90. Sow the Death and Reap the Seed

ELFLAND, ALFHEIM

For starters, the elven palace was not even located outdoors, but in the bowels of a cavern. The ground that had earlier felt so soft with grass was a completely stone floor marred with irregular cracks and jutting rocks. Gone were the trees and flowers. Animal bones could be seen littering certain open areas. Overhead, distantly, was the cave's roof, studded with jutting stalactites.

The palace itself was a square stone building. Its actual size was only about that of the body of the building seen earlier; the towers were all missing. It was crudely carved, with only a few doors and windows in the walls. If one had the power to make something look better with one's mind, Rarity realized, there might very well be no reason to put any effort into the original construction.

The rest of the visible landscape was of similar appearance. Dark, stony, devoid of extraneous detail. A lump formed in Twilight's throat, and she wondered if she'd actually made a very poor choice after all. "This is the real Alfheim," she stated, though it was, in part, a question.

"Yes," Jack replied. "It's what Thorgil and I saw when Pega dispelled the glamour here during our journey."

"I had recalled the elven royalty situating in a cavern," Thor remembered. "It was a very different place then, however. It was cared for. True forests grew beneath its roof. There is soil here."

"What do we do now?" Fluttershy asked in a whimper.

"We need to leave," Sif asserted. "Soon, the elves will come to find the ones who destroyed their glamour, and they will not be kind to whomever has."

"So we're just gonna run," Applejack stated. "After we did all this."

A scream emanated from the palace, then another, then another. "Somepony's in trouble!" Rainbow Dash yelled. "I think something bad got unleashed when we took away the glamour!"

"No." Oswald shook his head. "That will merely be the king and queen discovering that they cannot replace the glamour. I am of a mind with Sif."

"Well, I think we need to stand and be honest," Applejack said.

"I understand why you might be inclined to think that honesty is the best route," Loki pointed out, "and while I generally disagree with the sentiment, I would like to point out that this, especially, is a time when the truth will end in eighteen messy beheadings."

"I believe it is time to stand for what we have done," Thor argued. "We must make it clear why it has been done at all."

"Besides," Gwendolyn added, "we can help the elves rebuild."

"I hope you've made the right choice," Loki said, eyes drawn to the palace gates (if they could still be called that), "because they're on their way here…oh, and they do not look happy."

Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Jack, Thorgil, Thor, Sif, Loki, Fandral, Volstagg, Hogun, Cornelius, Oswald, Velvet, and Gwendolyn turned to see a company of beings storming toward them. They were all gaunt, with thin, gray hair and bloodless-looking skin. In a great throng they marched, hundreds and hundreds. The two leading the charge, one male and one female, looked ancient, with wrinkled faces, walking briskly but with a stoop. The entire crowd was clothed in brown and gray rags.

Thor held his ground, and Gwendolyn and Applejack beside him, so the others all stayed at their sides. The crowd of emaciated beings finally came within earshot, and the woman at the lead of the charge screamed, "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"

"I believe that would be Partholis," Loki identified, and all others in the party flinched. Most, while aware of the toll glamour could take on one's body, had trouble reconciling the stately royal figure from earlier with this woman, who looked as though she had spent most of life under its heel. Jack and Thorgil knew, remembered, that this was how she and the others would appear, but the sight was still stunning.

"Lady Partholis," Thor said sternly. "We decided to take the matter of this glamour and the decay into which Alfheim has fallen into our own hands. It has been dispelled permanently."

"HOW COULD YOU?" Partholis screamed. "IS THIS OUR PUNISHMENT FOR NOT JOINING YOUR PETTY WAR?"

"No!" Thor realized, too late, how the act could have been interpreted. "It was an act done in thy interest!"

"HOW IS THIS DONE IN MY INTEREST?" Partholis wailed. "LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT MY PALACE! I AM UGLY, AND LEFT WITH NO PRIDE IN MY HOME!"

"But it was never THERE!" Twilight broke in. "That's how you really look! And THAT is your actual palace! Did you actually LIKE having towers that weren't real and you couldn't walk in?"

Partholis was about to scream a rebuttal, but the man, by now recognizable as Partholon, put a hand on her shoulder. "Hush, my queen," he said softly. "We both should have known this would happen. After all, it is no harsher than the punishments Odin generally gives to those who defy him."

"YOU DARE SPEAK ILL OF MY FATHER?" Thor roared.

"You would deny that he deals horrible retribution to those who displease him?" Partholon challenged. "If so, who are you to say that we live in illusion?"

"WAIT!" Twilight stepped forward, between Thor and Partholon. She bowed. "Lord Partholon. All of this…the undoing of the glamour…it was my fault. I did it. Odin didn't command us to do it at all. It was my idea. I thought that maybe, if the glamour was gone, it would set things closer to being right. I couldn't feel the life force as closely here as on other realms, and I still don't think it's right for you to kidnap human children. I thought I could fix all these things if I broke the glamour. But now…now I see that I was wrong. I should have thought more before doing anything. Now all I've done is ruin your lives, and…and I'm sorry."

"You claim you acted alone?" Partholon asked.

"Yes," Twilight answered without a second thought.

"Stand up straight," Partholis commanded.

When Twilight did so, Partholis approached Twilight until there was only an inch of space between the two. Twilight cringed, but did not otherwise move. Partholis put a gnarled finger under Twilight's amulet, examining it. "Magic," the elf queen stated. "You are powerful. But not that powerful. Where are the other five? Within your group, no doubt."

Twilight swallowed hard, feeling her body temperature rise.

Before anyone else could speak, a high-pitched shrieking filled the air. The crowd of elves parted to reveal a small girl, once a picture of angelic beauty. Though her physical features had not changed beyond her clothing, her hair color, and the shedding of a few pounds, she currently looked quite plain, and the manner in which Lucy wailed made her look downright repellent. "I WANT IT BACK!" Lucy screamed. "I WANT IT ALL BACK! I WANT THE SKY AND THE CASTLE AND THE TREES BACK! MAKE THEM GIVE IT BACK!"

"We cannot restore the glamour now that it has been broken," Thor stated.

"But we can help you to rebuild the land," Gwendolyn pointed out. She brought out a leather bag from her pockets. "I have – "

Gwendolyn didn't get the chance to show anyone what she had in the bag. A feminine voice interrupted her with an "Excuse me." The elves shifted once again to let another through. Nimüe approached the front of the crowd.

The company of Asgardians, Midgardians, and Equestrians would generally have agreed that seeing the elves transformed and aged by the removal of the glamour was shocking. However, upon seeing what had become of Nimüe, they were frightened by that more than anything. For nothing had truly become of Nimüe. She was clothed in rags like the rest, but still she radiated beauty. Her skin and hair looked young still. There was no change. She was banking on her own reserves of magic; perhaps she hadn't partaken in the glamour as a whole.

"There is a certain way to regain all that we have lost," Nimüe pointed out. "We simply need to pay the traditional tithe. The magic will be restored by our benefactors if we give them the proper payment. And I believe they will be more than satisfied with any of the options we have here."

"We cannot use a god to pay the tithe," Partholon scolded. "It would do more harm than good and bring Odin's wrath upon us."

"We need not touch those of his blood," Nimüe agreed. "However, there are only three here of that description."

"Four!" Cornelius barked. "Velvet is – "

"A Pooka," Nimüe finished. "Even if she were somehow a child of Odin, I doubt he would miss her much. No…we have several Asgardian warriors to choose from. The Midgardians who escaped tithe before. And the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, who are perhaps the most valuable of all."

"Of what do you speak?" Thor barked angrily. However, he had an idea of what the elves were talking about, and so his hand flew to Mjolnir. His companions followed suit in drawing weaponry.

"Tartarus may not accept our souls," Nimüe replied sweetly, "but they do accept our tithes."

The elves were also drawing weapons: spears, swords, and mostly bows.

"Collect them," Partholis commanded. "But leave the thunder god, the Lie-Smith, and the Valkyrie alone."

The elven troops filed quickly around her, charging at the group of visitors. Their glimmering armor had been reduced to broken and rusty metal, no suit truly complete – some as bare as just a breastplate and boots over cloth, and some almost complete but missing a crucial piece such as the pauldron. No head or neck was covered. However, despite this, and for being so physically impacted by the glamour, the elven warriors were swift and graceful still, pointing their blades with accuracy and loading up their bows.

With a roar, Thor charged at the troops head-on, swinging Mjolnir. The hammer's head clashed with three elven blades in succession. An explosion of blue magic sent several elven archers reeling as Loki advanced, ready to fire again. An elven spear clashed with Gwendolyn's. Sif charged around, parrying a blow from another sword. The Warriors Three had arranged themselves back to back to back, leaving no vulnerable spot as they lashed out with their blades at the surrounding elves, trying to cut down their spears. Several pairs of hands reached out to seize Velvet, but she was quicker than them, slinging the meteor hammer and tripping the warriors up. Cornelius spun through the air, flipping head over heels, before driving his body and sword downward at one of his assailants.

Oswald wove his way through the crowd, charging deftly past each elf who attempted to strike him. He wasn't interested in holding off the crowd as a whole. His eyes were on the one who had issued the command for his capture. Seeing Nimüe enter his sights at last, Oswald rushed her, sword pointed at the Lady of the Lake.

Thorgil readied to throw her spear, but Jack quickly grabbed at her sleeve and pulled her back, running with her away from the onslaught of elves. "There are too many!" he cried.

"Well?" Thorgil snapped at him. "What do YOU want to do?"

"Call in fog," he said. "For an escape."

"The life force isn't – "

"It's coming back," Jack stated. "Can't you feel it?"

Thorgil had to stop running entirely and close her eyes in order to test the ground. Jack was correct. The life force wasn't strong, but it was now closer to the surface than it had been, and its presence was definite.

Her eyes snapped open. "RAINBOW!" she snapped at Rainbow Dash. "Can you hold them off until we get enough fog for cover?"

"You got it!" Rainbow Dash affirmed.

Jack and Thorgil faced each other, then nodded. He planted the staff of St. Columba on the ground. She did the same with the base of her spear. Their heads turned down; their eyes closed, and they fixed their minds on the faraway scraps of mist in the Alfheim skies. The air was very dry, but not completely devoid of moisture.

"All right, ladies!" Pinkie Pie commanded, transforming into her Mahou Shoujo state. "LET'S PARTY!" She rushed into the battle, firing her guns at high speed.

Following her cue, Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash all transformed. "Rarity!" Twilight commanded. "Stay back with me!"

Rarity obeyed as Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash ran forth together, striking in unison with their blades; Applejack came hot on their heels with the rope whip twirling.

"Fire as fast as you can!" Twilight ordered. "I'm going to try and give our side some cover!"

Rarity nodded, drawing her bow and firing at the horde of assailants.

The elven archers had lined up behind the swordsmen and spear carriers, aiming their bows upward to send a wave of arrows arcing into the air. Twilight cast her eyes to the sky before raising her staff. At her will, a great magenta dome appeared in midair, and the arrows all bounced off it, their path broken.

Several elven spear carriers were caught in a loop of Applejack's rope, cinched to pull them together with such force that they dropped their weapons. Rainbow Dash barreled to the left with a wild yell, striking out and knocking down five at a time with the shockwaves from her blade. Fluttershy deftly struck out toward the left, speedily slashing at all who came into her path, draining their energy.

Oswald sped toward Nimüe. She moved only the slightest bit, but Oswald found himself running right past her, his blade barely grazing the edge of the ragged dress she wore. Oswald turned on a heel, rushing at her back; she moved again, imperceptibly, and Oswald was forced into another miss. Oswald rushed past her, leaving the back of his head exposed, and Nimüe put out a hand. From it emitted a barrage of sparks that collided with Oswald. He was felled, unconscious, in that single blow.

"OSWALD!" Fluttershy screamed.

Several of the elven warriors seized Oswald's fallen body and made a run back toward the austere palace. Alerted by Fluttershy's cry, Gwendolyn picked them out by sight, smacking aside several elves with the shaft of her spear and running at full speed toward those who held Oswald captive. An arrow sank into her shoulder; she cried out, but did not slow.

"THAT'S IT!" Rainbow Dash lifted her sword to the cavern roof. Clouds began to form high above.

"Pull some of those down!" Jack ordered Thorgil, and they set to removing a portion of the magical cloud cover to fill the mist they were creating.

Lightning struck the sword; several cyclones of rain poured down, soaked up by the blade. When the process was finished, Rainbow Dash struck outward, to the elven army, with a great scream of "HYAAAAAAH!" Dozens were knocked down by the great shockwave of rainbow, lightning, and water. Reverting to her original state, Rainbow Dash staggered.

She had inspired the others. Pinkie Pie cleared an area, sending a few elves into unconsciousness, with the rocket launcher. Applejack tied twenty into a tangle-web of rope. Rarity let loose the crystal rain.

"Aren't you going to use your final attack?" she asked Twilight, who was maintaining the shield above and deflecting high-range arrows, which still came down in great quantities.

Twilight shook her head. "I don't want to spend too much of my magical energy if we're going to need it later!"

Gwendolyn kept pressing on after Oswald. Several times, she almost lost sight of his black armor in the crowd. She tried to split her attention between tracking him visually and parrying the various blows that came at her, but her success at the latter suffered terribly. There was a slash at her forearm, a spear jabbed at her side, and finally, another arrow to her thigh that made her crumple down onto one knee.

Thor raised Mjolnir to the heavens, ready to call down thunder of his own upon the elven company, when he saw Gwendolyn fall. Immediately, he abandoned his plan of attack, rushing to her. "You mustn't go any further, sister!" he told her, putting away Mjolnir in order to take her into his arms.

"But Oswald - !" Gwendolyn struggled.

"YOU MUST GET OUT OF THIS ALIVE!" Thor roared, dragging her backward, and she could only watch the spot where she'd last seen the elves carrying Oswald away.

Fluttershy, in the meantime, decided to take Nimüe into her own hands. She faced off against the Lady of the Lake, katana braced. The pink flowers sprouted up from the ground, detaching from their stems and rising into the air, gracefully unfolding into flowers.

Perhaps Fluttershy should have noticed that even at this sight, Nimüe made no reaction.

The shuriken pelted Nimüe all at once, hitting her relentlessly with the negative energy that would have drained her own. Then it was over. Fluttershy reverted, feeling woozy.

Nimüe hadn't been fazed. She hadn't been moved an inch. The attack had done nothing to her. Nothing but amuse. She began to laugh, low, under her breath, as she approached Fluttershy calmly. She was able to place a hand on Fluttershy's head, and before Fluttershy could make an escape, a great burst of magic had transferred from Nimüe's hand into Fluttershy's head.

Nimüe then signaled for more guards to take the unconscious body away.

The fog was finished. "THIS WAY!" Jack yelled from within a fog that seemed nearly solid, blocking out vision in the air beyond his side of the battlefield.

"AND HURRY UP!" Thorgil added.

Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie ran immediately, having spent most of their magical energy. The Warriors Three, sporting several new wounds, followed on their heels. Thor flew after, Gwendolyn in his arms. Cornelius, Velvet, and Sif were next; they seemed relatively unscathed from the battle, but all three knew that they were overpowered.

"Rarity, GO!" Twilight yelled, and Rarity obeyed immediately, turning and running into the fog. Loki finally burst away from combat, running past Twilight.

"And what are you still doing?" he asked.

"Giving us one last bit of cover," she replied coldly.

Loki halted to see exactly what she meant.

Twilight raised her staff high into the air. "ELEMENTAL FINALE!" she screamed, and it began to rain magic upon the elven troops. This time, it was Nimüe putting up the protective shield; her magic held up and protected her and those in the immediate vicinity, but the shower of elemental spells struck the rest of that half of the battlefield, hitting the center line especially hard so that no elves could cross and follow the others into the fog.

"Impressive," Loki remarked.

"Thanks," Twilight replied, standing as her Mahou Shoujo clothing shimmered away and was replaced by that which she had picked up in the Ragnanival palace. "Now let's GO!"

She and Loki charged into the fog. Jack and Thorgil had been thorough, and perhaps too much so. Neither could see a thing once they'd run several paces in. Not even their own allies.

Twilight immediately brought out her wand; "Lumos!" Its glow did nothing to illuminate a path for her, but it would, she reasoned, allow the others to find her if need be. Nearby, Loki had lit the tip of his spear so that it glowed bright blue. A sense of dread overcame Twilight. If Loki had any intent to strike her down, it would be the perfect time. He had to have known that she'd used up a lot of energy in the last strike, making her vulnerable, and if she "disappeared" in the fog, it could easily be blamed on the elves.

"They can't be far," Twilight stated. She hoped Loki picked up on the subtext: if he tried any funny business, someone would hear. Then she called forward: "HELLO? WHERE ARE YOU?"

"THOR! GWENDOLYN!" Loki yelled. "LADY SIF!"

This relieved Twilight. If he was calling out the names of allies, that meant he was at least more interested in being found than he was in sabotaging Twilight. The pair moved forward through the soupy fog for a painfully long time until they at last heard the shouts of their friends:

"THIS WAY!"

"OVER HERE!"

"TWILIGHT!"

"LOKI!"

"FLUTTERSHY!"

"WE'RE OVER HERE!"

"Come on!" Twilight cried, breaking into a run toward the sound. Loki followed eagerly until they broke out of the fog.

A pleasant surprise of a sight greeted them. They'd managed to find a way out of the cave overall, and the ground below had sparse grass. Overhead was a cloudy sky and open air. It felt much less constricting than the elven kingdom had been. Waiting for them was a lineup: Thor, Sif, Hogun, Fandral, Volstagg, Cornelius, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Thorgil, and Jack had been calling into the fog. Gwendolyn, however, had situated herself away from the group, sitting in a ball on the ground, sobbing softly as Velvet tended to her wounds.

"We made it," Twilight breathed. She turned to Jack and Thorgil. "Nice job on the fog!"

"Did I hear you calling for another?" Loki inquired.

"Fluttershy's the only other of our company who has not been accounted for," Thor pointed out.

"But…wait." Twilight looked over the crowd. "Where's Oswald?"

Thor gave her a grave look. "He did not make it out of the fog. But he is accounted for."

Twilight gasped. "No…"

"He was taken," Velvet explained. "Nimüe had him captured. Gwendolyn witnessed it."

"I almost had him…" Gwendolyn wept.

"And something else doesn't make sense," Twilight went on. "Loki and I were the last ones in. Fluttershy should have been WAY ahead of us. Unless…unless I didn't count right…" She looked back into the fog. "FlutterSHY!"

The group spent a good minute or more calling Fluttershy's name into the fog.

"Twilight," Rarity asked, "are you SURE you saw her?"

"I thought I saw all of you run into the fog," Twilight replied worriedly. "I don't know…I'm afraid she…"

"The elves have her," Sif stated.

"They're going to offer her and Oswald up to Hell to restore the glamour," Jack clarified, sounding weak.

"We've gotta get them back!" Rainbow Dash growled, calling up her sword once more.

Thor nodded. "Aye." He gripped the handle of Mjolnir.

"We need a plan," Twilight pointed out. "We couldn't even handle the elven army in an open field. Can we do it in the palace?"

"They're all going to be lined up in that courtyard to watch the sacrifice," Thorgil explained. "They'll be easy to sneak up on."

"We might need more help, though," Jack brought up.

"We do not have time to reopen the Bifrost," Sif told him.

"We don't have to reopen the Bifrost," Jack told her. "We're close to – "

"The hobgoblins!" Volstagg realized.

"When Thorgil, Pega, and I were about to be sacrificed," Jack recalled, "the hobgoblins were our last hope. I think we may need to ask for their help again."

"But if we waste time on THAT," Rarity asserted, "then by the time we finally get back to the elven palace, Oswald and Fluttershy will already be…they'll already be…! Oh, this is simply THE! WORST – "

Twilight cut her off with "We can split up. Some of us will head down to the elven courtyard and try to hold off the sacrifice. We'll see if we can rescue Fluttershy and Oswald on our own. The rest of us will go to the hobgoblins and ask for more help."

"That's our team strategist!" Pinkie Pie cried, bounding up and down and applauding Twilight.

"Everypony who wants to go back to the palace, follow me!" Twilight commanded. "The rest of you…Jack, lead the way to the hobgoblins." Twilight turned back to the fog.

"Go with Jack," Velvet told Gwendolyn. "You've already been wounded too seriously to face the elves again."

"But Oswald – " Gwendolyn argued, standing shakily. "I will not leave him to die!"

"You won't be doing that," Velvet told her. "Cornelius and I shall do our best in your place. Please…you will do no good to Oswald if you are dead as well."

At last, Gwendolyn nodded.

"The same goes for you," Thor told Fandral, Volstagg, and Hogun. "The three of you have sustained many battle injuries. Go on to the hobgoblin village as you heal."

In the end, the Warriors Three, Gwendolyn, Thorgil, Rarity, and Applejack ended up following Jack as he continued away from the cave, setting out for the hobgoblin village.

"I would have thought you would be eager to battle the elves again," Rarity said to Thorgil.

"I am," Thorgil said defensively. "I'm just not going to be an idiot about it!"

"This is about your hand," Jack realized. "Last time you fought back at an elven sacrifice, you lost your – "

Thorgil shut him up with a smack to the arm. "Well, I've got my hand BACK now!"

Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Thor, Loki, Sif, Cornelius, and Oswald faced the fog. "How shall we find our way back in all this?" Cornelius asked.

"Shhhhh!" Pinkie Pie hushed him. "Twilight's working on it!" Then, from nowhere, she produced a strange looking hat that essentially hoisted the hood of a rainbow-colored umbrella over the head of the wearer. She swapped her soft pink hat out for it.

"But why do you need that?" Cornelius asked.

"Because there's a one hundred percent chance of showers," Pinkie answered him.

Twilight was deeply focused, connected to the forces that flowed deep below the ground. She muttered under her breath: "Return. Dissolve into the lightest of showers and erase the mist."

The fog transformed into rain, pouring down from the cavern roof. Through the falling water, the pathway back to the elven palace was then visible.

"ONWARD!" Thor cried, and the eight bolted forth through the rain, not slowing down even when they were completely soaked. Though Pinkie Pie, wearing her umbrella hat, was considerably less soaked than the others.

...

HOBGOBLIN VILLAGE, ALFHEIM

The Hobgoblin Village contingent finally made it to a mountain near the cavern. Gwendolyn had retrieved from her bag a healing potion and was passing it around to all who were wounded, speeding their recovery.

"I should warn you," Jack said, "we're close to the valley of Yggdrassil. There may be a chance that you'll transform – " He looked directly at Rarity and Applejack. " – if you were right about the valley."

"Well, nothin's happenin' now," Applejack pointed out. "And good thing, too. Pinkie Pie's got our robes."

They stepped onto a road made up of shining, transparent stones. The cloud cover had begun to part overhead, revealing not the great silver moon of the glamour but a faint sunlight, true light. The path below shimmered. Rarity looked down to see the light playing within the stones. "But I thought the glamour was gone," she muttered.

"It is," Gwendolyn assured her. "These moonstones have their own natural magic. They were here before anything the elves made with that spell."

Rarity knelt down momentarily. "They're beautiful! Why, if I wove these into one of my gowns – " She picked one up between two fingers. It turned to water in her grip and dripped to the ground. "Oh!"

"C'mon!" Applejack barked. "We got a Fluttershy and an Oswald to save! We can't just stand around all day lookin' at pretty rocks!"

"Right, right." Rarity stood and proceeded down the path.

"Well," Fandral remarked as they ascended the mountain, "at least it turned out to be a true adventure!"

"Aye, that it did!" Volstagg laughed.

"How can you talk like that when our friends are in danger?" Jack snapped.

"Well…it ain't like we haven't gotten outta worse before," Applejack brought up. "If I had a bit for every time one of us almost died on our adventures, I'd have enough to build three new barns on the family farm."

Jack led the way to a gigantic oaken door set in the mountainside. "Here's hoping this works for people who aren't hobgoblins," he muttered before rapping sharply on the wood.

There was a great clatter inside, as though a hundred locks were being undone. At last, the wooden door swung open, and forth marched a creature like none that Rarity or Applejack had yet seen on their travels. Half the height of the average human, he had mottled brown skin, reminiscent of the leaves strewn across a forest floor in late autumn, and he wore clothing the color of the mountain stone. His eyes were large and as shiny as a moonstone from the path; his mouth was wide and lacking lips, stretching across the lower half of his face; and his nostrils were merely slits above it with no real nose to speak of, lending an amphibious quality to his face. His ears were great, like those of rabbits, and tufted at the ends with dark hair. A small cropping of dark hair sat atop his head as well. His long arms ended in hands with fingers that were proportionately much longer than those of humans, the finger-pads flat. He carried a spear with him, though Applejack wondered what good it did, seeing as he was the only guard posted and there was no telling what sort of horrendous evil forces lurked outside. This, she and Rarity realized, was a hobgoblin.

The hobgoblin guard opened his mouth to say something. Then his great eyes alighted on Jack, and he was struck speechless, though his mouth opened even wider from the shock. Then, at last, he stammered, "It's…it's…HIM…"

"Yes, it's me!" Jack replied, frustrated. "Now, can we please speak to – "

"IT'S HIM! HE'S COME TO ALFHEIM AT LAST!" The hobgoblin guard nearly dropped his spear as he rushed back into the cavern depths, leaving the door open wide.

"Well, you've left quite an impression," Fandral teased, lightly knocking Jack's forearm with his elbow.

"I didn't think it was that big…" Jack shook his head.

"Speak for yourself," Thorgil countered, taking the initiative and walking into the cave. The others followed.

The cavern path's darkness was lit by the glow of giant luminescent mushrooms sprouting from every wall, the cave roof, and the ground, giving the entire area a rather teal tint. "Why, it's simply gorgeous!" Rarity gasped.

"It's prettier than anythin' we saw in the elf kingdom," Applejack stated. "Guess that's 'cause it's real."

Another door, laid at the end of the passage, slightly smaller than the entry gate, was also left wide open. "There should have been a guard here," Jack observed.

"Don't you see?" Thorgil told him. "They're all so overwhelmed to have us back, they're welcoming us with open arms, and probably preparing a celebration in our honor!"

"We've never been that lucky," Jack reminded her.

"There's a first time for everything!" Volstagg laughed.

Beyond that hallway lay an enormous cavern, one that stretched on for miles. The path continued downward into a quaint village made up of small thatched-roof buildings. It teemed with life: hobgoblins of all shapes and sizes were visible moving from building to building, chatting with each other in the streets, constructed furniture in their back yards. Beyond that were wide terraces that had been converted into fields, and more hobgoblins moved about there with livestock.

The cavern roof was spangled with lights, and at first, those who had not visited the village before assumed them to be more mushrooms, or perhaps lanterns. They moved, however, and some of them crowded around the eight newcomers. They were simple balls of white light, curiously circling their guests.

"They're like living Phozons!" Gwendolyn gasped. "Are they will o' the wisps?"

"Yes," Thorgil confirmed, "and they're annoying!" She drew her spear and shook it at the lights. "GET!"

The will o' the wisps got the message and immediately backed off. In their place, however, a new group was moving in. The eight could see a large company of hobgoblins running toward them at full speed.

"I do hope they aren't meaning to attack us the way the elves did," Rarity worried, and the Warriors Three put their hands on the hilts of their weapons.

"NO!" Jack threw up his hands before a blade could be drawn. "They're our friends! They would never do that! The worst they've ever done is throw us into Elfland, and that was before the elves were our enemies!"

"Besides," Applejack pointed out, "they look…pretty happy."

The hobgoblins all sported great smiles as they surged forth with gusto, and the children of the group moved out in front. "IT'S HIM!" they cried. "IT'S HIM! IT'S REALLY ST. COLUMBA!"

"WHAT?" Jack yelled before the hobgoblin children had surrounded him, pulling at his clothes to bring him away from his group.

"How did you come back?" one asked.

"Do you have a message for us?" another chirped.

The adult hobgoblins caught up by that time, and they too had questions for Jack, who was dumbfounded.

"They must think he's St. Columba because of his cloak and staff!" Rarity realized. This got a laugh out of Thorgil.

"No…no, no!" Jack put up his hands. "I'm not St. Columba! I'm only wearing his cloak! I found it on Grim's Island!"

The crowd of hobgoblins fell silent. Then, as one, the children let out a plaintive "Aaaawwww…"

"I'm sorry," Jack said sincerely. "I don't have anything as wonderful to teach you as St. Columba did for your ancestors. Actually…I came to ask for your help. I'm a friend of the Bugaboo – "

That started the crowd up again.

"You know our KING?"

"Where did you meet the Bugaboo?"

"Are you a friend of the woman he courts in Midgard?"

"Woman he courts…" Jack repeated before remembering. Pega. The Bugaboo, king of the hobgoblins, had developed a fascination with Pega and showered her with affection at every opportunity. Pega, however, had always remained repelled at the thought of the Bugaboo's proposal of marriage toward her. "Yes. I am her friend. But I don't have any news of her."

"We just want to see him," Thorgil broke in sternly.

"Yes, of course!" one of the hobgoblins conceded. "Right this way!"

The company of hobgoblins turned to make their way down the path and into the village. Jack, Thorgil, the Warriors Three, Applejack, Rarity, and Gwendolyn kept pace.

"Well, they seem friendly," Applejack told Rarity and Gwendolyn. "I like that."

"This is a better welcome than the elves gave us," Gwendolyn agreed.

The entire company halted before a large hall. It wasn't nearly big enough to be called a palace, but it dwarfed any other structure in the village. "We'll leave you here!" one of the hobgoblins told Jack.

"Thank you," Jack replied with a polite nod. The hobgoblins dispersed, and the eight travelers moved on into a walled courtyard in front of the hall, noticing a few hobgoblins entering the hall itself in order to inform the Bugaboo of their presence.

Rarity cast her gaze about, noticing that the courtyard walls, made of packed earth, were studded with red, white, purple, and yellow mushrooms. "They've got quite a sense of décor," she remarked.

"So who's this Bugaboo anyway?" Applejack asked.

"The king of the hobgoblins," Jack answered. "And a friend."

"Though he'll probably bring the Nemesis with him," Thorgil added. "He's a friend too, but not a very friendly one."

"Who is the Nemesis?" Gwendolyn inquired.

"Down here, they say every good king needs a Nemesis to tell him what he's doing wrong so he isn't stupid," Thorgil explained. "The Nemesis complains about everything the Bugaboo does. That's his job."

"So it's like havin' another perspective on every decision," Applejack mused.

"A grumpy perspective," Thorgil affirmed.

After a short time that seemed quite long enough, the door of the hall opened, and the tallest hobgoblin yet seen, with skin that was speckled majestically, exited in a brisk walk. Accompanying him was another hobgoblin, shorter and thinner, with a surly look emblazoned upon his face. "JACK!" the taller hobgoblin cried happily. "THORGIL! It is good to see you again!"

"No, it isn't," the shorter hobgoblin grouched. "Every time THEY turn up, something bad's about to happen!"

"Are you the Bugaboo?" Gwendolyn asked.

"Why, yes, I am!" the taller hobgoblin confirmed.

"My lord." Gwendolyn bowed. Applejack, Rarity, Hogun, Volstagg, and Fandral followed suit.

"Oh, no, no, no!" the Bugaboo laughed. "There's no need for that! Now, tell me, Jack. What brings you here today? Is it something about Pega? Has she perhaps accepted my proposal of marriage?"

"Er…no," Jack admitted. "I actually haven't seen Pega in a while. We're here about something else."

"Something bad," the shorter hobgoblin growled. "I knew it!"

"Somethin' tells me that's the Nemesis," Applejack whispered, and the others nodded.

"We got into trouble with the elves," Thorgil stated, "and we need you to help us get out of it."

"Oh…" The Bugaboo's expression turned from one of joviality to one of concern. "That is rather awkward. I am afraid that it is not in our best interest to get involved in political disputes. It was one thing when your lives were on the line, but – "

"Somepony's life IS on the line!" Rarity insisted.

"We came here as part of a larger band of adventurous warriors," Thorgil explained. "Gods! Bards! Pookas! Horses in human bodies! We're the stuff of legends, I tell you! But we got into a scrap with Elfland, and now they've taken two of us prisoner."

"They're going to sacrifice them," Jack drove home. "The way they almost sacrificed us."

The Bugaboo gasped. "How horrible!"

"You're not thinking of HELPING them, are you?" the Nemesis groaned. "Do you realize what another conflict with the elves could DO to us? They'd capture and kill you this time for sure!"

"But you HAVE to help us!" Rarity insisted. She pointed at Gwendolyn. "The elves are going to sacrifice her true love! Her TRUE LOVE!"

"Oh, dear…" the Bugaboo moaned. "I know how I would feel if my dear Pega were in trouble again…"

"Will you get your head out of the clouds when it comes to that mud woman?" the Nemesis snapped.

"We must help them!" the Bugaboo declared.

"You'll die," the Nemesis stated plainly.

"In our company?" Fandral laughed. "Surely not!"

"Do you even have a plan?" the Nemesis asked the Bugaboo.

"No," the Bugaboo admitted, "but I'm sure I'll think of something! Perhaps we can dispel the glamour again, just long enough for – "

"That's sorta the problem," Applejack broke in. "We got rid of that glamour. For good. They're doin' the sacrifice in order to get it back."

Both the Bugaboo and the Nemesis were speechless. At last, the Bugaboo managed, "You…you DESTROYED the elven glamour?"

"AND YOU DIDN'T THINK IT WOULD END IN A DISASTER?" the Nemesis screamed.

"We thought leavin' the glamour where it was would be an even bigger disaster," Applejack argued.

"But how could you even do such a thing?" the Bugaboo asked.

"It's a long story we'll be GLAD to tell you on the journey back to Elfland," Jack stated. "If you'll help us."

"We most certainly shall!" the Bugaboo promised. "Nemesis! Gather the most reliable warriors and thinkers of the court, and return here immediately!"

"But…" the Nemesis sputtered, having felt completely ignored.

"I command it!" the Bugaboo insisted.

Giving a sigh and growling insults under his breath, the Nemesis turned to rush back inside the hall.

"Now…" The Bugaboo turned to the company that stood before him. "Who are these friends of yours?"

...

ELFLAND, ALFHEIM

Lucy was bawling. Out in the front courtyard of the palace, where once the corpselike animal statues had stood, several of the elven guard had tried and failed to assuage her, to stop her tears. Still she put up a great wailing.

At last Partholis herself came out to the front courtyard, scooping the squalling child into her arms. "There, there," she said softly. "It will be all right. Mummy and Daddy will give up two of the bad people, and we'll have everything back the way it was before."

"G…g…good," Lucy blubbered. Still her tears flowed.

Partholis looked up, casting her gaze away from the palace to where the mists were dissipating. Through them, she could see, far in the distance, the mouth of the cavern, and through it, the mountain that held the hobgoblin domain. A mountain that was carpeted with real grass and studded with true trees. Its green-ness pierced, and Partholis was suddenly stricken with wistfulness.

As she turned back to the palace, carrying Lucy, the vision of the mountain was etched upon her mind.

Had she remained a moment longer, she would have seen the eight figures of Thor, Loki, Sif, Cornelius, Velvet, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash charging her way.

...

The unconscious bodies of Oswald and Fluttershy were brought to a dank holding cell. Nimüe oversaw their imprisonment.

"The bearer of the Kindness element is too dangerous to leave conscious," she pointed out.

"What shall we do?" a guard asked. "Put her to sleep with an herb infusion until the time comes?"

Nimüe was about to agree. Then, crossing the distance to Fluttershy's body, she was aware that something was amiss. She propped Fluttershy up against the wall in a sitting position, feeling the amulet at her neck. Nimüe gave a light laugh, a smirk. "She's transferred her entire soul into this gem by some arcane method," she stated. Reaching around, the Lady of the Lake unclasped the necklace from Fluttershy. "Separating her from this should keep her asleep. And our benefactors should be happy if we give them this gem alone. Her body can rot here until the tithe is paid." She turned to Oswald. "He will still need to be given in entirety, but there is no need to put him to sleep."

Nimue fastened Fluttershy's butterfly amulet about her own throat, taking her leave of the cell with the rest of the guards. They bolted the door shut, leaving Oswald and Fluttershy's empty body alone in a room lit only by the feeble light of a lamp set upon a table.

After a short time, Oswald awoke suddenly. He felt for his sword; they'd taken that, too. He looked about the cell, trying to discern his whereabouts. His eyes alit upon his companion. "Fluttershy!" he called.

There was no response.

"No…" Oswald hurried across the cell, kneeling at Fluttershy's body's side, feeling her neck for a pulse. "It cannot be…"

He hung his head to mourn, but then realized that it did not make sense for her to be dead. If she were, why would they have locked her in the cell? And the elves, especially Nimüe, were no strangers to magic. Oswald concluded that Fluttershy was under a sort of curse, one that only made her appear dead.

"Fear not, Fluttershy," he said softly to the motionless body. "There is hope. We shall find a way out of this."

He then sat down on the cell floor next to her, resting his back against the same wall, wondering just what that way out was.

...

"The first thing we need to do is infiltrate the palace," Loki stated.

"How are we gonna do that?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"In disguise," Loki answered.

Instantly, there was a large false mustache attached to Pinkie Pie's face.

Loki laughed as Twilight and Sif rolled their eyes. "Not like that," Loki explained. "We're going to use glamour."

"But we just got RID of glamour," Twilight pointed out. "If the elves can't cast it again, I don't think anypony can."

"You seem to be forgetting that I am a god," Loki stated plainly. "I believe that means I can do what I want."

All Loki had to do was wave a hand. His words proved true. The inhibition of elven glamour did not deprive the god of mischief of his bag of tricks. Twilight gave a scream of shock when she saw her seven traveling companions transform into elves: bloodless and wrinkled skin, pointed ears, uniform tall stature, gray hair, clothing of rags. Even Pinkie and Rainbow Dash's amulets were covered, their necks appearing bare. She looked down at her own hands to see those of a glamour-withered elf.

Velvet was familiar with the workings of glamour, and so the illusion did not faze her. However, a certain discrepancy was giving her trouble adjusting. Her true height remained the same, but the illusion made her look much taller. When she moved her arms, she saw limbs set far above her head obey the mental commands. It gave her the mental image of an elf with Pooka eyes sticking out of its stomach, but a quick glance to Cornelius proved that was not the case. He appeared as any other elf.

"Wow," Twilight remarked. "Impressive. But how are we supposed to recognize each other?" She figured it out as soon as she spoke. "Our voices didn't change. Won't they notice?"

"They won't have remembered what we sound like," Loki stated. "The only ones in true danger of being recognized are Thor and myself, given our longer history, and when we're face to face with one of the royalty – " His voice changed to a nasally whine that he couldn't have produced without magical alteration. "I can make sure we are not recognized."

"Now all we have to do is infiltrate the inner sanctum that will become the stage for dark deeds!" Pinkie Pie stated dramatically.

The eight disguised warriors moved into the palace, which looked even bleaker from the inside. The entry hall was not actually as tall as it had looked when under glamour, and it was roughly carved of monotone stone. Here and there, elves paced out of side corridors.

Sif approached one. "I beg your pardon," she said, "but has the tithe yet been paid?"

The elf gave Sif a look of confusion. "No," he stated. "It cannot be done until nightfall, when a portal to Tartarus can be opened."

"And where is it to be opened?" Sif continued.

"In the same place as always," the elf said before continuing on his way.

"They're going to expect us to know," Twilight sighed.

"Yet we have some time to figure it out," Thor realized.

"Let us not waste any," Velvet suggested.

...

In the end, it was Loki who was able to puzzle out the location by interrogating several elves subtly, tricking them each into stating a detail that would have been redundant in a conversation between two beings familiar with the ritual.

"We were asked by the kitchen staff to bring refreshments to Lord Partholon and Lady Partholis during the tithe. Shall we bring it in through the northern entrance to the courtyard, or the eastern?"

"The northern is closer to the kitchen, but the way may be blocked by the crowd. Perhaps the eastern."

And so forth.

The eight found the courtyard at last. It seemed to be the largest one on the grounds, stretching for a hundred yards or more. Twilight figured that in the days of glamour, it was probably yet another exquisite garden, but at the moment, it was bleak stone with a few cracks in the ground and some more animal bones punctuating the scene. Other elves were already preparing the space, bringing out several dried logs and piling them up.

"They are building a fire," Cornelius whispered.

"That must be part of the ritual," Thor said hushedly.

"Do rituals such as this not have to be performed on dates of significance, such as Midsummer's Eve?" Sif asked.

"I have a feeling it is Midsummer's Eve whenever the elves want it to be," Loki pointed out. "Or the demons."

"So the demons are gonna come out of that fire?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I believe so," Velvet confirmed.

"So all we have to do is infiltrate the ritual disguised as elves and then put out the fire," Twilight stated. "It's…too easy. There has to be a catch to this."

"One that we shall figure out when the time comes," Thor told her.

"YOU!" one of the fire-building elves called out. "What are you doing, loitering about?"

"Kitchen staff!" Loki yelled in his false, nasally voice. "Just figuring out the best route to bring refreshments to the king!"

"This is not going to be like other tithes," the elf called back. "We are foregoing the formalities until the glamour is returned."

"But we had orders from the head chef!" Loki argued.

"No we didn't," Twilight growled under her breath. "Stop arguing…"

"You'll hear from the chef about this if you continue to harass us!" Loki called out.

"Actually, we're going to double check with the head chef and see if we got mixed up!" Twilight broke in. "Come ON!" She knocked Loki's forearm hard with her elbow before turning to leave the courtyard. The others turned and followed her.

"WHAT was that?" Twilight snapped at Loki once they were out of earshot of the fire-builders.

"I believe that sticking to a consistent backstory would work to our advantage," Loki told her. His voice had reverted to its usual timbre.

"I would listen to him," Thor told Twilight. "He has gotten us this far."

"Yeah…" Twilight wasn't quite sure how to handle that fact.

Upon exiting the courtyard and re-entering the palace halls, the company passed Nimüe. All but one bowed to her to avoid suspicion. Pinkie Pie, however, took one look at Nimüe and gasped loudly.

"What is it?" Nimüe snapped at Pinkie Pie.

"You're just soooooo pretty!" Pinkie said quickly.

Nimüe smiled wickedly. "I do not need glamour to captivate," she stated before breezing past them into the courtyard.

"SERIOUSLY?" Rainbow Dash yelled once Nimüe was gone. "You stopped to compliment her on how PRETTY she is?"

"Nononono!" Pinkie cried worriedly. "Didn't you see what she was wearing?"

"Uh…are you turning into Rarity?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"NO!" Pinkie shrieked. "She had on Fluttershy's amulet!"

"With her soul in it," Twilight realized, overcome with horror. "She knows. And she's planning on offering up that necklace."

"We must retrieve it, then!" Thor resolved.

"From around the neck of the Lady of the Lake?" Sif snapped. "Even I know that is a suicidal feat!"

"We have survived the end of the world," Velvet reminded her. "We can survive the Lady of the Lake."

"All for one creature," Sif pointed out.

"For a FRIEND," Twilight insisted. "You'd do the same if it were Thor's soul in that necklace."

That caught Sif off guard. "I would," she relented.

"I just hope they didn't decide Fluttershy's body was worthless and throw it out," Twilight muttered.

"If they have kept it," Velvet mused, "it is probably with Oswald."

"In some sort of prison cell!" Cornelius inferred.

"So, Loki!" Pinkie posed to the god of mischief. "Up for trying to figure out where the dungeons are in this palace?"

"I was hoping for a challenge," Loki admitted.

...

Oswald had searched every corner of the cell in case there was a secret passageway, but turned up nothing. He had then been reduced to pounding on the door, clawing at the locks. That did nothing but bruise his hands. After cutting a knuckle on a metal plate, Oswald stepped back from the door, realizing he was going nowhere productive.

It still concerned him that Fluttershy hadn't stirred at all, but he was convinced that the solution to this problem lay outside the cell, with the elves, and so escaping became the first priority. Escaping was the road to finding whoever was able to put the young woman right from whatever wrong had been done to her to make her appear dead. Presuming she wasn't dead in the first place.

Then the pounding came from the other side of the door. Oswald's heart beat faster. He hoped against hope that Gwendolyn, Thor, Loki, and the others had made it to him, that they would pry the door open and lead him to freedom, carrying Fluttershy's body to sanctuary.

The door creaked open to reveal a party of four guards.

The eight glamourized heroes, at the moment, were still searching for the route to the dungeons.

The guards seized Oswald by the arms, dragging him out into the hallway beyond. He then realized with horror that no one was moving to get Fluttershy.

That was the moment he gave her up for dead.

Oswald struggled, but was unable to break the grip of the guards. They bolted the door behind him, leaving Fluttershy's still body alone in the cell. They then escorted Oswald, who was all the way kicking and squirming, down a long, dark passageway that sloped in a downward direction.

...

Thor, Loki, Twilight, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, Velvet, Cornelius, and Sif were still in the process of seeking out the dungeons when crowds of elves appeared and pushed past them.

"Where are you going?" someone called out. "It's time for the tithe!"

"ALREADY?" Twilight screamed. "But we didn't – "

" – expect this joyous day would come so soon!" Loki finished for her. He turned and began to walk along with the crowd. "Well, come on, then!"

Reluctantly, his companions turned and followed as the elves filtered into the vast courtyard. Crude wooden chairs had been brought out for Partholis, Partholon, Lucy, and Nimüe, who sat nearest to the woodpile that was to become fire, surveying as the others trickled in.

"All right," Twilight whispered, as softly as she could possibly manage. "When the fire is lit, we have to put it out right away. Then we go for the necklace."

Seven slight nods were given in reply.

The elves settled into a throng around the woodpile. Four guards forced their way through the crowd, bringing a fifth being before the fourfold thrones. Pinkie Pie began to gasp, but Rainbow Dash quickly put a hand over her mouth before she could make a noise. They all recognized Oswald right away.

"Disperse," Thor whispered, and the eight broke apart, scattering throughout the crowd and surrounding the woodpile from all angles.

When the courtyard was full, its gates were sealed. Partholis stood up, addressing the crowd. "Tonight's tithe payment ritual is like no other," she announced. "We have dispensed with formalities and frivolities. The glamour of our realm was stolen from us by the sons and daughter of Odin, and we are going to take it back."

Nimüe rose as well. "We have to offer the former Shadow Knight…" She smiled sickeningly at Oswald, who had finally stopped struggling, appearing completely subdued. "…and the soul of the bearer of the Element of Kindness."

"Kindness indeed," Partholis sneered. "If that is what you call what she did to us." She snorted. "Let us tarry no longer! The hour is at hand! LIGHT THE FIRE!"

At Partholis' behest, several elves scurried forward with lit torches, throwing them onto the woodpile. Immediately, the woodpile caught ablaze, the flames bursting upward to the cavern roof miles above. There was an ethereal quality to the fire. It did not seem as natural fire, but it was no glamour, either.

After the initial rush of flame, the fire tapered down to a mere ten feet tall. Shadows played from its heart, forming warped images. Then came forth a cacophony of voices from within, at all different pitches and timbres:

"Well, well!"

"If it isn't the elves."

"It seems it is time to pay the tithe again!"

"What have you brought us?"

Nimüe approached the fire, removing Fluttershy's amulet from around her neck. "The soul of the bearer of the Element of Kindness," she announced, "and the Shadow Knight."

"Is that all?" a voice asked from within the fire.

"Because it doesn't seem to be all you have," another voice stated.

Nimüe pursed her lips. "It is all we have to offer."

"Then you are being deceived," a fireborn voice informed her. "There are eight other lovely prizes in this audience."

Oswald's head jerked upward in surprise.

Twilight felt as though her blood had turned to ice.

Pinkie Pie gave a squeak.

Velvet shuddered.

Loki let out a frustrated sigh.

A shadowy hand formed within the flames, then stretched out of the fire, pointing at what appeared to most to be an elf. "This is the bearer of the Element of Magic," a voice announced, indicating Twilight, who was frozen to the spot. The hand whisked around the crowd, seeking another target. "The bearer of the Element of Laughter." Another. "The bearer of the Element of Loyalty." Another. "A lady warrior of Asgard…" Another. "The Pooka Prince…" Another. "A bastard daughter of Odin…" Another, and this time, the voice was amused. "Loki Lie-Smith!" The last. "THOR, THE THUNDERER!"

"I don't know what he's talking about!" Loki yelled.

"They never lie to us," Nimüe stated, her mouth curling into a satisfied smirk.

"GAME'S UP!" Loki yelled, and the glamour faded off himself, Thor, Sif, Cornelius, Velvet, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie. Loki, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash ran toward the fire, the former two casting strong ice spells and the latter, entering her witch form, calling up small rain clouds to pour upon the flames. Part of the crowd attempted to rush them and stymie their efforts, but they were dispatched by Mjolnir, knocked senseless and to the ground.

Cornelius, Velvet, and Sif went immediately for the guards surrounding Oswald. Cornelius somersaulted through the air, knocking down one. Velvet's meteor hammer wrapped around the ankles of two others, tripping both. Finally, Sif rushed the fourth guard, blades clashing; once the metal of both swords had locked, Sif jammed her foot into the guard's stomach, sending him reeling. Oswald took his cue and ran.

"OSWALD!" Pinkie Pie cried, summoning up her dual pistols. "CATCH!" She lobbed one through the air.

Oswald caught it easily, but was flummoxed. "What sort of weapon is this?" he called back to her.

"Just pull the trigger! Like this!" Pinkie turned and aimed her remaining pistol at an elf who rushed her. A rush of glitter knocked the assailant back in a daze.

By then, several elves had congregated around Oswald, eager to rope their sacrifice back in line. Oswald did as he was shown, firing the pistol. The explosion surprised him, but after seeing one elf knocked down in a rush of confetti, Oswald decided he was satisfied and shot five more rounds. The pistol vanished; Pinkie lobbed another one at him, a perfect throw, over her shoulder without even having to look.

Rainbow Dash skidded in front of Nimüe, sword drawn. "The necklace," she demanded. "NOW."

"You are making a mistake," Nimüe warned her, her ever-present smugness slipping off her face. Nimüe fastened the amulet back around her neck, holding out both hands; they glowed with magical energy.

"Bring it," Rainbow Dash growled.

Nimüe lobbed first one handful, then another. Rainbow Dash deflected both with the flat of her sword's blade. Nimüe was taken aback. "You are a powerful witch," she remarked.

"That's what happens when you make a wish to beat a bad guy and end up getting shown the entire gallery of Old Ones," Rainbow Dash retorted, whipping her sword toward Nimüe. Nimüe put up her hands, palms flat, and the rainbow shockwave bounced off an invisible dome marked by them, curving around the Lady of the Lake.

"Then I suppose I can't go easy on you," Nimüe resolved.

The rain clouds kept pouring down onto the demonic fire. The entities within, or at least using the fire as a means of communication, laughed. For despite all the rain, and despite Loki and Twilight's attempts to freeze the flames, the fire kept roaring as though nothing were even touching it.

"How pitiful!" a voice laughed from the fire. "Did you really expect that to work?"

"Well, I'd hoped," Twilight squeaked.

Thor appeared at her side. "Abandon the fire!" he commanded. "Regard Nimüe!"

The pair looked to where Nimüe and Rainbow Dash were locked in a battle of magic. Nimüe tried again and again to blast Rainbow Dash to bits with magic, but Rainbow Dash parried all attempts with her sword. However, in the scant few moments that Rainbow Dash could find to strike at Nimüe with lightning or any other weather pattern, it simply rolled off her the way that Twilight and Loki's magic glanced off the demonic fire. Significantly, though, Nimüe was occupied.

The Lady of the Lake felt the amulet of Kindness unclasp from around her neck. At first, she thought it was a misstep, that the clasp had simply broken, but when the necklace flew off her throat, accompanied by a magenta aura, Nimüe gasped in shock.

Twilight called the necklace right into her own hand, closing her fingers tight over the precious gem.

The Lady of the Lake was enraged. A column of white light surrounded her, and her body seemed to burn with raw magic. Rainbow Dash's blade slammed into the light as though it were an object with physical presence. Pinkie Pie sped past, grabbing Rainbow Dash by the arm and dragging her away from the enraged elf.

Thor launched Mjolnir at Nimüe; it broke through the white light, slamming against her. Nimüe skidded back a few feet, but remained standing as Mjolnir returned to its owner. A beam of blazing white magic was sent toward Thor; this knocked him backward, head over heels.

"THOR!" Sif rushed to her fallen friend. Before she could kneel to him, Thor stood to face her.

"I am all right," he said weakly. "We must get to the outside of the crowd. I dare not risk calling thunder while we are in the midst, but if all our enemies were concentrated in one place – "

"I'm afraid it looks as though they've gotten outside of us," Loki pointed out, stepping toward them.

In the center of the courtyard, there was the bonfire. Around it: Thor and Sif, Loki and Twilight, Cornelius and Velvet, Oswald, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. Twilight still had Fluttershy's amulet clutched tightly in her sweating hand. And around them, the elves gathered, brandishing weapons. Nimüe, still glowing brightly, made her way to the center, facing down Thor.

"You have failed," she stated.

Thor braced himself for another blow, but none came. He regarded her quizzically.

"I have done my best to thwart your success," Nimüe went on. "I do not take orders from fate. But I gained the power of foresight from Merlin. I knew not how many of you would survive, nor how you would win the battle. But I knew – "

"That we would somehow succeed in our efforts," Thor realized. "You had hoped to sacrifice two souls and hope that would be enough, since the rest of us would live. But now you know that you are the one who is going to fail!"

"All I knew is that you and your company would claim a victory over us this day," Nimüe clarified. "I knew not how. Yet, even in the face of the inevitable, to back down is an act of cowardice. I know I shall not win this day. YET I SHALL TRY!"

Another beam of light emitted from her body, speeding toward Thor.

A figure threw himself between the two, holding his staff into the air. The energy was absorbed into the staff, and its wielder trembled, nearly toppling from the effort. When the light dissipated, it became clear that the unscheduled savior was a very exhausted Jack.

He turned to smile at Thor. "St. Columba's staff is more powerful than I realized," he said weakly. "That would have destroyed my old one." His hands shook, though. Absorbing Nimüe's power had been an exertion.

Thorgil, Gwendolyn, Fandral, Hogun, Volstagg, Rarity, and Applejack leapt over the walls, weapons drawn, landing in the courtyard among the melee. After them came the Bugaboo, a very reluctant Nemesis, and circa twenty other hobgoblin warriors, all equipped with spears.

"Hm…" Nimüe smiled. "So this is how you succeed."

As most of the cavalry went immediately to battle, Rarity and Applejack rushed toward the fire, where Twilight, Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash met up with them. "Where is Fluttershy?" Rarity asked in a panic.

"I've got her right here." Twilight held up the amulet.

"We gotta get out of here," Rainbow Dash insisted. "They'll beat us again!"

"We must get to the outside!" Thor reiterated, running towards the five Equestrians. "Our only chance is to fight our way to the gates! From there, I can halt this army!"

"And we can look for Fluttershy's body!" Pinkie Pie added.

"I shall spread the word to our allies to make way toward the walls," Thor said. "You must begin to do so!" He left hurriedly, joining Gwendolyn in battle in order to give her the command.

"Let's GO!" Twilight yelled, and she, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie braced weapons, ready to run into the fray and make a dash for the exit.

A cacophony of laughter emitted from the inferno at the courtyard's heart. "Did you think we would let you get away so easily?" several voices said in unison. The shadowy hand burst once more from the fire, grabbing for the weakest person it could find: the still shaky Jack. Jack was scooped up into the great talons, and the hand retracted toward the fire.

"JACK!" Thorgil screamed, running toward the great arm made of shadows and attempting to plunge her spear into it. However, the spear met no resistance, as though the arm simply wasn't there.

When the hand had first reached out for the young bard, it had clicked for Rainbow Dash. The fire that wouldn't go out. The reunification with Rarity and Applejack. "THE ELEMENTS!" she realized. "WE HAVE TO USE THE ELEMENTS ON THE FIRE!"

"But Fluttershy – " Twilight argued.

"Is in your hand!" Rainbow Dash pointed out. "Her soul's gonna join in if we start it! NOW!"

Seeing Jack in peril motivated the five to act quickly upon Rainbow Dash's realization. Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack stood together, the great sphere of light surrounding them. The rainbow flowed outward from them, drawing upon Fluttershy's soul from within the amulet as Rainbow Dash had predicted, and took on a liquid appearance, flowing over the grass toward the fire. When it washed over the flames, the fire subsided. Jack fell out of the shadowy grip as the hand dissipated, hitting the grass hard.

"JACK!" Thorgil rushed toward Jack, whose eyes were closed; he lay unmoving. She shook him hard by the shoulders. "Jack! Get up! Come on! DON'T BE DEAD!" Her voice cracked.

Jack's eyes pried themselves open. "I'm all right…"

"Thank the GODS!" Thorgil stood, dragging Jack upward with her until he stood, though he immediately put down St. Columba's staff and leaned on it for support. "Now let's get out of here!" She took off running, and Jack found the strength to follow her.

As the rainbow saturated the fire, the demons within screamed. Not in pain, but in disappointment: the cries of those thwarted in plans. "NOOOOO! STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? YOU CAN'T DO THIS! NOOOO!"

But the fire was extinguished wholly, and the voices could no longer reach Alfheim once it was gone. When the last ember sparked out, the rainbow faded away, and Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity touched ground.

"Now GO!" Rainbow Dash yelled, and they turned back to the battle.

With the combined forces of the five Equestrians, the Asgardian contingent, the hobgoblin army, and the blows Thorgil could still deal with her right hand while leading Jack with her left, the entire group was able to carve a path through the throng toward the gates.

"DON'T LET THEM GET AWAY!" Partholis screamed.

Thor had other plans. Finally, his forces were out of target range. He lifted Mjolnir up high, and the view of the cavern roof became obscured by clouds. They crackled expectantly. Then Thor called down the bolts.

It rained heat. The lightning crashed down, marking out a barrier around the courtyard, making an electric blockade between the multitude of elves and Thor's faction. One soldier attempted to reach through the rapidly striking bolts, but immediately cursed and drew his shocked hand away.

"GO GO GO GO!" Pinkie Pie yelled, and the company turned to retreat into the palace halls.

"Oswald!" Twilight called. "Where did they put Fluttershy's body?"

"She…she is dead," Oswald stated.

Twilight shook her head. "She's alive. She's in here." She held up the necklace. "The deal with Kyubey, remember? We need to put this necklace back on her for her to wake up."

Oswald nodded. "I remember the way to our holding cell. Follow me!"

He took charge, leading the small army up to the cell.

"So!" Pinkie Pie asked. "Who're your new friends?" She gestured to the hobgoblins.

"I am his royal highness, the Bugaboo, king of the hobgoblins," the Bugaboo introduced. He gestured to his second in command. "And this is my Nemesis."

"I don't want to be here," the Nemesis growled.

"Nemesis…is that your name?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Yes…" the Nemesis responded.

"You wouldn't happen to be related to any vengeful Greek goddesses, would you?"

The Nemesis sighed. "No."

"Good."

The troop charged up the dank, sloping passage to the holding cell. The door was barred; Thor shattered it with Mjolnir, and the group squeezed inside. Fluttershy's body was still sitting on the floor, propped against the wall. She was twitching, beginning to wake thanks to her proximity to the amulet; when Twilight knelt next to her and clasped the necklace about her throat, Fluttershy opened her eyes. "Where am I?"

"In trouble," Pinkie Pie said, matter-of-fact.

The sound of a thundering of running feet was audible coming up the passageway behind. "It seems the clouds ran out of thunder," the Bugaboo remarked.

"And now the elves are coming to kill us!" the Nemesis shrieked.

"I don't think we can fight our way back!" Twilight worried.

"Then we move FORWARD!" Thor hurled Mjolnir at the opposite wall from the door. The hammer burst through it in a shower of dust, and the entire wall crumbled down. Beyond lay a vista of the cavern, its floor several stories down.

Twilight shoved her way to the front of the crowd, casting a magenta construct, a great slope that extended from the broken wall to the cavern floor outside. "Everypony, line up and slide down!" she commanded.

Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack were first to slide down, making whoops of joy along the ride. The others hung back for a while, confused, and Twilight frustratedly waved her hand toward the slide. Then, to no surprise to Twilight, Loki charged forward and leapt onto the slide happily.

"It's not going to turn into something more dignified," Twilight insisted.

"ONWARD!" Thor, Sif, Fandral, Volstagg, Gwendolyn, Cornelius, Velvet, Hogun, and Oswald then took their turns. Thorgil and Jack followed. Then the Bugaboo, the Nemesis, and the hobgoblin troop. Twilight went down last, the slide dissipating behind her as she went down.

When she hit the ground and stood up, she said, "We can't stay here. Where can we go?"

"Back home to the mountain!" the Bugaboo suggested. "We can protect you there!"

"And lead a bunch of wanted targets by the elves back to OUR homeland?" the Nemesis cried. "I think not!"

"Well, for what it's worth," Rarity pointed out, "you're targets now too."

The Nemesis grumbled something unintelligible that the Bugaboo took as approval of his idea. "FOLLOW ME!" the hobgoblin king cried.

The entire company took off running out of the cavern at top speed before any more delays put them at risk.

By the time the elven warriors got around to the front of the palace, they had lost track of the group. Another cover fog had gone up. The elves then had to admit defeat.

...

Lucy was thrown into hysterics upon learning that the glamour would not be coming back anytime in the near future, if ever. Partholis found her unable to control. The child screamed piercingly, falling onto her back and flailing all four limbs.

"SILENCE!" Partholis roared, raising her hand to strike Lucy silent. She then lowered it. No. She could not bring herself to do it. To anyone else, perhaps, but not her smallest child.

A memory nagged at the back of Partholis' mind: the sight of the hobgoblins' mountain, covered in green. "Lucy," she said calmly, "would you like to go somewhere where there is real grass and sunlight?"

Lucy calmed then, relatively. She fell still and then sat up, though tears streamed down her face. "I don't like real grass," she said. "It's dirty. And I don't like real sunlight anymore. It's too bright. But I HATE this old cave! It's dark and wet and cold! That place sounds better than THIS one! Take me now!"

"I shall," Partholis promised. "As soon as I can."

She exited into the hall, catching one of her footmen. "Arrange me a small guard, perhaps thirty, of those who have sustained the best health since the courtyard incident," she commanded.

The footman nodded. "It shall be done."

...

HOBGOBLIN VILLAGE, ALFHEIM

Once the eighteen travelers were safe and sound and the hobgoblin troop regrouped, the Bugaboo (despite protests from the Nemesis) invited the party to a meal in the front courtyard of his hall in the mountain village. Long tables were set up on the grass, and very simple dishes were set out: hot bread and butter, cheese, various vegetables, mushrooms. Despite its simplicity, the steaming food was all quite flavorful. The guests ate happily and heartily, though Gwendolyn and Oswald took frequent breaks in order to taste one another's lips, death having nearly parted them so tragically.

"You must tell me what has brought you here to Alfheim," the Bugaboo insisted.

"And why you did something so stupid as making the elves mad," the Nemesis added.

"We came here on a diplomatic mission," Thor explained. "The Jötunns have broken their peace treaty and invaded Asgard with violent raids."

"That's JUST what we need!" the Nemesis cried in exasperation. "Now the frost giants think they can just go crashing into whatever they want!"

"We know not why they have done this," Thor went on, "but my father has decided to respond in kind. War has been declared on Jötunheim. Partholon and Partholis are old allies. We had thought we could win their troops to our side. When we arrived, however, we discovered the sad state of Alfheim. We then agreed that even if we could not ally with the elves on this day, we could break the glamour that held them all in such lives of sloth and greed."

"Your intentions were honorable indeed," the Bugaboo agreed, "and should the true image of Elfland last, it will benefit us all!"

"I think it was an absolutely stupid thing to do," the Nemesis grumbled.

"Did you regret it?" Sif asked Twilight. "You told Partholis as such."

"I don't know," Twilight moaned. "It's still too complicated to really figure out. We couldn't just leave them in a giant lie and wait for it to blow up in our faces. But you saw what happened after we did break that spell."

"What's done is done," Applejack stated, "so we might as well not regret it. Besides, somethin' good's gotta come out of this."

"If you are in need of troops to march upon Jötunheim – " the Bugaboo began.

"Oh, NO, you are not!" the Nemesis interrupted. "What kind of king just sends his subjects off to the slaughterhouse? That's what you're about to suggest!"

"Your help would be welcomed," Thor informed the Bugaboo, "but not at the cost of your people."

"Though if it's of any help," Gwendolyn volunteered, "you will be fighting alongside the Asgardian and Vanlandi armies. We also hope to recruit a delegation from Notland."

"I suppose that sounds safe enough," the Nemesis relented. "That many armies should be able to take down Jötunheim."

"Then it's settled!" the Bugaboo cried, raising his glass. "The hobgoblin army shall join yours against Jötunheim!"

Thor raised his own glass, and the two royals drank deep to commemorate their alliance.

...

From the east approached two men who once were kings. They crossed the plain, looking up at the mountain.

"Remind me why you insisted we come here," Onyx commanded.

"Malekith demanded that we wait," Yffi growled. "We WAIT while Nuada attempts to win Partholon over with words! Even though, according to him, it doesn't even MATTER whether or not the elves join our side!"

"I believe all he really wanted was for them to join the war on one side or the other," Onyx clarified. "That is what all this is about. War."

"And still he wants us to wait instead of storming the Hobgoblin Village!" Yffi ranted on. "How much longer do I have to wait until I get what I want? I am growing tired of waiting! I'm storming the hobgoblin stronghold NOW!"

"Won't that put a damper on Malekith's plan?" Onyx asked.

"The only part of Malekith's plan that involved hobgoblins was when he turned them over to me in the end," Yffi reminded Onyx. "It won't matter if I bring down their stronghold in the meantime. Then I could have them to eat WHENEVER I WANTED!"

Onyx knew full well that destroying an important stronghold in the Nine Realms without Malekith's permission could very well upset whatever grand plan the Accursed one had. However, he did not particularly care about this. "What would you do with the mountain afterward?"

"Rule over it, I suppose," Yffi mused. "Though there wouldn't be anything left to rule over."

"You won't be able to take them all alone."

"That's why I told you to come with me."

Onyx had a chuckle at that. He had in fact decided to go along with Yffi when invited. A decision made on a whim, fueled by boredom with pacing around Svartalfheim while Malekith dealt out orders to the chosen few of the day. "And what would you have me do?"

"I want you to start a fire," Yffi explained.

Onyx grinned. "Then there will be a fire."

...

From the east approached a woman who was queen, though it was arguable how much she was queen over.

Partholis' company had arrived. Twenty guards had accompanied the queen and young Lucy, taking along bows and arrows. At the base of the mountain, in a grassy glade, Partholis commanded them to stop: "This is far enough."

She sat down on the grass, running her hand over it. "Come sit with me, Lucy," she commanded.

Lucy sat down as well. "It isn't as cold."

"No," Partholis agreed. "It is not."

She listened to a breeze rustling through the leaves of a nearby tree. The air did have a marked difference in temperature from that of the clammy cave. Partholis, giving no regard to dignity, found herself compelled to lay down on the grass completely, feeling the softness of the ground. It was the closest thing she had to the ground of glamour, which had given her the sensation of walking on air in every garden. She let her skin soak up the light and heat of the sun. Had she glanced at an arm, she might have noticed that after going so long without glamour, she was starting to lose a little bit of her sickly-looking pallor, ever so slightly.

"This is all there is left that is beautiful," she told Lucy. "This is all I have. The splendor we once enjoyed is lost to us forever. We must treasure this."

Lucy nodded. She pointed up the mountainside. "What's there?"

Partholis looked to the location Lucy indicated, spotting the door to the hobgoblin domain. Her upper lip curled. "The home of creatures we need not be concerned with. Low as dirt."

Lucy gave another nod. She then wrinkled up her nose. "I smell fire."

Partholis sat bolt upright. She turned to look across the mountain, seeing the tell-tale sight: an orange light flickering above the trees just around the mountainside. No sooner had she found the last sanctuary of beauty left to her than Partholis saw it alight with flame.

Through her mind flashed the scenes of destruction. This grass, burned to ash. These trees, crumbling away into black, brittle twigs. This last vestige of paradise Partholis had found within sight of the palace, razed completely.

She rose to take a better look at the bright light. There was no mistaking it. Something had set the mountainside on fire. No sooner had Partholis found a semblance of peace there than it was about to be taken away.

The scream she emitted was heard for miles.

...

The pained, enraged howl was audible even from within the mountain hall. All who ate at the tables of the hobgoblin king sat bolt upright. Pinkie Pie jumped several feet into the air. Jack fell onto the ground.

"What was THAT?" Twilight yelled.

Thor rose. "It sounded as though someone is in peril," he said briskly. "We must hasten to it!"

"It could also have been something very angry with us," Loki pointed out.

"In that situation, we would still fare better from answering the call," Thor told him. "Better to meet it than let it come to us."

...

By the time Thor's company of eighteen, plus the Bugaboo and the Nemesis (the former had insisted on going along and the latter, having failed to talk him out of it, ended up following but insisting it WASN'T because he cared about the Bugaboo's well-being or anything of that sort), reached the front gate that led to the outdoor, the fire had spread. The door opened onto a view of a full-fledged conflagration. Orange flames tinted the air with the color of a sunset. The grass was charred away; the moonstones on the path were melting.

It took a moment for the observers to digest this infernal horror. Then Twilight took action. "WE NEED TO GET THIS FIRE OUT!" she screamed. "EVERYPONY WITH MAGIC, HELP ME! RAINBOW DASH! I NEED WATER! LOKI! I NEED COLD WIND! JACK AND THORGIL, I NEED MIST TO TURN TO RAIN! EVERYPONY ELSE, GET BACK IN THE MOUNTAIN AND DON'T LET ANYPONY ELSE COME OUT!"

All but Twilight, Loki, Jack, Thorgil, Rainbow Dash, Gwendolyn, Oswald, Cornelius, Velvet, Thor, and the Bugaboo rushed back into the mountain. As per Twilight's orders, Loki began summoning icy winds to whirl about the flames and douse them. Jack and Thorgil, staying close to the mountainside door, reached downward with their minds, tapping into the newly surging life force to find moisture in the air, and a mist began to form high up in the sky, above the dry air of the fiery plain. Rainbow Dash transformed once more, entering the state of the witch, and brought a deluge down that wiped out the flames in a ten-foot path carved down the mountain. Gwendolyn, Oswald, Velvet, and Cornelius produced cooler potions from their bags, throwing them like icy grenades; when the glass shattered, parts of the fire were doused.

"I said GET BACK IN THERE!" Twilight yelled at Thor and the Bugaboo.

"I cannot stand back!" Thor insisted. "The hobgoblins need to be protected!"

"WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?" Loki called back to him. "USE YOUR THUNDER TO SET EVEN MORE FIRE?"

"I shall not abandon my people either!" the Bugaboo stated, arms crossed.

From behind, the Nemesis latched onto his majesty's forearm hard, dragging him back into the mountain. "OH NO, YOU DON'T! I'M NOT HAVING YOUR BLOOD ON MY HANDS!"

"Urgh!" Twilight growled at Thor. "Fine! Do what you wanna do!" She attained her own witch state, slamming the base of her staff into the ground. Ice radiated out from it, coating the ground.

Thor realized that Loki was right. There was very little he could do at all when it came to fire. As much as it seemed dishonorable, he turned and ran into the mountain, slamming the door behind him.

The flames in the vicinity of the mountainside door had been dealt with, but the entire mountain was alight. The small brigade of wildfire control moved as one to the next area, repeating their process; Jack and Thorgil dissolved the mists, creating a fine rain.

Several figures were clearly silhouetted against the flames in view, then. "LOOK!" Rainbow Dash cried. "SOMEPONY'S IN THERE!"

"HEY!" Jack ran full speed toward the group of twenty-two, who were running toward his group as well. "YOU HAVE TO GET TO…oh, no…"

He and Partholis halted but a few feet away from each other. Lucy skidded to a stop and clung to Partholis' ragged skirt.

"I should have known it was you who set it," Partholis snarled.

"US?" Thorgil, observing the situation, stormed over toward Partholis. "I think it's funny that YOU'RE around when the whole mountain is on fire!"

"We're trying to put the fire OUT!" Jack snapped. "Why would we set it?"

"Because you destroy beauty!" Partholis retorted.

"Mummy…" Lucy tugged at the skirt. "Look! They are putting out the fire!" She pointed to Twilight and Loki's ice, to Rainbow Dash calling up rainwater, to Velvet and Gwendolyn beating the fire back with cooler potions.

Partholis observed, understanding. "I see you are not responsible. Neither am I. I would not destroy the only beautiful thing left visible from the palace windows!"

"Then what DID start it?" Thorgil asked sternly.

When he saw it, through the flames and far behind, Jack was dumbstruck. He could only lift his arm and point shakingly. Partholis and Lucy turned to view the horror that had robbed him of speech.

Against a backdrop of burning orange and red, a black silhouette rose. It was of a creature over twice as tall as a human, bipedal, with great fists, and a horned head. Nothing else could be made out of it. It was too far away. Suddenly it blazed, becoming a shining outline of white light instead of black shadow, and from that shine bloomed more flames, ravaging the mountain.

"GUARDS!" Partholis commanded. "CONCENTRATE YOUR FIRE ON THAT BEAST!"

The twenty guards, bows at the ready, charged at the beast in four immaculate lines of five. Thorgil drew her spear, ready to follow, when Jack caught her by the shoulder to hold her back. "We need you to put out the fires it's already set," Jack told her.

"Right." Thorgil set her mind back to the mist and the rain.

Lucy, overcome by fear and instinct, let go of Partholis, latching her arms around Jack's leg. "Jack, I'm scared!" she squealed.

Jack put a protective hand on Lucy's head. "It will be all right," he told her. "I have to put the fire out now, Lucy."

"Okay." Lucy shut her eyes tight as Jack returned to the matter of the blaze.

Taking advantage of the group's distraction, a black-armored figure darted past, up the moonstone path, and Yffi slipped through the unguarded mountain door.

...

The beast that was Onyx, for he had more than one shape and the larger shape happened to be the one that most efficiently set fires, stampeded about in order to spread the flames. "At this rate, the hobgoblins will all be roasted for him already," Onyx chuckled.

His attention was then pulled toward the twenty stings that had pierced his neck. His head whipped to the left – painfully, as twenty arrows were embedded in the epidermis of his neck – and he beheld the elven archers. Their glamour was gone, and their armor tarnished; their bows looked rusty, and it seemed the strings would break soon. However, the weapons did hold up for the moment, and regardless of their poor equipment, the elves' archery prowess was not dulled. As one, they drew twenty arrows from twenty quivers, nocked them on twenty strings, drew twenty fletched ends back and let twenty points sail through the air toward Onyx' face.

He howled in pain. He clawed at his face, but his enlarged fists did him no favors, only driving the arrowheads deeper into his forehead and cheeks. In the meantime, the guards had set up another round of arrows, and this time, they hit Onyx in the chest.

Recognizing the rapidity of the arrows and realizing that it would be difficult to take the archers on all by himself, Onyx decided it was best to retreat. Perhaps he would have stayed to combat them under other circumstances, but procuring a midnight snack for Yffi was not something worth fighting for that hard.

The beast vanished, as the archers saw it. They kept their bows drawn, searching through the flames with their eyes. None of them had gotten a better look yet at the details of the thing, for the air was hazy.

Onyx, back in the body of a crimson-skinned Vulcan man, bolted from the field. The arrows that had pierced him were left behind, having fallen out of his skin when he'd shrunk. He bled from several places. His thoughts briefly turned to Yffi. Yffi was no longer his problem, and if the half-kelpie burned up in the inferno, it was his own fault, as far as Onyx was concerned.

...

When the others had retreated into the mountain, Thor stopped Pinkie Pie just beyond the inner gate. "I want you to stay here," he told her. "Wait for the others to come back and tell us whether or not the situation has been contained, and if anything undesirable should come through that gate, warn us at the king's hall."

"You got it!" Pinkie Pie saluted before taking her post beyond the gate, watching Thor, Sif, Hogun, Volstagg, Fandral, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, the Bugaboo, and the Nemesis rush down toward the village.

For about thirty seconds, Pinkie concentrated intensely on the gate. Then she sighed. "This is boooooriiiiing!" she groaned. "I KNOW it's important, but it's just soooooo dull!"

She danced from one foot to the other. She glanced up at the will o' the wisps, which were lazily floating around. Her gaze went back to the door, and she danced a quick jig, then spinning around. Then up to the will o' the wisps again –

Something breezed past her.

Pinkie Pie snapped her head back down to survey the landscape around her. The inner gate was open. She spun around to see the black-armored figure heading for where the road sloped downward into the village.

"HEY!" she screamed. "WHO ARE YOU?"

Yffi didn't answer, continuing his run. Then Pinkie Pie suddenly stood before him, which flabbergasted him. He was fairly sure he hadn't seen her use any of the traditional magical methods of teleportation, at least not the dark portals that Malekith favored.

"Hmmm…" Pinkie Pie surveyed the masked and armored man before her. "What're you doing in here?" She leaned in close, fixing one eye on him. "Did YOU have anything to do with that f – "

Yffi drew his sword then, making a quick slash at Pinkie Pie's chest.

She wasn't there. She was standing a few degrees to the left of the blade, crying, "WHOA!" Yffi was very certain she hadn't used any method of teleportation, and yet there she was.

"I dunno why you're here," Pinkie said sharply, "but I know you are NOT friendly!" Her pistols appeared in her hands, and she aimed both at Yffi.

Yffi, never having seen a gun before, was confused. He drove the point of the sword at Pinkie's stomach; she sidestepped, giving a playful hop, before sliding behind Yffi's back and firing both blasts between his shoulder blades.

When the shots hit, Yffi felt a stab of horror. He was then aware that the guns were projectile weapons, and he was certain he'd been shot through with a fatal ballistic. Somewhat like a miniaturized crossbow. However, he soon realized there was no physical projectile at all. The edges of his perception were only slightly dulled by lethargy.

"I say you can't move any farther unless I give you the green light!" Pinkie Pie decided. "Until you explain why you're here, there is a RED LIGHT up, mister!"

Yffi growled, taking advantage of Pinkie's position behind him to charge directly down the road. This earned him another shot – to the ankle, causing him to stumble – and a screech of "I SAID RED LIGHT!"

Yffi rolled over as Pinkie ran toward him, and he swung the sword upward once she was in range, hoping to cut off her wrists and get rid of the pesky guns. She gave a yelp, danced around the sword, leapt over Yffi, and fired at his wrist. The sword shook in his hand.

As Yffi stood, Pinkie was situated between him and the road. "HOW MANY MORE TIMES TO I HAVE TO TELL YOU RED LIGHT?" she raged.

Yffi, no longer confident in his reflexes or even grip on the sword, gritted his teeth…and gave up. He turned on a heel and ran out the door.

"AND NOW YOU'RE RUNNING AGAINST TRAFFIC!" Pinkie Pie screamed after him. "EXCEPT IN THIS CASE, THAT'S A GOOD THING!"

Yffi barreled down the mountain passage, outside onto the cooled aftermath of the flames, down the slope.

By then, the fire had been extinguished completely. Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Loki, Gwendolyn, Oswald, Cornelius, Velvet, Jack, Thorgil, Partholis, Lucy, and the elven guard made their way up to the moonstone path. They only briefly saw the black armored figure dart down the mountain.

Instantly, a flash of remembrance shot through Jack's head. He knew he recognized that armor, but he couldn't at all place where.

"Who was THAT?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I don't know," Jack replied, "but I have a bad feeling about it."

Inside, Pinkie Pie kept her eyes trained on the door. This time, she resolved, there wouldn't be any mucking around. She would stay focused and put the next intruder into a more effective state of red light. As the gate swung open, she was ready for another invader. The first person to come through, however, was Twilight. "TWILIGHT!" Pinkie cried happily. "Did you do it? Did you put out the fire?"

"We did," Twilight confirmed as the others filed in behind her.

"AWESOME!" Pinkie squealed. "This is gonna be such good news! The Bugaboo is gonna – "

Partholis entered then, and Pinkie gasped. "What are YOU doing here?"

"I am not here to harm the hobgoblins," Partholis said coldly.

"It's complicated," Twilight said by way of explanation. "We need to talk to the Bugaboo."

...

The group was once again settled at the dining tables in the courtyard of the Bugaboo's hall, though this time, they were joined by the elven party, much to the Nemesis' disapproval.

"We've NEVER sat an elf in this courtyard," he seethed. "Let alone the queen herself!" He then whispered so only the Bugaboo could hear: "We could kill her right now and be done with it."

"I don't think that would be wise this time," the Bugaboo whispered back.

The Nemesis was exasperated. "What's the point of me giving you suggestions if you're never going to USE them?"

The Bugaboo ignored him, turning to address the crowd at large. "We all know this is rather an unusual event," he said somberly. "Since before we can recall, hobgoblins and elves have not entered each other's territory peacefully. Largely due to incidents involving the kidnapping of hobgoblin children and the use of them to replace human children in Midgard…"

Fluttershy gave a cry of shock at the revelation that the child kidnapping incident went deeper.

"…And yet," the Bugaboo went on, "it seems we, strange as it is, have Queen Partholis and her guard to THANK for saving our village from a great, fiery beast." He raised a glass. "A toast to Partholis!"

This was met with a few wary raisings of glasses and sparse, unenthusiastic statements of "Long live Partholis."

Partholis, seated at the table closest to the courtyard gate, was utterly unimpressed.

"Why did you do it?" the Nemesis prodded. "What do YOU get out of saving us? If that's what you were doing at all!"

"Thanks to these…self-proclaimed heroes," Partholis explained, motioning to the cluster of tables at which Thor's group was seated, "Elfland has lost its glamour. This place all that remains beautiful within sight from the palace windows. I would not have it be destroyed."

"We must repay this act of kindness," the Bugaboo informed her.

"As much as we don't want to," the Nemesis added.

"I offer first and foremost an apology for any injuries sustained by your people in our raid on your palace earlier today," the Bugaboo said, "though I do not offer any apology for our liberation of those you were about to murder."

Partholis nodded. "Understood."

"Second," the Bugaboo continued, "I wish to propose a cease-fire. So long as Elfland does not harm us, we shall not harm Elfland."

"I will agree to those terms," Partholis stated. "Partholon and Nimüe may not at first, but I can convince them both."

"Please, mummy!" Lucy begged. "Jack likes the hobgoblins! He's smelly and common and rude, but he isn't bad!"

Jack was stunned to hear Lucy say those words. He stared at her in disbelief, then turned back to look at his companions. Thorgil and Applejack were both giving him congratulatory smiles.

"On the subject of the traveling companions of Thor," Partholis went on.

Most of said party involuntarily flinched.

"Prince Thor of Ragnanival of Asgard," Partholis stated. "As you are aware, we rejected your offer to join your war against Jötunheim. However, the events of today have changed circumstances. We now no longer have all that we could ever wish for, thanks to you. Yet I find it increasingly more difficult to believe that your ruination of our glamour, cruel as it was, truly was an effort to win us to your troops. It has also become quite clear to me that if there are Jötunn aggressors, we are now as much in danger from them as your realm is. It may well benefit us all the more to join your side of the war…so long as it suits us."

"I thank thee," Thor replied. "Would Partholon and Nimüe think the same?"

"They can be convinced," Partholis reminded him.

"I am honored to hear you say this," Thor told her. "Thy troops were quite effective against the beast of flame."

"Keep in mind, however," Partholis warned, "that the moment Odin's ways do not suit us, we shall withdraw."

"It is understood," Thor confirmed.

"Now, wait a minute!" the Nemesis snapped. "If HER troops are with your army, then OURS are not! We do NOT fight side-by-side with elves!"

"I must agree with my Nemesis," the Bugaboo stated with a nod.

The Nemesis threw his arms up to the air. "FOR ONCE!"

"Well, without the elves, you'd be toast right now," Applejack reminded them. "You just wanna stand by an' let the Jötunns ruin your town 'cause you didn't wanna work with the elves?"

"They've brought us nothing but ruin up until now!" the Nemesis argued.

"Then do what they did," Applejack told him. "The second they don't treat you the way you like, you're out."

"I suppose that could work," the Bugaboo mused. "After all…sitting out such a conflict may do us more harm in the long run."

The Nemesis tried to find an argument against that, but the images of a hobgoblin village completely razed by Jötunn troops flashed through his mind, and he found himself without a counterpoint. "All right," he relented. "But ONLY as long as they don't try any funny business on us!"

"Trust me," Partholis said coldly, "my troops will want very little to do with you."

"There is one more thing," Loki pointed out.

"Loki…" Thor warned.

"If we are to have thy help in the conflict," Loki informed Partholis, "we can hardly work with kidnappers, now, can we?"

"Perhaps this is an issue best saved for another day," Thor hissed.

"I am prince of Asgard as much as you are," Loki snapped, "as much as people would prefer to forget it." He turned back to address Partholis. "If you want to fight alongside us, there will be no more messing about with Midgardian or hobgoblin children."

This was backed by a "YEAH!" from Pinkie Pie and an "Um…yes" from Fluttershy.

Partholis was silent a long time.

"Mummy," Lucy whispered, "I got taken away by the hobgoblins because you took away their children. I don't want to go back to Midgard again!"

"And you shall not," Partholis reassured her. She then faced Loki. "I shall accept your term. For now."

"And Partholon and Nimüe," Loki went on. "I suppose they can be convinced?"

Partholis nodded.

"I believe it best if we have a proper audience with them," Loki insisted.

"Then you shall," Partholis promised.

"I guess all's well that ends well," Applejack said, satisfied. "For the most part."

"One thing does still bother me," Twilight pointed out. "Who started the fire in the first place? And who was that armored guy we saw running down the mountain? This doesn't seem like the Jötunn raids we saw."

"I know I've seen that man before," Jack muttered.

"Me too!" Thorgil chimed in. "And if it's an old enemy of ours, then it stinks of your Discord."

"It does," Twilight admitted. "But, as usual, we have NO IDEA what his grand plan is." She gave a sigh of frustration.

"So we'll handle this the way we always do," Applejack told her. "Deal with it when we figure it out."

"But by that time, things have usually gotten bad," Twilight pointed out.

"Then if you come up with a better idea," Applejack suggested, "lemme know."

...

ELFLAND, ALFHEIM

The throne room of the elven palace was only gray granite. Upon the raised floor sat four wooden chairs. And upon these chairs, Partholis, Partholon, Lucy, and Nimüe were seated.

Negotiations had been made; debates were had. But at the end of it all, Partholon addressed Thor's traveling party: "We shall lend our armies to yours and hopefully put this conflict with Jötunheim to rest within the day when we march forth. As for the provision regarding the children, that is a much less desirable request, but as it stands, with the glamour gone, we must focus our efforts on rebuilding our kingdom. There is no longer time for our people to put time into such luxuries as Midgardian pets. They shall all be returned to their realm."

"Alive," Loki insisted.

"You may send a Ragnanival chaperone to oversee the return if you do not trust us," Partholis decided.

"The troops shall be readied immediately and sent to Asgard to report to Lord Odin," Partholon stated. "I believe that concludes our business, unless there is more you demand from us."

Gwendolyn stepped forth, giving a respectful bow. "I have no demand for thee, Lord Partholon. What I do offer is something you may find of aid."

"What could you possibly have to aid us?" Partholon asked with suspicion.

"May we go to the courtyard to demonstrate?" Gwendolyn asked.

"I suppose…" Partholon agreed.

...

The courtyard still gave Twilight shivers as they entered it and she looked over the woodpile, now charred embers, where once a gate to Tartarus had burned, nearly claiming Oswald, Fluttershy, and Jack.

Gwendolyn stepped over this woodpile as though it were normal soil, appearing unaffected. In truth, she relished the chance to stamp on the ashes on her path toward the empty part of the courtyard. It was the best revenge she could get for almost being robbed of Oswald. She led her companions and a large host of elves to a barren patch, where she rummaged in her bag, bringing out a large brown seed. "These seeds come from Asgard," she explained. She knelt, scooping out a hole in the packed dirt floor, then placed the seed in it, covering it. "With just a little help from the life force, they can grow more quickly than other plants. Alchemy produces Phozons naturally, and can be used to germinate them." She then took from her bag a clear bottle of base material and a turny. When she combined the two into a potion, a few Phozons were released, sinking into the ground where the seed had been buried. Immediately, the sapling burst from the ground, rising to slightly above Gwendolyn's height and sprouting a red-orange fruit.

Gwendolyn turned to offer Partholis and Partholon a handful of the seeds. "These are all I have," she admitted, "but we can give you more. I'll speak to my father about it."

"We thank you for the gesture," Partholon replied, taking the seeds. He did doubt that Odin would be able to provide his land with enough seeds to rebuild. He didn't trust Odin enough for that. However, one tree was there, and it was better than none.

Twilight observed from the crowd as the tree sprouted. She was aware of a certain presence then, one that made her feel on edge. She turned and flinched when she saw Nimüe standing behind her.

"Do not fear," Nimüe told Twilight. "I mean you no harm. After all, this is what was fated, was it not?"

"I…guess…" Twilight stated, unsure.

"I look forward to what comes," Nimüe went on. "After all, I know certain of what will happen."

"Don't tell me," Twilight requested. "Please."

"You and I both know the importance of that," Nimüe said with a nod. "I shall see you when the conflict comes."

She slipped away, into the crowd, and it occurred to Twilight that Nimüe probably knew the answers to all her questions. Where was Discord? Who were the beast and the armored man on the mountain? And, most importantly…was everything as it seemed?

...

Halfway between the mouth of the cavern of the elves and the mountain of the Hobgoblin Village, Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Thor, Loki, Sif, Volstagg, Hogun, Fandral, Gwendolyn, Cornelius, Oswald, Velvet, Thorgil, and Jack gathered in a small crowd.

"Everything worked out for the best!" Pinkie Pie gushed. "We broke the glamour AND we got the elven and hobgoblin armies to work TOGETHER with us!"

"I don't know about you," Rarity sighed, "but I'd much rather do WITHOUT the near-death experiences next time."

"Next time will be the fin-folk," Jack reminded her. "I wouldn't get my hopes up."

"We survived the Shoney once!" Thorgil argued. "We can do it again!"

The bridge of white light opened up from the Bifrost, swallowing the eighteen travelers whole and bringing them back to Asgard.

...

Chapter 90:

· The chapter title is a lyric from the song "Sacrifice" from RWBY, which has been the song I've been listening to constantly for this chapter because the lyrics lined up far too well. I'm not kidding. Over 50% of the times I've opened up this chapter to work on it, I've set "Sacrifice" to play first while I write.

· One other thing Nancy Farmer fans might notice: the absence of the Picts, who were a large part of Elfland in Land of the Silver Apples. I couldn't really figure out how to work them in, and I wanted an elven focus. Also, you should all know by now how I feel about taking groups of people and going "they're Always Chaotic Evil" (which I'm sure Farmer didn't mean to do, as she seems like a culture conscious person, but there was still no way I personally could write Pictish-Elven relations without painting the Picts as worse than I intend.) I'm thinking we'll see them cameo at least on 616th Midgard.

· The hobgoblins were basically huge fans of St. Columba, so I thought it would be fun to have a little identity confusion over Jack.

· The Nemesis is probably my second favorite character in the Trolls Trilogy (after Thorgil). He's so fun to write. I also prefer a little Nemesis - Bugaboo one-sided ship action, but Farmer actually did write the Nemesis a wife (who had fully two lines of "screen time"), so there goes the dream.

· Pinkie Pie's mustache is a call-back to that one episode in MLPFIM season three with the timberwolves. You know the one.

· The tithe festival lasts a lot longer in LotSA, but circumstances were special here, of course. No time to play badminton or dance with the sacrificial victims.

· I was originally going to single out some of the demons' voices and try to make them recognizable as fictional devils that would appear throughout the story. However, that's really hard to do in text for characters that haven't shown up yet. My only real option would have been to have either Twilight, Rainbow Dash, or Pinkie Pie recognize Mephisto…but the thing is, none of them ever met Mephisto. Only Discord did. And Blackheart is too much of a rebel in my mind to have gathered at a rally that all the OTHER demons were at, especially if his dad approved it. So that plan went out the window. So I'll just say this: if you can think of a fictional devil/demon you particularly like, xe was probably there on the other side of the fire. (Except Blackheart.)

· In Arthurian mythology, Nimüe tricked Merlin into teaching her the power of foresight before she betrayed him. Funny thing, though. Merlin knew she would because, well, he had foresight. But he knew he couldn't fight fate, so he rolled with it. I tried my best here to exploit Nimüe having that power without it making her OP. Basically, she can see general outcomes, but not exact details. Which is how it works for Merlin in Disney's The Sword in the Stone (expecting someone important to turn up, but not knowing it's the future King Arthur).

· Jack actually did have a staff he obtained in Sea of Trolls that was destroyed in LotSA by sacrificing it for a powerful spell. St. Columba's staff is on a whole different level, hence it doesn't break even when held up against Nimüe.

· Thorgil freaking out over Jack nearly dying is meant to be a callback to Islands of the Blessed, when Jack was afraid she'd died in the beginning and screamed, "THORGIL! MY LOVE!" I actually considered having her say something of that ilk…but it's just not a phrase I see coming naturally to her.

· Am I shipping Onyx/Yffi? I don't even know.

· Yes, I left out the description of Onyx' monster form AGAIN. That comes at the climax of the storylet.

· I ultimately had Loki put in the provision about returning the Midgardian children not because he's particularly morally conscious, but because that was a factor that, when thrown in, would stir the pot, and he knows it.

· The seed growing and the Phozons dispensed from alchemy are based on Odin Sphere game mechanics. I actually had Gwendolyn grow a Muggle tree there.