Chapters 15 years before the events of the next chapter....
Most people in the Scandinavian empire liked to keep to themselves day by day unless they went out to trade or have parties. However, this was not the case for one 5-year old girl whose name was Mist. She was a girl with auburn hair, green eyes, fair skin, and a inquisitive personality who never could stop wondering about the workings of the world.
It all happened when Mist was very small. She was just playing by herself in her room when a rip opened up in her wall. It wasn’t an ordinary rip, though. Even though Mist didn’t know it, it was a portal to another world, Equestria. She stared into the hole until a person with frizzy pink hair and light pink skin popped her head out of it! As you can imagine, Mist was shocked.
The person took a huge breath. “Hi what’re you doing there I’m Pinkie Pie oooh I just realized Twilight’s spell kinda sorta didn’t work no surprise there once she turned Fluttershy into Flutterbat ok gotta run bye! Oh hi author!” The words gushed out of the person’s mouth, and as quickly as she had come, she disappeared and the hole closed up.
For a while, Mist just sat there open-mouthed until she worked up the courage to touch the area of the wall where the pink person had just popped through. There was nothing there, though. However the other person had gotten there, the way was gone now, and there was no getting it back.
In a daze, Mist walked out of her room to find her parents.
A few days later, the event had still not erased itself from her mind, no matter how hard she tried. She was the naturally curious type, so where ordinary people would have just forgotten about it, she decided to ask her parents about the incident.
“Mother?”
"Yes, honey?" her mother answered.
"Are there other worlds?"
Her mother just stared at her.
"Umm...never mind."
Years later, when she was chosen to be a Valkyrie by Odin himself, she couldn't help but ask him whether another world could exist beyond this one. To her surprise, he said yes.
"Mist, of course there are other worlds! We live in one of the Nine Norse worlds after all. But since you asked, I guess I'll have to tell you a great secret. There is another world filled with darkness and nightmarish creatures that will open its gates once Ragnarok comes. We must defend and fight for everything that is dear to us once this time comes. But enough of this talk. Join the other Valkyries! "
Mist obliged. However, she couldn't help wondering where that person had come from. It certainly wasn't the nightmare world. All throughout her time with the other Valkyries, she had never heard mention of a world beyond the nine known ones and the secret nightmare world that Odin had told her about. But all of that was about to change, and not necessarily for the better....
Author's Note
This is my first story, so advice is welcome! Thanks to blueeyeswhitedragon0 for the help! Go check him out!
P.S. The beginning of this chapter is 15 years before the next, not the end.
P.P.S. Two words: Pinkie logic.
Mist gasped for air as she hid behind a crumbling building. She folded her white wings to make her look inconspicuous and tried to calm herself. Her hair blew into her eyes, obscured her pale face, and brushed her battle gear. She was one of the last Valkyries, the others being slain in a battle with a dark force.
She was still in shock from what just happened. A fleet of dark monsters had come out of a huge portal made of darkness and descended upon Asgard, taking many of the gods, Valkyries, and einherjar* by surprise. Many of them perished, for in this world, not even the gods were immortal forever. Most of the monsters had been destroyed, but there was at least one still on the loose, hunting the remaining forces down one by one.
“I have to avenge you all,” she whispered. She steeled herself for a coming battle. Just then, one of the last surviving Valkyries, badly injured, crashed at Mist’s feet.
“Hurry...They’re not far behind....” she rasped before fading away.
Mist swore in Ancient Norse and flew off to find her enemy. But as she flew over the demolished city, a nightmarish chuckle sounded behind her, and she slowly turned around to face her opponent.
“Looking for us?” it hissed with its many heads. All of its eyes glowed and it stamped its feet. The curved talons gleamed sickly in the night, and its spiked tail lashed. The body made of darkness moved forward. The mouthes frothed with yellow foam, and the forked tongues whipped in and out of its mouthes as it hissed. “What, are you scared?”
At that, Mist lost it. She summoned a spear of pure light, and stabbed downward with all her might! “HYAH!”
The monster simply batted it away with an agile swipe and laughed. “You can’t defeat us so easily with your petty little tricks! We will rule the worlds after our master arrives with his army. But you...you will find something that can stop us. YOU MUST BE DESTROYED!”
The monster slashed at her with one of its huge claws! Mist barely managed to get out of the way in time. It sliced again, and this time Mist dodged and embedded her spear deep into one of its heads! "RAUUGH!" The monster howled in agony.
As the monster swiped at her, Mist found that the monster’s powerful aura was tearing the dimensions! She found a tear that looked serene inside, so she decided to jump in.
The monster screeched! "Yes, run! It will do you no good. We will find you again!" Its piercing shrieks split the sky.
And with that, Mist was gone.
Author's Note
*Einherjar are warriors that died bravely in combat and were selected to train in their afterlife for Ragnarok, where they would fight in one last battle for the world.
Author's Note
Characters in this story will be human in the EQG style, but will have wings if they are supposed to be a pegasus, alicorn, dragon, etc. Horns won’t be necessary because they will channel magic from their hands. Sorry if that wasn’t clear.
Explanations
Mist gasped and sat up. It took her a full minute to recall her fight with the monster of darkness and how she was brought here. At least I'm still alive. Unlike some other Valkyries , she thought sadly. She got up and looked around. Weird. I've never seen anything like this in all the Nine Worlds! she thought to herself. She was on a grassy hillside in view of many buildings.
It occurred to Mist that she should fly around and see who inhabited this place. So she took to the air, calling out. Eventually, she caught sight of what looked like a palace built on the side of a hill, with golden arches and curves with rims of purple. Unbeknownst to her, this was Canterlot, the residency of the princesses. As she swooped over, assessing the area, someone caught sight of her.
“Hmmm,” Princess Celestia murmured to herself. She idly twirled a strand of her sunrise colored ethereal hair. “Who is she? She’s not from this world, judging from her aura.”
Meanwhile, Mist was gliding down to investigate when a voice stopped her.
“Pardon me, but who are you?” Princess Celestia called.
Mist whirled around and summoned her spear of light instantly! “I could ask you the same question.” She then noticed Celestia’s golden crown with its purple gem and regal white dress. “Are you, by any chance, the ruler of this world?”
The princess was taken aback by Mist’s response, but regained her composure and said, “Yes. Why?”
“There is a lot I need to tell you.” Mist flew off, leaving Celestia to decide if she should trust her. The princess hesitantly followed.
They landed on a hill near the outskirts of Canterlot. Mist said, “I assume you know that I’m not from this world and you want to learn when and how I got here.” Celestia nodded. “Well, I escaped from a monster of darkness into this world from my own, Earth. It said the army would find me wherever I was and that I will possess a powerful thing that can stop them, even though I have no knowledge of it. I am a Norse battle spirit called a Valkyrie, and we can live for centuries. But I'm afraid that all the universes are under threat and that no one can survive if they triumph.” Mist shuddered.
Celestia tensed. “Then I’m afraid we are all doomed. Unless...What is your name?”
“You can call me Mist.”
Celestia said, “Mist, are you willing to give anything to save everything as we know it?”
“I would give my life.”
“Then you must go to this cave and touch the stone in the center of the cavern. It emits blue magic and is green in appearance.” Celestia handed Mist a map. “It is unknown to all but my sister and I, but you must go if we are to have any chance of stopping the darkness. Only one from another world can accomplish this. That person is you.”
Mist bowed and flew off to find the cave. “I will be back as soon as possible, princess. I want to see if you can be trusted.”
As soon as she was gone, Celestia sighed. “Just as I feared. It is happening again.” She looked up at the sky. “Nightmares.”
Mist crept through the narrow tunnel with her wings folded. She felt uneasy in underground places, mainly because monsters of all kinds could lurk there. After a considerable amount of time, she spotted a blue glow pulsating from a separate tunnel, even narrower than the last. Mist hesitated. She felt unsure about whether she should trust this Princess Celestia. The map could have been leading to a trap. Well, I have nothing to lose , she thought, plunging in.
After a while, during which Mist lost track of time, she came out into a large circular chamber completely made of white and blue rock. In the center, on a spur of jagged crystal, a transparent green rock pulsated with trails of blue magic. Mist was wary at first, but the rock attracted her slowly until she was walking toward it, the temptation too great to resist. She reached out—and pulled her hand back. Something about this didn’t feel right to her. The rock vibrated with power, and Mist could sense something trapped inside, yearning to be released by someone. I guess it's all for the greater good. Namely, all of the worlds, she thought. Just thinking about what was in store for her made her shudder. But she reached out, without hesitation this time, and touched the rock.
Instantly, she was bathed in a column of flame. Through her daze, she heard a deep, inhuman voice say, “So you have come. I sense that you want to defeat the darkness. Will you give anything to fight the monsters and win? Once you decide, there will be no going back. ”
Mist answered, “I would.”
“Then prepare yourself. You must have the abilities required to fight. ” A fiery dragon spirit revealed itself. “My power is all yours. ” A stream of fire-like energy flew into Mist’s chest. The spirit abruptly vanished back into the stone.
Mist suddenly doubled over. The magic inside her was starting to fluctuate and spread to the rest of her. Then Mist blacked out. During the brief snatches of consciousness, she felt a searing heat all along her body, like it was shifting in lava.
She sat up suddenly, having woken up after the fiery ordeal. The first thing she noticed was that her wings were on fire. That made her wary, for she felt no pain. She set off to find a reflective surface.
Mist stared at her reflection in the underground cave spring. Her irises seemed to be fiery golden with slit dragon-like pupils, while her hair was more coppery and wavy. Her armor was modeled after flames and scales. But the biggest change of all was the fact that her wings were now a dragon’s with flaming golden scales. She felt more powerful, but out of sync with everything. Mist climbed out of the cave and flew off to find Princess Celestia.
Mist swooped in on her fiery wings and landed right in front of Celestia, who was on her balcony.
“So I see you went through with the whole ordeal. Are you feeling all right?” asked Celestia.
A low chuckle escaped Mist’s lips. “Just hours ago, I barely escaped death. Now I’m in an entirely different dimension and I’m out of sync with my body. No, I can’t say I’m 'all right', but I will have to make do,” Mist answered.
“Good. Can you describe the monster that you fought for me?”
Mist described it at full length, and when she was finished, Celestia was paler than she usually was. “Mist, I’m afraid that monster was one of the stronger ones, but nothing major. There are far worse things in store.”
Mist stood up. “Then we have to prepare.”
Author's Note
Mist’s previous form was steel armor modeled after lightning bolts, pale skin, green eyes, auburn hair, and white feathered wings.
Celestia suggested, "Maybe you should learn how to control your powers before you go off to fight. We don't want you to hit one of our own."
Mist asked, "What do you mean?"
Celestia smiled. "A costume change isn't going to change much. Focus your energy into your hands."
Mist concentrated, and to her evident surprise, a flamelike golden aura of magic formed around her hands. "Is this...magic?"
"In fact, yes. What you now possess is powerful light magic that can drive all but the most powerful dark monsters with ease. However, you must try to rein it in. It could have disastrous consequences on everything within miles if you were to lose control of it."
"Teach me, princess.”
Luna was afraid. So very afraid and confused. She could sense that something was pressing against this world, trying to find a weak spot in this world's very fabric. Even in the dreamscape she could feel the tremors of the dark, something she had not felt since the Tantabus had escaped from the confines of her mind, since Nightmare Moon was inside her. Nightmare was no longer a threat, but Luna felt certain something malevolent was out there. And she was powerless to stop it. She absently fiddled with her black crown. As Luna stood with her night sky colored ethereal hair flowing and her hands hanging by her dark blue dress, she stared out at the world on her balcony until she felt a large tremor of powerful magic coming from the secret cave. Luna gasped, and flew off to find her sister.
Luna burst into the throne room. Two figures looked back at her. One was her sister, Princess Celestia. But the other...the other was a flame-winged dragon hybrid with narrowed golden eyes. Luna summoned her sword, Moonlight Edge, and pointed it at the mysterious stranger. “Sister, who is this person? We felt a tremor from the cave,” Luna growled in the Royal Canterlot Voice.
“You can call me Mist,” the stranger said.
“Well...Mist, what business do thou have to be here? Thou certainly does not come from this world, nor have we ever seen anyone like thyself."
“Luna!” Celestia scolded.
“Well, sister, why art thou trusting this stranger so steadfastly? It seems to us that no one can be trusted that comes from another world entirely.”
Celestia sighed. “Sister, however much you may distrust Mist, there is a much bigger threat coming if we don’t find more allies. Something dark is out there, and I’m sure you can feel its presence pressing against our world as of late.”
Luna shuddered. "And thou art correct. It is all we can do to keep it out of the dream realm."
Celestia nodded. "This is why Mist has come. She was driven out of her world by a monster of these forces, and has come to seek help and help us. You do remember two thousand years ago?"
Luna scowled. "Yes, sister. We do remember. But first, let us test this new ally of yours, shall we? Mist, we challenge you to a sword duel! The terms are thus: whoever succeeds in grounding the other three times is the victor! Killing is forbidden, and if thou should win we will help thou defeat this enemy. If we win, however, thou must leave Equestria. Does thou accept?"
Mist got into a fighting position. "Let's battle!"
Luna: 0 Mist: 0
Luna cast a barrier spell over the area they would be using, then spread her wings. "Take to the air." Mist did so. "Go!" Luna flew at Mist. Quick as a striking snake, she slashed at Mist, only for the sword to get blocked by a fiery sword that Mist had drawn. Then Luna used a large overhead blow to knock Mist out of the air. Luna smiled. “One for me.”
Luna: 1 Mist: 0
Mist stabbed forward with her sword, only for it to get parried by Luna! Then Luna flew upwards and behind Mist in a blur too fast for eyes to follow. Mist felt a presence behind her, and dodged to the side just as Luna brought her blade down! The flat of the blade hit Mist, causing her to lose her balance and careen to the side. Mist fought to regain her balance, and struck at Luna’s side, causing Luna to fall to the ground! Luna struggled to her feet, and used her magic to heal the wound, which was bleeding. “Not bad. I’ll allow magic to fight now. Let’s see how you can handle that!”
Luna: 1 Mist: 1
Luna charged up her magic and fired a blast of pure white energy at Mist, who couldn't fly fast enough to get out of the way! It hit Mist squarely in the chest and sent her crashing to the ground.
Luna: 2 Mist: 1
Mist retaliated by flying up high, then firing off a succession of rapid-fire blasts of flames! Luna dodged every single one, then flew at Mist with her sword coming down on Mist's wing! The blade missed by a feather, and Mist lunged at Luna, clipping her wing and knocking her to the side of the barrier! Luna slid down to the floor, but just as quickly got back up and slashed at Mist!
Luna: 2 Mist: 2
Mist dodged and charged up a fireball in her right fist before lobbing it at Luna, who crashed down to the ground, batting at the flames. The flames finally out, Luna looked up and scowled.
Luna: 2, lose Mist: 3, win
"So it seems I have to help. Very well, just don't get in my way. And if anything bad should happen involving you to our forces, the consequences will be grave. Other than that, I hope we will be able to tolerate each other." Luna walked out of the throne room.
Celestia sighed. "I'm so sorry about that...interruption. Perhaps it's time I took you to meet the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Let's see if they are more friendly than my sister."
Mist sighed as she and the sun princess flew. She really had no clue who these “Elements of Harmony” were, nor did she particularly care. Seriously, why did she have to meet with experts on friendship when she could be saving the worlds? But...there was always the possibility of them being able to help in some remote way. Rainbow lasers? Likely. She supposed she should just get it over with, so she followed Celestia to a certain crystal castle in the distance. Impatient, Mist started to pick up the pace.
Pinkie Pie bounced around the interior of Twilight Sparkle’s throne room where the Mane Six were waiting as she said, “Princess Celestia said we’d have a guest? Who’s it gonna be? Huh? Huh? Huh? You think they’re gonna want a chimicherry? Or a cherrychanga? Or a chimicherrychanga? Chimicherry, cherrychanga, chimicherrychanga! Whee! Soooo?”
Twilight put her head on the table. “Pinkie, I don’t know everything!”
“Aww, I thought you did!”
Twilight covered her ears and wrapped her lavender wings around herself to protect herself against the barrage of questions (not that it did any good). “Pinkie, just wait until the princess and her guest get here! Sweet Celestia, they can’t come fast enough!”
Pinkie deflated for a second, then just as quickly popped back up. “Twilight! THEY’RE HEEEREEE!”
“Oh, for the love of— they really are here! Who’s that with her? I’ve never seen anyone like that before.”
Pinkie gasped. "AIEEEE! I THINK— Wait. She looks veeeery different."
Rainbow Dash frowned. “Pinkie? Have you been drinking Twilight’s interdimensional travel potion again? I haven’t seen you this hyped since the day you decided you had to clean out Sugarcube Corner of all the desserts.”
Pinkie snorted. “No, silly! It was a really looong time ago. Like when I was still 12! One of Twilight’s first potions after Flutterbat.”
Applejack shuddered. “Ah still have nightmares ‘bout that.”
Fluttershy sniffled. “P-please don’t get mad—“
Everyone except Twilight groaned, “it wasn’t your fault.”
Twilight started to protest, but Rarity cut her off. “Princess Celestia and her guest are still out in the entryway! Twilight, darling, would you be a dear and go get her? It is your castle.”
Twilight slowly got up and walked out reluctantly. “*sigh*”
Mist had just landed on the crystal stairs and was waiting with Celestia in front of the crystal castle’s golden doors. Suddenly, they flew open, and a disgruntled-looking person walked out. She greeted Celestia, then frowned at Mist. “Umm... I don’t mean to offend you, but who—or what—are you?”
Mist scowled. “I don’t want to explain this more than once. Let’s go meet the rest of your team first.”
Twilight turned around slowly and walked inside, calling over her shoulder, “All right then, if you’ll follow me....”
Celestia smiled down at Mist, then commented, “Give them a chance.” Then she, too, walked inside. Mist followed reluctantly. This was going to be a long day.
Pinkie squealed, “HERE THEY ARE!!!” as they walked in.
Rainbow stared at the newcomer’s wings before remembering her manners and bowing before Princess Celestia.
Rarity took one look at the stranger’s armor before zipping over to take a closer look at the intricate engravings.
Applejack asked, “Who the hay is that?”
Fluttershy zoomed off to hide behind a pillar.
Twilight said, “Princess, could you introduce your...guest?”
Celestia started to speak, but before she had gotten a word out, the person in question interrupted her. “Thank you, but I can introduce myself. I’m Mist, and I’m from another world.”
Pinkie tilted her head and stepped closer.
“I’m only here because a dangerous force is threatening my world.”
Pinkie gasped and scooted even closer.
Rainbow Dash raised her hand. “Why do you have dragon features?”
Twilight groaned. “Rainbow!”
“What? We have the right to know what’s going on!”
Mist rolled her eyes. “It’s going to take a while to tell.”
Pinkie giggled. “Go ahead! Popcorn anyone? By the way, I think I know you!”
Mist muttered something in Ancient Norse, then suddenly looked up at Pinkie, eyes wide. “You WHAT?!”
There was a clamor as everyone in the room tried to ask Pinkie questions. Pinkie said, “I’ll tell you after!” Everyone except Celestia groaned and turned their attention back to Mist as she started to talk.
