what you're looking for. There.”

The enormous demon only continued to smile at her, hoof staying held out for a moment longer before she finally set it down, saying almost condescendingly: “Well, that is fine, Swan. One day you will come to us. One day you will embrace your purpose again: serving your betters.”

Cadence grimaced, but before she could say anything, the Lady of the Moon suddenly cocked her head before a strange smile spread over her face, and she turned suddenly around and bowed her head low. “Thorn Blackfeather. You honor us with your presence. We are so glad to see you, our child...”

“Nightmare Moon.” Thorn said politely from the doorway, the sapphire stallion leaning in through the threshold and actually looking nervous for once, not that Cadence could really blame him. “Cadence, I need you to come with me, we have a task to perform for Hel.”

“Uh... yeah.” Cadence felt the Swan twist inside her, and she awkwardly stepped around the Lady of the Moon, heading for the door with a mixture of relief and frustration. She hadn't come to Helheim just to act as Hel's little scapegoat, after all, and Hel had already gotten her-

A hoof seized her by the shoulder, and Cadence felt her blood turn to ice in her veins as she froze in place, trembling as a wave of nausea and fear twisted through her. The Lady of the Moon leaned slowly over her, and she could smell sweat and darkness as a long tongue dragged its way up the side of her throat, and a fanged maw pressed to her ear before whispering such sweet, seductive, terrifying poison: “Come to me when you are ready, and in return for your service, I will give you the power and the love you have always craved, my darling. Give me your love and your ardor, and I will save you... and your father.”

Cadence shuddered a bit at this, almost wrenching herself away from the enormous hell-shape, but she didn't dare to speak or look back as she stumbled hurriedly away from the Lady of the Moon to the safety of Thorn. She breathed hard as she reached him, then finally chanced a look back, but the demon was gone, and Thorn smiled faintly before he said quietly: “She means well. But, as you know...”

“The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.” Cadence muttered, and then the ivory mare shook herself out before she looked back over the room. Her eyes drew over the cells, the cages, the torture equipment and the terrible altar brimming with poison at the back of the room, and she took a slow breath before she asked: “What is this place, Thorn? This is different from everything else. This is-”

“Personal and private, Cadence. I would ask that you respect the privacy of my parents and their right to their secrets and their...” Thorn faltered a bit as he looked uncomfortably into the room, and then he shook his head before he turned and headed quickly out, and Cadence followed after a moment.

All the same, she couldn't help but press: “But what about the demons in there? The victims?”

Thorn looked over his shoulder at her, and he shifted uncomfortably before answering finally: “I trust my parents, Cadence, and that's the only answer I can give you. I know they have their flaws, and I know they have their... difficulties. But I trust them, and there are...”

Thorn fumbled for a moment, and Cadence looked uncomfortably at the stallion, not wanting to admit how much she hated to see that he didn't have all the answers, and that maybe even he had a blind spot when it came to his family. But as the black metal door closed behind them, he sighed and said quietly: “Let's leave the Cloister behind for now. We don't have time for distractions. We have to meet Hel's other representative and prepare to move, we have business in the Ninth Circle.”

Cadence looked blankly at Thorn, and Thorn glanced back at her before he explained: “One of the lowest territories of Helheim is referred to colloquially as the Ninth Circle, or the Circle of Tragedy. The Archives are housed there, as are many of Helheim's courts. It's referred to as the 'legal' district, and is mainly the territory of devils, instead of demons.”

“We always just called them lawyers.” Cadence muttered, and Thorn smiled despite himself before the mare asked, before she could stop herself: “What's this King of the Night business?”

“It's just what Nightmare Moon calls my father. She's... living passion. And passion translates very easily into obsession. That's all.” Thorn muttered, shaking his head quickly before he continued in a pointed voice: “What we have to concentrate on for now is what's ahead of us, alright? I don't like this any more than you do, believe me. But Hel wouldn't involve us, specifically, unless this also had something to do with... our other responsibilities.”

Cadence scowled a little, and then she began to open her mouth before a bright, cheerful voice called: “Oh wow, Thorn, is this her? Hi there! Hi miss! Hi!”

Cadence slowly, awkwardly rose her head, mouth still hanging open, and she stared in disbelief at the demoness bouncing happily down the corridor towards them. She was bright pink, with a black mane and big, almost-innocent blue eyes, her smile wide and honest as an Inquisitor's medallion bounced around her neck before she dropped to an almost rigid stop before thrusting a hoof out. “My name's Aphrodisia! It's nice to meet you, Cadence!”

The ivory mare awkwardly reached up and shook the demoness' hoof, before she felt the Swan twist through her, her grip tightening as she gave a soft smile and leaned forwards, stating more than asking: “You are a Dominia, are you not?”

“I am, Miss Swan!” Aphrodisia said brightly, apparently unfettered by the sudden shift. And after a moment, the Swan let her pull her hoof back before Aphrodisia bowed her head low, suddenly polite and respectful as she asked: “Lady Danzsöngr, I look forwards to working with you and I promise to listen to your every command.”

“And why is that, young one? Your kind are not usually so receptive.” Danzsöngr said calmly, as Cadence grumbled mentally to herself, hating how easily the Swan could force her to be the one trapped inside now.

Aphrodisia only rose her head with a smile, gazing up at the ivory mare and nodding quickly as she answered: “I'm working as hard as I can on being a good Inquisitor, and I was told to listen to you especially by Nanny Hel! So I'm going to listen to everything you have to say, especially because I know this mission is really super important!”

She paused, then winked and grinned over at Thorn, leaning in towards him and making him grimace and lean awkwardly away. “Also I'm definitely really going to listen to you, Thorn Blackfeather! Because you're really really smart and really super cute.”

Cadence felt her body return to her control just in time for her to snort giggles, and Thorn scowled horribly at her with the faintest of blushes, which only made the ivory mare want to laugh harder. She repressed the urge, however, instead clearing her throat loudly several times before she looked over at Aphrodisia and said finally: “Well, thank you for uh... helping us. And for being willing to listen to me. So you and Thorn...”

Cadence paused, then frowned and leaned forwards slightly as Aphrodisia looked curiously at her, before the ivory mare suddenly asked: “Wait, aren't you from Looking Glass World or whatever it's called, where Thorn visited?”

“Yes, that's right!” Aphrodisia said brightly, thrusting her hooves into the air, but when Thorn gave her an exasperated look, she hurriedly covered her mouth and whispered: “But I'm not supposed to talk about that! Even though I'm technically here because I'm sort of like a special ambassador Inquisitor who represents Looking Glass World as well as Helheim's interests! But hey, how did you know that?”

Cadence smiled a bit, and then she gestured with her head towards Thorn. “He showed me some pictures from his trip, I thought I recognized you from them.”

“Ooh, I wanna see too!” Aphrodisia said brightly, smiling excitedly at Thorn, and then she cleared her throat when the stallion simply gave her a dry look. “But um. I guess for right now we should probably concentrate on getting ready, right? I know that Mister Phraxis is probably getting pretty impatient.”

“That's right. Tormentas!” Thorn called, and a moment later, the Inquisitor appeared before them in a burst of sapphire mist, Aphrodisia immediately saluting as Cadence stumbled to a halt and Thorn simply bowed his head politely for a moment, before he instructed: “Please take Cadence to get her equipment ready before you leave. I have to go meet with Lord Phraxis and I expect to be a few minutes.”

“Of course.” Tormentas smiled slightly, turning her eyes towards Cadence and looking at her as if she knew the answer to some unspoken secret. With a flick of her horn, she created a portal, and Cadence grimaced a bit before she sighed and strode forwards, feeling almost betrayed: something told her, after all, that Tormentas had wanted her to find that place that Thorn had called the Cloister, although she wasn't entirely sure why.

All the same, however, she knew all she could do was keep herself moving, and as she stepped through the portal, she just hoped that Thorn knew what he was getting them into.

The Circle of Tragedy was terribly, terribly cold.

Cadence shivered under the insulated armor she was wearing, even the heavy, fur-lined cloak over her steel-armored body doing little to help keep the heat in. Thorn looked impassive beneath his cloak, but she could sense the magic he was insulating himself with, and she could also see that he was still shivering all the same.

Aphrodisia's teeth were chattering away, although the Inquisitor looked the complete opposite of professional in her smiling, cat-eared toque and big, fuzzy, pom-pom laden scarf. She was exactly the opposite of what Cadence expected from both a demon and an Inquisitor, and while in the past, the Swan would have treated such a creature with derision, now the Swan seemed to only magnify Cadence's own interest in the odd mare.

They were also accompanied by Vextus Lux, who was grumbling under her own cloak, and a new face: a serious-looking demon who seemed almost perfectly split down the middle, with one side of his body gold and the other a light blue. He was somewhat draconic in nature, with small horns sticking out of the back of his skull and a short, professionally-cut black mane, his eyes like black glass. He wore only a pinstriped suit, and he kept checking a silver pocketwatch, although somehow he seemed less pleased about the cold and more about- “We're running late.”

“We could head to the courthouse, Lord Phraxis.” Thorn suggested politely, and Cadence grunted in agreement from under her mask, which had started to feel as if it was freezing to her face.

“We require an escort, Lord Blackfeather. This is not my district: we are legally obligated to wait until we are permitted entry to the next slice. We must bear in mind that time often runs differently between slices, that is all.” Phraxis replied calmly, and Cadence could have sworn she saw Thorn actually scowl for a moment before the sapphire stallion shifted a bit, pulling his cloak a little tighter around his body.

Cadence looked back and forth slowly: they were standing in front of a fairly-busy street, devils and demons – many of them heavily bundled-up – rushing back and forth along the plowed road. Huge buildings lined the area, and they stood near the entrance to what looked like a massive bridge: Cadence couldn't read the demonic, but she guessed this was the entrance to a different slice of Helheim. She wondered uneasily what it meant that the slices ran on 'different times:' did that mean the time distortions would be different? If they entered another slice of Helheim, would that mean time would be closer to that on the mortal plane, and that meant she would be helpless to help her family?

No, she couldn't think about that. She shivered a little before sneaking a look at Phraxis: he barely looked like a demon. His odd, split patterning was the only thing that gave any clue at all he wasn't just some kind of small, civilized dragon, really... well, and his claws were weird, she noted. They were nub-like, and flexed as if they were made of flesh, even though they were very obviously some polished, nail-like substance.

She realized that Phraxis was looking at her mildly, and Cadence cleared her throat as she looked lamely away before Aphrodisia suddenly bounced high, pointing and declaring in a relieved voice: “There they are!”

Cadence looked up to see that the doors to the bridge had opened and several demons in gray uniforms were bustling towards them. They wouldn't have looked out of place at a Decretum security checkpoint, Cadence reflected, as the one in the lead immediately gestured at them and ordered: “Line up and present yourselves in an orderly fashion, one at a time. You, take off your...”

Thorn looked up, and even though the demon was three times his size and looked like he was made of rock and teeth, he immediately quailed the moment his eyes settled on the ring around Thorn's horn, the demon saluting sharply and babbling: “Apologies, sir! I will not speak out of line again, sir!”

“I have a bodyguard with me, an Inquisitor, a High Priestess, and a Magistrate of Helheim. We are preauthorized by Hel, so I believe we qualify for a speedy inspection.” Thorn said calmly, although Cadence thought the extreme cold was making him a bit more terse than usual; either that, or the mission they were handling for Hel, and she didn't want to imagine what kind of job could possibly make Thorn nervous when he had calmly faced down both a legendary witch and a Terror without flinching.

The guard saluted, giving a nervous smile before he quickly looked over his shoulder and barked: “Well, you heard him! Clear them, then let's move to escort!”

The soldiers barely looked over the odd group of ponies before hurrying to escort them, and Phraxis sighed before he scolded: “Lord Blackfeather, we are not above the laws of Helheim.”

“Weird, a demon so obsessed with laws and all.” Cadence muttered, and then she winced as she realized she had not only said that out loud, she was standing right beside the magistrate, who favored her with an exasperated look.

“Magistrate Phraxis is a Preusian, or an Ice Devil, in layponies' terms. But devils tend to be much more particular about rules and laws than us 'silly demons.'” Vextus Lux explained, and Aphrodisia nodded violently in agreement as Phraxis only sighed. “It's funny, dear. You and I are very similar, as we are similar to the mortals... while Phraxis has more in common with the angels.”

“And the Swan. Or at least, how the Swan used to be.” Cadence said, before she smiled lamely when the Ice Devil gave her a moody look. “Uh. Sorry. Sir.”

Phraxis only shook his head, before he scowled when Aphrodisia popped up beside him, grabbing him around the shoulders and making Vextus look a little horrified. “Oh, don't you worry, sir! Everything's going to be a-okey-dokey all right! We're all working together towards the same goals now, now aren't we?”

“Yes, yes. I suppose we all are.” Phraxis said after a moment, carefully shrugging Aphrodisia loose before he sighed a little and shook his head slowly as he looked moodily at the demoness. But Aphrodisia only smiled brightly at him, and the Magistrate gave maybe the smallest of smiles in return to her before he looked straight ahead.

The moment they passed through the doorway, Cadence sighed in relief and immediately relaxed a little: it was a hundred times warmer in here than outside, which meant it was approaching pleasantly cool. Thorn had already headed over to what looked like some kind of check-in station with the lead guard, so Cadence decided to follow the other demons towards another set of doors, where two more guards were waiting nervously.

They stopped at a yellow line, Cadence looking awkwardly at this for a moment before she muttered: “Horses of Heaven. It's just like Decretum. Rules and waiting areas and loading zones and uniforms everywhere.”

“I bet you'd really like it there, Mister Phraxis!” Aphrodisia said brightly, and Phraxis simply gave the Inquisitor a look for a moment before he returned his eyes to his silver pocketwatch. Cadence didn't know whether to be amused or not before she winced when the mare spun towards her, asking inquisitively: “Do you like it there, Cadence? Thorn really seems to like it there and I really want to visit but every time I try to sneak in big mean Hecate catches me and kicks me out!”

Cadence blinked dumbly at this: sure, there had been alerts now and then over the years where demons or other entities had attempted to sneak into Decretum, but... “You, as in, you yourself... you've actually tried to sneak into Decretum?”

“Oh, yeah, loads of times! Me as in me myself, I mean, it's super easy to leap between worlds, but the moment you land in Decretum the alarms go off like 'vree-oom vree-oom!' and then the giant metal guys appear and you like gotta fight them-” Apps made several violent noises as she mashed her hooves together, spittle flying in every direction, Vextux Lux flinching away with something like horror and Phraxis simply leaning backwards with a faint scowl. “And then you run away and then Hecate always pops up and she's always like-”

Aphrodisia dropped back on her rump and crossed her forelegs, badly mimicking Hecate's voice as she said: “'For the last time, Aphrodisia, I will not have you interfering with my operations.' 'But Hecate, I just wanna say hi!' 'Well you have said hello so go away.' 'But I gotta say hello for everyone!' 'Well I don't care because I'm a big mean fun killer' and then like-”

“Thank you, Aphrodisia, it has all been noted.” Thorn interrupted tiredly as he returned, and Apps giggled as she bounced up to her hooves before the stallion leaned in and muttered something to her, and the Inquisitor almost instantly became dead serious, standing at full attention.

Cadence frowned, but Thorn only shook his head and said quietly: “Stay beside me, be respectful, and do not allow the subject to antagonize you.”

“I... yes, sir.” Cadence said, deciding it was better not to argue. Phraxis and Vextus Lux were both frowning as well, but had fallen in behind them, so Cadence stepped forwards and took up position beside Thorn as he took up position at the head of the group, his mechanical hoof grinding slowly against the yellow line as he faced the doors almost anxiously.

And less than a minute later, the doors were slammed open, allowing a strange, smoldering stallion to stride through, leaving a trail of ashes and dust in his wake as he fearlessly approached Thorn. The two looked at each other, the demon towering over him, the shadows that seemed to swirl endlessly across the newcomer, making him almost impossible to identify. All Cadence could really see was that he was enormous, with long legs and thick hooves, and his mane, tail, and wingfeathers all seemed to be constantly rippling and leaking that unnatural black miasma.

Thorn and the creature glared coldly into one-another's eyes for a few moments, until the demon finally said in a soft voice that echoed unpleasantly through Cadence's mind: “Authority alone does not give you the wisdom to judge me, youngling.”

“I am not here to make any judgments, Lord Penumbra. I am simply here on business for Queen Hel.” Thorn replied calmly, and the demon called Penumbra snorted in disdain.

“Please. This is no social visit, and nor is it about business. I will not be murdered in my own home. I am no coward, Blackfeather.” Penumbra leaned slowly down into Thorn's face, his pitiless, empty white eyes cutting into Thorn's very soul. “I am not like you, mortal pony. Where is your purification mask? Aren't you afraid of the air?”

“The concentration of corruption in the Circle of Tragedy is much lower than in the other realms of Hell, as I am sure you well know yourself.” Thorn replied calmly, and then he shook his head slowly before saying softly: “I will not do anything unless it must be done, Lord Penumbra.”

“Then know now, Blackfeather, what must be done.” growled Penumbra, before he stepped back, looking coldly over the group assembled in front of him. Then he gave a thin smile, saying distastefully: “Lord Phraxis. What an unpleasant surprise, to see you here. I thought you cared about law.”

“I do. That is why I am here, Lord Penumbra.” Phraxis replied evenly, and the two looked at each other for a few moments before Penumbra snorted, his eyes roving moodily over Aphrodisia, then Vextus Lux, until they finally settled on Cadence.

He looked at her for the longest time, seeming to measure her, until he finally gave a curdled little smile and he said softly: “And here we have the little fallen angel everyone is talking about these days. My. How quaint. Poor, pathetic little creature. I doubt you even realize you're just a pawn in a meaningless game.”

Cadence forced herself not to respond, gazing up through her mask at those milky-white eyes as the demon loomed over her. This close, he stank: he smelled like mildew, and dust, and sulfur, she thought. She could also see through the shadows that cloaked his body, that he was ancient and mummified beneath the twisting and turning serpents of darkness that covered his body, and his malice was palpable, like a physical edge pressing into her...

But Cadence forced herself to breathe, to remain quiet, and she didn't let the Swan rise to the surface either. And eventually, the demon snorted in disdain before he suddenly stepped backwards, saying contemptibly: “How utterly worthless.”

He turned, heading back to the doors, and Thorn rose his head and said clearly: “You cannot bar us from entering that slice of Helheim, Lord Penumbra.”

“And oh, believe me, Blackfeather, I have no intention of doing so. You are more than welcome to join me at my office.” Penumbra said coldly, voice dripping with derision and threat as he glanced back over his shoulder, smiling icily at them. “As a matter of fact, I look forwards to our coming discussion. I sincerely hope that you and your friends are ready as well.”

With that, Penumbra strode up the bridge, and Thorn Blackfeather closed his eyes and took a slow breath before Aphrodisia asked nervously: “What do we do? He's gonna-”

“We proceed as planned.” Phraxis said, drawing the attention of all present. “Our business is official and our duties and mission have not changed. I may be.... disappointed in the behavior of Lord Penumbra in this matter, but, personal issues aside, he has no reason to act against us.”

Thorn visibly grimaced, shifting a little on his hooves as Vextus Lux scowled, and Aphrodisia bounced from hoof-to-hoof before she blurted: “But this is bad! He's probably already erasing the records and he could try and-”

“Our mission hasn't changed.” Phraxis repeated, and his voice was both firm and reassuring, which surprised Cadence. “We continue with our mission, as planned. Do not assume the worst: we are still officers of Hel, and Lord Penumbra will respect that unless we run counter to his operations. No matter what we are faced with, we have a job to do. Let's get it done.”

Aphrodisia smiled after a moment, and then she nodded firmly once as Thorn said after a moment: “Agreed. Let's move forward. If everything goes according to plan, we should be in and out in less than a day.”

“Since when has anything ever gone according to plan?” muttered Cadence, but she smiled beneath her mask and nodded once as Thorn maybe gave the smallest of smiles and faced ahead with a shrug.

The uniformed demons looked even more nervous now, but Thorn only gestured with his head towards the one who seemed to be in charge, instructing: “We're ready to leave. Send two of your soldiers ahead to open the path, and otherwise we only require a simple escort.”

The demon in charge nodded quickly, then he gestured through the open doors, shouting: “Alright, you heard the High Inquisitor! Get moving!”

Cadence smiled wryly as two demons bolted into the corridor, and then she shook her head briefly and muttered: “It's always been reassuring that you have that effect even on demons.”

Thorn didn't reply, but Aphrodisia giggled and Vextus Lux smiled slightly, the High Priestess remarking: “Thorn Blackfeather has always worked very hard to be professional, and he has never hesitated to fall back on his authority. It's always been a bad habit, dear.”

Thorn obviously refused to be baited, but Aphrodisia almost purred as she leaned forwards, her eyes gleaming as she licked her lips slowly. “But some of us really like that, Thorn, don't you worry about that! Why, I'm sure that-”

“Let's move.” Thorn said, maybe a little too fast, and Cadence snorted in amusement, but followed the pace he set as a demon led them through the open doors and onto a long, sloping bridge, the others easily moving with them.

Cadence noted almost immediately that while the bridge seemed like nothing more than a sloping cement tunnel, by the time they reached the top of the slope, they had already passed over more than a dozen lines of security runes. She also noted that while the crystals in the ceiling cast a faint, pleasant luminescence over them all, they looked like soulstone: putting that rare substance together with the security lines on the floor, and Cadence suddenly felt very apprehensive about what would happen if they accidentally triggered any of these traps.

Thankfully, they passed over the bridge without incident: the doors at the other side were already being held open for them, and the security team that received them was polite and visibly nervous: obviously they had already been informed of who they were. They were quickly inspected, and then released, heading out into the Circle of Tragedy, but even though the biting cold was the same, Cadence saw immediately that this slice of Helheim was very different from the one they had just left.

The buildings here were all tall and ominous, many of them made of black, lineless stone that looked as if it had simply been carved and polished into huge towers. Every demon here seemed to have a bodyguard or an escort of some kind, and Cadence grimaced a bit under her mask as Thorn said quietly: “Stay close, Cadence. This is the Banking District.”

“Although here you'll find more souls than gold.” Vextus Lux murmured, and Cadence grimaced despite herself as they strode out into the street, joining the rest of the throng. Thorn, at least, seemed to know where he was going, but the High Priestess echoed Cadence's thoughts when she asked: “Who would have informed Lord Penumbra that we were coming? And why would he challenge us immediately?”

“We can discuss it at our first stop, which is just up ahead-” Thorn started, before he winced and suddenly came to a halt as two massive demons in blue armor shoved their way in front of them, both glaring down at Thorn challengingly: a single look at them, and Cadence knew they were both Destroyers, who were among the most powerful of Wrath demons.

Thorn held his ground in front of them, raising his head high before he asked coldly: “Do you have business with us? If not, please step out of our way. We are on Archive business, under the orders of Lady Hel.”

Cadence couldn't help but admire Thorn's fearlessness, even if his usual fallback didn't work this time, as one of the Destroyers growled: “And we are here under the orders of Lord Penumbra, Treasurer of Souls. His rank is no lower than yours-”

“And his rank is no higher than mine, either, and whether or not you serve him, if you interrupt my business here, you will both suffer the consequences for it.” Thorn said calmly, looking fearlessly up at the Destroyers, and both of them shifted a little, knocked a bit off balance by this.

“What is your business with us?” interrupted Phraxis smoothly, the magistrate quickly striding forwards to join Thorn's side, and the Destroyers seemed further put off by this. Cadence guessed it was more because of Phraxis' position than the fact he was an Ice Devil, although... well, I didn't think Destroyers really respected authority that much. I thought they just listened to whoever was bigger and meaner than them.

“We are to serve as your escorts, under the orders of Lord Penumbra. Resistance will not be...” The Destroyer caught himself, then cleared his throat at the look from both Thorn and Phraxis, shifting a bit before he finished awkwardly: “We insist.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then Thorn nodded. He opened his mouth, but Phraxis quickly grasped his shoulder, and the two traded looks before Thorn bowed his head courteously, allowing the Ice Devil to take over. “Very well, we will graciously accept Lord Penumbra's thoughtfulness in this matter. Please escort us to Revelation Hall.”

The Destroyers both grumbled, but Cadence thought they both looked relieved as well, as they turned to lead the way onward. She fell in automatically beside Thorn, giving him a nervous look, but the sapphire stallion was inscrutable as he turned his attention ahead.

All the same, Cadence had the bad feeling that their 'new friends' were going to complicate things unnecessarily, and she only hoped that this didn't slow them down so much she lost her only chance to save the few ponies she cared about.