Chapter 5
“Nidhogg”
Perspective: Private Eye
Holy hay, this is fast! I clung to Thor for dear life, as we flew at insane speeds that caused the landscape to become an indistinct blur. What in the hay was I thinking?! The only hope I had to survive was to hang on tight, and hope Thor doesn’t make any sudden stops, because I would go splat, if I went flying off his back.
“How much farther?!” I yelled over the howling wind.
“Not too far!” Thor yelled back. “It’s just over this way!”
“Where are we going exactly?” I asked.
“Somewhere I never hoped to go for the rest of my life.” Thor said, his voice laced with dread.
The clouds parted again and I looked down at our destination. A mountain was before us, so high it floated above a layer of clouds and snow topped it’s peak. A small cliff hanged on the side of it, and a large mountain cave sat on that cliff. Thor brought us in for a landing.
I climbed off his back, my legs feeling like jelly from the ride and the sheer height we were at. I dared not look down for fear of throwing up.
Thor looked at the mountain cave, his blue eyes looking determined. “Let us go.” He said as he walked in, Mjolnir in his magic.
“Wait!” I said, running after him after recovering from vertigo. “Just what is Nidhogg?”
“We don’t have time for explanations.” Thor said urgently. “If Loki has Baldur’s blood, then he is probably already here.”
“No way am I going in without an explanation,” I said firmly.
Thor stopped in his tracks and slowly sighed. “I’m starting to see why Voidera chose you. Very well, I will tell what I can.”
“Now, what exactly are we dealing with here?” I asked. “Don’t try to sugarcoat it or give half truths, just give it to me straight.”
Thor nodded, though he looked reluctant to speak. Finally he said, “Nidhogg, is nothing short of a monster.”
“Loki is trying to summon a monster?” I said, my silver eyes blinking.
“Yes,” Thor said, “Nidhogg is a serpent whose body could wrap around the whole of Canterlot from head to tail. Long ago, it once plagued the Alicorn kingdoms with it’s ferocity. The monster’s scales could not be pierced by any weapon of this world. But what was worse, was that it’s fangs are deadly to any Alicorn. A single drop of it’s venom onto the coat of an Alicorn would have the victim die a slow and painful death.”
“Is there a cure?” I asked.
“None that were ever found.” Thor said, his head shaking.
“So, this monster attacked Alicorns left and right, why don’t we see it around now?”
“Because, my father managed to seal it away the first time. He tricked the serpent into being locked away inside this very mountain. But, he knew it was only a matter of time before the magic failed and Nidhogg would be free to destroy again.” He said.
“So let me guess, Mjolnir was made so that you’d stand a fighting chance?” I asked.
“Yes,” Thor said, looking at his hammer. “With the help of Celestia’s father Lunard, and an alchemist, Mjolnir was forged. My father eventually grew too old to use the weapon on his own.”
“Alicorns age?” I asked, surprised.
“In our day they did.” Thor said, “Albeit we lived far longer lives than mortals. We are immortal nowadays because of certain,” He paused, looking away. “Decisions on one alicorn’s part.”
That seemed like a whole nother can of worms that I didn’t want to get into. But I filed it away in my brain for later.
“So your father essentially trained you to destroy Nidhogg?” I asked.
“Yes,” Thor said, but a strange look entered his eyes.
“How come it’s still here then?” I asked.
That seemed to be the wrong question, because Thor simply turned around and said. “There were, complications. All we could do was put an enchantment on Nidhogg’s cage to keep him from ever leaving. We used Baldur’s blood as the key, because Baldur could not be harmed we thought it foolproof. But, Loki proved that otherwise.”
“What’s Loki’s beef with you anyway?” I asked.
“That, is a very long and complicated story.” Thor said, entering the mountain cave. “Come, we’ve wasted enough time already.”
Without another word, we both entered the mountain cave and found a set of stairs. We began our trek down into the mountain. But for some reason, I couldn’t help but notice Thor was...shaking…
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The hall looked like it had been carved into the mountain, torches lighting the way, but only adding sharp relief to the shadows that dwelled in this long dank staircase. Dark gray stone, decorated with the barest trace of lichen and moss stretched down, below us. It was claustrophobic, even for me, and I was considerably smaller than your average Alicorn. It seemed to go down forever, and at the bottom was a creature that alicorns feared. A creature that the biggest, and toughest alicorn I knew, seemed to fear with all his heart.
The whole way I kept noticing that Thor was looking scared out of his mind. As we walked further he kept looking this way and that. I kept my magic on Silver Wolf just in case the worst happened.
Because if Thor had trouble defeating this beast, then I don’t know much of a chance I had.
“We are here,” Thor said as we came to the bottom of the stairs. The room soared over our heads, now. Runic carvings covered the walls, and depicted the great battle to seal the great serpent into this chamber. In front of us was a massive stone door, more runes, still sealed.
The door itself was still closed, and at the bottom surrounded by an ouroboros symbol was a glass vial with a hole on top of it. It was empty by the looks of it.
“Strange,” Thor said. “Why hasn’t Loki filled the vial yet?”
“That’s how it opens?” I asked.
“The vial is enhanced, if Baldur’s blood falls into it, the door opens.” Thor explained, staring at it. “But why not open it immediately?”
“Maybe because I was waiting for all the actors to be in their places?”
Both of us turned around just in time for Loki to hit me with a blast of magic, sending me flying into the cavern wall. I grunted from the pain and watched as Loki stepped out of the shadows, a spear floating in his magic.
“Loki…” Thor said, narrowing his eyes.
“So you followed me dear brother,” Loki said with a smirk, “Or maybe I followed you. I figured you would be foolish enough to head straight here, so I just followed you to this prison.”
“You knew I would come here!” Thor yelled, brandishing Mjolnir.
“Of course I did you fool, you have as much brains as Odin…” Loki insulted.
I shook my head and got back to my hooves as Loki turned to me. “An interesting mortal you have here brother, dark magic doesn’t seem to hurt him as much as normal mortals.”
“Your fight is with me Loki! Leave everypony else out!” Thor yelled, charging at Loki.
Loki had only a split second to dodge as Thor swung the hammer down. The floor practically exploded with a loud CRACK! and as the dust settled I witnessed the two Alicorns engaging with one another.
Thor swung Mjolnir around Loki blocked it with his spear. Loki then swung his spear around, Thor ducked to avoid the blast of magic that came from the tip of the spear. I leapt out of the way to avoid the blast. That thing can shoot magic too!?
Their weapons clashed again and Loki spoke, “What’s the matter Thor? Mad that I can actually fight back this time?”
“I will say this only once Loki,” Thor said, pushing Mjolnir to try and get at Loki. “Surrender and stop this before I have to destroy you!”
“Really now? Like I haven’t heard that one the last twenty times…” Loki said in a low, threatening voice. I drew Silver Wolf out of it’s sheath and got up quietly.
“Loki why are you doing this? You know exactly what unleashing Nidhogg will do!” Thor said pleadingly.
“You would never understand, this world is a mistake. You and I both know that the cataclysm should never have happened! If it wasn’t for that fool Voidera and Lunard we would still have our home and lands! But now you play pretend king with these, rodents!” Loki shouted. “How dare you call yourself an alicorn!”
“I may be an alicorn,” Thor said dangerously. “But I am a king first.”
“You were never worthy to be king. You couldn’t even defeat Niddhogg the first time because you were a coward!” Loki yelled.
“Call me a coward? You hide behind trickery and deceit! Only cowards do so!” Thor growled.
“So having a brain is cowardly? Huh, I guess I was wrong all along.” Loki mocked.
“Now use that brain to know when to shut up!” I yelled, and stabbed Loki in the back with Silver Wolf.
The alicorn let out a yell of pain as the blade went into him. I knew alicorns could heal quickly but this would buy Thor a little time. Thor took the opportunity and slammed Mjolnir into Loki’s face, sending him flying into a nearby wall with a loud crash.
Thor looked at me and said, “You stabbed him in the back.”
“You’re a warrior Thor,” I said with a smile. “I’m a smart guy who’s on the side of good.”
“I guess that wor-” Thor was cut off when we both looked at Loki, or where Loki was. Loki was there one minute, but he fizzled out of existence and vanished, Silver Wolf falling to the floor as he did.
“A construct!” Thor shouted.
“Nice try, but you can’t out trick a master, worm.”
Both of us looked on as Loki stood by the door, he smirked as he held a vial of blood. “I needed a distraction while I finished figuring out the spells required to break this thing. You put quite a few safeguards, using Baldur’s blood was clever, but I’m far more clever than you ever were dear Thor.”
“Loki, don’t do this!” Thor pleaded. “Think of what you are doing! What do you stand to gain?”
“Whoever said I stood to gain anything…?” Loki said cryptically. Then, before either of us could stop him, he poured the vial of blood into the vial at the door, his horn glowing.
The door rumbled open, with the grating sound of stone on stone, revealing a dark chamber within. Then I saw them. Great green and violet lined eyes in the darkness. There was a hiss, like sliding sand, and very slowly a huge oily black shape seemed to ooze out of the darkness. A large blunt head, with the occasional flicker of a black forked tongue soon took shape in the ruddy light of the torches. Slowly that huge tube of muscle lifted the head up to the ceiling, and the great serpent gazed at all of us impassively.
Thor stared up at it, absolutely frozen at the sight of the snake. “Nidhogg…” He said, his voice quavering for the first time since I’ve known him.
Loki just smirked, “I believe you two have some catching up to do. Niddhogg.” He said, looking up at the snake.
The snake turned, it could understand speech?!
“I do believe you’ll recognize him, as the one who sealed you in that horrible chamber for all these years,” Loki said, pointing to Thor.
Nidhogg turned to Thor, it’s slitted eyes becoming even more slitted as it let out a loud hiss, and opened it’s mouth to reveal a pair of huge, pony sized fangs. Geez! One of those could easily turn me into a shishkabob!
Thor stood there as the snake circled him, looking to make it’s move. No way was I going to let him die!
I used my magic to levitate back Silver Wolf and dodged just in time for Loki to take a swing at me. I blocked his spear with my sword and glared up at him, “So, revenge is really what this is all about huh?”
“I guess you could say that, you foulspawn,” Loki mocked, “Your kind are a disgrace to the legacy of alicorns.”
“Yeah, well this disgrace is about ready to kick your ass!” I fired a bolt of magic at him that hit the alicorn in the jaw. I then sparked my horn and a pillar of rock came out of the ground and slammed into the alicorn’s chest. Loki staggered a little, and glared at me.
“An alchemist? So that foul half dragon taught you some tricks.” Loki spat.
“Yeah, well I taught myself a few things too!” I yelled, sparking my horn and slamming my hoof into the rock, sending a storm of smaller rocks flying towards him. The rocks hit him pretty hard, not so much to cause damage, but enough to keep him at bay while I checked up on Thor.
Thor stood as the snake slowly rose before him, baring it’s fangs I saw a drop of venom come up from it.
I didn’t have a lot of time. I ran to Snake and yelled, “DIE!” I swung Silver Wolf down on it and…
TING!
The blade snapped clean in half on contact with the scales. Thor was right, I didn’t have any weapon to use against this monster!
The sound snapped Thor out of his stupor long enough for Nidhogg’s head to come down towards him. Thor took Mjolnir like a baseball bat and slammed it into the face of the snake. Nidhogg went flying into a nearby cave wall and crashed into it.
Thor turned to me, “You knew your weapon couldn’t have hurt Nidhogg! You were foolish to try!”,
“I wasn’t about to let a friend die.” I said firmly. “Just remember that your people are counting on you! You can’t give up now!”
Thor looked to Mjolnir, then at the snake that was slowly recovering. He got a new glint in his eye, “Come to me fiend!” He yelled, and spread his wings. “Come and face me where the skies are clear!” he then flew out towards the entrance.
Nidhogg hissed and slithered out to follow the alicorn. I got to my hooves and leapt onto Nidhogg’s massive black scaly body. I hung on for dear life as it unknowingly carried me up the staircase towards the outside.
We soon came out into the open sky, Nidhogg was on the cliff, glaring at the flying Thor. Thor looked down on the snake as I jumped off onto the cliff. “Now you will know why before the cataclysm I was known as the god of thunder!” Thor shouted as he spun Mjolnir in the air.
Dark clouds began to form above the Alicorn, sparks of lightning began to shoot out as the pressure in the air grew stronger. Then, Thor brought Mjolnir down, and twin bolts of lightning shot forth at the snake. Nidhogg let out a loud screech of pain as the lightning hit it.
“That’s great Thor!” I yelled. “Don’t let up!”
“Forget about me?” I heard a voice say right before I got shot in the back by a magic bolt. I turned and saw Loki flying out. “This has been fun and all, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to cut this party short…” His horn glowed with dark magic.
I watched as before my very eyes, a portal opened below Nidhogg, and the snake fell through it. Before I could make a move, the snake was gone. I glared at Loki, “Where did you take it!?” I demanded.
“Oh, to a place where I know it would pain Thor to see destroyed,” Loki said with a smirk.
“YOU BASTARD!” I swung the blade and it passed through him. Another hologram?!
“I’ll see you later, once the show is over,” Loki said, and then laughed as he vanished before my eyes.
“Thor!” I yelled.
“I know! He must have sent Nidhogg to the Cloud Kingdom!” Thor said as he came to a landing beside me. “Climb on, we must stop Nidhogg before it is too late!”
I climbed on and Thor’s wings spread. In the next second we were flying towards where we came. I only pray that we get there in time.
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Thankfully it hadn’t had much chance to get beyond the outskirts. The huge snake left a swathe of destruction in its wake; houses, carts, and anything else unfortunate to be under the huge reptile’s coils reduced to splinters or smashed into an unrecognisable smear. The pegasi flew at the huge serpent, harrying it with their weapons, they breaking when they tried to seriously attack the monster. Nidhogg hissed like an overheated steam engine at the Cloud Kingdom’s defenders, snapping at them, but thankfully the pegasi were agile enough to evade the creature’s attacks.
Thor and I came through to see the chaotic scene. Thor shook his head as he looked at them. “Their weapons will do no good, neither will your weapon as you saw.” he said.
“So what do we do?” I ask.
“I’ll drop you off and you get the soldiers away from that monster!” Thor said, coming in for a landing. “I’ll handle it!”
He plopped me down onto the cloud and flew towards the Serpent. I watched as the other soldiers retreated as Thor came in like a rocket and slammed Mjolnir into it’s face. Nidhogg then turned and tried to bite Thor, but missed.
“What is my mate doing up there?”
I turned and saw Sif coming for a landing. She looked up at Nidhogg and Thor’s duel and said, “No way I am letting him fight alone!”
“Sif wait!” I said before she could take off, “Nidhogg’s venom-”
“You think me stupid enough not to know that this beast’s venom can kill me?” Sif spat at me.
“Yeah! Then let me do it!” I said firmly. “It’s venom can’t kill me! I’m not an alicorn!”
“That’s quite a bit of faith in an assumption.” Sif said, narrowing her eyes.
“Yeah, well let me give you a new target.” I said, pointing as Loki came flying out of the clouds into view. “Him.”
Sif drew her blade and said, “Know this, if my mate dies I’ll kill you myself.”
Without another word, she flew up and went to clash with Loki in the sky.
I looked as Thor tried to fire another lightning bolt at the snake. Nidhogg dodged it this time and tried to snap at Thor with his fangs, man those things were huge!
I had to think of something to help Thor...I needed material. But I’m on a cloud, I haven’t learned how to use alchemy on clouds, if it’s even possible. Wait…
Nidhogg may have really strong scales on the outside...but what about on the inside…
I smiled as I reached into my pocket. I then flagged down a guard that flew by “Hey!”
He stopped and said, “What is it? Can’t you see we are trying to evacuate?”
“I know,” I said. “but I have a plan! I want all of you to go back and attack Nidhogg again!”
“Are you insane? None of our weapons can hurt that thing!” The guard shouted.
“I know, I don’t want you to hurt it, I need you to hold it still!”
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Perspective: Sif
I flew at blinding speeds towards that filthy traitor. He turned and blocked my blade with his spear and grinned at me. “Sif, I must say you have become quite lovely.”
“Save it you traitor!” I spat at him. “I did not forget how you tried to hurt Baldur! Now you unleash Nidhogg upon everything my mate and I worked so hard to create!”
“You could have had any stallion in the world Sif.” He said, looking at me. “Instead you had to fall into Odin’s little scheme for power.”
“Thor may have been chosen for me,” I said, glaring at him. “But my love for him is stronger than any trick you could create!”
“Aw, still sore about me using you to get what I wanted?” That filthy bastard said. “When I offered you a way out, you were the one who betrayed me. I could have given you everything Sif.”
“So is this all an attempt to get at me? To get at everypony you were supposed to love and cherish?” I yelled back. “The old world is gone Loki! Odin may have lied about where you came from but you were loved no less! Now you spit on all of that yet again! First you betrayed us all at Ragnarok! Now you plan to destroy our new home! Just what do you hope to gain Loki?”
He smirked, “It’s not about me dear Sif…I will however love to see my dear brother die slowly from Nidhogg’s fangs.”
“DIE FIEND!” I yelled, slashing at him left and right. I cannot believe this! This fool is the one who planned to kill Baldur! Who wants to destroy our home! Who is foolish enough to bring up the fact that his poisoned words tried to sway me from Thor.
NEVER AGAIN! I WILL SEE THIS FOOL BLEED!
I slashed again at him, he tried to thrust his spear at me but I flew out of the way. That’s when I saw...all of our soldiers were flying towards Nidhogg...who ordered them to do so?
One of them was holding...Olympus’ descendent...Private Eye
What is that fool thinking?
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Perspective: Private
“Okay!” I shouted at everypony “Keep that thing still as long as you can!”
The pegasi all flew around Nidhogg, some throwing ropes around it, others using sailing lines to pin it down in the clouds and against buildings. Some even tried to use their bodies to hold the thing still.
Thor hovered in the air next to me, “What do you plan?”
“I plan to get that thing to stay still, then I’ll fly in and make sure it’s mouth stays open.” I said.
“How?” Thor asked. “You know that no weapon on Equus can hurt it!”
“Yeah, but you aren’t the only one with weapons from the stars.” I said, smiling. “Trust me!”
Thor slowly nodded, “Alright, what do you require of me?”
“Throw me at it!” I said.
“Are you mad?” He asked.
“JUST DO IT!” I yelled.
“Very well,” Thor said, taking me from the other guard. He then picked me up as if I was made of styrofoam and lifted me above him. “I hope your plan works.”
“So do I,” I said, bracing myself, and removing the silver cloudwalking horseshoes on my hooves.
Thor then grunted and threw me with all his might towards Nidhogg. I held the horseshoes in front of me and Nidhogg opened it’s gaping maw towards me, fangs and forked tongue laid bare.
“Come and get me, snakey,” I said, smiling as my horn sparked. The horseshoes all formed one large silver rod that I held in my hooves. As I came into the mouth I held it vertically.
Nidhogg's mouth came down on the rod, the rod was made of strong silver so it didn’t even come close to closing. I then spun around on the rod and pulled myself temporarily out of the mouth, hanging in mid air. “Thor! Zap it now!” I yelled.
“Very well!” Thor said, raising Mjolnir. I thought I heard him say to himself as dark clouds started to gather around the weapon. “For you, Father…”
He then brought down Mjolnir and lighting shot forth from the clouds, onto the silver rod. The lighting was attracted to the metal and without the scales protecting him, the lighting had nothing stopping it from spreading to Nidhogg.
The beast let out a loud screech of pain as it got zapped. That should stun it long enough!
In mid air, I pulled out the medallion and yelled “HENSHIN!!”
I could feel the power flow through me, my muscles getting bigger, armor coming to cover my body, and suddenly I could see much clearer. The violet armor formed on me, covering me as I dived towards Nidhogg. I then felt what I needed form right at my sides.
Nocturne’s meteorite blades.
I drew them both as Nidhogg’s mouth hung open from it being stunned. I sure hope this works…
As I came down, I said in a voice that was amazingly deep, “Requista in Pache…”
I came down on Nidhogg’s lower jaw, and slashed a fang off. I carried it in my forelegs and climbed up on Nidhogg’s flat head. I looked to where Sif was fighting Loki. “Sif Catch!” I said as I threw the fang like a javelin towards her.
Sif looked, caught the fang in her magic, and turned and said “DIE LOKI!” and stabbed the Alicorn in the chest with the fang.
Loki stood still, and fell limp as the venom that was still inside the fang seeped into him. He smirked slowly and I thought I heard him say, “Well played...but this isn’t...over…” With that, his wings fell limp and he plummeted towards the ground far below the Cloud Kingdom.
I raised both blades in my magic, and my magic flowed into them, causing them to glow. “Time to put down this foul beast!” I roared, and slashed them both along the beast’s upper belly where the head was. Nidhogg didn’t even have a chance as the head came off.
I leaped off as Nidhogg’s body, no longer supported by the magic that it had while being alive, collapse onto the cloud, and seep through it, into the mountains below the cloud kingdom. It joined Loki that minute…
Nidhogg...was defeated...Loki’s plot was foiled...and I...really need a nap…
My eyes closed as I felt somepony catch me before I fell too…
It was over...