The Equine Scrolls: SkyFiM

by FireOfTheNorth

Chapter 13: The Unquiet Dead

“So,” Steadfast said as we walked through the rugged wilderness of Horizon, “I guess I never got your name before.”

“Sapphire,” I replied quickly, turning back to the map I was levitating and trying to figure out how far away Hoovestengrav was.

“So Sapphire,” Steadfast continued to talk, “What’s your story?”

“What’s that?” I asked distractedly, still trying to focus on the map.

“Well, where are you from? Winterhorn? Seclusion? I know they have a higher unicorn population than most towns in Horizon.”

“Actually,” I said, giving up on reading the map and tucking it away in my saddlebags, “I’m from Unicornica, Kvatch to be exact.”

“Then . . . why’d you come to Horizon?”

I sighed. I guess this buck wasn’t going to give up until he got my life’s story out of me.

“Let’s just say I had my reasons for leaving Kvatch,” I said, hoping that would end the discussion.

“You mentioned you’re on a quest for the Greymanes?” he asked, taking my hint and changing the subject.

“Yes,” I replied simply.

“Well, how do you know them? Have you really been to High Hoofgar? What’s it like?” he bombarded me with questions.

“I’m the one they called a couple days ago,” I answered.

“Oh!” he said, putting things together in his mind, “Oh, you’re her. I heard Whitetrot had a new Thane and she could use the Voice, but I had no idea that was you.”

“You don’t get out of that archive room too much, do you?” I asked.

“I get out plenty,” he said, looking wounded, “In fact, I probably spend more time exploring Horizon than I do back home in Whitetrot.”

“I know how that feels,” I said. I’d barely gotten a chance to live in my new home since I’d acquired it.

“Practically since I joined the Companions I’ve been searching for that horn. I can’t believe I’m going to finally find it today!”

“What makes you so sure it’s here?” I asked.

“I’ve been following the path of Jurgen Sky-whinny in his last days,” he explained, “Contrary to popular belief, he didn’t die up on High Hoofgar. No, he disappeared while on a pilgrimage across Horizon to visit the tombs of the ancient earth ponies, and find a suitable place for himself to be laid down to rest. I’ve eliminated every other possibility. It has to be Hoovestengrav!”

I deeply hoped he was right. Before he had a chance to ask me more about my past, I decided it was my turn to ask the questions.

“Why’d you choose to search for the horn anyway?” I asked.

“Everypony else said it’s impossible to find, but I knew it wasn’t and I’m going to prove it.”

“Yes,” I said, “But why an interest in the horn in the first place? After all, you’re a member of the Companions, a guild of fighters, and Jurgen Sky-whinny founded the Greymanes, an order of pacifist monks.”

“Jurgen wasn’t always a pacifist,” he explained. “In fact, he was one of the greatest warriors Horizon had ever seen and a prominent member of the Companions. He led the campaigns against the Minotaurs and Dappled Pegasi of Morrowhinny during the War of Succession in the First Era.”

“It was only after his army was annihilated at Red Mountain that he converted to pacifism and founded the Greymanes. Tales of his battles are legendary and still told by the Companions today. Finding the very horn he used in his military campaigns would grant me great prestige in the Companions.”

“Don’t worry,” he said, mistaking my digesting of what he’d just said as uncertainty. “You can bring the horn to the Greymanes once I present it to the Companions. I only need to prove I found it, then I don’t need it anymore.”

“Oh, no, I trust you,” I said, “I was just thinking about what you said.”

“There it is!” Steadfast exclaimed as we pushed through a wall of trees.

I saw nothing spectacular at first, at least nothing like Blank Flanks Barrow. As I took a closer look, I noticed some of the weathered stones poking up from the ground may have been markers for a path at some point. Steadfast galloped up in haste to the top of a shallow hill.

Getting closer, I saw the hill was in fact made of old stone, grown over with plant life. I stood atop the perfect circle of stone as Steadfast looked around for some way in.

“This is it all right,” he said, comparing the runes inscribed on the stone to the markers on the ancient map of Horizon he’d brought from Jorrvaskr, “But how are we supposed to get-”

The stone beneath his hooves suddenly gave way, dropping him through.

“Steadfast?” I called, galloping up to the hole to make sure he was all right.

“Have a torch?” he asked mischievously, poking his head up above the lip of stone.

“Well, that’s one way to find a way in,” I said, passing him one of the torches from my saddlebags.

Lighting it, he trotted down into Hoovestengrav and I followed. The stone he’d fallen through must’ve been an old trap door, for it dropped me right at the top of a staircase that spiraled around the interior of the ruin. The floor was only a short distance down, providing someplace to stand and take a look around.

The interior of the ruin seemed to be no more than the cramped circular room we were standing in but for a plain wooden door set into the wall. Approaching it, I gave a tug on the handle.

“Rats, its locked,” I said, when the door refused to budge.

I was starting to pull my lockpicks out when Steadfast slammed his warhammer into the door, turning it to splinters.

“After you,” he said, pointing to the jagged opening he’d created.

I tried to appear annoyed and resist the urge to laugh as I trotted through, levitating pieces of wood out of my way as I went. The glow from my horn provided very little light, but luckily Steadfast had attached the torch to a notch in his armor and it provided ample illumination to see where we were going.

I drew out Calcion’s Cleaver as the sound of shuffling came from farther down the tunnels. Turning a corner, I found a pair of icy blue eyes staring into mine. Instinctively, I swung my sword around, burying it in the rotten flesh. The Draugr gave out a growl as the blade cut through, sending sparks flying over its flesh. As I pulled my sword out, I was forced to swing my axe around into the neck of another undead earth pony.

Another Draugr came running at me, a sword clutched it its mouth. Before it got too close, Steadfast came flying out of nowhere, slamming his warhammer down onto the Draugr’s head, turning it to pulp. Sorting through the bodies, I came up with a few gold and a potion or two before moving on.

Steadfast put out his torch as we moved into the next chamber. There was enough light being cast from the strange purple-fire braziers now. I’d noticed already that the layout of this particular ruin was nothing like Blank Flanks Barrow. Hoovestengrav seemed, so far at least, to be entirely catacombs. Sarcophagi lined the walls as we passed deeper into the ruin.

Noticing Draugr swarming the tunnel up ahead, I motioned for Steadfast to hold up. Putting my sword away, I overcharged my horn, sending the largest fireball I could hurtling at the undead. It hit true and, in the cramped hallway, they were all afire in seconds.

I drew my sword back out and Steadfast held his warhammer at the ready as some of the flaming Draugr came charging us. I felt the heat of the flames as the first one attacked me. I blocked with my sword, pushing back to keep the zombie at a distance. Building power in my horn, I sent a bolt of lightning into its forehead. Its eyes rolled up and it dropped to the floor, permanently dead.

Steadfast was attempting to fight two at once, swinging his warhammer at one and bucking at the other, so I rushed over to lend him a hoof. The Draugr I swung for saw me coming, however, and I was forced to jump back to avoid the flames as it turned toward me.

My war axe out as well now, I swung both my blades toward the Draugr. It nimbly blocked both of them and forced me to back up. Rethinking my strategy, I swung at its legs and its head simultaneously. Unexpectedly, it blocked neither of my blades, choosing instead to lunge forward into the gap I had unwittingly created and swung its war axe up into my chest.

Breathing became difficult as I felt the blade cut through my armor, sticking in my flesh. Both my swings had struck true, however, cutting off the Draugr at the knees and leaving an ichor-bleeding gash in its forehead. It was severely crippled and I swung my sword back at it to finish it off. Somehow, it still managed to block, and twist my sword out of my grasp.

Unleashing the full fury of my magic, I sent a lightning bolt lancing into the Draugr. As it writhed with the buildup of electricity, I slammed my war axe into its head, finally killing it. As I moved to retrieve my sword I found a Draugr standing next to me with a battleaxe raised to take off my head.

Steadfast’s war axe smashed into its side, cracking ribs and sending the undead pony sprawling across the floor. He charged up and finished it before it could get up again.

As he finished up with the Draugr, I clenched my teeth and magically pulled the jagged metal from my wound. I bandaged my front up before the blood could flow too freely and downed a minor healing potion to repair the worst of the damage.

“Ready to move on?” Steadfast asked as he helped me to my hooves.

I nodded and retrieved Calcion’s Cleaver. The tunnel ahead was clear now but for inert and charred Draugr corpses. We passed through easily, before coming to an open cavern. The tunnel actually emerged onto a stone bridge that crossed above the cavern’s floor, leading to a doorway on the other side. Only two Draugr stood on the bridge, but there were quite a few below.

<<FUS~RO!!>> I shouted at the Draugr, knocking them off the bridge, and snapping the neck of one of them in the process.

The Draugr below growled as their compatriots tumbled onto them. I pulled out my bow and began shooting arrows down into the crowd, having no difficulty hitting my targets. Steadfast squeezed past me on the narrow bridge and smashed in the head of a Draugr that was approaching us from the tunnel entrance at the other end of the room.

I continued to shoot arrows into the Draugr until I reached for another and found I was all out. The remaining Draugr below were milling toward one end of the room, the reason soon becoming obvious.

They were dead, but not stupid, and they’d figured out where I was shooting from. Scraping came from the tunnel entrance as the horde lumbered up the stairs. Steadfast took the first few out, but was forced to retreat as the numbers became overwhelming. I began to build magic in my horn as more and more Draugr swarmed onto the bridge.

“Get down!” I yelled at Steadfast as he nearly backed into me.

He obeyed without question, dropping to the floor immediately. Releasing the magic in my horn, I sent a blast of flame toward the Draugr. The flames spread quickly, and those that didn’t die from the flames died from the fall as they flailed about. When the last of the Draugr fell to their doom I cut off the magic, my horn smoking slightly.

“Impressive,” was all Steadfast had to say before charging off toward the open doorway at the end of the bridge.

I carefully made my way over the Draugr bodies, picking arrows out and retrieving loot where I could. By the time we made it through the room below, my quiver was half full of arrows, my coin purse was significantly heavier, and my potion supply was expanded.

The next room was significantly larger than the one we’d come from, with vaulted ceilings and a dual line of pillars. Oddly tinted light continued to be provided by the braziers of purple flame alone, giving the room an ominous feel.

At both ends of the room were an ornately carved stone throne in which sat a mummified corpse. But, being in a Draugr ruin, I knew not to trust corpses to stay dead. Pulling my bow out, I let an arrow fly into the nearest Draugr. Giving a gurgle as the arrow buried itself in its chest, it opened its icy blue eyes and fixed its gaze on me. Across the room the other one did the same.

“Looks like one for each of us,” Steadfast observed.

“Seems that way,” I replied, stunned that he could be so flippant in such a situation.

Each Draugr drew a battleaxe shimmering with blue flame and leapt off their thrones. I charged the one I had already sunk an arrow into, Calcion’s Cleaver held in my magical grasp. As I got close enough, I shot a lightning bolt at the Draugr, but it swung its battleaxe around and blocked it! My magic was absorbed by the blade, though sparks flew down the shaft as the energy dissipated.

Continuing my charge, I slammed my Draugr sword into the Draugr’s battleaxe. It slid back, but held its block. Growling, it shoved me away with more strength than a corpse should’ve had. I stumbled back and rebalanced just in time to block the Draugr’s swing at me. Blue flame trickled from the Draugr’s blade onto mine.

I forced Calcion’s Cleaver forward, pushing against the battleaxe’s blade. Arcs of lighting traveled up the sword, heating it hot enough that it began to cut into the Draugr’s weapon. At last my blade cut through, slicing off the top of the Draugr’s battleaxe and cutting its ear off as it sailed on. I jumped out of the way as the remainder of the Draugr’s weapon came down at me.

It paused for a moment to reach up and touch where its ear had been before swinging its battleaxe back at me. I ducked and brought my sword up to block. Sparks flew as the two weapons met, but this time Calcion’s Cleaver didn’t light. Fire from the Draugr’s blade began to coat it. Luckily I was holding it in my magic and, though I could feel the heat radiating off of it, it wasn’t able to physically burn me.

I slid my sword down the battleaxe until I was able to notch it under the blade, giving me leverage. I attempted to twist the weapon out of the Draugr’s grip, but it was holding very tightly with its teeth, and actually managed to pull back, swinging its battleaxe up in an arc as it did. I felt my grip on Calcion’s Cleaver fade as it got farther from me and began to move faster. As the Draugr brought its battleaxe all the way up, the sword went sailing from my grasp.

Bringing its battleaxe up over me, the Draugr moved in for the kill.

<<<FUS~RO~DAH!!!>>>

The Draugr went flying back, slamming into the wall, its battleaxe falling useless beside it. I shot a gout of flame into its face as it reached for it, sending it shrieking back in pain. Grabbing Calcion’s Cleaver as I ran, I charged the Draugr. My sword smashed into its side, slicing through skin, muscle, bones, and organs that had stopped functioning centuries ago. The icy blue light in its eyes died as I pulled my sword out.

Turning to the sound of raspy breathing, I saw Steadfast was still locked in battle with the other Draugr, though his was now moving with a pronounced limp due to the fact that several of its legs had been smashed by his hammer. It spit out its battleaxe as he slammed his warhammer into its side. Swinging the hammer around, he brought it down on its head hard, smashing it to the ground.

“Shall we continue?” he asked, picking Draugr bits off his weapon of choice.

“After you,” I said, gesturing toward the end of the hall, cleaning ichor from my sword.

Steadfast charged forward into the next room and I followed, staying close behind and alert for signs of danger. After a fairly uneventful hallway where the Draugr in the crypts thankfully stayed dead, we entered a wide circular shaft carved from the stone and ice. Narrow walkways crisscrossed the shaft, which appeared to go down quite a ways. Looking over the edge, I could see Draugr patrolling the walkways below.

Pulling out my bow, I sent an arrow shooting toward one of the sentries. It missed, glancing off the path next to it, but provided enough distraction that I was able to hit it with my next shot. Sliding off the path, it fell for an excessive amount of time before I heard the thump echo up the shaft.

Trotting down the walkway, I took aim at another Draugr. I sent my arrow sailing down, burying itself in the undead creature’s eyes. It too fell to the side and I moved on, killing two more of them before the others began to figure out what was going on. I ducked back as a rusty arrow went sailing past my horn. Picking out the archer, I shot a bolt of lightning at it, frying the Draugr where it stood.

Moving down to the next level, I made sure no more archers were in sight and lined up a shot on a Draugr looking for me. I fired the arrow, but it missed the Draugr as Steadfast’s warhammer knocked it from the walkway, throwing its crumpled body into the abyss.

“You’ll have to be quicker than that,” he called up the shaft, his voice echoing.

It quickly became a race as to whether I could shoot the Draugr with an arrow first, or if Steadfast could reach it with his warhammer. In this manner we proceeded deeper and deeper into the ruin. At last I could see the exit, barred with a heavy steel grate and guarded by a Draugr in more well-kept armor than the rest.

<<FUS~RO!!>> the Draugr Shouted up at me.

I stepped back to avoid it only to find that I was standing on a weak point of the walkway. Pieces had fallen away over the years, and it began to crack simply under my weight. When the Shout hit it, it broke through completely.

I suddenly found myself in freefall, plummeting downward with the crumbling walkway. The Draugr shot another Shout at me, missing completely as I fell. Below me I could see another walkway rapidly approaching. I would splatter against the ancient stone at this speed!

<<<FUS~RO~DAH!!!>>> I yelled downward, hoping it would slow my fall.

Instead, my Shout ripped apart the walkway. Was this whole place just waiting to fall apart? Either way, I now had nowhere to land even if I could slow down enough to land safely. Still, I tried a last-ditch effort, willing to do anything to keep from plummeting to my death.

I knew some of the more powerful unicorns were able to levitate themselves. I didn’t have anywhere near that level of skill, but hopefully my panic would help motivate my magic. I found myself encased in the pale blue glow from my horn as I tried, but I wasn’t able to slow myself at all. I closed my eyes as I fell through the gap in the lower walkway I had created, unwilling to see my end.

My fall came to a sudden stop as I felt a pair of hooves grab me. I looked up to see Steadfast straining to lift me onto the walkway. I reached up to help him pull me over the lip of crumbling rock.

“Thanks,” I huffed out when my hooves were finally on a solid surface again.

“Hey, what’re friends for?” he asked, wiping away the sweat of his exertion.

<<FUS~RO!!>> the Draugr below Shouted up before I had a chance to respond.

Steadfast pushed me forward toward the safety of the wall opening where the bridge ended. Not that I needed any encouragement, what with the rock falling away beneath my hooves again. The last of the bridge crumbled away into the abyss as Steadfast entered the tunnel.

I charged down the stairs as fast as I could and galloped across the final bridge, the Draugr dead ahead. As it opened its rotten maw to Shout again, I blasted lightning down its throat. It gagged, smoke curling from its mouth, and stared me down. Pulling its greatsword from its back, it moved into a blocking stance.

As I neared, I shot a blast of fire at its forehoofs, causing it to stamp back at the sight of the flames. I launched myself into the air, swinging Calcion’s Cleaver around and knocking the sword from the zombie’s mouth. As I landed behind it, I gave a strong buck with my hindlegs. Shocked, the Draugr went sailing over the edge, falling to its death below.

“Remind me not to get on your bad side,” Steadfast said, trotting up behind me and peering over the edge.

The metal grate that barred the entryway slid upward with entirely unnecessary clanking as I tripped the lever on the other side with my magic. A long hallway stretched into the distance, lined on both sides with sarcophagi carved in typical earth pony fashion. The purplish flames lit the way as we passed deeper into the crypt.

Just when I began to think the tunnel would never end, we came upon a grand opening in the rock. It looked just like the door to the inner crypt of Blank Flanks Barrow, except that there was no door in the opening. Apparently somepony had been down here before.

As we entered the massive chamber on the other side, I saw that this was indeed the case. A line of sarcophagi trailed down the center of the room, climbing up several raised tiers. At the very top tier was an extremely ancient-looking sarcophagus that matched the rest of the ruin, but the other tombs in the line became gradually more modern as they neared the entry door. Apparently other ponies besides the Draugr had decided later that they wanted to be buried down here as well.

“Jurgen Sky-whinny’s should be here somewhere,” Steadfast said, searching the room.

Before he was able to even start examining the tombs, the sarcophagus at the top of the room burst open in a shower of broken clay and bronze. The Draugr within rose from its slumber, blue lightning sparking down the back of its neck in a sick semblance of a mane. With the shriek of ancient steel, it drew a greatsword half a length longer than usual from its sheath and jumped from the tomb.

The “eek” a stallion like Steadfast gave would’ve been hilarious in any other situation, but all the humor was sucked from the room by the Draugr overlord looming over us. I shot a blast of fire at the Draugr while it was still surveying the room, but it thrust its sword into the flame just as it was about to hit it. The flames seemed to be sucked up by the sword, traveling the length of the blade before dissipating in a thin cloud of smoke.

The Draugr galloped down the stairs, heading straight for Steadfast. He pulled his warhammer out just in time to stop the greatsword’s thrust toward his neck. While the Draugr tried to break Steadfast’s block, I shot a bolt of lightning at its head. The blue sparks traveling over its head had died down, but they burst up with renewed vigor as my magic hit them. I cut of the flow of magic as the lightning traveled back at me, nearly frying my horn and leaving bits of my mane charred.

So, it looked like magic was out.

I climbed up the tiers as fast as I could to try and reach the Draugr before it overpowered Steadfast. When he proved to be unmovable, the Draugr reared back and swung its sword at my companion again. He brought up the shield strapped to his foreleg to block while simultaneously smashing his warhammer into the Draugr’s knee.

Ancient bone cracked, but the zombie didn’t seem to care. It pulled its sword back even farther this time. Blue lightning skittered up the blade as it swung around at Steadfast. He blocked with his warhammer, but the force of the impact sent him flying back, tumbling over the coffins down the room’s center.

The Draugr jumped onto one, smashing the lid and the remains within. Steadfast remained on the ground, his warhammer thrown to the side, but I was finally close enough to get a strike at the undead earth pony.

My Draugr sword came slicing down into its flank, cutting easily through the rotten flesh. Calcion’s Cleaver seemed to sing with glee as it separated flesh, sending lightning through the zombie’s body. Giving a shriek, the Draugr spun around on me. Using the Axe of Whitetrot, I blocked the greatsword and swung the Cleaver back at the Draugr’s forelegs.

I soon realized I had greatly underestimated this Draugr’s strength as my war axe began to give way to the strike. Calcion’s Cleaver managed to nearly sever one of the Draugr’s forelegs, but I was forced to refrain from striking again, and instead had to bring the sword back up to help block the greatsword.

Slowly I slid across the stone floor as the undead pony pushed me back. A quick glance over my shoulder showed I would soon be pinned against the wall. There was no way I could overcome this Draugr with physical strength, so I’d just have to outsmart it.

<<<FUS~RO~DAH!!!>>> I Shouted, sending the Draugr flying backwards.

As it picked itself back up onto its hooves, I charged, hoping I could take advantage of the momentary confusion.

<YOL!> it Shouted and flames burst from the Draugr’s mouth.

I pulled up short, my hooves sliding to keep from being burned alive. Great, now this pony could breathe fire too!

The greatsword swung around at me once again, and once again I blocked, with my sword this time. Holding it back with the Cleaver, I swung the Axe of Whitetrot into its chest, hoping I’d rupture some vital organ. Instead, all I succeeded in doing was getting my blade stuck as the Draugr reared back.

Sparks flew as its blade struck Calcion’s Cleaver again. I found myself being forced backwards, but I wasn’t about to let that happen again. Levitating one of the nearby urns, I smashed it against the Draugr’s head to break its concentration. It snarled and let up on its sword just the slightest, but it was just enough that I was able to push back with all my might, knocking the Draugr backwards.

<FUS!> it Shouted back, forcing me to keep my distance.

I smashed another urn against its head, tearing its ear off, but it shrugged it off and charged towards me anyway. I brought my sword up to block, but it anticipated that and swung its greatsword around, knocking the Cleaver from my grasp.

Bringing its sword around, it slashed at me. I jumped backwards to avoid the whistling blade, but it still grazed my foreleg. Where the blade struck I felt an intense burning, as if some dark magic was trying to enter the wound. I tried to ignore the pain and focus on the situation, fixing my eyes on the Draugr.

I backed up as fast as I could, levitating and throwing everything I could at the Draugr as it advanced, but it was no use. It continued to come until I was backed up into an alcove and it was within striking range.

It suddenly gave a shriek as I heard bone crunch. As it twisted its body around, I could see Steadfast had rejoined the fight and smashed his warhammer onto the Draugr’s spine. The zombie’s body was now horribly maimed and twisted, but it spun around to face Steadfast anyway.

In fact, it moved so quickly, it took him by surprise, its greatsword slicing into his side and throwing him across the chamber. The pain in my foreleg came back to me and I couldn’t imagine what agony Steadfast was in now, if he was even still alive. But the Draugr was distracted at the moment and I seized the opportunity.

Pulling my mace from my saddlebags, I slammed it into the Draugr’s jaw, breaking its teeth and knocking the greatsword from its grasp. Another swing caved in the side of its head, and the last took off its jaw.

The sparks over its body died with the unholy light in its eyes. Stepping over the mangled corpse, I ran over to where Steadfast was lying on the floor. His eyes were clamped shut, but his blood-soaked chest was still rising and falling slightly, so there was hope. Calling upon my magic, I used my Healing Hooves spell to stitch up his wound. It resisted healing at first, no doubt due to whatever magic that Draugr’s sword was enchanted with, but the wound finally closed up as I felt the last of my energy reserves empty.

“Did we kill it?” Steadfast asked as he sat up.

“Yeah,” I said, applying a bandage over the cut on my foreleg and drinking a healing potion to fix it up.

Steadfast stood, stretching to test the repaired flesh of his side. Apparently satisfied that it would hold, he trotted over to the dead Draugr and gave it a kick in the head. Shaking my head at his last senseless act of revenge, I too stood up and took a look around the room.

“Jurgen Sky-whinny’s tomb has got to be here somewhere,” I thought out loud, examining the line of sarcophagi.

However, all but the most recent coffins seemed to be inscribed in Draconic, and while I recognized a word or two here and there, I wasn’t able to make any sense of what was written as a whole. I was just beginning to give up hope when Steadfast called me over to where he was standing.

“I think this is it,” he said, comparing the inscription on the sarcophagus he was facing to a translation of Jurgen’s name into Draconic he’d made on a piece of parchment.

I lent him a hoof to push the heavy cover off, which was surprisingly loose. Inside was the skeleton of an earth pony, along with a crumbling journal and an exquisite greatsword. But sadly, no horn. I pulled the journal out, pages crumbling to dust as I flipped it open.

“I was sure it would be here,” said a very disappointed Steadfast, “Maybe we’ve got the wrong tomb?”

“No,” I said sadly, looking through the journal, “This was Jurgen Sky-whinny all right.”

“Why wouldn’t he be buried with his war horn?” Steadfast puzzled aloud, “After all, he brought his sword to be buried with.”

I tossed him the journal to look through and began to explore the rest of the final crypt. I’d been so hopeful that it would be here, I was nearly as disappointed as Steadfast. I tipped over pots and opened urns, seeking the horn. I wasn’t going to give up so easily.

The scattering of chests near the top of the chamber looked promising at first, but after picking them, all they revealed were gold, precious gems, and ancient clothes. Something I would’ve been overjoyed to see at any other time, but right now I was on a mission and only one thing could make me happy.

The wall the provided a backdrop for the chamber was covered in carved dragons, and bore an inscription in Draconic, just like back in Blank Flanks Barrow. As I drew closer, a word once again stood out for me. This time I was prepared as my mind was bombarded in the span of a second with thoughts and ideas that would take a lifetime to learn. In a moment, I was suddenly a master of everything related to the ability to fade. Everywhere my mind held the Equine word was now replaced with its Draconic counterpart.

~FEIM~

Another Word of Power learned, it turned out this mission hadn’t been a complete bust, but I was still lacking the very thing I’d come here for.

“Hey!” Steadfast called up excitedly, “I think I know where the horn is!”

“Where?” I asked eagerly, trotting rapidly down the stairs to where he was standing.

In response he lifted up a lyre and sheets of song lyrics that somepony had stashed in one of the chamber’s alcoves.

“The Bards College,” he said in an annoyed manner, “They beat us.”