Book 1: Journey to the North: Chapter I: The Return

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The North was as cold as it was centuries ago before the Ponies migrated to the Southlands. The wind whistled through the snow-covered pines, carrying with it the biting bits of ice and snow to pepper and cover all within its path. The forest of pines was the only thing that would grow in the dead winter, a testament to life overcoming the frozen North. For the upcoming Solstice, it was a time for hope that the winter would be merciful upon the Ponies. For woodcutters like Lumbr, it was a way to make a living for his family.

Lumbr was lowborn in the Northlands, but was content. The Earth Pony's father had taught him that there was nothing to be ashamed of for being low born. That in the North, it wasn't your status nor your race that defined you, but your willingness to survive and the strength to make your own way in the world.

“Unicorns have gems, magic to protect them, and the mountains. Pegasi can fly, are fighters, and own the skies, young colt. We Earth Ponies are farmers. We have the land and the forest. We are strongest on level ground. Remember that. Always play to your strength and never let the elements beat you. We own the land, not the other way around.”

Lumbr lived by his father's creed everyday he went out to get more wood to sell at the market in the Capital in order to buy food for his wife and two colts. Winter was the hardest when it came to chopping wood, but Lumbr never let himself be defeated. As his father said, it was the Earth Ponies that owned the land. They had earned it after the idiot Earth Pony tyrant, Chancellor Puddinghead, and the other two tyrants, Princess Platinum of the Unicorns, and Commander Hurricane of the Pegasi, had migrated South with a legion of their followers in order to escape the never ending winter.

While life certainly wasn't idyllic for the Ponies of the North, it was better than then it had been during the Reign of the Tyrants. During that time, the three rulers had bickered, argued, and fought while their subjects suffered. When the three rulers decided to put their differences aside to find a new land that was free of the Eternal Winter, many of the Ponies stayed, feeling that things would be better without them. Over time, the tribes found new leaders that proved to be leagues ahead of the Tyrants in terms of competence. After a hundred years, they had quite forgotten those fools. Things were better. The three tribes kept to themselves in their own parts of the North and were content. It didn't matter if the Tyrants and their followers had found a new home in the South. They weren't in the North and the ponies were fine with that.

As Lumbr inspected each pine tree, his oak handled axe placed on his sled, the rope clenched between his teeth, he began to notice something odd about the trees in this particular area of the forest: They were all dying. It may have been during the middle of winter, but the trees of the North were usually strong enough to withstand the deadliest of blizzards. However, all around him, the pine trees were withering, their needles dropping to the snow in heaps, leaving the branches bare, like a bleached white skeleton, stripped of its flesh. The black Earth Pony scratched his head in confusion when he realized something else: He had never been in this part of the forest before.

The woodcutting business was a tricky one in the North. A pony had to make sure to leave a good number of pines uncut so that the seed could spread in the Spring and onwards through Summer, but this was an area where not a single tree had been touched. He must have gotten lost on the way to his usual chopping grounds. As he inspected each one, it was clear as crystal that these trees were on the brink of collapse. As he tapped one with his forehoof, he could swear that he heard a hollow noise. As if over time, the entire tree had been drained.

“In the name of the Gods, what is wrong with this forest?” As he searched around the forest, Lumbr caught a glimpse of another tree. Unlike the others, this one was no pine tree. It was taller than the others, thin and spindly, yet the wood appeared to be stronger. Its bark was pure white and covered with symbols that looked as if they were letters of some kind. A language long since lost to the Pony folk. It's branches were the strangest however. There were only nine thick branches and they stretched out in different directions. This was the strangest tree that Lumbr had ever seen in his entire life. It was also the perfect one to sell at the market. If he chopped this tree down, he would have one of the most unique set of firewood to sell. He had to have this tree.

Axe gripped between his teeth, Lumbr began hacking at the tree. Chop after chop, he strained at the sheet of ice that covered the bark. When he finally got to the wood itself, it took almost five minutes to make a deep enough groove to continue hacking away at. As he worked on the tree, Lumbr didn't notice that he was carving into one of the markings. However, he did start to notice that with every swing, the ground beneath him shook. He had no idea why, but he brushed it off. Chopping one tree wasn't going to ruin his day. He was dead wrong

By the time the axe head was buried deep in the tree, the rumbling had increased to the point where Lumbr was knocked off balance. The axe was flung out of his mouth and smashed into another tree, rending the hollow pine into little black splinters and needles. Lumbr stumbled backwards, his hooves tripping over his sled, sending him head over hindquarters, his face buried in the snow. As he brushed the snow off, he looked upon the ground in front of the tree. A long crack beneath the snow was forming creating a crevasse. As the ground split apart, snow poured into the gigantic crevasse, leaving the ground bare, exposing the tiny blades of brown grass.

When the earthquake ceased, Lumbr slowly got up to all fours and tiptoed carefully to the crevasse. Before taking a look inside, he glanced at where he had been chopping. When he spied the marred symbol, he realized that there truly was magic at work here and his eagerness to get the most unique tree in the North had broken some kind of seal that had been placed upon the tree.

Well done, Lumbr, ya fool, he thought to himself. Now you've effectively unleashed a great catastrophe upon the North. He chose not to add, “Well at least things can't get any worse,” to that thought.

As he peered in the crevasse, he noticed two things. The first was that it was six feet deep, the same depth that was usually applied to graves. The second was the... creature that lay inside of the crevasse, bound by tree roots that held it down, its forearms crossed over its chest. Lumbr gulped at the sight of it. He had never seen its like before in this world.

It was certainly no pony, that much was certain. It had no hooves, no tail, nor a hide to cover it. Instead, it had bare, hairless, pale pinkish skin that had tinges of blue upon it, most likely from being in the cold ground. It had clothing on like most of the higher born ponies in the cities wore, but none had worn clothing to this extreme. It looked as if the clothes served as a replacement for its lack of a hide. Where its hooves should have been were five long appendages on the end of each foreleg. Its back legs were covered by boots made of what appeared to be... leather. And that was when Lumbr noticed the furs on the creatures shoulder. He stepped back a bit, at the thought that this creature might have killed in order to gain these garments. While most of the Ponies killed wild animals, it was usually for the necessities to continue to exist: food, the right amount of fur for clothes. Nothing to this excess. Lumbr had no clue why this creature's choice to wear clothing distressed him, but it just did. He wondered if the creature had killed Ponies to gain its garments.

However, what truly made Lumbr uncomfortable was the creature's face. It had a slight masculine look to it, but its thin cheeks, thin lips, and long hawkish nose scared him. The mane that it had was the most striking feature of all. Long and wild hair in the color of bright red and orange flames. Whatever this... thing was, Lumbr knew that it had been buried at the base of this tree for a reason.

As Lumbr began contemplating burying the body with snow, the creature opened its eyes and stared up at him. Lumbr took back his thoughts about the creature's mane. The eyes were definitely its most frightening aspect. Its eyes were like coals in a surrounded by pure white snow. Not a hint of color within them. Just black surrounded by white. For what seemed like an eternity, it just stared at him, its gaze not wavering an inch. It looked like it was studying him, sizing him up. It was lucky that it was bound by the roots or Lumbr was sure that it would eat him or skin him, and he was quite comfortable with remaining amongst the living. Finally, the creature broke the silence.

“Excuse me, little... Pony,” it asked in a calm voice. “I appear to be tied up at the moment. Could you please untangle me? I would truly appreciate it.”

Lumbr had not expected this kind of attitude, nor had he expected the creature to speak in the same tongue as Ponies did. Still, he was cautious. Somepony had imprisoned this creature for a reason. Still, it had asked him politely.

Why not, he thought to himself. What have I to lose?

He trotted over to where his axe lay in the snow. Picking it up, Lumbr trotted over to the crevasse and leapt down. Landing next to the creature, he hacked away at the roots that pinned it down. When he was finished, the creature sat up and stretched itself out. Standing up, the creature smiled down at Lumbr. Lumbr was more than a little intimidated by the creature's height. It looked to stand at about 5 and a half feet.

“Thank you, friend. You have no idea how long I've wanted to get out of those restraints.” Lumbr didn't know what to say to this. He had expected the creature to try and kill him. Or... eat him if that was what this thing liked to do. The creature knelt down closer to him and smiled.

“Are you afraid of me, my little friend?” Lumbr slowly nodded. “Well don't be. I'm probably the least threatening of my kind. You should see my older brother. Now he would take pleasure eating you up with a couple of goats.” It let out a laugh that seemed to ease Lumbr a bit. It looked up at the top of the crevasse. “Now... I think its time we got out of this hole, little friend.”

Boosting itself up, It climbed out of the hole, turning back, It held out its hand to Lumbr. “Come on. Let me help you up. I won't bite.” Lumbr lifted his axe up towards the creature, who grabbed ahold of it and lifted Lumbr out.

“Well, that was an adventure and a half,” it said, breathing heavily. “Thank you again for releasing me. 16, 712 years of imprisonment is more than enough for me thank you very much. By the way, I don't think I got your name, friend.”

Lumbr, taken aback by the creature's jovial attitude, extended a hoof forwards. “Umm, Lumbr, Sir. Lumbr.”

The creature shook Lumbr's hoof. “Pleasure to meet you, Lumbr. My name is Loki.” Loki smiled at Lumbr, which eased his weariness a bit. Maybe he had been wrong all along.

For the next half hour, Lumbr filled Loki in on the world. He told him the story of the migration of the three tyrants and the current state of the three tribes. Loki, in return, explained how he was trapped underneath the tree, or sapling as he called it. Apparently, four wicked Princes, Vali, Vidarr, Modi, and Magni, after a horrendous battle that destroyed Loki's kingdom, trapped him underneath the sapling while they ascended to Godhood. Lumbr was shocked at this, especially when Loki mentioned how he was left to be awake while trapped forever.

“The cruel monsters laughed while they marked the tree with their dark magic. They said that I would sleep in body, but not in mind. I would be aware of everything around me, while they ruled over this new world. I promised that I would return to free this land from their evil. But it appears, this land is in more capable ha-... hooves than before. Wonder whatt they were like as rulers back then. They were probably as incompetent as rulers as they were spell-makers if their enchantment could easily be stopped by a lumber pony's axe. Are your people treated well, Lumbr?”

“Well, I wasn't around back then, but if my father's stories are to be believed, then we were far better off staying here than we were moving south. The new leaders are good rulers, especially King Odin of the Earth Ponies.”

Loki's ears twitched at the mention of the name “Odin”. “Really? I should probably go meet this... Odin. And the other rulers, what are they like?”

“Well, Lord Mund and Lady Dia, rulers of the Unicorns are, from what I've heard, difficult ponies. Especially Lord Mund. Commander Blizzard of the Pegasi is a seasoned warrior, but hardly trusts anypony outside of her lands. If I were you, my friend, I would track down King Odin. He might be able to help you.”

Loki smiled. “Thank you, my friend. Now, as for your reward...”

Lumbr smiled and shook his head. “No, no, Loki. No reward is necessary.”

“No, I insist. And for your reward... I grant you the whole trunk of the sapling that imprisoned me.”

Lumbr nodded, confused. “Well, thank you, but I just needed a few logs. I don't think I can drag the whole trunk on my sled. The tree is much too big.”

Loki grinned. “Oh, don't worry about that. Just chop it down and I will take care of the rest.”

Lumbr did as he was bid and ten minutes later, the large sapling was downed. Loki cracked his knuckles and waved his... hands, as he called them, over Lumbr's sled. In a flash of bright light, the medium sized sled was transformed into a large luxurious sleigh, fit for a king. Bright red with gold trimming and a silver wolf head set upon the front. It was... fantastic.

“Thank... thank you, Loki. Thank you so much. If you are ever near my village, look me up. My wife will gladly make you a fine meal. But... how will I pull such a large vehicle?”

“ Oh, don't worry. Just take the reins in your mouth and think of your destination and it will take you there. You've earned it, my little friend. Go home and be happy with your family.”

“Don't you want a ride somewhere?”

Loki shook his head. “No, Lumbr. My destiny is on a different path than yours. Go now. Be at peace.”

After the trunk was set upon the back of the sleigh, Lumbr took the reins, thought of his home village, and was off. He turned back and waved goodbye to Loki who waved back and smiled. A very nice fellow indeed. He hoped he would meet him again and that Loki would find what he was looking for. He felt bad for being scared of him. He decided to tell his children that even if somepony looks different, that is no reason to be scared of him or her. He would have to remember that lesson. It was a good one.

As Lumbr faded in the distance, Loki smiled and waved. Such a nice little pony. So kind. So thoughtful. So... gullible.

Loki grinned to himself. 16 712 years had done little to dull his silver tongue of its power. He could still charm anyone he wished. He had thought of killing Lumbr after being released, but had thought better of it. What would that have accomplished, he thought to himself. In the end, he will burn. Just like the rest of these... creatures. They will all burn before Loki, the God of Mischief.

Thinking back, Loki remembered the truth of the final battle. Of Ragnarök. The gates of Valhalla at the foot of the Rainbow Bridge rendered asunder. How “wise” Odin fell to his wolf-spawn Fenrir. His former oaf of a brother, Thor, dying in battle with Jörmungandr, the World Serpent. Vain Freyr falling to Surtr and his sword of fire. The once proud Gods dying all around him in an ocean of blood. And of course, he remembered Heimdallr, the watchman of the Gods, dealing him a mortal wound as he, in turn, fell to Loki's blades. The wound upon Loki's chest still ached and throbbed, the scar having not quite healed. How he had survived, Loki did not know, but he did know that Vali, Vidarr, Modi, and Magni, the surviving sons of Odin and Thor, had wasted no time in imprisoning him after he eliminated the two humans that would repopulate the Earth. They had imprisoned him with the help of his old friend and former colleague in Chaos and Mischief: Discord.

Discord. Loki remembered the mischievous spirit of Chaos on the day he was imprisoned beneath the sapling of Yggdrasil. The chimeric Draconequus, understandably adhering to his nature, had betrayed Loki's trust and given the four Gods the secret to imprison Loki for all eternity. Wrapping him in a coffin of roots, runes placed on the trunk, Loki was put to sleep. Of course He had told all this to Lumbr, but there was one thing he had left out: Loki had been left lucid. The four Gods may have been their father's sons, but they were not as cruel. They were smarter, of course. Loki smiled to himself at this. Had the spell been successful, he would have been deprived of his greatest weapon: his mind and would have slept for all eternity. During his imprisonment, Loki had guessed that something had gone wrong with the spell, but it didn't matter now. He had been awake and he was not happy. But he had a plan. And he was ready to enact it.

Vali, Vidarr, Modi, and Magni, are gone from this plane of existence. My obstacles have been removed and I will have my day again. They were fools to think that I was gone forever. Gods don't bleed, sicken, nor die. I am eternal. The cycle will continue. And this time, none will survive to rebuild the damage.

He grinned to himself. He was free and ready. He had the names of the pawns for his little game. Lord Mund would be a perfect pawn if his ambition was as great as Lumbr had indicated. He could use him and his resources of jewels and magic. Blizzard would be too risky and unpredictable to attempt control and this “King Odin” was right out. He would have to investigate this king and his family later to see if his suspicions were correct about him. For now, Mund was his target. Now, he needed to consider whom he would bring into his newest army.

If I am alive, then my kinsmen, the Jötunn(Giants), must still be here as well. Most likely trapped as I was, but not for long. They will be the perfect foot soldiers to my army.

Loki thought more about this. Surely there were more possibilities for soldiers besides the Jötunn. He would need his kinsmen, but he needed something else that could truly decimate the ponies of the North. Something swift and vicious that none could stand against one on one in a battle.

The Mountain Trolls! Of course! Yes... they will be perfect additions to my army.

Now, for those that are thinking of the types of Trolls that are more akin to living piles of rock with low intelligence that borders on infantile and are wondering, “Why would Loki want those idiots in his army,” there is an explanation. While Equestrian Trolls do fit that description, the Trolls of the North are vastly different from their Southern Cousins. The Trolls of the North were five and a half feet tall, had black scraggily fur, black beady eyes that could see in the dark, sharp teeth and claws, arms and legs that were akin to knotted tree trunks that helped them traverse the treacherous mountain sides, and an intelligence that was purely animalistic. They were the perfect killing machines.

And the dragons. Surely the dragons still exist in this new world. I wonder if he is alive in this world. He would be the perfect one to recruit. Fenrir, Jörmungandr, and Hel, all my children. I will find them too. I will find them all.

Loki had it all figured out. He had his plan, his chosen pawns, and the candidates for his army. He would find his children and lead them to victory. This time, the cycle would end in destruction. This time none would survive. Nopony would be spared the destruction he would bring upon the North and the South. All would fall to Loki, the God of Mischief.

I will bring them all into my fold. I will wreak upon this new world a war that will end all wars. It will be so grand that Vali, Vidarr, Modi, and Magni will see it from the heavens themselves. The Gateways to the Old Realms may be gone, but I am still here.

Throwing his cloak over his head, the Deceiver of the Gods, Father of the Wolf, and Sire of the Serpent, looked up to the sky and gave a wicked smile to the heavens. No longer was he the trickster that played silly pranks like pulling down his brother's trousers and stealing golden apples. He was more than that. Much more. He had seen and lived through the fire and he would use it to burn them all in the greatest and most cruel of jokes. Grinning, he announced his presence.

“Hear me, Old Gods and Ponies of this New World. The God of Mischief walks the Mortal Coil again. I AM AWAKE!”

Swirling his cloak around him and in a flash of light, Loki transformed into a falcon and took off into the distance.

Book 1: Journey to the North: Chapter II: A Visitor

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In a dimension between space and time itself, where the laws of physics were suspended for the pleasure of its owner, the spirit of Chaos and Disharmony himself, Discord, arrived home. Nopony in Equestria knew where Discord had come from. Some ponies said that he was the brother of the Spirit of Harmony itself, come to the mortal world to create mischief wherever he went. Some ponies said that when the Tree of Harmony, the source of the Elements of Harmony, was created he was born as the Antithesis of Harmony in order for there to be balance. No pony knew for sure and it is quite possible that Discord himself didn't know. He didn't really care where he came from since he knew it didn't define who he was or what his purpose was.

He was Discord, semi-reformed Spirit of Chaos, former foe of, and current-sort-of-friend to the six staunch defenders of Equestria: Princess Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity. Six ponies, each representing a different facet of Harmony. Twilight represented Magic, Rainbow Dash was Loyalty, Applejack was Honesty, Fluttershy was the keeper of Kindness, Pinkie Pie was Laughter through and through, and Rarity, last but never least, was the figurative spirit of Generosity.

Originally, they had been Discord's mortal enemies and the first time he escaped from his stony prison, they had made it their goal to stop him and re-imprison him in stone. Recently however, in a twist of fate that he himself had not seen coming, he was released in an attempt to “reform” him in order to prepare for some big upcoming calamity or some such prophetic nonsense. So far, nothing bad had happened (That he hadn't caused). And he was fine with that. Less work for him.

As he walked up a floating upside-down flight of stairs, the Draconequus snapped his fingers and a red bathrobe with the letter “D” embroidered on the lapel appeared in front of him. With a flick of his wrist, the robe placed itself around him and cinched up the knot. Not too tight of course, just how Discord liked it. All around Discord, random objects floated by, only aligning in some sort of order when Discord willed it to be. As he reached the top (or was it bottom) of the stairs, he pursed his lips together and gave a sharp whistle. Immediately, a large comfy chair and a night stand settled right in front of him, with the chair gesturing with one of its arms for Discord to take a seat. Discord smiled and did as he was offered.

With a snap of his fingers, a martini glass appeared out of thin air, filled with hard applejack cider. As Discord sipped his beverage, he surveyed his home. This was his realm, his sanctuary. A realm without order or reason where everything was at his command. His world, nopony else's. What happened here, he willed it.

As Discord finished off the drink and was about to conjure up another, he felt a strange chill go through the realm. He tightened up his robe and huddled deeper into his chair.

“I have to remember to shut the window next time.” He was about to get up to shut it when he realized two things. First: that he didn't have an open window and second: the chill was more inner than it was outer. It was then that he heard something behind him. It sounded like someone clearing his throat. He turned around to see an approaching lean figure walking on thin air. He wore a black hood and a wide grin. Fiery red hair could be seen from beneath the hood and a pair of jet black eye pierced the darkness. Discord opened his mouth to speak, but the figure cut him off as he stopped right in front of him.

“No, no, don't say anything. Let me guess: How this person got into my realm? How did he manage to break the barriers between reality and... this place? Oh, Discord, I always wanted to be the one to put that look on your face.” He narrowed his eyes and stared at Discord's slack-jawed wide-eyed gaze. “Yep. Just like that.”

The stranger threw back his hood and gave Discord a wide smile. “Do you recognize me, Discord? Come on. Say my name. Please? I've waited for so very long for someone to say it with the right tone of fear in their voice.”

“Loki.”

Loki slowly turned his index finger around, all the while mouthing out the words, “God of...?”

Discord glared at Loki and rolled his eyes, but relented. “*Sigh* Loki, God of Mischief, Sire of the Serpent, Kin of Ymir, and Father of the Wolf. There. Are you happy? I said the titles. What more do you want from me?”

This time it was Loki's turn to roll his eyes. “Oh, I don't know. How about, "Please forgive me, Lord Loki, God of Mischief. I am so sorry that I sold you out to your worst enemies and caused you to be imprisoned for (what was it? Oh, right) 16,712 years!!" Does that sound like something I would want to hear?”

Discord sneered at Loki. “You should know that I was never one for apologies. Besides, I was the one who suggested putting you to sleep. You're lucky you got that after killing the two humans meant to repopulate the world. Vali and Vidarr wanted to give you the previous treatment with the snake and everything. Modi and Magni wanted you deader than the Dodo. If it wasn't for me you would have been wide awake with venom trickling down your gullet or in the ground with an axe in your brain. Speaking of which, care for a drink?” He snapped his fingers and a pair of floating martini glasses, complete with olives and mini-umbrellas, popped into being.

Loki took one and quickly downed it, olive and umbrella included. He stared down at the empty glass and let out a chuckle. “Funny. That's very funny. Always good for a laugh, weren't ya, Discord? Well, I have some bad news for you: You might as well have thrown in the snake. You messed up the rune spell. You just immobilized my body. My eyes were shut, but my mind was awake. Aware. I was unable to move, unable to breathe. Unable to die, Discord.” He threw away the glass and moved close enough to Discord to stare him directly in the eyes, unblinking. “All I could do was think and count. The days went into months, the months into years, the years into centuries, and the centuries into millennia. It was then that I realized: This was the second time I had been imprisoned beneath a tree. I swore that there wouldn't be a third. I would make all suffer as I had. I would make this world understand a God's pain.”

Discord didn't say a word for what felt like an hour. He realized that he probably need to make a few clocks to spruce up the place. Finally, he gave a weak smile and slowly backed away from Loki. “Funny, now that you mention it, I myself was imprisoned in stone for an indeterminate amount of time. And I tell you, there is nothing worse than being fully aware that you have a few dozen itches all over your body that you just can't scratch. And that happened twice, if you can believe that. So I say that we just call it ev-”

Loki grabbed Discord's long neck and pulled him in close until their eyes were inches apart. Loki bared his teeth in a snarl. “You weren't betrayed as I was, Discord. Now, I understand that trickery and chaos are the tricks of your, as they are mine, but I always felt there was a degree of respect between us. You pretty much proved me wrong on that front, thus the joke is on me. Fair enough, but still you got a brief reprieve. I did not. Therefore, I believe that you owe me.”

Discord smiled and a checkbook and a fountain pen appeared next to him. He pulled away from Loki and began scribbling. “Of course. You're right. How much do you want? I have a large enough account to give you a fair-”

“Discord,” Loki said shaking his head. “You are not going to talk your way out of this one.”

“So, what? Are you going to kill me?”

Loki looked as if he was about to laugh. All he did was give a small smile. “Of course not. I am not going to kill you for the same reason I know you are not going to erase me from existence. You are the living personification of Chaos as I am the living personification of Mischief and Fire.” He snapped his fingers and a bright blue flame appeared on his thumb. He quickly blew it out. “We are their Avatars. Ironically, we are the keepers of balance. We die, well, you can guess what will happen without us to keep those forces in check.”

Discord crossed his mismatching arms. “How do you know I won't just kill your mortal form?”

Loki grinned. “Because you know that I will be reborn. Gods never truly die. Same as you. You are not getting out of this.”

Discord threw his hands up in the air. “Fine. Ok, fine. What do you want? Tell me and I will comply. Then kindly remove yourself from the premises.”

Loki started walking up an invisible wall until he was directly above Discord. “Good. Glad to know you are finally taking this seriously. I just want two things. First, I want information about a few things in this new world. But before I ask you about them, I want you to fulfill the second.”

“And what might that be?”

“Do not interfere with my plan. Do. Nothing. Don't interfere. Don't undo any of my plans. Do nothing at all. You fulfill this part of the deal above the other and we are square.”

“And do these plans of yours involve causing the end of the world? Because I should inform you that I have made a few new “friends” here and I would hate to see them die.”

“You owe me, Discord. You owe a God. You know that's not something you can just welch on. Besides, you'll just find some new playthings. Mortals don't matter to beings like us. These are my terms. Information and complete non-interference until my plan is complete and we are squared. Do we have a pact?”

He extended his hand down towards Discord. Discord looked back at him for a moment, pondering. Finally, with a sigh and a look of absolute regret on his long face, Discord shook Loki's hand. As their hands connected, a bright light emanated from between their palms. The sign of an unbreakable oath between two higher beings. Loki gave a long grin and pulled himself in front of Discord. “Good. Now, first, tell me about the inhabitants of this new world. I'm looking for a certain group of individuals.”

“And you are certain you left the book with him? Because I really need that book, Discord.”

Discord nodded. “I'm fairly certain. I wrapped it up in a black oil skin. It's in his cave. Knock on the door and you shall receive it.”

Loki's eyes narrowed. “I better, old friend. I need that book.”

Discord rolled his eyes. “Oh, don't worry, Mr. Crybaby. You will get the book and I won't interfere. By the by, I have to ask... how did you get in?”

Loki smiled. “Oh, please, Discord. You may have closed the door, but you forgot to lock it and you left a trail behind. Portal magic is among my specialties, remember? Honestly, how old are you exactly?”

Discord shrugged his shoulders. “I lost count after the first few millennia. Now you got what you wanted. so get out!”

Loki threw his hood on and grinned at Discord. “Fine, I know when I am not wanted. Remember our deal: Complete Non-Interference. Remember that.”

Discord held up two fingers with his right hand and placed his left hand over his heart. “I solemnly swear that I will not interfere with your plans.”

“Good,” Loki replied. He walked a few feet until he halted in front of absolutely nothing. He raised his hand and with a stroke of his finger through the air, opened a tear within the realm. Through it Discord could see a mountain range in a blizzard. Before stepping through, Loki turned back to Discord and smiled. “Wish me luck. And remember: A Deal is a Deal.” With that, he stepped through the portal which closed behind him with a loud *SNAP*.

Discord rubbed his forehead and motioned for the chair. The chair waddled over and Discord collapsed and snapped his fingers for a martini glass. As he sipped his drink, Discord pondered. He looked at the palm of his hand, which bore a rune, the mark of a pact between two immortals. For once in his long, long, long, long life, Discord was actually bound by an oath.

Well this is a pisser, he thought to himself. I have to do something. He practically challenged me to do it. But what can I- He straightened up and gave a wide grin.

“I think its time that I paid a visit to some old "friends".” Now, the visit that Discord had spoken of would have to wait for three months in order for his plan to come to fruition. Perfect planning took time, even for unpredictable entities of Chaos, like Discord.

Book 1: Journey to the North: Chapter III: A Winter Visit

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As soon as Loki left Discord's realm, he found himself on the top of a mountain range as a fierce blizzard raged around him. Shivering, he drew his cloak around him until it clung to his skin. He may have been an immortal deity, but even he was vulnerable to the blistering cold of the North. You'd think I'd have gotten used to it considering my past, he thought to himself as he trudged across the mountain range through the knee deep snow towards the tallest mountain peak in the distance. He grumbled to himself at having been off by a couple miles in his calculations when creating the portal.

Magic, despite what you may believe, was almost an exact science in its design, preparation, calculation, and execution, teleportation magic especially so. If the caster's aim was off by even a few inches, then there could be life threatening consequences for the caster's life. Loki was lucky in that he had landed on the mountain. Normally, he would create another portal, but the trips to and from the Realm of Discord had left him drained. As he marched across the mountains, he told himself that the acquisition of the item in question would be all the sweeter once he had earned it by undergoing this little adventure.

Finally, after what seemed to be an hour of marching and climbing, Loki found himself at the top of the mountain peak in front of the largest cave he had ever seen. As he straightened himself out, he caught the whiff of something displeasing to the senses. It smelled like sulfur and brimstone. He smiled to himself. This was definitely the place; No door though. As he took a single step forward, he was greeted by a loud booming voice that almost sent him flying off the mountain top back into the blizzard.

“WHY HAVE YOU COME TO MY HOME, LOKI LAUFEYJARSON? WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE SUCH AN “HONOR”?”

As the voice boomed out from the mouth of the cave, the smell of sulphur and brimstone intensified to the point where Loki began to gag. He covered his mouth with his cloak and straightened himself up again. He faced the cave, eyes forward and unblinking.

“It is good to see you as well, Fafnir. I was surprised to learn you had been reborn in this new world as well. Though given the species of the dominant population, I expected you to be a pony as well.”

“THOSE THAT WERE NONHUMAN IN SPECIES AND NATURE, SUCH AS MYSELF, REMAINED IN OUR TRUE FORMS WHEN RAGNARÖK WAS FINISHED ANNIHILATING AND REBUILDING THE WORLD! I MUST ADMIT THAT I WAS SURPRISED TO FIND YOU IN THE SAME FORM AS LAST TIME!”

“I was asleep for most of it. Slept through the whole reincarnation business. Now onto current events. I have been informed by a mutual acquaintance of ours that you have a certain book of mine in your possession. I want it back. I need it for a special project.”

“WHY SHOULD I PART WITH ANY PIECE OF MY HOARD? TELL ME THAT, JÖTUNN RUNT AND I MIGHT CONSIDER YOUR OFFER!”

Loki smiled. This was where he flourished: making deals. “If you give it to me, then I will compensate you for your “sacrifice” most handsomely. Are you aware of the Unicorn fortress, the Diamond Keep?”

There was a brief pause before the reply came. “I MIGHT BE. WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING?”

Loki's smile turned into a wide grin. Time to make the offer. “My plans include the great Lord Mund of the Unicorns. If you give me the book, I will make sure you are well compensated with half of the total amount of treasure hiding within the Diamond Keep. One book for half a kingdom's worth of gold and jewels. That seems fair to me.”

For a while, there was no reply. Loki began to worry that perhaps Fafnir would reject the offer, which would greatly surprise him if he did. The reply came and it was just what Loki wanted to hear.

“THE BARGAIN IS ACCEPTABLE, LAUFEYJARSON! YOU WILL HAVE YOUR BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR MORE TREASURE! REMEMBER: A DEAL IS A DEAL!”

Loki bowed to the mouth of the cave. “I understand that, Fafnir. Trust me. I am in no position to lie to one such as yourself. Now, my book, if you please?”

For a minute, no reply came from the mouth of the cave. Then, he heard the voice.

“ENTER MY HOME, BUT YOU MUST ONLY GO A CERTAIN DISTANCE THAT I ALLOW! NO FARTHER!”

“Of course, Fafnir,” Loki replied. He smiled and entered the cave.

As Loki entered the cave, he noticed that the cave branched off into multiple pathways. Of course, he thought to himself. Of course Fafnir would make sure to test me. As he pondered his route, he noticed that the smell of sulphur and brimstone emanated from a certain tunnel on the far right. Snapping his fingers, Loki lit a bright blue flame and held it out in front of him. For a long while, Loki trudged through the dark and dank tunnels, making sure not to veer off from the path, making sure to follow the smell. As he looked at the cylindrical shape of the tunnel, he noted that it was almost unto an esophagus of a gigantic beast. It seems that I will soon be reaching the stomach of the beast.

After what seemed like an hour, Loki realized that the smell was getting stronger until he finally came to an opening that was 5 times Loki's six foot height. It was nothing, however, compared to the inside of the mountain itself. It was nearly black as a moonless night, but Loki could still make out a few things here and there. He thought he could make out the outlines of hills in the darkness. Hills that appeared to be metallic in structure. If there was only a little more light, Loki was certain he would see sights that would stun him.

Suddenly, one of the great mounds shifted slightly. If Loki hadn't been staring at the treasure piles, he probably would have missed it. More of the “mounds” shifted, moving more of the piles about, the clinking and clattering of objects being thrown echoed about the great mountain hall. One of the “mounds” extended up towards the ceiling, as if it was on the end of an enormous and flexible telescope. It twisted back and forth before turning towards the entrance, appearing to stare directly at Loki, a pair of bright yellow yellows with slitted pupils glaring at him.

“SO, YOU HAVE MADE IT TO MY LAIR, JÖTUNN RUNT!”, the smell of nearly suffocating Loki. As the shadowy form adjusted itself in the hall it reached down into its hoard. It picked up something, gingerly holding it between two long claws. The claws hovered over Loki, the fire light reflecting off the jet black scales. The claws dropped their cargo into Loki's waiting hands. It was as Discord said it would be: Wrapped in a black oil skin.

As Loki traced his hand over the oil skin, he could swear that he felt something akin to a heartbeat beneath the skin. He smiled. Still has power after all these years. Perfect. Just... perfect. He looked up at the pair of bright yellow eyes that stared back at him, unblinking, unmoving, unwavering.

“We are done here, Fafnir.”

“REMEMBER OUR DEAL, LOKI!”

Loki nodded. “I will honor our agreement. It will take time, but your hoard will grow exponentially. Trust me.”

Turning away, Loki pulled his hood over his head in anticipation of the cold winds of the outside world. He held his prize close to him and he trudged through the tunnels, a thin smile on his lips. Soon. Soon, even Fafnir will bow before me. As will all these pathetic mortals.

A few months after Loki's visit to the mountain, during what would be March in our universe on the day that would officially mark the beginning of Spring for us, far, far to the south of the Frozen North, beyond the ring of mountains that surrounded it, was the peaceful kingdom of Equestria, home of the descendants of the Ponies that had chosen to follow the three tribe leaders to a better future, much to the cheerful cries of “Good riddance!” and “Bugger off and don't come back, ya tossers!” from those that had decided to stay behind rather than risk dying due to managerial incompetence. However, this particular bit of knowledge, specifically the part about Ponies actually choosing to stay behind in the never-ending winter, had been lost to time and the attempts of history scholars to make their founders seem less incompetent. This had not worked out in the end, but the slurs had managed to be censored in the end. What was left behind had been formed into a story about a holiday called Hearth's Warming Eve. A holiday that is not unlike your Christmas.

In the story, the three rulers had managed to make it to the South and after a few arguments coupled with being frozen solid by wind spirits called Windigos, thawed out by the magic of their advisors' newly formed friendship (that part is most definitely true), the three tribes formed the nation of Equestria.

To describe Equestria in one word would be: impossible. It was a temperate land where magic reigned supreme wielded by magical talking ponies that one would normally find in a child's coloring book. Over the centuries, the ponies had spread across the land into multiple cities, including the capital of Canterlot, Fillydelphia, Manehattan, and Ponyville, the hometown of our heroine of this story: Twilight Sparkle.

As the moon began to set over the town of Ponyville, as dictated by Princess Celestia, one of the original twin princess Alicorns of Equestria, the rays of moonlight entered the bed chamber of Princess Twilight Sparkle above the Ponyville Library which lay inside of a large hollowed-out tree. For the literary inclined, the sight of the tree-trunkful of books would drive a pony mad with glee at the thought of the endless hours of reading that could be accomplished.

If a pony looked at Twilight's room, they would get a pretty good idea about Twilight's personality: Completely orderly to a capital “T”. Nothing was out of place. All was where it was meant to be. The books were in alphabetical order by subject, author, and title. The flowers in the vase by the window were balanced and didn't lean to one side or the other. Even when the violet Alicorn was sleeping under the covers, they didn't become uneven or unkempt. They were completely in order, just like their owner. In the corner, in a small basket underneath a blanket, slept a tiny purple dragon with bright green spikes across his spine. This was Twilight's semi-pet/assistant/dearest friend Spike.

Spike was probably Twilight's first true friend and had actually been essential in gaining her cutie-mark, a violet colored star with a dark pink center. When Twilight was being admitted into “Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns” her entrance test was to hatch a dragon. However, a rainbow shockwave, later revealed to be caused by her future best friend Rainbow Dash, awakened something powerful within Twilight. This not only caused the egg to hatch, but also caused Spike to temporarily grow to full size. Naturally, this was most unorthodox, but thanks to the timely arrival of Princess Celestia, Twilight's then future/now former mentor and fellow Princess, everything was put right and Twilight was made her apprentice.

It was thanks to Celestia that Twilight excelled at her magic. It was also thanks to her orders to make friends when she arrived in Ponyville that Twilight met her five best friends: Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy. The six of them banded together to free Celestia's sister, Luna, from her persona as Nightmare Moon and discovered their destinies as the keepers of the six elements of Harmony: Loyalty, Honesty, Laughter, Generosity, Kindness, and Magic. Since that day, the six ponies had many adventures that ranged from the everyday, such as preparing to attend the Grand Galloping Gala, to the Epics, such as their first battle against Discord, the Spirit of Chaos. Twilight had done it all, even rising to the rank of princess after completing the only spell that Starswirl the Bearded, Equestria's greatest wizard, had not finished before his passing. This spell had been her final test as student and now she was an equal to Celestia and Luna.

While Twilight had passed all her tests as a student and a few as a Princess, such as the Dark Vine Incident a few months back, she knew that she still had a long way to go before she could truly call herself a monarch. For now, she slept on and dreamed.

In her dreams, she stood on a snowy field within a blizzard, which was understandable given that Winter was still in effect, despite it's nearing end. However, this blizzard was different from normal Equestrian blizzards in one aspect: It lacked control. Normally, the Pegasi saw to it that the weather followed a set path. The sun would shine as long as they willed it. The rain would fall when they wanted it to fall. The blizzards would be as strong as they wanted them. However, this blizzard fluctuated in strength, ferocity and frequency, as if it had a mind of its own. Twilight began to shiver and she rubbed her chest to stimulate warmth while covering herself with her wings creating a makeshift coat. It didn't really do any good in the long run.

Twilight looked around for her friends, thinking that perhaps they could do something to help her out. She saw nothing. The storm was so thick that Twilight had trouble seeing anything that was directly in front of her. The only colors that she could see were black and white.

“Rainbow Dash! Applejack! Pinkie Pie! Rarity! Fluttershy!” she called out. “Where are you? Anypony?” Nothing. No response. She was all alone in the cold. As Twilight sank deeper into the snow, flakes began to pepper her mane, covering the rose streaks in it. She was about to bury her face in the snow and wait out the storm when she heard a deep voice to her right.

“You do realize that this is all a dream?”

Twilight stood up with a start and turned to see an old Earth Pony stallion staring at her. The stallion's coat was cloud gray, his mane was almost snow white with flecks of gray here and there. He had a short beard complete with a mustache and goatee ensemble. Upon his back he wore a black cloak with animal trimmings. Twilight could swear that the cloak was made from Raven feathers. However, what struck Twilight the most about this pony were his eyes. Or, to be more specific: His eye. His right eye was covered by an eye patch while his left eye, blue like the sky, stared at Twilight, unblinking, unwavering.

“I said, you realize that this is all a dream, right?” the old stallion asked again. “Think about it. You are not really cold. The snow is not really beneath your hooves. It's all in your mind.”

Twilight stood up and tried pawing at the snow and realized that her hooves were not making any imprints. The snow didn't even feel cold. It felt warm and soft like bed covers. She looked up at the stallion and asked a question. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

The old stallion trotted over to Twilight and stared her directly in the eye. “I am somepony you will soon meet. Somepony who needs your help. You will be waking up soon. Just remember: Return to the North. It's time for the denizens of Equestria to return home.”

Knock, Knock, Knock!

Twilight woke with a start as three loud knocks sounded on her front door. Sunlight poured through the window and into her face causing her to squint. Spike was still snoring in his bed. As she rubbed her eyes, she realized what day it was: Winter Wrap Up.

Every year on the last day of Winter, all the ponies in the cities of Equestria would band together to clean up the last bits of snow and prepare for the animals to wake up from hibernation. While the snow would start to melt on its own as Spring drew closer, it was the duty of the Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth Ponies to make sure that Spring would arrive on time and without trouble. Before becoming a princess, Twilight had been made the Ponyville coordinator, utilizing all the talents of the town to the best of their advantages to make sure that Ponyville would meet the schedule. Even now, she still made sure to work the Ponyville Winter Wrap Up into her time.

As she opened the front door, Twilight was greeted by a surprising sight. Not the sight of Fluttershy standing at her front door, but at the scene behind her. Behind the bright yellow pegasus mare were piles upon piles upon piles of snow covering the town of Ponyville. The streets were covered. The buildings were covered. Even a couple of ponies were covered to the point where they were living snowponies.

Fluttershy looked at Twilight and gave a weak smile. “Umm, I'm sorry to bother you so early, but we appear to have a problem. The snow seems to have piled up a bit more than we expected.”

As Twilight looked at the town wide snow pile, she thought to herself, “A bit more” is an understatement. An understatement indeed.

At the same time, far, far to the North, in the dead center of the Frozen North, in the center of a much smaller ring of mountains, in a large stone fortress surrounded by a field of snow, an old gray, one-eyed stallion awoke with a cry. As he pulled himself from under the fur blankets, a bright green Unicorn mare burst in and trotted over to the old stallion's side. She put a gentle hoof on his shoulder.

“Father, what is the matter?”

The old stallion took a couple deep breaths before looking at the mare. “Kelda, get your brother and sister immediately. Tell them it is urgent that I speak to them immediately.” Kelda nodded and departed from her father's bed chamber. The old stallion got out of bed and walked over to the window and gazed out at the mountain ring surrounding the fortress. The second time he had that dream about the violet Alicorn and he was sure this time it was about to come true. I pray that it is not too late to find her. If it is our future may be in jeopardy.

Book 1: Journey to the North: Chapter IV: The Soothsayer Cometh

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Along the snow covered road to Canterlot, a wizened old Caribou with his left foreleg wrapped around a gnarled oak staff with a string of beads and a gray falcon’s feather adorning it walked. The Old Caribou's pelt was snow white with not a speck of color upon it. Hanging upon the Old Caribou's antlers were even more colorful strings of beads and feathers, all tied together, not a single loose thread or a single hanging piece anywhere. It was all perfectly tied together. As the Caribou opened his mouth to take a breath, he revealed a mouth full of misshapen teeth. Very few were straight, white, or even present. Compared to some of the more perfect Earth Ponies, Unicorns, and Pegasi the Old Caribou had passed, he was quite pathetic looking.

The Old Caribou had made his way through the Frozen North nearly a month ago after a fever dream had struck him in the middle of the night. The dream was of the North itself covered in the bodies of Caribou, Ponies, Pegasi, and Unicorns as far as the horizon stretched into the distance. And in the distance, the dawn was colored red with the blood of the innocent. Then... as a voice began to chuckle, the bodies were lit ablaze by a fire that spread across the lands until it found a great tree as tall as the sky. The fire consumed the tree as the chuckle turned into a maniacal laugh. As the tree collapsed into ash, a Unicorn with wings (or was it a Pegasus with a horn), as white as snow with a mane that was the color of the most beautiful of rainbows. She spoke to the Old Caribou.

“Find me in the South. Convince us of all this. Our future depends on it.” And with that, the Old Caribou woke up. He checked the runestones to make sure that what he saw would come to pass. They spoke that what he saw would indeed come to pass. Against the protests of his tribebucks, he was adamant about heading south.

“There is nothing beyond the mountain range, Father,” his eldest son had told him. “Nothing, but endless wastelands.”

“The runestones told me to head south and south I go,” the Old Caribou had replied. “Besides, I heard tell from our merchants and traders that there is plenty of land down beyond the range. Cities full of them. I remember Olaf talking about a city made of crystal glass. He said even the ponies were made of crystal. If that doesn't reek of the prospect of adventure, then I don't know what does.”

His son put a hoof on his father's shoulder. “Even so, you are the village elder and soothsayer. We need you here more than some Southerners do. What if One-Eye's armies attack us? We'd have no warning nor chance to prepare ourselves. We need you, Father.”

The Old Caribou laughed at him. “You've been listening to your brother again. I told you before. The eldest son does not need to listen to the younger brother. You need to remember your place. Your place is above your brother. Not below him. Besides, I am old and I need some excitement. It would be nice to have different weather patterns for a change and to see the clear blue sky without a single cloud blocking it.”

He limped over to his son and motioned for him to pick up his staff and his saddlebags. His son picked it up with his teeth and the Old Caribou wrapped his foreleg around it. His son then picked up the saddlebags and draped them over his father's back. The Old Caribou looked his son in the eye and spoke the last words he could remember telling him before he departed. “You are head of the tribe until I return. Keep everydeer safe. Keep them fed. And don't worry about your brother. Let me worry about him while I am gone.” Before his son could respond, the Old Caribou interrupted him. “And don't worry about my safety. I am not meant to die on my journey. Not yet. I have seen my death. And it is far more disappointing than dying while fighting a mountain troll. Did you know that's how I wanted to die when I was younger? Gods above, I was foolish.” Using the staff to keep himself balanced, he hugged his son and left the shabby brown tent and left the camp and made his way through the wilderness. Eventually, he made it to the passage under the mountains that lead to the Southlands.

When he emerged from the passage under the mountains, the Old Caribou had arrived at the city of the Crystal Ponies, fittingly dubbed the Crystal Empire. He hadn't stayed long there, but he did find the buildings impressive. They were all made of sparkling crystal and were taller than the tallest trees. Olaf, who had done trading in this city before, had been correct in stating that even the Ponies were made of crystal. They had sparkled so brightly in the sun that the Old Caribou had been nearly blinded.

He heard that there was a Princess in this city, so clearly she's filling in for the King and Queen who are probably at the Capital city these Southerners call “Canterlot”. Strange name for a city. Obviously, the Unicorn with wings (or the Pegasus with the horn) was the queen and she was living at Canterlot while her daughter took care of this Crystal Empire. Or the Emperor or Empress were visiting Canterlot while their daughter took care of the homestead. Without a thought, and after refilling his supplies, the Old Caribou had set out from the Crystal Empire to the city of Canterlot.

That was nearly a month ago and he was sure that he had gotten lost a few times on the way. He had met only two or three of his fellow Caribou on the road to Canterlot. Very few were in this land. This uneven land. The whole place was wrong to the Old Caribou. The land was temperate, yet could shift on the whims of its inhabitants, these Southerners. At least, that was what he had heard about the land of Equestria. It was supposed to be Spring by this point and the Old Caribou had been looking forward to seeing his first true spring. To feel the heat of something other than a fire would have been wonderful, but apparently that was asking too much in this country.

At least the deep snow had been a pleasant source of nostalgia for the Old Caribou. The crunch of the snow under his cloven hooves had been the music he needed on his journey. Though the sporadic songs the Southerners had broken out into had been entertaining enough. Though he wasn't sure where the music they sang to had come from. That was the strange thing about this country: It was impossible.

As he walked up the snowy path around the bend in the mountains, he saw it in the distance: Canterlot. It was untouched by the snow piles around it. Gleaming white towers that seemed to be carved from marble. All standing on the end of a cliff that overlooked the entire kingdom. The Crystal Empire had been one thing, but this, this city was beautiful. Gleaming white buildings that were either skyscrapers made of metal or white marble. It was no wonder why this was the capital of the Southlands. He made his way up the path towards the city. His mission was nearly complete.

Book 1: Journey to the North: Chapter V: A Meeting of the Minds

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While the Old Caribou made his way towards the city, a meeting was going on in the palace of the Twin Princesses, Celestia and Luna. The palace stood on the end of a cliff overlooking the whole of Equestria. It was a symbol of the strength and unity of the three races. Of their willingness to come together and create a home for all of the races. It had endured much over the centuries since it was built, including an invasion of Changelings that threatened to drain the inhabitants of their emotions, leaving them dried husks. It was thanks to the six heroines of Equestria, and an extraordinary amount of luck, that the invasion was repelled and Equestria wasn't overrun by a swarm of Changelings.

Combined with a battle against Dark Magic Vines that once threatened, it seemed to Twilight that there was nothing she and her friends could not accomplish. So, it was understandable to everypony there that Twilight was incredibly frustrated that the yearly tradition of Winter Wrap-Up was being held because the weather decided to have a mind of its own and not allow the Ponies to carry it out. The only place something like this would happen would be in the Everfree Forest, a dark stretch of land where everything functioned without the input of Ponies.

Twilight sat at her assigned seat in the Palace council room. Beside her sat Rainbow Dash the sky-blue Pegasus, keeper of the Element of Loyalty, Pinkie Pie the bouncy Earth Pony and keeper of the Element of Laughter, Fluttershy, keeper of the Element of Kindness, Rarity the Unicorn and keeper of the Element of Generosity, and Applejack, keeper of the Element of Honesty. Along with her friends, Twilight was conversing with her former mentor, now colleague, Princess Celestia and her sister, Princess Luna. Right now, they were stumped as to what was causing the rebellious winter. So far, they had only come to one conclusion and that had already been disproven.

“You are quite sure Discord did not do it, Fluttershy,” Twilight asked while rubbing her eyes in exhaustion.

Fluttershy gave a small nod. “Yes. He promised me that the only things he had done recently was turn the Everfree Forest Polka Dotted, make the Buffalo near Appleloosa fly, and turn all the water in Equestria into grape soda. Aside from that, he hasn't caused the snow to remain here. I am certain of it.”

Applejack shook her head. “Ah dunno about that, Fluttershy. Ah know that Discord is your friend n' all, but Ah just don't trust him given his nature. He might be playin' ya.”

Fluttershy was taken aback by this. “Applejack, I am shocked you would ever think that,” her voice going up a few octaves. “Discord would never lie to me like that. Especially after the Dark Vines incident. He promised he was done endangering Equestria!”

This time it was Rainbow Dash's turn to speak up. “He was responsible for the Dark Vines in the first place! You know that!”

Celestia stomped her hoof against the council table. “Enough,” she commanded. “This gets us nowhere. Fluttershy, Rarity, you are in charge of the care and maintenance of the animals and their homes. What is their status?”

Fluttershy answered first, her voice getting higher and higher as she spoke. “All the animals are safely in hibernation for now. Though I'm afraid that if they don't wake up soon, their muscles will atrophy and then they won't be able to move or eat or... or...” Her voice trailed off as it degenerated into a high-pitched indiscernible whine.

Rarity patted Fluttershy on the back to calm her down. “Their homes are in good condition and have not been entirely overrun by the snow piles. So there is that bit of good news.”

“Applejack, what is the status of the cleanup across Equestria?”

Before Applejack could answer, Twilight's horn glowed as a pile of scrolls in front of her were levitated and spread across the table, one in front of the eight ponies seated around the table. The scrolls unraveled showing images of the various cities and towns across Equestria, all covered with snow.

Applejack sighed, “It is not going well. All the cities across Equestria have been trying to remove the snow with little to no success. Every time the crews get close to completely clearing a path, more snow immediately falls in its place, thus undoing all effort made. We even had Fluttershy contact Discord to try and make the snow non-existent. The same thing happened again. Except that an entire snow field fell right on top of him just as soon as the old one disappeared.”

“Twilight, have you determined what magical properties the snow may possess?”

Twilight shook her head. “That's just it. I've analyzed the snow again and again and all I've come up with is that... it's snow. Ordinary snow. Nothing more and nothing less. That leads me to believe that this is being caused by an outside force. The only thing we can do is try to figure out its cause.”

As the ponies began to converse further a black maned Unicorn Palace Guard trotted up the stairs. She halted and saluted. Celestia noticed her and smiled. “Ah, Captain Holiday. It is good to see you. How is everything outside?”

Captain Holiday, a recent graduate from the prestigious Hoof Point Military Academy, had risen well in the ranks. While she hadn't seen much in the way of battle, her tactical prowess, her magical ability and the strength of her telekinetic ability and shield magic had raised her well in the ranks. Right now, she was simply on guard patrol. Celestia had ordered her and the guards to notify her if there was any change in the snow outside.

Still at attention, Captain Holiday answered. “Your Highness, everything concerning the snow is normal as it can get. I came to tell you that an old Caribou is outside banging on the door with a stick and is demanding to speak to... our “king and/or queen”. He claims to be from the...” She paused for a moment as if considering what she was going to say next. “He claims to be from the Frozen North beyond the mountains that border the Crystal Empire. He says that if he doesn't have the chance to speak with our monarch, the entire world is doomed. His words, not mine, Your Highnesses.” She saluted again and stood still, awaiting Celestia's word.

Celestia's and Luna's eyes widened at the mention of “The Frozen North”. They looked at each other and at Twilight and her friends, all of whom were equally as shocked. The Frozen North, for a long time, had been merely a memory told to young fillies and colts as a bed time story at Hearth's Warming Eve. They had been sure that all the Ponies that had previously lived in the Frozen North had left it for good. None of them had even considered that anypony would have stayed there. To have done so would have meant a death sentence for anypony foolish enough to stay.

Celestia looked at Captain Holiday and nodded. “Send him in at once. We will all see him.”

From outside and below, a voice that sounded ancient and worn called out. “And it's about time I got some attention! Earthmaker help me, I thought you Southerners would at least have some respect for your elders or your guests as opposed to those cantakerous old so-and-sos back home!”

Twilight and company all looked over the balcony to see the gates opening and a pair of Unicorn and Pegasus guards attempting to help a pure white Caribou with strings of beads in his antlers through the gate. He promptly rapped them on their helmets with a staff he had wrapped his foreleg around. Even from a distance, they could still hear the old Elk. “Don't coddle me. I got here well enough on my own and I can walk the rest of the way to the palace on my own. Just because I'm old doesn't mean I'm helpless. You young folk today think we all need your help. Well maybe, some of us can take care of ourselves. And another thing...” His voice trailed off as Applejack chuckled to herself.

“Reminds me of Granny Smith. I'd like to see them butt heads.” Twilight smiled to herself. Granny Smith, Applejack's Grandmother and Matriarch of the Apple Family, was probably as old as this Caribou. Still, she was intrigued by the news that this Caribou came from the Frozen North. She had thought, logically, that all the inhabitants of the North had left in order to survive. While she knew that some Caribou lived in the mountains, she never thought they would have the strength to live beyond the mountains. She had to meet with this Caribou and ask him of life beyond the mountains.

After a few minutes of waiting, the faint sound of rambling came from the stairs above the clatter of cloven hooves and the steady tap of the staff on the marble staircase. After a few more minutes, the old Caribou was in the meeting hall and stood before Celestia, Luna, and Twilight. The Caribou slowly bowed before the three of them. “Your Majesty,” he said, addressing Celestia. “My name is Sven of the Northlands. I am Chief Shaman and Soothsayer of the Caribou Tribes. I come to you with a warning. The Northlands and indeed all the world is in great danger. If something is not done soon, I fear that my home and yours will burn.” As he continued on, Twilight remembered her dream. The blizzard, the old grey pony, and now a Northern Caribou with prophecies of fire. Little did Twilight know that this was only the beginning.

Book 1: Journey to the North: Chapter VI: Another Journey Begins

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At the same time the meeting was occurring between the Ponies and Sven, most of the staff of Castle Valhall were bustling with anticipation for the departure of Lady Skadi Friggsdotter and Týr Odinson, Princess and Prince of the North. While the servants packed the food supplies for the journey to the south mountain border, Skadi and Týr prepared their weapons along with Captain Heimdallr of the Wolf's Guard and General Rollo of the King's Army. The two old ponies were busy giving them the instructions for the journey south that the King himself couldn't be bothered to give. Týr looked up at the window belonging to King Odin. He wasn't disappointed. He'd gotten used to it. Odin had given them their mission and that was all he was required for. Why should he care enough to see them off?

Heimdallr removed his wolf head helm and rubbed at his scarred forehead before turning to Skadi. “My watch wolves have scouted out the area. There haven't been any Caribou sightings or sign of tracks. The predators shouldn't be out in the immediate area. However, I advise you to stick to the main road to the South, Your Highness. Don't take any short cuts. And remember what the King said: A violet Unicorn with wings. Stop at the inn nearest to the South Mountains. She will have to stop off there as well so you cannot miss her.”

Skadi nodded while brushing her snow white mane out of her eyes. “I think Týr and I will be fine, Captain. Nopony or Caribou will dare cross the children of Odin.”

General Rollo smiled and gave a chuckle. “That's what your father thought when he was your age, Milady. Why, I remember one time during the Caribou Wars, he and I were scouting an area for a campsite when suddenly...”

While Rollo went on with his story, Týr slung his broadsword, Varinn, across his back and draped his wolf skin cloak over him so that it cover his lame left foreleg. Skadi placed her spearhead cover over her short-spear, Jǫkull, and slid it into her saddle bags. Týr gave a small smile to himself as he watched his sister slip on her foreleg blades, her close combat melee weapons. While Skadi had been trained in spear fighting, she had decided that close quarters were more suited to her. She'd had these blades specifically made for her by the Pegasi blacksmiths allowing her to fight better than holding a spear in her teeth or in a saddlebag.

Týr, on the other hand, had been trained in swords by General Rollo. Even with his leg, Týr had learned how to overcome his disability by learning to always put pressure on his right foreleg and to never canter or his leg would suffer further damage.

As he stretched and flexed his leg, he heard General Rollo wrapping up his story. “...me tell you, your grandfather tanned our hides for that bit of stupidity. Anyway, stay to the path for the journey out and the return trip and everything will be fine. Believe me, your father would sleep better if he knew you were being cautious.

Týr gave a quiet snort in response to General Rollo's words of warning. It was irritating to be talked down to like a pair of foals by anypony of the court, but to be told this by General Rollo, their father's right hoof was the biggest insult of all.

Skadi, having heard the snort, glanced at Týr and rolled her eyes in agreement with her brother. “Being cautious” was the biggest indicator of the King's lack of faith in his own children. Skadi had proven herself as a more capable warrior than Baldr, their eldest brother, the first born... the favorite, and they were being told to “be cautious”. She had killed in battle. She was a huntress in the Wolf's Guard, not a helpless pup.

“It's only a week's journey, General,” She replied. “Caution won't be required on an escort trip like this.” She hefted her saddle bags on her back and motioned for Týr to do the same as she walked to the gates.

Týr turned back to Heimdallr and General Rollo and gave a nod to them. Heimdallr gave a salute and Rollo smiled and nodded back. As Týr turned to join his sister, he heard a voice behind him. “Týr! Týr, wait!” Týr turned around to see a bright green Unicorn mare trotting up to him with a smile on her lips. She threw her forelegs around Týr in a tight hug leaving him stunned.

The young mare pulled back and gave him a big smile. “You didn't think I would let my big brother and sister leave without saying goodbye, did you?” She leaned past Týr and smiled at Skadi and waved. Skadi returned it with a half-hearted wave. Kelda beamed at her.

“Father is sorry that he couldn't come and see you both off, but he is busy preparing for the Morning Council meeting. Be safe. Please?” Her smile grew until it seemed to encompass her face. Týr felt uncomfortable just looking at it.

Týr gave a small smile at Kelda. “Thank you for coming, Kelda. Skadi and I will be fine. We will be back in a couple weeks. Take care of father and tell Baldr when he comes back that Skadi and I... were thinking of him when we left.” Kelda's smile softened.

Týr gave her a kiss on the forehead, being careful to avoid the horn and turned to join Skadi. As they exited the gates and made their way to the tunnel leading out of the ring of mountains, Týr turned to Skadi.

“Why didn't you say goodbye to her?”

Skadi kept her eyes on the path ahead. “She knows how I feel. No need to say anything.”

Týr rolled his eyes. “She is our sister, you know that.”

Skadi gave a small “ha”. “Adopted. She is adopted.”

Týr rolled his eyes, shook his head, and trudged onwards through the tunnel.

In his chambers, King Odin watched his children depart from Valhall. He really was sorry that he did not see them off, but he felt his debriefing them was more than enough. Besides, it was as Kelda had said. He had preparations for the Morning Council. However, that raised a question: If his General and his Captain of the Wolf's Guard, both Council Members, could see his children off, why couldn't their own father? He turned from the window and his eyes came to rest on the answer: His crown.

Inherited from King Bor, the crown signified everything he was meant to live up to. The crown was designed as if it were a tangle of trees with a pine tree of gold at the front, ornamented by a pair of wings. The pine tree had a triangle of three jewels embedded in it. The first at the top point was a ruby, symbolizing the Earth Ponies. The second one at the left point was a sapphire, symbolizing the Pegasi. The third point was a diamond, symbolizing the Unicorns. The crown had been smithed in the fires of the Pegasi forges especially for the High King of the North. And now it was his crown. His responsibility. And soon it would be Baldr's crown. His to wear upon his brow. Now if only his son could prove his worthiness to wear it.

Odin sighed and placed the crown upon his brow. Adjusting his raven feather cloak about him, he glanced at himself in the mirror. He was about to leave when he remembered his eye patch. Placing it over his empty eye socket, he looked at himself in the mirror one last time. Now he was the spitting image of Odin, King and Warden of the North. Protector of Pony Kind. Slayer of Ymir the White. Now he was what his people required of him: A King. Not a father.

He departed, all thoughts of children and family leaving his mind, replaced with matters of court and politics. Týr and Skadi would be fine. The Winged Unicorn could not have asked for better bodyguards.

Book 1: Journey to the North: Chapter VII: Negotiations

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At the same time, far to the east, Baldr, the firstborn son of Odin was leaving the Diamond Fort of Lord Mund. He had been a guest of the good Noblepony for the past three days in an attempt to negotiate a deal with him. In recent months, the normally complacent Lord Mund had become more and more aggressive with the Earth Pony Clans and nopony could understand why. His soldiers and sublords had been expanding their designated territories, both mining and residential, onto Earth Pony lands.

Most of the expanded territories hadn't been on the lands of Earth Pony Lords, but onto Earth Pony farms. Minor farmers had been forced off of their own lands by soldiers of Lord Mund. Baldr had been sent to discuss terms with Mund so that both parties could come to an agreement and be happy.

For the first day, Mund had not sent for Baldr. The only contact Baldr'd had was with Mund's son, Freyr. The second day, he met Lady Dia, Mund's wife. She assured him that her husband would be by to speak with him shortly. It wasn't until later that night that Baldr had met Lord Mund. The bronze coated Unicorn had sat on his elevated throne so that he could look down upon Baldr. The conversation hadn't started well either.

“And to what do I owe the honor of the presence of the future King of the North,” his voice dripping with obvious disdain and sarcasm.

Baldr cleared his throat and held his head high. “Lord Mund, I have been sent by my father, King Odin, Fourth of his Name and...”

“Yes, yes, yes, I know the titles, Your Highness. Please. Just tell me what is going on here.”

Baldr knew Mund was baiting him. He knew of Mund's hatred for his family and that to bow down to the Crown Prince was irritating to him. Still, that did not excuse the insolence of this Unicorn Mining Lord. But Baldr would take it. He would shoulder the burden like a true leader would. Mund would be dealt with when Baldr was formally crowned. But for now, he would let the Unicorn Lord have his fun.

Baldr cleared his throat. “As I was saying: Your sublords have been expanding your overall territory into Earth Pony Lands. Many farmer ponies have been uprooted from their lands and I have been told that mining on those lands has begun. Lord Mund, I beg of you. Please withdraw your troops from our lands. Please. Our people need their homes. They need to prepare their crops for the Spring Harvest. The mines in the mountains should be more than enough to sustain the Unicorn Lands and the North as a whole. Please, consider this.”

Mund sat back in his throne and pondered for a minute. Finally, he answered.

“Why should I? Give me a reason why I should remove my soldiers.”

Baldr face gave a brief flash of anger at Mund's insolence. He had come in peace with a plea for basic decency and concern for the citizens of the North and their homes. Fortunately, he and his father had planned for this eventuality. He had offered the carrot and now it was time to extend the stick.

“If you do not remove your soldiers from Earth Pony lands, then the Royal Army will arrest every single Unicorn soldier that remains by the next full moon. They will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and imprisoned. Also, if any Earth Pony citizen has been harmed or killed by the Unicorn Soldiers, they will hung by the neck until dead like common criminals. That is the reason why you should remove your soldiers from Earth Pony lands.”

Lord Mund's face remained unchanged for a few minutes. Finally, he answered Baldr in a calm and collected voice. “Tell your father that the troops will be removed from Earth Pony Lands by the end of the week. And that I was unaware of the expansions onto your lands. That is my answer.” Baldr smiled and gave a bow and departed the throne room.

Later that day, Mund watched the Crown Prince depart from the Diamond Fort, his face a mask of fury. The arrogant colt had the audacity to come to his home and threaten his troops with violence and death. He may have been the King's chosen heir, but the throne rightfully belonged to Freyr. In fact, the whole of the North belonged to the Unicorns.

Originally, the North had been ruled by the Unicorns after the departure of the three rulers, starting with King Odin the First. The Unicorns had kept power by using their near limitless wealth to buy the loyalty of the various lords and ladies of the North. However, when the last Queen of the North died with no heirs, that left a power vacuum. All three races clashed on the battlefield in order to take control of the North and the capital, Valhall.

Eventually, the Unicorns nearly won the war with the help of Mund's Great Uncle, Canute the Tall. However, Bor the First, Odin's father, appeared with an army of Pegasi, Earth Ponies, and Caribou warriors and took the throne from Canute. He had claimed that a soothsayer had told him that it was his divine right from the four Gods, Vidarr, Vali, Modi, and Magni. He allowed Mund's father to retain control of the Diamond Fort and the mines as long as he swore fealty to him and his family.

His father had agreed and Bor's rule of the North was complete. Mund had always resented his father for bowing down so quickly to Bor, but what really annoyed him was Bor's naming of his second son. Odin was originally the name of three of the greatest rulers of the North. It was a name that deserved to belong to a Unicorn ruler, not an ordinary Earth Pony!

“The nerve of that brat, my Lord. Threatening you and your soldiers like that. Do not worry, you will make him and his father pay for his insolence.”

Mund turned around to come face to face with a bright red unicorn wearing a black cloak. He smiled at the newcomer.

“Ah, Skult. Thank you for coming by on short notice.”

Skult had arrived at the Diamond Fort a few months before, claiming to have information about the locations of untapped jewels for the Fort's coffers. The information had turned out to be correct and Mund had made Skult his right hoof pony in terms of the matters of court.

Skult smiled and bowed to Mund. “As your councillor and advisor, I am at your beck and call. I apologize for not being present during your audience with the Prince, but I was busy looking over the layout for the new mines to see our progress.”

“No, no, my friend, it is fine. I could handle the Prince myself. Besides, I am eager to know if we are coming closer to you fulfilling your promise of a brand new army to help me take back the usurper's throne.”

Skult nodded. “We are, my Lord. By tomorrow we should have the right amount of jewels to be able to buy the loyalty of the Valkyrie Pegasi and the Caribou tribes. With their help, you will have the Throne of Valhall... Your Majesty.”

Those words were music to Mund's ears. “Your Majesty”. They sounded so... perfect. It was his rightful title. Not “Lord Mund of the Diamond Fort”, but “King Mund the First"! He would rule the North as was his birthright. Had Canute not been killed in battle, it was likely that the throne would have eventually passed to Mund. It would all be his soon enough.

He turned to Skult and waved him away. Skult bowed and trotted off. Mund stood on the battlements of the Diamond Fort and survey his future kingdom. The Diamond Fort was the perfect fortress to rule from. Diamond shaped and, like diamonds, its walls were impenetrable. Soon, he would have the whole North.

“Hear me, Odin! Royal blood courses through my veins. I won't be denied! I will reclaim my rightful throne. From realms beyond this waking world, I swear! I will rend your flesh from bone!”

That night, when all in the Diamond Fort had gone to sleep, a single Unicorn was making his way through the frozen landscape to the mines at the foot of the mountains. Wearing his black cloak, Skult made sure that nopony was following him or was even aware of his presence. When he reached the entrance to the mining tunnels and was quite sure that he was alone, a change came over the Unicorn. He stood up on his hind legs which lengthened, the hooves changing into normal shoes and hands. His bright red coat turned into normal everyday clothing. His mane retained its bright red and orange color and changed into normal hair. His muzzle changed into a human face with hawkish features. When the changes were complete, Skult was gone and in his place stood Loki, the God of Mischief.

Loki stretched out his limbs and made his way down the tunnels. He snapped his fingers and a bright ball of light appeared out of thin air in front of him. As he wandered down the tunnels, he smiled to himself. Manipulating Mund had been easy for him. The Unicorn Lord already had the greed and the thirst for power, all he had to do was point him in the right direction. Mund had served his purpose and the mines that had been dug in Earth Pony lands would not be filled up over night, so he had time to utilize them.

When he got to the end of the tunnel, he came out into a massive cavern. It was the most recent and it contained what Loki was looking for. It had taken a lot of doing to hide this particular find from Mund, but he had succeeded.

At the very end of the cavern was something nopony had ever seen. Encased in the stone was an Jötunn. 10 feet tall with pale blue skin and a white beard, the Jötunn towered over Loki. Its eyes were open, but were completely blank, staring off into space. For all intents and purposes, the Jötunn was dead, having been covered in lava millennia ago during the final battle of Ragnarök. It was a relic of the old world, perfectly preserved in a state of being trapped between life and death. However, Loki had planned for this.

He walked up to the Jötunn and placed one hand on an area of open skin and the other on the stone prison that held the Jötunn. He closed his eyes and began chanting one word over and over. “Rise”. Over and over for nearly an hour, Loki chanted, directing all his energy into the Jötunn. Heat emanated from his hands, flowing into the stone and the Jötunn. And always, he chanted that single word: Rise.

Suddenly, he felt something from the Jötunn's skin. It was faint, but he was sure that he felt a pulse. Continuing the chant, he looked up at the Jötunn's face and saw wisps of cold air coming from the its open mouth. Loki smiled and stepped away from the Jötunn. It was time to wake up.

As the Jötunn began to stir, the cavern around him shuddered as the giant tried to pull itself out of the cavern wall. The walls cracked as muscles tightened and strained against the stone bonds. With a thunderous CRACK the Jötunn pulled himself out of the wall. He stretched his limbs and let out a loud groan before eyeing Loki.

“Who are you?”

Loki drew himself up and held his head high. “I am Loki Laufeyjarson, God of Mischief and Kin of Ymir. It is I that have awakened you from your eternal sleep. And it is I that shall lead you and our kin to victory over the inhabitants of this new world. Will you join me... What is your name?”

For a moment, the Jötunn scrutinized Loki. He walked over to him and stared him down. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the Jötunn stood back and kneeled to Loki. “Braenr. My name is Braenr, my Lord. Command me, Lord Loki.”

Loki smiled. Now he had a follower. “Come, Braenr. We must find our brethren.”

Braenr nodded and stood beside Loki. With a gesture, Loki opened up a tear in the air and motioned for Braenr to follow. Soon, he would have his army. Soon, the North would fall to him. Soon.

Book 1: Journey to the North: Chapter VIII: Journey to the North

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Twilight was walking about in a forest covered in pure white snow. Unlike her previous snow dream which had instilled a sense of loneliness and isolation, this dream filled her with peace and serenity. The way the snow highlighted the green pine trees gave her a sense of Déjà vu, like she had been here before. Like she was meant to be here.

As she walked through the forest, she thought she heard the sound of a raven calling in the distance. She looked around to see where the call was coming from. She heard it again. This time it sounded like it was coming from behind her. She turned around to see nothing but snow and trees blocking the way she came. Her eyes narrowed and her horn began to glow as she readied a defensive spell in case she was trotting into a trap. Twilight had been in these situations before and she was not going to be caught unaware.

She heard the raven call behind her again. She spun around and let loose a blast of magical energy that felled a tree. Her eyes darted back and forth, the peace and serenity gone from her mind, as she looked for the raven.

For a few minutes, silenced passed. The raven call did not sound out, but Twilight's ears were trained for the raven's call should it sound again. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, the call sounded again. She spun around and her eyes met the raven's. Or at least her eyes met the raven's one good eye. The other eye was just an empty socket. But what made Twilight uneasy was that there was no exposed flesh. No sign that the eye had been removed. Nothing. Just a black void. No flesh, no bone. Nothing.

Twilight forced herself to stop staring into the socket and instead focused her attention on the whole of the raven. It was black with gray feathers and its beak was visibly scraped. Its talons were covered in dried blood, the sight of which made Twilight a little nauseous. She then noticed what the raven was standing on. It was a pony skull, bleached white. The talons were gripping the rim of the skull's eye socket.

Twilight backed away slowly and turned around to find the Raven alighting itself upon a tree branch, still staring into Twilight. Twilight flared her horn up in warning to the Raven, but it didn't move an inch.

Twilight couldn't take it anymore and just asked it, “What do you want?”

“More,” the Raven replied. It then looked around at the snow covered forest. “I want more.”

“More land? More trees?”

The Raven looked back at Twilight and answered again. “More.”

Twilight was getting annoyed with this. “Fine. Don't give me an answer. Whatever. I'm out of here.” If this Raven wasn't going to give her any answers, then she wasn't going to spend anymore time in this dream than she had to. She turned around to leave, but was surprised to see two ponies emerging from the trees.

Her horn flared in anticipation for a fight, but the two ponies just stopped and stared at her. She stared back, gauging the two ponies. The oldest of them was a sky blue mare with a snowy white mane tied in a long braid, draped over her left side. The younger was a stallion, a year or two older than Twilight, with a tan coat and a brown mane that had been cut and shaved into a very short mohawk. He also wore what looked like the pelt of a wolf draped over his left foreleg.

She noticed couple other things about the pair. The first was that upon the stallion's back, he carried a sword wrapped in oilskin. The other thing she noticed were their eyes. The stallion's eyes were hard, angry, and completely centered upon her. The mare's eyes frightened her the most however. They were completely devoid of emotion of any kind. Happiness, sadness, anger, nothing was seen in her eyes, but cold emptiness.

Twilight was about to back away and find another way out of the clearing when the Raven alighted on the mare's back and turned to face her.

“In four days, you shall meet my children,” it said, gesturing to the two ponies with its wings. “It is time. Awaken.”

With a jolt, Twilight sat up in bed and looked about the room. The forest was gone and around her was a room of crystal and glass. She sighed and got out of bed and trotted over to the window and gazed out at the city of the Crystal Empire, home of her sister-in-law Princess Cadence and brother, Shining Armor.

Twilight and her friends had been at the Empire for the past two days after spending a full day traveling to the Empire the day Sven arrived at Canterlot. They had been welcomed with great pomp and revelry from the citizens and happiness from Cadence and Shining Armor. For two days, they had been exploring the city and learning about its history, as well as catching up with Cadence and Shining Armor. They had meant to only spend half the day there before leaving, but Cadence and Shining Armor had insisted they spend a few days there before continuing their journey. Twilight had accepted of course. She hadn't had much time to visit her former foalsitter/sister-in-law nor her big brother thanks to recent events.

The last couple of days had been good. Exploring the city, seeing the preparations for the Equestria Games, and Spike's reaction to finding out that thanks to his part in restoring the Crystal Empire, he was a national hero to the Crystal Ponies. And as a result, he had been sleeping in the palatial suite next to Twi's. Now it was time to wake him up and burst his bubble and prep him for the big journey.

At breakfast, Twilight explained everything about her dream to Cadence, Shining Armor, Spike, and the rest of her friends. She explained the One-Eyed Raven and the appearance of the two ponies at the end.

“I think the Raven was meant as a sort of allegorical reference to another pony. Probably their father.”

Sven trotted up with a large tray of food from the kitchen and sat beside her. “Aye, that would be King Odin Borson. King of the North and central figure of the three Pony tribes. He bares the Raven Claw as his mark.” He began chowing down on his breakfast with vigor while the others watched in fascination. Nopony expected the old Caribou to have an appetite that large. Eventually, Cadence cleared her throat.

“Ahem. You were saying about his 'mark' and him being 'King of the North'?”

Sven swallowed his food and looked at Cadence. “Oh, right. His mark. Well, as you know, all ponies have marks. Odin's is a Raven claw with a spear. And yes, he is King of the North. Preceded by his father, King Bor the First, also known as Bor the Conquerer. Funny thing, I thought your countries were monarchies. What happened to your Kings and Queens?”

Twilight looked at Cadence and Shining Armor with a puzzled look. That was a question they had never been asked before by anypony. As long as they had been alive, Princess Celestia, and recently, Princess Luna, had been the rulers. They had never thought of why Celestia wasn't a Queen or why Cadence wasn't an Empress. It just hadn't occurred to them to ask why.

“I... I don't think we ever had any in Equestria,” Twilight answered.

“Huh,” Sven replied. “Might want to fix that. Could help with uniting your people against invaders. Like those Changelings that attacked your wedding,” he said motioning to Cadence and Shining Armor.

Cadence cleared her throat. “Umm, do you have Changelings in the North?”

Sven let out a burp before answering. “Nah. Just wolves, bears, and trolls.”

Applejack asked the next question. “Umm, did ya say “Trolls”?”

Sven nodded as he drank a cup of cider. “Mmhmm. A bit taller than the average pony and strong as all get out. Though they usually stick to the mountains. So we don't have to worry about them attacking us.” He slurped the rest of the down, not noticing the uneasy looks the ponies were giving him.

That afternoon, outside the gates of the Crystal Empire, Twilight looked over her friends as they made the final adjustments to their luggage and supplies for the journey. Applejack was in charge of the food, Rarity was in charge of their extra layers to wear in the North (And Spike was in charge of carrying the layers), Fluttershy was in charge of the tents, and Pinkie Pie was in charge of the fire kits. Rainbow Dash would be the scout and Sven would be the guide for the group.

They said their goodbyes to Shining Armor and Cadence, with Shining Armor giving Twi a bear hug that took the breath out of her.

Before letting go, he whispered in her ear. “Be careful, Twiley.”

Twilight hugged him back and whispered, “Don't worry. We'll be fine.”

As they trotted up the path away from the city towards the mountains, Sven held back a bit to talk to Twilight.

“So, those two ponies you saw in your dream. You're sure that they were the Raven's children?”

Twilight nodded. “He referred to them as his children. You know their names?”

Sven nodded in return. “Aye, many a caribou know of the three children of Old King One Eye.” He turned back towards the path and continued trudging forward.

“Three? I only saw two.”

“Which ones did you see? Describe them for me.”

“Well, one was a mare with a blue coat, a long white braided mane, and...” She closed her eyes and thought for a moment. “Oh, and she had a pair of foreleg blades.”

Sven gave a small smile. “That'd be Skadi, Huntress of the North. Second born of King One Eye. She's a fierce warrior. One of the deadliest. When you meet her, do not get on her bad side. Trust me.”

“You met her?”

Sven shook his head. “No. But I've seen her... handiwork.”

A bit of color left Twilight's face after hearing that last word. “Handiwork”.

Sven continued on. “What about the other one?”

Twilight described the other pony and Sven nodded. “Aye, that would be Týr, third born of the King. Also known as the Whelp of the Wolves.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Why is he called that?”

Sven gave a shrug. “Dunno. Never asked him. From what I heard he took on a pack when he was a young colt. You might be able to ask him for the full story when we meet them.”

“Why have you never met them before?”

“Oh, it's simple: Caribou hardly ever go beyond our territory.”

“Why is that,” Twilight asked.

Sven smiled. “Long story, Princess. Best to be told around a fire. Come on. We got a long way to go.” He motioned forward towards the base of the mountains they were heading towards.

Directly in front of them was a gaping cave that seemed to be carved out of the mountainside. Ten feet high and wide with jagged rocks and icicles adorning the edges. To Twilight, it looked like a mouth that was about to swallow the ponies whole. And it was a bit intimidating. Sven looked at Twi and gave a gap toothed grin.

“Not scared, are ya, Princess?” He gave a chuckle as he looked around at the Ponies and Spike, all stopped in their tracks.

Twilight looked at him and back at the cave entrance. If they went through this cave, that would officially begin their journey. They would be leaving Equestria and would be in unknown territory. They could die if they went through that cave... But it wasn't about their safety. It was for the sake of Equestria. They had to head into the North.

Twilight straightened herself up and motioned to her seven companions. “It's time. Let's get going, everypony.” And thus, Twilight trotted through the cave entrance followed closely by her companions and began her first hoofsteps into the North.

In the North itself, a falcon that was sleeping in a pine tree raised its head. It looked around as if it had heard a noise in the distance. Something was coming. Something was, what was the word, returning to the North. The falcon had to find out who it was. It had to know. With a gleam in its eye, the falcon took flight and headed towards the southern border of the North.

Book 1: Journey to the North: Chapter IX: A Meeting of Fate

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It had been a full day since the eight travelers had entered the mountain tunnel. For the most part, it had been a pretty uneventful journey. They had stopped whenever Twilight called for a meal break, building a fire out of the tinder they had brought along with them, and boiling fruit and vegetable soup. Sven had argued against wasting their water and food supplies on three meals in a single day, arguing that they should conserve supplies for when they actually reach the North.

“Trust me,” he said. “When we actually get there, you will wish that you had listened to me.”

Twilight had argued that they needed the food breaks to keep their stamina up, but Sven stated that if they just ate one big meal and took small sips from the waterskins, the journey would be quicker. He had also requested that Pinkie not do anymore songs to lighten up the mood as it added several minutes to their journey, including the dance numbers.

It made no difference in the end as they made it to the end of the tunnel. They noticed that there was an increase in winds and more snow flying in their faces than before. Finally, Twilight saw the light at the end of the tunnel. The ponies all trotted forward to be the first ones to see the North for the first time.

They were hit full in the face by a blizzard. When their eyes adjusted and looked past the blinding flurry of snow, they were greeted with a sight to behold. The North.

Stretching far to the horizon was snow, pine trees, hills, valleys, and smaller mountains than the ones that surrounded the landscape. It was unlike anything the seven southerners had ever seen before. It was... pure snow. What little green poked through the white was rare and almost nowhere to be seen.

Twilight was shook out of her surprise by the sound of Sven's staff tapping in sync with his hoofsteps. “Quite a sight, ain't it.”

Twilight nodded. “So... this is where you came from?”

Sven smiled and nodded in return. “This cold place is my home. The North.”

Rainbow spoke up next. “So that's really all you call it? The North? Why? I mean, it's such a bland name.”

“Indeed, Mr. Sven,” Rarity agreed. “There's no flair to it. Nothing to make it stand out. North is a direction. Not a location.”

“What would you call it,” Sven asked.

“I dunno,” Rainbow Dash replied. “Something other than a direction? Now come on! Let's get moving!” She broke into a careful run down the side of the mountain, followed by Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Spike, and finally Fluttershy. Twilight remained at the mouth of the tunnel, taking in the sight of the North.

“Amazing, isn't it? The thought that life could be up here? Never thought it possible, did ya?”

Twilight nodded. “We never knew. Is “the North” really the name of this country?”

Sven smiled. “Well, after the traders discovered the presence of Ponyfolk down South, it seemed appropriate. You could say that it began as a nickname that just stuck.”

Twilight looked down at Sven. “So, does it have a real name?”

Sven smiled. “It had a few. But there was one that stuck around for a while. Only a few of the Elder Caribou really speak it anymore.”

“What was it?”

Sven looked up at the sky. “It was called... Midgard. Forgot what it meant a long time ago. But the name always stuck with me. Don't know why. Now, come on. Your friends are waiting.” He motioned with his staff down towards the bottom where Twilight's friends were indeed waiting. Twilight nodded and smiled and made her way down the mountainside, being careful not to fly in the blizzard.

The storm died down after the first night in the North. The Ponies limited their stops to breakfast, lunch, and dinner, cutting out water breaks, as most of the water they had brought was beginning to freeze. The days were cold and the nights were freezing. They slept close to the fires, making sure to keep their wrappings tight around them. They still hardly got any sleep due to the cold and Rarity's complaining about their situation did not help matters. Twilight began to wonder if the old Caribou really did know where they were going and if they were going to miss meeting the Raven's children.

Three days after entering the North, the storm started back up again and this time it was thicker than before. Rainbow Dash tried flying upwards past the storm to get a better look above the cloud line. She was immediately flung far to the back of the group. They all had to go back for her before continuing on. And then they lost the last of the food supplies they had brought to the winds. To make matters even worse, the layers they had on were hardly doing anything to fight against the cold.

Twilight lost sight of Sven for a while due to the old Caribou's white fur. It was only thanks to the beads and feathers upon his antlers that she managed to catch sight of him again. She was about to run up to him when Spike stumbled up to her.

“We're going in circles,” he yelled at Twilight over the wind. “We gotta be!”

Twilight grabbed Spike and hefted him on her back. She ran up to where she was certain Sven was walking. As she caught up to him, she called out. “Where are we going?

“An inn! It's about a three day trot from the border! We're nearly there!”

“How do you know that?! We could be going in circles!”

“Can't be! I know this land! I can feel where I'm going! We Caribou were born of the North! We are part of the land! We never get lost!”

“Well, maybe we are! We can't go on for much longer!”

She saw Sven smile. “What? What is it?”

“The wind is coming from the north! We are heading that direction! I can smell cooked meats on the wind! We are nearing the inn!”

Twilight was about to respond when she suddenly caught the whiff as well. They were nearing the inn. She turned to see the girls struggling against the winds and gave a call to them.

“We're nearly there! We're nearly there!”

After what seemed like an hour, the travelers finally saw a light in the distance. When they got close enough, they finally saw the inn itself. It was a two story building that looked to be made out of pine logs. It had a signpost on the outside that had the words “Border Inn” etched into them, as if a knife had been used instead of a paint brush.

Entering it, they all saw that the inner decor matched the sign. It smelled of various forms of awful, both bodily and food wise. Ponies of various races and genders filled the dining area. They all looked angry to see visitors, though Twilight guessed that was because of the cold air they were letting in. It may have smelled, but at least the air was nice and warm.

Twilight gave a smile in response and looked around for a free table. There was one nearest to the door and it was a good size for the travelers. She motioned to the girls and Spike and Sven to sit. They took their seats with Sven and Spike sitting on either side of Twi. Twilight turned to the girls.

“So, we are here. We will have to see about getting rooms for the night. We will leave in the morning and keep heading North to their capital. We will have see about restocking our food supplies or we will starve. And we need fire wood or we will freeze in case we cannot find shelter. Sven, you know the way to the capital, right?”

Sven smiled. “Aye, I do. But I will not be guiding you from here on out.”

Everypony and Spike turned to Sven in shock. “What do you mean you won't be guiding us anymore,” Rarity asked.

“Yeah,” Fluttershy said. “I mean, we haven't been bad company have we?”

“Is it the songs,” Pinkie asked. “Because if it is, I can cut it down to one song a day.”

Sven gave a lop-sided grin. “Now, girls, it isn't anything against you. This is just where my dreams have led me. I've followed the signs as a soothsayer should. And this is where my guidance has ended.”

“What do ya mean, “where yer dreams have led ya”,” Applejack asked raising a skeptical eyebrow.

“I mean what I said. My dreams led us to this inn for three days and now we are here. In fact, your final guides should be coming through the door right about... now.”

They all turned to the door, expecting somepony to come through it. It did not budge. They all turned to Sven who shrugged.

“Huh. Must have been off by a few minutes.”

As soon as he said that the door swung open. Everypony at the table turned to see a pair of Earth Ponies walk through the door frame. One was a stallion. The other was a mare. The mare was blue and the stallion was tan. Twilight's eyes widened in recognition. It was them. The mare and stallion from her dream. The mare wore a cloak of white fur while the stallion wore his cloak of black.

They looked around until their eyes fell upon Twilight and the gang. They approached Twilight and stopped in front of her. The stallion looked her up and down before looking back at her.

“You are the Southern Princess,” he asked in an accent that seemed to be a reminiscent of the accents of Shetland Ponies from the North-Eastern Mountains of Equestria.

Twilight nodded. “I am Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria. These are-”

“Týr,” the stallion interrupted. The mare and he knelt foreword and bowed their heads. “Prince Týr of Valhall, third born of King Odin Borson. This is my sister Princess Skadi Friggsdotter, second born of King Odin. We are here to protect you and your...” Týr looked up and scanned Twilight's friends before settling on Sven, his eyes settling into a glare. “Companions for the remainder of the journey. We will protect you, guide you, and if necessary kill to protect you.”

Skadi looked at Twilight's friends. “I will be honest, we were not expecting you to bring company.”

Pinkie poked her head up from behind Twilight. “Where Twilight goes, we go.”

The other ponies nodded in agreement.

“Definitely,” Rainbow Dash chimed in. “We stick together. No matter what.”

Týr turned to Skadi who just shrugged her shoulders with indifference.

“Their choice. Their decision. No sending them back now.” Her eyes settled on Spike. “We were also not expecting you to have a pet dragon with you.”

Spike stood up on the bench, his face indignant. “Hey, I am nopony's pet! I'm Spike and I am Twilight's number one assistant!”

Skadi and Týr were actually surprised by this retort. “And it talks too,” Skadi said, her eyes betraying amusement. “Southerners are full of surprises after all, little brother.”

Týr nodded and turned to Twilight. “We will spend the night here. Skadi and I will procure the rooms for the night. Tomorrow we will get supplies and head North to Valhall. Is that good, your Highness?”

Twilight nodded. “Also-”

“You will follow our instructions to the letter. You will not dispute with us. You will stop to eat when we say it is time to eat. You will sleep when we say it is time to sleep. You will not dispute us. Is that clear?”

Twilight's eyes narrowed. “Yes, but I do want you to know that if anypony here cannot trek onwards for whatever reason, we stop and wait for them to recuperate. Also, we go at a reasonable pace, no needless rushing. Got it?”

Týr's eyes narrowed at this response. But he nodded. “Very well, Your Highness. There is one last thing: He must not accompany us to Valhall.” He said this while pointing at Sven with venom in his eyes.

Twilight's widened. “What?! Why not?”

Skadi answered this time. “By order of King Odin, no Caribou is to set hoof in Valhall until the day Winter ends forevermore. He is forbidden to accompany us.”

Rainbow Dash slammed her hoof down on the table. “Like Tartarus he is! We go, he goes as well!”

“Out of the question,” Týr said, his voice rising. “He cannot accompany us!”

“Why not,” Applejack asked with a glare. “Why can't an old harmless caribou come with us? What is the problem with that?!”

Twilight looked around her to find that not only were her friends preparing for a fight, but that their argument had been noticed by the other patrons who were staring at them with obvious disgust. Now Twilight understood why they hadn't been very happy to see them. They all wanted Sven gone. And Twilight understood what she had to say.

“ENOUGH!”

Everypony stopped and turned to her.

“We are not starting this portion of the journey like this. Nopony here is going to start trading blows! You got it?”

They all backed down after that.

Twilight turned to Sven. “Sven, I'm sorry, but if them bringing us to Valhall means you have to be left behind, then I think this is where you should be left behind.”

Sven smiled and nodded. “Very well then. Like I said before these two fine youngsters came in, this is as far as I go as your guide. It was my intention from the get go. Valhall is no place for Caribou.”

“But why not,” Rarity asked.

“Well, it might have something to do with a war we started about.... 30 or 40 years ago.”

The table went silent. Sven took a swig from his water skin and smiled. “And that is a looooong story, my friends. One that I am sure these two can explain.”

Before anypony could ask what he meant, Sven stood up, his walking stick in hoof, gave one last smile and made his way to the door. “Tonight, I shall sleep under the stars.” When he reached the door he turned and bowed to Skadi and Týr. “Take care of the girls. They will need it. Oh, and Twilight, one last bit of advice: Don't trust falcons. They are a tricky bunch. Just something I thought you should know. Came to me in a dream.” With that, he opened the door and made his way out into the cold.

The room was silent as the rest of the bar patrons went back to their drinks and food. Twilight looked at Týr and narrowed her eyes. “Anything else? Or is Spike's presence going to be a problem for you?”

Týr looked slightly taken aback by this attitude. But Twi was not going to budge any further on this. Finally, he nodded. “Everything is in order. Skadi and I will take care of the lodgings for the night. Get a full night's sleep. We leave at first light. And we mean first light.”

Skadi walked by Týr and motioned for him to follow her to the bar. As they left, Rarity scrutinized them.

“Well, I see that the Northern Ponies do not consider teaching their children manners a priority.”

Spike nodded, glaring at Skadi. “Calling me a pet. I'll show her who's a pet!”

Twilight watched as the siblings walked over to the bar. She couldn't be sure, but it looked to her as if Týr was limping on the leg that his wolf cloak covered. She shook her head. In the low light of the fireplace, she could be seeing things.

Later that night, Twilight lay in bed tossing and turning in the wooden bed. Týr and Skadi had rented all the rooms on the top floor with Twilight, Fluttershy and Applejack sharing the center room, Rainbow Dash, Skadi, Pinkie Pie and Rarity sharing the one on the left, and Týr and Spike sharing the room to right. The beds were not comfortable. At all. The beds were made of tree logs that still had branches that were long enough to poke through the straw mattress into her back. Fluttershy and Applejack were asleep and how they managed that, Twilight did not know.

She was finally about to fall asleep when she heard something in Týr and Spike's room. It sounded like... Singing. It sounded like Týr was singing.

This will never end

'Cause I want more

More, give me more

Give me more

If I had a heart, I could love you

If I had a voice, then I would sing

After the night when I wake up

I'll see what tomorrow brings

Ahhhhhhh Ahhhhhhh

If I had a voice, then I would sing.

That was the last thing Twilight heard before she finally drifted off to sleep.

Book 1: Journey to the North: Chapter X: Morning Council

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It was the morning after the meeting of Princess Twilight, Týr, and Skadi. A raven had flown for two days after spotting Princess Twilight and her entourage on the second day of their journey into the North to bring the news to the lofts of spymasters Hunin and Mugin, the Raven Twins. Odin had been informed of the approach of the Princess by his spymasters and had called his council. General Rollo and the Earth Pony Sublords of the North, Lords Rolf, Floki, Baard, Geiri, and Lady Ylva. They were all assembled and sitting at the council table with Odin sitting at the head. However, they were one short. Prince Baldr was nowhere to be found. And they had been waiting for half an hour.

Odin had been adamant that they wait for Prince Baldr before starting. He was a patient stallion, but now even his patience was waning. He was about to declare the meeting begun when the council chamber doors opened and Baldr calmly trotted in, carrying a saddlebag of parchment and scrolls.

“Your Majesty and Lordships pardon me for my tardiness. I was busy making the final preparations for my report to the council last night and I slept in. I apologize for keeping you all waiting.”

Odin's face did not change as he motioned for Baldr to take his seat at the other end of the table. After he sat down, Odin spoke up.

“Now, last night, I received word from the ravens that the southern princess has entered the North with an entourage. According to the report from the raven twins, she is two days into her journey and will soon be making contact with my chosen escorts, Prince Týr and Princess Skadi. If all goes well, she should arrive here within the week and we will welcome her with open hospitality.”

Lord Rolf spoke up. “If I may inquire, Your Majesty, the reason for this invitation to the southern princess. We have been asking for nearly a week and have not gotten an answer as to why she is coming here or why it is important for her to be here.”

Odin nodded at this. “A good question, Lord Rolf, and I shall answer it. Recently... I have been having troubling dreams. Dreams that foretold of a coming battle between Ponies, Caribou, and... and an enemy that I could not see. The dreams always ended the same way: Our forces destroyed and routed. Our people slaughtered and the North drenched in blood and fire. And laughter. Endless laughter.”

The council table was silent. Lord Baard finally spoke up. “What you describe, Your Majesty... it sounds like Ragnarök. The end of all things.”

“Exactly,” Odin replied. “Then, a couple weeks ago, the dreams changed. The laughter was gone. The dreams ended with a violet unicorn with wings. She told me.... “When you see me again it will be time for us to unite. I talked with a soothsayer after the first time she appeared and the soothsayer confirmed that the Winged Unicorn was from the South. The second appearance of this unicorn was a week ago. The night before Prince Týr and Princess Skadi departed, she came to me. This time without the vision of horror. She just said, “It is time. Send them to me.” I had no other alternative. I had to send them to meet her. And from what I've learned, she and her entourage have arrived in the North. And by now, she has met my children. And they are on their way. I am certain that with her help, we might be able to understand what is coming. How to prevent Ragnarök. How to ensure that our civilization will continue! That is why it is important for her to be here. I know, My Lords and Lady, that it seems mad to put all our hopes upon this, especially an outsider, but I need you all to trust me.”

None of the Lords assembled spoke. Odin looked at General Rollo and then at Baldr across the table. And this is how I lose them, he thought. By telling them of dreams. Dreams and visions that often foretell madness in a pony's mind. Fine King am I.

The response he did get was from Lady Ylva. “My liege, we are at your your beck and call. We at your Council trust you and your judgement. There have been signs of war. My spies have told me that the Pegasi have been requesting a lot skysteel and iron ore for their forges from my mines. My people have also seen the forges at Sky Mountain alight at night. The clanging of hammers forging weapons of war. I fear that Blizzard is preparing to make her move on us.”

Lord Rolf nodded. “She has been rather vocal with her criticisms of your rule. She has claimed that you are not worthy of being the Protector of the Realm. She has cited examples, such as your age and the Pegasi's former status as protectors of the realm. We fear that she might move against us.”

“Which brings me to my sad news,” Baldr spoke up. He removed the scrolls from his saddlebag and passed them around the table. “My recent diplomatic trip to the Diamond Fort yielded some unfortunate results. While I was there, I was able to spy upon Lord Mund's forces. He is amassing an army. An army that, if it joins forces with Commander Blizzard's Valkyries, we cannot stand against. My words to Mund might have delayed his encroachment on our lands, but it will not be enough. We are facing a war on two fronts. A war within our own country and a potential war that my father has foreseen.”

Lord Floki spoke next. “Or perhaps they are one and the same. A war that will consume us all from the inside. We must stamp this out before it turns to full blown civil war!”

“And how do you propose we do that,” Lord Geiri asked. “If we try to fight them one at a time, our forces will be stretched thin with each encounter. And we do not have the horsepower necessary for sieges. If we try attacking Sky Mountain, we will be bombarded by Valkyries. If we attack the Diamond Fort, we will not last long. That fort has withstood long sieges before and it can do it again! Plus, they have magic on their side. Magic that is unavailable to us. I hate to say it, Sire, but we cannot engage them without preparations to counter their advantages over us.”

“And what do you propose we do,” Floki asked, his voice rising. “If we do nothing, we will allow them more time to gather their forces against us! We need to do something!”

“Enough,” Odin shouted. “I understand the need for action, Lord Floki, but Lord Geiri is right. We cannot make a move just yet.”

“But, my King-”

“I will also not allow this kingdom to fall into civil war!”

Odin raised himself up in his seat so that it looked as if he were towering over the council table. “My father saw in a vision from the Four Gods themselves our people ruling over the North! He saw his bloodline ruling over the North in a dynasty that would outlast the Unicorn's. We are not going to fall to either of these Usurpers! My father won the North for our people and I will be damned if I lose it to a pompous usurper and a hotheaded soldier!” He finished his speech by slamming his hoof upon the table.

For a moment, the council was quiet. Allowing the words to sink in. Lady Ylva was the first to speak. “My Liege, we will do as you say. We shall bide our time until the time you feel is right for us to strike.” She gave a smile of assurance.

There were mutterings of agreement from the council members. “We stand with you to the end, My King,” General Rollo confirmed. “To the end.” Rollo gave the same smile to Odin.

Odin smiled at his old friend and sat back down. “The Council is adjourned for the day. Return to your estates and await further instructions from me.” As the Lords and Lady rose from their seats, Odin turned his gaze to Baldr, who was placing his parchment in his saddlebag. “Not you.” Baldr halted what he was doing and looked at his father, his smile gone and replaced with a look of sullen annoyance.

Baldr looked at General Rollo who gave him a shrug. He bowed to the Prince and to the King and departed from the room with the rest of the nobles. Odin remained in his seat staring at Baldr, his eye betraying nothing. Finally, he spoke.

“I do not know if the Gods are punishing me for some wrong I have committed in the past by giving me a son that shirks the duties of a Crown Prince. Goodness knows what I did to deserve a son that shirks his duties, keeps the Council waiting, makes merry in taverns with those of ill repute, and ruts about with one of my serving mares on a regular basis!”

“Your Grace-”

Odin interrupted him abruptly. “Your place at Council you are soon to lose thanks to your laziness and tardiness! You are soon to lose your place at court if not your future crown if you keep this up! The hope of your future is at stake and the Lords and Ladies at court think you a fool!”

Baldr lowered his head and scuffed the tiles with his hoof. It was true about the serving mare. For a while, he had been seeing a lovely little mare by the name of Helga. It was nothing romantic for Baldr. For him, she was simply doing her duty to her prince. Nothing more. And he had been careful, at least he thought he had. But it appeared that the walls did have ears. Whether Helga had been gossiping or bragging to her fellow serving mares, the King knew. And that did not fit into His Majesty's plans for Baldr and the King's ward, Kelda.

Odin was not done talking. “Your marriage to Kelda is still going forward when she comes of age and you will stop dishonoring her with a common serving wench. You will arrive to Council meetings half an hour before they begin and you will cease your activities at the tavern. I should not have to speak to you like this at all. You understand that?” Baldr nodded and Odin walked up to his son and stared him in the eye.

“You were born into a life that no other pony in the North can claim. You born lucky. You were the first born and thus you have the right to rule in the North. You will one day control the lives of every pony of the North. But before you take the crown and the throne you need to prove to all who serve under you that you are a pony that is worth following. A pony that is worth dying for. And you need to show that you are worth twice any jumped up lord or lady that thinks he or she would be better suited to wearing the crown than you. You will be King one day. Prove that you are worth the crown.”

Baldr nodded. “I shall, my thrice gracious Lord, be more myself.”

Odin nodded and looked him up and down. “Now... if there is nothing else, we have other business to attend to. Namely, our soon to be arriving guests and our plans for our enemies.”

Baldr nodded and followed him to the table where a map of the North had been spread out. It detailed everything. To the west was Sky Mountain, home of the Pegasi and the Valkyries. To the east was the Diamond Fort, home of the Unicorns. To the far north were the mountain ranges with the high seas beyond them. To the south were the lower lands. Lands that belonged to the Caribou and anypony brave enough to farm there. And beyond those were the lands the old rulers had gone to. And in the center of it all were the small mountains that ringed around Valhall. The North. Their kingdom.

“Now, we both know that sieging either the Diamond Fort or Sky Mountain would waste resources and troops. They know these locations and how to use the land against us. They can outlast us.” Baldr nodded keeping his eye on the map. “That is why we need the princess and her entourage.” Baldr looked up at Odin in shock. Odin smiled at him.

“Forgive me, Sire, but how is a princess and her entourage going to help our country not devolve into Civil War?”

“Simply put: They are X-Factors. They are unknowns. Blizzard and Mund know us. They know how we think. They know how we fight. And they know how to beat us. They do not know the princess or her entourage. That is our advantage. We use them to the best advantage we can. And we stop the war before it begins. And then when the wars are stopped we turn our eyes southward.” Baldr's eyes widened when the reality of Odin's words.

Odin smiled and paced around the table. “You are now wondering what I am referring to. It's simple. It is time for the North and South to unite. When we have dealt with the oncoming storm, we will appeal to this princess for our two countries to be united. Our people will place a hoofhold in the South. Our houses will merge with a marriage and soon, we will be the rulers of all we see. North and South.”

Baldr smiled as he realized just what was happening. Let it never be said that King Odin was a pony without ambition.

Book 1: Journey to the North: Chapter XI: Falcons and Serpents

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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.

Book 1: Journey to the North: Chapter XII: Memories

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From his chambers, Odin looked towards the tallest tower of the palace. Bor's Tower, the place where his father would look over the mountains to keep guard over the palace. When the Keep had been built, he had specifically ordered that tower be bigger than the whole of the palace, big enough to look over the mountains themselves. The architects had more than earned their payment for the Keep when it was complete. For most of his life, his father had ruled from that tower, watching for attacks, ordering decrees and edicts, and tutoring his sons in the way of governance.

Odin's mind wandered back in time to foalhood memories of him and his brothers, Vili and Vé, listening intently to their father's war stories, tales of blood and gore, victories and defeats, and great adventures. All the while not understanding the meaning behind those stories until they were older. Of the three, Odin had been the second born, Vé was the oldest and Vili the youngest. Vé was always combat minded, the stories of battles appealing to him the most. Vili loved the adventures, the romantic stories of heroes saving mares from fire breathing dragons and saving villages from mountain troll attacks. Only Odin seemed to grasp the meaning of the lessons. At least he did when he turned thirteen.

The stories of the Crown War had been Odin's favorite. They were stories of strategy, intrigue, and battle. All of which Odin took to heart when his father talked to him. He thought back to his favorite ones. The Battle of Sky Mountain, the Burning of Jörð Hall, the original home of the Earth Ponies, the Caribou/Earth Pony Alliance that began the turning of the tide in the Earth Ponies' favor, and the Battle of the Diamond Fort which ended the war. All of them had lessons to teach Odin in matters of strategy and Kingship. And he had taken them to heart.

After Odin had been crowned High King, Bor remained in the tower, keeping watch and advising Odin on matters of court. He never emerged, living there until the day he died. He thought back to Bor's final days. How the sickness had come to him slowly and how it had taken various steps to end the once great warlord and King of the North.

The first sign was the fit of coughing that would normally accompany the cold. The tower was always built more for function than for comfort, so it was recommended that he return to the castle. However, Bor refused to leave and ordered that his room be done up so that he would remain warm. “I will not abandon my post here as long as I live,” he rasped at Odin. The coughing did not dissipate any time soon. And then the blood appeared.

The best Unicorn doctor available was sent for and the word was not good. Consumption of the body. His body was slowly succumbing to a sickness that not even the best magics could stop. The doctors tried and tried to stop it, but as soon as it seemed that the sickness was beat, it would return in force. Like they missed something.

Odin threw the doctors out into the cold, back to their lands. He had wanted to destroy them for failing his father, but his Queen, Frigga, had calmed his temper. She was always good at that. She convinced him to bid the doctors farewell and passage back to their lands for their hard work in trying to save his father's life. He shook his head, trying to focus on one memory at a time.

Odin could not understand it. How could a warrior king, like his father, be brought so low by an enemy that could not be defeated? It was impossible. He remembered literally looking up to his father. So tall. So strong. And now he was hacking away his life in his tower. It was impossible.

He saw Bor less and less as the weeks went on. He just couldn't face him. He just couldn't. Frigga urged him to spend as much time as he could with his father. “He needs you by his side. You're his son.”

“I cannot,” he would say. “I am too busy. I have duties to attend to.”

They would argue, but in the end, Frigga would give up and leave Odin to his brooding. The children, Baldr and Skadi would ask to see their grandfather, but Odin denied them that. He refused to spread the sickness to them. It was hard for Frigga to see her children saddened by that news, but Odin's word was final. He was not going to let them suffer like his father had.

More memories were coming back to him when Kelda entered hovering a tray in front of her. “Papa, you shouldn't get so close to the window. You'll catch cold.”

Odin smiled at her. “We are of the North, child. Cold is our livelihood. It is in our bones.”

Kelda rolled her eyes at him and frowned. “Even so, you need to bundle up. It's for your own good.” Her horn glowed and two layers of cloaks floated up to Odin and wrapped themselves around him. “And make sure to drink your soup. The cook worked hard on it.”

Odin smelled it with a smile. Coney soup with sage and oats. A personal favorite of his. “Thank you, Kelda. Any word of your brother and sister?”

“None, Papa. We sent out ravens to track them, but none have returned yet. But they should be on the way.”

Odin smiled and looked off into the distance. “And you, Kelda? How are you doing?”

“I'm fine, Papa. I'm just fine.”

“And how is Baldr today? You have spoken with him, haven't you?”

“Yes, Papa. He asked me if I would like to take a walk around the castle grounds today. To discuss... our upcoming wedding.”

“As well he should. This is a good sign that he's taking initiative for his responsibilities. Perhaps he may end that affair with that scullery mare once and for all.”

“Papa, I feel you're being too hard on him for that. I mean, it's understandable that a Prince under pressure would look to other means of... relieving that pressure.”

“When I was his age, I took up sparring. I went on long walks. I fought Caribou, I had archery. I did not rut around with scullery mares! A Prince should be better than that!”

“But Papa, he really didn't do anything wrong.”

Odin looked at her for a second, his one eye scanning her up and down. “Did he ask you to appeal to me for him?”

The green unicorn scuffed the floor with her hoof. “Maybe... Maybe not?”

Odin rolled his eye. “Do not make excuses for him. A true Prince owns up to his faults. He doesn't need a young mare to make an excuse for him.” He looked out the window for a few seconds and turned back to see Kelda still standing there, waiting for him to speak. He gave a long sigh and waved his hoof in the air. “You may go. And I hope you have a good walk with Baldr.”

She smiled and walked over to give him a quick peck on the cheek. “Thank you, Papa.” She gave a curtsy and exited the room, leaving Odin bundled up and finishing his soup.

“Soon. Soon, they'll be back. And my plans can truly begin.” He took another sip of the soup and smiled. It really was good.

Chapter XIII: The Journey Continues

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When Twilight and Rainbow Dash returned to camp, they saw Fluttershy standing behind Rarity, Spike, and Týr who was trying his best to hold back his sister, along with Pinkie and Applejack holding her from behind, from the bundle that Fluttershy had wrapped in her wings. Spike was rearing his head back as if he was ready to spit fire at Skadi if she came at Fluttershy. Skadi's eyes were wild with what looked like fear and panic.

“What were you thinking bringing that animal to our camp,” Skadi roared. “It's a killer! You can see that by the markings on its head!” She gestured with her hoof at the black marks on the snakes head that looked like an arrowhead. “Those are the marks of a killer! It must be left to die!” Fluttershy shook her head furiously, tears running down her cheeks. Fluttershy was not confrontational by the standards of most ponies, but when she stood her ground on something that meant the world to her, like the protection of a life, she would not budge.

“My dear Skadi,” Rarity protested for Fluttershy. “How can you be so thoughtless? The poor little darling is half dead. You cannot blame Fluttershy for taking pity on the poor creature. It's just what she does.” She hugged Fluttershy close, stroking her mane reassuringly.

“Umm, did I miss something,” Twilight asked Týr as she trotted up.

Making certain his sister was secured by Applejack and Pinkie, Týr took Twilight to one side. “Skadi has a problem with snakes. She tried to adopt one as a foal but it bit her leg. You could say that she's...” He glanced at Skadi and whispered to Twi as if he was afraid of his sister hearing him. “She's afraid of snakes.” Twilight smiled.

“I heard that, Týr,” Skadi cried. “I am cautious. I am not afraid of vermin like that... thing!” Twilight couldn't be certain, but she was sure that Skadi's pale blue face had blushed red.

Twilight sighed. It was time to play diplomat again. She trotted over to Skadi and looked her in the eyes with a calming smile. “Skadi, I understand your panic at seeing 'Mr. Snake', but Fluttershy is just abiding by her Element of Kindness. She is saving this little animal because she not only wants to, but she has to. It's who she is and I ask you to please abide by it.” Skadi glared at her.

“I understand that you are afraid, but it's a half dead snake. I don't think it's going to bite.” Skadi looked at Twilight for a few seconds and then at Fluttershy. She inhaled and exhaled before relaxing her muscles. Applejack and Pinkie looked at Twilight for confirmation, which was received via a nod, and they let her go.

Skadi sighed and nodded her head. “I apologize for my threats of violence towards... 'Mr. Snake', but I insist it is kept secured and away from me.” She glowered at the bundle as if she was willing it to explode. “At all times. Please.” Twilight smiled and nodded.

“I promise you that will be.” She turned to Fluttershy with a smile. “Is that okay, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy nodded and sniffled before lowering her head to the bundle and giving it a kiss. Skadi made a disgusted look as if Fluttershy had vomited in front of her.

Applejack gave Twilight a pat on the back. “Good job there, sugarcube. She was raring to start a fight as soon as she saw that snake.”

Twi smiled. “Ponies like Skadi are easy to talk to once they're properly restrained. She seems aggressive, but she's reasonable. She acts tough, but I'm sure she's a softy inside.”

A very audible scoff was heard behind her and she turned to see Týr with a raised eyebrow. “Skadi is anything but a softy. I have seen her kill ponies and caribou with her bare hooves. Skadi is one of the most seasoned killers the North has ever produced. Do not think that just because you were able to reason with her that she is a softy. She will definitely try to kill that snake when she gets the chance. She is dangerous. Remember that.”

Týr limped back to his saddlebags, swinging them over his back. Pinkie rolled her eyes. “Oh, puhleeze. I saw it in her eyes. She's no monster. Just a little scaredyfoal at heart.”

Twilight wasn't too sure. While she was certain that Skadi was reasonable, she was certain she had killed before. She wouldn't have put it past Týr to have killed before as well. The more she learned about the Frozen North, the less she liked it. It was harsh with seemingly no signs of compassion for fellow living things. She was worried about what the father would be like. If Odin had raised them to have a blind eye towards taking a life, he couldn't be much better than they were. They had to figure out what was happening back home soon. She didn't want to remain here any longer than necessary.

As the 9 ponies marched through the snow, the little snake in the bundle sent images back to its papa. The fools had taken him in, nursed him, clothed him, and he was in the wings of the most naive of them all. This Fluttershy would be an easy mark. A perfect shield against those that would harm him. The pale one, Skadi, had sensed his true nature and had tried to kill him. But Fluttershy would protect him. Fluttershy was kind, sweet, and, above all, stupid. Jörmungandr would let father know about everything. He would send him thoughts and images. He was going to Valhall. He was going to their stronghold. When he was there, he would kill the one they called Odin. Then... he would find his nemesis. His true enemy. The one that had killed him... Thor.

Like Father, Jörmungandr remembered everything about that day. Ragnarök, the end of days. The battle between the Gods and the Jötunns. Like Father, Jörmungandr was a Jötunn. A small one, but a Jötunn nonetheless. He was proud of it. He was like his brother Fenrir and his sister Hel: Born different than most, but they were of their father and mother's blood. These pony folk were just like the Aesir and Vanir. So full of themselves as the true heroes of Midgard. Easy to say that when they were the victors. The ones that had slaughtered his people for centuries before the final battle began. Father was a hero, the one that had ended the tyranny of the Aesir and the Vanir. They would suffer, all of them. But the first would be Skadi. He swore it.

Loki heard everything from Jörmungandr and smiled. His son would not fail him.

The travelers made camp that night around sundown. Applejack took care of the fire while Pinkie and Rarity took care of the food, melting down snow to use to boil the plants, though Skadi and Týr had insisted on hunting rabbit to use in the pot. Twilight had steadfastly refused after Fluttershy had broken into tears, hugging Mr. Snake. Skadi had stomped off, muttering something about weakness and impracticality in the face of survival.

Fluttershy had wrangled Rainbow Dash into helping her feed Mr. Snake, much to RD's discomfort. Fluttershy was humming a lullaby with Rainbow Dash providing background harmonies. Twilight was certain that the little snake was smiling. Fluttershy could make anything, even a grumpy bunny like Angel, smile.

She knelt down by the fire and stretched out her legs, letting her hooves get all nice and toasty while Spike slept against her side. It hadn't been an easy day for anypony there and they were all cold and tired. As her eyes became heavy with the weariness of travel, she heard a thump in the snow beside her. She turned to see Týr laying beside her, his face still the same grim expression he'd worn all day.

“You did well with Skadi today.”

“Uh, thank you, Týr. Just doing my job as the diplomat.”

Týr nodded and began staring at the fire. “What is your land like? Does it have more seasons than just winter?”

Twilight smiled. “Yes, we do actually! Spring, Summer, and Autumn. Oh, Spring is my favorite. When winter ends, it's as if life itself is renewed. It's a-”

“Cycle,” Týr interrupted. “A cycle of death and life. Life comes from death and is reborn for another cycle of four seasons. And you have a queen?”

“A princess,” Twilight corrected. “Two of them. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. They are sisters and they have been ruling Equestria together for years. In fact,” She gave herself a proud smile and brushed her hoof against her chest in a quick nonchalant kind of way. “I am not only Princess Celestia's apprentice, but I am also the one who helped reunite her and her sister.”

Týr raised an eyebrow in surprise. She was certain that expression was genuine surprise. “Really? How did you do this?”

Twilight went on to explain how she had met her friends, how they had gone on a quest to find the Elements of Harmony and how they used them to defeat Nightmare Moon and revert her back to normal as Princess Luna. She then explained how she had completed the spell that not even Starswirl the Bearded had been able to complete and how this had caused her to be ascended to being an alicorn and a princess. “So, that's about that. We've gone on adventures, helped those in need, and we've saved the Kingdom so many times. Impressive, isn't it?”

Týr slowly nodded. “Impressive indeed, but I have a few questions.”

“Go ahead.”

“Why did Luna forgive her sister so easily for imprisoning her? I mean... if it were my sister or brother that had done that to me, I would not be so quick to forgive.”

Twilight shrugged. “Well... they're sisters. Luna wasn't herself. Celestia had to do it to stop her. It was a desperate move.”

“And yet she couldn't try to cure her of this 'Dark Affliction' instead of eternal imprisonment? Seems suspect to me. Like she wanted power for herself and when you saved her, she had no choice but to play the kind and wonderful sister that welcomed her long-lost sister back into her hooves so she can plan how to dispose of her properly.”

Twilight stood up in a huff, causing Spike to fall into the snow. She was livid. “How... DARE YOU ACCUSE PRINCESS CELESTIA OF SUCH A HORRIBLE THING? You are... UNBELIEVABLE! YOU... YOU... BARBARIAN!” Everypony around the fire turned in surprise to stare at Twilight.

“Princess Celestia is a kind and generous pony that is more deserving of my loyalty than somepony like you who is so cynical that he cannot comprehend love between siblings!”

Týr held up his left foreleg. “Hold it. You think I cannot comprehend love for my siblings? I actually care deeply about my siblings. I would die for Skadi. We've fought side by side in battle many times and I would sooner stand in front of a charging Caribou than betray her trust. However, I do know that more power is a tempting prize for those who already have it. You cannot deny the possibility that your mentor lied to you. Also, that's not even bringing up the fact that you were given a glorified title for 'finishing a spell'? Come on. Anypony can see how silly that is. You are not of royal blood and your country doesn't even have a real king or queen.”

Twilight was fuming. “You... know NOTHING of my home, my people, or Princess Celestia. You are just a... a... a jerk!” She turned and stomped off in a huff, making sure that each hoofstep was extra loud so that Týr would know exactly how mad she was.

Týr just gave her a look that asked “Really?”. He looked at everypony around the fire. “Is she always this unreasonable?”

Rainbow Dash and Applejack just shook their heads. “Tyr, ya just pushed the Celestia button,” Applejack said.

“You shouldn't have done that,” Rainbow Dash confirmed. “You are in for a very unpleasant journey.”

“All I said was-”

It was Rarity's turn to speak up. “Týr, Princess Celestia is like a second mother to Twilight. She taught her everything she knows about Magic. And you just accused her of being just as bad as monsters like the Changelings. What would you say if it was, well, your father accused of betraying his sister.”

“My father doesn't have a sister,” Týr answered.

“So not the point, dude,” Rainbow Dash said, rolling her eyes. “You really don't get it, do you?”

Týr shrugged. “I guess I don't.” He looked down at Spike who was giving him the death glare before turning to the camp. “Anyone want some stew?”

Twilight was near the top of a tree. As soon as she had gotten out of sight, she had taken wing and was having some alone time. The nerve of Týr. Who did he think he was, accusing somepony he had never met of betraying her sister of usurping the throne for herself. And she HAD earned the title of Princess. She had saved Equestria numerous times before and she was just as capable as anypony who would be able to do the same. She had been on the fence about Týr. His questions about the seasons had made her think that maybe there was more to him than a cynical fighter, but the truth was that he was just a cold-hearted jerk with a stupid face and a dumb cloak!

She sighed and looked up at the moon. She had earned it. She knew she had. Hadn't she? Maybe, after all this time, she didn't know herself. She could hear the group talking. Dinner time. She had to get back. Not right now of course, but soon. Just after she'd stared at the moon for a bit longer.