//------------------------------//
// The Oddity At Oatsville 
// Story: Sleipnir's Big Adventure 
// by BlackRoseRaven 
//------------------------------//

Chapter Nine: The Oddity At Oatsville
~BlackRoseRaven

Blueblood grumbled under his breath as he walked along at Sleipnir's side: he wanted to drag his hooves like a foal, but every time he started to drop back, Invidia would slither up beside him, and his fear of her always overwhelmed his frustration with Sleipnir. The earth pony at least made a decent wall between the prince and the demon.
Sleipnir had dragged Blueblood out of his room at the inn to make him say goodbye to the Royal Guard, making him feel like an embarrassed foal. But the unicorn had admittedly been a little surprised: Sleipnir had decided that the Royal Guard should head back to Canterlot later in the day, while their little trio would be leaving as soon as possible.
So they had left, watched by the entire unit of soldiers, Blueblood feeling strangely ashamed of himself. But his self-loathing only made his annoyance with Sleipnir worse, even if at the same time he knew his anger wasn't just misdirected, it was also completely pointless. Sleipnir was just a big dumb friendly oaf, no matter how much of his story was true and how much was delusion.
Blueblood sighed to himself, glowering over at the stallion and just feeling even more cranky as he thought about how... well, maybe Sleipnir had a point, too. The Royal Guard had sort of been his soldiers, and... well, no, the earth pony had blind-sided him, and that had been completely unfair. Sure, he hadn't handled it with the best of grace, but... well...
Sleipnir caught him looking, and the unicorn looked away far too little, too late, making the earth pony smile amusedly before he asked kindly: “How art thou feeling?”
“Fine.” Blueblood grumbled, glowering up at the afternoon sun: they had passed out of the shade of the mountains, making their way due west now along a wide dirt road. His armor felt clunky over his body, and the satchels that contained his luggage kept shifting uncomfortably, reminding him painfully of the clothes and other items he'd left behind at Sleipnir's damned insistence.
He hated the way Sleipnir could talk him into doing just about anything. He hated more that it had made sense: since Blueblood wasn't even wearing his traveling clothes anymore, well... why bother carrying them? And he was supposed to try and conceal his identity, anyway, even if he thought that was ridiculous... sure, in this cruddy suit of armor he probably wasn't that easy to identify, especially with this oversized helm on his head, but it wasn't like he wasn't going to be recognized the moment they stopped at an inn or he had to take the helmet off.
The ivory stallion huffed quietly to himself, and then he glanced up as Sleipnir remarked easily: “Well, 'tis a strange sort of fine thou seems. I would wager thou art at least a little unhappy. Thou hast the look of a frustrated foal about thee, after all.”
“Quiet now, Sleipnir, there's no need to be so rude to the distinguished, handsome Prince of Equestria.” Invidia interrupted sharply, and Blueblood winced a bit as Sleipnir only looked at her with his omnipresent kindness. “Do not forget that he is generously guiding this expedition... while you seem to be eagerly taking every advantage you can to make him look like a fool.”
“Now, now, demon, be calm.” Sleipnir said gently, smiling guilelessly at the mare before his eyes turned back towards Blueblood, asking: “Would thou like to stop for a while? 'Tis a pleasant enough place here for a rest if thou needs it.”
Blueblood hesitated, looking back and forth before he shook his head quickly, a little surprised by himself as he said: “I'm... no, I can keep going. This stupid armor annoys me, but I'm not that tired.”
“Is it pinching anywhere? It might require some adjusting, that is all.” Sleipnir paused, then gestured quickly with his head to the side of the road, where the grass seemed to taper down into a natural little lawn area. “Here, let us halt for a moment and check thy equipment.”
Blueblood grumbled a little, not wanting to show any of his relief as they strode into the little glade. Then he winced when Sleipnir almost grabbed him, hooves patting quickly along his armor and making the unicorn swear under his breath before he complained: “If you would just once-”
“Aye, as I thought. It requires tightening and better locking, that is all.” Sleipnir said thoughtfully, before he absently reached up and yanked the luggage satchels off of Blueblood's body, the prince scowling a little... then blinking in surprise as Sleipnir somehow made both of them compress, saying cheerfully: “And here, this shall help as well. We shall tighten all thy gear down, 'twill make it much more comfortable.”
“How...” Blueblood looked dumbly at the narrow strap Sleipnir had just yanked out of some half-hidden compartment on one of the bags, and then he mouthed wordlessly before asking with disbelief: “Were... were those always there?”
“Oh, aye, they were. Did thou not know? Well, my sisters have always said I had a knack for seeing what few other ponies do.” Sleipnir said easily, and Blueblood was left without words as the earth pony quickly began to go over his armor... and well, the unicorn couldn't even imagine what the stallion was doing, but he felt a strange pressure here and there, a sensation of locking, tightening, a feeling like... “Oh, how thy armor complains, friend! We must teach thee to better care for her!”
Blueblood grumbled, and then Invidia looked up from where she had taken a seat, snapping: “And again, you just have to take any chance you have to flaunt your superiority, don't you? Leave the young prince alone, Sleipnir. Your cruelty is unwanted and unnecessary.”
“'Tis not cruelty, 'tis mere truth, I fear. Our armor will not respect and protect us if we do not respect and protect it, that is all. I scold Blue because I care for him.” Sleipnir responded pointedly, and then he smiled slightly after a moment, looking down at the unicorn and adding gently: “But perhaps we are all tired and excitable, with the first steps of this journey. Let us not take them on the wrong hoof, aye? That would be an ill sign.”
Blueblood shifted a little... and then he finally nodded grudgingly, not entirely sure of what he was agreeing to but... agreeing all the same. Either way, Sleipnir smiled warmly in approval and Invidia looked irritated, both of which worked fine for Blueblood.
The earth pony worked for a few more moments, then stepped back with a firm nod, and Blueblood automatically shifted before striding around in a short circle, feeling out the armor with his body. And it did really feel much better, the unicorn smiling a bit before he looked awkwardly over at Sleipnir and mumbled half in apology, half in gratitude.
Sleipnir only shrugged, waving a hoof and replying kindly: “Fear not, Blue. 'Twas the work of a mere moment, that is all. I see that I will still need to make some further modifications to thy armor later, but for now this should suffice, and we can continue our journey if thou art ready.”
The unicorn began to open his mouth... then he frowned a little as he suddenly realized: “Where... are we going, exactly?”
Sleipnir shrugged and smiled as he tossed Blueblood his luggage satchels, then smiled a little wider, unbeknownest to Blueblood, as the unicorn easily slipped the bags on without any complaint. “We are headed to the west. I had thought that rather obvious.”
Blueblood scowled at him, and Sleipnir laughed and shrugged, exclaiming: “Well, 'tis true! Nay, I do not know precisely where we are going, Blue, but nature has said to follow this road, and there is...” Sleipnir frowned thoughtfully, closing his eyes and tilting his head back. “There is... aye, a glen, or a dale, is there not? Home to a small settlement, on either bank of a narrow river. But past this little village is a small forest, that is... yes. Ironwood grows there.”
The unicorn stared for a few moments at Sleipnir. Maybe he wasn't entirely sure about the ironwood, whatever that was, but otherwise it sounded like he was describing Oatsville.
But then Invidia huffed and waved a hoof in distaste, saying moodily: “That's nothing but a parlor trick. Your lordship, don't be deceived by this angel... all he's trying to do is impress you, to gain your trust and then manipulate you further.”
“Oh, thou sounds a little more annoyed than usual, demon. I did not mean to spoil thine own prediction, if that is what thou art mad about.” Sleipnir said teasingly, and Invidia hissed at him through her teeth. The earth pony remained unfettered, however, instead looking back at Blueblood and saying kindly: “As I have said, nature speaks to me, and that is all. 'Tis neither trick of magic nor illusion. It is merely Mother Nature, whispering into mine ear.”
Blueblood studied Sleipnir for a few moments, and then he cleared his throat before asking hesitantly: “Why are we going to Oatsville? It's barely a speck. Why, it's one of those awful little places where they're all one big family of hillbillies.”
“Speaking of goats again, art thou? Well, I do not mind goats. I thought we had spoken of this already.” Sleipnir said jovially, and Blueblood honestly couldn't tell if Sleipnir was being purposefully thick or actually didn't understand what he was talking about.
But the earth pony became more serious after a moment as he answered: “But I am not interested in this Oatsville, but rather what lays beyond. Ironwood of a formidable constitution is necessary for the crafting of this portal... we shall have to go deep into the forest, and ask the trees to lend us the strength of their oldest and strongest siblings. We shall just have to hope we can find enough there.”
Blueblood stared for a few moments at Sleipnir, and then he asked disbelievingly: “And what then? You can't be telling me we're just going to drag trees around with us, are we?”
“Oh, nay, trees are not fond of that. They much prefer their sleep, 'tis how they stay so beautiful.” Sleipnir replied blandly, and Blueblood glared at him, one of his eyes twitching. “Fear not, this was discussed before we left with thine aunt. Once the materials are retrieved, we shall send her a letter, and she shall send whomever can be spared to retrieve them and ferry them back to Canterlot, be it by magic or wing.”
The young prince frowned at this, but then he sighed a little before muttering: “Very well. I suppose that's the wisest course of action, in any event... still, Sleipnir. It would be appreciated if you would actually share your plans with me instead of just continuing to barge on ahead.”
“I apologize, Blue. But 'tis all I know how to do. Oh, believe me, it was most frustrating for mine sisters as well...” Sleipnir paused meditatively, correcting after a moment: “Well, for Celestia, in any event. I fear Luna took after me in quite a few ways, chief amongst which being her own brash need to charge ever forwards.”
Blueblood studied the stallion for a few moments, then he simply shrugged before turning away, muttering: “Well, just... try and keep yourself in check.”
Sleipnir smiled amiably, and Blueblood didn't exactly know what else to say as he strode back to the road. Then he winced as Invidia almost popped into existence beside him, the demon leaning towards him and whispering in his ear: “Oh, forget about Sleipnir. He's not important. He's no good. He's nothing but a fool. He'll fail you when you need him most.”
“Shush, demon. Still the poisons of thy tongue, thou art doing naught but frustrating thine own goals.” Sleipnir chastened, and Invidia glared at him for a few moments before the earth pony added gently: “There is no need for thou to continue to compete, in any event. For we are all friends here, are we not? And none of us shall step in the way of the other.”
Blueblood shifted uneasily at this, but Invidia looked... vulnerable for a moment. She trembled a little as she gazed back and forth between the two stallions, and finally, Blueblood sighed before mumbling: “Yes, I... I suppose.”
Invidia smiled warmly, her mood changing in a moment as she said happily: “Good, then there's no need for any distance, any secrets between us... there will never be three friends closer than us, young prince, oh handsome angel... both of you, my best friends. As I am yours, correct? Your closest friend, upon all of Midgard?”
Sleipnir only smiled childishly, and Blueblood gave a weak smile before wincing a little when Invidia's eyes began to darken, the prince blurting before he could stop himself: “Certainly!”
Invidia's eyes gleamed as she turned towards Blueblood, staring at him with those awful, hellishly-bright gold eyes of hers... and then she smiled lovingly, licking her lips and reaching up to touch his face with a hoof that felt strangely cold, Sleipnir wincing a little as the demon murmured: “Yes, my darling. You are. Forever and for ever, and for a day more than that...”
Invidia stopped, then looked back and forth before she bowed her head, her mood calming as quickly as the seas could after a vicious storm. “Will you please excuse me, my friends? I need to feed... and it would be rude to do so on my best of friends. Unless, Lord Blueblood, you want me to devour your pain, take away your stress...”
Invidia licked her lips slowly, turning towards him hungrily, but the unicorn shook his head hurriedly before he said awkwardly: “I... I feel fine right now, Invidia, but... thank you?”
The demon seemed oddly pleased by this response, staring at him almost rapturously before she said tenderly, reaching one hoof up to touch his chest gently: “You're welcome.”
And then Blueblood yelped as the demon burst apart into black smoke, the stallion falling back on his rump and mouthing wordlessly at the fact that Invidia had literally vanished in front of his eyes. Sleipnir, however, only stepped forwards and calmly hefted the unicorn back to his hooves, saying mildly: “Of course, since we are no longer in the presence of others, the demon will make more of her powers known... oh, I suppose 'tis quite a sight for somepony who has not seen such trickery before, but if thou keeps gaping so, Blue, I fear a fly, a tongue, or something else entirely may end up shoved down thy gullet. And I shan't promise it won't be mine.”
Blueblood immediately clamped his mouth shut, glaring balefully at Sleipnir, but the stallion only laughed and grinned in return, winking at the unicorn. “Thou wounds me so! I would at least ask first, pretty young colt!”
“Oh, shut up.” Blueblood grumbled, looking sourly at the earth pony before he shook his head and looked uneasily up towards the sky, asking finally: “So a demon can just... Invidia can just come and go as she pleases like that? She's... she's not still here, is she?”
“Oh, nay. Well, I cannot say for sure, but I do not believe so, no.” Sleipnir answered, shaking his head briefly. “What thou just saw is a trick most demons are very fond of, used to travel quickly and safety over great distances. Or sometimes short, depending upon the demon. I will admit that at times my beloved daughter would use that art to hop down from her room in the middle of the night to steal cookies from the kitchen... although her mother was good at using the same to catch her.”
Blueblood gave a brief laugh at this, looking uneasily over at Sleipnir as the enormous earth pony only gave him that same friendly look he always did. That same dumb, oafish, happy look that made it so hard not to believe all the crazy nonsense he spouted...
The young prince bit his lip, then he blurted suddenly: “How... how could you fall in love with a demon if you're supposed to be from Heaven?”
Sleipnir glanced over at him curiously, and then he chuckled after a moment before saying kindly: “Because we are both... odd, perhaps. She and her happy twin lived upon Midgard, and I was only fortunate enough to gain her eye, and then her affections. And from thence it has been... a prosperous and tumultuous journey, as all relationships should be. She is fierce, Blue. Fiercer than any storm and strong as the mountains and the earthquakes. She is my phoenix, never defeated for long, always rising with renewed strength and vigor!”
Sleipnir sighed loudly, smiling warmly up into the sky... but his eyes held a tinge of longing in them now as well as he murmured: “I know she will find her way home before I can. She is stronger than me, and much wiser, too. I only hope I do not keep her waiting and lonely long... but at least there will be others there to entertain her, and make her smile.”
Blueblood looked awkwardly at Sleipnir, and then he asked slowly: “And your wife doesn't mind the fact that you seem to try and throw yourself into bed with every mare you see?”
“Oh? Why would she?” Sleipnir asked, looking honestly confused, and Blueblood rolled his eyes before the earth pony laughed and shook his head. “Oh believe me, there are none who please me more than my phoenix! But as such a pretty stallion, I have a great obligation to the pretty mares of the world! Besides, there is nothing wrong with sharing a bit of physical pleasure with those whom need it. 'Tis a touch of comfort, a bit of contact, a sharing of warmth and affection. But 'tis not love, Blueblood, certainly not. I would never betray my phoenix by visiting the love upon another mare that I do upon her. I do not share secrets with others as I do with her, and only she is privy to that which rests inside my heart of hearts. Does thou understand?”
Blueblood frowned a bit at this, shifting a little on his hooves at this odd, hedonistic wisdom before he asked finally: “But what about trust?”
Sleipnir grinned at this, tilting his head towards Blueblood and saying cheerfully: “Oh, thou means how 'tis clearly so trusting if one abstains completely from showing affection to another? Nay, phoenix does not trust me to not do. My phoenix trusts instead that I shall always return to her at the end of the day, no matter what pleasures I have given and taken. She is far more important to me than mere pleasure, after all. She is no bed-toy and no mare of the night, she is my wife, my beloved, and my soul's truest reflection. I love her.”
The earth pony nodded firmly, then looked up towards the sky, quieting a little as he only gazed up into the distance for a little while, and Blueblood fidgeted a bit on the spot before he hesitantly strode up beside the stallion and said awkwardly: “I... I'm sure you'll see her again someday.”
Sleipnir looked down at the unicorn, then he smiled warmly before giving a short, firm nod. Then Blueblood wheezed loudly as Sleipnir wrapped a foreleg around him and squeezed him close in a crushing embrace, saying warmly: “Aye, I shall! Thou art right, there is no time to mope... the more time we waste, the longer before I see her again, and the more she will scold me!”
The enormous earth pony laughed loudly and let Blueblood go... then blinked and looked down in surprise as the white stallion collapsed to the ground, wheezing and gasping. Sleipnir only studied him curiously, then asked cluelessly: “Did all the exertion catch up to thee, my friend? Shall we take a rest for a short time?”
Blueblood did his best to swear at the stallion, but he still felt like his lungs had been crushed out of existence, and he was barely able to wriggle himself onto his stomach. But once he managed a few more loud, whooping breaths, he finally glared up at the stallion and snapped: “Will you please stop treating me like your personal stress ball?”
“I... oh! Oh, I apologize, Blue, 'tis easy for me to forget mine strength! Even back home, I would oft be scolded for it.” Sleipnir said quickly, looking honestly sorry as he nodded a few times before reaching down and easily hefting Blueblood to his hooves, the unicorn wincing and stumbling until the earth pony steadied him. “There, here we are. Thou art fine, see?”
“Perfectly fine.” Blueblood grumbled, brushing at his breast with one hoof before he sighed and  mumbled: “Well... let's keep going then. It's not that far to Oatsville from here.”
“Good. Aye, that is why nature guided me here, first, even though we will need many things to complete this portal. I think she wishes to ensure thou gets as gentle a start as possible.” Sleipnir said cheerfully, and Blueblood scowled a little before Sleipnir added thoughtfully: “Although perhaps ironwood is not so rare upon this realm as well. This would be most excellent if 'tis true. There are a thousand-thousand uses for such sturdy stuff that I would dearly love to try.”
The unicorn followed moodily after Sleipnir as the earth pony started down the road again... and even though he already knew he was going to regret this, he couldn't help but ask: “Why is this ironwood so important? And what other materials does your portal require? Why couldn't we just have it all brought to Canterlot?”
“Well, because this is our quest, young Blue! 'Twould be cheating... and 'twould be very wrong of me to impose upon such kind company with a problem that is solely mine own.” Sleipnir winked and added cheerfully: “I have already imposed well enough on thee, have I not?”
Blueblood gave a short, humorless laugh, and Sleipnir looked at him with amusement before continuing easily: “But furthermore, I must inspect the quality of the materials we search for myself, for there are many other things we have to find. Rare ore, specific metals, gemstones... the list is a long one. A portal is not made simply of wood and iron, after all.”
The young prince sighed tiredly, before he asked moodily: “And once all this is done, you're just going to... go home?”
Sleipnir shrugged, and Blueblood frowned a little as the earth pony gazed ahead, saying quietly: “'Tis my hope, at least. As to what will actually happen... I do not entirely know. There are many things that could go wrong, Blue. I would be lying if I said I expected this to be so easy.”
Blueblood looked uncomfortably at Sleipnir, not really knowing what to say and feeling an odd string of... guilt. He shifted a bit, then cleared his throat before looking ahead, but Sleipnir only smiled and said softly: “Now, fear not. I am certain that one way or the other, I shan't be here forever. But all I know to do for now is to keep striving towards what I hope is my best chance.”
The young prince nodded, not really sure of what he could say, but Sleipnir only smiled and turned his eyes back ahead. They walked onwards, the enormous stallion every now and then remarking cheerfully on their surroundings or spouting some little piece of nonsense or wisdom, but Blueblood mostly remained quiet, feeling a strange mix of emotions and... maybe a little bit more than a hint of envy for this enormous earth pony, who seemed to just keep pushing forwards no matter how much the world pushed back.
They walked steadily, almost until evening: by then, Blueblood was feeling achy and tired, but at the same time, he hadn't let himself complain too much. Oatsville was just a short distance away, after all, and even if it was a hick town, they could probably find someplace to stay there... and more importantly, the last thing he wanted was to be stuck camping out in a field all night.
And, well... he'd learned that Sleipnir would just cajole and tease him if he wanted him to keep going, anyway. Besides, this wasn't nearly as bad as dragging those stupid rocks all over the place, back in the mountains...
Blueblood smiled a bit, then looked up almost in surprise when Sleipnir asked uncertainly: “Does thou feel that, Blue? There is a strange force in the air... does thou feel it?”
The young prince frowned, then looked up and glanced back and forth. Evening was starting to settle in, and Oatsville's lights were only a short distance away: it wasn't exactly a bustling village, but it seemed like at least most of the homes were occupied. “I... like magic?”
“Nay, just an ill, foreboding feeling.” Sleipnir said quietly, and then he grimaced a little before leaning forwards, studying the buildings in the distance intently. “We have... perhaps a thousand paces between us and the town. Perhaps we should stop here for the night...”
“What? No! I'm not sleeping out here in the dirt.” complained Blueblood immediately, glaring over at the earth pony before he added: “And I don't see or feel anything strange, either. Look, the town looks fine.”
Sleipnir grunted and shrugged, hesitating for a moment before he said finally: “Perhaps. Perhaps not, though. Mother Nature warns me-”
“Oh, here we go again.” grumbled Blueblood, but admittedly he felt a little bit of unease at this: after all, whether he liked it or not, Sleipnir's strange connection to nature had certainly been proven right more than once in the past... and every time Sleipnir had said something bad was going to happen...
But no, no. What was the worst that could happen? The rednecks were going to get drunk and keep them up all night with their singing? Blueblood would almost welcome that as an escape from his nightmares. And furthermore, how could they be safer sleeping out here in the open instead of inside the safety and comfort of a hotel, especially when they were traveling with that awful demoness...
Blueblood shivered a little: he didn't want to imagine what Invidia might do to him if she came back and found them just sleeping in the grass, since it didn't look like Sleipnir had even brought a tent. He'd more than willingly risk whatever 'bad feelings' Sleipnir was having for a bit of privacy and protection from the elements, thank you very much.
Sleipnir sighed a little after a moment, then he gave a grudging nod before muttering: “Oh, very well. Thou art as stubborn as an Oygl, Blue.”
“What... what is an Oygl?” Somehow, the unicorn didn't think it was exactly a flattering creature to be compared to, and this was confirmed just by the amused look that Sleipnir gave him, the young prince scowling a little. “At least insult me with a little dignity, peasant.”
“Thy dignity is very insulting at times, fear not.” Sleipnir quipped, and Blueblood rolled his eyes before the earth pony paused, then sighed a little and said finally: “Stay close to me, young prince. And do not reveal who thou art. I feel a great foreboding.”
Blueblood scowled a little at this, trying to tell himself that this was just Sleipnir trying to manipulate him into doing what the earth pony preferred... but another part of him felt a very distinct unease, worrying that maybe, just maybe, Sleipnir was just trying to do what was best for them both...
But no. No matter what Blueblood had come to think of Sleipnir, he was still convinced that the earth pony was only out for his own ends. Oh, sure, he was fun and he was helpful and he was nice, but he was clearly doing it all out of a need to just return home. And it wasn't like Blueblood enjoyed being dragged around Equestria with the stallion, for... what, Sleipnir's amusement? Sleipnir had said he needed a guide, but it seemed like his connection to 'Mother Nature' was doing that for him...
Blueblood scowled a little, but he bit his tongue for now: sure, he could start another argument with the earth pony, but he realized Sleipnir would just deflect his accusations or laugh. Both of which would annoy him further or leave him feeling strangely guilty, even though there was definitely no reason he should feel anything but... but angry and annoyed that this great idiot of an earth pony was making his princely hooves do all this peasant work Yes, that was right: he just had to keep his station and status in mind and not allow himself to lose sight of who he was and what he deserved.
The unicorn's thoughts darkened as they drew closer to Oatsville: he felt cranky and irritable by the time they got into the little hick town, and determined to do just about anything and everything that would annoy Sleipnir. Assuming he could find anything at all that would annoy the stallion, that was: the earth pony was always so damned cheerful...
And besides which, Blueblood was already annoyed by the loud, cheerful – and awful – twanging of a guitar, and the happy laughter and shouts all coming from a brightly-lit bar that glowed like a beacon. Sleipnir smiled warmly as he strode towards this, saying easily: “Well, there is a good sign, at least! Perhaps I was wrong about this place... although still, let us be cautious, Blue.”
Blueblood grunted, scowling a little over at Sleipnir, but following grouchily after him all the same as he headed towards the bar. And then the unicorn reared back slightly in distaste as they found what looked like the entire town crammed into this large, ramshackle building, many of them cheering and hollering at a makeshift stage as a freckled pony badly banged away at the instrument.
“Hello, friends!” Sleipnir shouted in his tactless, cheerful way as they pushed into the bar, and immediately the whole crowd went dead silent, all eyes staring with... was that fear? Blueblood frowned uncertainly at the sight, shifting uneasily and feeling a sudden pulse of worry run through him even as Sleipnir continued, apparently as oblivious as always: “Well, 'tis wonderful to see such a fine gathering here! I am Sleipnir, and this is my companion, Blue, and we have come seeking a place to stay for the night. And how could we not help but be drawn towards such a pleasant party as this?”
The ponies all looked uncomfortably at Sleipnir, then traded uneasy, nervous glances between themselves before the pony behind the bar counter finally cleared his throat and leaned forwards, saying hesitantly: “We... don't have much in the way of lodgings right now, friend... you'd be better off heading on towards Canterlot. There's good folk on the way.”
Sleipnir smiled over at the gangly pony who'd spoken, and Blueblood scowled a little: reedy, thin little mustache, enough grease in his hair that he could wring it out and use it to cook fries. “Alas, but that is the way we have come from! Nay, I fear we need lodgings nearby, if 'tis at all possible. And a third will be joining us, a mare, whom we agreed to meet here. But we shan't impose for long: tomorrow our business takes us into the forest, and-”
There were sounds of alarm at this, and even Blueblood caught the sudden fear that went through the crowd before the bartender hurriedly said over the hubbub: “Oh, that... I... well, sir, that's... a protected area, don't y'know? Yeah, protected-like, it was just recently bought by a big, important land-investor-protector type, see, you can't set no hoof in there without talkin' to him first.”
“Oh.” Sleipnir paused, then suddenly smiled again. “What a strange concept, assuming ownership over a forest! But I suppose 'tis not my place to judge, and 'tis not as if I have never seen the barons of the past trying to proclaim their rule over every tide and ripple of nature... not that nature has ever bowed her head for long.”
He chuckled, then looked warmly around the room at the twenty or so ponies, saying cheerfully: “But listen to me, rambling on so foolishly! So whom must I speak to, to secure permission to enter the forest and find the provisions I require?”
There was silence, and Blueblood frowned a little as he looked uncertainly back and forth. He certainly knew that he couldn't claim to be the most well-versed pony when it came to the more boring parts of ruling a country, like bylaws and land rights and taxes, but even he knew that you couldn't just go and buy an entire forest without jumping through all kinds of hoops. And Auntie Celestia almost always vetoed any kind of idea like that, anyway: she was very strict when it came to land rights, although Blueblood didn't know exactly why.
He didn't say anything for the moment, however: whether these redneck ponies were lying or had been swindled out of their land, he didn't really care. What he cared about was whether or not they were going to be able to get a bed here, or if they were going to end up camping out on the lawn.
“Look, uh... you won't be able to talk to him until morning. He's a very busy pony.” the bartender said evasively, and this wasn't at all made more suspicious by the hurried agreements from several other ponies. “If you really want to hunker down here for the night, I won't stop you, but uh... we don't got no open room right now, I fear. You'll just have to sit at a table until morning.”
Sleipnir smiled and shrugged, beginning to speak, but he was cut off by a curse from Blueblood before the ivory unicorn snapped: “Now see here, you are in the presence of royalty! I am the Prince of Equestria, and I demand a proper room!”
With that, Blueblood reached up and pulled his helm off, raising his head imperiously as Sleipnir winced and slapped his own forehead. Then, before he could say anything, the young prince strode forwards and added sharply: “And I will not listen to another word of this... inane babbling about a so-called businesspony who owns the forest! That is the stuff of lies or nonsense, and you will either bring this stallion to me immediately for a reprimand or I'll send a letter to my Auntie, right this moment, telling her about these underhoofed dealings going on behind her back!”
There was silence for a few moments as the villagers stared with horror and shock at Blueblood, and Sleipnir slowly rubbed his hoof down his face, sighing tiredly before he began awkwardly: “I beg forgiveness for this, 'tis not-”
“We'll... we'll let him sleep at our place!” a mare suddenly blurted, and there was almost a collective gasp as a pretty freckled mare with her mane in pigtails stepped forwards, trembling violently. Blueblood looked uncertain, scowling a little, and then the mare added hurriedly: “We... your majesty, we can bring you there right now, and then... well... we'll get this all sorted out in the morning, right cos?”
The bartender shifted uneasily, and then he gave a weak smile when Blueblood glared at him, the lanky stallion saying with distinct unhappiness: “Yeah. Yeah, uh... we didn't mean no harm by it, you know, just... well... we'll bring you right to the old forest in the morning.”
There was silence for a few moments, and then Blueblood sniffed loudly before saying imperiously: “Yes, you will. That's much better. Sleipnir, let's go.”
“Oh, aye, grand.” Sleipnir sighed tiredly again before his eyes flicked up and nervously scanned the room. The ponies all looked guilty and afraid, and the mare was trembling with very palpable fear as she hurried for the doors, stumbling fearfully into the ill-lit street.
He didn't speak as he followed after Blueblood, who at least put his helm back on as he strode in the wake of the mare. She rushed onwards, zigzagging back and forth across the street, and the prince muttered: “Drunken idiot.”
Sleipnir didn't think she was drunk, however: for one thing, she was moving in very sharp, straight lines. For another, she was darting from light to light, as she was scared of staying in the dark for too long.
When they reached the small bridge across the narrow creek that neatly bisected the village, the mare sprinted over it like she was trying to bolt across hot coals. And Sleipnir could almost smell a vileness as he and Blueblood followed, the prince rolling his eyes and complaining: “Slow down and get yourself together, filly!”
“I... I'm sorry!” the mare whimpered as she stopped beneath a lamp ahead, trembling hard as she stared back over her shoulder at them. Sleipnir tried to smile at her reassuringly, but she didn't even seem aware of them anymore, while Blueblood only scowled again... although at least he seemed a little uneasy himself now.
Her house wasn't much further on: the yard was full of weeds and it had a big, rickety porch that gaped ominously like a mouth. Lights blazed out of the windows, and yet Sleipnir had the sense that it hadn't been lived in for days.
The mare didn't approach, standing as far away from the house as she could while remaining in the light cast from the windows, and she gestured hurriedly at it several times as she rushed out: “M-Make yourselves at home, help yourselves to anything, I'll... check on you in the morning!”
“Wait, thou art not at least...” But Sleipnir didn't bother to finish his sentence as the mare turned and ran quickly away, a frown passing over his features before he said uneasily: “Blue, I do not like this at all.”
“I don't look forwards to settling myself into a redneck's nest either, but it will do.” Prince Blueblood retorted, raising his head with a huff: he found that it made it a lot easier to feel brave when he let himself be as rude as he could manage to Sleipnir. Otherwise, after all, it was hard to pretend that he wasn't a little bit freaked out himself by how the mare had behaved, and the general feeling of... unwellness that lurked in this place...
Blueblood grimaced a little, then he shook his head before hurrying onto the porch and shoving the door open. He scowled in disgust at the interior: tacky pictures on the walls, cheap and scratched-up linoleum floors, chipped and duct-taped furniture... it looked like the whole house had been bought from a bargain bin.
The unicorn wasn't shy about poking around, while Sleipnir only made his way to the living room and sat back in the couch, frowning uneasily. He had a bad feeling about what was lurking here: the real question was whether or not he allowed Blueblood to suffer the consequences of his actions, or he lured out whatever was terrorizing this town himself.
Either way, he couldn't turn his back on these ponies in need: he had known something was wrong the moment he'd heard their forced happiness in the bar. It reminded him of the old days, when villages would gather into whatever structure they could best fortify while under siege by the forces of darkness, then sing and shout and celebrate, do whatever they could to chase away the gloom and misery. There was bravery and wisdom in it: it didn't just help keep spirits high, but stopped their supernatural enemies from feeding on their fear and hatred.
Blueblood, meanwhile, had taken over what looked like a colt's room. It had a big soft bed and there was a linen closet just across the hall, out of which he'd gotten a bunch of pillows and some more serviceable sheets than the cheap Wonderbolt patterned ones that had some very disturbing stains here and there over them. Still, Blueblood imagined it was cleaner than the master bedroom, which had reeked of sweat and alcohol.
The stallion had discarded his armor on the floor and shoved it off to one side under a desk that was stacked with hastily-glued-together models and comic books. He'd perused the latter, but there was nothing he liked, just like all the books on the shelves were lowbrow literature with a few badly-hidden adult magazines.
Blueblood had snatched one of the latter and had it tucked under the pillow for later, figuring that it was better a responsible stallion like himself had it instead of some dumb little colt. He had also helped himself to some food from the kitchen, but to his disgust, the bread was fairly stale and the lettuce had gone all soft and gross.
He ended up throwing most of the sandwich in the garbage before grumbling under his breath, then shouting: “Sleipnir! Sleipnir!”
There was only silence instead of the usual immediate reply, and Blueblood frowned uneasily at this before he sat up, calling in a more-hesitant voice: “S-Sleipnir?”
Nothing. No response, not even a creak. Blueblood hesitated, then slipped out of bed before he carefully started forwards, nervously eyeing the ajar door before he pushed it open and swallowed thickly, feeling a growing fear in his chest.
He stepped out into the corridor, looking back and forth... but no. Not a sound. Not a thing. The stallion felt his legs starting to quake beneath him as he breathed hard in and out, then called weakly: “If... if this is a trick...”
But he had the awful feeling that this wasn't a trick at all. The stallion whimpered a little to himself as he slunk out to the living room, gazing fearfully around before he trembled as he saw that Sleipnir... simply wasn't there.
Blueblood wanted to dart back to his room, but he gathered his courage and instead headed towards the kitchen. It was empty, too, just like he'd expected, the stallion biting his lip and feeling his bravery rapidly faltering before his eyes locked on a wooden stand filled with large, gleaming knives.
The stallion hesitated only a moment before he quickly hefted two of the largest ones with telekinesis, floating them in front of himself as his eyes nervously looked back and forth. They were both heavy, old things, although they didn't do a whole lot to make him feel that much safer...
He looked back and forth, then skittered out of the kitchen and back towards the colt's room. He slammed the door behind him and fell back against it, breathing hard as his eyes roved around, before they widened in terror as he saw a face in the window, staring at him-
Blueblood squealed and flung one of the knives, and it shattered through the glass as the face vanished. The sound was tremendous in the still evening air, Blueblood whimpering and keeping his back firmly pressed against the door as he stared at the broken glass, and at... at...
His own reflection. Pieces of his own pale, terrified face stared back at him through the shattered shards of the window, and Blueblood hissed through his teeth before he looked fearfully at his remaining knife, clutching it with as much telekinetic strength as he could muster and cursing at himself for wasting the other one.
Hesitantly, he approached the broken window... then ground his teeth together in frustration before he sighed in relief as he realized there were shutters, at least. He hurriedly slammed these shut and bolted them, promising himself at the same time he wasn't going to panic stupidly again over anything that happened.
Blueblood turned around, then froze up as he heard a creaking sound rumble through the house. He stared at the door, trembling like a leaf, as something quietly clunked outside in the hallway, something drawing closer, something that felt malignant and evil and... and...
Blueblood bolted across the room and threw himself against the door to hold it closed, trembling violently. He swore he heard something clunk in the hallway again... but there was no rush of evil, no banging against the door, no monsters leaping out of hiding...
After a few minutes, the unicorn uncertainly opened the door and nervously poked his head out... and there was no one there. Then his eyes widened in horror as he heard that clunking sound again, ducking hurriedly back into the room before he realized... it wasn't coming from the hallway at all. It was coming from...
Blueblood slowly turned around, and the shutters clunked loudly as the wind blew across them, the sound surprisingly deep and echoing, seeming to vibrate through the walls. And after a moment, Blueblood gave a weak little laugh before he lowered his head and shook it hurriedly out, whispering: “It's... it's nothing. Sleipnir probably just...”
Blueblood trembled, then he turned to make sure the door was closed. He hesitated only a moment, then quickly bolted across the room to the large table, shoving it hurriedly into place in front of the door to barricade it closed, not caring that he knocked his armor rolling in all directions across the floor.
Then he hurried back to the bed, throwing the covers over himself and holding his knife in a trembling telekinetic grip, staring fearfully between the door and window. He wished he had some way to contact Auntie Celestia, but he hads dropped his equipment bags in the living room, and there was no way in hell he was leaving here before morning to get his things.
Blueblood spent about thirty minutes trembling from a rush of adrenaline and fear... and then, thanks to the strain of the long day and all the excitement, he steadily began to droop, until he fell into a tired daze, and from there, slipped steadily down into uneasy sleep.
He didn't even notice when the door was slowly pried open by a slithering, slimy darkness, and didn't realize how unnatural the shadows stretching across the floor were until it was too late. But when those slimy coils wrapped around him, Blueblood snapped away before screaming like a filly, but even as he grabbed wildly at his knife with telekinesis, the inky slime lashed upwards and seized around his horn as it constricted his body, suffocating his magic.
He was yanked down into the dark, oily gunk, and Blueblood flailed helplessly, screaming and panicking until the goo wrapped firmly around his muzzle to try and shut him up. His eyes rolled wildly in his head as the slime moved surprisingly fast, darting out into the road before it lurched hurriedly along in the direction of the small forest.
Blueblood was horribly aware of every moment: he wanted to faint or throw up or scream, but all he could do was watch with terror as the black ooze dragged him along beneath the night sky, carrying him quickly into the shadows cast by the large, evil-looking trees. It slunk hurriedly through the grasses as awful things hissed and called around them, as if celebrating the return of the monster, the living shadow, the disgusting whatever-it-was that Blueblood flailed helplessly against.
It brought him to an unnatural stone mound, built almost perfectly into a dome and made from shale and stone plates and thickly-packed dirt. Other black slimes writhed horribly around this structure, and Blueblood whimpered in terror as the dark ooze easily dragged him around to a cavernous entrance.
It yanked him inside, and Blueblood stared back and forth in terror as they immediately began to descend down a long dirt tunnel, into a place that reeked of the grave. Blueblood struggled wildly, tears rolling down his cheeks, but the thing's grip was still too tight, its sticky form keeping him half-engulfed as it toted him onwards like some kind of grisly trophy.
They ended up in a large, squarish chamber lit by torches and thin veins of moonlight that shone down through cracks in the root-covered ceiling... and Blueblood's eyes widened in horror as he saw Sleipnir had been stuck to one of the walls like an ornament, slathered with that black gunk around both his stretched-out forelimbs and hind legs. His eyes were closed and his head hung limply, and the sight of him so... so helpless choked the unicorn with terror and despair.
Blueblood flailed and whimpered before the dark ooze crawled up the wall, then shifted back and forth, forcing Blueblood into a similar position with his forelegs out on either side and rear legs pinned painfully down. Then the dark goop withdrew, but left large swathes of ugly murk over the unicorn's limbs, and a matting of black gunk over the unicorn's horn.
The prince didn't even think about using magic, though, instead looking at the earth pony and saying fearfully: “Sleipnir! Sleipnir! Oh no, no, no, wake up! You're... you're supposed to be the hero, y-you can't be... you can't...”
And then Blueblood stared in disbelief as Sleipnir gave a loud snore, mouthing wordlessly before the unicorn all-but-screamed: “Sleipnir!”
“Oh? Oh!” Sleipnir jumped, raising his head and looking around before he smiled with a ridiculous amount of cheer at Blueblood, considering the situation they were in. “Oh. Hello! Damnation, thou startled me out of the most pleasant dream... and whilst I see not all of it was fantasy, we are lacking a certain mare who was delighting herself by-”
“What is wrong with you?” Blueblood howled, one of his eyes twitching as he felt inarticulate rage struggling with stupid, wild disbelief at the fact that of all things, Sleipnir had apparently been sleeping and having happy dreams about mares and... and... “We've been... kidnapped by... by slime!”
“Oh? I had not noticed.” Sleipnir said seriously, and Blueblood stared at him before the earth pony admitted: “Nay, that is a lie, I did notice. But I cannot say 'twas really a kidnapping, for I am neither goat nor colt, and I rather enjoyed the experience. 'Twas a most delightfully warm and gooshy ride. Why, 'twas like riding water... and better yet, here we are in the forest! They were kind enough to take us right to our destination, young Blue, is that not a stroke of fine luck?”
“What is wrong with you?” Sleipnir winced at the shrillness of Blueblood's voice, as even the black goop restraining them seemed to vibrate in pain at how high-pitched it was. “We... I... what the hell is wrong with you?”
“Well, there is nothing wrong with being optimistic.” Sleipnir reasoned, and then he huffed a bit and glanced around, adding mildly: “And this is not so bad, in any event. Look, 'tis a very nice... well, I do not want to call it cave or dungeon, that would be insulting to our host, whoever he may be.”
Blueblood twitched, grinding his teeth together loudly... before both he and Sleipnir looked towards the other side of the room as a voice said calmly: “Oh, by all means, feel free to call my home whatever you desire. It matters little to me, after all... you're both going to die very shortly.”
“Well, that is rather rude.” Sleipnir commented, watching as a pony slowly approached. But this was no normal pony: he was terribly thin, his long cape draped around him like a blanket and dragging against the floor with every step he took, his red eyes looking up at them hungrily, his coat a muddy, tarnished brown that was splattered with black gunk.
Blueblood whimpered loudly as the pony approached, baring a few rotten teeth and rotten gums at them in a sadistic smile. “Well, you'll have to excuse me. I'm only just getting used to having visitors again. Now tell me, were you looking for me? Did one of the villagers try to inform Princess Celestia that I'm here?”
“Oh, nay, we were merely in the area.” Sleipnir said conversationally, smiling pleasantly in return before he asked curiously: “There is ironwood in this forest, aye? What is the quality of it, would thou say? I could not see much of it in the darkness, I fear, and... well, I was rather enjoying the trip, to be entirely honest. My sister has always complained that my attention span is very short.”
The strange pony slowly narrowed his eyes at Sleipnir, and then he snorted suddenly before spinning away, hissing: “Be as brave as you want, but there's no escape from here. Whether or not you're nothing but... lumberjacks, you-”
“I am... I am the Prince of Equestria, and I demand you release me this very moment!” Blueblood suddenly yelled, his old, horrible habits kicking in as he struggled wildly against the slime, and the dark pony's eyes widened before he spun around, gazing with shock up at Blueblood as Sleipnir groaned and rolled his eyes. “You... when Auntie Celestia hears about this-”
“Yes! Yes, yes! So the princess must know about me, that I am here!” The wretched pony sounded strangely excited, dancing from hoof-to-hoof before he grinned widely, leaning up eagerly. “You're the perfect hostage! The princess will have no choice now but to give in to my demands and... you, you must be the prince's bodyguard! Well, I'll make an example of you to show that I'm serious... then we'll see if the mages laugh at my alchemy! Then we'll see how laughable the idea of an earth pony at the magic academy is!”
Sleipnir cocked his head quizzically as Blueblood began to hyperventilate, and then the enormous stallion asked curiously: “Thou art an earth pony? And yet thou hast conjured these marvelous little creatures?”
“I... why, yes.” The strange pony halted in mid-gesture even as several slimes gathered around him, and then he scowled moodily up at Sleipnir. “What, do you find it laughable too? Do you not believe me? You're just like the rest of them!”
“What? Oh, pah, use thine eyes!” Sleipnir chastised, then he shook his head wildly back and forth, making his mane of vines flap around his head. “Does thou see any horn upon my head? Nay, I am an earth pony too, just as thou art... but I have never imagined 'tis possible to create living beasts like thou hast... and they are loyal to thee? But how does thou command them?”
The thin, strange pony looked somewhat placated, then he sniffed loudly before gesturing towards one of the slimes, saying moodily: “They're not stupid. Why, they're as intelligent as any golem, and can be taught just as easily. They're made from alchemy: organic matter and a bit of blood to tie their loyalties to their master.”
“Alchemy? Well, thou hast done an admirable job.” Sleipnir said kindly, and the dark pony looked dumbfounded as Blueblood simply stared stupidly at the huge stallion, trying to process the fact that he was having a pleasant little conversation with the evil pony who wanted to kill them. “Pray tell, though, why art thou hiding out here instead of celebrating thy success in Canterlot?”
“Because the unicorn mages wouldn't believe me!” hissed the dark pony, stepping forwards with a snarl. “I made it right in front of them, and they wouldn't listen, said it was a trick, that I must have stolen the recipe! But now I'll make them all pay! Why, look around, I've built this huge lair and-”
Sleipnir gave a small, disapproving grunt as he glanced away, and the dark pony frowned, leaning forwards and asking: “What? What is it, speak up!”
“Well, I... this is a very nice place, but I would not call it a lair.” Sleipnir said after a moment, and the emaciated pony looked surprised and a little hurt by this before the earth pony leaned forwards, saying quickly: “Nay, nay, do not take it so personally, friend, 'tis a very nice place! I was not lying when I said that, but... well... 'tis just that it is very empty.”
“I... I didn't... I mean, I didn't know how I was supposed to furnish this. I mean, I've never actually been in a dungeon before and... I don't know if this qualifies as a dungeon...” the emaciated pony said awkwardly after a moment, and Sleipnir nodded sympathetically.  “There are a few other rooms, too, I... I've been mostly concentrating on expanding, getting... you know, kind of a labyrinth setup going, but... well, right now, I have this room, and my bedroom is back there, and we started digging out a corridor but then we ran into a big rock and we're having trouble moving it...”
“Oh, would thou like me to? I would be very happy to, 'twould be the work of a few moments.” Sleipnir volunteered cheerfully, and the dark pony smiled in surprised gratitude.
“Would you really? I mean. I hope that's not too awkward to ask, I know that I brought you here as prisoners and all, but... I'm new to this, honestly.” the dark pony finally admitted, rubbing the back of his head. “I mean, sure, I scared off some of the villagers, but... I guess I even feel bad about that. I really just want revenge on the unicorns at the magic academy. I just came out here because it's close to all the things I need to make my slimes and... oh, listen to me rambling on. I feel like an idiot.”
“Shush, shush! Thou art far from an idiot. Why, look at thy accomplishments!” Sleipnir said empathetically, smiling warmly. “'Tis a fine start to thy lair, and thou hast crafted such fantastic-”
Blueblood twitched, then leaned forwards and howled: “Will you stop complimenting this idiot? He's going to kill us both!”
Sleipnir glared over at Blueblood, and the dark pony blinked in surprise, then smacked his own forehead before snarling furiously up at Sleipnir, shouting: “That's right! You were going to trick me!”
The enormous earth pony looked injured at this accusation, but before he could say anything, the dark pony sharply gestured at the slimes on either side of him, snarling: “Enough of this nonsense! You know what? Let's kill them both and send their heads to Princess Celestia! Then we'll see who's laughing at... them!”
Blueblood shrieked in terror, and Sleipnir dropped his head, giving an abject sigh as the slimes began to eagerly slide towards them. He was going to have to remember to have a stern talk with Blueblood after this...
Assuming they survived, that was.