Jötunheim

Chapter Six: Family
~BlackRoseRaven

The night was uneventful, and it only took them a few minutes to pack up in the morning. They made their way down from their high, safe hilltop and through the mounds and knolls beyond into sprawling fields, dotted here and there with copses of tenacious, stringy trees.

They found themselves on a road before long, and they even began to pass little homes here and there: farmsteads mostly, although there was the occasional guard tower or barracks as well. Not that it looked like this place was heavily militarized or occupied: from what Antares saw when they passed the militia, they were mostly civilians and farmers who were looking out for one-another, whether it was from bandits, monsters, or natural disasters.

They reached the outskirts of the city of Banding after a good ten hours of travel, and Antares had to admit, it was a pretty impressive sight. Even Innocence stopped whining as they approached the great outer walls, the mare whistling as she asked: “That's overkill, right?”

Antares eyed the wall: from the dwarves standing guard outside the tremendously-tall, ajar doors beyond the massive, open portcullis, he eyeballed the height of the outer wall at a little over half a mile tall. “I mean, probably? I don't think the Jötnar were actually giants, like, giant giants.”

“Otherwise how would Valthrudnir have had sex with Hecate, right?” Innocence asked plainly, and Antares snorted in amusement, then coughed a few times as he looked awkwardly away.

“Yes, that's exactly what I'm thinking of. I mean, hey, for all I know, earth giants are like a mile tall and actually do grind bones to make their bread. But I don't think they're actually that big, no.” Antares mused for a moment as people passed back and forth around them, some giving them curious looks, others only going quickly on their way. He paused as he rose his head a little, then smiled despite himself as he realized... “We're back in society.”

“No shit.” Innocence snorted in amusement, glancing around herself: the road leading to the doors was wide and filled with people of all shapes and sizes. Quite a few people were just wandering stalls that had been set up along either side of the road and along the face of the wall... although Sin noted that several patrolling guards were starting to take an interest in the cloaked dragon and the talking unicorn with the shiny crystal wings. “Uh. We better look natural.”

“We're absolutely not natural.” Antares said mildly, but then he nodded and sauntered towards the city entrance, Innocence trotting up beside him and letting the stallion smile his way past a patrol of guards.

There were quite a few dwarves here, Innocence noted, as well as tall, graceful humanoids she identified as likely being elves. She noted a smattering of other races as well, but these two were the most prominent, with the dwarves largely being soldiers and merchants hawking goods, and the elves browsing in groups and a few dressed like rangers patrolling here and there, silent and watchful.

A scaly little creature hurried towards her, with a face like the bastard child of a rat and dragon, peering up at her with dumb little eyes before it held its hands up insistently as its long tail snapped back and forth anxiously behind it. Innocence paused and scowled down at the urchin, before the creature whined: “Food! Money! Food-money!”

“Oi, get, you!” a dwarf shouted, and the creature squeaked and scampered quickly off. Innocence cocked an eyebrow as she looked over her shoulder, but the dwarf only gestured grumpily for them to keep going. “Don't feed them kobolds. Only makes 'em expect more handouts.”

“Yeah. Right.” Innocence glowered a little, and then she sighed when Antares looked at her pointedly. The mare nodded grouchily, then followed along behind him: but she could feel the elves' eyes on her too, sharper than the dwarves, who had already turned their attention back to whatever it was they had been gossiping about.

They approached the open doors, and joined the line leading into the tunnel, Antares whistling a little at the length of the passage through the massive wall: it had to be almost a thousand feet, the corridor lit by eternal flames that burned in the jaws of enormous metal skulls mounted along the walls.

“Those are pretty weird.” Innocence said, and Antares shrugged as he glanced up at them, smiling slightly as he allowed his acuity to put together the answer for him.

“Sure. I'm guessing this was originally a slave passage, though. It would make the architecture make a lot more sense...” Antares paused, saying mildly: “I'm guessing you sensed the rune lines we walked over, but did you notice that there's dropgates in the ceiling, too?”

“Gee, I care a lot about any of this.” Innocence said dryly, although she was grudgingly interested. “What about those Nibelung out there? They looked weird. Less piggy.”

“I don't think those are technically Nibelung anymore. I guess they're just dwarves, several generations out of Niflheim.”Antares shrugged, looking thoughtful. “I mean, we know that when they spend too long in Helheim, Nibelung get all angry and weird and bastardy. I guess if they spent a lot of time in an Asgardian-neighboring environment, they'd get a lot... well, like what we just saw. Especially if they were born here.”

Sin nodded agreeably, and they walked on until they emerged into the streets of the city, Sin whistling a little as Antares grinned. It was a crowded, clustered metropolis of stone and wood buildings, a reclaimed slum that had been transformed into a sanctuary community: ugly square buildings with rusted bars across the windows had open wooden stalls in front of them, and tall, zigzag wooden structures built atop them, ropes and clanking walkways crisscrossing between the lopsided structures.

They headed down the street, and Antares smiled at the graffiti that softened the hard stone face of a wall, while Innocence watched curiously as a giggling drove of children ran out of the yawning doors of a building and across the street... and yes, there were definitely dwarf children in the mix of rabble.

A tall, scaly creature chased after them, a lot like a larger version of the kobolds they had seen before but somehow a bit more civilized, probably due to the clothing it was wearing. Since the folk working nearby started laughing, Antares felt this was probably a regular occurrence, the stallion smiling despite himself before Innocence said mildly: “This is weird.”

“Yep.” Antares agreed. “So do you have a lock on Mutt or Dad yet?”

“Oh, but wouldn't that be cheating? Gosh, Antares, I was just going to ask how we were going to find Mutt and Dad, if we were going to start asking around or maybe we'd just go to the closest tavern to get hints about our epic quest.” Innocence said drolly.

Antares looked at her mildly, then he paused before saying thoughtfully, as he started quickly down the busy street: “Actually, that's not a bad idea.”

Innocence frowned as she hurried after him, cocking her head curiously, but Antares only hummed along down the street, letting his instincts guide him even as the mare complained: “Seriously I can find them in like two minutes.”

“Bet I can find them even faster.” Antares replied casually, and Innocence glowered at him before wincing and scrambling after her brother when he carelessly twisted to the side and crossed in front of a wagon being pulled by some massive yak-thing, the driver shouting at them in irritation as they passed.

They went down a narrower side street, Antares glancing at the signage they passed before he twisted on his hooves and followed a set of stairs next to a stone monolith upward: Innocence would have walked right by it if she wasn't following her brother's tail. He crossed the stone bridge above partway, then grinned as he hopped off the long arch and landed on a low walkway with a clatter of wood, getting a few odd looks and some giggles from a gang of kids watching from a balcony above.

Innocence grumbled as she teleported behind her brother, grabbing at him uselessly, but Antares hopped gracefully across to another high walkway and trotted quickly along it, grinning wider as he looked through the barred windows of the stone tower this wooden highpath ran along the side of, saying cheerfully: “This is pretty neat. This looks like a public cafeteria or something...”

Innocence peered through one of the windows, noting the tables below, the people milling around, before she huffed when Antares leapt into air, flapping his wings once as he crossed to another bridge and peered through a crack in a wooden wall. “And this looks like an armory.” He paused, then peered over the edge of the bridge, looking down at the group of dwarves below that were arguing loudly in armor. “Barracks, of course.”

Innocence appeared in a flash of magic beside Antares, looking at him grumpily, and the stallion glanced up at her before he grinned as he said: “So we're near the entrance, we passed over a market district, here's a barracks, and next door is where the soldiers go to eat. Now where do the soldiers go to get drunk?”

Innocence scowled at him, then winced when Antares simply let himself drop off the walkway, the stallion landing next to the soldiers some thirty feet below with a thud and a puff of dust, the dwarves yelping and falling all over each other as the stallion grinned at them before he winked and said cheerfully: “Beautiful day!”

With that, he strolled quickly away as Innocence rolled her eyes and followed along on the walkway above, muttering: “How the fuck do you do that and not get arrested?”

Antares looked back at his sister and winked, and she shouted angrily at him from above, but the stallion ignored her as he turned his eyes forwards and said easily to himself: “Practice. Well, that and my million-dollar smile, Sin.”

Antares smiled and winked at one of the tall kobold-things, and the scaly creature stared at him, then tripped dumbly over its own robes and fell in a puff to the street. Antares kept walking, clearing his throat awkwardly as he strolled onward before his eyes shifted to a building down the street, and he smiled slightly as Innocence appeared beside him with a scowl and she grumbled: “Okay.”

“Okay?” Antares asked innocently.

“Okay okay okay! Okay. You were right. You found them. But how? And don't say magic eyes, I'll shove your head up your ass if you say magic eyes.” Innocence threatened.

“Magic eyes.” Antares answered immediately, and then he ducked away when the mare slashed her horn at him angrily before she chased him towards the tavern.

They stumbled through the doors together and crashed into a heap, nearly knocking a dwarf sprawling and surprising several of the patrons near the entrance, but as the two awkwardly picked themselves up off the floor, they were greeted by a cheerful: “My children! 'Tis wonderful to see thee here!”

Antares and Innocence flailed at each other, then hopped quickly to their hooves, grinning as they approached the bar, where their beloved Móðer, Luna Brynhild, sat comfortably back in a stool awaiting them, a glass of ale in one hoof, a wide, happy grin on her features and mischief gleaming in her sharp green eyes.

She was a tall, athletic mare, with a darkest blue coat, and a mane and tail that flowed like starlight, glowing with exotic constellations. Her horn was sharp crystalline blue, not alicorn like theirs, but rather soulstone, a tiara of bony thorns framing this.

Her body was protected by a black breastplate, gorgeously embossed with a rose motif, and her neck was embraced by a thick collar with a silver clasp, inset in which was a black pearl engraved with a rose. Black roses... that was kind of their parents' motif.

Luna took a deep drink of ale, belched loudly, then tossed the flagon back on the bar as she hopped down and strode towards her children. She embraced them both fiercely, smiling warmly as they hugged her tightly back and she murmured: “'Tis good to see thee both. My heart swells for it. But why art thou here? Did thou miss us?”

“Well...” Antares paused, then he asked curiously: “Hey, where's Dad? And uh, I mean... how are you here?”

Luna grinned widely at this, turning and heading back to the bar to hop into her stool, spinning childishly around once with a giggle before she snatched up her flagon and leaned back on the bar, the bartender nervously slipping away as the mare bragged loudly: “'Tis a genius invention of Morgan! We have magic badges that permit us travel wherever we so please!”

“Oh, good, you're filly scouts now.” Antares said mildly, and then he grinned and ducked away when Luna huffed and flung a handful of peanut shells from the bar at him.

“Idiot. Nay, I am sure thy cleverer sister can tell thee. And if Thorn can't, then Innocence will no doubt figure it out!” Luna declared, then laughed at her own joke as Antares and Sin both traded looks and eye-rolls. “Now, enough nonsense, enough. 'Tis wonderful to see thee both. Are thou here to assist?”

“Actually uh... Momma sent us to find you and Daddy because she fell out of contact with you.” Innocence said, and Luna blinked in surprise and frowned as she reached up and tapped absently on her crystalline spire.

Luna puckered up her lips, then screwed up her face, and then she huffed and mumbled: “Well. 'Tis strange. We were just speaking the other day... perhaps the magic of the badge fades faster than we had anticipated. Still, it seems strong enough that Scrivy and I can complete our duties, so go and tell thy worrywart mother that we are fine, and we shall see her soon.”

“Right.” Antares said wryly: his powers of acuity didn't work quite as well on his family, but Luna still put out dozens of tells when she wasn't telling the whole truth about something, including the very obvious way she wrinkled up her snout. “Gosh, we'll just be on our way then... but hey, you know, since we're here already, we might, oh, I don't know, wander pointlessly around for a few days before actually completing our very simple objective, since for absolutely no reason we were dropped like a thousand miles away from our perceived destination.”

Luna looked at him mildly for a few moments, then she hopped out of her seat and bopped him with her horn, Antares wincing a bit before the sapphire mare grumbled: “Shut up, smart boy.”

Antares shrugged and looked at her pointedly, and Luna chewed moodily at her lip before she grumbled and nodded grouchily. “Thou hast a point. Do not let it go to thy stupid fat head.”

Antares snorted, then he gestured mildly across the tavern, and Luna grumbled before she swiped her flagon off the bar. Antares nudged Innocence, and Sin nodded as she hurried after Luna, while the stallion turned back to the bar and said: “Two more flagons of ale, thanks. Also, did you see my Dad? The guy who was with her.”

“The stinking creature?” asked the kobold-like creature behind the counter. “He left some time ago. The demon stayed to wait for you.”

Antares looked at the tall creature for a moment, noting the spines on its forehead and that hung down from its shoulders – forcing it to wear its robes almost like a shoulderless dress – and then he clicked his tongue before he asked curiously: “Are you guys kobolds too, or...”

“Now I see the resemblance.” the barkeep said irritably, before he sighed and rolled his big yellow eyes, grumbling: “We are silber. Better than kobolds. Smarter.”

“Still stuck working a crappy service job, though, huh?” Antares said mildly, and the silber scowled at him as he slammed two flagons down on the counter and poured a smattering of ale into either one, the stallion clearing his throat as he daintily took these with magic, then reached out with a hoof to lamely tap the silber's bottle. “Uh. Power to the people. Bye.”

He turned and hurried off towards the far table that Luna had occupied, sliding into his seat and smiling slightly at Sin wheedling: “-so you know, let us help you.”

“Yeah, let us help you.” Antares said mildly as he slid a flagon over to Innocence, and the unicorn swept this up and slurped at it loudly as the stallion smiled over at Luna. “Or, you know, don't, but at least let us have some fun with this. Hell, we'll make it a game.”

Luna perked up at this, immediately turning her full attention to her son, and Antares grinned as he leaned on the table and rested his chin on a hoof, saying mildly: “I mean, unless you're scared, that is. I totally understand that. We'd absolutely kick your ass, Mutt, Sin and I are way cooler than you and Dad.”

Luna huffed, and Innocence coughed before she said awkwardly: “I mean... well, you know, we're not... it's like comparing apples and oranges! You're an apple. We're... oranges. It's just a different kind of... level of... cool.”

“Sin!” Luna huffed loudly, looking injured as she clutched at her chest. “Thou cuts me to the quick! Wretched betrayer, how dare thee say I am not 'cool' enough for thee!”

“Well, like, you know!” Sin rambled, and then she blushed and smiled lamely as she said awkwardly: “You're cooler than Dad?”

“Oh, grand, I am cooler than the poet.” Luna grumbled, and then she whined: “How can thou be so cruel to thy Mutt? I was always thy favorite parent!”

“And you still are!” Sin encouraged, and then she cleared her throat as she looked off to the side and mumbled: “I could just, you know, kick your ass.”

Luna's eyes widened and her muzzle wrinkled up horribly, and then she seized the table and attempted to fling it off to one side, but Antares cleared his throat as he quickly caught the other side of it and stopped it from doing more than bouncing on the spot, flagons jouncing and giggling but thankfully not overturning. “Hey now, there's no need for-”

“Innocence Sparkle, compared to me thou art still but a little filly, and I would take great pleasure in bending thee over and spanking thy perfect ass that thou inherited from thy father!” Luna threatened, and Sin huffed as she immediately slammed her claws into the other side of the table, leaning over it and glaring back at the mare.

“Oh yeah? Well, I'm right here, old nag, and if you wanna try it you're more than welcome to!” Innocence shot back, and Luna's eyes flared as her mane burst into blue flames. They leaned across the table towards one-another, quite a few of the folk in the tavern watching awkwardly as magic energy sparked around the horns of the two and they glared into one-another's eyes. “The only time you'll even see my perfect ass is when my perfect ass sits on your dumb ugly face!”

They both snarled, then leaned forwards, their heads butting together, their horns sparking as spire ground against spire. They leaned down on the groaning table, and Antares slowly took a sip from his flagon as he wondered if he should bother defusing the situation or just excuse himself from the bar so he didn't get dragged into their fight before he smiled at the sight of a familiar figure. “Oh, hey Dad!”

Both Luna and Innocence looked dumbly to the side, cheeks smacking painfully together as Scrivener Blooms poked his head into the bar, then immediately gave Luna a flat look. The sapphire mare grinned widely at him, forgetting instantly about her fight with her daughter as she pranced out of her seat and let Innocence splat to the table with a squawk, the winged unicorn hopping up to her husband to kiss him on the cheek before she said cheerfully: “Scrivy! The children are here!”

“Hey guys.” Scrivener greeted with a smile, striding towards them: he was a massive earth pony, with strange, scaly patches here and there across his body, his mane and tail shaggy and white, his eyes dark and deep. Bony pistons stuck out of either side of his spine, and his forelegs ended not in hooves, but gauntlets that had been fused to his body, claws of living metal nervously shifting against the ground before he wheezed when Innocence plowed into him and hugged him firmly.

Antares hopped out of his seat, heading around the table to pry Innocence off her father, then trade a quick hug with the stallion himself. Then he stepped back with a grin, winking as he poked his bare, scarred chest, teasing: “Hey, Mutt's supposed to be the dumb one here.”

“Aye, that is true, but I do like my Scrivener in as little as possible. Ready for me at a moment's notice.” Luna said with relish as she smiled at her husband, and Innocence and Antares both made childish faces and disgusted noises. “Oh shush, both of thee. Now, Scrivy, what hast thou found?”

The four of them returned to the table, and as Scrivener sat, Antares' eyes noted a small gemstone pin on the stallion's chest. It was sharp, bright blue, leafed in gold, and he detected a strange magic and eerie sense of familiarity from it.

Scrivener glanced at his son, then smiled as he followed his eyes, reaching up to gently touch the pin on his chest as he said: “Oh, this? This is what Luna was talking, her uh... 'merit badge-'”

“Shut up, Scrivy.” Luna huffed and bopped the stallion with her horn, then she nodded firmly several times as she patted her own chest and happily bragged: “Yes, mine is just like Scrivener's, only better. They contain fragments of life force, mixed together, so that we may step apart.”

“They drain, though. They're like soul batteries, basically. So after so long we'll have to go back to uh...” Scrivener awkwardly looked around the tavern, then cleared his throat and said: “You know where.”

“Helheim!” Luna almost shouted cheerfully, then she beat her sharp, curved forehooves in a tattoo happily against the table, saying with relish: “Oh, it is good to be out of the ice, though, wonderful indeed! 'Tis so dismal down there, boring and stupid. But admittedly it makes it hard to acknowledge the passing of days... we are so used to time in Underdark, where 'tis all a mishmash... it has been thousands of years since we have seen thee last, and yet to thee...”

Luna softened, smiling radiantly at her children, vulnerable and honest for a moment as she murmured: “I am so proud of both of thee and 'tis so good to see thee.”

Antares blushed a bit, and Innocence smiled warmly before she shrugged a little and replied shyly: “I'm... I'm really happy to see you too, Mutt. You and Dad both. You look good.”

“We are good. We are better than good.” Luna said proudly, and then she slammed a hoof against the table and said firmly: “But enough! I shan't be distracted by thy frippery-frappery! We still have much time before we must return to our gilded prison and we shall make full use of it!”

Scrivener touched his badge nervously, saying in a lower, more careful voice: “But if we can't contact Twilight and she's having trouble-”

“Morgan! Millennia, poet, thousands upon thousands of heaping years, and thou still cannot call her by her proper name! Fie on thee!” Luna paused in her vociferation, chewing at her cheek for a moment before she agreed in a moodier voice: “Although, yes, yes, perhaps thou has a point. 'Twould be very bad for us should we return to Helheim with nothing. Morgan may make us sit in the corner again, or worse.”

Scrivener sighed, and Antares studied the two, frowning slightly before he asked curiously: “So you really are here to find Mimir?”

“Well, yes, of course!” Luna looked surprised, then huffed, complaining: “Oh, thou thinks I am incapable, is that so? Or that I am as given to intrigue and folly as wretched Freya, or Tauros, or worst of all thy wicked little brother Thorn? Nay, we are here to seek out Mimir. It just so happens that... we may perhaps have other tasks as well.”

Antares knew his mother was exceptionally good at being evasive, but she was terrible when it came to lying. He had learned a lot about manipulating ponies from her, which was why he didn't fall for the easy callout and instead only smiled and nodded, saying: “Well, we'd be happy to join you on your epic quest, then.”

“Well, by all means, if thou thinks thou can withstand the sight of thy parents indulging the basest and most primal of natural acts repeatedly every single night.” Luna retorted, and Scrivener winced, but Antares only grinned as he leaned forwards.

“Hey, I once had to travel with the twincest-is-best twins for a week. I can handle anything after that.” Antares retorted with a mock shiver.

Luna huffed, then poked at him with her horn, complaining: “Oh, fie on thee, they are... affectionate, that is all! 'Tis the nature of the Allelois. A good brother and sister. And also they are both dead as well as demons so they will not be making babies, so it is fine.”

Scrivener slapped his forehead, and Luna said reasonably: “Well, 'tis the reason 'tis not so gross if the siblings are of the same mold, is it not? There shan't be a baby and thus no awkward explaining to the dewy-eyed thing that thy mother is also thy aunt or uncle or whatnot, whatever 'twas who put it there.”

“Thanks, Mutt.” Antares said dryly, and then he sighed and rubbed at his face, knowing that Luna was just trying to bait him away from the main topic. “Don't worry, Sin and I can set up a sound barrier. An opaque sound barrier.”

“So strong and solid it shall not break even should I batter thy father with mine mightiest of battering rams upon it? That thou shan't hear the squeaking and squealing-”

Antares narrowed his eyes, then interjected quietly but firmly: “What are you hiding?”

Luna winced at the interruption, then started haughtily: “'Tis rude to interrupt thy Móðer-”

“I'll kick your ass.” Innocence threatened, and when Luna huffed and turned to glare at her, she added in a lower voice: “But we can handle it, you know? Whatever's going on, Mutt. Don't leave us in the dark.”

Luna wrinkled up her snout and whined a little in her throat, then she groaned and covered her face, mumbling: “Fie. Fie on all of thee. Including thou, poet, thy thoughts only worsen mine own.” The mare huffed and flailed at the stallion as he smiled awkwardly, and then Luna hesitated before she nodded with a grumble. Fine. Fine, but only because I am no plotter nor schemer like Morgan or Thorn or wretched Freya.

“There is...” Luna hesitated, then said in a lower voice: “There has been much discussion as to the fate of the realms: how best to moderate the flow of souls, and what communication, if any, the mortal plane should have with the otherworlds, and vice-versa. We are here partly simply to be out of Morgan's way, and we are also here to seek both counsel and answers of our own.”

“We've been tracking weakpoints in reality and possible portal locations. We know for a fact that there are several portals between Jötunheim and the mortal realm, and Helheim as well.” Scrivener explained, as he reached up and squeezed Luna's shoulder gently with a claw. “We're... trying to figure out what would be best to do. I mean, not us, but Morgan, Tauros, and Thorn...”

“Separation.” Antares said without grasping what it meant, but the reaction of his parents told him everything he needed to know, the stallion frowning as he said slowly: “Hard borders again. Three leaders for three realms.”

“Levels of reality.” Scrivener corrected awkwardly, although it came out to just the same, didn't it? A Heaven, a Hell, a mortal world... and nothing in between. And the implication that... “Things have to return to some kind of natural order-”

“Yeah, so let's make Thorn boss of the entire mortal level of reality, and Tauros can definitely look after Jötunheim and whatever else Asgard is connected to, too.” Antares said acerbically, earning a scowl from Luna as Scrivener grimaced. “Who died and made you guys the king?”

“Odin. And then Hel.” Luna retorted with a huff before she whined: “And what would thou have us do? Allow souls to flit freely back and forth as they so please? Allow more portals to be built so we may once again tear the fabric of reality and invite in the Void? Shut down Clockwork World and allow all these worlds their autonomy to die as they please?”

Antares shrugged, replying pointedly: “And our family basically being in charge of everything is better? Because I'm not stupid, I know that Freya isn't shy about muscling Tauros into doing stuff for her, and he knows he needs her. He doesn't quite have his dad's tact but he sure did inherit his mom's temper and bad decision making skills.”

“He is a good prince, though. And he agrees with us, and yes, Freya agrees with us.” Luna half-defended, half-admitted. “The realms were not meant to be traveled through-”

“Except by Valkyries. And Gods. And all the other 'higher beings.'” Antares interrupted.

“-by mortals.” Luna glared at him, hammering a hoof against the table. “And we must ensure there is a balance!”

“That's not what bothers me.” Antares said quietly, his gaze locked with his Móðer's. “It's this creeping feeling that there's more to it than that. You're inferring there's going to be some kind of takeover, because you sure don't seem to be asking permission.”

Luna snorted at this, replying grumpily: “Oh, a thousand pardons, Antares, I shall ensure to ask the giants and the goblins what they think of our plan to stabilize the universe. 'Tis not as if we are already essentially three realms-”

“But Helheim has never exerted influence over Muspellheim, any more than Asgard has had any right to exert influence over Jötunheim.” Antares stated bluntly, and Luna threw her forelegs up in frustration at being interrupted again... or maybe it was just disgust at being seen through again. “I don't want to see you guys fuck up. I love you. Don't be bad guys, okay?”

Luna softened at this as Scrivener smiled faintly, and there was silence for a few moments before the sapphire mare reached out her hooves. Sharp, cloven, and blade-like, yet all the same gentle and careful as she took the hoof and claw of her son and daughter, looking back and forth between them before she said quietly: “I love both of thee very much. I cannot claim to be a good pony, and Helheim has worsened my faults and rusted my better nature. But for all that I am, I shall never be thy enemy, thy villain, or thy devil. I shall always be thy Móðer, and I promise that never, ever, shall I raise a hoof against thee.”

Luna paused, and then a smile quirked her mouth as she firmly gripped both her children's forelegs and nearly yanked them onto the table as she leaned forwards and added cheerfully: “Unless thou art asking for it, in which case I shall pummel thee both into mush.”

“Thanks, Mutt.” Antares snorted and yanked his leg loose as Innocence smiled despite herself, squeezing her Móðer's limb before she sat back as well. Son studied Móðer and father, then bit his lip-

“Well, Antares, if thou wants answers so badly, why not make a game of it?” Luna suddenly said, and Antares frowned before the sapphire mare grinned as she sat back in her seat comfortably. “Mimir knows all. For the eye he took from Odin sees all across the realms. There are no secrets, no untruths, no illusions that Mimir cannot see through.”

Antares cocked his head at this as Innocence leaned forwards with interest, and Luna said mildly: “'Tis well known that those who survive the ascent to Mimir will be permitted the answer to any one question. Two if he is in a good mood. I am sure with all thy loathsome foppish airs thou would be able to get at least three good answers from him, Antares.

“Therefore, I propose a race!” Luna rapped her hoof on the table and winked at her son with a wide, cocky grin. “We shall see who reaches Mimir first, traveling only by hoof across Jötunheim! If thou should reach him, thou shall have the chance to ask thy questions. Ah, but if I should reach him, Antares...”

She narrowed her eyes to slits, leaning towards him, and Antares scowled at his mother before he turned beet-red as she threatened: “I shall ask him how frequently thou masturbates, and if thy thoughts are of Prestige or other mares! Or stallions!”

“Goddammit, Mutt!” Antares shouted, then he cleared his throat and shrank a bit in his seat as quite a few pairs of eyes from across the tavern turned to stare at them.

Luna grinned down at him, taunting him, looking very proud of herself, and even before she opened her stupid mouth he could hear her- “Fine. Fine, you win. Whoever gets to Mimir first gets to ask him the questions. And the other side has to fill in any blanks.”

“Very well.” Luna thrust a hoof towards Antares, and the stallion hesitated, trading a look with Innocence before he scowled when their beloved Mutt teased: “What? Cold hooves already?”

Antares hesitated only a moment longer before he swore under his breath as he took his mother's hoof, pumping it once before he sighed and muttered: “I'm going to regret this.”