A/N: Before reading this chapter, it is advisable to be familiar with the song "Epiphany" from "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street." Movie version preferable.

...

88. This Means War

RINGFORD, ASGARD

"I do not understand," Sif told Eira. "The Jötunns have always respected our treaty. So long as we did not cross the border into their land, they would not cross the border into ours."

"Barbarians they may be," Loki added, "but they have always been respectful of that at least."

"All I can tell you is what we saw," Eira insisted. "About seven of them stormed the Ringford palace and began to destroy it without warning. They took down the trees as well. Witnesses can testify to this."

"I'd like to hear from some of these witnesses," Twilight told Eira, suspicion rising.

"Very well," Eira said. "Come with me."

She flitted through the gate and led the eighteen toward the partly demolished palace. On the way, they surveyed the damage.

"It looks like Jötunn work," Volstagg pointed out. "Only something big could have caused those holes in the wall."

"Or something powerful," Cornelius volunteered.

Inside the palace, several faeries had gathered in a panic, all trying to speak at once. Eira snapped her fingers, and all looked toward her and the guests she'd brought.

"We were informed that something happened here," Thor announced. "What occurred in Ringford earlier this day?"

"Frost giants!" one voice cried out.

"Big, ugly ones!" another chimed in.

Then, the faeries vocally jostled for who would get the next say:

"There was an army! It must have been twenty!"

"It was only five, but they were VERY nasty!"

"They tried to destroy the palace!"

"Our arrows barely worked on them!"

"THE FOREST! OUR FOREST!"

"I thought they were supposed to stay in Jötunheim!"

"Everypony CALM DOWN!" Twilight screamed, her words echoing off the palace walls. Eira glared at her, clearly unhappy that a non-faerie was trying to keep order in the Ringford palace hall. Twilight ignored her. "So…you're all SURE you saw the Jötunns do it?"

"YES!" the faeries chorused.

"This makes no sense," Gwendolyn reiterated.

"But there is hardly another explanation," Fandral pointed out.

"Perhaps my father will know more about this," Thor mused aloud.

"We do not need Odin to meddle in our affairs," Eira growled.

"I said nothing of the sort!" Thor retorted.

"Why ARE the Ragnanival royals here?" a faerie asked. "And why with so much company…and a cart?"

"We were sellin' food from the Pooka Village for Ariel coins," Applejack explained.

"I don't suppose you would want to make a purchase today?" Loki cajoled.

"Loki," Sif growled, "this is hardly the time."

"I agree," Eira insisted. "Now is not the time for – "

"I would like to buy something," the faerie known as Laila chimed in. She immediately felt all eyes on her. "I'm hungry," she defended, "and I just so happen to have an Ariel coin in my purse! I'm surprised more of you aren't taking the offer! Why pass up convenient food at a time like this?"

Eira gave a disappointed sigh.

Laila strode confidently up to the cart, peeling back the blanket. "I shall have this," she said, taking a dish of shrimp pepperoncino from it and handing the coin to Applejack.

"Um…" Fluttershy tapped Velvet on the shoulder. Velvet moved in close so that Fluttershy could whisper to her. "It doesn't seem fair to ask all these poor faeries to pay for food after so much has been destroyed."

"I agree," Velvet conceded. She turned to the crowd of faeries. "In light of…what has happened, we will not charge any cost for the food in our cart. You may take whatever you – "

"We do not want or need Ragnanival charity," Eira spat. Most of the other faeries nodded. "Please leave."

"It's probably best just to get out of their way," Twilight muttered.

"We shall take our leave, then," Cornelius said. "Come on. Let's turn this cart around."

The party prepared to leave, but not before Fluttershy whispered something to Velvet. Velvet nodded, whispering to Applejack, who handed Fluttershy a shining item. Fluttershy, trembling, approached Laila. "Um…you can have this back if you want," she said, holding out the coin. "We did want it, but right now, you need it more than we do. Velvet said it was all right."

Laila closed Fluttershy's hand around the coin and lightly pushed it back toward its owner. "I paid fairly," she insisted. "Please do not argue." Her eyes warned Fluttershy: Laila meant her no harm, but the other faeries were getting upset. Fluttershy took the hint and ran back out after her cohorts.

As the cart rolled away from the Ringford palace, back down the ugly trail cut by the attacking menace, Twilight stated, "We need to get to Odin right away and tell him what happened."

"I do not see what is so urgent," Loki said with a shrug.

"YOU DON'T SEE WHAT'S URGENT?" Twilight cried. "LOOK AT THE TREES! LOOK BACK AT THAT PALACE!"

"Our relationship with Ringford is hardly the best," Loki went on casually. "It wouldn't surprise me if they made up a tall tale and forged the evidence just to get under the skin of the other nations."

"How can you even SAY that?" Twilight spat.

"Not everyone is as opportunistic and deceptive as thee," Sif told Loki.

"And why would they forge an attack from Jötunns?" Gwendolyn posed. "If we went to war over it, it would damage Ringford as much as any other Asgardian nation."

"I don't think they were fakin'," Applejack said.

"The fact is that we just don't know what happened," Twilight pointed out. "All we have to go on is hearsay. It sounds like the faeries don't have a very good reason to tell THAT lie."

"The road turns off to a harbor soon out of Ringford," Oswald informed the others. "If we want to cross the sea to Ragnanival, that would be the opportune place to do it."

Jack made a face of disgust at the prospect of seeing Odin face to face again, but he also knew how dangerous the Jötunns could be. "I say we go now."

"Should we leave the cart?" Twilight wondered out loud.

"Let's take it for now," Applejack suggested. "It ain't really slowin' us down all that much, not that I can see, an' I feel a little bad leavin' all this food behind after the Pookas worked so hard to cook it."

Twilight nodded. "It's probably better that we have all those warmers and coolers in there with us than just leaving them lying around, anyway."

They left the lush forest, turning down the side road Oswald had indicated and moving swiftly toward the harbor.

They were soon met with another horrifying sight. Every dock in the harbor had been smashed to bits. The boats were all submerged in the shallows of the pristine sea; the boathouse had a great wound in its wall, offering a view to the furniture within. No living soul was in sight, though thankfully, no corpses could be seen either.

"Whatever got to Ringford," Rarity stated coldly, "it got here too."

"Thor," Sif suggested, "you can cross the sea through the air. Go to Ragnanival and speak with your father."

"We'll come too!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, fanning out her wings and clapping Fluttershy on the shoulder.

Gwendolyn gasped. "A Valkyrie!"

"Sorta," Rainbow Dash replied.

"Um…" Fluttershy was a little off-put that Rainbow Dash had simply volunteered her, but she fanned out her own wings. "Okay…"

"Nay," Thor insisted. "We will go together, or not at all. Breaking up our party would not end well if Asgard truly is under attack."

"Then we should take our original course," Velvet suggested. "Past Volkenon, through Titania, and back through Elrit."

"Then it's a good thing we kept the cart," Twilight pointed out.

"How so?" Hogun asked.

"Well, on the one hoof, we might have just enough time to close a few more sales in Titania," Twilight stated. "But more importantly, if we get to Titania to find out that the same thing happened there as here…I think we should make them the same offer we made the faeries: free food."

Cornelius nodded. "And my people will be much more receptive than the faeries of Ringford."

"It is not their fault," Oswald insisted. "Ringford has been on the losing side of far too many conflicts."

"We know," Fluttershy told him.

"We did?" Thorgil countered. "Because except for the golden-haired one, those faeries just seemed like a bunch of ungrateful – "

"Between what you told us on the way up the mountain and what they said about Odin," Fluttershy interrupted, "it seems like they'd have a good reason to be suspicious of us. Just like Loki was suspicious of them."

"Right now, that doesn't matter," Twilight insisted. "We have to get moving."

"She is right," Thor told the others, turning and beginning to walk, taking the cart and Applejack with him. The party fell into step with the cart.

"I do hope that Titania has not suffered what happened here," Cornelius said worriedly.

"I think we're all hopin' that," Applejack told him.

...

TITANIA, ASGARD

On their way to Titania, the party had passed by an interesting locale: a great smoking volcano. "What's THAT?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Looks fiery hot!"

"That was where Onyx lived," Gwendolyn explained. "It was an embassy between Asgard and Muspelheim. Since he was slain by Mercedes, the Vulcans haven't used it much."

"Muspelheim grows distant from us," Thor confirmed.

Twilight wanted to ask all sorts of questions about Muspelheim – about the Twilight Sword, about Surtr – but there was none she felt safe breaching without fearing breaking her rule of not revealing knowledge of the world's future. Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy remained quiet on the subject as well; Twilight couldn't tell if this was because they, too, were concerned with protecting the order of events, or if they simply hadn't thought of anything that needed clarification.

They pressed on then, moving toward Titania as the sun began to set. "By this rate," Volstagg grunted, "we won't reach Ragnanival until long past nightfall."

"Well, there's no time to stop and stay the night," Oswald growled.

The towers of a great castle rose upon the horizon. "Look!" Pinkie Pie hopped up and down as she pointed at them. "Is that Titania?"

"It is!" Cornelius cried. His enthusiasm was then replaced by an air of wistfulness.

"What's wrong, Cornelius?" Fluttershy asked.

"It is nothing," Cornelius replied. "Only that…Titania was once my home. But now it is not. I feel as though I am returning to where I belong…but I do not really belong there. Not anymore. I haven't for many, many years. Not since this curse. I suppose nostalgia clouds one's ability to see the truth properly."

"After the curse breaks," Pinkie Pie attempted to reassure him, "then you can go back there again!"

"I have already seen that the Titanians do not wish me to take the throne because I am Cornelius," Cornelius pointed out. "Returning would seem a hollow victory."

"Unless you changed things when you got back to the throne!" Pinkie suggested. "You could invite everyone from the Pooka Village over for one huuuuuuge party, and NOT invite any of those meanies who turned you away because you're a Pooka!"

"Should we ever take the Titanian throne," Velvet pointed out, "we would have power to reform many of the flaws that keep us from it now."

"That is – " Cornelius' reply was delayed; he stopped in midstride. "…Something's wrong."

"What is it?" Jack asked.

"I do not know," Cornelius confessed, breaking into a run, "but I can feel it from here. Something isn't right!"

"Cornelius!" Velvet ran after her husband.

"Hey! Wait for us!" Rainbow Dash picked up the chase.

"After them!" Thor commanded, and the others gained speed. Together, they ran, Cornelius in the lead, all the way to the gates of the great city that comprised the Titanian capital. And already, it was clear that Cornelius' panic was not without warrant. For the city walls were pockmarked with the strikes of great weaponry, or perhaps strong magic.

"No…" Cornelius gasped as he bolted into the city streets. The others followed.

The sun had reached the point of its descent where it suddenly glowed brightest of all, to remain that way for only a short time before disappearing altogether. It was crimson as blood, and this pre-dusk light illuminated the damage clearly. The quaint houses of Titania were nearly all damaged in some way – a hole in the roof, a hole in the wall, some knocked completely over. The cobblestones of the streets were loose in areas, displaced. The smell of a fire permeated the air sickeningly, though none could tell from what direction it was coming. The people were largely absent, but the gaps broken into the homes revealed that most were hiding within. Where structures had fallen over, some civilians were digging, either to find lost valuables or their fellows beneath the wreckage. Debris, wood and stone, floated down the canals and under the bridges that still remained whole.

"No…" Cornelius halted, falling to his knees.

"Cornelius…" Velvet gently approached him from behind, placing a paw on his shoulder.

"Titania…" Tears formed in Cornelius' eyes, hitting the stone below him.

The civilians began to venture tentatively forth from their front doors upon the sight of the adventuring party's arrival. They surrounded the cart, staring with pleading eyes.

At first, Applejack thought they must have known what the cart contained. She cleared her throat. "Uh…we know everypony here must've gone through a hard time. So we brought food for y'all."

"Food!" someone cried out. Pinkie Pie threw back the blanket on the cart, and the Titanians set upon it ravenously.

"Hey!" Twilight squirmed into the crowd, using her magic to wrest some plates away from people who had taken more than one main course. "We only have one cart! So you'd better share as best you can!"

"What has happened here?" Cornelius asked, firing his question in the general direction of the crowd.

A brunette man turned to answer him. "We couldn't believe it," he said somberly. "The last thing we'd ever expected…was an attack by the Jötunns."

All six Equestrians gasped in unison. Sif rolled her eyes at what she perceived to be their histrionics.

"We had heard tell of a Jötunn attack upon Ringford," Thor brought up.

The brunette man nodded; most of the other Titanians had fallen silent, letting him be their mouthpiece. "We too had heard those rumors, but we thought them foolish. Perhaps faerie lies. Until they came here to Titania. I did not see how many of them there were. There seemed to be hundreds, but it could have been as few as ten. I know not what they wanted. They didn't seem to be focused on taking anything. Just on destroying as much as they could. They left…this…behind."

"You are sure they were Jötunns?" Sif asked.

"WHAT ELSE COULD THEY HAVE BEEN?" the man roared. "GIGANTIC GRAY TROLLS WHO BROUGHT WITH THEM THE CHILL OF WINTER! I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU THINK I MISTOOK A BUNCH OF POOKAS FOR THEM!"

"Please calm down," Gwendolyn urged.

"And don't talk about Pookas that way!" Twilight added.

"For too long have we expected the Jötunns to uphold an agreement of honor and peace," the brunette man lamented. "We should have known it was only a matter of time before those barbarians gave into their warlike instincts."

"I don't know why," Fluttershy whispered to Jack and Thorgil, "but I don't like hearing them say that about all the Jötunns."

"They aren't a peaceful people," Jack told her.

"Speak for yourself," Thorgil countered. "They're very gracious hosts when they like you. Jack, could you really see Fonn and Forath coming here and knocking down as many walls as possible?"

"No…" Jack admitted, thinking of two very hospitable Jötunns he'd met. "But I could see Glamdis or several of the louts doing it."

"Can the rest of you confirm his story?" Oswald asked.

There was a chorus of "Yes!" and "It was the Jötunns!" accompanied by simple nodding from those who were too busy eating to give a verbal response.

"Thor, son of Odin," the brunette man begged. "Loki, son of Odin. Gwendolyn, daughter of Frigga. Please. You know more than anyone else that the Jötunns are our enemy, and that this is a violation of our peace treaty with them. They have ravaged two of our nations now, and they will not stop there. Please, sons and daughter of Odin and Frigga…bring us justice!"

"I will speak to my father about – " Thor began.

"JUSTICE!" the man repeated.

And the rest of the crowd took this up as their desperate chant: "JUSTICE! JUSTICE! JUSTICE! JUSTICE!"

"I don't like the looks of this," Applejack admitted.

"They're out of hand," Gwendolyn agreed. She stepped forward, putting out a hand. "SUBJECTS OF TITANIA!"

This quieted the crowd.

"We are on our way to Ragnanival to speak with Odin about this matter," Gwendolyn promised. "If there is justice to be dealt…then we shall deal it! Our first goal is to make reparations where we can. Aid will be dispatched to Titania before any other action is taken!"

That statement was met with applause.

"It looks as though we may have the makings of a war on our hands," Oswald said somberly.

"War?" Rarity was taken aback.

"'Twas the agreement," Oswald told her. "If either Asgardian or Jötunn crossed into the other world, it would be seen as an act of war. Especially if it were with malicious intent."

"What if somepony from Asgard went there first," Pinkie wondered out loud, "and THEY just want justice?"

"Usually, an emissary from Jötunheim arrives to inform Odin of what transgression has been made in that case," Oswald stated. "And we only know THAT because of a near miss we've had in the past."

"They want us to know what we've done wrong," Loki added, "although I can't say whether that's out of a code of honor or they simply want us to be as shamed as possible. My guess would be the latter."

"That emissary would speak to Odin, correct?" Rarity posed.

"Yes," Loki and Oswald said at once.

"Then our plan of action is clear," Rarity resolved. "Absolutely nothing can be done until we ask Odin to shed some light on the matter."

Jack let out an exasperated sigh.

"Maybe Odin won't hold it against you that you called his world a leaf about to fall from Yggdrassil to his face," Thorgil mocked.

"Please don't," Jack grunted. "There does seem to be no other option than to deal with him, though."

The cart eventually emptied out. "That's all," Applejack announced, and Pinkie Pie rolled up the blanket and stuffed it in amongst the flasks of warmers and coolers.

"I tried to make sure everypony got about the same amount," Twilight softly told her. "I couldn't keep track of them all, though. And a lot of them didn't get anything at all."

"Hey, we appreciate ya tryin'," Applejack reassured her. "These people need more help than we can get 'em here. We need to get movin' again."

"Then let us be on our way," Thor declared.

As the eighteen moved through the streets of Titania, in the direction of Ragnanival, the chant was taken up again behind them: "JUSTICE! JUSTICE! JUSTICE! JUSTICE!"

Thor shook his head in disbelief. "War…"

"You know as well as I that there is a good chance it will come to that," Loki told him.

Thor simply nodded.

...

NEBULAPOLIS, RAGANIVAL, ASGARD

The sun had long since set. It was agreed upon, though, that there was still no time to rest, and so the eighteen traveled through the night, keeping the cart nearby.

"Could we have stopped it," Thor wondered aloud, "if we had not been on Horn Mountain?"

"Even if we had been there," Velvet pointed out, "that would not change the fact that the treaty was violated. We might have stopped some of the damage, but – "

"We might have stopped some of the damage!" Volstagg parroted back. "Did you see them back there? We fight to keep things like that from happening!"

"WHICH IS WHY WE WILL STOP IT FROM HAPPENING AGAIN!" Thor bellowed back in a voice that made all present stop in their tracks.

After a pause, Gwendolyn began walking again, which spurred the rest to move again.

"Does anypony have any bad feelings yet like Cornelius had about Titania?" Pinkie asked worriedly.

"None yet," Oswald told her. "And we are nearing Nebulapolis."

"Okay." Pinkie accepted the answer. After a few more paces: "You don't have any bad feelings NOW, do you?"

"No," Thor grunted.

"How about now?"

"No," Gwendolyn answered, trying to keep her tone calm."

"NOW?"

"We will let you know," Sif seethed.

The great towers of Odin's palace came into view gradually, then the distance closed. As the party reached the edge of the city, to their relief, all seemed undisturbed. There were no wounds in walls. There were no loose stones in the street. There was no sense of panic or anxiety among the civilians that chose to be outside at that hour of night. Through the sky's clarity, the stars twinkled over the city auspiciously.

"It seems that the Jötunns have not yet visited Ragnanival," Thor sighed.

"Well, that's good!" Thorgil commented. "That means we can fight them off as soon as they do get here!"

"Or they might not get here at all," Jack hurriedly said.

"I'm startin' to think it was a little odd," Applejack posed, "that we've never SEEN any Jötunns do any of these attacks."

"But we already figured out that the faeries weren't lying," Fluttershy reminded her.

"And it is better that we see no enemies at all tonight," Sif contributed.

"This city is totally luminawesome!" Pinkie Pie cried. "It's just as pretty as the last time I – "

Twilight urgently and quite loudly cleared her throat.

" – read about it in a book," Pinkie Pie finished, mentally congratulating herself on the save.

Nebulapolis, like most great cities, did not shut down at night. Its night crew simply took over. Shops remained open, people wandered down the streets to view lakes and gardens, the smell of food wafted out of many a building.

A dark-clothed figure knocked into Loki, then kept moving at a quick pace, disappearing into an alley before Loki could snap at him, assuming it was a him. Suddenly suspect, Loki searched his pockets. His suspicions were confirmed. "That man just stole my money!" Loki snapped.

"Then it's a good thing we didn't let you carry any of the Ariels," Cornelius teased.

"How very humorous," Loki sighed before turning his attentions to the alley.

"Do you want our help?" Gwendolyn asked.

"I can handle one cutpurse," Loki replied, stalking into the alley. "I will catch up with you in a minute."

"Uh…are you sure it was a good idea to let Loki go after somebody who robbed him?" Twilight asked.

"Probably not," Fandral replied with a shrug, "but what can you do? We've learned that sometimes, we just have to let Loki do his own thing and look the other way. Besides, he knows better than to KILL whoever robbed him. …We think."

"We need to keep moving toward the palace," Thor insisted.

As the other seventeen made their way toward Odin's stronghold, Loki strode confidently down the alley, which twisted and narrowed. "You know, you really shouldn't have done that," he said loudly. "How stupid are you?"

He reached the end of the alley, facing a blank stone wall. Turning back, he noticed a few doors lined up in the walls. "There are only so many places you can hide," he stated, marching toward the first door.

The one behind him opened, its hinges creaking audibly. Before Loki could turn to see who or what had come from it, a figure swept past him, and Loki was aware of a metal implement – the shaft of a spear, swung sideways, or perhaps just a quarterstaff – slamming into his stomach, faster than he could react, utterly confusing him.

In the split second it took Loki to fall over backward, hitting the cobblestone hard, he was surrounded by a binding of sticky rope. A sharp boot to the side caused him to instinctively roll over. Loki struggled, but his assailant was – or assailants were – faster. From behind, he was hauled up by the shoulders by hands he couldn't see, and someone leaned in uncomfortably close from behind, a mouth grazing his ear in order to whisper a message:

"For Mercedes."

The next blow to the back of Loki's head was immense, and he felt the pain for only an instant before blacking out.

...

The party of seventeen grew closer to the palace, beholding its behemoth structure.

"Uh…hasn't Loki been gone a really long time?" Pinkie asked. "Not that I'm worried or anything, but he went after that thief a really long time ago!"

"He's fine," Twilight reassured her. "We need to focus."

"Is your dad even gonna be awake this late at night?" Rainbow Dash asked Thor.

Thor responded, "My father is always prepared in the event of a disas – "

A high-pitched scream pierced the night. All froze in their tracks.

"That had BETTER not have been Loki playing another joke," Jack growled.

"I think you mean that it better BE just Loki playing a joke," Fandral countered, his shell of confidence betraying a little anxiety.

"It came from the wrong direction," Sif stated.

Thor dropped the cart and ran toward the scream's source. The others followed, leaving the cart to sit in the middle of the street. The scream had died down, but others were breaking through the night to take their place, as well as the sounds of crunching and thudding.

They broke into the area before the palace steps, and the night was no longer only illuminated by only the stars and the city lights. It was lit up by the blaze of fire. A piece of Nebulapolis was burning, and the silhouettes of the civilians were visible as shadows, charging away toward safety. That left eight larger silhouettes whose features became clearer in the firelight. Almost twice as tall as the average Asgardian, with skin that shimmered between stone gray and blue when the light caught it. Some had hair, and that was orange, cropped close to the head. They were clothed in rudimentary armor; they carried great weapons – axes and bludgeons – which they slammed into everything in sight.

"Jötunns," Sif whispered.

Driven by a singular drive, Fandral, Volstagg, and Hogun were first to rush the attacking frost giants, giving animalistic yells. Three Jötunns were accosted by them, having only enough time to turn and notice them before being forced to lock weapons in combat.

"We can't just attack them like that!" Fluttershy cried. "We have to try and find out why!" She too ran into the fray, completely unarmed.

"FLUTTERSHY, WAIT!" Rainbow Dash screamed, and as she ran after her friend, Thorgil attempted to do the same.

Jack put a hand on Thorgil's shoulder, holding her back. "You don't have any weapon!" he snapped at her. "You'll DIE!"

"I can make fire!" Thorgil insisted.

"THERE'S ENOUGH FIRE THERE ALREADY!" Jack countered.

"WAIT!" Fluttershy screamed, running toward the Jötunns. "PLEASE! WE CAN TALK ABOUT WHATEVER YOU NEED TO! JUST STOP ATTACKING – "

She was smacked hard by a bludgeon, flying several feet across the stone street, landing hard and falling unconscious.

"FLUTTERSHY! NO!" Rainbow Dash cried in horror before summoning her sword and angrily rushing the frost giant who'd felled Fluttershy. The first blow caught the Jötunn off guard; he parried the next with the bludgeon.

Fandral challenged another, clashing his sword against the Jötunn's axe. After the blades struck each other thrice, a particularly hard blow jolted the sword from Fandral's hand, and it went clattering to the ground. The axe was raised high; Fandral put his hands above his head, bracing to be cleaved in two. Applejack's whip quickly wrapped around the Jötunn's ankle, though, causing him to stumble and fall to the side, the axe clanging harmlessly against the stone.

Some paces away, Velvet wrapped another Jötunn in the chains of her meteor hammer so that Volstagg could knock him down.

Spotting one Jötunn lurking in the background, Thor launched Mjolnir. The frost giant then seemed to disappear completely, and the hammer smashed into the wall of a nearby building. Thor cursed the Jötunn for that.

Hogun was already locked in combat with a Jötunn, his blade slamming again and again against the bludgeon. From a distance away, Rarity drew her bow, taking aim at Hogun's opponent. The first shot caused the frost giant to stumble; the second put an air of wooziness over him. Hogun found he didn't have to work quite as hard to keep up with his foe.

As soon as Mjolnir returned to Thor's hand, he thought he spotted his target again, sliding closer to the palace under cover of shadows. Thor let the hammer fly again, but again, it was evaded and crashed into the street.

A blaze of black, Oswald rushed the Jötunn already facing Rainbow Dash, slamming into him from behind so that Rainbow Dash's blows could land. His energy being spent with every strike from the rainbow sword, the Jötunn dropped to his knees, then scrambled to crawl away.

As he did, the others began to get the same idea. The Jötunns who'd been bested by Applejack, Volstagg, and Hogun quickly made a hasty escape into the burning town. "COWARDS!" Thorgil screamed from the sidelines.

Three more broke away. Pinkie Pie's gunshots had been weakening Sif's opponent, and said Jötunn finally got fed up and ran away. Two others, locked in combat with Gwendolyn and Cornelius respectively, then did something their opponents found rather curious. They weren't in any way losing the fight, but they turned and ran after their fellows.

"Okay…WHY are they running away?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"They knew we were besting them!" Fandral boasted.

Gwendolyn shook her head. "Something about this isn't right…"

Twilight had taken it upon herself to contain the flames. She charged toward the fire, slamming the base of her staff into the ground. In retrospect, she knew Taliesin would probably have wanted her to call to the life force for mist and then rain, but in the spur of the moment, she felt there wasn't time for that. A blast of icy wind and a thin sheet of frost erupted from the contact point between staff and street, dousing the flames entirely. Giving an audible "Phew," Twilight turned to look to Thor.

Thor had lost his opponent. His eyes flicked around the area, seeking the errant Jötunn.

"What's wrong?" Twilight asked, running to him.

"One of them somehow keeps evading Mjolnir," Thor answered. "I feel as though it is still around."

"They turned and ran," Twilight told him. "The one you're looking for is probably – "

"THERE!" Thor cried, and Twilight gasped in horror as she turned to behold one of the frost giants slipping into the palace doors.

...

Inside the palace, Odin had been awakened from sleep by the commotion below. He'd seen enough from his window to have a grasp of what was happening. News of Jötunn attacks had come to him, but he hadn't yet been ready to believe it – especially since the first report had come from Ringford. When he'd retired to his chambers that night, it was with thoughts to investigate, to send emissaries, to tally the evidence the next day.

Now, however, the enemy was on his doorstep, and he couldn't ignore it. He ordered Frigga to remain in bed as he armored himself. Taking spear in hand, he stormed out of the bedroom, seeking out the quarters of his soldiers.

He was unaware of the one who followed him. Stealthy, keeping to shadows, knowing exactly where Odin himself would come from and where he would go within the palace. At that moment, the stalker bore a more human form so as to get by unnoticed. He followed Odin with soft footsteps, looking for the vulnerability in the god-king's armor. Odin had not thought to put on his helmet. He must have thought, the stalker reflected, that he would be safe in his own palace. That was his biggest mistake.

The stalker had laid down his heavy bludgeon at the door, stashing it behind a pillar. Carrying it was essential to the overall scheme, but it was awkward to wield. For this job, the stalker drew from his belt a single dagger. Small, but enough to get the job done.

He softly crept closer and closer to Odin, and he realized that while he intended for nothing to go wrong, if anything did happen to go wrong – and if Odin turned around to see him while it did – he couldn't wear his own face. His image melted. Gone was the human. He'd morphed back into the Jötunn form he'd taken outside in order to pillage. He gripped the dagger tight, raising it behind Odin's head, ready to thrust it just once into the temple.

Thor and Twilight rounded the corner at top speed, beholding the sight. As Thor screamed, "FATHER!", Twilight screamed, "ODIN!"

Odin could tell they weren't merely trying to get his attention. It only took a blink for him to realize they were both looking at what was behind him. Odin whirled about, pointing his spear back at the Jötunn, who backtracked hastily in order to avoid impalement.

"HOLY!" Twilight cast a blast of light magic out of her staff while Thor launched Mjolnir. Both struck the Jötunn directly, causing him to fall over backward. Odin pointed his spear at the fallen Jötunn's neck.

"Tell me," he ordered. "Why have you come here?"

The invader refused to answer. Instead, he rolled away, attempting to trip Odin up with a leg. Odin was able to leap over the frost giant's body, and the frost giant was soon on his feet, running away from the three, to the end of the hall, as quickly as he could.

"STOP HIM!" Thor bellowed.

"FLIPENDO!" Twilight's staff amplified the simple Knockback Jinx into a great wave, one that careened down the hallway and collided with the Jötunn. However, this only helped his goal, rocketing him toward the great glass window toward which he'd run. He closed his eyes and braced for impact.

The window shattered. The Jötunn sailed out of it, then dropped out of view.

"Father!" Thor panted. "Are you all right?"

"I am," Odin said with a nod.

Twilight ran to the window, looking out and down. She couldn't see a trace of the Jötunn, living or dead. She scrutinized the scene below until she was absolutely sure she couldn't find the assassin, then turned away, having the nagging feeling she was missing something.

On a precipice below the window, obscured from her view by a ledge, the assassin had reverted to humanoid. The form of the Jötunn would have stuck out like a great blue frostbitten thumb, but in his natural state, he was small enough to hide perfectly. Once he was sure enough time had passed that no one would be looking for him out the window, he began a strategic descent down the wall, leaping from gable to sill. As he did so, his mind became ever more clouded by a tangle of rage and curses.

Twilight turned back to Thor and Odin. "I had not wanted to believe it," Odin said somberly, "but it seems these reports of Jötunn attacks were not unfounded."

Twilight wondered how he could even have doubted them in the first place, especially the report from Titania, but she knew it wasn't the time to bring that up, nor would there ever be a time to bring that up.

"Then…we are at war," Thor said softly.

"I am afraid we are at war," Odin confirmed.

...

The assassin had slipped back into the guise of the Jötunn to run across the city, making sure to knock over a few carts on the way. The fire had been put out, he noticed, but it still helped his case to cause as much damage as possible while in that guise.

The anger brewed in his mind. He'd been so CLOSE. If Thor and the girl had turned up only a second later, he reflected, they would have found the Asgardian lord lying on the floor, bleeding out of his temples, his brain pierced, his soul spirited to whichever afterlife would take him. Assassination wasn't a true battle, so for once, Odin wouldn't even be treated to Valhalla. He might have been dragged kicking and screaming to Niflheim to Hel's realm of ice, and when at long last he did regenerate, he'd be none the wiser about who had killed him, leaving that person open to do it yet again. As many times as it took to quench his anger, which he realized might very well be eternity.

But the spoiled prince had appeared at just the wrong moment!

The assassin seethed, and eventually, he forgot to even knock over carts. Nearly blinded – his whirling mind diverted a lot of his focus from even seeing where he was going – he just kept on course for the designated rendez-vous point, the place through which the others would already have escaped. It then occurred to the assassin to wonder if they would have left him stranded there. It wasn't as though they had any sense of loyalty toward him.

But at Nebulapolis' edge, the largest Jötunn stood waiting, a great black portal he'd summoned at the ready. He gave a nod and a grunt toward the assassin. "Is it done?"

"No," the assassin seethed. "I was interrupted."

"It does not matter," the largest replied. "Either way, it would have worked to our advantage."

"HOW CAN YOU SAY IT DOES NOT MATTER?"

"You know we should not discuss it here," the largest insisted, gesturing toward the portal.

The assassin stomped through the portal, the largest Jötunn following him. As the portal closed, just before the pair stepped out onto the plains of Svartalfheim, the glamour dropped.

Ingway was the first to emerge, dagger still clutched tightly in his white-knuckled fist, and Malekith followed, closing the portal off.

...

Frigga had taken it upon herself to seek out her husband, bearing her sword at her side. Once she met up with Odin, Thor, and Twilight, Odin didn't bother calling any more soldiers to his side. The four made their way out to the palace steps to rendez-vous with Sif, Gwendolyn, Velvet, Cornelius, Oswald, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Fandral, Volstagg, Hogun, Jack, and Thorgil.

"They're just…gone," Rainbow Dash reported.

"They appear to have retreated," Sif agreed. "The fire was extinguished completely thanks to Twilight, so there is no more we can do tonight. The damage here, however, seems extensive."

"Does this truly mean war?" Cornelius asked worriedly.

"I am afraid it does," Odin stated. "The terms were clear. We would not cross into Jötunheim, and the Jötunns would not cross into Asgard. The Jötunns have not only broken that treaty, but they have acted in a way that cannot be forgiven, having pillaged the three largest cities in this realm and threatened the throne of each."

"Should we call the Valkyries to action?" Thor asked. "The other soldiers?"

Frigga shook her head. "Not at this hour. It would be wiser to assess the situation in the morning. Have any of you even slept since your departure?"

"We've been awake since early afternoon," Applejack reported.

Odin eyed the Equestrians with suspicion. "Who are you?"

"Friends," Twilight answered. "We came to help you."

"And how do I know you can be trusted?" Odin inquired.

"They have proven themselves again and again as we journeyed," Gwendolyn spoke up.

"And look at their amulets!" Thor pointed out.

Odin did so. "The Elements of Harmony…" he muttered. Then he nodded approvingly before stepping toward Jack and Thorgil.

"I recall thee," he told Jack, towering over him. "Thou, who said that my realm was but a leaf poised to fall from Yggdrassil. What brings you here?"

Before Jack could speak, Thor spoke up: "He comes as a guest of mine, father."

"I do not want to bear you ill will," Jack said slowly and deliberately, "but I do not want to be treated with it either."

"Midgardians…" Odin said to himself.

"It seems they have traveled with our sons and daughters and their company for a while," Frigga pointed out. "It would not be couth to turn away their allies…Midgardians though they may be."

Odin nodded in agreement.

"You are welcomed to stay the night here," Frigga told the entire party. "Perhaps tomorrow, thy tales will be able to help us piece together what has happened here tonight and what course of action we must take."

Pinkie Pie suddenly gave a great gasp. "Has ANYPONY seen Loki since that started?"

Nervous glances were exchanged. "You don't suppose he had anything to do with it…" Fandral wondered aloud.

"No," Thor insisted. "Loki is mischievous, and has caused us much grief for it, but this…besides, you know he was accounted for during the attacks on Ringford and Titania."

"Then he might have gotten in trouble from those attacks!" Pinkie worried. "Or from the pickpocket! We should look for him!"

"Aye," Odin agreed. "If Loki is missing…"

"I'm gonna go check that alley where he chased the pickpocket down!" Pinkie Pie cried, taking off in that direction.

"Hope she remembers where that even was," Applejack muttered. "This city's got me all turned around."

"Oh, she'll be all right," Rarity whispered back, making sure her voice was soft enough to only be heard by Applejack. "Aside from her innate ability to complete seemingly impossible mental and physical feats…she has been here before."

"Let us meet here in half an hour," Frigga resolved. "If one possessing magic comes upon him first, send a signal into the sky. Will your friend know to return to this place?"

"Somehow, she will," Rarity confirmed.

The group dispersed.

...

"LOKIIIIIII!" Pinkie Pie called down the street. "LOOOOKIIIII!" She stopped to wonder to herself about her concerns. "I can't really be that worried for him, can I? I know what he does in the future – " At this point, she looked around to make sure no one else was listening. None of the civilians around here was remotely paying attention. " – and it just is NOT nice! In fact, it's terrible! And he lied to me! He's not a good friend! I shouldn't be worried about him! That's why I'm NOT worried about him! I'm not, right? Am I? Well, I'm only worried because that Jötunn attack looked really dangerous! Maybe I'm worried that Loki's the one causing trouble instead of in it! But no matter what, he did disappear when he said he'd be back, which means there's a liiiiiiittle chance he MIGHT be in trouble! And no matter what, if there's even the slightest chance he is, then it wouldn't be right NOT to go looking for him! Even if he is gonna become our big bad enemy later! Could I really just leave somepony, anypony, to suffer some potentially horrible and really gruesome fate? No! Maybe I am worried, but not because he is who he is! It's because he might just be somepony in general who needs my help! LOOOOKIIIII!"

She finally reached the entrance of the alley, poking just her head around the corner. "Loki?" She tread carefully into the alley. Something about it, perhaps the fact that it was deserted and half in shadow, made her feel unsettled. She shuddered. "If you're trying to play another trick," she insisted, attempting and failing to sound unfazed by the alley's quiet darkness, "this is NOT going to be funny!"

She turned the corner, and the sight caused her to gasp long and loud. Loki was propped in a seated position with his back against the wall, bound tightly from head to toe and around all limbs with a dark rope. A shorter piece of rope was wrapped around his head at jaw level, acting as a gag; he'd managed to bite around it, but not through it, so it was still effective at rendering him unable to form words. He squirmed, trying to find a weak point in the thorough binding, absolutely frustrated that he had been held down by a piece of rope.

"OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH!" Pinkie Pie rushed to him, kneeling next to the trickster god and quickly reaching for the rope around his mouth, undoing the complex knot. Loki stopped struggling then. When the gag was removed, Pinkie worriedly asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yes," Loki replied cheekily. "Just a small bruise on the back of the head. Oh, and a backlash shock from trying to use magic to break this, but nothing that can't be walked off."

"Hmm…" Pinkie examined the rope in her hand. "I wonder if this is one of those magic resistant ropes Twilight helps us make…" It certainly looked the same as the bindings they'd created for Mozenrath, and Pinkie wasn't sure what else could hold down Loki for that long, let alone at all. "What happened to you?"

"After I followed that cutpurse to deal with him," Loki explained, "something knocked me out and tied me up without even so much as a regard for a safeword. I woke up like this. The only thing I remember my assailant saying was 'For Mercedes.'"

"Like the faerie queen?"

"Yes, unless there's another Mercedes I don't know about."

"What could even do this to you?"

"I don't know, and I don't like that." Loki shifted, testing the binding again. "Now, if you don't mind – "

"Oh! Right!" Pinkie Pie immediately set out to find the other knots and undo them. In a matter of seconds, she'd untangled it all, coiling the rope neatly to the side. Underneath it, there was another layer of binding, and it surprised both Pinkie Pie and Loki to see the thin, flossy rope. Pinkie Pie poked where it wrapped around Loki's forearm. "It's sticky!" she observed. "Kinda like a…spider web?"

"I can deal with mere spiders." Loki summoned a blue glow, and the webbing dissolved. He stood up, visibly relieved to have been freed.

"Well, I'm glad you're safe!" Pinkie Pie chirped. The usual pang of slight regret came with that, but she shoved it to the back of her mind.

"And you came along at the right time," Loki replied, "though I would have MUCH preferred to have done that myself…" He glared at the rope.

Pinkie Pie gathered the rope and coiled it over her shoulder. "I'd better take this to Twilight to look at," she resolved. "Oh! Everypony's gonna be out looking for you! I better send up a signal to let them know I found you!"

Loki located his spear lying at the other end of the alley. He strode toward it, swiftly bending and picking it up. "I can – "

Before he could do or say anything more, Pinkie Pie, clad in Mahou Shoujo clothing, had both pistols in hand and was firing them both rapidly into the air: BANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANG! When both ran out of shots, she threw them over her shoulder.

"I think they – " Loki attempted.

The rocket launcher appeared over Pinkie's shoulder, and she sent her final attack rocketing high into the Asgardian sky: BOOOOOM! When the launcher dissipated and Pinkie's clothing reverted to white robes, she remarked, "There! Now they know where to find us!"

Loki broke into laughter. "That was the most overkill signal I've ever seen!"

"Oh…sorry," Pinkie said instinctively.

"I don't see anything to be sorry about." Loki still grinned at the sheer ridiculousness of Pinkie sending up a cluster of explosions to signal their location, and how many people in town must have been startled by the racket. "I only wish we could have seen the looks on their faces when you sent up those fireworks."

...

"Yep," Twilight remarked, looking over the rope. "It's magic resistant, all right. This is even more complicated than the ones I usually make. It must have been strengthened since Loki's a god rather than your ordinary magic user. I'm actually picking up something closer to those chains that Hera put on Olympus to stop the gods from coming back."

"Do you think it was the Jötunns?" Jack asked.

"I wouldn't think the Jötunns able to craft something of that complexity," Thor mused. "Nor would I believe they could so easily overcome Loki in an alley."

"There's another piece that doesn't fit," Oswald pointed out. "Mercedes."

"A Ringfordian?" Cornelius pondered.

"They may have more than one grievance against Asgard," Oswald pointed out, "but I doubt they'd have taken it out in this way. Aside from Melvin, the faeries of Ringford tend to be more direct."

"Besides," Rarity added, "they didn't seem to be in any shape to come all the way here and attack royalty. They were still recovering from the Jötunn attack."

"I don't get why somepony would attack Loki if it wasn't related to the Jötunns," Twilight admitted, "but it also doesn't make sense for any of the Jötunns to have done it. Though I guess they have the most motivation out of anyone. We did just see one trying to kill Odin. Maybe they wanted to get the whole family at once."

"Then why leave me in the alley?" Loki wondered out loud. "Why not just kill me?"

"Maybe the pickpocket was the one who did it," Fluttershy mused. "I mean, whoever it was wouldn't have been happy that Loki followed them…"

"No mere PICKPOCKET can overpower me!" Loki insisted.

"Let alone carry around magic-resistant ropes," Twilight added.

"The part that still doesn't make sense to me is the spiderweb," Thorgil brought up. "Is there any way it could have been a giant spider?"

"I guess we can't rule it out," Twilight said with a shrug. "Loki? Giant spider? Thoughts?"

"I suppose it makes about as much sense as anything else," Loki sighed.

"There is one more thing we're overlooking," Twilight realized. "Discord. We haven't landed on a world yet where he hasn't had SOMETHING to do with what happened to us. Even if he doesn't show up to us, we can tell what he caused. For all we know, he's the one who stirred up the Jötunns AND tied up Loki. And the only motivation he needs is to cause chaos. In fact, if nothing else is making sense, that's REALLY evidence that he's involved!"

"And if that is the case?" Thor pressed.

"Then…well…we just have to figure out what he's planning and stop it," Twilight replied, though her tone betrayed that she was unsure.

"And have you any idea as to how to even begin to do that?" Loki asked.

"…No," Twilight admitted. "But we've done it before, so we'll be able to do it again."

"Whether or not this skirmish was caused by the elder being of Chaos," Odin interrupted, "what remains is that it was the Jötunns who attacked us. Therefore, it is they who must be dealt with."

"But we don't know the whole story," Jack argued.

Odin shot Jack a glare that made Jack tremble involuntarily for no other reason than that he was mortal.

Gwendolyn stepped in between Jack and her father. "He's right," she insisted. "There's something we're missing here." She was able to meet Odin's gaze without flinching.

"Are you saying the Jötunns are innocent?" Odin asked. "Do you believe that this is beyond them?"

Gwendolyn faltered. "No," she admitted. "I do know what we saw."

"Perhaps this is better discussed after we have all rested," Frigga suggested. "My earlier offer stands that thou may stay the night in the palace."

"And I agree to this offer," Odin clarified. "We will show you to your quarters."

"So long as Loki doesn't wake us all up half an hour after we've gone to sleep," Fandral grumbled, "I accept this."

"Thank you for your hospitality, your highnesses," Rarity said, bowing deeply.

Following her lead, Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie all chorused "Thank you!" and bowed.

"Thank you, great lords of Asgard!" Thorgil said dramatically, though she did not bow. After an awkward pause, she elbowed Jack hard in the side and hissed to him through her teeth, "Say something grateful!"

"…Thank you," Jack said softly, looking at Frigga and only Frigga.

"Come with me," Frigga implored, turning to walk into the palace. The party followed her. Odin stayed back, surveying the damage done to his city.

Thorgil whispered so only Jack could hear, "Did you want to get on the bad side of the two most powerful gods in Asgard?"

"Not now that I think about it," Jack replied, equally quietly. "Though I still don't like that I have to take hospitality from Odin, though. Is his wife as bloodthirsty as he is?"

"I don't think she's a slouch with a sword," Thorgil replied, "but I think you'd actually like her. She's the goddess of wisdom and all those things you talk about with the Bard about learning and the life force. She practices sei∂er, too, like your mother."

"Hmm…" Jack thought it over.

"I wasn't much a fan of her," Thorgil admitted. "I found her boring. Which means she's perfect for you."

This actually got a quiet laugh out of Jack.

The guests were shown quarters, much roomier than their chambers at the Pooka inn. Each had a room all to himself or herself. Pinkie Pie found her bedroom a familiar sight, and realized with a shock that it was the same one, more than likely intentionally, that Loki had put her in a thousand years in the future after Sandman had knocked her out and Osborn delivered her up to him.

And as she looked around, she was startled by Loki's voice behind her: "Well, good night."

She turned to see him hovering in the door frame. "Night!" she told him, throwing on a smile.

Loki gave a pleasant nod and moved on, headed for his usual bedroom on the other side of the palace and a little higher up. Pinkie closed the door immediately, thinking about his interaction with her. He'd seemed genuinely pleased to see her, even if he wasn't too happy about having to be rescued. And the signal flare had amused him.

"Maybe he's different," she muttered. "Or…will be different. I don't know."

She flopped down on the bed, and fatigue overcame her other thoughts, sending her to sleep.

Twilight rolled over in her own bed, brow furrowed. "I know you're involved with this somehow, Discord," she whispered to herself. "I just have to figure out how."

...

SVARTALFHEIM

As soon as the glamour Ingway had cast dropped off Malekith and himself, he set about dispelling it on the other six, transforming what appeared to be six Jötunns into Nuada, Nuala, Algrim, Velma, Onyx, and Yffi. All put down the large weapons they had carried to complete the image.

"I had him," Ingway growled under his breath.

"Well done," Malekith congratulated the group, a sly smile overtaking his face. "Soon, they will be spurred to attack Jötunheim in a war that Jötunheim never declared. And all thanks to young Ingway's skill in glamour."

Ingway refused to make eye contact with anyone else.

"And a special thank you to Nuada and Velma," Malekith continued, "for making sure the one who would have found us out was out of commission."

Nuada just gave a nod; beside him, Algrim adopted an expression of jealousy. He'd wanted from the start to be the one assigned to removing Loki from play, but as had been pointed out to him by several of the group, his physical combat skill was laughable compared to Nuada's. Nuada was the only one fast and strong enough to have overpowered the trickster god.

"Well, Ingway was the one who knocked him out," Velma pointed out. Malekith had continued to work his transformation on her, and she seemed almost a completely different spider woman than the melancholy, bespectacled female who'd first entered his domain with Discord and Nidhogg. Her hair had been ruffled just enough to look fuller and almost jagged; atop it was perched a golden, horned tiara studded with rubies. Her braces had been removed, her teeth straightened to better show off her fangs. Her eyes were outlined with teal shadow, her spectacles gone for good. She wore a sleeveless, corset-style bodice of deep purple, and it was matched by a purple collar about her neck, studded with a single ruby.

"Ingway…" Nuala was concerned. "Are you all right."

"No," Ingway muttered. "No, no, no, I'm not…"

"Odin did not die by his hand," Malekith explained. "But it does not matter. Either the Asgardians would have gone to war without their greatest general, to avenge him…or they would go to war with Odin to wreak destruction at their front line. Either way, the results would have been quite bloody. Or should I say…they WILL be. Our mission was a success – "

"It…was…NOT A SUCCESS!" Ingway roared, turning on Malekith. He then turned away from Malekith and stormed a few paces over the barren wastes.

"Ingway – " Algrim attempted to follow him, hand outstretched. Velma and Nuala stepped after him. Yffi, Onyx, Nuada, and Malekith stood stock-still, watching the others. "Please – "

"NOOOOO!" Ingway whirled upon Algrim. "I HAD HIM!" he belted. "His temple bare beneath my hand…" He closed his eyes, shaking his head. "NO, I HAD HIM! And a chance like this will never come again…"

"Easy now," Velma attempted to calm him. "Ingway, hush…"

"Maybe it's better – " Nuala began.

"WHEN?" Ingway barked.

" – not to rush," Nuala sang softly.

"Why did I WAIT?" Ingway stormed around the three. "Something made me HESITATE! This chance will never come again!"

He kept on stomping until he was a distance away from the rest of the group, staring out over the empty wastes of Svartalfheim. Empty plains, empty sky…as hollow as his attempt to do Odin in.

The rage took over him, and he sang to the wastes: "There's a hole in Yggdrassil like a great black pit

And it's filled with people who are filled with SHIT!

And the vermin of nine realms inhabit it…"

He cast his eyes up to the sky. "But not for long…"

"Ingway?" Velma said nervously; the other seven of Malekith's army all stared at Ingway's back as he sang.

Ingway turned to face her and the others with a mad grin overtaking his expression. "They all deserve to die," he sang casually.

"Tell you why, esteemed comrades, tell you why.

Because in all of the nine connected realms, esteemed comrades,

There are two kinds of beings – only two!

There are beings staying put in their proper place

And the gods with their foot in the other one's face!

Look at me, look at Velma, Algrim too!"

He strode closer to his allies, his voice intensifying; Nuala took a step back as he approached. "Don't we all deserve to die?" Ingway asked as he moved through the crowd, back until he faced Malekith head-on. "Even YOU, accursed Malekith, even I!

Because the lives of the wicked should be…made brief!

At the end of it all, death will be a relief!"

Ingway turned back to the others, spreading out his arms to indicate them all. "WE ALL DESERVE TO DIE!" he proclaimed.

Then he closed his eyes, lowering his arms, thinking of the Pooka he'd seen…the one in red, with brown locks peeking around the edge of her hood. She was impossible not to recognize. But it hadn't made him optimistic; in fact, seeing her had made it worse, as he recalled the schism between himself and her. "And I'll never speak to Velvet…no, my sister still has hate for me…" His eyes snapped open. "FINISHED!"

He whirled around on a heel, pointing at Malekith. "ALL RIGHT!

MALEKITH!

YOU'LL GET YOUR DARKOVA!

Courtesy of Yggdrassil's reject, Ingway!

ASGARD!

ITS HEART!

IT WILL ALL GO SUPERNOVA!"

Ingway turned back to look at the wasteland. "I will have vengeance…" He clutched a fist, bringing it to his chest. "I will have salvation…

WHEN, THOUGH?

THEY'LL ALL GO!

I'll kill them all right here.

Come on, come on,

Your bastard prince is waiting.

I want those bleeders…"

Velma, Nuada, and Algrim exchanged nervous glances as Ingway kept singing toward the empty air. Malekith's delight, however, increased and increased.

"ODIN!" Ingway screamed. "ANYBODY!

Asgardians all, don't be shy!

But not one of them…no, nor ten of them…

Nor a hundred…can assuage me…

I'LL HAVE ODIN!" He smacked his fist into the opposite palm.

Then Ingway seemed to remember he wasn't alone, turning back to face the rest of Malekith's army, backing away so that Malekith was also in his line of sight and he could address them all. "And we will get him back," Ingway told them, "even as he gloats.

In the meantime, there's no shortage

Of dishonorable throats."

His momentary composure slipped, tears formed at the edges of his eyes and dripped down his cheeks. "And Mercedes lies in ashes!" he trilled, the pain in his heart almost a physical stab. "And I'll never see her face again!

BUT THE WORK WAITS!" Ingway broke into a grin.

He turned back to Malekith and Malekith alone. "I'LL DO AS YOU SAY! AND I WILL WITH JOOOOOY!"

His song ended, Ingway drew his breath raggedly. Malekith waited to make sure Ingway was indeed through, then laughed. Velma, Algrim, and Nuala flinched, afraid that Malekith's reaction would ignite more anger from Ingway, but Ingway's emotions had already been spent.

"Keep that attitude," Malekith commanded amusedly. "When the war comes…you'll need it."

...

Chapter 88:

· I tried to stick to the food in the cart ALL being canon items to Odin Sphere.

· Originally, I was going to have the party move on to Titania thinking the faeries had made the attack up, but then I realized that wouldn't make sense on a couple levels, so instead, I had to write in the scene of the destroyed harbor. Even though this is AU from OS's Erion, I still like the general idea of the nations of Asgard surrounding a central sea. I haven't decided if the Bifrost extends in the other direction, to the outside of the circle, or if it actually leads into the sea and the portal's in the center.

· I may have been a little too transparent that the "Jötunn attacks" were Malekith's army under Ingway's glamour the whole time.

· I wanted it to be VERY CLEAR that Nuada is the one who knocked Loki down (though Velma tied him up and Ingway smacked him unconscious). I think he's the only one at that skill level unless Onyx or Ingway goes monster form.

· Not only the end song but the idea of Ingway trying to personally kill Odin during the raid were inspired when I was just goofing around listening to various villain songs from movies and musicals, and when I stumbled upon Epiphany from "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," I realized it matched a lot of how I was trying to play Ingway as a disillusioned nihilist.

· General reiteration: Loki is as "tame" as he is here because this IS the past. Don't expect him to be this friendly when we meet up with him again in the part of the timeline post-616th Earth. That being said, I do love having the chance to write him as one of the good guys and more or less a team player, even if it's just for one storylet. I just like examining personality facets and experimenting with times that were in whole or in part "blank slate" in general. I like writing his villainy MORE, of course, but this is just a nice little experiment in Loki.

· It occurred to me that given Jack's values, he actually would be a Frigga fan if he did buy into Norse paganism fully. Her domain is of foresight and wisdom, and as a mother goddess, she's connected to life. It's kinda funny that way…Odin and Frigga are THE power couple of Norse mythology, but they stand for totally opposite things.

· "Sei∂er" is a term for witchcraft used throughout the Trolls Trilogy. Jack's mother practices it in moderation. She's not a fully fledged Wise Woman, but she does call upon extranormal forces in order to do some routine chores and occasionally scries the future to make sure Jack will be okay.

· "Epiphany" did turn out to be too perfect, given that Sweeney mourns over a family member and a lover while obsessing over killing his nemesis, and Ingway…well, you get the gist.