Sleipnir's Big Adventure

by BlackRoseRaven

Night Terrors

Chapter Fifteen: Night Terrors
~BlackRoseRaven

They set up camp near the bottom of the hill: it was another cool, clear night, and there were quite a few other campsites dotting the area, so they didn't bother with a tent or lean-to of their own. They only built a fire, and Blueblood found himself surprised as he ended up sitting rather pleasantly with Invidia while Sleipnir went to have his strange chat with the enormous old tree.

He was further surprised by the fact that curious ponies came and went now and then: he was a bit stiff with them in conversation, but it was more out of the fact that he wasn't actually used to talking to ponies than any question of status, now. He also constantly felt that he was going to be recognized... but sitting here, wearing nothing but his well-worn jerkin and with his shaggy mane hanging loose around his shoulders, he didn't realize that he must look like a completely different person. To all of the ponies, he was just Blue, the unicorn adventurer.

Sleipnir eventually came back, talking as cheerfully and warmly to strangers as he did to his friends until the night wore deep and their guests went back to their own tents. But the moment the last left, Sleipnir almost immediately became much more serious, asking softly: “Did thou send the letter as I asked, Blue?”

“Yes...” Blueblood said uncertainly, before he added almost anxiously: “But I plan to journey with you for as long as possible, you do understand that, don't you? You're not... I won't just return to Canterlot with the Royal Guard, you know. You have an obligation to see me safely home yourself.”

“And I would not have it any other way.” Sleipnir said kindly, before he said in a gentler voice: “But we are in for a hard journey. A journey that Horsia was only the tip of, my friend. The traveling alone will be difficult, for we have been fortunate with the weather... but I feel autumn stirring in earnest, and soon she will salt the world to help it prepare for winter's embrace.

“And Invidia...” Sleipnir turned towards the demon, who looked up attentively. “I shan't hold thee to our bargain if thou does not desire to travel the full term. We may end up journeying into places where thy food sources will be... scarcer, or of rougher mien than thou art used to.”

Invidia laughed a little, then bowed her head and murmured: “I feel... I feel that I can learn to control my hungers better, as I am learning to reign in my emotions, like you and Lord Blueblood do. No, I... I wish to continue this journey with you both. It... it is all I have, really.”

The demon glanced away, and Blueblood softened a little: her words were... honest. Not obsessive, not overeager or trying to please, just... what she seemed to honestly, truly feel. It made him want to reach out to her as he licked his lips slowly, then leaned forwards and said quietly: “Well, we... we're going to stick together.”

Invidia looked almost shyly over at the stallion, then she nodded quickly and blushed a bit, dropping her head forwards and closing her eyes silently. Sleipnir smiled softly between the two, and then he chuckled quietly before standing up and stretching out. “Well, that... aye, that is enough, actually, for the night. I think I shall try to sleep. I recommend thou both do the same.”

Invidia smiled briefly, and then she bowed her head before glancing over at Blueblood. “I did not see or sense my brethren in the area, but... I will make sure to keep a sharp eye out all the same. There is no reason to be foolish.”

Blueblood smiled a little, and Sleipnir yawned before he strode away, then simply flopped over, saying kindly: “'Tis good of thou, Invidia, but do not press thyself overmuch either. I think we will be safe tonight, so long as we do not do anything too foolish. All shall be well.”

The demon only shrugged calmly, then settled back and closed her eyes, as if meditating. Blueblood looked at her for a few moments, then shrugged a bit before slipping off to set up his bedroll and sleeping bag: by the time he looked back up, the demon was gone.

He felt a little strange that he hadn't gotten to say a goodnight to her, but... well, maybe Invidia didn't think he'd even wanted to. He had treated her a little bit... hostilely, he had to admit. And even if part of him was still nervous about the demon, the rest of him wanted to see if they really could be friends... freaky golden eyes or not.

But since that was really the only thing now that bothered him about her, he was trying to move on. After all, now that she wasn't constantly being cruel or conniving or clingy, she was... she was a much better person to be around, he thought.

Blueblood smiled a bit despite himself, rubbing slowly at the back of his neck with one hoof before he shifted a little and settled as best he could. And for a little while, everything felt... good. He felt himself drifting comfortably off to sleep and the world... felt right. Everything just felt like it was starting to fall into place.

A tickle started in his throat, and Blueblood stirred a little, before he found himself coughing. He tried to clear his throat, but it didn't help: it felt sticky and dry and painful, and the prince groaned quietly before he sat up, grasping at his neck and grimacing a bit. Every breath he took felt like sandpaper, and he wheezed quietly as he looked back and forth before swearing under his breath as he realized he couldn't see their supply satchels. Had they stowed them somewhere to keep them safe? Was Sleipnir sleeping on one?

He groaned... or tried to. What came out was more of a wheeze, and he grasped at his neck, coughing again He felt like he'd swallowed fire, and it had burned itself out on the way down... oh, it ached. And when he tried to clear his throat again, he felt nausea rip through his stomach as the dry walls of his throat nearly cemented themselves together.

He gasped for air, then stumbled before shaking his head and looking miserably back and forth. But then his eyes widened as he looked up towards the guardian tree in the distance, stumbling almost drunkenly towards the hill as he made his way towards the monolithic shape that seemed to be leaning against the starry night sky.

The unicorn staggered his way up the hill, tears welling up in his eyes with how much his throat was starting to hurt. With every second that passed, it felt like it was getting narrower and narrower, burning and agonizing and leaving him terribly afraid that any moment now, he was going to be left choking to death in agony in the grasses...

He almost fell into the Pool of Reflection at the top of the hill, trembling as he half-crawled over the wall of roots before he simply shoved his head down into the water, taking a deep gulp of the cold, clear liquid. And oh, it felt so good that he couldn't help but drink more even as he felt his throat almost immediately soothed, opening back up, letting him take a deep gasp of air when he shoved himself back from the pool and landed on his rump.

He belched loudly, his eyes widening in surprise before he gave an almost foalish giggle as his eyes flicked embarrassedly back and forth. Then he shook himself out, closing his eyes and smiling a little as he rubbed at his muzzle and mumbled: “Well, at least Auntie isn't here to see me right now.”

“Yes, I am very glad for that too.” hissed a voice, and Blueblood's eyes snapped open as he fell backwards, trembling in terror as he looked up in horror and saw some kind of fiendish, hideous thing perched on the wall of tree roots in front of him. It had terribly, terribly thin limbs that looked like nothing but skin stretched over bone, and a long neck at the top of which was a rounded skull with a face that looked like a carven jack-o-lantern. Its claws flexed slowly as it leaned forwards, ribs flexing and pushing against its purplish, leathery hide with every rasping breath.

Blueblood trembled violently as he stared up at this hideous thing's glowing hellfire eyes... and then his own widened in horror as the night sky overhead melted like plastic, dissolving away to reveal a crimson maelstrom beneath. The massive guardian tree behind the creature quaked and shivered, then burst suddenly into flames as it split down the middle, the beautiful garden that had covered this hillside seeming to scream as it became a horrific inferno.

Beneath him, grass charred and the ground rotted away into ashes and rock as Blue pushed himself backwards, shaking his head and whimpering in terror as the awful monstrosity slowly leaned forwards and crawled down from its perch, eyes locked with hate and hunger on the young prince. As it stepped down onto the now-barren earth, the wall of tree roots shivered before they suddenly tore themselves apart, a pool of not water, but crimson blood cascading down and twisting itself unnaturally around the approaching fiend as it flooded down the hill...

Blueblood panicked: the monster, the blood, it was all too much, and the stallion cried out as he staggered into a circle before tripping over his own hooves and rolling down the hill, jouncing painfully over the ground until crashed down in a sprawl on hard, unforgiving stone.

He coughed a few times, then looked up, trembling violently as his eyes widened in horror: there was no longer a pleasant meadow in front of him, but a sprawling cemetery, filled with gigantic tombstones and leaning, broken statues of angels, the rust-colored moss that dotted their damaged bodies horribly like blood.

Blueblood stumbled forwards, breathing hard before he looked over his shoulder in terror as the monster stepped down into the path, looking at him with such... such anger. Such raw hate burning in its bulbous eyes, as it rasped: “Now you're my prey. No more table scraps from the Harbinger.”

“What... what do you want from me? Why won't you just leave me alone?” Blueblood pleaded desperately, stumbling backwards and staring fearfully at this hateful, vile thing; but he already knew the answers to those questions, even as the creature grinned cruelly at him. He could feel it in every trembling nerve of his body: he was nothing but food to this beast.

The monstrosity laughed cruelly, then leaned forwards and said hungrily: “Fear. I want you to be afraid, little stallion. I want you to run from me. I want you to struggle.”

The creature licked its lips, then suddenly growled and flexed, its red flesh shimmering strangely before it began to shrink and compress... and in front of Blueblood's horrified eyes, in only a few moments the beast had transformed itself into the terribly-familiar shape of a unicorn in a crimson raincoat, eyes shining with unnatural, hideous light from beneath the wide brim of its hat before it mocked: “Don't you want to play hide and seek with daddy?”

Blueblood screamed in terror, shaking his head before he leapt around in a circle and bolted into the cemetery. And behind him, the hideous thing laughed before it yelled hoarsely: “Run, yes! Run away, hide and cry little Blueblood! But you can't escape me, even in your own nightmares! I'll drink down every last drop of your soul!”

The unicorn darted through the nightmare cemetery, tortured and confused by the laughter that seemed to echo around him from all directions at once. He felt like a helpless foal as he tripped and stumbled, screaming for Sleipnir, for Invidia, for his Auntie... for anyone at all to help him, even though he knew it was useless: he was caught in the web of another nightmare, and there was no escape, and no one who could possibly save him.

Blueblood stumbled around an enormous tombstone, flinging himself into the weeds behind it and gasping for breath before he looked up fearfully as the monster's voice whispered: “The Harbinger had me harvesting you for years now... and you were so perfect, such a ripe fruit so easy for us to manipulate and squeeze the juices out of. But you had to grow difficult, didn't you? You had to run away with the angel, started growing skin, making yourself a harder target...

“But you're not so tough.” The monster in the shape of his father suddenly stuck his head around the tombstone, grinning coldly, and Blueblood yelled in fear, leaping back out onto the path and bolting deeper into the cemetery, as the monster called eagerly: “And if I have to go through the trouble of skinning you alive now, then I'm going to eat you all up myself! The Harbinger can find its own meals!”

Blueblood stumbled over a grave marker, falling in a sprawl before he covered his face, whimpering and doing his best to withhold his sobs. He convulsed once on the ground, then trembled violently as he heard the creature's heavy steps striding forwards... and oh, even though it wore his father's form, he heard the clicking of claws, felt its gnarled and gangly shadow looming over him-

Blueblood scrambled to his feet and leapt away as the monster tried to grab him, hissing in frustration... then grinning suddenly, licking its lips as Blueblood darted into another row of tombstones. “You're being rude, little colt! You're waking up all those nice ponies!”

Blueblood automatically looked down... then screamed when a hoof tore out of the earth, grabbing at him wildly. He immediately leapt on top of an oversized tombstone, watching with horror as more corpses began to shove and dig their way out of the earth, grabbing listlessly at him as they whispered and moaned...

It was too much. It was too much for him to take, and Blueblood screamed again as he looked back and forth, shaking like a leaf, his eyes wide and terrified as the monster approached him, laughing loudly through his father's face. And without anyone to support him, without anyone to pick him up and carry him along like the dead weight he was, Blueblood felt that it was impossible. There was nothing he could do...

We fail only when we allow ourselves to.

It was like a gunshot in his mind, Blueblood looking up and trembling from his perch on the gravestone as the dead things writhed helplessly in the dirt all around him, and the monster watched eagerly, drinking in his fear. Sleipnir's voice... but how could he believe that? How could he hope to win against... against something this powerful, something that had taken over his mind, made him experience these nightmares again and again...

But to... to come this far, and lose; to die, and to die a failure, not fighting, just a screaming, crying coward... Blueblood shivered at this, and even as tears streamed down his face, he felt a vehemence rising up in him. A raw passion: neither anger nor hate but something even more primal that sprang from a place in him Blueblood didn't even know existed.

He trembled, then looked over at the unicorn before yelling fiercely: “C-Come on then! Come... come on! You... you do whatever you want, y-you bastard, but I'm... I am not going to die at your claws a mere coward!”

“You don't get to choose the way you live or die!” roared the monster in return... and yet even through its unicorn guise, it looked almost shaken, glaring hatefully at Blueblood before it snarled: “I am fear incarnate. I'm playing a game with you, boy, don't you see? In a flash, I could cook your brain in your skull with the terrors of your life I could dredge up!”

Blueblood quaked, but all the same, he looked down and whispered: “Every single day of my life has been spent living in fear. Fear warped me. Fear of losing my illusion of power, my superiority, fear of... all my lies being exposed. Fear of the nightmares, fear of my past, fear of my memories and... most of all... fear of myself. Of looking at myself in the mirror, and being forced to see... the wretched failure I really am.

“But I will not... I will not die afraid. I will not die afraid.” Blueblood clenched his eyes shut, forcing away his terror, his horror, thinking of Sleipnir and Celestia and even Invidia before he gritted his teeth and looked up at the monster, who stared back at him with disbelief.

Even as he trembled like a leaf, Blueblood forced himself to step slowly forwards, down from the tombstone, into the mass of writhing corpses. He shivered as they grasped at him, but forced himself to look straight across at the fear demon wearing his father's face, to not look down even as dead hooves rubbed against his body and tried to pull themselves upwards.

And then, the corpses slowly began to slide back down into the rotten earth, but Blueblood forced himself not to look down, to only continue to glare at the demon... at his opponent, as the fear demon snarled, and the mask of his father's face cracked. The raincoat rippled unnaturally before it suddenly rose a limb, pointing at him not with a hoof, but a mottled claw as it snapped: “Put on all the brave faces you want, but it won't help you! Dead is dead, and you'll be remembered as nothing but a worthless slop of a coward anyway!”

“I don't care what they remember me as. I care what I do here and now.” Blueblood stepped forwards, and the monster's red eyes widened before the stallion trembled, then forced himself to take another step towards the beast, driving back the fear as he whispered: “I am not afraid of you.”

“You can't lie to me! You fear me, you fear your father, you fear your life!” the demon snarled, stepping forwards... but even as it did so, further cracks ripped through its features, pieces falling away like glass and revealing the red, raw pulse of the monster's true face beneath.

Blueblood laughed faintly, and then he took a steadying breath before taking another step towards the creature... and the monster trembled and stepped backwards. The prince gritted his teeth, then strode forwards again... and the fear demon tripped over its own raincoat, stumbling away and shaking its head as Blueblood asked harshly: “What's wrong? I thought I was the coward here, not you... I thought that you were-”

“Shut up!” screamed the demon, and the raincoat exploded into tatters as its body warped and distorted, the true form of the beast emerging before it reached down and seized savagely into Blueblood's throat. The stallion choked loudly as he was easily hefted into the air, the fear demon glaring at him with maddened eyes as he hissed: “Do you think this is a game, that you have any sort of hope? You don't! I'm going to rip you apart, kill you, devour you!”

Blueblood grabbed helplessly at its wrists as he coughed and gagged, then glared furiously at the monster even as he continued to try and yank himself backwards, rasping out: “I... I won't just sit back and let you!”

His horn glowed brightly, and the fear demon had enough time to look up in shock before Blueblood snapped it forwards and sent a bolt of light into the monster's face. The fear demon immediately screamed in anguish, flinging Blueblood away like a ragdoll before he grabbed at his face, shrieking: “M-My eyes! H-How? How can this b-be?”

Blueblood groaned weakly as he picked himself up off the ground, shaking his head as pain pulsed through his whole body: even if they were in a nightmare, getting flung into a tombstone had hurt just as much as he imagined it would in reality. But all the same, he pushed himself to his hooves in the grass...

Grass? Blueblood looked down in surprise, before his eyes widened as he realized that the cemetery had transformed: the tombstones looked less surreal, grass and flowers had spread amidst the barren dirt and ashes, everything looked... different. But Blueblood didn't have any time to try and figure it out as the fear demon half-uncovered his face and lunged at him with a snarl, one red eye blinking as his other hand remained firmly clamped over the other. “Come here!”

Blueblood winced and darted quickly between two enormous grave markers, and the monster hissed as it unsuccessfully tried to jam itself between these, clawing at him before leaping back and darting around. But the stallion had managed to slip away down another aisle and slipped into the shadow of an angel statue.

The fear demon looked back and forth, then it uncovered its burned, blinded-white eye, shouting furiously: “Where are you? Stop hiding!”

The monster lurched down between the graves, looking back and forth angrily, but Blueblood only stayed silently in his hiding place, trying to formulate some kind of plan as the fear demon growled: “Do you think there's any point in this game? There's no escape from your own mind, no matter how much you jumble up your memories! And even if I can't feed on you anymore, I can still hurt you, still kill you!”

Blue gritted his teeth, then he dropped his head, wishing silently that he'd learned some of that magic from Invidia... but almost the moment he thought of her, there was a flash in his mind before her voice said charmingly, as if right beside him: “Lord Blueblood, you're certainly more than strong enough to use this spell...”

“What was that? What spell?” snapped the fear demon, looking back and forth in surprise, and Blueblood's eyes widened before the monster turned towards the angel statue and suddenly broke into a shambling run.

It clawed into it and yanked itself overeagerly around, slashing out... at nothing but air. The fear demon stared for a moment, then snarled in fury and shoved itself away from the statue, looking back and forth with a low growl before its eyes widened as a voice roared: “Here, fiend! I am here!”

The fear demon spun around and bolted towards an open grave, skidding to a halt in front of it... and then the monster roared in frustration, grabbing at its head when it found nothing. Nothing in the grave, nothing cowering around the other tombstones “Show yourself! Show yourself!”

“I'm right here!” Blueblood snapped, and the fear demon hissed and spun around... then screamed in agony when a blast of light smashed into its face, knocking it staggering back a step before it shrieked and toppled backwards into the open grave.

Blueblood immediately bolted forwards, running past the open grave as the disoriented demon writhed in the pit. Then the prince spun around, throwing his full weight against the heavy tombstone at the head of the grave as the fear demon screamed curses and promises at him.

The grave marker stuttered, rumbling, and Blueblood shouted desperately as he shoved himself against it, pushing with all the strength in his body and more... and a moment later, he almost fell in after the stone as it toppled forwards, and there was a resounding, terrible crunch.

Then there was only silence, and Blueblood trembled before he sat back, dropping his head forwards and closing his eyes. He breathed slowly in and out, trembling weakly and barely able to believe what he had just done before he carefully picked himself up and stepped backwards. He looked uncertainly down into the open grave for a few moments, then laughed in disbelief as he whispered: “I... I did it. I actually did it. Sleipnir... Sleipnir was right.”

Blueblood shook his head slowly, and then he looked slowly up and smiled faintly as blue slowly bled through the sky above, driving out the red poison. The world around him transformed too, the gravestones and statues silently dissolving as green, lush grass spread beneath him, bringing life to a world that had once been dead.

Finally, the prince drew his eyes down to the hole in the earth in front of him, and he began to smile a little as he looked down and saw only shadows; that was, until the illusion of peace was shattered as the fear demon lunged up out of the pit and seized him by the throat, hefting him high into the air as Blueblood screamed in fear, his eyes wide with horror as the monster gurgled from its broken skull, shivering violently.

Blueblood's horn began to glow, but the fear demon reached up and seized on this, and the stallion howled in agony as a horrific burning sensation filled his entire body, but became an impossible conflagration around his horn. He kicked his legs weakly, trying to jerk loose from the beast's grip as it gurgled and gargled: the fear demon's eyes were blind and its head was horribly crushed and its shoulders looked bent and mangled, but all the same, the freakish thing seemed determined to take its revenge even as it struggled just to stand...

The pain was becoming too much, and Blue felt his spasming starting to weaken, his body starting to go limp and numb. His eyes rolled in his head as he felt a sick, ironic understanding, a feeling like he'd been right all along that no matter what, he was nothing but a failure and no matter how hard he tried, there was no way he could escape his own fate...

Blueblood trembled, tears rolling down his cheeks, breath cut off, body weakening. There was no point, really, was there? He had been stupid to even try, he had been...

No, he didn't want to die like that. He didn't want to die a loser, any more than he did a coward. He didn't want to die not-trying, making up excuses and reasons like he always did, acting all vindicated and bitterly righteous when something went completely all to hell. He didn't want to die in the grips of this... this hideous, malformed thing.

With the last of his strength, the unicorn tried to pendulum his body forwards: the creature's thin arms swayed a bit before Blueblood swung his body backwards, meaning to try and build up speed for a second kick-

Instead, he kicked too hard, and the unbalanced, weakened fear demon lost its grip for a precious moment, fingers slipping against Blueblood's neck before the stallion's horn twisted and slashed down its hand. The demon howled as it shoved at Blueblood even as it overbalanced, and a moment later the demon crashed down on its face as the unicorn stupidly hit the ground a few feet away, rolling backwards as he coughed and hacked for breath.

He grabbed weakly at his throat, struggling for breath before he looked up with a wince as the demon tried to gargle something out, digging its claws into the grasses as it attempted to pull itself forwards. Blueblood swore weakly as he shoved himself backwards, shaking his head and trembling violently as he rasped in and out for breath, his whole body still on fire with pain, trying to come up with some kind of plan or answer or...

“Prince Blueblood!” shouted a voice, and Blueblood looked up in disbelief before a shape appeared at his side... an impossible presence. He stared up at her blankly, but Invidia only looked down at him with worry, trembling as she touched his face and whispered: “Oh, this was never supposed to happen to you, my darling... not while I was here, at your side... not while you were under my watch, my protection...”

Invidia trembled, her eyes almost tearing up, and Blueblood was both afraid and strangely soothed by the honest pain he saw in her. And then her golden eyes flashed, and for a moment Blueblood saw such anger, such hate, that it made his blood turn to ice as his eyes widened...

But it wasn't directed at him, as Invidia's eyes slowly drew upwards, her features tightening until her face looked like a rubber mask over something... hideous, and horrible, and not like a pony at all as she hissed: “And you. Cheat and carrion... a miserable, wretched little mind-goblin that I see my Lord Blueblood has already bested... but all the same, you refuse to understand and admit to your inferiority. But I am not as generous or as kind as the Prince of Equestria I serve.”

And in a flash, Invidia was on her hooves, her horn glowing with a terrible, malefic radiance, and the fear demon screamed in agony as serpents formed out of black mist and twined themselves violently around the monster's body, their coils crushing down on his thin limbs and burning into flesh like they were coated with acid.

Blueblood trembled, watching as the serpents forcefully began to bend and yank the fear demon's limbs up behind his back Invidia rose her horn slowly, her eyes still burning with hatred, her expression cold and callous and without a speck of enjoyment... but instead, with a terrible, awful righteousness that almost hurt Blueblood to look at.

Her horn tilted to the side, and then she fluidly flicked it back and forth, tracing a rune through the air, and the acidic constrictors suddenly expanded, growing to twice their size... and crushing down with more than three times their strength, the thin limbs of the fear demon shattering and snapping like twigs, making it squeal in agony before the expanded snakes lunged forwards, twisting and twining with each other's upper bodies as their lower forms remained tightly bound around the crushed limbs of the demon.

And then Blueblood stared in horror as they became one smoldering mass of smoke that pulsed and bubbled unnaturally before becoming one hideous, tentacled beast that floated above the fear demon, a single hellish eye opening in the black mass as its grinning, gaping maw eagerly opened and closed. It lifted the fear demon in front of it as its now-tentacles bent the screaming, squealing demon cruelly back and forth, before Blueblood watched with horror as it raised the fear demon to its hungry, enormous maw...

Blueblood flinched away and clenched his eyes shut at the first crunch, but there was no way he could block out the sounds of chewing, ripping, tearing, as the fear demon's screams were abruptly silenced. He shivered on the ground, clenching into the grasses and breathing hard before finally hesitantly looking up after a few minutes of quiet.

Invidia stood in front of him, looking down at him with worry in her golden eyes. The smoky beast was gone, just like the fear demon had vanished entirely: not a shred of either was left, as Invidia asked fearfully: “Are... are you alright, Lord Blueblood? You... I'm not... I just wanted to help you. That's all. I wanted to make sure he would never harm you again...”

“I...” Blueblood trembled a little, and then he only meekly nodded, slowly standing. Invidia looked... normal again, for the lack of a better word, but now that he had seen what she was really capable of, caught a glimpse of that thing beneath her pony mask... “You're...”

“I am a demon, Prince Blueblood. I... I am a demon. I'm sorry if... that...” Invidia shook like a leaf, then lowered her head and visibly bit back a sob, but she could do nothing about the tears beginning to run down her cheeks as she whispered: “I just wanted to help...”

Blueblood lowered his head, licking his lips slowly before he hesitantly stepped towards her. She only continued to stare at him, looking so miserable, so dejected, and the stallion took a moment to steady himself before he silently slipped forwards and embraced her tightly with one foreleg, closing his eyes and lowering his head as he murmured: “Thank you.”

Invidia stared past Blueblood, and then she smiled weakly, tears continuing to course down her cheeks before she buried her face into his neck, reaching up to clutch tightly into the stallion as she trembled and whispered: “No. Thank you, Lord Blueblood... t-thank you.”

The unicorn smiled faintly as he held onto her, and little-by-little, he felt the last strings of fear of this demon fading away. It became easier, more natural to hold her close as he closed his eyes, letting her settle tighter into his embrace before he finally murmured: “Just... just Blue, Invidia.”

He blushed a little, but he could feel Invidia's smile as she nodded against him, could hear it in her voice as she said softly: “Of course... Blue.”

For a few minutes, they only rested together, and it was... it was good. It was what Blueblood needed right now, and to help him finally start trusting in the demon, even if... “I never imagined that you were actually...”

Blueblood halted and blushed, realizing he had actually been speaking, but Invidia only smiled faintly as she drew back from him, studying him silently before she quietly took one of his hooves. The trails of tears had dried over her cheeks, and her golden eyes were... well, they scared him a little, still, but at the same time he found something about her strangely... entrancing. “Well, Blue... I cannot claim to be an expert on my own kind. One day, I will tell you why, but for now, simply know that demons can come in many different shapes and guises, and the faces we wear often reflect who we are.

“That was a fear demon, as I know you have worked out yourself. That is part of why it was so different... that, and it never lived a life as a pony.” Invidia said softly, before she touched her own breast. “I am an Envy demon, and of a much higher tier than that pathetic creature was. But as I have the memories of life as a pony, as I feed best upon certain emotions... I wear the face of a pony most naturally. But I will not lie: this is only a disguise.”

The prince nodded awkwardly, and then he hesitated before asking before he could stop himself: “And your true face... would you still...”

“Now, Blue. It is very rude to ask a mare to remove her makeup.” Invidia said softly, even though she seemed strangely touched all the same by the question. “Let us simply say that... if and when you do see what I truly look like... I only dearly hope it won't make you think any less of me than you do. But I promise you, that no matter what I look like... I shall always be who I truly am. And I shall always... be loyal to you.”

Blueblood smiled faintly, shifting almost shyly before Invidia looked back and forth through the unblemished green field beneath the comfortable blue sky, and then she murmured softly: “You are very strong, though, to have resisted and defeated the fear demon's powers. It was merely a minor demon, but all the same. Few ponies would be able to crawl out of the depths of their own terrors.”

“I don't know how I did. I don't know what happened.” Blueblood said honestly, shaking his head briefly, and Invidia looked at him curiously before the unicorn smiled a little. “I'm not much of a warrior, Invidia, as I'm sure you've probably noticed by now. I'm not even much of a stallion, really... I just... I didn't want to die a coward. I didn't want to die on my knees.”

He looked down for a moment, and then Invidia reached forwards and gently tilted his head back up, looking into his eyes softly as she murmured: “Then you have done better than could be expected of any stallion, Blue. You gained yourself a second life. You freed yourself of the nightmares.”

“I... I don't know about that.” Blueblood shifted a little: he wished Sleipnir could somehow be here, too, because he remembered... “The demon said something... something about a.. a Harbinger, I think it was?”

Invidia's eyes immediately sharpened, her whole body tensing up as she leaned forwards and asked sharply: “What did it say?”

Blueblood looked up in surprise, shifting nervously at the almost-glare that Invidia gave him, and the demon seemed to relax a little after a moment, lowering her head and murmuring: “I... I apologize, Lord Blueblood. I simply... it worries me.”

“Why? Do you know what the Harbinger is? The fear demon didn't say anything else, only that he served him, whatever he is, but... that he was tired of doing his work for him.” Blueblood said slowly, and Invidia looked up with relief.

“So the fear demon acted on his own... good. Then he did not act in the Harbinger's interests...” Invidia looked down before nodding slowly, murmuring: “You are right, then. The nightmares may not completely subside, but the Harbinger will likely find it more difficult to influence you. I know this demon, yes: it is a very powerful one, who attracts minor demons to use as servants and help it feed its endless hunger. For all we demons... we always hunger.”

Invidia stopped, then shook herself and murmured: “But you must not be afraid. I will protect you, Blue. That, and Sleipnir's presence, will be enough to keep this demon at bay for now. But I fear that if it has locked on to you, then you will one day have no choice but to confront it. Because otherwise, it will not relent in its pursuit.”

“So I have some kind of... of master demon after me?” Blueblood asked disbelievingly, and Invidia smiled faintly before the prince lowered his head and asked weakly: “But... but why?”

“Because of your pain. Because of your past. Perhaps because you are a prince, too: perhaps it wishes to bring suffering into the lives of those around you, and through those you love, like your aunts, spread that pain into Equestria itself. To make the world hurt, as it hurts...” Invidia looked down almost bitterly, and Blueblood frowned a little before the demon gave a small smile and looked up, murmuring: “I apologize. But we demons are a bitter breed, and sometimes... emotions slip.”

Blueblood simply nodded, then he asked finally: “Is there nothing we can do?”

Invidia looked thoughtful, and then she hesitantly nodded, murmuring: “If you trust me, Blue, then I will... reach out to other demons, see if we can send a message to the Harbinger. Negotiate: there are few things that tempt demons more than a chance for us to speak, and brag. We are all too often... very fond of our own voices and schemes.”

She smiled a little, and the prince shifted uneasily: that sounded dangerous to him. Not because he was still learning to try and trust Invidia, but also because... “Won't... won't you be in danger, too?”

Invidia looked touched, blushing a bit before she lowered her head in clear, honest gratitude, murmuring: “Do not fear for me, my friend... I am more than capable of protecting myself from other demons. I have been doing so for many centuries now.”

Blueblood shifted a bit, looking at her with surprise... but he guessed that since she really was a demon, and this pony shape was just like a mask... “It's strange to think of you as so... well...”

“Oh, I am not very old by a demon's standards. I still have much to learn. I have only recently come to understand that, though...” Invidia looked away, laughing quietly. “Perhaps we are more similar than I once believed, even though... I have always seen a reflection of myself in you. I do not mean any offense by that of course, my prince...”

Blueblood only smiled a little, then he hesitated before asking quietly: “Where are we right now? How... how did you get into my mind?”

“You answer your first question with your second, Blue.” Invidia smiled back all the same, looking at him kindly before she bowed her head: “And do not be alarmed, but... this is the method which I most often use to feed. By slipping into the mind of my prey and digging into certain memories and emotions. That, and your mind was strangely vulnerable, although it seems to be healing now... but since I found you at the bottom of the hill, away from the campsite, I can only assume that the fear demon attacked you in reality before taking over your mind.”

“I... I don't know. I remember being thirsty...” Blueblood murmured, and then he grimaced a bit and rubbed at his face. “So... so I headed to the pool to get a drink...”

“The Pool of Reflection. I understand: the demon manipulated you, and the waters opened your mind, made you vulnerable to the attack.” Invidia said softly, shaking her head slowly. “But it no longer matters. The demon was destroyed, and consumed. It will do no harm to you or anyone else now, Lord Blueblood.”

Blueblood shifted a little, and then he cleared his throat before asking hesitantly: “So can I just... wake up? I... I feel like we should let Sleipnir know what's going on and... I don't know how much I've slept, but it feels like more than enough for one night.”

Invidia studied him for a few moments, and then she gave a slow nod before murmuring: “Of course, Blue. Besides, it nears morning now, and it will likely take some time for your mind to settle enough that it... returns to your body, so to speak. Dreamworlds are strange things, not entirely within the control of any of us.”

“So I've learned.” Blueblood said softly, thinking of the way he'd been able to summon up voices to confuse the fear demon, how reality had altered itself around them both as they'd fought... and then he shook his head quickly and smiled briefly: “Thank you, Invidia.”

“The pleasure is all mine.” Invidia smiled back, gentle and compassionate, then leaned forwards and tenderly kissed his cheek, Blueblood blinking and blushing deeply as he reached up and touched this spot before the demon simply vanished.

And there was... the strangest sensation. Warmth and tiredness that blurred together, and Blueblood closed his eyes and yawned quietly before he allowed himself to slip downwards, settling into the comfortable grasses as the smells around him changed, feeling a tickle against his sides, hearing a murmur run through his mind... and then he blinked, eyes snapping open as a hoof landed on his shoulder and a booming voice called cheerfully: “See, Blue? I knew thou wert made of sterner stuff than thou thought!”

Blueblood blinked again, then sat up and laughed in relief as he found Sleipnir grinning down at him warmly. Then the prince winced as the earth pony easily pulled him into a firm, one-legged embrace, the unicorn flailing helplessly until the enormous stallion finally dropped him and asked almost eagerly: “Well?”

“I uh... well what?” Blueblood asked crankily, and then he quickly stood up, grumbling away and doing his best to hide his embarrassment as he looked back and forth. But it was a bright, sunny morning, and the few other ponies he saw didn't seem to think a single thing was out of the ordinary. Sleipnir was smiling, and Invidia was sitting nearby, sipping at a cup of tea and gazing at him with a faint blush.

His eyes lingered on her for a moment, and then he gave a brief smile before saying finally: “I... if there's any tea left, I think I could use a cup myself.”

“Oh, I see.” Sleipnir said knowingly, as Invidia immediately nodded and went about grabbing another cup... before both she and Blueblood froze up as Sleipnir said positively: “Thou did not just conquer thy fears, thou conquered the pretty mare! Well, most excellent, young Blue! A handsome stallion and a pretty mare well deserve the pleasures-”

“I did not!” Blueblood snapped in a strangled voice, glaring furiously over at the enormous earth pony. “Can we please focus on what happened to me?”

“Oh, it must always be all about thou, thou, thou, must it?” Sleipnir asked teasingly, and when Blueblood only looked at him sourly, the stallion shrugged easily before saying kindly: “Very well. Invidia has always passed on much to me, but perhaps thou can tell me more of what happened. 'Tis very good to see though, Blue... thou art stronger than even I had first thought, perhaps. For I did see much promise in thee, but I will freely admit, to be able to conquer thine own fears... I do not think even I would be able to do such a thing.”

He paused, then said meditatively: “Of course, my fears would likely take upon the form of my big sister, so this is not all that shameful. Few things in this realm or the next are more terrifying than a hungover Celestia, and 'tis no exaggeration. Of course, it does not help that the only times I have seen her in this state are after I cheated in our drinking games, and she disliked both losing and my bending of the rules...”

Blueblood only looked at the earth pony, and then he sighed before smiling gratefully when Invidia strode over to him and offered another cup of tea. He took it with a nod of thanks, and Sleipnir became a little more serious as he said in a gentler voice: “But I am very happy to see that the two of thee have found some common ground. 'Tis a true relief, considering where we had stood before with things. And it gives me much faith for the future, too, I must admit.”

The unicorn only gave a brief smile, shrugging awkwardly before he sipped at his tea: it was good, and it helped him... well, not calm down so much as give him a moment to get his thoughts in order. And after a few more seconds of arranging himself, he finally looked up and said softly: “I... I've decided something, Sleipnir. And it's that I don't want to be a coward anymore. I don't want to be afraid of everything, of my nightmares, of... everything in the world. Will... will you help me not be so afraid anymore? Will you help me...”

Blueblood didn't have the words for what he wanted to ask, blushing and looking down, but all the same Sleipnir gave a warm smile before he said softly: “Help thou? But why, my friend? For it seems to me that thou art already well upon thy way to becoming a truly admirable stallion.

“Nay. Thou art doing fine by thyself in that regard: what I shall offer thee instead is to better train thee in the warrior's disciplines. We shall march harder, and I shall give to thee more responsibilities, more weight. But I shall also be less thy teacher, and more thy equal partner.” Sleipnir smiled again, reaching up and squeezing the stallion's shoulder firmly. “And of course, now that thou art not shrinking from her, Invidia shall be able to support thee and teach thee her magic as well!”

Blueblood smiled a bit, then he hesitated before looking between the two: he still had his worries about learning magic from the demon, but now it wasn't because he had to spend time with her. Instead, it was because... “I... but her magic is...”

Invidia frowned a bit, but Sleipnir softened a little, saying gently: “I see. Nay, Invidia, our friend does not mean anything cruel against thee, rather... thou art scared of thyself, is that it?”

The unicorn lowered his head and blushed a little, shifting embarrassedly before he mumbled: “I... I don't know if I'd phrase it as 'scared,' but... yes. I... I keep thinking... what if my aunt had always kept this magic away from me for a reason? What if... I was always...”

He looked down for a moment, then shook his head slowly, murmuring: “I don't want to think about what I might have become, if I'd had real power as a prince instead of... just all those silly, meaningless titles. Every time I think that I've realized just what an awful person I used to be, something happens, and I realize there are still so many pieces of myself that are still... broken. That still need to be fixed, turned into something new. That I still have a long way to go.”

“The very fact thou hast come to realize that says much about thee, though. 'Tis a very good sign.” encouraged Sleipnir, and the prince looked up uncertainly before the earth pony patted him on the shoulder gently. “Aye, thou still has a way to go. But we all do, friend: even I am not quite the stallion I wish that I was, I will have thee know.”

Blueblood smiled despite himself at this, sipping at his tea before he said softly: “Only because you aren't buried up to your neck in mares, I suppose.”

Sleipnir grinned widely at this: it was at least an attempt at playful humor, after all. “Well, do we truly see the stirrings of life in thee, Blue? Finally! Oh, 'tis welcome indeed. Here I was beginning to fear thou would end up humorless and abject as my big sister.”

The unicorn only smiled wryly, shrugging a little as he took another sip of tea before Sleipnir said kindly: “See? Already, we are off to a promising beginning. Thou must merely try, Blue, as difficult as it is, as strange as I know it makes thee feel. I honestly do not believe thy problem is that thou art a coward. The problem is that thou will not try.”

Blueblood opened his mouth to point out his unwillingness to try probably stemmed from the fact he was afraid of everything... but it wasn't always fear that drove that, was it? No, Sleipnir was right, in his own weird way. Sometimes it was self-consciousness, or self-loathing, or other stupid feelings that he'd never really been able to swallow.

The young prince looked down, rubbing awkwardly at his face before he looked up with an awkward expression. “I don't like how well you seem to know me, Sleipnir. The fact you know me better than I know myself is... well...”

“'Tis a good thing. It means thou has more reason to believe me when I say there is a great mettle inside thee. That thou art a stallion of promise.” Sleipnir replied cheerfully, and the unicorn looked surprised at this before he nodded hesitantly, giving a small, awkward smile. “Good. Then our course is set for the future, and I am gladdened by it. Set thy eyes upon thy goals and work towards them, Blue, no matter what happens. Fight for what thou believes in, and hold close those who are dear to thee, keep them firmly in mind and memory and remember that thou art not only fighting for thyself: that thou art fighting for them, becoming a better stallion for their sake as well.”

The young prince nodded awkwardly, and then Invidia added softly: “And we will be here with you for the entire journey, my prince. To support you, to be your friends, to help you whenever you need it. It is our honor and privilege.”

Blueblood smiled a little at this, nodding slowly to the demon, and then he turned his eyes up towards the blue skies above, gazing into that endless, calm sea as he said quietly: “Only... only if you both remember that I'm your friend as well. And I'd like to... to try and be there for you both as much as you are for me. Hard as I know that will be.”

Invidia and Sleipnir both gazed warmly at the stallion, and Blue laughed a little before he drew his eyes down, looking from one pony to the other before he smiled and said finally: “So... I'm... I'm ready to leave.”

“Then 'tis no time like the present to get going.” Sleipnir said agreeably, and the three ponies picked themselves up. They would pack up their camp, put on their equipment, and then resume their journey, headed once more out into the wilds of Equestria, a fellowship of three ponies and three races that had finally formed a bond that no enemy could break.

Comments

[Oubliette]

Spells unlocked
Blue: Radiant Lance
Invidia: Curse of the Bloody Fangs

[Moongaze14]

Blueblood kicked massive ass in this chapter.

[Axel van Daeren]

I'm pretty disappointed we never got to see Celestia's reaction to Blueblood's letter about the Mines of Horsia. I was half expecting her to come storming out after him, furious at Sleipnir and intent on taking Blueblood home.