Gjallarsong

by BlackRoseRaven

Chapters

Verse Two
Verse Three
Verse Four
Verse Five
Verse Six
Verse Eight
Verse Nine
Verse Ten
Verse Eleven
Verse Twelve
Verse Thirteen
Lost Verse
Verse One
Verse Seven

Verse Two

Verse Two:
~BlackRoseRaven

There is no love like that of family,

When thy mother's heart is good and true:

Such love is love that is assuredly

without measure, pure as snow through and through.

For when two hearts commingle, there is cost;

A sacrifice call'd on to be paid,

Or else such love is easily now lost,

But a mother's love shall not simply fade.

The Dragon gave to the Princess a gift,

The child she crav'd, reason for life;

A light for life liv'd until now rift:

A reason to carry on through the strife.

So the mother sang, with love beyond love,

Not knowing it was Gjallar she sang of.

Thesis was being sent out on another mission, and Celestia had the feeling that Valthrudnir had been meddling again. She knew it was really just his strange way of showing that he was confident in Thesis, perhaps even that he cared about him... but she hated how the dragon seemed so eager to send her child into danger, as if he was trying to... prove something.

Celestia sighed softly as she tapped a hoof gently on her writing desk, and then she smiled faintly out the small window in the wall, gazing up at the moon in the sky longingly. The ancient scars across its porcelain surface that formed the Mare in the Moon seemed to glare back at her, but... Celestia felt anger, and fear, more than she felt hatred.

She hoped her sister was okay up there. Horses of Heaven, why had she done what she did?

Celestia didn't know if she was asking her sister that, or herself... after all, she thought that ultimately, she understood why Luna had done what she had done. But her response, what she had done to her sister, to her only family...

Well, she was never going to make that mistake again, and the value of family was something she had made sure Thesis had ingrained in him as a child. And every day, she did what she could to reinforce those lessons, to show him that she loved him... and she made sure that unlike with Luna, Thesis always knew that he didn't have to be in her shadow, he didn't have to be a prince, he didn't have to live any way but the way he wanted.

But the way Thesis wanted to live was as a soldier, a protector of Equestria... something she was so incredibly proud of, and yet also made her fear for him. Especially now, when they were at war with the griffins, and Valthrudnir seemed intent to continue to push her son in front of as many talons and beaks as possible...

Celestia shook her head briefly, then she looked down at her diary for a moment before she sighed softly and closed the book. Her hoof rested on its leather backing for a few seconds, and then she smiled briefly before saying quietly: “This was the best gift you ever gave me, Luna. I'm sorry I never appreciated it until after you were gone... but I always had you to talk to. Now...”

Celestia smiled briefly, then she shook her head before quietly turning the book over, stroking silently over the cover before she glanced curiously over her shoulder as she sensed... “Valthrudnir? What are you doing here?”

“You're running late, Celestia. You have a meeting to attend.” Valthrudnir said irritably from the door of her room: he had to stoop to glare in at her, and Celestia couldn't help but smile despite herself at the sight of this enormous, powerful creature hunched down in the doorway.

“I delegated those duties, Valthrudnir. There's no need for me to deal with every little thing myself. That's a lesson I think you could stand to learn as well.” Celestia said gently, and the dragon gave her a moody look in response before he stepped backwards and crossed his arms.

“This mission is of particular importance, Celestia. Thesis is in charge of escorting several extremely important diplomats across neutral territory. The likelihood that the griffins will try and attack them there is extremely high, according to their latest movements.” Valthrudnir said distastefully, gesturing moodily off to one side. Or at least she was fairly certain that was what he was doing: with the giant dragon now mostly obscured by the doorframe, it was a little hard to tell. “Should we lose these ambassadors to other nations, it will reflect badly upon Equestria: the other countries will see that-”

“It doesn't make any sense for the griffin nation to attack ambassadors from other countries, Valthrudnir. The other countries around us all have treaties of neutrality with both our nations: all the griffins would gain by attacking those ambassadors are more enemies.” Celestia explained gently as she approached the doorway.

When she leaned out to look up at him, she saw that he had that awful, patronizing look on his face that always made her feel a little... insulted. Insulted, and also wary: Valthrudnir only had that smugness about him when something had either already happened, or... “What do you know? What haven't you shared with us?”

“Sensitive information.” Valthrudnir retorted, and Celestia frowned before the dragon said distastefully: “I am not your servant, Princess Celestia. You know that you cannot command me, nor invoke my help whenever you please. I do what I desire, when I desire to, and that includes assisting you and your country.”

Celestia only continued to look calmly up at the dragon, too-used to this by now to take the bait: she knew that if she was just patient, and waited out Valthrudnir's need to establish his... superiority or dominance or whatever it was he always had to do, that eventually...

Valthrudnir sighed... but then, just as she had expected, he began to explain, even if it was in a moody, pedantic voice: “It's very simple, Celestia. If the griffins believe that any other nation is even thinking of trying to reach out to Equestria to act even in a supporting role, then the griffins will make a statement to that nation by ensuring that any symbols of support are promptly made an example of. Furthermore, the griffin nation has been fed copious amounts of misinformation, some of which includes possible treaties with other nations.”

“I was never informed of this.” Celestia said slowly, but Valthrudnir only gave a thin smile, and the princess sighed softly before she gestured at him absently with her head. Without a word, the dragon turned, putting his hands behind his back and calmly striding down the hall as Celestia strode in step beside him: she always had to walk a little fast, but at the same time, she knew the dragon was slowing his pace for her, more than he would ever admit.

He cared, she thought. He just never, ever wanted to show that he actually did. He couldn't stand the idea of relinquishing even the slightest amount of control, or being the smallest bit vulnerable, to her or anyone else. But still... “You need to talk to me, Valthrudnir. You need to at least keep me informed of your own... operations, if you insist on continuing to act of your own accord.”

“I am not bound by your laws, Celestia. That was part of our agreement, was it not?” Valthrudnir said testily, and Celestia only smiled faintly at him before the dragon snorted and looked ahead, adding moodily: “Besides, I am keeping you informed. We are discussing it now, are we not?”

Celestia sighed and shook her head slowly, and then her eyes roved up towards him, studying the dragon as she smiled faintly at him. He kept his eyes ahead as they walked on in silence, but she caught the quick flick of his eyes in her direction: yes, he cared, she knew. He just always had to put on a strong face.

“Valthrudnir...” Celestia softened a little, her eyes only for the dragon, even as he did everything he could to avoid looking at her... even as he stayed so close beside her, matching his pace to hers and never pulling away, in spite of how much he acted like he wanted to. “You know what I mean by discussing things. And you know that you don't have to keep up this act.”

“I know that you are annoying me, Celestia, and making it difficult for me to consider continuing to offer my services as I have so generously done so far.” Valthrudnir retorted, scowling in her direction before he quickly looked back forwards once more, saying moodily: “We are almost at the council chambers. Present yourself accordingly. Do not show weakness.”

“You and I have very different ideas of what weakness is, Valthrudnir.” Celestia replied evenly, and Valthrudnir shot a scowl in her direction. This time, however, Celestia didn't look back at the dragon, keeping her own eyes ahead as they approached the war room.

The soldiers guarding the doors both immediately saluted, and Celestia nodded to them calmly before striding through the archway and into the immense, rounded room beyond. Valthrudnir looked distastefully between the guards before he snorted contemptibly and followed Celestia in, announcing harshly over the generals and advisers greeting the princess: “We have no time for idle chatter! Sit in your places and prepare your reports!”

An uncomfortable silence fell for a moment as Valthrudnir strode to the circular table that dominated the center of the room, the dragon glaring over the ponies as if challenging any of them to argue with his authority. A few eyes roved towards Celestia even as the ponies began to shift towards the table... and then the uncomfortable silence became icy as the Princess of the Sun straightened and calmly settled her stern eyes on Valthrudnir.

Valthrudnir's lip curled as he glared back at her, half-sneering and half-snarling. His claws dug into the tabletop as he visibly bristled, the sound of the fabric of his suit stretching around flexed muscles terribly loud in the still air.

But Celestia only looked at him, calm and undaunted, not angry, but with the same seriousness she'd look down at a misbehaving foal with. And no matter how Valthrudnir snarled or glared at her, she was unflinching and unwavering.

Valthrudnir opened his mouth... but there was no roar, no snarl, no insult, as Celestia's eyes only narrowed ever so slightly in response. The silence trembled... and then was broken by the quiet click of Valthrudnir's teeth coming together as he gave the mare a surly look, but slumped his shoulders and... almost hid behind the chair in front of him, like he was a child who recognized that he was about to be reprimanded.

“I expect better from you, Valthrudnir.” Celestia said calmly, and then she looked back and forth as her expression smoothed out into something more pleasant. “Now, everypony. Please take your seats and let's discuss the situation.”

Valthrudnir mumbled under his breath, faintly blushing and glowering pointedly towards the floor as he dropped himself heavily into his own chair. He glared down at the tabletop, then grumpily flicked a finger to form two toy-sized figures: a crystalline dragon and a mare of snow and frost that he dropped his arms around, almost as if trying to shield them from sight.

The two tiny constructs began to silently fight, battering one another as Valthrudnir scowled down at the little entities caught in the arena formed by his arms. Several ponies looked at him awkwardly, and Celestia gazed at the dragon with the faintest hint of exasperation before she shook her head and turned her focus to the others gathered at the table. “Where do we stand in regard to defenses at our borders?”

There was a bit of shuffling, and then one of the generals cleared his throat before raising his head and answering seriously: “As I am sure you are aware, we have been suffering constant incursions from the griffins: invasions, ambushes, and aggressive expansion. The griffins have also been shifting their troops through neutral territories to try and attack us where we are most vulnerable: namely over difficult terrain or in aerial assaults above borders we share with neighboring nations, in direct violation of their treaties with other territories.”

“Griffins have their own rules of war, and the threats of sanctions and harsh words do little to intimidate brutes.” Valthrudnir muttered, as the tiny ice dragon railed forwards against the little horse of frost, forcing it to stumble into retreat. “I'm sure this plays to the pride of the griffins as well. They probably believe they have the other territories quaking in their boots, and the nation itself can brag about how even you cowardly ponies try and hide in other lands, they will still hunt you down and destroy you all.”

Celestia narrowed her eyes slightly as the ponies shifted uncomfortably, then she replied quietly: “But that is precisely the kind of thinking by the griffins that we can use to our advantage, Valthrudnir. We've already done it more than once in the past: allow the griffins to think they've scored a victory or let them brag to the other countries around us about how strong and invulnerable they are. But they don't inspire respect, only fear.”

The flow of battle between the two frosty constructs changed, as the horse headbutted the dragon before ramming into it, making the crystalline reptile skitter backwards. Valthrudnir scowled at his toys, then looked up at Celestia and said moodily: “Fear is a form of respect. That is something you would do well to learn and put into use, Celestia.”

The tiny ice dragon pounced on the horse... but the horse bucked it off and slammed both rear legs into its face in a kick as it flew backwards, as Celestia replied softly: “Fear is a whip. The whip only draws attention to the hoof that holds it... and the moment the holder drops their guard, the frightened masses will do anything to take that whip out of their hoof.”

Valthrudnir snorted in disdain, but then he only looked sullenly down at his toys of ice before he muttered: “If whips were not such good forms of control, then they wouldn't be so popular for keeping your kind in line.”

Celestia looked at Valthrudnir for a moment, and then she asked softly: “Then why are you choosing to help us instead of standing on the side that holds the whip?”

Valthrudnir opened his mouth... then simply scowled and looked down as the horse of frost shattered the tiny toy dragon with a hard kick, the dragon muttering: “This debate is a waste of time and resources. Stop testing my patience and do your job, Princess Celestia.”

The mare only smiled wryly, shaking her head slowly before her eyes flicked towards one of her advisers as he cleared his throat and rose a hoof, saying uncertainly: “We aren't sure what to make of it yet, but there are reports that the griffins have been granting pardons to dangerous criminals in their custody in order to recruit them as soldiers...”

“A surprisingly-intelligent use of resources.” Valthrudnir muttered, before he added waspishly: “Although I fail to see how this news is worthy of note.”

“Blackhoof.” Celestia said suddenly, her eyes widening slightly. “It was purposefully placed far away from any major towns or settlements in Equestria, in neutral territory. By now, the griffins may have moved in and seized the prison, and it could be days before we heard word that it had been overtaken because we never thought of it as a possible target...”

“That's our concern. Tracking the griffin's movements, it's possible that they attacked several days ago, right after the last status report was sent out. Since they haven't made any contact with us since then...” The adviser broke off, biting his lip nervously.

Celestia shook her head slowly, then looked up as one of the generals said quickly: “We should send a scout immediately-”

“Don't waste your time. Use your battleships and burn down the prison and everyone in it. Any ponies that may be caught in the blaze are merely acceptable collateral damage.” Valthrudnir said irritably as he glanced up from the tiny frost horse that was still prancing around on the tabletop. “Exterminate the threat.”

Celestia only looked coldly at Valthrudnir for a moment before she turned towards one of her generals, saying calmly: “We'll do neither. I'll speak with the magic council and have them scry the area. Mobilize two platoons of soldiers and prepare them to move out at a moment's notice.”

Celestia stopped as Valthrudnir glared at her... but there was something imploring in her body language, and the mare sighed a little before she added hesitantly after a moment: “And prepare one of the battleships. It might be necessary to take a more aggressive stance on things.”

Valthrudnir leaned back and crossed his arms with a grunt, before glancing down at the tiny horse of ice as it nickered at him almost disapprovingly. The dragon simply scowled at it, and a moment later, the horse of frost exploded into fragments, which quickly evaporated along with the remains of the dragon.

Celestia shook her head slowly at the childishness of the Jötnar, before she looked around the table and asked calmly: “Why weren't we aware of this situation earlier?”

“It didn't seem like a target that would interest the griffins. They also distracted us by continuing their assaults and raids along our borders. Their strikesharps seem to be becoming more and more aggressive, almost to the point of being suicidally reckless-”

“Suicidal, perhaps. Reckless, no.” Valthrudnir interrupted, and Celestia's eyes flicked towards him as the dragon said moodily: “The griffins have no fear of death. To them, dying in battle is an honor and a privilege. To defend their... ridiculous barbarian culture even more so. And while they act like arrogant troglodytes, they are very excellent at calculating how and where they can deal the most damage to Equestria's forces.

“A strikesharp team of five griffins can attack and mangle an entire platoon of Royal Guard if they launch a successful ambush. They can disrupt our trade caravans or use guerrilla tactics to impede the march of entire army groups. They are elite, and often carry explosives they use to either destroy supply wagons or ensure that no griffin can be taken prisoner.” Valthrudnir continued icily. “Whether they are ignorant savages or not, if you underestimate what they are capable of, you will lose this war.”

There was an uncomfortable silence for a few moments, and then Celestia asked quietly: “What is the best course of action to deal with the mounting strikesharp attacks? Whether we use magic or aerial specialists to try and predict their positions and how they might attack, the griffins have stronger eyes and react faster than our soldiers do.”

“Then the answer is simple. We have to teach your troops to react faster. And if they have reached the limit of their potential, then we look into other methods of augmentation.” Valthrudnir said calmly, straightening... then smiling almost indulgently at the hard glare Celestia gave him, asking patronizingly: “Or do you want Thesis to be the only augmented pony in all of Equestria, is that it?”

“Thesis was born with his strength. We did not mutilate nor modify his body in any way, shape or form afterwards.” Celestia said in a soft but serious – almost threatening – voice: the subject of her son being 'different' was one of the few things that could push Celestia into showing a much less pleasant side of her personality. “This is not up for debate.”

“What about discussion, then?” Valthrudnir asked glibly, and Celestia shot him a sour look before the dragon continued in a pleasant but nearly-mocking voice: “Or do you still insist that Thesis is completely 'normal,' even though everything about him scores far above the average? I still fail to understand how you can get so upset over the thought that your precious little child is so 'different' from the other ponies, while at the same time you waste all your time encouraging your precious little ponies to be 'unique in their own way' and this other plebeian nonsense.”

Celestia looked coldly at Valthrudnir for a few moments as he gazed challengingly back at her, and the ponies at the table shifted nervously: this always seemed to be the way it was between these two. Celestia was the only pony in all of Equestria who could stare down Valthrudnir, but the dragon was the only creature in the entire palace that seemed to enjoy testing Celestia's patience.

Valthrudnir snorted after a moment... but his eyes flicked away from Celestia's hard gaze almost nervously, even as he gestured to the side and said flippantly: “I suppose it's not all that important, though, is it? Yes, let's make decisions for Equestria at large and retain your precious dignity and propriety. There's no need to offer the ponies unnatural enhancements that may give them the ability to both survive and achieve a critical competitive advantage. Being on the correct side of a moral dilemma is much more important. So important we don't have to even discuss its veracity or morality in the first place.”

“You're not winning any arguments by being obnoxious, Valthrudnir.” Celestia said irritably, and then she sighed before raising a hoof to her head, rubbing slowly just beneath her horn and knocking her tiara slightly aslant before she looked grimly up and asked the table in as steady a voice as she could, even as unease twisted down her spine: “We've voted on this before, but as Valthrudnir insists on bringing it up again... would anyone like to second Valthrudnir's impromptu motion to...”

She broke off, but the dragon was quick to finish the sentence for her with a pleasant smile on his face: “Encourage evolution. Or, if you need me to put it in simpler terms for your kind, let's simply use the word 'help.' I'm sure you have some grasp of what that word means, after all, considering how often you waste my time asking for it.”

Celestia glowered at Valthrudnir, but resisted the urge to say anything, instead forcing herself to look back over the table as one of the generals hesitantly rose his hoof, starting nervously: “I think that... we may have to consider-”

“This is not a debate, nor a discussion. This is a simple vote, yes or no. Do you want to survive or do you want to continue to flounder and watch your fellow ponies die around you, all because of your idiotic refusal to take the steps necessary to better your kind?” Valthrudnir cut in, ignoring how Celestia's gaze immediately shot towards him again, her mane sparking slightly with her growing frustration. “Yea or nay. Or is that asking too much of you-”

“Enough.” Celestia said shortly, and Valthrudnir grumbled under his breath but relented, rolling his eyes with a theatrical flick of one hand. The Princess of the Sun shook her head briefly, then she sighed before turning her eyes back over her council. “Who is in favor of Valthrudnir's motion?”

There was silence, and for a few moments, Celestia thought that perhaps this was going to go the same as always, with the other ponies all shifting uncertainly... but then one of her advisers nervously rose a hoof. “Yea.”

Celestia looked with surprise at the pony, who blushed and shifted uncomfortably, opening his mouth as if to try and explain himself... but Valthrudnir was quick to cut him off, saying shortly: “As said before, this is not a discussion. Who else is in favor?”

There was silence for a few moments... but then two more ponies hesitantly rose their hooves. That was three out of the seven ponies on the council, not including herself, and it was something Celestia had trouble wrapping her mind around. They had been discussing this even before the war with the griffins had started, all the 'gifts' and 'miracles' that Valthrudnir wanted to share with them that went against so many of the laws that Equestria had been founded on...

She did her best to resist grimacing or shaking her head, but all the same she felt her teeth grinding together, her baleful gaze locked on Valthrudnir. But he only gave her that confident, cocky smile of his... before scowling as one of her generals said in a quiet but firm voice: “Nay.”

This was followed by 'nays' from all the remaining ponies, and Valthrudnir looked less than pleased as Celestia gave him a cold look before she said shortly: “The vote is in my favor. Valthrudnir, I will ask you not to bring this subject up again.”

“Because you're afraid of the ponies agreeing with me, Celestia. And here I never thought you were a coward: many other things, but not a coward, Princess of the Sun.” Valthrudnir said contemptibly.

Celestia stiffened slightly at this... but then she forced herself to take a slow breath, saying quietly: “I can't stop you from bringing this up again. But I can tell you that even if you get this council's approval, all that means is that it will have to be voted on in the senate. And if your motion fails to pass there-”

“I am well aware of the consequences, Celestia.” Valthrudnir retorted irritably, although some of his smugness had returned, she noted. He probably thought that if he managed to win over the council, she would help him make sure his motion passed...

No, she wasn't going to do that. Thesis was different. Thesis was her son. And she would never deny any other mare a child, but... she wasn't about to start using her citizens to breed soldiers, or worse, to let Valthrudnir play his sick, childish games with her people, adding and subtracting parts from their bodies however he saw fit...

Celestia shivered a little and shook herself briefly, then scowled darkly at the dragon, who only looked back at her with his arrogant smile back in full bloom over his features. No, no matter what happened, she wasn't going to let Valthrudnir cajole them into opening the devil's toybox... because she knew that if she did, there would never be any going back.

She couldn't let the griffins destroy her people. But she would be damned before she saw her people turned into mechanical monsters just to settle a border dispute that had gone too far. And Valthrudnir, whether or not he meant the best for them, whether or not he was a genius and a masterful tactician... didn't seem to understand that there was more to winning this war than simply destroying their enemy.

They looked at each other for a few moments, and then Celestia asked abruptly: “What about Prince Thesis? What is his status?”

There was silence for a few moments, as the council shifted uncomfortably, but Valthrudnir only smiled pleasantly before answering: “As I told you before, he was sent on an escort mission. By now, I imagine they've met up with the ambassadorial caravan and are en route towards the border.”

The other ponies nodded as one of her advisers unrolled a map onto the table, looking down at it for a moment... and then alarm flashed over her face before she looked up and asked hurriedly: “Wait, when were these territory markers last updated? The escort route passes into the neutral zone around Blackhoof, where-”

“General Highwind, I need you to mobilize those platoons immediately as well as prepare a battleship.” Celestia interrupted sharply, shooting a glare at Valthrudnir as he only crossed his arms and sat back with that pleasant, arrogant, patronizing look on his face that told her everything she needed to know.

The Princess of the Sun couldn't stop herself from turning towards him, glaring at the dragon before she finally asked in disbelief: “Why? Why would you-”

“Your ponies are the ones who made the error, not me. They should have been paying more attention to the griffin's movements.” Valthrudnir replied contemptibly, giving Celestia a thin smile in response. “It's fortunate that Thesis is on this mission, really. He'll have a chance to prove himself and his effectiveness.”

Celestia gritted her teeth, glaring at the dragon but reining in her temper... for now. Instead, she turned her attention to her advisers and her generals... but Valthrudnir only continued to smile in his knowing, mocking way, as if everything was going according to the way he had planned it all along.

Thesis strode calmly along on one side of the carriage, keeping his head down and fidgeting a little. He had been assigned to this escort mission at the last minute, and he'd barely had enough time to clean himself up and trade in his armor before he'd had to make a run for the meeting point.

He had immediately gotten a lecture from the commanding officer, Sworn Tenet, for being late. And Thesis, since he was no good at keeping his mouth shut, had broken the first rule of being in the Guard and tried to reason with his superior officer instead of just accepting the reprimand.

Being both a Prince and... markedly different from other ponies tended to draw him a lot of negative attention in the ranks of the Royal Guard. The fact that he never managed to curb his attitude didn't help matters, either, and to top it all off was that as the Prince of Equestria, the soldiers felt they all had to work to protect him.

Thesis shook his head briefly. So maybe things hadn't started on a good note. And now he was just trying to keep his head down and stay quiet... but on the bright side, the ambassadors seemed pleased that he was here. Which, well, that was probably good for diplomacy even if it just seemed to piss Sworn Tenet off even more and made some of the other soldiers in the platoon think he was just sucking up.

Well, he was here to help, one way or another, and he was just doing his job like everypony else. That was what he had to focus on, not the fact that everyone seemed to think he was here just to play political games or make himself look good in front of the ambassadors. And so far, it didn't seem like it was going to be a terrible trip: first they had taken the train to a northern outpost, and from there, they would travel through neutral territory towards the mountains. Then a team of Pegasi would take over and fly the ambassadors back to the Sky Kingdom, where the Kirin ruled.

Thesis glanced at the carriage, smiling a little. The Kirin were a strange and powerful race who kept mostly to themselves... but they played an extremely important role in maintaining the neutrality in the skies. Their kingdom was a floating domicile made out of clouds and marvelous magic-based technology and floating islands, and they were one of the few races that could outperform griffins in the air when it came to combat. But they were a peaceful people, too, dedicated to helping maintain the balance of the world above all.

The stallion glanced at the carriage again, almost wistfully. He could do a lot of things, but flying wasn't one of them. But maybe one day, he'd be able to: Valthrudnir, after all, had introduced all sorts of strange machines to their world, and he knew that one of them was a massive boat of metal that flew through the air instead of driving through water, even more advanced than the ships the Kirin sometimes used made out of clouds and enchanted wood. Thesis had been on one before, and it was a feeling he didn't think he was ever going to forget... even if it wasn't completely what he hoped to feel. Even with the wind in his face and the ground so far below, there had still been a floor beneath his hooves, a feeling of being caged-in, the sense that he was so close to freedom, yet it was still out of his grasp...

“Eyes front!” snapped Sworn Tenet from the front of the caravan, and Thesis flinched before looking hurriedly ahead as the ponies pulling the carriage snickered at him, and he swore he felt the eyes of the other guards burning holes in him.

Well, they were halfway there by now, at least. Thesis just kept his head up and his march in time with the other ponies, glad that he had traded out his fancier officer's armor for the plainer gear of the standard guard. Sure, it was a little tight and uncomfortable, but the last thing he needed to do was draw more attention to himself when everypony here already hated-

One of his ears twitched as a sensation spiked through his mind, and Thesis immediately looked sharply up into the sky, white eyes flicking back and forth. But there were only a few wisps of cloud: nothing solid enough for griffins to hide behind or-

“Lieutenant Thesis!” barked Sworn Tenet, and Thesis winced a bit as the convoy came to a stop as the Captain of the Guard stormed towards him, purple armor gleaming over the grizzled old unicorn's body as he glared furiously at the dark-coated stallion. “Do you need a reminder of your proper place and protocol, colt? Or is your highness bored? Because you are more than welcome to-”

Thesis' eyes widened slightly as he felt the impossible shift beneath his hooves, heard that subtle hiss of moving earth a moment before he tried to shout a warning as he threw himself to the side. But he reacted too late: even as he leapt, the ground crumbled away beneath him, and Thesis, the carriage, and all of the Royal Guard tumbled into a sinkhole with a tremendous crash and bang.

Thesis heard screaming and felt movement all around him: his body was already reacting, already moving, the stallion starting to look up-

Explosions. Flashes of light. More screams. Stars dancing through blackness as pain fizzled through his mind and... wetness. Wetness on his face. Sickening warmth and a stink like sweat and animal hide. Brief nothingness. And then, the next thing Thesis knew, his eyes fluttered open... and the first thing he saw was one of the ambassadors being forced to the ground before a griffin slit his throat.

Thesis shouted a denial, but the griffins didn't even look at him. Thesis tried to get up, but then swore as he realized he had been tightly bound with heavy rope and tied tightly to another pony, who was only glaring at him...

Sworn Tenet twisted his body, making Thesis wince as the ropes that were tightly wrapped around them both dug into his body, before the Captain of the Guard said moodily: “Great work, lieutenant. This is your fault.”

“How the hell is...” Thesis stopped, then his eyes looked back out over the griffins, the stallion gritting his teeth as they watched the griffins drag another ambassador over the ground. This one they didn't seem intent on killing... no, they had only killed one of the ambassadors to make a point. He couldn't completely understand what the griffins were saying over the yelling and screaming of the panicking ambassador, but they seemed to want something...

Thesis' eyes flicked sharply over the group: this wasn't a strikesharp. There were at least ten griffin soldiers, and two elites, judging from their gear... but there was also a small pack of diamond dogs. That explained the sinkhole... but now the stallion had to figure out what the hell diamond dogs were doing with-

“Come back to reality, lieutenant. You're useless anyway, but I'd prefer you to see death coming before the griffins kill you.” Sworn Tenet said moodily, and one of Thesis' eyes twitched a bit before he slowly turned towards the Captain, who only glared back at him with his fearless blue irises. “Let me handle negotiations.”

Thesis grimaced a bit, but then he forced himself to simply nod. Sworn Tenet grunted at him, and then the grizzled stallion turned, his faded red coat glimmering like copper under the afternoon sunlight, making every scar of age and battle across his face stand out all the clearer. “Who's the featherduster in charge?”

There were a few caws from the griffins at this as they were distracted from the ambassador they had surrounded. They began to turn their attention towards the pair of tied-up ponies... but then quickly dropped their heads and skittered away when another, larger griffin suddenly shot towards them, snapping: “Keep your eyes on the other prisoners!”

Two of the griffins quickly grabbed the ambassador and pinned him as the third simply saluted awkwardly, but the griffin commander was already ignoring them, striding over over to the two bound stallions and stopping only a foot or so away.

The griffin looked at them for a moment... and then he leaned forwards and spat on Thesis, the dark-coated stallion's eyes widening in shock. The griffin gazed down at them with his cruel, hawk-like features, a cold smile spreading over his face before he said calmly: “Aren't I the luckiest griffin beneath all the sky? We managed to catch not just some annoying little chickadees we'll have to make an example of, but the Prince of Donkeys too.”

“Actually, right now I'm just a lieutenant. So to avoid pissing off my CO any more than he already is, maybe you could just treat me the same way you would any other pony prisoner.” Thesis said awkwardly, and then he grimaced when the griffin grabbed him by the throat, digging the talon of his thumb into the stallion's neck.

“Believe me, mudwalker. I'd love to rip out your entrails to feed to the crows like we plan to do with your sisters-in-arms here.” The griffin sneered, leaning in and glaring callously down at Thesis. “But that honor doesn't belong to me. That belongs to the incrowsitors, back in our homeland.”

Thesis winced a bit, and then his eyes widened in horror and he stared in disbelief at Sworn Tenet when the old stallion said coldly: “You're cowards, the great lot of you. You had to ambush us, as always, to gain the advantage, little birdies... even the pissant prince here is more than a match for your strongest warrior.”

The griffin scowled darkly at this, studying Thesis intently as the dark-coated stallion gave a lame grin up at the hybrid. “That's mostly just Equestrian pride talking, I think, so you should just-”

“Don't talk out of turn, lieutenant, your superiors are having a conversation.” Sworn Tenet growled, and Thesis winced before the Captain of the Guard looked up coldly, fearlessly into the griffin's eyes, saying contemptibly: “But of course you wouldn't know anything about honor or strength, would you? Sissy scum like you do nothing but hide behind mommy's tailfeathers... or in this case, the raised tails of your diamond dog friends here. At least we walk on top of the mud. You've decided to go rolling in dung with the mutts.”

The griffin commander snarled, shoving himself away from Thesis before he stepped forwards and raked his claws across Sworn Tenet's face. The stallion flinched to the side as blood spurted from his flayed cheek... but then he only grinned coldly before looking slowly up at the griffin, saying fearlessly: “See? Just like I thought. Cowards. The lot of you.”

The griffin gave a piercing shriek of fury, leaning down in Sworn Tenet's face, beak open wide and talons grabbing into his shoulders... and then the hybrid suddenly shoved himself away, turning around and snarling: “Untie the Prince! I'll fight the little pony myself and show you what a strong, proud griffin warrior can-”

“No. I will fight him.” growled a voice, and Thesis looked up... before his eyes widened in shock as a diamond dog slowly strode forwards on his hind legs, his shadow falling over the griffin before one huge paw reached down and seized the back of his hawk-like head, squeezing into it as the massive canine added contemptibly: “This isn't a job for a little birdie like you.”

The griffin was flung to the side, and immediately, several of the hybrid soldiers leapt forwards, surrounding the diamond dog with snarls and caws. But the beast looked unperturbed, only grinning callously, his eyes already locked on Thesis as the dark-coated stallion looked defiantly back even as a shiver ran down his spine.

He was the biggest diamond dog he'd ever seen, dressed in torn denim workpants and rawhide belts that wrapped tightly around his burly forearms. His fur was stretched in thin patches over his massive, muscular frame and rubbery-looking skin, telling Thesis that this mountain of diamond dog in front of him hadn't come about all his strength naturally.

The huge diamond dog flexed his large front paws, which hung at the end of his long forelimbs like wrecking balls: his claws were gnarled and malformed. His teeth were jagged, standing out like tusks when he licked his lips as his cold silver eyes looked into Thesis' own ivory irises. “Brave little bastard, aren't you? I will enjoy tearing you apart.”

The griffin commander snarled as he climbed to his talons, brushing himself off and turning towards the diamond dog before he growled: “Kindynas, I'm warning you-”

“Shut it!” the diamond dog snapped, baring his teeth at the griffin, and the commander flinched: it was the smallest of movements, but the effect it had was startling, as the other griffin soldiers all immediately stopped and looked in disbelief first at their commander... and then turned their eyes towards Kindynas in silence.

Thesis grimaced a bit, but Kindynas either didn't notice or didn't care about the fact that all the griffins were now looking at him like he was their new leader, the giant of a diamond dog instead turning his cruel grin back towards Thesis before he growled: “Cut him loose. I want to tear his heart out of his chest and eat it.”

“We have to keep him alive.” the griffin commander said quietly, and the diamond dog shot him an ugly look, but this time the hawk-headed hybrid managed to keep his gaze steady. “You might not bow your head to me. But you'll listen to the orders of the king.”

Kindynas spat to the side, then he growled before turning his eyes back towards Thesis, ordering sharply: “I said let the whelp loose!”

A griffin hurried over to Thesis before drawing a knife and slicing the ropes off, the stallion cursing as the dagger caught his foreleg as well and left a thin gash. Then he winced when then griffin grabbed him by the mane, but he didn't fight as he was flung forwards, landing with a grunt on his stomach as pain throbbed through his body. He slowly climbed up to his hooves, letting his head hang so he could sneak a look back behind himself at Sworn Tenet... but his CO was resolutely looking at the griffin commander, saying contemptibly: “Just like a bird to have a dog fight his battles for him.”

“Break the mudwalker's legs. Then I'll let you kill the unicorn and the rest of the soldiers.” snarled the griffin commander, before his eyes turned towards the remaining ambassador, snapping: “This is what we do to anyone who stands against us! Watch closely!”

Kindynas grinned widely, leaning forwards and punching one large paw against the ground before he growled: “So will you fight, pony, or will you beg?”

“I might be wrong here, but I thought it was the dogs who did tricks.” Thesis replied fearlessly as he slowly straightened, narrowing his eyes: he was big for a pony's standards, but Kindynas was at least twice his size, absolutely towering over him. But even if he was a giant, he was cocky, overaggressive, and Thesis' sharp eyes were already quickly analyzing everything he could about his opponent.

The diamond dog grinned, then leapt forwards, swinging one huge paw out almost playfully: Thesis allowed his eyes to flick upwards, judging the speed of the movement and where it was about to land as he held his breath... and then the stallion flung himself to the side before he leapt forwards and slammed his hoof into the diamond dog's kneecap, a loud crack echoing through the air before Kindynas spilled forwards with a thud.

The diamond dog lay stupidly on his stomach, mouthing wordlessly, his forelimbs outstretched almost comically in front of himself with his big paws buried in the dirt, while Thesis only stood, his back to Kindynas, his eyes flicking back over his shoulder as he absently polished his hoof against his chest before he remarked: “I think you might have missed.”

The diamond dog snarled, then clawed his way up to his feet, spinning around and glaring furiously at Thesis as the dark-coated stallion turned around and said in a quieter, more-serious voice: “It doesn't have to be like this. Surrender. I don't want to hurt you.”

“Shut up, crowbait!” snarled Kindynas, before the diamond dog leapt forwards and swung a claw down in a clumsy slash. Thesis easily swayed out of the way before he swung a hoof up and smashed it into the diamond dog's stomach... but it was like hitting metal, and the stallion's eyes widened in surprise before Kindynas swept his other forelimb out with a snarl, batting the stallion away like a toy.

Thesis hit the ground hard on his back, wincing before he rolled backwards just as the diamond dog pounced. Kindynas smashed into the ground in front of him, claws digging uselessly into dirt before his jaws snapped at the equine, but Thesis winced and leaned out of the way before he swung a hoof hard up into the canine's chin.

Kindynas grunted in surprise as his head snapped back, knocked off balance for a moment, and Thesis immediately pressed the advantage, leaning forwards as his hooves smashed in a blur back and forth across the diamond dog's face.

The canine shouted in frustration more than pain, and then his front paws both suddenly shot up, seizing Thesis by the sides of his body and hefting him high into the air before he was thrown savagely down on his back. Thesis bounced over the hard ground with a gasp of pain before Kindynas jumped on top of him, slamming a foot into his stomach to knock the wind out of the stallion before his paw crunched with agonizing force on top of Thesis' muzzle.

The stallion cried out in agony, blood bursting from his jaws and nose before he snapped his head quickly to the side when Kindynas attempted to drop down and bite into his throat. Then the pony whiplashed his head forwards, slamming his skull into the diamond dog's nose before he could draw back, and Kindynas shouted in pain, rearing back... but he swept one large paw out at the same time, batting Thesis away like a ball of paper.

The stallion rolled painfully across the ground and landed in a heap, gasping for breath as his eyes bulged with pain, grasping at his dented metal armor. The diamond dog had a punch like a battering ram... and Thesis gritted his teeth as he slowly forced himself up to his hooves, shaking his body out as he forced himself to calm down before he could start to get anxious or angry. He had to play to his enemy's weaknesses and tilt the fight in favor of his strengths. He couldn't let himself get worked up now.

Kindynas was snarling, blood dripping from his mouth as he slowly hefted himself back to his own rear legs, his eyes glowing with hatred. And there was perhaps the smallest bit of humiliation there, too... I can work with that. “I'll rip your stupid hooves off, pony, and then feed them to you!”

“I already tried to feed you one of them, and it looks like it was too much for you to stomach.” Thesis replied as he shook himself out, and then he reached up quickly popped open the clasps that held his light plate on, the stallion purposefully glancing back and pretending to fiddle with one of the clasps as he muttered: “You certainly did a good job ruining a perfectly good set of-”

Kindynas lunged forwards on all fours, racing towards Thesis with a snarl of fury, and the stallion reacted in a flash as he tore his breastplate loose from his body before swinging it like a club straight into the diamond dog's face. Kindynas stumbled backwards with a howl of shock as the armor flew loose from the stallion's hooves, but Thesis was already in mid-leap, tackling the diamond dog around the neck and spinning himself around to the giant's back.

His rear hooves slammed into the diamond dog's spine as his forelegs wrapped around his neck, beginning to throttle him as Kindynas shook himself wildly, grabbing uselessly at Thesis' forelegs before he snarled and threw himself backwards, attempting to drop on top of Thesis. But the moment the diamond dog began to tip, Thesis kicked off his back and flung himself away as he slung the diamond dog downwards at the same time with all his strength.

Kindynas crashed down on his back with a tremendous bang, rattling the field with the force of his impact as his eyes bulged with surprise. Thesis, meanwhile, landed and skidded to a halt a few feet away, baring his teeth at the diamond dog before he shouted: “Come on, Tiny, you can roll over better than that!”

The diamond dog's eyes blazed as he rolled up to all fours, hackles raised as he snarled in fury before he roared and charged forwards. Thesis tensed himself, gritting his teeth as he counted the giant's steps before he leapt forwards, slipping just beneath the swing of the diamond dog's forelimb to slam a hoof up into his throat.

Kindynas reared back, choking loudly, and Thesis leaned forwards, his hooves a blur as he slammed blow after blow into Kindynas' stomach, hammering his kidneys and solar plexus with concentrated strike after strike. Time almost seemed to have slowed for the stallion as he poured all his strength, all his focus, into taking down the giant of a diamond dog-

Kindynas roared and tried to drop both elbows into him, and Thesis skirted quickly to the side, wincing as the edge of an elbow caught the side of his head and sent up a sharp flare of pain. He ducked again as Kindynas swung his forelimbs out in a savage double-haymaker, and then Thesis seemed to vanish as he sprung quickly over to the diamond dog's other side, hammering a short volley of blows into the diamond dog's thigh and the back of his knee.

The giant roared in fury and frustration as he spun the other way, slamming a fist down: it crashed into the earth with enough force to leave a crater where Thesis had stood just a moment before, and Kindynas overbalanced as his leg suddenly twitched painfully.

The diamond dog could barely track where Thesis was with his eyes, the pony was so goddamned fast... but then his ears twitched, and the giant grinned before his other hand suddenly shot up, and Thesis gargled as the enormous paw clenched around his throat.

He was hefted high into the air, then slammed cruelly down on his back, knocking the sense from his body before Kindynas stood and lifted Thesis high above his head like a trophy. He grinned in vicious triumph as Thesis gasped uselessly for breath, struggling weakly in the grip of the giant diamond dog as Kindynas growled: “How about I teach you to play dead?”

His fingers squeezed tighter, and Thesis' eyes bulged, excruciating pain ripping through his body: his head felt like it was going to explode, and his body was a weight, and his throat like it was being crushed out of existence...

He grabbed onto the diamond dog's wrist, then swung his body forwards, kicking both rear hooves as viciously as he could into the giant's face. Kindynas' muzzle shattered in an explosion of blood as the diamond dog howled, half-flinging and half-dropping Thesis: but the pony barely felt the impact as he hit the ground, choking down breath, his whole body shaking as he half-rolled away, his mind reeling and his body shivering in agony.

Kindynas managed to catch himself, grasping at his broken maw before a slow snarl spread across his damaged features, his eyes blazing with fury before he gave a disjointed, furious growl as he launched himself forwards, running towards the fallen stallion.

Thesis looked over his shoulder, then gritted his teeth as he forced himself to focus through the pain, the confusion, and the turmoil of emotion twisting through him. He ordered his body to move, and it was through sheer strength of will that he made himself roll to the side, before he slammed a hoof into the ground and used it to spin around on an axis.

Every part of his body hurt, every muscle throbbed, and his lungs screamed beneath the exertion. His bruised and injured throat felt sticky and clogged, and his vision was blurry, his mind still reeling, his head throbbing and there was so much pain and so much anger...

But when Kindynas leapt at him, Thesis still moved like the wind, leaping high into the air and over the giant's pounce so that he could slam down on his back with the force of an avalanche, knocking Kindynas into the ground and kicking off him at the same time. The stallion landed and smoothly spun himself around, even as his head reeled, gritting his teeth as he locked himself into a ready position as Kindynas dragged himself up out of the dirt again and turned around, furious and feral, barking and snarling before he charged forwards on all fours.

He lunged in to bite in spite of his broken jaw, both forelegs reaching up to try and smash Thesis between his paws. It was the opening Thesis needed, and the stallion fearlessly met the charge, stepping forwards and smashing his head into the already-injured muzzle of the diamond dog.

Kindynas flinched with a howl, his attempt to grapple Thesis turning into a compulsive grab at his own face as he arched his back, and Thesis immediately began to slam hoof-after-hoof into the giant's stomach again, aiming for any soft point he could pick out. The diamond dog flinched backwards, then snarled and swung a claw down to try and crush or seize Thesis again... but this time, Thesis twisted slightly to the side and instead seized the giant's forelimb in one foreleg as his hoof shoved into the back of the diamond dog's elbow, then pushed.

There was a sickening crack, and then Kindynas yanked himself backwards with a howl, stumbling and staring in shock at his disjointed, limp forelimb. He began to look up... and saw too late that Thesis had leapt into the air, and the stallion's rear hooves-

Thesis kicked the diamond dog in the face with all his strength, the giant's head snapping back in a fine spray of blood and teeth as he staggered uselessly, one arm hanging limply and the other pinwheeling wildly. And the moment Thesis landed, he lunged forwards again, his hooves striking with so much force into the diamond dog's midsection that his blows were beginning to scrape away fur and skin from the canine's already bruised and battered body.

Kindynas' head snapped back and forth, foaming at the mouth before he suddenly leaned down, attempting another maddened bite at Thesis. The stallion reacted in a flash, however, catching him by the jaws and gritting his teeth as he held the diamond dog's maw back even as Kindynas's teeth snapped, his eyes blazing, mouth leaking drool and blood.

His working foreleg suddenly shot out, trying to snag Thesis by the face, but the pony shifted suddenly and ducked away as he threw Kindynas' head towards the ground at the same time, sending the diamond dog crashing down on his face. The giant howled as he tried to catch himself on his bad arm, scrabbling wildly at the earth before he shoved himself up... and straight into another volley of wicked blows from Thesis, his head knocked back and forth by the force of the series of punches before the stallion suddenly drove an uppercut up into the diamond dog's muzzle with enough force to knock him half-falling backwards with a gargle of shock.

He barely caught himself, but was unable to do anything but stare in horror as Thesis lunged forwards and ran up his body like a ladder before the stallion smashed an uppercut under his jaw, knocking his head back with a gurgle... and all the diamond dog could do was watch, helpless, as Thesis leapt off his body, sailing high into the air above his head before he simply dropped like a rock.

Both rear hooves came down straight on Kindynas' head, and the diamond dog was driven to the ground with a tremendous bang, his body dropping into a broken sprawl as Thesis stumbled away, then tripped and rolled painfully to flop down on his stomach, gasping for breath. He glared over his shoulder at the diamond dog, who gurgled weakly on the ground for a few moments before he finally let out a weak whimper, and then his eyes rolled up in his head as the giant collapsed into unconsciousness.

There was silence for a few moments, punctuated only by Thesis' heavy breathing... and then a quiet snort came from the griffin commander. Thesis looked up... before wincing as he felt the griffin's talons seize him by the throat, hauling his head up forcefully.

He was too weak to do much more fighting, but all the same, Thesis forced himself to look fearlessly, defiantly up at the griffin, who looked back down at him with cold, measuring eyes. And then, to the shock of the stallion, Thesis felt the commander let go and step back, grudgingly clicking his beak before he said abruptly: “You win this round, Prince of Equestria. But you won't be so lucky next time, youngling. That dog was strong but slow. The eagle is fast and precise.”

There were murmurs of disbelief from the crowd... or rather, from several ponies and the diamond dogs. One of the canines began to step forwards, snarling... but since this one wasn't nearly as large or fearsome as Kindynas, all the commander had to do was look in the dog's direction, and a griffin soldier immediately leapt in and slammed the hilt of his weapon into the dog's neck, knocking it flat with a yelp before it skittered backwards in surprise and fear.

Thesis looked up, not understanding... and then his eyes roved over to Sworn Tenet, who only gave him the slightest of nods, his gaze cold and hard... but there was no surprise there, no anger, perhaps... approval. And something else, Thesis thought, as he shakily climbed to his hooves and started: “Wait, what is... I mean...”

“You fought the strongest warrior here... or at least, the dog who thought he was the strongest warrior here. And you won. Mudwalker or not, our enemy or not...” The griffin looked coldly, contemptibly over Thesis. “You have earned your freedom. We have honor, more than you ponies could ever understand, and we respect the law of strength. We won't be brought down to your level, the level of... cowards and cheating and hiding behind the skirts of other nations. We aren't scum like you.”

Thesis mouthed wordlessly, and then Sworn Tenet looked up and snapped: “Lieutenant, return to Canterlot and make your report! You have a duty to Equestria, and for once in your life, you will do that duty and you will listen to your commanding officer, do I make myself clear?”

Thesis looked blankly at Sworn Tenet for a moment, and then he stared disbelievingly over his fellow soldiers, and the ambassador, before his eyes locked on the corpse of the diplomat who had already been killed... and then the stallion blurted: “Wait! What about everyone else? You can't-”

“You fought for your own freedom and earned it. They are not so lucky. They can choose to fight if they want... but unlike your kind, we are not so weak we leave our opponents alive.” the griffin commander said callously, his eyes flicking towards Thesis before he added coldly: “You're testing my patience. I'll give you one minute to say your goodbyes. If you haven't left by then... then consider your life forfeit, and you can join the rest of your friends.”

Thesis gritted his teeth, beginning to ready himself, even if he knew he was in no condition to try and fight an entire unit of griffins by himself. But before he could open his mouth, Sworn Tenet said quietly: “I gave you an order, and I do not want to repeat myself, Prince Thesis. You have to go.”

Thesis looked over at Sworn Tenet, who looked calmly back at him through the bloody wounds on his face, before he bowed his head ever so slightly to the stallion... to the Prince of Equestria, whom he was sworn to protect. And for the first time in his life, Thesis realized the weight of his own title, and what it would mean... just as, when he looked silently out over the mass of captured soldiers, the dead ambassador, the crying prisoner who remained in the griffin's grasp, he realized how heavy the toll would be for every battle lost, and every failure along the way to the end of this bloody war.

He turned his eyes silently to the griffin, who looked at him with coldness, and with anger... but he was a soldier, too, Thesis saw. And he was bound by laws and honor, just as he himself was. They were different, and alien to him, and yet somehow they were also very much the same, as difficult as that was for him to stomach.

Thesis and the griffin looked at each other for the longest time, and then the stallion finally turned his eyes to Sworn Tenet as he felt his last few seconds bleeding away. He wanted to say something noble, he wanted his last words to the commander to be wise, or strong, or something that would let him face the horrors that waited for him with a smile...

And all Thesis could think to do was salute, and then whisper: “Yes, sir.”

There was nothing else to say, and nothing else to do but turn and gallop away through the open fields, with the caws of griffin soldiers filling his ears, a terrible weight on his heart... and the image of Sworn Tenet's face burned into his mind, reminding him that whether he was pony or homunculus, prince or soldier... he was still so much further than he ever would have imagined from being able to protect his people the way he wanted to.

But one day, he swore that he would be able to... no matter what it cost him.

Verse Three

Verse Three:
~BlackRoseRaven

And all must age, for time rules immortal:

So must the seasons change, and all that

begins, shall find their end at death's portal,

Be they mighty lord, or merely a rat.

Time takes from us, cruelly, what we love most,

Time does not know mercy, nor is it weak,

Time makes a victim of even the ghost

of memories that we do not dare seek.

For nightmares mean nothing to ancient time,

As sorrow means nothing to old Chronos,

He is the reason, we are merely rhyme,

He tempers our lives into legatos.

But some prefer the more dissonant chord:

Gjallarsong shall be the Dragon's reward.

Thesis stumbled over the tundra, then collapsed on his stomach, shivering in pain and hugging himself tightly with one foreleg. His whole body was on fire with agony... he couldn't make himself run anymore. No, he couldn't force out another step, because... because he was a failure.

Thesis gasped quietly, trembling hard for a few moments before he slowly dragged his hoof into his line of vision, staring at it where it lay in the dirt. He had more in common with the dirt than he did with ponies, he knew that. In his heart of hearts, he knew he wasn't a real stallion, just a puppet, just a toy struggling to pretend that it was alive.. a... doll to make Princess Celestia feel like she had a son...

He clenched his eyes shut, trying to force out those thoughts, but all that did was make room for the memories of only... minutes? Hours ago? He didn't know. But it was still so fresh in his mind that when Sworn Tenet's face appeared in front of his closed lids, Thesis thought for a moment that he was seeing a ghost, or that time had twisted and turned upon itself and...

Thesis gave a raw shout of denial, pounding the ground with his hoof before he gritted his teeth and slowly dragged himself up to his hooves. He should have fought harder. He should have realized they were walking into an ambush. Heightened senses, supernatural strength, a synthetic, durable body, and a mind that could process information twice as fast as any normal pony's... and he had still gotten his flank handed to him by a brute of a diamond dog and he was responsible for the failure of the mission and the loss of his entire unit.

He was responsible.

And up until the very end he had just thought Sworn Tenet was an asshole.

He was the asshole. He was the asshole, and he was everything else that his CO had called him. Just like he was everything that all the ponies thought he was... except ultimate, or superior. He was inferior. He was weak. He was sloppy.

Thesis breathed slowly in and out, then pushed himself slowly up to his trembling hooves, looking up with tears in his eyes. Tears that were... useless, he thought. Crying was pointless. He had to be strong. He had to find a way to live up to everything he was supposed to be, one way or another. The time for fun, and pretending he could just be another pony... all those times were over.

He wasn't just another pony. Any more than he was supposed to be a Prince of Equestria. He was a homunculus, a puppet, a... machine. A weapon.

Thesis forced himself to take a step forwards, and pain ripped through his body. His head dropped as his legs quivered beneath him, but then he gritted his teeth, whispering: “Pain is... nothing more than a chemical reaction. Pain tells us that we're still alive. I'm not... like ponies. I'm just chemicals and synthetics and...”

Thesis forced himself to take another step: it hurt like hell, but it was easier than the last as he forced his head to rise, gazing straight ahead as he rasped for breath. He stumbled slowly across the barren tundra, the only landmarks he needed the faint trail still scraped in the earth from the convoy's passage only hours ago.

He just needed to make the military outpost where they had arrived by train... but the sun was starting to set now, and he would be easy prey to anything roaming this neutral territory at night, whether it was wild beasts or bandits. His only choice was to push as hard as he could and hope that somehow he managed to get to safety before something else found him.

He stumbled onward, following the tracks of their passage, Thesis doing his best not to think about anything. He didn't want any distractions at this point. He didn't want to make any promises, or lose himself to his thoughts. He just wanted to focus on getting through this, prove that...

Thesis frowned uneasily as his ears twitched, his body tensing automatically before his eyes flicked over his shoulder... and he gritted his teeth as he saw tails of dust being kicked up in the distance, by something that was likely moving fast. Griffins wouldn't kick up that much dirt moving over the ground... but diamond dogs, on the other hoof...

The stallion swore under his breath, turning forwards and throwing himself into a staggering gallop. He gasped in pain, his muscles howling in protest, but he forced himself to focus through it, overriding the agony with the knowledge that if he didn't run, he was going to die. And whether he was a pony or a puppet, he knew that he didn't want his life to end from being mauled by dogs.

Thesis stumbled and lurched over the ground, trying to keep his gaze ahead even as the barks and howls of the hungry beasts began to sting at his ears. Were these the dogs that had been with the griffins? Or were these wild ones who had gone feral with no one else around?

Not that it mattered, either way: they sounded like they wanted blood. Thesis forced himself not to look back as he ground his teeth together, galloping as fast as his aching body would let him move. He could hear them gaining on him, though, and he swore under his breath: he should be able to leave these diamond dogs in the dust, but with as badly injured as he was...

He risked a look over his shoulder, and he saw them: yes, they were the dogs from the encampment. And the one in the lead had blood on his face: Thesis was willing to bet it wasn't his own. The stallion swore as he looked back forwards, gritting his teeth: he had an idea of what the griffins had done. Fed them one of the Royal Guard, then sent the blood-crazed dogs out on the trail of another pony for them to slaughter.

So much for them wanting him alive. Thesis felt every nerve in his body burning with pain, with anger, with wanting to whirl around and attack the beasts... but that would just get him killed. He had to keep running. He had to escape the diamond dogs. He had to focus and control himself, and somehow, survive.

Thesis sprinted through the barrens, the diamond dogs drawing closer with every moment. They were close enough that he could hear their growls and their large, clawed paws slapping down into the dirt. He wanted to look back again, but he didn't dare take his eyes off the endless horizon ahead, even though he knew there was no way he was going to escape, that there was nothing but barren wastes for miles and miles around, that-

A tremendous boom tore through the air, and Thesis looked sharply up... before his head snapped backwards as he heard and felt an immense explosion, the diamond dogs breaking into yelps and howls of horror.

Thesis skidded to a halt, looking incredulously at the crater in the earth only some twenty feet away, and the at the diamond dogs that were skittering away with their tails between their legs. And as he watched, his sharp eyes detected a shape shoot through the air before it collided with the earth behind the fleeing dogs, sending up another explosion of force and dirt, the deafening boom drowning out the panicked yelps of the diamond dogs for a moment as they fled, bloodlust forgotten.

Thesis slowly turned around... and looked up in disbelief at the enormous ship that was floating slowly through the air, rumbling, massive turbines spinning on either side of it as propellers whipped through the air above. He knew what it was, but he had thought that Princess Celestia had decreed these ships wouldn't be used unless the war took a turn for the worse...

The battleship slowly rumbled to a halt in the skies above: it was the size of a freighter, its hull enormous and made from ironwood and metal, with cannons standing out of hatches all along its length. Two much-larger cannons loomed over the prow of the ship, and Thesis knew there were all kinds of other turrets and anti-air weaponry all over the goliath flying vessel.

As Thesis stared, a large hatch slowly opened in the bottom of the ship, several Pegasi leaping off the end of this to shoot down towards him. He blinked slowly, and that was all the time it took for them to land around him: four ponies in lightweight blue armor, designed to maximize speed and protection. They were Equestria's best, the bolts from the blue: the Wonderbolts.

“Sir, where are the others?” asked one of them quickly, and Thesis looked for a moment at the mare. Her goggles were over her eyes, her armor was tight to her body, her straps were done up and all her equipment secure even though it had been a literal second's worth of drop... she was professional. She was taking this seriously. Why hadn't he...

She reached up and grasped his shoulder, shaking him gently, and Thesis blinked before he shook his head hurriedly and whispered: “Ambush. We were captured. The griffins... Sworn Tenet convinced the griffins to let me fight for my freedom. But... I... I couldn't save them...”

Thesis trembled, then he gritted his teeth, clenching his eyes shut as he reined in his emotions, becoming almost mechanical as he recited: “Twenty three minutes. Perhaps... six and and a half miles. Northwest. Twelve griffins. Six diamond dogs.”

The Wonderbolts traded uneasy looks, but then the mare in charge straightened and saluted before ordering: “Ace, Princess, take him to medical. Jack, you're with me on scout.”

Without another word, the mare leapt past Thesis, followed by the soldier she had chosen: Thesis was almost knocked over by the strength with which the two took off, and even through the mix of emotion and numbness, he felt envy. He looked over his shoulder for a moment, watching how quickly they vanished into the distance... before his eyes flicked back towards the remaining Wonderbolts as one of them asked hesitantly: “Sir, do you need us to get a stretcher?”

“No, I can support my own body weight.” Thesis replied after a moment: he wasn't entirely sure that was true, but he was even less keen on the thought of a medical team being called down to get him. “Can you two carry me?”

The Wonderbolts both nodded, then turned around to face the open door in the bottom of the ship. Thesis strode between them with a faint smile, then he took a breath before throwing a foreleg around either pony, his body giving a thrum of pain. “Ready.”

“Three count.” said one of the Wonderbolts, and Thesis readied himself, mentally counting along with the soldiers before kicking off the ground with his rear hooves at the same time as they did, then holding his hind legs up as best he could, supporting himself with his body as much as possible as he ground his teeth together in pain. The two soldiers struggled all the same to carry him up to the doors: he was heavier than they were, and it was awkward to fly so close together, their wings smacking against his back every so often as they struggled their way up to the hatch.

They made the lip of the door, and Thesis gasped as he fell free from them, landing on his side as his whole body shook with agony. He coughed hard, blood splattering out of his muzzle before he hugged himself, shivering in pain, as one of the Wonderbolts stumbled away with a groan, while the other immediately dropped beside Thesis, swearing under her breath. “Ace! We need to get him to medical, now!”

“We need to get me to... oh hell.” Ace turned back towards them, his eyes widening slightly as Thesis coughed, more blood dribbling from his muzzle as the Prince struggled to his hooves. “Sir, where are you feeling-”

“Just guide me to the medical bay.” Thesis rasped as he forced himself slowly to his hooves, the stallion shivering once before he slowly forced his head up. He saw other ponies hurrying towards them, but he ignored them as he began forwards, stumbling a little over his own hooves, but determined to make this last leg of the journey on his own. To not be a nuisance, to not fail in his duties, to... “I need... to send a message to Princess Celestia...”

“Sir, you need medical attention, and you should wait for it here. You're badly injured...” said the other Wonderbolt as she hurried up to his side, but when he only gave her a short look, the mare grimaced before saying uneasily: “Medical bay is two floors up...”

Thesis nodded, brushing past the rest of the crew as they stopped, none of them knowing what to do as the stallion only continued to push his way forwards. He heard their mutters, their surprise, their... fear, he thought. Why were they afraid of him? He didn't want to get in anyone's way, or distract others from their jobs and duties. He had wasted more than time today...

“Don't golems go to the magic academy for repairs?” asked a low voice, but Thesis heard it all the same, the stallion stiffening slightly... but it was only all the more reason for him to move on.

He barely realized that the mare was walking alongside him still, following him through the metallic green, ill-lit halls. All he could focus on was putting one hoof in front of the other and finding his way to the medical bay...

He stopped at an intersection, then shook his head briefly before turning left on instinct. The mare followed him, and then she asked hesitantly: “Sir? Do you know where you're going?”

Thesis heard the question under the question, and he replied in a mutter: “I've been on one of these battleships before. You don't have to guide me. I know you have other duties... Princess?”

The last was more of a question than he meant it to be, but the mare gave a wry smile and nodded, murmuring: “Yes, sir. And if you don't mind, sir... you look like you might fall down at any moment. You may need some help.”

Thesis only looked ahead with a small shrug, not wanting to argue, or even sure he could deny her. The company was nice... and so was knowing that if he did fall on his face, someone would be there to help him up.

But as he approached the stairs at the end of the corridor, he murmured: “Duty comes first, though, and I understand that. We have our duties. We have our obligations. I... failed to meet mine. I failed. And now I'm...”

Thesis stumbled on the steps, almost falling on his face and swearing as he barely managed to catch himself, his whole body shaking with pain, but Princess was there in a moment, quickly slipping forwards to support him and slowly help him up to his hooves. She grunted at the weight of the stallion, but Thesis quickly shifted his weight off her... or at least, as much of it as he could, blushing slightly as he leaned on her more than he liked to make his way up the steps.

He opened his mouth... but Princess cut him off unintentionally as she muttered: “Sir, with all due respect... if we did everything our commanding officers told us to, then we'd be nothing but pawns on the battlefield. And I don't know about you, sir, but I've always had a problem with being someone else's pup...”

She broke off awkwardly, clearing her throat and looking down embarrassedly, and Thesis was silent before he looked up and said quietly: “I think that trying not to be a puppet is what just got my entire unit killed, Princess. I should have saved them. Instead, they all died. Everyone but me, because I'm different, because...”

They stopped as they reached the next floor, and then Thesis shook his head briefly, lowering his eyes as he pulled away from her. But after a moment, Princess stepped forwards to support him again, saying quietly: “You can't blame yourself, sir. We all make our own decisions. You're a Prince, and a hero to Equestria.”

“I'm a homunculus. A weapon.” Thesis glanced away, and then he sighed before adding in a mutter: “Please don't call me 'sir,' by the way. Technically you're all higher rank than me. And I'm not much of a Prince.”

“Well, can we at least get you to medical? Because if you keep bleeding like this, the only thing you're going to be is a corpse.” Princess said almost pleadingly, and Thesis grimaced a bit... but considering how weak and wobbly he felt, he knew that the mare was right. He needed treatment. He was getting weaker by the moment and even if he could force his body to move, that would only last until his muscles stopped functioning, until the chemical reactions in his body began to shut down...

Thesis shivered a little: that wasn't fear, though. That was his body attempting to stimulate itself, to... “I feel... bad.”

“What happened to you?” asked Princess quietly, but Thesis only grimaced a little, so the mare simply nodded before she cleared her throat and added hesitantly: “I can... take a message up to communications after we get you to medical...”

Thesis only nodded, no longer trusting himself to try and put coherent words together. He and the mare made their way slowly through the ship, Thesis weakening with every step... but somehow, he all the same made it to the medical bay, where several ponies in white uniforms rushed to get him into one of the beds. He was barely aware of the needles, the stitches, the bandaging... but even through the haze, he still heard it all too clearly when one of the doctors muttered: “Shouldn't we be sending him to a mage or a blacksmith, not wasting resources...”

Thesis wasn't sure when he opened his eyes, but he finally did: his whole body ached, still, but he could tell that he was already healing... perhaps too fast, as he silently reached up to brush aside some of the rough bandaging over his chest to study the stitches quietly. They were already twisted and turned, a few frayed and broken, his dark flesh strangely humped up here and there by the healing process.

No pony could heal this quickly, he knew. But he wasn't really a pony, was he?

Thesis sighed quietly, then he glanced down at his foreleg: there was a large intravenous in his limb, but he noted that his wound had begun to heal around the needle... and it looked as if a bit of whatever they were trying to pump into him was actually leaking out around the needle, probably forced out by the pressure of his veins.

Maybe the doctor was right. He needed a technician, not medicine.

Thesis grimaced a little, then he reached out and quickly yanked the needle out of his limb, dropping it aside before he swung himself out of the bed. He groaned as he landed on his hooves, but the throb of pain was thankfully quite dull in comparison to how bad it had been before.

“Sir? Sir! It's only been two hours, you have to get back into bed!” a nurse said sharply, and Thesis glanced over at the mare as she hurried towards him, looking at him with disbelief. “You... you shouldn't even be able to get on your hooves!”

“I guess I have a good constitution.” Thesis said, a little ironically, and then he cleared his throat before turning and heading quickly to the door, leaving the dumbfounded nurse staring at him as he called: “Have to make my report, sorry!”

The stallion stumbled out into the hallway, then started to turn... and a voice remarked mildly: “I thought you were just saying something about listening to other ponies?”

Thesis turned with a look of surprise towards Princess, who was smiling and leaning against the wall, shaking her head slowly before she said softly: “They put me on duty out here. After I went up and made your report for you to communications. We're heading back to Canterlot now... we only found... I mean...”

She stopped, then cleared her throat and looked down for a moment, and Thesis shifted and looked away silently, knowing what they had likely found.

After a few long moments, Thesis finally asked: “Any sign of the ambush team?”

“Some tracks. But we couldn't risk pursuit. Queen reported that Blackhoof prison has been overrun and turned into a griffin stronghold. It looks like they've recruited and armed most of the prisoners, too.” Princess shook her head slowly. “This wasn't your fault, Commander Thesis. Information came down too late about what was going on. This mission was compromised from the start.”

Thesis swore quietly under his breath, looking down for a moment. He didn't know what to say... and yet the first thing that came out of his mouth was: “Thesis. My name is Thesis, that's all.”

“And my name is Red Sky.” the mare replied, reaching up and pushing her goggles back from her face to smile at him, and Thesis blinked in surprise before the mare awkwardly held out a hoof. “It's nice to meet you, Thesis.”

Thesis hesitantly reached up to take her hoof, shaking it briefly before he smiled a little, looking at Red Sky... and now not just seeing a Wonderbolt in armor, but rather, the actual mare wearing the gear. She had green eyes and a gorgeous pink-red coat, and he could see little corkscrews of her mane here and there sticking out from under the hood of the bodysuit she was wearing under her armor, all different shades of orange... “Red sky at night, sailor's delight.”

“You wish, sailor.” Princess laughed and shook her head slowly, then she smiled at him, studying him for a few moments before saying quietly: “I don't do mornings very well either. Now come on. Go back into medical for me, okay?”

Thesis hesitated... and then he shook his head before absently rubbing at his bandages: the stitches were itchy as hell, but he doubted the nurse or any of the medical staff would take kindly to seeing him pull them out. “Where is everyone?”

“Dinner. I guess we can walk down to the cafeteria if you feel up to it, but... they told me that you were going to be out of it for a while.” Red Sky stopped, studying the stallion quietly. “Then again, I guess I can't say that I'm entirely surprised you weren't. You're... you really are different, huh?”

“I guess you could say that.” Thesis muttered, looking down at a hoof and flexing it absently before he shook his head. He wasn't all that hungry... “You go to the cafeteria. I'm going to... head up on deck. It's usually pretty quiet up there. Pretty late for dinner anyway, isn't it?”

“Well, everyone was scrambled and on alert. We only just recently started heading back towards Canterlot, and we only lowered the alert phase an hour ago to caution. Kitchens just started up.” Red Sky shrugged and smiled a little. “I think I'll stay with you for now, though. Last time you said you could get somewhere on your own, you didn't make it very far.”

Thesis gave the mare a dry look, and Red Sky blushed and awkwardly lowered her head. But after a moment, Thesis only smiled a little before he said mildly: “You try and talk a big game, but every time I look at you funny you start blushing. So either you find me incredibly attractive – which I know many mares do, by the way – or you're just that big a wimp.”

“I'm neither of those things, thank you very much.” scoffed Red Sky, the mare quickly straightening and glaring at Thesis. “I'm just... well... you keep whining about everything!”

“I'm a prince, that's what we do. We whine.” Thesis retorted, raising his head slightly... and then he smiled a little as he dropped his head a bit, saying quietly: “Although some days I think... maybe I whine a little too much. But days like today are... hard.”

“They're hard on everyone, sir. You can't just give up, though.” Red Sky replied gently, and Thesis nodded a few times before the mare smiled briefly, asking: “Want to go up to the deck?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I do.” Thesis answered, looking up. It would be as good a place as any to clear his head. He knew that Red Sky was right, but he didn't even... know how he should be acting, what he should be doing. All he really knew was that... getting out of the stuffy halls of this ship sounded like a good idea to him.

Thesis shook himself out, then cleared his throat before saying finally: “Well, come on, watchdog. No point in waiting around here.”

Red Sky nodded, then followed after Thesis, the mare biting her lip as she studied him quietly. Thesis felt her gaze on him, but for the moment he didn't feel much like trying to start a conversation, or explaining what he was to some pony for the hundredth time. Especially not right now.

They walked on in silence for some time, until Red Sky finally cleared her throat loudly. The stallion repressed a sigh as he looked over his shoulder at her, pausing in the middle of a narrow hall, before the mare asked hesitantly: “I understand this might be inappropriate, sir, but... why aren't you commanding the 732nd Brigade?”

Thesis winced slightly at this, and then he shook himself out before muttering: “Because... well... I don't think I'm ready.”

He stopped, then bit his lip. Sure, that was true... now. But in the past, that hadn't been the reason at all, had it? Oh, he had certainly been very proud to be named commander of his own unit, sure, but at the same time... “I don't think I'm ready because I... I never really... took it seriously. I'm only just now starting to realize how lucky I was that the soldiers who served under me were some of the best and brightest I've ever met. Luckier still that we never saw much combat, since the brigade is stationed in Canterlot. It...”

Thesis laughed a little, then he shook his head slowly, muttering: “I might have made it to being a commander, but I'm not going to pretend that being who and what I am had nothing to do with it. When you can outperform, outrun, and outfight everyone else in the army, of course they're going to shove you higher up the ranks... if only to get rid of you.”

“You didn't strike me as the cynical type, you know. Of course, you also didn't strike me as being able to tell a joke, either, when we first met.” Red Sky said softly, and Thesis shrugged a bit and gave her a small smile, feeling strangely... embarrassed? No, maybe even a little more than that: he felt a little bit... dumb. “I'm not saying you need to cheer up or anything. But from what I heard, no matter what ponies think of you, a lot of soldiers respect you.”

She stopped, then smiled, adding quietly: “Maybe the brigade is supposed to be a learning experience for you. I heard you get sent out a lot on your own, after all.”

“Yeah. I always have to be the hero.” Thesis said quietly, but there was a small smile on his face as he looked ahead and and murmured: “I have to stop doing that.”

Red Sky looked at him for a moment, then she gazed ahead and said quietly: “Sir, if you can actually be the hero... then you'll be doing us all a disservice by trying not to be.”

Thesis smiled briefly over at Red Sky, and then he turned his eyes back ahead as they finally reached a hatch that led out onto the deck. The stallion quickly mounted the stairs and pushed it open, then he closed his eyes as he felt the wind whipping through his mane.

He strode onto the deck, taking in a deep breath and tasting the open air as his body flexed: it was at least ten degrees cooler out here than it had been inside, but the brisk night air felt good against his skin. And the sensation of the wind on his face, as his hooves thudded gently against the wooden planks...

He smiled briefly, his white eyes opening to gaze up into the night air high above. The deck stretched out before him like the stage of a theater, the glowing light cast by the crystal lamps making the varnished wooden boards seem to glow. The night sky was the backdrop, gorgeous and velvet, filled with stars and with the beautiful moon high above watching over them all.

Thesis took another deep breath, tasting the night air and the wind, and then he glanced curiously over at Red Sky as the Pegasus strode out beside him with a slight smile. “Never would have imagined you the type to enjoy this so much. Most earth ponies don't do very well with their hooves off the ground.”

Thesis only shrugged a little, turning his eyes back out towards the night sky before he said softly: “For me, this isn't enough. I want to fly one day, Red Sky. Not like this, but... really feel what it's like to fly. But that's something that even a homunculus like me can't do under his own power. I can run circles around your average pony-”

“Thesis, I... can you please stop saying it like that?” Red Sky interrupted, and Thesis turned a curious look towards her before the mare shook her head. “You're not just some... puppet of a pony. You're... you. You decide and make who you are, you know that, right? And if you go around now, saying that all you are is a homunculus, that's all anypony's ever going to see you as and you're only going to have yourself to blame.”

“I'm pretty sure that's what everyone already only saw me as.” Thesis replied dryly, turning towards Red Sky... but he was looking at her curiously, studying her with a strange... intentness.

“I see a pony. An earth pony who can't seem to decide if he wants to be sad or happy. If he wants to... sit around and cry about everything that happened, or if he wants to do his job and move forwards, like...” Red Sky visibly steeled herself before looking up and saying firmly: “Like everyone wanted you to, if Sworn Tenet gave you that chance to get away. So take it, because the hardest part of the fight is the moving on.”

There was silence for a few moments as Thesis looked down, biting his lip before he blurted suddenly: “All I ever thought was... that he was an asshole.”

“A lot of the commanding officers are assholes. It's true. You just have to recognize that it's part of the job. Queen is always a huge asshole, too.” Red Sky shrugged, smiling hesitantly at Thesis. “But they know that if they're not assholes... some people won't give their best.”

“Yeah.” Thesis said quietly, looking down at himself and rubbing slowly across his bandaged body before he smiled briefly and looked up into the night sky. “Somehow that makes me feel better. I... don't want to be an asshole, though. Even if I recognize now that I needed an asshole to finally make me realize a lot of important things.”

Red Sky shrugged again, then said softly: “Then don't be an asshole. Be yourself, that's all I'm saying. I've just... heard a lot of stories about you, sir, and I'd prefer to believe they were all true.”

“Not every story is true.” Thesis smiled a little more all the same, though, looking up into the sky as he breathed slowly in and out, before he gave a brief nod and strode across the deck, saying easily over his shoulder: “It's okay if you've got a crush on me, though. I have a surprising amount of mares into me back home... then again, you girls do like your toys, right?”

“You're a terrible person.” Red Sky huffed, but she was smiling all the same as she followed the stallion to the prow of the ship, the two ponies leaning into the wind and watching as fields and barren lands passed by far below in a blur.

They were silent, as they stood side-by-side... but there wasn't really any need for conversation right now, Thesis thought. And when he glanced over at her, he couldn't help but smile: it had been a long time since he'd made a friend.

And he had never been as grateful for one than he was right now.

Thesis strode calmly into the throne room, most of his bandages and stitches removed, only the faint bruises and a few half-covered scrapes here and there revealing that he had been injured at all. He gazed up at Celestia, who looked back down at him with worry before she asked quietly: “Can you confirm the casualties?”

“The ambassadors and the entire unit were captured by the griffins.” Thesis hesitated, looking uneasily to the side as he realized that Valthrudnir was lurking near one of the walls, his arms crossed, a cold smile on his face... but what was that, gleaming in his amber eyes? Why did he look so... intent?

Celestia cleared her throat, and Thesis winced a bit before turning his eyes back towards his mother, bowing his head respectfully. “Sorry, just... gathering my thoughts. I... I was saved by Commander Sworn Tenet. He goaded the griffins into letting me duel their strongest warrior for my life, but...” Thesis halted, looking down for a moment before he took a breath and forced himself to look up, meeting the eyes of his mother. “I couldn't protect the rest of my unit. I failed to recognize the ambush in time. I failed to save my fellow soldiers, and I failed to save the ambassadors. I can confirm that at least one ambassador was killed and the other they had plans to make an example of.”

There was silence for a few moments as Celestia looked down, processing this quietly as she rested back in her throne... before she closed her eyes and asked quietly: “What can you tell me about their tactics?”

Thesis shifted a little, but forced himself to remain professional, as uncomfortable as it made him whenever his mother took on this... colder, more calculated air. “They recruited diamond dogs. In all likelihood, former prisoners from Blackhoof. One of them was enormous, he was the one I had to fight. It...” Thesis hesitated for a moment, then said quickly: “It seemed like they didn't completely have control over them. The one I fought was quick to turn on the griffins when their commander tried to stop him from stepping in. The rest of the griffins seemed afraid of him.”

“They're brutes. Savages, that's all. The little chicks follow behind the largest and the meanest.” Valthrudnir said coldly, and then he asked contemptibly: “How badly you were injured? Furthermore, why did you allow yourself to be so badly beaten in the first place by a-”

“Quiet.” Celestia's voice was soft and almost gentle, but her eyes were as hard and cold as ice as they flicked towards the dragon, who shifted backwards slightly in surprise as his eyes widened ever so slightly. There was an almost tangible pulse through the room, and then Celestia calmly turned her gaze back towards Thesis as she asked: “Why were you unable to predict the ambush?”

“They attacked from under the ground. I was watching the skies. I have no excuse: I should have spotted the sinkhole, but I... I was distracted.” Thesis admitted, looking up at his mother even as he shrank a little under her gaze. Reporting his failures was bad enough, but reporting to his mother that he had allowed soldiers who he had been sent to help, to die... “The griffins used flashbombs to incapacitate us all. They coordinated their tactics with-”

“They ordered the diamond dogs to dig a hole, then waited patiently for you to fall in it. That doesn't require coordination, Thesis. That just requires ponies to be too stupid to watch their hooves.” Valthrudnir said coldly, and then he shook his head before saying disgustedly: “But you equines seem incapable of doing more than focusing on what's right in front of your noses anyway, even if-”

“Thesis, I am removing you from duty, and I will be asking the military council to review your behavior and actions in this matter.” Celestia said quietly, overriding Valthrudnir as if he wasn't even there, and Thesis dropped his head in both shame and acknowledgment. “If the council finds that you have behaved inappropriately, you will be stripped of your rank, pending a hearing that will determine whether or not you will be discharged. Whether you are my son or not, there are countless lives at stake, and-”

“Nonsense!” Valthrudnir snapped, striding forwards from the side of the hall and gesturing angrily outwards, as Celestia turned her cold gaze towards him. “Thesis is your strongest soldier and your greatest weapon against the griffins! All you're doing is playing politics to avoid some contrite accusation of nepotism in the face of a tactical error! The rest of those soldiers are as much to blame, if not more so, for their own lack of insight and their ignorance to the threat! Being dead doesn't make them any less moronic than they obviously were in life.”

Celestia looked calmly over at Valthrudnir for a few moments, and then she said in her soft, and serious, and somehow chilling way: “But Thesis is alive, and in spite of the mistakes he made, it was the other ponies who bore the brunt of his error. Thesis is supposed to be a commander and and a prince, and is to be held to a higher standard than most other ponies... unless you wish to argue that he should be treated the same as the rest of us insects, Valthrudnir, is that what you're getting at?”

There was silence for a few moments as Valthrudnir shifted uncomfortably, and Celestia gave a thin smile before her eyes turned back towards Thesis, looking at him intently for a few moments before she said quietly: “Your armor was missing. Was this taken by the griffins?”

“I removed it during the fight. The diamond dog was strong enough to break it. I needed all the speed I could get, and at that point, the armor had been damaged to the point of becoming a liability.” Thesis replied quietly, and Celestia nodded slowly as she tapped a hoof against the arm of her throne.

“Very well. While you are on suspension, you will be put to work at the nearest ore mine. When the time comes for your hearing, you will resume work in Canterlot at either the refinery or a blacksmith's.” Celestia halted, studying Thesis for a few moments. “You are also required to turn in your commander's armor.”

“Oh, you've made your point, Celestia, very well!” Valthrudnir groaned, looking exasperated as he strode over to the throne, dropping one hand against the back of it and looming over the princess... but somehow, in spite of his size and attempt at intimidation, he almost seemed to be pleading with her as he gestured futilely with one hand and said tiredly: “I was incorrect in my estimations. I take responsibility, if that is what you so desire to hear. I will... make further attempts at... coordinating my efforts alongside yours. Punish Thesis if you must, but do not-”

“Do not tell me what to do, and what not to do, Valthrudnir, or I will ask you to leave this court.” Celestia said quietly, even as her eyes remained on Thesis, steady and cold. “I have made my decision.”

Valthrudnir snarled, his body flexing, the dragon leaning down as he opened his mouth... but when Celestia didn't so much as look at him, he slowly closed both his jaws and his eyes. He looked strangely... pained, Thesis thought, watching the dragon lean back and forcefully compose himself.

Finally, Valthrudnir simply crossed his arms, visibly sulking again. If any other pony, any other... anything in the world tried to treat the dragon like that, Thesis knew the consequences would be dire, if not horrific. Valthrudnir, after all, wasn't much for subtlety: it was always clear that he and his strange, powerful magic were behind whatever nightmares were visited upon anyone who was so much as rude to him. He was just careful enough to make sure there was never an obvious connection... although it wasn't like Valthrudnir ever pretended he was bound by any of their rules anyway.

But with Celestia, it was always different. Thesis still didn't know why... unless it was really possible that, in spite of everything, this mighty, terrible dragon really did care about the Princess of the Sun more than he would ever be willing to let on...

Celestia was implacable, however, refusing to so much as glance at the dragon as her gaze remained on Thesis. She waited until the stallion finally brought his eyes back to hers, and then the Princess of the Sun said calmly: “You have been given your new directives, Thesis. I want you to first report directly to your section's quartermaster and turn in your remaining equipment. Then you will be debriefed at the command center. Understood?”

“Yes, Princess Celestia. Right away, ma'am.” Thesis saluted, forcing his head to stay up, his eyes to meet his mother's, and then he turned around, his whole body feeling the weight of shame crash down on it as he slowly marched his way out of the throne room.

He sighed quietly as he began to listlessly make his way down the hall towards his quarters to gather up the few pieces of equipment he hadn't already turned in... and then he frowned a little as he realized a pony was walking beside him, his eyes flicking to the side before he blushed ever so slightly at the sight of Red Sky, who had her head cocked towards him and one eyebrow raised.

The stallion only grumbled, looking back ahead, and they walked on in silence for a few moments before Red Sky said finally: “I think we can probably cross nepotism off the list. She came down hard on you.”

“It's what I deserve. I screwed up.” Thesis muttered, shaking his head briefly, and Red Sky only smiled wryly at him, studying him silently before the stallion looked over at her and asked: “Why aren't you out on duty? I thought you Wonderbolts worked every hour of every day.”

“We do, except on our days off. I get three days off before I'm back on active duty, sir.” She stopped, then smiled a little when Thesis gave her a pointed look. “I mean... Thesis.”

The stallion grunted, looking back ahead before he said wryly: “Well, I guess I get infinity days off now. They're going to throw me out of the military.”

“They're not going to throw you out. I mean, it sounds like you're going to... be stuck on shore for a while, so to speak, but you're going to be fine. I'm sure they're not going to strip you of your status as a commander, or even your rank as a lieutenant.” Red Sky hesitated, then continued in a ramble: “And why would that even matter to you, anyway, because you were just complaining a little while ago about how you didn't think you were ready to be a commander and you wished you didn't have all those privileges and responsibilities and everything, do you remember?”

Thesis scowled over at her, and then he turned his eyes back forwards and muttered: “Well, yeah, but... I also don't want to go down in flames. This isn't my ideal way of-”

“I know you're a Prince and all, so you're kind of used to ideals, but... normal ponies don't really get ideal anything. We just deal with things as they come and try to make the most of it. Sometimes when you want something, it means sacrificing something else.” Red Sky explained, looking at him pointedly. “You're getting what you want. Maybe not in a way that really works for you, no, but you're still getting what you think you want.”

“That argument barely makes any sense.” Thesis grumbled, looking up before he chewed slowly on his lip. Well... “I guess... I mean, okay, it's sort of logical, in a really... not-smart way. I get it. But I don't see how me not being a commander is a good thing if it means I also won't be in the Royal Guard at all anymore.”

“What's Celestia going to do, make you go to your room?” Red Sky asked mildly, and Thesis gave her a sour look, which made the Pegasus wince and shrink a little as she cleared her throat, then mumbled an apology.

Thesis only shrugged a bit, looking back ahead before he said finally: “Don't worry about it. I like you better when you're being a bossy know-it-all instead of a suckup, anyway.”

“I am not.” grumbled Red Sky, glowering at Thesis, and Thesis simply shrugged once more in response before the mare asked: “What will you do?”

“I... can't really do anything. I can't exactly decide my own punishment or anything.” Thesis said slowly, looking mildly over at Red Sky, but the mare only continued to look at him. “What, you think I should just use my princely powers to say 'Commander Thesis gets a spanking, but nothing more?' Because I'm pretty sure I can't do that. The royal 'we' is still just a me.”

Red Sky snorted at this, and then she shook her head before asking: “But why is it so important that you're not a prince?”

Thesis stopped for a moment at the foot of a flight of stairs, and then he shook his head before replying quietly: “Because whether I'm supposed to be... greater or lesser than ponies, they end up treating me the exact same way. Like I don't belong. I just want to be equal, Red Sky. I want to belong. I want to fit in somewhere, just like everyone else.”

Red Sky smiled at him faintly, and there was silence for a few moments before another voice said softly: “And there you go, whining again.”

Thesis looked past Red Sky in surprise to see Songbird striding towards him, the mare looking up at him softly before she said quietly: “I already took your gear to the quartermaster for you, Thesis. Don't worry, I cleared it with the Royal Guard before I touched your things. Your mom was really mad at you, huh?”

“Not just me.” Thesis said softly, thinking briefly back on the way she had treated Valthrudnir. Then he shook his head before smiling a little, gesturing over at Red Sky. “This is your replacement, by the way. She's a lot more attractive and fun than you are. And she's a Wonderbolt.”

“Ooh, a Wonderbolt.” Songbird rolled her eyes as Red Sky blushed as deep as her namesake, but then the earth pony smiled at her, bowing her head politely. “Don't worry. Thesis goes to the magic academy every few weeks for treatment for that nasty rash he gets. It's not contagious.”

“Thanks, Songbird. I'm glad you're always there to brag about all my best qualities.” Thesis said ironically, and then he sighed a little before asking in a quieter voice: “You got a minute?”

“Yeah. I was hoping to talk to you anyway.” The earth pony smiled up at Thesis, then she glanced over her shoulder at Red Sky: “I hope you don't mind if I join you two.”

“No, uh... I can go...” Red Sky started, but when Thesis only smiled at her and Songbird shook her head quickly, the mare grimaced but then nodded hesitantly, even as she looked uncertainly at the mare in the maid uniform. “Well, if it's not going to be... awkward for you two... I don't want to get between Thesis and his marefriend.”

Thesis and Songbird looked at each other, then the both burst out laughing, Red Sky blinking in surprise before Songbird said wryly: “Thesis is a lot of things, but the last thing is coltfriend material.”

“You're not much of a coltfriend yourself.” retorted Thesis, and then he winked over at Red Sky, adding: “But hey, it's not your fault. Like I said before, I know how attracted you are to me and all. You're just projecting your desires onto other mares.”

“There's that psychology class you took rearing its ugly head again. He failed it, by the way. His bloated ego makes it hard for him to sit and listen to anyone.” Songbird said easily, smiling a little as she approached Thesis, even as she half-hid herself behind her long mane almost shyly. “But let's get out of here, okay? We're blocking up the hall.”

“With my bloated ego, I know. Alright. This way, ladies. Follow the handsome stallion up to his room.” Thesis said with a waggle of his eyebrows, and Songbird sighed as Red Sky gave a lame smile, her eyes flicking back and forth almost apprehensively.

But she followed all the same, straying behind a little now as she studied Songbird and Thesis curiously: they were already talking away, leaving her... not quite forgotten, but the two clearly had their own little world together all the same. For the moment, though, Red Sky was very happy to simply study the two and how they interacted.

Were they lying to protect themselves? Thesis had seemed to brighten the moment he'd seen her, and now he was rambling away, sounding half like a jackass and half like the smoothest stallion she'd ever heard. And Songbird looked at him with a mix of adoration and affection she had only ever seen in the eyes of ponies gazing at lovers or... perhaps...

They reached Thesis' room with little event, the stallion bowing them inside and grinning lecherously at them, making Red Sky reconsider for a moment what she was doing even as she crossed the threshold... and then her eyes widened in disbelief as she stepped into the room.

The walls were covered in faded blue paint, pale white designs still visible here and there over the surface: as a matter of fact, it looked like some of them had been touched up, if not entirely redrawn several times over. The furniture was all rich and spotless, and there were two clotheshorses set up on one side of the room, one wearing rich, princely garb, the other a set of beautiful dress armor. But the regal effect was somewhat spoiled by the fact that there were dozens of pieces of origami hanging off them by thin lines of string, most of them birds and paper gliders.

A portrait of Thesis on the wall proudly rested beside a picture of the Wonderbolts; a painting of Celestia and Thesis together shared space with a smudged crayon drawing. Baubles hung from the ceiling: Red Sky could see authentic Kirin lanterns alongside charms of questionable origin and toys like glass witching balls.

She slowly lowered her eyes to see that Thesis had slipped into the room and was now laying on his enormous bed on his side, tossing her a wink as he supported his head beneath one hoof and gestured outwards with the other, saying easily: “Welcome to my little kingdom.”

“You're still a prince, Thesis. You could never be a king.” Songbird said mildly, from where she was sitting on what looked almost like an enormous toy trunk at the foot of Thesis' bed. The stallion blew a short, childish raspberry at her, but Songbird ignored it as she looked over at Red Sky, saying easily: “He's not quite as creepy as he seems, don't worry. He's just got weird hobbies and still hasn't learned how to change his own bed. But I guess since he's never home...”

“Hey, I know how to change my bed.” Thesis reached back and grabbed a pillow, throwing it at Songbird, but she swatted it out of the air with an amused look at him. “All I do is ring the bell and a servant comes and changes my bed. See? Easy.”

“Yeah, real easy.” Songbird laughed and shook her head, and then she smiled and ducked away when Thesis lazily grabbed at her. “You're never going to grow up, are you?”

Thesis made some argument about how was still a baby in dragon years, and Songbird had some snappy comeback, but Red Sky had been distracted by the drawings on the wall across the bed. She studied these intently, the white shapes on the blue: these patterns had evidently been redrawn many times over, and showed the clear outline of a mare and a stallion seated together, side-by-side... except all the older, faded outlines were smaller, growing more pale the smaller they were.

Red Sky stepped closer, and her shadow fell over the wall, partly filling in one of the outlines... and the mare smiled a little before she looked over her shoulder at Thesis and Songbird, who were now wrestling like foals. “You sure you two... don't have something going on?”

Thesis and Songbird both looked curiously over at Red Sky: the stallion was half-laying over the mare in a grapple, his body over hers... but they were both relaxed, completely at ease with each other. Considering the fact one was a big strong stallion prince and the other was a rather cute mare in a maid's uniform... “Seriously. I'm getting weirded out now by the lack of sexual tension between you two.”

“She's my sister. That's all.” Thesis said simply, and then he leaned down and loudly, sloppily kissed Songbird's cheek, making her shout in frustration and hammer her hooves against his face, Thesis laughing as he leapt backwards and hid under his forelegs as the mare grabbed a pillow and started to smack him with it.

Red Sky sighed and shook her head, but she smiled after a moment, studying the two quietly before she said finally: “Sister, huh? I guess I can sort of get that. But you know, family-”

“Family is the most important thing.” Thesis half-interrupted and half-finished, sitting up with a smile as he absently grabbed Songbird and yanked her into what was part-hug and part-headlock, the mare wincing and flailing uselessly as her head was squished against Thesis' broad chest. But after a moment, the stallion's grip loosened, and he visibly softened as he said quietly: “Family is the most important thing. Family, and friends, and our kin and kindred. That's why it's so serious that I failed and that's why... my mother was so angry at me.”

Red Sky softened, but she didn't know what to say; Songbird, however, only sat up, reaching out and taking one of her brother's hooves and squeezing it silently before she said softly: “Tell us what happened out there. You can take an hour to clean up and talk to us before you go to debriefing.”

Thesis was silent for a few moments... but then he slowly nodded and looked down before beginning quietly: “I realized too late we were walking right into a trap...”

Verse Four

Verse Four:
~BlackRoseRaven

We give our gifts to Gotterdammerung,

With iron kisses and bloodied flowers,

As we shed the faith to which we once clung,

Stripped of their diminutive powers.

We replace gods of old with heartless steel,

Hell becomes a force we have created;

And before cannon and warships we kneel,

Blessed by the lives they devastated.

This was the price the Princess had to pay:

In order to keep what she loved most dear,

People and spirit all traded away,

Replac'd by machinations of fear.

But the Dragon had just begun his game,

And Gjallar's Song would yet be his to tame.

Princess Celestia sat at the head of the council table, her features stony. Valthrudnir sat opposite her, looking at her with triumph... but was that a hint of a plea in his eyes, as he constantly twirled a tarot card between his fingers?

Not that she cared. The dragon could get down on his knees and beg, and it wouldn't make any difference to her. She didn't care that every pony on this council had been coerced, confused, or convinced that going along with Valthrudnir's schemes, allowing him to run his grisly experiments and protocols on living, breathing ponies, was the only way to win this war.

She didn't think they'd really be winning the war, however: turning ponies into machines and monsters... she would be inviting the destruction of her own people. Maybe they couldn't see that: maybe they had all gotten so scared of the griffins that they forgot there was more to winning this war than whoever had the bigger stick.

She wasn't going to give her approval to this project. She knew that the council could still go ahead with it, and that the senate could decide either way: she would leave it in the hooves of her people to choose their fate. But she would be damned before she would go along with turning her own ponies into abominations built solely for the purpose of killing others.

“I will not back this project. And I will speak out against it when you bring it before the senate.” Celestia said quietly, drawing her eyes slowly over the ponies in front of her before she turned her gaze to Valthrudnir. “And you can mock, deride, and argue with me all you want, but I am not going to simply sit back and allow this to happen.”

The two looked at each other steadily, until Valthrudnir finally stopped spinning the card between his fingers. He looked at it for a few moments, then calmly placed it face down on the tabletop as he said softly: “I would like to request a private audience, Princess Celestia.”

Celestia narrowed her eyes slightly, but after a moment, she gave a brief nod, gesturing to the other councilors that they could leave. Her generals and advisers seemed all too eager to, but maybe that was just her being... oversensitive right now. Not that she could blame any of them for wanting to get out of the line of fire...

Celestia turned her cold eyes towards Valthrudnir, sizing him up with her gaze, but he remained silent, a finger resting on top of the tarot card he had placed face-down on the table, his eyes only moving away from her to flick over his shoulder at the sound of the door clicking shut with the last pony's leaving. Then he grimaced a bit before sliding the tarot card across the table towards her with a single ivory digit, saying quietly: “Your card.”

Celestia frowned as the dragon sat back and tented his fingers, and then the mare looked down at the tarot card for a few moments before she finally sighed softly, her horn glowing and lifting it in front of her. She studied it silently for a few moments, her own face on the card, but her features cold, and hard; in the image, she sat back on her throne, built on top of cages filled with ponies... “I don't see how this is me.”

“Celestia, you are the one always complaining about how my servants are so mechanical, how I seem so opposed to free will. But I think there we're very much the same.” Valthrudnir said pettishly, and Celestia frowned darkly at him. “Oh, don't get me wrong, I don't think it's a bad quality... apart from your hypocrisy, of course.”

“Valthrudnir, you and I are nothing-”

“No matter how many times you say it, it makes it no less true, Celestia.” Valthrudnir interrupted, glaring at her as he slammed a hand down on the table, leaning aggressively towards her. “I always considered you more intelligent than the rest of these insects, so why don't you at least try and offer me some rationalizations instead of simply bleating constantly that you and I are 'different.'”

The two glared at each other as the silence spiraled out between them, before Celestia slowly closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. And finally, the mare looked up before saying quietly: “I'm like any parent, Valthrudnir. I want my children to make their own decisions, and understand the consequences of their actions. To grow up, and find their own paths, and be themselves. But that doesn't mean I'm going to stand idly by and let them make choices that will result in catastrophe.”

“They are not your children, and you are not their mother. And furthermore, they are not foals or babies to be tucked in and coddled. That is precisely part of the reason why your country ended up in this mess in the first place, and furthermore, why you and your ponies appear to be so weak and pathetic.” Valthrudnir replied icily, and Celestia narrowed her amethyst eyes dangerously. “Of course, that hasn't stopped you from sending your own reprobate son to the ore mines, where he can happily make as many bad decisions as he wants out of the sight of his overbearing mother.”

“Thesis was stripped of his privileges by the military council. I had no say in the matter.” Celestia said coldly, leaning aggressively forwards as her eyes burned into the dragon's amber gaze. “I will ask you to stop bringing up my son-”

“Where it's inconvenient for you to face the truth?” Valthrudnir sneered at her, snorting derisively. “Nonsense. The moment you spoke to the council and told them you expected them to reach an 'informed and fair decision,' you sealed your son's fate, just as you had planned from the beginning of this fiasco. Not just to make your precious little prince safe, but in order to punish me for daring to overstep your ungainly quadrupedal reach.”

Celestia took a slow breath as she closed her eyes, her entire body going still, not even seeming to breathe for a few long moments... and then her eyes snapped open as she suddenly leaned forwards, slamming both front hooves down on the table hard enough to crack the surface as she shouted: “And maybe if just once you'd act like a father instead of a coward and a bully we wouldn't be here in the first place! He is not your science experiment, he is your son!”

Valthrudnir visibly flinched, and then he gritted his teeth before leaning forwards and hissing under his breath, even as a slight flush crawled up from under his collar: “All I did was provide... necessary materials for-”

“Oh, will you just once pull your head out of either the ground or your ass, wherever you've buried it, and admit that you care about him?” Celestia snapped, her mane sparking as it twisted around her angrily with a life of its own. “None of this is about... the nation, or the ponies, or even your ego or mine! This is about Thesis, it always has been, and there is no way in Tartarus I'm going to simply let you waltz into your son's life with... whatever sick intentions you have for him.”

There was silence for a few moments as Valthrudnir sat back, watching with contempt as Celestia slowly regained her composure... and perhaps the slightest bit of guilt, as no matter how angry and patronizing he looked... his eyes refused to remain steadily on her.

Finally, as Celestia looked up at him after a few minutes, again much calmer and quieter, the dragon's gaze dropped... and surprisingly, he softened grudgingly, murmuring: “This is not about that. I am aware that... I am a genius and it is... hard for you... mere mortals to understand the machinations of your betters at times. Furthermore, we had an agreement, did we not? We do not speak about... that.”

Valthrudnir shifted and looked away, and Celestia gazed at him for a few moments before she sighed softly, then said quietly: “You can't have it both ways. I understand you have trouble understanding that, but that's not how this is going to work, Valthrudnir. If you want to be involved in Thesis' life, you will be involved in every aspect. It's not as if he doesn't know already, in some part of him. And...”

Celestia shifted and looked away for a moment, before she said softly: “I can put up with you talking about my people as if they're inferior to you. But I don't like it when you speak to me as if I am, too. Hide whatever you want, and be as... rude and derisive as you feel you have to... but don't talk down to me when we're alone like this. Treat me like an equal, Valthrudnir. Or I'll ignore you.”

Valthrudnir snorted, and then he said moodily: “I don't see what that would accomplish, when you intend to ignore me anyway.”

The ivory mare only looked up with a wry smile, saying quietly: “I intend not to move on my stance until you give me a better reason than 'because I said so,' that's all.”

The two looked at each other for a few long moments... and then Valthrudnir finally nodded shortly before he muttered: “Very well. I will... indulge your need for meritless debate. But I will not sugarcoat things for you, any more than I will treat you like the rest of your preening staff does.”

“I would never expect you to. I've gotten too used to having you around to keep me humble.” Celestia replied softly, and Valthrudnir rolled his eyes... but his fingers awkwardly tugged at his suit jacket, straightening out invisible wrinkles before the mare asked: “Why are you insisting on this? And can you promise me that this has nothing to do with Thesis?”

Valthrudnir opened his mouth... and then he ground his teeth together before finally muttering: “It doesn't work like that, Celestia. I can certainly tell you whatever you want to hear, but you know as well as I do that when a machine is made up of ten thousand different parts, those parts all, to some extent, effect one another. But my current plans do not directly involve Thesis. Is that enough?”

Celestia looked quietly for a few moments at Valthrudnir... and then she gave a soft sigh and a hesitant nod. “For now. But the idea of... of making ponies into monsters-”

“Since I am trying to do something for you, perhaps in the spirit of compromise, you can do something for me, and cease immediately assuming I want to turn your ponies into 'monsters.'” Valthrudnir said pettishly, scowling at the mare. “By definition monsters serve no purpose. You know that my intent is far greater than to build monsters, Celestia. I, like you, desire to craft an empire of order, where everything has its place.”

“Yes, Valthrudnir. But what you still have to learn is that you don't have to change things to make them fit. You just have to figure out where the different parts work best together.” Celestia replied softly, and Valthrudnir rolled his eyes and grumbled to himself. “I don't want my country... to change.”

“Everything changes, Celestia. Not even I can stop from that from happening.” Valthrudnir muttered, looking down and moodily flicking a finger to create a tiny dragon of ice. The small, frosty figure growled silently, stalking back and forth... before Valthrudnir frowned slightly as there was a hum of magic, and then a tiny mare of golden light stepped forwards to join the dragon, fearlessly nuzzling the icy construct.

The frosty dragon headbutted the tiny horse of light, but then obligingly lowered its head when the mare pawed at its face, visibly relenting. Valthrudnir snorted at this, then scowled as he looked up at Celestia, and she smiled faintly at him before asking quietly: “Would you want me to change too, Valthrudnir?”

“I...” Valthrudnir halted, and then he glanced away as he reached up and tugged at his collar before smoothing it out around his neck, muttering: “That is not the point up for debate. And I have no intention of... simply designing war constructs. When I say upgrades, that is what I mean: it is not as if ponies have not already dabbled in transformative and evolutionary magic. All I wish to do is provide it in a wider, safer means. To regulate it by methods that are far superior to dabbling with alchemy and crystals.”

Celestia looked down, chewing on her lower lip before she murmured: “Necromancy has always been forbidden in Equestria. So have other forms of dangerous magic... not because they are inherently evil, because... the temptation to use them for evil or selfish ends is too great. Imagine if we taught every unicorn how to bind spirits, or speak with the dead...”

“I doubt it would be an issue if you taught them not to abuse their powers, as you do most of your unicorn mages... not that all of them are capable of listening, but your ponies are not...” Valthrudnir shifted a little, then he scowled down at the sight of the two magical constructs as they frolicked over the tabletop together. “For lack of a decent metaphor, they are mostly... 'good.'”

The mare chuckled softly, then she smiled a little before saying: “Careful, Valthrudnir. That almost sounded like a compliment.”

Valthrudnir only gave the mare a sour smile, then he shook his head shortly before continuing grouchily: “Hiding these things away will not prevent your ponies from sticking their noses into them, anyway. In fact, it will only encourage the ones who question you or wish to make designs against you to seek such abilities out.

“Regulation and control, Celestia. You're always telling me how smart your ponies are: well, here's your chance to prove that they can actually learn, that they are not the savage little fleshsacks that I believe they are.” Valthrudnir said distastefully as he gestured towards the mare with one hand. “If they truly aren't driven by their base instincts and primal desires, they'll learn to adapt and accept one another. And I, of course, will strictly punish anyone who attempts to cheat the system.”

Celestia shifted a little, biting her lip for a moment... and then she grimaced a bit as Valthrudnir said pointedly: “You had no qualms with me using the bodies of dead prisoners and volunteers for my experiments. Not to mention the occasional living test subject...”

“You had compelling arguments in those cases.” Celestia muttered, looking away for a moment before she sighed softly and shook her head slowly. “What about your drones, and your machines? Why are you so intent on transforming ponies?”

“I do not desire to transform them. Merely to make them... better. I am a crafter, a creator. Your ponies are weak and flawed. I can remove those flaws and weaknesses.” Valthrudnir replied steadily, and Celestia looked up at him with a frown before the dragon looked down at the frolicking constructs on the table... and then he sighed softly and pushed himself out of his seat, striding calmly over to Celestia and settling his large hands gently on her shoulders, squeezing slowly into them.

The Princess of the Sun lowered her head as the dragon massaged her shoulders: his grip was gentle, his movements almost hesitant. She loved that about him, though: he was so domineering, so strong, exuded such arrogance and power... but he always had a ten foot bubble of personal space around him, because he was scared of contact, and scared of getting close to anyone.

But all the same, he struggled to touch her. To make contact. To 'lower himself to the physical,' as he put it... and she smiled faintly before she murmured softly: “You're not playing fair.”

“I have never considered you a game.” Valthrudnir said quietly, and Celestia looked over her shoulder at him with the faintest blush as her smile widened. He gazed back at her for a few moments, then, for just a single second, he gave a smile that was real, and honest, even if it was hesitant and tiny and boyish. It made his handsome features look... better, somehow. It left him bare to her for a moment, and to the soul that she thought she...

Valthrudnir glanced hurriedly away, and then he cleared his throat before squeezing into her shoulders and muttering: “You... this is the most logical next step, in any event. The borders of Equestria will not remain secure even beneath the scrutiny of our airships forever. The griffins have already begun production on weapons of their own, and do not shirk at using far crueler designs than those I wish to implement upon your soldiers. I understand you fear losing your culture... but would you truly be willing to sacrifice your entire nation, simply to protect an ideology that has already been fractured by this war?”

Celestia looked down silently for a few moments, biting her lip... and then she looked silently at the constructs on the table, as both toys looked up at her, the mare of light and the dragon of ice side-by-side and gazing at her with a silent plea in their eyes.

Finally, Celestia smiled faintly, and then she lowered her head before murmuring: “Volunteers only. Rational adults. I have to confirm every candidate personally, and I want no more than a single unit to begin with for a trial period of one month. We... will revisit your plans after that, if they... if I am satisfied they are still ponies, and... the project will not cause harm to Equestria.”

Valthrudnir nodded, straightening slightly behind the mare as his amber eyes gleamed with both relief and a darker amusement... and perhaps the smallest glimmer of guilt, as he murmured softly: “You have my guarantee, Celestia... that this will only lead to better things.

“A better future, for all of us.”

Thesis sighed quietly as he dragged his hooves tiredly through the miner's barracks, covered in dirt and grime. He scowled a little as he made his way towards his room, shaking himself briefly out as he reflected that he had been an idiot to ever think that being a Royal Guard had been hard work. That was nothing compared to working in the ore mines, where there was the constant threat of large, heavy rocks falling on your head, no breaks, the stink of chemicals and steam, the possibly-poisonous fumes and the angry ponies angrily hacking away at the walls with large, sharp objects.

At least when griffins ambushed you, you could punch them in the beak. Even as strong as he was, he couldn't punch his way through a chunk of rock.

On the bright side, Red Sky had signed up for patrol duties around the ore mines. She stopped in when she could, and they would chat and relax during the forty or so minutes of free time he had before he generally fell asleep until his shift. She was a safe beacon in what was otherwise an ocean of hatred and contempt for him.

The Royal Guard who worked here hated him because he had been disgracefully and dishonorably discharged. His fellow workers hated him because he was the Prince of Equestria, and felt that he got special treatment because he had his own room and sometimes got time off work when he was called to Canterlot.

Not that he was ever called to Canterlot for good reasons. He was always called for duties at the Royal Court, or tutoring, or to be yelled at by someone. Or, as had happened just a few weeks ago, he had been called to help evaluate the first of Valthrudnir's Dogmatists.

They had admittedly made Thesis more than a little uncomfortable, as he had studied these things that Valthrudnir referred to as 'cybernetically enhanced; genetically superior.' One of them had his limbs completely removed, replaced by steel and circuitry: another had a body plated in metal, and glowing glass eyes. And the last had somehow been the worst: there were no visible changes on the outside of the earth pony's body apart from the marks of surgery, but he had been capable of moving objects with his mind and reading the thoughts of ponies around him, displaying a psychic capacity rarely seen even in talented unicorns.

Thesis shivered a little as he headed towards the door of his room: maybe it was weird for him to be so judgmental, but those ponies... something had simply been... off about them. And the fact that Celestia had approved this...

He knew the war was going badly. He knew that the griffins were pushing hard from every angle, and that the other nations were beginning to pick sides, as the conflict spilled over their borders into other lands. He knew that there were rumors that the griffins hadn't just started recruiting prisoners and bribing criminals with amnesty and wealth to join their cause in the goal of demolishing Equestria, they had started to reach out to the dragons, encouraging them to turn on the ponies they had an uneasy alliance with.

Dragons were greedy, and the griffins valued strength, not treasure and wealth: Thesis knew it was only a matter of time before the dragons realized that the ponies were vulnerable. Thesis knew that years ago, Celestia and the sister she so rarely spoke of had forced an uneasy alliance with ponykind by proving the strength of the united nation to the dragons... or, in simpler words, after the dragons had ravaged one too many villages in search of easy prey and sparkly objects, Equestria had responded by annihilating dozens of dragon aeries, bringing down several dragon patriarchs, capturing eggs, and scattering juveniles into the wild.

Dragons could certainly grow to immense sizes, and become almost unstoppable goliaths, that was true. But dragons took many years to grow to such strength and sizes, and in the past, young dragons had been hunted for easy sport by ponies, severely reducing their numbers and forcing the dragons into agreeing to an alliance. The pride of dragons was great... but the need to survive was always greater.

The griffins had never been very good at hosting other races in their lands... but if they had decided that they hated Equestria enough to stop seeing dragons as trophies that would bring honor to an entire flock, and instead as possible weapons in the war...

Thesis shook his head as he reached up to grasp the doorhandle... and then he frowned as he heard a shout from behind him, the stallion glancing over his shoulder before he winced a bit as he saw the pit boss heading towards him, which likely meant he was about to be yelled at for some screwup or another that had been blamed on him and he had no choice but to-

“Diamond dogs!” shouted the pit boss, and Thesis' eyes widened, feeling his whole body snap awake as he spun towards the stallion, realizing just how panicked he looked. “Diamond dogs! They're coming up from below! They're killing everyone!”

“I'll keep them busy, you send word to the Royal Guard!” Thesis said sharply, and then he broke into a sprint, throwing off his tiredness as he rushed out of the barracks without waiting for a response. And the moment he hit the gravel outside, he could see soldiers hurrying towards the mouth of the mine, as miners and civilian personnel hurried away.

They had been attacked by desperate and greedy diamond dogs before... but Thesis could already tell this was different. The packs were usually weak and unorganized, or more interested in stealing ore and gemstones than attacking the miners...

But how the hell could the griffin army sneak a pack of diamond dogs this deep into their borders?

Thesis swore under his breath as he leapt into the mouth of the mine, joining several Royal Guard as they hurried down the tunnel. He fell immediately back into old habits, looking back and forth for an officer, and upon seeing none, he leapt to the lead himself, shouting: “Engagement is secondary, evacuation is priority!”

For once, the soldiers didn't mock him or ignore him, acknowledging him with a chorus of 'sir!' Thesis was rather surprised by it, but he didn't question it as he instead focused ahead, heading straight for the main shaft: even if the tunnels made the echoing yells and scraping and barking distort and seem to come from all around, that was the place where the diamond dogs could do the most damage, and it was where his gut told him the enemy was waiting.

And almost the moment they began to descend the ramping shaft, the stallion saw that he was right on all counts: the first diamond dog he spotted was ignoring the gemstones completely, instead chasing after a pony with a grin on his face beneath the modified griffin helm he was wearing. He slashed outwards... and Thesis saw the diamond dog was wearing some kind of metal claw, a moment before the pony went down with a scream and a spray of blood from his hind leg.

The diamond dog began to pounce... and Thesis put on a burst of speed before leaping up and twisting his body around to slam both rear hooves into the face of the diamond dog, shattering his jaw and sending him hurtling limply through the air to crash into the wall with a tremendous bang. Thesis landed a moment later on the other side of the pony, ordering without looking back at the soldiers behind him: “Move in pairs and watch the walls and floor. Escort as many ponies as you can out of here, while I-”

“I smell you, mud pony!” roared a voice, and Thesis looked up in shock as the entire tunnel went silent before it began to shake with the steps of the giant that emerged from the darkness at the end of the shaft. And Thesis swore before he looked quickly back and forth, then gritted his teeth and ran forwards into a section that had been widened out by all the mining.

Kindynas laughed loudly as he strode forwards, grinning ferociously. Metal gauntlets sparked against the ground as Kindynas pulled himself along like a gorilla on his massive arms. The stallion narrowed his eyes as they drew sharply over the gigantic diamond dog, as he did his best to repress a shiver: there wasn't a single sign of any lasting damage on the giant, even though he should have been crippled, perhaps permanently, from what Thesis had done to him...

The diamond dog straightened... was he bigger? His muscles were bulging, his rubbery hide taut over his enormous frame, his metal-sheathed front paws slamming together in front of him and sending up a visible pulse of malicious magic. The gauntlets looked immensely heavy, and were clearly shaped like a dragon's claws... and they weren't the only new additions to the diamond dog, Thesis noted.

Ragged clothing had been replaced by metal and mesh; plated armor looked almost as if it had been fused to his legs, although it didn't seem to hinder the giant's mobility in the slightest. Thesis could only hope that the monster of a diamond dog hadn't gotten any smarter...

Kindynas laughed loudly... and Thesis grimaced as he realized that the diamond dog's teeth had all been replaced with interlocking steel fangs. But at least that meant... “So I see you had some work done. How do your arms feel?”

“You talk all you want, pony. Talk is all you have.” Kindynas mocked, holding up a bloodstained claw and grinning savagely. “You are too weak to kill. You are prey. You will only ever be prey, mud pony.”

Thesis glanced back and forth... and noted that the other diamond dogs in the tunnel were all watching them, fixated on the sight of their alpha. The stallion decided to use this to his advantage, turning pointedly away from Kindynas and saying boldly to the nearest diamond dog: “So did your boss tell you how I made him cry like a little kitten?”

The diamond dogs looked at each other uncertainly, and Kindynas snarled, punching a gauntlet into the ground as he snapped: “Lying mudwalker! Because lies are all you-”

“Hey, you said that I'm all talk, so I'm just all-talking. Doubt you'd get so defensive if it wasn't true, though.” Thesis said calmly, barely giving Kindynas a glance as he flicked a hoof in a dismissive, patronizing gesture. “Anyway, like I was saying, this little bitch – if you'll excuse the pun, since... you know, you're dogs and all-”

Kindynas leapt at Thesis' back, and the stallion sharply sidestepped, moving like liquid out of the way of the diamond dog, who crashed unceremoniously into the ground on his face. He snarled as he scrabbled for his paws, and Thesis simply smiled indulgently, stepping towards another diamond dog and saying pointedly: “See that? That right there. That's how it started, too.”

Kindynas roared and charged straight at Thesis, and the stallion waited until Kindynas suddenly swept both claws out to the side, trying to cut off any hope of escape. But instead of trying to dodge around the giant, Thesis leapt forwards and kicked off Kindynas' face, sending the giant of a diamond dog staggering stupidly before he tripped and landed with a tremendous bang on top of the unfortunate, much smaller diamond dog Thesis had approached.

There was a series of yelps and whimpers as the smaller dog scrambled wildly at the ground... before Kindynas snatched up the diamond dog by the neck, roaring as he leapt to his paws and spun around, flinging the smaller canine like a wet sack. Thesis' eyes widened, but his reflexes barely saved him, the stallion leaping backwards as the dog crunched into the ground where he had been standing only a moment before, bouncing limply over him as Kindynas shouted: “Fight me! Stand and fight me, mud pony! I will crush you!”

The diamond dogs added their own barking and snarling, the sound echoing through the cavern as Thesis glanced back and forth quickly... but he was less concerned with the diamond dogs – most of which had backed quite a distance off after what had happened to the one unfortunate enough to accidentally get in their alpha's way – and instead he was looking for the ponies. Ponies, he saw, who for the most part were being smart enough to sneak away while they had the chance, or were being rescued by the Royal Guard-

A metal claw slammed down, and Thesis barely managed to duck out of the way before he brought his forelegs up almost too late as Kindynas turned the punch into a hard swing of one brawny forearm.

It was like being hit by a tree trunk, Thesis flying backwards through the air to crash painfully down on his back with a gasp before he quickly rolled backwards over the uneven, stony floor to catch himself on his hooves, grimacing a bit as his forelegs wobbled beneath him. He had forgotten how damn strong the giant was... and it seemed like all the extra weight of that metal plate wasn't slowing him down at all...

Kindynas grinned, licking his lips as he turned towards Thesis and growled: “Not so cocky now, are you, mud pony? Oh no. You won't run away this time.”

“I didn't run away last time, either. I broke every bone in your body and left you for dead.” Thesis replied calmly, raising his head high and glaring back at Kindynas, as the giant of a diamond dog reared his head back slightly in surprise. “Maybe you're the one who shouldn't press his luck.”

The two looked at each other for a few long moments... and then Kindynas snarled, a low growl building in his throat as his hackles raised and his body loomed aggressively forwards. Thesis, meanwhile, set himself as his ivory eyes locked on the giant: he allowed himself to forget about everything else in the area, the stallion taking a slow breath as he focused on Kindynas, and only Kindynas.

“Tiny, do us all a favor and roll over and play dead again. That's how you survived the last fight, after all.” Thesis taunted, and Kindynas snarled before charging forwards with a roar... and the stallion gave a wry smile as his sharp eyes studied the giant, watching his movements before he leapt backwards as Kindynas swept both claws down towards him.

They smashed into the ground, before the diamond dog yanked himself forwards, jaw opening wide to try and deliver a crushing bite-

One of Thesis' hooves smashed into his jaw in a savage counterattack, knocking the diamond dog sprawling onto his side with a roar of pain before the giant quickly rolled over... only to be knocked staggering again as Thesis agilely slipped forwards and spun around so he could deliver a crushing kick up under the diamond dog's jaw.

Thesis moved like lightning, spinning himself back forwards once more so he could leap at the diamond dog and begin slamming precise, concentrated blows into Kindynas' kidneys and solar plexus, gritting his teeth as he poured all the strength he dared into every blow. He knew he had to take Kindynas down fast and hard... and in his mind, a cold and logical voice told him that the only way he could make sure that Kindynas stayed down was to kill him.

The diamond dog roared and plunged a claw straight down at Thesis, and the stallion barely managed to sidestep in time, wincing as he was splattered by rocky shrapnel as the giant's claw plunged into the ground like a blade through rotten wood. And then the diamond dog turned with a snarl, lashing his claw upwards in a spray of gravel and dirt as his claw tore through the ground and swung towards Thesis.

The stallion barely ducked under the claw as he was pelted by debris, clenching his eyes shut and jumping forwards through the cloud of dust on instinct. He landed beside Kindynas... then howled in agony as the giant diamond dog slammed an elbow down into the middle of his back, knocking Thesis sprawling before his eyes bulged in agony as a claw wrapped around his skull and began to crush it like a tomato, steel talons ripping gouges through his scalp.

Kindynas laughed loudly as he lifted the stallion up in front of him like a trophy, holding him at head level as he roared: “Look at your prince now, little ponies! First we'll kill you, then we'll kill the feather dusters! The crows will feast on hoof-meat and chicken-cats!”

The diamond dog grinned widely as Thesis grabbed at his hand and wrist, struggling wildly... before the stallion suddenly swung both legs forwards, then pendulumed his entire body backwards to kick as hard as he could into the giant's muzzle, Kindynas' head snapping back in a gout of blood as he howled in misery and fell heavily on his ass.

The giant slammed Thesis face-first into the floor in reflex, then roared in fury and slung the pony across the room, the stallion crashing back-first into a rocky wall with a howl of agony before he collapsed to the ground. Kindynas glared at the prone body of the pony, before he began to smile... and then his eyes widened, bloody muzzle wrinkling up in shock as Thesis slowly rose his head, glaring through his crimson-stained mane at the giant diamond dog as he said contemptibly: “Guess old dogs... really can't learn new tricks.”

Kindynas snarled in fury, then lunged forwards to all fours, charging straight at Thesis as the stallion shakily began to pick himself up. The diamond dog's teeth bared in a grin of victory as he saw the weakness, smelled the blood of the wounded stallion, before he pounced-

Thesis ducked and swung both front legs up, catching Kindynas by the face as his body twisted and he flung the giant past him into the wall. Kindynas' face crunched into the hard stone with enough force to punch a hole into the side of the passage, the diamond dog's entire body going limp as he fell on his knees with a heavy thud.

Thesis looked at the diamond dog for a moment, then he shook his head slowly, forcing himself to remain strong and upright in spite of how dazed he felt. He scowled over the diamond dogs as they stared in horror at the sight of him, before they whimpered, dropping their heads when Thesis shouted: “Either lay down and play dead, or get out of my sight!”

The diamond dogs chose the latter option, turning to skitter away down the tunnel, chased by a burst of heckles and triumphant shouts from other ponies. And Thesis began to smile as he looked up, saw them gazing at him with awe, calling out to him with congratulations, and pride, and a warning...

Thesis' eyes widened, and he looked over his shoulder too late as Kindynas shoved himself away from the wall and spun around, raking a claw across Thesis' side and sending him flying. He crashed to the ground with a gasp of agony, grabbing at the bloody slashes through his body before he snarled and rolled onto his stomach, forcing himself back to his hooves as Kindynas growled: “I am done playing with you, mud pony...”

“My name is Thesis, Tiny.” the stallion replied coldly, glaring at the diamond dog: his muzzle was broken, his face a mask of blood, metal teeth jagged and loose in his jaws... and yet still, this titan refused to stop moving. Refused to stop attacking, refused to surrender, refused to... to... “Why are you doing this?”

Kindynas stopped... then he sneered at the pony, leaning forwards and growling: “As if I need a reason, mud pony. You are nothing but food to me. You are weak, and I am strong. And I will not live in tunnels, or serve chickens for much longer.”

“Those chickens have you wrapped around their talons, from what I see. I'm guessing they put you back together after I broke you like an egg, after all. And now here you are, doing their dirty work for them.” Thesis retorted, aiming to keep the giant talking. His head was dizzy, and his body was in agony, and he needed time to concentrate again, to make himself focus through the pain...

Surprisingly, Kindynas only laughed at him instead of taking the bait this time, before he bared his broken teeth in a wide grin and mocked: “And what about you, mud pony? At least I am not merely a pawn, a toy! I will eat the chickens when they cross me... and you? You are a puppet, and when the ponies have tired of you, they will cut your strings!”

Thesis gritted his teeth, his eyes narrowing, his body trembling as Kindynas grinned widely and spread his arms wide, asking contemptibly: “Your kind thinks I am a beast. But at least to be a beast is to have a mind, to be feared, to be strong! What do they think of you, puppet?”

The stallion shouted wordlessly, charging forwards... and realizing too late to stop that he had just made a tremendous error of judgment. Yet there was no way he could stop now, either, as he rushed towards the waiting diamond dog, who watched his approach with gleaming eyes before the giant suddenly leapt forwards, roaring and punching a claw down-

Thesis caught the diamond dog's wrist and redirected the attack, sending the diamond dog's fist crashing into the ground. Kindynas snarled in frustration at this, swinging his other claw out... and Thesis moved like lightning as he slipped to the side and shoved it down as well, the giant's hand burying through the stony earth and leaving the diamond dog staring stupidly for a moment before Thesis began to slam hoof after hoof back and forth across his face, bloodying his features and knocking metal teeth from his jaw as Kindynas howled in fury... but with both his claws stuck in the ground, he couldn't get the leverage he needed to yank himself backwards even as his tiny legs strained to pull himself away.

Thesis focused his strikes, smashing away at the jaw of the diamond dog before he suddenly brought a savage double haymaker down with both hooves, and Kindynas howled in misery as his jaw snapped loudly, blood and metal teeth flying from his muzzle before his head snapped up and he twisted himself suddenly sideways, putting all his weight onto one claw and letting himself rip the other out of the earth.

He slashed outwards, but Thesis had already dodged nimbly backwards, the stallion shouting: “Come on! Come get me, Tiny!”

Kindynas roared and lunged towards Thesis, grabbing at him wildly... and Thesis ducked under the attack before he flung himself between the diamond dog's legs, then spun around and leapt up onto his back. The giant snarled in frustration, huge arms swinging back and forth as he staggered sideways as Thesis slammed savage punches into the back of his neck, before the stallion cursed and quickly kicked off when the giant flung himself backwards to crash down on his back, very nearly crushing the stallion.

Thesis landed a few feet away as Kindynas rolled over, then scrambled towards the pony, leaping at him and clawing wildly in the direction of the stallion. Thesis swore and backpedaled, his eyes blazing before he flung himself backwards when Kindynas tried to clap his claws into him from either side, landing on his back with a grunt.

The stallion's legs scissored upwards around the diamond dog's neck, and Kindynas' head snapped back in reflex before he roared in frustration as the stallion came with him, throwing vicious hook after hook into Kindynas' eyes. The giant stumbled on all fours, shaking himself back and forth to try and dislodge the stallion before he suddenly reached up and seized him around the body in one large claw, yanking him free and flinging him away.

Thesis gracefully twisted his body in midair, landing and skidding to a halt near a rack of mining equipment set into the wall. He gritted his teeth as Kindynas charged straight at him, before he suddenly leapt upwards as the diamond dog pounced-

One massive claw shot out, smashing through the shelf as the diamond dog caught himself before he could hit the wall, while his other brawny arm swung out like a club, smashing Thesis out of the air and knocking him to the ground. He bounced away with a gasp of agony, flopping onto his stomach as Kindynas grinned as much as his broken jaw would allow.

The giant seized a pickaxe in one claw, ripping it away from the rack like a toy before he stepped forwards and swung this viciously down. Thesis barely rolled out of the way in time to avoid it, and Kindynas snarled as the tool lodged in the rocky earth before the stallion leapt up and slammed a hoof across the diamond dog's face.

Kindynas howled in misery as his already-broken jaw was visibly wrenched to the side by the force of the blow, losing his grip on the weapon and half-shielding himself with his other forelimb, and Thesis took the chance to leap up and seize the giant by the head, before shoving down as fiercely as he could.

Kindynas dropped both brawny arms beneath him to catch himself, shattering the handle of the pickaxe... and then he howled in agony as the other end of the pickaxe blade tore through one of his enormous biceps. He yanked himself backwards, the tool tearing free of the stone as his arm twitched at his side, and without thinking, Thesis leapt up and seized the broken end of the pickaxe handle before he yanked down with all his strength and all his weight.

The diamond dog's bicep was ripped in half, much of the flesh and muscle scooped out of his arm in a spray of crimson and flesh. Kindynas cried out in misery as he staggered backwards, clutching at his devastated arm for a moment, before his blazing eyes locked on the pony before him clutching the broken, bloody pickaxe.

He leapt forwards with an incoherent roar, reaching his working claw out... and Thesis roared back as he swung the pickaxe around, piercing through the diamond dog's palm and dragging his claw to the side to hammer into wall of the tunnel, where it spasmed uselessly, pinned by the pickaxe.

The diamond dog's head snapped back with another incoherent, miserable wail, foaming at the jaws as his eyes rolled wildly in his head, and Thesis drove forwards, hoof after hoof pounding savagely into the giant's body. And all Kindynas could do was twist back and forth, uselessly trying to yank his paw free from the wall as his other arm spasmed at his side, his head snapping back and forth before his whole body arched when Thesis buried a hoof to the ankle into the soft spot of his solar plexus.

All the air whooshed out of the diamond dog's lungs, and his body spasmed helplessly, his muscles twitching, blood and drool dripping from his jaw before Thesis punched savagely upwards with all the strength he could muster into the diamond dog's throat. Kindynas' eyes bulged as he gave silent, choking barks as his throat was crushed, his body spasming, his eyes rolling in his head as Thesis stumbled backwards, breathing hard and snarling in fury up at the diamond dog.

Kindynas glared back, broken jaw working spasmodically, eyes full of pain and fear and disbelief... and raw, endless hate. And even as the diamond dog slowly fell to his knees, even as he gave hacking coughs and gasps, even as his gigantic body began to fail under the wounds, the pain, the lack of oxygen... it was hate that Thesis saw in his eyes. It was raw, fearless, endless hate that burned into Thesis' very soul, until the diamond dog's eyes finally rolled closed as he collapsed on his face with a tremendous bang.

Thesis breathed hard in and out, lowering his head and staring down at Kindynas as the diamond dog lay before him, beaten and broken.... and then he shivered a little as he reached up and rubbed slowly at his face, chilled to the core. He had never seen such malice, not even in Valthrudnir's eyes. Such raw, furious contempt. Such disgust, such loathing, such a deep and dark abyss...

Thesis shivered as he looked down at his own hoof, then he looked back at Kindynas, and at what he had done to the diamond dog. He trembled for a moment as he stared at this... monster in front of him. This beast, who he knew without a doubt would not stop until he killed him, and everything that was important to him. This monster, whom Thesis knew would devastate, annihilate, murder anything that got in his way, purely for the pleasure of doing so...

He had to kill him. He should kill him.

But Kindynas was helpless as he was now, wasn't he? They could imprison him. They could make him pay for his crimes. Princess Celestia always said to never kill without reason...

No. There was plenty of reason to exterminate this kind of threat. He had granted mercy before and the diamond dog had come back stronger and crueler. This attack on the mines was on his hooves. Was a continuation of his own failures.

Thesis slowly began to reach towards the diamond dog, his eyes narrowing and his features tightening... and then he blinked in surprise when someone grasped his shoulder.

Thesis turned towards a Royal Guard, who was looking at him with clear worry as he said hesitantly: “Sir, maybe... we should take care of the prisoner. You look like you need medical attention.”

“Do I? I...” Thesis looked at himself for a moment, rubbing a hoof slowly along his breast before he shivered a little as he realized that... yes. He ached. He ached, and he was bleeding, wasn't he? But he had been so focused on...

Thesis trembled again and looked down. He had seen such hatred in Kindynas. But how much of that hatred, that killer instinct, burned in him, too? He had been about to kill in cold blood. And worse, he had justified the execution in his own mind, like he had any right...

The stallion reached back and touched the claw marks in his side: by far the worst damage done, but with his not-pony body, he was already starting to heal. A few hours, and he'd be out of danger... but until then, maybe.. maybe the pain, and the blood loss, and the adrenaline was all making him think differently from usual. Maybe he was just... confused.

He shook himself out briefly, then he forced a smile to the soldier nervously surveying him before he said quietly: “Have two soldiers...” He stopped, then looked up as he realized more ponies had gathered, and the stallion cleared his throat. Yes, he wasn't processing information as quickly. Blood loss and confusion as a result of the aftermath of adrenaline shock. That was all. “I want two soldiers here. Chain Kindynas down if you can until we can make preparations to move the prisoner. The rest of you, fan out through the mines. Priority is still search and rescue.”

“Sir!” came the response from the Royal Guard, along with salutes and confirmation from the miners who had been brave enough to stay behind. Thesis thought for a moment about saying something about escorting the civilians out... but then he only let his head drop as he closed his eyes, feeling a wave of weariness pass over him. Yes, he was wounded and his body had almost forgotten what it was like to fight so hard. And besides... he was technically a civilian too.

The stallion turned and made his way slowly back towards the mouth of the tunnel, breathing quietly through his jaws as he assessed himself mentally. He felt that logical, cold part of his mind taking over, trying to both estimate how much strength he had left and explain to himself why he felt so weak, and so confused. Trying to rationalize the fact he had been about to murder someone.

It wouldn't have been murder. It would have been an execution, yes, but Kindynas was an enemy, and a killer, and a threat to Equestria. There were exceptions to every rule. That was a logical truth, because simplified and generic rules could not be applicable in every specific situation.

Thesis' brow furrowed as he clenched his eyes shut hard enough to make himself see stars, and then he shook his head hurriedly. That was just the confusion talking. The blood loss. The logical part of himself and... the cold part of himself. The terrible part of him that was never, would never, could never be a pony...

A voice called out to him, and Thesis was stirred from his thoughts as he looked up in surprise... before smiling briefly as Red Sky shot towards him and landed in front of him, staring over him with disbelief before she gave a trembling smile and said weakly: “Every time something happens... you just have to throw yourself into the middle of it and come out the other side looking like mulch, don't you?”

“Well, better me than a real pony, I guess.” Thesis said before he could stop himself... and then he chuckled quietly and lowered his head when the Wonderbolt frowned at him, the stallion murmuring: “Sorry. I'm... feeling pretty sorry for myself right now. Having my face beaten in always puts me in a bad mood.”

“Reminds me of when we first met. Let's get you to medical.” Red Sky said quietly, reaching up and pushing back her goggles before she turned around and gestured at him with one wing. “Come on. Lean on me. You're shaking like a leaf.”

“Physiological reaction. I can still walk.” Thesis murmured after a moment, shaking his head briefly, but all the same, he kept close to the mare as they headed towards the exit of the mine. Even through the fog that was trying to take over his brain, Thesis noted that Red Sky kept looking at him worriedly... and finally, the stallion caught her eye and smiled as they crossed the gravel yard towards the barracks, murmuring: “I'm fine. Fewer bones broken this time around. Less internal damage. Fewer flesh wounds, severity... arguable.”

“You realize you've bled so much from your head that your mane has turned almost completely red, right?” Red Sky hesitated, then leaned in and murmured: “And you're... doing that thing you do when you get really sad or upset. Thesis, don't... numb out.”

Thesis looked over at the mare for a moment... and then he nodded slowly as he took a breath before he said suddenly, not even aware of what he was saying until it was spoken: “It's easier, though. It's so much easier than caring, and... it's so hard to be a pony.”

Red Sky looked at the stallion for a few moments, and then she smiled faintly before saying quietly: “Welcome to life, Thesis.”

Thesis smiled back after a moment, looking down and nodding almost ashamedly before he murmured quietly: “Yeah. I... I almost killed him. Tiny... the diamond dog. The same one who killed my unit. I beat him. And then I was going to murder him, even though I had... already stopped him.”

“But you didn't. Because you're a good person, Thesis. Because you are a pony, and you know that good ponies, with honor and integrity... they don't kill without a good reason for it.” Red Sky replied pointedly, her intense eyes locked on the stallion's. “I know you're a pony, Thesis, even if sometimes you forget that. And I know you're a good pony.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then Thesis laughed quietly as he looked ahead, smiling faintly as he mumbled: “Come on, I need to get to medical. Otherwise I'm going to throw up or cry from how nice you're being to me, and I don't know which would be worse.”

Red Sky sighed and shook her head slowly, but she gave a small smile and nodded all the same as she accompanied Thesis towards the barracks and the medical station, doing what she could to help the stumbling, beaten, but never-slowing pony on his way.

Verse Five

Verse Five
~BlackRoseRaven

And across all the nation can be heard

The rumbling of the coming thunderstorm:

The Dragon has laid his claim, said his word,

To him, we are but clay to shape and form.

The Princess clutches to her dear treasure,

As 'tis with love that angels are bested,

For this child she loves past mortal measure,

In him, all her hopes have been invested.

What of the child born of sorrow and strife?

Fathered by avarice, mothered by hope,

Never in control of his own half-life:

Puppeted by unknown hands, unseen rope.

And as creation burns, the child shall sing:

Through all this world, the Gjallarsong shall ring!

Valthrudnir rested calmly back in his throne in his tower, his eyes coldly surveying the images that danced over the holographic screen floating in front of him. He slowly tapped his fingers against the arm of the enormous chair he was seated in, before he finally gave a thin smile and waved his hand to dismiss the screens.

The dragon leisurely crossed his arms and closed his eyes, tapping a foot slowly against the floor as he reflected that perhaps he had been... overconfident. He had expected far more from Thesis... but Thesis had done a spectacular job of failing to live up to his expectations so far. Maybe that was unfair, however: Thesis had also been raised by ponies instead of pushed towards his true potential... and all the coddling from Celestia, and the fact that Celestia kept constantly pushing him away from the battlefield, was not helping matters.

Valthrudnir stood up, his arms still crossed, head bowed in meditation as he walked towards one of the bookshelf-lined walls of his room. Without slowing, he strode into it... and passed through both it and the wall beyond as reality rippled like water, the dragon striding moodily down the hall hidden beyond the illusion with his head still lowered in thought.

There were admittedly... other problems that he had not anticipated surfacing as well. The fact that not one, but several battleships had been destroyed by the incompetence of the ponies and the savagery of the griffins; the concern that the griffins had somehow made alliances with the more vicious races around Equestria, something that Valthrudnir knew he should have pushed for himself; and, most worrisome of all, several of his Stage I Dogmatists had been killed.

When the Dogmatists had first been introduced half a year ago, they had frightened the little ponies: but after demonstrating how devastating they could be on the battlefield, and how, once they returned home to Canterlot, they could just as easily put their mechanical prowess to use in more civilian fields, the ponies had started to admire them.

After Celestia had agreed to allow more ponies to undergo the process, more had stepped forwards, eager to undergo enhancement. Valthrudnir had been more than happy to oblige, although he'd been careful to always put on a show of following Celestia's rules... that was part of the game, after all. It would make things so much more difficult if he was forced to show his real hand.

The dragon smiled to himself as he stepped into a large, circular room that was filled with strange machinery and bubbling vats of chemicals. Kennels lined the far wall, animal whimpers coming from behind the thick steel bars... along with the moans and weak pleas of the ponies he often used as test fodder for his experiments.

Valthrudnir's eyes roved meditatively over the kennels: he was considering simply euthanizing most of the animals, since they were no longer of much use to him. Furthermore, it was becoming easier and easier to retrieve pony subjects when necessary: as the war raged on, the list of missing ponies grew longer, and it was becoming easier and easier to retrieve the test subjects he needed from outer camps, mobile military hospitals, and the cities that had begun to experience the full calamity of the griffin invasion.

Of course, that was just him making silver linings out of dark clouds. He considered these insects and their lives trivial, but... while he had taken advantage of a diplomatic crisis to create a situation that should have been both controllable and advantageous to his projects, instead he had ended up on the opposite end of the spectrum: in chaos.

It wasn't that he cared in the slightest about the ponies. He had lived here now for decades – which to him, was a barely noticeable span of time, although to these mortals with their insignificant, momentary lives, he seemed as eternal a fixture in Canterlot as Celestia herself – but far from growing attached to them, the study of their lives had only left him all the more revolted with their... incompetence, their frailty, their bodily functions. They were a disgusting, amoral, and weak lot, addicted to their vices and driven by primal instincts...

Well, almost all of them, Valthrudnir thought, as he absently stroked a finger along the bars of one cage, studying the various ponies trapped inside the kennels as they whimpered and whispered and cried and plead. There were... one or two ponies that he had come to... he didn't want to say 'respect...'

Valthrudnir clicked his tongue, then he straightened before glancing to the side and calling calmly: “Assistants!”

Almost immediately, there were several loud clanks from an archway, followed by several ponies. But they weren't entirely pony, not anymore: their eyes had been replaced with round rubies that glowed with hellish, unnatural light, and their hooves clanked with the sound of metal against metal as they walked slowly over the sterile steel floor.

They approached Valthrudnir and bowed their heads silently, and Valthrudnir looked down over the ponies meditatively, studying the three: they were Dogmatists in only the loosest sense of the word. Dogmatists still retained some modicum of excuse for sentience: these ponies had instead been some of the first to undergo his newest behavior modification protocols, which had proved a little too effective at controlling and regulating these animals.

“If I wanted automatons, I'd simply build more golems.” Valthrudnir said contemptibly: it was so hard to create proper servants outside of a controlled setting such as Decretum. There, in his beautiful Clockwork World, he could easily control ponies through the Clockwork King AI and other guidance programming, but here, he had no lieutenants to pass on his orders, no machinery to constantly monitor these needy little slaves.

The problem was less that his servants were tempted to deliberately disobey him, and more that... free will was a sibling to disorder. A Dogmatist left with its free will intact and not constantly monitored would begin to laze through tasks, would take breaks, would become... inefficient.

Equally, of course, automatons couldn't comprehend even the most simplified logic problems: if a problem arose or something happened that confused their simple programming, golems tended to react either hostilely or shut themselves down. And of course, once a task was completed, golems often simply turned off: they needed a handler to constantly give them new orders to keep them on task.

Valthrudnir studied his assistants: they shared more in common with golems than they did the Dogmatists, especially in the fact that they required constant supervision to maintain their efficacy. But they were capable of some individual thought and motion, still: they would attend to their own needs, and they kept his equipment and supplies neat and organized, and they would feed the beasts in the kennels and clean up any unfortunate messes that might occur.

Besides, they were prototypes: Valthrudnir had seen far greater results with many of his later designs. And speaking of which... “What is the status of the neural network project? Have they been updated to my specifications?”

The three stallions nodded in synchronicity, then bowed their heads before turning and striding towards the archway. Valthrudnir followed after them, putting his hands behind his back as they entered into another room... and he chuckled quietly at the sight of the black blood that covered the cement floor in one corner of the room, the dragon remarking: “I see upkeep has fallen. Or have you been causing difficulties again, Riordan?”

Above the stains and puddles of black blood, a mutilated pony whimpered, slowly raising his head and staring towards Valthrudnir with unseeing eyes. The marks of experimentation and torture across his frame had twisted and warped him into a mockery of a pony, the stallion suspended by large hooks and spiked chains that had been twined around his frame.

And worse yet were the cables that fed out of the stallion's head, held in place by pins and needles that fed up into a machine above. This machine had more cables coming from it that branched out in every direction, as well as a monitor that displayed all manner of vital information culled directly from Riordan's mind... who likely didn't realize how fortunate he was, Valthrudnir reflected. After all, he had been selected to act as the very first of a new breed of servant, and had the honor of serving as the prototype for all future designs for the most elite of his projects...

Riordan gurgled, before he looked back and forth... before screaming in agony, convulsing as one of Valthrudnir's soulless assistants calmly tapped commands over a glass screen, sending surges of electricity through the cables rigged into Riordan's head. Valthrudnir studied him intently, watching the way the mutilated pony jittered and convulsed, howling in agony... before there was a sudden, loud ding, and the pony slumped, going still and silent.

Riordan blinked a few times... then looked emptily up before reciting quietly: “All things began in Paradise. But we were fools, and threw away this gift...”

“Memory sequencing seems functional. Emotional controls...” Valthrudnir surveyed Riordan, then simply held up a finger with a pleasant smile.

Several enormous spikes of metal formed in midair, then slammed home through Riordan's breast, sending up black splatters of blood as the assistants merely looked on emotionlessly. And with equal emotionlessness, Riordan's body twitched and flinched... then he only looked emptily at Valthrudnir, with the same hollow expression on his face as he continued to recite tonelessly: “This world is born of sin, the first sin of our first father and mother. That is why every day we must strive to be better than we are; to overcome our animal natures, so one day we will be deserving of returning to the Paradise from whence we came...”

“Yes, that is correct, Riordan. Excellent, the emotional restraints seem to be functioning adequately as well.” Valthrudnir looked up at the machine above Riordan's head, studying the monitor and the flow of various electrical signals and chemical reactions... “Some neural processes have slowed below optimal levels... Riordan, what is two plus two?”

“Four.” Riordan answered after only the smallest pause, but Valthrudnir scowled a little all the same.

“Four times four times two times two?” Valthrudnir pressed.

This time, there was a much more distinct pause before Riordan answered finally, in the same emotionless tone: “Sixty four.”

Valthrudnir looked up, studying the monitor and the brain activity displayed over it, before he flicked a finger, a crystalline orb appearing out of thin air and floating towards the stallion's face. Riordan barely registered it until Valthrudnir ordered: “Follow the orb in front of you with your eyes.”

Riordan didn't acknowledge the command, but his eyes did focus on the bauble. Valthrudnir's expression deepened with displeasure before he flicked his finger back and forth, making the orb move slowly back and forth through the air, before gradually picking up speed.

Riordan's head moved back and forth, his eyes following the orb... but as it began to move faster, he noticeably fell behind in his reflexes. He didn't so much as twitch even as Valthrudnir scowled and began to puppet the orb in swats across the stallion's face, before he finally gave a grumble of disgust and dismissed the toy, muttering: “Perhaps we can counter the sedation effect with chemical injections... the nodes themselves are functional, it is the brains of these plebeians that are so flawed in their structure and design...”

The dragon clicked his tongue in distaste, and then he ordered, without bothering to look at his assistants: “Copy the node programming from the machine and prepare materials for surgery. We will see the effect these devices have on mortal ponies and begin the development of a chemical compound to counterbalance the side effects of the control nodes.”

The assistants all nodded in solemn synchronization, and one quickly tapped a command across the glass screen in front of him to shut down the nodes. There was a buzzing, and then the mutilated pony howled miserably as agony pounded back into his mind, twisting back and forth in the chains before he finally slumped with a broken whimper, shivering and staring blankly at the ground as a bit of black blood leaked from his mouth.

Valthrudnir looked distastefully over the stallion, and then he simply gestured at him dismissively: a moment later, the large spikes still buried in Riordan vanished from sight, as wounds knitted closed across the pony's frame. He supposed he was being a little bit too generous... but he didn't want to drive Riordan any more insane than the pony already was. That wouldn't benefit his projects in the slightest.

The dragon rubbed his thumb and forefinger together meditatively, studying the pony as he gurgled and shivered in his restraints. Of course, if he so desired, he could simply rewrite the pony's brain completely, make him absolutely loyal... but while that was good for ensuring that his lieutenants would never think of betraying him, it was useless for Valthrudnir's ultimate aim. Even as mighty as he was, he couldn't simply snap his fingers and take over the mind of every being across the entire world. No, if he wanted to ensure that the masses were as productive as possible as a part of this mighty, sprawling empire he was building across all of reality, then he required a method that his servants and machines could implement.

He had also come to realize that Decretum had been... less than successful, so far, in large part because so much required his presence, or that of his commanders. Furthermore, he had put too much weight on projects such has the Clockwork King, which had not proven nearly as successful as he had hoped they would be.

Valthrudnir studied Riordan for a few moments more, then he gave a thin, contemptible smile. Well, he wouldn't rush the process along this time. He was here to research and understand these ponies, and to test what they were capable of. In every world he had visited, he had seen some form of them, and they had always proven to be the main obstacle between him and his goals: ridiculous, considering how obsessed these ponies were with order, and that was all he was trying to bring to the universe. A little bit of order amongst all the calamity of chaos.

But he supposed that ultimately, these ponies couldn't be more than they were made to be: hypocrites, animals, the toys of a god they no longer even knew the name of. Valthrudnir smiled again at this, straightening and brushing out the lapels of his suit.

Yes, there was no need to rush: he would simply take things in stride, until he proved once and for all that he knew what was best for the universe. That he could take even these miserable malcontents and make something useful of the raw and unpolished materials they provided.

Valthrudnir turned around, then said without bothering to look back at his assistants: “See that you clean up this mess as well. I have other business to attend to, but I expect three ponies to be outfitted with our prototype control nodes by the time I return. Do not disappoint me.”

His only acknowledgment was silence, but that was all Valthrudnir needed as he strode toward the exit. After all, these golems were the first sliver of the perfect universe he would one day build, where everything obeyed him.

He knew what was best, after all.

Thesis yawned loudly as he sat down at the table, absently picking up a fork and using it to poke blearily at his eggs. He hated eggs. He didn't know why they always served them to him.

He looked up... then smiled awkwardly as he saw quite a few sets of eyes all glaring at him from around the head table in the dining hall. He had really preferred it when he'd been allowed to sit with the Royal Guard during breakfast, at one of the tables down the hall... but ever since he'd been called back from the mines, he'd been forced to act like a prince, not a soldier.

He really wasn't very good at acting like a prince, though. And all these snobby diplomats and high upstanding court officials made him nervous, as he looked down and slowly and carefully picked up his napkin, taking his time in laying it out over his lap.

When he finally dared to look up again, everyone had thankfully gone back to their own conversations and he was once more being ignored. Thesis snuck a glance at his mother, but Princess Celestia was deep in debate with one of her advisers, her food forgotten in front of her.

Thesis looked for a few moments at the crepe his mother had left sitting on her plate, and then he slowly began to slide one of his front hooves across the table towards it. But the moment he touched the plate, Celestia brought her hoof down on top of his wrist, Thesis cursing as he quickly yanked his foreleg away, accidentally knocking over his glass of water in the process.

All eyes turned towards him again, and Thesis blushed deep red before he looked hurriedly down at the plate in front of him, picking up his fork and lamely beginning to pick at his eggs again while a servant hurried over to take his glass away and clean up his spilled water.

After a few minutes, Thesis looked up again, and once more everyone had returned to their own meals and conversation. The Prince of Equestria grimaced a bit, and then he finally plucked up a bit of his shredded egg and put it into his muzzle, wrinkling up his features in disgust.

He managed a few more mouthfuls, then grimaced and pushed his plate away before slumping a bit in his seat. A servant came by shortly to gather up the used tableware, and Thesis sighed in relief as he started to excuse himself-

Without looking, Celestia reached back and caught him by the shoulder, and Thesis winced a bit at this as he dropped himself back in his seat. Things hadn't exactly been at their best between himself and his mother lately: the stress of the war, and everything that had happened over these last few months, and the fact that... well, they weren't really seeing eye-to-eye on the handling of the war either, which felt very strange to Thesis, considering the fact that they had always gotten along so well in the past on just about every subject imaginable.

But Thesis was worried that... things were going wrong. He didn't want to question his mother, but... there were more and more of these 'Dogmatists' appearing around Canterlot, and even though it was probably kind of weird for Thesis to question the morality of that whole premise, he still found himself wondering if... this was the right thing to do. If maybe Valthrudnir was taking advantage of a situation and they were starting to lose a little of what made Equestria so great...

His stance on the Dogmatists made him feel like a hypocrite for a lot of reasons, though... and not just because he was a homunculus himself, but because he felt that if they were making these supersoldiers... why had so few of them been deployed? The griffins were digging deeper into Equestria day-by-day, and now they were bringing forwards war machines of their own, and forming full-fledged alliances with other races instead of simply recruiting prisoners and outlaws.

They had to start fighting back harder. Not just minimize the damage, but begin making their own attacks on the griffins. Too many ponies had died now, and this had evolved from a long-term border dispute into a full-fledged war. The griffins were trying to destroy them, and Thesis thought the only way they were going to stop was if they were destroyed first.

Thesis shifted a little in his seat, glancing down and feeling a stirring of guilt in his gut. He knew a lot of that was anger and ruthless logic talking, though, and that his mother was wise and compassionate, and even if they had lost territory and land, her strategies had saved many lives all the same. The griffins were vicious and only respected strength: if they took control of a town and it wasn't evacuated, they would kill and enslave every pony there, from the youngest foal to the oldest mare.

The diplomats and officials left one after the other, until finally, only Thesis and Celestia were left sitting at the table. The Princess turned towards her son, looking at him for a few moments... and then she smiled briefly before silently pushing her plate towards him, the stallion blushing a bit as the mare said softly: “Eat.”

Thesis picked up his fork, but then he bit his lip, looking awkwardly up at his mother. She looked back at him for a few moments, but then only shook her head with a quiet laugh, murmuring: “Just like when you were a foal. In a lot of ways, you still have a lot of growing up to do.”

“Yeah, I... I know.” Thesis mumbled, as he picked slowly at the crepe for a few moments with his fork, before he looked up and said finally: “This isn't as fun as I always thought it would be as a kid. Being a prince, I mean.”

“I know, Thesis. Maybe you're not meant to be a prince, and... I'm sorry for trying to make you stay here when you don't want to be.” Celestia smiled faintly, and Thesis blushed a bit as he looked up at her with surprise. “It's very hard to let you go, to let you... be the stallion you want to be. I suppose I've meddled quite a bit in what you want and I apologize for that.”

Thesis lowered his head a little, and then he nodded hesitantly before murmuring: “It's not your fault, Mom. I... I haven't been doing the best at being a good... pony in general, really. I was the one who screwed things up with the Royal Guard. And I'm the one who... I guess I don't want the responsibilities of being a prince, but I do want all the privileges.”

“You and Valthrudnir have a little more in common than you think.” Celestia said softly, and Thesis winced a bit and scowled in spite of his best efforts not to, but Celestia only chuckled quietly. “Don't be like that. He's... trying very hard to protect us all, in his own way. I believe that he'll make the right decision. He thinks he's been very sly about everything, but I'm not an idiot. He's too precise with his 'experiments,' among other things.”

Thesis looked up in surprise, then he shifted uncomfortably before he asked in a low voice, as he looked back and forth worriedly: “You think he's... already been experimenting on ponies?”

“I know he has, Thesis. He has a very different set of morals than we do, he considers right and wrong to be more... arbitrary guidelines. But part of the reason I allowed him to begin conducting these experiments is because I wanted to see what he's been doing to my people... and if he really is trying to benefit us, in some strange way.” Celestia stopped, then murmured softly: “And with volunteers coming forwards, I believe he's cut down on his... other unfortunate experiments.”

“Why do you put up with him? Why do you let him... do things like this?” Thesis asked in a louder voice than he intended, leaning towards his mother with a look of... frustration, and pain, and pure confusion. “I don't get it, I don't get why you don't just-”

“For the same reason I haven't said we should try and annihilate the griffins, for the same reason I put up with the... peculiar etiquette of the dragons, for the same reason I try and be accepting of other cultures instead of simply demonizing and dominating them when we have more than enough power to rule land, air, or sea.” Celestia replied calmly, shaking her head slowly. “He is from a much different world, Thesis. A different culture.”

“But you wouldn't let... a diamond dog or a griffin get away with torture and murder!” Thesis muttered harshly, leaning in towards his mother and frowning at her as she looked evenly back at him. “I just don't see you how you justify this, like-”

“Thesis. Valthrudnir is a creature of unknown power from an unknown world, who has weapons and machines at his disposal that can do things even I am not capable of.” Celestia said coldly, and Thesis stared at his mother as she rose her head and said quietly: “What is gained by making an enemy out of the most powerful ally we have? Especially when among his victims so far have been detractors and undesirables. Sometimes the existence of monsters serves the greater good.”

Thesis looked disbelievingly at his mother as she looked back, before Celestia closed her eyes and murmured: “I know the cost of war very well, Thesis. I know all about what sacrifices we have to make, and the responsibility we have to take. War costs a country much more than the lives of the good ponies in that nation. Sometimes war costs us our souls, too.”

Thesis lowered his head silently, looking down at his crepe as he shifted silently in his seat... and then Celestia murmured softly: “But I want to spare you that. I have been asking you to stay out of this war and moving you as far away from it as I could because I know that... our enemy is too strong for us to win by conventional means. And the civil war between myself and my sister almost demolished this country. Even today, there are still places where hatred for me festers, and ponies pray to my sister for her eternal night.”

The stallion looked silently up at his mother: he knew how much it hurt her to talk about her sister. Nothing was more important than family, after all... and when your family turned on you... “I... I want to help, though, Mom. I can help. I know you tell me not to think of myself as a weapon, that I'm a pony... but this is what I was made for. To fight... to protect others.”

“Those are two very different things.” Celestia said softly, looking at her son silently. “So which of those two were you made for, Thesis?”

Thesis bit his lip, looking down and thinking hard... and then he looked up into his mother's eyes, saying quietly: “To protect others. Because... I am a real pony, not a weapon. Weapons can only fight in the name of others. Ponies can... protect others, in their own name.”

“Good.” Celestia gave a small but honest smile, nodding slowly before she sighed quietly, lowering her head and murmuring: “I have a mission for you, Thesis, if you're willing to accept it. I want to send you with a team of Dogmatists to destroy a griffin outpost.”

Thesis' eyes widened in surprise, but Celestia only looked at him steadily until the stallion bit his lip, then asked finally: “What does the mission involve?”

“Espionage and stealth. You and your team will move in and plant explosives on several integral supports. The base is an important one to the griffins, and it should discourage them from making any more operations in the area.” Celestia said softly, before she gestured towards the plate. “Eat, Thesis.”

Thesis looked down at his crepe, and then he picked up his fork and nervously dug into it, eating slowly as Celestia continued: “I have invited the griffin ambassador to Canterlot, for one final attempt at discussion. You will be working in a very specific timeframe, to maximize the effect of the explosives... literally and figuratively.”

The stallion grimaced a bit, shifting a little before he said finally: “Why are we still holding back, though? Why are you trying so hard for a peaceful solution when they're... invading, destroying and taking over our land?”

Celestia looked away for a moment, and then, without looking back at Thesis, she said softly: “Because once Equestria starts to fight back, and once we begin to push the griffins out, other nations will try and step into the fray. They will know that even a nation as great as Equestria will not be able to maintain multiple fronts for very long, and that our military forces will be occupied. For many races, there would be no greater victory than if Equestria and the griffin nation completely eradicated each other. That is my chief concern: that this conflict has been exacerbated and exaggerated into what it has become, because another nation is waiting for the opportunity to strike.”

Thesis nodded slowly, looking at his mother as she smiled faintly back at him, saying softly: “Nothing is more important than your family, Thesis. Because your family are the only people in the entire world you can trust. Your family, your blood, your kin: everyone else... they will stay beside you while it suits them, Thesis, but no longer than that. Your closest friends, your greatest allies... they all have the potential to betray you if it suits them.”

The stallion looked silently up at Celestia, and Celestia gazed back at him quietly before she closed her eyes and lowered her head, saying softly: “That is the cost of being who we are, Thesis, of leading a nation. Never blinding yourself to all the hell and lies and evil in the world, but instead accepting it, every part and parcel. And yet all the same, trying to make the people under your command believe, truly believe... that the world can be a good place. To accept and love others... no matter how different they are.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then Thesis laughed a little before he looked up and started impulsively: “Your sister...”

He stopped, then looked down in embarrassment as Celestia gazed at him softly, before the stallion mumbled awkwardly: “I mean, sorry... I... I know that...”

“She didn't betray me, Thesis. I betrayed her.” Celestia said quietly, and Thesis looked up in surprise at the Princess of the Sun, who smiled faintly at her son before she reached a hoof across the table to gently rest on his. “And even though I did... she never turned on me. Nightmare Moon was not my sister. Nightmare Moon was the result of my own sins, my own actions, more than Luna's, Thesis. And I was the one who... punished her far beyond what she ever deserved.”

Celestia looked silently up towards the ceiling, and then she smiled faintly before saying quietly: “If I could do it all over again, Thesis, I'd change everything. More importantly, I'd change myself. But one day, she'll return, when the Elements of Harmony are ready to be used by those who deserve to bear those trinkets and that same title.”

Thesis cocked his head curiously, and Celestia only chuckled softly before shaking her head and returning her eyes to her son. “A silly old legend. But we've talked enough off the record for now. After you're finished your breakfast, I want you to report to the dungeons. A soldier will meet you there to escort you to your new duties.”

Thesis frowned in surprise at this, looking back and forth before he said finally: “That seems... a little strange, Mom...”

“We're in strange times, Thesis. I've already told you more than enough, and we have to be careful, now. There are a lot of ears trying to overhear our conversations.” Celestia stood up from the table, then she stepped forwards and gently kissed the stallion's forehead, making Thesis blush deep red as he looked up at her lamely. “Finish your crepe. And remember that I love you.”

“I... I love you too, Mom.” Thesis stammered, surprised by the suddenness. But Celestia only smiled at him softly before she turned to walk away, leaving the stallion alone at the table, staring after her... and wondering uneasily why he suddenly felt so... afraid.

The stallion eventually returned his attention to the crepe, eating the last of it before pushing away from the table and heading nervously out of the hall. He made his way towards the stairs leading down to the dungeons: a place he had never seen a whole lot of, in spite of having lived most of his life here. Sure, when he had been younger, it had been the spooky, creepy place where he and Songbird had run around like morons, giggling to themselves...

But then again, when they had been younger, the dungeons had rarely seen a lot of use, and only certain sections had been home to prisoners. Now that war was raging, the dungeons were being used for more than just the occasional thief caught sneaking around the castle...

Thesis grimaced a little as he pushed through a large, wrought iron door to descend the stone steps beyond, feeling... well, he wasn't quite sure what he was feeling right now. He was worried, among other things, but he also felt... excited? Was it okay that he felt excited? Or was that weird?

Thesis shook his head as he stepped down into the dungeons, then he frowned in surprise as he glanced up and realized that the guttering torches had been replaced by magical lights, and the halls seemed much cleaner than he remembered them being. Granted, he hadn't been down here for months, if not years... but still...

He strode down the well-lit halls, glancing towards the cells he passed and frowning a little. Some of them looked like they had been polished and repaired, while others seemed to have been converted into a variety of different rooms: an interrogation chamber here, an emergency supplies store there, a shelter probably meant for the guards to relax in...

Thesis glanced up as he reached the end of the hall, and then he frowned curiously as he saw a tall, thin unicorn he didn't recognize clearly waiting for him. The stallion hesitantly drew closer, then cleared his throat before saluting and asking awkwardly: “Uh... so are you going to... brief me?”

The unicorn's lip curled in an unpleasant smile, and Thesis grimaced as he studied this apparition in the few moments of silence that followed: a listless, tarnished gray coat, and an ugly mane that had once been black, and was now peppered with white. One eye was cataract white, with distinct scars around it, while the other was an eerie blue...

Thesis' eyes narrowed as his eyes flicked quickly over the stallion, taking in his rigid, almost unnaturally-straight posture, the looseness of his coat, and the polished whiteness of his teeth... “You're not a pony. And you're not like me, either.”

The unicorn chuckled quietly: a clanking, ugly sound, before it turned around and opened the door, striding away. Thesis hesitated only a moment before following, keeping a comfortable distance away from the creature as he watched the way it moved: almost naturally, but the key word was almost. The... near-contempt he felt from it certainly seemed like it was real, but the way it moved...

Thesis grimaced a bit, recognizing the irony of his own thoughts. So that was 'real' contempt, was it? He shook his head slowly... then frowned a bit as the creature suddenly came to a halt in the middle of the hall, before it turned slowly around.

Thesis frowned and stopped himself... then winced and looked to either side, tensing himself, as four cell doors slid open around him. He readied himself... then gritted his teeth as four ponies dressed in black armor emerged, all of them clearly Dogmatists... heavily modified Dogmatists, at that, far beyond what Thesis had seen in the soldiers that Valthrudnir had been authorized to do by the Royal Council and Princess Celestia.

His body tensed and flexed... and then the unicorn-thing that had led him here finally spoke, saying in a voice that crackled strangely, as if it was talking over a roll of rolling parchment: “These are your soldiers. They require constant monitoring to remain at optimum efficiency, and will listen to your orders explicitly.”

Thesis frowned uneasily as the four soldiers around him saluted, before the stallion slowly turned towards the unicorn. They looked at each other steadily for a few moments, and then Thesis asked quietly: “And who... or what... are you?”

“A command unit similar to yourself, sent here from Decretum to assist in monitoring the situation. But until Lord Valthrudnir deems it necessary, I will remain in a passive role. I will brief and debrief you, and provide suitable equipment under orders from Lord Valthrudnir and Princess Celestia.” The unicorn paused, then added calmly: “You may refer to me as Vice.”

“Fantastic.” Thesis muttered, and then he looked nervously back and forth at the four Dogmatists surrounding him, still frozen in salute. “So they're... they'll listen to me?”

Vice only gestured at him, and Thesis grimaced a bit before he cleared his throat, then ordered, with the faintest twinge of hesitance in his voice: “Role call! Line up and sound off!”

The four Dogmatists quickly marched forwards, lining up in front of Thesis, and then one by one spoke their name. Their voices were all hollow, emotionless... frightening, Thesis thought. And as he studied these creatures, he shivered as he realized perhaps why they bothered him so much: how different, really, was a homunculus like him from golems like these?

He drew his eyes uneasily over the four: Hierophant, Lamella, Napalm, and Zone. They were covered in grafted metal and synthetic parts, and Hierophant was a unicorn with strange, glowing eyes, while Lamella, an earth pony, had large vents on his side and stank of something... toxic and familiar that Thesis couldn't quite put his hoof on.

Zone was another earth pony with some kind of metal plating on his side as well, that clicked worryingly away, Thesis wondering what the hell it was... but Napalm was by far the one that made him the most uneasy. There were large tanks visible on his sides and back that looked as if they had been embedded in his body, and what looked like tubes and hoses all throughout flesh that glistened like wet rubber over the hairless unicorn...

Thesis turned towards Vice, but the unicorn only smiled coldly before saying softly: “They are not my concern. They are your concern, Thesis. Now take control of the situation, or I will be forced to find a suitable replacement for this mission.”

The stallion narrowed his eyes at the Vice, but then he looked over his shoulder at the soldiers and said calmly: “At ease.”

The four relaxed, and Thesis turned back around towards them, studying the four before he said quietly: “They're all built for different roles... but I don't recognize some of these machines. And I don't recognize the ponies, either.”

“That is none of your concern.” Vice said dismissively, and Thesis frowned a little, but didn't look back at the unicorn, staying silent... and as he had hoped, Vice continued in a distasteful voice, apparently not fond of being ignored: “You have been issued your orders, and by Princess Celestia, no less. She did not see it fit to question how this unit came to be. She merely thanked Lord Valthrudnir for his generosity in this matter and agreed that a strike was necessary.”

“Alright.” Thesis said calmly, looking down for a moment and feeling... distinctly uneasy at that. So his mother knew about this... “What are our orders?”

“Classified, and on a need-to-know basis. You should concern with getting yourself equipped, Thesis. These machines have been ready to go since they were programmed for this mission. Your function will merely be to oversee operations and adjust for any unexpected difficulties that occur.” Vice said contemptibly, and Thesis grimaced a little as he turned to face the unicorn again. They looked at each other steadily... before the unicorn narrowed his eye as Thesis smiled a little. “What's so funny?”

“I've met a lot of assholes in the Royal Guard. Some were assholes for good reason. A few of those assholes saved my life and were the best people I've ever had the honor of meeting. Doesn't change the fact they were assholes, but if anything, I admire them for having the guts to be an asshole, to know that half the unit isn't going to ever appreciate everything they did for us.” Thesis stepped forwards, meeting Vice's eye and raising his head high, saying quietly: “But you? You're just an asshole, Vice. I'll take your toys, though. And I'll make soldiers out of them. Because that's what they deserve.”

“How endearing.” Vice's synthetic voice dripped with disgust, before he turned around and strode down the hall to a heavy, plate-metal door, his horn glowing and lighting up a magical lock. “This requires your input as well.”

Thesis approached, then reached up to push a hoof against the glowing, hoof-shaped lock: it fit his front hoof with a strange snugness, the stallion frowning... then he winced as he felt a painful tingling sensation spread through his hoof. He hurriedly yanked it back, and Vice smiled contemptibly even as the lock depressed and the heavy door slid open. “I remain unconvinced that you are supposed to be the prototype for the ultimate lifeform.”

The stallion looked sharply at Vice, but the unicorn only gave a reedy, clanking laugh before he turned away. “I must make my report to Lord Valthrudnir. Everything you require is inside.”

Thesis watched the unicorn walk away, his eyes wary: whatever else, Vice made his guts curdle. He stayed at the edge of the doorway until the unicorn finally left his sight, and then he looked over at the four Dogmatists, the stallion biting his lip before he asked awkwardly: “So uh... what do you guys like to do for fun?”

The Dogmatists only looked at him silently, and Thesis winced a bit before he mumbled: “Okay then. No fun. Business then... come on, guys.”

Thesis stepped into the equipment room, looking uneasily back and forth at the gear that lined the walls: he saw black armor made of a substance that he didn't recognize, that seemed somewhere between glass and plastic, and weaponry and equipment that looked far more advanced than even the cannons on the flying battleships.

It made Thesis shiver as he looked uneasily over these, before murmuring: “What the hell is Valthrudnir really capable of? What are these things?”

“Class II equipment. Military-grade.” said a toneless voice, and Thesis winced over his shoulder as he saw Hierophant standing almost right behind him, with the rest of the Dogmatists crowded into the doorway. Well, he had made the mistake of telling them to follow him... “Authorized for Class C, Class II, and Class V use.”

Thesis looked uncomfortably at Hierophant, then he nervously looked at the gear on the wall before asking hesitantly: “Am I... authorized?”

“Yes. You are Class V, Replicant.” Hierophant responded in his hollow voice, and Thesis shivered a little as he felt a strange twist in his stomach at that word, and a chill run down his spine...

“I... I am Thesis. I am a pony.” Thesis said finally, and then he looked over these mechanical, hollow ponies. These machines that had once been...

Once been? No... they still were ponies, just like he was a pony. He gazed up at them, at how terrible and frightening they looked... and yet, beneath that, he saw how hollow and lost they were, too. And here he was, treating them like he had been treated more and more as the war raged on and ponies insisted on seeing him as either a weapon or a nuisance...

“You are all ponies. Forget your... classes, forget all that crap.” Thesis suddenly said forcefully, and the Dogmatists all looked at him with something akin to confusion. “You, what's your name?”

“Hierophant.” the Dogmatist answered tonelessly.

“No, that's your callsign. My callsign is Lightning Hoof, or Lightning. But my name is Thesis. What's your name?” Thesis pressed, and the Dogmatist slowly tilted its head... but that was the most emotion it had shown so far, and Thesis felt ridiculously proud of himself.

“Hierophant.” it repeated all the same, but was that maybe a hint of hesitation under the synthetic rumbling of its voice?

Thesis smiled a bit, then he glanced at the armor on the wall for a moment before he turned and picked it up. He studied it for a few moments... then he shrugged before turning and looking at the Dogmatists, asking: “Do you know how this works?”

The Dogmatists only looked at him for a moment, and then Thesis held up the armor in front of himself, explaining: “When I put it on, I'm Lightning Hoof. When I take it off, I'm just Thesis. So what about you guys? When you take your gear off, who are you?”

Thesis recognized that the Dogmatists probably couldn't actually remove most of their equipment: too much of it looked like it had been bolted or grafted on. Still, he hoped the metaphor would get through to them... “We are never off-duty. We serve Decretum. We serve the Clockwork King.”

“The Clockwork King?” Thesis grimaced a bit. What a strangely-fitting name for Valthrudnir, he thought... “And he ordered you to listen to me?”

“We have been programmed to obey all commands given to us by superior units. Your authority is superseded only by those of monarch rank.” answered Hierophant tonelessly. “You do not have override privileges.”

Thesis sighed a little, looking uncomfortably at Hierophant, before he glanced past him to the other Dogmatists, asking awkwardly: “Anyone have anything else they maybe want to say?”

None of the others spoke, only looking silently at Thesis with their glassy eyes, and the stallion grimaced a little before Hierophant explained calmly: “I am the highest ranking under your command, as a Class C Intelligence design. I will speak for the needs of the unit.”

“I don't want you to speak for the needs of the unit. I want you all to talk to me.” Thesis said in an exasperated voice, even as he started to buckle on his armor. “I... come on, guys. Work with me a little here. I know there must still be pony in there beneath the... beneath the everything else.”

He fell quiet, and there was silence for a few moments as he shifted back and forth, buckling on the body-fitting equipment before frowning and looking up as a mechanical voice said quietly: “We are not ponies. We are Dogmatist. We are servants of Decretum. We are military designs.”

Thesis looked at Napalm for a few moments... and then he gave a faint smile as he tightened the buckles of the black armor around his body, saying softly: “You're all of those things, as well as ponies. Maybe you guys can work that into your programming.”

The Dogmatists only stared at him, and Thesis grimaced a bit before he finally straightened and absently patted the breastplate he had slipped on. It was form-fitting, and felt like it had been made for him precisely. Not that it would be a huge feat of skill to get his measurements from the tailor or one of the armor smiths, but it still felt weird...

Thesis returned his eyes to the wall and the weapons that covered it, before he reached up and picked up some kind of... handle, he thought. He tilted it back and forth in his hooves... then swore loudly as he hit a button on the side and the goddamn thing electrocuted him, the stallion flinging it to the ground as he rubbed wildly at one of his hooves.

“The stun rod must be unfolded and gripped firmly by the rubberized handle. Otherwise it may overload or pose a danger to the wielder.” informed Hierophant.

Thesis looked sourly at the pony, then he sighed before saying finally: “I'm going to start calling you Toot. Because you do all the talking and you seem to know everything.”

“I am not Toot. I am Hierophant.”

“No, you're Toot now.” Thesis said mildly, feeling a strange sort of relief in the fact that the Dogmatist actually sounded both confused and maybe the tiniest bit irritated. “I'll give the rest of you new nicknames later.”

Hierophant seemed to be scowling at him slightly, but Thesis took that as a victory even as he forced himself to become more serious, asking calmly: “So what are the mission parameters? Do you know when we depart?”

“We will join a merchant caravan in two hours' time. It will provide the cover necessary to approach the staging area. The mission will require stealth and accuracy. The mission will begin at twenty hundred hours tomorrow. Napalm has already been programmed with the target data and. Our main objective is to escort and defend Napalm while he deploys explosive charges.” Hierophant explained, and Thesis nodded slowly. “We have been ordered to obey all instructions that you give us during this period. We are flawed and incomplete, and have shown increased difficulty reacting to unusual situations and atypical stimulus.”

Thesis looked at Hierophant for a few moments, and then he shook his head slowly before asking hesitantly: “So you're saying that you four are... essentially just... programmed? But the other ponies who were modified into Dogmatists don't show that level of... well...”

What was a polite word for brainwashing? Thankfully, Thesis was saved trying to figure that out as Hierophant only explained tonelessly: “They are not Dogmatists. They are augmented, but they have not undergone reprogramming or extensive modification. They are only enhanced. They are not servants of Decretum.”

Thesis nodded slowly, and then he asked slowly: “What is Decretum?”

Hierophant was silent for a few moments, and then he finally answered: “That information is restricted, Commander Thesis.”

“Just Thesis.” the stallion said softly, and then he sighed a little before looking uncomfortably at the Dogmatists, silently wondering if this was what Valthrudnir ultimately had in mind when he said that he wanted to make pony society better... and wondering just why it was then, that he had been left in charge of these hollow vessels, and what Valthrudnir's plans really were for him and the country that he had sworn to protect.

Verse Six

Verse Six
~BlackRoseRaven

Those who play with flame risk burning their claw,

And so learnt the Dragon chasing the song:

For even he has a weakness, a flaw:

He can never admit when he is wrong.

Ego can cost us much in times of peace,

And during war hubris becomes deadly:

Still more lethal when we refuse to cease

Arguing the value of our medley.

But not every song is worth being sung,

No matter how strong their phantasmal hold,

And yet still some find themselves being strung

along by ideas worth only fool's gold.

But the Dragon would not give up his fight,

The Gjallarsong was his, by right of might.

Valthrudnir and Princess Celestia stood side-by-side in the war room, alone in the catacombs of shelves and desks and easel display boards. They were both studying a map of Equestria silently, where a large red tack had been placed over a city to the west. One of the largest settlements in the country, which had been protected by high walls, a sky outpost, and a massive military base... and they had lost contact with it completely more than a week ago.

The worst – and most confusing – part of it was that it was within their borders. Deep within their borders. And until this event, they had been steadily pushing the griffins back. Ever since the war had truly begun in earnest, some eight months ago now after Thesis had gone on his first mission with the Dark Angel unit, the griffins had been forced to fall further and further back under the onslaught provided by Equestria's battleships, Dogmatists, and the other dangerous technologies that Valthrudnir had provided for them.

Celestia's eyes roved across the map to look at a blue dot near the Horsehead Mountains: she remembered how Thesis had come back from that first mission... both elated and upset. She hadn't lied to him... but she hadn't told him the truth, either, and Thesis had been shocked when it wasn't just a griffin tower they had brought down, but a dragon aerie, almost all of the juvenile dragons killed in the collapse, and those who weren't surely crippled.

But that was war. Celestia knew the cost of war very well, and she knew what had to be done. And part of the reason she had waited for so long, given up so much territory to the griffins, was because she had counted on the griffin's aggression to compel their army to try and press deeper into Equestria. A ruinous mistake, because the overzealous griffins had been left without any hope of reinforcement when they had finally flown right into a blockade of Equestrian airships.

They had chased the griffin army for miles, until they had finally stopped to do what the griffins hadn't and set up an outpost where they could gather their forces and build up their defenses. The griffins were too used to nomadic battle: they would attack a village or city, plunder it, and then burn it down and move on. They only rarely stopped to establish bases or outposts, and when they did, it was usually because their allies had already started to build something there. Most of their weaponry was either salvaged from the cities they raided, made from raw materials while they traveled, or brought to them from the griffin homeland by special transports.

Celestia knew that her own tactics were cruel: crueler, perhaps, than most would realize. She was allowing her people to be displaced, to be moved around and sacrificed like pawns on a chessboard. And likewise, even though she'd said she was trying to bring the griffins to a peaceful solution... she had known from the start that a peaceful solution would almost be impossible. Just as she had been maneuvering the griffins, from the very beginning, into a position where they would be at their most vulnerable.

She had almost thought that she had stopped this war dead in its tracks after Thesis had brought down the aerie... but even though the griffins had been shaken by the sudden counterattack, it hadn't been enough to make them back down. Wary, certainly, and the attacks that had followed had encouraged them to retreat and regroup...

But... “What happened, Valthrudnir? How we lose contact with an entire city, and with all the ponies inside it? The griffins don't have that kind of power.”

“No, they do not.” Valthrudnir muttered, rubbing slowly at his chin as he scowled at the map... and pointedly refusing to meet Celestia's eyes. The last thing he needed to admit was that he was honestly surprised himself... and worse than that, honestly frustrated. He had already attempted to scry the area, and had been surprised when his efforts had been rebuffed by some sort of powerful anti-magic shielding.

In order to understand what was going on, he would have to send one of his Dogmatists in to investigate, or waste his time going there himself to spy on the happenings. Their pathetic anti-magic defenses were like a paper shielding: it would interfere with him seeing at a distance what was going on, but he had no doubt that his presence alone would be enough to destroy the protection they had over the city.

That would be a waste of effort, however, and it could jeopardize his game... and besides, he also had servants to deal with such trivialities, didn't he? “We should send Thesis and his unit to investigate and destroy the defenses the griffins have erected around the city. All the same, this is an unexpected change in tactical procedure...”

“It worries me. It worries me more that they did this within our borders. Valthrudnir, they are only a few hours away by flight from Canterlot. How is it possible that-”

“Quiet.” Valthrudnir said moodily, holding up a hand towards Celestia and cutting off her worrying. He shifted ever so slightly, however, almost reaching towards her as he continued in a rational voice that was the closest he ever came to being comforting: “Our forces have been concentrated along the fronts shared with the griffins. The griffins now have allies in both the dragons and diamond dogs, among other unknowns. It is unlikely, but still possible, that they were able to move in a wide arc around our forces to take over that city.”

“I don't believe that, and I don't believe you do, either.” Celestia said softly, and Valthrudnir scowled at her before the ivory mare returned her eyes to the map, saying quietly: “I know you were unable to see past the fog of dark magic that covers that city. I wasn't either.”

“It is anti-magic.” Valthrudnir said stiffly, but then he frowned when Celestia smiled over at him. “What?”

“No, it's not. Anti-magic doesn't simply blot out sight magic, it creates a static effect, and a... tingling.” Celestia turned towards Valthrudnir, raising her horn towards him as she said softly: “If you don't trust me, you're more than welcome to check for yourself.”

“I do not desire to read your magic or your mind.” Valthrudnir said distastefully, shifting uncomfortably away from the mare before he shook his head and crossed his arms, scowling at the map. “The griffins have no magic.”

“No. The griffins do have magic.” Celestia countered, and Valthrudnir frowned over at her. “They are an extremely talented race, Valthrudnir. A warrior race, yes, but those who do not become warriors or leave their homeland for adventure must find different ways to excel: the griffin fortresses are almost indomitable, and they house both talented engineers and occult schools. But most griffins consider magic to be a weapon of last resort, and those who are born with the gift are considered cursed and sealed away in the schools.”

“I didn't ask for a lesson on their culture, Celestia.” Valthrudnir said irritably, and then he turned his eyes back towards the map, frowning as his mind whirled away before he murmured: “The griffins have destroyed several of our airships, and when we salvaged them, pieces were reported missing.. I considered these to have simply been destroyed, but is it possible that...”

Celestia frowned over at him, and Valthrudnir shook his head before he turned around and began to shuffle through papers piled over desks and tables, moving from pile to pile and simply knocking stacks of parchment flying when they didn't seem to contain what he wanted. “Where are the lists of casualties? Dogmatists, specifically, I require-”

Celestia sighed, turning around and flicking her horn to lift several scattered papers from the ground, and Valthrudnir scowled over his shoulder at her before he snatched these out of the air as they floated towards him. He paged quickly through the papers, then muttered: “Ridiculous. But there's no way that these barbarians could replicate... it's not possible that...”

“Valthrudnir, almost all of the technology you provided us with has been built right here in Equestria. Often you yourself stressed that these were machines we could learn to create ourselves with the right materials and instruction...” Celestia hesitated, then looked back towards the map, adding uneasily: “And from the beginning, the griffins have been recruiting outlaws and prisoners, and offering rewards and honor to anyone who had specialized skills they were willing to put to use in service of the griffin army... and... that city has both major factories, and several prisons and-”

“Impossible. Impossible!” Valthrudnir shouted, throwing the papers aside as he snarled and turned towards the map, his eyes blazing. “These... these barbarians, these plebeians could not possibly learn to crudely imitate my own work, my own designs, I... I will not stand for it, Celestia! Call Thesis, assemble the Dark Angels! I will see that city burned to the ground before I allow those ignorant savages to crudely ape my designs!”

“Valthrudnir.” Celestia said sharply, and the dragon rounded on her... before visibly flinching when the mare reached up and shoved her hoof into his stomach, leaning up towards him and saying quietly but firmly: “Get yourself under control.”

Valthrudnir reached up and grabbed Celestia's wrist, grinding his teeth together as he leaned down in her face and snarled: “Do not speak to me like I am one of your... like... I am one of your...”

Those cold amethyst irises glared into his, fearless and indomitable, and Valthrudnir's amber gaze flickered before he dropped his eyes. They settled on his hand, looking at how his fingers were crushing into her foreleg hard enough to bruise... but yet even when he forced himself to relax his grip, she didn't pull away. She didn't flinch, or tremble... she only slipped back just enough to rest her hoof on his palm so she could lean further up towards him, saying in a calm, controlled voice: “I will talk to you the way you deserve to be talked to, Valthrudnir. But that means if you start acting like a foal, I will scold you like a foal.”

“I am not a foal. I am certainly not your foal.” Valthrudnir grumbled, throwing her hoof away before he reached up and smoothed out the lapels of his dress jacket, glaring down at the mare... but not quite raising his eyes to hers, glowering more at her neck than her face. “This new problem requires urgency. We must move quickly to-”

“What we require is precision, Valthrudnir, not haste. Haste will only create more difficulties.” Celestia answered in an unyielding voice, the dragon glaring at her as one of his eyes twitched, his hands clenching into fists... but all the same, he listened, as the mare continued: “I agree that we should assemble the Dark Angels. But we will not give them the order to seek and destroy. It's more important that they gather intelligence than go into the unknown and attempt to engage a foe we have no knowledge of. Especially one that's been sly enough to move into the kingdom under our very noses.”

“The enemy has outfoxed the lazy eyes of your generals, Celestia. I am not nearly as impressed and frightened as you are by the fact that the enemy has captured a nearby city. If anything, I would question the strategy and hubris in doing so.” Valthrudnir retorted, and Celestia shot the dragon a cynical smile.

“Not that you would know anything about pride and ego, would you, Valthrudnir?” she asked contemptibly, and the dragon bared his teeth at her before Celestia said quietly: “I know what I'm doing. And I feel that there's more to this than just the griffins attempting a sneak attack. Too much about what's going on doesn't make sense.”

“Fine, have your conspiracy theories, Celestia. I leave things in your hooves.” Valthrudnir retorted, giving a short, mocking bow. “And when everything falls apart or you miss your best opportunity to destroy this foe because of your caution, you can bear the full weight of that on your own shoulders. But then again, horses always were meant to bear up under heavy burdens, weren't they? You ignorant pack-beast.”

Celestia smiled thinly up at Valthrudnir, and then she replied in an almost pleasant voice: “And no matter how they might dress themselves or the fancy words they teach themselves to use, dragons will never be anything but brutes and beasts, will they?”

Valthrudnir slowly ground his teeth together, and then he snorted through his nostrils before turning and storming towards the exit. Celestia only watched him leave with cold eyes, studying him silently until she heard him slam through the door that was half-hidden beyond the stacks and shelves... and then, finally, she allowed her head to drop, letting out a rattling sigh before she murmured: “I just wish you'd learn you can be anything you want, Valthrudnir, if you'd just let yourself be something more than... a dragon in a fancy suit.”

Thesis felt uneasy as he strode slowly over the deck of the battleship, Red Sky walking beside him. He smiled hesitantly over at her, and she smiled back and nodded firmly in response, saying quietly: “I have a lot of faith in you, sir.”

“I'm not on duty yet. I'm still just Thesis for now.” the stallion muttered, even as he reached up and uncomfortably adjusted his black fiberglass armor. He ran a hoof over it slowly, then added moodily, as he looked out at the massive, whirling black mass of thunderheads in the distance, barely visible in the darkness of the early morning sky: “This really doesn't seem like a good idea to me. And when I think something isn't a good idea...”

“Then it probably really isn't, no.” Red Sky looked ahead, gazing uneasily at the whirl of dark clouds herself before she shook her head and murmured: “But whatever's going on there, it has to be stopped. And you and the Dark Angels are the best ponies for the job, right?”

“That's not really a compliment anymore.” Thesis replied with a slight grimace, reflecting silently on how many times he'd heard those words... and then he and his team had ended up burning bridges, razing encampments, assassinating crucial but non-military personnel. Thesis was beginning to question just how much of himself he was going to lose by the end of this war... “I... sorry, Red Sky. You know I get nervous before mission.”

Red Sky only smiled at him comfortingly, and then the Wonderbolt sighed and looked ahead, saying in a quieter voice: “But it's scary, isn't it? They somehow invaded the city without anyone noticing, and now... who knows what's happened in there?”

Thesis nodded, steadying himself and taking a slow breath as he rose his head. Right, that was true: he wasn't being sent in on an assault against a 'priority target' that would end up being a food center or a mobile hospital this time: these were unknown targets that had taken over an entire city, and they were being sent in to gather intelligence on the situation.

“Well, I'm glad that I've got the best fliers in Equestria watching my back, at least.” Thesis said after a moment, then he turned his eyes back ahead, smiling briefly. “I just hope you're half as good as you always said you were. Because if you fly anything like you dance...”

“Shut up, Thesis.” Red Sky huffed at him, and the stallion laughed before the mare hesitated, then stepped towards him and reached up and squeezed his shoulder. “You got this.”

The stallion nodded a little, and then he strode up to the prow of the ship, leaning forwards before he sighed a little. “Okay. I guess we better give the signal to stop. My team will move in from here by RAP.”

“At least you get to fly.” Red Sky said, and Thesis smiled wryly over at the mare, unable to resist a grumble of agreement. There had been one or two good things that came with this job.

But even as Thesis and Red Sky turned around to go about their business, the stallion felt his thoughts uneasily going back to everything that had happened since the creation of the Dark Angels. Not just the assaults, and the attacks, and the razing of facilities and camps, but the changes he had seen throughout all of Equestria...

In very short order, the Royal Guard had been equipped with dangerous, advanced weaponry: within a month the entire army had been taught to use weapons that electrified anyone they touched, and were given explosive crystals that could turn boulders into dust as part of their standard equipment. The griffins still had their anti-magic, their bolas, their own bombs... but their technology paled in comparison to the weaponry now even the lowest-ranking soldier in Celestia's army had. Even incredible devices like the Rapid Acceleration Packs, which gave even earth ponies the ability to fly short distances, had become almost commonplace.

Massive, portable cannons replaced catapults and ballistas, and the cavalry had been given slow but indomitable machines that rolled along wheels and tracks, crushing anything in their way. Soldiers had gone from frightened of becoming monsters, to accepting and in some cases, even eager to be given Dogmatism... and along with the living, mechanical ponies had joined the battlefield, heartless golems often dropped straight from flying transports and battle carriers into danger zones to support the Equestrian army and annihilate the griffins and their allies.

And of course, then there were the shadow units like the one that Thesis commanded... he knew his group wasn't the only set of Dark Angels out there. Likewise, he had begun to see more and more Dogmatists from Decretum here... whatever Decretum was.

It had been eight months since his first deployment as leader of this unit, and Thesis still didn't have the courage to ask his mother or Valthrudnir what that name meant, and where these Dogmatists were coming from. More and more, he'd come to realize that the Celestia he knew wasn't the only Celestia: there was another side to his mother that... frightened him a little, he thought. It was very well hidden, and it only rarely showed itself during political debate or strategy sessions... but more and more, Thesis was getting glimpses of it. Of that other side of his mother...

The stallion shook his head briefly as he headed to one side of the loitering battleship, his preparations complete. His armor was tight, his helm was on, and its strange, glowing visor that gave him battle information pulled down over his eyes. His equipment packs were tightly secured against his body, and his RAP was on his back, ready for deployment.

His team was waiting for him at the deployment pad at the edge of the airship, and they saluted when he came to a stop beside them. Thesis saluted back, and the four relaxed without needing the order, making Thesis smile a little. He at least had discovered that, with enough time and effort, even these Dogmatists had started to become more... pony, for lack of a better word. He didn't know if it was because they were remembering what life was like before their mechanical upgrades, or if they were just learning to imitate his behavior... but either way, it was one of the very, very few things that made him feel a little more at ease around the mostly-synthetic ponies.

Thesis glanced quickly towards them: he didn't have to check to know they all had their equipment readied, but it was a habit he had gotten into. The Dogmatists would always equip whatever was left in their specific lockers by whoever was in charge of equipment distribution, after all: more than once, Thesis had found they had taken damaged or incorrect equipment for the mission.

More than once, Thesis had spoken to the quartermaster about this, but he always got the same arguments: someone switched the equipment, someone else was responsible for the Dogmatist's gear, the Dogmatists had to follow the same procedures as everypony else.

He hesitated for a moment, frowning over at Napalm: something about the giant's RAP seemed a little... off. He couldn't quite place it, but... well... “Everyone, idle status.”

The four Dogmatists moved almost in synchronization, reaching up to hit the large blue buttons on the side of the metal boxes they all had strapped on their backs. And, again in almost perfect time, small sets of stubby wings shot out of the sides of each RAP as hidden panels slid upwards along the machinery, revealing specially-designed thrusters and guidance systems.

Thesis could hear them all gearing up properly, and he gave a brief nod before he turned on his own, feeling the faint vibrations of the RAP through his armor. He looked forwards, unable to deny the excitement he felt coursing through his veins: this, after all, was the closest he would ever really get to flying on his own.

“On wings of eagles.” Thesis said softly, and then he shook his head before glancing to the side as Red Sky approached, the mare smiling at him through the goggles on her face. “Do I have clearance, Princess?”

“You're good to go, Lightning Hoof.” Red Sky responded, and then she hesitated before adding quietly: “Just watch out, and move in low. There doesn't seem to be a lot of activity around the walls, but for all we know, we might already have eyes on us. These ships aren't known for being stealthy, after all.”

Thesis smiled briefly, then he nodded quickly before he took a slow breath and turned his attention forwards, clearing his throat before he strode up to the edge, gazing down through the air at the ground several hundred feet below. He took a slow breath as his heart thudded in his chest: as much as he loved to fly... this part never failed to scare him, as much as he didn't want to admit it.

“Alright, colts, let's go!” Thesis shouted, and then he leapt forwards and dove off the edge of the airship, pinning his forelegs against his sides to streamline his body. As he fell, he heard the RAP gearing up further, but he resisted the urge to activate it as numbers rapidly flashed by on the visor over his eyes as the wind tore around him and he shot faster and faster towards the barren earth below...

The visor suddenly began to beep, the word 'caution' flashing over it before it was replaced by a shriller alarm and a bright red 'WARNING,' and yet still, Thesis allowed himself to fall as time seemed to slow and the air seemed to turn to sludge around him, as his adrenaline-excited mind processed everything that was going on.

He could feel his heart in his chest, thumping: powerful, rapid beats, so loud they drowned out the wind and the blaring alarm from his helmet. His throat was itchy, his eyes were dry: side-effects of adrenaline. When he looked to the side, he saw the world passing by, blurry in his vision; when his eyes flicked down, he saw the earth below through the flashes of red over the visor, growing closer by the slowly-passing second.

His hoof inched backwards, then hammered home into the button on the side of the RAP, and the boosters flared into life as he arched his body, moving slowly... and then everything went back to full speed, and Thesis split the air as the boosters sent him rocketing towards the walls of the city.

Thesis almost reached the city before his RAP began to gear down, and the stallion readied himself before the machine on his back beeped loudly, then suddenly burst apart into pieces: but as most of the device ejected itself, boosters and all, a large set of flexible cloth wings deployed from the remains, turning his short flight into a smooth, steadily-declining glide.

The stallion began to smile... and then he looked over his shoulder in surprise as he heard a blare of sound, before he was almost knocked out of the air as Napalm shot by, zigzagging out of control as smoke poured from his RAP. The dark-coated stallion shouted uselessly... then stared in horror as the Dogmatist was driven down into the ground, the RAP exploding in a terrible blaze of fire and shrapnel on impact.

Thesis grabbed at the harness of his glider, hitting the button to pop it open so he could drop to the earth. He landed with a thud in the empty fields, spinning around to sprint towards Napalm, who was dragging himself slowly free from the wreckage of his RAP. His tanks were cracked and leaking volatile fuel, and he was badly scorched and bleeding, yet the stallion barely showed any sign of pain even as one of his hind legs uselessly sagged behind him...

Thesis quickly slipped under the stallion and grunted as he lifted the mechanical pony, hurrying away from the flaming wreckage. Not just to try and avoid being spotted – as if it was possible to hide in this goddamn field – but because the trail of fuel behind Napalm was starting to catch on fire. Thankfully, he wasn't leaking in streams, but droplets, and Thesis was able to carry the Dogmatist all the way to the heavy stone wall surrounding the city before he dropped him, placing him back against the barricade.

“I am... damaged. My operational status is... compromised.” Napalm said quietly, and he looked up at Thesis... and god, the stallion thought there was such pain hidden under those glassy eyes... “What are your orders?”

It sounded like a plea... and Thesis bit his lip before he looked uncomfortably over his shoulder at the other Dogmatists. They had all landed and assembled perfectly, like the neat little ducklings they were... and the stallion gritted his teeth before he forced himself to calm down. He was in charge for a reason. He was the one who had to make the best decisions he could for the entire team. “I... Lamella. Can you repair Napalm?”

Lamella looked at Napalm for a few moments, before Hierophant interrupted emotionlessly: “Scans indicate that Napalm has suffered compromising damage to both mobility and offensive capability. Napalm is currently regarded as a liability. He is also not necessary to-”

“Repairs are possible.” Lamella interrupted, and Hierophant fell silent, looking towards Lamella... but the Dogmatist didn't look away from Napalm, and Thesis smiled faintly before he nodded slowly.

“Then repair him, and stay with him. We'll either retrieve you after the mission or send you a signal when we're done.” Thesis said quietly, before he turned towards Hierophant and Zone. “We're here to gather intelligence. Prioritize stealth.”

“Intelligence has been noted as a secondary objective in the briefing.” Hierophant corrected, and Thesis frowned as he tilted his head. “Primary objective is destruction of the anti-magic barrier.”

“I... no. That's not the order I was given.” Thesis said, confused, and Hierophant studied him silently before Thesis said finally: “Look, I have no problem sabotaging what we can while we're in there. But first we have to get in there, and we have to be quiet.”

“Parameters accepted.” Hierophant agreed, and then he turned towards the wall, glass eyes roving over the obstacle before he said: “Mapping indicates multiple entrances via gates, but wall surface is comprised of brick and lime, bonded by mortar. It is possible to scale.”

“Then let's climb the wall. Hierophant, continuous scans, let us know if anything's coming.” Thesis ordered, and Hierophant gave a nod of acknowledgment before the dark-coated stallion reached back into his equipment pack, pulling out a set of narrow gauntlets that would fit over his front hooves and were rigged with climbing spikes.

As Zone and Hierophant began to climb, the stallion took one last look at Lamella and Napalm. He smiled briefly at them as Napalm passively allowed the other Dogmatist to remove shrapnel from his body, and then Thesis shook his head before heading quickly to the wall and mounting it.

He climbed quickly, bracing himself with his rear hooves and pulling himself up front hoof over front hoof along the wall, breathing steadily in and out. He passed Hierophant and Zone on the way up: the Dogmatists were strong enough that they were able to almost punch holes in the brick with their hooves alone, negating the need for climbing tools, but they were much slower and more methodical in their movements.

Thesis reached the top of the wall first... and frowned uneasily as he hauled himself over the battlements and onto the walkway, looking uneasily back and forth. Something was wrong here: there wasn't a single sign of a griffin in the air, and nor was there any sign of defense along the top of the walls. No patrols, no cannons... not even a bored griffin with a telescope.

The stallion's eyes roved down into the city, and he bit his lip as he shifted hesitantly forwards to the edge of the inner wall. Some of the buildings seemed to be in ruins, and others had been destroyed completely... but it didn't look like there were any fires burning, or any signs of life. It looked like a localized earthquake had hit a few buildings, which he supposed could have been caused by diamond dogs, but otherwise...

Thesis ground his teeth together slowly, and then he looked over his shoulder at Hierophant as the stallion climbed onto the walkway beside him, the dark-coated stallion ordering: “Scan the area. Wide as you can, for any signs of life at all.”

Hierophant's glass eyes glowed as it looked back and forth, and then it announced calmly: “Minimal life detected within five hundred meters.”

“What the hell...” Thesis muttered: he knew that 'minimal life' was a fancy term for saying Hierophant hadn't picked up more than a few rats or small animals... or smoldering remains he had mistaken the heat of for something alive. “Alright. Let's move in. Keep me updated.”

Both Dogmatists nodded silently, and Thesis grimaced as he turned around and used his climbing gauntlets to carefully descend the wall. The sound of the claws scratching through the stone somehow seemed so much louder in this dead city... what had happened here? Their last contact with this city had been a week ago... even assuming the griffins had attacked right after that, how could they exterminate an entire city in a week, and right under their noses?

Thesis landed on the ground with a grunt, and a moment later the Dogmatists landed on either side of him before Zone suddenly rose his head, a faint beeping going off before he announced in his gravelly voice: “Warning. Substantial levels of radioactivity have been detected ahead.”

“Radio... what?” Thesis asked uneasily, and Zone looked at him emotionlessly before Thesis frowned and prompted: “What does that mean?”

“Neutron reactions have caused the ionization of atoms, resulting in the emission of harmful energies.” explained Zone, Thesis looking blankly at the Dogmatist before the synthetic pony added in a voice that Thesis thought he heard the faintest hint of urgency is: “This area is unsafe without appropriate protective gear.”

“Right.” Thesis muttered, and then he quickly pulled off his climbing gauntlets, putting them back before he reached around to another pack to remove a set of compressed black fabric.

He peeled the pieces of fabric apart into a set of boots and a a facemask: he hated the feeling of slipping the sock-like boots on, and the way they sealed themselves against his hooves. The mask was just as uncomfortable, with a little filter he had to bite down on and breathe through in the front. But he supposed survival was more important than comfort, especially if this radiation was toxic enough to set off Zone's sensors...

“Caution. Standard biohazard countermeasures will only provide minimal protection in more severely-effected areas. Risk increases significantly after thirty minutes of exposure. Recommendation: avoid severely impacted areas, minimize time spent in area.”

Thesis frowned uneasily over at Zone, but then he gave a hesitant nod before muttering: “Thirty minutes in and out, got it. We shouldn't need too long anyway to gather intelligence here, if it's that toxic. Start the timer, Zone, and let's get ourselves moving.”

Zone nodded calmly, and the Dogmatists and their commander started forwards, Thesis keeping himself focused on the mission at hoof. Yet his skin was crawling, and everything felt... absolutely, terribly, utterly wrong. Not just the fact that Napalm's RAP had malfunctioned – and he wasn't nearly stupid enough to believe that had just been an accident – but the fact that this place was so toxic, this city so dead...

The griffins couldn't have done this on their own. The stallion's frown only grew deeper as they inspected buildings here and there on their way into the city, and they failed to locate a single corpse...

“This radiation has to be some kind of plague...” Thesis muttered, as he stopped to grasp a crumbled brick wall, scowling at the way his hoof pushed straight through it. Yet on the other side of the street, the walls were perfectly fine.

He turned his attention towards the ruins of the building surrounded by the brittle wall, the stallion beginning to step forwards- “Warning. High levels of radioactivity detected.”

Thesis halted, looking over his shoulder as Zone approached. A moment later, Hierophant did as well, the two seeming to study the building until the glass-eyed Dogmatist said emotionlessly: “Thermal energy detected in wreckage. Unknown object detected: scans indicate presence of modified radioactive isotopes.”

“Request permission to attempt neutralization and retrieval.” Zone said, turning towards Thesis, and the stallion's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

But after a moment, Thesis nodded, saying finally: “Just don't put yourself at risk.”

Zone nodded slowly in return: a surprising gesture. But it was enough to remind Thesis that these weren't just machines he was talking to, no matter how they acted, as Zone headed calmly into the building.

There was silence for almost a minute, apart from a few muffled sounds that came from the ruin. It was beginning to grate on Thesis... and when Zone emerged carrying a satchel, he couldn't resist a sigh of relief. But almost immediately after, he frowned uneasily as he realized that Zone hadn't just retrieved the object, but had coated it in a thick, cement-like substance... along with most of the saddlebag. “Did you really have to do that?”

“Yes. Integrity of shielding is already beginning to decay. More suitable shielding is required.” Zone said calmly, and Thesis grimaced a bit. So whatever they were carrying around was so toxic it was eating through the gunk the Dogmatist had poured over it...

“Maybe Lamella can do something about it.” Thesis said finally, before turning and muttering: “We should head back, anyway, there's obviously nothing here, and we're running short on time.”

“Thirteen minutes.” Zone acknowledged, and then one of the panels on his side clicked up and open, and Thesis grimaced as Zone lifted the satchel and slipped it into the hollow cavity of his own body. Then the plate slid shut, and Zone added calmly: “Hull integrity is currently at optimum, but will not act as sufficient shielding.”

“I really wish you wouldn't talk about yourself like that. Come on, we'll get back to the ship, and then we'll move it to a lockbox.” Thesis said finally, turning and heading back the way they had come.

They were silent on their return to the wall: Thesis briefly thought about simply leaving through one of the gates, but realized it would waste too much time, especially if the gates weren't already in an open position. The return was uneventful, as was their ascent.

He still felt uneasy, like they had missed something, or something was terribly wrong apart from the fact that the city had been turned into a ghost town... but all the same, Thesis looked over at Hierophant and said finally: “I guess we should signal the ship from here. There's no point in making Napalm walk to extraction when there's nothing here.”

Hierophant seemed to grimace slightly... but then nodded, the Dogmatist unicorn raising his head as his horn glowed before he fired a bright red flare of magic into the air. Thesis leaned on the battlements for a moment, watching as the ship began to approach before he gave a quiet sigh, muttering: “Guess they must have set up some kind of totem in the city to generate that dark magic cloud above... after they dropped those... devices everywhere. I wonder what happened to all the bodies, though... I mean, are they so toxic that...”

“The retrieved object is as yet categorized as an unknown device. Primary findings do not indicate that biological damage would be so great as to erase evidence of living beings to such extent, however.” Hierophant answered, before the Dogmatist added calmly: “Most likely scenario involves deployment of devices followed by retrieval of bodies for unknown purposes.”

Thesis shivered a little at this, and then he looked ahead, watching in silence as the airship drew closer before he murmured: “Well, either way, we have to report back and hope-”

Thesis was cut off by a tremendous boom from above, the stallion blinking in surprise... but before he could look up, his eyes instead were drawn with horror to the battleship, as a massive, green-tinged flare of fire went up as something tore through its hull. There were two more terrible booms, one after the other, and two more explosions of emerald hellfire as Thesis shouted in despair, leaning forwards and staring in horror as the entire airship began to list, before the stallion looked up in disbelief as a black shadow fell over him.

Above, some sort of massive ship rolled out of the black fog of energy, dark energy sparking along its hull as the thunderhead of black magic crackled and roared around it. Thesis stared in shock: the flying ship glided through the air with no visible method of flight, cylindrical and ugly, its smoothness broken only by the open hatches out of which jutted smoking cannons...

And another joined it. And another, and another, Thesis saw with horror, as the dark magic cloud above began to break apart... before he realized with dread that there was some kind of... massive, monstrous floating island floating behind the at least half-dozen sky-ships rumbling through the air seeming to lead it onward.

Thesis' eyes widened in alarm at the sight: how had such a monstrous thing slipped by them? Except at the same time, Thesis saw, all too clearly, how it had: the island wasn't just made of metal and rock, but dark, roiling thunderheads, and black clouds twisted and rumble around the massive island as it began to sail slowly in the direction of Canterlot. These sky-machines, he realized with mounting fear, had been hiding in the clouds, likely using them for cover, and now-

“Orders?” Hierophant asked coldly, and Thesis trembled, looking with disbelief at the Dogmatist.

Hierophant began to look towards him again... and then Thesis saw too late that one of the sky-machines had left the pack and was instead circling back towards them, cannons already turning towards them-

There was a bang, a flash of light, and then the wall beneath them exploded as the shell tore through it, Thesis and the Dogmatists flung through the air in a hail of stone and broken brick. The stallion crashed down on his face with a gasp, before he looked up in horror as he heard another boom... and this time, the reality of what he was seeing crashed in on him, the stallion screaming in denial as another of the griffin ships pummeled the crippled Equestrian battleship from above with cannon fire-

The battleship sank towards the ground, explosions ripping through its body, the ship cracking in half from the onslaught as emerald flames ripped through the hull. Thesis scrambled to his hooves, staggering towards the battleship as he realized Red Sky was there, Red Sky was in that ship, the ship that was going down, the ship that was burning, the ship that had already been destroyed but they kept shooting at it, they kept shooting-

An explosive shell hit the ground nearby, and Thesis was flung through the air, crashing limply down and rolling with a gargle before he came to a halt in a prone pile. He gasped for air through the respirator of the mask covering his muzzle, then he reached up and wrenched it off, looking up at the griffin ship floating nearby. It moved slowly and inelegantly, but it moved almost soundlessly, the only visible means of propulsion a massive turbine on the back of the ugly, lion-headed cylinder as it seemed to lose interest in him...

But Thesis saw why, as he looked over his shoulder at the sight of Napalm and Lamella. Napalm was uselessly firing at it with a cannon strapped to one foreleg, barely making dents in the armored face of the ship as Lamella steadied his comrade and created a thin membrane around them with his powers-

A single cannon fired, the cannonball smashing into Napalm with a sickening crunch and knocking him backwards in a broken sprawl, before there was a horrific explosion of green flame. Thesis felt the concussive force even from where he stood... and tasted death in the blast as he was knocked onto his back, gasping in pain.

He rolled disbelievingly onto his side, his eyes watering, staring at the crater where his soldiers had once stood before he whimpered, his mouth falling open as he looked towards the flaming ruin of the battleship, which was being circled mockingly by another of those ships as the rest simply sailed away, like they were inconsequential, like they didn't matter, like all the lives they had taken weren't even worthy of acknowledgment-

And all of a sudden, something in Thesis simply... shut off. He stared hollowly up at the airship that was slowly turning towards him, feeling a strange calm overtake him as he studied the way the cannons moved, and how the ship rotated itself through the air. Tears were drying on his cheeks, and blood was running from a split lip, but he felt neither as he slowly straightened, no longer paying attention to anything around him but the ship above.

He wasn't numb. Numbness implied that the emotions were still there. For Thesis, there wasn't any emotion. There were just cold, hard facts, and logic: it was a fact that the battleship had been destroyed, and that two of his unit were dead. But they were just numbers in an equation now, not people he had cared about, not lives with some subjective value.

The cannons were turning to face him: they were moving in such a way that told Thesis the cannons were likely manually operated. The ship itself was slow to rotate and was continuing to move forwards: it was likely unable to turn from a stopped position.

Thesis ran forwards, not feeling his aching muscles, his eyes locked on the war machine. Before either cannon could lock on to him, he was already beneath the flying ship, and neither cannon seemed capable of revolving enough to fire straight down.

The ship rumbled in a slow turn, and Thesis stayed beneath it, tracking its speed, timing its turns. He noted that machine was descending slightly, and that there were visible hatches on the underside of the ship.

A door in the bottom opened, and Thesis watched without emotion as two griffins in body armor leapt out with cold grins on their beaks, both of them with hooked swords in their claws as they shot eagerly down towards Thesis, one of them shouting: “No pony will ever be stronger than the-”

Thesis picked up a loose rock and flung it sharply at the griffin who was speaking, shattering his beak and knocking him backwards with a gurgle of horror as he flopped out of the air. The other griffin made the mistake of looking away even as he continued to dive towards Thesis, and Thesis tensed before leaping high into the air, seizing the griffin by the face before he could react and then yanking him down, slamming him headfirst into the hard earth with a sickening crunch.

He looked up and saw that the hatch above was still open, a single griffin staring at him with shock: in one quick movement, Thesis reached back into one of his equipment packs, pulling out an explosive crystal and squeezing it hard to activate it before he flung it in one smooth, liquid motion, the crystal hitting home up inside the ship-

There was a massive explosion, the entire ship rocking with the blast before another, then another blast went off as the volatile explosives inside the ship went off in quick succession. The cylindrical ship listed to the side, smoke pouring up from its body before another massive explosion tore through the war machine, sending chunks of the ship flying in all directions as the lion-faced front fell to the ground with a tremendous crash, the remains of its body and back peppering the earth around Thesis as he only sat.

Without even a twitch, the stallion reached up, catching a sharp chunk of broken plating from the hull in one hoof before it could pierce into his skull. He studied it silently as the rest of the flaming remains of the ship crashed hailed around him, before the stallion slowly turned to look at the griffin he had knocked from the air earlier.

The soldier was coughing blood through his broken beak, staring with disbelief at Thesis before he began to straighten, raising his claws-

Thesis simply threw the piece of shrapnel, and it tore through the griffin's throat, the soldier flopping backwards with a gargle. Thesis watched the griffin die without emotion, before he looked slowly up towards the distance.

The other griffin warship had left, and the massive island was fading into the distance with its escort of ships. Thesis stood for a few moments, staring after the leaving ships, before his eyes slowly roved towards the burning remains of the Equestrian battleship. He cocked his head slightly as he stared at the green-tinged flames, before he murmured: “Chemical reaction. This is... radiation?”

He paused, then slowly looked over his shoulder as he heard the clanking of metal parts, the shuffle of hooves. He saw Hierophant and Zone approaching, both damaged from their fall, although they seemed functional. Thesis assessed them with only a look, before he turned his eyes ahead and said calmly: “We will retreat to Canterlot. Hierophant, wait thirty minutes, then send up a distress flare and begin to contact any Equestrian forces regarding the events. We must send a message to Princess Celestia.”

Hierophant only nodded, mute. But it was still acknowledgment, and that was all that mattered, Thesis thought, as he began to stride towards Canterlot. There was little chance that they would be able to get a warning to Canterlot before the griffins attacked... but Thesis wasn't entirely concerned by that. It would not be logical for the griffins to stage a rushed attack: even if Canterlot was taken by surprise, their battleships would be a formidable defense, if not ambushed, and there were other defenses ready to be deployed...

Thesis felt his thoughts fall into silence: all he had to do was lead. There was no need for orders, or commands, or to think. Even as they passed the burning wreckage of the battleship, Thesis didn't look up. He barely felt the heat of the flames as they walked by, changing his course only when Zone stated: “Concentrated levels of radiation detected. Recommend alternate route.”

Thesis altered his route, but he didn't take his eyes away from the horizon. He didn't look down, as he walked over the broken remains of a soldier's armor, any more than he looked at the singed corpses, or went to search for the crying, pleading soldiers who had somehow survived the destruction of the ship.

He had a mission to complete.

He would complete his mission. Nothing else mattered. The battleship, and those who had died, were only statistics. They did not matter.

None of them mattered.

Red Sky was only one of several hundred ponies who had died.

Thesis walked on.

Hours passed, and Thesis walked on.

And as dawn broke, and they reached the mountains, Thesis looked up to see a battleship slowly sailing towards them. Thesis stopped, then looked over his shoulder at Hierophant, who said emotionlessly: “I will alert them to our location.”

Thesis nodded... then frowned slightly as he realized that Zone was missing. The stallion strode past Hierophant, not flinching as the Dogmatist sent up a flare of red magic with a boom and flash of light: instead, the stallion retraced their steps with hollow curiosity up to a ridge, where he found Zone laying, dead.

Thesis looked down at the corpse of the mechanical stallion, reaching down and touching him almost curiously... and the moment he touched that mix of still-warm pony and cold metal, everything rushed back. The pain. The hate. The anger. The despair. The impossible loss, as the ship had burned, falling slowly from the sky like a crumbling meteor, and he heard all those hundreds of souls aboard screaming, dying-

Thesis saw Red Sky's smile in his mind, and the stallion fell to his knees, then flung himself forwards, burying his face in Zone's neck and embracing the Dogmatist as he screamed in misery. His chest heaved as he broke down into sobs, desperately clutching the mechanical pony as he shrieked: “Don't go! D-Don't go!”

“He is dead.” Hierophant said tonelessly, and Thesis looked over his shoulder, tears streaming down his cheeks, his whole body shaking with pain as he stared with disbelief, and anger, and hate, and sorrow up at Hierophant, before he stiffened as the Dogmatist reached forwards, before baring his teeth in a snarl, pulling Zone away, not letting this... this monster touch his dead friend-

Hierophant's hoof settled gently on Thesis' head, silently, awkwardly smoothing out his mane, before he said in his toneless voice: “I am sorry.”

Thesis trembled, his whole body going limp, chuffling breath in and out as tears rolled down his cheeks. Hierophant looked at him for a moment longer, then reached out and gently touched Zone's face, before carefully brushing his staring eyes closed.

For a few moments, there was silence, and then Hierophant straightened and turned slowly around. And Thesis could only sit in stunned misery, clutching his dead soldier to his chest as the battleship slowly descended towards him and ponies leapt down, shouting words Thesis couldn't process, couldn't understand.

All he knew was that he couldn't be a pony, and he wasn't an emotionless puppet, either. All that he was... was hollow, and failure.

Verse Eight

Verse Eight
~BlackRoseRaven

Once they are sung, words cannot be undone,

They taint our perception of life and world,

Subtle, like poison; and how our minds shun

that they could be so easily curdled.

But reality is weak, paper-thin,

And easily torn by a strong belief;

The world is shaped by glory and sin,

Warmed by our happiness, burnt by our grief.

The Dragon plots on, compelled by his pride,

And the Princess flies the banner of war,

They follow the chorus, dance as the tide

of judgment comes, to make what is, no more.

And still the child sings, from within the earth:

No one can doubt Gjallar, or his Song's worth.

This was no longer a war. 'War' could not describe the chaos, the anarchy, the bloodshed. There was no point anymore, no one trying to win: the goal was merely not to be the first to lose.

News came from the griffin kingdom that the palaces had been ransacked, the temples and their sacred Creed burned, the gates of 'schools' and 'sanctuaries' where they imprisoned griffins tainted with black magic wrenched open to unleash these hybrid mages on the world.

News came from above, that the cloud cities had fallen into turmoil, as the Kirin shed what little remained of their peaceful ways and began to stir up hurricanes and blizzards. And as they tampered with nature and the natural order, evil things had leapt upon the once-glorious people of the sky, scavengers and vultures that attacked the weaker Kirin now that they were no longer protected by numbers or the strength of unity.

The diamond dogs mined furiously, digging deeper into the earth any sane creature had ever dared in their search for the minerals and materials that would help power the weapons of their cruel overlords... and down in the depths of darkness, fell prey to terrible and hideous things that now crawled towards the surface, lured by the fresh meat above.

The dragons attacked settlements, feasting on ponies and gathering treasure as they made themselves new aeries amidst the ruins of Equestria. But soon enough, the proud, greedy beasts began to turn on each other and the hordes they had agreed to help, claiming enormous, sprawling pieces of territory for themselves and attacking anything that dared to enter their domain without suitable tribute.

Celestia stood on the tallest tower of Canterlot Castle, gazing out at the ravaged city below before she closed her eyes and lowered her head. She was struggling to maintain some kind of control over her country... but over the last few months, many of the distant towns and cities had closed in on themselves, becoming their own city-states. But even if she was a Queen, she no longer had a land to rule: it had been taken over by packs of bandits, by hideous monsters, by wild beasts and renegades who dared to blame her for the nightmare that had all started with the griffins...

She trembled, but then forced her head to rise, forced herself to gaze out over the burning city below. There were riots, all throughout Canterlot, because she had finally chosen to retreat to the Castle of Harmony, in the Eternal Forest. The ponies thought she was abandoning them... and bitterly, she wished that she was. Valthrudnir was right: they were insects. Worthless insects, animals driven purely by primal instincts. And without a strong hoof to guide them and keep them in line, this is what they fell to: squabbling and screaming and attacking each other in panic when the most sensible thing they could do was unite against the foe that wanted to kill them all.

But no. It was more important that they place blame, that they punish the people who might have sinned against them... than they united to stop the people who would, with certainty, kill them. They wanted to be heard, and they wanted to strike out against the hoof that had fed them for all these years because they thought that she would still take care of them if they did. Or perhaps, in their foolishness, they believed that if they made enough noise, she would come in and coddle them as if they were nothing but foals, babies...

Celestia smiled thinly down at Canterlot, and then she shook her head slowly before turning around and striding into her room. Two Dogmatists looked back at her, bowing their heads calmly: one was Vice, and the other was a calm-looking Pegasus, with a pretty yellow coat and a smooth pink mane. In her bodysuit and armor, she looked just like a normal pony... but Prudence had already proven that she was one of Valthrudnir's elite when a dragon had been foolish enough to try and make an attack on the castle. “Are you ready to go, Miss Celestia?”

“Almost.” Celestia said shortly, and then she took a slow look around the room, making sure that everything important had been removed before she said quietly: “Prudence. Go on ahead and attend to the last of the arrangements for transport. Vice, I will leave you here to act as regent and relay my orders to the city and what forces we leave here. Understood?”

Both Dogmatists saluted calmly, and then Prudence smiled, saying kindly: “Everything will be alright, Miss Celestia. Death is a kindness. Death is freedom.”

Celestia turned her cold amethyst eyes to Prudence, and then she said softly: “Well, before I can be free, Prudence, I have business to attend to. The other nations must be destroyed. Or they will burn my country and people along with their own.”

Prudence bowed her head politely, and Vice said contemptibly: “You should let them. Let us leave for Decretum instead of trying to maintain this pointless front. This whole world burns. Let it burn. You owe it nothing.”

Celestia looked at Vice for a few moments, and then she strode slowly over to the stallion before slapping him viciously across the face. Vice's eyes bulged in shock as the mask of skin that covered his features tore, revealing the steel beneath as Celestia said coldly: “I will not be chased out of my world, Vice. This world owes me, and I will see that debt repaid in full.”

Vice lowered his head hurriedly, before flinching when Celestia grabbed his loose mask and simply tore it off, tossing the realistic skin aside to reveal nothing but shaped, featureless metal. “I also don't take advice from cowards who hide their faces.”

Vice shifted slowly, then he nodded silently before Celestia brushed past, heading through the open doors. The Dogmatists both turned, and Vice bared his metal teeth at Prudence as she easily hip-checked him out of the way with a mocking smile.

Celestia ignored the two as she made her way quickly down stairs and through the halls of Canterlot: halls that were almost completely empty now, she reflected bitterly. There were few ponies willing to work anymore, and instead most of her staff was made up of Dogmatists and her loyal Solar Guard... but even they were starting to lose faith, she thought. Especially with the way Equestria was fracturing, thanks to hordes and the raiders and the monsters...

Celestia shoved open the door to Thesis' quarters... and then she halted and straightened as Singing Lark stumbled to her hooves from where she had been sitting beside Thesis' bed, the maid flushing deeply and dropping her head as she stammered: “P-Princess... I, I mean Queen Celestia, I-”

“How is he doing?” Celestia asked in a suddenly quiet voice, losing the coldness that had become so second nature as she strode up beside the mare. She looked down at her son, who was breathing weakly in bed, a mask over his face and all manner of machines beeping quietly around him, monitoring him and keeping him.. alive, for lack of a better word.

But was he really alive like this? He looked so cold and pale, even beneath all these blankets, and his body had grown so thin, and there were so many tubes and cables and they had to put her child in a diaper, of all things, because he could no longer tell when...

“He was awake for a little while.” Singing Lark said quietly, and then she reached out and silently touched Thesis' hoof, whispering: “He was... trying to pretend it was all okay. But he's... I... I'm sorry, Queen Celestia, I don't...”

“Celestia. Celestia, Singing Lark. I do not want us to be separated by status or titles. You are like a sister to my son, and that makes you like a daughter to me.” Celestia said quietly, turning towards the mare and smiling down at her faintly. “I assume you will be making the journey with us?”

“Yes, please. I would like to.” Singing Lark nodded with a faint smile. “I... I should get back to work, though, if I want to be-”

“Nonsense. I would prefer you here. From now on, taking care of my son is the only job you have to worry about.” Celestia said softly, reaching up and stroking back the mare's mane soothingly, before she said quietly: “We will be leaving very soon. Is there anything you need?”

Singing Lark blushed and shook her head quickly, before she looked over at Thesis, asking hesitantly: “Is... do you think he's well enough to...”

Celestia smiled faintly, then she replied honestly: “I don't know. But I do know that if we stay here, we will eventually be attacked. Canterlot is no longer safe: our enemies have taken control of the air, and it will be some time before we can gather our resources and armies to march across Equestria. Besides, Canterlot was never meant to be our home.”

“It... was, though.” Singing Lark said, looking silently towards the designs on the wall that faced the foot of the bed, and Celestia turned... and oh, how it hurt to look at those painted silhouettes. The outlines of Singing Lark and Thesis, traced again and again and again as they had grown up together, side-by-side... “I remember coming here for a few months every year and... I... I'm sorry, I don't mean to-”

“You don't need to be nervous with me, Singing Lark. Family is the most important thing in the world, and you are family.” Celestia soothed, then she leaned forwards and hugged the mare suddenly, the earth pony blushing deeply before the Queen of Equestria pulled back and smiled faintly. “But unfortunately, this business won't wait. A team will arrive to fetch Thesis, but I will ensure they will respect you, too, and your importance to both myself and my son.”

“Thank you, Celestia.” Singing Lark murmured, bowing her head humbly, and then she cleared her throat before asking hesitantly: “Is there anything you want me to do?”

“You're already doing more than enough.” Celestia reassured, and then the Queen of Equestria turned and leaned down, silently kissing Thesis' forehead before she whispered: “I love you. We'll fix you, Thesis. I promise.”

Celestia straightened, gave one last smile to Singing Lark, and then she turned and headed out into the hall. The moment she stepped through the doorway, her face hardened, her eyes going cold again before she said calmly: “Vice. Go and prepare an escort. Prudence, get the medical team and keep an eye on them. Treat Singing Lark as you would me.”

Both Dogmatists nodded, turning to stride quickly away on their tasks, and Celestia watched them walk away before she turned to head in the opposite direction, scowling darkly. Where was Valthrudnir, or the shipment of resources he had promised them? The mines were almost impossible to access now with the diamond dogs and worse things crawling all over them, and they were running out of the resources necessary to make ammunition and repairs...

She had to protect her family and herself, first and foremost. Nothing else mattered to her anymore: she had devoted so much of her life to this nation, to maintaining peace and harmony her way, and... it had all been thrown back in her face. There was no point in pretending anymore that these ponies and the rest of these nations were anything but animals, filthy and weak and...

“Celestia.”

The mare's eyes widened, and she whirled around to see Valthrudnir standing in the hall behind her, the dragon looking at her with a smile... but... nervousness, too, she thought. And yet her heart leapt at the sight of him, the mare's features breaking into her own warm smile after a moment before she strode fearlessly up to him and embraced him tightly.

Valthrudnir stiffened slightly and winced, reaching his arms up, hesitating... and then he awkwardly pushed her back, clearing his throat and saying distastefully: “Please do not waste our time with such... pointless contact. We are working in a limited scope.”

Celestia only smiled again up at the dragon, asking softly: “Did you bring the supplies that you said you would?”

“Not here. I had the supplies delivered to your Castle of Harmony.” Valthrudnir replied, gesturing absently with one hand before he said quietly: “For once we seem to be in agreement. The security of the Castle will be necessary once you begin the first phase of your... transition.”

Celestia frowned up at the dragon for a moment, before her eyes widened slightly, and she asked in a disbelieving yet almost shamefully eager voice: “You finished the project?”

“The first phase.” Valthrudnir interrupted quickly, scowling a little as he nervously smoothed out an invisible wrinkle in his suit. “This is not as simple as conversion to Dogmatism, Celestia. Certainly some of the processes will be similar, but it will be much longer and much more painful and involved, requiring extensive-”

“I understand, Valthrudnir. I am prepared.” Celestia replied quietly, as she forced herself to calm down, raising her head and meeting the dragon's amber eyes. But Horses of Heaven... was she actually excited about this? “I... never thought I would be willing to undergo this kind of procedure but...”

She halted, then smiled a bit and looked up at Valthrudnir, saying softly: “Family is the most important thing, above all else. I consider this a step towards... acknowledging one-another as true family, Valthrudnir.”

“That is a notion I could do without hearing.” Valthrudnir said distastefully, scowling down at the mare as he reached up and adjusted his choker grumpily... but then he bit his lip for a moment before asking hesitantly: “How is your... family?”

Celestia smiled faintly, lowering her head before she murmured: “Worsening. Weakening. Trying his hardest to put on a strong face, but he didn't wake up this time when I went to see him. I hope... this journey isn't too hard on him.”

“I have brought Beauty to ensure that he receives what medical care he requires.” Valthrudnir answered as he glanced over his shoulder, and then he added after a moment, almost grudgingly: “She will also... take blood samples and make other necessary measurements. Because of his differing physiology, he will require more... modification.”

Celestia looked at Valthrudnir for a few moments, seeing how he was trying to be honest with her, trying to tell her what was going on, and she hesitated for a few moments before asking impulsively: “Did you... what did you have planned for him? What were you trying to do?”

Valthrudnir looked down for a few moments in silence, and then he sighed before saying quietly: “I had many plans, Celestia. And I realize only now how many of my designs were not as... excogitated as they could have been. Thesis was... too valuable a resource to waste. Thesis is...”

The dragon halted, clearing his throat before he reached into his suit and produced a set of playing cards, silently beginning to shuffle them as he muttered: “I still don't know why I'm here, Celestia. Why I've agreed to all this. Why I have wasted all these years here, or why I am continuing to waste all my time in this place... why I do your bidding like a little dog...”

Valthrudnir scowled as he continued to shuffle his cards, and Celestia smiled faintly and shook her head slowly before she said softly: “Do you have time to walk with me, Valthrudnir? We don't have to talk. I just want to spend a little bit of time with you.”

“I have... projects and... this is a waste of time. We are already behind schedule and I should be taking Beauty's assistants to set up the laboratory at your castle and...” Valthrudnir fumbled to a halt as he nearly dropped his cards, and then he scowled and riffled them together quickly, glowering down at the smile on Celestia's face. “Oh, don't give me that look, you are not nearly as ignorant as the rest of these plebeians are, no matter how much you insist on acting like an idiot brood mare with me.”

Celestia chuckled softly, and then she replied: “If you need a reason, Valthrudnir, then on the way down... tell me what you need me to do, for this... transition.”

“There is not much you'll be able to 'do' while this is taking place...” Valthrudnir said after a moment, scowling a little, but he fell into pace with her as she turned around, and the mare smiled a little. She thought he liked this too... maybe, like her, he even needed a moment to rest. He was just... not as aware of it as she was. “This process will be painful. You will be incapacitated for most of it, and you will be quarantined. We cannot risk any interference of any kind while you undergo this transition. The first phase alone may take months.”

“Whatever you need me to do, I will do, Valthrudnir.” Celestia confirmed, and then she asked: “How many phases are there?”

“The first phase will be the longest and most painful. It involves grafting genetic code and making other difficult but necessary primary changes.” Valthrudnir responded, looking down the hall with a scowl as he continued to moodily shuffle his cards. But he seemed to be slowing his pace maybe just the smallest amount, as if he was grudgingly enjoying the walk with her as he continued: “To ensure your protection, I have also brought two Class II Tyrant Wyrms. They will terraform the Eternal Forest and destroy any interlopers.”

“You told me that your Tyrant Wyrms served better as weapons than as terraformers.” Celestia said pointedly, and Valthrudnir only smiled wryly over at her.

“They did not fulfill their intended purpose as planned, but all the same, they are capable. Furthermore, the Decretum project...” Valthrudnir scowled a little, looking moodily away. “It has not been a complete failure. There is still an opportunity to revitalize it, it... merely will take time. I have been thinking of shutting the systems down, but... I do not believe that I will. Not yet.”

Celestia looked ahead and thought for a few moments in silence... and then she finally smiled faintly before her eyes flicked towards the dragon, saying quietly: “This world was once beautiful, and now...”

The ivory mare quieted as they approached a broken window, and Valthrudnir leaned forwards over her, resting a hand against the damaged stone as they both gazed out past Canterlot, at the ruptured and cracked mountains. Here and there, chemical fires burned from crashed Torpedo Cruisers that had been carrying radon shells or some other deadly agent that had gone down with them.

The walls of Canterlot were cracked, and buildings had fallen into ruin here and there. In some places, gorgeous architecture had been torn down and replaced by soulless cannons that stretched towards the sky, while in others, faceless tents had been set up to provide provisions and rations as part of the little relief efforts they were capable of.

Canterlot was crumbling... and Celestia knew it was like this, all around her country. Even from here, her sharp eyes could see Torpedo Cruisers and Kirin cloudships in the distance, many of these no longer piloted by soldiers of an army, but sky pirates and scavengers. Her country was being demolished... and she held the griffins accountable for all of this.

She closed her eyes, and then shook her head slowly before murmuring: “Why, Valthrudnir? How did it come to this? I understand that we played some role in this ourselves, that... your weapons and technology... they were too much for us. And when the griffins were able to steal it, and the Kirin were able to replicate it... it was too much at once. We suddenly had... machines that allowed the weakest earth pony to fly though the air faster than a Pegasus and perform more devastating magic than a unicorn.”

“It is not my fault, Celestia.” Valthrudnir said irritably, and when the mare glared up at him, he looked resolutely back... then sighed softly and added quietly: “And it is not yours, either. Your only fault is that... you are above these insects and you wasted too much of your time placing yourself at the same level as these stupid animals.”

Celestia blushed slightly as she looked away, and there was silence for a few moments before Valthrudnir sighed and leaned away, saying moodily: “I have never seen real beauty in nature. Nature is... chaos. Unkempt fields, filled with flowers that all clash in color, beneath a sky of scattered wavelengths that you animals perceive as 'blue.' What is beautiful in that? What is beautiful about dying leaves at harvest, or mud in spring? What is beautiful in frost and snow?”

The mare studied the dragon as he looked bitterly out through the window, and then she leaned up and asked quietly: “And when you look out at this, what do you see?”

Valthrudnir looked out the window again... and then he sighed softly before saying quietly: “Failure and misery. And these things are far uglier than the ramblings of nature.”

The dragon moodily brushed at himself, and then he murmured: “I suppose Decretum is far from 'beautiful' as well... but ugly as my world is, at least it serves a purpose. A purpose can make anything more worthwhile.”

“Something we can agree upon.” Celestia said softly, smiling briefly over at the dragon before she turned towards him, asking: “Is there anything you find beautiful, Valthrudnir?”

“I am not going to waste my time by replying with the idealistic drivel you want me to.” Valthrudnir said irritably, shoving away from the wall and turning to storm down the hall as he returned to shuffling his playing cards in his hands. “We are late. The Dogmatists and your pitiful ponies require their commands.”

Celestia smiled again all the same as she strode quickly after him, and the two fell in step again as they made their way to the great hall. They found Vice waiting for them there, along with a pony that Celestia didn't recognize: she looked like a winged unicorn, with a tall horn and a violet coat, but even though she lacked any visible mechanical parts, she all the same was clearly a Dogmatist from her lack of a cutie mark and the way that even Vice looked wary around her.

“Celestia, this is Wisdom.” Valthrudnir said calmly, gesturing towards the mare. “She will be taking over responsibility for your operations while you are incapacitated.”

“Only if she satisfies my expectations.” Celestia replied calmly, as the violet mare turned and approached them before bowing her head in respect. “Is she another of your elite?”

“She is the leader of the Hexad, as a matter of fact. She has proven to be competent in matters of command, as long as she is monitored.” Valthrudnir said distastefully, although Celestia recognized that was the closest thing to a compliment he was able to give when it came to anyone he considered a subordinate. Still...

She looked at Wisdom, studying the mare for a few moments before she asked calmly: “How many bæns of energy can you generate, Wisdom?”

“Thirty thousand controlled, three hundred thousand maximum.” replied the mare crisply, saluting sharply, and Celestia studied her intently. She herself could generate a maximum of seventeen thousand bæns of magic energy before she started to lose control...

Valthrudnir smiled thinly, perhaps with the slightest hint of pride... at least until Celestia asked: “What is the minimum amount of energy you can generate?”

Wisdom frowned slightly, then said slowly: “I don't understand, Queen Celestia. I'm not... generating any energy right now-”

“You're currently generating almost ten bæns of energy. You're leaking energy at a rate of a almost a hundred bæns per minute. You are wasting magic.” Celestia said almost pleasantly, and Valthrudnir frowned as Wisdom flushed a little under the ivory mare's predatory gaze. As she looked coldly down at the purple mare, she felt... “You're stressed. That's not something I usually feel in the Dogmatists, but you and your Hexad are both superior and inferior in that regard, aren't you?”

Wisdom forced her head to rise, meeting the monarch's eyes as she replied steadily: “My regeneration is-”

“Unimportant. I can name at least fifteen different spells off the top of my head that exploit the magic resonance leaked by unicorns as a means to locate them or analyze their abilities and those around them.” Celestia stopped, then surveyed Wisdom coldly before there was a sudden pulse, and Wisdom gasped as the color literally drained from her entire body, leaving her as nothing but a silvery, almost shimmering statue. “I also see that you cannot detect cloaked magic.”

Wisdom shifted before shaking herself hurriedly, her body quickly regaining its color as Valthrudnir snorted. “So I see that even you can be petty, Celestia.”

“No. We've already made too many errors due to overconfidence. I would like to avoid making another.” Celestia replied, and Valthrudnir looked surprised by the venom hidden in her words before the ivory mare asked Wisdom suddenly: “Your choice is between saving me and saving Thesis. Which do you choose?”

Wisdom looked confused, shifting uneasily before she stammered: “Q-Queen Celestia, that doesn't make sense, I... I'm going to be stationed-”

“I do not enjoy repeating myself.” Celestia interrupted, and Wisdom fell silent, lowering her head before the Queen of Equestria prompted: “Well?”

Wisdom was silent for a few moments, and then she said finally: “The priority I have been given is to protect you...”

“That is neither an answer, nor correct.” Celestia said shortly, and then she looked moodily at Valthrudnir. “Vice can follow simple directives. I've left him in charge of Canterlot. He can handle basic decision making.”

The unicorn Dogmatist immediately rose his head slightly, grinning widely over at Wisdom, who lowered her head with a humiliated blush... but Valthrudnir snorted, gesturing towards the two and replying wryly: “For a moment I was going to applaud you, Celestia, but then you recommend this useless android? Vice is nothing but a failed AI cobbled together from a generous donor's organs. Don't let his mechanical body fool you: he is no better at making decisions than any of these other useless specimens.”

Valthrudnir gestured shortly through the great hall, as Solar Guard looked silently, uneasily up beside silent Dogmatists, and Celestia scowled slightly before replying calmly: “No matter what Vice is or is not capable of, I would prefer a dozen who recognize the limited scope of their intelligence to one mare who does not understand proper self-control.”

“I am... I am already learning.” Wisdom almost pleaded, and Celestia looked up with a slight frown before the purple mare bowed her head, saying quietly: “Please. I'll do whatever you ask. You can leave Vice here and I'll be your voice and hoof from the Castle of Harmony.”

Valthrudnir clicked his tongue thoughtfully at this, and Celestia looked coldly at Wisdom for a few moments before she nodded grudgingly, even as the dragon instructed: “But you must not disturb Celestia unless it cannot be avoided. Messages will be passed through screens I will have installed. Only Beauty and her cohorts will be permitted inside the quarantine zone, unless special circumstances dictate otherwise.”

“Yes, Lord Valthrudnir. Of course.” Wisdom bowed her head quickly to the dragon, then hesitated only a moment before turning her eyes towards Celestia, asking hesitantly: “Is that alright with you?”

Celestia looked meditatively at Wisdom, and then she finally sighed and nodded, replying finally: “I suppose. Valthrudnir, I thought your Hexad didn't require hoof-holding?”

“She will do adequately, Celestia. I will admit that many of my projects still lack the true capacity to think and react, but Wisdom will do adequately.” the dragon dismissed calmly, before he glanced over the rest of the soldiers and asked moodily: “Is this the extent of the escort you were able to gather?”

“They will be more than sufficient.” Celestia replied calmly, looking over the Dogmatists and elite soldiers: what had her most worried was... “We will have to move slowly, though. I was considering moving Thesis by magic, but I'm not sure how he would handle the shock of traveling through a portal, and most of the equipment has to be moved with him...”

Valthrudnir grunted, looking down meditatively as he riffled the cards in his hands before he said moodily: “Yes. Slow and easy, avoiding as much combat as possible. Wisdom, I will entrust their care to you, while I go ahead to Castle Harmony and see that the facilities are readied by the time you arrive. Move as soon as possible, Celestia.”

With that, Valthrudnir simply vanished into thin air, and Celestia sighed a little, shaking her head slowly before she turned her eyes towards Wisdom meditatively. She studied the mare, who looked back at her uncomfortably, before Celestia said softly: “Three hundred thousand bæns is an incredible amount of energy. Even the largest radon bombs that the griffins have used against us generate, at most, perhaps half that when they explode.”

She stopped, then studied the strange Dogmatist for a few moments before saying finally: “Something about you strikes me as off, Wisdom. Different from the other Dogmatists. Why is that?”

Wisdom only lowered her head again, then she murmured hesitantly: “The Hexad and I are... created by a different process than other Dogmatists. We were created to be command units, and Lord Valthrudnir found... a different method to...”

She stopped and fumbled for her words, before clearing her throat and looking up with a hesitant smile. “What's important is that we are loyal and here to serve, Queen Celestia. I will be your second-in-command, your... student.”

Celestia frowned slightly as she studied the purple mare in front of her, seeing a strange longing in this Dogmatist's eyes before she shrugged and sighed. “Fine. But only if you prove that you're worthy of it, Wisdom. And first, we have to...”

Celestia stopped, then looked silently over her shoulder as the doors at the back of the hall opened to let in a team of Dogmatists carefully pulling what looked almost like an enormous tent on wheels. They were followed by a tall Dogmatist unicorn with a pale ivory coat and beautifully-styled purple mane that fell across one half of her face, who walked on two legs and had hands covered by thick black rubber gloves: the white lab coat she wore was almost impeccably clean, and holographic screens floated around her as she gave orders to the other Dogmatists.

But the moment Celestia approached, this bipedal mare quickly laced her fingers together in front of herself and bowed politely. “Queen Celestia, it is an honor to meet you. My name is Beauty and you have my word that-”

“How is he?” Celestia interrupted tersely, and Beauty straightened with a smile as she reached up and carefully adjusted her mane, smoothing it down to hide the Y-shaped scar over her face.

“Awake and cognizant. He seems very weak, Queen Celestia, but I have confidence that with a bit of help from the regimen we plan to start him on, he should recover some of his strength.” Beauty replied calmly, bowing her head politely to the mare. “Over the last month, we have developed several new experimental protocols that-”

“Mother?” came Thesis' voice, and Celestia immediately pushed past Beauty to the tent opening, pushing her way through the opaque plastic sheets to step into the crowded room beyond. It was filled with machinery on wheels, all hooked up to the walls and the bed that dominated the center of the room, as well as what looked like little platforms and benches that ponies could stand or rest on to ride along as the tent was moved.

Thesis was propped up in bed, and he smiled faintly as he saw Celestia, turning his head slightly to carefully nudge away Singing Lark and the spoon of liquid she was trying to get him to take. “Hey, Mom... going home, huh?”

“We are, Thesis. You're going to get treatment, and we're going to take care of you.” Celestia said quietly, gazing almost longingly at her son before she gave a brief smile and added: “Take your medicine. Don't get Singing Lark in trouble.”

“Hey, everypony's being nicer to Songbird than to me. Not really fair, you know? Someone should be making things hard for her.” Thesis replied quietly, and he shifted the little he could, closing his eyes for a moment in discomfort before he whispered: “Hurts like hell. I know I can't feel anything in any of my legs, but... they all still... hurt.”

“I know. Take your medicine, Thesis. It will help with the pain.” Celestia soothed, and Thesis smiled faintly before he gave a weak laugh.

“I don't know. I hate the pain... but at least I'm feeling something there.” he whispered, closing his eyes for a moment, and there was silence before he sighed and opened his mouth wide, and Singing Lark smiled faintly before she carefully poured the spoonful of medicine into his mouth.

Thesis swallowed with a grimace, and then he muttered: “Now if only they could make the medicine taste good.” He halted, then smiled a bit up at his mother before saying softly: “But I guess that's a stupid thing to complain about.”

“You have every right to complain about things, Thesis. I'll see what we can do about sweetening that up for you.” Celestia answered in a tender murmur. “Rest as much as you can while we move. I'll check on you later.”

Thesis nodded a little, and Celestia gave Singing Lark a warm smile before she turned and left. The moment she pushed through the tent flap, she looked over at Beauty with a calm, questioning expression, and the mare bowed her head before murmuring: “While we don't want to compromise the integrity of the medicine, it shouldn't be too difficult to add an artificial sweetener... I simply didn't consider that a triviality-”

“Trivial pleasures are the only pleasures my son has left. See that you make sure he gets the most out of those things he can still enjoy.” Celestia ordered in a harsh voice. “If you keep him alive but in pain, you're only prolonging his suffering. As far as I'm aware, that is the opposite of medicine.”

“Yes, Queen Celestia, you are correct. I apologize.” Beauty said humbly, shrinking a bit away from the ivory mare.

Celestia snorted, then she turned towards Wisdom, saying coldly: “Area scans. As wide as possible while we move. If you detect anything...” Celestia's eyes searched the crowd of Dogmatists before she said coldly: “Then you, Prudence, will exterminate whatever is leading the threat.”

“Yes, Miss Celestia. Of course. And I promise that my good friends will put anyone who tries to get close to Prince Thesis without permission to sleep.” Prudence said softly, bowing her head from where she was standing with the rest of her team, and Celestia smiled thinly. At least some of these Dogmatists seemed competent.

“Then we move.” Celestia said quietly, and she strode quickly through the ranks of Solar Guard and Dogmatist, heading towards the door as Wisdom hurried beside her, Vice shouting an order to the guards as he followed, and the rest of the caravan began to draw after them, heading out of the crumbling castle of Canterlot on the beginning of their journey through the dying nation of Equestria.

Celestia stayed at the head of the column for the entire journey: the size of their caravan attracted several sky pirates in Torpedo Cruisers, but these were quickly blasted out of the air by Wisdom's deadly magic or the cannons mounted on several of the plodding Dogmatists. There were several ambushes laying in wait as well, which confirmed Celestia's concern that there were spies in their ranks... but whether they were bandits or griffin army loyalists, they were quickly slaughtered by Prudence and her soldiers, often long before the caravan itself even came into sight of where the trap had been set for them.

The journey wore on Thesis: the constant rocking and movement, and worse, the excitement, the yelling, the noises that he was unable to do anything about. Still, though, in a way it was good for him: he was more alert and active, had more of a sense of things... moving. Perhaps there was even a bit of hope that this new place would bring healing for both himself and his mother.

Celestia thought that, like her, Thesis had tired of the war, and tired of taking care of ponies, and tired of getting nothing in return but pain and heartache and suffering in spite of everything they had given to Equestria. She thought he was glad, like she was, that they were going to look after themselves now instead of worrying about the rest of the world.

Not that Celestia wasn't determined to end this war, and on her terms. But afterwards, she would see that everything was put together right, instead of left to fester again. No, she would have order. She would have justice, and she would no longer be so kind in doling out mercy. Mercy had only led to weakness, had been taken advantage of by everyone she had given it to.

She loved her people, and wanted the best for them. And because of that, she would teach them strength with a hammer and an iron hoof.

Celestia smiled thinly as they strode through the Eternal Forest, Wisdom on one side and Vice the other. The Forest had changed, she thought: it was silent, and it was darker than she remembered, the trees almost trembling in fear, the ground blacker, warmer under her hooves...

And then she saw it, looming ahead, and fear ran through her body as her eyes widened, even if she recognized all the same what it was. The creature grinned at her through draconic features that were scaled in black but pockmarked with ugly, grayish scars that ran across its face like cracks. It was enormous: thirty feet at the shoulder at least, she imagined, and its head craned down on a terribly long neck as it grinned widely at her, hellfire blue eyes glowing like beacons as it rasped in a voice that hurt her ears, and pierced into her brain in an alien language she all the same understood: “You are much smaller and weaker than we expected.”

“And you must be Tyrant Wyrms.” Celestia said coldly as she looked up, forcing herself to take a breath before she stepped forwards, glaring up at the creature before her before she ordered: “Step aside, and let us pass.”

The Tyrant Wyrm chuckled quietly, but then the monster obligingly shifted to the side, bowing its head and revealing the large, lazily-pumping pistons of bone standing out along either side of its spine as it murmured: “We bow to your command, as we have been told to. It does not matter to us: either way, this entire world shall burn soon enough.”

“Scavengers.” muttered Celestia, as she strode quickly past the beast. A second Wyrm waited not much further ahead, but it only smiled coldly at them, already off the past and lounging in the black bog of the Eternal Forest. Celestia barely shot it a look as she passed, the mare instead looking forwards to the Castle of Harmony in the distance, which was crawling with Valthrudnir's Worker Drones.

The mare didn't care, though: as long as the puppet-like ponies of metal and plastic stayed out of the way, Valthrudnir could do whatever he wanted. As they approached, the portcullis was raised high for them, and the dragon himself emerged, tapping his wrist as he said irritably: “You are more than twenty minutes late.”

“We had several delays.” Celestia said shortly, and then she turned and looked over her shoulder at Vice, saying calmly: “Go and prepare for a strategy session, once-”

“No, there is no time for that. We should begin the protocol immediately.” Valthrudnir interrupted, and Celestia frowned as the white dragon approached her and reached down to grasp gently into the back of her neck, his fingers trembling the slightest amount as he murmured: “Every second counts.”

Celestia hesitated... then she sighed before saying quietly: “I will see Thesis is set up in his room here, and then I will join you, Valthrudnir. Perhaps in the time between then you can give Wisdom, Vice, and any other officers you need to their orders.”

Valthrudnir grumbled under his breath, but then nodded moodily. He strode back into the courtyard, then stepped aside, Vice and Wisdom joining him after a moment, and all three watching as Celestia led her small army and the tent that contained her son past, and into the open double doors leading into her magnificent castle. It was not nearly as tall or large as Canterlot, but it was built solidly, and stretched deeper into the earth. And it was much safer from attack, with the natural defenses provided by the Eternal Forest and its distance from most settlements.

Then the dragon scowled as Vice said disgustedly: “She is wasting our time and resources, Lord Valthrudnir. I recommend simply erasing her memory or implanting control nodes. Beauty can do it easily while she's making Celestia into a Dogmatist.”

Valthrudnir clicked his tongue, and then he calmly smoothed out his suit... before suddenly stepping forwards and kicking Vice savagely in the throat, knocking the android on his back in a squall of surprised static before the dragon stomped down on his chest, crunching steel beneath his loafer-clad foot as easily as he would brittle glass.

He glared down at Vice as Wisdom winced away, before Valthrudnir enunciated, slowly and icily: “Do not ever speak of your superior like that again, or accuse me, however roundaboutly, of wasting energy. Any matters I choose to pursue are matters you should devote your fullest attention to, do you understand? And you will not ever question who I decide to put in charge, nor will you flaunt your weakness by whimpering about them to me while they are otherwise indisposed.”

Valthrudnir stepped off Vice, who was sparking and fizzling weakly on the ground, the android giving a few mechanical, coughing attempts at apology... but Valthrudnir only kicked the robot moodily away before he turned his eyes towards Wisdom, asking shortly: “Do you understand your orders?”

Wisdom quickly bowed her head, murmuring: “I shall treat her as I treat you, Lord Valthrudnir.”

“See that you do.” Valthrudnir glanced down at Vice, then added distastefully: “You are under Wisdom's command now. Repair yourself, and then return to Canterlot. Rule over it like your own little fiefdom if you must, but remember that you are subject to Wisdom's decree. If she decides to replace you with a braying donkey, you will acknowledge it with grace. And I will only commend her for her namesake on such an occasion, so do not even imagine coming to me to tattle or grovel like a child.”

“Yes, sir.” the android finally rasped, before he slowly picked itself up from the ground as his horn glowed, metal clanking and groaning as it began to pop back into place, circuits and wires repairing themselves beneath the mechanical stallion's shell as he added quietly: “I meant no disrespect to... Queen Celestia, either...”

“Like a foal, just as I said.” Valthrudnir remarked derisively to Wisdom, and then he shook his head before saying with disgust: “Do one thing right, Vice, and see that you keep Canterlot Castle defended. I do not desire to be forced to move all of my operations, and I will be thoroughly displeased if my personal laboratory is intruded upon.”

Vice nodded, not daring to speak this time, and Valthrudnir smiled thinly before he turned to head towards the doors leading into the facility. He snapped his fingers after passing through them, the doors slamming shut on the faces of Vice and Wisdom and locking themselves tightly... although Wisdom only turned to liquid, passing smoothly through the cracks in the door and splashing along the ground before quickly solidifying back into a mare that hurried up to the dragon's side.

He rolled his eyes in distaste at this, but all the same gave the mare his attention as she asked nervously: “I'm not questioning you, Lord Valthrudnir, but... not even the Prophet has the kind of power that you want to give Queen Celestia...”

“The Prophet is nothing more than a living radio, relaying signals to make it easier to track down the core world...” Valthrudnir clicked his tongue distastefully. “And I suppose she keeps an eye on the Clockwork King for me as well, that... worthless chunk of metal that operates Decretum's systems so woefully. I should have anticipated that even the supercomputers and AI nodes could not possibly hope to handle my vast intellect without some form of software failure... it seem even machinery is inferior to my superior mind.”

Wisdom only remained silent, and Valthrudnir put his hands behind his back before he muttered: “This... this is simply another experiment, Wisdom. Even with a fraction of my power, it will be but a fraction. Celestia will be as strong as any other Jötnar, but I am superior to that. Should there be a... malfunction, an error... I will simply rectify it by use of superior force. Furthermore, if the application is successful... she will be strong enough to perform any task that I normally must waste my time and energies on, meaning that we can locate the core world twice as quickly...”

Valthrudnir fell silent, frowning a little. Why did it seem like he was making up excuses? And why was he wasting his time, trying to explain this to the stupid little purple pony in the first place, who even after years of training, apparently still hadn't learned to just keep her idiotic mouth- “And sir, what about Thesis?”

Valthrudnir halted in the middle of the corridor, then slowly turned towards Wisdom, who winced and lowered her head before the dragon leaned down and said coldly: “He is none of your concern, Wisdom. Or are you afraid that when the Replicant project is complete, you and the rest of the Hexad will be so thoroughly outmoded that I'll have no choice but to scrap all of you?”

“I apologize.” Wisdom said quickly, dropping her gaze, and there was silence for a moment before Valthrudnir grumbled and gestured at her irritably.

“Go and fetch Celestia. Bring her to me. I will be getting the machinery ready in her room for the first phase of the transfer.” Valthrudnir said distastefully, and Wisdom nodded quickly before turning and scurrying off, the dragon watching her go before he sighed loudly and shook his head slowly. Decent help was so hard to manufacture... no matter whether you started with pre-made ponies or built the pawns yourself from scratch...

Valthrudnir frowned as he turned to head down another corridor, strolling slowly through the halls at his own pace. He was doing this purely because he wanted to, for his own reasons. He had made this decision on his own, with no input from anyone else, and he was not being pushed or manipulated or goaded into it...

Why was he doing this? Why had so much of his focus gone from what he had originally come here for – merely a... a research trip to better understand the numerous faults and defects of this idiot race of ponies – and instead turned to trying to care for two of these animals? It didn't make any sense to him, even if one of them was partly his own creation...

Valthrudnir swore under his breath, reaching up to rub at his temple slowly. No, he was in no great rush. And it wasn't as if he had been doing nothing all this time: he had been running experiments in Decretum as well as in this world, synthesizing new chemicals, building new weapons, designing new modifications to the Dogmatists that would make these ponies go from chaos-loving beasts that pretended to love order, but really just loved getting what they wanted, to cogs and gears in one grand clockwork, one perfect set of machinery that would forever be able to run in true, absolute order.

He was the ultimate force of law and good in the universe. He wanted to make sure everything had a place, and everything accepted its place, to prevent any further chaos and strife. He wanted what was best or these ponies, whether they understood and accepted that or not.

Then why had he selected this one pony in particular? No, it made sense, didn't it? She was strong. She was stubborn. She could think, coldly and logically, and she challenged him fearlessly and she made him feel...

Why did it matter what she made him feel? Valthrudnir scowled. As if he could feel anything for any of these insects apart from some kind of passing amusement in their follies.

Then why was he still here? Why hadn't he destroyed this world? Thesis was supposed to be nothing more than a curiosity, a pet project: a creature that bore a mix of his genetics and the pony's would be much stronger, capable of learning and evolving faster, would be the basis for his Replicants, the breed of design that would replace the stupid Dogmatists. After all, the Dogmatists made excellent foot-soldiers, but beyond that, their purposes were very limited: they were classified as either industrial or military, with a few rare command and administration units scattered between these designations.

Valthrudnir shoved his way moodily into an airlock, tapping his foot impatiently as the doors sealed behind him and cleaning chemical vented through the room, the vents whirring annoyingly around him. The moment the doors ahead opened, he stormed through and snapped: “Systems online!”

Screens flashed to life around this room filled with complex machinery and comfortable furnishings, a strange mix of sterility and luxury. Valthrudnir glared around the room in disgust: why had he gone to such great lengths to have the Dogmatists make this place so comfortable for a preening, stupid, useless, idiotic-

“You're late.” Celestia said softly, and Valthrudnir's eyes widened in surprise as he spun on one heel, staring at the mare with shock. She was comfortably resting on a bed nearby, the mare smiling at him before she said quietly: “Beauty will be here in a few minutes. I had her stay with Thesis for a moment, since he fell asleep and... I was worried about him.”

“Thesis will be fine.” Valthrudnir said gruffly, and then he smoothed out his jacket as he looked at Celestia, and Celestia looked back at him, and... why? Why? “Why are you my weakness?”

Valthrudnir halted, the faintest blush appearing in his cheeks as he childishly lifted his arms, as if to protect himself or try and yank the question out of the air. But Celestia only smiled at him, before she shrugged and said softly: “I think you care about us. No matter what it seems like, I think you care about us.”

The dragon scowled at her, and then he said coldly: “All I care about is making these worlds a place of sanity. Do you know how many worlds I've been to, Celestia? How many I have tried to fix, and how many I have been forced to simply erase in my crusade? I am trying to-”

“I don't care. Come and sit down.” Celestia said softly, patting the seat beside her, and Valthrudnir was struck silent, looking at her dumbly, at this... stupid, worthless mortal made of horse-flesh and pastel colors and... and...

Valthrudnir grumbled under his breath, then he strode over to her and sat down beside her, glaring at her as he balled his hands together in his lap. “Don't care. As if you don't care about all the... lives wasted, or the worlds that I've seen. I have been in the courts of gods and found them to be nothing but... bullies and charlatans. I have seen the Underworld, Celestia, and walked the ice of Helheim. I have made entire worlds crack in half with my power, and you say 'I don't care,' as if I am some... some kind of ignorant mountebank, some-”

Celestia leaned up and kissed his cheek, and Valthrudnir was struck dumb again, reaching up to touch this before the ivory mare buried her face against his arm, hugging it silently as she whispered: “I don't care because you're here with me now, and family is all that matters, Valthrudnir. I have faith in you, because you are my family, and Thesis' father. You talk about yourself like you're a tyrant... but nothing tells me more that you don't want to be the cruel dictator you act like, more than the way you struggle so hard to justify yourself, to rationalize everything away. To make yourself feel like you're the only real person in the entire universe, and the rest of us are pawns and puppets... because it's too frightening to imagine all the pain and heartache you've caused if the rest of us are real, isn't it?”

Valthrudnir looked away, not letting her words get into his mind, telling himself she was... quibbling with philosophy, speaking of things her savage, crude, hay-filled mind couldn't understand... but when he tried to stand up, her forelegs were like an anchor, holding him down. And worse was the feeling that he didn't want to pull away, that what made it so hard to resist was... “Celestia, I... am not... I do not...”

“We can fix things.” Celestia said simply, resting against him and closing her eyes. “You won't be alone for much longer, Valthrudnir. You have the power to do good... actual good... if you just let yourself trust. If you just let yourself... sink down to our plebeian level.”

Valthrudnir laughed faintly at this... but then he only lowered his head and closed his eyes, sitting with the mare on the comfortable couch in the sterile room of cold machinery, the mare holding tight to his arm as he sat with his trembling hands clutched in his lap... but hoping, secretly and silently, that she would never let him go.

Verse Nine

Verse Nine
~BlackRoseRaven

The world is brightest before darkness falls,

Lit by the hellfire of devastation:

And from safe inside these still-standing walls,

We mistake destruction for creation.

For behold! As they gather their mettle,

They march together, united at last!

And yet at the sight our hearts unsettle,

For we know now, the final die is cast.

As one, they come, to Gotterdammerung,

United, we march, to our final stand,

And as we look on, their last songs are sung,

They all know they will burn, as will our land.

Hail to the Dragon! Hail to the Princess!

To Gjallarsong's Doom, all shall bear witness!

The news of Celestia's retreat to the Castle of Harmony spread far and wide, and the attacks on Canterlot redoubled, from both the dying griffin army as well as the pirates and raiders. Within weeks, the city fell, devastated and left in ruin. It was quickly occupied by the remaining soldiers of the griffin army, who sought to use it to regroup their scattered forces and perhaps marshal their forces together into a unit that would be capable of trying to create some kind of order across Equestria.

Instead, the sky pirates, the rebel griffins, the bloodthirsty Kirin and the savage diamond dogs all descended on Canterlot. The city erupted into its own small but devastating war: one that lasted only a very short time before the sky pirates shelled the griffin army with radon bombs.

Vice watched it all from above: Canterlot Castle had been spared most of the chaos, but now that the last of the griffin army had been destroyed and it seemed as if most of the nations had been reduced to nothing but feudal war bands, he knew that the castle would be next. Defenses were prepared, but they wouldn't last long: even to the Dogmatists, the magically-enhanced radon shells were lethal, and the radioactive gas cloud they left behind lasted only a few hours, but during that short time, reduced even the hardest of marble to nothing but brittle, decayed brick, easily smashed apart by the diamond dog vanguard.

Canterlot Castle was shelled, and a day later, once the worst of the short-lasting radiation had died down, the horde made its attack by ground as the sky pirates circled above, blasting apart towers and making it impossible to escape by air. Not that any of the Dogmatists or the remaining Solar Guard had any plans to try and escape: side-by-side, they were ready to die, fighting to the last breath.

Fight they did. And die, they did, as the horde tore through the castle like an unstoppable tide, with Kindynas in the lead, the mechanical diamond dog eagerly making a rush through the castle to the royal quarters. He tore through Thesis' room, laughing as he ripped the Prince's models down, tore apart his armor, smashed pictures and furniture alike, and destroyed the faded designs traced on the walls.

He saved only one thing: a strip of cloth from Thesis' pillows, which had the Prince's scent on it. He loved the smell of the pony; he hated the smell of the pony. It was the reek of nobility, and flesh, and strength; it was the stench of sweat, and a broken spirit, and a body that was too stupid to die.

It was the smell of prey he had yet to kill.

Kindynas loitered his way through the castle, smashing things here and there where he pleased, grinning his metal grin at the sound of the sky pirates pelting the castle from above. Yes, this world was beautiful, he thought. This world was the way it was meant to be: where the strong dominated the weak, where they were all truly equal. They lived the same, the masses of prey huddled in terror, the predators in snarling packs, dominated by those who earned their kingship with their claws and fists. They died the same, in the mud and the dirt.

He was no longer a slave or a runt, digging in the earth. He no longer had to live in fear of the whip of any master: the ponies had made him dig for crystal, and the ponies had fed him dragon's blood to make him stronger, and the flawed gemstones that didn't hold their poisonous magic properly. But over time he had grown too large and powerful for them to control, so he had eaten those ponies, too.

Other ponies had locked him up: so what? He had liked it in prison. When someone got in his way, he killed them, and he ate as much as he could before the guards stole his bounty like scavengers. He believed that eating his enemies made him stronger, gave him their strength as well. And even after he'd been locked up in solitary, every now and then, some pony or some other criminal would give him a gift: a corpse to eat. He would eat it all, and chew the bones until the guards came to take it away. He liked the guards: they respected him. They knew that if they had a troublesome prisoner, they could just lock him up with them, and he would take care of it for them. It was a mutually beneficial relationship.

But then the griffins had come, and at first he had hated them, because they had ruined his perfect little kingdom. But then they offered him pony-flesh. They offered him a challenge, and he had grown lazy in prison. And soon, he realized they respected strength, above all.

So he would play with them for a while. Except then... then he had met the Prince of Ponies.

How humiliating that first fight had been! Beaten so badly the griffins had been tempted to leave him behind... but no, after they woke him up, he tore the head off the griffin officer. And then he killed the Kirin, and he killed the ponies they had left alive, and sent his brothers out to chase down the mudpony. The other griffins had respected him after that, because they respected power.

They brought him back to the griffin land, and there, he told them that Thesis had killed the officer, and the officer had killed the ambassadors. The griffins did not trust him, but the rest of the soldiers knew better than to speak out. Besides, they were not weak. They were not tattling puppies, like the ponies were.

Some of the other criminals included alchemists, and ponies who had worked on the magical machinery now being put into use throughout the pony lands. They were able to make him armor to protect his legs, and made him even stronger, mending the scars left from his fight with Thesis and turning his already-strong claws into lethal blades.

They had discovered that the Prince of Ponies was working at an ore mine: a valuable target in its own right, made irresistible by such an important pony being present. Kindynas had gone there, hungry for battle... and he had been humiliated again.

He still didn't know how the pony had defeated him. How he hated the pony prince! He was not even real, only a mud-golem, and still, this Prince of Ponies had lived a life in blessings and happiness, even more so than the rest of his weak-kneed, primping race!

The ponies had taken Kindynas to a place he did not recognize, where they had tortured him. The little fur left on his body had been shaven off, so they could better see the damage their tools were doing. But he did not break. He laughed through the pain they inflicted on him, and roared for the Prince of Ponies to come and fight him again, even though they had peeled the armor from his body.

But he was strong. Stronger than any pony, stronger than anything any pony could do to him. And he watched them die, when the griffins and the Kirin attacked with their poison bombs. He watched as the toxic gas stripped the flesh from their bones, while he only grinned. And when they griffins invaded the prison and found him, skinned and steaming but horribly alive in spite of the radiation eating away at his flesh, they had brought him aboard their ship, and he had told them to make him strong again.

And they had. Griffin engineers and Kirin magicians had worked together to armor his body in unstoppable steel, replacing his dying flesh with powerful machinery ripped out of the metal ponies they had killed. Charged gemstones were implanted throughout his body, enhancing his strength and accelerating his regenerative powers.

They had made him invulnerable. He had been their greatest weapon, charging into the battlefield, laughing as he killed. And because the griffins respected power, they came to idolize him, and the fact that he was free from any law, any 'Creed.' He made them see that they were only restricting themselves, foolishly. He made them see that strength and power were the only things deserving of worship. And he told them that when Equestria died, they would have an entire nation, free for the taking, where power would truly rule.

The flying island had fallen, killing many of the griffin and Kirin commanders on board and crushing the base below. Bloodthirsty and eager for revenge and battle, Kindynas and his like-minded war-brothers quickly took control of the army, roaring that they didn't need such toys, any more than they needed to obey the weak officers who had proven too feeble to survive the destruction of their precious sky-castle.

But he knew that the point had truly struck home when they had caught the Prince of Ponies, trying to escape. Kindynas reveled in those memories, even now... even if the dragon magician had shown up and stolen the brat away before Kindynas could finish him off. But his victory had been assured and absolute... and the dragon had not been seen for months now. Kindynas had no trouble imagining why, though: he had likely fled, abandoning the weak ponies to their fate.

There was more than one kind of weakness, after all. There were few like Kindynas was, truly strong, never fleeing a battle, never giving up the hunt for prey, willing to do anything in the pursuit of strength. But these ponies were born into privilege, not drudgery and slavery. They had been made weak by it. So weak, that it had infected even the steel they tried to hide beneath.

Kindynas strode into the great hall on the ground floor, and his steel grin seemed to widen as he found several griffins pinning down a metal pony. But he was not metal like Kindynas was, oh no. He was not steel, but cheap tin, like all the rest of the metal ponies.

The mechanical diamond dog strode over to the metal pony, and studied him with interest. One eye was broken, leaving only white glass staring at him from the other socket. But it seemed to see him all the same, as the pony rasped in a voice riddled with static: “They are not here.”

“We know where they are, pony. And we will go to them, once we have brought down your white city.” Kindynas retorted, spreading his arms wide and smiling coldly. “We will leave your country in pieces. We will break it down to dirt and dust. And then we shall grind the faces of your princess and prince through it.”

“She is called Queen Celestia now.” retorted the mechanical pony, and Kindynas laughed before he placed a metal foot on the mechanical pony's face, crushing his head slowly down into the ground as he sparked and fizzled like a broken toy.

“She is called whore.” Kindynas replied mockingly, and then he looked over at one of the griffins, ordering: “This one will make good scrap. Bring his body and the other metal ponies that have not died of the green gas. We will give them to the Kirin so they will give us more weapons. There are many treasures left in this castle. Tell the dogs to begin stripping the gemstones and metal. We will take everything we can before we raze this place.”

“Wait!” the mechanical pony rasped, and Kindynas looked down at the mechanical stallion as it struggled to raise its broken features, before it pleaded: “I... have much i-information on the enemy. They are weak right now. Valthrudnir is not present, but they have many defenses, but... I can-”

The mechanical pony was cut off as Kindynas threw his head back and laughed. He laughed, long and loud, as the griffins traded looks before the mechanical diamond dog suddenly stepped forwards and stomped savagely down on the steel pony's head, his metal skull crunching inwards as he gave a final scream of static.

The mechanical pony was left twitching lifelessly, sparking weakly as he lay in ruin, and Kindynas sneered through his steel jaws before he said coldly: “Do you see, my brothers? What weakness. Even when the ponies replace their soft flesh with metal, they are no less brittle. They are pathetic. And they think they can bargain with us, that they are in control and command.”

The mechanical diamond dog kicked the corpse of the metal pony as the griffins nodded raptly, growling between themselves as they acknowledged him, and that he was right. Kindynas studied them, before he smiled coldly and simply walked over the corpse of the steel stallion, crunching it under his metal feet as he said dismissively: “But we shall all the same make use of such broken toys. Bring him, war-brothers.

“And once we are done harvesting this scrap, we will seek fresher prey.”

After Canterlot fell and Vice was killed, Wisdom relayed a message to Valthrudnir. Valthrudnir was furious with Vice's failure... but also forced to recognize that no matter how ignorant and worthless he considered the savage hordes, they had also become a very real threat.

New equipment was sent from Decretum, and massive defense towers were constructed around the Castle of Harmony. The remaining members of the Hexad were also deployed and stationed around the fortified structure to ensure that the Queen and Prince of Equestria were both kept safe. Soon, the skies above were stained with permanent, whirling clouds filled with electricity and antimagic, and the Eternal Forest had been corrupted into a sprawling black marshland, where the few trees that hadn't rotted away under the perversion of nature became greedy parasitic sentinels.

Only one crew of sky pirates attempted to attack, but Courage of the Hexad made short work of their craft, knocking them out of the sky and killing most of the crew. A salvage crew later retrieved the Torpedo Cruiser to examine it: it worked on the same basis as most Kirin technology, magic crystals and lift charms, but employed rudder systems that were crude imitations of the flying battleships Valthrudnir had made for them.

They discovered that these magical crystals could only hold a charge for roughly one day's worth of flight, then they had to be recharged: they also seemed as if they burnt out easily, requiring constant replacement. That made it much more obvious with the Kirin and griffins had gone to such great lengths to befriend the diamond dogs and gain their support... and more importantly, access to their mines and gemstones.

It wasn't long after the failed raid that a griffin ambassador managed to cross the marshes, seeking an audience with Queen Celestia. Instead, he met with Wisdom, who only surveyed him coldly as he humbled himself before her, offering a full surrender to Equestria, telling a long and broken story about how the griffin nation had turned on itself in bloodlust, how the Creed had been destroyed and their temples burned, how their nation was falling apart. And now, in order to survive, the few honorable griffins left would need the protection of the ponies.

Wisdom was not very interested in the griffin's pleading, but all the same, she gave him lodgings for the night and promised an answer for him tomorrow. She took his requests to Queen Celestia, who was sealed away inside the cocoon of her room as she underwent her painful metamorphosis... and she was rather surprised by the answer that that Queen of Equestria gave after a few hours of meditation on the subject.

The next day, Wisdom announced that Celestia had made her decision, and that she would generously extend sanctuary to the griffins. The griffin ambassador was sent away, and the moment he left, Wisdom went to ensure that the proper lodgings were prepared for the arrival of their new guests.

A small army of griffins marched to the Castle of Harmony: they were beaten, badly-equipped, and many were suffering from radiation sickness and infections. They were escorted by Courage and Valor of the Hexad to their temporary lodgings: the entire army was crammed into the dungeons, where they would stay until they had 'earned the trust of their benefactors.'

Wisdom offered to take care of the ill and injured: many of the griffins obliged, if only to escape the cramped confines of the cells. The were brought upstairs to what had likely once been a ballroom, but had now been converted to a cot-filled dormitory... but it was far better than being trapped downstairs, and gave the griffins room to breathe and walk around. And after a few hours, Dogmatists arrived to treat the sickest and weakest of the griffins, giving them medications that relieved the worst of their pains.

Over the week that followed, griffins were brought out of the dormitory and taken to surgery, where their wounds were treated... and then control nodes were forcibly implanted in their brains, reducing them to mindless automatons. These griffins were then sent in batches to Decretum, shipped like cargo to the Clockwork World, where Valthrudnir had them retrofitted with armor and exoskeletons that enhanced their reflexes and durability.

The griffins became suspicious about what was happening to their comrades, as more and more vanished... but there was nothing they could do. In the end, when the last surviving soldiers were given the choice to convert or die, many of the griffins chose conversion: at least they would live on as warriors, and at least they would be given a chance for revenge against the rebels. They were already broken in spirit from being forced to submit to Equestria, and they had no home to return to, nor any other victories to seek.

These new Hoplite units were tested in a short skirmish against griffin raiders a few days later: the Hoplites vastly outperformed their former allies, shredding the bandits with their superior agility, weaponry, and strategy. Only one Hoplite was injured in the battle, while none of the raiders survived, in spite of orders to try and take prisoners for questioning... but the Hoplites seemed incapable of leaving survivors.

The Hoplites became an integral part of the defense of the Castle of Harmony: they were able to run quick patrols through the Eternal Forest, their teams sweeping constantly and tirelessly through the corrupted woodland to exterminate any raiders or spies who tried to sneak through the black bog. They also performed short scouting missions for Wisdom, and every so often, strikesharps modeled after the original griffin teams were sent out to destroy any particularly-troubling gatherings of bandits at the edge of their secured territory.

The Castle of Harmony was safe in its own dark bubble of sanctuary, although it wasn't entirely happy, either. Thesis was undergoing constant treatment and therapy, and he knew they were purposefully keeping any information about the war or even the happenings in the Castle away from him, while Celestia was locked in her room, undergoing extensive surgeries and modifications on every level of her being.

Still, it was not that they were without happiness, even in these long days. Thesis and his mother talked often: they couldn't visit each other thanks to the quarantine of sorts they were both under, but Celestia had been given floating, crystalline eyes she was able to speak through thanks to the machinery in her room, letting her keep a literal eye on events around the castle as well as 'visit' her son.

In spite of the fact that he had no function in most of his body, Thesis had strangely found... a sort of serenity that Celestia envied. He wasn't happy, and he was worried about the war, and always probed his mother for as much information as he could, even though some of the things he learned only made him seem even more unhappy... but he was calm, and accepting. There were no more tears over what had happened to him, no more outrage: he wasn't always passive, and he became embarrassed and upset at times over everything he needed help with... but at the same time, he was dignified, and he was... grateful.

Celestia had such pride and respect for her son... and felt such pain, too. The fact that he had suffered so much, that he had accepted it, as if it was his lot and nothing could change it... but no. She would see her son walk again. Just as she would see this war ended, and she would ensure that every last enemy paid for their sins against Equestria.

And finally, after months locked away in her room, Celestia emerged. Her body ached, and she knew this was only the beginning of the transformation... but she had made it through the worst of it. The pain no longer threatened to consume her, and her body was adjusting to its modifications: she no longer felt weak, or like she was pushing through a haze most of the time. She felt strong. Stronger than she had ever been.

Long, thick tubes twisted through her flesh here and there, surfacing through her skin like worms diving through the ivory tundra of her body before burrowing back into her flesh. Scales had grown over her skin here and there, and her mane and eyes both glowed with supernatural power. Her entire body pulsed with strength: so much that she struggled to contain it all, as she bared now-sharp teeth in a wide grin before forcing herself to take a breath, forcing herself to calm.

Celestia took a slow breath before she started to walk through the Castle of Harmony, heading towards her son's room and taking in every detail along the way. Her legs wobbled a little under her, unused to going any longer than short distances... but soon, they grew used to carrying her body again. No, more than that, she could feel muscles awakening as if from a long sleep, eager to run...

But for now, she resisted the urge to gallop, pacing herself on her way to her son's room. She smiled to the Dogmatists she passed, and she thought she saw new respect and new emotions in them when they looked at her... but perhaps her period in confinement had simply let her return to the world with renewed senses. Perhaps now, she was simply finally ready to look past their steel shells, and see the ponies beneath.

She hesitated all the same outside her son's door, looking down at herself: she was far from pretty right now. She knew that when the transformation was complete, she would look much more like her old self, and she wouldn't need all these extra chemicals and synthetic veins, that her melded and grafted genes would sort themselves out... but no.

She believed in her family. She knew her son.

Celestia pushed open the door... and smiled hesitantly as she saw Singing Lark sitting beside Thesis, talking to him, spending her time there with him. Celestia looked at the two for a moment, until Thesis swiveled his head just enough to look at her... and then his eyes widened.

He stared at her for a moment, and Celestia felt pain, and fear, and worry, as she forced a smile through a face that had grown sallow and thin with the long nights and liquid diet she had been living off of... and then Thesis' face parted in a smile before he whispered: “Mom. You're okay.”

“At least... as okay as I can be. It's good to see you... both of you.” Celestia said, smiling over at Singing Lark, who bowed her head humbly with a deep blush, her eyes flicking nervously over the ivory mare... but Celestia saw not fear, but concern in that look, and it touched her, as she said softly: “Don't worry. I'm... alright. I'm not at my best, but... this is only necessary for now.”

“I hope so, Mom. You look like you've lost a little too much weight.” Thesis smiled a little more, shifting the little that he could as he added softly: “And for you, that's saying something.”

Celestia chuckled quietly, shaking her head slowly before she replied gently: “And you look like you've finally started to put some on weight. You still have some tone, too... I take it you've been keeping up with your therapy?”

“Yeah. I promised, right?” Thesis smiled a little, lowering his head a bit. “Whether or not I'll ever walk again, I know that... I have to keep it up. I don't want to turn into a raisin.”

Celestia laughed quietly, then she smiled back and said softly: “You are going to walk again, Thesis. I promise you that: one way or another, we'll make sure you walk again. Valthrudnir is working hard on ensuring that we do more than simply... heal your broken spine.”

“You mean replace the missing vertebrae. I'm missing roughly half my backbone, Mom, I know.” Thesis said softly, and then he laughed a little at the look on Celestia's face, saying wryly: “Hey. You know, I'm the one who's supposed to be making a big deal about it and all, not you.”

“Thesis.” Celestia sighed after a moment, shaking her head before she smiled faintly again. “You'll never change, will you?”

“I hope not.” Thesis replied honestly, and the two looked at each other for a few long moments before the stallion asked in a quieter voice: “Mom... what's going on out there?”

Celestia softened, then she shifted a little before looking towards Singing Lark. The mare only blushed a little, however, before she said finally: “He's... he has been driving me pretty crazy, trying to get me to find out things for him, but... I think it would be better if he heard it from you.”

The mare sighed softly, closing her eyes and bowing her head forwards... but then she nodded briefly before looking up and saying quietly: “I'm sure you know by now that Canterlot has fallen, and Vice was killed. I'm sure you've also heard about the Hoplites, who now play a major role in our operations. But things are much more bleak than those events alone may have led you to believe.”

“That's already pretty bad, Mom.” Thesis said quietly, looking up at his mother uneasily, and the mare smiled faintly as she looked back at him, nodding slowly.

“Yes, it is.” she agreed after a moment, then she looked away before saying finally: “The griffin nation has fallen to a coup. The king has been replaced by a ruthless dictator who has already turned his attention to subjugating the Kirin. The Kirin themselves are in the middle of their own bloody civil war: I suppose giving an advanced society of former pacifists weapons and leading them on a crusade was a mistake on their part.”

“Still makes me sad that the Kirin turned on us like they did... I can hardly believe it.” Thesis murmured, shaking his head slowly. “There must be something else going on there. Just like with the griffins, there must-”

“A nation's politics do not always reflect its leader's true aims, Thesis. A nation may turn a blind eye to a coming attack to ensure the people are outraged, and likewise, a nation might profess to want nothing but peace and harmony while doing all it can to urge on the coming war.” Celestia halted, and then she shook her head slowly, sighing and murmuring: “I think that dissenters inside of Equestria must have spoken with another nation. I'm not sure who, but... the nations forming a united front against us was clearly planned from the start.”

“I doubt they meant to let it get this far out of hoof, though.” Thesis muttered, looking over at Singing Lark, who reached up and squeezed his shoulder gently, and the stallion silently turned to drop his cheek against her hoof, squeezing it silently the best he could between his head and shoulder. “Are you saying that the nations around us are self-destructing?”

“I'm saying they're barely nations anymore. The new griffin warlord is only interested in consolidating his power as fast as possible, and in the process of doing so, he's destroying his own culture, and his country's former alliances. The Kirin have lost control. Their sky cities are falling apart, and the griffins attacking them has only resulted in the last of the peaceful Kirin being slaughtered.” Celestia sighed softly. “And a new faction has formed, that I know you saw before the rest of us did, Thesis. The barbarians. The horde.”

Thesis nodded slowly, looking down for a moment and chewing on his lip quietly before he murmured: “Equestria has fallen, hasn't it? We're all that's left.”

Celestia nodded and gave a faint smile, her eyes roving downwards before she murmured: “Most cities have broken off contact, either by force or voluntarily. Almost all of them have declared themselves to be their own territories, with smaller towns banding together to build defended zones. But they won't last long on their own. The sky pirates and bandits who aren't part of the horde at Canterlot will doubtlessly turn on them as easy prey.”

Thesis sighed and nodded slowly, lowering his head before he asked quietly: “What do they even want? It just... doesn't make any sense to me anymore, Mom. They're just killing us.”

“I think now all they want is sport and bloodshed. They hate us, Thesis, and they want us, our people, every trace of our nation to be erased.” Celestia sighed, shaking her head slowly. “As a matter of fact, I think they want any trace of civilization to be destroyed completely. They want to live in a world ruled by nothing but force and chaos.”

Celestia halted, then she looked grimly up as she flexed one large hoof slowly. “Well, I won't give them chaos... but I'm more than happy to provide all the force they might desire.”

Thesis smiled a little, and then he said quietly: “Hey, Mom. Don't... go overboard, okay? This... killing them all won't fix my back or all the ponies who died.”

Celestia looked down at the stallion for a moment, and then she reached up and squeezed his shoulder gently, saying softly: “Alright. But for now, Thesis, rest. I'll come back and see you later.”

Thesis nodded, and the ivory mare glanced towards Singing Lark before she smiled at her and said softly: “Thank you for taking such good care of my son. Remember to take care of yourself, too.”

The mare only blushed, lowering her head quietly as she murmured her own 'thank you,' and Celestia studied her for a moment before she reached out and patted her gently on the shoulder. Then she turned and let herself quietly out... and was somehow unsurprised as she found Valthrudnir waiting for her, the dragon studying her meditatively as she looked back up at him calmly.

“You're a day early.” he said finally, and Celestia chuckled softly before the dragon reached down and carefully touched her neck, muttering: “Impressive. Your biorhythms have accelerated and your genetic structure seems to be accepting the transformation well. Phase two can begin-”

“In a few days.” Celestia said calmly, and Valthrudnir scowled at her before the mare said softly: “I would like to attend to the little nation I have left, Valthrudnir, and I would like to ensure that Thesis is getting the best possible care. Which brings us to our next subject...”

“Do not attempt to control the conversation, you...” Valthrudnir broke off and only scowled at her, crossing his arms childishly, and Celestia smiled widely up at him before the dragon's eyes flicked to the side and he muttered: “You... chimera.”

“Is that the best you can do, now that I have some of your genetics?” Celestia smiled slightly, and then she asked softly: “Can your powers still effect me?”

Valthrudnir frowned at her thoughtfully, and then he snapped his fingers, and Celestia felt a strange tickling over her skin... but that was all. The dragon clicked his tongue and put on his best disdainful scowl... but yes, Celestia could see the interest and the pleasure in his eyes. She wasn't offended by the way he was looking at her like an experiment gone right, however, or a curious bit of material: he could look down at her all he wanted. It didn't change the fact that he was slowly but surely helping her become his equal.

“Very well. Phase one has apparently been more successful than anticipated. Phase two is merely a merging and smoothing process, in any event, and will be followed immediately by phase three, where we remove these unnecessary components.” Valthrudnir said calmly, reaching down and absently touching one of the tubes. “By then, your physiology will have adapted fully and they will no longer be necessary.”

“I hope so.” Celestia glanced at herself, and then she shook her head briefly before glancing up at the dragon and asking quietly: “But what about Thesis?”

Valthrudnir sighed... but then he shifted before saying grudgingly: “Thesis is a homun...” He halted at the pointed look the mare gave him, and scowled for a moment before saying moodily: “Fine. Thesis is different, if that better suits your pointless need for euphemisms, and he reacts differently to chemical compositions that would have much more notable effects on most ponies. The protocol has begun having... long-term effects on him, Beauty has noted, but it is not enough on its own to heal him.”

Valthrudnir stopped, then he looked down and said quietly: “However, he is now strong enough to survive surgery that will restore his basic mobility. During this process we will also...”

Valthrudnir stopped, fumbling for the right words, and Celestia softened. The dragon ground his teeth together in frustration, and then he suddenly balled a hand into a fist and slammed it against the wall, growling: “Why do you even have to know? Why can't you simply be satisfied with the fact that-”

“I trust you, Valthrudnir. But he is our son.” Celestia said quietly, and she smiled at him before adding softly: “And I have faith that you aren't going to hurt him or change him now. Thesis is... Thesis is a lot like us both.”

“He is nothing like us both. He is...” Valthrudnir scowled and looked down, then crossed his arms almost sulkily before muttering: “It doesn't matter, his personality is not important to the discussion. I will slate his surgery for tomorrow, and the first round of genetic enhancement.”

The two looked at each other, and Celestia nodded slowly before Valthrudnir shifted a little, then continued suddenly: “And while normally I would not speak of future plans or beyond what I feel is immediate and thus needs to be known... I... will not be satisfied simply allowing Thesis to walk again. I will remedy my... lack of... my not... entirely-accurate estimate in full and ensure that Thesis becomes strong again, as he was meant to be.”

Celestia smiled softly up at the dragon, and then she said quietly: “I think Thesis would really like to hear that from his father.”

Valthrudnir scowled horribly, but all the same, he glanced hesitantly up at the door before he simply snorted and turned on his heel, muttering: “Then he can wait until the exoskeleton's designs are completed. Designing a device that can properly interact with his unusual physiology has proven more difficult than anticipated, as he cannot be affected by my powers.”

“I have faith in you.” Celestia said softly as she followed after him, and the dragon only grumbled before the mare asked in a more serious voice: “What about the nation? What do you suggest as a plan of attack?”

Valthrudnir lowered his head meditatively, and then he said finally: “While I am not fond of how repugnant the land becomes when terraformed by my Tyrant Wyrms... all the same, I would recommend beginning large-scale environmental conversion. The mire, as simpletons refer to it, quickly becomes self-sustaining and aids carbon production, which in turn accelerates the function of my Dogmatists. It also seems to create peculiar psychosomatic reactions in the living... likely due to the mutative nature of the Clay of Prometheus, which even through the mire is still more than potent enough to affect organic structures...”

Celestia only smiled at Valthrudnir, studying the way he moved, the way he talked. She could almost feel his emotions, and the flow of his energy; he sounded so haughty and arrogant, but now she could see that he was really just excited, that he wanted to share his discoveries with the world...

He gave her a moody look, and she chuckled quietly before saying softly: “It's like I'm seeing the world in a whole new light. That's all.”

Valthrudnir only grunted, and then he shook his head before frowning in surprise as the mare said softly: “Go ahead. Transform the land. Almost every pony here has undergone some kind of conversion at this point, and by now I recognize that we all have to make sacrifices. That my country will never be what it once was...” She stopped, then looked thoughtfully at a Dogmatist as they passed the mechanical pony, who was fastidiously repairing an ornate carving with incredible speed and precision. “But maybe we can make something better out of it, together.”

The dragon only looked moodily ahead, muttering: “I suppose there's nothing wrong with having... what you ponies call hope. Although I am tempted all the same to label it delusion.”

Celestia chuckled quietly, and then the two remained silent until they reached the throne room. The Hexad all bowed to her respectfully as she took the throne, and Valthrudnir stood beside her, resting a hand on the back of the chair and overseeing the proceedings as the Queen of Equestria smoothly took up her reins. He rarely interrupted, however, seeming content to simply keep an eye on things for now.

After a few hours of discussion, Celestia returned to see Thesis while Valthrudnir excused himself for 'important preparations.' She told him about his surgery... and while Singing Lark was elated, Thesis seemed... stunned. Maybe a little worried, even dubious. But Celestia could only imagine what it had been like for him these last few months, trying to accept the fact he could no longer take care of himself.

She spent several hours with him, until Wisdom pulled her away because there had been a disturbance. Celestia left her son's side reluctantly... and the moment she stepped out of his room, her features became cold and hard as she snapped: “Where are they?”

“Approaching through the Eternal Forest, a force of at least thirty bandits.” Wisdom replied quickly, dropping her head and looking uneasily at the mare. “They're carrying flags and they appear to have hostages...”

“I will meet with them myself.” Celestia said coldly, and Wisdom's eyes widened in surprise before the Dogmatist scurried quickly after the ivory mare as she stormed through the castle. “Make yourself useful. Fetch Prudence.”

“Yes, Queen Celestia!” Wisdom said quickly, dropping her head before she turned quickly down a side hallway. Celestia scowled after the mare, then shook her head in disdain before she turned her eyes forwards, flexing her body and deciding that this would be as good a time as any to test her new powers.

Wisdom and Prudence met her in the courtyard, along with a team of Dogmatist soldiers. But Celestia only dismissed the team of mechanical ponies: the two Hexad would be more than enough to deal with any dregs that she didn't. She did, however, accept the flowing, fur-lined cloak they offered her. Crimson and white, with golden chains and brooches to keep it secure... it was suiting, she thought, for the Queen she was becoming.

They marched out to meet the approaching bandits on the main road through the forest: it was a very short exchange. The bandits offered their slaves – already dying of radiation sickness, Celestia could see – and information, in exchange for food and treasure. They further threatened that if they were turned down, they would kill the slaves, hinting that there would be an attack on the Castle of Harmony soon after.

Celestia weighed her options for a few moments in her mind... and then she simply looked at the grinning stallion who thought he was in charge and in control. She wasn't quite sure how her powers were supposed to work, but...

Her eyes flashed, and the stallion exploded into nothing but chunks of gore and viscera. The bandits were frozen in shock by it, and Celestia looked thoughtfully at the four smoldering hooves and the puddle of blood that was all that was left of the raider, before her eyes flicked to another. Was it really that simple?

Another bandit exploded in a hail of gore, and several of the raiders turned to flee, screaming in terror. Celestia let them run as she returned her eyes to the broken dregs in front of her, before she smiled, ignoring the pleading, the crying, the sudden, babyish bawling for surrender and mercy as instead her eyes turned towards a slave.

The slave looked at her... and then a moment later, the mare gasped, her body trembling before she slowly stood up. And as she stood, her sallow, weak body filled out, becoming so healthy and beautiful she almost glowed. She reached up... and with her bare hooves, she tore the metal collar binding her neck in half, staring in disbelief at her own strength.

One by one, the other slaves were healed, and Celestia smiled warmly. Yes... this was true power, she thought. Not that she was about to underestimate the ability to destroy, but this... why couldn't Valthrudnir recognize what a wonderful gift he had? Why did he always use his powers merely to destroy? Did he not understand his own gifts?

Still, Celestia felt a little... wobbly after her exertion. Yet all the same, she was strong and collected as she told Wisdom to gather the bandits and lead them back to base. They were going to politely allow themselves to be escorted to the dungeon... and when she sensed a bit of rebelliousness in some of the scum that had dared to march on her castle, she only gently gestured towards the remains of the two she had already obliterated with but a look, reminding them of what the consequences for disobedience would be.

Valthrudnir had given her the power to destroy her enemies... and more importantly, the power to heal and aid her people. And soon, Thesis would be healed too, she thought giddily... although there was a strange, sad irony in the fact that Valthrudnir's powers could not affect their own child, or one another. She supposed that everything had its limits, however...

They returned the castle, and Valthrudnir chastised her for abusing her powers before she was ready: it was so backwards that Celestia had to laugh. Valthrudnir didn't take quite as much amusement as her in the situation, but he did at least finally grudgingly admit he was glad that she was already showing some control over her newfound abilities... and perhaps he was the slightest bit impressed that she had already figured out how to use these miraculous and terrible powers.

She asked him if there was anything he couldn't do, as they sat in quiet together, just the two of them in a private room. Valthrudnir considered for the longest time, and then finally, grudgingly explained that there would always be things out of his reach. So much depended on perception, leaving him limited to what his own senses could detect, or else risk disaster.

His powers would allow him to destroy this world if he so saw fit: he could shake the nations apart, fracture and shatter the tectonic plates that the nation sat upon, bring flood or fire... but he couldn't do it selectively except in the broadest strokes. And his powers had side effects on the world: should he bring a mountain crashing down or burn away a forest, his strength would often scar the land or otherwise distort reality, attracting unpleasant and curious things.

Likewise, he could not simply snap his fingers and erase every griffin from the face of the planet. He could certainly erase plenty of them, with ease: if he looked down upon a specific place or time, he could annihilate every last creature of his choosing in that location. But to do it across the world, to simply wish them away... he knew from experience that his powers would pick and choose almost at random, annihilating every living thing in one area, and leaving smatterings of the species he had attempted to eradicate across the globe for whatever reason.

That prompted a question Celestia couldn't help but ask, in spite of knowing she shouldn't: “Why have you... destroyed so much, Valthrudnir? Why destroy, when you can fix it all?”

“In pursuit of fixing it.” Valthrudnir replied disdainfully, looking away... but Celestia saw, all too clearly, why he made himself seem so oblivious, so staunch in his refusal to believe that she or any of her kind might have actual feelings.

So instead of pursuing it, she slipped over to him and sat beside him, resting her head against his shoulder. He was silent, but he didn't push her away as the rested together that night, side-by-side, until the mare closed her eyes and allowed herself to sleep.

Valthrudnir let her sleep. He didn't concern himself for once with why she had fallen asleep against him, or with what it meant, considering how her biology was adapting and her physiology transforming. He only cared that she was finally being quiet and resting... and when he was sure she was deep asleep, he picked her up and carried her silently through the castle to her room, to settle her down in bed. He looked at her for the longest time, and then he awkwardly pulled a blanket over her, haphazardly tucking it around the mare's body before he swore under his breath and turned to let himself out.

He busied himself with other things until the next day came, and managed to avoid Celestia for most of it until just before Thesis' surgery. She came with him, of course, and Valthrudnir told her that she could watch from behind a glass wall with him while Beauty and her assistants did their work.

They watched in silence from the observation room, gazing down into the surgical theater at Thesis, who was laying on his belly with a mask over his face and machines hooked up to monitor his pulse, among other things. He wasn't completely unconscious, but he was numbed for the procedure, most of his back an open, gaping hole as Beauty carefully removed tissue, muscle, and even bone to make way for the mechanical parts gleaming on a gurney next to the table.

The surgery took almost six hours, most of which Celestia and Valthrudnir spent in silence, only watching. Valthrudnir occasionally made notes here and there, and Celestia only asked a few questions, such as why her son's blood seemed so dark and thick. Valthrudnir answered it was because of the treatment he had been undergoing, and that it was the first of several changes his physiology would be undergoing.

It was a frightening answer to the mare, but all the same, as she gazed down at her son silently, she felt that if Valthrudnir was telling the truth... if Thesis would walk again... then it would all be worthwhile.

When they were done, grafts were applied and healing magic was used to complete the process, along with chemical injections. Electrodes were attached to Thesis' limbs, and he was carefully wheeled back to his room, where he could recover in quiet, as machines beeped and occasionally sent small pulses of electricity through his muscles, making them flex and twitch.

Celestia insisted on sitting in the room with him, studying her son. He had terrible scars over his back... but all the same, he seemed to be breathing easier, and he shifted ever so slightly now and then as the electrodes hummed quietly and sent impulses through his body, stimulating his nerves and muscles even as he slept.

Thesis was slow to awaken... but when he did, he yawned, and then grimaced and flexed reflexively against the pulse of the electrodes, his forelegs immediately rising-

Thesis halted and stared at the blanket covering his body, the stallion blinking slowly before he suddenly sat up, throwing the blanket off and staring at his forelimbs. His hoofs flexed, and he trembled violently as Celestia smiled radiantly and Singing Lark leaned forwards, gazing at him brightly...

It all blurred together. Thesis leapt off the bed, hugging them both, laughing... and even though his legs almost gave out from under him and he almost knocked the machinery down, all the same, he was able to stand, to walk... to move on his own. It took Celestia chastising him to finally get him back into bed after he nearly wore himself into collapsing.

But he could walk again. He could move his limbs, and even though he felt weak, and he ached terribly, he also felt more alive than he'd ever been. It was more wonderful than he could begin to express. It was the first moment of hope Thesis had experienced in the longest time.

That night, after his family finally left, Thesis dozed on and off... until he woke up to realize he had a strange visitor, leaning in the doorway. The white dragon was gazing at him, his arms crossed and his expression neutral, his amber eyes observing him in silence until Thesis sat up.

Valthrudnir shifted uncomfortably, as if he hadn't realized that Thesis was awake... and then he simply stepped backwards and closed the door, leaving Thesis gazing across his room in silence. But finally, the stallion smiled faintly before he looked down at one hoof, lowering his head as he whispered: “Thank you, Father.”

Verse Ten

Verse Ten
~BlackRoseRaven

Come! It is time for the Horn to cry out,

Harken now to the song of our last days;

Come! Beneath the black sky, the gathered shout,

Watch as we celebrate the traitor's ways.

For the Dragon can but be a Dragon,

As the Princess shall never be a Queen;

But sing on, my brothers! Raise the flagon,

Soon, there shall be no horror left unseen!

Sing! For the angels watch with fear and hate!

Sing! For the demons tremble at our howls!

Sing! For the gods fear what we shall create!

Sing! For the reapers cry beneath their cowls!

We have designed the end of creation:

Gjallar's Song dictates the end of all nations.

Thesis walked, with Singing Lark always by his side, there to support him. And Celestia returned to her quarantine, to complete her transition to becoming something more than pony. But shadows loomed all the same over the Castle of Harmony, as Valthrudnir discovered that an army of barbarians was gathering at Canterlot: a horde of bandits and scum, led by a self-proclaimed warlord.

He was tempted to destroy them himself... but Celestia desired that honor, and he was willing to concede it to her. He supposed it would be more poetic that way as well... and besides, if he didn't, he would never hear the end of her whining. Besides, his new project had become... strangely important to him.

He had never meant to see Thesis as anything more than... an interesting specimen with a touch of his own biology. Likewise, he had never meant for things to... become what they had with Celestia. Part of him, a very large part of him, often wanted to pull away, derided and mocked what he was becoming: weak. A puppet to feelings that didn't make any sense.

No, this could all be advantageous. He had been forced to... deal with several unexpected difficulties, that was true, but his experiments would ultimately be successful at the end of the day. Thesis had reacted extremely positively to the new Clay of Prometheus formula: it was something he would have to test further in the future, to see if he could better enhance its potency and effects.

Of course, all of this would be useless if Thesis' back was not repaired. As it was, he was strong enough to walk around and function as a normal pony did... but he was not a normal pony. He was supposed to be stronger, faster, better than them in every way... but the current prostheses were not capable of handling the full strain that Thesis could put on them, and nor were they designed to.

That was why the exoskeleton was being designed: it was something that would not only help Thesis regain full functionality, but press his body past its previous limits, and interact with the new chemicals flooding through his body. Valthrudnir had high hopes for the device: after all, with just the treatments so far, Thesis seemed stronger, calmer, and more intuitive than he'd ever been.

But high hopes, Valthrudnir was learning, seemed to exist solely so they could be smashed.

Everything had been going so well: the exoskeleton had been finished ahead of schedule, and Thesis had hesitantly agreed to it being implanted in his body without much argument, which had been a pleasant change of pace.

Thesis had gone to surgery again, and the exoskeleton installed into his back: it looked like a complex block of steel, with a shell of flexible metal over the back and six large, distinct pistons that would mix and pump the chemicals that were constantly being mixed inside the device. The machine connected to veins, nerves, and bone, as well as linked to the prostheses already inside Thesis: Valthrudnir supposed it looked like nothing more complex than a block engine, but in reality, it was an incredibly-durable and powerful piece of equipment, specifically designed for the stallion's use.

Thesis spent two days in recovery this time, trying to adjust to the fact that he could no longer lay down on his back and the feeling of the device sticking out of him... but he barely slept. He no longer felt tired, and he thought he saw... strange changes in his body. He felt stronger... but not entirely better at the same time.

Yet all the same, when he'd started walking around the castle again, he didn't feel heavier, or unnatural: he felt strong, and lighter than air. Valthrudnir brought him to be tested... and Thesis had been startled by how much he had changed, and how strong he had become.

His famed speed and reflexes had only grown faster; he had the strength of a hundred ponies, and endurance to match. He was able to decipher and recite volumes of information, his memory nearly eidetic, patterns and equations leaping through his mind: things he remembered being tutored in as a child but had forgotten among the flow of daily life, and yet now...

It had all been perfect.

That was, until Valthrudnir said calmly: “Now, we have to test the acceleration potential. This is your standard level of skill and strength, Thesis: impressive, but not completely beyond the potential of some of my Dogmatists, such as the Hexad. The exoskeleton, however, should allow you to bypass many of your body's limitations.”

Thesis looked uncertainly up at Valthrudnir, then he glanced nervously around the training room: he had run the obstacle course, moved weights, sprinted, ran mental and physical drills, had things thrown at him... and that had all just been a warm up? “Uh... it's been almost an hour...”

“Don't tell me you're tired, Thesis.” Valthrudnir said irritably, and the stallion shrugged lamely before he reached up and rubbed uncomfortably at one shoulder, where the steel shell kept digging against his skin. “Stop fidgeting.”

Thesis mumbled and dropped his head, and then he sighed before asking finally: “Is it really necessary, though? I just...” Thesis looked uncertainly down at one hoof, flexing it slowly. “I feel so strange. I'm healing... even faster than I used to before, and my blood... it looks a lot like the mire that surrounds the castle...”

“The only resemblance is in the color. If you took a moment to observe instead of simply assume, you would see plenty of differences.” Valthrudnir said irritably, scowling darkly down at the stallion, who lowered his head awkwardly. “And yes, it is necessary. The point of this exoskeleton is not simply to provide you with the chance to walk and perform in combat again, but to push you past your potential. To help you aspire to something your fellow animals rarely do: to surpass your failings and your limitations and gain actual value as something other than a pack animal.”

Thesis sighed a little, but he knew better than to argue as he lowered his head and muttered: “Alright. So what do I do?”

Valthrudnir studied Thesis for a moment, even as he felt a nibbling in the back of his mind... but no. He had done the calculations several times over. He knew how these ponies worked and while Thesis was biologically dissimilar to them, the chemical compositions had been calibrated and recalibrated to account for those differences...

The dragon realized that Thesis was only looking at him, and he scowled darkly after a moment before raising a hand and saying irritably: “It merely has to be turned on.”

He snapped his fingers, and all six pistons pumped with a hiss, Thesis gasping and arching his back as his body trembled, his white eyes going wide as he stared out into nothing for a moment... and then he wheezed and relaxed as the pistons all slowly returned to their standing position. But he was frowning uncertainly, his limbs trembling, his heart racing faster as an uncomfortable heat spread through his veins...

“The exoskeleton can be activated much the same way you ponies enjoy flexing your muscles. And like any muscle, it will take time for you to exercise it to the point where you can flex it at will.” Valthrudnir said distastefully, gesturing to the side to call a holographic screen into being beside him. “But similarly, the machine will also activate once a certain level of strain is achieved. I won't bother getting into how it detects this through the complex bundle of nerves and chemicals that is your body and the reactions therein, but instead-”

“Yes. I... I get it.” Thesis muttered, scowling a little before he reached up and rubbed at his head, breathing a little harder before he looked up and asked, as he felt a strange... fuzziness tickling through his brain: “What do you want me to do?”

Curt and short. Valthrudnir scowled in distaste, then he gestured towards several training dummies at one end of the room, saying moodily: “Curb your tongue and go put your hooves to use on those toys. Can you handle that for me?”

Thesis grumbled, but then ran quickly forwards, plowing into the set of six training dummies. His hooves smashed back and forth across one, and Valthrudnir frowned slightly as Thesis bared his teeth before he punched the training dummy almost in half. He certainly wasn't holding back his strength...

The dragon's eyes widened in surprise as Thesis tore his way through the group of rubberized steel targets: no, he wasn't holding back at all. Four of them were demolished before Thesis suddenly dropped forwards, his eyes bulging as the pistons on his back hissed before starting to pump as they detected the strain on his body.

Valthrudnir started to smile... and then it froze on his face as Thesis straightened with a roar and punched one training dummy into pieces, before he picked up the next and flung it across the room. It crashed into the cement wall hard enough to crack the stone, and Valthrudnir's jaw dropped as Thesis, foaming at the mouth, his eyes glowing with supernatural rage, leapt after the dummy and slammed hoof after hoof into it, crushing the cylinder into nothing but a broken can as the cement behind it cracked further and further, before he smashed it completely through the wall with a furious, primal roar.

Thesis staggered through the hole he had made, his hooves bleeding, but the stallion unable to feel it and unable to care. His mind was nothing but white hot anger and primal madness and absolute terror. His body felt like it was on fire and his veins felt like snakes as machinery pumped on his back; every breath he took felt like it was burning his lungs and everything he saw was too bright and too dark all at once, shadows always crawling at the corner of his vision.

He saw a Dogmatist, and some part of him knew what it was, but the heat that had overtaken him screamed that it was a threat. He felt fear, that this thing wanted to hurt him; he felt fury, that this thing existed, that it was there, that it dared to look at him.

Thesis reacted as he was driven to react: he shot forwards, smashing the Dogmatist back into a wall, the metal pony going limp even before Thesis slammed crushing blows down into its face. And when he crushed its skull like glass beneath his hoof he felt vindicated and vengeful! This thing couldn't hurt him anymore! But he was still full of rage and terror, there were still things that wanted to hurt him, there were still things that hated him, he was surrounded by-

“Thesis, what are you doing?” shouted a voice, and Thesis snarled over his shoulder at the dragon as it emerged from the hole in the wall. The dragon was all made of white that stood out so painfully against the red of everything else, except his eyes were great blazing meteors of gold and his mouth was a gaping dark chasm full of death and teeth, and the dragon reached out, with an arm as long as the entire world-

Thesis dodged to the side, time seeming to slow before he dashed forwards and leapt upwards, slamming a hoof under the dragon's chin and knocking its head back: he jumped with the savage uppercut, to add more force to the blow... and so he could bring both rear hooves up immediately afterwards and kick them viciously into the dragon's stomach, knocking it crashing onto its back with a gargle as Thesis flipped expertly to crash down on his hooves, before he roared when he saw others coming towards him, foam flying from his jaws as he dashed into the fray.

They were all monsters. He saw monsters that wanted to kill him. The only way out was to kill them all first.

Mechanical ponies were thrown around like toys as the pistons pumped their poisons through Thesis, the prototype exoskeleton working faster and faster. His muscles bulged with false adrenaline and synthetic energy, and his nerves were on fire, yet numb to the pain he caused himself as he tore his body on metal edges and hard stone.

Thesis roared, staggering back and forth before he looked up as a ghost rushed towards him, pale and terrible, screaming his name... and he snarled before leaping forwards, driving his hoof into the phantasm's face and driving it to the ground before he stomped on it, again and again, until it stopped moving, until-

Thesis screamed as ice tore across his back, the exoskeleton whirring brokenly as the pistons were jammed up before one of them snapped completely off. Mechanical parts ground together and pain flared through Thesis' entire body as he felt all the strength suddenly draining from his form, before he stumbled around in a circle... and right into a blast of lightning from Valthrudnir, which knocked him into a senseless, broken sprawl.

Valthrudnir swore furiously, flushed with pain and humiliation... before he stared in disbelief as Thesis started to struggle to his hooves, gurgling and foaming, mouthing incoherent words. He began to raise a hand again... but Thesis, thankfully, toppled forwards and gasped, his body quaking as poison and blood leaked out of the torn-ajar prototype on his back, the stallion landing beside a corpse...

And although most of her face had been crushed by his own hooves, and her body lay in broken and bloody disarray, Thesis recognized Singing Lark, all too well. Because Songbird had always been at his side, Songbird had always loved him, and Songbird... Songbird...

Thesis screamed. He screamed in agony, like he had never known. He screamed in denial of the truth that lay before him. He screamed in terror, and disbelief. He screamed, with hatred for himself. He screamed a scream that sounded up from his very soul.

He screamed, until Valthrudnir silenced him with a savage stomp, and he was left in darkness.

Three days later found Valthrudnir sitting in a cold concrete workshop with Thesis' broken prosthetic in front of him, silently pouring over the pages and pages of chemical compositions he had recorded in a notebook for easy perusal. Nothing seemed wrong. Everything added up. What had he failed to account for?

Why had he failed?

The dragon reached up and silently rubbed at his temples, dropping his head forwards as he gave a long, quiet sigh. He sat back after a moment on the stool he was resting on, and then he silently gestured out to the side, creating a floating screen of glass beside him... but he didn't dare to look into it. He could already hear Thesis screaming, even though the screen was silent. He could hear his struggles, even though he was locked away in the dungeons, out of sight, but never out of mind.

Finally, Valthrudnir made himself look at the screen... and in this floating window, he saw Thesis, chained to the wall by heavy shackles, the stallion screaming silently as his head snapped back and forth, foam spilling from his jaws and his eyes wild and insane.

All he had wanted to do was make him better. Was make him stronger. Thesis was supposed to have been perfect, and instead, he had lost his mind to rage and fear. Even now, with the chemicals flushed from his system... something had snapped in the stallion's mind, and all he did was cry, or scream. All he did was struggle uselessly in his bonds.

Valthrudnir silently paged through the calculations in his book again: they were perfect. Absolutely perfect, he thought. He had accounted for everything, from Thesis' unique physiology to his psychological stability to the chemicals already running through his system and the Clay of Prometheus...

The dragon frowned, then he opened his book up, paging quickly through it before he located the equation detailing the expected chemical reactions between the chemicals and the black ooze. He studied this intently for a few moments... and then his eyes widened slowly as he realized that he had never accounted for the fact that not just Thesis' flesh, but his blood ran rampant with the chemical... and that while he had made adjustments for Thesis' flesh being permeated with the Clay of Prometheus, he had simply used the standard formula for the liquid mire for Thesis' blood.

Valthrudnir looked at the notebook for a moment longer... and then he snarled before slapping it aside off the table. He stood up, and swung a fist out, smashing the floating screen beside him before he roared as he grabbed the table and flung it savagely across the room, sending the broken prototype crashing to the ground. Then he slumped, breathing hard and clenching his eyes tightly shut, his hands balling into painful fists.

All the work he had done... destroyed by a moment of laziness. By a single error where he had copied an equation instead of trying to account for all the additional chemicals that would exist in the bloodstream, that would be modified by the countless processes the body went through in the creation of cells and plasma and oxygenation and...

He snarled and stomped a foot hard enough to crack the ground beneath him, before the dragon forced himself to take a slow breath. Now he would have to work backwards in order to understand what had happened, how Thesis could have been so badly affected and what steps he could take to remedy this situation.

The dragon worked all night, feeling like the clock was against him: tests done by Beauty showed that Thesis' neurons had been damaged by the chemicals, that different parts of his brain had been affected in unexpected ways. Still, the dragon was sure he had this answer this time: he had located his error, and there was no possible way anything else incorrect in his equations. Everything else was there. He was sure of it.

How could he have let this happen? And why did he care so much? The fact he had made an error he understood weighing on him so heavily. He was not prone to making mistakes, after all, and this would be a lesson he would remember far into the future. But why did this feel so important to fix... and why did he keep seeing Celestia, disappointed in him? Why was that the biggest thing pushing him to fix this error, not the fact that it was an incorrect equation and...

Valthrudnir snarled and slammed a fist against the table, cracking it, before he simply gestured disdainfully to fix the damage he had done. Then he halted before looking moodily at his hand, flexing it slowly before he growled in disgust. Infinite power, and he couldn't fix...

No, he would not think like that and he would not give in to weakness. It already felt like a mistake to be pouring so much time and effort into fixing this problem... and it disgusted him that he felt that it had to be done before Celestia awoke from her transformation. He was only glad that she had gone into a deep sleep of sorts, while the process finished... he didn't want to imagine what she'd think or say, he couldn't stand thinking about how hurt and upset she'd be to see her son...

Valthrudnir froze, then grabbed at his face for a moment, steadying himself before he closed his eyes and took a slow breath. That didn't matter. Celestia could be as mad as she wanted. She had only a fraction of his power and there was no way she could ever pose a threat to him.

But he knew that wasn't what had him worried in the slightest.

The dragon muttered under his breath, shaking his head slowly before he looked up moodily, reaching out and absently touching along the prostheses... before he frowned slightly as he thought he felt a slight charge. He turned it gently, rolling it onto its side before he reached carefully into the broken pile of metal and wires, feeling around until he touched the crystalline core...

Valthrudnir narrowed his eyes as he felt the charge of energy running through the magical crystal that powered the engine. His fingers gripped into it as he closed his eyes for a moment... before they snapped back open and he snarled as he realized that there was too much energy being generated by the stone.

The dragon seized on the gemstone core with one hand as the other grabbed the face of the machine, and then he yanked the stone loose in a hail of sparks and metal shards. He looked down at this coldly for a moment... and then swore under his breath before he slammed it down on the table. The stone was chipped and one of the runes had been broken, something that had almost certainly happened before the exoskeleton had been installed in Thesis, considering...

But no, that kind of mistake wouldn't get past initial inspection, or the secondary check. And after the exoskeleton had been brought here from Decretum, it...

Valthrudnir looked slowly up... and then he pushed himself away from the table, striding quickly out of the workshop and storming through the castle to equipment storage, approaching the single Dogmatist in the cold concrete room as Worker Drones strode through the area, sorting and modifying equipment.

Valthrudnir stood over the Dogmatist quartermaster, scowling down at him darkly, until the Dogmatist looked up and slowly saluted. Both his eyes had been replaced with lenses, and he looked more like a living multi-tool than he did a pony anymore.

The Dogmatist didn't speak, only looked up at Valthrudnir as the white dragon looked back down at him, before he asked coldly: “Designation and commanding officer?”

“Designation Class I, Renewen. Commanding officer, Vice.” the Dogmatist replied in a hollow voice, looking emptily up at Valthrudnir. “Orders?”

“Stand by.” Valthrudnir said distastefully, then he flicked a hand to create a holographic screen in front of himself, the Dogmatist slumping slightly in front of him as it went into low power mode. “Now... let's see... review equipment transfer number 55-72-10.”

There was silence for a moment... and then static crackled across the holographic screen before Valthrudnir watched the memories of the Dogmatist scroll by on the screen. He watched the new equipment coming in, how it was all handled precisely and expertly, how the exoskeleton arrived in its solid container...

The memories fizzled slightly, and then the holographic screen suddenly went blank, apart from a single phrase that appeared on it a moment later: 'Access Denied.'

“Override. You will accept my voice as authorization.” growled Valthrudnir, and the screen sizzled for a moment before the dragon said icily: “This is precisely why the Clockwork King requires the Prophet as a special handler. AI systems getting too sure of themselves and thinking that they can go around, making changes to my programming and my world. Renewen, Vice has been terminated. Delete all data and orders received from him.”

There was a spark and a sizzle, Renewen twitching slightly as the holographic screen fizzled... and then the phrase vanished before the memories continued. Valthrudnir watched as Renewen carefully removed the exoskeleton to begin a summary check of the equipment... and then he scowled as the Clockwork Pony reached inside the device.

The dragon rose a hand to dismiss the screen: he had seen enough. But then he paused, frowning after a moment as he thought of other things Thesis had complained about, before saying slowly: “Populate a list of countermanded or additional orders made by Vice.”

There was a click... and then the dragon snarled slowly as dozens of orders scrawled quickly over the holographic screen in tiny font. Vice had used his command privilege to override and modify orders given by both himself and Celestia... many of them involving Thesis' team. Renewen, as a Dogmatist quartermaster, had access privileges to all of the Dogmatist equipment... and was also the least suspicious candidate to sabotage it all, as all Dogmatists did was follow the orders of their superiors.

But Vice had not been a true Dogmatist. Vice had been an android, an intelligent program in a robotic shell. So intelligent that it looked like he either had designs of his own for Equestria... or more simply, he had hated Thesis. Why? Valthrudnir thought it was very simple: because Vice hated anyone above his station, and Vice had already been outmoded by both the Hexad and the delusional and yet still more competent Clockwork King AI. He may have recognized that the Replicant project, if successful, was going to make him completely obsolete.

Valthrudnir looked down at Renewen for a few moments, and then he finally dismissed the screen before he held up a hand and said coldly: “Treason cannot be overlooked.”

He snapped his fingers, and Renewen twitched before looking up, the Dogmatist trembling as his glass eyes seemed to fill with faint betrayal for a moment... and then he simply, silently collapsed on his side, the light fading from his eyes, his body quickly going still as a bit of blood leaked from his mouth.

There was silence for a few moments, and then Valthrudnir shook his head before he simply snapped his fingers. And after only a second, Wisdom appeared in a burst of magic, the mare hurriedly dropping her head before Valthrudnir ordered: “Clean up this mess and install a new quartermaster. Furthermore, purge all Dogmatists of Vice's orders and any programming he might have left. He is responsible for Thesis'... outburst.”

Wisdom nodded, not questioning, only quickly obeying as she hefted the corpse of the Dogmatist and turned to carry it out. Valthrudnir looked after her moodily for a moment, and then he shook his head slowly, reaching up and rubbing at his forehead slowly.

He knew it. It had been someone else's mistake, not his, that had caused Thesis' problems. His chemical compositions were probably fine... if they erred, it was on the side of caution. This wasn't his fault after all... the fact that he'd doubted himself, and because of a failure like Vice, whom he should have recognized from the start had been trying to sabotage Thesis' equipment to make him fail...

Vice had probably been feeding information to both sides as well... Vice was the one responsible for those follies in the past, he was sure of it. Valthrudnir smiled coldly as he looked up, crossing his arms and saying disgustedly: “Plebeians. Your plans might have worked if you were not so brutish in their application.. and I was not as omniscient as I am. They may have succeeded in this minor distraction but I am supreme, I am superior, and I do not ever need to doubt in myself.”

That was right. He was far beyond any of these little inferior mortals and he should never question his own judgment or lower himself to their level. Nothing was his 'fault,' because he never made mistakes; why, they should be grateful for everything he did for them, that he bothered to linger among their kind, that he had gone to such great lengths to assist them with their pathetic, unimportant problems... there was nothing wrong with him.

Valthrudnir smiled at these assurances, raising his head and striding leisurely back towards the workshop. In the back of his mind, something still gnawed there... but he ignored it for now. No, he was certain, absolutely certain, that he hadn't made any errors of judgment, and all it would take now was a bit of recalibration. He would still double-check the formulas, of course, but that was simply to see if he had any further strokes of creative genius. Another chemical compound might suddenly jump out at him, or he might design a better way to distribute it evenly...

And of course the exoskeleton itself could be repaired now, now that he was certain there were no flaws left in it. He should have had Beauty check it over before installing it, even the innards... obviously she had been lax in her examination, failing to find that flaw. But as ultimately Vice was at fault, Valthrudnir would spare her, out of mercy and for the sake of the tight schedule they were on.

Valthrudnir returned to the workshop, where he tinkered with the device and the formulas. But he had decided to simply wait a few days for now: the increased ionization would have accelerated the chemicals and caused some changes in the structure of the formula, but it wouldn't be as serious as it seemed, the dragon decided. It just meant that some of those chemicals were probably still sticking to Thesis' neurons. He would wait a few days while the exoskeleton was repaired before checking if any permanent damages had been done.

So the dragon waited... and three days later, as he had expected, Thesis had calmed down, hanging in his restraints and shivering a little. Tears rolled down his cheeks and he whimpered like a dog and barely seemed aware of his surroundings, but as Beauty examined him, Valthrudnir saw plenty of intelligence had returned to the pony's eyes. “Respond.”

Thesis only sighed, and Valthrudnir scowled; before he could snap at the stallion, however, he was cut off as Beauty murmured: “His blood is testing completely differently from before... I've never seen this in the Dogmatists...”

Valthrudnir frowned, and without looking back at him, Beauty quickly rose a rubber-gloved hand and created a holographic screen in front of the dragon, allowing him to lean down and study the results before he scowled and muttered: “These levels are ridiculous. How many times did you run the test?”

“Three times, sir. The result was the same each time.” Beauty said quickly, and Valthrudnir returned his eyes to the holographic image, studying it intently.

“Interesting...” Valthrudnir muttered, rubbing slowly at his chin. He looked up past the translucent screen, and saw Thesis groggily looking at him, fixating on him... and was that anger? What did the pony have to be angry about? Considering what he had done... “Speak, Thesis.”

Thesis looked at him for a few moments, and then he whispered: “What did you do to me?”

“Nothing. The error was Vice's fault.” Valthrudnir replied distastefully, snorting in derision. “He has been tampering with your equipment for some time in an attempt to magnify your incompetence. Even after his death, he left coded commands in several Dogmatists to interfere with any equipment that was given to you, specifically by tampering with their power cores. The exoskeleton was tampered with as well, resulting in your... outburst.”

Thesis was silent, staring at Valthrudnir as the dragon sniffed disdainfully, then he said coldly: “But disregarding your failure to control yourself and Vice's meddling, we still have not suffered any great losses to-”

“I have. I have suffered.” Thesis said slowly, and then he lowered his head before whispering: “I don't want to ever fight again.”

“That is not your decision to make.” Valthrudnir said icily, and Thesis looked up at the dragon disbelievingly before he continued contemptibly: “It's fine if you want to be a coward, Thesis, or if you want to go back to hiding under your mother's skirts... or saddle, I suppose I should say. But you do not get to lay down and die. You do not get to simply... cry, and wish everything away. You do not get to stop fighting because you are in pain, or because you are weak, and pathetic.”

“Shut up!” Thesis shouted suddenly, yanking forwards against his bonds, his eyes blazing as tears ran down his cheeks. “This is your fault! It's your fault that I'm alive, that I'm a monster! I won't do this anymore, Valthrudnir! My sister is dead! My friends are dead! You have the power to end this war, so why won't you?”

“Because there is no god.” Valthrudnir said softly dismissing the screen in front of him so he could step forwards and lean slowly down into Thesis' face. “Because these worlds are chaos, and ruin. Because there is no sense in this universe, and that is not my fault. That is what I am trying to correct.”

The two looked at each other steadily for a few moments, before Valthrudnir continued in a quiet but ruthless voice: “You blame me because it's easy to, Thesis. But I am not at fault. It is your fault you could not control yourself. It is the other animals who attacked you. It is Vice who tampered with the equipment. All I am trying to do is install a little order in the world, but I can only do that one small step at a time. It is my fault that you live, Thesis, I will take the blame for that: likewise, it is my fault that all these ponies are still alive, and have been put towards serving a better, truer purpose, instead of festering in chaos. And it will be my fault that the universe will become a fair place, where there is no war, no insanity, no unnecessary bloodshed. Where all of you little ponies will work cohesively with each other, where all the races will be as one. Where across time and space, history will be as one ticking machine, never stripping, never breaking down, never burning away, because everything has a place, everything knows its place, and everything does its job.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then Valthrudnir straightened before he said icily: “You can help me build this world, Thesis, or you can continue to cry and give in to your primal drives. But your mother had the discipline and the courage to become something greater. I expect the same from you.”

Thesis trembled as he looked up at Valthrudnir for a few moments, breathing quietly in and out... and then he lowered his head and closed his eyes, whispering: “And what are you planning do with the broken parts like me?”

“Fix them. Or remove them from the machine.” Valthrudnir said coldly, before he leaned forwards and snapped: “Thesis, I have ordered you-”

“I don't care.” Thesis whispered listlessly, cutting the dragon off, and the dragon blinked and stared in disbelief. “You're right. There is no god. Or if there is, he doesn't care about us... why would he ever allow something like you to exist if he did? Why would he make us go through all this? There's only... chaos, and suffering, and... death.”

Valthrudnir slowly bared his teeth, and then he reached forwards and seized Thesis by the mane, yanking his head back as he hissed: “I am far beyond any god, Thesis, and you would do well to remember that.”

Thesis looked up at Valthrudnir with his empty, fearless eyes, and then he replied quietly: “And I'm less than any pony, but even I can see through all your smoke and mirrors. I see you now, for the first time, Father... you have infinite power... but not the imagination to use it. You know everything in the universe... but you understand nothing. You have an ocean of knowledge... and not a single drop of wisdom. And I feel sorry for you, because while both of us will always be different, always be forced to stand apart from the world, because you are so much 'greater' and I am so much 'lesser...' at least I'll always know why they hate me. And that's an answer you'll never have.”

Valthrudnir stared at Thesis for a few long moments, and then he slowly straightened before he narrowed his eyes and bared his teeth at the stallion. He clenched a hand into a fist, but Thesis only looked away, closing his eyes and whispering: “I can barely see her face anymore... I can't remember Red Sky, apart from her name... I feel hollow. And I feel sad and angry but I know that's not me... it's what you've done to me.”

“I have done nothing to you!” Valthrudnir shouted, reaching up to grab Thesis by the shoulders and slam him back against the wall with enough force to crack the stone, Thesis grunting... but then only looking up defiantly even as Beauty hurriedly pulled away from the two, watching with fear. “And you will not speak to me that way, Thesis, I am your-”

“Father?” Thesis cut off, and Valthrudnir only ground his teeth together before the stallion said quietly: “I thought that was nothing but biology to you.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then Valthrudnir said shortly: “Schedule Thesis for surgery, Beauty. And do not think for a moment this is for your sake, Thesis. This is because you are a project that I will not allow to fail even under the weight of your own ego and self-indulgent sniveling.”

Thesis laughed shortly, then he retorted: “You can't make me fight. I give up. I'm not going to listen. I just... I just want...”

Thesis trembled, looking down, and Valthrudnir looked down at the pony with contempt for a moment before he said calmly to Beauty: “See that Thesis is escorted to his room, and keep him there. He needs time to think about his decisions and how they may yet affect others: after all, he seems to have forgotten about his mother, and what may happen to her if he refuses to fight.”

The stallion only laughed faintly at this, before he whispered: “My mother has never needed me to fight her battles. And after she finds out what I've done... that I betrayed my own family...”

Thesis stared silently at the floor, and Valthrudnir snorted before he added derisively: “It's clear that the chemicals are still having an effect on Thesis' weak mind. Flush his blood, then give him a sedative. You're fortunate, Thesis, that I'm willing to excuse your behavior as a result of the chemical imbalance you've suffered.”

Thesis only looked up at Valthrudnir in silence, and the dragon scowled before he finally turned and left. The stallion simply allowed his head to droop back down as Beauty returned to running tests on him, until he asked in a whisper when the mare started to open his shackles: “Is it safe to do that?”

“You don't have the exoskeleton on, darling. And you seem very... coherent.” Beauty reassured gently, as she carefully opened the shackles and gently helped Thesis down to all fours. The stallion shivered in pain, the ugly, scarred valley of his back flexing, and Beauty carefully touched along this before she murmured: “Come, dear. To your room. You must want to lie down anyway.”

“I want...” Thesis shivered a little, lowering his head as his mind buzzed away. There was so much... anger, and so much despair, and a hollowness inside his chest... “Weapons... aren't supposed to have emotions. And I finally understand why... but... I can't shut off, Beauty. I can't turn the emotions off... I can't stop... crying, and yelling, and...”

He breathed shakily in and out, staring at the ground blankly for a few moments, and Beauty smiled reassuringly before she reached up and gently stroked along Thesis' neck, saying softly: “Now, dear, everything is going to be perfectly fine, you'll see. Let's get you to your room now, shall we? We'll take care of those chemicals in your bloodstream and see what we can do about getting you feeling better.”

“It's not just the chemicals, Beauty... I think you know that as well as I do.” Thesis whispered, but Beauty only gave him a small, sad smile as she gently grasped him by the shoulder, supporting him with one hand and half-guiding him forwards as the stallion wobbled on his hooves, his body shivering as he whispered: “It feels like something's going to tear out my back...”

“It's because there's no exoskeleton to support and provide leverage. But you can manage to walk, dear, you can do this. One step at a time with me.” Beauty said kindly, and Thesis nodded weakly before he lowered his head, breathing hard as they slowly made their way to his room.

It all became a blur for him, as pain and strange chemicals danced through his mind, confusing him, making his mind a fog, his eyes roving back and forth. Beauty's voice was soothing, but he couldn't hear her words: only her tone. He shivered at her touch, and he pulled away from her instinctively when he was able to crawl into bed: not just because of paranoia and distrust, but because he suddenly felt so... weak. So pathetic. So disgusting.

Beauty left and gave him a few moments to recover, before she returned with an assistant and equipment ordered from her lab. Again, Thesis found himself hooked up to needles and tubes, and he felt like... tearing them out, destroying the machines, trying to drive these Dogmatists out... but logically, he knew none of that made any sense. And there was some part of him that had... given up. That felt too weak, too broken to fight. That was hollow and empty; it didn't care whether fighting made sense or not, it was just... unable to.

So Thesis only laid there, staring blankly towards the wall, hugging himself and breathing quietly in and out as the machines whirred quietly away, the machine cleaning chemicals from his blood and then pumping it back into him through another vein.

The hours bled into each other, and Thesis wasn't even aware of how long it had been before Beauty returned with one of her assistants to take the machine apart. She offered Thesis a sedative, and he didn't resist, swallowing the pills before laying down and staring silently up at the ceiling, trying to let it work.

But it didn't really work. It made him feel tired, and feeble, and it just took the edge off the anger he felt burning inside himself and made him realize he was scared. Scared and alone and terribly sad, hurting in ways he couldn't begin to describe...

The stallion didn't resist when Beauty came to retrieve him for surgery the next day. He dragged himself listlessly through the halls, the sedative's side effects leaving him fatigued and confused. He was barely aware of what was going on around him, but... he couldn't resist. He felt too empty and confused and lost to resist. It all felt too... pointless, and trivial, because he knew that no matter what he did, it would end in failure. All things ended in failure. All life ended not in death, but failure.

Thesis was led to the table, and they fitted the mask over his face, and again, there were the drugs, and he was brought down into darkness; in the darkness, he dreamed.

He walked, guided by Red Sky and Songbird, through a burning world. Through the wasteland that Equestria had become... but it wasn't Equestria anymore, any more than it was a nation. It was black, and empty except for despair and pain. Puppets and pawns just like him drudged across its barren surface, urged on by the whips of slave-masters and the cruel breath of giant beasts.

He looked away... and a hoof made him look up, strong, hard eyes boring into his. The eyes of Sworn Tenet, another phantasm here to... to haunt him? To punish him?

He breathed shakily in and out, but all the same, he forced himself to look at what these ghosts were showing him, whispering: “I'm sorry...”

But the phantasms didn't seem to want his apology. They pulled him onwards, and they descended into a chasm, dark and terrible, filled with puppets and pawns with barely-visible strings stretching to the skies above, pulling them along as they mined the gulf of stone for its little worth. They stepped over their own fallen siblings, who twitched uselessly on the ground amidst their own piles of cut string...

Thesis looked back and forth, and he whispered: “What do you want? I know. This is... I never wanted this. Are you saying that this is my fault? Or that I'm... part of this empire?”

The ghosts were silent, and only pushed him forward.

After some time, they reached a massive gate. It opened before them, and they passed into a stone hall, full of emotionless soldiers sitting in assembly. No; sitting in wait. They were all made from metal, faceless, headless, with shields on their backs and swords resting in slots in front of them, as stiff as statues, all frozen in the same position. They were like suits of armor, waiting silently for when they would be put to use...

Soldiers that didn't fear. Soldiers that didn't need food, or water, or rest. Soldiers that did not need to train, because their every instinct was programmed into them, because they were all nothing more than cogs in the whirling machine...

“I feel sick.” Thesis whispered, and then he laughed weakly as they began to pass through the rows and rows of featureless, indistinguishable soldiers, asking weakly as tears flowed down his cheeks: “Is this... me? No... I don't want that...”

They passed through the room, and through another door that opened before them... but this time, they were somewhere different. A room of light, that burned all around them, as fire cavorted and danced inside a frozen, perfect glass pillar in the center of the room. Thesis stared at this with disbelief, then he looked back and forth before shouting: “I don't understand! I don't know! What is it? Tell me, please! Tell me what I'm supposed to see so I can learn, so I can be punished, so that-”

The glass pillar shattered, and chaos spilled through the white room. Thesis staggered backwards in horror as these insane and raving streams twisted in all directions: one laughed, warm, hot; one screamed, filled with rage, burning and yet cold as ice; one sizzled and crackled and yet was nothing but air, harmlessly washing over Thesis even as he flinched at its passage.

And in a moment, they were gone, as if they had never been at all, and all the light in the world went out as Thesis breathed hard, staring back and forth in the darkness, helpless... before a voice said quietly: “You can't keep blaming yourself.”

“I... I killed you.” Thesis whispered, trembling even as he blindly reached in the direction of Singing Lark... but she wasn't there.

“Soldiers are people, not metal toys. No matter how many toys you make, you'll never make an army.” Sworn Tenet said calmly, and Thesis stared towards where his voice had come from.

“I know. My soldiers weren't pawns... they were ponies, like me...”

“Exactly. They were like you.” said Red Sky's compassionate voice, and Thesis could almost feel her kind smile before she whispered: “Like you, Thesis. You are a pony. You are not a monster.”

Thesis laughed brokenly, and then he dropped his head and buried his face in his hooves. “I'm... I'm a homunculus and a slave to Valthrudnir. No matter how much I pretend otherwise... I'm always going to be nothing but a toy to him... nothing but his... little tin soldier. I'm... empty. I don't have a soul. I'm just...”

“Your father doesn't love you, big deal.” Sworn Tenet said shortly, and Thesis flinched before the stallion's voice said quietly: “There was no pony better than you at not taking orders. At disobeying his superiors, and ruining the mission... and bringing everyone back alive. I would be proud to see Equestria left in your capable hooves.”

Thesis trembled violently, and then Red Sky said softly: “Valthrudnir can take everything away from you. He will take everything away from you. But he can never erase you completely, Thesis. You'll fight. I know you will. Even when all seems lost, you'll fight.”

“I love you, big brother. We grew up together. And I know that you were taught to protect your family... but I know you've learned what that really means, too. That everypony is family: that every single person upon this planet is family. And you'll fight to save them all.” Singing Lark whispered, and he felt her forelegs lock around him in a fierce embrace, the stallion staring out into nothing before he closed his eyes and hugged her tightly back, trembling violently. “I believe in you. And I know that you won't give up, on anyone. Just don't give up on yourself, either.”

The world shook... and Thesis' eyes snapped open with a gasp, his whole body convulsing, his eyes staring out at nothing as Beauty shouted: “Bind him down! Stop the chemical injections!”

Thesis gargled and seized, twisting back and forth before his back arched as he screamed, the darkness, his loved ones all torn away in a blur of static and rage that screamed through his mind as the mechanical pistons on his back pumped. He roared, then tore a hoof easily free from the restraints before punching Beauty across the room, the mare slamming back-first into the wall with a gasp and falling heavily on her rump as electricity sparked over her body.

Thesis screamed, head jerking back and forth as he shoved himself up to his hooves on the table, then he grabbed at his head, looking down and clenching his eyes shut as tears spilled down his cheeks, fighting to stop himself, fighting to control, but the fear was back, the hate was back, the anger was back, and there was so much pain and his family, his family was gone and they were lying and he was a monster they had made him a monster-

Thesis looked up, eyes blazing with hatred before he roared at the glass window above, the stallion flinging himself into the air, but Valthrudnir only watched coldly as the security countermeasures activated and Thesis crashed into a wall of electricity, the stallion screaming in agony as his body twisted wildly back and forth before he dropped backwards. And immediately, Beauty's assistants ran forwards with shock rods, slamming them down on Thesis and electrifying him, the sound of crackling lightning mixing with the screams and growls of Thesis as Valthrudnir continued to look down as impassively as he could, while Wisdom stared with horror beside him.

Then Thesis slammed one of the Dogmatists away, and the dragon said coldly: “Thesis has obviously been more affected than we first considered by the chemical imbalance. This is all Vice's fault. Disable Thesis by whatever means necessary, and then have Beauty schedule him for surgery. We will correct his behavioral issues the hard way.”

“S-Sir... not... not to be...” Wisdom swallowed thickly, and the dragon glared down at her balefully, even if he was surprised that the mare wasn't rushing off to do what he had said. But after a moment, she took a slow breath before saying nervously, even as she looked at him with fear for the repercussions that would no doubt follow: “Not to question you, but... why don't we just... lower the chemical dosage? Or maybe change the exoskeleton, and-”

“You're as idiotic as the rest of those ignorant savages!” Valthrudnir snapped, and Wisdom dropped her head before Valthrudnir gestured sharply out at the surgery theater, where Thesis was now attacking Beauty in a wild rage, screaming in fury as he tried to punch his way uselessly through the electrified energy shield the Dogmatist was hiding behind. “I created the formula myself. I have calibrated it precisely for Thesis' mental function. Are you questioning the veracity and viability of my calculations, Wisdom?”

Wisdom lowered her head further, trembling, and then she whispered: “But... the chemical interactions may have changed, and... maybe the synthetic adrenaline is exciting his body so much it's releasing his own stores of adrenaline, and the overdose is sending him into-”

“Get out and do your duty.” Valthrudnir said coldly, pointing sharply towards the door, and Wisdom winced before turning and scurrying hurriedly out of the room. The dragon glared after her... but as the door closed, his hand trembled before he dropped it and quickly grasped into his own suit jacket to steady his shakes, looking back down into the room as his features lost their hardness, his eyes silently surveying Thesis as he was electrocuted again, driven to the ground, foaming and howling, the exoskeleton on his back smoking and broken but the stallion refusing to give up the fight...

No, he couldn't be wrong. He wasn't wrong, he knew he wasn't wrong. He had done everything right, he didn't make mistakes and he had accounted for everything. More than accounted for it, as a matter of fact. He was absolutely, completely sure that he was right...

And that meant... that the chemical receptors in Thesis' brain had been damaged beyond repair, and accelerating any signal he received to catastrophic levels. This was Vice's fault.

This wasn't his fault.

Valthrudnir took a slow breath, and then he silently smoothed out his suit before biting his lip. No, it didn't matter. He'd... they had seen excellent results with the neural nodes. Riordan had responded well to them, and he had served as a prototype of sorts for Thesis. There were a few flaws but the nodes could be reprogrammed as necessary as well.

Valthrudnir watched as Wisdom entered the fray, catching Thesis with her magic, crushing him to the floor with telekinesis as other Dogmatists pinned his limbs... and then the dragon shook his head before he turned to quickly head for the door.

This would all be so much easier if he just didn't care. This... caring, this compassion, it was making him weak, making him consider the impossible, making him feel unpleasant things. He should never have had feelings for this piece of meat and biology like he did, just like he shouldn't be so... concerned about the thought of Celestia waking up and finding out what he had done to her son...

No, finding out what Vice had done to her son. It was Vice's fault, not his. But he knew how to fix it. He would fix this, and in one fell swoop, prove his superiority to Celestia and create the perfect Replicant, the archetype over which all other Replicants would be made.

He did not make mistakes. And he would not lose this opportunity. He had not come this far to lose everything now.

Even if Valthrudnir was no longer sure what everything meant: losing his ultimate project... or the mare who loved the son he had never meant to have.

Verse Eleven

Verse Eleven
~BlackRoseRaven

At Ragnarok, the dead shall rise again:

And they shall march, with neither hope nor heart,

Against divine and mortal, who, in vain,

Will struggle to stop the End of All's start.

Warriors of every state and nation,

Will unite beneath one collective flag.

Out of the ashes of devastation,

With blade and shield made from wreck and slag.

But deathless metal shall come as the tide,

To cut down mortal and divine alike:

None shall be left alive on either side

after the last blow, the cruel final strike.

And when the dead lay down, their duty done,

Gjallar shall sing of the triumph of none.

Celestia awoke with a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. She tried to reason that it was because of everything she had been through: a series of painful grafts and surgeries, followed by a long period of... strange dreams and visions.

She breathed quietly in and out, then began to get up to search for a mirror... before she paused and instead slowly held her hoof up in front of herself, concentrating; a moment later, a mirror simply appeared above her hoof, the mare smiling slightly as she looked into this and studied herself silently.

She tilted her head slowly back and forth: her eyes were strange still, glowing and yet surrounded by dark shadows, sunken into her face... but everything else looked smooth... beautiful, even. And it had been such a long time since she had felt beautiful, let alone looked it.

Celestia chuckled quietly, then she shook her head slowly before she simply dismissed the mirror with a thought, smiling as it vanished from sight. She climbed out of her bed and stretched slowly, then strode towards the airlock, her regal cape floating over to her and wrapping smoothly around her body as she walked.

As the airlock sealed around her, cleansing mist venting in from all sides, the mare chewed absently at her lip, feeling another bolt of... apprehension. She felt like something had happened with Thesis... but then again, between Valthrudnir and her son, she knew that anything was possible.

She smiled... but she felt another bite of worry as she strode out of the airlock. She could feel their presence, at least, somewhere... together? Why didn't it reassure her that the two of them were together? And yet even from here she could feel a... calmness from Thesis, she thought, although Valthrudnir seemed aggravated... wasn't that normal?

Something was wrong.

Celestia frowned at the feeling chewing through her, the mare looking at the floor before she shook her head quickly and hurried a little faster, her ephemeral mane sizzling quietly as it swayed out behind her. She was being paranoid, she knew, but... she just couldn't shake this impossible feeling that something, somehow, was...

The mare almost shoved the doors to the training room opened, and Valthrudnir flinched before spinning around with a snarl, opening his mouth... and then his eyes widened in shock as he saw Celestia, the dragon going limp before he forced a smile, straightening and saying in a stumbling voice: “What a... a surprise. You weren't supposed to wake up for...”

Celestia began to frown... but then her eyes were drawn towards Thesis as he stepped forwards, and instead she smiled at him. He looked strong, tall, dressed in form-fitting armor that was shaped to allow the strange machine on his back to stand free... what she guessed was the exoskeleton. “Thesis. It's wonderful to see you.”

Celestia strode forwards, then began to reach up to hug her son... but then froze. She looked at him fearfully, one foreleg half-wrapped around him, her eyes staring at him as Thesis only continued to look up at her... calmly, emptily. He simply stood, his expression detached, his eyes distant and staring right through her, even as he acknowledged in an almost-solemn voice: “Mother.”

Slowly, the mare stepped backwards, staring disbelievingly at her son before her teeth grit together, her body trembling as she felt how... how hollow Thesis was. She took a breath, struggling to maintain control even as she felt reality itself twisting around her with her rage, before she asked in a low, deadly voice: “What have you done?”

“There... there is no need for overreaction, Thesis has... that is to say, while I am very much aware of what this seems like at the moment, I...” Valthrudnir caught himself in the middle of his sudden bout of stuttering, before he cleared his throat and straightened, looking down at Celestia with as much imperiousness as he could muster as he declared: “This is not my fault. It seems that Vice, the idiot android you chose over Wisdom to lead operations in Canterlot – who lost you Canterlot, I might add – has been tampering with the other Dogmatists and giving them orders to damage equipment related to Thesis. They sabotaged the original exoskeleton before Thesis could receive it, but I have implanted – temporarily! – neural nodes to help Thesis with his confusion. And the pain resultant from Vice's tampering.”

Celestia looked up at Valthrudnir for a few moments, and she could feel his emotions. His uncertainty, his fear, his childishness... but she didn't need to sense any of that to see clearly that he was lying. “Tell me the truth.”

“I... I have.” Valthrudnir argued, then he quickly strode behind Thesis, gesturing down at the exoskeleton on his back and explaining: “This device uses powerful chemicals to induce accelerated function: in simple terms, it makes Thesis stronger. But the device was tampered with and introduced too much chemical and damaged Thesis' neurons. So for the moment, synthetic lobes are handling most of Thesis' decision making and accelerating his thinking. He recognizes and understands you, but his emotions are simply-”

“Not there.” Celestia whispered, looking at her son and trembling a little before she reached up, silently stroking his face. “Oh, Thesis...”

“He was out of control. He attacked Dogmatists. He...” Valthrudnir halted, then cleared his throat before he continued in a colder voice: “And you should be thanking me! He was insane, all caused by your favorite-”

“Get out.” Celestia said quietly. Valthrudnir frowned at this, looking down at Celestia as if he couldn't understand what she had just said, and the mare snarled before her eyes flashed as she looked up at him, roaring: “Get out!”

Energy crackled through the air around them, and machinery went haywire, sparking violently in all directions as Valthrudnir flinched away in shock. He looked back and forth in disbelief before snarling and opening his mouth... and Celestia shouted at him furiously and wordlessly, stomping towards him, the waves of her rage cracking the ground and buffeting the dragon like physical blows, making him stumble in surprise before he was half-chased to the door by the mare, throwing himself through and hitting the wall opposite with a curse before he turned towards her, eyes wide, staring at her with disbelief as she stood in the doorway, snarling at him through the tears running from her glowing eyes.

“Stay away from my son.” Celestia snapped, and then she stepped backwards, the doors to the training room slamming shut hard enough to warp the metal.

Valthrudnir mouthed wordlessly... and then he slowly squeezed his claws into the material of his shirt, breathing unevenly in and out as he carefully pushed himself up against the wall. He stared at the door, visibly shaken, his head slowly moving back and forth in weak denial before he looked back and forth, saw the Dogmatists all staring at him... but when he snarled in reflex, it wasn't anger in his eyes. It was self-loathing, it was humiliation, it was fear.

Valthrudnir shouted something wordlessly, vanishing from the spot... and Celestia felt him go. Bitterly, she hoped he never came back from wherever he went, as she turned towards her son, trembling and walking up to Thesis to silently cup his face, turning his head back and forth... but he had healed so completely she couldn't even see the marks from his surgery. And the exoskeleton on his back... the more she looked at it, the sicker it made her feel.

Why? Why had Valthrudnir done this? Why had she allowed, even encouraged this? The mare shook her head weakly, then she stepped backwards, almost desperately lowering herself in front of him, looking into his eyes as she whispered: “Thesis? Thesis, please... speak to me.”

“What would you like to discuss, Mother?” Thesis asked in a hollow voice, and Celestia had to bite back a whimper as she stared at her child. Her poor child...

“Thesis, what... do you feel? Are you... are you in there? Can you... Thesis, please...” Celestia whispered, slumping slowly to her knees before she leaned forwards, embracing him tightly around the neck... and he didn't react. Didn't embrace her, didn't stiffen, only stayed still, and calm, and terribly, hollowly serene...

“I am here, Mother. I do not feel anything. I understand things now.” Thesis said quietly. He did understand things, now that all those pesky emotions were gone. He had thought before that he had understood what it was like to think purely, to not be fettered by... feelings and worries and confusion, but now he truly understood. The neural nodes secured his mind against invasion and chaos: they helped him to think faster than he ever had, to process things better, and ensured he would never be sidetracked by unproductive thoughts... Mother did not understand, however, because Mother was not programmed like he was. “You do not need to be sad. I am your son. I am at full operating capacity.”

Celestia stared with disbelief at Thesis, and then she slowly, weakly shook her head before whispering: “No, Thesis. No. Don't you understand that... the very fact that you just said that means that... that this is all terribly wrong?” She trembled, biting her lower lip hard enough to draw blood as her eyes shimmered with sorrow. “Oh, Thesis... I... I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry...”

Thesis only tilted his head ever so slightly in response, his empty white eyes drawing down towards her before he stated: “Apologies follow errors or grievances. There has been no error nor grievance. You do not have to apologize.”

“There have been too many errors and grievances to count.” Celestia replied roughly, squeezing into her son before she lowered her head and clenched her eyes shut as she buried her face into the side of his neck, pulling her son closer to her and squeezing him as tight as she dared. “Oh, Thesis...”

The stallion remained silent this time, patiently waiting until Celestia finally pulled away, the mare looking down at him with tender sadness. Eventually, she reached up and gently touched his face, then whispered: “We're going to... to make you better, Thesis. I hope you can believe that.”

“Belief is based upon preconceived notions founded in both fact and desired outcome. Belief is a system of estimation. I cannot believe in becoming better because I have already reached my maximum operating capacity.” Thesis said emotionlessly, and Celestia shivered as she looked silently at her son, before she carefully took his hoof as if he was a foal and gently tugged on him.

And whether he acted like a machine or not, he toddled along at her side like a child when she pulled him forwards, the stallion keeping his eyes dead ahead and not speaking, not questioning, neither pulling away nor slipping closer to her.

Celestia led Thesis to the surgical theater, pulling him into the room as Beauty looked up with surprise at the two. The Dogmatist began to open her mouth, but with only a glare, Celestia silenced her before she asked coldly: “When can these nodes be removed from my son's brain?”

Beauty shifted uneasily, and then she said hesitantly: “Queen Celestia, I... this was a very dangerous surgery to begin with. Neurosurgery is a difficult process, requiring precision to the nth degree... but... perhaps I can offer an alternate solution?”

Celestia narrowed her eyes... but she felt the Dogmatist's emotions and confidence, and after a moment she relaxed slightly, even though her voice remained icy when she prompted: “Well?”

Beauty sighed in visible relief before she carefully strode towards the operating table, resting her hands on it as she explained carefully: “The nodes, as it stands, are programmed only with... very basic parameters. He may seem as if-”

“He seems to have been lobotomized. Get to the point, Beauty.” Celestia ordered, and the Dogmatist winced and dropped her head, nodding awkwardly.

“Yes, of course. The point is that the nodes do not act as replacements, but more as gates that are currently shut to prevent any emotional reaction. We can reprogram the nodes without removing them, however, and that way, Thesis will be able to experience and show emotion while... remaining in control.” Beauty smiled hesitantly, bowing her head silently to Celestia, her curtain of mane falling away from her face to reveal the enormous, Y-shaped scar that ran down one side of her otherwise pristine features. “Perhaps in the future, the nodes will be safer to remove but... I must advise against that for now. Both because the surgery has been so recent and because Thesis is...”

She shifted uncomfortably, and Celestia studied Beauty for a few moments before she asked quietly: “Beauty, who did this to my son? Was it an equipment malfunction, or was it Valthrudnir?”

The Dogmatist's eyes flicked fearfully to the side, and that was all the answer that Celestia needed. She smiled after a moment, however, even as her eyes remained locked on Beauty, the ivory mare saying quietly: “Alright. I understand. Fix my son, Beauty, that's all that matters to me. Make him able to feel again.”

“Yes, Queen Celestia, of course.” Beauty lowered her head respectfully, and then she gestured awkwardly to the surgery table. “Please guide Thesis to the table, and... we'll get him comfortable. Restraints or equipment won't be necessary, but he may experience some discomfort, and I may need you to... keep him calm.”

“Of course.” Celestia said softly, and then she gently tugged on Thesis, who obligingly approached the table and allowed himself to be guided onto it. As he laid down, Celestia reached up and gently stroked his face before she said quietly: “Beauty is going to help you now, Thesis. Alright?”

“I do not understand. I am coherent. I am functional. I am efficient. Why do you wish to reduce my performance?” Thesis asked, although he only continued to stare up at the ceiling with his dead fish gaze.

“What is the most important thing in the world, Thesis?” Celestia asked quietly, and Thesis turned his head slightly to look at her.

“The air, which specifically includes oxygen and carbon gases.” Thesis replied after a moment. “Although water and sustenance are also required for life, without any atmosphere, life could not exist. Organic entities can survive for extended periods of time without sustenance, but lack of oxygen proves fatal to organic entities within minutes, while lack of carbon severely reduces the productivity of Dogmatist and Decretum-based technologies.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then Celestia shook her head before saying softly: “The most important thing is family, Thesis. We are more than the sum of our biology, and the most important thing in the world is family.”

Thesis only shifted slightly at this, and then he said finally: “I do not understand. Family provides security, but it is based in pack instinct. It is not a necessity. Safety can be found in other methods and safety itself is a luxury, not an absolute necessity. Many organisms exist in constant threat and danger.”

“It's because you don't understand this that we have to fix it, Thesis.” Celestia said softly, before she looked up at Beauty, who had rolled back one of her rubber sleeves and was tapping away on a small keyboard that was built into her mechanical arm. “Well?”

Beauty looked up and nodded hesitantly, saying finally: “Yes, I can connect wirelessly to the nodes... if you're ready...”

“Are you ready, Thesis?” Celestia asked gently, turning her eyes down to her son.

Thesis only looked emptily up at her, then stated: “I am prepared and will obey any orders I am given, although I do not understand the necessity of this.”

“And that is precisely why it is so important we do this.” Celestia said softly, shaking her head slowly before she turned her eyes up towards Beauty, her voice immediately becoming colder as she ordered: “Do it. And do it right.”

Beauty nodded hurriedly, then tapped a few buttons before she rose a hand, creating a holographic screen in front of herself. Readings blinked over this, and the mare studied it intently as her fingers returned to her wrist keyboard, the Dogmatist murmuring: “Thesis' brain chemistry has been significantly altered, and he may display... behavioral issues. There has been some degradation in function that has apparently been compensated for by the nodes...”

“I don't care. I want my son to have his mind back. We will work through whatever problems he has together.” Celestia said shortly, and Beauty nodded again quickly.

“Of course, Queen Celestia. I only want you to be aware that he will... need your attention.” the mare replied quietly, and Celestia studied Beauty for a few moments before she gave a slow nod in response, lowering her gaze back to her son.

After roughly an hour, Thesis' eyes cleared slightly. He began to display more expression, chiefly discomfort. Beauty seemed hesitant to continue trying to alter the nodes, and Celestia decided to trust in the Dogmatist when she said Thesis would now start to come around: it would just take some time for his brain to 'wake up,' so to speak.

Celestia took Thesis to his room, half-carrying him with how confused and foggy he was. But after a few hours of rest, he opened his eyes to look at her, and whispered: “Mom?”

Celestia smiled softly, and hugged her son. And although it took him a moment to return the embrace, and he seemed almost to shiver beneath the contact, he all the same did eventually hug her back.

Over the next few days, Celestia didn't see a single sign of Valthrudnir... but she also kept herself occupied more with her son than with keeping the Castle of Harmony stable. Wisdom had proven that she was competent enough to handle most of the operations here herself, after all, and Celestia was much more concerned with Thesis' problems than the Dogmatists.

Thesis was... sad, and angry. Simple words for complex emotions that couldn't be described any other way: he seemed to be nothing but a pit of pain, and Celestia was distraught by what she saw in her child these days. Once Thesis had been unbreakable: even when it seemed like he'd given up entirely, he would still manage to smile, or he'd still make some stupid remark and... keep plodding forwards. Even when he had accepted the fact he might end up paralyzed for life, he had... there had been dignity in it.

There was no dignity anymore. He just... stopped every now and then, hung his head, and cried. He grew angry and shouted at Dogmatists for no reason... except Celestia could feel his emotions and knew her son well enough to understand it was a response generated by fear. He was afraid of everything... afraid of being hurt, afraid of being attacked, afraid that if he didn't strike out first, he would never be able to strike at all.

What had Valthrudnir done to her child?

But all the same, she stayed at Thesis' side, every day, helping him as much as she could. She stayed at his bedside when he slept fitfully, keeping him safe through the night. And she believed that they were making progress... even though the fact that she had so much power now, that she could affect reality with nothing more than a thought, now seemed like a hideous joke when she had come back to find her son so... badly hurt.

She would have preferred Thesis to be... weak, but able to walk, able to function like a normal pony... over superpowered but with the emotions of a traumatized, broken foal. And worse yet, when she'd heard about Singing Lark...

Celestia lowered her head in silence at Thesis' bedside. The Dogmatists like Beauty thought that Thesis was destroying himself purely because of the chemicals in his head, but Celestia knew differently. The chemicals had something to do with it, certainly... but Thesis had been poisoned into killing his own sister. The Dogmatists could never, ever understand the scars that had left on Thesis' mind, especially now that it had been left so brittle by the pain and paranoia...

She knew what betrayal felt like. It ate into her every single day...

Celestia looked at her son silently, where he slept fitfully in bed... and then she bit her lip for a moment before looking silently down at her hoof. Then, without letting herself hesitate, she reached out and placed her hoof against his forehead before she closed her eyes tightly...

And a moment later, Celestia was standing with Thesis, both of them bare of the changes and scars they had accumulated over these last long few years. Thesis looked at her with surprise, and Celestia smiled back at him before she looked ahead, taking in a slow breath as she gazed over green fields beneath the sunny blue sky... “I have something to show you.”

“Mom? But... how... where are we?” Thesis asked in disbelief, and Celestia smiled softly again over at him before she turned her eyes back ahead.

“Not where. When.” she replied, and then she strode forwards, and Thesis followed after her curiously... before his eyes widened as they approached two little foals. One was a light blue, and the other pale ivory... and Celestia smiled wryly at the bow in the larger one's mane. Oh, how she'd hated that stupid bow.

The foals laughed together as they shared secrets and gossiped like the little fillies they were, telling each other all kinds of stories. Thesis and his mother watched in silence, and as they did, the years seemed to spill past like sand, the foals growing up, changing, laughing, sharing secrets, telling lies, arguing, fighting, embracing, forgiving... and all around them, the world turned from grass to stone to a city street to a marvelous castle...

And then there was suddenly only one pony, sitting alone, staring longingly up a long flight of stairs to a set of open doors. The sun seemed to shine out from these doors, laughter and cheer spilling out with the light... but none of it ever touched the mare, who was left in shadow.

“I betrayed my sister, Thesis. What you did was terrible... but it was also not your fault.” Celestia said quietly, and Thesis trembled as he lowered his head before the mare said softly: “I don't claim to understand what happened to you, but I do know that you never would have hurt her if you were in control of yourself. And I know she tried to save you, as my sister tried to save me.”

“I killed her.” Thesis whispered, looking down and closing his eyes tightly, trembles running through his body. “I killed her, Mom... who cares if I was-”

“I care. And she cared. She cared so much she threw herself into your path to try and save you.” Celestia replied quietly, before gesturing ahead as the blue mare cried out, trying to crawl towards the light... but the darkness had become sticky, grasping into her, pulling her back. “Just as my sister cared about me...”

The darkness consumed the mare... and then a terrible, black pony erupted from the shadows, leaping up the steps and charging into the light. There were screams and cries and horror... and then a great and terrible, heartless burst of heat and blinding energy that made Thesis flinch back. And when he looked up again, he saw his mother, cold and proud, standing over the black pony, who was crying and broken on the ground, pleading, holding up her hooves...

And then, there was a burst of light... and a moment later, darkness, Celestia lowering her head and whispering: “Thesis, there are fates worse than death. There is abandonment. There is being consumed by hate, and pain, and demons... whether they are evil spirits or the monsters we create ourselves. There is being beaten and broken and left groveling at the hooves of people you once trusted... there is being cast out of your home, and sealed away by your own sister, who didn't even try to heal you...”

Celestia closed her eyes, lowering her head before she whispered: “Thesis, I sealed my sister away in a place where even with this newfound power, I can't reach. I can't touch her mind... and I can only imagine what that must mean for her. Imagine how alone she must be... how betrayed, how... hurt. Banished, forever... does she wander the dark side of the moon, Thesis? Or is she trapped within its very core?”

She shook her head slowly, then she gazed towards her son and said quietly: “You told me you had a strange dream before. You couldn't remember all of it, but you knew they were all there: Sworn Tenet, Red Sky, and Singing Lark. Thesis, these are all ponies who tried to save you... and who, I think, are still trying to save you.”

Thesis looked down, and then he closed his eyes tightly before whispering: “But why? I'm... I didn't deserve any of the things that they did for me. I'm just...”

“Monster or hero, Thesis... you were a soldier, a friend, and a brother. They didn't save you because you have some great destiny, because you are some chosen one, or because you're special to the world. They saved you because of duty, and honor, and because you were special to them.” Celestia replied quietly, looking silently ahead through the darkness as fragments of memories echoed around them, flickering in and out of reality before the mare gave a faint smile. “Family is the most important thing, Thesis. Remember that. Hold on to that.”

Thesis looked down, then he closed his eyes and lowered his head before he whispered: “I'm scared of what I'm becoming. Of what I'm going to become...”

“Thesis, I have faith that no matter what happens... things will always be set right.” Celestia replied, turning her soft eyes towards her son. “Even if you and I... are wrong about everything we've done, even though our world is... terrible things have happened, and I more and more question what we have done, what we are becoming... there are other worlds out there. And there will always be someone to set the balance back right.”

The stallion was silent as he looked down at the ground, chewing on his lip slowly before he lowered his head and murmured: “I don't know if I'm strong enough. I don't want to fight anymore, Mom. I don't want to...”

He halted, and then looked up as Celestia turned towards him. They looked at each other for the longest time, and then the mare approached and hugged him tightly around the neck, closing her eyes as she said softly: “You may not want to... but I want you to. Sworn Tenet wanted you to. Red Sky wanted you to. Singing Lark wanted you to. Will you please try, Thesis? Will you try, for them?”

Thesis looked up at his mother, and he trembled as the memories collapsed around them, returning them to reality... but even the cold air made his nerves tingle, and the machinery standing out of his back felt so heavy... he forced himself to nod, taking a breath before he replied shakily: “Yeah, Mom. Yeah. I... I promise. I'll try.”

Celestia smiled at him softly, then she drew back and nodded once herself before she murmured: “Alright, Thesis. That's all I want you to do... to try your best. That's all anyone can do.”

Thesis nodded a little, and then he looked down silently at his lap, hugging himself silently. Celestia studied him for a little while, but then leaned in to kiss his forehead, murmuring a soft 'I love you' before she excused herself.

She left Thesis' room, but didn't get very far before she found Valthrudnir waiting for her, the dragon standing in the middle of the hall with his arms crossed, but his expression was uneasy, his emotions scattered. They looked at each other for the longest time, and then Celestia finally gave a brief nod to him before asking shortly: “Where is the enemy?”

“On the move. A substantial horde has gathered.” Valthrudnir replied tersely, scowling at her... but she felt relief from him too, before he turned and gestured at her. “Come. We must prepare our defenses. Even between us both and the army within this castle, their numbers are vast: it is not that I fear for ourselves, but rather-”

“Yes, I understand.” Celestia replied curtly, and there was an uncomfortable silence for a moment before Celestia asked quietly: “How have they managed to band together? I thought all the other nations had fallen by now: I can't imagine why these scum would have any interest in working together.”

Valthrudnir snorted, and then he answered in distaste: “That is precisely the problem. They have ransacked and destroyed everything... except this final bastion. I am sure the warlords have agreed to share the spoils of this conquest between themselves... just as I am equally sure they all plan to turn on one-another once the battle is finished.”

“There won't be any of them left. Can't we destroy them ourselves?” Celestia asked calmly, and Valthrudnir gave Celestia an almost uncomfortable look before he hid it beneath a thin smile.

“Of course an insect like yourself, who has gone so long without true power, would want to flex her newly-acquired strength. But you lack the discipline and the mental fortitude to properly put such cosmic abilities to use as yet, Celestia. Restrain yourself.” Valthrudnir replied pompously, and the mare gave him a dark look before Valthrudnir continued: “Furthermore, while there is some... barbarian amusement in engaging with these combatants on their own level, there is no strategy in tempting their radioactive arsenal. You may still die from a direct blast, and I would be... irritated.”

“Irritated. But in this case, Valthrudnir, I may all the same agree that discretion is the better part of valor.” Celestia said after a moment, lowering her head. “But isn't it possible to shield yourself with that same magic while you fight?”

Valthrudnir sighed in exasperation at this, gesturing towards her irritably. “Give you the slightest amount of power, and again, here we are. Do not forget you have but a fraction of my power, Celestia. And even with my full strength, it requires discipline, focus, and strength of mind to maintain these abilities. The longer my powers are exerted and the more created instead of culled from the environment, the more energy they require to maintain. Furthermore, what you should fear is not running out of power, but running out of control: strength this great often has a nefarious will of its own.”

The ivory mare grimaced a bit, but for once, she didn't doubt the dragon. They walked on in silence... and yet Celestia reflected that they walked, instead of teleporting or portaling or any of the other ways they could instantaneously move through reality now. But then again, Valthrudnir seemed to linger here and there, and his eyes kept flicking towards her, and even though he was trying to hide his emotions, she could feel...

They stopped in front of the throne room, and as the dragon reached up to the doors, Celestia said quietly: “I'm not forgiving you. But I know you... tried. You did a horrible thing, Valthrudnir, and you made a mistake-”

“I do not make mistakes!” shouted the dragon, rounding on her and snarling down at her, and Celestia's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden flare of anger and aggression and pain she felt. “I did what was best, and you will be the one to regret your decisions, Celestia, when Thesis relapses due to the damage done by Vice's meddling and your own stupid need to involve yourself in every single plan that I make!”

There was silence for a few moments, Celestia looking at the dragon disbelievingly... and then she closed her eyes, taking a slow, steadying breath. But she wasn't angry... she was... “Valthrudnir...”

“No. Enough. We have a job to do.” Valthrudnir muttered, turning and shoving the doors angrily open to storm into the room beyond, and after a moment, Celestia followed with a shake of her head, watching the way the dragon snapped and shouted and mocked the gathered Hexad... but she could see how humiliated he was by his own outburst, how all this lashing out was just a child temper-tantruming because he couldn't deal with his own emotions.

The meeting was short, at least: Courage had already scouted out the army marching on them, and they numbered in the thousands. More worrying than the infantry were the warships: dozens of Torpedo Cruisers were protecting Kirin cloudships and several Equestrian airships that had been modified by the pirates and likely carried both more soldiers and radioactive explosives.

They had artillery, as well: motorized and magically-propelled catapults for the most part, and a few massive cannons that had been put on wheels and were being pulled along by pony slaves. It was possible they had other siege equipment as well, cloaked by magic or hidden among the wagons and carts that the barbarians had their serfs pulling.

The timing was in their favor, at least: with Celestia recovered, she would be able to contribute both strategy and her powers to the battle, and she was eager to put her strength to the test. She and Valthrudnir would place themselves at either side of the marching horde, where they could both unleash as much destructive potential as possible without interfering with each other.

With the clouds laced with anti-magic and lightning the enemy warships were moving in low above the forest: they would be vulnerable to cannon fire, and thus made the easiest targets for the Castle of Harmony's own artillery. The Castle itself would be shielded by Wisdom's magic to protect it from enemy fire, while the Tyrant Wyrms and Dogmatists would provide the main line of defense on the ground.

The enemy number was vast... but with their superior weaponry and strategy, they could use the enemy's numbers against them: such a massive force was both easy to monitor and easy to hit from even a great distance, after all.

But the enemy was approaching quickly: they didn't care about formation or rank, how their soldiers mixed together, how some lingered behind and others hurried ahead, whether they were vanguard or not. And to counter the threat, they would have to move equally quickly.

As the Dogmatists assembled, Valthrudnir opened a portal for Celestia, ordering her to go through: it was both a frustrating and somehow endearing gesture from the dragon. She was surprised when he followed her through, however, and they both ended up in the shelter of a rocky ridge, where Celestia could wait until the enemy forces arrived... which wouldn't be long, she thought.

Valthrudnir looked down at her, and she looked back at him before he suddenly said abruptly: “Be careful. Your powers... these are not...”

Valthrudnir shifted back and forth uncomfortably, and then he suddenly reached up and tugged at his choker as he lowered his gaze, muttering: “I was told once to... imagine shaping even destruction as creation. It is a ridiculous notion as they are opposing forces, but then again the savage who told me this put the 'moron' in oxymoron.”

He looked away, and Celestia looked up at him for a few moments before she sighed and leaned up, grasping into his suit with her front hooves and gently tugging him down so she could kiss his cheek, a flush crawling up from the dragon's collar before she said quietly: “I'm still angry with you. But I'll be less angry if we can put a stop to this horde.”

Valthrudnir only grumbled under his breath in response, his eyes flicking away before he brushed at himself and then turned, vanishing with the movement. But his emotions lingered, and Celestia shook her head with a chuckle before she settled back against the rock, closing her eyes and breathing slowly as she dropped into calm meditation.

The army was vast and undisciplined, and she heard their raucous shouting and stomping long before she saw them approaching. She realized after a few moments that she couldn't hear the machinery, however, nor the clank of wheels... and when the mare leaned out from behind the rock wall, she saw there were only a few scattered groups of diamond dogs and griffins passing by, who had apparently gotten so overeager that had pulled far ahead of the rest of the group.

She closed her eyes as she leaned back, trying to sense Valthrudnir... and yes, there he was, almost a kilometer away. And after a moment, she thought she felt him feeling her, before a mental message hummed through her mind... and the mare nodded slowly. She would wait.

It was almost twenty minutes before the main body of the army started to pass: they crowded between the scattered trees, as their mighty warships sailed slowly overhead. Celestia knew that this was their chance to strike, and she was tempted to start things off with the kind of savage force that these barbarians would appreciate... but instead, she forced herself to be subtle, as her eyes roved up towards one of the massive airships.

She shaped her thoughts like magic, imagined the ship's magic engines suddenly cracking, and a great burst of force pushing it down from the sky... and after a moment, there was a terrible boom before the ship rocked in the air, then suddenly dropped, soldiers yelling and scattering in shock as Celestia smiled coldly. Her eyes glowed with power as she looked at the warship, imagining all that energy released by the engines twisting like snakes through the ship until they found...

The warship erupted in a tremendous blast of hellfire as its munitions exploded in one enormous burst. And as the explosion rose into the air, Celestia smiled coldly, her eyes still glowing as she stretched her powers up into the explosion, shaping fire into meteors...

From the pillar of hell that had erupted out of the ship, an avalanche of fiery boulders exploded, streaking down to the ground and erupting in massive blasts that hammered through the scattering ranks of the army. Voices screamed and shouted and panicked, some of them raising weapons as they looked desperately for their attacks, others simply turning to free, some only collapsing in the mire in panic... panic that was quickly infecting the rest of the army.

The sky pirates in the Torpedo Cruisers were quickly fanning out, however, even as one of their ships was blasted apart by a comet that streaked out of the blaze. Celestia narrowed her eyes slightly... but then smiled coldly as another airship suddenly rocked violently, explosions tearing through its hole as an artillery shell punched through it.

Celestia could hear shouting, screaming, roaring: she saw that rough units were forming, following whoever was large, mean, and smart enough to try and marshal some order into the soldiers. The ivory mare stretched her mind out again, closing her eyes as she took a slow breath, searching...

A griffin's head exploded before it could give an order, and soldiers screamed. Another former officer attempted to take control, and he burst into flames, screaming in agony. The earth swallowed a diamond dog that had been rushing along a group of barbarians, trying to get them out of the fray; a Kirin in battle armor was blasted high into the air, then screamed as his horn exploded in a crackle of lightning.

Celestia smiled coldly... before her eyes widened as a voice yelled at her, the mare's head snapping up as she saw a griffin staring at her with a mix of horror and fury. He began to raise his crossbow... and then was nearly knocked out of the air as a cannonball shot past him, smashing into the rock face above Celestia and sending chunks of heavy stone hailing down.

Celestia reacted on instinct, snarling as a wave of force erupted from her body... and the chunks of stone simply froze in the air. The mare stared up at these in disbelief... and all around her, time seemed to slow to a crawl, even as she heard cannons and artillery firing on her, radon shells and cannonballs hurtling lazily through the air towards her...

They slowed to a halt before they could reach her as Celestia breathed slowly in and out, and then she slowly rose a hoof, her eyes glowing with hellish power before she gave a slow smile. Time returned to normal, and for a moment, the munitions continued to float in front of her... before the mare simply flicked her hoof, and the cannonballs and radon shells streaked through the air with an air-shattering boom of thunder that was joined shortly by the sound of the artillery munitions crashing through enemy ships.

Torpedo Cruisers exploded, cloudships and airships shook and began to drop from the sky, and barbarians panicked as Celestia only laughed, her eyes blazing as reality trembled around her. She grinned widely, raising her forelegs, and the rock face behind her erupted, exploding into massive pieces of shrapnel as the mare roared: “I will show you the power of my nation!”

Celestia slashed one hoof forwards through the air, and a storm of rocks tore forwards, smashing through the scattering, screaming ranks of soldiers. Her cruel grin stretched wider as she shoved the other hoof out to the side, and the remaining stones floating behind her launched themselves in rapid succession into the earth some hundred yards away, quickly forming a jagged barrier that blocked the soldiers from heading towards the castle as she shouted: “I will show you the power of a Queen!”

The mare leapt forwards, spreading her wings and flapping them hard as she launched herself down to the ground, landing in plain view... and only laughing as cannons fired at her, caught by the invisible force protecting her. She felt immutable, unstoppable, all-powerful as she simply flicked her horn forwards, sending cannonballs and shells shooting back again to their senders, blowing more ships out of the sky as artillery hailed around her from both sides and soldiers rushed back and forth, howling and shouting in terror and panic.

Griffins dove out of the air towards her as maddened diamond dogs rushed her, and Celestia smiled coldly as she looked up and stomped one hoof down: the griffins she locked her gaze on exploded into chunks of bloody gore as spikes of earth exploded out of the ground in a path towards the diamond dogs. Most of the pack was unable to avoid these in time, screaming as they were impaled and hefted high into the air on the stakes of rock, but one of them managed to dash to the side before shooting towards her and leaping high-

He froze in the air before contact, and Celestia chuckled quietly as she shook her head slowly, then leaned up into the dog's trembling face and said softly: “You see, that's the problem with you. No one's trained you properly. No one's taught you how to heel.”

She flicked her horn, and the diamond dog was slammed down into the earth before Celestia stomped it beneath one hoof, smiling coldly at how easily she crushed the insignificant insect. Then her glowing eyes flicked up, watching as her smile widened at the beautiful sight that greeted her: a warship that had been torn apart by cannon fire was slowly falling through the air towards her, explosions rattling its hull, smoke pouring from its body, the insects and scum and parasites that populated the horde leaping off the burning carcass as she only laughed...

She caught the falling ship with her powers, smiling as she easily hefted it... and then a pain shot through her mind, a cold, sharp crack that made her back arch and her eyes bulge. The ship was crushed like tin in her psychic grip as Celestia gasped, blood spurting from her nose as her whole body shook, before she threw her head back with a roar.

There was a terrible flare of light and a hellish blast of force that made reality itself tremble around her, impacting the mire under her hooves with so much power it turned it to crystal and turning everything else within a dozen feet of the mare to nothing but mush. Celestia dropped her head forwards, gasping and panting, trembles wracking her body before she yelled wordlessly again as another immense pulse of power pounded through her form...

“Celestia!” Valthrudnir shouted, and Celestia looked up as bloody tears spilled down her cheeks, the mare whimpering and staring as Valthrudnir appeared out of thin air in mid run, charging towards her. But just as he drew close, her whole body spasmed and she screamed as another relentless blast of energy tore out of her body, knocking the dragon skidding backwards through the muck.

The dragon gritted his teeth, then cursed as a Torpedo Cruiser fired a radon shell at him, the dragon beginning to bring a hand up... but Celestia's head snapped up, faster than even he could react, and the shell exploded in midair. And to Valthrudnir's shock, the explosion itself turned to green blades of crystal that shot themselves wildly through the air, ripping through flying ships like butter and turning any unfortunate bandits they passed through to crumbling heaps of ash.

Then Celestia screamed again, and another blast of force ripped through the world, buffeting him as he rose his arms to try and defend himself. He stumbled all the same, then snarled as he looked up: even though the barbarians who had witnessed Celestia's initial display of force were fleeing, the rest of the horde was trying to push forwards even through the hail of artillery fire from the castle in the far distance and the random waves of force...

“Celestia! Listen to me!” Valthrudnir shouted, as Celestia convulsed on her hooves, head snapping back and forth. A boom of force tore through the air, but Valthrudnir didn't bother to look up: everything that came close to them was being intercepted or destroyed by Celestia's powers as they went completely out of her control, the mare consumed by her own strength and need to destroy and avenge... “Control your idiotic, primal emotions! Swallow them! And if you cannot swallow them, then throw them out of you!”

Celestia screamed again, her head dropping forwards, clenching her eyes shut as she felt herself spasming, her body quaking with anguish before she snarled, her eyes snapping open as she looked forwards. Hate, pain, rage, righteousness and wrath all commingled, before she leaned forwards and screamed, pouring all her emotions and energy out into one massive wave of force.

The mire in front of her erupted into a surging tidal wave, Valthrudnir knocked off his feet by the force of it and staring in disbelief as the roiling black poison became a storm of hideous nightmares and laughing dragon-beasts that stampeded towards the approaching army, in a black herd a hundred feet wide and dozens of feet tall. The barbarians didn't even have time to react, and their screams were smothered by the mire as the black wave washed over them, muck and poison and magic crushing the life from them and stealing the strength from their bodies as the tsunami of hate surged on.

Celestia trembled, and Valthrudnir's jaw fell open as he watched in disbelief as the entire bottom half of an airship was torn cleanly off by a wave of black-matter-beasts that smashed against it, the rest of the ship quickly falling to the barren earth behind the terrible tsunami.

Slowly, the dragon turned his eyes towards Celestia, as the mare hiccuped once before her eyes rolled up in her head and she collapsed to the earth. Valthrudnir stared at her... and then he crawled quickly over the mire she had turned to crystal beneath them, the dragon grasping into her and whispering: “I-Impossible... I... can't have...”

Valthrudnir shook her almost meekly, and then he trembled as he saw... bruising spreading across her coat, blood spilling from her face... this wasn't possible. The power she had displayed was impossible, because even if she was smarter than the other animals, she... couldn't have such discipline, such imagination...

“Celestia, wake up!” he whispered, but the mare didn't stir, only shivering on the mire. The dragon swore after a moment, then looked up, swallowing thickly as he saw, in the far-flung distance, that the wave of poison was still tearing through the world... “How...”

Valthrudnir shook his head, then he picked up the mare, carefully lifting her in his arms before he turned, creating a portal wide enough to carry her through. He emerged into the halls of the Castle of Harmony, then kicked Wisdom aside when the Dogmatist made the mistake of approaching and getting in his way.

She hit the wall with a wince, but quickly followed after the dragon, saying hurriedly: “We detected an incredible surge of magic... it must have been at least a million bæns of energy! Lord Valthrudnir, did you-”

“Shut up.” the dragon growled, and Wisdom's jaw snapped shut, but she continued to doggedly follow after him as he continued quickly down the hall, ordering in a cold, clear voice: “Beauty! Report to Celestia's room immediately and bring your medical equipment! And Wisdom, since you seem so eager to get underfoot, at least make yourself useful and get me a status report on what has happened to the enemy horde.”

“Yes, sir! I'll send Courage out to scout and I'll scry their operations and... report back to you once I have confirmation!” Wisdom said quickly, saluting the dragon sharply before she turned and bolted away, and the dragon scowled after her with irritation.

But then he turned his eyes back forwards, hurrying to Celestia's room. He set the mare gently down in her bed, and as he stood up, he felt... powerless. He was only able to stare down at her, barely able to feel her energy, watch as her strange bruises pulsed and twisted beneath her skin and blood trickled slowly from one nostril...

Valthrudnir stared at Celestia, and then he silently took one of her hooves as he slowly sat down on a chair that formed from the air beneath him. He had shared his power with her... and she had done something beyond his wildest imaginings with them. She had been terrifying in her destructive power, in her anger, in how she had... created to destroy.

He closed his eyes, trembling: Ymir's words. He only understood them now... but no, Ymir had just been an old fool! Ymir had been nothing but a bully, keeping him down, urging the other Jötnar to kick him when he was weak, laughing at his pain and saying stupid things and trying to get him to do all these philistine tasks that had always been so beneath him... but the others had acted like he should be grateful for being forced to crane his head down to their level...

Ymir couldn't be right. And he, Valthrudnir, was never wrong. He hadn't been wrong about Thesis... he hadn't been wrong to give this powers to Celestia, this wasn't a mistake...

Beauty entered the room, and Valthrudnir quickly looked away as he squeezed Celestia's hoof before he dropped it and quickly shoved his chair backwards, turning a hard scowl towards Beauty. “You are late. And her biorhythms are becoming erratic. If she suffers because of your tardiness, I will not overlook it, Beauty, and nor will I show you mercy.”

“Yes, sir. I understand, Lord Valthrudnir.” Beauty murmured, even as she quickly opened a case filled with medical equipment, the mare selecting a needle as she asked uneasily: “Will her powers react if...”

Valthrudnir opened his mouth to scoff at the Dogmatist... then thought of the wave of mire that Celestia had conjured and slowly closed his muzzle, now not so sure that he wanted to see another instinct reaction from the mare... and as his eyes flicked down to her, he realized he was afraid for her, as much as he was afraid her lashing out might be capable of hurting him... or even...

“More?” Celestia whispered, and Valthrudnir stiffened before the mare's eyes opened, Celestia coughing weakly before she said softly: “I don't even have the strength to raise my head... go ahead, Beauty. Do your tests.”

“Not tests yet, Queen Celestia. A powerful sedative, first...” Beauty murmured, gently slipping the needle into Celestia's foreleg, and the ivory mare flinched before the Dogmatist depressed the plunger and soothed: “Sleep now. Rest, what I'm seeing seems to be energy degradation... I'm sure that as long as we-”

“Do not lie, Beauty. Tell us the truth.” Valthrudnir said harshly, glaring at the Dogmatist, and Beauty flinched in surprise before Celestia reached up and silently touched the dragon, who looked down at her with concern that he didn't want to feel.

Her hoof slipped down into the hands in his lap, and he grasped into her reflexively, leaning towards her. They looked at each other for a few long moments, and then Celestia smiled faintly up at him before she whispered: “You were right. Your powers were too much for me, Valthrudnir. They're too much for any mortal to handle. Absolute power... corrupts absolutely.”

Valthrudnir scowled at her, and then he leaned down and said softly: “Do not be arrogant, Celestia. I am not corrupt and your power is... far from absolute.”

Celestia laughed faintly at this, and then she smiled up at him with a strange happiness, as she whispered: “That is your special gift, Valthrudnir. You are... so arrogant and rude and you think so little of us... but your power has never corrupted you. It's not power you have to fear, it's...”

Celestia's eyes fluttered, and then they slowly closed, and Valthrudnir looked down at her silently before he shivered and shook his head quickly, then he shoved himself away from her, the chair he had summoned vanishing before he turned an almost furious glare on Beauty. But Beauty only bowed her head to him silently, and after a moment, Valthrudnir said shortly: “Run your tests. Tell me when you have a timeline for her vital decay. I expect her to be in surgery in one hour and modulators and stabilizers implanted back into her body.”

“Yes, Lord Valthrudnir.” Beauty bowed, but Valthrudnir only turned and quickly made his way out. The moment he was back in the hall, however, he had to stop and lean up against the wall opposite her door, the dragon trembling as he tried to steady himself.

What had he done?

The dragon gritted his teeth... then looked down in surprise, stumbling to the side as a voice asked worriedly: “Where's Mom?”

Valthrudnir looked down at Thesis, and Thesis looked up at Valthrudnir, with both anger and fear. The dragon stared at the stallion, who was trembling, his legs quavering beneath him, but seemed almost... defiant, and determined, all the same, as he asked again: “Where is my mother?”

Valthrudnir slowly pointed towards the door, and Thesis hurried towards the airlock before the dragon said quietly: “I... I am not responsible for this. For you, or for the fact that your mother cannot... handle listening to orders.”

Thesis looked at Valthrudnir's back silently... and then, as the dragon started to walk away, the stallion turned around and said in as brazen and clear a voice as he could manage: “When... when we go to take back Canterlot, I'll lead the attack.”

The dragon halted, frowning before he turned around, asking contemptibly to hide his curiosity at this statement: “Really? And what makes you think that we will be attacking Canterlot, or that I would even consider you a useful asset in such an event?”

“Because I know that's where the horde is going to retreat to. And because that's where the warlords have to be. And I know that was where you had your own operations, and you don't like giving up your toys.” Thesis said bravely, and Valthrudnir narrowed his eyes... although the stallion had a point. “And because... I am not a coward like you.”

Valthrudnir snarled... but then he only snorted in contempt before he said coldly: “We'll see what you are shortly, Thesis. You are only fortunate that it is in everyone's best interests that you stay on your hooves... but if you keep up this behavior, I don't think I'll have a hard time convincing your mother to adjust those nodes in your head to make you more cooperative.”

Thesis only smiled faintly at this, and then he turned away from the dragon as he replied quietly: “It was my mother who taught me that there's a time for politics, and then there's a time for saying what's on our mind. But at least I'm not the one trying to hide behind her anymore.”

Valthrudnir snarled at the stallion as he entered the airlock, his eyes blazing and his hands clenching into fists so tight that his trimmed claws dug into his palms, drawing silvery blood... but what frustrated him most of all was the fact that, in spite of all the anger he felt...

No. The dragon ground his teeth together, and then he slowly unclenched his hands, looking down at his bloody palms before he took a slow breath and closed his eyes, then he turned around and strode quickly away.

He had other things to take care of. He had projects to pursue. He had a strategy to craft and he had problems, problems that the ponies, not he, had made, that would have to be fixed. It was their fault. All of this, was all their fault. He was superior to all of them, above all of them, and he would never, ever allow these... these ignorant savages to lay their blame at his doorstep, when he had always been so generous, when they didn't feel like he did, didn't understand things like he did, were only animals and he was superior... in every way.

He did not make mistakes.

Verse Twelve

Verse Twelve
~BlackRoseRaven

Gjallar stands among the mountains of dead,

Accompanied only by the raven.

He sings still, leaving no verse left unsaid,

He sings to the dead, holy and craven.

The last fires settle, the sea grows calm,

The storm begins to break; and yet the song

echoes forever on, both bane and balm,

It has no care for what is right or wrong.

The Dragon is broken, the Princess lost,

Their crusade costing what had been desired.

But Gjallar has borne a higher still cost:

He lost the parents he had so admired.

But Gjallar sings on, to end the last lay:

But it is his horn that has the last say.

Thesis breathed quietly in and out, flexing slowly. His form-fitting armor creaked against his body as he stretched calmly, then he rose his head and looked up at Valthrudnir when the dragon instructed in an icy voice: “Remember to follow my orders precisely, Thesis. And remember our deal. If you overexert yourself, the nodes will engage.”

The stallion grimaced a bit at this, looking moodily up at Valthrudnir as the dragon glared down at him. Over the last two days, they had both spent too much time together, arguing with each other over every last possible thing... although really, Thesis was angry about one thing and one thing alone, and Valthrudnir was too self-absorbed to do anything but defend his actions.

Thesis looked away from the dragon, gazing in the direction of his mother's room. She was laying in there, tubes throughout her body pumping chemicals through her that helped stabilize her form, nodes and modulation devices and magic charms of every shape and size attached to her, all trying to somehow... keep her under control. To keep her stable, because all the energy, all the raw power that had pumped through her body, had been too much for it to handle. She was dying because of the gifts that Valthrudnir had given her... just like he had nearly lost his mind because...

“Pay attention, Thesis!” snapped Valthrudnir, and the stallion looked slowly back towards the dragon, gazing at him with unhidden contempt. Valthrudnir looked furiously down at him... but then he took a slow breath before he said coldly: “I am rather surprised at you. Considering how gladly you went through surgery for this, I had expected you to at least show the intellect to cooperate with the rest of my strategy.”

Thesis only snorted at this, and then he rose his head and replied calmly: “I cooperated with you, Valthrudnir, because you said the only way you'd let me go on this mission was if I agreed to allow you to modify the behavioral nodes. And considering the fact you cut open my head and shoved them in anyway without my permission to begin with-”

“You forced my hand.” Valthrudnir snarled, and then he leaned forwards and added dangerously: “Watch your tone, Thesis. I have made you superior in every way. I have given you gifts. And you seem to forget that you are nothing but an insect, nothing but a project to me! You are the same as... as this!”

Valthrudnir strode towards a Dogmatist, then reached down and yanked his weapon out of his hooves, shoving the cannon towards Thesis. “You are nothing but a weapon, armament to be allocated to whatever unit would find your abilities the most beneficial, a living piece of military equipment!”

Thesis looked coldly at Valthrudnir... and yet he had nothing to say, because he knew it was true. He was a homunculus, a Replicant: his flesh was false, his blood was poisonous fuel, he had an engine built into his back, and nodes in his brain that restricted certain behaviors but also helped his synthetic mind think and react faster.

And like so many of Valthrudnir's machines, he not only had one singular purpose, there were now all manner of safety parameters and overrides in place to ensure that he wouldn't lash out against his so-called 'creator.' Among others was the fact that the nodes would selectively alter his personality if he activated the exoskeleton on his back: the higher the activation and the further he pushed himself past his natural limits, the more the nodes would modify his personality... and this time, Thesis wasn't sure if his mother would be around to force Beauty to change him back.

All the same, Thesis had accepted it, in order to make this final march. The barbarian horde had retreated, just as he'd predicted, to Canterlot... or rather, the remnants that hadn't been torn apart or scared away by Celestia. They were regrouping there, under the direction of their warlords... and while Thesis doubted they would attack again soon, unless they were wiped out, they would regather their forces and continue to ravage their country.

Every one of those soldiers could be a father, a brother, a son... and who, if not defeated, would breed more of their kind: barbarians and savages. Thesis would put a stop to it, and not for the sake of this ruined nation or this forsaken world.

For the sake of his mother, who had taught him both the cost of mercy, and the value of revenge. And for the first time in his life, Thesis felt that he was ready to balance the two.

He looked up at the dragon, then said calmly as he pushed the cannon away: “Then why don't you get out of my way and let me do what I was designed for, Valthrudnir?”

The dragon snarled at him for a moment... but then he smiled coldly and said shortly: “Very well. Canterlot has many bulwarks against a ground assault, and a bevy of defenses against low-altitude attack. But they still have almost no defenses against high-altitude insertion.”

“Same as Thunderstorm Island. Except this time I hope your information is correct.” Thesis said quietly, and Valthrudnir snorted in disgust, looking contemptibly down at the stallion.

“Yes, Thesis, bark all you want. But it's only noise.” Valthrudnir snapped, and then he looked past the Replicant, snapping: “Wisdom, assemble the Hexad! Courage and Hoplites will be responsible for distracting Canterlot's aerial defenses. You will lead the frontal assault with the Tyrant Wyrms and a contingent of Dullahan.”

Wisdom bowed her head, and Valthrudnir turned his eyes towards Beauty and Prudence, who were also waiting in silence. “Prudence, you and your Dogmatists will circle into the city. Kill any resistance you come across and bring the attack from the area. Undoubtedly even these savages will expect such a simple maneuver, but your goal is to eradicate and distract. Allow them to come to you. Thesis and his team will be responsible for the extermination of the warlords. When the head is chopped off this snake, the barbarians will disperse, and Celestia can have her petty victory.”

“And you will win your game, whatever it is.” Thesis responded calmly, and Valthrudnir snorted in contempt.

“I am allowing you ponies to achieve your own victories. If I was interested in eradicating these savages, they would have long been destroyed. But I suppose not every world is mine to conquer.” Valthrudnir said derisively, and Thesis studied him with a frown for a few moments before the dragon ordered: “Go and prepare your equipment, then join your team. They're waiting for you at the Vulture.”

Thesis gave a short, rude half-salute, and Valthrudnir narrowed his eyes at him dangerously, but the stallion ignored the glare as he turned and quickly made his way out of the meeting room, shoving his way past the other Dogmatists.

All he cared about was getting this over and done with: he knew that Valthrudnir could have ended this conflict even before it had started, but the dragon simply... hadn't. He had let the fight go on, let it cost countless lives and get out of control, to the point where now the world they knew was in ruins... and Thesis thought it was all part of some grand, stupid scheme. Or rather, it had been: he was also fairly certain that no matter what Valthrudnir's plans had originally been, they had been changed drastically by Celestia.

Thesis wasn't sure what that meant, but at the same time, he thought he understood that this was all some... bizarre gift for Celestia. That he was letting her 'have her victory,' as he had said: but in giving her the power to destroy, he had nearly destroyed Celestia. In giving Thesis the strength to fight, he had turned him into... this.

Now, as Celestia shivered in near-coma as her body fought to adjust to both its own powers and the machinery implanted to regulate her strength, and Thesis had been reduced to nothing more than a war machine, Valthrudnir was trying to give them one final gift. The gift of revenge and victory over the horde. Another gift of destruction for their enemies...

But how much would it cost them?

Thesis didn't want to find out. But he knew, all the same, that he would, and they would all suffer the consequences of their actions. Yet all the same, part of him clung to a small, tiny seed of hope in his heart, to a beacon that all the machinery and logic in the world could never extinguish...

That no matter what Valthrudnir did, whether he was his father or just his creator, whether in the end he saved them or destroyed them or abandoned them... he was fallible. He couldn't acknowledge, couldn't even see his own mistakes, and Thesis believed that it wasn't just because of the dragon's arrogance, but it was some twisted form of a conscience, deep inside the dragon's soul.

Thesis believed that Valthrudnir wanted to change, wanted to become something better than he was. And he hoped, with all his heart, that his father would find the strength to change...

Because he believed, with all his heart, that even giants could be humbled by someone brave enough to stand up to them.

The stallion leaned calmly out of the edge of the dropship as the Vulture streaked through the evening sky: even with his sharp eyes, he could barely make out what was going on below. But he could see the explosions going up here and there from the artillery barrages pounding the small army marching directly on Canterlot... not that Wisdom or most of her troops cared. The Dullahan were evil spirits contained inside magical armor: even if they were destroyed, the dark spirits simply returned to the ether to wait until they were summoned to a new body.

The Tyrant Wyrms were almost indestructible as well: as long as they protected their core, it didn't matter how much damage their bodies took. Thesis shivered a little as he thought he heard their terrible language echoing through the air: it wasn't dark magic, but something even more alien and twisted. Something so cruel, that it warped reality itself... and yet somehow, it called to him...

Thesis shook his head briefly, then glanced up as a warning light flashed and a buzzer went off, loud enough to drown out the sound of the engines and the wind whipping by. “Alright, suit up.”

The Dogmatists nodded in perfect synchronization before they went about their individual preparations: weapons were checked, equipment readied, ammunition ensured it was in easy access.

Thesis looked over the three quickly, but then he only unharnessed himself from his seat and checked his own gear smoothly over, snapping his visor down over his eyes and making sure that all the little packs that held his equipment were strapped securely on. He hadn't bothered learning the faces or names of these war machines. He didn't care about them, because like him, they were nothing but pieces of equipment. And all he cared about was ending this battle, no matter what it cost him.

Thesis slipped on his drop-pack, then approached the door, looking down at Canterlot: they were so high above the castle it was little more than a tiny square in the distance, around which lights and flashes and tiny ants danced and wriggled over. He took a slow breath as he leaned forwards, joined by a Dogmatist, before the buzzer went off again... and without hesitation, Thesis leapt out of the Vulture, pinning his forelegs to his sides as he went into a sharp dive.

The Dogmatists followed behind him, but Thesis didn't look at any of them as he felt himself pulling slowly ahead, his eyes narrowed behind the visor of his helm as readings blurred by. Then his eyes widened in shock as two Kirin cloudships seemed to materialize out of thin air in front of him, twisting his body to the side to narrowly scrape past the hull of one.

One of his Dogmatists smashed into the top of the cloudship... but Thesis didn't look back even as the visor beeped at him loudly. Instead, he forced himself to concentrate on the fall, snarling as several more cloudships dropped their magical cloaking, the Kirin on deck opening fire with both artillery and magic.

Thesis only kept his eyes ahead, falling as fast as he dared towards Canterlot, his visor beeping wildly. Behind him, he heard a tremendous explosion as a warning blared over his visor, telling him that one of his Dogmatists had just been killed, but Thesis didn't care. He would fight his way through Canterlot by himself if he had to.

He fell, even as cannons on the ground were turned upwards to fire at him, likely attracted by the ships appearing above. And griffins were leaping to the air to try and meet him with their weapons readied, but Thesis only reached back, counting quickly down before he suddenly flipped over and hammered the button on his drop-pack.

Jet boosters flared violently into life, Thesis' ascent slowing rapidly: at first, the griffins swarmed eagerly upwards towards him, some already firing bolts through the confusion of the fire-laced night sky... but then Thesis tilted his body forwards, angling the drop pack so the boosters shot him on a high arc above the attackers.

His visor beeped angrily at him as he left the flight path that had been chosen for him, but Thesis ignored it as he watched the ground beneath him sharply, mind making a thousand calculations at once before he hammered a button on the harness holding the drop-pack on. And just like that, the jets flared off as the harness popped loose from his body, Thesis dropping suddenly through the air to land with a crunch on top of an unlucky zebra on the roof.

Thesis quickly shot across the roof to a massive, automated crossbow: with one savage punch, he knocked the bandit that had been seated in it flying, then he grabbed the miniature ballista and forcefully spun it around, pointing it towards the edge of the roof. He grabbed the handle with one hoof and the reload crank with the other, then took a deep breath...

Griffins began to swarm up over the edge of the roof, and Thesis opened fire on the flock, massive bolts tearing through their bodies and sending them hailing down with screams of shock. Thesis' eyes were cold as he used the turret to tear most of the flock apart, before a griffin managed to shove through the corpses and close, screaming at him-

Thesis yanked the ballista hard enough to the side to slam the sharp edge of the massive, mechanized bow through the side of the griffin's skull, knocking it to the ground in a splatter of gore, and then he quickly abandoned the turret, dashing across the roof and away from the remaining griffins. He knew Canterlot like the back of his hoof, and it wasn't hard for Thesis to lose his pursuers by sliding off the roof, catching the very edge of it before athletically twisting his body around and flinging himself into the building through a broken window.

He landed in one of the upper galleries, and Thesis quickly ran down the corridor before turning at the first hallway he came to, pushing towards the center of the building. The warlords would have taken the most secure room for themselves they could find: he would check the throne room first, and if they weren't there, he would make his way down to the dungeon, where they would have likely bunkered themselves after the attack began...

Thesis reached a staircase without any event, and he frowned uneasily as he made his way quickly down the steps. He could hear battle and explosions outside, but inside Canterlot, the halls were nearly empty. He came across a group of soldiers at the foot of the stairs, and without stopping, Thesis leapt into them, seizing two by the head and slamming their skulls together before he neatly jackknifed their falling bodies, slamming both rear hooves into the face of a griffin to knock it crashing backwards in a bloody mess.

He landed in a neat crouch as one of the surviving bandits fell backwards and crawled towards the wall, yelling in fear, while the two diamond dogs at the back of the group bolted with their tails between their legs, yelping and whimpering. The stallion frowned slightly at this, then he turned his eyes to the panicked barbarian, striding over to the pony and seizing him by the front of his rusty Solar Guard armor...

His eyes narrowed. Equestrian armor, Pegasus, shouting at him in a Canterlot accent... “I don't like traitors. I recommend you give me one good reason why I don't break your skull open, soldier.”

“S-Sir, Prince Thesis, sir!” the Pegasus shook his head wildly, staring in fear up at the stallion. “Please, sir! I... I can help you, I was scared, I-”

“Afraid?” Thesis narrowed his eyes, and then he straightened and easily hefted the bandit into the air by the front of his armor, the former soldier's eyes bulging in terror. “Now are you afraid?”

“Please! Please don't hurt me!” the Pegasus whimpered, and Thesis snorted before simply throwing the bandit down to the ground in front of him, the pony bouncing once before he dropped flat and groveled with his hooves over his head. “The... they made us, they-”

“Where are the warlords?” Thesis asked shortly, as he reached up to tap the side of his visor, cycling quickly through its different modes to get an idea of what was waiting for him. Thermals indicate the presence of soldiers is much higher below... echo indicates several large, metallic masses, possibly barriers or turret defenses... energy readings show several magical traps...

The Pegasus looked up fearfully, then swallowed before saying quickly: “They... the moment the attack started, they sent almost all of us out to meet it and to secure Canterlot... but a lot of the army is just waiting for the signal, they're going to use their ships to bombard you from behind, and-”

“Where are the warlords?” Thesis repeated, slamming a hoof down in front of the traitor.

The Pegasus flinched, and then he blurted out: “Throne room! But they're going to run once the diamond dogs set the explosives!”

“What?” Thesis frowned, but then his eyes widened slightly even before the Pegasus started to speak again, already imagining what that could only mean...

“Explosives... in the dungeons! They're going to abandon Canterlot and blow it up! We were just trying to sneak out of here before they kill us all!”

Thesis turned away from the traitor, running quickly down the hall: that meant he didn't have a lot of time. And either he was too far away from the other Dogmatists on his team for his visor to allow for communication with them, or they had been killed already... meaning he couldn't get a message out to anyone about what was going on.

The stallion bolted down the first flight of stairs he found, then swore and leapt across the hall to duck behind a statue as several blasts of magic immediately shot at him from several Kirin. They pummeled the statue from behind the safety of a hastily-built barrier wall, and Thesis gritted his teeth before he reached into one of his packs: he didn't have time for this.

He pulled out the crystal and squeezed it to activate it, then leaned out and tossed it: there was a click as it landed just behind the shoulder-high barrier before it exploded in a deafening boom that sent flaming chunks of gore and rubble flying past the stallion as he ducked back behind the crumbled statue. He waited a moment, then leapt out and ran through the burning wreckage and dead Kirin, hearing voices shouting as soldiers ran towards the source of the explosion... but long before he saw them, Thesis had already bolted out of sight.

He ran through a bedroom, then leapt through a broken window, twisting his body in midair as he fell towards the courtyard below... but then caught a balcony just as he began to pass it, his muscles flexing and the stone railing cracking as he hauled himself up onto it. He stopped to take a breath for a moment, but then shoved himself quickly into the room beyond and simply ran past a pair of startled raiders and into the corridor beyond.

Enemies shouted at him, but Thesis plowed through their ranks, zigzagging back and forth: he leapt into the air to slam all four hooves into a griffin here, crunching him into the wall as he kicked off him to shoot across the hall and slam a diamond dog into the wall opposite with a resounding crunch. He dashed beneath the falling body before it could drop, picking up a griffin to use as a shield as kirin fired magic at him, then flung the dying hybrid into the bandits before he leapt over them.

His front hooves slammed down on the head of a diamond dog, and Thesis used him like a springboard, flinging himself past and stomping both rear hooves onto another enemy to leap straight into a shocked, airborne griffin, seizing into its forelegs to pendulum himself further on down the hall. And the moment Thesis landed, he reached back into his equipment pouch and pulled out a crystal explosive, squeezing it before flinging it over his shoulder without looking back as he ran forwards.

The explosion shook the corridor, part of the roof collapsing as soldiers screamed and howled in misery and disbelief. But Thesis didn't care, as he rushed towards the double doors that led into the throne room, leaping a barricade before he smashed through the final threshold-

Thesis stumbled to a halt, and he mouthed wordlessly in disbelief: the throne room had been painted with blood, torn apart corpses scattered throughout the wide hall, heads mounted crudely on the jutting metal pipes hammered into the dais where his mother's throne had once stood. The stallion strode slowly, disbelievingly forwards, looking up at these terrified faces and trembling as he studied them with horror and a strange hollowness in his stomach.

A griffin,with his own crown buried halfway through his skull; a unicorn, with what was likely his own heart stuck on his horn like a grisly ornament; a kirin, his mouth stuffed with gold and gemstones, drooling pretty chains, the tears on his face still yet to dry.

There were others, too, but Thesis felt... sick, trying to make out any more. All he could see was fresh blood. All he could smell was death, and corpses, and the stale reek of fear that still lingered in the air. Even as the castle shook around them from artillery fire, even though the world was full of screaming and shouting and panicking, all he could really hear was... the laughter. The laughter, and the heavy footfalls of the monster that had done this.

Thesis slowly turned around to face Kindynas as the mechanical diamond dog grinned his steel grin, stopping only a few feet away as he spread his arms and asked: “Well? What do you think, Prince of Ponies? Is it not beautiful?”

Thesis snarled at him, readying himself as Kindnyas started to approach again... but the mechanical diamond dog simply brushed past him, his metal jaw seeming to twist larger with his delight as he gestured towards the severed heads. “They were schemers and thinkers... but this is no longer a world ruled by schemes and thought! Only power matters now! This is a perfect world, Prince of Ponies, a world where the strong and the mighty rule over the weak, where everything is nothing but chaos and disorder, where there is no privilege, no safety, no law!”

“Why?” was all Thesis could ask... and Kindynas laughed at him, the diamond dog turning his cruel, hateful eyes on the stallion, looking down at him with contempt.

“Because life is suffering, and no one should be safe from pain. Because hate is natural, not love. Because civilization and law are folly.” Kindynas licked his steel teeth slowly, then he whispered: “The world burns, pony, and I realized that I should thank you and your kind... for this beautiful fire of Armageddon. For making the end of days a reality. Or are you here to lie to me, and tell me love will survive, and good will vanquish evil?”

“You killed the leaders of the horde. You did my job for me.” Thesis said coldly, but Kindynas only chuckled quietly. “What do you think will happen? These were the warmongers, the ones who were driving on your war! They-”

“No, they wanted to unite the people into one army. This army may have pillaged and ravaged and burned your precious nation, true, but they had put aside their differences to work with you. Look, here!” Kindynas turned towards the heads, pointing at the griffin warlord with one large metal claw. “He turned against the Creed, freed his people from the pointless rules of honor... and then the fool regretted it! He said too many of his own had died, that they had ruined their nation... I say the fires made it more beautiful!

“This one, look at this kirin! What a pathetic fool!” Kindynas growled, reaching up and tugging one of the golden chains free, gemstones spilling out of the dead monarch's jaws in a sparkling hail. “He choked as well. He said that his people were dying... but his solution, instead of making them stronger, making them better warriors, was to goad them with treasure to return to their peaceful ways! But gemstones only make us fat and weak and weigh us down, they do not make us strong!

“And this one, worst of all...” Kindynas grabbed the unicorn's horn, crushing the heart in a splatter of blood before he ripped the head free and turned around, thrusting it towards Thesis. “This one said they would kill Celestia, and rebuild Equestria. Rebuild their nation, that there were still green fields and happy places... that he would offer kirin, and diamond dog, and griffin all alike a place to live with him! He said they would make a nation of all races... as if wolf and lamb can lay beside one another, as if they had forgotten everything that the war had taught them!”

Kindynas flung the head down to the ground, then stomped on it, crushing it into nothing but shards of bone and gore before he looked up, eyes burning with hate as he whispered: “So they had to be destroyed. And their people will scatter. Canterlot will fall, and this horde will break apart into a thousand bands of raiders and thieves, all living by strength, preying upon one another... as we were meant to. It is beautiful, Prince of Ponies. No nations, no unity, nothing but packs of animals, crawling on the surface of this burnt world. It is how things were meant to be.”

The two looked at one another for a few long moments, before Thesis slowly rose his head and said quietly: “My father believes that too, Kindynas. That we are all like you: animals, who seek nothing but chaos and strife, who live in false, idealized peace only because we are kept there by strong hands. But now, more than ever, I know the world is a good place, just as the people who make up this world, while they are ignorant, and they are animals... they are not beasts. They are not evil. They are not like you, because in all the years I have fought... I have met soldiers, and I have met brothers, and I have met friends and enemies on the battlefield, and I have walked beside machines and carried the broken and been carried by the strong... but I never met a monster until I met you.”

Kindynas laughed loudly at this, and then the diamond dog dropped to all fours, his eyes glowing with hate and eagerness as he said mockingly: “And do you fancy yourself a hero now that you have a toy sticking out of your back, mud pony?”

“No. I am only a soldier. I am a weapon. I am a homunculus.” Thesis narrowed his eyes, slowly lowering himself into a ready position as he said calmly: “And I am more than a match for you.”

“You forget yourself, mud pony.” Kindynas replied through his steel grin, and then he leapt suddenly forwards before slamming a metal fist down-

Thesis struck forwards with both forelegs, and Kindynas' eyes widened in shock as the stallion's hooves hammered into his steel fist, the limbs of both warriors trembling before Kindynas snarled and yanked his claw back before striking forwards again. But this time Thesis brought both forelegs down on top of it, knocking his claw uselessly into the floor as he leapfrogged the diamond dog at the same time before kicking off his metal back.

Kindynas flinched slightly, but the attack was otherwise ineffective even as Thesis launched himself away, hitting the ground and rolling sharply around to his hooves. His eyes locked back onto Kindynas as the mechanical diamond dog spun around and charged at him, and Thesis waited until the last moment before he dodged out of the way of a savage uppercut, then ducked quickly beneath a wild swing of the same tree-trunk arm.

Thesis slipped forwards and slammed his hooves in a vicious volley against Kindynas' steel face, but the diamond dog only snarled before attempting to snag the stallion in a bear hug, Thesis barely leaping backwards in time. The giant's claws still managed to catch his visor and the end of his muzzle, digging thick scratches over them both, and Thesis swore: not at the pain, but at the fact that his visor went wild with static, shaking his head back and forth before he reached up to shove his helmet off-

A massive force slammed into his chest, and Thesis flew bonelessly across the room to crash back-first into a pillar, his exoskeleton sparking and sending agony through his body before he dropped to his hooves, narrowly catching himself as he gasped. His shaggy mane fell loose around his head as he glared over at Kindynas as the stallion's helmet bounced across the ground in front of the goliath, who easily swept it up in one claw before he said softly: “You are not as brittle as I remember, mud pony...”

Kindynas chuckled softly... then simply crushed the helmet in his grip, saying coldly: “Good. That will make this all the more enjoyable.”

Thesis' eyes narrowed as they roved quickly over the diamond dog as the giant began to lumber unhurriedly towards him, the stallion backing slowly up as he felt the pain in his body slowly fading... but not entirely. He could also feel his chest armor painfully digging into his body: he didn't have the time to look down, but he wouldn't be surprised to see that the goliath's claws had left deep dents and cracks through his breastplate.

He couldn't leave so much as a dent on Kindynas' armor with his hooves alone. The diamond dog's strength was titanic and his claws could shred him into pieces. He was almost as fast even plated in inches of metal as he had been when he had been flesh and blood, if not faster, which meant he was being enhanced somehow, and not just by the machinery he could only faintly hear with the movements of the goliath...

Thesis felt time almost freeze as he made himself focus, holding his breath as his eyes locked on the giant's arm. His eyes saw every detail, from the complex claw to the way the metal plating was fused and arranged in a layer-over-layer form, to Kindynas' elbow and the mesh visible between metal at the flexing joint... and then his eyes saw it.

There was some sort of vent panel on the exterior of Kindynas' limb, just above the elbow.

Thesis let out his breath, and time returned to normal, the stallion waiting for the giant diamond dog to draw close... and then he leapt to the side when Kindynas suddenly slammed a hammer-fist forwards, smashing in the ground beside Thesis. The stallion jumped at the diamond dog, but Kindynas swept his limb out and batted the stallion away like a toy.

The equine landed on his hooves, sending up sparks as he skidded backwards before he gritted his teeth as Kindynas charged at him. Thesis rapidly backwards up towards a pillar, then leapt out of the way when the diamond dog tried to pounce: instead, both his claws raked savagely into stone, tearing through most of the pillar as cracks tore across its surface, and Thesis swore and leapt backwards as most of the column collapsed.

It crashed down in a hail over the diamond dog, who stumbled backwards, covering his head with a snarl, and Thesis leapt towards the giant between the chunks of falling stone and dust, slamming a hoof home into the vent panel on one of the diamond dog's huge elbows before he yanked to the side to tear it off, revealing a brightly glowing gemstone. Thesis began to swing his hoof towards this... but he was slammed away by a rough slap from the diamond dog as Kindynas turned, snarling: “Worthless pawn, stay still!”

Thesis hit the ground and rolled to his hooves, grimacing before his eyes widened as Kindynas charged towards him: the stallion cursed, then backpedaled rapidly as Kindynas slammed a vicious tattoo of punches into the ground as he continued to steamroll forwards, knocking pony-sized holes in the ground with his huge fists before he suddenly slammed both hands down and lunged towards Thesis with a savage bite.

The stallion slammed both elbows down into Kindynas' skull, knocking him face-first into the floor with a tremendous bang before Thesis leapt to the dog's other side, smashing the vent cover off his other arm with one hoof before his other punched into the stone, cracking it and sending a surge of electricity through the giant's limb. Kindynas howled as he yanked himself to the side, ripping loose from the ground and seizing into his wounded arm as he stared with Thesis in surprise as the stallion staggered backwards, hissing in pain as he held up his smoldering hoof... before the diamond dog's metal face contorted with rage, his eyes blazing as he roared: “We are done playing, pony!”

The diamond dog tore both claws into the ground, ripping up chunks of stone floor before he flung them one after the other at Thesis. The stallion winced, dodging to the side as large, sharp chunks of rock shot past him with the force of cannonballs, before the stallion swore as he dodged right into the path of a rock-

He moved on instinct, slamming an uppercut into the foot thick chunk of stone and knocking it flying straight up into the air, Kindynas staring in shock as he watched the piece of stone rise, then fall... and then Thesis punched it as hard as he could with his other hoof, sending it streaking through the air to slam into the diamond dog's face.

The diamond dog howled in misery, grabbing at his face as he staggered, and Thesis set himself before the giant slowly lowered his hand from an eye that had been reduced to a bloody socket. The giant trembled, growling low in his throat before he suddenly roared and flung himself forwards, charging straight at the stallion.

He lunged into a bite, and Thesis slammed both hooves into Kindynas' face to shove him into the ground as he leapt at the same time, flinging himself high into the air... and right into the path of a claw that snatched him out of the air and slammed him face-first down into the ground even as Kindynas bounced forwards on his belly over the ground, his face scraping against the floor... but his metal grin cruel and wide as he slammed Thesis into the floor again and again even as he skidded forwards.

The stallion was helpless in the giant's grip, vomiting blood as the claws crushed around him, his eyes bulging with agony as he felt bones cracking and his armor crunching painfully into his chest... and then Kindynas slowly climbed up to his hooves and wrapped his other claw around Thesis as he hissed: “You took my eye, mud pony. But I will take your life.”

His jaws opened wide, the diamond dog lunging forwards, and Thesis barely managed to yank his face out of the way before he slammed his head forwards as hard as he could into Kindynas' muzzle. And even though it felt like his skull cracked as it hit the steel sheathing his face, the diamond dog still roared in pain and surprise, his grip loosening just enough for Thesis to shove himself free from his claws and launch himself backwards.

He hit the ground and stumbled on three legs as the other reached back to his equipment satchel, yanking out a crystal that he squeezed in one hoof before flinging hard at the diamond dog. But Kindnyas only slapped it away, and the explosive crystal uselessly struck the wall before it went up in a powerful blast of flame that did nothing but make Thesis flinch, as the giant growled: “Toys cannot save a puppet.”

Thesis gritted his teeth, and then he set himself, shivering in pain. His whole body hurt... and Kindynas had already thrown off the pain of losing an eye. He didn't seem distracted in the slightest by it, as he began to lumber forwards again... what hate, what fury powered this monster? How could Thesis hope to overcome such terror and strength, unless...

The stallion looked up, then he gritted his teeth before he whispered: “But love, and my family, can.”

Kindynas halted, his eye widening in disbelief... before he tilted his head as his mechanical grin seemed to stretch wider, the diamond dog giving voice to a loud laugh before he asked mockingly: “Have you gone insane? Did I break you already, stupid mud pony? How do you expect to stop me with love? Where is your family now? Burning among the dead, that is where!”

Kindynas gestured outwards as several terrible booms shook the castle, screams echoing outside its walls, and Thesis felt the floor shift ominously beneath his hooves... before he slowly, fearlessly straightened as he met the diamond dog's gaze, saying quietly: “That's your problem, Kindynas... it's not love, and honor, that wipes out monsters like you...”

Thesis gritted his teeth.. and his body flinched before he arched his back, his white eyes flashing as the pistons sparked on his back, extending fully before they began to pump in rhythm through his back, pain and chemicals flooding his body as he felt his head fill with lightning and fire and numbing cold: “It's what love, and honor, gives us the strength to accept, and sacrifice!”

Thesis glared at Kindynas, and even though he felt anger, and fear, and hate... he also felt ready. Ready to accept what had to be done, ready to accept what the cost of this would be, as he felt the mechanical limiters kicking in at the same as the chemicals filled his body, making muscle bulge as wounds healed.

Kindynas began to open his mouth, leaning forwards... and Thesis shot forwards like a rocket, slamming a hoof straight ahead into the giant's stomach with enough force to rupture the metal plating covering his abdominals. Kindynas gagged, staggering backwards as his eye bulged in disbelief, his hands clutching pointlessly at the air as Thesis slammed vicious, precise blows across the metal plating.

The diamond dog roared in wounded fury, then lashed a claw down as his senses came back as he snarled... and Thesis dodged smoothly to the side, so fast he seemed to vanish from the spot before his hoof smashed into the power crystal on Kindynas' arm, shattering it in one powerful blow.

There was another blast of lightning, and Kindynas howled before he yanked his limb to the side... but it was little more than a limp flail, and Thesis was able to easily catch the armored arm, the diamond dog's eyes widening before Thesis snarled as he half-spun, yanking the diamond dog off his feet and flinging him belly down onto the floor.

Kindynas bounced on the ground, and Thesis leapt onto his back, grabbing the back of his head and slamming his face cruelly down into the floor once, twice, thrice, before he leapt forwards when the diamond dog bucked and clawed wildly at him with his working limb. Thesis started to spin around... but took a direct punch to the face from diamond dog, sent flying across the room with his muzzle visibly broken before he hit a pillar and bounced off, landing painfully on the ground as the exoskeleton stuttered.

But Thesis was barely aware of it, his eyes staring hollowly at the ground for a moment before they snapped up as he picked himself up, teeth bared as black blood dripped from his maw. He rolled his shoulders as the pistons began to pick up in rhythm, Thesis' eyes flicking back and forth as the logical side of him located every vulnerable area he could on the diamond dog... and the rage drove him to act the moment Kindynas turned towards him.

Thesis dashed forwards... and then seemed to vanish from sight as Kindynas started to raise an arm, the diamond dog's eyes widening before he howled in shock as a hoof smashed into his limply hanging arm, hitting the bloody hole where the crystal had exploded. And before he could so much as twitch his head, another blow struck his back, and then another one leg.

The diamond dog flinched back and forth, howling in frustration and pain as Thesis moved like lightning around him, slamming precise, vicious blows into every joint and chink in the diamond dog's armor that he could reach. Kindynas slashed his working arm out, uselessly flailing at the air, but Thesis easily slipped behind him and slammed his hooves in a cruel tattoo along the diamond dog's lower spine, knocking the giant staggering forwards with a howl.

He bent forwards, catching himself on his hands, and Thesis took the opportunity to sprint up the giant's back before he slammed both front hooves down into his head to use as an axis. The stallion spun around as he flung himself off the diamond dog's head, then kicked both rear hooves up into the giant's throat, Kindynas choking loudly as his head snapped back and he clutched at his neck.

But as Thesis launched himself towards the ground, he caught the diamond dog's massive forearm and hauled it down with him, once more slamming Kindynas face-first into the ground. Canterlot shook with the impact... and then Kindynas screamed as Thesis slammed his hoof into the vulnerable power crystal on his elbow, shattering it in a burst of static as Kindynas' limb spasmed... then dropped limp.

The giant of a diamond dog gasped for breath on his knees as Thesis leapt backwards, his eyes locked on Kindynas as he bared his teeth for a moment... and then slowly, contemptibly straightened. The hate and the anger burned in him... but logic was more important now, his cold eyes studying Kindynas before Thesis said coldly: “Your augmentation has been classified as atypical. The benefits of such technology outweigh the benefits of termination. Surrender.”

Kindynas glared at Thesis... and then he grinned slowly before slowly climbing to his paws, his arms spasming limply in front of him before he slowly clenched his claws into fists as he growled: “I knew that you did not have the courage to kill, mud pony... that you will never... have the courage to kill!”

Kindynas lunged forwards, roaring, before he bit savagely at Thesis' face. The stallion leapt backwards, his eyes widening in surprise before he felt a surge of excitement, of chemical, of adrenaline...

Thesis bared his teeth, and then he leapt forwards when Kindynas tried to bite him again, slamming a hoof across the diamond dog's metal jaw. The mechanical giant's head snapped to the side... and crashed right into Thesis' other hoof, which immediately drove his head into the ground as Thesis slammed punch after punch down into his skull, snarling: “That is not the correct response!”

Thesis stopped, his eyes widening, his hoof trembling in the air above his head as logic and fury warred with each other for a moment between the nodes in his brain and the chemicals attacking his mind... and then Kindynas rammed himself upwards, headbutting Thesis onto his back before the diamond dog simply dropped on top of him, crushing him under his weight. His claws dragged upwards, and Thesis snarled as he leaned away from the biting jaws of the giant and shoved his hooves out to keep his still-deadly hands at a distance, as metal digits flexed open and closed with more than enough strength to crush bone and kill even if his arms refused to carry their own weight... “I will kill you! I will eat you, mud pony!”

Thesis managed to brace his rear hooves against Kindynas' breast, and then he kicked as hard as he could with a snarl. The giant managed to catch himself on his paws, however, staggering backwards to his feet... but Thesis was already back on his own hooves, leaping towards one of the diamond dog's squat legs and slamming a vicious volley of blows into his knee.

Kindynas howled, then attempted to kick Thesis away as his claws dug uselessly into the ground, but Thesis caught the kick and flung his leg wide before he drove both elbows down into the top of his knee. The leg bent awkwardly as there was a sickening crack, and then Kindynas fell to a kneel with a howl.

Thesis turned, not stopping, not slowing, and drove a vicious haymaker with both front hooves into the diamond dog's other knee, before a savage volley of punches followed this up, and then a powerful strike from both hooves that sent up another horrific crack before Kindynas' leg collapsed under him. He almost fell, half-catching himself, half-trapped on his own massive upper limbs, and Thesis turned, hooves smashing savagely now up across the diamond dog's front before he leapt up and seized into the giant's face, then yanked his head straight down and into the floor with a tremendous bang.

The floor around Kindynas cracked with the force his face struck the ground, and for a moment, there was silence as Thesis stepped backwards... before the stallion's white eyes narrowed as the giant slowly forced his head to raise, glaring at him with hate in his single eye. Hate, and nothing else, as his bloody, broken metal jaws bit uselessly at the equine before he hissed through his broken metal jaw: “Weak... you are too weak, crowbait... let me put you down...”

Thesis frowned slowly... but Kindynas was broken, beaten and defeated. The stallion felt the pistons gearing down, and the rage fading quickly away as logic took over... and yet, there was still enough of him left to wonder: “Why are you still trying to fight? You have been rendered non-functional. You have suffered catastrophic damage.”

Kindynas only laughed harshly, then he leaned up, roaring as he twitched brokenly on the ground: “Because I will never stop, mud pony! Because the fight, and pain, and war are all that matters! I am strong, I am strength, I am predator and you are prey! I will kill you!”

Thesis stood, tilting his head slowly to the side before he said softly: “You are incorrect. Food, and sustenance are what matter. And the most important thing...”

Thesis studied Kindynas for a moment, and then he stepped forwards and calmly grasped the diamond dog by the face before forcing his metal jaws closed. Kindynas snarled, struggling...before he began to spasm, claws tearing weakly at the ground and his body twitching, then convulsing back and forth as he gurgled uselessly. He stared up at Thesis, and Thesis looked emotionlessly back down at him, watching the way the diamond dog spasmed, fought, struggled... and then how it began to slow, and weaken... he grew slower, and weaker...

The light faded out of Kindynas' eye as he slumped, but Thesis held his mechanical jaws completely shut for almost a minute longer before he let go, saying as if he had never left off: “The most important thing is oxygen.”

Thesis stopped, studying the diamond dog before he said quietly: “You do not have scrap value. Escape is the highest priority, not retrieval of materials. You will not escape, Kindynas.”

He stopped, then looked down for a moment before adding softly: “The second most important thing is family. Killing is only important when it is to destroy a threat. You are a threat.” Thesis stopped, then turned around, correcting calmly: “You were a threat.”

The stallion strode to the doors of the throne room, his head high, his expression cold as he left the hollow hall behind. All that remained were the corpses of the warlords and the broken body of the diamond dog, still grinning his steel grin even in death and his eye glassed over with hatred... and bitter pleasure, as if in his last moments he had understood that while he hadn't been able to take Thesis' life... he had stolen everything else away from him.

Verse Thirteen

Verse Thirteen:
~BlackRoseRaven

Gjallar's lament reaches its bitter end,

There is no longer anything to say:

The last note quavers, as if to pretend

He shall sing again, come another day.

But as the sun sets in flickering flame,

The moon does not rise into blackened skies:

The stars do not shine within the sky's frame,

And the only wind comes from Gjallar's sighs.

And then all is still as darkness consumes

All that once was everything in our world:

What hubris the Dragon had to presume,

Within his claws such power could be curled.

Dragon and Princess, along with Midgard,

Are consumed by shadow, forever scarred.

Celestia awoke, shivering and in pain. She didn't know how long it had been... only that it had been too long. She didn't know what was wrong with her... and yet, at the same time, she did. Oh, and she had accused Valthrudnir of having hubris... now look at her. At what had happened to her...

She slowly rose her hooves in front of herself, and trembled at the sight of the tubes through her bruised forelegs, at the pain that came from the other mechanical parts that had been fused into her body... and then the mare looked up as she felt a terrible, icy chill run down her spine.

She had been asleep for too long. There were worse things than her death happening. And this time she wasn't going to be stupid enough to ignore those feelings.

The mare stumbled towards the airlock... then snarled at it as it refused her, a holographic screen appearing. A moment later, Beauty's surprised face appeared on the screen before the mare said quickly: “Queen Celestia, you are not supposed to-”

“Open.” Celestia ordered, and the airlock doors slammed open, sparking violently as a tinny alarm went off. The mare strode through the holographic screen and the doors beyond, her body flexing and her eyes glowing with the power she still had... the power she was going to use to find out what was going on.

It didn't take her long to find Valthrudnir: he was in the throne room, so absorbed in whatever speech he'd been giving that he didn't notice her until she slammed the doors open and strode inside. Immediately, all the Dogmatists present turned to stare at her... and Celestia simply held up her hooves before she made a pulling-apart motion with them, and the Dogmatists were evenly split down the middle, flung violently into walls on either side of the room and trapped there by crushing, invisible force.

She saw Valthrudnir... and she saw her son, Thesis, and that glassy look in his eyes that told her... “What did you do?”

Valthrudnir looked back and forth at his Dogmatists, and then he turned towards Celestia and snapped: “Put them down! You stupid little horse, you are-”

“Valthrudnir!” Celestia roared as she charged forwards, and Valthrudnir had a moment to stare at her before she slammed into him... and the dragon howled in shock as he was blasted backwards off his feet and slammed through first the glass screen, and then the steel wall behind him, hitting the floor of the hallway and skidding a good dozen more feet away.

He came to a halt with a look of utter shock on his face, his mouth working slowly as Celestia stepped slowly through the hole in the wall after him, her eyes glowing with rage as she hissed: “What have you done to my son?”

Valthrudnir stared at her... and then he snarled in fury as he climbed up to his feet, clenching his hands into fists as he shouted: “I have put up with your plebeian, ignorant jackassery long enough, Celestia! Do not forget that you have but a smidgen of my power, and even that fragment is too much for your body to handle! If you dare raise your hoof or horn to me again I will-”

Celestia snapped her horn forwards, and a blast of raw force slammed into Valthrudnir's face, his head wrenching to the side as a tooth flew out of his muzzle, his jaw working spasmodically as Celestia snarled: “You treat us like nothing but barbarians anyway, and I have had enough of your arrogance. Every time I turn my back on you, you do something else... unforgivable! And this time, Valthrudnir, I will not forgive you!”

“As I will not forgive you for this insult!” Valthrudnir snarled back, snapping his fingers as he glared at her. And a moment later, spikes of ice and stone ripped out of the ground around the mare, trapping her inside a cage as he growled: “Giving my powers to a worthless brood mare like you, who thinks of nothing but the spawn of her womb, who-”

“Has a hundredth of your power, and a thousand times your creativity.” Celestia's voice said shortly from behind him, and Valthrudnir spun around... and right into a massive chunk of ice that slammed into his face, knocking him staggering backwards... before the cage he had created around Celestia suddenly erupted forwards, becoming a massive set of jaws of living rock and ice that bit savagely down around the dragon, slamming him to the ground.

Celestia approached slowly as Valthrudnir gasped on the ground, mouthing wordlessly before he looked over his shoulder at her, then snarled at her. Celestia snarled back... before her eyes widened as she heard hoofsteps behind her, the mare turning too late before Thesis slammed a hoof into her face.

The mare was sent flying into Valthrudnir, who caught her on reflex, the dragon's eyes widening in shock as he looked down at her in disbelief before blurting: “Thesis! What are you doing?”

“Protection protocols have been engaged. I am doing what you have programmed me to.” Thesis said rationally, lowering his hoof.

Celestia trembled violently in Valthrudnir's arms, touching her cheek and staring with disbelief at her son. Valthrudnir looked at Thesis, then he looked down at Celestia before he reached up towards her face with trembling fingers... and Celestia slapped his hand away before she shoved herself away from him, whispering: “Stay away from me. Just stay away from me.”

Celestia strode towards Thesis, staring at him... at his empty eyes, even as he frowned at her almost curiously. Almost: it was a facade, the emotions not really there, just masks covering layers and layers of synthetic, of chemical reaction, of...

The mare shivered and shoved past him, and Thesis looked after his mother for a moment as Valthrudnir slowly stood up in the middle of the wrecked hall. He looked down at himself, and then slowly turned his eyes towards his hands, before he held them out in almost a supplicating gesture... but Celestia was long gone, and Thesis was the only pony standing before him.

The stallion looked up at him attentively, and Valthrudnir dropped his hands, breathing slowly in and out. His hands trembled as he reached up to straighten his choker, before he smoothed out his jacket... then looked down as Thesis asked calmly: “Orders?”

Thesis looked up at him emptily: the stallion had apparently accepted what the cost of using his exoskeleton would be... and by now, his brain was so badly damaged by all the chemicals that without the neural inhibitors, his thinking processes would still be permanently altered. It wasn't Valthrudnir's fault: he hadn't had time to replace the exoskeleton with a new model, and he had explained to Thesis what the cost would be if he tried to use it. Thesis had made the choice.

Just like it wasn't his fault that Celestia was dying. He had done more for her than he had ever done for anyone... he had done more for these ponies, and continued to, going so far as to program Thesis' nodes so he could give those... annoying little reactions that made him seem more 'natural' to other ponies in spite of now being... he was perfect, now! He was the first true Replicant, the first of his kind. He was obedient, possessed a hundred times the strength of a normal pony, was able to regenerate from the gravest of wounds and had a logical, perfect mind that could process information as fast or faster than even the Clockwork King AI, all hidden under that equine shell...

“Orders?” Thesis asked again politely, and Valthrudnir looked at this pony, and saw nothing but misery and failure.

“Get out of my sight.” he whispered, and Thesis nodded before turning and striding around a corner, before the click of his hooves halted. Valthrudnir stared in disbelief at the corner, and then he asked disbelievingly: “Thesis? What are you doing?”

“I am out of your sight.” Thesis replied logically. “But I am still within range of command, Lord Valthrudnir. Do you have further orders?

Valthrudnir looked down, studying the silver rings that decorated his fingers, and the pattern of his scales. He thought about the intricacies of how his hand moved, the muscles, the fibers, the blood and the energy, cells and genetics... things he had all claimed to have mastery of, at some point or another. That he truly believed he had mastered...

“Do you have further orders?” asked the pony standing behind the corner, and Valthrudnir turned slowly around before striding silently away, leaving Thesis standing alone in the corridor.

Valthrudnir stepped through reality, and ended up somewhere he hadn't been for a long time. He stood on the same mountain he had stood on when he had first arrived in this world, gazing down over Equestria... but it was a very different place from when he had first been here. Even though it had only been a few days since Canterlot had fallen, the horde had already scattered to every corner of Equestria, like insects fleeing a destroyed hive.

The dragon had wanted to show Celestia this. The world, from his point of view: he was so high up, that everyone looked like ants, and even the mightiest castle was nothing but a stack of building blocks that he could see all the flaws in, that he could make something better. He wanted to take all the chaos, and make it into order. He wanted to fix everything he saw, because this entire universe seemed to be broken...

Was it though?

Was he broken?

Valthrudnir lowered his head as he slipped his hands into his pockets, before he closed his eyes. No, he couldn't accept that. He wasn't making a mistake... he had been too generous, but that was not a mistake, that was... different. He had tried too hard, perhaps, but so what? The ponies should have just been more accepting of him. He had given them choices, and the choices had all led to... terrible things.

In the beginning, it had been a game. He had been able to get close to Celestia easily, with displays of vulgar magic and simple tricks. He had been able to give her a child... and Thesis' original purpose had been nothing but a pet project, the ultimate Replicant.

When had things started to go wrong? When had he allowed himself to get too close? At some point, he had stopped... thinking as logically as he should have been. He had looked at Celestia as... he had thought of Thesis as...

Valthrudnir looked down at the snowy mountaintop, and then he slowly looked up at the gray, empty skies above, staring into the cosmic nothingness before he snarled, then shouted: “I am not wrong! I do not make mistakes, do you hear me? Ymir, you were wrong, it was always you... Odin, I will not let the gods take my right away from me! I will find the core of these worlds, I will not be distracted by the... pathetic excuses for life you have seeded these planets with, I will show all of you, every last one of you, what true genius, true creation is!”

Valthrudnir breathed hard, staring up at the sky, one hand clenched into a fist... and then he looked slowly down, trembling hard before he whispered: “I do not make mistakes and I am not weak, and I am not broken. I have not made any mistakes.”

“Then I have.” Celestia said quietly, and Valthrudnir spun around in surprise to stare at the mare with disbelief, the two looking at each other. They only gazed at each other for the longest time in silence... before Celestia finally stepped forwards and asked: “Why?”

“I... I don't need to give you any reasons.” Valthrudnir replied harshly, but he couldn't look at her, his eyes dropping away, his hands shoving back into his pockets as he kicked at a loose rock. “I... I do whatever I want to, Celestia. You should all be grateful-”

“Valthrudnir, I was grateful every single day you were here.” Celestia said quietly, and Valthrudnir looked up at her with surprise before the mare smiled faintly. “But I can't... fix you. I can't help you, if you don't want to be helped. And you...” Celestia stepped up beside him, looking silently down at what was no longer her country, or her world. “You still don't understand... that we're not toys. We're not animals. We're people, just like you.”

“But... you can't be.” Valthrudnir whispered, as if it was impossible, as he looked down at her before he said finally: “You don't have the powers I do-”

“You gave me your powers, and even if my body can't handle it... my mind can. Is that what scares you, Valthrudnir? The realization that even if we don't look the same, even if we're so different outside...” Celestia looked up at him silently as she reached up to rest a hoof against the dragon's stomach. “Inside, you and I... aren't different, after all?”

Valthrudnir only laughed shortly, but he trembled as he looked away from her, breathing hard in and out before Celestia looked down and nodded once. “I can't imagine what you've done, Valthrudnir... it makes me sick to think about, because I still love you, in spite of knowing...” Celestia smiled faintly, and Valthrudnir looked down at her, unable to speak, unable to think. “But I can't imagine... how you must suffer, every single day... with the realization that-”

“Stop it! Enough!” Valthrudnir shouted, stumbling away from her as he shook his head violently, before he bared his teeth at her... but even as energy boomed around him and reality itself trembled, tears shone in his eyes, his voice was petulant and childish and so very afraid as he yelled hoarsely: “I am supreme! I am superior, and... and I will not stop! I do not make mistakes, I do not... I do not care about you! I don't care about any of you! I am not weak, Celestia, and I will not be made a fool of, and this... this world is mine! This world will be mine, and every world will be mine and you are all nothing but... n-nothing but...”

Valthrudnir's mouth snapped shut, his lower lip trembling before he suddenly turned and ran away, stumbling childishly over the stony face of the mountain before he vanished in a burst of light.

Celestia stared after the dragon as a single tear ran down her cheek, the mare trembling for a moment... before she took a slow breath and swallowed her emotions, closing her eyes tightly before she whispered: “Goodbye, my love.”

When Celestia eventually returned to the Castle of Harmony, she was unsurprised to see it was in a flurry of activity. The mare strode past Dogmatists, going ignored by most of them until she was approached by Wisdom, who looked at her with contempt before she announced: “Lord Valthrudnir has revoked all your privileges and restricted your access to all areas of this Castle, which will hereby be known as Genesis. You are no longer permitted to-”

“Shut up, Wisdom.” Celestia said in a disinterested voice, absently flicking her horn to the side, and Wisdom exploded into a mass of silvery goo that splattered over several Dogmatists trying to hurry by, making them stumble to a halt.

Celestia walked onward: after a few moments, Wisdom hurried up in front of her again, although this time there was much more humility in the Dogmatist as she lowered her head meekly and whispered: “Please, Princess Celestia. Please listen to me. For everyone's sake.”

Celestia studied Wisdom for a few moments, and then she asked softly: “Why do you follow him when you aren't programmed like the others, Wisdom? You've certainly been well-trained... but you haven't been brainwashed to the extent the others have. You are cold, and cruel when you follow your Master's orders... but there's something else inside you, too.”

Wisdom looked down silently for a moment, chewing on her lip... and then she finally smiled faintly before raising her eyes and replying quietly: “Because my friends are the most important things in the world to me, and... Valthrudnir...”

She looked away, and Celestia laughed quietly, closing her eyes before she murmured: “Everything he touches, he poisons. Ruins. Including us.” She stopped, then asked softly: “Who was Princess Celestia to you? Every time you forget yourself, I hear you call me by that old, abandoned title...”

Wisdom looked down in silence, and Celestia asked with almost detached interest: “When did he kill her?”

Wisdom flushed and looked away, and Celestia continued to study her before she asked one last question, although she didn't expect any answer to this one, either: “Why was this world different? Why didn't he just destroy us or corrupt us?”

The purple pony looked up at her, and then she said after a moment, with what sounded almost like the faintest hint of envy: “Because of you. Because of you, Celestia... you were... everything that I think he was looking for. And now, for the first time, I think... he has regrets.”

Celestia nodded slowly, and then she looked down at herself, flexing her foreleg slowly before she said quietly: “I don't want to bother him. I don't want to get under hoof here, either. Are you taking over this world, or... whatever it is that you do?”

Wisdom laughed a little at this, looking down before she whispered: “I guess you could say that. Usually we don't take over the world, though. Usually we...”

She looked uncomfortably away, and Celestia studied the mare before she murmured softly: “That sounds like eternal torment to me. And this feels a little like damnation.” She halted, looking down and chewing on her lip slowly before she said softly: “Well, that's alright. I guess... this is what I deserve, anyway.”

Celestia dragged herself onward, and Wisdom watched the mare leave before she sighed softly and turned to return to her duties. The ivory mare, meanwhile, found her way up a high tower, from which she could gaze down over what was going on below, watching as the Dogmatists built what she guessed were portals.

It wasn't very interesting, and she felt too... listless and hollow to care much, but it passed the time. She was surprised by how little it bothered her to watch as several Tyrant Wyrms strode through the portals, grinning their malevolent grins before they started to skulk across the earth in all directions, likely to spread their poisons across Equestria. She wondered absently how long it would take them to turn her entire country into a blackened mire, like the poisonous bog all around her Castle of Harmony...

The answer to her question was a month, but of course that was in part because Tyrant Wyrms were marched into the land by the dozen, and there was very little left in the nation or beyond to try and resist. Their civilizations had all but destroyed each other, after all... and she knew that Dogmatist strike teams had been dispatched all over the world to eliminate any possible sources of resistance.

Celestia herself lounged around a few rooms in the castle she had claimed as her own, which Valthrudnir pointedly ignored. She drank, and abused her powers for petty reasons, and ranted to Wisdom and Beauty whenever they came to check on her or run tests.

Celestia sighed softly, then she stomped one hoof down angrily, before moodily looking down at what was no longer flesh and natural nail, but instead hard metal on the end of an appendage that several steel support bars had been grafted into. She flexed it slowly, then stomped it again... before childishly stomping it once more, this last time knocking a hole in the floor that a Dogmatist would have to come by and repair later.

Petty. But it made her feel better, if only for a moment. And she had to live for those moments these days.

Celestia snorted, then she bitterly turned away, striding across the room to her enormous throne. It was massive, and steel, and terribly cold... but that was only for now, since it changed based on her mood. Something she thought Discord would have appreciated... oh, maybe she could convince the Dogmatists to fetch his statue for her if he hadn't been crumbled in the attack on Canterlot, she would dearly love a cellmate.

Cellmate. What a cell she had, though! All of the world was at her hooves... and with barely a thought, Celestia vanished, reappearing on a desert island thousands and thousands of miles away. She looked back and forth moodily, then kicked a tree behind her before holding out a hoof, a coconut falling neatly into it before she vanished again, and reappeared in her room.

She simply touched the top of the coconut, and a perfect cut formed through the top of the fruit that Celestia easily pulled off and then grouchily upended, guzzling down the milky substance inside. Then she strode out through the open doors onto the balcony, holding the empty coconut shell in one hoof and studying what was going on below until she saw Wisdom.

Celestia flung the coconut, and it bounced off the Dogmatist's head, Wisdom flinching before she looked awkwardly up over her shoulder as Celestia shouted: “That is a coconut, Wisdom, and I expect to see my pantry stocked full of them by tomorrow!”

Below, she heard Wisdom sigh, but Celestia only grumbled and turned around, heading back into her room... before she scowled darkly as she felt his presence a moment before the dragon opened her door, glaring balefully at her.

She glared angrily back in silence, and then Valthrudnir spat: “Cease giving my Dogmatists pointless busywork and interrupting my operations, or-”

“Oh, if I wanted to interrupt your operations, I would do this.” Celestia retorted petulantly, and then she simply swept a hoof upwards, and there were yells and shouts and roars of confusion as at least a dozen Dogmatists and several Tyrant Wyrms outside were all hefted into the air by invisible forces.

Then Celestia simply let them drop as her hoof fell back to the ground, and Valthrudnir scowled at her, one of his eyes twitching. The mare only looked coldly back at him, however, until the dragon finally said in a growl: “I have decided that Canterlot will be rebuilt as a factory, since the diamond dogs were kind enough to destroy it for me. This Genesis facility will play host to several important structures, and small manufacturing city. I will call it the Exoterra project.”

“Wonderful.” Celestia said contemptibly, and then she asked shortly: “Why are you here?”

“Because, Celestia. As long as you are loafing here, you might as well contribute something to my society. I do not like extra parts simply... floating around and causing trouble.” Valthrudnir said patronizingly, and the mare narrowed her eyes at him dangerously.

He glared back angrily, and then took a slow breath before he rose his head and stated arrogantly: “Do not forget that you are now here on my-”

Celestia narrowed her eyes, and a cloth gag appeared and tightly wrapped itself around the dragon's muzzle, one of Valthrudnir's eyes twitching before he reached up and tore this off, then leaned forwards and growled: “You are pushing your luck.”

“I have to live every day like it's my last, Valthrudnir. Because it very well might be.” retorted Celestia, and Valthrudnir groaned and threw up his hands in disgust and contempt.

“You have at least a decade of life, you... odious little cretin.” Valthrudnir growled in disgust, shaking his head as he glowered down at the mare contemptibly. “Maybe if you could stop seeking sympathy and pity for a moment, you could put some of that dramatic energy towards directing my operations here. Then at least your existence would be similar to a scab instead of a festering boil.”

The two glared at each other for a few moments, and then Celestia said contemptibly: “I will work for you when my son is healed.”

“Thesis is fine. One might even be able to say 'happy.'” Valthrudnir retorted, and when Celestia glowered at him, he added contritely: “Or at least much happier than he ever was in the cesspit you turned this country into, considering how you forced him into the position where he saw each and every one of his so-called 'friends' killed.”

“You never learn, do you? You just never learn.” Celestia growled, her eyes glowing with anger before she took a slow breath, then said quietly: “Get out, Valthrudnir. Get out, and don't come back. I am not your servant.”

Valthrudnir scowled at her darkly... and then he finally snorted before turning and leaving, slamming the door angrily behind him. He took a slow breath... then calmly reached into his suit jacket and produced a single playing card, looking at this for a few long moments before he growled: “Fine, Celestia. I've given you all the chances I can give, and now... now...”

The dragon trembled, then turned and stormed quickly through the hall, shouting: “Wisdom! Ready a portal to Decretum! Thesis, meet me there! We are moving ahead with operations and I will see this entire world turned into a factory facility before the year is over!”

Outside, Wisdom flinched before hurrying to do as Valthrudnir had instructed, while Thesis only calmly looked up from where he had simply been standing, waiting to be called upon beside all the other Dogmatists on reserve. He strode quickly out of the room, making his way quickly to the portal room... but he didn't rush. His computerized mind was able to easily process where Valthrudnir's order had come from and judge his distance from the portal room, so...

Thesis arrived a moment before Valthrudnir did: Wisdom hurried into the room a moment later, before yelping when she was slapped aside by the dragon, who snarled: “Worthless! I'll do it myself! I can't depend on any of you ponies to do anything right, can I?”

“Our function is limited to our programming and physiology.” Thesis stated emotionlessly, and Valthrudnir turned a furious look towards the Replicant, raising a hand...

It quavered in the air, as Thesis looked up at him with those hollow, white eyes of his, and Valthrudnir stared down into the face of the pony who had once been... not this. He stared into glassy ivory eyes that looked up at him obediently, emotionlessly... emptily. Devoid of the ability to make decisions, with no personality, no feeling, no instinct: just a combination of passive logic and complex thinking patterns that could never...

“Thesis, what is the most important thing in this world?”

Valthrudnir had no idea what he asked the question. Maybe it had just been repeated so many times to him now in the presence of this stallion that... “The air.”

The dragon frowned at the stallion's response, and Thesis explained: “The most important thing in the world is the air. This is a generic term that encompasses both oxygen and carbon in the atmosphere, as well as a plethora of other gases. For organics, the answer is oxygen: being deprived for this substance for even a short period of time-”

“Enough.” Valthrudnir murmured, his hand slowly lowering to adjust his bolo tie, and then he looked up as the large archway at the other end of this cold steel room burst into crackling, electric life, a swirling mass of energy appearing within the metal pillars. Valthrudnir studied this for a few moments, and then he said finally: “Go through the portal, Thesis. There is... much to be done.”

Thesis nodded, striding towards the portal and passing through, and Valthrudnir followed... but halted in front of the swirl of energy, looking over at Wisdom before he said quietly: “You have the design specifications, and you know what to do. This world does not have to look... pretty. We will let the Tyrant Wyrms cover it with mire as they have Decretum, and then we will begin building mines and carbon drills. I want this world to be... black, and toxic. Fitting for... a factory.”

Valthrudnir flexed a hand slowly, looking down at it silently, and Wisdom bit her lip before she nodded hesitantly. There was silence for a few moments, and then she asked carefully: “What should I tell... Queen Celestia?”

“Queen Celestia...” Valthrudnir laughed shortly, and then he shook his head slowly before saying dismissively: “Tell her whatever you want. Tell her...”

The dragon looked away for a moment, and then he only shook his head and stepped through the portal, vanishing into the swirl of energy. The portal closed behind him... and it would not be until months later the portal was reopened, and Valthrudnir came back through.

But he did not come alone: strange ponies followed after him, many of whom had modifications and strange mutations across their bodies, but who all seemed somehow different from the Dogmatists. They were not hollow-eyed or empty: they looked around with a cold but still-present curiosity, reacted to each other, and to the world around them.

And last, came Thesis: his mane had been cropped into a stiff buzz cut, and his hide seemed more like synthetic rubber than natural flesh, his coat thin and dark and almost invisible against his jet-black hide, which merged smoothly with the advanced exoskeleton standing out of his back along the steel ridge of his prosthetic spine. His eyes were white and sharp and lucid... but it was a false lucidity. “Do you want me to go and speak to Mother?”

Valthrudnir looked moodily over at Thesis, then he said distastefully: “Do not attempt to skirt your duties, Thesis. Get the Replicants into order, and then you can go visit your precious mother.”

The dragon paused, and then he looked back over his shoulder, watching as several large, pony-shaped golems of steel slowly dragged a large, armored crate through the tall portal, the dragon looking intently at this sealed, heavy-duty box as it gradually rolled past. As it did so, he reached up a finger, stroking it along the surface of the sealed safe-box, then he said softly: “After that, meet me outside, and we shall see that you fulfill your original purpose.”

“Yes, sir.” Thesis saluted sharply, and then he turned around and ordered, as the golems dragged the crate out of the room: “Replicants! Fall in!”

The Replicants all looked up, then quickly assembled themselves into a line: all ten faced towards Thesis, their expressions varying from emotionless and empty to cunning and perhaps even resentful of the stallion standing in front of them, as Valthrudnir only watched with cold eyes. “All of you were assigned your orders in Decretum. You will continue your duties here in Endworld unless otherwise commanded. As this dominion does not have a working AI interface yet assigned, all communications must be relayed through direct contact and communication uplinks. Node will be responsible for bringing these uplinks online.”

One of the mechanical ponies saluted, and Thesis drew his eyes over the others before stating calmly: “You will all be monitored. Those who disobey their orders or waste their time will be punished accordingly.”

The rest of the Replicants saluted, and Thesis gave them one more look before ordering: “Go.”

The Replicants gave their acknowledgment in chorus before they turned and filed quickly out of the room. Thesis looked over his shoulder at Valthrudnir, who studied him in return before he said distastefully: “I suppose it was acceptable. You are dismissed for now, Thesis. But remember to report back to me as soon as you are done with your... social frivolities.”

“Yes, Lord Valthrudnir.” Thesis nodded, then he quickly saluted before turning and heading to the door himself. He made his way through the Castle, noting what was different with barely-marked interest: the only reason he cared was because it allowed him to update the mental map in his mind and the defensive strategies necessary to protect this place.

Not that they had anything left to worry about: thirteen days ago, they had been informed by Wisdom that this world was now completely their dominion. There might still be patches here and there where non-converted residents might be hiding, but they wouldn't last very long. The mire was hostile, and carbon was filling the atmosphere: the heat had already increased by more than a degree worldwide, and soon, they would have to move the sun back to reduce the greenhouse effect.

Thesis smiled: everything felt right in the world. The Replicant project was well underway, and Valthrudnir had upgraded his programming and helped him to understand the world better. He was White Delegation, and the only one of his kind: the other Replicants were Class IIIs, and their design was inferior to his own... but they were still far stronger and more advanced than the Dogmatists, and Valthrudnir already had retrieved the necessary organic materials to create what would become the Class IV Replicants.

After all, as had been confirmed by Valthrudnir's experiments, a body formed naturally in its mother's womb tended to be much more versatile than a pony created in a laboratory, by processes that were still imperfect.

Thesis looked up as he suddenly heard hooves moving towards him down the hall... and then he smiled when he saw Celestia, his mother, running towards him. She skidded to a halt in front of him, and he studied her before nodding to the mare, greeting: “Mother. I have missed you.”

Celestia looked at her son, breathing quietly in and out before she shook her head slowly and whispered: “Thesis. What has he done to you now?”

Thesis only tilted his head for a moment, as if he didn't understand, before he said slowly: “I have been modified and upgraded to my fullest potential by a variety of chemical and genetic processes. Your tone tells me that this question is rhetorical, or used to express disbelief, even shock and horror.”

Celestia stared at her son, and Thesis looked back at her before he smiled. “I am glad to see you, mother. It has triggered a neurochemical reaction, releasing dopamine through my cerebral cortex to create happiness.”

The mare shivered at this, feeling a sick twist inside her stomach before she whispered: “Thesis... what...”

Thesis only looked at her calmly, and then he stiffly stepped forwards and clumsily attempted to hug her. Celestia trembled at the contact, staring over her son's shoulder: he was more mechanical than the Dogmatists, like some sort of machine attempting to imitate social functions-

He started to pull back, and Celestia wrapped her forelegs around him, squeezing him fiercely against her. Thesis only hung limply off her, not trying to pull away nor return the embrace before he stated: “This extended period of physical contact serves no purpose.”

“Thesis...” Celestia whispered, and then she clenched her eyes shut before pulling away, shaking her head slowly as she stared at him before the mare closed her eyes tightly. “I can't tell if this is Valthrudnir trying to apologize... or just insult added to injury...”

Celestia looked silently down at her foreleg, flexing it slowly before she looked up as Thesis said curiously: “But I am more functional now. I am further capable of adaptation. I am able to recognize what these chemical reactions in my mind are and react to them. I am superior.”

The mare laughed shortly, and then she looked at Thesis and asked coldly: “What is the most important thing in life?”

Thesis looked at her for a few moments, before he responded in a thoughtful, detached voice: “The answer you desire for me to give is family. This is not a necessity, but your beliefs are based in neurochemical conditioning. As the thought of family activates so many chemical reactions and receptors throughout your brain, it generates a reaction that feels physiologically dominant: in reality this is psychological adaptation, herd instinct and conditioning synthesized and influenced by nothing more than chemical reaction. You adhere to the belief that biological connections are all that matter because you are compelled so strongly by your own biology.”

Thesis smiled at her, as Celestia looked at him for a few moments... and then she slapped Thesis hard across the face, and he blinked in shock, his jaw working slowly before he whispered: “Pain... but a chemical has been stimulated in my brain that amplifies the nervous system's reaction and yet drowns it out at the same time, making me feel... sadness...”

“Enough, Thesis!” Celestia shouted, and Thesis stared up at her in confusion as the ivory mare trembled, then snarled and spun away, trying to hold back the tears in her eyes as she said harshly: “Go, get away and stay away from me! Valthrudnir is nothing but a monster and I'll... I'll never, ever forgive him, no matter what he does! I did not give birth to a machine!”

Thesis was left standing in the corridor, looking after Celestia in confusion before he reached up and touched his own face, then he said slowly: “I am not a machine. I am organic. But I merely have come to understand that I am nothing but molecules and chemicals, as all things are...”

Thesis looked down at the ground, and then he closed his eyes. He didn't like this chemical reaction flooding through his brain now... and for some reason, he felt... like he should pursue Celestia. He was not sure why: the conversation had been ended and there was nothing further to be gained from the interaction. He had completed his personal objective and now had to return to duty.

Thesis hesitated... but then finally turned and headed through the castle, frowning as his logical and emotional programming conflicted. All the same, responsibility and duty overrode his misgivings... but why had he been programmed with the ability to have doubts?

He entered the entrance hall of the castle, striding across it towards Valthrudnir, who was inspecting the armored crate with several Dogmatists. The stallion approached, and then he hesitated for a moment before saying: “Lord Valthrudnir. I have a personal information request.”

“Go ahead.” Valthrudnir said moodily, not looking back at Thesis as he stepped away from the crate and gestured at the golems, who stepped forwards to begin opening the locks along the heavy steel box.

Thesis nodded, and he gathered his thoughts for a moment before asking: “I do not understand why I was programmed to feel doubt.”

Valthrudnir frowned at this, then he turned around and studied the pony before snorting, saying contemptibly: “I see. Doubt is nothing but a... a programming error, Thesis, a flaw very common in you ponies. I do not make mistakes. But you and your kind make many. In fact, your entire existence is nothing but a mistake, so I suppose it should not be any surprise that you still have this flaw inherent in your own mind, no matter how much I have done to remedy your damaged brain matter with the neural nodes and chemical treatments.”

Thesis looked up at Valthrudnir, and then he nodded and said calmly: “Acknowledged. Thank you, Lord Valthrudnir. In the future, all moments of doubt shall be treated as flaw, and I will revert to logical programming.”

“Fine, yes, very well.” Valthrudnir said dismissively as he turned back towards the armored crate as the golems finished unlocking it, the dragon watching coldly as it was slowly opened to reveal another heavy box inside.

This was lifted out and set down in front of him, and Valthrudnir reached out to gently stroke a finger along the top of the ornate gold container before he pushed the thin lid back. He reached into the plush interior of the crate... then removed a smooth, white-metal war horn, Valthrudnir studying this intently as he cradled it in both hands before saying softly: “Come with me.”

Valthrudnir strode towards the doors, and Thesis followed calmly... but just as they reached the open doors, a voice shouted: “Valthrudnir, what are you doing?”

“None of your business.” the dragon retorted contemptibly, glaring over his shoulder at Celestia as she stormed through the hall towards him. He lifted the instrument in his hands a bit higher, as if to defend it, as he spat: “You have no interest in helping out my operations, isn't that right? You just want to bemoan and cry away about your-”

“Shut up.” Celestia said coldly, and Valthrudnir stared at her with disbelief before the mare came to a halt in front of him... then snarled as Thesis stepped defensively forwards. “Come out from hiding behind my son, you coward!”

Valthrudnir only snorted, replying darkly: “Thesis is merely doing his duties. Unlike you, he understand and recognizes responsibilities, and that we can't all sit back and abuse our privileges. Some of us have work to do, Celestia, so why don't you go toddle off and eat and drink yourself into oblivion, just like any other pompous princess who can't get her way does?”

Celestia snarled, the very air crackling around her with her anger, and Valthrudnir winced slightly as he clutched the horn into his chest, realizing a little too late that he may have pushed too far. But then Thesis stepped forwards, his voice suddenly emotional as he shouted: “Stop! This does not serve any purpose, you both... I...”

Thesis dropped his head, grasping at his skull as he whispered: “I do not understand. Has my programming crashed? Why does my functionality feel as if it has been compromised, why is there such a flux of... chemical, and my logical systems are...”

Valthrudnir winced, and Celestia looked worriedly at Thesis before she gritted her teeth, glaring furiously up at the dragon as she accused him with her eyes. But Valthrudnir only glared back at her after a moment before he said shortly: “Thesis, get control of yourself. Recalibrate.”

Thesis shivered for a moment... then dropped his hooves, his features becoming completely emotionless as his pistons pumped once, his exoskeleton sizzling before the stallion murmured: “Systems flushed. Emotional stability regained.”

He turned his eyes towards Celestia, who was still looking hatefully up at Valthrudnir, before she blinked when the stallion stated: “I am going to fulfill my purpose. Please come with us. This affects you as well.”

Celestia frowned at Thesis, and Valthrudnir narrowed his eyes dangerously... but in spite of how angry he looked, he chiefly seemed surprised, even as he growled: “Thesis, I did not give or permit that request, and-”

“I want to see.” Celestia said quietly, looking up at Valthrudnir with trepidation... but much more calm now. The dragon looked at her uncertainly, frowning moodily, but Celestia only shook her head before he said softly: “He is my son. I want to see him... reach his full potential. I want to know... why all those years ago, you...”

There was silence for a few moments, and then Valthrudnir nodded shortly before he turned around and strode through the doors. They walked outside, and into the forest of girders and brick buildings that was slowly starting to rise around the castle through the marshland, filled with Worker Drones and Dogmatists all working to create this... Celestia didn't know what it was, really. What purpose could a city have, if all it was inhabited by was statues and machinery?

But as they walked forwards, Valthrudnir's powers stretched out, and a staircase of ice began to form before them, stretching up towards the sky. They walked up this as it grew higher and higher, until the frost under their feet bridged and stretched around into an enormous balcony.

They stood, above everything. How had they climbed so high so quickly, Celestia wondered silently: it felt like they were above even the Castle of Harmony... Genesis, she reminded herself. That was what it was called now. Fitting, she thought quietly, that the end of everything would start at the beginning.

She looked over at Valthrudnir, then asked with almost detached, empty curiosity, as he slowly rubbed the horn between his hands: “Why are you calling the apocalypse after you've already destroyed my world?”

Valthrudnir looked down at the horn silently, lifting it in front of himself... before his eyes roved towards Thesis, the dragon replying in a surprisingly-soft voice: “Because this is what Thesis was originally designed to do. This is his purpose, Celestia, and I... strayed from my true purpose for too long. Was lured off the path by...”

Valthrudnir cleared his throat, then forced his head to rise... but he couldn't make himself look arrogant, or angry, or even pedantic. He just looked like a sad, hurt child, as he passed the horn to Thesis, saying coldly: “This is not the original, but an imitation that I have designed. Now that our conquest is complete, this world must be removed. Cut loose, like a flower petal. And only after every petal is removed from this flower will I be able to reach the core world, and complete my designs. No longer will my projects be incomplete. No longer will any of you mortals interfere with me. I will transform the core reality, and when it becomes my perfect vision, so shall all the other realities change, to reflect the world they revolve around. I will make this universe make sense, even if I must purge all life first to do so.”

Celestia looked down at one of her hooves, flexing the steel appendage slowly before she laughed shortly, then she looked at Thesis as he sat with the horn in his hooves, staring down at it silently. “So when this 'petal' is removed from the chain... we'll all die?”

“No. This world will be... set apart. Other realities I have merely burned, but I have found that they often continue to clutter up my calculations, long after I have destroyed them. This method will exile your world completely: only those with great power and my own portal technologies will be able to reach this place.” Valthrudnir smiled thinly, looking coldly out over the world. “Such a task would be a waste of energy for me to perform myself... but the resonance of the Horn of Gjallar – or in this case, a near-perfect duplicate – should be more than sufficient to undo the ancient ties that bind this world to its neighbors in the maze.”

Celestia looked out over her world, and then she looked over at Thesis, studying her son. Thesis was trembling as he gazed at the horn, his head shaking slowly back and forth, and the mare frowned a little before she began slowly: “But why...”

“Because, Celestia, Thesis does not merely carry the legacy of a so-called 'sun princess' and a Jötnar in his veins... the child you carried inside you was made of Kvas, the blood of the gods, my Clay of Prometheus, and the captured essence of Heimdall, the Watcher of the Worlds.” Valthrudnir said with terrible calm, and Celestia looked up at the dragon silently as he looked back at her with icy and yet hurt eyes, before he said quietly: “And yet you never realized it. That you were carrying inside you a hybrid of god and beyond-god, hidden in a pony's body. Many of his genes are still dormant in his body, Celestia, only waiting to be activated by the right stimuli...”

Celestia smiled faintly, looking away before said softly: “Then maybe you should have just given me a normal child, Valthrudnir, instead of a science experiment you're so afraid of that you'll never let him reach his full potential.” She turned away, striding towards the railing of the balcony as Valthrudnir glared at her... before he flushed deeply as the mare added softly: “All I'm taking away from this conversation is that you easily could have put Thesis inside me without sleeping with me... but you did anyway. I never cared about Thesis because he was special, unlike you. I cared about him because he was my son. But I shouldn't be surprised that you never understood that... you make a lot of mistakes, after all.”

The dragon snarled, then he looked at Thesis and shouted: “Play the horn! Do what you were designed to do, and take another step towards completion!”

Thesis clenched his eyes shut, and without looking back, Celestia said quietly: “Play the horn. Petty victories are all your father has left... apart from petty failures.”

Valthrudnir's snarl stretched wider, and Celestia only looked coldly out over the wastes, and Thesis trembled as he stared down at the strangely-familiar horn in his hooves. Logic and emotion warred in his mind, and he could feel his exoskeleton sparking on his back as it reacted to the sudden overload, pistons pumping jaggedly and toxic chemicals spilling through his veins.

He was nothing but chemistry and science, nothing but a series of chemical and molecular reactions... but what was causing these surges through his brain and body? Why did hearing all these words confuse and scare him, why should it matter how and why he had been born, or made? Why was part of him screaming while the logical, sensible, coward slave weak part of him said obey, obey, obey...

Thesis brought the horn to his lips, even as tears ran down his face, and he blew. He blew, and the note echoed through the air, a roar that built, and built, and built, as his whole body quaked, as he felt energy like he'd never felt before coursing through his veins. His mind lit up with chemicals-

No, not chemicals. Memories. Emotions.

He felt pain. He felt wonder. He felt glory. He felt despair. And all he could do was play on, as even the machines working tirelessly below halted to stare up at the sky in confusion, as even with the bright and brilliant and shining sun still so visible above, black bled through the listless gray ceiling of their world. There was still the light of day, and shadows stretched over the ground, neither growing nor shrinking... but the sky became nothing but a solid not-color, as if the sky had been stolen away.

Valthrudnir and Celestia gazed up at this phenomenon in silence... and then Thesis cried out as the horn shattered in his hooves, the stallion knocked to the icy floor of the balcony they stood upon. Immediately, the blackness above vanished as the horn's sound vanished, returning to empty gray... but all of them could feel it, from the smallest insect to the dragon standing atop his tower of ice.

The world had changed. The air was stale. The magic that had surrounded, protected, and kept their world as part of the great network that connected all the planes had vanished.

Thesis breathed roughly in and out on the ground, bleeding from the ears, his eyes staring mindlessly at the ice before Celestia commented cynically: “A perfect imitation?”

“It was Thesis, not the fault of the device! Thesis failed, Thesis is... nothing but a failure!” Valthrudnir shouted, pedantic, childish, eyes blazing with fury as he glared hatefully at Celestia. “What do you know of... gods and magic and worlds? Fairy tales, that is what you know! There are no gods, Celestia, and there is no magic! All of this, from the pathetic parlor tricks you plebeians perform to the mightiest of imaginings I can, all of it is nothing but science! Chemical reactions and molecular attraction and impulses of protons and the ionization of particles! Nothing is magic! Gods are nothing but the product of selective evolution! There is no good, and there is no evil, and we are all nothing, nothing, nothing but a mish-mash of biology and freak occurrence!”

Valthrudnir breathed hard in and out, glaring down at her as Celestia slowly turned towards him, and then she leaned slowly up and replied quietly: “You're very quick to hide behind that shield every time something goes wrong. But where is 'everything is biology' when you're out to prove you're right, or that your plans are the best, or that you're superior to us? It's one or the other, Valthrudnir... and unlike you, I'm not a coward, and so I'm not going to just hide behind the excuse that 'my chemicals made me do it' every time I make a mistake. And I have made mistakes. You, being the greatest mistake I have ever made.”

Valthrudnir's mouth slowly closed, his eyes widening slightly, his hands grasping at himself before Celestia turned to Thesis, opening her mouth... and then she softened as she saw he was shivering on the ground, hugging himself, his eyes wild and scared and full of emotion. He looked up at her, and Celestia gazed down at him before Thesis whispered: “M-Mom... the... the brain... can't think straight. Hurts... chemicals hurt... my... I don't understand, I'm scared, I'm... m-mommy...”

Celestia strode over to Thesis, then silently leaned down and picked him up in one steel hoof, curling him against her. And like a child, Thesis buried his face against her neck before he started to sob, his mind on fire, half-programmed thoughts fizzling uselessly against the torrent of emotion and only adding to his confusion as he miserably tried to explain: “S-Serotonin dropping, chemicals... invading... h-how do I... how do I...”

“You say that you are sad, Thesis, and you let yourself cry. It's okay to cry. You used to know that.” Celestia whispered softly, before she looked up and opened a portal as she hefted the Replicant with one foreleg with the same ease she had when he had been but a foal, before she looked down and said calmly and quietly: “I expect that sooner or later, you will take my son away from me again, or the machines in his head will take him over and make him back into your little tin soldier. You've broken him, Valthrudnir. I hope you recognize and understand that.

“But right now, my son needs me, and family comes first. And you will give me my last few moments with my child.” Celestia continued in a gentle but unyielding voice, looking up and through the portal as Thesis cried quietly against her, clutching into her as he trembled violently. “Family is the most important thing in the world. And no matter how much you steal from us, how much you break us, how much you hurt us... we will always find each other again. Go and burn the worlds, Valthrudnir. Go and burn all of them. Destroy all the universe. It doesn't matter to me, because I know that no matter what you do, you'll never win.”

Celestia looked over her shoulder at the dragon, tears in her own eyes as the Jötnar gazed back at her silently, one hand slightly raised towards her, as if in silent plea, as the other clutched his own perfect suit. “You betrayed your family. And that pain, and that curse, will never, ever leave you. Even if you can lie to yourself that our mortal lives don't matter, and we're nothing but dolls and you're the toymaker... you'll never escape yourself.”

With that, Celestia strode through the portal, carrying Thesis with her to what lay beyond: the shattered, collapsed ruins of Canterlot. She stood upon the wreckage, and then took a slow breath as Thesis shivered and whimpered against her, before the mare slowly rose her head as she summoned up all of the power she had been given, and used it to do what she should have in the first place.

The world around her reverberated... and then a platform of stone slowly snapped itself together from the wreckage under her hooves before it lifted her into the air. They rose, higher and higher, as stone and brick yanked itself together all around her, as temporary scaffolds that had been set up by Worker Drones were obliterated, as the small structures here and there around what had yet to be converted into a construction zone were torn apart.

Brick after brick slammed into place, as regal marble spread upwards, and gorgeous pillars hefted themselves out of the ashen remains. Dust and dirt and filth burst away from the wreckage in great gasps, as the air trembled with the power exerted by the mare. Out of nothingness and ruin, wood snapped back together, and cloth and glass flew upwards, lining the walls as they repaired and replaced themselves.

And when Thesis looked up, he stared in shock as he found himself in his old bedroom, cradled in Celestia's embrace. She smiled down at him, bleeding red blood and strange coolant, but before he could speak, she whispered: “Look.”

Thesis turned to look... and he trembled violently as he stared at the wall across from his bed, which had once been illustrated by the outlines of himself and Singing Lark... and now, painted beautifully over the surface, he saw himself, and his sister, and Red Sky. He saw his mother as she had used to be, and Sworn Tenet, and the Dogmatists who had become his friends and soldiers... he saw the ponies who had shaped him, and the people who had become his family.

He breathed hard, staring at the beautiful, painted engraving, and then he looked over his shoulder as Celestia slowly slipped away from him, carrying herself into his bed to lay herself down. The stallion turned towards her, opening his mouth, but unable to do more than croak... but Celestia smiled faintly at him before she whispered: “I just need to rest, Thesis. And you do, as well. And you also need to remember... to plant in your mind, firmly, who you are. Complete or incomplete, Replicant or pony, mortal or not... I love you. I will always love you. And even if I lose you, because I know I don't have long before my body gives out, and I know that the chemicals and the nodes implanted in your mind have a terrible power over you... I want you to remember that you'll always be my son, and I will always be your mother. Even after I am gone, you will always have family...”

Celestia's eyes closed, and Thesis trembled, stepping towards her and swallowing thickly before he looked over his shoulder at the wall... and even though the chemicals in his body wanted to make him furious, and the nodes in his mind were trying to reprogram all his thoughts, looking at that picture gave him strength, and purpose. Seeing all those old faces renewed his strength and energy, and gave him something to hold onto, to bury deep inside himself...

“I won't forget, Mom... family is everything. I won't ever forget my family.”

Lost Verse

Lost Verse:
~BlackRoseRaven

I have a Father, I have a Mother.

I have two Sisters, I have one Brother.

I am a son, and a sibling as well.

One day a Daddy? Only time will tell.

I love my family, more than the earth,

They never question my dreams or my worth.

They always protect me from the darkness,

And I could not ask for better than this.

But my family has gone far away,

I loved them so, but they still could not stay.

I am alone now, left all by myself...

But I'll see them again when they visit tonight,

In the shadows they will dance, away from the light,

But oh, it will still be such a wonderful sight!

They'll stay with me until the end of the long night.

And then morning will drive their ghosts away again.

Trapped back in the crayon art smeared over the wall.

And I'll be left waiting, until the time comes when

They can escape, and join me once more in the hall.

I have a Father, I have a Mother.

I have two Sisters, I have one Brother.

I am a son, and a sibling as well.

I don't know why I was left in this cell.

I have a Father, I have a Mother.

I have two Sisters, I have one Brother.

I am a son, and a sibling as well.

Why did they leave me alone in this hell?

I had a Father, I had a Mother.

I had two Sisters, I had one Brother.

I was a son, and a sibling as well.

Now I am alone, longing for Death's bell.

Family was everything.

Thesis sat silently back in Valthrudnir's throne in Endworld... or what had formerly been his father's throne. Valthrudnir was long dead...

That made him strangely sad. But at the same time, he was grateful for it, because he knew it meant it was time for him to move his own projects forward. In all the long years since they had been abandoned here, since Endworld had become nothing but a... a dumping ground, after Valthrudnir had shut down the Decretum project after what had happened to Celestia... well, he had been given a lot of time to think. And thinking had gotten easier after the nodes in his mind had started to decay. He could understand things now he couldn't before... he could see the big picture. Everything made sense.

He slipped out of the throne and walked across the empty hall, past several long-dead Worker Drones. Everything here would have to be cleaned up, he thought: they had been living in ruin for so long, with no purpose but to wait, in and out of stasis, for Valthrudnir to return, that they had gotten... sloppy. But there was no room for sloppiness.

He had queer memories sometimes. They didn't always make sense. This life was all he'd ever known, wasn't it? Yes, it was simply a malfunction when he thought of those strange things... wait, but what about mother? Hadn't he been a child once?

He would have to ask her. The memories made him confused. But no, he had always had his family, hadn't he? He knew that for sure. But was family interchangeable, like the parts of many of the machines around Endworld, modular like equipment?

He did not know. He got confused sometimes. No, that wasn't right, he wasn't confused. He couldn't feel confusion, or doubt: those were logic flaws, there, that was the term he was looking for. He was never confused, never doubted, and he was never wrong. Or rather, very rarely.

Thesis smiled, and then he glanced up as a glass orb shot down towards him, his mother's voice saying contemptibly: “You should be in stasis.”

“No, no. I am fine, Mother. I feel good. I just had to get up and walk around. And see my family. Family is the most important thing.” Thesis said softly, smiling as he approached a door. It clanked brokenly as it fizzled and failed to slide open, but with ease, the stallion simply reached up and tore one of the doors off. He looked at this almost curiously for a moment, then chuckled quietly. “Well, it all needs to be fixed anyway.”

“Don't be an idiot, Thesis.” Mother chastened, and Thesis sighed a little. That created an uncomfortable chemical reaction in his mind.

“Yes, Mother.” he murmured, striding through the broken doorway... but when he looked up at what waited for him inside, he smiled, as he felt that familiar warmth of happiness. The rising of serotonin and dopamine, as he felt joy and excitement at the prospects of being with his family again...

He gazed from one capsule to the other, smiling wider and revealing teeth that had been replaced with steel as he looked happily at the cold-faced mares floating in stasis in the green liquid inside each. They were barely visible through the thick goo, but all the same, Thesis knew who they were, who they had to be: his sisters! “I'm so excited, Mother. It's been so long since I've seen Red Sky and Singing Lark!”

“Thesis, these are Class V Replicants, Protolea and Psukhikos.” his mother said irritably as the little orb floated down in front of him, before her voice lowered ever so slightly with perhaps the smallest hint of worry: “I want you to report to the Tower of Etemenanki. You need to undergo reevaluation and we should remove the exoskeleton-”

“No!” Thesis shouted as his eyes blazed, and then he shivered once before shaking himself quickly and repeating in a much-more cordial voice: “No, Mother. I simply misspoke. Of course their names are Psukhikos and Protolea, those are my sisters' names. And... Cheshire. Cheshire is my brother, he understands me better than the rest of them.”

His Mother was only silent, so Thesis decided that conversation was over as he turned around and instead said softly: “And we have more family out there, waiting to be found. Who will help us. Father was almost right, after all: we must find the core world. And in order to do that, I must be complete... as you no longer have his powers, I must activate these dormant genes, I must find the brother who carries on Father's legacy...”

“Thesis, there is no guarantee that you will be able to use Valthrudnir's powers, any more than the machine he designed will actually work. This exercise is a waste when instead-”

“Instead what, Mother? What else is there for us?” Thesis shouted angrily at the air, his head twitching as his exoskeleton sparked, before the stallion took a slow breath, closing his eyes and lowering his head. “I apologize. My temper... the chemicals in my body have become excited. It is strange how quickly joy can become... rage.”

“Then police yourself better, Thesis.” Mother said shortly, and Thesis nodded slowly before he lowered his head and took a slow breath. There was silence for a few moments, and then his mother said softly: “Return to stasis. Your... sisters aren't ready to wake up yet.”

“No. No, I think I will stay awake. The world is clear to me, Mother. Everything is clear to me now, who I am, what I must do.” Thesis said softly, looking up towards the ceiling and smiling. “I have had an epiphany. A burst of inspiration. I know what we must do now, and I understand why Father did what he did. I understand how I can make myself, and my family, whole again. You too, Mother, will be whole. We will all become one family, this entire universe. And then everything will make sense.”

“Valthrudnir used to say something very similar, Thesis.” Mother's voice said coldly, and Thesis glared towards the orb... but then he gave a slow, grudging nod.

He looked down for a moment, and then said slowly: “But I am not my Father. I will not destroy more than what I have to. I will spare every life that can be spared and I will not make mistakes. I will... control myself, and bring unity, not slavery. I want to help, Mother. I want to help.”

Thesis smiled almost childishly, and then he nodded to himself again before he turned away, striding out into the hall with a smile as the decayed logic nodes in his brain crackled and buzzed, and the chemicals poisoning his mind bubbled and boiled through his gray matter. And, caught between broken logic and toxic emotion, one poisoned message echoed through his soul:

Family was all that mattered.

And this was a lesson he was eager to teach the entire universe.With destruction, we become destroyers;

With creation, we become creators.

What is destroyed leaves behind nameless emptiness;

What is created stands as testament to all who see it.

The memories of what we have done can never be erased.

Verse One

Verse One:
~BlackRoseRaven

Harken now to this tale of ages past,

And to the melancholy moral heed;

For all gifts we give have strings attach'd,

The cost we hound our precious to bleed.

The sacrifice our ego demands us

wrest in selfishness from our truest vied;

From even those not blinded by our lust,

Nor blinded by our hubris and our pride.

A Dragon tries to love the maiden fair,

To give to her treasures of no compare,

But his low fickle greed wants pay unfair,

And he must own, not love, her ev'ry hair.

So to the Princess, he granted her long:

The child that she craved, born of Gjallar's Song.

They were pinned down, and there was no way out. There weren't many griffins, but they were keeping high in the air, their glinting armor making them hard to focus on and confusing the eyes of the soldiers. And they couldn't peek out from the wreckage of the carriage for more than a few seconds without being pelted by anti-magic explosives and crossbow bolts.

The griffins were laughing at them, shouting mockeries, trying to get them to come out into the open, telling them they should surrender. But by now the Solar Guard knew that there was no such thing as mercy for the griffins: stallions they would kill outright, mares they would drag back to their base to use as slaves... or worse.

There was no way out of this one. They were three wounded unicorns against four griffins, and thanks to the sparkling dust that coated their bodies, they couldn't even rely on the help of their magic. They were all injured, with no chance of escape: the rest of the caravan was dead, too many of their number killed almost instantly in the vicious ambush.

One of the unicorns coughed blood, then grasped at his throat and shivered weakly, his breaths rasping in and out as the cut deep through his neck. He could feel blood and hot breath from the hole in his throat: he was just fortunate that the griffin's claws had missed the artery. His eyes looked up almost desperately towards one of his comrades, who was cradling an injured leg, the broken bone pushing up through torn hide.

The only thing they could do was die together.

There was a loud clunk on the roof above, and then a tremendous smashing sound: the griffins were done playing, it sounded like, and the Solar Guard struggled to arrange themselves, to keep an eye on the door even while they watched as the roof above began to crack. The griffins were going to open a hole in the carriage, then shoot them like fish in a barrel. Or they would try and drive them out into the open, so they could have their fun using them as target practice until they got bored...

There was another sound of smashing above, and the wooden roof caved in slightly as a glinting axe tore through the thin ceiling. It twisted slightly, then yanked back in a hail of splinters, leaving a hole big enough for a single eye to look down through before a voice mocked: “Look at the little foals! Come out of the crib, little foals! We just want to play!”

Raucous, cruel laughter, and one of the unicorns snarled, trying to charge his magic... but his horn only sparked, and pain tore through his entire body as the sparkling dust glimmered, sucking up the energy he was trying to focus.

The soldier with the broken leg tried to force himself to stand, but then his limbs buckled beneath him, sending him flopping to the ground with a gasp. He gritted his teeth as he hugged his broken ribs, while the remaining Solar Guard tried to stumble into a ready position, trembling fearfully: but this was his first mission, and it was supposed to be nothing but an easy escort... had supposed to be. Instead, they had walked right into a deathtrap...

The private looked over his shoulder, then he turned his eyes back ahead with a whimper as he saw a shadow pass over the ground in front of the doorway: the griffins were getting into position, as there was another hacking sound above, another spray of splinters as the hole was torn wider. They were going to be driven out, and the griffins would be right on top of them, and-

“Here I thought griffins were supposed to be warriors, not bullies.”

Two griffins looked up in surprise from on top of the carriage as the Solar Guard standing at the doorway looked out in shock, his eyes widening in disbelief at what he saw. A single stallion, striding calmly towards them, dressed in golden armor with white trim that had been custom fit to his body. That meant he had to be an officer of some kind... except...

“Hey, earth pony! Why don't you run back to your precious Princess Celestia and tell her this is our territory now, and her poor soldiers forgot to pay the toll!” one of the griffins shouted, and the others laughed loudly.

But the earth pony only continued to approach, unperturbed, his white eyes flicking back and forth. His silver mane and tail were both short, but shaggy and unkempt. And as he walked towards him, the griffins tensed slightly: even if they didn't usually consider earth ponies to be anything but easy prey, this one was confident, tall, athletic, with a metallic blue coat much darker than the average pony's...

“Screw him.” growled one of the griffins, raising his crossbow with a snarl before he fired a single bolt at the stallion.

And a moment later, the dark-coated stallion was holding the bolt in his hoof, examining it meditatively as he held it in front of his eyes. He spun it easily around, then clicked his tongue as the griffins stared in shock, the one who had fired the bolt looking down at his crossbow with disbelief before the stallion said mildly: “Here's your problem. The tailfeathers are loose. And you think you'd griffins know all about tailfeathers.”

One of the griffins snarled, then he pointed at the stallion and shouted: “Let's see how cocky you are after we cut off your legs, mudwalker!”

Two of the griffins perched on the carriage immediately leapt forwards, shooting almost as quickly towards the stallion as the bolt had: in spite of their brashness and bravado, they moved in nearly perfect time together, the griffin with the axe sweeping forwards as the warrior behind him rose his sharp talons, his eyes gleaming-

The stallion fearlessly stepped forwards and intercepted the first griffin with a sharp punch, stunning the creature with a squawk. And before anyone else could react, the earth pony seized the griffin by the beak and body, twisting him around and then slamming him like a club down on top of the warrior behind him.

Both griffins were driven to the ground with tremendous bangs and howls of pain, both knocked senseless from the strength of the slam. One of the remaining griffins gaped in shock as the other stared for a moment, but then snarled and brought up his crossbow, firing off a bolt at the earth pony-

Without even looking, the stallion reached up and caught it in one hoof: but this time, he didn't simply stop the bolt, instead spinning smoothly around on his rear hooves before his foreleg flicked lightly backwards, the bolt shooting free from his hoof and back towards the griffin.

It tore through his wing, knocking him flopping backwards in a hail of feathers with a screech, and the last griffin gaped in shock at this before he snarled and leapt off the top of the carriage, landing on the ground and charging straight at the earth pony's back. But the dark-coated stallion only glanced back over his shoulder, watching with the slightest of smiles even as the hybrid charged with startling speed before suddenly slipping to the side and lunging at the stallion's flank with a roar.

His roar was cut short when the earth pony kicked both rear hooves up and locked his legs around the griffin's throat, the warrior's talons uselessly grabbing the stallion's strong hocks a moment before the earth pony twisted violently, dropping onto his side... and slamming the griffin headfirst into the ground with a resounding crunch.

The griffin on the carriage sat up with a curse, reaching out and yanking the bolt free from his wing before he looked back and forth, scrambling towards a large sack of explosives. He reached into it with one talon, digging madly before he looked up towards where the stallion had been... and stared blankly, halting his rummaging as he saw nothing.

“Hey.” said a mild voice, and the griffin spun around as his beak dropped open, beginning to shout or swear or just yell in panic-

He turned right into a hoof that smashed into his face and knocked him flying off the carriage, landing with a dull thunk on his back in the dirt. He twitched weakly on the ground, blood flowing from his damaged wing and broken beak as he stared disbelievingly up at the sky, then gurgled as the large stallion landed almost soundlessly beside him.

He looked calmly down at the griffin, towering over him, a black shape against the bright sky above. He blotted out the sun, and yet his calm white eyes were still clearly visible even with him caught in sharp profile in the light, as if no shadow could swallow their brightness, no darkness could touch the beacon that burned within this earth pony.

The griffin groaned quietly, then slumped into unconsciousness as two of the remaining Solar Guard hesitantly emerged from the wreckage of the carriage, staring with awe at the earth pony. They stumbled forwards, and then one dropped into a low kneel, whispering: “Prince Thesis...”

“Just Thesis, sergeant. Now come on, colts, there's no time for this. We need to get you on your hooves and get out of here.” the earth pony replied calmly, shaking his head briefly as he strode past the stallions, heading into the ruins of the carriage. He smiled at the last stallion, who looked up at him not just with gratitude... but fear, he thought.

But all the same, Thesis walked over to him, reassuring: “We're going to get you out of here and back to Canterlot. You're going to be okay.”

Thesis gently hefted the unicorn up onto his back, waiting until the soldier secured himself... even if he also felt a shiver, and the Solar Guard was hesitant to grasp into him. But that was okay: Thesis was more concerned about the lives of these troops than his own feelings right now. And he knew that if he wanted to be accepted – hell, if he wanted to even deserve acceptance – he had to be accepting of others as well.

He strode out of the carriage... then frowned a bit as he saw one of the soldiers standing over a griffin, slowly aiming at the eagle-like features of the unconscious warrior. He looked torn... and Thesis whistled sharply, getting his attention before he said quietly: “We don't kill in cold blood.”

The unicorn bit his lip, looking up at Thesis and breathing slowly, his hoof on the trigger, his eyes desperate more than they were angry... and Thesis smiled at him reassuringly, even as the soldier whispered: “They killed my friends and they'll... they'll just kill more ponies if we leave them alive. It's four more soldiers for those bastards when it could be four less!”

“Sure, four less. And four less fathers, brothers, sons. Four funerals, four griffins murdered by the ponies for revenge.” Thesis said quietly, meeting the soldier's eyes calmly. “The griffins are savage and ruthless. But they're fighting for their nation, just like we are, and I respect that. And likewise, I always keep in mind what my mother, Princess Celestia, wants us to be. Not just a people, but a good people. We do not kill in cold blood. We are fighting to defend, not to destroy. And if you want to honor your fallen brothers and the country you serve, you'll do it by proving you're better than a coward and a killer.”

Thesis halted, then gestured quickly with his head, saying quietly: “Now come on. This was a griffin strikesharp. A murder always follows the strikesharp, and we don't want to be here when that clusterflock arrives. We'll get you colts home, then send in a retrieval unit.”

The unicorn looked down at the crossbow in his hooves silently, then he nodded before tossing the weapon off to the side. And Thesis smiled before he turned around, quickly taking the lead to bring these soldiers home.

Behind him, the two Solar Guard fell into step together, supporting each other as they followed the earth pony towards safety. One unicorn walked with his head down and silent, while the other gazed with amazement at Thesis, before he whispered: “Wow. I heard all the stories, but... I never thought he was more than just... you know...”

The other soldier only shrugged slowly, and they fell into silence... but still, the younger stallion gazed at Thesis with something like awe as they followed the prince down the road, away from the ruins of the carriage. He had heard all the stories about Prince Thesis, of course, but he'd never expected to ever actually meet the stallion in person, or that he would be so intelligent, so pleasant...

After all, everypony knew that Prince Thesis was a homunculus.

Thesis strode through the halls of Canterlot, nodding and smiling to the ponies he passed. Some smiled back, and others simply averted their gaze, or even stepped quickly away from him. But it was alright: that was the way it had always been, since he had been a foal growing up in his mother's castle in the Eternal Forest.

He couldn't blame them. And sure, it hurt, but even when he was young, his mother had always been there to love him, cherish him, and teach him right from wrong. And his mother had told him that at first, all the ponies had been very afraid of her, too: after all, she was a pony who possessed both wings and a horn, and had almost deific powers with her ability to move the sun and moon through the sky as she pleased: a feat that in the past had required an entire team of unicorns to accomplish.

And he, well... he had the same shape as them, but while they all had colorful, beautiful coats... his was black, and made him look like he'd taken a roll in hoof polish. He was an earth pony, but he towered over them, and he could move with the silence and speed of lightning, while his hooves crashed like thunder with the strength of dragons.

He knew what he was: his mother had never hidden his origins from him, that he had been born from her, but at the same time... not. He had no father, but instead magic had made him inside her. But he wasn't a golem, and he couldn't bear to think of himself as just some homunculus, a false life. He felt like a pony. He felt like a pony, too, with all these confusing, conflicting emotions, with his sense of right and wrong, his morality, his empathy... his desire to fit in with the rest of the world.

Thesis halted in front of the doors to the throne room, biting his tongue for a moment as he lowered his head forwards, reaching a hoof up to silently stroke along the golden metal. Physically stronger, mentally more adept, and born a Prince of Equestria... and yet he felt like he would always somehow be... less than the ponies, too. Like he would never be entirely... 'real,' for lack of a better word. Like he really was nothing more than a false life, fired in the kiln of his mother's womb, given form and shape from clay instead of... more natural causes.

Then the stallion winced a bit as the doors opened, and several ambassadors strode out of the throne room, giving him a wide berth as one of them looked at him suspiciously. Thesis only did his best to smile back, though, before he looked up as his mother's musical voice asked gently: “Have you rested yet, Thesis?”

“Not yet, Princess Celestia.” Thesis replied calmly, striding into the throne room before he saluted his mother as she stepped down from her throne. She was radiant and beautiful, her horn tall, her wings strong, her coat a gorgeous ivory. Her mane flowed with the colors of the rainbow, ephemeral and ever-shifting like her tail, and her amethyst eyes looked at him with kindness and wisdom and most of all, love.

He sat back and saluted her, keeping his head high and eyes forwards as was protocol... and then Celestia strode forwards and hugged him firmly around the neck, which was not. Thesis blushed a little, then he lamely reached up and hesitantly patted his mother on the back with one hoof as the other quavered in the air beside his head, the stallion mumbling: “Mom. I'm trying to be professional here.”

“You try too hard to be professional.” Celestia replied, slipping away with a smile and studying him before she reached up and gently touched the side of his face, saying softly: “You should take the time to rest while you have it, Thesis. Diplomacy has failed and the griffins have already sent out a warning that they're going to begin attacking peacemaker and retrieval teams as well.”

Thesis nodded briefly, frowning a bit at this as he lowered his head, and Celestia studied him for a few moments before she said softly: “Unfortunately, there's not much we can do. Peacemakers work because of agreements and trust on both sides, and the griffins believe that we have betrayed them and dishonored them. To their warrior society, trust and honor are valued above all else.”

“I know, Mom. I'm doing my best not to hate them blindly. It's hard, but... I know they're not butchers, no matter what it seems like.” Thesis said softly, nodding to her and gazing at her with trust and deference as he lowered his head slightly. “Still, they're bullheaded and stubborn, aren't they?”

“Well, I suppose you would know, Thesis.” Celestia remarked, and Thesis blushed a bit and lowered his head lamely before the Princess of the Sun reached up and gently stroked along his face. “I heard you didn't kill the soldiers you encountered. I was very glad to hear that.”

Thesis shrugged a little, opening his mouth to reply, but he only winced when another voice cut in contemptibly: “Well, I was not. If these feathered felines refuse to understand anything but brute kinetic force, then you should have eliminated them and mounted their heads on poles. Or at the very least, brought one of them back for questioning.”

The stallion turned around, lowering his head humbly as an enormous, bipedal shape strode moodily into the throne room. He towered above them, glaring down with sharply-intelligent amber eyes as he crossed strong arms over a broad chest covered by an expensive, pristine white suit. A suit that was almost as polished and neat as the ivory scales that covered his entire frame.

With the tall, obsidian horns that stood up from his skull, his enormous size, his armor-like hide and the sheer sense of power and arrogance that he radiated, it was clear what he was: a dragon. But at he same time, he was very different from the dragons native to Equestria: not just because his size, while enormous, was far smaller than that of the fully-grown dragons that wandered the nation or because he lacked wings or a tail. It was in something more than the fact that he clothed himself in finery he obviously took very good care of, from his suit to the polished rings on his fingers and the comfortable loafers over his feet.

It was in the way he held himself, how he clipped his words, how his eyes seemed to both glare down at them and marvel over them all at once, like they were the exotic but incredibly stupid main attraction at the local zoo. He was alien to the ponies, to perhaps their entire world, and he was rude and patronizing and unpleasant and just different...

But yet, he was also here. He had been with them for years now, serving as a confidante and adviser to Princess Celestia, helping her watch over the ponies, introducing his incredible ideas and technologies from... wherever he had come from. Thesis still wasn't sure whether he believed it or not, but the dragon was supposedly from another world, a divine world...

Thesis looked uncertainly up at the dragon, and the dragon scowled a little as he looked down at Thesis. There was an awkward silence between the two of them for a few moments as they studied each other until Celestia politely cleared her throat and said gently: “Valthrudnir, sometimes a message is better sent through defeat than death. The more we exercise restraint with the griffins, the more likely they are to show us the same consideration in return.”

“Yes, that is precisely why they have rescinded all ambassadorial privileges from Equestria and they are now attacking your noncombatants and peacemakers. Not to mention the fact that we have moved from your personal abode to this fortified castle.” Valthrudnir replied distastefully, shaking his head and looking with contempt at the ivory mare. “Perhaps you should give some deeper thought to your philos and leave the sophia to me.”

“As long as you promise to introduce her to me at some point, Valthrudnir; I wouldn't want you wasting your time with bad influences.” Celestia replied kindly, and the dragon narrowed his eyes slightly at her, scowling moodily before the mare smiled and looked down at her son, asking softly: “Will you please explain to Lord Valthrudnir why it may make more of an impact that you left the griffins alive?”

Thesis hesitated, then he nodded before turning around and saluting the dragon: the dragon who had taught Celestia the magic that had given him life, the dragon who, in some ways, Thesis couldn't help but think of like... a father. A stern, rarely-pleased, but omnipresent father... “Sir. The griffins are a warrior race: they do not fear death, and nor do they shy away from it. A griffin who dies fighting is honored and celebrated. But defeat without death forces them to acknowledge the foe as superior. It angers them, but it also humbles them.”

Valthrudnir snorted at this, then he said coldly: “And it does nothing to change the logistics of the situation. Thanks in part to the civil war that damaged this fledgling nation, your army is weak and your defenses are minimal. The griffins have seized this opportunity, manufactured a reason for war, and taken the initiative against you. Negotiations have failed and you have made yourselves look weak by sparing their lives and treating prisoners of war with undeserved 'dignity:' it's a wonder that the nation hasn't turned against you both and your idiotic concept of 'mercy.'”

Thesis shifted uncomfortably, but Celestia looked unfettered, only smiling up at Valthrudnir before she said softly: “And I would argue that the only chance we stand at 'winning' this war is through mercy, and by being willing and ready to make concessions for the greater good. This is a war based on misunderstandings and treachery: when the real enemy is exposed, I have no doubt that the griffins will immediately seek to make reparations for everything that has happened.”

“Not that I value your lives any more than they do, Princess Celestia, but I fail to see how you and your nation will be able to accept a few carts of hay as fair payment for the lives that the griffins have taken.” Valthrudnir retorted moodily, crossing his arms, and Thesis shifted uncomfortably. Admittedly, that was difficult for him to swallow as well...

But Celestia only shook her head, saying softly: “Of course not. You know how much these ponies mean to me, Valthrudnir, but a lesson I learned during the... the unfortunate events with my sister taught me that I have to sometimes do what is in the interest of the nation, not just a single pony. That sometimes we have to make sacrifices in order to achieve the greatest good.”

“And so all those ponies are what, sacrifices for your 'greater good?'” Valthrudnir asked moodily, tilting his head as he tapped a finger slowly against one arm. “I still fail to see how a few apologies from the griffins will make the results of their slaughter all better... unless, of course, you're trying to say that the only soldiers who have died so far are the weak, culled to make your little animal herd all that much stronger-”

“You know that is not what I meant, Valthrudnir.” Celestia interrupted, her voice hardening slightly as she looked up at him fearlessly. The dragon glared back at her... but remained silent, not interrupting as the ivory mare said quietly: “They will listen because the griffins are being used as nothing more than tools by whatever force has pitted us against one another, and likely because this force intends to weaken us before it attacks us outright. We should save our anger and our blame for the true foe. The griffins are merely its means to an end.”

“So you see them as nothing but living weapons. Interesting.” Valthrudnir remarked calmly, giving a thin smile, but this time Celestia refused to be baited, only continuing to look up at him patiently, and the silence spun out between them.

Thesis shifted awkwardly, but then he looked up in surprise as Valthrudnir finally gave a grudging nod, saying moodily: “It's... logical, I suppose. But I doubt your little ponies will appreciate the logic of the situation.”

Celestia only shrugged easily, then replied softly: “You're underestimating them again, Valthrudnir. That's something I thought you were doing your best not to after all the times you've been proven wrong in the past by them.”

“I am not underestimating them, and I have not been proven wrong.” the dragon growled, glowering moodily at Celestia before he snorted and added contemptibly: “As a matter of fact, the only thing that surprises me about your ponies is how inferior they prove themselves time and time again. It's no wonder that you're able to rule over them so efficiently, Princess Celestia, when they cannot even properly police themselves.”

Celestia only smiled up at Valthrudnir, and the dragon narrowed his eyes slightly at her before the mare asked almost curiously: “So if we're all so inferior, why do you continue to help us, to find us so fascinating, and to try and study us? We seem to be teaching you something, even if I'm not entirely sure what it is you're here for. But you've certainly never pretended to be nor presented yourself as a benevolent overseer, Valthrudnir.”

The dragon only scowled at her, apparently not liking what she was inferring before he finally snorted and instead turned his eyes to Thesis, asking almost abruptly: “What was your assessment of the situation regarding the enemy forces?”

Thesis shifted backwards a bit as he glanced over at his mother, and the mare nodded as she became a little more serious herself. The stallion couldn't help but automatically shift so he could better look at both the dragon and his mother... any more than Celestia or Valthrudnir could stop themselves from shifting a little closer together as they turned to face him.

The dark-coated stallion gazed at the two for a moment as he gathered his thoughts, smiling briefly as he studied the two. One acted so callous and cruel, towering over them both literally and figuratively; the other was patient and kind and compassionate, always treating even the lowest pony as her equal.

And yet they were similar, too: not just because of the strength and confidence they radiated, but because there was such... intellect, and such great depth in both of them. They were focused, passionate, and incredibly astute. They looked at him, and he knew that even before he began to speak, they were both already putting things together in their minds, judging his reactions, analyzing his gestures, the subtle changes in his stance...

“They're getting much more aggressive, but they're also taking us much more seriously. The strikesharp was well-armed and well-coordinated. They got sloppy and brash at the end, but they ambushed with extreme prejudice and violence, and I think they purposefully targeted this unit.” Thesis said calmly, and when Valthrudnir frowned at him and Celestia gestured at her son to explain, the stallion continued: “The unicorns had all been neutralized, and there were no signs of the aerial scouts that would have been sent with them. No bodies, no signs of aerial combat.”

“Yes, because I am certain you can detect the subtle variations in sky and weather pattern that discern the presence, or lack thereof, of aerial engagement.” Valthrudnir said irritably, even though all three of them knew that this wasn't what Thesis was talking about. Aerial combat left distinct signs on the ground below: wide bloodsplatter, feathers, impact marks from any falls – whether accompanied by bodies or not – and debris spread over a wide area.

Celestia only studied Thesis intently, and then she asked softly: “So do you think that we have a mole in our midst?”

Thesis shifted a bit at this, biting his lip for a moment before he finally shook his head hesitantly, saying quietly: “I don't think so. I do think the griffins are keeping an eye on us somehow, but I don't think they have spies in our ranks-”

“Oh, of course they have spies among your subjects.” Valthrudnir snapped, shaking his head and glowering at the two, but both Thesis and Celestia only looked at him curiously, by now used to his... particularities. “You've offered too many griffins asylum, too freely. Furthermore, I imagine that your ponies are pathetically easy to bribe, considering how gullible and materialistic some of them are. A few handfuls of oats and even the 'smartest' of your subjects would bend over backwards for the enemy. And I hope you can hear how loosely I use that term.”

Thesis only bowed his head awkwardly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, while Celestia chuckled quietly before responding gently: “Even if every single griffin I have given asylum to is a spy, none of them are near Canterlot, or any of our major operating bases. I believe that was actually one of your suggestions, Valthrudnir. Just as it was your suggestion that we stay here instead of at Harmony Castle.”

“Yes, because of the concerns that they are all likely to be some form of saboteur or sleeper agents.” the dragon retorted, leaning forwards slightly to glower down at the mare with contempt. And yet beneath that, there was... a strange form of respect, for all his rudeness. “My interest is far from keeping them alive or safe. My interest is in keeping them away from any places of importance. And do not think for a moment that I made that suggestion out of care for your well-being.”

“Well, now we've done both, haven't we? And whether you care about us or not as a people, you all the same have given assistance in protecting us.” Celestia replied easily, giving a slight shrug of her shoulders as she smiled slightly up at him. “Sometimes there's no need to destroy in order to defend, Valthrudnir. And furthermore, I think you know as well as I do that these griffin refugees are anything but spies or saboteurs. That's not the way that the griffins work.”

“It's true. Chapter ten verse twelve of the Creed states clearly that griffins must fight their wars with the honor of the eagle and the ferocity of the lion: through ambush, assault, and sheer force. Using sabotage or spies would be considered dishonorable.” Thesis added, doing his best to keep his head raised and his eyes on the dragon even as Valthrudnir scowled down at him moodily.

But finally, Valthrudnir rolled his eyes and muttered: “Why do I even try to get through to you idiotic dregs? The very fact those griffin refugees have fled here goes to show that those griffins do not follow the same codes and laws as the rest of their culture.”

“Not necessarily. They could have fled for any number of reasons, Valthrudnir.” Celestia said gently, and the dragon only gave her a moody look before the Princess of the Sun lowered her head slightly, giving perhaps the smallest of teasing smiles. “But you're right. Let's drop the subject for now: either way, it's become a subject of academic debate, because we can't predict what the griffins are about to do anyway, now can we?”

“We can bring them in for questioning and force them to tell us the truth.” Valthrudnir said moodily, but Celestia only gave him a pointed look, the dragon rolling his eyes before he made some short, dismissive gesture as he turned around to stride away. “Fine. I'll be in my tower, if any of you happy little savages need me.”

Thesis and Celestia watched as the dragon stormed back out of the throne room, and then the dark-coated stallion couldn't help but remark: “He really does go to pretty great lengths just to see you every day, you know.”

“Oh shush, Thesis.” Celestia smiled down at her son, reaching up to gently rub a hoof along his back before she glanced up, catching a last glimpse of the dragon before he vanished around a corner of the corridor beyond the throne room. “He's just... trying to protect us. It may not always seem like that, but that is what I honestly believe: that he wants to look out for each and every one of us.”

Thesis shifted a little, and then he gave a slight nod as he murmured softly: “I think you're right, mom. Strange as it is... whether he's being cruel or purely logical, he wants what's best for us. Or at least best for you.”

Celestia chuckled quietly, but this time she didn't take the bait as she instead gently pushed him away with one hoof, saying softly: “I think that you should go and pen your report, Thesis. You were the one who told me that you wanted to be professional about this, after all.”

“I know, Princess Celestia. I should.” Thesis stepped back and nodded with a smile in return, saluting his mother and straightening... but it was with the love and affection of a son that he looked at his mother, as much as it was the loyalty and respect of a soldier for his monarch. “Excuse me, in that case. I'll submit my report by tonight to the military council, then get ready for my next mission.”

“I expect I'll have to send you back out sooner than I'd like, Thesis. See that you actually do take some time to relax tonight. You have to take care of yourself as much as you do the new recruits.” replied Celestia softly, and Thesis nodded to her before bowing his head respectfully, and the mare lowered her own in return. “You are dismissed.”

Thesis straightened, then gave his mother one last smile before he turned and left, heading out into the corridor and walking in the direction that the dragon had gone. He slowed his pace, however, knowing better than to try and catch up to the Jötnar: even if it seemed sometimes like Valthrudnir lingered merely so that he could 'enjoy' the company of others – by which he meant, of course, harass and degrade them and brag about his superior intellect – the dragon always acted hostile towards anyone who tried to walk anywhere with him. Not that there wasn't an easy solution, of course: a fourteen foot tall dragon could easily outpace any pony's natural walk, even if he did choose to walk around on two legs instead of four.

The stallion chuckled quietly, shaking his head slowly. Valthrudnir was a lot of things, but he could also behave like any teenage filly, too, with how easily-ruffled he was. Thesis wouldn't precisely call the dragon 'emotional,' but he did seem to love finding reasons to be annoyed... which was funny, considering the fact that the dragon also usually talked about ponies like they were unimportant and he was here as some benevolent god-figure to set them all on the right path. But if they really didn't matter all that much to him, well, Thesis couldn't imagine precisely why it was that Valthrudnir would be upset by the fact that the ponies actually argued with him.

Thesis smiled a little to himself as he made his way through the busy halls, his eyes flicking back and forth as he saw how busy it was, how full of life the castle around him was... except he couldn't help but note the... the fear, the worry, the growing panic in the eyes of the ponies around him as well. The war with the griffins was wearing on everyone's nerves... and with each passing day, as the number of casualties grew and more ponies lost friends, parents, siblings, neighbors, relatives... the weight on the shoulders of the nation grew heavier and harder to bear.

It was something Thesis wrestled with every day himself: he always did his best to smile and put on a strong face, to act like the Prince of Equestria he was supposed to be and as his mother had always taught him to... but there was so much anger in his heart. And there was this cold, logical voice in the back of his mind that never stopped talking to him, that thought of everything as... numbers, and mathematical equations, and biological imperatives...

Thesis shook his head quickly, before he could descend too deep into those thoughts. No, it was better just to push that part of him away, to seal it out, to stop it from coming to the surface. He didn't want to start thinking like that, because it became too easy to rationalize everything away, to start to become... numb to the world around him. To look at other ponies not as real, living people, but instead the way Valthrudnir always talked about them: as figures in equations, as nothing more than zoological and biological subjects.

Strange as it was to think of, in some ways Valthrudnir had raised him just as much as his mother had, teaching him to think in ways that Celestia didn't entirely approve of, but... recognized the value of all the same. And as much as he hated to admit it, the way that Valthrudnir looked at the world, through measurements, and scientific analysis, and cold, hard logic. Sometimes, empathy and love and emotion... just led to more heartache, and more suffering.

There was a place for everything in the world: Thesis believed that wholeheartedly, because it helped make the whole world make sense. Doing his best to remember that helped him get through each and every day, reminded him that just because things seemed terrible, it didn't mean they really were. Yes, when he looked around now, he saw fear, and he saw worry, and he saw pain on the faces of many of the ponies he passed... but for all the terrors and evils this war had brought, he also saw how it had brought all these different ponies together, and unified them beneath one banner.

He wished it had taken something less than a war to bring ponies together... but at the same time, Thesis was determined to celebrate what little there was to be celebrated during these rough and dangerous times. The stallion smiled faintly at this thought, looking back once over his shoulder as he left the crowded halls behind to slip into a side corridor that was trafficked mostly by servants.

Thesis strode quietly along the hardwood floors of this niche corridor that most of the nobles and officers wandering the castle weren't even aware existed. But he had always liked these little places himself: they were quieter, and he got fewer strange looks, and the servants always seemed to like him a little better than most of the 'nobler' ponies did. Even his fellow soldiers sometimes looked at him a little funny, after all... but he knew that was because a lot of them still thought that having the prince among their ranks meant they were either getting a toddler they'd have to protect, or... well, a weapon, for lack of a better word.

Mother always told him that he wasn't a weapon, though. That he was just like any other pony: yes, he had been born by a rather... strange means, and he would never have a cutie mark, and he was stronger, faster, more resilient than any normal pony... but he felt the same way they did, and he ate the same food, and he had the same longings and needs and desires.

Thesis turned a corner... and smiled as he almost bumped into an earth pony in a maid's uniform, who blushed as she stumbled backwards and nearly dropped the blankets on her back. Thesis caught her and steadied her, however, saying easily: “Careful, Songbird.”

“How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that, Prince Thesis?” The pretty, pastel yellow earth pony looked up at him with a slight blush, half-hiding behind her glittering blue mane as radiant sapphire eyes gazed at the stallion affectionately. Thesis only smiled, though, his own ivory eyes warm and teasing as he looked back down at her.

“I guess you'll just have to keep reminding me until it sinks into my big dumb head.” Thesis said softly, and the mare gave a quiet giggle.”But your real name-”

“Singing Lark.” she interrupted, smiling up at him, and Thesis nodded a few times as he waved a hoof airily.

“Singing Lark, right, yeah. It's nice and all but... Songbird is better, I think.” Thesis replied easily, and Singing Lark gave him a pointed look. Thesis innocently looked back at her for a few moments, then reached up and patted her cheek lightly as he explained: “Well, I mean, everypony knows that larks sing, right? I mean, everypony. So that's just redundant. No one wants a redundant name. But Songbird, that's a much prettier name.”

“You're such an idiot.” Songbird said softly, and then she smiled up at him as he shrugged amiably. They studied one-another for a few long moments, and then the mare laughed a little and shook her head slowly before she asked: “Are you being sent out on mission again?”

“Probably. But right now I'm just going to clean up, then head to make my report to the military council. You know how it works: hurry up and wait. I'll get there and they'll make me sit for three hours in the waiting room, then get scolded for not going over right away and waiting for four.” Thesis replied with a shrug, and the mare shook her head slowly as she gave him an amused look, before the stallion said in a softer voice: “Stop in later, huh? I uh... my bed needs changing and I need new towels, and you're really the only mare who does any of those things right.”

Songbird gave him an amused look, smiling slightly before she replied primly: “You really should work on not wetting your bed, Thesis. It's not a very princely thing to do.”

Thesis huffed at this, then he reached up and touched his own breast, saying seriously: “What I do in my own bed is my business, Songbird. And if I can't get up to go to the bathroom after saving all of Equestria, well. That's my problem, not yours.”

“Actually, I think it would be my problem, considering that I'm the one who changes your bed.” Songbird replied pointedly, and Thesis shrugged before the maid smiled a little, saying quietly: “You're always such a troublemaker, aren't you?”

“Yeah, I am.” Thesis admitted with a smile, shrugging a little, and then he reached up and ruffled the mare's mane, making her wince and glare up at him. “See you later tonight, little sister.”

Songbird opened her mouth... then only sighed as Thesis strode past, before the mare called over her shoulder: “It's cheating when you call me that!”

“Then I'm a cheater!” Thesis replied without looking back, smiling slightly as he continued through the corridor, but it took all his effort not to gaze back at Songbird, the mare he honestly thought of as his family. He was pretty sure that most of the castle thought there was some secret affair going on between them, but... even if Thesis loved her, he loved her like family.

He and Songbird had grown up together, even if she was a pauper's daughter and he was a prince: they had played together as foals, and then grown up side-by-side. And between Thesis being trained and groomed for princedom, and Songbird taking on a position at the palace to try and help support her impoverished family, they had spent every free moment learning about the world together.

There was one thing, above all, that was important to Thesis, more than his nation, more than even his honor... and that was his family. Family was everything: his family was why Thesis fought so hard to protect his nation, and why he could smile, even through the deepest of darkness. His family was why he had wanted to become a soldier, and his family was what pushed him to always try and be a better person, to always try and find his way forwards, through even the darkest nights and the cruelest storms.

And with his mother to guide him, and his sister's support and friendship, Thesis knew that no matter what happened, he would never be broken, he would never be unhappy. He knew that he could keep up this fight until they made their peace with the griffin nation and set everything right again.

Thesis smiled to himself, eyes gazing ahead with determination... and so positive, so focused on where he was going in life, that he never registered the dragon in the shadows of a connecting corridor, who watched him with cold amber eyes as he passed. A white-scaled hand silently played with a coin, rolling it back and forth over his knuckles before he flicked it into the air, then caught it and squeezed tightly into the bit for a moment.

His fingers slowly opened, the dragon looking moodily down at the coin and studying the engraving of the prince's face on it before he smiled thinly, his eyes flicking up as he said softly: “No matter what you've convinced yourself, Thesis, the only difference between you and this piece of metal are the moving parts.”

Yes, he would ensure that Thesis was reminded of that later... but for now, the dragon only turned and left, exiting the narrow, cramped corridors to head towards the chambers that housed the military council. He wanted to have a word with them to ensure that they would send his little pet project on a mission that would properly test his potential; after all, there was really no point in continuing this experiment unless he had proof that Thesis was going to live up to everything he had in mind for him.

But the dragon was sure it would all be nothing more than a matter of time until all his projects came to fruition, thanks to how easily both the naive ponies and the prideful griffins allowed themselves to be manipulated. And time was something that he happened to have in excess.

Verse Seven

Verse Seven:
~BlackRoseRaven

Dragon and Princess, unlikely lovers,

From his curse and her blessing came the song:

Nephalem child, above whom now hovers

the sword of fate, bringer-down of the strong.

But still the child has no choice but to sing,

The song that plays on in his clockwork heart;

And throughout all Hell and Heaven shall ring

the bells that signal the end of life's start.

The child sings the story of Ragnarok,

Not knowing the life he brings to the tale,

Blind to the fire, deaf to horn and clock,

Unable to see how his people fail.

And when the sword falls, and cuts off his voice,

With Gjallar's Song shall the people rejoice.

Celestia stood calmly on one of the tallest towers of Canterlot, gazing silently out over her city. Here and there, she could see smoke rising as ponies struggled to put out the latest damage done during the last griffin attack.

She had not foreseen the Kirin allying themselves with the griffins. They had done so under the excuse that they were 'frightened:' frightened of what the griffins could do to them, frightened of what Equestria was becoming, they said. But Celestia wasn't fooled. They, and other nations, had all joined with the griffins in a united front against them after conveniently forgetting that the griffins had attacked Equestria first, after witnessing the power that Valthrudnir had brought them.

Celestia was not surprised. They showed strength and backbone instead of kowtowing to the bullies, and this was what they gave her in return. Betrayal, pain, and heartache. How long had their former allies been conspiring against them, she wondered? How long ago had they decided to turn on Equestria, after Equestria had begun to push back against the griffins? And how could the griffins justify their cowardice, in running like whimpering kittens to Equestria's now-former friends, begging for help and vomiting lies and veiled threats until the cowards had decided to turn against the nation of ponies?

But even that didn't surprise Celestia in the slightest, really. Equestria was an enormous, powerful nation. Even after the civil war, they had still been one of the strongest nations on the continent, easily. So much strength, however, had created not just respect, but fear... fear that had grown into terror and desperation when she had turned the nation's wrath and Valthrudnir's war machines loose on their foes.

They were being attacked from all sides, and griffin ferocity was now being backed by Kirin magic and their dominance over weather and the sky, empowered further by all the resources the diamond dogs could dig out of the earth and the raging might of the dragons. Criminals were flocking to the griffin empire and their promises of rewards: after all, once the griffins were done destroying Equestria, they would have no use for the endless tracts of land, the gorgeous fields, the lakes and meadows and mountains. The griffin homeland was cruel and heartless... just like the griffins themselves, Celestia reflected. It was no wonder they loved it so dearly.

Celestia smiled thinly, then her eyes flicked back over her shoulder as she felt that all too familiar presence behind her. Without looking back, she asked calmly: “Are they ready yet?”

“Nearly.” Valthrudnir grumbled... although was that a hint of unease in his voice? She hoped not. She would be direly disappointed if the dragon was getting cold feet now. “Princess Celestia-”

“Queen Celestia.” the mare said coldly, looking over her shoulder at the dragon, and Valthrudnir grimaced a bit. “I believe you were the one who said that being a 'princess' was a ridiculous notion when this nation is ruled by a sole monarch, is that not correct? Besides. The nation needs a Queen. Not a princess.”

“Yes, yes. Very well.” Valthrudnir muttered, but he lowered his head slightly all the same before he gestured towards her. “I have no objection with erasing the griffins from existence, and I must admit that I am rather... impressed by the way you have chosen to adapt some of my designs. But all the same, this is...”

He broke off, and Celestia smiled thinly as she looked back down over her city, saying coldly: “The griffins have been using their radon cannons to irradiate entire cities. They are cowards: their Torpedo Cruisers are designed to hide in the clouds, and the moment we discovered the existence of their Thunderstorm Island, they withdrew it to the north. But even though they built a flying city... it's still a city of cowards, a cloud-castle in the sky. One strong wind, and we'll blow it away, no matter how much they tout its supremacy.”

“They are not... radon cannons. They have somehow isolated a magically-altered compound that releases a similar substance to radon gas, except far more concentrated, although the half-life is also much shorter...” Valthrudnir couldn't resist explaining, and then he sighed when Celestia glared at him. “Fine. Live in ignorance.”

“Not ignorance, Valthrudnir. I simply don't care.” Celestia looked back out over her city, her eyes cold. “They attacked the city with another bomb attack. The Kirin can fly higher than any Pegasus, and hail down a rain of explosives made by the diamond dogs from above. They call themselves peaceful, but they are terrorizing my cities.”

“You know as well as I do they seek to distract us. Why don't we retreat to your castle, in the Eternal Forest? Canterlot was only safer strategically because of the hazardous terrain, but the value of that has been nullified.” Valthrudnir said finally, and Celestia frowned as she turned around and the dragon leaned down to look eye-to-eye with her. “In fact, Canterlot is now nothing but a high, vulnerable target. There is no reason for you to...”

Valthrudnir fell quiet, looking at her, looking almost... lost, for a moment. Celestia looked back at him silently, and then she suddenly turned around and strode towards him before almost throwing herself into him, wrapping her forelegs around his neck and pushing her lips to his.

She kissed him, and he trembled like a leaf, grasping her with hands that had no strength, meeting her mouth with lips that still, after all his infinite years, didn't quite know how to return a kiss: how to make his passion real. And then she pulled back, looking into his eyes silently as he gazed at her weakly, before she took a breath and reached up to silently adjust the wolf-headed choker he always wore at his neck, her amethyst eyes flicking away as she said quietly: “I will end this war on my own terms, Valthrudnir. I will not be chased out of my home.”

Valthrudnir lowered his head... and then he cleared his throat before slipping away from the mare, stumbling backwards and hurriedly smoothing out his suit. He looked at her for a moment, opening his mouth... but then he closed it, and turned quickly around, almost running away from the mare.

Celestia watched him go in silence, and then she sighed softly before turning around and striding to the battlements to return her gaze over the city, knowing she was fighting a war she could not win... and that the love she wanted was never meant to be.

Thesis looked silently up at Valthrudnir as the dragon paced back and forth in front of him, moodily shuffling a deck of playing cards in his hands. He had called him and other Dark Angels here for some special mission, but so far, he hadn't done anything but... pace.

Not that he really cared. He didn't care about Valthrudnir. He barely cared about this war. He didn't care about the disciplinary hearings, or the fact he was constantly being reprimanded, or the fact that he had even spent time in the dungeons as an occupant, not a guest. When they gave him a job, he did it. He had become crude, but he was still effective, and no matter what the objective he made sure his team came back alive.

Because all Thesis cared about was his family, even if his family was mostly scraps of metal these days. He cared about Hierophant, who was his friend. He cared about his mother, who loved him, and who he was beginning to understand more and more... even admire for the way that she compartmentalized things so neatly. She understood, he knew. She was never mad at him anymore, because he was doing the most important thing, taking care of his family.

He cared about Songbird. He and Songbird had been together, inseparable when they had grown up in the Castle of Harmony, and even after they had moved to Canterlot, she had been on the staff that had followed to take care of the Princess. Thesis had heard a rumor that Celestia had been considering withdrawing to the Castle of Harmony in the Eternal Forest... part of him hoped that was true. It was a much sturdier target, and stretched into the safety of the earth...

The earth, where Red Sky rested.

Thesis slowly looked down... and then he grimaced when Valthrudnir snapped: “Wake up!”

The stallion looked up silently, and the dragon looked down at him for a few moments before he gritted his teeth and said quietly: “Thesis, you understand that-”

“What is Decretum? Why won't you admit that you're my father?”

Valthrudnir's jaw dropped as his playing cards spilled out of his hands, his fingers working convulsively as Thesis only continued to look at him with almost detached interest. Then he looked slowly down at his own hooves, saying in that same conversational voice: “I was born from Mother. I don't know all the details, but I do know she gave birth to me... so I wonder how it all happened. And why you gave me to her... what am I? What is a Replicant?”

Valthrudnir took a slow breath, and then he simply held a hand out, his cards flying upwards and piling neatly into his fingers. He shuffled quickly through the playing cards with fingers that trembled only slightly, then he tucked them back into his jacket, saying shortly: “None of that is any of your business, Thesis. My... reasons are my own, and... I merely... it is not as if I am actually your Father. We share... a similar chromosome, that is all. A few genetic strands. You are nothing like me.”

“I know.” Thesis looked up with a hollow and mocking smile, and Valthrudnir's eyes narrowed dangerously before the stallion lowered his gaze and murmured: “You could have ended this war at any time. Why haven't you?”

Valthrudnir looked coldly down at Thesis, and even as he answered in a condescending voice, the stallion saw the way he moved a hand to nervously touch his side: “Because I do not care about the machinations of insects. Furthermore, I have provided plenty for you plebeians to put to use. It is not my fault that you have been so miserable and unsuccessful in beating back these savages with all the advancements I have provided.”

“Numbers beat strength. And not matter how strong your Dogmatists, Valthrudnir, rocks still bludgeon them, arrows still pierce them, fire still burns them.” Thesis replied quietly, looking down and shaking his head slowly. “And you provided us plans and technology that could be developed in the factories we've built... factories that have been cloned by the griffins and others. Who knows how long they were stealing information from us? Who knows how long that the other nations were leeching our secrets, working counterintelligence operations?”

“That is not my fault.” Valthrudnir said contemptibly, and then he shook his head before turning around, facing the stone wall of this simple meeting room before he said quietly: “Besides. I am here to present you with a method to end this war, Thesis. Just like you want.”

Thesis looked up, blinking in surprise. He hesitated, then looked back and forth: they were silent, almost frozen in the presence of the dragon... but he thought he saw the faintest hints of interest in his Dogmatist comrades, as well. “What... what do you mean?”

“We will devastate the enemy with a show of force.” Valthrudnir said coldly, and then he simply waved a hand outwards, and the wall in front of him rippled before becoming a semi-liquid screen, images starting to flash rapidly over it of what looked like enemy bases and structures.

Thesis' eyes narrowed as he realized one of these images was of Thunderstorm Island... and Valthrudnir stepped away from the front of the screen, facing towards Thesis to point at this as he said calmly: “One precise strike. That is all that is required to make our point. As you are aware, Thesis, Thunderstorm Island is powered by dark magic: irradiated corpses form the cores that keep the island airborne. This floating island carries enough personnel, weapon systems, and surface-to-air vehicles that they are able to abduct entire villages.”

Thesis nodded slowly, but before he could ask any questions, the images changed to what looked like some kind of enormous military base, Valthrudnir pointing at this cluster of structures as he said calmly: “These cores last a considerable time before they must be repaired and refueled... but our increased defenses and long-range cannons have forced the griffins to begin using other methods to repair their supercarrier. They have been culling the dead from the killing fields: they are irradiated and treated with dark magic at this large scale facility, and then shipped in transports up to Thunderstorm Island. During this period the island is especially vulnerable, and if we were to bring it crashing down, we would kill more than merely two birds with one stone.”

Valthrudnir smiled coldly, clenching one hand into a fist, and Thesis looked uncertainly at the images on screen as they flashed out to a wider view, before he said slowly: “But it would be heavily defended, and the weapons on the supercarrier-”

“Thunderstorm Island's weaponry and defensive functions are disabled. All power has been routed to the secondary engines, to keep it float while the cores are restored.” Valthrudnir interrupted, and then he smiled thinly when Thesis frowned. “I have been generous enough to do a bit of... primary research on the subject. It was merely a matter of reaching out to the correct person.”

Thesis wasn't sure he wanted to know what that meant... but... “Why do you want me to-”

“Because I have helped you insects more than enough with your piddling problems.” Valthrudnir snapped, brushing irritably at himself. “I have discovered a flaw in their defenses that we will be able to exploit to gain access to Thunderstorm Island undetected. From there, it will be a simple matter for you to reach the main power core and destroy it. Even a small charge will be more than sufficient to interrupt the engine systems during this critical stage.”

The stallion looked uncomfortably at the dragon, and then he gave a hesitant nod before Valthrudnir said softly: “This war will be ended under your own power. When Thunderstorm Island falls, it will crush the griffin's entire northern front. Their forces will no longer have the supercarrier to form the backbone of their armada, and who knows how many of their soldiers will fall with their floating fortress? They will surrender. They will have no choice.”

“They will surrender...” Thesis looked down, and then he closed his eyes and whispered: “And we will ignore them, like they ignored our pleas for peace. We will kill every last one of them, because otherwise, they will betray us again.”

Valthrudnir studied Thesis for a few moments... and then he gave a gave a thin smile before saying calmly: “You are learning. But likewise, you will follow Celestia's orders. She understands the methods by which to manipulate these philistine races best.”

Thesis nodded, looking up at Valthrudnir as the dragon gazed back at him meditatively before giving a brief shake of his head. He looked back at the images shifting over the screen he had created, before he continued slowly, as if he was working out the plan as he spoke: “Following the high-altitude insertion, the simplest method of ingress would be through the residence block. Most of the civilian and military personnel will be on duty during the repair process. For all their 'advancement,' it should be a simple matter to reach an elevator and descend to engineering. They possess plenty of hardware but very little in the way of programming or other more-worthy technological advancements. Even an animal can learn to press a button. It is the superior mind that teach the button to press itself.”

Thesis remained silent, only looking up at Valthrudnir until the dragon continued: “Below the engineering deck, you will find the actual machinery you need to deal with. You may encounter resistance as you head towards the core: curb it by whatever means necessary. At the core control chamber, all you need to do is place an explosive on one of the power columns. When one goes, the rest will follow in short order.”

The almost-dark-coated stallion glanced to the left, at the two Dogmatists beside him: Polysemy and Fuse. One was designed for strategy and tracking, and the other was an explosives expert. He hoped that they were both taking all this information in... “Will Fuse require extra materiel?”

“No. A small explosive will be more than sufficient, as I said. The floating island should be thrown into a panic by the occurrence.” Valthrudnir replied calmly. “You should head immediately for the hangar. I might even suggest breaking the team into two: while one half plants the explosive, the other will sabotage as many vehicles in the hangar as possible and prepare a craft for escape. Unfortunately, of course, the hangar will likely be busy: stealth will be required.”

“Hierophant can keep up a scan while Ion cloaks. The rest of us will form the strike on the core chamber.” Thesis responded, and Valthrudnir clicked his tongue as he nodded meditatively. “I request-”

“You will request nothing.” the dragon interrupted irritably, glowering down at Thesis. “I will provide the best possible equipment for your mission. And all the information is already being downloaded to your Dogmatists.”

Thesis nodded, lowering his head after a moment before he shifted uncomfortably. And finally, he looked up and said quietly: “This seems too easy.”

Valthrudnir smiled thinly, leaning down and saying derisively: “Get the job down, Thesis. That's all you have to do. It is easier because we are of a superior mind, that is all.”

Thesis met Valthrudnir's amber gaze, and then he finally gave a short nod. He would get the job done, no matter what. But all of this, this deluge of information, even if most of it had been gained by Valthrudnir's powers... it all seemed too convenient, too easy.

But he would get the job done. No matter what.

It had all been too simple: they had boarded a craft that had taken Thesis up higher than he'd imagined possible, to where they seemed to brush against the ceiling of the sky. To where blue began to tarnish into black, as if they were leaving their entire world behind...

That would be wonderful, Thesis thought. To just leave the world behind. To be... free.

And then, they had jumped.

The fall had been incredible. They had been falling towards something that was already several thousand feet above the ground, and yet they were miles and miles above that. Watching it growing closer and closer through the visor over his face, Thesis had been awed by the thought of what it was possible for ponykind to accomplish...

And he had despaired at the fact that all this wonder of technology and creation was being used only to destroy.

They had landed smoothly: the devices they used were similar to the RAPs, but designed for decelerating them so they could land safely. Thesis had made doubly sure they were all in working order before their leap, too: every mission, he checked his team's gear personally now, to ensure there wouldn't be any further tampering.

They had landed perfectly on mark on Thunderstorm Island, and Thesis had gotten his first glimpse of what truly was an airborne city: half built of steel, half built from cloud structures, it was a marvel... and a terror. Here and there among the buildings stood enormous guard posts, humongous launch and landing strips, and cannons that stretched towards the sky. And in the center of it all was a massive, blocky tower that stretched towards the sky...

They had landed on a rooftop next to the tower, but they were quick to get out of sight, moving immediately for their objective: the residential quarters. They had easily forced open a security door, and with Hierophant's scans and the map of the structure provided by Valthrudnir, they had made their way quickly and effortlessly to the point where the teams had split up.

They met almost no resistance on the way down: the few soldiers they were forced to engage, Thesis killed silently and effortlessly, then quickly hid their bodies. The only problem they encountered was a set of sealed security doors, but Fuse had simply applied a thin line of explosive jelly to where the doors met, and easily blown them loose.

But it had all been too easy, Thesis thought, as they stood in the control room. The empty control room... where the core columns were securely covered by blast shielding, and they had been sealed in by heavy shutters. There was no way that Fuse's explosives would be enough to open the shutters, and while Thesis was wearing a protective helmet with its own air filter and oxygen supply, most of that supply had been used up on the drop in... and he could almost hear the griffins laughing as the poison gas poured in through the vents.

Polysemy seemed to be unaffected by the gas, but he was only standing in one corner of the room: meanwhile, Fuse was studying the shutter blocking their exit after several attempts to open it using his various explosives: none had worked.

Thesis swore quietly beneath his helm, but he felt strangely calm as he strode through a room in which the air was turning a sickening green. He was lucky that the bodysuit he'd worn for the drop covered his entire body, but if this was the same kind of gas the griffins had been using, his suit wasn't going to protect him for long. The gas would eat through it and then, breathing clean air or not, he'd die a slow, painful death.

Then he frowned as a hatch popped open on Fuse's body, the mechanical stallion reaching back and pulling a large block of something free. Thesis realized after a moment that had been the explosive meant for the control column. “Fuse, what are you doing?”

Fuse looked at him calmly: he had no ears, and one eye was covered by a monocular lens that had been built into his face. And then, to Thesis' disbelief, the Dogmatist struggled to make an expression that Thesis recognized as... a smile. “Obeying mission parameters. Protecting the Commander before completing the mission.”

“Fuse?” Thesis whispered, and then he watched as the Dogmatist placed the explosive against the bottom of the shutter. But... no Dogmatist had ever done anything like this. This was impossible. Fuse was programmed, like the rest of them, to obey orders and complete the mission, at any cost...

The explosive went off with a tremendous bang, the force of it almost knocking Thesis off his hooves as the gas was temporarily blown away in the whoosh of flame and concussive wind. Polysemy was already hurrying through the wreckage of the shutter, and Thesis followed... before skidding to a halt and looking over his shoulder as he saw Fuse had remained behind.

“Goodbye.” Fuse said simply, and then he dropped his head, his voice becoming more mechanical as he announced: “Auto-destruct engaged. Thirty seconds.”

“Fuse, no! Shut down! Don't do this!” Thesis shouted, spinning around as his eyes widened in horror. “This was a trap, there's no guarantee that the mission will be completed! I order you to stop, we have to get out of here!”

“Given ordinance was insufficient to complete the given task. The mission must be completed, at all costs.” Fuse replied tonelessly, head lowered... but was he trying to smile again? “Evacuate the area... Thesis.”

Thesis stared. No Commander, no callsign, no title... and then he shook his head weakly before whispering: “Goodbye, my friend.”

Thesis turned and ran. He ran as hard and fast as he dared down the hall, catching up to Polysemy... and a moment later, the world shook with the explosion that ripped through the halls, before there was a sound... almost like screaming, Thesis thought, as he felt himself starting to become... detached again, and numb to the world.

Yes, it was a mix of both. Part of him was thinking only in facts and numbers. There was a griffin twenty, fifteen, ten feet away... Thesis intercepted the soldier with mathematical precision, catching his talon and breaking his forelimb like a twig before he used him as a living shield, carrying the griffin in front of him as two Kirin down the hall fired blades of air magic at him that flayed open the wings and back of their former comrade.

He simply bulldozed one of the Kirin, crushing both him into the wall under the spasming griffin, then he turned and flung the hybrid hard, knocking the other Kirin sprawling. Then Thesis turned his attention back to the soldier in front of him: the Kirin all looked the same, he thought. Smooth skin, dark coat colors, white fetlocks and often ivory beards and manes, with zigzagging horns...

Their bodies hid bruising well. But the red of blood showed up so brightly on the white. And the horns looked fierce but were so much more frail than a unicorn's, Thesis thought, as he snapped the dead Kirin's horn off before throwing it like a knife at the other Kirin, who saw it coming too late to avoid it.

Thesis ran past the dead Kirin he had left pinned to the wall by the horn through his eye, following Polysemy, who had gone on ahead. Then he swore as the whole world rocked violently, magical lanterns and crystals that lit these halls exploding one after the other as the stallion felt the surge of toxic energy that tore through the air around them, before the floor beneath his hooves began to tilt.

The stallion wasn't sure how they made it to the hangar. Only that they did... except they emerged into a firestorm. Hierophant was pinned down beside a Torpedo Cruiser, and Ion was laying in a pool of blood, dead. All the same, Thesis ran straight for Ion, ducking and dodging through the blasts of magic and the bolts and bolas that were all immediately fired towards him.

Hierophant looked over his shoulder at Thesis, before his horn glowed: a psychic grip suddenly snared the stallion, yanking him away from Ion's dead, almost eviscerated body, and Thesis was flung hard to the ground, crashing painfully down on his side with a curse beside Hierophant.

He snarled up at the Dogmatist, but the mechanical unicorn only said tonelessly: “He is beyond repair. We must evacuate.”

Thesis began to argue... and then there was a tremendous rattle, and the stallion swore as the world rocked around them, tilting violently to one side. Griffins and Kirin spilled over, shouting and swearing, before Thesis looked over his shoulder in horror as the Torpedo Cruiser they were hiding beside began to roll towards them-

He spun around, Polysemy and Hierophant following as they fled: the other soldiers had all lost track of them, panicking and howling as they were crushed beneath their own ill-designed craft. Crates, barrels of fuel, and cargo were all thrown through the hangar as well, Thesis swearing as he jumped out of the way of the rolling cruiser only to be forced to catch a massive steel crate that skidded towards him, barely managing to halt it before his eyes widened as he saw another cruiser rolling down the ever-increasing slope of the hangar-

“On top of the crate.” Polysemy ordered, and Thesis looked in surprise at the Dogmatist. Before he could protest, Polysemy slammed both his front hooves into the large steel crate, denting the sides of it but holding it in place as best he could, even as he slowly began to skid backwards along the tilting floor under the weight of the cargo.

Hierophant quickly climbed Polysemy to leap up on top of the crate, and Thesis swore before doing the same. He looked over his shoulder as the cruiser rolled quickly towards them, before turning around to offer a hoof to Polysemy, desperate-

The cylindrical ship smashed into the other side of the steel crate, knocking Thesis sprawling on top of the wide container as the crate was shoved down the hangar by the weight of the machine pushing it. Polysemy's hooves screamed against the ground as he managed to keep himself upright, pushing back against the crate... until it smashed into the wall of the hangar, crunching the Dogmatist into hard cement like a cheap tin toy.

Thesis was flung backwards, hitting the wall with a gasp... before his eyes widened in horror as he realized where they had landed. He looked down, then opened his mouth to scream... but before he could, Hierophant seized him by the shoulder and half-pulled him towards the damaged cruiser, saying coldly: “Evacuation options limited.”

“Goddammit!” Thesis shouted, tearing himself free from Hierophant. But Hierophant only looked back over his shoulder at him for a moment before he turned his eyes back ahead to one of the open cannon hatches in the damaged cruiser, the Dogmatist leaping in through this.

Thesis trembled... then whispered a single curse under his breath before he jumped in after Hierophant, looking back as he did so at where Polysemy's body was. He landed painfully inside the cylindrical ship, then he looked ahead to see that Hierophant had already moved through the door in the front wall

The world around them shook, and Thesis stumbled as he felt the surface beneath his feet – wall? Floor? – shudder, threatening to start rolling again. All the same, he stumbled quickly forwards, jumping up through the door and into a cockpit area, where he found Hierophant already activating the controls with telekinesis.

“Estimated flight time is forty seconds.” Hierophant said tonelessly, and Thesis laughed shortly.

“Just get us out of here. Let's die outside of here.” Thesis whispered, and Hierophant simply nodded before he grabbed firmly onto a handle sticking out of the wall. Thesis did the same as the cruiser vibrated around them... and then he gritted his teeth, staring up through the eyehole-shaped windows as the cruiser shot forwards.

Another falling ship crashed into the Torpedo Cruiser, knocking it side ways, and they burst out through the open hangar doors, flying out into the cold, empty sky. The world revolved sickeningly as Thesis clung to the wall for dear life, but Hierophant only concentrated his powers forwards, pushing hard on the control handle to activate what little power was left in this damaged ship-

Something smashed into them even as they shot forwards, and the world spun in all directions, nothing but blurs and sounds until they crashed down with a tremendous bang, Thesis felt himself flung bonelessly through the air...

Then there was darkness.

Darkness, and pain.

Darkness, and pain... and movement?

Thesis' eyes flickered open, and he stared disbelievingly up at the sky through his cracked visor. Someone was... dragging him, he thought. His head dropped backwards, and he saw bloody, bruised, limping Hierophant... struggling to pull him along. Thesis blinked slowly at him through his broken helm, tried to speak, but nothing came out.

But he was okay, he thought, even as Hierophant struggled to pull him along. His body flexed, and Thesis felt himself responding as he coughed again, his body spasming before he suddenly sat up, tearing loose from Hierophant's grip.

He reached up, yanking his helm off as he coughed violently again, leaning forwards and gagging... but he managed to stop himself from throwing up. He tossed his broken helmet aside as he blinked a few times, before looking up and seeing the wreckage of their craft...

And only a short distance away, he saw a swarm. A massive mob of griffins, and Kirin, and zebra, and diamond dogs, and dragons, and criminals. An army that marched towards them, fearless, laughing in spite of their 'victory' in bringing down Thunderstorm Island, which had crashed to the earth in the distance, a ruined, burning city.

Thesis staggered up to his hooves, and Hierophant said calmly: “We must flee.”

Thesis looked at the countless enemies approaching, and he smiled grimly before replying quietly: “We have nowhere to run.”

Hierophant clicked... then stepped slowly up beside Thesis, studying the army in the distance before saying emotionlessly: “There are at least one thousand soldiers of varying races. Officers cannot be distinguished. Leadership unknown.”

“This isn't about... nations, or patriotism anymore, Hierophant. That's not an army. That's a horde.” Thesis said quietly, and then he slowly rose his head before saying quietly: “This has gone beyond what any of us can control. Reason has been lost. This is just about the killing. And they won't stop until we're all dead.”

Hierophant studied the approaching mass for a few moments, and then he said calmly: “Objectives updated in light of new information. Previous orders have been nullified. Command?”

“I don't have any commands left for you, Toots. We're going to die.” Thesis said quietly, as the army approached, before the stallion reached up and slowly yanked off his equipment belts, tossing them aside. He reached down, pulling off the boots covering his hooves as well, as he continued quietly “But I'm going to kill as many of them as I can before I do.”

The Dogmatist looked forwards, and then he said calmly: “I am not Toots.” A pause, and then he said in an almost soft voice: “I am Shooting Star.”

Thesis smiled briefly over at the Dogmatist, and then he looked back ahead and whispered: “I knew I'd make soldiers out of you guys before the end. Then we'll die together. As brothers.”

“Acknowledged.” Shooting Star said calmly, and the two ponies both set themselves as the first overeager barbarians broke away from the horde, diamond dogs and griffins both rushing forwards.

The unicorn slashed into the first griffin that attacked him, knocking him backwards and yanking his weapon out of his claw with telekinesis to fling it sharply into the face of a diamond dog. Thesis, meanwhile, leapt to punch another of the vicious canines, knocking it to the ground before he leapt over it and caught two griffins sweeping a net forwards between them by the face, slamming their heads together before throwing them straight down, leaving them entangled in their own trap.

Shooting Star moved with computerized precision even as the horde closed in around them and surrounded them, killing, maiming, and paralyzing as weapons bounced off his steel body, the wounds his little flesh took doing nothing to slow him down. And Thesis was a whirlwind, hooves smashing viciously into soft flesh, throwing enemies around like ragdolls even as blades cut through his protective suit and claws raked at his body.

The horde gathered around them, shouting and cheering even as more of their own were beaten back, killed, or otherwise left defeated and humiliated. A lucky few managed to drag themselves away from the conflict, but more and more bodies were piling up as Thesis broke bone and Shooting Star tore through flesh-

A mechanical claw smashed suddenly down, and the unicorn was knocked off his hooves with a squall of pain. Thesis immediately halted, a griffin gurgling helplessly in his hooves, before the stallion flung the hybrid away as he turned around and stared in horror at the sight of... “Tiny?”

The giant of a diamond dog glared at him... except there wasn't much diamond dog left anymore. Nearly his entire body was plated with steel, magic crystals glowing brightly in massive, mechanical limbs. His jaw was nothing but a fanged metal trap, his ears spikes of steel, his chiseled form now quite literally shaped in metal... but his eyes. He had the same eyes, and here and there, rubbery flesh showed through beneath the steel that had been grafted to his body... “Thesis. Do you mind if I play with your toy?”

The mechanical Kindynas hefted Shooting Star in one hoof by the back of the neck, and Thesis' eyes widened before he began to step forwards... but Kindynas immediately reached up his other claw and grasped the unicorn by the head, his cold steel grin seeming to stretch wider as he mocked in his echoing but horribly alive voice: “No, no. Don't move. Or I'll break your toy.”

“How the hell are you still alive?” Thesis asked in disbelief, leaning forwards before he added sharply: “Put him down! Put him down and face me, you coward!”

Kindynas gave a muffled, mechanical laugh, and then he wiggled Shooting Star back and forth in his claw, Thesis shivering as he saw those enormous, deadly digits puncturing into his friend's synthetic body like putty... “I'll put him down when I'm done with him. The griffins found me in one of your prison camps. I was happy to volunteer for their new upgrade program... and now look at me! I make your metal warriors look like toys. Broken, useless, worthless toys.”

Kindynas turned his mocking eyes to Shooting Star, who gargled uselessly, chemical leaking from his mouth before Kindynas' other claw settled on his head... and all Thesis could do was give a shout of horror, of denial, of raw pain and hate as the diamond dog twisted sharply, snapping his friend's neck... before he ripped viciously to either side, and there was a horrible scream of tearing flesh and metal before Shooting Star's body flew in one direction, and his head in the other.

The unicorn's skull bounced towards Thesis, who stared weakly as the head bounced towards him, the glassy, red eyes flickering before they seemed to focus for a moment. Shooting Star opened his mouth, trying to speak as he stared up at Thesis, who stared back down at him... and then a massive claw smashed down on top of Shooting Star's skull, crushing it out of existence before Kindynas' other claw lunged forwards and seized Thesis by the throat, hefting him high into the air as the stallion gargled and clawed helplessly at the smooth steel wrist of the giant.

The mechanical diamond dog laughed as he turned and flung Thesis across the battleground, Thesis hitting the ground hard on his back and rolling to his hooves before Kindynas beckoned him mockingly with both hands, shouting: “Come on, mud pony! You aren't so superior now, are you?'

Thesis roared, then he charged straight at the mechanical diamond dog, leaping up and slamming his hooves uselessly into the steel front of the monster. Kindynas only laughed, slapping him away like a toy before he strode forwards, growling: “I am going to enjoy this, mud pony.”

The stallion climbed up to his hooves with a snarl, and he ran forwards to meet the diamond dog again. But this time, a steel fist crashed into his face, crunching him to the ground... and even as Thesis did all he could to fight back, there was little he could do in the face of the onslaught from the mechanical, indomitable, unstoppable diamond dog.

Thesis gasped, as he hit the ground for the hundredth time, blood pouring from his mouth and out of the rips in his torn and useless armor. He rolled over onto his stomach, his legs shivering as Kindynas stood beside him, looking down at him with contempt in his eyes and his steel smile seeming to stretch wider as he watched the way Thesis' legs quavered under him as he struggled to stand... “Do you wish to die on your feet, my prince? Would you like help?”

Kindynas slammed a fist down... and Thesis screamed as he was driven to the ground, his back breaking beneath the savage blow, his spine shattered like glass as he collapsed to the earth. He spasmed uselessly, his eyes rolling in his head, and Kindynas laughed before he reached down and seized Thesis by the mane, grinning as he slowly lifted the stallion into the air... and Thesis screamed in agony as his legs refused to do anything but twitch, as his body moved with all the looseness of rubber with no backbone to keep it stiff. “Is it too hard for the prince of donkeys?”

Kindynas flung Thesis to the ground, and he crashed on his face with a gargle before the mechanical diamond dog slammed a foot into his ass, knocking Thesis flying bonelessly through the air as he screamed again, the air vibrating with his cries, his eyes unable to see, his mind unable to think, everything drowned out by the pain-

He crashed down and rolled brokenly to a stop... in a shadow. A shadow so dark and deep, it blotted out the sun, it was like his pain took fright and fled from it, leaving through his numb hooves. Thesis gurgled, shivering in agony before he did what he could to try and shift, to look up at this monolith standing over him...

And the monolith knelt, and a white scaled hand reached out to caress his face with trembling fingers, before Kindynas shouted mockingly: “Oh, the vizier graces us with his presence! Vizier, carry the prince to me, and I will let you leave here alive... with his head as a gift for your princess!”

“She is a Queen.” Valthrudnir said quietly, and then he trembled for a moment before looking up, the giant straightening and seeming to grow in size, towering even over Kindynas as his eyes blazed with fury. “And you will not lay another hand on this prince of ponies, you worthless savage.”

“Fine. Then I will lay a hand on you.” Kindynas grinned savagely, then he charged suddenly forwards, leaping with a roar-

Valthrudnir made a disdainful swatting gesture, and Kindynas howled as he was blasted into the air by a surge of force like nothing he had ever felt before, streaking into the sky like a rocket as he flailed his limbs uselessly, the world whipping by in a blur of sound and color.

The dragon watched contemptibly as Kindynas faded into the distance, before he smoothed out the lapels of his coat. Then, without looking, he simply shoved his hands to either side, and a tremendous shockwave tore through the air around him, flinging soldiers and barbarians high into the air with screams of shock and pain as he said icily: “The ignorant masses never learn, no matter what gifts you offer, what strength you show them.”

A roar tore through the air, and Valthrudnir looked up coldly as a dragon dove towards him, even as the rest of the horde began to scatter, regroup, and panic at the unknown power of the ivory-suited giant. But Valthrudnir only smiled thinly as the much-larger, much-more-savage reptile dove down towards him, the beast leaning forwards to breathe a gout of hellfire-

Valthrudnir rose a hand, the flames diverting off to either side to drive back several soldiers that had attempted to flank him, before the dragon balled his hand into a fist, and then slung it viciously across the face of the much-larger reptile as it lunged at him through its own flame. And the massive red dragon howled in misery and shock as it was knocked to the side by the almost-dismissive blow... and then horror, as ice raced over its entire body.

The dragon crashed down, and exploded into fragments of frost: voices shouted in disbelief at the sight, even as griffins screamed to push forwards. But much of the horde was breaking into chaos, many fleeing even as others charged forwards and many pulled out crossbows, bolas, anything they had to attack the giant with.

Valthrudnir held up a hand, a shield of energy protecting both him and Thesis before he smiled coldly, his amber eyes glowing as he said softly: “As if mortals could ever prove a match for Jötnar.”

Valthrudnir's eyes flashed, and massive spikes of ice ripped out of the ground around them, as a chilling wind ripped through the air of the battlefield, knocking griffins out of the sky. The wind began to grow, building into a raging maelstrom as spires and spikes of ice ripped out of the earth in all directions, the earth quaking with the force of the spreading death-frost as Valthrudnir smiled coldly...

And then a weak moan caught his attention, and he looked down at Thesis, who was limp, and weak, and looked... so small. Valthrudnir looked down at this helpless, dying little pony, and then he forced himself to scowl before he held a hand out, saying distastefully: “This is more than you deserve you... you...”

He frowned uneasily, feeling his powers surrounding Thesis... but there was no effect. Not a scratch healed... and Valthrudnir's eyes slowly widened in horror as he realized that... “N-No! Thesis!”

Valthrudnir dropped and scooped Thesis up in his arms, staring down at him wordlessly before he snarled looked up. In front of him, reality shattered away into a portal that he leapt through, carrying Thesis with him as the stallion gasped slowly for breath, breath that was weakening, as his body shivered, his life bled away...

Valthrudnir leapt into Celestia's chambers, and then he swore angrily when he found she wasn't there. He clenched his eyes shut for a moment, reaching out for her with his mind... and the moment he touched her, he simply looked up, and with his impossible power, brought her there.

Celestia gasped in pain as she appeared out of thin air, stumbling before she looked up with a snarl at Valthrudnir, opening her mouth... and then her eyes widened in horror at the sight of Thesis, the mare mouthing wordlessly before Valthrudnir thrust the dying stallion towards her, whispering: “My powers cannot affect my own blood... save him, Celestia! Save our son!”

Celestia trembled... and then she looked slowly up at Valthrudnir, her features hardening, her eyes blazing with not just worry but anger, absolute, soul-crushing fury, as she hissed: “What have you done?”

She wrenched Thesis away from him with telekinesis, and Thesis gasped... then screamed as Celestia pushed her energy into him, the mare trembling, her eyes filling with tears as she hurried towards the doors. She blasted them open without looking back, continuing to pour her own vital energies into Thesis in spite of how it made him scream and writhe with agony. But it was all Celestia could do to keep him alive.

Valthrudnir only stood in Celestia's bedroom, reaching up to silently pull a pack of cards out of his vest. He studied this for a few moments, then suddenly snarled before flinging the useless toy across the room. The pack of cards exploded in a flutter of paperboard, and the dragon dropped his rump on Celestia's bed, staring at the mess of cards as the danced through the air, his hands on his knees before he whispered: “I am omnipotent. They are nothing but insects. This... cannot happen because I did not say it could happen.”

Valthrudnir only sat, unable to move, unable to process that... everything had gone wrong. How had they achieved such successes? How had they taken his technology, replicated it, modified it? How had Thesis...

The dragon clenched his eyes shut and dropped his face in his hands, shaking his head in disbelief. How had he overlooked this? How could this happen? They were nothing but insects and toys and filthy stupid worthless...

He breathed hard in and out, losing track of time, only trying to keep himself in control... until finally, he looked up when he felt her presence. He looked over at Celestia, and she gazed back at him silently before she asked quietly: “Was it all worth it?”

Valthrudnir looked down... and then he shook his head before saying quietly: “But it will be. Thesis is strong. It will only be a matter of time before-”

“Thesis has a broken back. There is almost nothing left of his spine. He cannot move from bed. He can barely breathe on his own.” Celestia said in the same quiet voice, and Valthrudnir stiffened, staring at her, trembling hard, before the mare closed her eyes and said softly: “We have no magic, no power, that can fix Thesis.”

Valthrudnir snarled, then he stood up and clenched his hands into fists, the air around him seeming to crackle with his power as he began: “Then I will cease playing this stupid game and annihilate those-”

“You will not.” said Celestia in a soft, cold voice, her eyes closing, and Valthrudnir began to open his mouth, to scold her, to argue with her, to shout at her for her weakness... but when her eyes opened, he fell silent.

“You will give me your power, Valthrudnir. And you will fix your mistake.” Celestia ordered, looking up at him, unflinching. “I will destroy the other nations. I will fix Equestria. And you will put your vaunted mind to use and find a way to heal our son. Do I make myself clear?”

Valthrudnir stood up, and he towered over her. He had nearly infinite power, and traveled between worlds with ease. His strength was so great that he could pick up this pony before him, and snap her in half like a twig. Without even a gesture, he could reduce her to nothing but a bloody splatter on the ground.

And yet, as her amethyst gaze pierced into his, he couldn't look away from her. He couldn't deny her. He couldn't do anything but whisper: “The... the rituals will take months to prepare. I... will have to travel to Decretum, and-”

“I will handle Equestria. You have your job, Valthrudnir.” Celestia said quietly, looking up at the dragon, who gritted his teeth... but then he nodded, closing his eyes and lowering his head, his shoulders slumping. What was this? Was this because he had... made a mistake, because he felt he owed her? Was this because...

A hoof touched his hand, and Valthrudnir opened his eyes, looking down at the mare as she gazed back at him, before she said quietly: “We will fix this together.”

Valthrudnir gave a brief nod, and then he lowered his head and took a slow breath, saying quietly: “I do not like that I am... vulnerable to you. I do not like that you are my weakness. You make me feel... pathetic.”

Celestia only gave a brief laugh, and then she shook her head slowly before replying softly: “I feel the same way. Only instead of calling it 'weakness,' I call it loyalty. I call it a willingness to sacrifice for someone else. I call it finding meaning in something other than myself.”

She stopped, looking down for a moment before she leaned forwards, silently pressing her face against his stomach, and Valthrudnir silently dropped one of his hands carefully on her neck, stroking almost nervously down it as she murmured: “Do you really want to rule your empire, all alone? What's more important to you, Valthrudnir? Having someone you can trust and care about... or being the most powerful, unstoppable tyrant in all of the universe?”

Valthrudnir looked away, and then he silently tangled his fingers into the mare's mane before he whispered: “I do not understand why I have this... biological need for you. You're nothing but an insect. You're an animal, a pack-beast. I have seen worlds where your kind are nothing but bug-eyed quadrupeds ridden for amusement.”

Celestia smiled faintly, and then she pulled back and looked at him, saying quietly: “And what are you? Arrogant, rude, callous, heartless to everyone. And yet at the same time, you're a child, not a tyrant, always hiding behind your big brain and your bigger ego. How could anyone love you?”

Valthrudnir snarled down at her... and then Celestia leaned forwards and embraced him tightly, pressing her head against him as she murmured: “But all the same, I do. Now show me that you care for me. Give me the power to be beside you, not just beneath you. And save our child. Show me you know what it means to be a father.”

The dragon looked down for a moment, biting his lip... and then he silently buried his hands into the mare's mane before his arms slid hesitantly around her, pulling him against her as he felt... the warmth of another body against his. He felt her magic, and her emotions. He felt her honesty.

Valthrudnir closed his eyes, then gave a hesitant nod as he looked down, murmuring: “This one time, Celestia... for you, I will be weak.”