Hecate's Orphanage

by BlackRoseRaven

Discipline

Chapter Six: Discipline
~BlackRoseRaven

Cadence swore again under her breath as she shuffled through the assessment, glaring angrily at the papers. Her father was only calmly reading his own, but every now and then she thought she saw his eyes flicking up towards her. She knew she shouldn't be surprised, and she knew that she should be doing a better job of reeling her emotions in, but the Swan was almost as angry as she was, and... this... “This isn't fair!”

Cadence nearly tore the sheets in her hooves in two, but then she forced herself to put them down on the table as calmly as she could, which meant basically slamming them down onto the wood hard enough to knock over the little vase of fake flowers as she exploded: “We were lied to and set up! Hecate knows that, Hecate... Hecate was the one who did that to us!”

“And it was part of our assessment, mi amore, you know that as well as I do.” Sombra said gently as he turned towards her, giving his daughter a reassuring smile. “You know that Hecate is only being so hard on us because-”

“Because she's a tyrant.” muttered Cadence, although she knew that wasn't true and regretted it almost as soon as she'd said it. Her father gave her a pointed look, and after a moment, Cadence sighed before she crossed her forelegs and grumbled: “Alright. I just... I didn't expect her report to be this bad, I guess. I didn't think we did... this horribly.”

“Hecate is harsher with you because she expects more from you than she does from most of us. And she is right: we did fail as a team.” Sombra said gently, before he continued softly: “But while it is important that you listen to Hecate's criticism and advice... if you are confident that there is a place where you have done well, then be proud of it. And be proud of yourself. Nowhere in here does Hecate say that you should not take pride in completing the mission. And even if she does not spare words to detail our failings... nowhere in here does she call any of us failures.”

Cadence shifted a little, and then she said finally, as she deflated a little: “I... I guess you're right, Daddy. I know you are. It just... hurts a lot.”

Sombra only smiled softly at this, however, then he slipped over to the other couch to seat himself beside his daughter and wrap a foreleg around her, Cadence closing her eyes and dropping her head silently against his shoulder. “I know, mi amore. But you've never been very good at taking criticism. Do you remember when your teacher told you to stop attacking so directly?”

“And when we sparred, I immediately ran up to him and punched him in the nose, yes.” Cadence mumbled, smiling a little despite herself. “But then you came in and told me to show you what I'd learned...”

“And you weren't quite fast enough to punch me in the nose, no. But almost.” Sombra said softly, smiling at her, and Cadence laughed and shook her head. “You know there are places where you can improve, Cadence. Step away from the report for now, then later, return to it and use it as a tool for self-improvement, mi amore. A goccia a goccia s'incava la pietra.”

Cadence nodded a few times, looking down before she sighed a little and said finally: “Maybe I should contact Moonflower and La Croix. See how they're handling this.”

Sombra smiled again and nodded back, saying gently: “You see, Cadenza? Don't doubt in your own depth of character, and do not think of yourself as anything less than a good leader and a better friend.”

“Well, I like to think I learned it from you.” Cadence smiled up at Sombra, then she nodded and pushed herself away before asking quietly: “Do you want to come with me? They like seeing you. La Croix respects you, and Moonflower... well...”

She shrugged lamely, and Sombra gave her an amused look before he shook his head and replied: “No, but thank you, Cadenza. I was told to rest as much as possible after the treatment session today, and I'm a little tired...”

He paused, then said after a moment: “But Moonflower has been insisting on joining me for my morning routine tomorrow... I heard that Luna Brynhild and her family will be there too. Perhaps you would like to come as well, Cadenza? I know you're trying very hard to... make peace with the Valkyrie. This would be a good chance to just talk to her.”

Cadence sighed and looked moodily away: today she and Brynhild had spent the better part of the morning and afternoon antagonizing each other. She had done her best to swallow down the Swan but... Horses of Heaven, she had never imagined the Swan could hate any single entity as much as it hated Luna Brynhild.

But her father was still smiling at her, and she knew that, like it or not... “I... I know you have a point, Daddy. I do. It's just... it's really hard.”

She shook her head lamely, and Sombra chuckled softly before he said gently: “You like her family, don't you? And besides, tomorrow morning is your last chance.”

Cadence frowned a little... and then she nodded slowly as she glanced back at the report on the table, murmuring: “Right. We'll be meeting this Bani person in the afternoon, and then shipping out for the mission. That's why we got our assessments so fast.”

Sombra nodded back, and Cadence grumbled under her breath before she sighed and mumbled: “Alright, alright. I... yeah, I'll make sure everyone joins you, Daddy. La Croix can come along too.”

Her father only smiled at her, and Cadence shook her head before she headed to the door. She hesitated in front of it, then turned suddenly and almost blurted out: “Daddy, do you really think Thorn is Luna's son? I mean... he's nothing like her. He's a lot more like Morgan, the other mare in their... weird little relationship...”

Sombra only gave her an amused look, and Cadence lowered her head and mumbled a half-apology, knowing that was just the Swan's bitterness for Brynhild coming out. She shifted a little on her hooves, then returned her eyes to her father, half-curious and half-almost-pleading, and Sombra chuckled quietly before he said softly: “Mi amore, the Swan inside you hates the Valkyrie, and refuses to see her as anything but... a traitor, a threat. Do not let the Swan's hatred blind you; the Valkyrie is stubborn, and while she laughs and is brazen and bold, I feel that just like Thorn, she hides much of her true face from the world. Typhoons and mountains of stone are very different, but both can be hollow, and both can conceal great depths inside them.”

The ivory mare looked down and nodded hesitantly, and then she took a breath and closed her eyes before she muttered: “Well, they... they kind of look the same. And I guess Thorn has his father's hair, and... sort of seems more like him. I just... I don't understand why I hate the Valkyrie so much, but even Morgan I barely react to.”

Sombra shrugged, then he studied her for a few moments before saying carefully: “During the first meeting with the Valkyrie, the Swan said it knew her, did it not? Perhaps it does not just hate Brynhild for all the reasons you see; perhaps the hatred in the Swan's heart is because of something more personal.”

Cadence bit her lip at this, looking down thoughtfully before she nodded a little. She could feel the Swan shifting suspiciously inside her, and there was a sense of what almost seemed like unease there, too. Both things that hinted that her father might be right.

Either way, he had certainly given her something to think about, and the mare smiled briefly up at Sombra before she said softly: “Thanks, Daddy. I'll be back in a little while then, okay? I had better make sure the two colts are getting ready for the mission tomorrow as well as not crying too much into their ale.”

Sombra chuckled softly, and Cadence waved before turning and heading out the door, straightening and taking a deep breath as it closed behind her. Then she shook herself fiercely out, as if she was throwing all her problems to the wind, before she hurried down the corridor towards the apartments where her teammates lived.

She didn't have very far to go: one level up, and a little down a long hall, where La Croix and Moonflower lived with only one door separating them in the 'classier' section of Decretum. Cadence smiled wryly at this as she knocked on the zebra's door first: La Croix spent most of his money on his apartment, while Moonflower, of course, absolutely couldn't abide La Croix having anything nicer than he did. Really, Moony had wanted to move up to the top floor apartments, but those were owned mainly by administrative personnel and technicians who worked much steadier jobs than they did and never left Decretum.

After a few moments, the door opened, and La Croix wheezed in relief at the sight of Cadence, his cape awkwardly half-thrown around his body. “Oh, Cygne! Entrer, entrer... I thought for a moment you was one of Hecate's storm-troopers, comin' to drag me off to turn me into one o' them tin cans!”

“Oh shush, La Croix, you know Hecate doesn't do that.” Cadence said mildly as she strode into the Loa's apartment, and was immediately, as always, amazed at how cramped it was, in spite of the fact that he had much more space than she did.

The walls were almost completely covered by shelves and cubbyholes, all of them filled with objects that ranged from common to bizarre. Countless charms and trinkets dangled from the ceiling, of every shape and size; more littered the various odd furnishings that sat around the room, La Croix tossing his cape over the back of an old chair before he flung himself into the lopsided couch with a wheeze.

Cadence awkwardly made her way through the clutter to sit carefully in one of the few chairs that was free of mess, the mare smiling a little over at La Croix. It was so weird to see him without his cape and top hat on: it made him look a lot... smaller, she thought. Especially when he picked up the papers, scruffy mane falling over his eyes, his free hoof absently playing with the charm around his neck...

“You remind me of those college students that would show up at Canterlot every now and then.” Cadence said impulsively, and La Croix cocked his head as his eyes flicked up towards the mare. “I mean. They would come to Canterlot, wanting 'first hoof' experience and to do research for projects or speeches or whatever, and they'd just kind of sit around in the halls and go through their books and make the absolute worst faces at every little interruption. You know, unless it was one of their friends or something, then they would start being loud and obnoxious themselves.”

La Croix looked mildly at Cadence for a few moments, and then he held up the report, asking mildly: “Cygne, did you even look at this? It ain't pretty.”

“Yes, I did. I saw mine and Daddy's, and that's why I'm here.” Cadence smiled a little. “You aren't crying or anything, though, so I know it can't be that bad.”

“Well, remember, I been fired before. My last employer did try and kill me, too.” La Croix said blandly, and Cadence rolled her eyes before she held out a hoof. The zebra hesitated, but then he sighed a little and leaned forwards, handing over the papers and mumbling: “I.. I don't got no right to ask you to be kind to me, Cygne, but... be gentle, y'hear?”

Cadence smiled reassuringly over at La Croix, then she looked down at the report, paging through it and skimming it quickly. She frowned a little, and her expression darkened as she went through the assessment, before the ivory mare sighed a little and glanced up at the Loa.

La Croix was grinning, but he looked downright miserable beneath that look, the Loa saying quietly: “Can't pretend that none of it's true. I ain't nothing but a connard and a lâche, 'sall I've ever been. But hey, 'sbeen fun, yeah?”

“La Croix...” Cadence didn't know what to say: everything seemed too little or too late. But all the same, she felt she had to try; try and help her teammate and friend, try and find a little bit of hope. “Okay, so... you failed the assessment and the test, but this is a recommendation, not a confirmation. You haven't been terminated yet and I certainly don't want to kick you off the team.”

The zebra mumbled and looked down, and Cadence shifted before she said suddenly: “Look, uh, we have a mission coming up tomorrow, a retrieval. I want you to... I want you to stomach as much of this report as you can and follow through on the recommendations as much as possible. We have to complete this retrieval mission with flying colors, for all our sakes'.”

La Croix bit his lip, looking down for a moment before he said finally: “I ain't never seen Nanny Hecate change her mind 'bout nothin', though, boss. And there a whole bunch of strikes against me, for all the things I did wrong on the mission.”

“We all did a lot wrong on the last mission. We can't do anything about that, and there's no point in wasting our time moping.” Cadence said firmly. “All we can do is do better on the next mission, prove that we're the best team Hecate has.”

La Croix grunted, biting his lip before he said lamely: “Great pep talk, Cygne, but I still think Nanny Hecate's gonna have me thrown to the cocodrils in the bayou.”

“Oh, knock it off. You're going to be fine.” Cadence quickly scanned over the report in her hooves, looking for something, anything, to give her words more meaning than empty platitude, and then she frowned a little, halting on one odd turn of phrase before she asked curiously: “La Croix, it says you compromised cover here... but you didn't try and summon any spirits or do any magic, did you? As far as I know, you didn't do anything that could have attracted attention.”

The zebra looked up, and then he shook his head quickly before muttering: “Don't think that's what Nanny be referrin' to. See, it's more that...” La Croix hesitated, then he looked back and forth nervously before he mumbled: “Y'know what I hate 'bout this place? I got about seventy different runes and charms to make it impossible for even the spirits to hear a screamin' soul, but I don't know if any of them work on Nanny Hecate.”

Cadence smiled slightly, even as she leaned pointedly forwards, and La Croix sighed before he said finally: “I think she's referrin' to the Valkyrie and her amis. They got about fifty layers of secrecy surrounding them, and there ain't a lot of ponies who know the truth about those ponies. I be both a little proud and a little scared to be able to say that I know most of the story, since I spent a good amount of time down in l'enfer screwin' with 'em.”

The ivory mare leaned forwards, but La Croix shook his head almost violently before he held up his hooves, saying grumpily: “I like you plenty, and I respect you even more, Cygne, but I ain't gonna risk getting cut up to be stewed by talkin' 'bout it. Nanny Hecate wants me to keep some secrets secret. I gotta respect that.”

Cadence sighed a little, and then she nodded grudgingly before she asked finally: “Well, do... you want to go and see Moonflower, then?”

“No.” La Croix grumbled, but when Cadence gave him an amused look, the zebra gave a long sigh before he muttered: “But at least seein' him cryin' will put me in a better mood, I suppose. Alright, let's go see the rein de la nuit.”

“You know, I know you two actually like each other, whatever you say.” Cadence said pointedly, and La Croix huffed and pretended to look offended as he put a hoof against his chest. “Boys. You're so stupid.”

“What you mean, 'boys?' Moonflower ain't no colt. He ain't a stallion, neither.” La Croix replied mildly, and Cadence smiled despite herself as she rolled her eyes. The zebra grinned, then swept up his top hat before he strode over to his cape, rifling through it as he added: “Oh, right, 'fore I forget...”

Cadence cocked her head, and then she frowned when the stallion turned and tossed a vial to her, the mare catching this with telekinesis and studying it curiously. “I was real extra nice to the big cocodril, Scrivener, and he let me take some of his sang. I did some of my magic on it, and I came up with this. Ain't... quite perfect, o' course, but it might help your Papa.”

Cadence frowned as she studied this, turning it over before she said slowly: “But when I talked to him before he said that his corruption probably wouldn't help...”

“Oh, no, you stay away from that one. That stuff in his veins is poison.” La Croix agreed as he threw on his cape. “Even more important for your Daddy to watch out for that stuff. But if you wanna make an antidote, it's best to start with the poison. That won't cure your Papa, but if he has a... malaise... then that should take him right out of it and calm him down.”

The ivory mare smiled faintly after a moment, then she nodded slowly as she studied the floating vial. Then she closed her eyes, teleporting it safely back home before she murmured: “Thank you, La Croix. From me and from Daddy. It means a lot that you're willing to-”

“Oh, shush. I ain't done nothin' special.” La Croix smiled and shrugged easily, then he gestured at her. “But alright, alright, allez, allez. I'm ready. You the one lingering now.”

Cadence gave the Loa an amused look, then she turned and headed to the door, letting herself out. It closed automatically behind La Croix, but the zebra spun around and muttered a quick spell all the same, eerie green runes flaring to life for a brief moment over the metal before they vanished from sight.

“You really are paranoid.” Cadence said mildly, and La Croix huffed loudly.

“I ain't at all. Don't know if you noticed or not, but half of us Orphans be a little messed up in the head.” La Croix paused, then corrected: “Well, all of us Orphans be messed up in the head, actually, considering where we are and what we do. But some of us come from real shady backgrounds and the like.”

The ivory mare cocked her head towards La Croix as they walked over to Moonflower's door, the mare saying ironically: “Says the zebra spirit who says his entire job was basically cheating and lying to people.”

“Oh, taisse-toi.” La Croix huffed as Cadence grinned, and then the zebra turned and banged loudly on Moonflower's door, shouting: “Hey, Moony! Open up, it's your best friends!”

There was silence for a few moments, and then the door clicked before opening automatically, and Cadence and La Croix traded looks before they let themselves hesitantly inside. As always, Cadence couldn't help but look around with a mix of envy and wonderment at the fact that anyone could spend this many bits and this much time on an apartment they spent a few days in a week, considering how often their work took them away from Decretum.

The floor was covered in hardwood panels, although there were soft carpets under every piece of furniture; the furnishings themselves were plush and expensive-looking, and the electric lights had all been carefully covered with glass fixtures or replaced with gemstone lanterns. The walls had all been painted a deep rose hue, and there wasn't a single hair out of order.

Well, unless you counted Moonflower, who bounced happily into the room and gestured at them cheerfully, his mane wrapped in a towel and his body glistening from a recent shower. “Come inside, come inside! What brings you both by?”

La Croix blinked, and Cadence awkwardly gestured towards the report sitting on the little glass table in front of the couch. Moonflower glanced at this curiously, and then he scoffed before waving a hoof airily. “Nothing more than the usual, don't worry about my pretty little head! 'Moonflower control yourself,' 'Moonflower behave,' 'Moonflower, the next infraction will get you sent to the disciplinary chambers.' Yes, yes, yes, I have more important things to worry about, though!”

“Uh... do you mind if I look at the report?” Cadence asked awkwardly, and Moonflower smiled and gestured at her to go ahead as he turned and bounced happily down the hall. The mare stared after him for a moment, then she traded looks with La Croix before they both simply shrugged.

Cadence picked up the report with telekinesis, then picked the only chair that wasn't covered with throw pillows and blankets to sit down in, the mare grimacing as she sank about a foot into the cushioning. La Croix, meanwhile, slapped a bunch of blankets and pillows off the couch, then flung himself down and kicked his hooves up on top of the table, the zebra leaning back and saying blandly: “Maybe there's an advantage to bein' dumb, Cygne.”

The ivory mare only grunted as she riffled through the report, skipping to Moonflower's assessment and reading it over. It was biting, acerbic, acidic, downright nasty at some points, past the usual meanness Hecate treated Moonflower with. Thorn's half of the assessment wasn't a whole lot better: he seemed to agree for the most part that Moonflower had failed miserably, and there was an actual serious threat of disciplinary action here, since unlike the rest of them, Moonflower had a record of disobedience and... well... general stupidity.

Still, Moonflower was bouncing around like he had just gotten the greatest news in the world, and the mare frowned uneasily before she looked up as the stallion strode back into the living room, smiling brightly as he drew a multitude of different combs through his mane, teasing and styling it as he asked: “Well, what do you think?”

“That you're kind of in trouble.” Cadence said honestly. “I know that, really, you didn't do any worse than we did, but you have so many notes in your file for previous infractions, that-”

“No! I mean my mane! How should I style it?” Moonflower asked cheerfully, and Cadence stared as the black stallion's horn glowed, swiftly shaping his mane into waves that flowed to one side of his face, before reshaping it into curls that fell around his shoulders. “Well? What do you think?”

“I think either way you look like a filly, mon ami. And I ain't even makin' a joke about you bein' a little bit lavender and all, I mean that's the kind of hair you see Maman put on her little girl before she got the sense to say no.” La Croix said flatly.

Moonflower glowered at the zebra, then he sniffed disdainfully before spinning around on his hoof and heading back down the hall to the bathroom, complaining: “Your problem, La Croix, is that no matter how much you act like you have culture and breeding, you have no taste. None, whatsoever. And, pray tell, what do you actually know about fashion, anyway? You wear the same cape and the same hat day in, day out.”

La Croix huffed loudly, but before he could retort, Cadence interrupted: “Moonflower, this is serious. Hecate is actually thinking about taking disciplinary action against you. We have another mission coming up, and if you don't... if we don't all do a spectacular job here, we're going to end up in a lot of trouble. But you might end up-”

“I'm not worrying about that.” Moonflower said decisively, and Cadence frowned before the stallion returned, roughly drying himself off with a towel before he dropped it around his shoulders and sighed a little, saying in a quieter voice: “I'm not worrying, Cadence, I... I know it's very grim, for all of us. I'm not half as stupid as certain people in this room seem to think I am...”

Moonflower glared at La Croix, who looked grumpily back, but then the winged unicorn's eyes dropped and he continued in a murmur: “You know, I was always proud of the fact I was the only person here in the Orphanage who was... dragged here against his will and put on trial and forced to take part in this wretched little experiment of Hecate's. I destroyed an entire world, after all! Well, sort of. I made it go away for a little while.

“But I am a convicted criminal, a villain, an evil mastermind.” Moonflower halted, then he smiled briefly. “I suppose I expected this outcome and... well, I plan to make the most of the time I have before our... little team goes its separate ways. You and your father, onward and upwards to better things. Me, to prison, most likely, until I can break free and take my revenge. La Croix to... wherever obnoxious stripehorses go.”

“Y'all are such a bright ray of sunshine, rein de la nuit.” La Croix said dryly, and then he shook his head before saying in a softer voice: “You know, Moonflower, you ain't usually such a big dumb coward. I don't like a lot of things about you, as I'm sure you know pretty damn well. But one of the few things I always did was the fact that you don't ever give up. You be stupid like that.”

Moonflower huffed loudly, and then Cadence added softly: “And you know, you're the one who keeps making himself the bad guy. But you don't have to be if you don't want to. You honestly don't have to be. You're not evil.”

Moonflower huffed again, but he blushed slightly even as he gestured off to the side and complained: “Isn't that just like a mare, telling me what I am and should not be... or perhaps trying to fix me, just as your kind is wont to do with such handsome masters of darkness as myself. It's very cliché and sad, Cadence, and I have to say, I'm rather disappointed by it. Especially since you know that I have absolutely no interest in mares whatsoever. But I suppose I can't blame you, with how handsome I am, for wanting to 'fix' that part of me too...”

The ivory mare sighed tiredly at this, rolling her eyes, but at least it was a step in the right direction. “Yeah, Moonflower, really. I just want you all over me.”

“Ew.” Moonflower made a childish face of disgust and turned around, scampering back to the bathroom. La Croix sighed and shook his head, and Cadence looked dryly after the black stallion before she flopped back in the armchair, picking up the report again to go over the finer details.

The stallion returned with his mane curled and coiffed, his handsome frame clean and sparkling, like he'd rubbed himself with polish. Not that Cadence would put that past him, of course: he'd done dumber things before. And then she glanced up as La Croix asked curiously: “So why the hell you so happy and working so hard to make yourself pretty?”

“I have a date!” Moonflower said proudly, and La Croix and Cadence both stared at him for a few moments. Then they both burst into laughter, and Moonflower glared at them furiously. “I do! Stop that immediately! This will be the best night ever, just you wait and see!”

“I'm... I'm sorry, I just... really?” Cadence asked through a badly-suppressed grin. “We get the worst news of our collective careers and all you can think about is... a date?”

“Ain't the date he's thinking about. It's what he thinks is gonna happen afterwards.” La Croix said mildly, sweeping his hat off and pointedly pushing his hoof in and out of it, and Cadence coughed loudly several times as Moonflower scowled horribly.

The black winged unicorn rose his head high before he snapped: “I will have the two of you immature... dummies know, that if I want sex, I can get plenty, any time, from... anyone! No, I am having an actual date, with a romantic dinner at the little restaurant off Electric boulevard. There will be flowers involved. I will be ordering a green salad paired with a fine Riesling, which is a type of white wine, which you louts probably did not know. I will be relaxing. I will be having a wonderful night out. I expect cuddling. Should sex ensue, it will ensue, and it will be amazing, because I am amazing. But this is not about my sex life!”

Moonflower huffed loudly, and the zebra and ivory mare looked at the black stallion for a few moments before La Croix asked mildly: “Then who's the lucky stallion, Moony?”

Moonflower smiled smugly, sniffing disdainfully as he crossed his forelegs. “Well, wouldn't you two like to know? Well, I am not about to tell either of you. So there.”

“Hey, genius. Y'already told us where you're having your dinner tonight, and you obviously have to leave for that at some point. Be real easy to find out.” La Croix said flatly, and Moonflower held up a hoof and opened his mouth, but then he only stood there for about half a minute as he visibly fumbled for some retort. “'Swhat I thought. So who is it?”

“Yeah, who?” Cadence looked up, honestly curious now. After all, it wasn't like there were a lot of ponies in Decretum, and even fewer who could put up with Moonflower.

The black winged unicorn grumbled under his breath, and then he looked away awkwardly and said grouchily: “Neither of you actually know him. He's uh... new, yes. We were just recently set up, and by his mother, no less.”

“That's... weird.” Cadence said slowly, frowning as she tried to think of anyone who matched that description.

La Croix, meanwhile, was peering suspiciously at Moonflower, asking wryly: “You ain't putting the pédéraste in pédé, are you, pédé?”

“Shut up, La Croix. He's a mature and responsible adult. More mature than you, although I suppose that's not saying much.” Moonflower sniffed disdainfully, brushing at himself before he looked quickly over himself, muttering: “Now what do I wear... or should I go au naturale? I don't know, my perfection can be rather... intimidating to some ponies... but I don't want him to feel ashamed of himself by showing up in the most fashionable clothing known to ponykind...”

“Yeah. That's what's wrong with you.” La Croix said wryly, and then the zebra asked curiously: “So how do you decide which one of y'all is the lady in the relationship?”

Moonflower glowered at La Croix, and the zebra held up his hooves innocently, declaring: “Hey, there be etiquette to follow! Do you pull the chair out for him, or do you make him do it himself? Do you hold the door for him, and who the hell pays for the meal? I can't help that I'm old-fashioned, monsieur, I got an eye for the traditions and how y'all weird people observe 'em.”

“La Croix.” Cadence said dryly, and the zebra huffed before the ivory mare was unable to stop herself from saying: “But he does have kind of an interesting point. I mean, he sounds a lot younger than you, so I guess you should probably pay for everything and be a gentlecolt... but what if he wants to do things for you?”

Moonflower looked confused at this, scratching his head as he tilted it to the side curiously. “What do you mean? We're simply meeting at the restaurant, having a meal, and then I'll see where things go from there. That's all. Nothing complicated. There aren't any... rules or etiquette to observe.”

“I don't know if that's very enlightened of you or very stupid.” Cadence said after a moment, and then she asked finally: “Are we going to ever meet him?”

Moonflower pretended to think, and then he said cheerfully: “No.”

La Croix huffed, and Cadence smiled wryly before she gestured at the zebra, saying: “Well, we'll get out of your hair then, Moonflower, since you have your 'big date' and all. But don't stay up too late. We have a mission tomorrow. We leave in the afternoon.”

“Oh, excellent, so there's plenty of time to spend in the morning with your father!” Moonflower said brightly, and Cadence groaned before she spun around and headed for the door as the zebra snickered. “What? What?”

“Nothing, Moonflower. Nothing at all.” Cadence said tiredly as she opened the door, and then she glanced over her shoulder at him, saying softly: “And hey. Good luck, huh?”

Moonflower smiled a little at this, then scowled when La Croix winked at him and made a gesture with one hoof, the winged unicorn shaking his own in return before the door shut behind the two. And the moment they left, Moonflower wheezed loudly in relief before he brushed quickly at his mane, then mumbled: “Oh, Horses of Heaven, what have I gotten myself into?”

As tempting as it was, neither La Croix nor Cadence went to spy on Moonflower's secret date. Instead, they both went home, and Cadence enjoyed a quiet night relaxing with her father.

When morning came, it found Cadence and Sombra strolling leisurely into the gardens: off on the eastern side of Imperia, the massive greenhouse district was one of Sombra's favorite places to walk around and where he regularly came to clear his head and do his exercises. It was quiet and peaceful here, beneath the glass ceiling and bright heat lamps that blanketed them in artificial sunlight that felt good on her skin.

There weren't usually a lot of ponies down this way: Worker Drones and a Dogmatist or two to tend to the crops and herbs, although some of the immigrant families who had moved in had bought a few plots of land to grow flowers and other plants. She could understand why: even though it had a much homier atmosphere than most of the steel city with the wide cobblestone paths and the sense of nature all around, there was still an artificial feeling to this part of Imperia, and the glass walls and roof made it feel a little like they were in some kind of giant observation chamber.

Then Cadence's attention was drawn by a cheerful shout, and the mare looked up with a scowl to see Luna Brynhild standing with her partners. Morgan Heldóttir smiled at her, and Scrivener Blooms offered a little wave, but the Valkyrie and Swan Maiden had already locked their glares on each other, both visibly struggling to remain pleasant before Luna asked in as polite a voice as she could muster: “And how art thou today, Danzsöngr?”

“Fine, Brynhild. Better than...” Cadence forced her mouth to shut and she mentally stomped on the Swan inside of her. “Better than yesterday.” she finished.

“Good.” Luna studied her for a few moments, and then she grumbled when Scrivener and Morgan both looked at her pointedly, the sapphire mare shuffling on the spot before she finally said grudgingly: “This afternoon, I hear thou will be speaking to an old friend. I would implore thee to... treat her kindly, for life and the everafter have not been good to her, and she deserves better. I have heard also that thou shall be looking for a colt named Rustproof. I wish thee all the best in this endeavor, and... know that I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart.”

Cadence frowned, the Swan wanting to be vicious and bitter and perhaps even tempted to sabotage the mission, just to spite the Valkyrie, but the ivory mare couldn't help but ask: “Who are they to you? Although it does not surprise me you associate with demon ilk.”

Cadence bit her tongue a little late, but Brynhild only grinned widely and replied easily: “Well, 'tis no fault of mine they are much more interesting than the angels of Heaven, and-”

Scrivener grabbed Luna by the head, shoving it down and making her huff, and then he answered in a gentle voice: “What Luna means is that we've... been around quite a bit. I'm sure you can understand when we say that we treat... everyone as people.”

Sombra smiled softly and nodded in agreement, and Morgan continued honestly: “Cowlick... I mean, Bani, is originally from our world. She did a lot for us. We're going to try and stay as long as we can today, but... if Hex or Hecate warn us that the Inquisitors are coming, we'll have to run. We can't risk another fight with them, especially here in Decretum.”

“Aye, yes, we do not want to ruin Hecate's precious treaty with Hel.” grumbled Luna, shaking Scrivener off before she turned towards him and bopped him firmly with her horn, making the stallion wince a bit. “Great idiot beetle. And Bani is not Cowlick's demon name. 'Tis Unfun Cowlick. Because that is what she is. Unfun.”

“Cowlick.” Cadence repeated, and Luna nodded a few times as Morgan sighed and Scrivener looked pointedly at the Valkyrie.

But Luna ignored them both, waving a hoof absently at the two before she continued cheerfully: “Aye, Cowlick. She and Hecate were great friends. Or hated each other, I do not recall and 'tis very much the same, isn't it? That was for... oh, was it truly more than a decade? It seems so strange to think back on those times now...”

Luna dropped her head musingly, and Scrivener nodded slowly as Morgan gave a quiet chuckle. For once, Cadence felt like the Swan was actually curious about what the Valkyrie might have to say instead of just wanting to kill her, but before she could ask anything, Luna suddenly looked up before she bounced on her hooves and waved down one arm of the intersection, calling cheerfully: “There thou art! Moonflower, did thou show my son a good time?”

“Seriously?” blurted Cadence, the mare's jaw dropping and even the Swan going dumb inside of her. Sombra only cocked his head inquisitively as Moonflower yelled loudly in consternation, sprinting up to the mare and hurriedly attempting to cover her muzzle as he gave a badly-faked laugh.

“She... she's kidding, of course, just joking, nothing happened!” Moonflower said in a high-pitched voice, his eyes flicking back and forth as he stared over at Sombra and Cadence, before he exclaimed: “Cadence, you're.... you're looking so beautiful today! Sombra, you look... did you do something with your mane? Oh, don't lie, you, you look just absolutely stunning today!”

Moonflower giggled weakly, and then he yelped when Luna grabbed him and started to shove him backwards, before she seemed to think better of it and instead yanked him towards her, their faces almost pressing together as she grinned widely and remarked: “Well, if I cannot have such a handsome creature to myself, I still would like him as close as possible. Besides, Thorn needs experiences, and thou art a worldly stallion, art thou not?”

Moonflower whimpered a little, and then he flushed deeply and glared over his shoulder as La Croix strode into the intersection, laughing loudly. “Oh, Moony! I can't tell if y'all are trying to wiggle your way into Nanny Hecate's good graces, or if you got a death wish!”

“S-Shut up!” Moonflower snapped, wriggling his way quickly free from Luna to fearfully scamper over to Sombra and Cadence and half-hide behind them as the sapphire mare grinned lecherously after him. “I just... I didn't have a choice! They forced me!”

Cadence sighed tiredly, but thankfully, her father quickly took control of the situation as he said pleasantly: “Since Luna, Scrivener, and Morgan may have to leave unexpectedly, why don't we enjoy the gardens while we talk? My favorite place in Decretum is only a short distance away, and I would like to share it with you all.”

Moonflower nodded immediately, leaping up beside Sombra and grasping into his shoulders as he leaned in with fawning eyes. “You are so right. And I mean, I hope you're not offended at all that I didn't tell you, but I know you're so busy... the handsome stallions always are...”

Sombra only continued to smile kindly, even as Moonflower slowly, awkwardly rubbed at one of the unicorn's forelegs. Twilight and Scrivener both stared as La Croix made a gagging noise and Cadence pressed a hoof to her forehead, but then Luna began to giggle as she slowly turned a frighteningly-excited look on Scrivener Blooms-

“Can we go?” Scrivy asked hurriedly, as he leaned away from Luna with a wince, and Cadence shuddered as she made the mistake of letting herself imagine what must be going through the Valkyrie's head right now.

“Of course.” Sombra stepped carefully away from Moonflower, and then he strode calmly forwards, the other ponies naturally turning to follow after him. Cadence smiled faintly after a moment as she naturally fell to the back of the line, watching her father from afar, and how easily he took the lead, and how naturally other ponies followed.

She still didn't understand why she was the leader of the Irregulars, when it was her father who had the mind, the discipline, the natural skill. She studied him quietly as she followed behind him, then frowned and looked to the side as she realized someone was watching her with just as much interest.

Valkyrie and Swan Maiden looked at each other calmly for a few moments, and then Luna lowered her head slightly as she said quietly: “Not all mine memories of the life I lived are clear, Danzsöngr. I expect that neither are thine own. I know that we do not like each other, but at the same time, I recognize that we are both of the Valhalla that once was, and that means you are precious to me, creature, even if I deride and antagonize and mock you.” She paused, then continued thoughtfully: “And abuse and destroy and beat and triumph over and crush and-”

“Shut up, Valkyrie.” Cadence growled, and then she shifted grumpily before she forced the Swan down again, asking moodily: “So what, you want to be my friend?”

“Nay, I do not. I hate thee, thou hates me, we are very different creatures with unknown ills between us.” Luna shrugged, looking ahead before she said softly: “But my time in Helheim has taught me... humility, if naught else. And perhaps that those we hate with all our hearts oft make the greatest allies. For I still carry my Valkyrie honor, Danzsöngr.”

The Swan wanted to say a thousand things, spit a thousand insults, but Cadence compromised with it, instead asking coldly: “What makes you think that your Valkyrie honor means anything to me, Brynhild? You are the Night Maiden. You are anathema to me and my kind. You and I...”

Cadence looked down, clenching her eyes shut for a moment as she took a slow breath, before she looked up and muttered: “I will not be satisfied until I grind your face in the mud beneath my hoof.”

“Then very well, let that be the basis of our relationship, great harpy.” Brynhild grumbled, but her eyes glinted with amusement all the same, Cadence thought. “Thou has much work to do, though, if thou desires to be better than me.”

Cadence growled, and before she could stop it, the Swan leapt up inside her, and the ivory mare spun towards the Valkyrie. But with humiliating ease, Brynhild slammed her elbow down on Danzsöngr's skull and knocked her flat.

The group of ponies ahead of them immediately halted and looked back, and there was silence as Cadence slowly crawled to her hooves, the white mare baring her teeth before her horn began to glow... but then she mastered herself, and mastered the Swan, shoving the monster back into its cell inside of her as she breathed slowly in and out before she muttered: “You're not worth it.”

“Nay, I am more than worth it. In fact, I am worth more than thou can pay.” Luna Brynhild retorted, raising her head imperiously, and Cadence narrowed her eyes moodily at the mare before the Valkyrie grinned widely. “But if thou desires to try thy luck again, I will give thee a fair chance.”

Cadence growled under her breath again, but then she forced herself to look ahead, muttering: “One day, Valkyrie. But not today. I have a mission.”

Luna began to open her mouth, but when both Scrivener and Morgan glared at her, the dark sapphire pony dropped her head sulkily and muttered: “Oh, very well. Aye, in the future then, Swan... for know that I will certainly be following thy efforts with interest in the months and years ahead.”

Cadence only grunted, then scowled horribly when Luna bumped purposefully into her. But she kept her head high and her back rigid, and Luna grinned widely as Scrivener sighed tiredly and Morgan rolled her eyes, but all the same, the group turned to stride onward, and Cadence pointedly ignored the Valkyrie as even she felt a wing poking at her foalishly, one of her own wings flicking angrily to try and ward off the insistent, obnoxious mare.

Thankfully, it was only a few minutes before they came to a halt in an artificial field, soft grass under their hooves, synthetic sunlight shining down brightly from the lights above, the fragrant perfume of the flowers carefully arranged around the edges of this scenic little utopia filling the air. The pond in one corner twinkled happily, as Scrivener and Morgan looked around with surprise and interest: this gorgeous little oasis was the last thing they'd expected to find in Decretum.

Sombra turned around with a chuckle, gesturing outwards before he said softly: “There are actually a few small parks like this throughout the greenhouse district... but this is my favorite. It is deep enough in to be rarely frequented, but close enough to home that, should I receive an alert while meditating, it's easy enough to return to base. Now, Moonflower said he would like to join me on my morning exercises, and if the rest of you would like...”

Scrivener shrugged a bit as Cadence grumbled and strode up beside her father, glad to have any excuse to ignore the Valkyrie, but Luna, of course, hopped cheerfully up on Cadence's other side, saying easily: “Aye, I have not had much exercise since coming here. 'Twould be a pleasure. Scrivy, Morgan?”

“Twilight and I... er, Morgan and I will sit this one out.” Scrivener said awkwardly, as he saw Moonflower grinning at him lecherously. Luna only huffed loudly, and the black stallion held up a Talon, saying lamely: “Uh. Have to watch for Inquisitors.”

“Great prude.” Luna complained, and then she frowned at Moonflower, who had taken up a position a few feet behind the line. “What art thou doing?”

“Uh. This is a better angle to watch from, that's all. I... I don't want to stand in front of Sombra, and distract him, you know. From here, I can just... I can watch.” Moonflower cleared his throat loudly several times, taking a careful step to the side as he eyed Sombra dreamily. “Yes. I can watch.”

La Croix rolled his eyes, and then the zebra sauntered over to Scrivener and Morgan, dropping himself on his rump as he said wryly: “Y'ain't foolin' anyone, rein de la nuit. You just lucky Papa Sérénité got the patience of a saint.”

“Moonflower is free to observe or participate however he chooses.” Sombra said kindly, and Scrivener looked mildly at the unicorn, wondering how the hell the stallion could be so pleasant and polite even as Moonflower giggled and rubbed his hooves together almost greedily. “But let's get started.”

Sombra calmly stretched back and forth, limbering himself up, and Cadence grumbled under her breath as she scowled and rolled her shoulders a few times before shaking herself roughly. Luna, meanwhile, put on a show of stretching and flexing, doing her very best to take up as much space as possible while making obnoxious noises like overloud sighs and grunts.

Then, calmly, Sombra pushed himself easily into a stand on his front hooves, smiling pleasantly as he arched his back slightly, and Cadence and Luna both stared for a moment before they quickly did the same. Cadence glared at Luna, who grinned before she rose one of her front hooves off the ground and spread her wings.

Immediately, Cadence mirrored her, narrowing her eyes dangerously, before she bared her teeth furiously at the sapphire mare as her ephemeral mane seemed to stretch out on its own, tickling the ivory pony's nose. She wrinkled up her muzzle, then hissed at Luna as the dark sapphire pony only looked innocently away, even as her tail flicked lightly, fizzling against the Swan Maiden's stomach and making her flinch before she toppled off her hoof, landing with a thud on her stomach.

Sombra blinked, and glanced to the side in time to see Cadence tackle Luna, the two rolling backwards with a series of curses as Scrivener slowly rubbed at his face and Morgan sighed tiredly. For a few moments, Swan Maiden and Valkyrie grappled violently with each other, and then Sombra cleared his throat loudly as Morgan's horn glowed, and Luna flinched as Cadence dropped her head awkwardly.

The two shoved apart, glaring at each other, and then Sombra said pointedly, gesturing to the side with one front hoof – and not seeming to lose balance in the slightest in spite of now balancing only on one limb: “Cadenza, perhaps you would prefer to be on this side.”

Cadence grumbled under her breath, and then she sulkily strode around her father. She paused in front of Moonflower, who only tried to lean quickly to the side to continue to stare at her father with a grin, and then the ivory mare narrowed her eyes before she simply punched him in the stomach, Moonflower wheezing in pain before he slowly toppled over on his side, twitching weakly on the ground.

Cadence continued to grumble to herself as she took up her position on her father's other side, and both she and Luna pushed themselves back up to positions to match Sombra's even as the black unicorn sighed and gave his daughter a wry smile.

Scrivener and Morgan watched as La Croix hummed to himself, the zebra producing a complete set of mixing and refining tools from his top hat to prepare several vials of ingredients. Morgan was watching him curiously, while Scrivener studied Luna and Cadence, before he remarked mildly: “It's funny, but they're actually pretty similar.”

“If you mean they both get real cranky and like to punch things, then yeah, you be right about that.” La Croix said mildly, glancing over his shoulder with a slight smile. “But yeah. Cygne be wild like the wind. Moody as the sea, too. She a lot nicer than your Jument de la Lune most of the time, but when she get mad...”

He glanced over at Moonflower, who was wheezing quietly on the ground and twitching a little, and Morgan gave a small smile before she asked: “What are you working on?”

“Oh, all kinds of things, Madame. I know more 'bout potions than your average spirit, after all.” the Loa remarked with a wink. “Bet I could mix up somethin' that even you couldn't mimic with your magic.”

“Well, I have been trying to expand my abilities. I'd love to learn about what you're doing here, for example...” Morgan paused meditatively. “Bone dust and graveyard dirt... are you making goofer dust?”

La Croix leaned back in surprise, and then he snorted in amusement, reaching up and tapping his hat. “Not bad! Now, you know what it be used for?”

“Horses of Heaven, it's so weird to not have you mocking us and trying to turn us into small animals all the time.” Scrivener interrupted blandly, and La Croix gave him a sour look before the earth pony gave a small smile. “I just mean... nice to... you know. Meet you all over again.”

He extended a Talon, and La Croix rolled his eyes before he grasped it and shook it, but a smile lingered around his lips as he replied easily: “Yeah, yeah. Don't worry.” La Croix grinned, and Scrivener flinched as green lightning shocked over his body before he fell backwards with a wheeze as his body became distinctly reptilian, the now-lizard blinking dumbly a few times. “I still got plenty o' tricks left up my sleeve for cocodrils like you.”

“Capes don't have sleeves.” Scrivener grumbled as Morgan grinned behind a hoof, and then he sighed tiredly before he stuck his now-forked tongue up, mumbling: “How the hell can you still polymorph me so fast?”

“Because all I have to do is bring out what's already there, cocodril. That makes it real easy-like.” La Croix replied comfortably with a flick of his hoof, and Morgan looked thoughtful as Scrivener only shrugged with a small smile. He couldn't really argue with that, after all.

For half an hour, Sombra went through a series of calm exercises, Luna and Cadence following along: with the mares separated on either side of the stallion, they eventually started concentrating on the exercises instead of each other. And while it was mostly stretching, it at least kept Luna busy: it certainly wasn't anything that would hold her interest every day, but presenting something new to the sapphire mare – and giving her a rival to prove she was better than – was an excellent way to distract her for a little while.

Moonflower spent the whole time simply staring at Sombra, although occasionally he would attempt to mimic the stallion... and then he'd usually end up just falling on his face. Handsome and built like a tank or not, physical skills clearly weren't his strong point.

Scrivener was happy to just have a few minutes to relax as the polymorph faded from his form, while Morgan and La Croix discussed herbs, magic, and the supernatural realms. It actually ended up being a rather nice little break, Scrivener reflected, as he put his Talons behind his head and laid back, closing his eyes peacefully.

Peaceful, that was, until he felt a set of eyes on him, and he slowly opened one eye to see Moonflower was grinning at him widely. Scrivener winced a bit at this, half-curling up, but he was thankfully saved any further awkwardness as a small, glassy sphere suddenly shot through the air above their heads before it glowed brightly, projecting a blue screen that Hecate's face appeared on a moment later.

“Bani has arrived. We will be waiting to brief you in Engineering.” Hecate said shortly, and then the image simply vanished before the orb turned and shot off.

Sombra calmly straightened as Cadence and Luna both did the same, and the ivory mare didn't waste any time, striding forwards and saying shortly: “Everyone, fall in. We need to be as professional and efficient as possible. There is no room for error on this mission, and-”

“We shall meet thee there!” Luna said cheerfully as she strode over and poked Scrivener up to his hooves with her horn, Morgan smiling awkwardly as she jumped to her own hooves. “I think-”

“No, that is the last thing we need!” Cadence snapped, glaring at Luna as one of her eyes twitched, and she felt a mix of frustration and desperation twist through her body. “For once in your life, Valkyrie, step down instead of throwing yourself in the way!”

That felt all too accurate somehow, even if she hadn't met Luna Brynhild until a few days ago, well, since their last existence, at least. But Brynhild only grinned at her, and Horses of Heaven, she thought she recognized that grin; that was the grin Brynhild had always put on her stupid face when someone had told her that she wasn't allowed to do something, and she had seen it a million times during the night watch-

Cadence's eyes widened slightly, as she reached up and touched her forehead, breathing slowly as Brynhild began imperiously: “Now come, 'tis not as if we do not-”

“Night Maiden...” whispered Danzsöngr, and the Valkyrie frowned before the Swan Maiden bared her teeth. “Night Maiden! While the other Valkyries slept and rested, and my kind took up their thankless patrols, their silent watch over the Fathers and Mothers of Asgard, you would skulk around and make mischief!”

Brynhild opened her mouth, then she shrugged amiably, replying cheerfully: “I do not completely remember this, but.. aye, it sounds like enough to something I would-”

“And how many times did we take the blame for your actions, or were punished because punishing you was pointless, because you were nothing but a troublemaker and rabble-rouser, and if you hadn't been Freya's second, you would have been in exile long ago!” Danzsöngr continued angrily, and Brynhild reared back in surprise before the Swan Maiden hissed: “Bully and coward, that is all you are. Dodging responsibility and relying on your ability to fight. How I wish the Fathers and Mothers had looked past your ability to wield a weapon to see that you were nothing more than a nuisance!”

Brynhild smiled contemptibly at this, and then she replied ironically: “Aye, Odin did once, and what he apparently saw were my breasts, for then he attempted to molest me. And when I refuted him, I was punished for not giving in to an old god's lechery and put to sleep. And asleep, I was slain, and asleep, I fell to Midgard, until I awoke in this body. What of thee, Danzsöngr? What did the gods ever see in thee?”

Danzsöngr scowled at Brynhild, and then she spat to the side before she said rudely: “You are nothing but a flesh-puppet. It was Odin's right to do whatever he pleased to you. It is just more proof of what you are: a failure, who cannot appreciate her place, or what privilege she has been granted.”

A deadly silence fell as Brynhild slowly narrowed her eyes, and Danzsöngr looked callously back at the mare before the sapphire pony closed her eyes and said quietly: “We will be going on ahead now. Scrivener Blooms, Morgan Heldóttir, come.”

Luna Brynhild strode slowly away, Scrivener and Morgan hurrying up to either side of her as Danzsöngr only watched coldly until they turned a corner. And the moment they did, Cadence blinked a few times before she frowned, then reached up and covered her mouth as her eyes widened slightly: had she really just said that?

No, the Swan had. And the Swan hadn't just said it to spite Brynhild... the Swan... believed it. As the Swan believed that it existed, still, only to serve the gods and their memory, only to be a tool, a weapon for others, and lacking guidance, only to kill that which was imperfect in its eyes.

Cadence looked to the side, and she blushed deeply at the disappointment she saw in her father's eyes before she lowered her head, then murmured: “I... well, let's... we still have to focus on our own problems, we have a lot to deal with. Everyone, fall in, let's go see Hecate and meet this Bani.”

The ivory mare quickly turned and strode ahead: she was thankful that she heard the others following after a few moments, because she really didn't have the strength to argue with anyone, or any idea how she could possibly defend herself if they decided to say something. But for now, they only followed, although Cadence didn't quite look dare back, for fear of her father's eyes.

She had never really seen the Swan like this before, and usually, because she could control the Swan, or force it down, or channel it, she didn't have to deal with how alien and... different the Swan could be. Even when she had met, briefly, others who set the Swan off, it had never reacted the way that it reacted to Brynhild.

She shook herself out, shivering a little before she tried to force all her thoughts away, but she couldn't stomach the guilt. It was making her feel sick, and she knew that she couldn't just pass all of this off on the Swan, as much as she wanted to. The Swan was her responsibility to control, and goddammit, she could control it...

Luna Brynhild just... made her mad.

And she didn't think that was ever going to change.

Comments

[Randomfastreader]

You know, I'm used to binge reading so this is diffrent reading two chapters a day and after 15 mins i'm done both chapters and back to waiting.
also i gave a thumbs up and the bar is still gray?
note things are getting serious here!!