86. Fight or Flyte

VANAHEIM

"It is regarded as a great tragedy," Thor said, panting, to Sif, "that the dragons of Asgard were brought to extinction by the end of the Cauldron wars."

"Indeed," Sif responded, looking back at Thor from across the bright green plain upon which they stood, wondering why he would bring up something like that at a time like this.

"Then tell me," Thor concluded, "is it wrong of me to now wish that they were extinct on Vanaheim too?"

As the giant green dragon landed on the emerald grass before Thor and Sif, giving out a monstrous roar that caused the hair of both warriors to billow backward fiercely, Sif replied, "Right now? Not at all."

The statement was irrelevant, of course, since the last great dragons of Asgard had been sentient, able to communicate with people. They had been capital-D Dragons, as some would say. The beast that had attacked Hogun's hometown was purely an instinctive creature, closer to a bear than a human being in terms of operation, and a nasty one at that. The color of ripe summer leaves, it was the size of a house, and had already leveled quite a few buildings its size and larger in the town. That was when Thor and his cohorts had come in.

Thor launched Mjolnir at the dragon's head, and the hammer struck it square between the eyes, causing its long neck to writhe; the dragon closed its eyes. Sif rushed it, hoping for the opportunity to slice its neck open while it was distracted. However, she was thwarted when the dragon made an about-face, whipping her with its tail. Sif was sent flying backward until she collided with Thor, knocking him to the ground.

The dragon let out a stream of flame, and the roofs of an entire neighborhood were suddenly brightly alight, sending their occupants running screaming down the street. The dragon then proceeded to storm down the road, attempting to snap people up in its jaws to swallow whole. At last, it caught someone, closing its mouth tight and preparing to send the hapless victim down the gullet.

Then it opened its mouth to roar to the sky: a scream. The person it had attempted to swallow had jammed a sword directly into the roof of its mouth. The jade-colored neck stretched up toward the clouds, and Fandral had just enough time to leap out of the dragon's mouth and slide down the back of its neck before a burst of flame went up from its throat.

Skidding off the dragon's body, Fandral hit the ground hard and ran to where Sif and Thor had regained balance. "I was HOPING to pierce its brain," he grumbled, disappointed that the beast was still alive.

Meanwhile, the fire had spread, and it threatened to consume an entire sector of the town. As the throng of Vanlandi charged away from it, one lone figure walked toward the conflagration, staring it down. Loki looked into the heart of the flames, then grinned. He thrust out a hand, throwing his whole body into the motion, and a great icy wind blasted toward the fire, extinguishing it completely and leaving a light coating of frost over the homes, which were slightly singed, but otherwise intact. Loki straightened up, proud of his work.

The dragon stretched out its batlike wings, the light from the noonday sun barely filtering through the delicate webbing, and beat them once, lifting its feet off the ground. From another vantage point in the field, Volstagg snarled, "Curses! We'll never be able to take her down if she gets in the air!"

"So do something about it." Hogun strung an arrow onto a bow, aiming the shaft upward. Volstagg took up his own bow and did the same. Both arrows were let loose, stabbing directly into the dragon's left wing. That was enough to make the dragon falter, tilting to the left.

Thor saw his opportunity, letting Mjolnir fly. The hammer collided hard with the dragon's left side, and the dragon landed hard on the ground, causing field and town alike to shake.

Loki bolted out into the field, flicking his wrist. A burst of Dark energy emanated from him, splitting into two blue spheres that struck the dragon, one in each eye. The dragon rolled over on the ground, screeching in pain. Hogun and Volstagg hurried over to where the dragon's wings were splayed out against the ground, each picking a wing to run onto and drive his sword through the webbing of, pinning the dragon to the ground.

Thor lifted Mjolnir, and the bright blue sky instantly darkened, clouds swirling into a gathering. Sensing what was coming, Sif, Fandral, Volstagg, Hogun, and Loki all scattered, running across the town line and taking refuge on the streets, where they could safely watch the downed dragon.

At Thor's command, the heavens rained electricity. A multitude of bolts of lightning shot downward from the confection of clouds, striking the dragon directly in the heart. The beast gave one great bellow, then fell still. When Thor was sure the deed was done, he dismissed the clouds, and the sun broke through, shining over the dragon's dead shell.

The Vanlandi burst into applause. Fandral and Volstagg whooped. Loki laughed, and Hogun gave an approving nod. Sif, however, wasn't quick to celebrate. She rushed out onto the field, and her sword quickly sliced; the head of the dragon fell away from its neck.

"Why did you do that?" Thor asked, rather frustrated.

"To make sure it was dead," Sif insisted.

"It was dead," Thor argued. "By my hand. There was no need to continue killing it."

"Can we not argue about this now?" Fandral practically pleaded, walking out onto the field. "The beast is slain. This corner of Vanaheim is saved, all thanks to the sons of Odin, the Warriors Three, and Sif. Mostly the Warriors Three, of course."

"What are you doing?" Sif asked Fandral, raising an eyebrow.

Fandral pried open the dead dragon's jaws and began to work the fangs loose with his sword. "Do you realize what it will mean if we can bring these back to Asgard? Fame AND fortune."

Realizing Fandral was right, Hogun, Volstagg, and Loki immediately rushed onto the field and began to collect the fangs.

"You do not need to be so arrogant as to claim every kill as your own," Sif muttered.

"I was not the one who dealt the beast a final blow after it was already dead," Thor retorted.

"I took a measure for the safety of the Vanlandi," Sif growled. "Not trying to make a name for myself. Your thirst for glory is what prevents you from seeing that."

"Come, now!" Volstagg urged. "What's the defeat of a dragon between friends? Does it really matter who dealt it the final blow?"

Thor thought it did, but at the moment, he was already tiring of arguing with Sif. "I suppose it does not."

"Vanaheim is safe," Sif agreed. "Nothing else matters."

"Then we're agreed," Volstagg said. "Whoever killed the dragon isn't relevant."

...

NEBULAPOLIS, RAGNANIVAL, ASGARD

"And then," Volstagg told the eager crowd, "I plunged my blade into the dragon's throat! It uttered its dying gasp, then fell dead before me!"

"Though I would like to remind you this happened after I stabbed it through its brain," Fandral chimed in.

"Weakened it with my arrows first," Hogun added.

The Warriors Three stood in their favorite square in town beneath a setting sun, regaling a rather large crowd with the tale of the green dragon of Vanaheim. Some swooned; others cheered raucously. From the sidelines, Thor, Sif, and Loki watched, somewhere between disgusted and amused. "Whoever killed the dragon is not relevant, hm?" Sif remarked.

"They ceased our arguing so they could take the glory for themselves," Thor observed.

"Wonderful observation, Sir Obvious," Loki remarked. He then strode out into the center of the square, calling out, "If you're going to tell the story, you can at LEAST tell it the way it truly happened!" He stopped before the Warriors Three, then turned to the captivated audience. "None of these three dealt the dragon the killing blow," he announced.

"Loki!" Fandral hissed.

"The public deserves to know the truth," Loki retorted.

Thor smiled.

"It was actually I who bested the dragon," Loki continued, "and I would prefer if you DIDN'T try to claim the glory from me!"

Thor and Sif groaned simultaneously.

"It began when I first saw the creature descend," Loki began to tell the crowd. "I knew this battle would require every ounce of magic I had ever learned, the use of every muscle in my entire body, and constant focus…"

"While Loki continues to spin lies," Sif suggested, "shall we see what we can get at the market for the fangs?"

"That certainly sounds more pleasant than listening to my brother tell the world how he saved what is likely, by the story's end, going to end up being the entirety of Vanaheim from a dragon three times the size of what we slayed," Thor decided.

The two turned away and walked toward the nearest commercial area, somewhere Loki, Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg would easily be able to find them once their tall tales were done. The street widened out, and while larger shopping establishments lined the edges, smaller booths where traders set up daily to hawk their wares were constructed on the inner cobblestone, goods laid out for passers-by to look at at leisure. Thor and Sif wandered, looking for a booth that would suit their purposes, but first, they found familiar faces. Sif pointed the couple out rather excitedly, and she and Thor ran over to where Gwendolyn and Oswald were contemplating leather epaulets and corsets.

"Gwendolyn!" Thor called out. "Oswald!"

"Thor!" Gwendolyn replied, looking to him happily; Oswald followed suit. "Where have you been all day?"

"Slaying a dragon that was plaguing Hogun's hometown in Vanaheim," Thor explained. "While my brother and the Warriors Three entertain the townspeople with stories of how they each supposedly dealt the killing blow, Sif and I sought to sell the teeth we collected. I would like to make it clear, though, that it was I who killed the beast in the end."

"The fact still remains," Oswald said, his voice betraying a teasing nature, "that it took six of you to kill a lizard. I have slain two on my own."

"MUST you men bicker so much about who has killed how many monsters?" Sif sighed.

"May we join you to help sell the teeth?" Gwendolyn asked.

"Of course!" Thor cried. "The more, the merrier!"

The four set out into the marketplace, eventually finding a large booth where the teeth and claws of giant animals were hung up on display.

"Welcome!" the merchant, a dark-haired man in red robes, greeted. "Can I interest you in the claws of a manticore?" He motioned to a bracelet from which five long black claws, all dulled enough to not accidentally cut through things the wearer touched, dangled.

"We are not here to buy," Thor announced. "We are here to sell." He took one of the smaller dragon teeth from a pocket.

"Hmm…" The merchant thought it over. "It looks to me worth about…thirty. Is it bear?"

"Dragon," Thor clarified. "And Vanlandi, too. I would have set the price at a hundred."

"A HUNDRED!" the merchant balked. "Are you trying to rob me blind?"

"I do not think one hundred Ragnan silvers is too much for a dragon fang," Gwendolyn pointed out.

"I'm not offering one hundred Ragnan silvers," the merchant asserted gruffly. "I'm offering fifty Ariels."

The word sent Thor, Sif, Gwendolyn, and Oswald into a slight shock. They exchanged glances, and they knew all were thinking the same thing: if this merchant had Valentinian Ariel coins, they needed to earn as many of them as they could from him, and immediately.

"We…must consult with our friends," Thor said hurriedly. "They have the other teeth, and so they must have a say."

"Well, hurry up," the merchant grunted. "I'm not going to wait around all day for a couple of measly animal teeth."

Thor and Sif quickly turned from the booth to walk briskly back to the square; Gwendolyn and Oswald followed. "You know we have to get those coins," Oswald said sternly.

"I know," Thor confirmed. "That is why we need the others. They are all of use in a good haggle, and they do actually have more of the teeth. The more we can sell, the better."

Back at the square, Loki had taken the front and center of the makeshift stage, and his story was growing ever larger: "Then it swept down from the sky and set the entire forest alight! As the fires raged on, threatening to consume all in their path, I watched the dragon disappear again into the heavy cloud cover, and I was unable to even detect a shadow of it. But that scarcely mattered. I had to tend to the forest, or else the fires would engulf – "

"LOKI!" Thor and Sif called at the same time. Loki, Fandral, Volstagg, and Hogun all looked to see Thor, Sif, and Gwendolyn beckoning with their arms for the other four to come join them in the alley, while Oswald gave them a meaningful look.

"I apologize," Loki told the onlookers, "but the conclusion to this thrilling tale must wait for another day." He and the Warriors Three moved to join the others of their group.

"Good timing," Fandral muttered, "if not a little too late. Don't you think you were laying it on a LITTLE thick, Loki?"

"I was merely telling it as it happened," Loki said, beaming. "Or at least how it's going to be remembered."

"What was so important?" Volstagg asked.

"We had gone to try and sell or trade away some of the dragon teeth," Thor explained, "and lo and behold…one of the merchants is paying in Ariel coins!"

"You realize what that means," Gwendolyn added.

"It means we must sell those teeth for as high as we possibly can!" Volstagg gasped.

"Worry not," Loki remarked. "I'll make sure we get our money's worth. We'll be delivering up every Ariel that merchant has to Velvet and Cornelius in no time."

"Which is exactly why we needed you," Oswald asserted.

They returned to the booth to find the merchant making a big show out of drumming his fingers. "Took you long enough," he grumbled. "I should deduct ten Ariels for that wait."

"I think you'll find you want to do no such thing," Fandral said, drawing one of the teeth from his pocket.

Loki removed several very tiny teeth from his own, then undid the magic he'd placed on them for portability; they grew to be the biggest of all. At this, the merchant's jaw dropped momentarily.

"…Well," he said at last, "I'll just have a look at these first to make sure they're what you say."

"What animal other than a dragon could have produced these?" Thor asked, setting one of the largest fangs on the counter, which groaned from the weight.

"None," the merchant allowed, "but I have my doubts about the others."

He took one of the teeth, looking it over carefully. The group held their breath collectively, afraid he would take the moment to cheat them. Then, at last, he conceded, "The shape is right for dragon. All right. You're telling the truth. I'll tell you what. I'll give you two hundred Ariels for the two biggest ones, then pay out the rest in Ragnan silver."

"But surely each of the large fangs is worth three hundred," Fandral suggested.

"Do you know what we had to go through to slay the beast?" Volstagg added.

"Ask anyone in the square," Loki offered as backup. "They can tell you of my struggle."

"Our struggle," Thor said quickly.

"Hm…" the merchant thought it over. "…Two hundred and fifty for each of the largest fangs. I cannot go higher. One hundred Ragnan silvers for the medium sized ones, and fifty Ragnan silvers for each of the smallest."

"Why can you go no higher than two hundred and fifty for the fangs?" Sif asked. "It is not every day you see the fangs of a Vanlandi dragon."

"Five hundred Ariels is all I have," the merchant replied. "If that is not enough, then two hundred Ariels plus fifty silvers for each."

"That seems fair," Gwendolyn said, and most of the others nodded. The merchant began to count coins out from beneath the counter.

Then Loki cleared his throat, causing the merchant to stop working with the coin. "…You have a problem?" the merchant asked.

"Three hundred Ariels for each fang, please," Loki said sternly. "Or you can forget about them. We'll mount them on the walls of the palace. They would make excellent décor. But you don't want to pass up on that, do you?"

"Loki," Sif hissed, "he only has – "

"Fine," the merchant relented. "Six hundred Ariels total for the fangs."

Gwendolyn gasped. All eyes turned to Loki, who smirked proudly.

Six hundred Valentinian Ariel coins traded places with the fangs, much to the satisfaction of everyone on the selling team.

"Now," Loki continued, "as for the other teeth, fifty is rather a low – "

"Not what matters now," Hogun hissed at him.

"We shall accept your price for the others," Thor told the merchant.

Coins and teeth traded places again, and the group walked away, pocketing them all.

"How did you know the merchant was lying?" Volstagg asked Loki.

"Friends, many goldsmiths are experts at creating things out of gold," Loki replied, "but the best goldsmiths know how to work with gold pieces that come their way and judge their value. A good liesmith, as they call me, doesn't just TELL good lies. It takes a very good lie to fool me."

"That is why we aren't letting you hold onto any of the Ariels," Oswald insisted.

"We must bring them to the Pooka Village as soon as possible," Gwendolyn added.

"Friends, our quest did not end when the dragon was slain!" Thor announced. "Take up thy horses, for we are continuing our journey! TO VALENTINE!" He then turned to Gwendolyn and Oswald. "I hope you will both join us this time."

"'Twas our intent," Oswald confirmed.

"We shall retrieve horses immediately!" Gwendolyn announced.

"TO VALENTINE, WE RIDE!" Thor cried.

...

THE FOREST OF ELRIT, ASGARD

"FOR WHAT I HOPE IS THE LAST TIME, SOMEPONY NEEDS TO WARN US BEFORE THIS HAPPENS!" Rarity screamed.

She was human once more. As were Twilight, Pinkie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy. Jack and Thorgil were dumbstruck at the sight.

"But look!" Fluttershy pointed out. "Our robes changed with us." She gave a little twirl. The white robes of the School of Bards had altered themselves to fit the proportions of a human, cascading all the way to the ground. "You don't have to worry about ruined outfits this time."

"True," Rarity mused. "I suppose this is a good thing."

"You…you're human," Jack sputtered. "No…you LOOK human."

"This happens," Rainbow Dash said with a shrug.

"The world we're on influences what form we take," Twilight clarified.

"So we could have met in another realm," Jack stated, "and I'd have no idea you were really all ponies."

"Well, we'd probably have told ya, once we were close enough," Applejack pointed out.

"As though Jack would have believed it," Thorgil snarked.

"If we went to your realm," Jack asked, "would we become ponies?"

"I think that's how it works," Twilight replied. "I know a couple of our human friends ended up in Equestria, but I can't remember if we were told the specifics of if they became ponies or not. Logically, it only makes sense, though."

"So where are we, anyway?" Rainbow Dash wondered out loud.

"I don't think it's my realm," Jack observed. "It…doesn't feel right."

"It feels familiar," Rarity remarked.

"Like we've been here before," Applejack agreed.

"Wait…" Twilight looked around, taking it all in. "I KNOW this place. This is the F – "

She then bit her lip. The subject of any of them having gone to Asgard was taboo due to the dangers Twilight feared of contaminating the order of time. "I've…read about this place in books," she went on. "A lot of them were written on the subject, with illustrations. That's how I know this place just from looking at the – "

"We get the point," Thorgil interrupted. "Will you hurry up and tell us where we are?"

"We're in a forest in Asgard," Twilight stated.

"OHHHHH!" Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash all chorused, suddenly recognizing Elrit.

"ASGARD?" Thorgil was taken aback. "The home of the GODS?"

Twilight nodded. "Yup."

"No," Jack seethed. "NO. Why did the mists take us to HIS realm?"

"Um…is something wrong?" Twilight asked.

"YES!" Jack screamed. "EVERYTHING'S WRONG! THIS IS THE REALM OF ODIN!"

"I don't get it," Rainbow Dash said, befuddled.

"Odin," Jack explained through gritted teeth, "is the opposite of everything I've ever stood for. His Valhalla is just an arena for warriors to die, over and over again."

"And the shield maidens wait tables," Thorgil added sullenly.

"His world ends in Ragnarok," Jack went on. "All Odin ever stood for was death, death, and more death! His gods guided the Northmen to raid and destroy – "

"Those were MY PEOPLE," Thorgil reminded Jack sternly.

" – I told Odin his leaf was falling from Yggdrassil," Jack concluded. "Yggdrassil is LIFE. It has many branches, and his world was on one. But it can't hold something as full of death as Asgard for long!"

"It might be able to hold it for…longer than you think," Twilight muttered.

"But the gods do support life," Fluttershy pointed out. "They protect it."

"How?" Jack asked angrily. "What does Thor protect by raining his thunder upon the world? What does Loki protect with his tricks and schemes? What does Tyr protect by spurring us to go to war over and over again?"

"Well, like it or not, we're here," Applejack reminded him, "so y'all better put up with it. And don't bring any of that up if you meet any of them!" Something Jack had said finally settled in. "Wait. Did you just say you MET Odin?"

"Thorgil and I were stranded on an island not far from Notland," Jack explained. "We saw the gods and the dead of Valhalla on a Wild Hunt. That was where we saw the truth. That all the dead who believed in Odin do is chop each other to pieces instead of respecting life."

"And the women just PUT THEM BACK TOGETHER!" Thorgil shrieked.

"Well…" Applejack sought an argument. She then had to admit: "You're not wrong." She looked to her friends to back her up.

They could say nothing; all were thinking only of their personal relationships to Thor, and that topic was off-limits. None could say "We know he's kind because he's our friend."

Before anyone could say anything more, the sound of hoofbeats approached rapidly. All turned to look at from where the sound emanated. Eight riders were visible through the trees, their horses galloping toward the eight bards-in-training.

Rainbow Dash, taking a good look at the horses being ridden, sighed. "Okay, that will never NOT be weird to me."

"HALT!" one of the riders called out, a booming voice…and one the six Equestrians recognized.

"That's – " Fluttershy began, but then hushed herself, knowing she had been on the brink of betraying the secret they'd all been trying to avoid.

The eight horses made an abrupt stop as they came upon the white-robed ones on foot. "I apologize," Thor said. "We nearly trampled you under the hooves of our steeds."

The eight before him were strangers to him, and he was confused as to their attire – he had no idea which kingdom made it customary for its citizens to wear robes of plain white, though it must have been a cultural norm, he thought, seeing as all eight were dressed in the same garb – but still, he did not think it couth to nearly run over fellow Asgardians without apology. Even if he thought they had little business standing in the middle of a path on foot.

Jack and Thorgil gaped. Jack knew he was looking at Asgardians, but he couldn't identify them, wondering if the entire pantheon had just showed up, wondering if they'd sensed that he was complaining about them. Thorgil immediately knew who Thor and Loki were, and was caught between awe – her old beliefs, the way she'd put them on pedestals in the spaces of her mind, towering above her in her thoughts – and disillusionment, the memory of the Wild Hunt and her fear that she wouldn't be wanted there.

Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy all looked to Thor, and all of them wondered for a moment if there was even a chance their old friend would know them, despite knowing it was out of the question.

Pinkie Pie's gaze lingered on Loki before she forced her eyes upon Thor and kept them there.

Finally, Loki broke the silence: "What are you Midgardians doing here?"

"Midgardians?" Thor was taken aback.

Twilight gave a sigh, knowing rough waters were ahead.

"Are you certain they are Midgardians, brother?" Thor asked, looking to Loki.

"Well, I can tell they're not Asgardian," Loki replied. "That much is clear. Though only the younger two are definitely from Midgard. I couldn't tell you where those other six come from. I'm having trouble reading them." He scowled. "I shouldn't be having this much trouble reading them."

Thor's attitude changed suddenly. "Move aside," he commanded. "And I suggest you return to thy realm. We have business here that we must attend to, so leave from underfoot."

"What are you even doing here?" Sif reiterated. "This is no place for Midgardians like thee."

"WHAT?" Thorgil roared. "NO PLACE FOR US?"

"We didn't ASK to be here," Jack hissed. "We were brought here! Fate meant us to be here! Not that we like it!"

"Why do you prolong this?" Sif sighed. "Move aside and let us pass!"

"Or we shall be forced to go out of our way and ride around you," Thor complained.

"Or we could just ride over them," Loki suggested with a shrug.

"But what did you mean, thou wert unhappy about being here?" Thor asked suddenly.

"Exactly what it sounded like it meant," Thorgil retorted. "I didn't mean to end up in the realm of a king who relegates women to – "

"Thorgil," Rainbow Dash whispered. "Look. There are two women riding WITH them!"

Thorgil went silent, unsure what to say given the new information.

"Well, I didn't mean to end up in the realm of the one who perpetuates only death and destruction," Jack snapped.

"Who dost thou mean?" Thor asked angrily.

"Your father," Jack clarified. "Odin."

"THOU SHALT NOT SPEAK OF MY FATHER THAT WAY!" Thor bellowed. "MY FATHER IS A KIND AND JUST RULER, AND I WILL NOT HEAR SUCH BLASPHEMY, ESPECIALLY FROM BEASTS AS LOW AS THEE!" He took Mjolnir in hand, raising the hammer.

"WHOA!" Twilight quickly conjured her staff, slamming it into the ground. A great wall of deep pink plasma materialized between the Asgardian riders and the bards-in-training. "Okay. Nopony is throwing any hammers at anypony."

"No…pony?" Loki thought this speech irregularity over.

"I agree with her," Gwendolyn said, pointing to Twilight. "No good will come of this if we come to blows. Perhaps we should just ride by."

"I cannot let such blasphemy against my father go unpunished!" Thor insisted. "He certainly would not!"

"He let me say it to his face," Jack told Thor.

"You lie," Thor accused.

"I don't think he does…" Loki observed, still mulling over the odd group in front of them. "He seems to me he'd make a very bad liar."

"When did you speak to my father?" Thor demanded.

"On Grim's Island," Jack stated. "In Midgard."

"A Wild Hunt!" Thor realized.

"What are YOU so surprised about?" Thorgil questioned. "You must have been on hundreds of them."

"Not a one, since…since we were reborn," Thor answered. "My companions and I have not yet proven worthy. Those of us who wish to join the Hunt, that is."

"So you wouldn't know an Olaf One-Brow," Thorgil attempted.

"The name is not familiar to me," Thor confirmed.

"Nor to me," Loki added.

"And the rest of us have no ability to speak with those who have crossed to Valhalla," Gwendolyn pointed out.

"So you told my father to his face that he was naught but death and destruction," Thor accused Jack.

"I told him more than that," Jack spat. "I told him that his world was a leaf about to fall from Yggdrassil."

"Not just my father," Thor cried, "but my REALM!"

His grip on Mjolnir tightened. Jack held out his staff. Fandral, Volstagg, and Hogun all put their hands on the hilts of their own weapons, ready to draw them. Thorgil clenched her fists, staring the Asgardians down. Sif and Oswald watched in stony silence; Gwendolyn bit her lip with worry. Loki still regarded the party before him with confusion, trying to puzzle out exactly what about them was so strange to him.

"We have to do something," Fluttershy whispered.

"Twilight," Applejack muttered, "for the love of Celestia, KEEP UP THAT WALL."

"Okay, LISTEN!" Twilight barked. "We are all getting off on COMPLETELY the wrong hoof here!"

"Who are YOU to speak to me so?" Thor retorted.

"Somepony who WANTS to be your friend!" Twilight blurted without thinking.

"I have no Midgardian friends," Thor emphasized.

"Hasn't your brother figured out that I'm not even FROM Midgard?" Twilight pointed out. "THEY are." She pointed to Jack and Thorgil. "But the rest of us are from a completely different world! It's a lot LIKE Midgard, but it's a little bit like Asgard too. And we're not mortal, either."

"Or human," Loki added. "Or you wouldn't be calling us ponies at every opportunity."

Twilight nodded. "Right. The six of us just look human now. Anyway, we came here…with Jack and Thorgil, too…because, well, we were sent here. The Mists of Avalon took us from the Islands of the Blessed to here. And that happened for a REASON. That reason might be something to do with you. Or it might not."

"Avalon." Thor lowered Mjolnir. "That is a name I have not heard spoken on Asgard for a long time. If you have come here because of it…" He turned to the rest of the riding party. "Leave your weapons," he commanded. "For now."

Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg obliged, leaving their weapons sheathed at their sides.

Thor turned back to Twilight when he noticed the glitter at her throat. "That amulet," he observed. "Thy friends from the other land…they wear similar jewels. They remind me of something I've heard about in poetry and stories."

"What was it?" Twilight inquired.

"The legend of the Elements of Harmony," Thor clarified.

As Twilight continued to speak with Thor from across the magical barrier, Applejack pulled Jack and Thorgil aside. "Now listen," she said sternly. "I know y'all've got a big ol' grudge against Odin. And y'all've probably got good REASONS for that grudge. But y'all just used it to insult a guy's dad right in front of 'im. I know y'all hate Odin, but if somepony hated Olaf One-Brow, or your dad, Jack, would you stand for that? Or how 'bout if somepony told y'all that Dragon Tongue was just a leaf about to fall off the tree of existence?"

"He didn't have to threaten us with a hammer," Jack insisted.

"I think if somepony talked 'bout your dad that way," Applejack replied, her expression bitter, "you'd think about usin' that staff in a way you really shouldn't. Not sayin' you'd do it. But you'd think it. I know you well enough, Jack."

Jack was silent then, pondering her words.

"You hear Twilight," Applejack went on. "She doesn't know if why we were sent here has anythin' to do with this group. But they showed up right after we did. And given what sent us here, that ain't coincidence. So y'all better figure out a way to play nice."

"I used to worship them, you know," Thorgil muttered. "Before I learned what they were really like."

"Maybe there's a little bit of what you liked about 'em still in there," Applejack suggested. "Or maybe not. But there's only one way to find out."

"You told us you represented Honesty," Jack reminded her. "If you want me to say I'm sorry for the things I said, that would be a lie."

"You ain't sorry for what you believe," Applejack told him. "I know that. And in the end, it's up to you. But I think if you apologize for anythin', it's gonna be insultin' someone's family. Not for just thinkin' Odin's bad news. Anyway, better make a decision quick, 'cause when Twilight and Thor finish up what they're talkin' about, eyes are gonna be back on you two."

"What do you know about the Elements of Harmony?" Twilight asked Thor.

"They are strange and mystical," Thor answered. "Some say they have been a part of the cosmic order ever since the Age of Chaos ended. Honesty, Loyalty, Generosity, Kindness, Laughter, and Magic. Legends tell of beings who bore these qualities and wore them as jewels. I had never seen any of these beings until today. Are they, in part, what brings you here?"

Twilight nodded. "We've needed to use their power wherever we went. I'm not sure what they're going to do here, but it's gotta be something."

"You are more than mere Midgardians," Thor conceded.

"Way more," Twilight confirmed. "But our Midgardian friends are important to us, too. Just because Jack and Thorgil are mortal and come from 6…from Midgard doesn't mean they're not important. They're both training to be bards, and, frankly, the only reason Jack isn't one already is because he hasn't passed the tests of the School. And Thorgil's catching up fast. That's where we all were before we came here: studying at the School of Bards."

"The white robes," Sif realized. "That must be your uniform."

"They mean a lot to us," Twilight emphasized, "and, more importantly, the Mists had a reason to bring them along too. Sure, they have some…different beliefs, but – "

"Actually," Thorgil interrupted, "I used to adore the thought of this realm."

"What changed?" Thor asked.

"Seeing Odin at the Wild Hunt," Thorgil answered. "I grew up a shield maiden in the crew of Olaf One-Brow. All my life, they teased me about my wish to die and go to Valhalla. I wanted to join the endless battle! Sever heads! Cleave men in two! But all my life, they told me a shield maiden would never do anything but serve the male warriors there. I told them they were wrong. And then I saw it for myself."

"I know your pain," Gwendolyn said solemnly. "I lost my elder sister to battle. She was taken to Valhalla, and I tried to follow her, engaging in fight after fight in the hopes that one of them would kill me at last. I knew even then that she was not taking part in the eternal battle of the afterlife, and neither would I. As much as I welcomed the rest and sought respite from my many battles, I have always felt it unfair. I wished it could have been different. But there was never opportunity to say this to my father."

"Your father was also Odin," Jack realized. "But…you're not a goddess…or are you?"

Gwendolyn shook her head. "In Asgard, gods and mortals walk the same earth. Only fate decides who is which."

"Though we are not mortals as you think of them," Oswald added. "We are stronger, and live longer."

"I too find it unfair," Sif added. "I hold no grudge against Odin to your degree, but he has not made it easy on the women of Asgard. I would rather follow Brunhilde into battle. It is perhaps Odin's greatest shortcoming."

"I turned away from your gods," Thorgil concluded. "Though I wouldn't follow Jack's thrall god either."

At the besmirching of God, Jack shot Thorgil a glare, which she ignored.

"The Islands of the Blessed took me in," Thorgil said, "and they let me learn how to call fire and write poetry. THAT was something to believe in! But Jack would always say that Northmen's gods and his thrall god were two branches on Yggdrassil, and there was no point in fighting over it, since it was all part of life. He's just gotten bitter since then."

Jack was nearly livid, but still Thorgil ignored him.

"Thor, you were once a hero to me," Thorgil confessed, "and maybe you still are! We all told stories about your heroics on the ship! Now, THOSE were good times!"

"I thank you," Thor replied, honestly stunned. "I…cannot very well smite one who thinks that of me."

"The fastest way to Thor's heart," Fandral laughed, "is through his ego!"

"Not that we didn't tell tales of Loki's tricks as well," Thorgil went on, grinning. "My favorite was the story of your flyting in Aegir's hall."

Loki broke out into laughter. "I knew SOMEONE would find it amusing!"

"Though none of us in Aegir's hall did that day," Thor pointed out sullenly, recalling the verbal shots Loki had taken at him over that feast. He hadn't wanted a reminder of how many times Loki had asserted that Thor was a coward.

"Maybe there's no point in being mad at you after all," Thorgil decided with a shrug. Then she gave Jack a very meaningful look.

Jack sighed. "I want to apologize. For speaking badly of your father. For as many faults as my father has, I wouldn't want you to say to me what I said about Odin. I…I'm sorry. And I mean it."

And everyone present could tell that he did, in fact, mean it.

Jack lowered his staff. "I think you can take down that wall, Twilight," he said.

"I shall not strike thee," Thor promised, "nor shall anyone in my company."

"Good." Twilight let the wall dissipate, and a great weight upon the air seemed to dissolve along with it.

"Your reasons for being here interest me," Sif admitted.

"What were you all doing in this forest, anyway?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"We were riding to the ruins of Valentine," Gwendolyn explained, "to deliver something important to friends of ours in the Pooka Village."

"Hardly anything as mystical as being guided here by the Mists of Avalon," Oswald commented.

Gwendolyn urged her horse to step out in front of the group so that she could turn and speak to her cohorts. "What if their journey does involve ours?" she posed. "Should we invite them to travel to Valentine with us?"

"It does seem as though that is the path fate is laying out for us," Thor replied.

"It looks that way to me, too," Jack pointed out.

"As to me," Sif admitted. "Are we all in agreement?"

"I don't see why not," Volstagg replied.

"The more the merrier!" Fandral added…though inwardly, he was a little taken aback to be using the phrase toward a group that contained two Midgardians and six beings who were close enough.

Hogun just gave a grunt and a nod.

"I say we take them," Loki added with a gleaming smile.

"Are you only saying that because the shield maiden admires the story of your flyting?" Oswald asked, raising a brow to Loki.

"Perhaps," Loki said with a casual shrug.

"I believe forces of destiny are at work here," Oswald admitted. "And I mean the sort of destiny I'm inclined to actually follow."

Gwendolyn steered her horse back into line so that Thor could ask the eight in white, "And thee? Wilt thou join us on our quest?"

"I'm in!" Rainbow Dash cried.

"As am I," Thorgil added with a grin.

"Aaaaaand me!" Pinkie Pie chorused.

"I think we kind of have to at this point," Twilight said rather cheekily.

"I'm up for it," said Applejack.

"Me too," Fluttershy said softly, almost inaudibly.

"I couldn't turn it down," Rarity added.

And then there was only Jack left to speak. All eyes turned to him, waiting to see what he would say, what he would do. He still did feel doubt, deep inside, that allying with the sons of Odin, as well as loyal subjects of Asgard, was the correct move. Despite his reservations, however, the workings of fate stood.

Thorgil had said he was once able to view the gods of Asgard and his father's God – a God he still thought he worshipped, though as time went on, that belief was starting to grow disconcertingly faint – could simply be two branches of the tree of life. And that was once a belief he had held. It kept coming into question. When the Northmen who worshipped Odin laid waste to the innocent Christian monks of the Holy Isle. When Odin himself had shown Jack on Grim's Island that his idea of the perfect life after death was neverending battle and strife. But it wasn't as though the Christians had remained shining paragons. The monks of St. Filian's – first too gluttonous, then the exact opposite, to the point where they too felt strife and suffering were the path to goodness – had proven the fault there time and time again. What held Jack back was his own cynicism. What urged him to go against that cynicism was the words of his friends.

One of those forces won out. "I'll join you," he announced.

"All RIGHT!" Rainbow Dash cried.

"We shall ride slowly," Thor decided out loud, "so that those of you on foot may keep pace."

"Though I can imagine the sight of us on horses is rather unsettling for you," Loki said, aiming a grin right at Twilight.

Fandral elbowed Loki in the side playfully. "You always did love your horses, Loki! With all due respect to Sleipnir!"

"Ah, that reminds me…" Loki replied. "How is that old wound from when you tried to pet my other child, Fenris? Does it still act up whenever you've done something stupid?"

"Please tell me I don't have to put another wall up between them," Twilight sighed.

"Onward," Thor commanded, and the eight horses began to move at a slow walk. The eight on foot mingled with the group, and all sixteen proceeded through the moonlit forest.

...

VALENTINE, ASGARD

The sight of the great, empty fields was jarring to those who had not seen Valentine before, especially after the fertility of Elrit. "There's…hardly any life here," Jack observed, stunned.

"What…HAPPENED?" Rainbow Dash asked. "There's NOTHING! I thought we were headed for some big city!"

"Such has been the state of Valentine for year upon year, score upon score," Thor answered. "It was the site of the first of the wars for the Crystallization Cauldron."

"The whatnow?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Long ago," Gwendolyn explained, "it was tradition for us to carry crystal weapons known as Psyphers, forged from crystals of Niflheim. Our father collected them from that realm himself. They made up the blades of swords and the points of spears. Psyphers were capable of extraordinary magic, but at a price. The crystals drew upon the life force, and their magic relied upon the collection of Phozons."

"And a Phozon is…?" Rainbow Dash pressed.

"A particle of the life force," Gwendolyn explained. "Soon, it became more difficult for our father to mine the crystals."

"Hel balked," Loki contributed. "She sent her daughter Odette out to guard the gateway to Niflheim and stop our father from taking anything else. It only sort of worked."

"Hel," Volstagg snorted. "Another one of your children gone rogue, Loki."

"Powers that be forbid any child of mine turns out NORMAL," Loki responded proudly.

Oswald picked up the story: "The Crystallization Cauldron was a machine that could turn Phozons into new crystals. Of course, because the Psyphers were so powerful, the leaders of the Asgardian nations found themselves in conflict over its possession. The first war was between Ragnanival and Valentine. Odin and King Valentine clashed, and…"

"And Odin destroyed Valentine," Twilight said softly, taken aback.

"No," Thor insisted. "The Cauldron was sabotaged!"

"Do you have proof of that?" Jack asked, snorting.

"Yes," Gwendolyn said somberly. "For years, we thought it was just some sort of horrible accident. Those who didn't live in Ragnanival blamed our father. But now we know…he did want victory over Valentine. But he wasn't the one who did…this." She paused, collecting her thoughts. "Odin had…many children. Thor, Loki, and I were all by Frigga."

Twilight bit her lip and tried to avoid looking at Loki.

"But there were others," Gwendolyn continued, her voice growing ever quieter.

"Bastard children," Oswald clarified. "Odin had an affair with Princess Ariel, the daughter of King Valentine. It was forbidden. After Ariel bore Odin twins, Valentine strangled her to death. One of those children sabotaged the cauldron so that it would destroy his own home country in order to be recognized by Odin. He and his twin sister both escaped the blast, but he wasn't as satisfied with his work as he'd hoped. He was…very bitter."

"Where is he now?" Applejack wondered out loud.

"Dead," Oswald said simply. "However, his sister lives. OUR sister. Gwendolyn's, Thor's, and Loki's by father and mine by marriage. It is her we are going to see."

"I don't see how anypony could live in a place like this," Rarity pointed out, looking out over the flat field.

"We must go further still," Thor explained, dismounting his horse. Sif, Loki, Volstagg, Fandral, Gwendolyn, Oswald, and Hogun also abandoned their steeds in favor of traveling on foot. They led the way; the others followed.

"So what's our big quest, anyway?" Thorgil asked.

"We are here to deliver coins to the sister they spoke of," Sif replied.

"Coins?" Thorgil was confused and slightly disappointed. "We're just here to give her money?"

"It is more complicated than that," Thor told her. "It will make more sense once we are underground."

"Underground…" Jack extended his senses, seeking out the life force. The upper land of Valentine wasn't dead, nor was it in the throes of Unlife, but it was still quite bare compared to most other places. Underground, however, it was a different story. Just beneath the surface of the earth, Jack could tell there was a surge of life.

The group crossed the fields until they came upon what at first seemed a sinkhole. Instead of going straight down, however, the hole contained a path that sloped gently down into the underground. "They have a few other entrances set up across Asgard," Thor explained. "Magical portals. But this is the original and largest gateway."

"Who're 'they'?" Pinkie asked. "The Valentinians?"

"Yes," Thor answered.

"So they didn't ALL die in the blast," Twilight concluded.

"Actually, very few did," Thor told her. "What happened to the nation of Valentine was something rather different than death."

"It is probably something you should see for yourself," Oswald added.

The sixteen descended into the cave, moving deeper and deeper underground. Fluttershy was, at first, afraid that they were approaching dark territory where unsavory forces might stand guard, but after a short stretch of darkness, the tunnel began to widen, and torches were visible attached to its walls, casting a bright and inviting light. Further down they went and further on, until at last, they emerged to the sight of the bustling Pooka Village.

...

THE POOKA VILLAGE, VALENTINE, ASGARD

"Whoa…" Rainbow Dash and Thorgil murmured.

Fluttershy gasped. "Look!" She pointed down to the Pookas that roamed the streets. "They're…they're so adorable!"

"What are they?" Jack asked.

"The people of Valentine," Oswald said. "Cursed into the forms of Pookas by the exploding Cauldron. All but Princess Velvet and her brother Ingway. And yet even Velvet could not escape this fate."

"She's a Pooka too," Twilight clarified.

"Many things happened," Gwendolyn said softly. "She sacrificed the last of the Psyphers in order to save Asgard. In order to do that, she had to use the Cauldron. It turned her into a Pooka just like the rest of her people."

"Wait," Twilight interrupted. "You can't just say 'many things happened.' Why did she have to destroy the Psyphers? What happened to the Cauldron? What did she save Asgard FROM?"

"It is quite a long story," Thor warned.

"I doubt anyone wants to tell it now," Loki added.

"But…" Twilight protested.

"Should your path continue to run alongside ours," Thor vowed, "we will tell you everything you wish to know about the end of the wars for the Cauldron. If thou art to spend a fair amount of time here, you will need to know. However, if thou art not, then it shan't be relevant."

Twilight thought that if it was such an important event in Asgardian history, it was more than relevant whether the quest would keep them on Asgard or not, but she held her tongue. It was no use arguing with Thor. She was still bothered by how easily he'd been able to raise Mjolnir against her. She had known this wouldn't be the same Thor she'd met before, that this man would not have a history of being her friend and that he would be one thousand years younger besides, but it had still come as a shock.

Then again, Twilight thought, that was probably nothing compared to what was going on in Pinkie Pie's head, seeing Loki in this context. She chanced a glance over to her pink-haired companion. Pinkie was staring eagerly ahead at the village, entranced by it, and outwardly, it appeared she wasn't thinking of her incident with Loki at all. Twilight wondered if that was the case on the inside.

"Though what you probably should know," Gwendolyn pointed out, "is that Velvet's husband Cornelius is also a Pooka, but he is not of Valentine. He was once the crown prince of Titania. He was cursed into the Pooka form by Velvet's brother, and has remained that way since. The Titanians would not accept a Pooka king to the throne, so now, Titania remains in the hands of my father as well as Ragnanival. Velvet and Cornelius rule this as their kingdom." She pointed to the mansion. "That is their home."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Rainbow Dash asked, stepping backward toward the village, facing the others. "Let's go!" She turned around and ran face forward into the village. The others followed briskly.

The Pookas were surprised to see so many humans walking along the street at a time. They recognized Thor, Loki, Gwendolyn, and Oswald straightaway, and most eventually identified the others as Sif, Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg. However, none could put a name to any of those who had arrived in white robes. Word was passed from Pooka to Pooka of the large group headed toward the house of Velvet and Cornelius.

The sixteen did not even have to get all the way there. Velvet and Cornelius met them in the middle of the road. "We heard word you were here," Cornelius explained with a grin.

"And that you had brought visitors," Velvet added.

"That we have," Thor confirmed. "Sister, these are…" He faltered. "I don't know that we were ever all introduced."

"I'm Twilight Sparkle," Twilight offered.

And the rest fell into succession:

"Name's Applejack."

"F…Fluttershy…"

"I am Rarity!"

"The name's Rainbow Dash!"

"I'M PINKIE PIE!"

"They call me Thorgil!"

"I am Jack."

Thor nodded. "You already know my name and Loki's well. Of the rest of my companions…my sister Gwendolyn, and her husband Oswald. Fandral, Volstagg, and Hogun, known as the Warriors Three. Lady Sif, a warrior in her own right. My half sister, Velvet, and her husband Cornelius."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Velvet said with a nod.

"I feel the same," Cornelius chimed in.

Before Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Thorgil, or Jack could say anything more, Sif broke in: "Their story is strange. Two of them are Midgardians, and the others are bearers of mystical elements, as well as equines in human form. They say they were brought to this world by the Mists of Avalon."

"But how did you transform into humans?" Cornelius asked. "That is something we here have tried to achieve for quite a while."

"I'm sorry," Fluttershy said regretfully, "but we can't control it. It just sort of happens if we go to a world where ponies aren't able to talk."

"Oh…" Cornelius' ears drooped ever so slightly. He had been hoping for a magical fix.

"I wish we could help," Fluttershy said sincerely.

"Well, we can do something," Thor insisted. He produced one of the Ariel coins from his pocket, giving it to Velvet.

Velvet gasped, taking the coin into her hands. Before she could say anything in the way of gratitude, Oswald told her, "That is one of six hundred we acquired."

"Six hundred - !" Velvet gasped. "But…how? Where did you get these?"

"It's quite a story," Loki began to answer. "It all began when we were alerted to the presence of a great dragon laying waste to Vanaheim. And not just anywhere on Vanaheim, but Hogun's place of birth. When I heard the news, I knew I could not stand idly by – "

"I slayed the dragon." Thor cut Loki short. "We sold its teeth to a merchant who had come upon a wealth of these coins. And now they all belong to you."

Six hundred Ariel coins came out of pockets and purses, ending up in a shining pile on the ground. "But…but we cannot take these and give you nothing in return," Velvet managed to say through her awe.

"Your need of them is great," Gwendolyn reminded her. "We know this well."

"We simply can't," Velvet said, shaking her head.

"We'll give you whatever we have that you could want," Cornelius emphasized.

"These can't be any ordinary coins," Applejack whispered. "Somethin' else is goin' on here."

Jack nodded.

"In that case…" Volstagg looked to his companions. "What say thee to a six-hundred-coin feast?"

"A six-hundred-coin feast!" Cornelius repeated.

"It will be done," Velvet promised. "We will set the largest table in the village and begin to prepare the food immediately."

"Okay, mind tellin' us what's goin' on?" Applejack broke in. "Nothin's makin' any sense!"

"They don't know?" Velvet looked to Thor and Gwendolyn.

"We only just came upon them," Gwendolyn informed her half sister.

"They know barely anything of this realm," Thor added.

Velvet nodded. "Then we shall have to explain it to you over the meal. And while we're at it, I would like to know how you ended up traveling with a party of famed Asgardian warriors."

"Now that you mention food," Thorgil broke in, "I'm starving!"

"Come with me," Velvet beckoned, leading the group back down the main road. The coins were all picked up – though care was taken not to let Loki get ahold of any – and seventeen followed the Pooka princess to a large café.

The interior of the café was round and a homey shade of brown, with walls crowded by bookshelves and floral arrangements, even a stove with a teakettle on it. Glass lanterns hung from the ceiling, suspended by brass poles, and a beige drapery was strung up around the ceiling's perimeter. The floor was of gold-colored tile, and in the center of the room was a small, circular table, draped in a white cloth, and a wooden chair, its back carved into a vague heart shape, with a red cushion. Passages to two other rooms were visible between the bookshelves: across from the entryway was a set of swinging wooden doors, behind which the kitchen lay – the noises of clanking dishes emitted from behind – and to the left was an alcove containing a spiral staircase with a silver railing.

When Myris heard the sound of someone entering, she entered the room from the kitchen. "How may I – " she began, then gasped, giving a start. "Oh…I'm sorry. I just wasn't expecting so MANY! May I help you?"

"Uh…" Applejack looked around the room, then at the small table with its solitary chair. "Not sure we're all gonna fit in here."

"Myris, we have rather a large order," Velvet explained. "And, as you can see, many guests. Have you got anywhere we can be seated?"

"Oh…yes," Myris said after a thought. "Come with me!"

She trotted to the spiral staircase, stepping upon it and moving up. One by one, the others followed.

The stairs went up past two other stories, but Myris did not stop there. Instead, she pushed open a hatch that opened onto the roof. The dark roof of the cavern stretched above like a night sky. As the group filed out onto the roof, they found it flat, with an enormous round table sat upon it. A small wall, chin-high to a Pooka, surrounded the roof as a protective measure; over the edge, a fantastic view was visible, the lights that made the rest of the village bright and the intricately carved gables of buildings both near and far.

The table had no cloth upon it, showing its bare wood surface. Eight chairs similar to the one in the main café were grouped around it.

"Oh! That won't be enough chairs," Myris realized. "I will be back." She rushed downstairs.

"It is so good to see her," Gwendolyn remarked, "and yet…it is sad to know that we will be served by neither Meliene nor Melelunch."

"I miss them too," Velvet agreed.

"Where'd they go?" Pinkie asked. "Will they be back?"

"Alas, no," Velvet replied. "They died long ago."

"Lemme guess," Twilight sighed. "The mysterious incident where the Psyphers were sacrificed in order to save Asgard."

"Yes," Gwendolyn confirmed.

Myris and nine other Pookas, all clad in white aprons, rushed up the stairs, each carrying a chair. These chairs did not match the ones already set around the table, nor did they match each other. Some were wood and some were bronze. Some had cushions; others had none. Half were built to accommodate someone of human proportions while half were built, obviously, for Pookas. The motley arrangement of chairs was set around the table, as equidistantly as the kitchen staff could make it. "There," Myris said proudly. "Now, you may all sit comfortably."

"I shall give up my seat," Gwendolyn announced. "I want you to be able to sit with us, Myris."

"Why not simply bring up another chair?" Volstagg asked the other Pookas of the kitchen staff, and they rushed off to oblige.

"You are our guests," Myris insisted. "You should sit. I do not need to – "

"Myris, you are a friend," Gwendolyn argued, "and this is a gathering of friends. Please."

The nineteenth chair was brought and set up, and all arranged themselves: Gwendolyn, Oswald, Thor, Sif, Hogun, Volstagg, Fandral, Loki, Thorgil, Jack, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Twilight, Myris.

"What can we bring you?" a pale yellow coated Pooka with short brown locks on her head asked kindly.

"Friends!" Thor commanded. "Let us pay them what we have earned!"

The six hundred Ariel coins were dumped onto the table, and Jack, Thorgil, and the six Equestrians were stunned to see the reaction of the Pookas: they gasped, they stared in shock, and one of the kitchen staff even cried.

"What IS it about these coins?" Thorgil hissed.

"Maybe they're magic," Jack guessed.

"There are six hundred here," Thor announced. "We meant to present them to Velvet as a gift, but she refused."

"That is why tonight," Volstagg cried, "we request a feast worth six hundred Ariel coins!"

"A…a feast…worth six hundred?" The yellow Pooka nearly choked on the words.

"We could settle for a feast worth three or even two hundred instead," Sif told them, "though we would still give you all the coins."

"No," the yellow Pooka insisted. "We cannot let you walk away without your money's worth. We shall create a feast the likes of which this village has never seen before!"

The kitchen staff charged down the stairs to the kitchen as though headed off to battle.

"Okay," Applejack said once they'd left. "What's the deal with the coins?"

"We of Valentine are cursed," Velvet began.

"Thor told us about that," Twilight informed her. "He said this happened to you all when the Cauldron blew up."

"Yes…" Velvet looked down at the tabletop for a moment, lost in thought. Then she shook her head, clearing it of whatever she was thinking about. "Yes, it did. King Valentine…my grandfather…was a cruel man. Warped by greed and years of war, he eventually became a monster, and he killed my mother. You will notice her likeness stamped on the coins."

Rarity picked one of the coins on the table up. "She looks beautiful," she gushed.

"She was," Velvet agreed. "My grandfather, however…well, as cruel as he became in his old age, when he was younger, he was kind. And there became a legend about the Ariel coins he had minted of his daughter."

"They say he enchanted them all," Cornelius went on, "and that if ever all the Ariel coins of Valentine were in one place, whomever had gathered them would be granted one wish. Of course, some find this mere superstition, so the coins changed hands as ordinary money. Besides, there were thousands of them. What one person could ever dream of gathering them all in one place?"

"But when the curse was cast upon us," Velvet continued, "we took comfort in that legend. It might just be our way out of these forms and back to the bodies we once had. Back to life among other Asgardians without ridicule or opportunity. As a nation, we made it a goal to collect all of the Ariel coins, even if it took us thousands of years. But we could not just steal them." She turned to Myris, imploring her silently to finish the explanation.

"Our cafés and kitchens are open to all who come in from the other nations," Myris said. "We invite travelers and questers. But the price of our goods is only Ariel coins."

"But that means ya gotta wait for people to come down here an' pay up," Applejack realized. "That's gonna take forever!"

"We have much time on our hands," Velvet reminded her.

"Hmm…" Applejack fell silent, the wheels turning in her mind.

"Now, tell me," Velvet asked, "how did you all come here?" She indicated Thorgil, Jack, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight.

"Well," Twilight admitted, "the longer story about how we got here is…pretty long. I think we should just start with how we got from 616th Midgard to here."

It was then that the kitchen staff returned to the roof, bearing gigantic plates laden with food. They lay the dishes down onto the table, then ran down to get more. The table became a fantasyland of food: roasted meats, seared vegetables, thick stews, steaming shellfish, crisp and juicy salads, soft dumplings, pitchers of ice cold milk and water. The aroma was tantalizing, heavenly, and it triggered salivation in all seated at the table, most of whom hadn't realized how hungry they truly were until then.

"Dig in!" Cornelius encouraged, and the nineteen diners heaped their plates high from the dishes placed before them, eagerly shoveling the food into their mouths from there. For a good ten minutes, no one spoke; the only sounds were of chewing, gulping, and the clatter of cutlery against plates.

"Oh!" Pinkie suddenly cried. "We never answered your question! Okay, so…" She crammed more food into her mouth. "We were stuhying at the School of Barf, where we were werning aw forf of fun fuff, like howda ask the life forf thoo geh fie for roafing marfallowf. Aheeway, Talieseh, whosin harchf uffa skoo, hada spen nyfe inna hayzawa. Wonye, we were aw going abouh bifness as yewshel, when shunnenly, da Miff of Avawa churnah! Helehuh all itoo wah place, an then they turn into a portal todah foreff wheree ran infoo For! Anwee reawise athwe ONWY weason we cudda aw been bwat togever ifififwa fay! So we caywawah to bwing you the mahvic wihing coyf. We ran indoyou, you said you wuwen't tayka coins wifouh gifing ayhing bah, ahere we are, eadis dewifis fooh until we're fooler dan fool and feel wike we're gonna expode! Iffendoh we woan expode."

"Er…" Velvet stared at Pinkie, trying to make sense of what she'd said. "That…sounds…nice. Could you…perhaps repeat it?"

"With less food in your mouth?" Cornelius added.

"Oh, come now," Loki scolded Velvet, "she was speaking clear as day. She said they were studying at the School of Bards, where they were learning 'all sorts of fun stuff,' like how to ask the life force to get fire for roasting marshmallows. Anyway, Taliesin, who was in charge of the school, had them spend nights in the hazel wood. One night, they were all 'going about business as usual,' when suddenly, the Mists of Avalon turned up! They led them all into one place, and then they turned into a portal to the forest, where they ran into Thor. And we realized that the ONLY reason we could have all been brought together is if it was fate! So they came along to bring you the 'magic wishing coins'! We ran into you, you said you wouldn't take the coins without giving anything back, and here we are eating this delicious food until, in her words, 'we're fuller than full and feel like we're gonna explode! Even though we won't explode.' In fact, most of that was her words."

"I see," Velvet replied, now understanding.

Pinkie Pie swallowed the mouthful of food. "Thank you!" she told Loki sincerely.

Loki flashed her a coy grin.

Pinkie then looked away quickly.

After the main courses were done, and many in the party did, in fact, feel as though explosion was imminent (though of course it never came), the empty plates were cleared and replaced with desserts. Colorful tarts, warm brownies, steaming pies, frosty sorbet, fresh fruits. Suddenly there was room in everyone's stomach for just a little something more.

"I wish we could help you get those coins," Twilight told Velvet. "Actually…maybe we can. I mean, we can't get ALL of them, but maybe the reason we're here is to help you get closer to that wish!"

"I've actually been thinkin' about somethin'," Applejack broke in. "See, I come from a family where we sell food for a livin'. Now, most of the time, we'll just sell right outta the farm, but sometimes, we just can't do that. We've got ponies that love our apples but live far away, not to mention when opportunities come up like sellin' apple tarts at the Grand Gallopin' Gala. Well, okay, that one didn't exactly go as planned, but still… Anyway, a lotta times, we load up the carts and take food out to other towns. Instead of waitin' for travelers to just turn up here with coins every so often, what if we went out and sold the food that was made here in other parts of Asgard? This stuff's pretty much to die for. I just KNOW everypony'd cough up those coins in order to get some of these. So…whaddaya think?"

"Admittedly, taking our wares to other nations was something we had not tried," Cornelius replied.

"I don't know how well the rest of Asgard would react to Pookas wheeling a cart around and asking for payment in one specific currency," Velvet confessed. "I should hope we wouldn't simply be ignored. However…I fear we would."

"Not if the royal family of Ragnanival were at the helm," Thor pointed out. "They would hardly simply pass the cart by were I there."

"I could convince more than a few to buy our wares," Loki added.

"With or without glamour?" Sif prodded.

"Does it matter?" Loki replied cheekily.

"I think this sounds like a good idea," Gwendolyn stated. "Perhaps we should spend some time on it."

Fandral gave a great sigh. "So our quest has gone from slaying dragons to peddling food?"

"Perhaps we'll meet a dragon along the way," Volstagg theorized.

"If we did go through with this plan," Velvet said, "I would like to take food up to Winterhorn. There are usually merchants and explorers there who would welcome the sight of a cart of food. And there will most certainly be monsters there. Is that more to your liking, Fandral?"

"Perhaps," Fandral replied, brightening.

"The idea certainly does have merit," Cornelius agreed.

"We shall think on it," Velvet decied.

"If you do decide in favor of this idea," Thor told her, "I will gladly join you in the undertaking, and I am sure the rest of my traveling company will as well."

Nods and noises of agreement came from around the table.

"Thank you," Velvet told him. "We will let you know."

They continued to clear the table of the desserts. Fluttershy felt a yawn coming on, and clenched her teeth to stop it coming out, but eventually just had to hide it behind her hand. Volstagg's yawn was more pronounced; he made no attempt to conceal it. Those who had eaten, once full, were relaxed and becoming sleepy.

"The hour grows late," Sif observed.

"The hour grew late a long TIME ago," Twilight realized. "We must have crossed paths just before midnight. And with the time it took us to get here and have all this food…"

"Do not worry," Velvet promised. "I will provide you with a place to sleep for the night."

"Oh, thank you!" Fluttershy gushed.

"And I will use one of the portals to inform Odin where you are," Myris added, pushing back her chair and leaving the table.

Velvet and Cornelius left as well, prompting the others to follow suit. "Come with me," Velvet beckoned. "I have a place where you can sleep as late as you wish tomorrow."

The group moved out of the café and down the street. Velvet brought them all to another three-story building, its walls painted a striking deep blue; over its carved oak door, a swinging wooden sign with three letters painted on it in black script proclaimed it to be an "INN."

"But we spent all our coin on dinner," Thor protested.

"Take this as a favor from Cornelius and me," Velvet replied.

"If you wouldn't accept our coins without giving us something in return," Sif pointed out, "why should we accept your gift without finding a way to repay you?"

"I will then leave you to think of that way on your own time," Velvet answered. "It will not matter to me whether or not I receive anything in return. Tonight, no matter what you say, I will pay for your room."

She led them inside to the lobby, where wall sconces of torches behind pink glass lit the room up brightly, showing the polished wooden admission desk carved with floral designs on its edges, the deep blue paint on the walls, the wooden molding around the ceiling, and the blue and violet paisley rug on the floor. The Pooka behind the desk, elderly and mauve-coated, greeted them: "Hello, travelers! How may I serve you tonight?"

"I would like to check in sixteen," Velvet informed him.

"Sixteen!" the Pooka remarked. "And all of that size?"

"In these bodies, anyway," Rarity offered up.

"We have just enough beds in your size at the end of the west hall on the third floor," the Pooka informed them.

Velvet handed over enough coins to pay, and she and Cornelius moved to the stairs. As Thor followed, he stopped to scrawl his name in the guestbook. One by one, the others did the same, adding their names to the list.

The rooms at the end of the upper west hall were rather small, but twenty of them did have beds large enough to fit a large humanoid, though said beds took up the room from end to end lengthwise, pressed up against the walls. The headboards were carved with wildlife designs: a galloping stag, a flock of swooping birds, a badger in a field of flowers. Each room also contained a small dresser, and upon each dresser was a basket filled with fresh flowers. The walls, floor, and ceiling here were all lighter blue than had been seen elsewhere in the inn.

"This is where we take our leave," Cornelius informed the others.

"Thank you," Twilight told him. "This really means a lot."

"It is nothing," Cornelius replied. "Friends of theirs – " He motioned to Thor, Loki, Sif, Fandral, Volstagg, Hogun, Gwendolyn, and Oswald. " – are friends of mine."

"We shall see you tomorrow," Velvet promised. "Come find us when you awaken."

"We shan't keep you from sleep any longer," Cornelius stated, and then he and Velvet moved back down the hall to leave.

Rainbow Dash yawned. "Well. I'm tired out. Night, everypony!" She walked into the nearest room and flopped down onto the bed on her stomach, going out cold and beginning to snore.

"Goodnight," Sif replied, choosing a room of her own. Gwendolyn, Oswald, Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg, and Loki then followed suit. Each left the door hanging open; they were apart, but still together.

"Before I retire to slumber," Thor told Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie, Rarity, Thorgil, and Jack, "I would like to apologize for my…conduct when we met earlier. It was not befitting of Asgardian royalty."

"Don't worry about it," Applejack told him.

"You only reacted the way any battle-hardened warrior would to those he saw as enemies," Thorgil added,

Thor nodded. "I bid thee goodnight." He chose his own bed then.

"You think he meant it?" Jack whispered. "He doesn't seem to think much of Midgardians."

"I'm going to take him at his word," Twilight replied. "Just call it a feeling, but I know we can trust him. Anyway, we should actually get some sleep."

"Do you think Taliesin is worried about us?" Fluttershy wondered out loud.

"He knows where we are," Applejack said with certainty, recalling his command to "answer if called."

"Nighty-night!" Pinkie hopped off to a room. Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rarity also headed to the realm of sleep.

Jack, Thorgil, and Applejack were left in the hallway. "We're here," Jack muttered. "In Asgard. The home of the gods."

"I know!" Thorgil practically squealed. "Who'd have ever imagined? Isn't it amazing?"

"That isn't the word I'd use," Jack confessed. "Did I make the right choice?"

"It'll all work out," Applejack promised him. "You're a smart guy, Jack. I know this wasn't what you wanted, but…thanks for comin' along anyway."

"I'm not sure I had a choice," Jack admitted. "But…we are together. We'll be able to find our way. Fate won't let up on us…that's for certain."

"Can't you just enjoy it?" Thorgil implored.

"Are you going back to this?" Jack asked her.

"Would there be a problem if I did?" she replied stonily. Then: "I don't know. I've been to the Islands of the Blessed. It's all more complicated than I thought."

"Things'll look clearer once we've had some sleep," Applejack insisted. "You two gonna be okay?"

"More than okay!" Thorgil replied, beaming. "We just dined with the royalty of the gods! Maybe we'll be able to fight alongside them later!" She then chose her own bed, settling down. "I'll be dreaming of that, I know it!"

Applejack and Jack locked eyes for a while before Jack reassured her, "I'll be okay. See you tomorrow, then."

"Night," Applejack replied. "You have some sweet dreams too."

Jack smiled and nodded.

The final two went off to bed, and then all sixteen were nestled into bedcovers. Applejack's mind lazily wandered as she lay down. At the back of her mind, the fabulous tastes of the Pooka-cooked meal still floated. She couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten something so delicious, and wondered if they'd share their recipes with her at all. She hoped that her idea of the traveling food cart would be well received, and that if the idea were put into motion, that she and her friends would be able to travel with it a while. Though traveling with Thor this time around would not be the same as it was on 616th Earth in its 21st century. He'd already proven to be much more immature. Applejack wondered how they would get from that point to the friendship he knew a thousand years later…or how they had gotten there. Past or present, she wasn't sure how to think of it all. And then there was the matter of Loki –

BOOM!

The thunderclap woke all sixteen. Twilight sat straight up in bed and screamed. Fandral rolled out of the bed and hit the floor hard. Sif charged out of her room, sword drawn, ready to face whatever had made the noise in the hallway. Fluttershy dove under the blankets, hiding and quivering.

"What happened?" Rainbow Dash yelled.

"It appears to have been…just a noise," Sif answered. "I don't understand. It sounded like a storm within these walls. I was sure it could only be the work of some monster, but it truly looks like whatever it was only wanted to wake us up."

"But who would want to – " Twilight stopped in the middle of the sentence and groaned. She knew the answer.

And then from Loki's room came the laughter. "You should have heard your screams!" Loki guffawed.

"I'm going to kill him," Fandral muttered, getting back into bed.

"Loki," Thor groaned, "please…no tricks. Not now."

Then, from across the hall from Loki, another laugh, high-pitched and mirthful. "IT ACTUALLY WAS REALLY FUNNY!" Pinkie Pie squealed.

"PINKIE PIE!" Rainbow Dash yelled.

"Sorry," Pinkie replied, resolving to be quiet.

"Urgh!" Thorgil turned onto her stomach and placed the pillow over her head to block out all the noise.

"If there are going to be no more distractions to keep us up…" Sif glared around at the rooms before marching back into her own.

Loki and Pinkie Pie happened to catch each other's eyes from across the hallway. He gave her a slight nod, an appreciation that she'd found his disturbance humorous. She smiled back instinctively. He lay back down and closed his eyes. Pinkie Pie quickly lay back down herself, wondering if a thousand years could make a difference between an enemy and a friend.

...

Chapter 86:

· There's no getting around it. Thor and co., especially Sif and Loki, accepting Midgardians into their party is a little if not a lot OOC. But I need this hero group because…um…it's fun. So we're going to get along as best we can with this.

· I've probably explained this before, but I'm playing it that Velvet and Cornelius don't actually get all the coins until several hundred years later. So I mean it when I say that they're not going to be able to help them find ALL the coins and break the curse. And no, the Elements can't break it either. Can't godmod everything.

· In "Islands of the Blessed," Jack actually DOES tell off Odin and tell him that his world is "a leaf that's falling off Yggdrassil." He sees Valhalla and Ragnarok as markers of death instead of life, so that's where his hatred of Odin comes from. Thorgil was disillusioned, but I didn't feel like she was implanted with the same hatred.

· The reference to Loki "flyting" (exchanging insults) in Aegir's hall is a reference to the poem "Lokaesenna," which is basically about Loki turning up to a god party and insulting everyone there, even using old equivalents of "Your mom" and "I slept with your girlfriend."

· Sleipnir (Odin's horse), Fenris, and Hel all are children of Loki in mythology.

· Valentine isn't barren of plants anymore, given the whole ending of Odin Sphere, but there isn't anything rebuilt there, either. Artistic decision.

· I apologize for the heavy exposition. And regretfully, we're not done with it. Apologies in advance for how much of NEXT chapter it's going to take up, too.

· The Pooka Café is an ingame location. The inn, however, is my own design.

· Meliene and Melelunch were the owners/servers of the Pooka Café and Pooka Kitchen during the main events of Odin Sphere.

· For Pinkie's explanation, I actually did say out loud what I wanted her to say while putting a finger in my mouth and writing down what came out.