• Published 23rd Sep 2012
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Decretum - BlackRoseRaven



Realities, worlds, and good and evil collide, and Luna fights one last struggle to save Equestria.

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Cruel Tests Of Fate

Chapter Thirty Five: Cruel Tests Of Fate
~BlackRoseRaven

Scrivener Blooms and Luna were both quiet as they prepared in the early morning for the journey to Asgard, and to the Norns. Their armor had been polished and cleaned, and a rawhide sheath was strapped over Luna's back, the winged unicorn's horn glowing as she held up the weapon that went into this.

A nine foot, simple spear gleamed as it floated in the air, with a simple, diamond-shaped point: it was simple, unornamented, and yet somehow majestic, glowing faintly as it seemed to respond to Luna's will alone. Then the sapphire winged unicorn smiled slightly, and a moment later the telescopic spear clicked before collapsing rapidly down into a baton that spun once before sheathing itself quickly in the simple holster, Luna shaking her helm-covered head as she said wryly: “Aye, old friend. Fear not, 'tis not that I do not value thee... 'tis that I value thee too much. But perhaps spilling some Norn blood will help thee feel better.”

Then Luna shook her head before turning around, and she glowered flatly at Twilight Sparkle when the violet mare gave her an odd look. “What?”

“It's just a little weird. You talk to your spear like it's alive.” Twilight replied awkwardly, and Luna looked almost offended, rearing back and making the violet mare wince as Celestia and Odin traded amused smiles. “I. Well. It's not, right?”

Luna only shrugged a bit, saying softly: “'Tis a part of me, an extension of myself. 'Tis... 'tis alive in my mind, let me put it that way. Besides, Celestia talks to her swords, and they aren't even real swords!”

“They may only be imitations, but the shadow of a thing can still carry the weight of what it seeks to imitate, if its intent is pure.” Celestia replied calmly, and Luna simply looked dumbfounded at this response.

Then the sapphire mare huffed loudly and complained to Scrivener: “Out-fancy-talk Celestia! And furthermore, Celestia, thou art just... making excuses, bah! Nonsense!”

Scrivener only smiled and shook his head... then he glanced up with surprise as Antares wandered into the room from the corridor, yawning quietly. Luna immediately softened as well, the foal's parents walking forwards as Antares smiled up at them and gazed back and forth before asking quietly: “You goin'?”

“Aye, child. I fear that we are, but know that we shall return as soon as possible.” Luna said softly, leaning down and smiling faintly over her son, and Antares gazed up quietly as he flapped his leathery wings once before furling them at his sides. It made Luna smile a little, as she leaned forwards, speaking in a quiet voice: “I am very proud of thee. Behave well today for Twilight and Celestia, and do the very best thou can at thy flying lessons with Rainbow Dash. Do not poke Avalon too much if she falls asleep again, and do not envy her: aye, she is a prodigy, but thou too are special. And all the more so because thy wings are not natural. I expect thee to learn to use them but I do not expect thee to become a master of the skies in a matter of weeks, that will take time. Give it time, my child.”

Antares blushed and nodded, and then Scrivener reached forwards and rubbed gently through the foal's mane, adding softly: “You're gonna be great, kiddo. You already are, as a matter of fact. And I promise, when we get back, we can go on that trip to Canterlot you've wanted to. Maybe even talk about accompanying Celestia to the Temple of the Sun.”

Scrivener smiled a little over at the ivory winged unicorn, who laughed quietly and bowed her head forwards almost in gratitude before Antares stepped forwards with a warm smile, trading tight hugs with either parent. Luna nuzzled her foal silently, then she stepped back, stroking his face tenderly as she said softly: “Go and fetch thy sister, Antares, so we may say goodbye to thee both.”

“She's already coming.” Antares replied with a shrug, and Scrivener and Luna both looked at him curiously before the colt gazed between them and asked hesitantly: “You sure you be... okay?”

“We are sure.” Luna nodded firmly, and Scrivener winked from behind his glasses, the stallion straightening, feeling a surge of confidence at his wife's words, and a rising determination to not let the foal down, no matter what. “Do not fear for us. We shall be back as soon as we can. 'Twill not be more than a day or so at the most.”

“Your parents are strong, Antares, there is no need to worry for them.” Odin added quietly, and the colt looked reassured by the words of the once-god as he nodded a few times, and Luna gave a small smile over to the falcon-headed entity.

Then the sapphire winged unicorn drew her eyes back at the sound of hooves approaching, and she gazed softly at Scarlet Sage as the Pegasus strode up beside her little brother to gaze between her parents tenderly. They traded tight, silent hugs, still not speaking and not needing to, before Scarlet Sage slipped back, rubbing embarrassedly at her face before she reached out and touched Antares' shoulder, saying quietly: “I'll take good care of him, I promise. Just... just please hurry back.”

“We shall.” Luna promised, and there was silence for a few moments before the starry-maned mare finally turned her eyes towards Odin, saying quietly: “'Tis time, old cyclops. Let us go to face the Norns and see what games they wish to play, what words they have to speak to us. I assume we should attempt to arrive early.”

“There is no early or late with the Norns, Brynhild. It's part of the advantage of being a seer.” Odin replied with a wry look, and then he climbed carefully up to his feet, grasping his walking stick by the neck. He carefully made his way around the table, and then cocked his head as oddly-quiet Twilight pushed herself out of her own seat, the falcon-headed entity saying mildly: “I'm afraid the Norns were very specific in their request...”

“I just... want to walk with them to the portal, if that's okay.” Twilight said finally, and Odin looked thoughtful before he glanced towards Celestia. The ivory winged unicorn nodded slowly, and Odin grunted after a moment before he gestured lightly with his free hand at the violet mare, who smiled up at him after a moment. “Thank you.”

The once-god only nodded slowly, as Scrivener and Luna both smiled. They lingered a moment longer even as Odin headed to the door, gazing over their children as Antares Mīrus and Scarlet Sage looked lovingly back... and then, finally, they both turned to head for the open door, where Odin was already waiting for them with Twilight Sparkle by their side, as Celestia called quietly after them: “Good luck.”

Luna smiled over her shoulder at her older sibling as Scrivener nodded slowly, feeling they would need it as the two emerged into the gray morning air. It was overcast and the sun had yet to truly rise, malingering on the horizon as if bogged down by the cloudy air. It felt almost oppressive... but Luna and Scrivener were both well aware their heavy thoughts weren't helping with that feeling, either.

Odin and Twilight followed the two out of the building before the once-god pulled the door closed, then sighed a little, looking up towards the moody skies above as he murmured: “If you feel watched at any point and time today, friends, then don't worry: it's likely not simply paranoia.”

“Is it ever, really?” Luna asked ironically, and Odin shrugged a little before he turned to stride in the direction of the gates leading towards the Everfree Forest, and Luna cocked her head curiously as she, Scrivener Blooms, and slightly-blushing, still-quiet Twilight followed behind him. “So the portal is in this direction?”

“Yes, it is. Not far from here at all... I kept it in a place where this old man wouldn't forget it and wouldn't have to stumble blindly through the forest, either.” Odin replied mildly, shaking his head moodily. “Which of course, is a double-edged sword. It made it very difficult to lose your demons, and even worse, Freya, when she went looking for the portal.”

Luna cleared her throat awkwardly as Twilight looked up in surprise, asking curiously: “You knew about all that?”

“Of course.” Odin gave a slight smile, looking ahead as he shrugged and added dryly: “And, considering what I just said, this will make me sound hypocritical... but I would have honestly been disappointed if they had not tried to find it. And it helps this old man stay in shape, as well... I loathe the thought of the moment I know will come one day all too soon, when I'll become nothing but a useless old fool unable to do anything but reminisce over his glory days...”

“Yes, that does not sound like thou at all.” Luna muttered, and Odin glowered at her, but the winged unicorn only gave him an innocent look in return. “'Twas no insult! But perhaps instead of playing silly games, Odin, thou could have simply told us where the portal was...”

“As it is, Brynhild, it's difficult enough keeping my son from constantly trying to visit you and Freya, and so the last thing I need is a defiant Valkyrie trying to force open a passage between Midgard and Asgard. On that point, it was also almost-impossible to convince Sleipnir he couldn't go with you to see the Norns. I finally had to send him on a mission to another layer of reality, to plant another anchor for me.” the once-god replied mildly, and Luna looked at him sharply, but Odin only shrugged after a moment with a small smile. “Fear not, I sent him to a world I am very familiar with. There won't be any danger... well... none he doesn't bring upon himself and can't handle, rather.”

Luna grumbled a little under her breath, looking almost hurt before she grumbled: “Stupid Sleipnir. Getting all the fun and games...”

The falcon-headed entity softened as he looked towards her, saying quietly: “Now Brynhild, I mean no insult to yourself or your husband. You have both done admirably, and not only planted these anchors, but further worked to uncover larger pieces of Valthrudnir's vicious schemes. Truly, you have done a greater job than I ever could have hoped for... and the only reason I feel comfortable with permitting Sleipnir to perform this task for me is because of the groundwork you have already laid.

“On that note... I believe I will require yourself and Scrivener Blooms to lay only one last anchor, as well.” Odin continued, and Luna frowned and halted in the middle of the road. Odin continued forwards for a few steps more, then the once-god paused and glanced over his shoulder, leaning on his cane as he tilted his head. “What?”

“And art thou going to then pawn the duty off on Sleipnir, or some other entity?” Luna asked moodily, and the falcon-headed entity shook his head, chuckling quietly. “Just how many anchors have been laid, Odin... and be honest with me, as thou apparently lied about the fact that myself and Scrivener Blooms were the only ones trusted to handle these anchors.”

But Odin only smiled at this, saying quietly: “You have laid four. Sleipnir is laying one now, and will lay another in the future, if this goes well. And I have placed two anchors myself, with the help of trusted warriors. Trusted friends.”

Scrivener cocked his head curiously, before Twilight Sparkle said quietly: “Nine. Nine again, you plan to put down nine anchors...”

“'Tis an unhealthy obsession.” Luna grumbled irritably, and she huffed moodily as she turned and stormed past the once-god, continuing grouchily: “It will not give them extra, special powers! Thou art just... insane, an old fool, 'tis nothing but doddering senility...”

“'Scrivener' has nine letters.” Odin remarked, and Luna looked up stupidly at this as Twilight cleared her throat awkwardly. “There is no such thing as coincidence, Brynhild. Remember that: it may save your life if you do.”

Luna grumbled grouchily under her breath, and the group fell quiet as the winged unicorn glared at Scrivener as if it was somehow his fault, the earth pony only shrugging lamely as Twilight followed a little behind, smiling and thinking quietly to herself. They passed through the gates without trouble to exit the village; the Nibelung guards greeted them cheerfully and reported no disturbances.

Then they continued down the road and onto the wide path leading into the Everfree Forest... but the ponies were surprised when Odin halted only a short distance into the woods to turn off onto a well-worn game trail, his walking stick thudding quietly against the hardened, grassy earth as he called over his shoulder: “Watch out for traps, the Nibelung do not always remember to clearly mark their snares.”

Luna grunted, and Scrivener moodily surveyed the ground as Twilight followed last, looking a little apprehensive, but they traveled the path without incident before Odin sighed as he stopped only forty or so feet down the trail, leaning against a tree that had been bent into an upside-down U and saying wryly: “Here we are.”

The ponies looked up in surprise, and Luna scoffed as she looked back and forth around the arch-shaped tree, saying sourly: “I see no channeling altar, no portal stone, no great magic... nonsense! There are not even any runes or ruins or-”

She was cut off as Odin tapped his walking stick twice against the arched tree, and runes flared into life, burning away the thin, papery bark that had spread over the now glowing-crimson shapes and hidden the scars from view. Luna stared stupidly at this as the tree shuddered and groaned, and thick, cable-like roots twisted visibly through the ground as the forest around them seemed to writhe and whisper, Odin explaining calmly: “It draws on power directly from Hu and Ỏðr, the heart of this living forest. There is no strength greater than nature's.”

“I never knew you liked green mana, Odin. I really had you pegged for red, or perhaps red and white. You know, one of those fancy-pants gold cards.” said a thoughtful voice, and then Discombobulation stuck his head out of a large hole in a nearby tree, upside down as was all-too-normal for the Draconequus. “My, what an ingenious little contraption, though. Does it count as an enchantment or an artifact?”

“What are you doing here?” Twilight looked awkwardly up at the Draconequus as Odin sighed and rubbed moodily at the scarred side of his face, Luna grinning cheerfully up at the chimerical creature.

“What am I not doing here?” Discombobulation questioned seriously in return, and then he carefully wiggled himself out of the hole, somehow squeezing through the hollow despite it being far too small for his large body before he stepped almost daintily upside-down onto the bottom of a branch. He stood calmly, ignoring the laws of gravity as he rubbed meditatively at one horn before adding curiously: “Do you have to say open sesame? Abracadabra? Or do you just pay four mana and tap it to exile the target creatures?”

Odin sighed, then he turned towards the archway, grasping his walking stick by the neck and hammering twice on the largest rune at the top of the archway before he bowed his head forwards and said softly: “Aid me, landvættir. Reach up from the world of Midgard, as Asgard reaches down towards you.”

A rumble passed through the ground around them before a liquid glow began to fill the archway, Luna's breath catching in her throat in excitement as Odin murmured: “Even this old fool can handle opening this gate. But some doors only require knowing how to turn the key, not the brawn of a young berserk to open it. I shall go through first, and allow you to say your goodbyes... but hurry, the door will not stay open for long.”

With that, the once-god nodded calmly, turning and walking through the tall archway fearlessly and vanishing into the light as Luna and Scrivener smiled after him... then stared when Discombobulation calmly strode past and vanished through the light as well without even a glance back. Then Luna began to giggle stupidly as Twilight stared, before Scrivener shrugged and looked lamely over at her, asking finally: “You want to come too?”

“Just... make sure he gets back here in one piece.” Twilight said finally, sighing a little... then she smiled a bit, turning her eyes to him and leaning forwards to kiss his lips chastely, Scrivener blushing in surprise before the violet mare hugged him fiercely and whispered: “For luck. Don't... don't get hurt. Either of you.”

“Oh, Twilight, I cannot guarantee anything...” Luna laughed quietly as Twilight slipped past Scrivener to trade a tight embrace with the fellow winged unicorn, kissing each other's cheeks quickly before they drew apart, eyes locking before Luna said softly: “Stay well, sweet mare. Scrivener Blooms... let us hurry.”

Scrivener smiled faintly, then he turned towards the light, and he and Luna strode into the archway without looking back as Twilight gazed silently, longingly after them, watching as the light pulsed, rippled like water... and then slowly faded from sight as the runes burning in the bark of the tree whiffed quietly out.

For Scrivener and Luna, there was a wild sensation of travel, the earth pony's stomach lurching as vertigo tore at their senses before they stumbled out the other side, ending up in what looked like an enormous greenhouse. Behind them was an archway made from rune-covered wood laced with flowers, in front of them beautiful arrangements of blossoming plants growing alongside dirt paths and around wooden planters... and among the honeycomb-pattern of paths and flowers, Discombobulation was running around, looking terrified out of his mind as angry soldiers in white and gold armor chased after him, shouting profanities at the chaos entity.

Odin was standing nearby, his cane resting beside him against one of the large flower boxes, the falcon rubbing at his face with his hands and looking disgruntled before he grimaced when Discombobulation winced over his shoulder and flicked a wrist, and the chain of a large hanging pot snapped loudly before the flowerpot crashed down on the helm-covered skull of one of the soldiers, knocking him sprawling. The other two guards tripped over their friend, weapons flying from their hands before Discombobulation leapt towards a supply shelf, grabbing wildly at the objects on it and wincing as he only managed to grab a can of some kind of bug repellant and a cloth hat he hurriedly put on his head.

He spun around as one of the soldiers began to lean forwards, reaching for his dropped sword, and Discombobulation snapped, as he held up the bug spray: “If your hand touches metal, I swear by my pretty floral bonnet I will end you.”

The soldier froze in place, seeming confused... but it was hard to tell. They were large creatures, their bodies completely covered by the white and gold-edged steel, faces masked by the featureless full helms that left only narrow grilles for their eyes to see through. Then one of the soldiers climbed up to his clawed boots with a snarl before Discombobulation flung the can of bug spray at him. It bounced loudly off his helm and made the soldier twitch, then the Draconequus clapped his hands firmly together and the can exploded, obscuring the three soldiers in a thick green fog as they began to yell and cough immediately.

Discombobulation hurriedly snapped his fingers, vanishing from sight in a puff as the bonnet fell to the ground, and Luna and Scrivener both watched in bemusement as the soldiers staggered out of the mist, looking back and forth before Odin called tiredly: “Go ahead and search Valhalla's grounds for the Ginnungagap beast, I'm sure he's out there somewhere.”

The soldiers saluted embarrassedly, as if they had forgotten Odin was there, and Luna looked over them curiously: tall, bipedal, the armor shrouding what they could possibly be. Then they turned and hurried away with their swords still out as Odin moodily strode through the greenhouse, Luna and Scrivener remaining silent for the moment as the once-god made his way to the bonnet... then he poked it a few times with his cane, asking dryly: “Why are you here?”

Luna looked down in surprise... and then, slowly, a tiny Discombobulation crawled out from beneath the bonnet, the Draconequus clearing his throat as he looked up and said mildly: “You're remarkably good at hide-and-seek.”

“Well, I know your kind well: Asgard will both stabilize and neutralize your powers, and no chaos entity would be foolish enough to make a leap of faith in a world like this.” Odin replied dourly, and then he sighed a little, rubbing slowly at his face. “I'm just the old man to these young idiots. The old king, well on his way out... foolish young Knights of Valhalla. Did you recognize them, Brynhild?”

“Yes and no; I understand who and what they are, but I do not understand why they are dressed so, nor from whence exactly they have come.” Luna replied finally, but Odin only nodded, looking unsurprised as Discombobulation carefully slunk to the side to hide behind one of Scrivener Blooms' large forelegs. “Are the forces of Valhalla...”

“We are rebuilding, little-by-little... but we also must rely for now on the help of many other forces. And I have had to... remember to still my pride, and allow for changes that I am not fond of.” Odin grimaced and shook his head, then he sighed a little, looking moodily past Scrivener Blooms towards the hiding Ginnungagap entity. “Can you transform yourself into something less conspicuous?”

“That's likely what I should have invested my last skill point in, but I couldn't resist putting another point into energy shield.” Discombobulation snapped his fingers, and a golden orb appeared over his head, a faint tremor twisting through the air around the Draconequus before he flicked his wrist and dispelled the orb. “Too bad I have next to no mana. And I mean the blue kind. I mean, the MP-kind, not... I know, I know.” He cleared his throat, then mimicked Luna's voice perfectly as he declared: “Shut up, Bob, or I shall smite thee.”

“I... exactly.” Luna grumbled, and then she sighed, shaking her head briskly before her horn glowed as her starry mane twisted backwards and out from beneath her helm. A moment later, the Draconequus was hefted into the air, yanked out from beneath Scrivener Blooms as he flailed a little before yelping when he was pocketed firmly beneath the blanket of Luna's mane as she muttered: “Stay there and stay quiet, creature. Especially when we meet with the Norns.”

“No, I'll take him from you outside of the Norns' territory. But for now, that is indeed safer than keeping the creature in my pocket.” Odin shook his head moodily, then he began to stride towards the doors leading out of the greenhouse, carrying his cane by the neck and limping a little less as he said wryly: “All the same, I have to admit I am less angry than I probably should be. But perhaps that's also because I'm old, and happy to be home despite whatever foul business is also afoot.”

Luna smiled a little at this sentiment as she and Scrivener followed the once-god outside and into an enormous courtyard. Behind them, the greenhouse rested in the shadows of an enormous stone wall that stretched high towards the sky, and in front of them was the polished, steel-colored stone of the mighty halls of Valhalla.

They were inside the immense castle walls, the blue, clear sky above, the glowing sun shining brightly, the air around them inundated with energy. It felt... good, in a word. Luna laughed, shaking her head out as Discombobulation carefully poked his head up through her starry mane, grimacing and putting a pair of sunglasses over his eyes as he complained: “I'm going to get retinal damage from miss strobe-light-hair over here.”

“Well, you probably should have thought of that before walking through the portal.” Scrivener replied mildly, looking back and forth as he smiled despite himself, before he and Luna hurried after Odin. The falcon-headed god had his eye focused ahead, still carrying his walking stick instead of using it, and Scrivener hesitated before he finally asked: “The Norns... sit at the base of Yggdrasil, right?”

“In a manner of speaking. Yggdrasil is the world-tree, the great axis around which everything is said to revolve.” Odin replied calmly, glancing over his shoulder for a moment at the earth pony before turning his gaze back ahead as he continued: “The Norns have told me that it has grown roots that reach into every layer of reality, but it also has three great roots, three... we shall call them tethers. One root feeds into the Well of Urd, where the Norns rest and we used to hold council; one root feeds down to Jötenheim, the land of giants, and is near the spring kept by foul old Mimir; the last root is in Niflheim, hidden next to the great spring of Hvergelmir. Only the Well of Urd can be reached with relative ease, and that ease, of course, is relative to the mood of the Norns. The other places are well-hidden... they must be, after all. Niflheim is now little more than a ravaged extension of Helheim and the giants are not known for their amiability.”

As he spoke, they pushed through a pair of enormous oak double doors to enter a polished, sparkling corridor, Scrivener marveling over the tapestries hanging over the walls as Luna grunted and said distastefully: “The hub of all reality is an immense ash tree. What grand idiocy. Sleipnir and I regularly threw trees to pass the time when Celestia was off playing politics.”

Odin only sighed to himself, shaking his head and remarking wryly: “Well, Yggdrasil has been here long before we existed, and it will continue to exist long after we are all dead, Brynhild. I do not know how it came to be, I only know that it stood as mightily in the past as it does now, and it is the one thing the Norns strive to take care of.”

“Perhaps 'tis part of their scheming.” Luna muttered, but Odin only chuckled quietly at this, and the winged unicorn huffed. “Oh, be silent, cyclops. We do not all think as fast as Celestia. Scrivener Blooms, insult the old lecher.”

“I would not want to take that pleasure away from you, dear.” Scrivener said dryly, and Luna grumbled and firmly checked him, making him wince and stumble. The two grumbled at each other as Odin only continued to lead the way forwards, the once-god nodding calmly here and there to others they passed, even as these citizenry of Valhalla looked curiously at the ponies, as if unused to seeing them here.

Finally, Luna couldn't help but look up and ask curiously: “I have seen Nibelung, and minotaur, and things I could not entirely identify... but few pony in these mighty halls. I know that Valhalla is... populated mostly by soldiers and warriors, aye, and houses within it Asgard's secrets and treasures... but is this not also paradise for the worthy?”

“It is, but tell me, Brynhild... would you prefer to live in this dreary, enormous castle populated by warriors, or would you prefer the actual Vale of Valhalla, with its bountiful rewards, its safe homes, its endless meadows?” Odin paused, then smiled slightly, adding: “If you weren't a Valkyrie, I mean.”

The sapphire winged unicorn laughed quietly at this, then she smiled up at Odin, replying quietly: “Even as a Valkyrie, Odin... I would prefer to be out of this castle. These halls are hallowed and sacred and beautiful, and I can see that thou hast been training an army within this castle, to defend thy home... instead of encouraging fattening warriors to gorge themselves upon meals and mares and lazily slash at one another without regard for the art of battle, as 'tis so much harder to kill one-another in this warrior's paradise. Valkyries are no longer necessary in this place.”

The once-god nodded slowly in thought at this, looking ahead and not replying as they strode towards a pair of painted-glass doors, and the once-god carefully pushed these open to reveal a long, curving marble walkway that led out of the castle and stretched over a glassy blue river below. Discombobulation whistled slowly, leaning up a bit before Odin stepped out onto the gently-sloped walkway, gesturing down towards where it fed into a natural tunnel in the cliffs beyond the river as he said quietly: “This leads to the Norns. Are you ready, Brynhild? Their challenges will no doubt be fierce... and their attitude towards yourself and your husband vicious.”

“I am not afraid.” Luna replied firmly, nodding once as Scrivener looked up with a grimace, and the winged unicorn grinned a little despite herself as she said wryly: “Well, who cares if thou art afraid, Scrivener Blooms? Thou art a giant coward.”

Scrivener only sighed and gave her a flat look, but he couldn't help but smile a little himself all the same at Luna's prodding. She always knew just how to keep him motivated, even if it usually was mostly through mockery and pummeling him... and slowly, he faced ahead as Odin and Luna began forwards, before the earth pony closed his eyes and followed quickly after them, falling back into pace with the winged unicorn.

They made their way across the walkway, then into the smooth tunnel beyond: the tan rock walls and ceiling had been worn almost perfectly smooth, while the floor was rougher from the passage of countless feet over countless years. The tunnel sloped downwards, and yet it didn't seem to lead into the earth: after only a few minutes of walking, they instead emerged at the head of an open valley, high up on the rise of a steep hill.

Luna glanced at the steep cliffs behind them that rose up to the sky, forming a massive, natural wall before she grimaced in distaste at the sight of the runes carved into the natural archway of the tunnel, reading quietly: “'Past, Present, and Future all collide; from us there is no place to hide.' What a pretty sentiment to be reminded of on the walk out.”

“They liked to try and police the council of gods... or perhaps I should rather say, they liked to disturb us as much as possible. Gossip was a very effective way for them to continuously sow discord amongst our ranks.” Odin muttered, shaking his head and looking both disgusted and amused at once. “Incredible, isn't it? Gods being as vulnerable to words and rumors as any mortal.”

“Words are powerful.” Scrivener murmured quietly, and Odin looked at him for a moment before he nodded slowly. Then the charcoal earth pony gazed ahead, pawing a hoof meditatively at the grasses as he gazed up at the blue sky on either side of the seemingly-endless meadows of the valley before he asked apprehensively: “What is this place?”

“The Blind Approach. Do not let your eyes deceive you, Scrivener Blooms... this place is not at all what it seems, and by now the Norns know we are coming. All of us.” Odin said pointedly, looking towards where Discombobulation was still hiding in Luna's mane before the falcon-headed entity shook his head slowly. “But come. I'll walk you to the gates to ensure the Norns do not attempt to play any silly games.”

Luna nodded slowly, not arguing as she felt a distinct chill pass along her spine, Scrivener Blooms grimacing as well as they made their way slowly forwards down the valley. As Scrivy looked back and forth, he thought he saw glimpses of what Odin had spoken of: the way reality seemed to tremble here and there like a curtain waiting to be pushed aside, as if they were surrounded by illusions instead of a physical environment... and he couldn't help but notice as well that as they headed down the valley, the cliff face behind them seemed to close up and the hill seemed to rise steeper.

It was only an optical illusion, but all the same he imagined it was effective if someone ended up dropped in this valley somehow: as it was, he kept wanting to turn around to see if there really was just a wall of grass and rock behind him or if he could climb the impossible-looking slope. Then again, he also thought it could be less a defensive measure and more simply a malicious joke on the part of the Fates.

He turned his gaze back ahead, past silent Luna and Odin, looking towards what they were now approaching: an enormous basalt wall with a single open, wide portcullis. It looked like it would be easy to fly over, but Scrivener again had that feeling that nothing was as it seemed... just like the jaws of the open gate seemed strangely ominous in the purple and black stone that stretched from one side of the vale to the other. Scrivener had the feeling that here, the bottleneck of cliffs on either side of them wasn't simply an illusion... but again, he wondered nervously just what defenses were in place to stop anyone from simply flying over, and hoped they wouldn't have to find out.

Odin calmly halted in front of the gates, then winced when Luna boldly strode through, Discombobulation immediately covering his head and dropping to hide in Luna's mane as Odin sighed tiredly, then said dryly: “Brynhild, please don't tempt the Fates, and in this case I speak literally...”

Scrivener Blooms grimaced a bit as he nervously approached the portcullis, but Luna only grunted as Odin gestured to the dirt road beyond, leading through what became a ravine... and when Scrivener gazed through the opening in the wall, he realized that in the distance he could see the shape of some gargantuan tree, with mighty branches that stretched in all directions, reaching the clouds high above... but when he stepped backwards and looked overtop the squat wall, he saw only blue sky, no shape of any tree, nothing.

Odin caught the look, and he brought his walking stick out to tap the wall firmly, saying quietly: “The Norns are very cautious. This is the true entrance to their lair... at the end of the path, is the Well of Urd, and the Norns themselves: Urd, Skuld, and Verdandi. Again, Brynhild, I implore caution above all else... and let me take the Ginnungagap entity, as well. They will not appreciate his company.”

Scrivener walked nervously through the portcullis as Odin began to reach forwards... and the moment the earth pony crossed through, there was a blast of golden flames from the ground, singeing Scrivener's tail and knocking him forwards as Odin was sent staggering backwards with a curse, covering his eyes before his leg twisted beneath him and he fell heavily with a wheeze. The falcon-headed once-god hissed through his beak as the portcullis came crashing down into the wall of golden flames, the metal lighting up unnaturally with the holy fire as a derisive voice echoed coldly: “Do not tell us what we do and do not desire, Odin. Do not overstep your bounds... we have already made our choices and decisions, seen what has happened and what must happen.”

“Now come to us. Brynhild, Scrivener Blooms, and bring your pet. We are waiting for you. We are so eager to meet you.” another voice added, mockingly-sincere, before it died off into a quiet titter.

“It will not be a hard journey for you three, oh no... we're sure you'll enjoy yourselves.” The final voice made Luna's blood go cold, her eyes narrowing at how familiar it sounded, as memories twisted through her mind before it added coldly: “I look very much forwards to seeing you, old friend.”

“Skuld.” Luna said disgustedly, and then she spat to the side as Discombobulation warily looked up towards the cloudy sky overhead. But the voices had gone silent, and Scrivener looked embarrassedly over at the winged unicorn before she only shook her head, reassuring him with just a look before her eyes flicked towards the golden firewall and the glimmering gates. “Odin! Can thou hear me?”

“Yes, I can, Brynhild, and I heard the Norns as well!” Odin called clearly back, although his voice was muffled, hard to make out over the crackling of golden fire. “Your only path is forwards now: push to the Norns, Brynhild, and... deal with them as you must!”

Luna grinned widely at this, shaking her head briefly as she muttered: “Truly, Scrivy, he must hate them to all-but-encourage me to pummel the creatures. Very well.” She paused, then called back in a louder voice: “Very well! Return to Valhalla, old lecher, thou art useless and lazy sitting there! I shall deal with this business and be back before the flap of a dragon's wings!”

With that, Luna turned around and headed for the dirt path, and Scrivener grimaced as he hurried after her, Discombobulation anxiously taking off his sunglasses as he shifted a bit in her starry mane. He looked back and forth, seeming further unnerved somehow by the rocky walls that locked them into the deep, trench-like ravine they were striding through, tall enough to cast much of the pass they were walking through into shadow despite how wide it was.

Then the Draconequus finally began to fidget and wiggle around, and Luna halted with a wince as Discombobulation managed to pull himself free of her mane before leaping out to the ground. He landed with a grunt, then there was a loud pop as he returned to his normal size in a moment, straightening slowly and cracking his back loudly as he muttered: “Well, I don't know about you, but if I wore pants I would be very afraid right now of soiling them in the next few minutes. I wonder how much money you'd make selling diapers during a monster apocalypse, on that note: it would just save a lot of mess and embarrassment for everyone.”

Scrivener grunted as he surveyed their surroundings apprehensively, and Luna shook her head distastefully before glancing up at him and saying quietly: “I am sorry thou wert dragged into this, friend.”

“What? Sorry? How dare you!” Discombobulation reared back, looking insulted as he crossed his arms. “I was the one who wandered into the light, thank you very much. I am a big boy, and I can take responsibility for my own actions perfectly well. At least sometimes, anyway. Admittedly I'm not very good at doing it all the time, but... we're getting off topic.”

He waved a hand dismissively, then he sighed and looked moodily ahead towards the end of the road. “This seems far too easy, though. Far too much like a setup. And there's a tingle in the air... can you feel it, Luna? In your horn, not in your teeth.”

Luna grimaced after a moment, concentrating and making her horn glow faintly... and then she nodded slowly, murmuring: “Aye, I can. It grows when I begin to concentrate my magic... is it repressing thy powers?”

“Well, if it was, I would still be a beanie baby right now.” Discombobulation pointed out, and then he shook his head moodily, putting his hands behind his back and slowly beginning to walk forwards as Scrivener and Luna fell into step on either side of the Draconequus. “No, it's something much worse and much better, I believe. A little taste of Heaven, if you'll allow me to be cryptic. And if you won't, then I'll say it much clearer: we're being lit up like neon signs by this energy clinging to us. Like neon signs pointing at the buffet table at a cooking convention.”

Luna grimaced in disgust at this as Scrivener looked moodily forwards, saying dryly: “This is why I much prefer when you just leave things confusing and unclear. Because when you are clear, it usually ends up being about something scary.”

“Well, it's not like it matters.” Discombobulation paused, then he asked curiously: “Do you know why I hate mares? Because they always know exactly where things are. And those nasty mares ahead... well, females, I suppose I should say, I'm not quite certain what they are but I am quite certain that whatever it is, it is not of equine persuasion... they know exactly where we are right now. They probably even know exactly what we have on ourselves, too.”

Scrivener grimaced at this before Luna halted and held up a hoof, Discombobulation wincing and holding up his hands as he skidded to a halt and Scrivener looking back and forth before he caught movement in the corner of his eye. Immediately, he looked sharply over to the cliff wall, just in time to see something slip into a crack in the rocks as Luna muttered: “We are not alone...”

The earth pony stepped slowly forwards, then he glanced towards Luna, their eyes locking and trading thoughts and emotions back and forth before he nodded apprehensively, turning his eyes ahead and carefully beginning to walk ahead. This part of the ravine looked no different than any other part, except for the cracks in the cliff walls here and there, but somehow it felt completely different... and it's not just because of what I just saw, it's... like...

Scrivener frowned a bit, then he realized that it did feel different: literally. He looked slowly down at the sandy, softer ground beneath his hooves, glancing back and forth as he realized the ground was broken and marred, that odd-shaped rocks and branches... strange, almost-smooth branches...

Then one of the branches twitched, and Scrivener's eyes widened in horror as he realized they were bones a moment before ground and shale and pieces of bony shrapnel exploded upwards from the earth, some serpentine, hideous thing lunging upwards at him. All Scrivener saw was an eel-like body and a mouth full of teeth as he ducked on instinct, and it shot over his head even as more tore violently up from the soft ground around him, flinging themselves at the earth pony even as Luna snarled and flicked her horn.

A translucent, blue-tinged sphere appeared around Scrivener, the worm-like creatures bouncing off this with hisses before Scrivener hurriedly lunged backwards, thanking Little Luna for teaching them the spell with a wince before he dropped to a ready position... only to flinch backwards with a loud curse when three of the worm-things lunged at once at his face, smashing into the shield with enough force to crack the front of it before Luna shouted: “Shockwave!”

Scrivener winced at this order, then he forced himself to leap forwards, slamming all four hooves down as hard as he could on top of one of the worms near the middle of the pack as Luna flicked her horn firmly, and the shield surrounding Scrivener exploded in a blast of concussive force and sapphire fragments. Most of the worms were blown apart by the short-ranged eruption and the survivors were knocked flying a good distance away.

The scavengers wriggled hurriedly back into the ground as Scrivener shook his head slowly, looking moodily down at the soft earth and the dusty remains... and then he was blown backwards off his hooves when a much-larger worm tore out of the earth in front of him in a hail of shards and shrapnel, three-segmented jaw roaring as acidic saliva dripped from its teeth. Scrivener cursed under his breath as he skidded backwards with a wince, and Luna snarled before she flicked her horn hard forwards, sending a blast of lightning shooting into the monstrosity's head and knocking it backwards.

But the beast only snarled and shook itself quickly out, the ugly, beady eyes along the top of its skull blazing with rage as it roared again, tearing itself completely free of the ground. It slithered rapidly forwards, leaving a trail of slime behind it as a second adult worm tore free of the soft earth as Scrivener winced before leaping backwards when the first worm leaned towards him and vomited a stream of acid at the earth pony. “Oh come on!”

“I'll defend, you offend!” Discombobulation called quickly, flicking his wrist to create a blue umbrella, then he winced an ran in front of Luna when the second worm lunged towards the winged unicorn before swinging this up and popping it open to use it like a shield. The worm crashed into it, and even as the umbrella was almost torn out of Discombobulation's hands and he was knocked staggering around in a circle, the worm bounced backwards with a shriek of surprise before Luna charged past the stunned Draconequus as she dropped her horn low, snarling and ripping it into the stunned worm's side and dragging the violently-glowing natural weapon upwards as it shrieked and writhed helplessly.

She tore it almost in half from tail-to-head, leaving a gaping lethal wound as she snapped her horn upwards and sent out a burst of black and green blood as the monster flopped and spasmed... and Scrivener, meanwhile, dodged backwards when the other worm attempted to dive into him, the earth pony gritting his teeth before leaping forwards and seizing the worm around the neck with a curse. It immediately snarled, twisting back and forth as it rose its head and snapped it wildly through the air, trying to dislodge the pony as he clung tightly to the worm's neck and skull before the beast arched its back with a howl of frustration, and Scrivener immediately took the opportunity to raise his hooves high before smashing them down into its head, throwing his weight forwards into the attack to drive the worm down to hit the ground with a loud crunch in a stunned heap.

He slammed his hooves down again with a wince and a splatter of bile-like blood before he flopped off the creature and landed on his side with a wheeze, cursing under his breath. The worm spasmed once, but it only drooled acid on the ground as Scrivener carefully hauled himself up to his hooves, Luna smiling dryly as she muttered: “At least I can always count upon thee for pest extermination.”

“Thanks, Luna, really.” Scrivener said sourly, then he shook his head slowly. before wiping at his armored chest, muttering: “These are the one kind of thing I never feel very bad about killing. Not because they're gross, because they're horrible little monsters that would eat us all alive if they got the chance.”

Luna grumbled in agreement, looking down moodily over the broken earth before Discombobulation held up a hand and said awkwardly: “Not that I doubt in the prowess of any of you, but can we please move on? As certain silly horror movies teach, staying in the area where the monsters just attacked is a fine way to ask for even bigger and scarier beasts to come along.”

Scrivener winced a little, and Luna shook her head as she turned, muttering: “Either the Norns insult us or these are simply pests they saw no point in removing. Aye, let us continue... but know that I do not believe these creatures to even begin to be an example of what the Norns have in mind for us.”

Both Discombobulation and Scrivener Blooms looked uneasy at this thought, and Luna lowered her head moodily as they continued slowly forwards. And around them, the walls of the valley began to narrow into a bottleneck, the cliff walls here jagged and sharper and their high tops looking like ancient battlements.

The three looked apprehensively back and forth... and then Luna grimaced in disgust when the ground beneath their hooves rumbled and a dust cloud rose from the earth in front of them as it split slowly open. She set herself as Discombobulation hid behind her and a wincing Scrivener Blooms, even as the winged unicorn's instincts whispered to her of something more dangerous than simple combat... and a moment later, three enormous, rectangular obelisks rose out of the earth, each engraved with a different symbol on their flat faces: the crest of the sun, the crescent moon, the mighty ash tree Yggdrasil.

Luna snarled at this, then she leaned forwards, shouting: “Do thee dare mock us, Norns? And not even to our faces? These are not the symbols of thyselves, they are the symbols of my family!”

“Speak their names, Valkyrie, and we'll let you pass.” chided a voice, a cruel hint of mockery in its tones. “All you must do is speak their names.”

The winged unicorn snorted as Discombobulation winced and Scrivener set himself, before the sapphire mare rose her head and said proudly: “Celestia, Sleipnir, and I, Luna Brynhild!”

“And now who mocks who?” the voice said disapprovingly, as the symbols on the stone obelisks glowed with unnatural light. “You must be one or the other: you cannot live between both worlds. Your siblings have chosen to lower themselves into the mud and mire alongside mortals instead of maintaining their past nobility... you should join them, foolish pawn. It's where you belong.”

Luna snarled at this before the three stone rectangles toppled forwards, revealing a trio of looming, gray-skinned ponies behind them that reeked of rot and decay. Their coats were sunken and stretched, two of them winged unicorns and the last a tall but terribly emaciated earth pony. And Luna's eyes widened in horror as she looked at them, clad in armor made from bones and dried flesh, with grinning, rotting teeth and glowing, soulless ivory eyes... “Most vile of apparitions! Thou dares to face us with shades of-”

Then the smaller undead winged unicorn shot suddenly forwards, lunging out towards Luna and smashing into her with enough force to knock her crashing backwards and rattle her senses, further horrified as the monster's jaws fell open in a rasping laugh as a mane made of black flames whipped around its face. For a few moments, Luna only lay stunned as Scrivener and Discombobulation stepped back, staring in horror as the undead mockeries of Sleipnir and Celestia both strode aggressively forwards.

Then Scrivener shivered as he felt Luna's emotions roil before the sapphire winged unicorn snarled and threw herself forwards, wings flapping to carry herself up into the air before she dove forwards and smashed back into the undead mirror image of herself, knocking it crashing backwards as she roared in fury: “I will not be made a fool of by thy foul tricks and fouler magic!”

Scrivener felt Luna's rage flooding into his own mind, adrenaline pumping through his blood before he gritted his teeth as the mock-Sleipnir ran forwards, and the charcoal stallion lowered his head before he charged. The undead creature lunged at him, but Scrivener ducked low, then tackled it firmly around the midsection, knocking the emaciated giant onto its back before he cursed in pain as it kicked him savagely off.

The mock-Celestia turned its eyes slowly to Discombobulation, her mane of twisting blue fire and ashes swirling around her head before she calmly tilted her horn upwards, an arrow of black light shooting towards the Draconequus. Discombobulation winced and stumbled to the side, barely avoiding the magic bolt before he ducked under a second blast, covering his head and shouting in a haggard voice: “This was not part of my job description!”

The chimerical creature cursed as a third bolt of black light shot towards him and smashed into his arm, knocking him staggering and leaving a cruel sear through his red fur, and he gritted his teeth as the mock-Celestia began to slowly advance. Its jaws were twisted in a grin of rigor, its gaze made all the more terrible by its glowing black horn as it flicked this again, releasing another bolt of darkness as it continued to advance, but this time Discombobulation smoothly sidestepped before he flicked his eagle talon upwards, and neon fireworks exploded around the undead pony.

Yet it only continued to unstoppably advance even as it was blinded and buffeted by the blasts, staggering in mid-step but quickly regaining its balance as it lowered its head forwards. The dark glow around its horn built, and then its mane swirled backwards as the horn released a black fireball. Discombobulation immediately rose both hands, however, gritting his teeth and catching this like a physical object even as he was knocked skidding backwards, cursing as smoke rose up from his fingers and talons.

He shoved it hard, and there was a boom like a cannon before it shot backwards and smashed into the undead Celestia, knocking the apparition sprawling as most of its head and mane were blown away into nothing but ashes and dust. It lay prone for a few moments, twitching weakly before it burst apart into a swirl of dark smoke that faded rapidly into the air as the Draconequus wheezed: “Imaginary fiends are so much more dangerous than imaginary friends.”

Luna, meanwhile, was savagely pressing forwards against the undead copy of herself, her horn lashing viciously back and forth in a wicked flurry of strikes, wicked blows glancing off her enemy's horn and skull, ripping bloodless wounds and chipping slowly away at the gray spire before the sapphire winged unicorn suddenly lunged and slashed viciously forwards as her natural weapon glowed bright blue, slicing completely through the mock-Luna's horn before she speared forwards and ripped through the undead winged unicorn's breast.

It shivered, stump of horn sparking weakly before Luna roared as she lashed out with a raw burst of magic and telekinesis from her horn, the mock-Luna disintegrating into a wave of ash and black mist that was blown away by the conical shockwave of force. She was left panting hard, snarling as her eyes glowed before Nightmare Moon shouted furiously from her jaws: “We will not abide this indignity, not even from the Fates themselves!”

Scrivener winced as the mock-Sleipnir lunged at him, ducking beneath a wild swing before a second punch from a front hoof swung in towards his face, but this time Scrivener threw himself forwards in a diving tackle, seizing the limb in both his own front legs and slamming the undead earth pony down onto its back before he rolled and twisted, the mock-Sleipnir's front leg snapping loudly. It hissed on its back, and then Scrivener gritted his teeth as he leapt forwards, batting away the other front leg when it tried to swing it into him and slamming a fierce volley of blows down into the undead creature's skull before there was a final crunch, and the weedy, rotten-maned mock-Sleipnir twitched once on the ground before turning to nothing but dark smoke and ashes.

The stallion breathed hard as he leaned forwards, looking darkly upwards towards the end of the ravine, and Luna clenched her eyes shut, forcing herself to calm even as the voice that had spoken before mocked quietly: “This is all you are. Shadows of your former selves. Luna, Sleipnir, and Celestia, not Brynhild, Thor, and Freya. You are not between worlds, you are not both things, Luna Brynhild: what you truly are... is nothing but a husk.”

Then it fell silent, even as Luna snarled to herself, leaning lower as her body trembled before Discombobulation slowly walked forwards and rubbed his hands together, wincing a bit as he looked down at raw talon and burnt fingers. “Did we stock up on healing items before we left town? I don't think we did, and I think we're in a gauntlet, and that's bad. We need to remember to save often.”

“Fear not, Bob. Apart from what other malevolent creatures may lurk in this valley, I am sure the Norns have only three tests for us.” Luna muttered, as she finally opened her eyes and sighed a little as she straightened, shaking her head moodily and adding in a grumble: “This is a foul place, though, truly... and I dare not imagine just what the Norns have prepared ahead.”

“Let's try and get their questions right, though. Even if it means swallowing a little pride.” Scrivener muttered, and Luna grunted, looking at him moodily before the earth pony strode up beside her and met her eyes, their thoughts and emotions passing back and forth before Luna closed her eyes tightly and nodded, feeling of twist of anxiety roll through her as she understood why: not because he feared their monsters and machinations... but because he was worried the Norns were only trying to soften them up for some final sick game at the end of the path.

After a few moments, Luna suddenly stepped forwards and buried her face against Scrivener's neck, and the earth pony reached up to squeeze her silently around the shoulders, pressing his own face against her and closing his eyes. There was silence as Bob hugged himself moodily, looking ahead, and then Luna sighed and stepped away, turning forwards and beginning to lead them onwards as she muttered: “Be wary.”

As they walked on, the cliffs widened once more from the bottleneck, then seemed to simply fall away completely, leaving what looked like a stretch of dead, arid wasteland on either side of them that stretched to the horizon in the empty distance. Yet shivers of energy flickered here and there through the air above the wastes, and Scrivener didn't want to imagine what would happen if they tried to go off course.

He turned his eyes forwards, and now he could more clearly make out the shape of the mighty tree in the distance, beyond what looked like another wall of tall stone cliffs. The distance seemed great, and yet they were covering ground quickly at only a slow walk... and as Scrivener looked down at the dusty road, he wondered if it was another illusion, like the Blind Approach had been.

Then Luna suddenly halted, and Scrivener and Discombobulation both stumbled to a halt on either side of her before the winged unicorn rose her head slowly, her eyes locking on something in the distance before she muttered: “Another game?”

“Another test.” replied an icy voice from thin air, and Scrivener winced a bit before the voice added in a tone that was patronizing and filled with contempt: “You did very well in sensing it, Luna Brynhild. For that, I'll give you a reward: I won't handicap any of you.”

Then Scrivener and Luna both cursed in shock as the world turned upside down, Scrivener immediately dropping on his stomach against what now seemed like the ceiling as Luna's legs shivered and she spread her wings, snarling and looking back and forth. A moment later, colors began to glow wildly through the air around them as reality twisted, making Scrivener feel nauseated as he clenched his eyes tightly shut and clung to what distinctly felt like down, what distinctly felt like ground beneath his body, even though when he opened his eyes... “The present is always fraught with confusion. Find the right way forwards... or die in the desert.”

Luna cursed, struggling to keep her eyes open before a gust of wind tore by as she tried to stumble onwards, kicking dust into her face. The winged unicorn swayed weakly, feeling nausea biting through her stomach as she cursed and shivered, and then the world went black as she felt Discombobulation leaning over her, the Draconequus grumbling: “Amateurs. Here, Scrivener Blooms, since you're too stubborn to listen, this should help. The blind see best, after all.”

“What art thou talking about?” Luna shouted, but the moment her eyes were covered, the sense of vertigo faded and some sense of sanity returned. “Wait, thou art not affected by the treacherous-”

“What, this? This is nothing compared to Ginnungagap.” Discombobulation scoffed, looking fearlessly into the wild, brilliant illusions. “There's just a touch of chaos energy in the air as well as all manner of silly illusions, helping displace up and down and making poor Newton cry because all his rules of physics just went out the window, but there's no need for you to worry, and Luna already caught on to what to do. Although there's no need to crawl, Luna, really, what you saw is not reality. Trust in something apart from your eyes for once, silly ponies.”

Scrivener mumbled under his breath as he carefully pushed himself up to his hooves, keeping his eyes firmly closed as Luna grimaced from beneath the blindfold Bob had put over her, taking a hesitant step forwards... and then she winced a little as the ground vibrated beneath her hooves, thrumming faintly as Discombobulation muttered: “A nice touch, and if I do say so myself I made a very good pun there: disrupting one sense is good, but disrupting two is better, after all. But as old sages always say, trust in your instincts.”

Luna grimaced and nodded moodily before she opened her mouth to speak... and instead, she only neighed loudly before her eyes bulged, looking stupidly down beneath the blindfold. Scrivener opened his own mouth, but he only made the same sound before Discombobulation winced beside them, unaffected by the continuing visual madness before she shouted hurriedly: “They're blocking out your senses one-by-one, now we have to hurry forwards before-”

His speech cut away to nothing but a hum, and Luna and Scrivener both simply stood, unable to speak, unable to see without risking looking into chaotic cacophony, deafened and their movement confused by the vibrations and subtle twisting of the ground beneath their hooves. They both simply froze in place... and then both winced when strong hand and talon gripped into their manes, yanking Scrivener to his hooves before beginning to firmly pull them forwards.

Luna and Scrivener both felt numbness beginning to spread through their bodies immediately, their nerves losing the ability to feel: to feel even the pressure, the pull, of Discombobulation, as gravity and physics around them lost all meaning. They were in complete, lawless surreality, stumbling stupidly forwards as Discombobulation tried to guide ponies that couldn't feel his touch, couldn't feel him pulling or pushing in one direction or the other even as he accidentally tore out a bit of Scrivener's mane before he cursed under his breath, then looked up in shock as the voice whispered in his ear: “No. You have interfered enough, puppet.”

He looked stupidly down at his hands as he began to slowly turn transparent, feeling the chaos energy whisking around him before he reached out... and his hand only uselessly passed through Scrivener Blooms as the drooling pony neighed loudly, his eyes still tightly clenched shut as he half-staggered off course towards the wasteland. Luna, meanwhile, was slowly dragging her hooves, trying to forge ahead as she neighed dumbly, starry locks twisting violently around herself before Discombobulation looked ahead towards what he guessed was where the Norns had set the finish line: the maw of a pass leading into another long valley, between the natural walls formed by the enormous cliffs that stood to either side.

Scrivener staggered a little further off course, a little more towards the wasteland, before Discombobulation cursed and flicked his wrist... and to his surprise, the chaos energy reacted, a geyser of sand exploding upwards next to Scrivener and forming quickly into a statue holding a stop sign. Scrivener bumped against this, wincing and then quickly turning to stagger back onto the road when he realized he couldn't go any further, even if he couldn't precisely feel the barrier.

A moment later, the statue simply melted back into sand: the chaos energy wasn't stable, but he could form it into things. And he wouldn't need to make it last for long if...

Discombobulation slowly pretended to roll up sleeves he wasn't wearing, then he leaned forwards before waggling his fingers and quickly clapping his hands. A moment later, bumper cars popped into being around both Luna and Scrivener, the two looking confused as they found themselves unable to move when locking bars snapped down over the ponies to hold them in place before the Draconequus stepped backwards, windmilling an arm wildly before he made a violent pitching motion, and rocket engines on the back of both carts exploded into life, sending the ponies shooting violently forwards straight down the road as a voice snarled: “Your interference is not appreciated!”

“So much for being all-knowing and all-seeing.” Discombobulation muttered as he slowly became solid once more, watching with a grin despite himself as the bumper cars both exploded into sand and dust and sent Scrivener and Luna rolling head-over-heels into the next valley. Then his expression faded as he heard a distinct rumble, and he slowly looked over his shoulder, staring at the sight of the wasteland behind him rapidly petrifying into gleaming marble before he added hurriedly: “Well, do excuse me.”

With that, he simply vanished from the spot before the wave of neutralizing force could strike him, reappearing a moment later by a stunned and stupefied Scrivener Blooms. The earth pony flinched a bit, blinking rapidly before he realized the world had returned to normal before Discombobulation said lamely: “I'm very, very sorry about this.”

Scrivener looked dumbly up at the Draconequus, and then Bob firmly punted him backwards, Luna yelling in surprise and pain before her back arched in agony when Scrivener collided with some invisible force that blasted him back forwards, even as the force itself sparked out of existence. The earth pony was knocked sprawling with a wheeze on his stomach, several large pieces of armor over his back turned to stone as Discombobulation wheezed in relief, dropping forwards to a squat as he said awkwardly: “My apologies. Homing missiles, you understand. You're much sturdier than I am, though.”

“I'm... just glad we're out of that chaos field...” Scrivener said finally, looking drained as he slowly hauled himself up to his hooves before he closed his eyes and shook his head out, grimacing as a few broken pieces of petrified armor fell down around him as Luna glared balefully at Discombobulation. “Should I thank you? Or should I hit you?”

“Let's simply let those things neutralize each other, shall we?” Bob said kindly, raising a talon and a finger as he looked at them awkwardly before Luna huffed and straightened, shaking herself out briskly. “I'm a little offended you think I'd let you get turned to stone, though. You simply make a very good shield, that's all. Unlike me, you're not filled with chaos energy, after all, so it's not like it did any harm.”

“I think part of my back may have turned to stone. If that's true, I'm going to hurt you later.” Scrivener muttered, and then he sighed a little before grimacing as other sensations of pain and nausea filtered in, shaking his head out as he added quietly: “Thank you, though. For saving me and Luna.”

Discombobulation only shrugged wryly, smiling a little as Luna sighed after a moment and nodded grudgingly, adding in a grumble: “Aye, I suppose that... I owe thee the same, if not just for the fact if one dies, so does the other but... because thou truly art invaluable.”

“All I did was give the turtle a little boost. You would have made it through eventually, one way or the other.” Discombobulation replied modestly, shrugging and turning around to gaze moodily down this narrower valley, past the strange, dead trees that stood here and there amidst the almost too-bright grasses that were littered with flowers... and what looked like grave markers. “I don't like this place.”

“But we are close.” Luna murmured quietly, gazing towards the towering tree in the distance: it was still far, far away, but she thought she could see the end of the path... although there was no guarantee what waited for them there. She glanced over at Scrivener as the earth pony shook himself out, then she smiled a little, nodding slowly once before murmuring: “Alright. 'Tis time to end this.”

Slowly, the trio made their way into the forest, Discombobulation nervously looking at the cloudy sky and over his shoulder every so often, as if expecting another blast of harmonic force to come out of nowhere and smite him. The chaos energy had revived him, at least, even if it had left Scrivener and Luna both feeling ill and drained.

There were indeed tomb markers here and there amongst the dead trees that littered the vale, as well as broken wooden staves that had cracked down the middle, inscribed with runes and names. Some of these, Luna recognized: the names of fellow Valkyries, the names of even gods. She was tempted to reach out and touch some of these, but always resisted: there were things lurking silently around them, hiding behind the dead trees and in the tall grasses, just glimpsed here and there. And neither she nor Scrivener nor Discombobulation were in the mood to start another fight.

Near the end of the path, they stepped into a meadow surrounded by dead trees, with a wall in front of them formed from brambles, tall, jutting teeth of rock, and what looked like immense roots. This wall blockaded a stone archway of some kind, and Luna gritted her teeth as a voice said quietly from beyond the barrier: “Hello, Brynhild. Time for one last challenge. One last test, on your weakest subject... your mind.”

“Skuld.” Luna looked moodily at the wall in front of her, eyes roving upwards as she asked calmly: “And what if I simply fly over this archway and pummel thee into pieces?”

There was a quiet laugh, before Skuld replied mockingly: “As if you could ever be strong enough to do that. But by all means, you're welcome to try... but you'll die if you do. Not that you will: I know you'll play. I only have three questions for you, after all.”

Luna snarled, beginning to tense herself before there was a loud chirp, and a small bird fluttered upwards out of the trees before trying to sail over the archway: immediately, a vine lashed upwards, whipping through the bird and leaving nothing behind but a few bloody feathers, and Luna winced. Her eyes returned to the barrier: decorated with beautiful, blossomed flowers, yes, but the brambles were covered in gleaming thorns that held the promise of lethal poison in their fangs. It was a clear enough example to make the winged unicorn halt.

There was silence... and then Skuld asked calmly: “Who is the great one that glides over the earth, and swallows both waters and woods? The wind he fears, but not the warrior, and he seeks to blind the sun. Answer me, Brynhild.”

Luna looked stupefied as Scrivener Blooms looked up intently, then he glanced towards Luna sharply. She turned her eyes to him, frowning a bit before her eyes widened slightly at the images that flooded her mind before she looked forwards and said calmly: “The answer is fog.”

“Who are the Valkyries, without weapon, kill one-another for their king? Every day the dark ones shield him, but the fair ones still go forth. Answer me, Brynhild.” Skuld asked coldly.

This time, however, Luna grinned even as Scrivener looked stupefied. “Hneftafl! Freya was a master of the damnable game!”

“It gazes through blackness, its eyelid taking weeks to close, and weeks to open. It shines, reflecting light like glass. It is a slave to sun and earth. Answer me, Brynhild.”

“'The moon.” Luna's eyes narrowed darkly as she snarled at the bramble barrier. “Thy riddles are solved. Now, let me in: 'tis time for us to have a chat.”

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