Sleipnir's Big Adventure

by BlackRoseRaven

We All Get The Blues

Chapter Seventeen: We All Get The Blues
~BlackRoseRaven

The night was spent in one of the village's abandoned houses after Sleipnir apologized profusely for burning down the hotel. But thankfully, most of the village was just happy that the adventurers had come back and finished off the cold-bringing demons.

They had left in the morning, Blueblood favoring his front leg a little: understandable, since it was his first major wound. But Invidia had disinfected it and Sleipnir had sewn the wounds shut and applied a salve to it.

They made good time on their journey in spite of Blueblood's wound and the odd quiet over the group. Sleipnir looked a little strange, and Invidia seemed to be a bit more distant than usual. But Blueblood didn't even notice that something was off about his companions until late in the day, after quite a few hours of walking without any conversation.

They were headed through a rocky gorge, where the snow was much lighter than it had been: in part thanks to the cliffs, in part thanks to the strange warmth that radiated through the trench, and in part simply because they had left the area that had been taken over by all the cold demons. Blueblood looked up at the sky as he thought about this... then shivered a little when he saw a distinct blue shape seem to run by through the air high above, heard a faint whinnying... “North Wind?”

“Aye, that is correct.” Sleipnir glanced up absently, studying the sky for a moment before he shook his head. “It must be a scout. Do not fear, alone the North Wind can do little but worsen storms without the aid of fellow demons. And there will not be any storms for at least two nights.”

Blueblood looked awkwardly at Sleipnir: realizing how serious he sounded, how... well, tired, he looked. The prince licked his lips slowly, then asked almost uncomfortably: “Are... are you okay?”

Sleipnir rose his head slightly, then gave a brief smile before he nodded, saying softly: “Aye, I am. Of course I am, Blue, do not fear otherwise. 'Tis simply that... it has been a long few nights, and I must admit that I do not think the best of mine own self with how I have failed well in my job of protecting thee.”

Blue only laughed a little at this, looking down at his wounded leg as he mumbled: “No, Sleipnir... I failed to protect myself. I was afraid, and let myself... run out of strength and focus like a foal. I... I know better. And I'm not mad at you, certainly.”

“That actually does much to raise my spirits, Blue. Thou hast my thanks for that.” Sleipnir said softly, raising his head with a brief smile, and Blueblood smiled hesitantly back before the earth pony shook himself out quickly, then turned his eyes to Invidia. “And what of thee? How art thou feeling?”

“I am... I am alright, Sleipnir. But I suppose that since you two have felt... less than yourselves, it has affected me as well. Not to mention this continuing sense of... being watched.” Invidia admitted with her own small smile to the two stallions, and then she sighed a little before gazing ahead down the rocky trench, murmuring: “Not that this environment does much for me, either. It is rather... ruinous.”

“Nay, the barren tracts of nature have as much point as her most fertile fields and seas.” Sleipnir replied kindly, gesturing easily outwards along the trench. “For if nature was nothing but trees and grasses and flowers and fields, then wildfire would burn unchecked... and worse, 'twould be very boring to see nothing but green, and no great gorges to explore, no dark swamps to muddle through!”

“Yes, that would be so very sad.” Blueblood mumbled, the memory of the first swamp Sleipnir had forced him to wade through still very clear in his mind. “I still have muck in my hooves from trying to get your bog iron or whatever you called it, by the way.”

“Oh, shush, thou has muck in thine ears.” Sleipnir said crossly, and Blueblood couldn't help but smile in amusement: he didn't know why, but every time the earth pony sounded irritated, he couldn't help but feel accomplished.

Blueblood looked over at Sleipnir, and the enormous earth pony looked mildly back before he shook his head quickly, gesturing outwards and saying: “Aye, so 'tis not so pretty and 'tis a rough tract. 'Tis also still better by far than some of the places we have traveled, is it not? I would rather walk this trench than through, say... that great ugly city we passed through not long ago.”

“Yes, but you hate cities. And I quite liked it.” Blueblood argued, feeling a little more like himself as he did so. He shifted his weight a bit, but even the pulse of pain from his leg felt a little less as they continued to walk and Sleipnir strung him along into an argument.

But Sleipnir had long ago noticed that when he wanted to cheer Blueblood up, the fastest and most effective way was usually to distract the unicorn by getting him into some kind of debate. He was a lot like his family in that regard: the easiest way to distract Celestia had always been to start up a silly argument with her, and the sillier, the better. She would get so distracted and angry at him that she'd forget everything else... which usually let him get away with some of his best pranks and misadventures.

Besides, talking made him feel better, too: he'd almost forgotten that sometimes you didn't really need to talk about what was bothering you, you just needed to... to talk. It passed the time, gave a sorely-needed sense of connection, and helped the other ponies know that things were... even if they weren't okay, that time was continuing to move forwards, that nothing so bad had happened yet that it meant the world had ended.

That night, they set up camp, and the evening was just spent chatting and relaxing, trying to establish some kind of normalcy again between them. And it almost worked: the night passed well, and they all settled down to try and sleep in comfort.

Blueblood wasn't disturbed by nightmares that night, but all the same, something felt strange to him even through his dreams, like he could hear a faint, echoing noise he wasn't used to. His instincts pricked up at it, and Blue wrestled himself slowly out of the grips of sleep to open his eyes.

It was dark where they'd set up camp, only the dim light cast by the embers of the campfire lighting up this little nook in the shadows of the cliffs. The night was cloudy and desolate, with no wind, no stars, no nothing... but there was that quiet sound that was so unfamiliar, and yet Blueblood knew all the same he'd heard it before, or at least something like it...

He looked back and forth until he finally located the source of the noise, and his eyes widened in surprise as he saw Sleipnir was seated at the edge of the fire, his forelegs hugging himself tightly, his head lowered as he trembled and... “S-Sleipnir?”

The enormous earth pony rubbed childishly at his eyes, trying to hide his tears as he asked gruffly: “A-Aye? What is it, Blue, thou... did thou have a nightmare?”

“No, I... are you okay?” Blueblood asked uncertainly, climbing to his hooves and nervously taking a few steps forwards, and the enormous earth pony scrubbed hurriedly at his face as he half-turned away, trying to swallow his quiet, chuffling sobs.

“I... I am fine, Blue, do not fear for me, I... I am fine.” Sleipnir mumbled, shaking himself quickly out before he added roughly: “Thou... thou should sleep, 'twill be morning soon...”

“Sleipnir. Come now, what's going on?” Blueblood asked softly, halting and biting his lip before he sat carefully down on the other side of the fire, feeling almost like he was walking on glass as he looked uncomfortably at the enormous stallion. And yet at the same time... “I'm... I'm not going to go away until you tell me what's going on.”

Sleipnir grumbled under his breath, lowering his head and mumbling over another repressed sob: “I... I am fine, thou needs not worry for me, I... it is nothing, m-merely... merely a... a bug in mine eye, that is all...”

Blueblood only tilted his head towards the earth pony, giving him a dry look, and there was silence apart from the earth pony's snuffling for a few moments. And finally, Sleipnir gave a quiet sigh before he whispered: “Something... aye, something... terrible is happening. I... I feel it with every fiber of my being... a pony has been lost. And I know not if it is happening now, or happened in the future or past, I... I merely know that someone I love... will soon be lost.”

The unicorn sighed a little at this, and then he said quietly: “Sleipnir, please. It's one thing to believe that you can talk to nature, but it's another entirely to think-”

“No, I know this!” Sleipnir said with such vehemence that it almost made Blueblood fall over, the unicorn looking surprised at the near-anger of the earth pony. “I know this! Do not doubt this, Blue, I... if something happened to thine aunt, would thou not know it?”

“I...” Blueblood halted, and then he bit the inside of his lip. For some reason, it felt almost like a strange betrayal to say that he wouldn't have any idea if something happened to Aunt Tia... “I don't know, Sleipnir, but... I mean... how could I?”

“That is not an answer.” Sleipnir mumbled, and then he shook his head slowly before closing his eyes and rubbing at his face slowly. “No, there is something wicked going on and... I fear it will result in a great loss... I... the worst part is not knowing whether or not it has happened, is only that... I can only know that it...”

He shivered, then suddenly slammed a hoof down into the dirt beside him, grinding his teeth together. “Oh, damnation... what a failure I am! My family needs me and yet I can do nothing, nothing at all to aid them...”

“Sleipnir, of... of all the ponies I've ever met, you're the one who least strikes me as a failure.” Blueblood said with surprise, shaking his head before he gave a faint smile, hesitantly scooting forwards a little closer to the earth pony. He felt awful for this stallion, and even if he wasn't entirely sure just what he could do for Sleipnir, how he could even talk to him... all the same... “Look, I... you've taught me so much. You're wise, and strong. And if you could have done anything, I know you would have, Sleipnir... if anypony is to blame for making it harder for you to get home, then, well...”

Blueblood looked down, struggling for a moment before he said quietly: “Then it's me. I've done nothing but... delay you and hold you up this entire journey, and you've spent... almost wasted all this time trying to train me, and I... I keep making mistakes. I keep costing us time and... look at that village. I refused to listen to you and Invidia and it nearly cost those villagers their lives, and somehow I feel... I feel even more terrible than I think I would had I only put my own life at risk.”

Sleipnir laughed a little at this, looking down silently before he shook his head briefly and murmured: “Nay, 'tis... this... this is a good cause, Blue, and thou art young. Thou art not just expected to make mistakes, I... I would be saddened if thou did not. Mistakes mean thou art taking risks, trying to find thy own way... they are good and necessary.

“And... thou art more useful to me than thou could know.” Sleipnir looked up with a faint smile, rubbing his wrist childishly at his eyes before he nodded a few times, breathing slowly. “Aye, what a mess I am. Look at me, Blue, I am but flesh and blood too... and a rile of emotions. I know better than this and yet...”

“It's... it's alright.” Blueblood said finally, not knowing what else to say as he tried to give a small smile. “You've always shown me infinite patience, even for much more minor wounds.”

Sleipnir shrugged a bit, then he looked down as quietly rubbed at his face again with one hoof before closing his eyes and murmuring: “Perhaps, perhaps not. We have done much for each other, Blue. More than I expect thou may ever truly appreciate.”

The unicorn only gave Sleipnir another lame smile, and he didn't really know what to say or what to do. Bur just his presence seemed to be helping a little, so the prince let himself slip another few paces closer before he cleared his throat and dropped his head, mumbling: “I... I would always like to do more for you, though, Sleipnir. Please don't ever forget that or... lose sight of that.”

The young prince didn't know what to say... but after a moment, he realized he didn't really have to say anything at all, so he just smiled. They sat up together like that for a while, until Sleipnir finally gave the unicorn a smile in return and said softly: “I am sorry for worrying thee. Please, return to thy bed for a few hours, Blue. I shall be fine.”

Blueblood hesitated, then studied the earth pony for a few moments before he murmured: “Just... please remember that we're partners in this, Sleipnir. You don't have to fight these fights alone. I'm... I would like to try and be there for you, as you are for me.”

“I shall endeavor to remember it better in the future, Blue. And know that thou hast my thanks from the bottom of my heart.” Sleipnir said gently and honestly, and Blueblood simply smiled again and shrugged a little before the enormous earth pony chuckled quietly as he sat back. “Aye, pride... I fear I have my weaknesses too.”

Blueblood only shrugged, hesitating only a few more moments before he turned and headed back to his bedroll, and Sleipnir simply sat back and watched the unicorn return to bed. He studied him as Blue awkwardly slipped down to rest... but soon enough, he was back asleep.

Sleipnir smiled a little at this: he was still... young, really, for lack of a better word. But it was a good thing. It meant that Blueblood hadn't let his nightmares or this journey get to him; he was surprisingly resilient for a unicorn who'd started out as a rather rude, obnoxious, self-centered princeling. But Sleipnir had sworn there was something there and he was glad to see he was right... more right than he'd even expected to be, really.

The earth pony lowered his head as he looked into the embers of the fire, and then he closed his eyes and sighed softly, doing his best to push away the heavy thoughts before they could overburden him again. What a fool he felt like; not for giving in to his emotions, but for waking up and worrying poor Blueblood... and for his damned pride. Trying to carry all this burden on his own when the prince was right: he didn't have to. He had friends here, good friends, trusted friends. It was insulting to them when he refused to share his pains with them.

Still, Sleipnir hated to burden others. He was supposed to be the strong warrior, the cheerful one, the stallion who never gave in to the darkness or the pain. But he too had shadows in his heart, and he too from time to time felt the rain in his mind, especially when he was left helpless like he was right now. But he wasn't entirely helpless, was he? No, he could find purpose in doing good here, at least... even if there was something horrible going on back home, he could at least make sure that he did the best possible job he could here and made sure this world was kept safe.

Sleipnir reached up and let one hoof settle over his own breast, and then he smiled a little as there was a flicker of shadows before Invidia appeared beside him. The demon studied him intently, but Sleipnir only looked calmly, quietly back, until the demon nodded once and murmured: “If you like, I... I am very capable of siphoning your pain as well, Sleipnir. I merely thought that... it would be rude to ask.”

The earth pony shook his head, then he asked quietly: “Did thou find enough to feed?”

“Yes, thank you. Pickings are... meager, though. I begin to understand what you meant by how difficult the hungers would be: I do not want to feed upon you or Blue, and nor would it be polite to feed upon the few ponies we do happen to come across.” The demon smiled a little. “It felt... inelegant to return to the town we just saved and feast on their emotions. So instead, I found some wild game.”

The earth pony nodded a few times, then he asked curiously: “Does thou like to eat more than emotions? I am not the worst in the world at cookery, I shall have thee know. If thou kills an animal, bring it back here. There are many uses I can find for hides and other parts, and the meat I can make a serviceable meal for thee out of. Perhaps that will be nice for thou.”

“Oh, meat...” Invidia actually looked uncertain, which surprised the stallion. “I'm not... sure that I should be eating foods like... that, Sleipnir. Although your offer is generous and I will keep it in mind, all the same...”

“What, thou art a demon who has never eaten meat? I shall have thee know that even I have eaten meat... but aye, 'twas a much rougher world that I came from.” Sleipnir paused, then added meditatively: “And well, my wife is a Devourer. When one's love feasts, one cannot help but desire to taste her meals, one way or the other.”

Invidia studied him curiously, even though she looked almost ill at the thought of eating meat before she said finally: “You do not strike me as a... meat-eater, Sleipnir. It's a rather strange thought.”

“No stranger than much of the rest of this world, methinks.” Sleipnir replied easily, shrugging a little before he looked down into the ashes of the fire, reaching a hoof out and stirring them calmly... and Invidia blinked in surprise as flames leapt up after a moment as the stallion withdrew his hoof with a slight smile. “Aye, for in our world... things are rarely what they seem.”

Invidia looked down into the flames thoughtfully, and then Sleipnir said softly: “And I shall have thee know that I am not the worst in my family. Why, my younger sister eats meat almost every day. Even her children do, and they are some of the best ponies I have ever met. Strange, eccentric, oh certainly; but they are not killers or beasts. They merely... have odd tastes. That is all.”

Sleipnir paused, then he reached up and added ruefully: “Although I shan't pretend I enjoy such flavors as heartily as the rest of mine loved family seems to. I fear that I am very content upon a diet of ale and hardy vegetables, to the horror of my dear sister Luna.”

Invidia smiled at this, then she leaned forwards and asked curiously: “Will you tell me more of your family?”

“Nay, I shan't right now.” But Sleipnir was smiling all the same as he looked at the demon, nodding to her. “But if thou shall be patient until the morn, gentle demon, then I shall tell thee and Blue some of my favorite stories about my family. Perhaps 'twill satisfy thy curiosities and also... 'twill do me some good, remembering and celebrating them instead of... foolishly mourning them, when I do not even know what all is lost, pah!”

Sleipnir laughed and shook his head, saying quietly: “Oh, what a fool I am. Look at me, acting like a little filly. What silliness! I know better than this, aye, I do. I am only fortunate to have such caring friends here with me.”

Invidia smiled a little, glancing over at Blueblood and studying him silently for a moment before the demon's eyes widened in surprise as Sleipnir asked gently: “And I care for both of thee, too... enough that I must ask what is on thy mind, Invidia, and why it is thou tries so hard to hide who thou art, and what thou are.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then Invidia looked hesitantly towards Sleipnir, studying him silently, grinding her teeth together uncertainly before she asked quietly: “Isn't it enough that I promised fealty, and to help you protect out friend? Isn't it enough that I care?”

“Nay. One of those things is enough, and with the other, it is more than we silly stallions deserve.” Sleipnir said softly, wrapping a foreleg around her and squeezing her companionably, and the demon smiled despite herself, blushing ever so slightly at his touch. “I do not ask this out of fear thou art going to harm us. I ask because... my phoenix used to hide her strength as well. She was afraid of what others would think of her, to see her in full rage...”

Invidia shifted, then nodded a little, looking down as she murmured: “If you and Blueblood saw who I truly was... I fear you would no longer desire my company. As I have told you, I am very old, Sleipnir... I am very powerful. But my strengths are such that... it tends to frighten those around me. Much easier to pretend to be someone I am not; to wear this pony's guise, and let yourselves see me as this, instead of... what I am.”

“Now, do not be like that. I do not fear anything or anyone if they mean me no harm.” Sleipnir said soothingly, rubbing a hoof along her back gently. “And Blue has learned much. But he will never come to trust thee entirely until thou shows him who thou art.”

“I adore him, angel, but... I hold no dispersions as to how intelligent the young prince is. He is not nearly as perceptive as you are.” Invidia said calmly, bowing her head politely, and Sleipnir only smiled in entertainment at this.

“Oh, but at times I am not perceptive at all, I fear. Why, look how long it took me to notice thou wert ill at ease.” Sleipnir said gently, squeezing the demon lightly around the shoulders before he turned his eyes to the sleeping unicorn. “And he is still a colt, in many ways. But he is growing every day, in many ways. I am sure that as the journey continues, he will become a fine stallion.”

“He already is a fine stallion.” Invidia said softly, and then the demon hesitated before saying finally: “I promise that... I will consider your suggestion. Perhaps after winter ends, when travel is easier and we are in better lands... I will consider... revealing more of myself. But for now, I think it is best that I play this role.”

“If thou insists, Invidia... I only fear that 'tis too easy to get caught up in the roles we give ourselves, that is all.” Sleipnir said softly, studying the demon for a few moments before nodding to her briefly. “But aye. 'Tis thy decision, and not mine. I shall respect whatever thou feels to be right.”

“Thank you for that, Sleipnir. It's more appreciated than I can express.” Invidia said softly, and then she leaned up and quickly kissed his cheek before slipping out from beneath the stallion's foreleg, heading quickly away from the campsite even as the enormous earth pony smiled warmly after her.

She halted in the safety of the shadows, even though she could almost feel Sleipnir's eyes lingering on her, and the demon bit her lip as she looked almost disconsolately between the two ponies. She hated and loved that she had gotten so close to them, just as she hated and loved that Sleipnir's strange advice almost sounded good to her: it left her honestly confused about what to do. And it was a strange feeling made stranger still by the fact that she knew what she should be doing, and yet...

Invidia smiled faintly, then shook her head before vanishing completely from sight. She would do what had to be done, one way or the other. But no matter what happened, part of her remained determined not to lose these friends she held so dear.

In the morning, Sleipnir kept his promise: even before they set out, he began to talk of his family back home, regaling them with incredible tales about ponies who had done things... Blueblood had honestly never imagined possible. And by the look on Invidia's face, he guessed that she had never imagined simple ponies could achieve so much, either.

It was certainly inspiring to imagine that there were ponies out there capable of the things that Sleipnir talked about: spending years just journeying and adventuring, fighting self-proclaimed goddesses, destroying entire legions of evil, and even traveling between worlds to save the lives of countless ponies and do battle with fiendish foes. Blueblood didn't think he could ever be one of those ponies himself...

It was a good way to pass the day, and it helped the evening seem calmer as they finally exited the ravine and entered a wintry badland. And yet as always, Sleipnir managed to find a place where they could take shelter: in this case, it was an abandoned den, although from the smell it seemed possible the owner hadn't been gone for long.

All the same, they slept well that night: Blueblood had no nightmares, and Sleipnir refused to burden himself with his thoughts and sadness. They continued their journey the next morning in good spirits, keeping their eyes open for places where they could forage for food and materials as they trekked through biting wind and blowing snow.

The next few days passed without much incident: Invidia brought back the corpse of some kind of large feline she had killed one evening after they took shelter in a cave, and Blueblood had stared in horror as Sleipnir had hummed to himself and easily gone about the process of skinning the dead cat. This had been hard enough to watch: once Sleipnir started to cut up the meat, Blueblood had to hastily excuse himself to avoid vomiting all over the campsite.

When he returned twenty minutes later, Sleipnir had a stack of what Blueblood queasily guessed were steaks off to one side, while the earth pony was carefully making piles of other... parts. Blueblood had been both horrified and fascinated, but Sleipnir had gone right into explaining without needing a prompt: “Never forget that our bodies are part of nature as well: they are merely the casing for our souls, but made of useful and helpful materials. When we kill a beast such as this, we have taken a gift from nature: in order to best honor her, we must put every single part of the body to use.”

Blueblood studied Sleipnir thoughtfully, and then he nodded hesitantly before nervously approaching. He still paled a little at the sight of all the blood and the simple carving instruments Sleipnir was using, but he was able to settle himself a little and just listen with fascination as Sleipnir described all the different ways the things he'd harvested could be put to use.

It had ended up being another good night, and in the morning, they'd gotten up and Sleipnir had distributed the poultices, charms, and tools he'd assembled out of the single large cat-beast between their equipment bags. Blueblood was surprised by how much heavier his satchels were: the wildcat hadn't looked all that big, after all, but Sleipnir had always been able to get the most out of anything.

They walked until late afternoon, and finally reached the edge of the badlands: once the edge of a verdant forest came into sight, Sleipnir halted and looked back and forth thoughtfully before he pointed suddenly at what looked almost like an enormous white tower in the distance, along this narrow border between icy tundra and powdered woodland. “There! That is where we are headed, if Old Oak is right.”

Blueblood grunted at this, looking uncertainly over at Sleipnir as he said finally: “Last time things didn't go very well, though... and honestly, I'm so turned around that I don't even know where we are anymore. Besides, do you really expect Auntie Celestia to be able to send Royal Guards out this far?”

“Well, we shall write her a letter and see.” Sleipnir said reasonably, shrugging a bit before he smiled slightly. “Besides, what we are after here is a certain type of crystal, to help store the energy of the portal. I do not expect we shall be able to retrieve all that I need, but as long as Old Oak was telling the truth, we should manage a fine load. At the worst, we shall simply have to carry the precious stones ourselves until we reach another settlement...”

Sleipnir clicked his tongue, tilting his head, and Blueblood recognized the look as the earth pony 'talking to nature' and estimating where the closest town was. “'Tis only... fifty miles north, there is an... outpost? Nay, 'tis a fortress, perhaps...”

Sleipnir frowned suddenly, lowering his head in thought, and Blueblood looked uneasily at the earth pony before he asked nervously: “What do you mean, 'fortress?' We can't be that close to the northern frontier... winter is cruel here, but if we were in the far north...”

“Nay, nay, we are in northern Equestria but not past the snow-belt.” Sleipnir said absently, continuing to look meditatively in the direction of the trees. “But... the fortress feels strange to me. Invidia, how long would it take for thou to scout this location?”

“Fifty miles?” Invidia asked, and after Sleipnir nodded, the demon closed her eyes in thought. “It shouldn't take me more than half an hour to reach the fortress. But I may need to rest before I investigate... give me until tomorrow morning.”

“Then you have all that time and more.” Sleipnir said agreeably, nodding firmly to the mare before he turned a smile towards Blueblood. “And thou and I shall try and explore this mine, if thou art up for it, Blue.”

“Is that really a mine? It only looks like a big piece of rock from here.” Blueblood said dubiously, but Sleipnir only grinned widely and slapped the unicorn on the shoulder, making him wince and flinch before he sighed loudly and fell in step behind the earth pony.

By the time they reached the snow-stained pillar, Invidia had vanished... but Blueblood was staring with disbelief over the structure as Sleipnir studied it thoughtfully. “'Tis larger than I expected. Which likely means the cave system beneath will be much vaster. Will thou be alright with making camp inside the mines tonight?”

“It's better than out here.” Blueblood mumbled, looking back and forth across the barren tundra before he shivered a little and turned his eyes back towards the enormous column of stone: it stretched high into the sky, and it was at least thirty feet across, all of that solid rock. “I don't understand what this is, though.”

“'Tis a marker, of course.” Sleipnir said mildly, and Blueblood gave the stallion a sour look before the earth pony smiled slightly and approached it, brushing off some of the snow caked to the side of the pillar before he placed a hoof against it and closed his eyes. “'Tis a little worn now, but this edge is rounded... which means 'twas shaped by a pony's hooves. 'Tis tall and looming, but I would say from what nature tells me... this was once a much larger pile. But over the years, the hill that had grown around this was mined away, and instead this pillar was cut and shaped into this tower... a marker, to indicate the presence of the mine. Likely to act as a beacon for ponies traveling back and forth across these desolate wastes: I imagine in summer, they are even more difficult to cross than now, after all.”

Blueblood looked uncertain, but then he only followed after the earth pony when Sleipnir quickly strode around to the front of the pillar, before he gestured at what looked like a large pile of rocks... except after a moment, Blueblood realized there was a collapsed archway of wood amidst the snow and ice and jagged stone. “Well, damnation. This may not be so easy as I thought. Here, Blue, I shall pass the stones to thee and thou shall put them aside. We must be careful.”

“Wonderful.” Blueblood mumbled, but he nodded all the same: and really, it wasn't the idea of working that bothered him as much as it was the fact they were going into a mine that might not have withstood the tests of time quite as well as Horsia.

They quickly found a decent rhythm together, at least: Sleipnir would heft a stone, and Blueblood would catch it with telekinesis and haul it quickly off to the side. In only twenty minutes, Sleipnir had managed to create a large enough hole to lean down into, studying the tunnel beyond thoughtfully before he muttered: “Well, 'tis a mess, but... I think it is this passage that has suffered the worst of the damage. We should be able to slip inside without...”

Sleipnir halted, then narrowed his eyes before he called quickly over his shoulder: “Blue, I require a focused light!”

Blueblood frowned, but his horn lit up as he came forwards: the sun had barely started to set, so there was no way that Sleipnir couldn't see well enough into the tunnel... which meant that he wanted to inspect something else, and every time he wanted that...

Blueblood scowled horribly as Sleipnir absently grasped the back of the prince's head, guiding the light shining from his horn down the tunnel before halting on a distinct mark on one of the cavern walls, the earth pony swearing under his breath. “There, that? 'Tis not quite the same as I recall, but 'tis a warding symbol. I begin to suspect 'twas not natural age that caused this passage to cave in, especially with how sturdy the rest of the supports seem...”

“Oh. Wonderful. Another mine full of monsters.” Blueblood mumbled, and Sleipnir gave the unicorn an amused look before the prince sighed tiredly and asked plaintively: “Do you think that perhaps we could just, I don't know, find another mine somewhere? One that's not filled with goblins?”

“Oh, nay, this would not be to protect against goblins, even if their ilk does often share territory with the living dead.” Sleipnir said plaintively, and Blueblood groaned loudly and slapped his face with one hoof, looking disgusted. “Well, really, 'tis not nearly as bad as goblins, I shall have thou know. Goblins are wretched things.”

The unicorn only grumbled, shivering and hugging himself: he would much prefer goblins or even demons over the living dead himself. The living dead made him feel uncomfortable, reminded him too much of cemeteries or his nightmares... and while he could probably deal with a skeleton or two, or some other undead construct or even a ghost, the fleshier, more-zombie-like undead frightened him far more than he wanted to admit.

Sleipnir was wiggling down into the hole now, though, and Blueblood gave a groan before he sighed and dropped his head, grumbling: “Well. This is turning out to be another wonderful little journey, Sleipnir. I... are you sure that it's safe?”

The earth pony grimaced a bit, and then he hesitantly nodded, saying finally: “Aye, I... I am sure that it is. It must be. It had best be.”

Blueblood sighed tiredly at this, and then he nodded back before following carefully down after the earth pony, wrinkling up his muzzle at how... foul the tunnel smelled. It wasn't like earth, or rot, but something... wet, Blueblood thought. And he frowned uneasily as he tested his hooves against the ground, but it felt frozen here...

“Aye, thou senses it too, is that so?” Sleipnir asked, and Blueblood didn't have to respond as the earth pony smiled slightly. “Thou art growing sharper. But I can sense a strange heat down the passage... come, let us move forwards, and see what awaits us.”

“This feels like a terrible idea.” Blueblood mumbled, and then he sighed a little as he followed nervously after the earth pony, grinding his teeth slowly as they strode slowly down the sole narrow tunnel leading down into the mines.

It soon enough widened out, at least... and to Blueblood's surprise, the tunnels actually looked like they were being maintained: there were lanterns on some of the supports that cast more than enough light to see by, and the pillars and walls of the passage had been repaired in places.

Sleipnir frowned thoughtfully as they reached an enormous intersection, where polished steel tracks gleamed along the floor of one tunnel, with a well-maintained cart sitting as if just waiting for them to climb in it. And Sleipnir couldn't help but approach this, poking at it a few times before he smiled slightly as he noted a lever on one side, saying thoughtfully: “To adjust the speed and brakes... 'tis rather clever.”

Blueblood, meanwhile, was looking nervously down the other two tunnels: he could swear that he had heard something down one of them, while shadows played strangely on the wall at the end of the other. But then a clanking drew the unicorn's attention, and he turned slowly around before glaring at the sight of Sleipnir, who was now calmly seated in the minecart. “What in the name of Heaven are you doing, Sleipnir?”

“At the present, I am sitting. But soon I hope to be riding.” Sleipnir said cheerfully, and then he gestured quickly behind him. “Now give us a boost and hop thyself into this cart, and let us see where it has to go!”

Blueblood gave a short laugh, and then he said disbelievingly: “You want to jump in a minecart and blindly ride down into very-possibly undead-infested tunnels? Sleipnir, this whole place feels like it's some kind of-”

“Like it is occupied!” Sleipnir said cheerfully, nodding in agreement, and Blueblood sighed tiredly as he gave the stallion a sour look.

“No, I was going to say that it feels like a trap.” Blueblood replied grumpily. Sleipnir only shrugged easily, however, and the unicorn reached up and slowly rubbed at his face, looking pained before he finally muttered: “Why do I even bother?”

Blueblood strode forwards, then grumbled and braced himself against the minecart, biting his lip before he began to slowly push it onwards. The wheels squeaked against the tracks as the unicorn wheezed, then winced when there was a sudden clacking before the wheels loosened, and suddenly the unicorn was almost running just to keep up to the cart as it nearly slid out of his grip.

He yelped, kicking at the ground before Sleipnir called cheerfully: “Thou had best get in the cart, Blue, a hill appears to be approaching!”

“Wait, what are you-” And then Blueblood yelled as the minecart suddenly shot downwards, his rear hooves sending up sparks as he balanced precariously on the tracks while he clung to the cart for dear life, his eyes bulging with horror.

They streaked down, then around a corner, Blueblood howling as his forelegs were almost torn out of their sockets while Sleipnir cheered, thrusting his forelegs into the air and grinning widely as they zoomed around another curve. And Blueblood swore that if he survived this he was going to throttle the idiot earth pony peasant as they streaked down another hill, the unicorn swearing furiously as he was almost lifted off his hooves with how fast they were going.

They zoomed and twisted around corners, heading deeper and deeper through a network of tunnels, Sleipnir enjoying every moment like a foal on a roller coaster as Blueblood felt his forelegs coming closer and closer to the breaking point and his rear hooves burned with pain, kicking and hopping every now and then against the tracks as he desperately tried to avoid slipping off them.

Finally, Sleipnir suddenly grabbed the lever at the side of the minecart and yanked on it firmly to bring the vehicle to a screeching, sudden halt, and Blueblood was launched forwards like a rocket to slam painfully into Sleipnir's back. The earth pony flinched forwards, then huffed over his shoulder at Blueblood before he complained: “Well, I enjoyed it too, my friend, but thou does not need to be so insistent upon asking for another ride!”

Blueblood whimpered weakly from where he was laying in a broken pile behind Sleipnir, and then the earth pony turned his eyes back forwards to what looked like a large wooden platform at the end of the rails. Then the earth pony's eyes widened slightly as he spotted a skeleton dressed in a bright red uniform, the undead pony seeming to gape as the two stared back at one another before the earth pony suddenly sat up and waved a hoof happily. “Hello!”

The skeleton awkwardly rose a hoof in return, and then Sleipnir wiggled his way out of the minecart before he strode quickly towards the platform with a benevolent smile. A moment later, Blueblood slowly managed to pick himself up despite his ringing ears, blinking slowly... before gaping in disbelief at the sight of Sleipnir and the skeleton, the earth pony saying amiably: “I fear that my friend and I may have unintentionally intruded upon thy home... or workplace? I do not know which this is and I do not wish to be rude to thee.

“But I suspect there must be others here, aye? I would like to speak to whomever is in charge here, thy patriarch or matriarch.” Sleipnir said kindly, bowing his head politely. “I mean no harm, fear not. I simply do not wish to intrude upon thy domain, but I have need of certain rare materials I was told could be found here.”

Blueblood mouthed wordlessly as the skeleton looked blankly up at Sleipnir, and then the enormous earth pony suddenly slapped his forehead, the skeleton cowering away with a visible flinch before the vine-maned stallion exclaimed: “Oh, damnation! Look at me, how I have forgotten myself! I apologize, my name is Sleipnir, and mine cherished companion is Blue.”

The skeleton finally cleared his throat... or at least made a very similar sound, considering he had no throat to clear. Then he looked up and said in a voice that Blueblood was surprised to hear was actually quite nervous: “My... my name is Lock. It's very rare that we have uh... living ponies visit... you'll excuse me if... well...”

“Oh, nay, fear not. I know we have appeared rather suddenly.” Sleipnir said easily, waving a hoof before he glanced down the tunnel, smiling slightly as he saw two more skeletons nervously peek out from behind a corner. “Hello there!”

“Sleipnir... Sleipnir!” hissed Blueblood from where he was crouched fearfully in the minecart, and Sleipnir blinked before looking over his shoulder curiously at the unicorn, who was trembling more than a little as the skeleton in the red uniform continued to look uncomfortably up at the enormous earth pony. “What the hell are you doing?”

“What am I doing? What in Helheim's name art thou doing? Come, come, Blue, thou art being rather rude.” Sleipnir scolded, and the unicorn stared with disbelief at the earth pony before Sleipnir turned a smile to the skeleton, apologizing: “Forgive my friend. I fear he is very uncomfortable around sights that remind him of death.”

Blueblood blushed at this, but the skeleton only awkwardly waved a hoof before he quickly looked towards the other tow, saying hurriedly: “Shock, Barrel! Uh... one of you guys has to go and tell the bosses about this! I think you-know-who will want to see this!”

“Since when were you made leader?” complained Shock in a reedy, high-pitched mare's voice: a moment later, she nervously stepped around the corner, revealing the dusty black dress uniform she was wearing, complete with a small, pointed cap. “Anyway, Barrel, you do it.”

“I don't wanna.” whined Barrel, and then the skeleton hurried out from behind Shock as she grabbed at him, skittering quickly up in front of Sleipnir and looking at him with awe. Sleipnir, meanwhile, smiled benevolently back down at Barrel, who only had a simple white work mask of some kind propped back on his skull. “Hey, I'll stay with these guys!”

“Well, how about we walk with thee to see thy leader? As I said before, we mean no harm. And I am eager to meet whomever is in charge and pay tribute.” Sleipnir said eloquently.

Lock, Shock, and Barrel traded looks as the mare skeleton approached, and then the three stepped quickly off to the side before huddling up, mumbling to each other. Then they all turned and nodded firmly, Lock saying finally: “You uh... you promise to do what we say?”

Sleipnir nodded positively a few times, and Blueblood shivered a little before he whispered loudly: “Sleipnir, I don't think this is such a good idea...”

“Oh, shush. Thou art nothing but a great sack of worries.” Sleipnir huffed, and then he turned and hopped down from the platform, walking over to the cart and easily hefting Blueblood free by the back of his neck, the unicorn wincing and flailing a bit before he was set down on his hooves like a foal, the enormous earth pony saying pointedly: “They are not our foes, however strange they might seem. Does thou understand?”

Blueblood shifted back and forth, and then he grumbled and nodded a little, dropping his head and saying finally: “I... I suppose. I'll... try.”

The unicorn grimaced all the same at the sight of the skeletons, leaning away from them slightly with a shiver before he nervously followed Sleipnir back up onto the wooden platform. Lock, Shock, and Barrel were all looking at them with a mix of fascination and their own clear anxiety, though, and it helped Blueblood feel a little braver a she rose his head, saying imperiously: “I am Pr-”

Sleipnir smacked him in the side, and Blueblood wheezed loudly, then grumbled under his breath as he felt both embarrassment and frustration. Alright, so he'd almost fallen back into old habits to try and impress this weird little trio of undead ponies, but... still... “You didn't have to hit me so hard, Sleipnir. We aren't all angels like you.”

“Oh, thou sweet-talks me now! 'Tis very flattering, but I fear thou will have to do better than that to get me between thy sheets.” Sleipnir said cheerfully, winking down at Blueblood before he turned a benevolent smile to the trio of skeletons. “Now, new friends, please lead on.”

“This is going to be a disaster.” Shock whispered a little loudly over to Lock, who hurriedly hushed her, waving one hoof wildly before the mare skeleton turned her awkward, dead grin up to Sleipnir when the earth pony frowned a little. “I... I mean, I couldn't agree... faster! We should go, go right now!”

“Right now!” Barrel added hurriedly, and the three skeletons stumbled awkwardly around in a circle before hurrying off down the tunnel, and Sleipnir chuckled before he cheerfully followed in their wake.

Blueblood trailed last with much less fervor, scowling at first... and then creeping closer to Sleipnir, trying to make himself small as they entered a honeycombed series of passages that were brightly lit, well-maintained... and filled with skeletons chipping away at the stone, widening or constructing passages here, mining out precious minerals there.

Sleipnir looked back and forth with friendly curiosity, apparently not taken aback in the slightest by the literal army of the dead working these tunnels even as skeletons stopped to stare with disbelief at the sight of the living stallions as they passed.

Blueblood was far less thrilled, and could barely believe when Sleipnir actually stopped to pick up one of the pickaxes, Lock, Shock and Barrel all stumbling to a halt to look almost fearfully at the enormous earth pony before he rose the pick and then slammed it firmly into the rock wall.

A large chunk of stone was shattered free, the pick buried deep into the stone, and Sleipnir whistled as he released the pick, rubbing thoughtfully at his muzzle. “'Tis an alloy, is it not? Aye, I have learned much of alloys since I came to Ponyville and met with this most genius engineer... either way, I must compliment thee upon thy tools and knowledge. Why, this mine is beautiful!”

Sleipnir laughed loudly as a skeleton awkwardly scuttled up behind him and grabbed the pickaxe buried in the wall, then tried to uselessly yank it loose. And Blueblood couldn't help but look awkwardly over his shoulder as Lock, Shock and Barrel led them onwards, the prince watching as two more skeletons ran over to try and help the first one lever the pickaxe out of the wall, but all of them struggled to no avail.

He sighed, then turned his eyes back to Sleipnir, who was as always oblivious to his own strength... just like with pretty much everything else, Blueblood couldn't help but note. “So these mines, my friends... how long hast thou lived here? And what precisely does thou harvest from them?”

Lock, Shock, and Barrel all traded awkward looks between themselves, then they huddled and mumbled quickly to each other before Lock and Shock glared at Barrel, the shorter, slightly-wider skeleton saying lamely: “We're not allowed to talk about that. But it's mostly quartz.”

Shock immediately smacked Barrel, and Lock groaned and rolled his eyes as Sleipnir's eyes lightened with interest. “And I take it 'tis not just standard quartz, aye? Nay, for in quartz deposits there are often different elements... gold for one, and crystals of many different shape and size for another!”

“How'd you know that?” asked Lock suspiciously... and then he yelped when Shock smacked him as well, the skeleton flinching before adding hurriedly: “Not... not that that has anything to do with what we're up to, of course!”

There was an awkward silence for a few moments, and then Sleipnir glanced back and forth as they passed into a narrower, squarer corridor. The supports here were more pronounced, and archways had been chiseled into the walls that led into other halls and rooms: the earth pony couldn't resist poking his head into one of these, looking back and forth even as Lock, Shock, and Barrel all panicked and tried to drag the enormous stallion backwards, but they couldn't so much as make him budge.

Several skeletons and a figure in a heavy cloak all looked up dumbly at Sleipnir from where they were relaxing around a table, and the stallion peered at them for a moment before he said cheerfully: “Hello!”

And then the earth pony simply stepped backwards, sending the trio of skeletons escorting them all bowling over as Blueblood groaned and dropped his face in one hoof. “The work upon these rooms is fine stonecraft indeed! Not to speak ill of the work on these halls and the mines, nay, but I see much more detail has been put into the finished rooms... why, if I did not know better, I would say these mines seem as if they have been turned into an entire city!”

Lock, Shock, and Barrel all immediately gave awkward little laughs, looking fearfully at each other as they all stumbled up to their hooves before Lock said hurriedly: “We, uh, we should hurry up! You don't want to be late!”

“Nope, why, I'm sure that everyone's already waiting for you!” Shock added hurriedly, nodding fervently. “Word travels fast in these tunnels, you know!”

“The Lich King knows pretty much everything.” Barrel admitted, and then he yelped when Shock and Lock both bodychecked him before he shoved back at them, and the three dissolved into chaos for a moment as Sleipnir only looked thoughtful.

Meanwhile, Blueblood paled, mouthing wordlessly before he looked almost desperately at Sleipnir. But before he could say anything, there was a tremendous boom that got the attention of all present, Sleipnir looking up curiously at a blue-robed, pale unicorn with a dangerous-looking staff who was now standing only a few feet away, his eyes glowing with malevolent sapphire light as he glared down at the three skeletons.

Lock, Shock and Barrel all squeaked and leapt to their hooves, beginning to babble away... and without hesitating, the unicorn swatted his staff out and whacked the three of them across the head, the trio of skeletons immediately dropping low with whimpers. “Quiet, all of you! And you, newcomer, you are-”

“Hello!” Sleipnir said brightly, and the unicorn stuttered to a halt as Blueblood stared with utter horror at Sleipnir's back. “I am Sleipnir, and my companion is Blue. And who art thou? I must admit, thou also looks much like a Blue to me.”

The robed unicorn glared at the earth pony for a moment, then he swung his staff out and whacked Sleipnir between the ears with it, the enormous stallion blinking dumbly as his eyes crossed in an attempt to look up at the staff. “You are clearly an idiot. I do not know how you muscled your way in here, earth pony, but this is the territory of the Lich King!”

“Oh, then 'tis he whom I should ask for an audience with? There is business I must see done. 'Tis rather important.” Sleipnir said earnestly, and the blue-robed unicorn looked disbelievingly at the earth pony. “But I do not believe I caught thy name...”

“That is because I did not give it.” the robed unicorn said stiffly, his strangely-glowing eyes glaring holes in Sleipnir, but the earth pony only smiled pleasantly in response. “I am the Chancellor to the Lich King, and-”

“'Tis very nice to meet thee, Chancellor! Thou strikes me as a strong and able sort.” Sleipnir interrupted in his kind, oafish way, and the robed unicorn stuttered to a halt again as Blueblood winced, before shrinking further as Sleipnir added with an easy gesture over his shoulder: “And this is Blue. Blue, I am certain, is also pleased to make thy acquaintance, but he is a little shy of thy kind. Although 'tis very rare that we see such a well-put-together magewight, I must admit. Thou must have exceptional strength of character.”

The Chancellor looked sourly at Sleipnir, but he shifted almost uneasily at the same time, like he wasn't completely sure of what to say. Blue looked nervously out from behind the stallion, and then the Chancellor finally gave a long, tired sigh before he grumbled: “Well. Whoever, whatever you are, you will be pleased to know the Lich King is eager to meet with you. It's been a long time since mortal flesh has entered his domain, after all. And trespassers must be dealt with.”

“I do not mean to trespass, friend. I only came in search of certain precious materials that I am sure the Lich King will be happy to part with, once I tell him what I am able to trade.” Sleipnir said cheerfully, and Blue frowned uneasily at this: a Lich was supposed to be some kind of terrifying, incredibly-powerful undead mage, from what he'd heard. He couldn't imagine that any of their equipment could make worthwhile bargaining chips to such a creature...

But Sleipnir was only smiling, and the Chancellor looked at them distastefully for a few moments before he glared at Lock, Shock, and Barrel, gesturing violently at them with his staff and sending the skeletons scattering before the robed unicorn turned around, muttering: “Let's not waste any more time. Come with me. The Lich King awaits.”

Sleipnir continued to smile, following the robed unicorn and brimming with his endless optimism, while Blueblood slunk nervously along in the earth pony's wake, biting his lip and only hoping that Sleipnir actually knew what he was doing... and hoping desperately that he wasn't about to end up a permanent citizen of this city beneath the earth.

Comments

[Moongaze14]

Nightmare before Chriatmas reference and Sleipnir once again charms the pants out of an evil pony.

[hellcatte]

The Lich King knows pretty much everything.

Go back to your own franchise, Arthas.