The Norns foretold of Ragnarok, the end of all things... but they were wrong.
Instead of a last battle between bitter enemies of old, between the Aesir, Vanir and their friends against Loki and the Giants... it was a fight for survival against enemies we never knew.
A great wound opened in the sky... and four gods of terrible visage entered the Nine Worlds. We dare not speak their true names, lest we draw there unholy attention again. We merely refer to the Ruinous Ones by their titles.
The Taker of Skulls, a great and terrible horned giant with two immense axes that split the Jarl of the Fire Giants, Surtr into three pieces.
The Prince of Pleasure, a... hermaphrodite being, both having the visages and features of a man and women, raided Helheim and... violated its queen, Hel, and every poor soul therein.
The Architect of Fate, a hunched over bird of a deity, was a master of gables and terrible magic that was beyond the Vanir, slew the World Serpent, Jormungandir, and wore the great snakes corpse as a trophy.
The Plague Father... a fat bag of rotting flesh and disease, wherever he and his legions tread, death and disease followed. Not even the great magic of the Light Elves, or the great craftsmanship of the Dwarves and the Dark Elves could hold back his tides of disease and pestilence.
The great horn Gjallarhorn was sounded. Ulric expected the armies of Johtunheim, Helheim and Muspeliheim to be marching across the great Bifrost bridge... instead it was a tide of madness, chaos and ruin the likes which none of us recognized or could believe.
The arms of the Aesir were mighty, and the magic's of the Vanir were as strong as they were in the great war before... but ultimately, Middengard was overrun. The great hall of Vallhalla was sacked, the Einharejar crippled, Mamgard was poised to be the last of the world to fall.
And the Winter Father... my king, was taken captive. But Thor, though his own sons Modi and Magni were among the fallen. Was undeterred by the tragedy, and sought a way to bring the war to the very doorstep of the Ruinous Ones.
With me at his side, we journeyed to my old home of Mimisbrunnr, the very well where Ulric cast his eye for knowledge and wisdom. Thor sought similar wisdom... but he made an unconventional sacrifice. He took a knife, and cast his hesitation into the well... not sure how. The knife he used wasn't enchanted but he managed it.
And with that knowledge, he went across what remained of the Nine Worlds. Gathering what survivors he could into a mighty host against the Ruinous Ones. Among the company was Loki... and when Thor and I told him of the fate of his children, he was furious. Though he hated Thor and his father for binding him to be blinded by serpent's venom, he rode beside him on the dread wolf, his son Fenrir. Whilst Thor rode on his father's horse Sleipnir... also one of Loki's sons but that's another story entirely.
The united army, old and bitter enemies, marched against the hordes of slaughter, hedonism, mysticism and sickness... but they were not enough to hold back Thor's Host.
It took many winters, but we stood before the fortress's of the Ruinous Ones... that was when all hope seemed to be lost.
Loki saw the defiled corpse of his daughter Hel, saw Jormungander worn as a belt by the Changer of Ways... and he and Fenrir fell to their knees, and wept for family lost.
Thor beheld as Ulric... was drawn and quartered by the Ruinous Ones, each one of those wretched gods eating whatever part of him that they pulled off. Sleipnir went mad with grief at the fate of his rider.
And Thor... it was in this moment... when hope was dashed upon the rocks. That Thor, firstborn son of Ulric, god of thunder, took up his father's spear, and with unparalleled rage, and Mjolnir and Gungnir in hand. Tore into the Ruinous Ones, roaring with a blazing anger, and at the sight of his rage, his Host charged after him, leaving Loki and Fenrir to mourn.
Thor, along with the three newly born sons of Surtr that were sired from the three pieces of his body, chopped the Taker of Skulls into tens of thousands of pieces.
Thor, along with the souls of Helheim, tore the Prince of Pleasures nethers right out of there body.
Thor took the dead body of Jormundgandr, and suffocated the Changer of Ways to death.
Thor, along with the survivors of Alfheim and Svartlheim. Marched through the Plague Fathers miasma, and brought him low.
Little by little, the horrifying eldritch domains of the Ruinous Ones were burnt away, there defenders put to the sword... but we we're victorious. But still... the tragedy was done. Mamgard was spared the horrors of Ragnarok... but so many were still lost. Those who the Norns foretold to survive the great war were dead, and those fated to die had to carry the memories of the horrors they endured forever.
Over the centuries we rebuilt, Middengard and the other Realms have been restored to a semblance of their old glory... but the scars of that war will outlive us all.
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"So... yeah." Mimir said awkwardly as Judy, Nick and Sierra Ultima were enraptured by his story. "That's Ragnarok... didn't happen quite as the Norns foretold. Thor inherited the throne of Middengard. Loki became a... different person as a result of the whole affair, still a trickster at heart but willing to lend a paw from time to time. And you probably have more questions now than when we started."
"I just... wow... no wonder the guy faked that call as an excuse to get out." Nick said, blown away by the story.
"Yeah... but what happened to Fenrir or Sleipnir?" Sierra asked.
"I can't say for certain where the pup is. But I do know that since Ragnarok he has taken to wandering the Realms, doing what exactly... varies. As for Sleipnir, I imagine that he's still charging up and down the World Tree, desperately looking for Ulric... in utter denial that horse is." Mimir said.
"And what does that have to with Pandora?" Judy said, referring to the nightmares that had brought her and her husband to Loki's home in Forest-Vale in the first place.
"That beast... that beast that appeared when I tried deciphering the meaning of the vision on my own." Mimir said, shuttering at the memory of the monster that appeared before. "It's fury was akin to Thor's when the Ruinous Ones were cast low. Not exactly like it mind you, whereas Thor's rage was driven by grief, righteous fury, and an unrelenting desire to avenge what he couldn't save." Mimir explained his voice low with worry. "But that thing we saw... it was driven by spite, scorn, anger... and vengeance. Why do so many go for such a worthless cause?"
"S-So what?!" Judy stuttered anxiously. "My daughter is going to become a fiery monster and then turn to ash in my hands?!" She yelled.
"I don't know lass... fate is beyond my expertise I'm sorry to say. Although... my ride should be here right, about..." Then Thor appeared in the living room in a pillar of light. Thankfully the house offered enough head room for a bear to squeeze in. "Now!" Mimir said in a cheeky tone.
"WHERE IS THE HEAD?!" Thor roared as his head scrapped against the ceiling.
"Oh he's right there." Nick said nonchalantly. "We're done using him your majesty."
"What?... no fight for Mimir's head?" Thor said in confusion.
"Sorry to disappoint, now lad. Take me to the Well of Uror, I need an audience with the Norns." Mimir said.
"But why?" Thor asked as he picked up Mimir's head.
"Because I need a vision to decipher, and I'd rather not spend any sleepless nights screaming awake from the affair." Mimir said.
"Very well." Thor said as he flew through the ceiling with the head in tow.
"And now I have to mend the roof... and the upstairs floor... and the ceiling." Sierra grumbled. "Ugh... I'd offer you to stay for a while but I've got some carpentry to get to."
"Agreed." Nick said he donned the Mask of Loki, and suddenly dressed in plaid. "Now on today's episode, we're going to repair damage caused by a Norse god in under a minute." Nick then quickly repaired the damage. "And it's that easy." Nick said as he and Judy left the house.
XXXX
"Hey Pancake." Judy said as she entered Pandora's bedroom. "Mommy's home." She said as Pandora happily cooed. "Yeah... daddy and I went out of town for a while because mommy... has been having nightmares about you." Judy said as she sat down next to Pandora's cradle.
The young hybrid looked confused by her mother's comment. "It's just... I don't know WHY they were happening in the first place." Judy explained. "I mean, it never bothered me once that your future self is a time traveler. But what I saw... it broke my heart to see you like that." Judy said as she picked up Pandora and put her in her lap.
Then Olaf entered the room, joining his adoptive mother and sister. "It's been a rough week... and mommy just wants to sleep through the weekend." Judy said as she loudly yawned.
Then, Pandora spoke her first word. "Mama."
Judy's eye bulged. "Di-...did you just talk?"
"Mama!" Pandora said as she hugged her mother.
"NICK! Get a camera! Pandora just said her first word!" Judy yelled.
Nick wasted no time. "What was the word?!" Nick said as he held up the phone.
"Ma... mama?" Pandora said, looking confused at her excited father.
"Can you say daddy? Can you say daddy?!" Nick said excitedly.
"...wed." Pandora said as she pointed at Nick.
"Okay, daddy is a bit far off. Can you say Olaf?" Nick asked.
"Owaf!" Pandora said as she and Olaf hugged.
"Oh you two couldn't be more cute... except for the penguin costume hug. Can you say Davies?" Nick asked.
"Unca Davies!" Pandora said happily.
"And daddy? Can you say daddy?" Nick said anxiously.
"Da... dad..." Pandora worded.
"Yeah, come on Pancake." Nick said.
"Daaaaa... not mama!" Pandora said, Judy broke out laughing.
"You doing this on purpose, aren't you kiddo?" Nick said in unamused disbelief.
"Daddy..." Pandora said, and then kissed Nick on the nose.
"Oh you're a sweat one." Nick said as he sat beside Judy.
"Mama..." Olaf said with an etheric voice. "Daddy..."
All of this was too much for a twenty year old Pandora. Who had in her hand a sort of black shard like dagger in her paw. "No... not even to maintain my timeline." She thrust the shard into the wall. "Not even for my revenge." She then went through a wormhole, to return to her quest for revenge against Elijah Camelski.
Nick and Judy went to investigate the noises, and found the black shard. "Okay... this doesn't look good." Nick said as Judy removed the shard dagger from the wall.
"Okay, here's what we're going to do. I'm going to get some proper sleep, and when I feel well enough. We're going to ask Anna about this." Judy said, Olaf left Pandora's room... and immediately ran up on top of the refrigerating squealing in panic.
"Or I could go to Anna's and ask her now." Nick said as he took the dagger. "Don't forget to 'go' before bed Carrots." He said as he left the apartment.
"Ugh... I better get some good sleep this weekend. Thank Frith it's Friday." Judy said in exhaustion.