//------------------------------// // Three Days Prior // Story: Hide & Seek // by Royal_Mist //------------------------------// Simple Affection   Amidst dim torchlight, a man stood cloaked in dark robes that perfectly shadowed his features. He stood alone at the edge of a large cast iron caldron; the reflection that was cast upon its still waters were not his own. The caldron rested deep within a now nameless forest; the darkened trees covered the sky so that even the light could not pierce its thick branches.   The soft flakes of snow that had managed to work their way through the twisted tree line now rested on forest floor. Most of the forest was still trying to live with the vibrant colors that autumn had brought. The man’s hot breath left in small bursts before drifting into the winters’ wind.   For a long while, the man stood looking into the caldron with only the sounds of the forest to keep his company. There was the creaking of the trees, the soft whistling the wind, and the faint chirps of the birds far above. It was the rare moment of bliss that he loved the most, almost perfectly tranquil. Yet, as he took in another deep breath, the soft echo of leaves rustling in the wind.   “Who goes there?”   The cloaked man took in another breath, and his forest green eyes opened as he turned to look at the being that had approached him from behind.   “Who else would come out to this barren wood, Loki?”   The women who had interrupted gave a nod before entering into the dim, flickering torchlight. Her eyes were cold and calculating, which only set off by her chestnut auburn hair that fell down the length of her back. Draped around her was a simple white cloth that seemed to glide over her delicate body.   At her feet were two cats, one royal black and the other was white, both sharing the common trait of piercingly ice blue eyes.   “Freya, goddess of love and hearth.” Loki spoke the words slowly with a voice that carried the tone of a man well versed in coercion. He lowered his head and touched a hand to his chest. “I am honored.”   The cats drew close to him and began to circle him slowly, neither resting their gaze upon anything other than Loki, god of Mischief, both keeping a even pace, always vigilant.   “Let’s skip the formalities, Loki, you are the last person I would want to hold my interest,” Freya said as she approached him. The wind collected the leaves clearing the ground save for a few rebellious piles scattered amongst the small inlet.   Loki spoke softly, “I called you out here for something of grave importance, my old friend. I—“    “We are no longer friends, Loki, If you came here to kindle old memories, I swear now that your quest is for naught,” Freya said before turning her gaze to the lone caldron. “So tell me why you summoned me here. Your letter was vague at best.”   “Please—” Loki raised his hand from his side and let his dark vestment fall to his side “—I know what you are thinking... my reason for calling you is something a bit more personal.”  Treading carefully, Loki moved between the iron cauldron and approached the goddess. “I know this may sound odd, but I need your help and you’re the only one I can turn too.”   “Well, be quick about it,” Freya replied.“There is a storm coming from the east. This place will be covered in rain soon enough.”   Loki smirked; he pulled cloth from under his duster, was a cape, midnight blue in color, with black slashes its surface that billowed as it moved through the air. “A gift,” Loki said simply.   “Don’t bring that thing near me. Who knows what magic you have imbedded into its fibers?” Freya said as she drew her personal garment over her shoulders.   “There is no magic in this cape. It is but a simple cloth that will keep the chill of the icy rain from you,” Loki stated. “You can read through my words, Freya— you know I cannot lie to you.”   Freya flicked her wrist and sent the cape back, gliding on nothing but wind and fell still as it hit the ground. “Even so, I am a married woman. I do not accept gifts from anyone other than my husband.”   Loki laughed a little to himself and used his magic to pick the garment off the ground. “Inquisitive, though I should expect nothing less from you,” he said with a wry smile.  He then turned and walked towards the center of the clearing as Freya’s guardians still circled him.   He gave a small flick of his torch, gesturing her to step closer. Ahead of him was a setup of a metal cauldron, upon which he had placed his free hand.   Both parties stood opposite each other, leaving the cast iron caldron between them. The murky water was still, threatening to spill from its recesses as it reached the brim of the bowl.   Loki spoke not a word as his index finger tapped the center of the water and began to cause ripples. The fire from the torch was snuffed out in an instant, leaving both shrouded in darkness.   And, after a few anxious moments, Loki saw what he had hoped for. The basin of the caldron came to life with a silver incandescence. The mirth of the pool began to overflow onto the grass below. The water glowed as it touched the surface of the earth.   “You took the water from the River Styx!” Freya reared back and raised her voice. “Have you gone completely mad?!”   “Yes!” Loki shouted. “I have gone completely mad, my old friend! Mad as any god could be now. I have toiled these past five years trying to figure out what was wrong with me.” Loki gripped both sides of the rim as he looked down into the now purified waters. “How I have tried to understand this burning in my chest, why I can’t get the image of her out of my mind!”   Freya took a step back. “Loki… have you—“   “She haunts my dreams, even now when I close my eyes the she is there, taunting me, beckoning me to come to her. Each night I dream of taking her away, cradling her, being with her.” Loki called out.   The goddess stood slightly slack jawed. The trembling form before her was not the Loki that she knew.   “Loki… I’m married.” she said in a whisper.   Loki whipped the torch from his hand and then struck a nearby tree. His face still shrouded by his dark vestments, it was as if the light refused to dwell on him. “Not you! Look upon the maiden who has stolen my heart.” Then, with a final pleased smile, Loki snapped his fingers.   Freya sighed, wiping her brow, looked down until the clear pool. There, an image began to twist and form on the surface of the water.  Colors began to mesh together like a child playing with paint, each hue sculpting the image of Loki’s affection.   “Isn’t she a sight to behold?” Loki said nervously, stepping slowly around the basin.   “Loki…” Freya whispered.   “Look at her splendor,” Loki spoke, slowly with a voice that carried the tone of a man who had fallen into admiration, a voice Freya knew far too well. “Look at the way her eyes shimmer even without the light. Even now they look like violet crystals.” “Ah, Loki,” Freya said.   “See how even now as her shape it just perfect? Her frame is that of a delicate angel that fallen from the heavens just so that I may find her.” Loki continued.   Treading carefully, Freya followed in set with Loki, making sure to keep the pot between them, also taking great care that the water of Styx did not touch her. Each word sent a wave of relief down his spine, it was light a weight had been lifted from his shoulders..   “Don’t you see now, Freya?” Loki finished. “The curse this maiden has put upon me?”   Freya looked down again as she still hoped the image would shift again. Her heart was pounded so hard it felt like it would burst out of her chest, she was starting to be drawn in by his words. She began breathing deeply, trying to calm down while she looked up at the sky.   “It’s a horse.”   “A pony,” Loki corrected. “Her name is Twilight Sparkle.”   The pool portrayed a crystal clear vision of a mare.  Twilight’s violet coat shone in the moonlight, and her dark purple mane was a rough mess. She was muzzle deep under her pillow, while her hind quarters kicked and turned under a thin white sheet.   “Spike, open the window, it’s too hot,” Twilight half-shouted, half-whined.   “Even her voice sounds like a chorus of angels singing upon the winds. Does she not remind you of a calm breeze on a summer’s day?” Loki cooed.   Freya took a slow step back. “Loki, please tell me this is some elaborate trick… I know you may have been lonely since Annie passed but I didn’t think you would regress to bestiality.”   “Freya,” Loki said, his voice deathly cold, “she is not some horse. She has feelings just like you and I. She is the one that I have chosen to be my new bride. I will not have you tarnish my feelings with such labels.”   “Sorry,” Freya said solemnly, just barely managing to find her voice. “Look, Loki, start from the beginning. How did you come across this… ah, mare?”   Loki raised his hand to his head and gently he started to massage his temple. “If I must, I know you won’t help me if I don’t tell you everything. It all started fifteen years ago, during the race of the gods.”   “The Grand Race?” Freya asked.   “Yes, the one that Odin won. He flew that rainbow-maned stallion pegasus. He was the fastest horse that I had ever seen. I had to have him. That night when we began to celebrate I tried to steal him. I only made it to the stable. Odin had his wings removed and so that he would only fly for him.” Loki stated in almost a rehearsed voice.   Freya listened intently, her interest piqued.   Loki continued, “The stallion told me that he was tricked by Odin. Odin gave him immortality for a race. After though he was supposed to return to his home, he asked me to save him—“   “You stole Odin’s horse?” Freya asked, her brow slightly raised.   “No, he was no use to me if he could only fly for Odin. Besides, he did give me a nice large sum of information. He had a daughter, one who was just as obsessed as he was about racing,” Loki said in a shallow voice. “Then he told me of the world he came from. I was going to make his daughter mine.”   “Wait… fifteen years ago…” Her eyes went to the size of dinner plates. “He used Yggdrasil?”   “Yes… Yggdrasil, the world tree that connects all realms within its roots,” Loki assured her. “The legendary world tree last opened to the other realms.Odin used it to find a world with a stallion with godlike speed.”   Freya eyes narrowed. “Odin risked his life to get a mere horse? That is somthing i would exspect from you, not the Allfather.”   “It’s true, when a god passes outside their realm they become mortal,” Loki said with a slight smirk. “But do you really think anything would make an attempt on Odin’s life? Surely even you are not that foolish. Besides Odin was not the only one who made a trip to that realm.”   “You used Yggdrasil!? You know full well it is forbidden!” Freya barked.   “Yes, I went there fifteen years ago to try and find the stallion’s foal, although, my stay was just mere minutes. I was discovered and quickly had to retreat. The portal was about to close. It seems the two weeks came to an end quite quickly,” Loki said.   “You were lucky you did not get trapped there!” Freya scolded. “The risks are unthinkable of, Loki.”   Loki continued, “Please, Freya, the one who found me just a little filly. I even got to talk to her for a little bit. I hope she remembers me. Her name was Lyra, she—“    “Loki, I cannot believe you! You know we’re forbidden from even speaking with mortals, let alone meddling in their affairs!”. "Although I hope you had the wisdom to at least erase her memories of you, I do not doubt that you did no such thing!” Freya bellowed.   Loki however, showed no interest in her shouting. This was not the first time he had been lectured by his old childhood friend, and it would not be the last, he was sure of it. He instead focused on the task at hand.   “Since then I have been watching their realm,” Loki said, “one day I came across this filly. A tiny little unicorn with an unhealthy thirst for knowledge.  Just like me, she spent all her time dwindling her life away in text.” His tone of voice changed to that of a doting father. “I watched her grow, Freya. I have seen her life unfolded from this little pot.”   Freya stood in silence; she had never heard her friend talk in such a manner.   “I watched her fall on her face again and again. I sat in silence as she was bullied. I have watched her fall in love only to ignore her feelings for her studies. Freya, I need your help.” Loki finished in a small whisper.   Freya only looked down at Loki who was now belt over the caldron. She paused, glancing anxiously away from him. It was rare to see Loki beg, at that; she saw something that she had never seen before. Several drops fell from Loki’s coif.   Loki was crying.   “Please, I need your help.” Loki whispered.   Freya crumbled like stale bread.  “Anything, Loki— I know how it feels when you’re in love and you can’t be with her. It hurts more than anything. I can give you some good—“   “I need you to hold the portal open for me. Yggdrasil has awakened,” Loki said flatly. All light faded in the small inlet nestled in the forest as the water began to dim leaving the duo to be shrouded in utter darkness.   ~Yggdrasil~   The scent from the corridor of wood was dry and cold, wherever they went; the smell of moss came off the barren trees. Dead foliage rustled faintly on the ground, barely audible over the wind, which whistled between the bare trees.   The most soil clunge to their footstep as they passed through the towering gnarled branches of the forest. Shadows danced amongst the trees as the eyes of the forest watched the duo cross its threshold.   A wry smile grew on Loki’s face as the scent of the fresh water could be smelled through the air, a pleasant aroma that blended well with the scent of wet moss.  Mere moments later, he came upon the clearing of the forest.   “Fifteen long years,” Loki said in a near whisper as he felt the calm warming feeling of the area.   The charred-ember colored bark of the willow was a sight to behold. The many trailing deep divots of the outer casing looked like a maze that cut off at all angles.   The thick trunk lead to a network of thousands of thin branches that spiraled off in all directions. Each tender extension lead off a vine that trailed hundreds of feet long to it almost touched the ground below.   “How long until your master gets here?” Loki questioned as he looked down at his feet. There sat a shadow-black feline - Freya’s guardian.  The cat just pointed her tail at the far end of the sparse trail that wrapped around the monolithic tree. There sat a wooden cart,and in that cart sat Freya, who was enjoying an apple. "This had better be worth it. These past two days felt like an eternity."   ~.~.~ “Please Freya, the portal is only open for a few days. If you are there, you could keep its open longer!” Loki pleaded. Freya sighed. “Fine, but if we’re caught, I’m telling everyone you tricked me into doing this. I will be at Yggdrasil's base in two days' time. There are matters I must first attend to.” ~.~.~ “What took you so long? I have been here since morning,” Freya called out, now closing the gap between them. “You get lost?”   Treading carefully, Loki moved between the wooden roots that sprung from random points in the ground. “I left at dawn. Now tell me why you made me wait. I could have came and left.”   “Well, we have been here for a while,” Freya said with an unceremoniously gleeful smile. If Loki didn't know better, he would almost think her excited.. “Now let’s get—“   “Father!” The tarp fell back from the cart. A small black and grey coated wolf pup jumped pawed out of the cart. She stood almost three feet high, two big large pink eyes now targeting her father. “I missed you!”   Loki stopped in his tracks. “Fenrir!?”   Fenrir buried her face in the burgundy duster of her father; she didn’t want to look up. He detected a scent of lavender and chamomile on her, she lifted one eye lid to peek. Her tail twitched as she felt two firm hands grab ahold of her from under her forelegs.   “My how have your grown! Fifty years and you're still as cute as the day you were born.” Loki said with a glimmer of fatherly pride in his eyes.   Two huge doll-like irises peered up as she felt her hind legs left the ground. Her ears now firmly matted against her fur in a vain attempt to look displeased. Her tail however gave her away as it swished back and forth in the water like an excited dog.   “Dad, Aunty Freya said I’m getting a new mom.” Fenrir said nuzzling the side of her father’s coif. Her nose twitched as she sniffed around his coif, “You smell different.”   Loki reared back and raised his daughter high into the air. “With some luck, yes, you’re going to have a new mother. This one won’t try and eat you either,” Loki said, giving his daughter an affectionate kiss on her brow. He turned his gaze to Freya as he cradled Fenrir like an oversized puppy. “This is a rare treat, you can be oddly thoughtful.”   Freya deadpanned, “I don’t want to hear that from you of all people.” She then turned her attention to the tree. “I brought Fenrir here for your protection. I don’t know what that world is like and if you die there doing something stupid...”   “You want me to bring my daughter to be MY bodyguard.” Loki said as his face deadpanned.   “Don’t worry, Dad, I’ll protect you from all the meanies. Look, Aunty Freya even colored my claws!” Fenrir struggled for a moment but managed to get four of her claws to jutt out from her paws.   They were pink.   “Loki,” Freya continued. “If you don’t agree to this, I will have the others go in and hunt you down and bring you back.”   Loki though didn’t hesitate as he cradled his first born. “I don’t mind bringing Fenrir along. Actually I would enjoy it; I think Twilight should know I’m a single father.” Those words made Fenrir smile, the first honest smile she had given all evening. Then, with that concern put to rest, she yawned, closed her eyes, and drifted off to sleep in her father’s arms.   Freya closed in on him and began to circle slowly. “Loki,” she said in a whisper only they could hear, “if you use any tricks or lies to get her to fall for you. I will hunt you down personally. Horse or not, love is love, of which I am the goddess. Am I clear?”   The tiny hairs on his neck all stood on end. “Crystal.”   “Good,” Freya turned to her guardians, “Boots. Mittens. crack the tree. We have a job to do.”  Both of the cats that had been tending to their fur now made way for the bark of the tree, each now digging into the surface.   Loki stood motionless as he watched the tree break apart. “Twilight, my goddess, I’m coming for you.”