The Banished Brother

After ten years of training and learning Ruin was finally deemed ready to attempt to face Nidhoggr. All the Aesir had gathered and wished him well, but Ruin had eyes only for the strange unicorn that had woken him up that first time in Asgard. She was still beautiful and the two had begun to have feelings for one another but this was neither the time nor place to show those feelings.

With one last farewell odin lowered his horn and began chanting in an ancient language known only by the gods. And with a flash that was both a brilliant light and a lack of light he was teleported to the very pits of Helheim.

Before Ruin lay the gates. The gates to the dreaded striker’s prison. With a deep reassuring breath he pushed forward, past the gate and into the blackness.

After what seemed like days but must have surely been hours a light appeared from a distance it appeared to be a small ball of flame but as Ruin neared it he could see that it was indeed massive.

This was the second marker, the beast should be near. Looking around he saw what he had mistaken for a pile of rocks were actually tree roots that had grown around a massive dragon. As Ruin walked closed the dragons eyes opened and pierced Ruin with a gaze that spoke of ancient sorrows.

“So a god not of this realm comes before me, and I wonder…why” rumbled the dragon.

Standing tall so as not to betray his fear Ruin proclaimed “I am Ruin! God of war and rebellion from the land of equestria. And I have come to slay you!”

The old dragon smiled at this “finally those fools in Asgard found someone to do the deed. I am old, and I have been trapped here for far too long. My desire to destroy has faded but like the Aesir I am but a pawn of the Norns. Strike true little god, I wish not to suffer”

“if you don’t want to destroy why not just ask me to release you?” questioned Ruin

“because little hatchling these roots that bind me cannot be broken by means mortal or divine. They will only release at the allotted time. However I can escape this grim fate…IF you are willing to do a favor for a creature that you don’t know and have been told to slay. I warn you it will not be pleasant at first but it will give you the strength to return home…yes I know how you were banished, I can see within your mind” chuckled Nidhoggr

Ruin stood there and began pacing all the while followed by the eye of the great dragon. It was finally coming to the attention of ruin just how massive this beast was. It least 100 pony lengths long and maybe 30 high, he was sleek, and looked like he could be quite fast.

“very well” intoned Ruin. “I will help you escape, now tell me how.”

And with that the pupils in the eyes of the great beast widened to nearly the size of the iris. Then from deep within a soft glow began, it strengthened to a great beam of light that leapt out and struck Ruin on the Horn. The beam of energy struck with an impact strong enough to stagger Ruin, but he stayed on his feet and squinted at Nidhoggr only to see that the Dragon was slowly dissolving.

After what seemed like hours the process was complete the beam faltered and finally ceased. All that was left was a shriveled husk of what was once a great beast. Ruin struggled to remain upright but as he tried to take a step forward he stumbled and fell. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was a large raven looking at him.

___

When Ruin woke up he looked around a saw he was back in his room at Asgard . he realized that there was another body in his bed with him but as he turned to check who (and what) it was his strength failed him and he fell back into his stupor.

___

Again Ruin awoke but this time he was alone, so he thought until a voice in his head told him otherwise.

Finally you wake little pony.

At this ruin was up and out of bed like a bolt from a crossbow horn light and readying his fiercest spells, but as he looked around he didn’t see anyone.

There’s nothing for you to fight here little war god. You agreed to help me remember?

“N-Nidhoggr?” asked Ruin as he tried to remember what had happened in Helheim.

“Let me help you with that” and suddenly an influx of memory nearly knocked over Ruin “sorry still getting used to this” this time a more manageable memory of what had transpired entered Ruin’s thoughts.

“So…you abandoned you body?”

“More or less. I took all my powers with me though. I warn you they are indeed still MY powers I merely allow you to use them when I see fit.”

“But its my body!” exclaimed Ruin.

“Of course its your body” said a voice from behind and as ruin turned he saw whom he hoped he would. Freya stood there absolutely calm as she always was and perfectly radiant. She smiled as she stepped forward and nuzzled Ruin affectionately making him blush

“We’ve been together for nearly 5 years and I still never get used to you” grumbled Ruin

At this Freya laughed and said “well I am the goddess of love, if I couldn’t make a pony blush what good would I be?”

The two laughed together and in some deep part of Ruin’s mind a great dragon smiled to himself and relaxed for the first time in millennia

___

A thousand years passed, Ruin had heard of His sister’s decent into madness and been overjoyed when he learned that she had been healed a thousand years later. The Gods and Goddesses of Asgard had taken to calling him Nidhoggr instead of Ruin in acknowledgment of his deed. In the mind of Ruin the great beast slumbered peacefully only making briefly for important events like the marriage of Ruin and Freya as well as his fight against Jormungand and Fenris.

It was not until ten years after he witnessed the second fall of Discord that Ruin was summoned to the throne room for an audience with Odin.

“Since you arrived here you have not only gained the power of Nidhoggr but you have stoped Ragnarock. You have saved this world. Normally I do not allow my subjects, for you are surely one of us now, upon my throne to see the universes but for this I will make a special case, go, look to your old world” said Odin, and with that he vanished.

Cautiously Ruin approached the throne and seated himself upon it, immediately what Odin wanted him to see was revealed. He saw armies of dragons and griffins massing, he was armor and weapon being forged, and worst of all he saw that equestria was completely oblivious to the danger.

As he stepped down from the throne Odin reappeared and looked at him with eyes full of sadness “I’m sorry. I cannot transport you to another realm. The powers of the Aesir and Venir have weakened this last thousand years. You could always stay, after all you have a wife here who loves you and we have come to see you as our family”

Looking back at his flank what once was a blazing sword was now a dark shield and with en embossed dragon. He had become a protector instead of a destroyer. He looked to Odin and said “I have plenty of power for this. I’ll go get ready” as he walked away he hoof prints blazed brightly before smoldering out as they always did.

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Telling Freya had gone better than he had expected. She just smiled and said “well if you have enough power to get there then you have enough to get back, just make sure you come back, because if you don’t I’ll do whatever it takes to find you and beat you with Thor’s hammer.”

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“and that dear sisters is how I came to be here, begging your forgiveness and mercy.” Said the dark Alicorn.

Celestia paused then held up her hoof “first, you will always be ruin to us, no matter how you look, and second you are forgiven” and with that both she and Luna tackled him in a group hug.