“Long ago, before this world we know as Equestria existed, there was another world, full of gods and goddesses of every sort. These beings were without doubt the most powerful of warriors, and were revered and worshipped by those on the mortal world. And, as thanks for their devotion, these mighty kings of the heavens would fight off enemies that plagued those who followed them, destroying them on every occasion.
“Now, I should mention that these worshippers were not like you and me.”
“How come?” Pinkie asked, curious.
“Well, for a start, they did not have hooves, or cutie marks. They walked on two legs, and used the other two for grasping objects.
And they did not have any magic of their own.”
“Oh! Are you talking about the humans?” Twilight suddenly exclaimed. Igneous stared at her, barely concealing his astonishment.
“Y-yes. How in the world did you know what they called themselves?”
Twilight looked away, a little embarrassed. “I… I may have turned into one?”
Igneous stared at Twilight, mouth hanging open. Twilight felt the need to explain herself a bit more.
“It was soon after I became a Princess. I was in the Crystal Empire when my crown was stolen. The thief escaped through a mirror that led to another world. I followed her though, and, well… turned into one of them. It’s kind of a long story.”
Igneous facehooved.
“The mirror. I should have known.”
“You knew about the mirror?” Twilight asked curiously.
“Dang right I know about the mirror! It’s the only path between our world and the world of the worshippers. The Pie family used to be in charge of its protection, but a few hundred years ago there was a great earthquake. Countless family heirlooms were lost down the fissure, and we assumed that the mirror had fallen as well. Should have figured the princesses would have gotten ahold of it. Well then, you know the sort of creature I’m talking about. Like I said, they don’t have magic of their own, so when they see it, they are most likely going to worship it. Aren’t I right?” He asked, directing his question to Twilight.
Twilight paused. “I… guess? I didn’t attend any of their worship services, though I did read about something like that. It was just a passing mention in a book of some God. I didn’t really pay much attention to it, since I was on a deadline to get back to Equestria before the portal closed again.”
Igneous nodded. “Makes sense. The portal between worlds is only open for a short amount of time. If you came and went within one opening, I wouldn’t expect you to learn nearly as much as those who spent years on the other side.” Twilight was about to comment, but he held up his hoof “I’m sure the princesses will tell you more about it. May I please continue my story?”
Twilight stifled the question back, and nodded politely.
“Good. Now then, these Gods, they were powerful, yes, but they were not unbeatable. They could, on occasion, lose, much like our princesses. They still had their vulnerabilities. One of these was how the great city they lived in was open to the world. It was a weakness that their enemies, the Giants, took advantage of many times. One day, a stranger came to them, claiming that he could build a wall all around their city… for a price.”
“What did he ask for?” Pinkie asked.
“The hand of one of the high Goddesses in marriage, and control over the Sun and Moon. The Gods were outraged, and refused to give him what he wanted. However, one of the cleverest gods, called Loki, came up with a plan. He said that this stranger would have his price, if he could complete the wall within six months. The stranger asked if he was allowed the help of his horse, and Loki agreed. Loki was confident that the stranger could not complete the entire wall within six months, causing him to lose the bet and the gods to gain a free wall.
“However, this stranger was stronger and more determined to win than any of the gods had thought. He worked tirelessly, and when it was almost time for the six months to be up, the wall was nearly complete. The other gods told Loki that he had gotten them into this mess, so he should be the one to get them out. So, Loki determined that he should distract the stranger’s horse, so that he could not haul the enormous stones to where they were needed.
“I should mention that the gods had different magical abilities, like unicorns do, but they were far more powerful than any little unicorn could ever hope to be. Some of them had control over the seas, others the skies. The king of the Gods, Odin, controlled all magic, and was the source of their power.”
Twilight gasped in astonishment, but Igneous continued without noticing.
“However, one thing all of these gods had in common was their shape; they all looked how humans look. That’s why I brought it up earlier.”
Twilight could barely contain her questions, but a sharp look from Igneous shut her up.
“Now, Loki, he was known as The Trickster, the god of mischief and mayhem. He loved to make things more exciting and interesting than they were by tricking both the gods, the giants, and the humans who worshipped them into doing what he wanted.
And he hated to lose. So, one night, he took the form of a horse and-”
“Wait, he was a shape shifter?” Pinkie asked. Igneous nodded.
“Yes, that was one of his powers as The Trickster. He could take any form he wanted, and was one of the only gods who could do so. So, to stop the horse from completing his work, he took the form of a mare, and-”
“I thought you said Loki was a guy.”
“Pinkie, you just asked if he was a shape shifter. I don’t think he really cares too much about gender,” Twilight said, “please go on, Igneous. This story is absolutely fascinating!”
“Uh-huh!” Pinkie chimed in agreement.
Igneous growled at their constant interruptions, then cleared his throat and continued.
“With his horse missing, the stranger was unable to complete the wall within the appointed six months. In his rage at having lost the bet, the stranger dropped his disguise, revealing himself to be one of the Giants, the god’s enemies. He was quickly dealt with, and the Gods had their wall.”
“Awesome! The good guys win!” Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing up and down with excitement.
“Yes, it’s a fantastic story,” said Twilight sincerely, “But… what does any of this have to do with the Pie Family? Or Equestria, for that matter?”
“Well, I was getting to that.” Igneous grunted, glaring at Pinkie. She didn’t seem to notice, and just kept bouncing around the room out of excitement over the happy ending.
“Pinkemina Diane Pie, will you sit still for one minute! Odin’s beard, you’ve been like this ever since you were a little filly!” Igneous shouted. Pinkie promptly sat down and looked up at her father, like a puppy that had just been scolded.
“There. Now then, I’ll continue the story.
“The giant who had built the wall was gone, as was his horse. However, Loki was still a mare, and… I think you two should have an idea of how a mare could distract a stallion for that much time.”
Twilight blushed, understanding what he was getting at. She couldn’t tell if Pinkie was blushing too, though it looked to her like she had understood.
“In a few months, Loki gave birth to a magical horse unlike any that world had ever seen. This horse was named… Sleipnir.”
Igneous paused, letting the name hang almost reverently in the air for a moment.
Pinkie looked confused. “Seep-deer?”
“No, Pinkie, Sleipnir.” Her father corrected.
“Slayp-beer?”
“Sleipnir.”
“Sleep-near?”
Igneous gave up. “Sure. I guess that’s close enough.”
Pinkie seemed satisfied. “So, what’s so important about sleep-near?”
Igneous grimaced at the bad pronunciation, but he let it slide. “He had eight legs, and was faster than any horse that ever lived. He could fly though the air or run across the sea, and could even go to the Underworld, which was even difficult for the gods to reach.
“And no,” Igneous said, looking at Twilight, whose face practically screamed her need to ask a question, “I don’t know why he had eight legs. He was Loki’s son, and Loki was… very strange, to say the least. It’s saying something when Sleipnir was probably the most normal of all of Loki’s children.
“Anyway, Sleipnir was given to the King of the Gods, Odin, to be his personal steed. He was always loyal to Odin, but once Odin
was devoured by one of Sleipinir’s brothers in a great war between the Giants and the Gods-”
Suddenly, the door opened, and Inkie and Blinkie entered the room.
“One legend at a time, dad,” Inkie said with a grin, “Don’t want to fry the little pwincess’ brain, do we?”
“How long have you been eavesdropping?” Igneous demanded.
Blinkie chuckled. “Since the part with the wall. It’s one of Inkie’s favorites. You left out the bit where Thor zapped the giant with, like, a billion volts of lightning. That’s the best bit.”
Twilight looked at Igneous in shock, and he glared at Blinkie.
“Inkie, Blinkie, go back to bed. I am telling the story, and I will say what needs to be heard. Nothing more.”
“Aww, dad! Can’t we stay and listen? We can tell the story too!” Inkie protested.
“Yeah! We can leave out the boring bits!”
Igneous considered this, then sighed. “Okay, fine. You have one minute. Go.”
Inkie and Blinkie grinned at each other, took a deep beath, then began speaking so quickly even Pinkie was surprised.
“Odins side lost a war with Loki’s kids, so Sleipnir was going to be killed.
But Loki stepped in and suggested that, instead of killing their brother, they just banish him.
So that’s what they did, and they found him a nice happy world full of other magical horses like him.
This world! He was more powerful than any of the mean old unicorn mages,
Faster than the fastest pegasus,
And stronger than the toughest stallion!
So, he took control of the sun and the moon, but since they’re heavier on this world than his old one,
He used the unicorn’s magic to make two new ponies who could control each of them.
One for the sun, and one for the moon. That’s our princesses!
Yeah, the princesses are Sleipnir’s best creation ever! But he had other children too.
Usually with earth ponies, cause unicorns and pegasi didn’t like him much.
Yeah, they’re meanies. But now, his children are all over the world!
All with special powers that make ponies heads hurt when they think about them.
They fight bad guys, stop monsters, and are just overall the coolest ponies in the world!
But because they’re so awesome, they have to be kept top secret!
No record they ever existed, like spy ponies!
And we’re some of them! Isn’t that awesome!?”
The two little fillies collapsed, out of breath, but still giggling. Twilight and Pinkie just stared at them, Twilight taking in what they had said, and Pinkie mentally checking how long it had taken them to say all that.
“45 seconds! Nice!” Pinkie said, and Inkie and Blinkie just started laughing even harder. Pinkie joined in, and the laughter was so contagious that even Igneous and Twilight started laughing along with them. Igneous was the first one to recover.
“Okay girls, you’ve had your fun. Now off to bed, both of you.” Igneous said.
“Come on dad! Just five more minutes?” Inkie said with the biggest puppy dog eyes she could muster.
“No. We’ve already had this conversation tonight, and I don’t want to have to deal with your mother when she finds out you snuck back down here. Now go.”
“Aww…” they said, but they still went up to bed anyways.
Igneous turned back to Twilight and Pinkie. “Now then, where was I?”
“About to explain why you were angry at Twilight before?” Pinkie suggested innocently.
“Ah. Right. That. Well, you see, there’s this prophecy. Or warning. Or history lesson. I really don’t know, we don’t pay much heed to time here.”
“Yeah, I kind of guessed that,” Twilight said, “So, what does future me do that’s so horrible?”
Igneous frowned. “There’s a prophecy. A unicorn who would be given the full set of horn and wings, not by our Sleipnir, but by one of his children. It would disrupt the flow of time, and cause all sorts of past horrors to awaken from its depths.”
“Hey Twilight! That sounds like you!” Pinkie grinned.
Twilight rolled her eyes. “You’re not helping things, Pinkie.”
“As I was saying,” Igneous continued, “It would get so bad that Sleipnir would be forced to join the fight himself. And there, in battle, he would fall at the hooves, not of a pony, but at the hands of his father, Loki.”
Twilight gasped. “Loki is here? In this world?”
Igneous nodded his head gravely. “I’m afraid so. He entered through the mirror hundreds of years ago, seeking a little mischief. What he found here was a race of creatures who were so devoted to their ideals of normalcy and peace that he couldn’t help but… shake things up.”
“Discord…” Twilight said, understanding where he was going with all this. “This is all because I freed Discord, isn’t it?”
A shocked look crossed Igneous’ face. “You have done this already?”
Twilight exchanged an awkward look with Pinkie. “… maybe?”
Igneous facehoofed. “Well then, what’s done is done, I suppose. Congratulations, you have doomed our father to die in the last battle at the end of the world.”
Twilight was speechless, “I’m… I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. If I had, I would have never… Pinkie, can we still-”
Pinkie shook her head. “Nuh-uh, sister. Had to give the elements up to that big tree thingy, remember?”
“Oh. Right. Well, there must be something we can do to make this right!?”
“Isn’t he still living with Fluttershy? Making sure his reform holds strong?” Pinkie asked.
Igneous laughed scornfully. “Reformed? Loki? He must have used that trick a hundred times with the gods, and they fell for it every time! No, he’s not reformed. He’s just biding his time, waiting for the end of the world. No, all we can do at this point is hope we’re on the right side when the battle comes.”
He got to his hooves and extended his hoof towards Twilight. “Well, you’ve certainly given myself and the entire Pie family a lot to think about. If we come up with a plan to stop this future from coming to be, we will be sure to let you know. Until then…”
He shook Twilight’s hoof. “Good luck, Princess.”
Then he turned to Pinkie. He looked at her big puppy dog eyes for a few seconds before breaking out in a massive grin. “Come here, Pinkie!” he said, wrapping her in a tight embrace.
“Dad… can’t… breathe!” Pinkie said, giggling a little at getting a taste of her own medicine. He relaxed his grip for a moment, only to be engulfed in an even tighter hug from Pinkie.
“That’s my girl.” He said as she released him.
“So, back to Ponyville, I guess?” Twilight asked.
Pinkie nodded. “Yup! If we’re going to keep a close eye on Discord-Loki, then we’d better be close enough for those eyes to be close!” She turned to her dad. “I really do miss this place, and I miss you guys, but now I have a family name to live up to! The Sleep-near family!”
Igneous rolled his eyes and chuckled. “Go on then. Be sure to visit us more often though. I’ll have a word with the House, see if he’ll let you back in more often, or at different points in time.”
Pinkie grinned as she and Twilight trotted out the front door. “Duh! Of course I will! I have to read Inkie and Blinkie a bedtime story yesterday, don’t I?”