//------------------------------// // Familiar Friend // Story: We Remember Everything // by Thunderscourge //------------------------------// A/N: Yes, I have seen Thor The Dark World by now and I would like everypony to know that I will be incorporating aspects of it into the story in due time. I ask that those that may have seen it do not post spoilers in the space below, as they just might also become spoilers for this story itself. In other news, special thanks to Nethalar, D48, and evowizard25 in particular for your more in-depth reviews last chapter, but thanks to everyone who let me know how much they enjoyed it! I hope that you continue to do so and let me know what you think about it, as the more you let me know about what you enjoy the more I can make the story fit that! The pair of like beings spent quite some time going over the basics of magic use in the Equestrian world before actually beginning, Loki quietly deferring to Luna’s knowledge on the subject. The actual time spent practicing it was brief, for while Loki strained himself to harness his power he felt his wounded wing jolt in pain and the former prince stopped channeling his power. Luna looked to him with concern within the throne room, her newfound companion cringing before her, “We have been meaning to ask about that. Are you okay?” Loki quickly shook the pain from his face, confident voice hiding his weakness, “Just a trivial wound. I will be fine in no time, I assure you.” The princess closed her eyes and let out a deep breath, not at all surprised by his stubbornness, “I think you should rest and that we end here for today. We can always continue tomorrow.” Loki opened his mouth to object, but the feeling of his bandages unraveling and falling down from his sides caught his attention. “What are you doing?” he complained as he felt the dried blood gluing his wing to the bandage tear, new blood streaming down his side. Luna leaned forward to inspect Loki’s wing more closely, a frown forming upon her lips, “Your wing looks infected, no wonder it has not healed,” her horn lit up as she stood up normally, “Let me tend to it.” Loki merely grunted as he felt his wing extend without his permission, another shock of pain racing up through his nervous system. The wound momentarily began to burn, only for the pain to be replaced with a cool and soothing feeling that was much preferable. In another moment the feelings disappeared completely, leaving Loki confused. With a glance to his side, Loki observed his now mint condition wing that had nary a scratch or drop of blood on it. He did not even fight the pleased smile that crept onto his face. Luna too found herself smiling as she witnessed his expression, her own being more subdued, “When you spend one thousand years in isolation, you experiment with your capabilities after a short while.” Loki strolled towards the vacant throne in the room with the intent of sitting upon it as he responded to Luna, “Quite impressive. Self taught magic is quite difficult in my experience. I would never have come this far in my own abilities if not for my mother’s aid.” The princess of the night found herself impressed by that revelation, not having expected Loki’s not-biological mother to be able to control magic, “Your mother is able to use arcane techniques as well?” “Yes, she was the one who nurtured that talent of mine. If there is anyone back home with comparable skill to me it would be her. She too can shapeshift and cast illusions, and that is not even mentioning her combat prowess.” “Your mother is a combatant as well?” Luna found herself quite enamored with this apparently great mother who was intelligent and strong, yet still nurturing to have earned Loki’s devout love even in this time of emotional turmoil. Loki climbed atop the throne and felt a smaller smile replace the one he had previously, mind reminiscing about his dear mother, “She is more of a diplomat, but to be the queen of a warrior race and the mother of two unruly children requires a certain strength. We listened to her because we loved and feared her both.” Approaching Loki and his claimed throne, Luna found her own thoughts mirroring Loki’s, “Mother was never a real fighter. She always resorted to words when at all possible. Celestia is quite similar, but will stand up to fight if need be,” with a flash of her horn, Loki found himself pushed from the throne and face first on the floor with Luna in his previous position, “Otherwise she just has me handle the issue with my powers, as I am not afraid to get my hooves dirty.” It did not take long for Loki to rise to his feet, dusting his green fur and finding himself laughing, “Ever the perfect princess. You are quite darker than one would first assume, not that it is an issue. If threatened, it is only natural to do what one must.” Luna briefly stuck her tongue out like a foal might before looking towards the window, “Precisely. I have witnessed the now decaying Hydra in the water nearby. I take it that you were the one to freeze it there?” Loki too looked towards the window, glad that he was not meeting Luna’s gaze lest his eyes betray his calm voice, “I so happen to have an affinity for ice, more natural than anything else. A reminder of just how different I am from those back home,” Loki gave off a small snarl, “A Frost Giant, not one of Asgard. A runt at that.” Luna kept quiet as Loki stomped a hoof down on the ground, his face nowhere near as pleased as it had been just moments before, “I despise my control of ice, and if I gain access back to my original power I will undoubtedly never use it again.” Luna found herself frowning too, not happy that he was unhappy as she looked at him directly, “Why shun that aspect of yourself? Are thy so afraid of thy heritage you would cast aside a powerful tool?” Loki turned his eyes to meet his companion’s, only to avert them a moment later, “I have everything I need without it.” From atop the throne Luna shrugged, “Power is power. I now understand the meaning of that. While greatly outperforming my sister who had been lax in her studies, I was no match for six simple foals who happened to have a tool that was far greater than my own abilities.” The sheer absurdity of that statement made Loki scoff, even if he had a source inform him of it earlier that day, “You were defeated by six regular beings?” “The artifact they used to defeat me was no simple tool. The Elements of Harmony,” Luna grunted as she recalled her downfall in the very room they were in, “They require all six to use their powers in conjunction, as well as for each to demonstrate their moral character. In attempting to drive the six apart I instead brought them together, and their coupled power soon defeated me.” Loki felt a smug grin grow on his face as the topic shifted from his hated heritage to someone else’s misery, “The absent minded librarian mentioned these artifacts, as well as your defeat as if she were the one to do it. I wonder how much she would be disappointed if she learned her trick was ineffective?” Luna huffed indignantly and turned her nose up haughtily as she justified her defeat, “There are a great deal of things that can shift the tide of any encounter. The Alicorn Amulet wrought havoc in Ponyville not all that long ago by corrupting and empowering its user. The cosmos themselves assisted our sister’s student, Twilight Sparkle, in defeating the incompetent Queen Chrysalis in her lair. The fool should be trapped there for a good time more.” The revelation that there were items of great power in this land not unlike Gungnir or Mjolnir came of little surprise to Loki, for after experiencing a shapeshifting and dreamwalking horse he could not truly call himself skeptical in the land’s inherent power, “This land appears to have a great deal of magical talent and energy. I am quite curious to learn more about the causes, so I can harness it for myself.” A new and random thought struck Luna and the princess quickly changed the subject, “Can you fly?” Loki was the one to shrug then, “I have not tried to do so, but with the aid you granted it just may be possible. Why?” Luna grinned down at him as she leapt off the throne and spread her wings with a certain flair, “You seclude yourself as if you are a hermit. Do my subjects scare you that much?” He rolled his eyes as he sensed where this conversation was going, “Yes. In particular that pink one in the nearby town that has an unhealthy obsession with laughter.” The previously happy Luna became crestfallen nigh instantly at the mention of a certain pink pony, “Oh yes. Pinkie Pie...” Her tone perked Loki’s ears up and made his brow rise, “I can hear the distaste in your voice. Is the pink equine a royal pain as well as a regular one?” Luna closed her eyes and turned her head away from Loki, “We rather not talk about it.” With that statement Loki found himself in an interesting position to accost his visitor, “Which is all quite fine, but you claim I am acting like an asocial being. Now you’re the one who doesn’t want to talk.” Luna only opened her eyes to roll them, “Fine. She…” words failed her as she attempted to explain just how the pink being had wronged her, “She just so happened to publicly shame me in front of her entire town. She pretended as if I were still my old, nightmarish self to amuse herself. Ignoring that I am still bitter about those thousand years, I have at least realized I have done wrong and have worked to fix my error.” Luna glanced down at her hooves, “She didn’t factor in that I might not like having a town and all the children in it think I was some pony-eating villain.” That caught Loki’s attention, who found himself quite baffled and a tad bit wary, “You used to eat other equines?” The blue equine found herself glaring at Loki for even considering that notion, “Of course not, but that’s what they think nowadays. Meanwhile my dear sister is praised and loved and has a celebration in her honor every year.” “And you don’t?” Loki found the idea very familiar, irritatingly so. Luna snorted, “I do actually, but it is an insulting one. ‘Nightmare Night’ so it is called. It is how the pink one spread her lies about me. The night is about being in fear of Nightmare Moon, who will eat all the fillies and colts if they do not give me candy and hide underneath costumes.” “I see...it reminds me of another realm’s tradition known as Halloween. It too has a custom of candy and costumes, but it is at no-one’s personal expense generally. Why don’t you cancel this ‘Nightmare Night’ if it pains you so?” “My subjects adore it...I do not wish to take their ‘fun’ from them,” Luna emphasized the word she had learned with unrestrained disgust. Loki sat down lazily in front of the throne as he held a hoof up, “If I may suggest, how about you change the holiday then? To make it a night where the collection of treats and the wearing of costumes is for fun only, and not a reflection of some old mare’s tale?” “Such a thing is no easy feat I hope you realize,” Luna chided. “It shouldn’t be that hard. A little announcement to your subjects, a year or two of sitting it all out personally, and you might just find that it starts to mend itself.” Luna found herself perplexed by the term usage, “Sitting it out?” Loki let off a small chuckle at the confused look on her face, “Your presence causes fear at the moment, yes? Fear inspired by the tales ponies tell about you. By not actually appearing after changing the year, you will allow for ponies to take the new holiday in a direction not related to you. If they wish to, that is. It is a gamble, and may not work, but it is one I believe may prove worth it.” The night princess gave a polite nod as she thought over his words, “I thank thee for your guidance. Now, enough dancing around the subject. You ought to socialize more, Loki. I have a nation that fears me and I believe I still have more friends among it than you.” “I prefer it this way. From my visits to that town outside of the forest I am quite sure I have the population pegged. The inhabitants of this place are too...idealistic for my tastes. Too kind. Too bound to things such as friendship and love and all of that hogwash.” It was Loki’s turn to be accosted, “And why are those things the nonsense you make them sound like? I care deeply for my friends and my family, and I see nothing wrong with that. Although I envy her, I do love my sister Celestia.” “It is the sheer dribble that is spouted that drives me from them. I am afraid my more experienced and cynical self might just shatter their glass is half full perspectives.” “Then find more down-to-earth ponies to converse with. Remember, we’re friends and that’s not all that bad, is it?” “I am quite fine with the idea of having a confidant who I share a certain kinship to, but I do believe in quality over quantity in regards to such matters. One ‘friend’ is enough, given that they earn their place,” Loki explained wearily, mind thinking back to his experiences with the Lady Sif and the three bumbling warriors who he had once thought friends. “Friendship is two-ways, you know.” That amused Loki quite greatly, “I daresay you’re right. What do I have to offer you though, I must wonder.” Luna lifted a hoof to touch Loki’s shoulder gently, “Your companionship is all I require. It’s nice having another mature pony to speak with who is not my sister.” “Even though I’m not really a pony? Really just some cold-blooded monster?” the Frost Giant said in jest, a layer of truth beneath his words. Luna lowered her hoof and looked her friend straight in the eye, “Loki, you are what you want to be, and something tells me that what you want to be like your family. Your true, loving family, and not the one that cast you aside.” Loki’s eyes softened before they closed, the action causing Luna to feel quite distraught, “Now do not give me that face. You need some cheering up, yes? Get up and stretch your wings. We have some flying to do.” Deciding he really had nothing much better to do at that very moment, Loki relented, “Where are we to head?” “You have been hiding in these woods far too long. I think it’s about time you come and see where I reside.” Dehydration, a starving stomach, sleep deprivation and exhaustion from his constant wandering made the otherwise asocial Loki quite open to the idea. It’s not as if these things mattered greatly to him, but it did give him the slight push to accept the idea. “Why not.” “I daresay Luna, you are giggling like a filly. Calm down.” Upon arriving in Luna’s city of Canterlot, Loki quickly found himself overwhelmed by a giddy equine who he had previously believed to be quiet and reflective. They had flown right over the city itself and directly landed in a courtyard of the castle where a group of unicorns quickly scattered to avoid being trampled underfoot by the awkwardly landing Loki. He had taken winged forms before, but it was by no means an area of expertise for him. As the stunned unicorns all began to reconverge to look at the newly arrived Alicorn whom they knew nothing of, said Alicorn found himself being laughed at by Luna. “What’s so wrong with being like a filly? They are so innocent and kind,” Luna shooed away the crowd and began to walk towards an entrance of the castle, Loki following behind her as he observed the area and its architecture. “They also can be annoying and tiring, as with any child,” he retorted, finding himself quite impressed by some of the castle’s construction. It held no candle to the one he had grown up in, but Loki would give credit where it was due. As the entered a hallway of the castle Luna scoffed playfully, “You can’t tell me every child you’ve met is like that.” Loki took the chance to grow a smug grin, “Well, not all of them. I was a good child. Quiet. Respectful,” the sideways glance Luna gave him made him grow serious, “And I guess there are some others too...I met one filly in Ponyville that was quite decent, even if they did crash into me with their scooter.” Luna ignored the ponies in the hallway they were trotting down as they gave her and her guest odd looks, instead just smiling to Loki as she led him towards the throne room of this newer castle, “Ah yes, you have met dear Scootaloo. I admit I’ve taken an interest in that poor filly after I found her in a fit of terrible nightmares on numerous occasions.” The prince of Asgard found himself actually caught off guard by that revelation. He would never have guessed the young child would be so tormented by something like that. He was suffering from them, sure, but those were mostly brought upon by himself. Loki considered himself quite curious about this matter, “She was plagued by nightmares? What of?” Luna sighed heavily, “Scootaloo was afraid she would let her idol down by revealing to her that she was really not as tough as she acted. I gave her some guidance and, in the end, she ended up bonding with her idol over the matter,” a smile found itself upon her muzzle, “I even personally signed the adoption papers.” Gears clicked into place inside Loki’s mind, the supposed god stating to himself, “Scootaloo was an orphan. That’s why she didn’t learn to fly.” A child plagued by nightmares about letting down their idol hit quite home to the otherwise guarded prince. “Yes, I do believe so. Rainbow Dash is taking care of her now and Scootaloo is bound to be flying in no time,” seeing the distraught look upon Loki’s face made Luna brush up against him in an attempt to soothe him, knowing exactly the pain he was replaying, “I see that look. Yes, even here there are beings willing to take in others who are not their own and help raise them. Rainbow cares about Scootaloo, and I think the two are lucky to have one another.” Loki nodded, voice quiet as he followed beside Luna, “I see.” Before Luna could press the matter further, another voice cut in to their conversation. Surprised by her sister being awake not just twice before her time of day but three times in recent memory, Celestia could not help but be surprised by seeing her in the hallway leading to the throne room, “Luna? You’re up?” initial surprise over, Celestia found herself not in the company of one Alicorn but two, one of whom was not Cadance, “Oh, my, hello. Luna, would you mind introducing me to your...guest?” Luna’s plan of showing off Loki to her sister, a trophy to claim that she too could have a social life, was cinched and the princess was quite pleased, “Of course, sister. Celestia, this is Prince Loki of Asgard. Loki, this is my fellow princess, Celestia.” “What an honor it is to meet the other half of this nation’s royalty,” Loki gave a half-bow as he stated this in a half-mocking tone that Celestia did not pick up on. Celestia returned the gesture, her own voice genuine. Genuinely confused with a bit of worry, “A pleasure I must return. I must however admit I have never heard of this Asgard.” Luna enjoyed this feeling of having her sister uncomfortable. Did an Alicorn that was not herself or her family truly worry her that much? Or was it something else? The sheer greatness of the situation made Luna so happy that she might even claim she was having the previously mentioned ‘fun’. Loki too sensed the unease of the tall white mare before him, but he did not intend to be on bad behavior just yet. That is something a second visit would call for, so he played the part of smooth talking prince, “That is not surprising, given that I am not native to this realm, but that is all a long story better suited for another time. I would not wish to waste your important time with such trivial matters.” Celestia nodded to Loki, something about him causing her gut to feel uneasy in a bad way, “Well, I won’t keep you two. I hope you enjoy your visit Prince Loki, and if you should need anything you only need let me know.” He gave a second bow to her as Celestia began to depart and head the other direction, “Thank you, your Highness.” After Celestia was far enough from them to be out of earshot, Loki looked to Luna with as large of a mischievous smile as he could muster, “So that was the beloved Celestia. She appears to be everything you said and more.” Luna found her cheeks grow red, quite irritated by his words. That was not the intent of having him meet her. “Yes, well, my sister is great and all...” Luna tried her best not to pout, “But I don’t want to talk about that.” Loki held a hoof up to Luna’s face, intent on pushing this a bit more, “No need to be jealous. It doesn’t suit you,” he paused to give a laugh, “Actually, wait, it does.” Luna huffed, only giving Loki more fuel to add to the fire, “So what if the topic strays to your taller, wiser-” “Loki, enough.” Hearing the hurt in her voice, Loki instantly backed off. If someone from home, say the Lady Sif, had acted the same way towards Thor in his presence he would be irked quite greatly, “Okay, okay. I promise to not divert my divine attention from you,” he let out a laugh again, “Besides, you seem more interesting anyways. She gave me the impression of a cardboard cutout.” Luna felt herself grow more at-ease at that, glad to see that Loki had just been messing around with her. She was about to respond when something caught Loki’s eye in the hallway that made him speak again. “And just who might you be?” Luna turned her attention to behind them, where a golden armored guard stood at attention. From his position he had been tailing them, which Loki now looked to be annoyed by. “Fl-” Loki cut him off with a sneer, “Better question, what are you doing here?” “I am here to protect the royalty-” was all the guard could utter before he was cut off by the severely amused and belittling Loki. “The royalty who so happen to be physical gods. You are here to protect them. How cute.” The idea actually brought a smile to Luna’s face as well, having remembered once having had this conversation with Celestia on the worth of their guards, “Oh Loki, leave him alone.” “I will, as soon as he vacates the area.” Like the unicorns in the courtyard before, Luna waved a hoof at the guard to send him away, “Begone. Your services are not required.” “So, this is the supposed Alicorn I was informed of,” a new, uppity voice rang out as the guard departed. Loki rolled his eyes. Were there any equines he would not encounter in the hallway? Luna felt her shoulders sag at the very sound of a certain pony, “Oh. You.” Now approaching them was an above average unicorn in both size and girth, reminding Loki much of a fat ruler who merely sat on his entitlements. Luna felt herself announcing the unfortunate arrival of the unicorn, “Loki, meet the distantly related spawn of a previous princess sister gave power, Prince Blueblood.” Loki looked over the new arrival before stating the first thing on his mind, “What a pretentious name.” “And who are you to question me, commoner?” the fat prince seethed, only amusing Loki in the process rather than scaring him. Apparently the prince was too dull to notice the horn and wings on him, which Loki was beginning to understand meant royalty in these lands. Loki gave an even more mocking bow than he gave to Celestia, “I am sorry, I am afraid I did not introduce myself. Prince Loki of Asgard, protector of the nine realms, archmage, god of mischief, and diplomat to your land. Care to inform me of your title and accomplishments?” Blueblood angrily ignored Loki’s cutting jab and spoke directly to Luna, “What is this cretin doing here in our palace?” Luna rose a brow, “We ask the same thing every time we see you.” And, in a sentence, Loki found himself immensely pleased that he had encountered this mare. Prince Blueblood puffed up and approached Luna, hooves stamping on the hallway’s carpet, “How dare you! I-” His words were cut off as the carpet beneath him lifted in the air, tossing him into the air quickly, only for the carpet to catch his fall. Just as he began to yell out in objection, this process repeated again and again, the carpet’s movement acting not at all dissimilar to a trampoline. Luna turned to Loki, whose horn was lit. Loki turned to Luna, whose horn was lit. As they both laughed, Loki was quite sure this was going to be quite a nice partnership. A/N: Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! If you did please let me know what you liked in the comment boxes below! Seriously, every bit I hear from you helps this college student get motivated both in life and in writing!