From the Ashes

by Boltstrike58

Chapter 3: The Thunder God's Tale

Equis, Ponyville

After a quick discussion, the group decided to move the Avengers into Twilight's castle, where they could receive answers to their questions in a more private setting. Of course, reporters, who'd already been on their way once Phobos and Deimos showed up, absolutely swarmed the small town upon hearing about the "aliens." Twilight and the others were currently answering questions for the press and keeping them out of the castle, with the promise to treat the Avengers to dinner once they were finished. Bon-Bon had dragged Lyra off, the latter screaming "HUMANS!!" all the while. Twilight hoped the unicorn wouldn't make things any more uncomfortable for the Avengers than they were already.

Steve, Tony, and Sam had removed what gear they could, in an effort to relax, and were currently packed into one of Twilight's guest bedrooms, along with Thor. The Iron Man Mark XLVII was propped against the wall, shifted into power down mode, while Steve's shield and Sam's pack rested in the corner, where their wielders could still reach them in seconds. Neither Steve nor Tony were particularly happy about their present circumstances, but both men kept their mouths shut out of respect. Not to mention this wasn't a good time to be fighting with each other.

Thor casually passed his hand over the crystalline wall. The entire castle was quite a marvel, actually. Pure, undamaged crystal, with no tool marks to mar the perfect surfaces. The drapes and carpets were formed of the finest silk, that of royalty. The Asgardian had to admit, even the palaces of his home had some competition when compared to this new gem.

"Never expected to find a third alicorn on this planet," he muttered, thinking of Twilight, who he'd been unable to speak to thus far. "Especially in a small village such as this."

"So when have you been here before?" asked Tony. "I think I'd remember you telling us about a dimension of multicolored talking horses."

"Not to mention the mythical fauns invading our universe," added Steve.

"Well," said Thor, "first of all, planet Equis isn't on a separate plane of existence. We're still in the same dimension as planet Earth, just farther across space than your human race has ever seen.

"Asgard once held an alliance with Equis, forged over shared interest in magic. From childhood to young adulthood, Loki and I used to visit this planet quite frequently, predominantly this nation of Equestria. Primarily inhabited by intelligent versions of horses, they refer to themselves as ponies. Earth ponies, resembling those of your home, although possessing far greater strength, and the unicorns and pegasai, like those of human mythology. Finally, the alicorns, the ruling class, though nearly extinct, possessing the attributes of all three. The nation is ruled by Princess Celestia, whom you've already met. Though there seem to be more, nowadays..."

Tony, Sam, and Steve were all frozen in expressions of shock.

"You're not making this up," said Sam, trying to convince himself.

"Unbelievable," said Tony. "It's like every little girl's fantasy brought to life."

"It's actually quite a hospitable country," said Thor. "They almost never enter war or large scale conflicts. Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to visit for over one thousand of their years. Father cut us off from them because he felt that getting involved in their affairs put everyone at risk. I was only allowed to come because Heimdall informed me he'd discovered you had arrived on this planet, and were in danger."

The Avengers froze, remembering Thor's ally, the guardian who could see all souls across the universe.

"Uh, Thor?" Steve started. "Did he tell you about—"

He was cut off by a clatter of hooves from the entrance. The men turned their attention to the door, where Celestia had arrived, her mane flowing as majestically as ever. She smiled at the sight of the Asgardian Prince.

"Hello," she announced. "Would you three mind if I borrowed Thor for a moment? We've got quite a bit of catching up to do. The others will be along shortly."

Tony, unsure of what to say to the talking horse, shrugged, and the others raised no objections. Thor picked up his hammer, but he turned and gave a look that conveyed quite a bit of information to the others. He knew what Rogers had been going to ask, the answer was yes, and this particular conversation wasn't over. Steve and Tony glanced nervously at each other before moving farther apart, Sam joining the Captain on his side.

---

The solar alicorn and the thunder god casually strolled down the crystal hallways, Thor admiring the architecture all the while. Celestia told him a bit about Twilight's rise as the Princess of Friendship.

"So this whole castle was created by the Tree of Harmony?" he asked.

Celestia nodded proudly. "Twilight exceeded so many of my expectations as a student. No wonder the Elements gave her this."

Thor chuckled. "I never took you for the type to take on an apprentice, Celestia."

"Well, things change. Your new friends are certainly interesting sights."

"Yes," said the prince. "They come from the planet Earth. You remember, I told you they worshipped us?"

"Human?" asked the solar alicorn, intrigued. "I thought Odin had cut Asgard off from that planet as well."

"He did. But I actually ended up banished there for a while." Thor laughed at the look on Celestia's face. "An unusual coincidence, yes? Considering that terrible day, when you..." He trailed off. He knew the subject was extremely personal to Celestia, and started to regret bringing it up. He'd been on Equis that day, and Celestia's mood had degenerated in the days following. For her, that night was over a thousand years ago, and Celestia seemed to be happy on the surface, but one could never tell what was going on inside.

"Considering that terrible day when she banished me to the moon?" came a voice. Thor whirled around, shock filling his system. Behind him stood a dark blue alicorn, her mane and tail like the starry night sky. She smiled at Thor's bewildered face. "Don't worry, Son of Odin. We've made quite a few strides past that."

"Luna?!" exclaimed Thor. "How are—er..." He coughed, trying to clear his thoughts, and avoid offending her. "I-I didn't know you were free."

"Sorry. I wanted it to be a surprise," said Celestia. "I sent her a message not long ago."

"Free of prison, and free of Nightmare Moon," replied the younger sister. Celestia smiled happily as she walked over to her sibling. "Thanks to Twilight Sparkle and her friends."

"Really? Is that when they bonded with the Elements?"

"Yes," said Celestia. "Quite a bit has happened since we last saw you. I'm guessing the same is true on your end. Can you finally call yourself King of Asgard?"

Thor shook his head. "Still a prince. Father remains in power. To be honest, I feel ill-suited for the throne at the moment."

Luna's eyes widened in shock. "Is this truly the same Thor Odinson who demanded the throne the second he grew his first beard?!"

Thor and Celestia burst into laughter. "Thanks for rekindling that memory. Still, I've learned much since I last set foot on this planet," chuckled Thor. "It would seem we all have."

"I suppose Loki's still the trickster," said Luna, fondly. "I doubt anything could ever break that streak in him. Is he on his way?" She looked expectantly at the thunder god. "Thor? Are you okay?"

Thor's expression had fallen at the mention of his brother. His shoulders, broad and heaving with laughter, slumped, and he nearly dropped Mjölnir. He leaned against a crystal wall, his eyes no longer focused on the alicorns, but instead trying to find something to distract himself in the rug. Luna and Celestia shot each other a concerned glance.

"Thor?" asked the solar alicorn. "Did something happen to Loki?"

It was a few seconds before Thor found it in himself to reply. "Loki...has passed on."

Shock hit the sisters with the full force. Celestia gasped, her wings nearly coming untucked as her body shuddered. Luna was even more severe, as she actually staggered back as though she'd been struck. Her breathing quickened, and she barely managed to get any air in as her brain attempted to process what she'd just learned.

"Loki...he's dead?" breathed Celestia.

"No. That can't be true," Luna murmured. It was clear she spoke more to herself than any other being in the current vicinity.

Thor nodded sadly. "It is a very long tale. However, we have time right now. You deserve to know.

"It all began on the day I was to be crowned as king of Asgard, a few years ago. You will recall my more arrogant demeanor back then, and naturally, I was ecstatic at the prospect. However, before we could finish the ceremony, the Frost Giants invaded our treasure chambers, having evaded Heimdall's gaze somehow. They were trying to reclaim the Casket. The Destroyer killed them, but the damage was done. My coronation was put on hold."

"Laufey..." growled Luna, unpleasant memories of the Frost Giant King coming to the surface. He was exceptionally cruel to any race other than his own.

"I, of course, was furious," Thor continued. "I wanted nothing more than to march into Jotunheim and demand restitution, or failing that, kill as many Frost Giants as I could. Odin forbade me from doing so, of course, but that never stopped me before. I convinced Loki, Sif, and the Warriors Three to follow me there, and Heimdall agreed to use the Bifrost for us. We'd barely spoken to Laufey when I lost my temper and started a fight. Despite my bravado, we were only saved by Father's timely intervention.

"Odin was furious, but I didn't listen to his words. I attacked him, called him weak, ignoring my own foolishness in disrupting the tentative peace. Seeing he could not change my attitude, Father chose to remove my powers from me, changing me into a mortal. He placed a spell on Mjölnir, ensuring that only the worthy could lift it, which I was not. Then he banished me to Midgard."

Celestia almost gasped. "I knew Odin was harsh, but banishment..." She stopped, taking a glance at Luna, but her sister hadn't noticed. She was too engrossed in the story.

"On Earth, I attempted to reclaim my hammer, only to be proven unworthy. I grew despondent, and nearly gave into despair. It was only with a human woman named Jane Foster that I managed to find some sort of purpose." Thor smiled fondly at the memory. "Eventually, we became lovers. What I didn't know was the trouble brewing on Asgard.

"I did not find out until later, but Loki discovered something on Jotunheim. His skin...reacted to the touch of the Frost Giants. It turned the same shade of blue as them. Loki went to the treasure chambers, and touched the Casket. It was all he needed to confirm his suspicions...and force a confession from Father."

Thor took a deep breath, the knowledge he was about to convey a heavy burden on his shoulders. "After the final battle of the war, Odin went into Laufey's temple. On the rocks lay Laufey's infant son, abandoned and left to die due to his scrawny nature. Father took the child, and raised him...as Loki."

Celestia looked shocked once more, but Luna simply nodded. Loki had always been different from the others to his core, even if they were his friends. She didn't particularly like Odin, but she understood why Loki hadn't been told of his true parentage. He was isolated enough already, and the knowledge would've crippled him emotionally. She could easily imagine how hurt he'd felt upon his discovery, given how he'd been raised to hate Frost Giants.

Thor continued. "Loki attempted to interrogate Father further, but the Odinsleep had arrived, and Father fell unconscious. While Mother tended to him, Loki assumed the throne. He visited me on Midgard, falsely informing me that Father had died of grief, in order to break my desire to return home. Sif requested permission to bring me back, but he denied her. That didn't stop them from going to Heimdall anyway, of course.

"Loki had his own plans at the same time. I later learned it was he who let the Frost Giants in at my coronation, for a bit of mischief. Later on, he approached Laufey, offering him entrance into Asgard to kill the helpless Odin himself. Loki froze Heimdall, who'd grown suspicious of him. However, he double-crossed the king at the last second, killing him.

"Loki then sent the Destroyer to Midgard, intent on keeping me from returning. My friends fought bravely, but could not overcome it. I offered myself, asking Loki to stop the pointless conflict, believing my kind brother still remained. Loki responded by trying to kill me."

Luna gritted her teeth, but said nothing.

"Fortunately, I'd earned the power of Mjölnir back, and defeated the Destroyer. Heimdall managed to free himself and return us to Midgard. It was then that I discovered Loki's true plan: to use Laufey's attempt on Father's life against the Frost Giants. He targeted Jotunheim with the full power of the Bifrost, then froze it, planning to commit complete genocide against them, proving himself to Father. I begged him to listen to reason, but Loki refused. Desperate, I took the only action I could think of, and destroyed the Bifrost. Father managed to catch us, but it was clear his heart was broken by the actions of his son. Loki, despondent, allowed himself to fall into the vortex, despite my attempts to save him." Thor held up a hand to stop Luna from interrupting him. "However, that was not the last I saw of him."

The thunder god proceeded to recount Loki's attempted invasion of Earth, along with the theft of the Tesseract, and the Chitauri attack on New York. He described how he had joined the Avengers to resist, and defeated Loki's army. How Loki had been imprisoned on Asgard, and the Bifrost restored, only to be interrupted by the arrival of Malekith and the Dark Elves. Celestia had to forcefully brace herself against the wall upon hearing Frigga's death. Thor's mother had been the one to conduct diplomatic relations with Equestria. Thor continued to the battle for the Aether, eventually reaching Loki's sacrifice. He touched briefly on the final battle with Malekith, but just barely. He noted, sadly, that there hadn't even been the chance to retrieve Loki's body.

Throughout the story, Luna had remained mostly quiet, her eyes the only clue to her reactions. Thor finished, and looked back at the two sisters. Telling the tale had clearly been hard for him, and he looked like he could barely stop himself from crying.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I know, it's quite a bit to take in, but—"

"Why?!" shouted Luna, shocking Thor and her sister into jumping. "Why would he commit those atrocities?! Why attempt genocide?! Why attempt to enslave an entire planet?! He was loved, you never cast him out like that! What did Odin...ARGH!" Then she rushed off into the depths of the castle.

Thor looked down at his feet. "I knew she wouldn't take it well," he said, solemnly. "She and Loki were so close. You remember how furious he became after the Nightmare Moon incident?"

"Yes," replied Celestia, unable to look up. Loki had absolutely torn into Celestia that day, and his cruel, though not entirely unjustified, words had made her guilt even heavier.

"I...I'll tell the others it's time for supper," said Thor, quietly walking off to join the Avengers.

Celestia watched him go, then set off in the same direction as her sister.

---

Luna hadn't gone far. She merely went to one of the castle's windows, where she had an unobstructed view of Celestia's setting sun. It wouldn't be long before her sister brought it down completely, and it would be time for Luna to bring up her moon.

Speaking of her sister, Celestia came up behind her.

"Luna..." mumbled Celestia, the way she always did when the topic was particularly difficult.

"I'm not cross with Thor," said her sister. "I know it wasn't his fault, despite what he probably thinks." She looked at Celestia. "I guess that makes another thing you two have in common."

Celestia looked down sadly. Thor's tale had reminded her of quite a few memories she'd rather forget. "But you came to me so many times," she said quietly. "You tried to fairly address your concerns that ponies were shunning your night. But I was basking in the glory of the sun so much I ignored—"

"And becoming Nightmare Moon was the most disproportionate method of retribution to your dismissal," Luna responded. "Your actions don't justify mine at all. Besides, I forgave you for that thousands of times over."

Celestia started to respond, but her younger sister held up a hoof. Celestia pushed her own grief aside for the moment, concentrating on Luna's.

"I...I'm sorry about Loki. I know he was one of your closest friends."

Luna looked sadly back up at the sky. "Thor never tried to make him an outcast," she recalled. "He truly loved his brother. But Loki never felt like he had a real place to belong. We had that in common. Though he was considerably more...devious."

Luna and Celestia shared a small chuckle at that.

"Remember that time he created the illusion that your Cutie Mark was a rat drinking mead?" said Celestia, resulting in the two bursting into laughter for a few seconds.

"Yes," said Luna smiling. She looked back at the sky, where Celestia's sun barely poked out from behind the mountains. "But he became...something..."

Celestia put a comforting wing on her sister's shoulder. "He cared about you," she said. "Remember, I told you how angry he was after you were banished. Besides, you weren't there when he changed. There's nothing you could've done."

"I know..." agreed Luna. "But, still...I wish I could have."

"Well, maybe you could help one of our new acquaintances," suggested Celestia. "There's probably something the Avengers need our assistance with."

Luna thought about it for a second. She hadn't even met the Avengers yet, so there was a possibility. On the other hoof, she was still moving past her own problems, even with the surprisingly therapeutic Tantabus Incident. Had she mentally recovered enough to be of any concrete assistance to others?

"I...will keep an eye on them, Tia," she finally said. "I will be at dinner in a minute, I just have to raise the moon."

Celestia nodded, turned around, and set off for the dining room.

---

Thor, meanwhile, returned to Tony, Steve, and Sam. Since he'd left, not much had changed. Steve and Tony had sat on opposite sides of the room, trying very hard to look anywhere but at each other. Tony quietly wished he'd brought his Iron Man suit polishing kit, so he'd have something to do. Sam had attempted to start up a conversation a couple of times, but a side glance from Steve convinced him to keep his mouth shut.

Thor walked back into the room. "So, Captain," he turned to Steve, "you were going to ask if I was aware of your little conflict with each other?"

Steve groaned. "I really don't want to deal with this now, Thor."

"Don't you start with me, Goldilocks," snapped Stark. "I'm not here to—"

"That was not my intention," responded the Asgardian, "Although, I would like to point out—"

"Okay, enough!" said Sam, standing up, "Look, Steve, Tony, Hammerman. We got robbed from this planet, and the only way we're gonna get our stuff back is to cooperate with them. Let's not start another fight."

Tony sighed. "Okay, fine." He turned to Steve. "Alright, Rogers. Here's my offer. We don't bring up anything while we're here. We don't tell these...neon horses about it. Then we get our stuff back, go our separate ways, and forget this ever happened."

"Deal," agreed Steve. He wasn't in the mood for any kind of therapy talk with Iron Man, anyway.

"Um, excuse me?" came a voice from the hall. The Avengers turned to find a small, scaly, purple creature looking in on them.

"They're ready for you now," said Spike.

Comments

[nightmaster0]

Excellent chapter. Poor Luna though she's going to be furious if she learns the truth behind Loki's death.

I wonder how Thor will react when he find's out Discord is free and reformed. Chances are they have a unpleasant history together.

[livi423]

I love this story already. This chapter was really good. I can't wait for the next one!

[My Ponified OCs]

Three Alicorns? Thor does know about Princess Cadance right?

[Boltstrike58]

8959011
Not at this point, no.