Present Time.

There was silence, not because they were trying to be, they were taking sips of their tea cups, getting some refreshment, or waiting for the maids to clear away the trolley Pinkie had brought in. The room had grown darker, Celestia's sun had been blocked out by thick rain clouds, the rain tapping lightly on the large windows.

"A fitting weather.." Luna commented to nopony in particular.

Twilight was looking over her notes, shook her head, and let out a sigh. "Princess, the world you describe, it seems so different from the one we read about, from the one we learn in school."

Celestia nodded slightly, looking thoughtful. "The world was very different back then, there was so much we did not yet know.. It was so much larger than me and Luna knew, and there are still places even we have never been or seen. It is only because we move the sun and moon we now know how big the world truly is.."

"But it is just unbelievable, so much knowledge has been lost about the old world, I was led to believe the unification was more peaceful because there was war between the tribes, and peace brought the unification." Twilight said, thinking back on all she had read about the subject.

"Partly true." Luna said as she let the maid take her tea cup and finally trot out. "The unification in today's story focuses on the second unification."

"Second unification?" Twilight echoed in confusion.

"It's complicated, but during the first unification, we formed a small kingdom, Equestria as it would one day be called. It was more of a happy accident really, the more ponies that became aware of Thor and his deeds, the more ponies flocked to our father for his, and our husband's protection from the giants. So a natural kingdom started to form out of it. The unification you speak of was more of the official declaration of the formation of our kingdom as you know it."

Twilight was amazed, it seemed like history had focused so much on this second unification, it had simply over time become,THE, unification. "How did it start?"

Celestia thought for a moment. "I suppose it started the very next day we met Thor.. He had become a guest of our father, and he claimed to have been sent by the gods to help us, so of course he meddled in our father's affairs.." Luna snorted, hiding her mouth behind her hoof as she tried not to burst out laughing. The others looked confused, and Celestia couldn't help but smile herself, but still nudged Luna to get her to quiet down. "Well, I guess you could say he was not as.. Uhm.. Formal and well mannered as one would expect when in the presence of a lord.. But he did have helpful insights."

Luna calmed down, then looked at the group. "He was not one to fancy diplomacy, he liked to act more than to wait. It could infuriate our father quite a lot."

Both of the royal sisters giggled slightly thinking back at how frustrated their father could get, which of course led to memories of when Thor told their father he was going to marry his daughters. Cadance smiled, seeing her two aunts act all giddy at the fond memories they had of their husband.

"So, was it love at first sight?" The princess of love asked.

Celestia shook her head. "Far from it I should say."

"But I would add that the fascination of him was always there." Luna added. "Discord is, as much as I hate to admit it, right by the fact Thor could be a bit of a brute."

"But." Celestia continued. "We got to know him like no other, we learned who he was deep inside, the worries, pains and secrets he carried deep within his heart.." Both the princesses frowned a bit, looking down on the floor. "Thor is a good man, we learned that.. But it was clear he carried something from his old world, a deep hurt that maybe forced him to be more stern than he was."

"He wasn't that stern." Luna tried, but Celestia simply shook her head.

"In some aspects he was firmer than he needed, mostly in cases that reminded him of home." There was deep silence for a few moments, only the rain drumming on the windows, and the slight crackling from the fireplace broke that deep silence. Finally, after a minute, Celestia recovered, putting on a smile. "But, that is a story for another time. We should tell you what happened the next morning, then we can go for some lunch."

Rainbow slid forward, the helmet she had found bobbing around as it was made for a stallion, but putting a hoof to it she quickly steadied it. "Okay, so what happened the next day?"

"Did he really bring his goat back to life..?" Fluttershy asked hopefully.

Luna smiled and nodded. "Well, me and Celestia were wondering about that as well. To us it sounded impossible, and so, we both got up just before the unicorns would gather to raise the sun, and made our way to the courtyard to watch what he did to the bones he had gathered the night before..."

10.000 Years Ago.

The two sisters stood in the courtyard, taking in the cool morning air as the slow raising of the sun made the morning extra long. Despite having fur, Celestia shuddered a little as a cool breeze moved through the yard.

Luna was not faced however. "Do not worry sister, the sun shall soon warm up the morning air for you."

"I know, but does the raising have to take this long..?" Celestia sighed, moving her wings a little as if trying to shake herself awake.

"I feel the same about the moon, the unicorns handle her with so little care in mind.."

"Her?" Celestia raised an eyebrow.

"Well, of course the moon is a she. So much beauty and elegance, she can only be female." Luna smirked, puffing out her chest a little.

Before Celestia could respond, they heard a door open. Not many would come out this early in the morning, other than a few guards on the wall, no one was out here but them. They had expected Thor to step out, but instead it was the servant mare from the day before. "Cornflower." Celestia called.

The mare seemed startled at first, but quickly recovered as she walked over to them. "Good morning my lady.. Lady Luna.."

"Good morning to you as well." Luna smiled. "Have you come to see Thor do what he claims?"

Cornflower nodded. "He invited me.. And I wanted to see if he could bring Snarler back.."

"Do you think he can do it?" Celestia asked, interested to see what the mare believed.

She thought about it, then shrugged. "I don't know, my lady.. If the rumors are true, then I won't dismiss the possibility that he might be able to do it.."

It was a fair point, one that Celestia had indeed thought about as well. She and Luna had already seen Thor do things they would have otherwise thought impossible without great magical power. One could say what Thor did was purely magic, nothing else. But Celestia wondered about that, it didn't feel like manipulation, it felt like total control, raw power.

While a unicorn and a Pegasus could manipulate certain outside elements, such as levitating an object, or control a cloud, that was manipulation, enforcing their will upon something else. It was not wrong or anything, but it was a different kind of control than what Thor displayed the other day. It was not like he was enforcing his will on the weather, it was like... Well, she was not sure what it was like, something completely different from what they could do, perhaps she would discuss this with Starswirl, but for now, her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of another door opening.

This time there was no doubt it was Thor, his tall muscular body stood out like a mountain. He didn't bid them good morning, neither did he glance at them, instead he looked tired, and kind of annoyed to be up this early, like a farmer who had just woken up to take care of his fields, just like the day before.

Still he willed himself up, and was now walking to the center of the courtyard. None of the three mares spoke to him, they were too focused on what he was doing, and something told them not to disturb him. He carried the skin full of bones in one hand, and held the hammer in the other. Once in the center of the courtyard, he placed the skin and bones on the ground, and then took a single step back.

The mares watched, the guards watched, and even still, there was an unnatural silence, like a hush in a theater crowd before the curtain is about to rise.

Taking a deep breath, Thor put the hammer to his chest and closed his eyes. As soon as he did, something in the air changed, they all felt it, but none of them had the words to describe what exactly had changed. Thor raised his hammer above his head, and started to swing it.

The swings were large, he moved it around and round, making the winds around him pick up, like the swings itself were so powerful that the swooshes could be felt everywhere in the courtyard. Leaves, dust, and manes all started to move with the wind, and above them, to everyponies shock, the otherwise clear sky began to be covered with dark clouds.

Some seemed to be pulled there, others simply appeared out of thin air, like they had responded to their master's command. Then suddenly, something more unreal happened, the bones and skin started to move. By some unknown force, the bones connected to one another in the right order and the way it should, and as soon as they did, nerves started to grow right out of the bones itself.

It was like watching plants grow, just faster and more bloody. The nerves, flesh, organs, eyes, everything seemed to grow out of the bones, until the skin started to attach itself, covering every inch of the fleshy form that was growing before their eyes.

Thor seemed to say something, but the wind covered up whatever words he might have spoken, but as soon as he said it, the goat became whole again, standing just as impressive as it did the day before. Thor stopped swinging his hammer, and when he did, the clouds vanished as well, disappearing into the thin air just like they had appeared.

With Snarler whole once again, Thor lowered his hammer and took another deep breath, this time looking more awake than he did when he first stepped out of the castle. He chuckled proudly, clapping Snarler on the back. "That's my boy." He grinned, and only now turned to the mares who looked upon him in utter shock and amazement. "Morning." He simply said, snapping the three of them out of their daze.

"H-how is this possible..?" Luna asked, taking a small step forward.

Cornflower however was not as hesitant as the two sisters, she sprang forward, smiling widely as she approached Thor and Snarler. "You really did it, you brought him back!"

Thor simply nodded, clapping Snarler on the back once again. "Of course I did, I said I would." He said that it was really that simple. "Give him some water and some food, he's earned it." Thor said, not even asking, but rather commanded.

If Cornflower minded the tone Thor used, she didn't show it, instead she happily led the massive goat over to it's brother so they could both eat. Thor in the meantime turned to the sisters, patting his stomach and yawned. "Well, is there any breakfast around here?"

To Thor's disappointment, it was still too early to be eating breakfast. Thor was slightly annoyed at this, but he did understand it was still very early, so he decided to settle with something to drink in the great hall. He was happy with a big mug of ale, and then he could wait for as long as someone refilled the mug now and again.

Neither Celestia or Luna wished to drink this early, but strangely enough it seemed the ale had little to no effect on Thor, but then again he could eat a lot, so maybe he had to drink even more to get to the point that he was drunk.

There was silence for some time, both sisters were not sure what to ask or say to him, but Thor knew exactly what was nagging them. "It doesn't work on ponies.." He said with his deep voice, raising the mug and taking another swig from it.

Both of the alicorns looked at him. "What..?" Celestia asked, not sure at first what he was talking about.

"The resurrection, it doesn't work on anything or anyone else other than my goats.." He clarified, wiping his mouth and beard with a cloth. "I share a special bond with them, one that allows me to do what I did to Snarler, or Grinder.."

"How?"

Thor shrugged. "To be honest with you I have no fucking clue how it works.. I can only tell you what I did I did because I knew I could do it, but if you asked me how I did it, or how it was possible, then you would need a god of knowledge or wisdom, and I'm not such a god." Thor raised the mug high, drinking the last bit of ale.

"Clearly.." Luna mused.

Thor finished the ale and placed the mug down on the table with such force the table wobbled for a moment. He looked directly at Luna, who held his gaze. Celestia held her breath, wondering for a moment if Luna had insulted Thor. But her worries were put at ease as Thor started laughing, bringing a small smirk from Luna.

"I like you, blue horse." He said. "You got balls."

Luna's eyes went wide. "I MOST CERTAINLY DO NOT HAVE SUCH THINGS!!"

That statement only made Thor laugh, making Luna blush and grit her teeth with anger. Celestia had to admit, her little sister's expression and response was quite funny, and even she had to turn her head in order to hide her snickers.

It did not however go unnoticed by Luna, which just frustrated her even more. "And my name is not 'blue horse', it's Luna!"

Thor wiped a tear from his eye, calming down, but still grinned. "Forgive me, Luna.." He still chuckled a bit. "I meant no disrespect to you or your family, I meant it as a sign of your courage, but perhaps it is something you would say to men instead of women."

Luna huffed and looked away. "I guess I accept your apology, and accept your compliment as well.."

Thor continued to smirk, he knew she was not angry, just embarrassed. While she got over that however, Thor decided to get on with business. "Well then.." He said and turned his attention to Celestia, who had managed to compose herself enough to face Thor. "Tell me about the problems you're having with the giants.."

Celestia frowned. "I'm not sure how much I can explain, we're at war with the giants.. They spread nothing but death and destruction wherever they go.. Lately they have been getting bolder, moving closer to us."

"And by closer to you, you mean here?" Thor asked.

Celestia sighed and nodded. "Yes.."

"So you're not a great nation, or answer to some king or queen?" Thor scratched his beard, sighing when he saw Celestia shaking her head.

"Our father is the lord of these lands, one of a few that has the biggest tribes or towns in the land, but no, we are not unified like that. Most villages live by themselves." Luna explained, having rejoined the conversation. "We have tried to seek out allies, in fact, we had just tried getting a village to join our alliance when we were ambushed by the giant in the woods."

"I see.." Thor leaned back, letting out a deep sigh. "So, what do you need to stand a chance against them?"

Celestia shrugged. "What anypony needs these days, wealth, land, power, allies, trade, an army.."

Thor smirked, leaning forward and folded his hands on the table. "So what you need, is a kingdom.."

The sisters looked at one another. That was in fact what they needed, the tribes were always fighting, an alliance would be hard to maintain without leadership, and a kingdom would give them all of that. But it was not that simple, having a king or queen meant somepony would need to be in power, and who would that be?

"The village." Thor said, making both of them look at him again. "Is it far from here?"

"No, well, maybe four or five hours from here, depending on the route you take." Celestia replied, tilting her head slightly. "What are you planning?"

Thor stood up. "I'm going to pay them a visit of course. You need allies, I need worshipers, it's a win win."

Both Celestia and Luna looked startled. "B-but Thor, you can't just go there, they won't know how to react, or even trust you." Celestia said, hurrying over to him.

"Hold your horses.. Well, maybe that is not a good term here.." He grumbled. "At any rate, I'm not going alone, you two are coming with me." Thor said, walking past Celestia and towards the door.

Luna was quick and went after him, Celestia not far behind. "But we have already tried."

"Then we'll try again." He stated, not stopping for one moment, but instead walked briskly towards the doors that led to the courtyard.

"But our father, he would not know where we had gone off to." Celestia tried, but Thor didn't care.

"Leave him a note, either the two of you are coming, or I am going there myself." He stopped by the door, looking down at the two alicorns. "I'm leaving in ten minutes." Without another word, he opened the door and left the two sisters with a decision to make.

To Thor, the decision was easy, either they acted, or they could wait for their father to rise and make the decision, and Thor had the impression he would not want to send his daughters with him, not without an escort. That would mean they would travel by road, which in turn would take too long for Thor's liking.

No, they did this now, got the village on their side, and then they could get things moving. He was here to help save these weird ponies, then spend his after life as a god and bask in glory, that was his purpose here. Besides if he failed, he would die like they would, so he had every motivation to move things along.

He walked to where his goats were grassing, watched over by Cornflower who seemed to have lost all fear of them. When she spotted Thor, she put on a pleasant smile. "I still can't believe you were able to bring Snarler back.. I was worried.."

Thor shrugged. "As I said, I told you I would do it, and then I did it." It didn't explain anything, but he didn't need to. "Get them ready, I'm leaving in ten minutes."

She frowned. "Are you leaving us?"

"No." Thor said. "Not for long however, me and your ladies are just going on a little trip. Where's my wagon?"

She pointed. "In the shed over there, I told everypony not to mess with it, and leave the caring of your goats to me."

Thor eyed the little mare, then nodded approvingly. "Good, that will be your responsibility from now on."

Cornflower looked excited, but then frowned. "Well, only, the steward doesn't want me to, he says it is not part of my duties..."

"Oh?" Thor raised an eyebrow. "Tell him next time if he has anything to say, he can make his case to me. I want you to look after my goats, and if he tries anything you just tell me." He placed a large hand on top of her head and stroked her mane.

Her eyes went wide for a moment, then she relaxed, almost purring at his touch. "O-ohhhh..... Y-yes sir..." She mumbled, leaning into his hand a bit.

Thor chuckled. "You ponies are strange creatures.." He said in slight amusement, then removed his hand. She seemed disappointed for a moment, but then smiled.

"I'll go and get Snarler and Grinder ready."

"Thank you." With that, Thor went to the shed and got his chariot, pulling it out by hand like it was nothing, which it wasn't for his immense strength.

Soon enough he and Cornflower had the goats hitched to his chariot, and by the time they finished giving the goats a little more water, Celestia and Luna walked out the door. Thor smiled, putting the bucket down. "So you decided to show, did you talk to your father?"

Celestia sighed, not looking up at him. "Father has not yet awoken.. It is still too early."

"Bah." Thor snorted, waving her explanation off. "It is a fine morning, a strange and slow one, but the day has begun, and he should be up and get ready for the war ahead."

Luna bit her lower lip, their father was not lazy at all. Both her and Celestia knew how hard their father worked, in fact, both of them could see the toll it was taking on him, all those hours, working in the hopes of giving his ponies a chance to defend themselves. That was why they were here, to hopefully give that chance to the ponies, and hopefully bring him a peaceful night's rest for once.

"Will you be flying yourself?" He asked, gesturing to their wings. "Or will you ride with me?"

Celestia responded before Luna had a chance. "I would like to see you fly with your goats, so if you would allow us to, I would very much like to ride with you." There was more to it, not only did she want to see this for herself, but if they brought some information back to Starswirl, something he could be fascinated about, then he might not be as mad at her and Luna for missing their lessons.

Thor simply shrugged, not minding if they rode with him or not, as long as they got going. "Fine by me." He said and stepped into his chariot, right up to the front and took the reins. The sisters followed, getting up behind him, happy there was still plenty of room for them to sit as well.

When Thor had checked the alicorns were in, Cornflower stood back, and he had his hammer in his belt, he nodded satisfied. He gave the reins a tug, then moved them to slap both his goats. "Go!" instantly the goats sprang ahead, accelerating faster than Celestia and Luna could have anticipated, causing them both to yelp and grab onto whatever they could to stay in the chariot.

Thor grinned, gripping the thick leather reins more tightly, giving them another yank, making the goats jump into the air, never losing speed. The guards on the walls hardly knew what passed them before they felt a strong wind behind them in one moment, and then in the next saw a chariot flying into the sky with their ladies sitting in the back of it.

Once in the air, the chariot moved much more smoothly. Both alicorns sat up, panting a little as they had been taken completely by surprise. Thor laughed, glancing back at them as he kept his goats in line so they didn't go overboard. "Are you alright back there?"

Luna sighed, looking over at Thor with an annoyed glare. "You could have warned us!"

Thor laughed. "Where would the fun be in that?!"

Luna kept yelling things at him, but Thor just laughed, and Celestia in turn ignored them both. Instead she looked over the railing, glancing down at the landscape passing by below them. The speed they traveled by was amazing, faster than she had counted on, and yet, she had a feeling Thor was not making his goats pull them at full speed. Even at this speed however, Celestia could see they were going to cut travel down more than enough to be back before lunch, if negotiations failed, which she counted on.

Thor however was not so worried, no matter which kind of pony, they were all threatened, so surely he could tell them they could either join, or enjoy being troll food. He figured why the village hadn't joined was because the ponies showed some sort of weakness, or something that didn't give the village confidence in their ability to keep them safe. Either way, he was going to make sure they saw in them strength, and the power they sought after.

The rest of the trip was in silence, nobody really spoke other than a comment or two. Celestia made sure to guide Thor the right direction, and before they knew it, they spotted the village. Travel time had been cut down a lot, and Celestia figured if Thor let his goats pull at full speed, it would have taken even less time.

"It's that one, down there." Celestia called, using her wings to point, but Thor did not descend. Instead, he seemed to be looking towards the woods. Celestia followed his gaze and quickly spotted what he was looking at, a column of smoke. It was thin, which meant it was in all likelihood a campfire. "Maybe some loggers?" Celestia suggested.

Luna looked over and shook her head. "That far from the village? Not a chance, not in these times anyway."

"A camp is more likely." Thor said, growling slightly. "Probably trolls.." He guessed, but had no way of knowing for sure. Thor was going to investigate later, but for now he guided his goats towards the ground.

"Land outside the village." Celestia called to Thor.

"Why?" Thor asked not understanding why they would land outside their wooden wall and waste time.

She put a hoof on his side, giving him a begging look. "Please Thor, if we are going back, then at least let me take the lead for now."

Looking into her eyes, Thor felt himself wanting to let her take the lead as she asked, but if it was going to take too long, or if it was going to head a direction he felt was wrong, he would step in. Looking into her eyes, he knew Celestia had already figured that out.

He looked to the ground again and sighed. "Fine, I hope you know what you're doing.." Thor mumbled, gave the reins a tug, and guided his goats to land only a few meters from the village gate. Celestia felt a sense of relief, and let out the breath she had been holding. It seemed they could work together, but she knew Thor's patience was not as great as hers, so hopefully she could avoid any issues on this spontaneous revisit.

Landing on the ground was a bit bumpy, but Celestia and Luna had expected this, and made sure to prepare for it. The chariot got to a hold, the alicorns got out and quickly saw the village gate was fully closed. Not only that, but the ground around the village seemed disturbed.

There were arrows, spears, shields and blades scattered around the ground. A foul smell hung in the air, it was the smell of death. "A battle was fought here." Luna said, looking for bodies, but found none.

Thor chuckled, a mix of amusement and respect in his voice as he said. "They fought them off, it seems like they can take care of themselves."

"But for how long?" Celestia asked, knowing full well no matter how much this village fought, they would be closed off in their village, starving if they were too afraid to go out and work the small fields, or fish in the lake.

"Not very long. "Thor admitted and got out. "But they are warriors, they have pride.. So, it tells us they are worth getting on our side."

"Please let me take the lead Thor, you promised." Celestia noted, and Thor held up his hands defensively.

"I know, I know.. I won't interfere, though first you have to get us past the gate."

They all knew full well Celestia and Luna could just fly over the wall, or Thor could have just landed inside, but that would be provoking them, entering their village without permission. Thor could understand why Celestia wanted to do it this way, but based on what had happened last night, he imagined they would not be as welcoming as they were last time they were here.

Nevertheless they started to walk towards the gate, Thor held onto the reins of his goats, pulling them along as he let Celestia and Luna take the lead.

As expected however, the villagers up on the wall were watching them, and it didn't take them long to fire an arrow that barely made it past Thor. He knew why, but Celestia was quick to yell out to them. "We come in peace! This is our friend, he is not one of them!"

A big stallion stepped up to the wall, the chief of the village. "You were here yesterday, Alicorn.. You both were.. We told you then that we will not join your father, or his lands.. Since you left we have been attacked, we heard it is revenge for something that happened on the road, the same road you traveled on yesterday." He sounded angry, but hid it well behind a mask of calm.

"Please." Luna said. "If anything, the battle you faced and the trouble we had on the road should prove we need to stand together."

"Could your troops protect us all the way out here? Would your merchants travel the roads to bring us supplies if needed?" The chief asked them plainly, and when no sister responded, he snorted. "Your offer is weak, you can't offer protection, you can't offer supplies.. We have nothing left to discuss."

"We can offer you your lives!" Thor cut in, making the chief look at him in a mix of shock and disgust.

"What?"

"You speak the truth, no soldiers would reach you in time to respond to the call for help you would send. No merchant would willingly travel a road where trolls and giants lurk." Thor declared, which only confused the chief more. Thor grinned. "But I will.. I can protect you, I can make the road safe for the merchants, I can chase away any giant who would trespass on your lands, as long as you become part of the lord in the north." He gestured to the alicorns. "Swear allegiance to their father."

There was silence, and after a few seconds, the chief reacted as Thor expected, with laughter. "I should have you beaten and send you on your way for your arrogance, creature. But you brought me a good laugh, and the respect I still have for their father is the only thing that has kept me from ordering my guards to fire another arrow at you. Now go, and don't come back." With that final statement, the chief turned around and got down from the walls, vanishing from view.

Thor was not discouraged though, he simply walked forward, handing the leather reins to Luna. "Hold these."

"Wha-Mmfph!?" By reflex she had opened her mouth, letting him put them in there. She blushed from embarrassment, then growled in annoyance.

Thor went up to the gate, looking at it for a moment. He had to admit, it was solid work, no doubt their work on the wall and gate was what ultimately saved them the night before. Still, he pounded his fist against it, calling out to them. "Open the gate!!" His voice boomed.

"Leave this place as told!" Someone on the other side yelled back.

Thor glared at the door. "Fine, if you won't open it for me, I will just have to do it myself. Stand back!" He called to whoever was behind the gate. There was a few seconds of silence, and then he heard several ponies laugh. They thought he was jesting, or crazy, one of the two. Thor simply smirked, rubbed his hands together before making a fist. "Knock knock!"

BAM!!

With a powerful punch, the gate splintered, opening up with a loud bang. The punch was so powerful the massive gate flew off its hinges and the thick wood splintered or snapped in two like twigs. Behind the gate were several frightened and shocked ponies, looking at Thor with big round eyes.

"THOR!" Celestia yelled.

"Mmmfh!" Luna said too, but the leather reins made it impossible for him to understand.

Thor looked back at them. "What? Its open, and I'm not leaving here until we have come to some arrangement."

"What in the blazes do you think you are doing?!!" The chief screamed, trotting up to Thor, his face burning with rage. He pointed to him, then at the gate. "You destroyed our gate! Are you insane?! How are we going to protect our village from the trolls now?!"

Thor looked down at the angry stallion, then waved off his concerns. "I've already told you, I will protect you. I will do even better, I will rid you of the camp of trolls that lurks nearby."

A hundred expressions chased one another across the stallion's face. "Who the blazes do you think you are?! We never accepted your help!"

"Me? I am Thor, god of thunder. I've been sent here to save your world, and to do that, I need your colorful asses to work together." He said and crossed his arms.

The chief looked more confused than ever, so much so he looked back at Celestia and Luna to see if they knew about any of this. Celestia had her hoof planted on her forehead, while Luna tried to hold on to the reins and not let the goats wander off.

The chief looked up at Thor. "God of thunder?" He laughed a bit, but only because what he claimed was insane, in fact, he was quite livid. "Lies I say, you are a small orc, or a small giant that has stepped forward, claiming all sorts of nonsense."

Thor reached for his hammer, but Celestia stepped forward. "You must excuse Thor, he is no troll or giant, nor is he their friend. He is their enemy. Yesterday, he saved us from a giant and his raiders, I'm afraid that is why you have the troubles that you do.. Please, allow us to take care of your problem, and then we talk?"

"Ergh..." The chief let out a frustrated sigh and pointed to the dark pine woods. "If you want to go and get yourself killed, then I won't stop you. If you by some miracle succeed, and prove it to me. Then there won't be needs for talks, then we shall join your father and swear fealty right then and there."

Thor physically relaxed, and smiled. "Do you swear it?"

The chief nodded and reached out a hoof. "My village has honor, our word is bond."

"Good, then it's a deal." Thor reached out with his big hand, and shook the hoof of the chief. Once done, he turned towards Luna. "My goats will stay here, along with the sisters."

"No." The chief said. "I don't know you, but I at least know the alicorns at the very least will keep their word."

Thor sighed. "Fine, Luna, you'll come with me, Celestia you stay here." He took the reins, and led his goats to the gate.

Luna spit the taste of leather out of her mouth. "Phah! W-why exactly am I coming with you? And why is Celestia staying behind?"

Thor handed the reins over to some of the villagers, then turned to her. "Because you need to be a witness, and Celestia can stay here and lend her magic to help the villagers put up a new gate." He started to walk, ignoring whatever else Luna might have to add. "Come along now, I want to get this over with so we can get something to eat."

Luna looked to her sister, who sent her an encouraging smile. The blue alicorn sighed, cursing her luck as she would now be alone with this man who frustrated her so. Still, so far he had managed to make them a deal, that was more than they accomplished when they were here last, so at least there was that.

She followed him into the woods, feeling a bit on edge, perhaps because she walked into the dark woods where they knew trolls were hiding and waiting. Thor didn't seem bothered however, he kept marching on with large steps, not caring for any shadow or creepy sound he heard.

Seeing his confidence, Luna walked a bit closer to him, as if to seek some comfort. Thor didn't seem to mind, and even slowed down a bit for her so she did not feel like they were in a hurry, or being chased for that matter.

Luna appreciated the gesture and smiled a little, but then she thought about why she was here, and the question once again surfaced to her lips. "So why did you take me, why not Celestia?"

Thor didn't respond right away, perhaps because he did not know how to answer it, or how to put it into words. However, after a few moments he said. "Because I think you are more the warrior type."

Luna looked up at him. "But my sister, she is stronger than me, or at least.." She trailed off.

"Your sister is more of a diplomat than you and me, we like action. So having you coming with me will be better." Thor said and shrugged. "I have not seen you fight, and I have no idea if you can fight at all, but your spirit is that of a warrior."

"How do you know?"

Thor shrugged. "That's just the impression I have of you, can't explain it any better than that."

Luna was not sure how to respond, on one hoof, she was glad to be told he thought that she would be more useful than her sister in this case. On the other, she had no idea if his judgement was correct. She had been sparring with one of the sergeants back home, but she had never really tested her skills in real life before, even yesterday, she never had a chance to fight, and she was terrified. Could she do what was needed if it came to that? Having Thor around did put her mind at ease, but, if he expected her to fight, would she even be able to, or would she freeze up?

Before she could voice any of those concerns, Thor stopped, putting his hand in front of her to make her do the same. "There it is." He said in a low tone of voice, pointing to a large clearing where indeed there was a camp filled with orcs, trolls, and a giant.

The giant was even larger than the one Thor killed the day before, he was sitting at the edge of the camp, his legs forming a sort of wall on the flanks of the camp. Luna had never seen such a large creature before, she had heard the rumors, but never seen a giant of this size, it terrified her, and she by reflex looked for a place they could take cover.

She spotted a place, and tapped Thor on the side. "Over there." She whispered, pointing to a large cave. Thor looked, but then shook his head.

"We came to make them leave, trust me, and stay close. I won't let them hurt you, Luna." His voice was stern, but the way he told her he would protect her made his words seem caring. She blushed, and then nodded a little. Without another word, Thor started to march towards the camp, tightening his belt of power, doubling his enormous strength. Luna stayed close, feeling her heart rate increase, but trusted Thor to keep his word and protect her.

Soon enough the orc sentries spotted them, but just as they were about to leap out and attack them, a powerful voice spoke. "Do not touch them, they are our guests." It was the voice of the giant, his voice boomed like a hundred bears roaring, almost making Thor's and Luna's ears hurt.

The whole camp stood down, clearing a path so they could walk closer. Once in, Thor stopped and looked up at the giant, who smiled back at him. "I recognize your smell from the corpse of my kin, you are the one who killed our raiders.." He said with a slight tone of respect and slight hint of amusement. "My name is Ongr, I am the leader of this war party. Who might you be?"

Thor stood tall, puffed out his chest. "I am Thor, god of thunder. This is Luna, daughter of Silver Quill, lord of the west."

"Impressive titles, I greet you both then. So tell me, what brings you to my camp?"

Luna was amazed, to think a giant could talk so well, despite his loud voice, he acted more intelligent than what her and her sister had ever given them credit for. She was not fooled however, it was quite clear beneath his politeness and respect, there was an eagerness to kill them and be over with this meeting.

Thor either did not notice, or did not care, because he continued to talk to the giant like they were in no danger at all. "I'm here to tell you to pack your things and leave these lands, you are not wanted here, and you are never to return."

The giant reacted like the chief in the village did, he laughed, this time so loud Thor and Luna had to cover their ears. Thor glared, wanting to end this with a swing of his hammer, but decided not to, for now at least.

"You're brave, god of thunder!" Ongr grinned, then scratched his neck. "Tell you what, if you truly are a god, then perhaps a challenge to prove your power is in order. If you win, then we leave with no trouble, but if you loose, I'll kill you both."

Thor didn't hesitate in his answer. "Fine by me, I'll fight any of your orcs at any time!"

Ongr held up his massive hand. "No, we have already seen what your strength can do. I would like you to prove you are worthy of respect by.." He grinned, reaching over to take something. "To empty my drinking horn in one go."

Luna looked confused, that was it? Thor would just need to finish a drink and then they leave? Surely there was some trick to it, some sort of catch. Thor laughed, patting his stomach. "I'll accept your challenge, I could go for something to drink!"

The giant's grin got wider, and soon enough the ground shook slightly as Ongr pulled something from the ground. To Luna's horror, what she had thought was a cave, was no cave at all, instead it was a massive horn, filled with ale. The massive amount of liquid moved around, sounding like an entire ocean. It was so big that even the giant needed to hold it with both hands in order to keep it steady.

Ongr laughed. "Still sure you want to accept this challenge little man? What about you, pony?"

Luna looked to Thor, who seemed to be licking his lips in anticipation. His confidence was insane if he thought he could empty that thing, let alone in one go. Still, Thor had surprised her plenty of times, so maybe he could do it again. She looked at the giant, then gave a firm nod. "We accept your challenge, giant!"

"Very well then, step forward Thor, and I shall pour you my ale!"

Thor did not need to be told twice, he stepped forward, as Ongr lowered the drinking horn. Thor held his hands out, and put his lips to the thick edges that were as thick as pine trees. The giant smirked, and carefully started to pour, figuring a few drops would be enough to get Thor to cough and drown.

But Thor did not stop, he gulped down every drop Ongr let come to him. Frustrated, the giant tilted the horn a bit more, and the drops became a small stream of ale, figuring if he wasn't going to drown, then he would burst from all the ale!

But again, Thor did not stop. He took down every liter, never letting a single drop of ale spill from his lips, downing everything, and never did he seem to be in any sort of discomfort, much to Ongr's frustration.

He tilted the horn even more, making the stream of ale turn into a whole river!

Thor did not stop..

Everything that came his way he downed, and at this point Luna and the orcs were in pure shock. Where all the ale went they had no idea, it was like watching a magic trick. Thor in the meantime drank happily, gulping, slurping every liter of the ale.

The horn became lighter in the giant's hands, and soon enough, much to his shock and utter disbelief, the horn was emptied. Ongr held the horn, looking from it, to Thor, who was simply licking his lips, wiped his face with his arm and patted his stomach. "Ahhh, that was good, a bit too warm for my taste, but it did the trick!" Thor belched, then looked up at Ongr. "There, I beat your challenge, now you pack your things and leave this place."

Luna would have cried out in triumph if not for the expression on the giant's face. It was a face filled with indescribable anger. Putting his horn down, he pointed at Thor. "You cheated I say! There is no possible way for anyone of your size to drink from my horn in one go, you cheated!"

"What?!" Thor yelled. "You made me drink your piss poor ale, and now you accuse me of cheating?! You bloody bastard, cheat you call me?! You expected this would kill me, that is cheating I'd say!"

Only Thor would stand there and have the nerve to argue with a giant. Luna had never seen anything like it, and she wondered if Celestia would believe her.

"You expected me to leave these lands?! Then you're a bigger fool than you look, Thor, so called god of thunder!" Ongr was having none of this, he stood up to his full height, his body towering over even the tallest pine tree. Thor in turn grabbed his hammer, but before he could do anything , Ongr moved his foot above them, hoping to crush them.

Luna was quick however, she formed a magical barrier around herself and Thor. Upon impact, Luna winced a bit as the pressure could be felt even through her magic. Thor looked at her, putting the hammer back in his belt. "Luna, release the bubble!"

"What! Are you insane! He'll crush us!" Luna yelled back, feeling the pressure increasing.

"Trust me!" Thor said, looking up at the massive foot.

Luna glanced at him, then groaned loudly. "You better know what you're doing, or I'll kill you myself!!"

Thor smirked, then held up both hands. "Do it!"

"Arggh!" Luna took courage and did as he asked. For a moment she thought she would die here, under the foot of a disgusting smelly giant. But death never came, instead, looking back at Thor, she saw him holding the giant's foot up, keeping him from crushing them.

"Get your stinking foot off me!" Thor bellowed before giving his foot a powerful push, sending the giant tumbling back, only to land on his ass, making the ground tremble beneath him.

Thor grabbed his hammer, Luna in turn stood up, standing with her back to Thor, glaring at the orcs that surrounded them. The thunder god laughed, then glanced back at Luna. "Show me what your alicorn magic can do!"

Luna groaned, then charged up her magic. The orcs hesitated, but then sprang forward, trying to kill the two of them. Feeling a surge of adrenaline, Luna blasted the first few orcs with her horn, killing them instantly. Thor in the meantime swung his hammer, clearing orc wave after orc wave.

Thor and Luna fought side by side, keeping close to one another so not to leave the other without protection. Thor laughed, feeling the rush of a real battle going through him while Luna simply tried to not get them killed. But, even she had to admit, even if it was terrifying, she had never felt so alive as she did when she punished the monsters that had been putting fear into the hearts of them for so long.

At this point however, Ongr was roaring out in anger, getting to his feet as he grabbed one of the pine trees to use as a weapon. Luna was quick, she spread her wings and flew above Thor. "Grab my legs!" She called.

Thor seemed confused at first, but then smirked as he saw where she was going with this. He nodded, jumping up and grabbed her hind leg with his left hand. Luna winced, having forgotten how heavy Thor was, but thanks to her alicorn strength, she managed to take them to the air all the same.

She flew high above the trees, barely avoiding the tree Ongr used as a weapon as he swung it. After getting enough height, she used Thor's weight to quickly descend behind him, letting Thor drop down and land on the shoulder of the giant. Ongr roared, moving around, trying to get Thor off, but Thor simply grabbed his ear to hold on.

"You bastard!"

Ongr roared in anger, but those would be the last words he ever spoke. Thor raised the hammer above him, and as he did, lightning cut through the sky from his hammer as he swung it down into Ongr's skull, killing him instantly.

The body of the giant went limp, and he started to fall. Luna flew back, coming in close as Thor jumped and grabbed her hind leg again. Though prepared, Luna was still not strong enough, and so she faltered.

Both of them fell to the ground, despite Luna's best efforts, staying up in the air was impossible. Thor quickly wrapped his arms around her, shielding her from the impact as they crashed along with Ongr. When he landed, dust flew up around them, the boom echoed throughout the forest, leaving the remaining orcs confused and scared. They did not wait around to see who was left, they ran, fleeing the lands now that their leader was dead.

Luna had her eyes closed tightly, expecting to be in a world of hurt, but as she slowly opened them, she realized she was unharmed. The dust was settling and as she looked for Thor, she found herself laying on top of him. He looked up at her, his arms still around her.

"Wasn't that fun?" He grinned, his whole face black and dusty.

She looked into his blue eyes, then glared. "That was terrifying!" She said and hit his chest, but then blushed. "Thank you for saving me.. Again.."

Thor rolled his eyes. "You saved yourself and me as much as I saved you. You did well.." He clapped her on the flank, making her yelp out, blush, then glare at him again. "I told you were a warrior!"

"You beast!" Luna yelled and started to punch at Thor, only making him laugh even more as he tried to move out of the way from her punches.

The giant was slain, the orcs were on the run, and so Luna and Thor could return to the village in triumph. Thor had promised proof, and so he cut off the giant's head to bring back to the chief. Needless to say he, and his entire village was speechless. Celestia was in turn shocked to find out her sister had been fighting.

But after telling the story of what had happened, they shared a good laugh. The chief seemed beyond impressed with Thor and Luna, and with the proof he brought back, there was indeed no need for any discussions. He bowed to Thor, as did the whole village, and he swore that they would swear fealty to Celestia's and Luna's father.

But that would wait for tomorrow, tonight, they were going to have a grand feast, and celebrate the victory of Thor and Luna.

Author's Note

Sorry for the long wait, but as I said, I knew what I wanted to write about, I just didn't know how to approach it.

Well, I hope you have enjoyed this latest chapter, and I look forward to getting the next one out as soon as I am able.