Chapter Thirty Four: Gods And Heroes
~BlackRoseRaven
Sleipnir paced moodily in the concrete cell in a former warehouse that had been converted into a holding facility, a barred iron door locking him inside. The design of the cell was sloppy, and it added to his frustration as he looked grouchily up at the thin wooden ceiling, then at the cracked, hastily-built concrete wall. The iron bars that made up the front of the cell were fine, as were the iron bars blockading the window... but he thought a strong enough pony could probably smash their way through the concrete walls if they really wanted to, and the ceiling not high above would provide no resistance to even the weakest demon that wanted an easy method of escape.
He sighed a little, then walked forwards and banged his head loudly against the iron bars, making the guard outside glare at him before Sleipnir looked back and said disgustedly: “Oh come now, knave, thou doesn't think that this is enough to hold the mighty Sleipnir, is it? Did I so desire, I could demolish this entire building!”
“Yeah, right, keep it in your pants.” the pony muttered irritably, and Sleipnir looked at the Pegasus moodily for a moment before turning around and storming across the empty cell to lean up and peer out the window. The outer wall of Ponyville was literally only a few feet away, meaning that any demon or prisoner that did escape would have an easy escape route: even if they couldn't scale the walls that were designed only to be impossible to climb from the outside of the village, they could simply leap from the high warehouse roof, which was easy to ascend by ladders he had already noted outside as well as the at least two sets of stairs inside the building. Painful, yes: but escape all the same, and likely with a minimum of broken bones.
Sleipnir sighed, then he glanced over his shoulder as the cell door opened to see Verdant Vintage smiling at him calmly, despite the fact his eyes were wary. The unicorn rose a hoof and beckoned, and Sleipnir rolled his eyes as he dropped to his hooves and stormed after him, muttering: “Oh, wonderful.”
Verdant Vintage led him past several nervous guards down the hallway and into a windowless interrogation room furnished only with a table, the unicorn calmly closing the door with a flick of his horn... and then he squeaked when Sleipnir seized him by the throat and pinned him furiously back against the wall, glaring into his eyes as he said coldly: “And exactly what art thou doing here? I never imagined thee to be the kind of creature willing to take the field, Verdant Vintage... or should I say Kvasir?”
“Y-You are honor bound to obey me...” wheezed the unicorn, and Sleipnir squeezed him tighter back against the wall for a moment before cursing and flinging the unicorn to the concrete floor, the stallion bouncing once before he skidded along the stone and gargled loudly, clutching at his neck. Then he gritted his teeth and snarled, shoving himself up to his hooves as he glared angrily across at the earth pony. “Insolence! And if you knew it was me, why did you dare to hit me before?”
“Because I could have been wrong and wanted to be sure.” Sleipnir said drolly, and Kvasir's eyes narrowed dangerously, but the titanic earth pony was unfettered, only brushing at his armor moodily. “Aye, I would have felt quite awful had I killed some poor, innocent pony... but then again, I likely as not would have killed a politician. Reminding myself of this would have immediately made me feel so much better.”
“Do not be so rude to me, Sleipnir. I may have taken on this shape to infiltrate the society of these annoying ponies but I am still Valhalla's master and I am still a god. Perhaps you should reconsider your stance... or do you dare to trifle with a god?” the unicorn asked sharply, stomping one hoof firmly.
Sleipnir, however, only grinned in response, striding slowly forwards, and Kvasir paled and stumbled backwards as the earth pony said thoughtfully: “Let us see. I am more than a thousand pounds of muscle, armor, and warrior. Thou art a puny little claims-to-be-god in the form of a puny little unicorn. Thy specialty is useless trivia and I have only ever once seen thee use flourishing, fancy magic to defend thyself, and my specialty is pummeling things – be they large or small – with my hooves until these things cease to move. Maybe it is thou who should reconsider thine own stance, hmm?”
Slowly, Sleipnir leaned down over the unicorn, who was now scrunched up against the wall opposite, wincing a little before Sleipnir grunted and shook his head, turning around and muttering: “Not even worth the yellow from a coward, and yet somehow thou wert chosen to be Valhalla's new master, I understand this not. Very well, Kvasir, why art thou here? There is no need for thy presence. In fact I find it very annoying and revolting and it does not help with my task.”
“Apparently there is a need for me here, though, as you allowed yourself to be captured by Luna's forces... although I find it odd that they returned you so easily.” Kvasir stood up, and then he winced when Sleipnir gave him a dark scowl. “What, do you not expect me to question the fact that New Equestria's strongest asset was first defeated and dragged to Enstasis, and then was calmly walked right back into Ponyville?”
“Thou would not understand honor if it slapped thee in the face, pushed thee to the ground, and buggered thee until sunset.” Sleipnir muttered, and Kvasir glared at him before the titanic earth pony snorted. “Furthermore, Luna is my sister. We owe each other much, I more than her. Even more now that she has permitted me grace the halls of Enstasis for the time she did and learn what I have about her forces.”
Kvasir frowned at this, cocking his head and asking in a frustrated voice: “But why would she willingly hand over this information to you when she knows you are on the side of the enemy?”
“To tempt me into joining her side for one, I suspect, but also because she is my sister, I am her brother, and we do not battle like the toy kings that the Barons wert or their cowardly, whiny generals!” Sleipnir retorted, shaking his head and glaring at the unicorn. “If battle is to be done betwixt myself and Luna, we do not hide secrets from one-another, we shall fight as equals on even ground!”
“That is not the way of war. War is about strategy, masterminding the opponent. Valthrudnir knew that and that was why he proved superior to Odin, who foolishly clung to outdated and arrogant concepts of honor for far too long.” Kvasir said disgustedly, and then he winced when Sleipnir stomped a hoof down and cracked the cement beneath him.
“Do not speak in such a way of my Father!” he shouted, and then he took a slow breath as his mane of vines writhed, tail flicking once before he looked grimly up. “Kvasir, pedantic child-god, know this: thou may think that thy treacherous arts will give thee advantage over my sister, but they will not. She will merely turn to using the shadows herself, and as a creature of the night, she will prove far superior to thee. Especially if she gains Celestia's aid.”
“So the other Valkyrie is working willingly with her? Tell me, Sleipnir, you are honor-bound!” the unicorn snapped, and Sleipnir groaned and rolled his eyes before the god strode forwards and glared up at him. “Tell me everything you know! Now!”
Sleipnir moodily reached up and shoved the unicorn backwards by the forehead, making him wince and stumble before he said in a falsely-saccharine voice: “Well, let me start with my runes first, in that event, for 'twas one of the first things I was taught. Runes are funny for me because so many are named after those I knew in Asgard, just as-”
Kvasir closed his eyes and stomped both front hooves firmly, cutting Sleipnir off before he looked up and said moodily: “I meant, tell me everything you learned from Enstasis.”
“Well, thou should have been more specific.” Sleipnir said mildly, and Kvasir shot the earth pony an ugly look before the enormous stallion grimaced and looked down, saying quietly: “But very well, if thou wishes to know, I shall summarize it for thee. I know thou hast used thine... divine influence to pull strings across this land. I know thou wishes to destroy Luna's foothold here because thou fears her and Scrivener Blooms, and I am fairly certain that thou art lying when thou says 'oh, I shall only imprison them,' and have plans to execute them the moment the opportunity arises. And that is why it gives me such great and yet sickening pleasure to say that there is no possible way thou can succeed. Not if all the ponies of Equestria joined thy cause, not if the Nibelung regained their ancient arts and forged a thousand demon slaying weapons in a single day, not if thy preposterous plans all came to fruition.
“Luna and Scrivener Blooms are too strong. I have allowed myself to be a training dummy for Scrivener and he is far, far more adept now than when last we fought. Did we battle seriously, there is a good chance he would kill me, that is what I learned from sparring with him. But then I saw Celestia spar with him: and as they fought, I saw how she had pledged herself to him and our sister. I saw the virtue in her violence. I saw the trust and confidence in the way she struck out at him with all of her might... knowing that he could handle it. They almost killed each other... but when I finally found them in the woods, Celestia was in a broken heap, and Scrivener was curled around her, keeping her close, keeping her safe.”
“I will have to adjust my plans... Celestia's raw power is a serious threat.” Kvasir muttered, and Sleipnir gave a short laugh, making the unicorn frown and look up. “What?”
“Hast thou heard nothing I have said?” Sleipnir asked incredulously, shaking his head slowly. “Scrivener Blooms is nigh-invulnerable! Luna is... is an artisan when it comes to combat and if the Tyrant Wyrm's strength is any reflection of hers, she will be unstoppable. And it is not Celestia's raw strength that makes her fearsome, it is her mind, her terrible, horrible, evil, wicked, sinful mind!”
Kvasir only snorted, however, looking moodily at Sleipnir as he asked sharply: “And have you forgotten who I am? God of Knowledge and Inspiration! Besides, good is always outmatched by evil... evil has no boundaries, no limitations, no morals, has the advantage of being able to pursue what we dare not because of ethical compunctions; and since when was so-called mighty Sleipnir scared of getting a little dirty and fighting something stronger than he was?”
“Since the so-called 'evil monsters' I was forced to battle were my sisters. Not only do I love them, they terrify me.” Sleipnir retorted moodily, looking sourly at Kvasir. “Thou never had family, did thou? Lonely little god, or whatever thou art... and yet for some reason Odin took thee in and made thee heir of Valhalla.”
The unicorn glared at him, saying disgustedly: “Odin was the God of Wisdom. I am the God of Knowledge. Is it really such a great leap to understand or are you really that stupid?”
Sleipnir only smiled in return, however, replying easily: “There is a grand difference between knowledge and wisdom, Kvasir. A mountain so great that not even I could scale it nor lift it nor burrow beneath its reaches. I am very glad thou art on the other side of that mountain.”
“Enough.” Kvasir said disgustedly, shaking his head and snoring as he turned around, and he lowered his head moodily before looking over his shoulder and saying coldly: “I wish for you to find the strongest warriors Ponyville has to offer. We're going to even the odds.”
“My idea of a strong warrior is very different from thine.” Sleipnir replied quietly, and Kvasir rolled his eyes before Sleipnir added darkly: “And thou must listen! We must try diplomacy, because thy foolish plans will not work, this ridiculous war thou art pushing-”
“Enough!” Kvasir shouted again, spinning around as his eyes flashed, and then he shook his head violently before taking a slow breath and saying calmly: “Scrivener and Luna are monsters. They killed Odin, destroyed Valhalla. My Valhalla. You yourself know this cannot go unpunished, and we are going to right this wrong. They must be executed, terminated, destroyed, because if allowed to grow unchecked, they will poison this world. They may begin to poison other layers. And what will you do, Sleipnir, if they greedily delve their way into the anchor world? If they corrupt that, thereby corrupting every layer of reality in Odin's ridiculous pretty pony universe? If they destroy everything he worked for and reshape it into their own funhouse mirror universe, every image distorted, warped, a hideous reflection of the monster at its very core.”
Sleipnir gritted his teeth, dropping his head forwards before he closed his eyes tightly and nodded silently, and Kvasir smiled grimly. “Good. I'm glad you're seeing reason now. Now tell me, are there any vulnerabilities at all we can work with?”
The stallion hesitated, and the unicorn leaned forwards, glaring balefully before the enormous earth pony sighed and murmured: “Celestia brought Scrivener low by breaking his mental link with her whilst the creature was feeding. But Scrivener... only feeds off those he trusts. 'Tis both twisted and admirable: those who care for him willingly suffer through-”
“Don't care. Tell me about the mental link.” Kvasir interrupted, and Sleipnir looked moodily up at the unicorn, slowly grinding a hoof against the floor as he fought back the urge to punch him into a wall.
The unicorn seemed to sense this, drawing slowly back with a wince, and then Sleipnir said finally: “Scrivener Blooms can link his mind to the mind of another to feast upon their emotions and spirit. All Tyrant Wyrms could but Scrivener seems capable of controlling it to a greater extent because he is not merely clockwork destruction. Perhaps 'tis also because of his experience with this, from his link with my sister... which is ever-tighter these days.”
“We need to disrupt that link between them. It will give us a greater advantage.” muttered Kvasir, and Sleipnir snorted in amusement, making the unicorn frown. “What?”
“Oh, aye. It would also be a grand advantage if we could magically make them cease to live, but the chances of this are very low.” Sleipnir retorted wryly, and Kvasir gave him a horrible look before the earth pony shook his head moodily. “They are dark creatures, my brother and my sister, but they are-”
“Brother? Did you just call the Tyrant Wyrm your brother?” The unicorn stepped forwards, snarling furiously, and Sleipnir looked down, unfettered, before Kvasir shoved his hooves against his chest and leaned up, saying sharply: “I put up with you referring to the Valkyries that way only out of sympathy for the fact you lived and fought alongside them for the time that you did, but I will not have you refer to that monster as anything but what he is, one of Valthrudnir's deluded creations gone wildly out of control!”
Sleipnir nodded a few times, then he glanced up and said kindly: “Oh look, 'tis rain.”
“What are you talking about, we're in-” Kvasir looked up, and Sleipnir's front hoof whirled around in a sudden blur to smash down in a vicious hammer directly into the face of the unicorn, knocking the god flat on the ground in a broken, unconscious heap, drooling stupidly as a bit of blood leaked from one ear.
Sleipnir looked mildly down at the unicorn, then he poked him a few times with one hoof before he said seriously: “Aye, we are, but weather in Equestria can be strange, my friend. 'Twas a very heavy rain. Now, Kvasir, unless thou has any other orders for me, I shall take my leave.” He paused, leaned down over the unconscious polymorphed god, and then widened his eyes and nodded solemnly. “Aye, I agree, I should go first to find Apple Bloom. See, compassion is not so hard! It makes thee far more likeable, too.”
Sleipnir calmly reached down and petted the unicorn gently behind the horn a few times, then he turned and headed for the door, yanking it easily open and humming as he exited. A Pegasus in an orange vest glared at him warily, but he only smiled cheerfully back, saying easily: “Thou art a very pretty mare.”
The Pegasus looked surprised at this, blushing a little and rubbing at her face as Sleipnir continued past, humming a little under his breath as he made his way out of the warehouse and casually walked down the road, looking moodily back and forth as he murmured: “But this place, 'twas so pretty not long ago, when I first arrived here... and now, weeks later, it begins to remind me more and more of the southern territories during the clashes with the minotaurs...”
He shook his head slowly, then sighed a bit as he continued forwards, listening to the earth... but her whispers were muted, blocked out by the fact that all throughout the town, construction was going on... in fact, all throughout Equestria, he could sense a flurry of activity from the pained mumbles of nature. Their preparations for war were digging deep into the earth, scarring her, building new weapons from mother nature's bones.. they weren't like Luna's and Celestia's, whom he knew would instead augment that which they had already taken from their beloved planet.
Sleipnir flicked his mane grouchily, and then he glanced to the side as he caught sight of Cheerilee nervously standing near a shed in an orange New Equestria vest, striding towards the lavender mare and smiling down at her as she glanced up and sighed in relief at the sight of him. “Oh, S-Sleipnir... I'd... I'd heard something awful had happened to you...”
“Aye, something awful did. I was forced to be apart from thee and all the other mares of Ponyville for far too long.” Sleipnir winked, making her blush a little before he studied her curiously and asked slowly: “But what are thou doing here? Thou art a teacher, not a soldier. If thou does not mind me saying, that vest does not at all suit thee.”
“Oh believe me, I agree.” Cheerilee shook her head quickly, grimacing a bit and glancing nervously back and forth. “But... well... I was pulled into service all the same. I mean, I'm... I'm not a soldier, technically, but I am part of the... I think Applejack said it was the 'civilian effort.' She's been going around with several of those soldiers that the unicorn from the Royal Council brought with him... oh, I'm sorry, Sleipnir, I don't even know how long you've been back or what you're aware of already!”
“'Tis fine, worry not thy pretty young head.” Sleipnir leaned down and kissed her forehead gently with a smile before he leaned back and nodded slowly. “But then where are the foals?”
“Well, since the schoolhouse is being converted into a...” Cheerilee winced a bit, looking visibly pained. “Training institution... for the moment, Rarity's old boutique has been cleared out and a few adults were left to supervise them... I think. It's... hard to keep up. We're all... well...”
“Aye, worry not, I see clearly what is going on here. I have witnessed it before in the old days, when the barons would go to war with one-another...” Sleipnir grimaced a bit, shaking his head slowly as he murmured to himself: “But Luna is no baron, and there is never an excuse to cheat foals out of the lives they deserve...”
Cheerilee looked up at him softly, and then Sleipnir returned his eyes to her with a small smile, saying quietly: “Be strong, Cheerilee. I shall return when I can, but for now... be strong. I must find Apple Bloom now, however, so do excuse me...”
“Wait!” Cheerilee hesitated as Sleipnir looked over his shoulder curiously, and then the mare looked nervously back and forth before she said finally: “There's... there's a hole in the wall that some of the foals use to sneak out of Ponyville instead of being cooped up all day. A lot of the adults turn a blind eye to it because... well, I... because...”
“I understand well, worry not.” Sleipnir smiled, then he nodded firmly once to the mare before turning and heading quickly for the gates of Ponyville, understanding now why he couldn't sense Apple Bloom anywhere in the village.
It wasn't difficult to get the ponies to open the gates for him: or rather, to get out of the way so he could simply shove the gates open himself and storm outside, making the soldiers gape. The moment he was away from the hubbub of the village, though, he could sense her, and it wasn't the grassy fields that whispered to him, but the call of the trees: she was in the Everfree Forest.
He followed her trail, fearless as he entered the living forest... as fearless as he knew Apple Bloom was. Despite the new horror stories that had cropped up in Ponyville and the evidence that soldiers had been attacked by strange and awful things, despite the sense that here, nature had been a little twisted, a little darker... she treated him with the same love she did everywhere else, and he felt the same respect in return. Moreover, he could hear her murmurs of compassion for Apple Bloom, accepted here more in the Forest than she could know.
It didn't take her long to find her, sitting silently in a field on a rock... and beside her, a Phooka was complacently resting, his eldritch eyes glowing lightly as she stroked fearlessly along its back. The Phooka rumbled and looked up as Sleipnir stepped into the field, but the stallion only smiled and nodded to it, and it quieted as Apple Bloom sniffled a little and turned her teary eyes towards him, whispering: “Everything I was ever taught... it's all wrong, ain't it?”
“No, Apple Bloom, no... not everything. Not about the love thy sister and thy brother have for thee, not about... how there is always good in the world, not about the stars in the sky or the moon or the sun or our beautiful earth...” Sleipnir replied quietly, striding calmly forwards before he leaned down and embraced the filly firmly, closing his eyes as she reached up and clung to him, trembling a little. “But about other things... aye. Yet thou art not alone there, as thou have seen... where thou art special, though, and almost unique, sadly, is that thou art pushing through the veil and the mists to see that... evil and good, they are not so simple to separate. That the darkness can contain such great and gorgeous purity... and the light, oh, how the light can burn and blind for no reason but spite...”
He sighed a little, silently sitting down in the grasses beside the filly, keeping a foreleg around her as she trembled and stared at the field. They watched as the grasses swayed slowly, listened to the sound of the branches of the trees around them creaking in the quiet wind, felt the warmth of the sun on their bodies, and the Phooka nearby gave a rumble of contentment before Apple Bloom looked towards Sleipnir and asked weakly: “What do I do, then? What do I believe? Every day I hear how evil L-L-Lu... I... I mean, lots of ponies are... but... every day I see my big sister, b-becoming...”
“I know. I know. I had to see my own big sister lose herself once as well... as I did my little sister, although unlike thee, I was not in any position to help or affect things.” Sleipnir said quietly, rubbing gently along the filly's back as he gazed down at her silently. “Applejack does these things... out of love. I know it must be hard for thee to comprehend, but she believes this... is the only sane and safe course of action. She has been twisted by her own pain and fears.
“Apple Bloom... thou must judge for thyself. It is hard, I know, harder than many things in this wide, accursed world, but only thou can know the merits of something by looking at it for thyself. I am not saying thou should never listen to others, but I am saying thou must be wary of what others may say... for sadly, we all have our own agendas. Even I have my own agenda in being out here, Apple Bloom.” Sleipnir smiled a little, reaching his other foreleg out to stroke her face gently. “'Tis that I cannot stand to see little fillies cry so much and so hard... and that I want to see my niece and my new and trusted friend happy, and happy together.”
Apple Bloom laughed a little, glancing away, and then she shook her head slowly before looking silently towards the Phooka, reaching out to stroke almost wonderingly along it before she whispered: “Applejack... told me these things were supposed to be monsters. That they lured foals away, and gobbled them up... but they don't, do they?”
“Oh, some have, certainly. In times of hunger and in times when malicious forces rose and compelled them into evil, but...” Sleipnir shook his head slowly, smiling faintly down at the filly as Apple Bloom looked up at him trustingly, silently. “Tell me: a pony is convicted of murdering another pony. Does that mean every pony in the world, thou and I along with the bunch, are all killers? Well, perhaps I should leave myself out of the example.”
Apple Bloom smiled faintly, glancing up at him and saying softly: “But there's a difference between a murderer and someone who... who has to kill someone 'cause they don't got a choice.”
“But we almost always have a choice, and sadly, I cannot say my hooves are entirely clean.” Sleipnir replied gently, looking down at her softly. “I have killed out of anger, and I have killed when it was not entirely necessary. I have killed by accident, and I have killed because my hoof was forced.” Sleipnir looked down, shaking his head slowly as he murmured: “I dislike killing, even monsters. For even a monster may have a family, a heart, a soul.”
He quieted, and the filly looked up at him silently before the male smiled a little, saying softly: “But this is all beside the point. A Phooka in the wild will not kill unless it has a reason to. And likewise, many of these Phooka are now bound to Luna, or at least feel loyalty towards her and those who have striven to take care of them, and they have been asked not to bring harm to ponies. But the ponies are panicked, and do not believe what the supporters of my sister preach, what those few ponies who have taken the time to understand these creatures of darkness may say, and not even the raw statistics: how many Phooka-related deaths have there been in this New Equestria? Not one proven, for how many 'inferred' deaths there have been. And yet many ponies find it unconscionable that the chance is there that one could harm us, that there are stories of how in the past, they have harmed ponykind, and in panic and fear they seek to drive these poor creatures out and destroy them. Aye, for the rumors of one death, they would kill ten, fifty, a hundred Phooka if they lived in such droves. Reprehensible!”
He shook his head firmly as Apple Bloom looked up at him quietly, and then she bowed her head slowly and murmured: “That's... like what my big sister is becoming, isn't it? I... we used to play, you know, all the time. Even when we was working together, side-by-side... we'd play. And heck, no other ponies could stand up to us at the Sisterhooves Social... but now... she's gotten so... so... obsessed. It's like she can't see... what she's become, because... because all the ponies around her keep praising her, telling her what a good job she's doing, asking for her help and...”
Apple Bloom shivered a bit, closing her eyes tightly and dropping her head forwards as she swallowed thickly, and Sleipnir smiled faintly as he rubbed a hoof along her back slowly, murmuring: “'Tis a sad truth, my fair Apple Bloom, but... many heroes of legend were much the very same. Heroes to those who depended on them, oh aye... but terrible scourges to the enemy. Yet still, there is hope for thy sister, hope for thou, hope for all of us... we must merely keep pushing forwards, that is all. We must keep hope, and keep our bonds of friendship and family tight and strong, not simply so we may speak to one-another... but so we may listen, as well.”
The filly nodded silently, looking down before she murmured: “But I'm... I'm already in so much trouble. And you heard Rainbow Dash... I mean, I'm not even supposed to be away from the babysitting house, and I know I'll be in all kinds of trouble when I go back, but...”
She sighed a little, and Sleipnir smiled amusedly at this, saying mildly: “The babysitting house. Aye, I like that... but listen, little one. Rainbow Dash's anger came from concern for thee, and because he is loyal to his wife, to thy sister, to thy entire family. But no matter what, thou shall always have a friend in me, Apple Bloom... and likely more importantly, I see that Big Mac is also always there for thee.
“This... war will prove difficult. On both sides, many will be hurt... and sadly, families will be strained, and hurt.” Sleipnir quieted, shaking his head slowly. “But that does not mean families will be destroyed, either. Thou loves thy family, yes? And thou loves Scarlet Sage. So see, thou art already doing both, even if it is ripping thee apart to be forced to stay such a distance from her... but fear not, Apple Bloom. I shall find a way to help.”
“You do help. You listen. And you don't treat me like I ain't nothing but a dumb kid who's going through a stupid phase.” Apple Bloom turned and silently hugged him, burying her face against his foreleg as she closed her eyes. “Thank you, Sleipnir. I... I bet my dad was like you.”
“Nay, I am sure he was much wiser.” Sleipnir replied softly, smiling faintly, swallowing a bit and feeling deeply moved by the filly's sentiments as he gazed down at her silently. And then he hugged her tightly closer against him, closing his eyes as the Phooka slept peacefully beside titanic stallion and young girl.
Sleipnir carried Apple Bloom back into town and dropped her off at what Apple Bloom called the 'babysitter house,' the male looking disgruntled at the mass of foals inside the hollowed-out shop. One thing almost all of them shared was how unhappy they looked at being forced to stay inside, and Sleipnir huffed before glaring when a soldier marched over and started scolding Apple Bloom; the mare fell silent, however, when Sleipnir leaned forwards and rumbled: “The foal was with me. Is this a problem?”
That got him a meek whimper and quick shake of the head, and he had smiled benevolently, patted Apple Bloom on the head, and then said kindly: “I shall see thee back at the farm for dinner, my friend. I look forwards to hearing all about thy day.”
He glared pointedly up at the soldier, who winced and nodded rapidly, and then Sleipnir had huffed and left. Almost immediately, however, he'd been grabbed by Applejack, who glared up at him as he'd looked flatly down at her before she had finally sighed and muttered: “Alright, sorry. Come on, though, I got orders to bring you to Verdant. City-boy is pissed, too.”
“Well, that is to be expected, I have punched him twice now.” Sleipnir said mildly, and Applejack sighed and shook her head, but the enormous stallion winked at her and cheered up slightly as he thought he saw her trying to repress a smile. “Well, what's this? Do we finally have a sign of life amidst the rubble that thou art, Applejack?”
“Okay, yeah, maybe I like hearing Verdant got his face broken. He just... moves in here, starts taking over operations, has all these papers from the Royal Council that I can barely make heads nor tails of...” Applejack shook her head, grimacing a little and saying finally: “I was fine with defending Ponyville. I was even... okay... with fighting Luna, honestly. But... but now I got a smooth-talking unicorn apparently in command of all the military operations and claiming he's a real big-wig... something here ain't right.”
Sleipnir halted, and Applejack frowned and turned around to see the earth pony standing with his forelegs raised, a look of triumph and irony on his face as he declared dryly: “And finally the mad mare arrives at the single correct conclusion she has made since perhaps the start of this whole disaster!”
“What the hell is your problem? You were fighting beside us too, hell, you even prepared a lot of our troops yourself!” Applejack shouted angrily, gritting her teeth as she leaned forwards, and Sleipnir dropped his hooves as he looked moodily back at her as she reached up and poked his chest several times. “You told us yourself, demons are dangerous! That... Scrivener and Luna are dangerous, and that you were gonna fight them-”
“Exactly! Me!” Sleipnir reached out and childishly yanked her hat down over her face, making Applejack curse before she yanked it off and glared up at him furiously, frazzled, barely-braided mane spilling in all directions around her head. “And I prepared thee so all of thee could defend thyselves in the worst case scenario... but thou, thou wert the one to help bastardize those teachings, understanding that if silver and iron wert the demon's bane, then they could be used as weapon, not just as defense! I taught thee about traps that would catch or dissuade demons, and thou dug pits lined with nettled silver stakes!”
“Catching them, injuring them, it ain't enough.” Applejack replied angrily through grit teeth, shaking her head before she said coldly: “Look, I don't know why Verdant said to trust you, even though you came back from Enstasis without a scratch and punched him out. But what I do know is that I've been proven right: those demons tore those soldiers apart, just like they did to the zebra... they're monsters. They're monsters, and the only way to stop them is to kill them.”
Sleipnir only shook his head slowly, looking at the mare with disappointment as he said quietly: “Is that truly what thou believes? Then thou hast not simply gazed into the abyss... thou has plunged headlong into it. Thou should have listened to the old adage, and been warier of thyself than the monsters thou fought... for in doing so, thou may have avoided this wretched fate.”
“What the hell do you know? You... you're just one pony, taking orders from his own higher-ups, and sure, everypony here respects you but none of them look at you as a leader! I'm the leader, me.” Applejack grimaced even as she said this, a faint shiver running through her as she glared challengingly up at the titanic stallion. “I'm the one they all depend on to make the tough calls, I'm the one they all look up to, I'm the one who gives the orders, and you better start damn well remembering that.”
Sleipnir shook his head slowly, softening as he stepped towards her and reached a hoof up to rest on her shoulder gently, leaning down and saying quietly: “Aye, thou hast the respect of an army. An army of scared and trembling not-soldiers whom slaver over thee because thou does everything in thy power not to lead them, but to please them and tell them what they want to hear. Oh aye, I doubt neither thy prowess nor thy ability to handle responsibility... but thou art trading the respect of thy family for the respect of the town. And I have to wonder, Applejack, does thou even have any real friends any longer outside thine own household?”
“What the hell do you know...” Applejack shoved at him, but it was as useless as trying to push away a brick wall, and the earth pony mare cursed under her breath before she turned away and shook her head even as a flush rose in her cheeks, snapping: “Come on, let's not keep Verdant waiting.”
“Yes, yes, time for me to be scolded again.” Sleipnir said disgustedly, shaking his head moodily as he followed behind her. He studied her silently as they headed back towards the converted warehouse, and Sleipnir shook his head moodily before he said mildly: “I saw Cheerilee on guard duty. Tell me, how many others has thou press-ganged into the military today?”
“We need every pony we can get for the war effort. I don't like it but I have to listen to Verdant Vintage's orders.” Applejack said shortly, shaking her head briefly. “I thought you of all ponies would understand that, Sleipnir. You're supposed to be some great hero, after all.”
Sleipnir, however, only smiled wryly at this. “'Supposed to be,' aye. And furthermore, Celestia, Luna, and I traveled Equestria far and wide together... but rarely under the flag of any baron or monarch. We were not trying to save or unite Equestria back then, Applejack... we were trying to save Equestrians. The nation did not matter to me then, and does not matter to me now... only the ponies of this nation do. I do not like being involved in war, even though I am a warrior; and a war like this is one that in the past, I would have gladly shied away from or preferred to act as peacekeeper, not strategist and killer of my own kin.”
Applejack snorted at this as they approached the warehouse, replying distastefully over her shoulder: “Then maybe you need to grow up, Sleipnir. I get that you're trying to see the good in everypony, sure, but what we're fighting for here-”
“Oh spare me, Applejack, I am tired of hearing thee spew thy propaganda.” Sleipnir grumbled, and the mare glared over her shoulder at him even as she threw the doors to the converted warehouse open, and Sleipnir snorted as he marched past her into the holding compound, muttering: “Thou makes a sharp contrast to ponies like Cheerilee, who still have a little sense about their heads.”
“Then if you prefer her company so damn much, why the hell don't you stay with her instead of making your fat flank cozy at the farm, abusing every inch of my hospitality that you can?” Applejack asked sharply, and then she reared back in surprise when Sleipnir smiled over his shoulder at her with sympathy and pity that hurt her more than any insult ever could.
“Because, fair Applejack... whilst the poor mare obviously needs the touch of a handsome stallion like myself, what she does not need is my help. Not in the ways that thou and thine family do.” Sleipnir's smile faded a bit as he turned away, saying quietly: “It only saddens me that so far I have failed to make thee see and understand the folly thou strides towards, Applejack... one would think the fact thou made thy little sister cry would be a clear enough sign, after all.”
Applejack opened her mouth at this, wanting to scream, to shout, to argue as the stallion calmly strode into the facility, and yet she had no words as anger and bitterness churned above stirrings of guilt and shame before she cursed quietly and spun away. Sleipnir glanced over his shoulder and watched her leave as the doors swung slowly closed, then he sighed a little and turned his eyes forwards, muttering: “We are all nothing but rats aboard a sinking ship.”
He sighed, then paused in the middle of the concrete corridor to look slowly upwards, past a skeletal framework of timbers to a walkway along the second floor. Offices and lonely rooms sat here and there, locked to the framework by enormous bolts, little more than boxes of wood and metal that looked as if they belonged sitting outside at some lonely construction site... which they likely once had before the rickety warehouse had been modified into this quasi-military facility.
He could see Kvasir standing at the top of the walkway, glaring down at him balefully, and Sleipnir rolled his eyes as he strode past several soldiers and up the already-rusting metal stairs as he called moodily: “Has thou recovered from that nasty bit of rain? Thou must not at all be used to the wild weathers of Equestria.”
The unicorn pursed his lips, but as Sleipnir stepped up onto the walkway, he didn't say anything, only jerking his head as he stormed towards an open office. Sleipnir followed him moodily, grimacing a bit at how thin the floor felt beneath his hooves as Kvasir grouchily sat himself behind a desk cluttered with papers, then flicked his horn to the side to slam the door behind Sleipnir. “Proud of yourself, aren't you?”
Sleipnir only shrugged, shifting awkwardly along the thin metal flooring as he looked grumpily out through a gray glass window, and the unicorn rolled his eyes before beginning to shuffle through the papers on his desk. He was silent, and the titanic earth pony took the opportunity to gaze around the room, at shelves filled with useless nicknacks and a dented metal cabinet, the doors open to reveal vials and glass jars filled with some kind of blue-tinged elixir...
The male's eyes narrowed as he stepped forwards to look closer at this, and Kvasir glanced up, then followed Sleipnir's gaze towards the cabinet before he snorted and flicked his horn, slamming the doors of the metal unit. Sleipnir, however, immediately glared at the unicorn, saying darkly: “That is a treacherous path thou dares to take, Kvasir.”
“Oh please. I'm just making sure our best-of-the-best will have the extra edge necessary to go toe-to-toe... or perhaps I should say hoof-to-hoof... with Luna's forces.” Kvasir retorted distastefully, shaking his head with a snort of disgust. “An Ambrosia infusion will increase strength, durability, and concentration. Now, give me the list of candidates I asked you to prepare.”
“I can think of precious few warriors whom I would trust to imbue with Ambrosia, Kvasir, it is dangerous. They are mortal ponies, and they could be affected in any number of ways by it... thou would run the risk of driving them insane, killing them, or worse?” Sleipnir shook his head firmly, glaring at the unicorn as Kvasir slowly rose his head with a cold gleam in his eye. “I thought thou said that 'twas evil that had no compunctions!”
“There is nothing wrong with this. I'm simply going to amplify what is already there.” the unicorn retorted darkly, and then the polymorphed god snorted and shook his head. “We have to be prepared to take every advantage we can find, Sleipnir. I am offering permanent gifts of strength to ponies... funny, the way you lecture me but apparently find it endearing that your sister offers far-worse presents for far-less reason...”
“Be wary, Kvasir, 'lest it begin to rain again.” Sleipnir rumbled, and the unicorn winced a bit and cowered slightly, making the earth pony snort in disgust before he muttered: “And I do disagree with my little sister's methods, but at the same, understand what ends she reaches for. She is trying to protect and enliven those she cares for... but this? Thou art going to give all the power to all the wrong soldiers and end up destroying thine own forces with an uprising of power-maddened ponies.”
“Do you really think so little of me?” Kvasir snorted in distaste, looking sickeningly amused as he sat up slightly and shook his head slowly. “You seem very confused, Sleipnir. You seem to have forgotten whose side you're on, and what those sides are. That I represent Valhalla and Asgard, and whatever you might think of me, I am the so-called 'good guy' here. Luna and Scrivener are the villains in this tragic play, and they must be destroyed. One is a Tyrant Wyrm. The other is a traitor Valkyrie who continues to feed and empower the beast, and it may surprise you but if they just magically 'went away' I would not chase them. However, they have no intention of doing that, and instead seem eager to overrun Equestria. To threaten this layer of reality, and perhaps all the worlds. We must take measures to prevent that. We must take pains to stop them. We must do whatever it takes.”
Kvasir looked towards the closed cabinet as Sleipnir remained silent, and then the unicorn's eyes flicked towards him, asking calmly: “Give me the names of five soldiers you would recommend who would most benefit from the Ambrosia's effects. I have enough for sixty but if you're so concerned about the elixir, we'll start small and see how they hold up. Time is on our side, not the enemy's.”
Sleipnir sighed a little, then he lowered his head, feeling like he was betraying friends as he said finally: “Big Macintosh is the only pony I would trust to handle the elixir well. He is of sound mind and strong body, and has an honorable heart. Applejack is far too close to the edge, the Ambrosia could poison her thoughts even further, and Rainbow Dash is loyal and honorable and strong but in a way... very... very lost at this moment in time, and I cannot blame him. If thou truly wishes to test the effects of thy sordid brew, then give the last four elixirs at random to the first regiment, the ponies who have trained the longest and the hardest for this madness. Thou does not judge ponies 'strong' in the same way I do, after all.”
The unicorn frowned at this, but didn't argue before Sleipnir looked up and asked calmly: “A question for a question, Kvasir: did thou have the ponies in the wilderness slaughtered?”
“I did.” Kvasir said calmly, nodding once, and Sleipnir gave the unicorn a look of disgust, but the polymorphed god only snorted and shook his head in distaste. “Don't give me that look, Sleipnir. This war had to be started sooner rather than later and I can think of no better way than sacrificing a few pawns.”
Sleipnir scowled darkly at this, and the unicorn winced a little before he looked awkwardly down and adjusted the papers over his desk, muttering: “You still don't get it, do you? I understand that we have to protect these ponies but compared to me... compared to you even, Sleipnir... they are little more than... than plants. And sometimes you have to prune a few plants back in order to benefit the rest.”
“May I leave, Kvasir? I fear that otherwise I may attempt to feed thee thy desk, and 'twould be a shame to mash such a pretty piece of furniture. Far more of one than to mash thy vain facade.” Sleipnir said disgustedly, and Kvasir grimaced as he leaned nervously back in his seat, the back of the chair bumping against the wall quietly.
He hesitated for a few moments, then shook his head and finally said mildly: “Your return has been met with mixed feelings. The soldiers are both glad to have you back, but question your loyalties and worry that you've been... twisted. Therefore, I'm pulling you out of patrol and military duties and assigning you to work with the civilians. Specifically, since I heard you showed such an interest in it earlier, I'm assigning you to look after the foals during the day. In the early morning you can handle trap-checking and repairs and at night you can take first watch. It should be more than enough to keep even the mighty Sleipnir quite busy.”
Sleipnir looked less-than-thrilled with this, glaring at the unicorn before he said disgustedly: “If thou thinks there is any way to keep me out of trouble or from finding methods by which to communicate with Enstasis, thou art sorely mistaken, Kvasir. In fact, no, I shall thank thee for the privilege of looking after the foals, and with gladness in my heart that I no longer must lead expeditions into the field to kill innocents.”
“They are not innocents. They are demons and monsters, and must be eradicated as such.” Kvasir said calmly, and Sleipnir only shook his head slowly in response before the polymorphed god straightened on the other side of the desk and added coldly: “And you will not communicate with-”
Sleipnir reached a hoof out and shoved the desk firmly backwards, and the unicorn wheezed as the furnishing pinned him back against the wall, his eyes bulging as he pushed at the desk and the arms of his chair. “S-Sleipnir!”
“I would advise thee to watch what thou art saying, friend. Thou has a very bad of letting thy treacherous mouth run away with all kinds of tales, and it becomes very irksome very fast.” the earth pony said mildly, stepping forwards and then pushing a little on the other side of the desk, making the unicorn wheeze louder. “'Tis very funny. I imagined gods were things of great power in my vanity, once upon a time... but more and more, I begin to wonder on their true nature. Speaking of mortals like bugs... well, look here, Kvasir, now how does it feel to be pinned like nothing more than a bug, by a being who proudly calls himself 'earth pony?'”
Kvasir wheezed... and then Sleipnir finally stepped back, and the unicorn shoved the desk backwards, half-sprawling over the top of it before he snarled furiously up at Sleipnir, rasping: “You play a dangerous game... do not forget that I am the master of Valhalla and-”
“And I am honor-bound to obey, aye. 'Tis true.” the earth pony nodded agreeably, smiling slightly and leaning forwards as he said kindly: “But the way I see things, Kvasir, I am doing thee a favor through these lessons. For if I had not my honor or was just a little more short-tempered, why, I might actually attempt to kill thee instead of just pummel thee. I am trying to teach thee that no matter how much thou imagines thou art the king of the whole wide world... to this universe, no matter how big or small thou art, thou art still nothing but a little, tiny, insignificant speck. A little humility would go a grand distance in making thou more approachable, young god-child.”
The unicorn looked up at him moodily, and then he shook his head slowly before Sleipnir bowed his head courteously. “Now, if thou shall excuse me, I am going to head off to sweep Miss Cheerilee off her hooves, as she looked very bored and lonely. Oh, now that feels like the old days! Pretty things waiting for me in every village with longing in their eyes, aye... and a burning fire in their lower regions that 'tis my duty to tend to and make burn hotter before I quench it.”
He grinned widely at this, winking over his shoulder at Kvasir, who looked at him with disgust before the stallion began to turn to leave. Then he paused at the doorway, raising his head and adding quietly, without bothering to look around: “But, one last word of advice, Kvasir. A Gala is being held at Castle Enstasis. I would recommend going, even though it shall put thy wretched life at risk. I plan to go myself, after all... and if thou does not go, well, it will send a very poor message to Luna and Scrivener, being the so-called new lord of Valhalla and all.”
“What? What are you talking about?” Kvasir asked with a frown, and Sleipnir only winked over his shoulder before turning towards the door, and the unicorn snarled before slamming his hooves against the desk and snapping: “I command you to tell me!”
Sleipnir grimaced at this, hoof against the door... and then he finally rolled his eyes, regretting allowing his mouth to run away with him as he looked moodily over his shoulder and replied grouchily: “Oh, very well, but only because the answer is simple and short. The First Annual Lunar Gala shall be held in Enstasis in roughly a months' time. Invitations are already being sent across Equestria, delivered to the homes of nobles, politicians, and special, fortunate ponies, and 'twill be a grand show of diplomacy from Enstasis. I should not have to tell a genius like thyself what that means, though.”
“She's gathering followers. Ascertaining her strength... and the timing, the timing is awful, the Royal Council will have sent out the declaration of war this morning and now nobles across Equestria will be receiving these invitations...” Kvasir winced, reaching up and grabbing at his head with a curse. “She'll be able to fortify her holds across Equestria and if we don't play along we'll not only look like the aggressors, we could be mistaken as tyrannizing our own people... the nation is already sorely divided as it is! Luna cannot be allowed to know how much support she still has, as it is interrupting her network and communications has been ridiculously difficult and establishing bases she is unaware of even harder with her constantly-roaming Nightmares and demons...”
“Oh good, I see thou art taking this reasonably well.” Sleipnir said mildly, and Kvasir shot him a horrible look before the earth pony smiled indulgently. “We could always simply surrender. Let Equestria back down, Kvasir, and deal with Luna and Scrivener honorably.”
The unicorn gave a short laugh at this, slamming a hoof against the desk as his other shoved against his forehead. “That is not how war works! She has an army, and we must have an army... and Equestria must not be permitted to bend to her vision, she must not be allowed to have the chance to... to warp these ponies to her own image, to make this world a world of vile hedonism and darkness-worshiping ponies! She is evil!”
Sleipnir, however, only shrugged slowly, responding quietly: “I do not like it either, but I like even less abusing these ponies as we are. And perhaps it is only the law of nature speaking... Equestria was a beautiful land of light, and it collapsed. That which could be saved was brought back by darkness... let them be ruled by the moon and the stars instead of the sun, and see where it brings them.”
Kvasir only stared incredulously at the earth pony, and then the unicorn opened his mouth before Sleipnir held up a hoof, saying firmly: “Nay, enough now, foul little god-thing. Thou has had thy speeches and made thy demands, and now I am going to leave and tend to the desires of a pretty mare. Go back to thinking of thy so-thought 'intelligent' strategies and musing upon the arts of war, which thou knows nothing of. I shall do my job, I shall take my pleasures where I can, I shall communicate with my family, and thou shall not stop me or Odin's ghost help me, I will bludgeon thee through the floor and plant thee in the ground, so we may grow some ghastly god-tree that I shall take great pleasure in hacking down and burning.”
The unicorn winced and shrunk back a little at this, and Sleipnir nodded firmly once before he said dryly: “I would recommend a study of etiquette as well, Kvasir. The ponies do not like thee. Learning to speak as something other than a slimy politician would greatly benefit thy cause.”
With that, the earth pony turned and pushed through the doorway, striding out onto the walkway and briskly shaking himself off before he nodded firmly once and smiled, forcing the bad thoughts away and letting the good return as he headed calmly for the stairs and away from the petulant god in pony guise.