//------------------------------//
//  Book 1: Journey to the North: Chapter XI: Falcons and Serpents 
// Story: Ponies of the North 
// by HarmonicaJay 
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The night that the two pony siblings entered the inn, the falcon was watching. When the ponies left with the Southerners the next morning the falcon took off and followed from a distance. At around midday when the group's destination was inferred by the direction they were marching in, the falcon broke off pursuit and flew West. 
After a short flight, the falcon came across a cluster of trees. As it landed, its form began to swirl together in a blur of colors. Almost in the blink of an eye, where the falcon landed, Loki stood. He checked around to make sure no one was watching and made his way deeper into the forest. Soon he came to a clearing wherein were fifty Jötunns in a makeshift camp, most huddled around campfires. 
Despite their blue tinged skin, the Jötunns still required warmth. Over the fires, twirling on spits, were cuts of bear meat, hunted by the Jötunns in their dens. They were using the skins as cloaks while taking in the aroma of cooked meat. They nodded their heads in greeting to their beloved leader and savior. Ever since Braenr had been awakened, the God and his subordinate had spent the better part of two days searching for and awakening the Jötunns. The more they found, the more their small army grew and Loki knew that there were more to be found. 
At the edge of the camp was a large tent, outside of which, Braenr stood guard. He bowed his head and opened the tent flaps, allowing Loki passage in. Inside, gathered around a map table were his two other Captains, Norn and Tor. Norn was in charge of the troops while Tor was in charge of tracking down Trolls for wrangling. 
“We've located a nest of trolls here,” Tor said, pointing to a small mountain range. “It's near a village, but we can avoid that if we take a portal under the cover of nightfall.”
“Good,” Loki said. “Norn, we have located more giants for our army in an underground burrow. We will bring them into our fold tonight.” Norn, who usually spoke with his actions and not his words, nodded. “Here is the plan: I will drop Tor and his group of ten off in the mountains and take Norn and his men to the burrow. There, I and those I have taught the words to, will free the Jötunns down below. After that, we will reconvene in the woods. Remember, Tor: stealth is needed. Take the trolls alive, but they have to be unconscious. The villagers cannot know our presence. Not yet. Now, prepare your men. Braenr, stay with me. I have another plan.” The Jötunn Captains bowed to their lord and departed, leaving the two alone.
“What is your bidding, my Lord,” Braenr asked.
“There is a new factor in this plan. Outsiders from the South have arrived. And they have made contact with the enemy. Six mares and a dragonling have met the children of the King of the North. We cannot allow an X Factor to remain. We must track and eliminate them.”
“Shall I dispatch a squad, my Lord?”
“No. No. Too conspicuous. To showy. And besides, one of them is an Alicorn, and a princess to boot. I've felt her power. She is talented and is the greatest threat of them. No, my friend. For this, we need a spy. A silent assassin. One that can blend in. A snake in the grass.”
“My Lord, tis winter. There are no snakes to be found. Most are in hibernation until Spring.”
Loki rolled his eyes. Braenr was loyal and was shaping up to be a decent General, but he lacked the capacity for metaphor and allegory. But he brought up a good point. “So, if I cannot get a snake, I shall make one. Follow me.”
He lead Braenr out of the tent and deeper into the forest. While they walked, Loki dipped his hand into his pocket and withdrew the skull of a snake. He stroked the skull and appeared to be whispering to it. Braenr ignored this strange quirk of his Lord and continued. Finally, they reached a clearing where the trees formed a perfect circle. As soon as they arrived, Loki began tracing a design in the snow, each point connecting to a tree and intersecting with each other. In the center was a rune. Algiz, the rune for life. 
Loki smiled and placed the skull in the center. He began to mumble and hum in a strange language that sounded to Braenr like he was speaking in tongues. The wind began to whistle and swirl around the clearing picking up snow, the cold winds zeroing in on the snake skull. The skull, in turn, began to rise, a soft glow emanating from it.
As the skull glowed, ice crystals formed a long spine, the snow caking on the skeleton to form flesh and scales. On its head, two small horns sprouted, while two fangs formed in its mouth. The scales turned an emerald green and reflected against the sunlight and the normal sized serpent fell to the snow. Loki smiled.
“Arise, Jörmungandr, reborn... World Serpent!” The serpent, not used to the cold weather, began to slow down, its eyes filming over in weariness.  Loki picked it up and began to stroke it. “My son... It has been too long. But now we are reunited, together again, at long last.” He turned to Braenr. “This is my son. Jörmungandr, the former world serpent.”
Braenr was surprised. Not by the fact that Lord Loki had proclaimed this snake to be his son, that was known to the Jötunns, but that this little snake was in fact the fabled World Serpent. The beast that was so large, it circled the world and grabbed its tail in its mouth. It was so tiny. The size of an ordinary snake. “He is so... small, My Lord.”
“Yes. I will need him for a special task that requires him to be small. I will need him to be a spy for me.” He lowered his head to the snake. “I will be sending you to the foreign ponies. You must stay close, be discreet. Be subtle, keep your eyes open. And when I give the order, strike well.”
The snake looked up at him and gave a weak nod of its head. Loki smiled and gave the snake a kiss on its scaly head. He began to mumble something, waving his hand over Jörmungandr. As the mumbling increased in speed and volume, Jörmungandr began to fade until there was nothing in Loki's arms. 
“And there. He will be with the Foreign Ponies shortly. And thus his infiltration shall begin.”
“Are you sure, my Lord? How do you know that they accept him? They may just stomp him out.”
Loki pulled up his hood. “I followed them closely. One of them is soft and cares for animals. She won't be able to resist helping a poor, freezing snake. Hence why I revived him as an ordinary snake. Trust me. Jörmungandr will not fail me.”
Back with the nine travelers, they had been traveling all day and were taking a brief moment for rest. Skadi had been watching the sky with narrowed eyes for the past hour. She'd told Twilight that a falcon had been following them all morning before peeling off. It had made her weary and every chance she got, she would look to the sky to see if it was there. 
“It's not there, sister. Let it go,” Týr said. “The falcon is gone.”
“I know I saw it. And I think it saw me.”
“Well, sure it did,” Applejack said rolling her eyes while stretching her legs. “It was high in the sky and followin' us. But it's gone now.” 
“But it will be back,” Skadi said with a glare.
“How do you know,” Rainbow Dash said with a scoff and a glide. “It's a bird.”
“Skadi has... instincts,” Týr said warily. “She knows things.” Years of hunting and training in the wild had made Skadi into a deadly predator, known throughout the kingdom. When Spring and Summer arrived, no animal was safe from Skadi's hunter's eye. With her blades, Skadi could track anything, be it in snow, sleet, rain, or sun. And when she focused on something, she would not let it go.
Twilight finished packing up her things and gave a small test flap of her wings. She looked over to Rarity who was having a mini-picnic lunch with Spike, sipping tea oh so delicately, levitating the tea cup to her lips and giving a small sip. “Ok. Enough bird watching and tea-drinking,” she said. “Rarity, put away the picnic. RD, find Fluttershy. We need to get moving.” Fluttershy had wandered off in hopes of finding some edible flora, which Týr had advised her against doing, given that it was in the middle of winter.
“There's always a chance to find something,” Fluttershy had told him. Týr had rolled his eyes and had muttered something about being delusional under his breath. Twilight had given him the stink eye. Týr and Skadi were certainly demanding, but what she had seen of Týr had painted him as a very difficult pony. He always had to have things done his way, just like any bossy prince would. It had been a single day, but she was going to be glad when they got to Valhall. Then she could be away from him and could take care of the business she had been brought here for. In peace.
She was about to call for Fluttershy, when a small squeaky shriek sounded out in towards the east. “Fluttershy! Rainbow Dash, follow me!” With a quick nod, Twilight and Rainbow Dash leapt into the air and flew off in her direction. When they came in sight of her, they found Fluttershy... cradling a snake that looked to be half frozen. 
“Ummm, Fluttershy? I wouldn't handle that thing,” Rainbow Dash said. “You don't know where it's been. And it's more than likely dead.”
“How can you say that,” Fluttershy said. “Look at this poor thing. He must have gotten out of his burrow.”
“Snakes hibernate during the winter,” Twilight said. “Why is he... it... suddenly awake?”
“Maybe he woke up early,” Fluttershy said, giving the snake a nuzzle. “Oh, you poor little thing.” She reached into her saddlebag and took out her blanket. Wrapping it around the snake, she placed him in her saddlebag. “There. That may help him out until we stop for the evening. Oh, I hope Skadi and Týr allow him near the fire.”
“But it could be venomous,” Twilight said. 
“Oh, don't worry. I checked. He has no venom sacs and his fangs are merely self-defense. Now come along. We must get Mr. Snake to safety.” She flew off towards the camp, leaving Rainbow Dash and Twilight looking at each other in puzzlement. Fluttershy loved animals and was always compelled to help one in trouble. They knew Týr and Skadi would object, but they also knew that Fluttershy would not budge if an innocent creature was in danger. Her element and nature would not allow it.
“Come on,” Twilight said. “Let's get moving. We have a long ways to go.” The two mares flew back to the camp, which was already alight with the sounds of arguments.