Nine Realms

Having been told that they were heading for some task that only a Norn could do, naturally the group continued with their journey with more than the usual amount of curiosity, as they silently walked alongside their elderly companion. The Norn herself, who continued to refuse to speak her own name, assuming she even had one of course, maintained a steady pace through the snow and ice, continuing to be completely unbothered by the cold that would have given so many other travellers cause for concern out here. Twilight would occasionally glance to her, but few such times would ever evoke anything other than a brief glance back from the Norn herself. The young Princess had many questions, as one would in her situation, but she had a feeling that, even if she did ask them, she wouldn't get an answer. So, she and her friends settled in for the long haul, at least, until the Norn finally spoke.

"...There."

Looking up, the group saw a familiar, and yet, unfamiliar sight. It appeared to be much like what they'd encountered back in Jotunheim, a giant root of Yggdrasil itself, covering the near-horizon like a mountain range. But, unlike the one they'd found in that home of giants, this one was utterly covered by snow, with trickles of ice coming down the sides from whatever brief thaw there might have been here. Though confused as to why they had come here, Twilight nevertheless maintained her silence, looking down to the Norn as she continued onwards. Squinting her eyes, Twilight could see, just at the base of that aforementioned root, there was a small gap, large enough for all of them to get through, like the entrance to a cave. It brought to her mind the memories of their visit to Mimir's dwelling, and she thus suspected that something special must also be here as well.

Onwards they walked, with the silence broken only by the constantly-blowing icy winds of Niflheim, but this bad weather did not deter them as it had in the past. No, they were used to it now, and endured the biting feeling of those winds as they forged ahead, if only because they knew some form of shelter awaited them now. Given the size of the root, it naturally took an hour or two before they finally reached it, and once there, the Norn was the first to enter the gap, ducking down slightly in order to do so. Twilight and the others, being much smaller than her, had no such issue, and followed shortly afterwards. It was dark in here, and so Twilight lit up her horn to help them see along the way. It appeared to be a tunnel of some kind, and so the group carefully made their way through it. This particular stretch of their trip took about several minutes to finish, and once they were finally through, they were once more blessed with the rare treat of hearing the Norn speak to them.

"...Hvergelmir."

Before them was a vast cavernous chamber, not unlike the one Mimir had dwelt in. But here, there were some notable differences. For at the centre, there was no lone pool of water, standing perfectly still. Instead, there was a spring, with water flowing out constantly. The spring in question was slightly elevated from the ground they all stood on, and though water continued to rise up from whatever source it had, it never actually poured over the edge, though whether this be through magic or some trickery of the eyes, Twilight could not say. But, as they looked to this new discovery, Applejack raised a eyebrow.

"Um...Fergle...meer?"

The Norn chuckled, slowly making her way over to the spring. From her robe, she produced a simple wooden bowl, and the ponies watched as she approached the side of the spring, giving a respectful bow of her head before speaking once more.

"This spring...is one of three found in the nine realms. We Norns take its waters...and feed the roots of the great tree."

Fluttershy stepped forward, sounding amazed.

"You water Yggdrasil?"

The Norn nodded.

"Indeed, child. For we Norns are not only keepers of the fates of the worlds...we also ensure those worlds' survival. We go throughout the realms, we find these springs...and we bring its waters to the roots."

Rarity, sweeping aside some of her hair, gave an approving nod to that, taking a few steps forward to look to the edge of the spring herself.

"Well, I may not be in for all this kind of thing myself, but it truly is admirable how you and your sisters are willing to go to such lengths for your duties."

Briefly, she gazed down into the waters nearby, and as she did this, she noted that there were certain signs of movement within. Curiosity took hold of her, and she moved just one step closer, narrowing her eyes so as to get a better look. And as soon as she did this, she saw something that, quite frankly, she would have preferred not to see. Snakes. Many snakes. Hundreds of snakes, all swimming about in that water. Naturally, she took an immediate step backwards, giving a high-pitched yelp of shock over this, much to the amusement or irritation of her companions. The Norn, for her part, merely gave a knowing smile, finally plunging her bowl into the waters before speaking up again.

"Your futures may be obscured to my eyes...but even I could have seen that coming."

It was a moment of levity that all of them needed, and as they looked to one another with all-too-brief smiles, Twilight eventually broke the silence, walking towards their elderly travelling companion.

"I truly am sorry to interrupt your responsibilities...but none of this helps my friends or I to get home."

The Norn, still keeping her eyes fixed firmly upon the water, gave a slow nod.

"Oh...but it does."

Twilight titled her head, showing confusion. And the Norn, in response to this, glanced to the side. Twilight mirrored her actions, and as she did this, she could see, through the gloom of the chamber, that there was another opening, on the other side from where they'd come from. It was small, and would be a tight fit, but even so, she could already tell that they were capable of making their way through. She only glanced back to the Norn when she heard the latter speak up again.

"That route...takes you beyond this realm...and to another."

She turned, looking to the Princess with a small but genuine smile.

"I believe you will find the next realm more to your liking than this one was."

Though taken aback by this sudden discovery, Twilight was not so shocked as to forget her manners. And so, after clearing her throat, she took a bow to her guide.

"Thank you, Ma'am. You've...you've done so much for us out here. I don't know how to repay you."

The Norn, having now finished filling her bowl with water, took it from the spring, before looking back to Twilight and giving a similar bow of her own head.

"Get your people home...and continue your duties. That is all a Norn will ever ask of anybody."

And, as it turned out, those would be the last words the Norn would say to her, for without even looking at the ponies, the old woman started to move off, carefully holding the bowl that was now filled with that precious water. The others watched her go, moving back through the small passageway that had brought them here. Eventually, she was out of sight altogether, and the other Equestrians, Spike included, gave yet another glance to their leader. Twilight, who now focused her attention on the route that the Norn had pointed out to them, gave a long sigh, before starting to make her way over to it.

"Come on, guys...another realm awaits us."