Wherein we learn that each species places emphasis on different types of speech according to their nature, especially the non-verbal.
Rimor paused as he felt a chill breeze curl around him. Looking about he noted with relief he was still in the wilder, uninhabited parts of Equestria.
“All right, there’s nopony around,” the unicorn said. Instantly a half-dozen windigo surrounded the unicorn.
“About time,” he grumbled. “What took you so long? Celestia undoubtedly has orders out for my arrest so don’t dawdle!”
“The Master wishes to speak with you,” one of the windigo chittered. “He is not pleased with the loss of your research facility.”
“Neither was I,” Rimor retorted angrily, “Not to mention the two nearly completed subjects! Or Glitter, she was irreplaceable. As for the rest, bah, it doesn’t matter. Come; take me to him before we are spotted by that cursed alicorn’s forces.”
“As you say,” the windigo replied, pale vapor leaking from its mouth. Four windigos positioned themselves around Rimor as he cast a spell to keep himself warm against their supernatural chill.
Casting a second spell caused a shimmering sling of hardened telekinetic magic to lift him a few inches off the ground. The sling had four gossamer loops that extended several feet away from the unicorn on each side. Without hesitation four undead spirits slipped the loops over their heads and rose into the sky, the remaining two flying escort.
Rimor himself ignored his bearers, a small part of his concentration maintaining the sling and the warming spell while the majority focused on his plans for establishing a new base.
ooOoo
“Teelo, are you ok?” Emma asked in concern.
Teagan blinked, coming back to herself as Crush’s scream faded.
“Uh, give me a sec. Crush just dropped a bombshell. I need to get some details.
What are you talking about? Teagan demanded silently. The world didn’t end. Pinkie stopped Tišina.
Crush turned angry eyes on her.
It was Cerise that saved your world, Crush retorted, this world of ponies. We were not so fortunate. We had no one except Duisternis. And they betrayed us. The Slange did not survive Tišina’s coming. Our world died in ice.
“Dronning, what passes?” Søyle asked carefully. Her queen waved away the troll distractedly as she concentrated on her symbiote.
With occasional prodding Crush laid out the history of the world before Tišina’s coming. First in words, then in mental images, and then, unexpectedly, Teagan found herself sucked completely into her symbiote’s memories, becoming nothing but a passenger in an alien body as she experienced the horror that Crush had actually lived through.
Well, she couldn’t actually say lived through, now could she? The horror of what happened, even filtered through the healing lens of time’s passage, was unspeakable. Only the fact her mind was numbed by shock kept her from descending into complete catatonia.
Thankfully, Crush sensed her inability to cope with the madness and cut the experience short. Teagan came back to herself, only to find she was now curled on the floor with Emma shouting her name and the three trolls surrounding her. Skrent and Flint were snarling as they faced down several pegasi guards. Søyle crouched protectively over both girls, teeth bared and claws ready. She left no doubt she would kill anyone foolish enough to approach.
“Wh-what,” Teagan croaked, shuddering as she fought to banish the alien sensations that slithered and raged through every inch of her body, “Søyle, what are you doing?”
“Oh thank God! Teelo, are you ok? You fell off your chair and started screaming!” Emma blurted, trying to lift the other girl to a sitting position. “Søyle, help me!”
Teagan suddenly found herself plucked off the floor and dumped back in her seat with enough force to make her back teeth clack together.
She tried to concentrate on the chaos around her and ignore the impression her tail was missing and her legs didn’t belong on her body. Instinctively she rubbed the tops of her thighs to remind herself that yes, she really did have legs and no, she didn’t slither on her belly…
Now that she was back in her seat the troll brothers calmed down a bit and the pegasi began to back off.
“What is going on? Why are you guys at each others’ throats?” Teagan demanded woozily.
“We heard you scream, Lady Teagan,” Stormwind said. “When we arrived the trolls wouldn’t let us approach to render aid.”
“I see,” Teagan slumped in her chair, exhausted. “Look, Stormwind you know how protective trolls are. Bursting in like that wasn’t the brightest idea. Søyle, Skrent, Flint, I understand you were trying to do the right thing, but the pegasi are clan. Try to remember that next time. ”
“Why did you freak out, Teelo?” Emma asked in the uncomfortable silence that followed.
“Oh, Crush and I just had personal moment,” Teagan said, blinking. “Sorry if we got a little loud.”
Emma stared at her with mouth open, eyes wide and eyebrows disappearing behind her bangs.
“What?” Teagan demanded brusquely. “Stormwind, no offense but you need to leave. I’m about to discuss matters of state for the World Below. Guard the door and let no one enter, all right?”
“As you wish, Your Majesty,” Stormwind said, motioning to his troops. Just before he closed the door, he turned with a smirk.
“By the way, Lady Teagan, you still aren’t my queen. I’d appreciate it if you kept that fact in mind.”
“Trust me, Wing Commander, it’s a fact I treasure daily,” Teagan said with a faint snort of laughter. When the door closed she turned back to her companions and her expression turned grim.
“All right, the reason I fainted is because Crush took me into his memories. That’s the first time he ever did that and I pray to God it’s the last.” Teagan shuddered. “Long story short, this world is much older than any of us ever knew—and a lot more complicated. Duisternis is unimaginably old. In fact it was ancient before they parted the Veil to let Tišina into the world. Worse, Duisternis is still run by the same individuals it was when Tišina first appeared. And, as far as I can tell, they’re completely insane.”
“How is this possible?” Søyle asked. “How many thousands of years has it been? Would they not be dust by now? Or are they the Deepest Dark?”
“Not thousands of years, Søyle, hundreds of thousands. But I’m not sure you can call Duisternis undead,” Teagan said with a shiver. “They never really died, none of them. They just—changed. Taken through the Veil, and then forced to live in the Dreaming World until it consumed their bodies and left—well, whatever it is they are now.”
“Dreaming World? Duisternis are demons?” Søyle asked.
“They are now,” Teagan answered, “but they didn’t start out that way. Their entire race was taken, Søyle. Every one of them, males, females, young, old, all of them. Tišina pulled the entire world through the Veil then kept it there while she did something to the original sun that turned it into the pale thing it is today. Meanwhile the world froze—except for the demons, of course. The place beyond the Veil fed on them, keeping them alive but devouring their bodies in the process. Until the only thing left is what they are now. Tišina didn’t bring the world back to this side of the Veil until everything was dead and the demons had fully transformed. A lot of them couldn’t take it, and either went mad or found a way to die. There’s just a handful of them left, maybe a few hundred.”
Emma looked sick. Søyle nodded slowly.
“Demons have never been common, Dronning,” she said in her gravelly voice. “But our first legends say they were encountered far more often than they are today.”
“Makes sense,” Teagan nodded. “The question is, now what? From what I could gather very few demons are part of Duisternis, it was some kind of elite magical group. They didn’t rule Crush’s people but they were widely respected. After the catastrophe the majority of demons like Crush and Cerise turned on them. Come to think of it I bet Nightmare was part of Duisternis.”
That is a reasonable assumption, Crush contributed silently.
“Crush just agreed about Nightmare,” Teagan told the others.
“That’s kind of creepy, Teagan. I keep forgetting Crush can talk to you like that,” Emma grimaced.
“Better get used to it, Crush is our ace in the hole,” Teagan warned her. “He knows more about what’s going on than anybody else on our side.”
“Can we trust him?” Emma asked before she could stop herself.
“Yes,” Teagan said without hesitation. “After what I saw in his memories, I can tell you Crush hates Duisternis. Wouldn’t you?”
“What about Cerise?” The other girl asked.
“I’m not so sure about Cerise,” Teagan admitted. “Cerise isn’t like Crush, she lives inside Pinkie Pie, remember? Demon sanity isn’t all that solid by human standards at the best of times and trust me I don’t blame them after what they went through. Crush has the advantage of those rules Klok put on him and living with trolls for thousands of years. It gave him a solid foundation to help him stay stable. Cerise—well, I’m not sure I’d call her sane. She’s a little too bloodthirsty for that.”
“I saw her when we were looking for Sweetie Belle, remember?” Emma said. “She kind of reminded me of an action hero from a movie.”
Teagan snorted. “Yeah, well I actually know her, Emma. Trust me, she’s mega creepy. She’s on our side but she plays by her own rules. Not somebody I’d care to depend on unless I didn’t have a choice. Better to let that sleeping dog lie.”
“So what do we do now?” Emma asked.
Teagan frowned.
“This information is too important, Celestia needs to know immediately. Stormwind isn’t going to be happy with me when I tell him one of his pegasi will have to play courier.”
“There are couriers in Hejm, Dronning,” Søyle said with a meaningful stare.
“Don’t worry, we’re still headed for Hejm,” Teagan reassured the troll. “I’m as eager to get there as you are but I’ve got a feeling Duisternis isn’t going to pass up the opportunity to strike at us while we’re in the middle of nowhere. There’s a chance we might not reach Hejm at all. How much time can we cut off the trip?”
“Perhaps a day, it depends on the dørvoktere—and Emma. I do not know if she would be able to keep up. But travelling quickly will make us vulnerable to bakholdsangrep. That would be very bad.”
“Is that some kind of monster?” Emma asked uneasily.
“No, bakholdsangrep is when one is attacked from hiding,” Skrent spoke suddenly. “Very bad, like skygge ulver last night.”
“Ok, gotcha. Very bad,” Emma agreed.
“This just keeps getting better and better,” Teagan growled. “Ok, we need reinforcements. I wonder if Rolling Thunder is still available? Those unicorns of theirs would be really handy if we got jumped. On the other hand, maybe another wing of pegasi would be a better choice. Ambushes are easier to spot from the air.”
“Do not discount your ætt, Dronning,” Søyle cautioned her. “There are many strong fighters who will account themselves quite well.”
“Can any of them fly?” Teagan asked drily.
“Clan Hest, Dronning,” Søyle answered calmly. “Those you call pegasi.”
Teagan paused, remembering how literally trolls regarded clan connections.
“Then more would be useful, right?” She asked finally. Søyle seemed to consider this.
“Perhaps,” The troll admitted. “Will the eldest Princess of Ponies be willing to send them?”
Teagan nodded. “I think so. Especially considering technically I’m still under Equestrian protection. When does that end, by the way? Where’s the border?”
“It lies at the mouth of the passage leading into the mountain, Dronning.” Søyle replied.
“You’re kidding, right?” Teagan asked incredulously. “The World Below doesn’t control any part of the surface?”
“No, even the customs house is not part of the World Below,” Søyle said. “The land it sits on, and the land in front of the cavern entrance, are considered neutral ground, useful for meetings with the World Above. Thus it was agreed.”
“So once we reach the customs house Equestria’s responsibility for protecting me ends, right?”
“Just so, Dronning.” Søyle nodded.
“So if Duisternis is going to strike it would have to be once we’ve left Equestria proper but before we reach Hejm. I’m betting they think the custom’s house is part of troll territory, but they’d probably still be happy to wipe us out there before we entered the mountain. You said Hejm is warded against demons, right? Meaning they can’t strike at us there, thank God.”
Teagan glanced at Emma, who was looking more than a little uneasy.
“Sorry you came?” She asked sympathetically.
“You need me,” Emma replied, shaking her head. “I don’t like this, but it doesn’t change anything.”
“Ok, time to beard the lion,” Teagan said, sighing. “Emma, would you go ask the pegasi to have Stormwind join us?”
“Think he’s gonna be mad?” Emma grinned in spite of the seriousness.
“Um, you have met him, right?” Teagan smiled back tiredly. “I just wish I didn’t have to do this on an empty stomach.”
“We could hold off till after breakfast,” Emma said seriously.
Teagan shook her head. “No, the longer we wait the further the courier will have to fly. Best do this now.”
As it turned out Stormwind was actually one of the pegasi guarding the door. He listened silently as Teagan laid out the situation to him. Once she was done he saluted her.
“I concur, Your Majesty,” the armored pegasus said in a serious voice. “Princess Celestia must be alerted to this information immediately. I will prepare a dispatch at once and have two of my fastest ponies deliver it directly to her. I will also request reinforcements, by preference Rolling Thunder rather than another wing of the Sun Shield. Your thoughts about having combat unicorns with us is a good one. I’ll have the couriers aloft within the hour.”
He nodded to her and went to see to it.
“That went better than I expected,” Teagan said when the door closed behind him. She stood and stretched. “Now, let’s go see about breakfast!”
ooOoo
Princess Celestia sighed and stretched surreptitiously as the noble bowed and withdrew. Morning Court still had two hours to run and she was already longing for the old days, when matters brought to her attention were important. The endless maneuvering by one noble against another, or one clique against another, while vital to Equestria’s functioning, grew very old after a thousand years of petitions like the one she’d just endured.
She was about to call for the next case when Faerie Mist caught her eye and rose in the air to approach her.
“What is it” the princess asked in a low voice.
“A pair of Sun Shield assigned to Lady Teagan have returned, Your Highness. Wing Commander Stormwind is requesting reinforcements, preferably the Rolling Thunder platoon. He submitted a full report justifying the request. It appears Crush gave Lady Teagan some intelligence that leads her to believe Duisternis will strike at them deep in the wilderness.”
“Oh dear, and Lady Teelo is not one to jump at shadows,” Celestia said, mind racing. “It would be an unmitigated disaster if Duisternis succeeded. Very well, authorize the deployment of Rolling Thunder to reinforce Stormwind’s wing, and allow them access to Heavy Lift Command resources. I want them in position by the time the train reaches Blue Sky station.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” The pegasus bobbed her head as she withdrew.
Celestia made a note to read Stormwind’s report over lunch and signaled for the bailiff to bring the next case.
ooOoo
Chrysalis sighed with relief as the newest and last member of her kaleidoscope rose to join the others. She was exhausted from her casting, but the warm glow of knowing that never again would they know the helplessness of living on the edge of oblivion lifted the darkness from her heart. She felt at peace, for the first time in six thousand years.
“Bravo, Chryssy! I see all your little butterfly ponies are back in their frilly frippery. And here I thought Celestia’s ponies were garish.”
Chrysalis turned a weary eye toward the bane of her existence. She was too tired to do more than raise one eyebrow in lethargic inquiry. She had no energy left for outrage.
“What do you want?” she asked, sinking to rest her belly on the ground. She closed her eyes, savoring the sensation of not having to stand any longer.
“Well a simple thank you wouldn’t go amiss,” he said huffily. “After all, I did turn you back into a flutterpony so that’s the least you should do. But you always were an ungrateful insect, weren’t you? Honestly I don’t see why my sister didn’t turn the lot of you into ice sculptures.”
“Because unlike you, she appreciated allies who would stay away from her,” Chrysalis said sweetly. “As long as we kept to ourselves and didn’t try to expand our lands beyond the agreed upon boundaries she was perfectly content to leave us alone. Something I can’t say about you, Discord.”
“Well where’s the fun in that?” he asked disdainfully. “Tišina always was so tediously dull. If you ask me, getting herself turned into a statue was her crowning achievement. Now she really is the Watcher of the Stillness.”
“If I said thank you would you go pester Celestia?” Chrysalis asked without much hope.
“I might think about it,” Discord said with a friendly smile.
“Then thank you for turning me back into a flutterpony,” Chrysalis said with as much sincerity as she could scrape from the last dregs of her patience. She bowed her head to the draconequus. “I appreciate it, as do my children.”
“Why Chryssy!” Discord exclaimed with wide eyes. “I’m shocked. You, of all creatures, giving me a genuine thank you? I never expected that! Not in a million years!”
“Yes, well I’m feeling generous today,” Chrysalis said drily. Then her voice turned imperious. “Now be a good little lapdog and run back to your mistress, Discord. I’m sure she’ll be happy to scratch your belly and stroke your gigantic ego. If you’re especially good I bet she’ll give you a treat—if you beg hard enough.”
“Ah, now there’s the Chryssy we’ve all come to know and love.” Discord stuck out his tongue and wiggled it at her, with an appropriate cartoon sound effect.
With a snap of his tail hair “fingers” he was gone.
Too tired to even make a bed for herself she stretched out and fell asleep. Several of her children used their new magic to summon a blanket to cover her as they gathered around to share their warmth in the gathering darkness.
ooOoo
Teagan eyed the stack of half a dozen foot wide pancakes hungrily. She nearly emptied the small pitcher of syrup over the stack and dug in with knife and fork, much to Emma’s amusement. The girl actually moaned in delight at the first mouthful.
“That’s genuine maple syrup” Teagan explained in the face of Emma’s raised eyebrows. “It’s so good! You should try it.”
“I would if you hadn’t used it all,” Emma said with a chuckle. She tried to pour the tiny bit left over her single pancake. It proved insufficient, leaving only a sad little puddle in the midst of the vast expanse.
“Ask the waiter to bring you more,” Teagan said around a mouthful of food as she wolfed down her breakfast, refusing to feel guilty.
The three trolls were at other tables, their own pony-sized portions appearing almost doll-like compared to their stature.
Emma helped herself to some scrambled eggs, not wanting to try eating her pancake without syrup. “Hey, Teelo, how come there isn’t a railway stop closer to Hejm? Is this Blue Sky station the end of the line?”
Teelo was halfway through her portion by now, she paused and swallowed to answer Emma’s question.
“Um, no, I don’t think so. If I remember what Stormwind told me Blue Sky is still on the plains, at the base of the first real mountain in the Crystal Mountains chain. The railroad heads further north before it splits, one spur going to the Crystal Empire, the other ending at Pisa I think. There’s a small train depot around the split, I forgot what it’s called. But Blue Sky station is the closest one to Hejm, we head almost directly east from there while the line curves northwest. From what Silkwind told me Hejm is about a day’s flight southwest of Gryphus, which is the biggest city in the Griffin Kingdoms. Once we reach the customs station it’s about a five mile walk from the cave entrance to the city proper. From the entrance of the city to the palace is another mile and a half.
“That’s on top of the fifty mile hike?” Emma asked in dismay. Teagan nodded.
“Yup. So if I were you I’d eat as much breakfast as I could. You’re gonna be burning calories by the truckload,” Teagan said with a grin. “On the bright side you’ll definitely lose that extra ten pounds you’re constantly moaning about.”
“Ha, ha,” Emma said sourly. “My blisters are gonna have blisters! Oh well.”
Just then the waiter came back, carrying another huge load of food, including more syrup that Emma snagged before Teelo could claim it all. She also shook a generous number of blueberries on her pancake as well.
“Ooh, is that bacon?” Emma asked in disbelief as the waiter slid a platter on the table.
“Grilled tofu strips, madam,” the waiter corrected her. She took a couple of strips and nibbled one cautiously.
“Hey, these are good! Teelo you should—oh.” Emma paused as she noticed a dozen strips had already appeared on her friend’s plate.
“What?” Teelo asked innocently, stuffing a tofu strip in her mouth. “Calories, remember? If this trip is going to get as exciting as I think it is then I want all the reserves I can get.”
“You really think Dusty-itis is going to attack? Especially with a whole combat platoon escorting us?” Emma asked in a low voice, one eye on the waiter who was setting another helping in front of Flint.
“If I was them I would,” Teagan replied in an equally low voice. “I know you’re worried, but stay with Søyle and you should be fine. Hopefully this will all be over by the time we’re ready to go back. We’ll be flying in a chariot on the way back, so it should be a lot safer. Three hours to Canterlot, then another forty-five minutes to the Bridge. Piece of cake.”
“Yeah, once this is over,” Emma said with a sigh. “It’s getting to Hejm that worries me. I’d rather do it without another battle like the one we got caught in when we crossed the Bridge.”
“Can’t promise you that,” Teagan said in a serious tone, “but if anything does happen Duisternis is going to pay for attacking us. I’ll make sure they think long and hard before doing it again.”
“Yeah, but old Dusty likes tricking other people into doing their dirty work,” Emma pointed out. “Cuts down on their costs, right?”
“Well, yeah, that’s true. On the other hand you can bet now that Celestia knows who’s behind this she’s going to spread the word to all the other countries. It’s a lot harder to use a cat’s paw when they know that’s what you’re doing.” Teagan pointed out. “Pretty soon everybody’s going to know what’s happening. I imagine even Chrysalis won’t fall for it a second time. She’s the one with the biggest beef against Equestria anyway.”
Just then the door to the dining car opened and three griffins walked in. The two girls recognized Silkwind instantly.
“You do know she’s a spy, right?” Teagan said in a low voice. Emma nodded.
“I saw you get a lot more cautious when Faerie Mist said she was a shadow liaison,” Emma replied quietly, “whatever that is.”
“No idea, but all griffins love intrigue, so be careful.” Teagan murmured as the griffon’s eyes lit up as she made a beeline toward them.
“Your Majesty, how good to see you this morning!” The griffiness greeted the humans warmly. The other two griffins quietly took a table at the far end of the car, keeping a casual eye on Silkwind but otherwise ignoring the humans.
“I wanted to thank you again for allowing us to accompany your caravan,” the catbird continued. “A wing of Princess Celestia’s Royal Guard is certain to make the trip much less worrisome.”
“Happy to help you out,” Teagan said, smiling. “Since you proved yourself with the shadow wolves I took your tip on the conditions between here and Hejm very seriously. I trust if there’s trouble I can count on you again?”
“Of course,” Silkwind said with an easy smile. “But then again if anything is so foolish as to attack a troll caravan escorted by the Equestrian Royal Guard no less—well I can’t help feeling pity for them.”
Teagan nodded, letting a small smile hover around the corners of her mouth. “I can’t argue with you about that. Of course fools aren’t exactly rare on Earth, so I imagine they’re pretty common on this world as well.”
Silkwind chuckled. “Alas, all too true, Your Majesty. Might I ask if you are expecting any fools to succumb to temptation?”
“Hmm. Let’s just say there’s no need to make it too easy for Murphy.”
“Ah,” Silkwind nodded her head. “It was nice seeing you again, Your Majesty. Perhaps we’ll get an opportunity to chat on the way to Hejm.” She bowed her head respectfully and left.
“That was easy,” Emma noted quietly.
“It really was,” Teagan agreed in a mild tone. “But I’m sure it won’t be our last chat during the march.”
ooOoo
The rest of the trip was spent with Teagan dozing while Emma was off chatting with the retinue’s trolls and several of the pegasi. She even had a short chat with Garrasi, one of Lady Silkwind’s bodyguards. She found the griffin brusque but polite, in a military sort of way. The female griffin herself was nowhere to be found, a fact Emma found somewhat odd.
Lunch was served around noon and they finished with about fifteen minutes left before arriving at Blue Sky station.
Fully rested for the first time in days, Teagan smiled happily as she watched the caravan assemble. To her delight Rolling Thunder was waiting for them. It took remarkably little time before everything was disembarked and they were ready to go.
The trip from Blue Sky station started easily enough. The weather was just cool enough to make the walk enjoyable, and the first hour saw Emma chatting and laughing. She quieted during the second hour and during the third she was clearly growing tired.
Teagan herself wasn’t feeling tired yet, the trolls too just strode along silently, seemingly indifferent to the hike. The pegasi and the griffins were likewise fine.
By the fourth hour Emma was beginning to struggle, but stubbornly stayed silent. The route had started to climb into the foothills, making the walk even more challenging. She watched as Emma began to stagger occasionally, head down and panting.
“Ok, hold up!” Teagan finally yelled when Emma stumbled and nearly fell. The caravan ambled to a stop, several of the members looking around curiously for the reason they’d stopped.
“You need to ride for a while, Emma. Get on one of the wagons,” Teagan said as she stared concerned at her friend.
“I’m fine,” Emma panted. “Don’t worry about me.”
“You are not fine,” Søyle said in a disapproving voice. “Clearly you do not walk very much if such a short journey has left you unable to keep on. We have covered only seven miles. There are many more to go and we must travel quickly. Into the wagon with you, young one.”
“I can keep going,” Emma argued, even as she panted for breath.
“No doubt,” Søyle said nodding. “Perhaps for another five minutes. Ten if you are as persistent as you appear to be.”
She scooped up the protesting girl and slung her over her shoulder. Carrying her to the nearest wagon, Søyle handed the teen to the troll hauling the wagon. He promptly lifted her to the top of the wagon with a big grin.
Emma just sat there stunned as the caravan started up again
“You know, we could arrange to fly you to Hejm if you were willing to travel by sling,” Wing Commander Stormwind said with a smirk as he swooped next to her and hovered. “We could have you there in under an hour, guaranteed.”
“Very funny, Commander,” Emma growled. “I may be just a civilian and maybe I can’t walk all the way to Hejm,” she glared at the pegasus. “But I won’t abandon Teagan just because I get a little tired! And I won’t accept any special favors like I’m some kind of invalid from a smart-assed pegasus either!”
The pegasus only nodded, giving her a look of—approval?
“Good answer,” was all he said before curving away to rejoin his wing. Emma just stared after him, confused.
ooOoo
They traveled another three hours before stopping to make camp at the top of a hill. When asked, Stormwind told Teagan there was another two hours of daylight, but he wanted time to create a secure camp in case of attack. The girl wasn’t going to argue the point, especially since Søyle told her they’d covered three miles more than originally planned.
Emma was subdued, clearly embarrassed by her poor showing, so she made a point of trying to help with setting up camp. She was told politely but firmly by the ponies that while they appreciated the offer they didn’t need her help.
Teagan found her sitting off to one side, staring moodily down the hill, facing the way they’d come from.
“Hey,” Teagan said quietly, finding another rock to sit on.
Emma sighed. “That was embarrassing, you know. Søyle just picked me up like a sack of potatoes! Bet they never treated you like that.”
“Well, trolls are a little—direct—in how they handle things. Don’t let it get to you.”
“I just felt so useless sitting on top of that wagon. It didn’t help that Kusken makes Flint look like a blabbermouth either. And I know he speaks Equestrian! I bet they all think I’m helpless now.” Emma sighed again.
“Hey, believe me I know how you feel. During that whole Tišina thing I didn’t do squat,” Teagan commiserated. “Matt led the mission, Evelyn helped Subtle Dancer find Tišina, Cerise fought her and it was Pinkie that saved the day. Come to think of it Pinkie was up to her frizzy mane in just about everything that time. She was the real hero. Me? I turned down a marriage proposal!”
“Yeah, but I can’t even walk someplace,” Emma groused. “I notice you didn’t need to ride today.”
“True. But my feet are killing me,” Teagan said with a wince. “I’m thinking by tomorrow your perch is gonna look pretty tempting.”
“I’m going to walk tomorrow,” Emma swore. “Maybe not all day, but I’m going to try. If I walk longer each day I won’t humiliate myself by the time we get to Hejm, right? I’d hate not to be able to at least walk from the cave mouth to the city.”
“Søyle tells me we won’t be able to put as many miles behind us tomorrow,” Teagan warned her. “The path gets a lot steeper the further we go into the mountains. We’ll either be going up or down mountain sides for the rest of the trip.”
“Terrific,” Emma moaned. “Why aren’t we flying there by chariot again?”
“Because Equestria doesn’t have enough chariots big enough to haul all these trolls,” Teagan said with a chuckle. “Stormwind told me he offered to airlift you. Why’d you turn him down?”
“Yeah, wouldn’t that look nice? Little miss helpless can’t even walk!” Emma scoffed. “Besides, I’m here to help you, remember? Fat lot of good I’d do you if I was sitting in Hejm waiting for you.”
“I tried to tell you,” Teagan replied mildly. Emma waved her off.
“Yeah, yeah. I should have listened. But if I had who’d deal with your nightmares?”
“I don’t get them too often. I guess the whole Sweetie Belle thing triggered it,” Teagan said ruefully. “Thank you, by the way, if I didn’t say it then.”
“You’re welcome. I may not be up to this whole hero thing, but I can take care of you in ways ponies and trolls can’t. I’ll leave the dragon-slaying up to you and you leave the nightmares up to me.”
“Princess Luna might get jealous if she heard you say that,” Teagan said with a laugh. “Chasing away nightmares is her job.”
“Really?” Emma asked, surprised.
“Remember how Celestia used a dream-walking spell to let us listen in to Twilight talking to your parents? Luna can do that without a spell—for every pony in Equestria. It’s one of her powers. Princess of the Night, remember?”
“Huh. Guess it only works for ponies then.” Emma said. “Not to worry, you have me.”
“Speaking of which, it’s getting about time for bed. We’ll be breaking camp at dawn to take advantage of every minute of daylight for travel.”
The two girls made their way back to a good sized tent set up for them by the ponies. Apparently trolls rarely used them, save when it rained. They thought nothing of sleeping in a bedroll under the open sky.
As Emma settled she promised herself she’d do better tomorrow. Still feeling depressed she slipped into sleep.