Metempsychosis

by BlackRoseRaven

Plans And Schemes

Chapter Eight: Plans And Schemes
~BlackRoseRaven

Dark clouds rolled gloomily through the violet sky above, and Luna grimaced a bit as a cold, chilling wind shot by, blowing a few loose boards down from a collapsed building nearby before she shouted irritably: “Scrivener Blooms, search faster!”

“Shut up, Luna!” Scrivener’s voice was strangled and frustrated as he struggled through the mostly-collapsed building that had once belonged to Kilby Kwolek and her team of engineers, the male cursing under his breath as a jagged piece of metal sticking out of the ceiling scratched along his shoulder: not deep, but more than enough to sting a bit as Luna winced and glanced at a faint scratch that appeared on her own shoulder. “Horses of Heaven, it’s not even the fact that everywhere I turn there’s another sharp object trying to stab me, it’s… the freaking reek! It’s like oil and rotten corpses and… can’t Pollen or Pinkamena do this?”

“Nay, I am still unsure as to how much I can trust Pollen, and to send Pinkamena into a den of inequity filled with knives and weapons and Odin knows what kind of nonsense is sealed away in Cowlick’s labs would be like giving a foal the keys to the candy shop. She would come back outside with everything apart from what we require.” Luna retorted, then she winced a bit as another strong wind burst by, and the entire warehouse creaked, a few panels of broken glass falling out of a shattered window.

The upper levels of the three storey building had both collapsed inwards, giving it a look like a deflated cake… a cake made of metal, steel, and large planks of rotten wood covered in peeling paint, that was. Luna grimaced a bit as she stepped back, looking quickly back and forth over the wreckage… but they had just barely been able to pry off the front door, revealing a narrow tunnel beyond… and after a quick argument, Luna had shrunk Scrivener down to about half his normal size and then firmly booted him into the passage.

Scrivy cursed under his breath as he scampered through the damaged hallways, muttering to himself irritably and not caring whether or not Luna could hear every word, roughly the size of a foal and carrying a satchel bag almost as large as he was. The ceiling above was covered in cracks and rumbled ominously now and then, as if it had been waiting for a victim to try and enter the catacombs of the strange building. It was half storage facility, half jumbled cluster of engineering laboratories, and the male cursed to himself as he ran into another blockade of rubble, the ceiling above half-collapsed and all manner of beams, chunks of metal, and what looked like several broken crates forming an unstable wall. “Luna, this isn’t worth it…”

“Scrivener Blooms, we have searched everywhere else, and found little we could use: in Rarity’s boutique, aye, there was a good supply of precisely-cut gemstones, and in searching the few storage warehouses that had not suffered demolition or arson, we discovered more of what we require.” Luna replied half-forcefully, half-pleadingly, and she pawed at the ground with a hoof as she grimaced a little. “A simple wooden wagon will not survive passing over the Bifrost, and even the Pegasus wagon we used to move some of other possessions barely made it through the buffeting energies… or does thou want all our things burning up to dust as we run across the rainbow?”

“And what makes you so sure that Cowlick’s crazy composite junk on a layer of gemstone armor is going to actually let a wagon survive?” Scrivener asked dryly, as he inspected the barricade before carefully beginning to wiggle his way through an open corner, adding in a mumble: “Your warrior instincts aren’t right about everything…”

“Thou shalt eat those words when thou finds the composite.” Luna replied flatly as she glared at the structure, huffing. “’Tis a jar of goo. How difficult is it to find a jar of goo?”

“It’s a jar of goo inside a demolished structure twice the size of a hoof-ball field that’s mostly collapsed in on itself.”Scrivener muttered, and Luna only grumbled in response as the male wormed his way down the corridor beyond with a curse, past large chunks of rock and metal debris that stuck out of the walls and ceiling like teeth as he tossed an apprehensive look at the sunken, cracked roof.

Then Scrivy winced as dust pattered down, something shifting above as Luna’s eyes sharpened outside the structure, leaning forwards nervously as she felt the twitch of emotion before she asked in a quiet voice, her words continuing to carry to Scrivener as if she stood right beside him instead of outside the building: “What is it?”

Scrivy only shook his head quietly, edging forwards before his eyes flicked to the side, where a doorway stood open… and he hurried into the room beyond with a quiet sigh of relief. The ceiling here was damaged but didn’t slump as low, and the shambles and debris scattered from the room were obviously from some battle that had once taken place here, not a destructive collapse. “Just need to be careful, that’s all… place is a wreck, talking too loud might be enough to bring some parts of it down.”

Luna nodded slowly outside, then she closed her eyes, asking in a clear thought: Should we communicate in this fashion then, my daydreamer?

“No, no, that actually creeps me out a little and I’m in a safe bubble for now…” Scrivener halted as he looked around the mostly-empty square room, heading towards a set of dust-covered cupboards and accidentally pulling one door off when he tried to open it, wincing and tossing it aside to peer inside. “Yeah, this must be an old lab.”

There were broken beakers, dusty glass objects, and instruments of every shape and size in the cupboards, much of it overgrown with ugly mosses and molds, and Scrivener took his time checking through the room before he sighed a bit as he glanced nervously back towards the doorway… before pausing and frowning as he looked over the room again. His eyes settled on a pile of debris in one corner, the wall behind this cracked and the paint peeled and broken… and Scrivener carefully brushed some of the rocks aside before he smiled a little as he found a hole that had been hammered in the wall, broken duct-work beyond leading into another room.

He carefully slid into this, making his way past dead wires and cables and wincing as he stepped carefully over broken metal before stepping out and into the room beyond… and he grimaced a bit, looking back and forth as his eyes watered from the smell that assaulted his nose. Half-collapsed and decayed shelves leaned against the wall, slumping and broken here and there, many long-having spilled their contents into a congealed mess on the floor, and unidentifiable molds crawled over much of the rest of the room as Scrivener grimaced before he glanced towards the doorway… but the door was laying in cracked pieces, and had been blocked off by a collapse of debris likely a long time ago.

The male studied the shelves… and then he winced as he stepped forwards and noted a large, broken glass jar, touching it and gazing down at the petrified gray sludge that had solidified over and around it. “Well, I think I just found the composite, Luna. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s going to be of much help or use to us at this point.”

Luna grimaced at this, muttering: “And passing over the Bifrost will dispel any magic I cast… art thou sure?”

Scrivener made a face as he looked over the shelves, looking over the chemical mixes, large cans, and the other odds and ends that rested in various states of decay over the shelves before he sighed and glanced to the side… then frowned a bit as he realized there was a sign under the dust, muttering: “Wait.”

The male stood carefully up on his rear hooves, blowing the dust away… and he coughed a few times with a grumble as it burst back over his features, blinking a bit before he read quickly over it: a master list of the chemicals kept in the storage room, and which noted… “‘Additional supplies are available on request from the storage vault located in the basement.’ Great. How the hell am I supposed to get to the basement?”

“Get out of the facility, Scrivener Blooms, we shall find a way down to these vaults. I did not expect it to be so expansive.” Luna said quietly, and Scrivener nodded inside the storage room as the winged unicorn sighed and restlessly began to pace outside, grumbling: “Damn thy remaining squidgy eye, Odin, for being so all-seeing and yet leaving us to forage for ourselves in a dead world for a plight as simple as a wagon…”

Scrivener, meanwhile, was carefully making his way back through the duct… but when he emerged into the room beyond, he staggered dumbly and frowned a bit as he looked up, realizing it was darker… before he slowly gazed to the side and grit his teeth as he saw Valthrudnir standing nearby, one hand leaning on the countertop, the other flipping a coin as the Jötnar smiled at him disdainfully. “This is a bad time.”

“No time like the present, I would argue… besides, I’m just here to give you an offer.” Valthrudnir caught the coin in mid-fall with an easy flick of his wrist, then he tossed it towards Scrivy, and the earth pony winced back a bit… but the coin halted in midair, hovering slowly in front of him as the dragon said mockingly: “Do you know how pathetic it is that the rainbow bridge is giving you all this trouble? Why, I can pass through the world’s layers as I please… even as an echo, I’m more powerful than you can ever dream. And all that power… can be yours. You just have to give in… you just have to ask.”

Scrivener studied the coin silently: it rotated slowly in front of his eyes, Scrivy’s profile engraved on one side, and Luna’s on the other… and then he closed his eyes and shook his head briskly, and when he opened them, the dragon was gone. Instead, he could hear Luna’s worried voice, asking him what had happened, why she had felt a burst of unnatural static that had blocked out their connection for a moment… and then Scrivener shuddered a bit before he murmured: “Uninvited guest.”

Luna gritted her teeth outside the compound, saying quietly: “Then hurry thy way out, Scrivener Blooms.”

“Yes, hurry, Scrivener Blooms... hurry up and die.” Valthrudnir’s voice added eerily, and Scrivener flinched even as he headed towards the ruptured hall, turning and fighting shivers as he began to make his way carefully back towards the barricade, before he risked a glance over his shoulder… and then stared in horror at the sight of a wave of black goo slowly rising up behind him, making metal and debris stir as the rumbling wave of dark mud and muck hissed towards him like a living thing. “You’ll give in to me, cheater, one way or the other.”

Scrivener cursed as he spun around, panicking, and he yanked his way through the narrow tunnel in the barricade as Valthrudnir laughed, the earth pony crashing against walls of metal and fallen wooden rafters as he heard that horrible sound growing, dust pattering down as rotten boards and stone shifted and debris began to rumble unsteadily… and then the male yanked himself free of the tunnel and staggered to his hooves, looking over his shoulder with hard, anxious pants before he cursed as he saw nothing there.

It had all been in his head… and then his eyes slowly roved up as a rafter he had banged against during his terrified attempt to flee cracked loudly, as a few more large pieces of metal and debris fell… and the earth pony’s eyes widened before he spun around and sprinted down the hallway as one of the rafters gave away with an almost-agonized scream, cracking loudly down the middle as tears ripped through the ceiling, chunks of roof and building beginning to collapse inwards as Luna shouted desperately for Scrivener and Valthrudnir’s laughter ripped through his mind.

Scrivy couldn’t even keep track of where he was running, as dust and chunks of ceiling and wood hailed down around him, cursing as chunks of metal bit at him and the ceiling rumbled, throwing himself forwards into a low skid over his stomach beneath a broken pipe and hurling himself to his hooves as he shot through a doorway, twisting towards where he could see Luna leaning down in the exit, shouting for him… before the winged unicorn glanced up in shock as the front of the building shattered and a hail of wooden boards and several enormous rafters fell towards her, the female snarling as her horn flashed and her eyes glowed as she leapt backwards and anchored herself, catching the avalanche in midair with grit teeth.

Scrivener ducked as he scrambled through the narrow, broken passageway leading out before the foal sized male bolted through Luna’s legs with a wince, continuing to sprint away before the winged unicorn leapt backwards and gave a mighty flap of her wings, launching herself to safety as the glow faded out from around the floating debris and it fell with a rumbling crash. Dust and wreckage burst upwards from the warehouse as Scrivener half-fell over as he spun around, breathing hard, a multitude of small, shallow cuts and scours over his frame as Luna gritted her teeth, her eyes glowing slightly as the building rumbled and shuddered.

Finally, the collapse halted, leaving it looking more deformed and broken than it had been before as Scrivy breathed hard in and out, tasting dust and apocalypse air as Luna shivered a little and drew her eyes slowly along the front of the building… then she looked silently towards Scrivener Blooms as the male grimaced and rubbed at his face, murmuring: “Sorry, Luna.”

“There is no need to apologize, Scrivener Blooms… I am only thankful that thou art alright, and still in one piece after what happened.” Luna said quietly, looking down at him silently, and then she smiled faintly as she bowed her head towards him, the male wincing before he flexed as his size slowly returned to normal, breathing hard as he dropped his head forwards and a shudder ran through his frame: both from the pulse that went through his body as well as the shock of what had just occurred. “I could not… see what happened. I only sensed thy panic… it seems that the echoing corruption is capable of barring our link.”

“I don’t like this.” the male muttered, and Luna smiled at him faintly before they quietly nuzzled one-another, then stepped closer and embraced tightly, the earth pony sighing softly. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault that the place collapsed and my fault that we lost access to the composite. I panicked.”

“Fear not, Scrivener Blooms, we need only reach the bottom levels of the facility… and ‘twill be a much easier task, especially with my mood so soured.” Luna said mildly, and then her horn began to glow as she turned to look at the structure, saying distastefully: “I never much cared for such large and ominous structures, after all.”

And with that, Luna flicked her horn and sent a blue fireball rocketing into the front of the building, and it exploded in a sapphire burst that began to greedily spread flames over the collapsed structure, the winged unicorn looking pleased with herself as Scrivener stared before she huffed and waved a hoof grouchily. “Oh, think not so badly of me! It will burn quickly to the ground, and then we shall easily be able to find our way to the basements with that death-trap out of the way. Furthermore, it sits on the outskirts, with debris of metal wall to its back and nothing else nearby… and ‘tis not like it matters even should a wildfire occur, in this damaged world.”

“That’s… not the point, Luna, the point is more that you don’t just set buildings on fire because they’re in the way.” Scrivener said flatly, and Luna snorted at this and shoved at him, the earth pony grumbling before he shoved back at her before they both winced and looked up as a large section of the building collapsed beneath the inferno now surging hungrily over it, black smoke rising high into the air. “This better not attract Hellhounds.”

“Hellhounds fear fire. Besides, their kind hunts near the Gray Mountains, where the world is cold and warped.” Luna muttered, and she shook her head slowly before she said softly: “Come, Scrivener. By the time we dig up a serviceable wagon from Ponyville, these ruins should be nothing but ashes and cinders.”

Yet the two lingered for a few moments all the same, watching the building burn and black smoke rise into the air, leaning against each other as Scrivener closed his eyes and Luna silently wrapped a foreleg around him, the brilliant, destructive flames reflected in her dark cyan irises.

Scrivy and Luna were both covered with dirt and filth and sweat, a carriage filled with gemstones, salvaged wagon parts, and several large metal containers of sealed composite held up by several large sawhorses in their front yard. It was in an ugly state: the yellowed paint indicated it had probably once been an enclosed taxi carriage, but the walls had mostly rotted and would need to be replaced, and it had been a miserable pain dragging the carriage back as it had limped along on three wheels, one of which was cracked and misshapen.

They had removed the wheels from the carriage, replaced the axle completely, and were currently fitting large, studded steel wheels in place of the old wooden ones: these would likely melt as they passed over the Bifrost, since very few inorganic substances seemed capable of surviving the crazed pulses of energy that the rainbow bridge emitted. Living things seemed to be able to handle it without nearly as much trouble… and Pales were energized by the run, their strength restored, almost brought into physical being by the surges of power.

Scrivener wheezed a bit as he finished tightening the last wheel on his side, while Luna grimaced and shook her mane out, ashes floating up from her body: after enough of the facility had been burned down and destroyed, she had hit it with a hurricane-force gust that had sent rubble and ruin scattering backwards and snuffed out the remaining flames. They had wandered into the remains of the burnt-out building… and Luna had fallen through the weakened floor, making Scrivener grin and laugh at the fact that for once, he hadn’t been on the short end of the stick.

For obvious reasons, this had put Luna in a less-than-pleased mood, but the basements had been in surprisingly-good shape and it had been easy to find the storage safe. They had found plenty of the composite they needed… the composite that Luna was still for some reason so sure would provide the extra armor their wagon would require.

The winged unicorn smiled a bit as she stepped around the front of the wagon, asking mildly: “And precisely why art thou so convinced that mine warrior instincts cannot be correct in this regard, as they have been in all other things? Be not so foolish, poet, thou should know I am not without my reasons, ‘tis no simple fancy.”

“Then maybe I’m just being a grouchy fool.” Scrivener smiled a bit despite himself, looking quietly at her as she gazed back, before he added softly: “It was nice of you to send Pinkamena and Pollen out on that little scouting trip together. I think they both like being helpful. And maybe this is just my monster fetish talking but I do think we can trust Pollen.”

“I don’t think it’s just the fact that thou enjoys the presence of the freakish, ‘tis also the fact that Pollen is more harmless than Ross. Possibly much more foolish as well, whatever the appearances may have been.” Luna added meditatively, and Scrivy rolled his eyes but smiled despite himself before Luna glanced over the wagon, then grumbled and looked irritably down at herself. “Come, enough of this. We have much to do, anyway… an exploration to plan. We can leave much of the rest of the work of repairing this wagon to our ghostly pet and our awkward Velite… I-know-not-what whilst we go upon our trip, anyway. ‘Tis good that at least the creature will be able to take care of Bob, as well, for I fear what would happen were he left in Pinkamena’s hooves… doubtlessly, at some point, the abject creature would end up in Pinkamena’s teeth. Then where would I find another beast of chaos to torment so, I ask thee?”

“This is why I love you, Luna, you’re always thinking about others.” Scrivener said mildly, turning around, and the winged unicorn laughed before she quickly jogged around the wagon to fall into pace beside him as they both smiled and headed along the side of their home. “So you really… think…”

“I know, Scrivy. I know how it sounds. I know that all things considered, ‘tis also not the wisest course of action… but I have never been all that wise.” Luna smiled despite herself, nudging him gently with her shoulder, and Scrivener gave her an amused look as they stepped into the backyard and headed towards their natural hot-tub. “Yet all the same, beloved, I do not fear what may come of this, and I do not fear what we shall be faced with. Instead, I invite it, with open embrace. And although we will be heading into an area rife with danger…”

Luna halted, looking thoughtfully down into the water: today, the hot tub seemed placid and calm, but when the female leaned forwards, she could feel the heat emanating clearly out of it… and she smiled a bit before glancing towards Scrivy, saying quietly: “I do not enjoy the idea of heading back towards that accursed place that caused us so much misery and loss, that ended up being the great, dark root of evil, and I know it will hurt us both. But I have also learned that we must cease to flee not just from our darkness, but also from what we fear. We must face this with courage… and remember that there are souls there, being led astray by a false and cruel hope of finding escape from this apocalypse-riddled world.”

Scrivener nodded slowly, rubbing at his face gently before he asked distastefully: “But we don’t have to save Bramblethorn, right?”

“Nay, Scrivy, there are certain souls who gave up their second chance before they had even lost their first.” Luna replied grimly, then she stepped forwards and slipped into the water, sighing after a moment in relief as steam rose up quietly around her and she sank slowly downwards, water whispering up through the sparkling, starry mane. “But enough of that. Get in the water, Scrivener Blooms, ‘tis time for a refreshing bath after a long day.”

The male rolled his eyes, but he stepped carefully over the edge and into the tub, sinking down into the hot water and feeling the soothing heat relaxing his muscles, tingling against his scrapes and cuts as he and Luna rested against one another. They both smiled a bit, pressing their sides together, and then the winged unicorn turned towards him and grasped his head gently, shoving him lightly down and making him roll his eyes even as he allowed her to dunk him beneath the water.

He straightened after a moment with a grumble, but Luna only gave him an entertained look, her own soaked ephemeral mane glowing faintly as it twisted and swirled back behind her. “Thou art a mess, Scrivener Blooms.”

“You’ve still got some ashes on your face.” Scrivy replied mildly without looking around, and Luna scowled at him and dunked his head again, and he surfaced with a half-splutter, half-laugh before wincing as she began to vigorously work her hooves through his mane and over his scalp. “Luna, my head is not dough!”

“I would argue that.” Luna grumbled, and Scrivener huffed a bit, crossing his front limbs as the winged unicorn continued to roughly massage along his head and work through his faintly-glowing white locks. “Perhaps at some point we shall find some shampoo. Or soap. Or perhaps only some stones, treated with herbs or scented oils or crushed flower petals, they work just as well.”

“Luna, this isn’t the dark ages. Pun intended.” Scrivener replied dryly, and then he winced when Luna dunked him again before mumbling to himself beneath the hot water, eyes tightly shut as the winged unicorn held him under the surface while she continued to massage along his scalp and through his mane, before she finally let him raise his head out of the water with a cough after almost thirty seconds, wheezing: “You know if I drown, you’ll die too, right?”

“Oh silence, Scrivener Blooms, be not so insufferable. I shan’t let thee drown in a tub. Besides, if I do one day decide to kill thee, there are many far-more-appealing options, such as tossing thee into a volcano or perhaps feeding thee to one of the mutant dragons that lurk in the darker bogs of this fetid world.” Luna grumbled, and then she suddenly leaned away and turned around, raising her head imperiously. “Now, take pains in washing my mane, Scrivener Blooms. ‘Tis relatively self-cleaning but I must take pains to ensure I look my best whilst I terrorize and annihilate my enemies, after all.”

Scrivener rolled his eyes, but he began to lightly massage along her scalp and work his hooves gently through her mane all the same, gazing down at her with quiet entertainment as he felt her ephemeral locks humming gently against him as he murmured softly: “You’re such a princess sometimes, you know that?”

“Call me not that, Scrivener Blooms, or I shall shove my horn up thy nose.” Luna threatened grumpily, and Scrivy smiled despite himself. Luna relaxed beneath his ministrations, sinking backwards as he rubbed and massaged along her scalp, and her eyes slipped closed as she sank deeper into the water with a mumble of: “Some days, though, ‘tis nice to be treated as if I was not made of thorns and nightshade… I imagine this must be what little fillies enjoy and dream of. I wonder if Celestia ever partook of this… but she was always particularly-fussy over her appearance.”

“Luna, compared to you, Nibelung can be fussy about their appearance. Usually you won’t have a bath until you reek like the barrens and you’re covered in blood or some other horrible substance.” Scrivener grumbled, and Luna shrugged disdainfully with a huff. “Even I have better hygiene than you.”

The winged unicorn looked amused at this, saying dryly: “Only because thou has such effeminate habits. Sometimes I think thou should have been a mare.”

“And just as often, I think you should have probably been a stallion.” Scrivener replied dryly, but the winged unicorn only laughed at this, grinning amusedly up at him as her eyes half-lidded, and Scrivy winced despite himself as he leaned backwards. “Please stop purposefully twisting my words.”

“I twist nothing, thou says what thou says and thou means what thou means.” Luna replied comfortably, and then she took a breath before allowing Scrivener to push her head under the water… before she fidgeted beneath the liquid when one of the male’s hooves flicked her horn before rubbing along it lightly, and she surfaced a moment later with a glare over her shoulder. “Cease that.”

“Please, I don’t have to be an over-analytical poet to make snide remarks about the imagery of you plunging your horn into things.” Scrivener retorted, and then he winced when she threw an elbow hard back into his chest, making him cringe a bit even as the same faint twist of pain went through her own body. “You’re evil.”

“Yes.” Luna said simply, and then she turned around, pinning him back against the wall of the tub and leaning forwards to kiss him firmly for a few moments, and Scrivener kissed her slowly back before she grinned and half-lidded her eyes, drawing back slightly. “Shall I prove to thee that I am most assuredly a mare, and a mare whom is ample feminine enough at that?”

Scrivener couldn’t help but grin back as he grasped her sides gently, leaning towards her and remarking mildly: “Luna, I don’t know if we can act like teenagers forever. Especially not when we’re supposed to be responsible and-”

Luna simply pressed a hoof to his lips with a wink… and twenty minutes later, the two were climbing out of the tub, both looking much-more relaxed as Luna flicked her horn towards him and a warm, drying wind blew past, both ponies closing their eyes before the winged unicorn murmured softly, as the last of the breeze passed: “I want a foal, Scrivy. I badly, badly, badly desire a foal. And while the death of this world fills me with sadness, knowing that this pilgrimage we make now may be our last great harvest… knowing that soon, perhaps within months, we shall be moving to the Looking Glass World, to put together the last pieces of this great puzzle… it fills me with joy and hope.”

She glanced towards him with a blush, her mane sizzling quietly around her as she said quietly: “We are going to have a child, Scrivener Blooms. A foal. And while I worry about what will become of this… while sometimes I fear that we will not be good parents… it is all I think about. And think not I do not see into thy mind, both thy apprehensions as well as thine own eagerness…”

She stepped towards him as Scrivener smiled a little at her, meeting his eyes as she reached up and said firmly: “Thou shalt be an incredible father. And… I shall be a good mother, nay, an excellent mother. This is something to look forwards to, to take pride in. We will have it, Scrivener Blooms. We will achieve this.”

Scrivy nodded to her, gazing into her eyes as she looked back into his… and then Luna laughed a bit and shook her head, turning towards the back door and smiling to herself as she added easily over her shoulder: “And besides, even should I give birth to some awful monster of darkness, I am sure it will be as adorable as me and as implacable as thou art, making it a perfect fit for our strange little family.”

The earth pony sighed and rolled his eyes, following behind her as he shook his head and said dryly: “Only you would joke about that, Luna. I swear there’s something seriously wrong with your head.”

“Perhaps.” Luna only shrugged as she opened the door, however, still looking serene as she stepped sideways and let Scrivy stride past, kissing his cheek as he walked by. He laughed at this, and she shut the door loudly with a grin at him, adding quietly: “The future is bright, Scrivener Blooms. The near future is harsh, aye, and terrifying… but beyond that, the world is bright. And I intend to ensure we both push through to that beautiful world together, one way or another.”

Scrivener Blooms smiled over his shoulder at her, then he glanced towards Discombobulation’s vial… and he leaned forwards curiously as he saw the Draconequus was now sitting complacently at the bottom of the bottle, the Ambrosia completely gone. The Ginnungagap entity looked up as Scrivener leaned down, and then he gave a small wave before miming a drinking motion.

“Water?” Scrivy asked curiously, and Bob nodded almost solemnly before the male shrugged. Before he could turn, however, he heard the fridge open and then slam shut, and Luna walked over with a grin… and Scrivener winced at the loud crack of a can of cola popping open as it floated eerily above her head. “Luna, wait!”

“Oh shush, ‘tis watery enough!” Luna retorted, Bob’s vial glowing blue before the cork popped off the top of it, and Discombobulation looked dumbly up before he flailed wildly as Luna poured cola into the bottle, Scrivener grinding his teeth together loudly as he stared in horror as she filled the vial almost halfway up before firmly plugging the cork back into place, leaving Discombobulation flailing wildly around in the foaming cola.

“You probably never had a pet, did you? Or, I’m guessing, even a plant.” Scrivener said dryly, and Luna huffed and looked at him sourly. “So alright. Even if Bob doesn’t drown, develop diabetes, or worst of all go on the worst sugar rush in existence, we’re still going to have to sit down and have a little talk about taking care of things. Especially if you really do want to have a foal.”

“Scrivener Blooms! I am appalled, I know full well that if I were to give a foal a cola, ‘twould have to be delivered in a bottle, not drowning the child in it.” Luna retorted, and Scrivener dropped his face against a hoof as she huffed and added grouchily: “Bah, ponies are too concerned about ‘healthy this’ and ‘nutritious that.’ Our child shall be raised perfectly fine and grow up strong and happy without all these gimmicks and worries.”

The earth pony sighed a little, then he looked towards where Discombobulation had managed to shove an island of foam together and was now sitting on top of it, shivering and hugging himself. He glared pointedly out at them, but Scrivy only looked flatly at Luna, who huffed and sipped at the cola that remained in the can as she corked the vial closed and said pointedly: “I could have drowned the fool in far worse things, thou both knows. In any event, Bob, why art thou so eager to submerge thyself in liquid?”

Bob glared at them at this, and then he flicked a hand, and a message rapidly scrawled itself over the bottle, Scrivener reading dryly: “‘I was thirsty. I asked for water, not Waterworld.’ You know, we should probably find something better than a bottle, too…”

Luna grumbled a bit at this, and Bob made a face, raising a hand and tilting it back and forth before the Draconequus sighed as he sat moodily down on his island, the message erasing itself from the vial… but even the small strain on the chimerical creature seemed to leave him drained. He paused moodily, then reached out and scooped up a handful of cola, surveying it suspiciously before he took a drink of it… and then shrugged a bit and laid back on his island of foam, seeming a bit less resentful.

The two ponies glanced at each other, and then they both simply made their way to the den… but instead of taking their usual spot at the bedding, they instead headed towards Scrivy’s desk as the winged unicorn smiled a little, saying quietly: “If we travel by wing as well as hoof, we should be able to reach the bitter north in half the time, perhaps even less. And even if we travel only by hard march… we shall only have to break when we feel it necessary to rest, and we shan’t have to keep to a slow pace. Besides, ‘tis not like we have not journeyed northwards before…”

“Yeah, I remember. But we’ve never gone further than Snow Saddle, Luna…” Scrivy quieted, glancing down and shaking his head slowly as he said softly: “We were only lucky that… everypony was drawn back here. It’s like after they died… they all marched back together. Ponyville… that sense of home, it must have drawn them all back. And we were so lucky that they… they never blamed us.”

“We were. We are. Aye, maybe in ways we are cursed… but in others, we are blessed with miracles beyond comprehension.” Luna said softly, lowering her head and nodding slowly… and then she smiled faintly, glancing up and reaching up to touch Scrivener’s shoulder gently as her horn glowed, papers and scrolls and other messy contents over the desk taking on a soft sheen as they quickly and neatly arranged themselves before a large map laid itself out, and blank parchment, a jar of ink, and a beautiful white feather quill settled on top of this. “Come, Scrivener Blooms. Let us plan.”

Scrivener laughed a bit and nodded after a moment, quietly picking up the quill and studying it, smiling a little before he glanced towards Luna. “Do you think Celestia ever knew how much it meant to me that she gave me this, just like you gave me one of yours?”

“Nay, so speak not of it, for I shall become jealous.” Luna replied kindly, hitting him gently in the back of the head, and Scrivy laughed despite himself as he shook his own before dipping the quill into the jar of ink and leaning forwards, beginning to write a quick series of notes and plans, his thoughts mixing with the winged unicorn’s own as she leaned over him and kissed his temple gently.

Luna gazed down as he worked, studying both the notes and the map beside the parchment with a thoughtful look on her face, rubbing quietly against the underside of her muzzle… and then she murmured quietly: “We could perhaps take a different route, Scrivy. If we fly, we can go over the mountains and around Canterlot and the dangerous, imprisoning peaks. The only thing that makes me wary of long periods of flight, however, is should The Stampede put in an appearance, or other wicked entities that have made the broken skies their home. It would let us move with great speed, however… and more importantly, let us avoid the dangers posed by many places over the earth.”

“I hate flying. Hell, you hate flying, too.” Scrivener muttered, and Luna shrugged a bit, touching his shoulder softly, and he smiled a little. “I know, Luna, I know, it’s not just about our comfort… it’s also about what’s ‘tactically sound’ or in less-fancy terms, what’ll get us there fastest with as little danger as possible.”

“Well, perhaps not as little danger as possible. There must always be some risk and danger to any adventure, especially if they involve us.” Luna replied softly with a slight smile, and Scrivener laughed quietly and nodded despite himself, giving her an entertained look. “And I think it best that we fly over the Northedge Strait… Charger’s Crossing has long collapsed, after all, and the ice of that frozen river is treacherous and prone to shatter at any moment, no matter how solid it may seem.”

Scrivener Blooms grunted, rubbing absently at the underside of his muzzle before he asked quietly: “And what about the Black Wolves of Hell? Fenrir dens in the north, Luna… the alpha, the leader. We do everything we can to avoid those creatures, and so does almost everything else, living or dead… only the insane or those looking for oblivion go to those monsters. The only reason we’ve been able to avoid them for so long is because they destroyed the world already… and then settled down in their individual territories.”

The winged unicorn nodded, saying quietly: “Aye, I know what thou art getting at. We will be invading Fenrir’s territory…” Luna closed her eyes, and then she shook her head and muttered: “But I would almost welcome a battle with the wolf, Scrivener Bloom. The monster killed my siblings and my beloved Twilight… and even in this chaotic world, I can still raise the moon when I please… and the eclipse may yet still be the key to destroying those monstrosities.”

Scrivener nodded slowly, grimacing a bit as he rubbed slowly at his face. “I don’t know what bothers me more, Luna. What you’d make those monsters do to themselves if the eclipse really did permit you to control them completely, or the fact that you’d much prefer to rip them apart one-on-one without any ‘fancy tricks,’ as you phrase it.”

Luna snorted in bittersweet entertainment, grinning moodily at Scrivener as she rested against him. “And what, does thou not believe in my fighting prowess, supplied further by mine rage? Aye, Fenrir felled my brother, but we had no idea of what we faced back in those days… days long ago, before Celestia and I truly understand who we were, and what we were capable of, I must add. I do not fear barking beasts, not any longer, not with the other evils we have faced… I would welcome a chance to test my mettle against scarred and ugly Fenrir, and even more a chance to put the beast back into the grave he never should have been dug out of.”

Luna fell quiet, looking down and shaking her head slowly before she closed her eyes, leaning forwards and resting her head against Scrivener’s as the male smiled faintly, closing his own irises… and in the silence, thoughts spun back and forth between them before Luna sighed a bit as there was a banging at the door before it opened, giving Scrivener a quick, quiet kiss before she leaned into the corridor and looked meditatively down it.

Pollen and Pinkamena were back, the Velite with a saddlebag strapped over its body and Pinkamena possessing her marionette, the puppet saying distastefully: “Ran into some Haunts, and Pollen here decided to try and talk to them. Otherwise, it’s clear out there… puddles of corruption here and there, the usual weird flora and fauna that crops up randomly, and there’s a few more cracks and a little more snow, but that’s it. Not too many Pales around, even.”

Pinkamena shoved Pollen rudely ahead of her, the Velite wincing as she staggered forwards before the mare stumbled into the room and half-fell as she sat heavily on her haunches, wheezing a bit as Pinkamena shoved her face over the desk… then grumbled when Scrivener slowly pushed her backwards, saying mildly: “Personal space, Pinkamena.”

“Did thou find anything of interest?” Luna glanced towards Pollen, but the skeleton only mumbled embarrassedly as she yanked the saddlebag off, then opened it to reveal a collection of bones as well as few gemstones and two large knives, and Luna grimaced a little. “Disturbing, thou seems to be more into the lifestyle of the Velites than thou let on, Pollen. Unless of course those belong to Pinkamena, that is.”

“Well, any Velite can whittle some runes into some bones and then attach them to replace the ones that have broken off…” Pollen began embarrassedly, and then she gestured at herself, her bones damaged and yellowed. “It’s not like I can give life or trap souls or anything. But unfortunately, whether I like this or not, I kind of need to attach… new bones every now and then. These are mostly Velite leftovers, though… the knives are for the… Pinkamena.”

“Half-demon, piano. I’m a half-demon, but some days they swear I’m a lot more like a full demon.” Pinkamena grinned, and it wasn’t just the shape of her puppet jaw that made it look so dangerous, as the Velite shrank back a little. “And don’t you worry, Luna, the knives are mine, that’s true. I needed some new ones after I broke the last set I had off in that pesky basilisk that kept coming by.”

Luna sighed and rolled her eyes, and Scrivener glanced moodily from one to the other before he said finally: “We’re a very strange little family.”

Pollen glanced up at this with a dumb giggle, and Pinkamena sighed and rolled her eyes before she said in an irritable voice over her shoulder: “He didn’t include you, bones-for-brains. And if he did, it was in the position of pet rock. So shut your face before I rip your jawbone off, and sit nice and quiet-like in the corner. If I need you to bludgeon something with, I’ll whistle.”

“It seems to me, Scrivener Blooms, that our current undead child dislikes the idea of a new infant in the household.” Luna remarked, and Scrivener snorted in entertainment, glancing towards her with amusement as Pollen looked awkward and Pinkamena shot her an undoubtedly-sour look, the puppet’s body perhaps even hinting at a bit of embarrassment. “Well, worry not, Pinkamena, for even in Looking Glass World thou will be welcome at our side. ‘Tis only for now that we require Pollen to act as babysitter. In life reborn, she will be able to return to her own old life, after all.”

“The Gardens at Meadowmane. I miss that place.” Pollen rubbed quietly at her jaw, then she shook her head and laughed a bit as she rested back, before wincing a little at the glare Pinkamena gave her with her gemstone eyes. “What… what do you miss, Pinkamena?”

“Nothing. This is my kinda world.” Pinkamena said moodily, and then she turned and stormed off towards the bedroom, adding loudly: “I’m putting my goddamn body away and then having a snack. Scrivener, think nasty thoughts, I’m in the mood for something with a little spice.”

Scrivy sighed and rolled his eyes at this, rubbing slowly at a temple, but Luna only kissed the other side of his head gently, saying softly: “Worry not, Scrivener Blooms. Besides, I know not for how long we shall be gone… which brings me, Pollen, to a point I wish to discuss with thee. I am normally not so trusting of others, but I am unfortunately in an awkward position at this point and time, and Pinkamena and Discombobulation will both require… company, so to speak. Perhaps even a babysitter. And if thou wishes to stay here, thou must be ready to look after them and aid with certain chores.”

As she spoke, Pinkamena floated eerily through the wall and glared balefully down at them, and Scrivener winced a bit as the Velite looked awkwardly up, rubbing slowly at her face and mumbling: “I… really don’t have much of a choice, do I? But how am I supposed to… I mean… no offense…”

Pinkamena grinned like a shark, and the skeleton’s head shrunk back between its shoulders as Luna only rolled her eyes, giving the half-demon Pale a flat look before it sniffed disdainfully and burst apart into black smoke, rushing downwards and making Scrivy wince as he felt the half-demon slipping her way into his mind as her voice muttered: I’ll behave while you’re gone, don’t worry. You don’t need to leave a goddamn babysitter.

“It’s alright, Pollen, Pinkamena is kinder than she seems. Or at least, she listens more than she seems to.” Luna replied mildly, glancing towards Scrivy, and the male grunted and nodded after a moment as he felt the faint, tickling numbness of the half-demon feeding off his mind and memories, of her sampling and dredging through passions, desires, and dreams. He could feel her clearer than before, and knew she was delving deeper, digging with curiosity towards the darker depths of his psyche… and the male couldn’t help but wince a little as she gave a quiet laugh in his head and whispered: Oh, don’t hide the good stuff away. If you and Luna are going to be gone for a while, I need to make sure I’ve eaten plenty to stay strong and healthy… and like I said, I’m in the mood for the chili of the mental world, so gimme some passion, some anger, and burn me alive…

Scrivener mumbled something under his breath, and Pollen looked nervously towards him before Luna shook her head and said quietly: “Worry not. Pinkamena is a half-demon… and to keep her spiritual self alive, she must feed off emotion and memory. It is… uncomfortable… but so long as she keeps herself civilized, she does not warp or destroy as a full demon would. Nor can she possess thee, thou art in no danger there.”

Pollen nodded slowly, and then she sat back as Scrivener looked up, saying softly: “Luna and I are more than willing to let you stay here. This cottage is safe… Luna will charge the magic wards before we leave, and even if Nibelung raiders attack you’ll be able to safely hide out inside and Pinkamena can kill pretty much anything.”

Thank you, Scrivy. See, this is why I like you. You respect me and my talents. Pinkamena said mildly inside his brain, and the earth pony glowered moodily at the ceiling as Luna gave him a flat look, and then the charcoal equine winced as he caught a vision of Pinkamena lounging in her strange little hidey-hole in his mind, grinning as she pieced together a model of a snarling Tyrant Wyrm. I respect you, you know. I admire you even. And I don’t think you should be ashamed of what you have the potential to become, and the destruction you could unleash. Destruction and death are necessary, after all… sissy taught me that. Because if I had only been killing and slaughtering faster, she would have lived a little longer.

She fell moodily silent, and Scrivener’s vision returned to normal as Pollen nervously voiced a question… but both the other ponies only looked at her dumbly before Luna smiled awkwardly and said finally: “Apologies. We were both… distracted for the moment. What was it thou asked?”

“Just about the wagon… you said something before about us helping with it, fixing it up while you were gone?” the skeleton said tentatively, and when Luna nodded and grunted, the Velite rubbed awkwardly at her face. “I really… don’t know all that much about… fixing things…”

“If thou can fix thyself, thou can do this simple task. Once Scrivy and I have rested a little more and finished our planning, we shall return outside and finish the brunt of the work… most of what thou will have to do is paint the composite we have gathered over the gemstones, ‘twill not be a difficult work for thou or Pinkamena because neither of thee will have to take great caution to avoid splattering thyselves with the strange material. Cowlick truly was a genius to have created this…” Luna shook her head, smiling faintly as she murmured softly: “’Tis only too bad that for all the lives I am sure it saved, our enemies proved too great for any shield to deflect, any armor to stop.”

Then she looked up, shaking her head briskly and adding quietly: “But thou shan’t encounter great difficulties, Pollen, worry not. The gemstones are pre-cut, and we have plenty of the adhesive by which to attach them. Pinkamena can attend to the finer details with ease and thou need merely follow her lead, the creature is bizarrely-good with such endeavors.”

Pollen still looked unconvinced, but she sighed and nodded, saying apprehensively: “Alright. It’s not that I’m ungrateful, I just… don’t want to mess up or anything. And I’m kind of worried about this whole… Bifrost business. You keep saying you’re going to have to smash me to pieces…”

“To free thy soul, I must exorcise thy bones and burn the remains… but ‘twill not be for a while yet, worry not about it, and thou will be no less dead – or perhaps I should say alive – than thou art now, just lacking a vessel. Thou will be a Pale… but not for long, if things go as I hope they will.” Luna replied quietly, nodding slowly, and the Velite mumbled a bit as she looked quietly down into the bag of bones. “Rest for now, Pollen. Go about thy business and worry not for us, we have seen and done worse than healed our injuries.”

The skeleton glanced awkwardly up, then smiled a little before nodding silently and looking back down, looking embarrassed as she began to fiddle through the bag of bones, gemstones, and knives… but Scrivy and Luna turned their attention back to the map, the male beginning to work on the itinerary again as Luna traced out routes here and there over the map with her hoof, remarking quietly every now and then on locations they had visited before, or the types of creatures they knew nested or prowled in the area.

Canterlot, for example, had almost entirely collapsed: the city that was left behind was inhabited by Haunts and more hostile, zombie-like brethren, and throughout the Castle lurked worse abominations and miserable souls that cried out for justice, for daylight, for Celestia to save them from the darkness that had consumed the world. They were damned, wretched souls that desired salvation in one form, and one form alone: the coming of the radiant sun, of maternal Celestia, to tuck them in and give them back their precious, selfish, perfect lives.

Not that Luna could entirely blame them all… they didn’t know how perfect life had been at the castle, how easy and good things were until too late… and the worship and almost-servility that was bred into so many of these sycophantic ponies meant they looked up to Celestia as leader, as harbinger of dawn in metaphorical as well as literal ways, as the only thing that could save them… never believing, even now, that she could be dead and gone.

Scrivener Blooms smiled faintly as he tapped the quill quietly against the paper, leaving faint black dots along the margin as he studied the feather silently… then he shook his head and glanced towards Luna as her ephemeral locks swirled slowly backwards, her own cyan eyes sorrowful and a little distant as she murmured: “Aye, but to dwell on it… will serve us no good and no purpose. Let us instead remember that in the future, much of what we have lost will be given back, in one form or another. Let us strive to be thankful, Scrivy… difficult as I know that is for a pessimist such as thou art.”

Scrivy laughed a bit despite himself, shaking his head before he smiled a little. “Alright, alright, Luna, I’ll do my best to, anyway. I’ve just never been very good at that, as you well know yourself. But do you really…”

“There is no time like the present, Scrivy.” Luna replied softly, nodding to him firmly, and Scrivener looked at her thoughtfully as he leaned back in the chair, before the winged unicorn glanced towards Pollen as the skeleton looked embarrassedly up from where she was fitting a new rear leg into place, her old one laying discarded and cracked. “My husband and I have decided that we shall leave likely within twelve hours. More than ample time for he and I to regain what little strength we have spent, to calm ourselves, and to do the major work on the wagon. I am extending an immoderate amount of trust to thee, Pollen, does thou understand? Thou art a Velite and a stranger and all the same, I am leaving thee here in the care of my home, and to care for Pinkamena and Discombobulation. And worry not, ‘tis not betrayal I fear from thee, ‘tis some other terrible screwup.”

“Oh, that. That helps my self-esteem a lot, thank you.” Pollen mumbled, grabbing at her skull, and then she sighed a little and nodded, saying finally: “And I really do honestly appreciate it, Luna. I really honestly really do, you and Scrivy I know are… going out of your way for me, really. But I’m also really, really determined to do the very best I can, and even though I’m worried, I promise you guys I’m not going to mess this up.”

Luna looked moodily at the Velite for a few moments… but then she nodded slowly and said softly: “Then I shall give thee the benefit of the doubt, or at least as much as I can manage. We shall be several days, possibly longer, depending upon how fast we march and what we encounter… but as we make our way back to where the Bifrost can be summoned, with Pales in tow, we shall send a letter to thee giving thee an estimation of our arrival and where to meet us. Thou shalt bring Discombobulation and the loaded wagon… and aye, worry not, we shall load the wagon before we leave.”

Luna paused meditatively, then she looked at the skeleton and said softly: “Finally, not to worry thee… but I know not how a Velite will hold up through the energy surges of the Bifrost. Thou treads the thin line between ‘organic’ and ‘construct…’ and whilst the Pales are energized by these energies, thou art not… not a natural creature. Thou art held together much by ancient magic and ritual… it may be painful for thee to pass over the rainbow bridge. But rest assured, one way or another, thou wilt pass over it, I just do not wish to leave thee with the illusion that ‘twill be a merry path.”

Pollen winced a bit, but she nodded after a moment and rubbed at her head, mumbling to herself before Luna glanced at Scrivy with a small smile, saying quietly: “And now, daydreamer, let us be off to work a little on the wagon and permit the labor to relax us. We should have materials enough to replace the damaged sides of the wagon, and the rest we can scrounge… from here.”

Luna glanced quietly up at the ceiling of their home, and Scrivener smiled faintly: their little cottage, after all, was made mostly of cut and polished ironwood that had withstood the tests of time and the apocalypse itself, thanks not just to magic, but the care and effort they had put into making this place, building from the ground up what had been their home for so many years now. The winged unicorn smiled as well after a moment, however, glancing towards the male and murmuring softly: “Well, ‘tis only right that we bring a little of our home with us, is that not so? We shall tear up the deck, should be more than sufficient to give us the last of what we need and solidify the wagon’s floor… and this reminds me, Pollen, thou must not forget to layer the gemstones over the underbelly of the wagon as well. Every possible inch that can be covered must be covered… with Pinkamena’s help, it should be an easier task than it sounds.”

Pollen, however, only gazed at them softly for a few moments, before the Velite asked finally: “This may sound weird… but what do you two plan to do when you’re… when things are back to normal? I mean, won’t everypony remember… what happened? Won’t we bear memories of our time spent as… Pales and… other things? When you two talk, I dunno, it sounds like… you plan to stay in exile.”

Luna and Scrivener exchanged a quiet look… and then the winged unicorn smiled faintly, meeting the softly-burning eyes of the skeleton and saying gently: “Exile is not a place, Pollen. Exile is a state of being… but those are all questions that can only be answered in the future, although aye, Scrivener Blooms and I make no plans to… move out of the wilds. We have been building a home in Looking Glass Equestria with our own hooves, during our short visits to that world… and as always ‘twas for us, we shall be outside society. ‘Tis where we belong, Pollen. ‘Tis where we must be. And as the blocks fall where they will around us when the future comes, we shall find our place, whether it is to take the blame for Ragnarok, to serve as protectors of the world, or to allow the new lives of the ponies of Equestria to replace the old entirely.”

She fell silent, and Pollen looked quietly from Scrivener to Luna before the two ponies smiled at each other, silently taking one-another’s hoof for a moment as their eyes met, and Scrivener said softly: “But it's not so bad… because at the end of the day, Pollen, Luna and I always have each other. And no matter what, that makes even living the life of an exile, of the forsaken, even of the forgotten… it makes it okay.”

The Velite looked at them quietly as she rested back, obviously not knowing what to say… but Luna and Scrivy spared her the trouble, both smiling to her before they headed down the corridor and towards the front door, calm and peaceful despite the uncertainties of the future and the pilgrimage to the cold north they were about to embark upon.

Comments

[Icthelight]

Alright. It's 6 AM, and I'm goin' 'ta bed. Night all. I'll be back in a couple of hours to read this chapter.

[Icthelight]

ALright. I'm not even goin' near my bed. Since, if I do, I'll fall asleep. I REALLY don't want to do that.