# Ponyfinder: Roots of Stone

## by David Silver

### 25 - A Common Ally

Tree nodded at the short blue figure. "It sounds like we totally have something in common then."

He seemed to consider her and her allies a moment. "Yes... We both want to see him dead. You kill him, take crown, free my people. Everyone wins."

Maud tapped at her chin. "He doesn't win."

"Huh? Oh. He stupid, not deserve to win in first place. Slaver, bully, thief. He can lose all he want." He made an odd gesture, perhaps an insult, though not one Maud or Tree understood, and not one Fast or the others reacted to. "Offer shake on it, but you don't have no hands."

Tree extended a hoof towards him. "That's cool, man, we can still shake on it." He closed cautiously and reached out, grabbing her relatively large hoof. She gently shook with him. "See? A little good rap can bridge the gaps. What's your name, little dude? I'm Tree Hugger."

"Name not in common." He said a gutteral word and tapped himself on the chest.

Tree nodded lightly. "Do you mind if I call you Blue Dude?"

"Is that a horse name? Fine. Use your stupid horse names." He waved off the idea as a minor inconvenience. "Call you Hugger."

Tree smiled. "Righteous. This is Fast Shadow, Paul, Maud, and Flint. We're totally a team now."

Blue Dude looked confused a moment. "What?"

Fast nodded at him. "For as long as our paths are joined, we are as one. Let's protect one another and get through this alive."

Maud moved to walk past Blue Dude. "Is this the way we have to go?"

Blue shook his head. "No, wrong way! That way, you go in front, lots of deep dwarves, then dead. Better ways! There are reasons I not dead. Think they not try to get me? Ha! I kill some deep dwarves for trying."

Flint huffed. "Right, why haven't you caught the one you especially hate yet?"

Blue peered at Flint. "Think not try? He stay inside dwarf place, whip slaves, keep them working. He not patrol, so no walk into traps. No traps, no kill. Simple, stupid."

Paul frowned at Blue. "Hey, don't call my friend stupid. He's one of the smartest guys I know."

"That makes you twice as stupid." Blue laughed in a shrill voice as he moved past the group, heading another way. "Come on. Stand in one place too long, bring bad attention, then die. He die before we die, then we win."

Maud followed after him at a slow walk, easily keeping up with him. "It's better if we don't die at all."

"Too bad." He shrugged. "Unless you horse god, you die."

Fast raised a brow. "Well, yes, eventually we must all meet our final destinies, but let's speak of more imminent things. We won't die today."

Flint nudged Paul as they traversed the stone halls. "Speakin' of this, you stay back where you can. This is soundin' like serious business, and I want you alive to get some practice in, not dead and brave."

Paul looked conflicted as he looked between his weapon and ahead towards the darkness. "I thought I was a real adventurer now and everythin'?"

"You are." Flint pat him on the shoulder. "Now let's make sure you have a nice long career, and that means not jumping in over your head if ya can avoid it, get it?"

They came across a hole in the wall that was fairly well concealed until Blue heaved a rock to the side to reveal it. It was his size, making it quite small for everyone else. "This way." He pointed into it. "Goes deep. We find, kill, take stupid crown, free stupid people, and we win. Simple."

Fast shook her head. "If this is so simple, why haven't you already done it?"

"I thought you were smart horse." He crossed his arms. "Not taken because not strong. Not strong? Not fight deep dwarves head on. Strong ones try, get captured, or maybe killed. No, I'm not stupid. Now I have you. You all go, kill, get crown, win, yes? Right? Okay then." He moved to the hole and stooped slightly, vanishing into the gloom of the tunnel.

Maud sank to her belly and began shimmying her way into the cramped quarters. Fast slipped in behind her with a light frown.

Tree looked to her human friends. "I'll go last. Me and Bright have this covered, alright?"

Paul knelt down and fell to his belly before crawling forward into the tunnel. "I never thought I'd be doin' this. Is this safe?"

"No more talking!" came from the front of the line. "Quiet, too close to dwarves."

Flint and Tree went in last, with Bright Feathers hopping along behind his pony.

It was dark and slow. The soft drip of water in the distance was their company, and only Tree Hugger shed light, and was so far behind the group that only dim echos of that could be seen. The sharp eyes of the ponies could pick up on it, allowing them to see a bit further into the tunnel in a perpetual gloom. For the humans, it was darkness mere feet before Flint's crawling form. Blue didn't seem bothered by stone, close quarters, or darkness. He stopped every time he drew too far from the party and glared until Maud caught up with him and resumed his journey.

They came across an intersection that he darted down the right side of at a sharp angle, that only served to slow the party further as the long bodies of ponies and humans worked their way around the bend. The scent of their sweat became a new presence as they struggled to keep up with Blue through it all.

At last, a new sound broke the monotony. They could hear voices conversing in a foreign tongue. It sounded like at least three individuals, one female. The voices echoed dimly through the tunnels, making figuring out the source difficult at best. They didn't sound like dwarves.

Fast whispered softly, "What are those, Blue?"

Blue turned to her with a furious squint, which was hard to tell from his usual squint. "What? Dwarves! Quiet, or hear us, then kill us."

The tunnel turned to the left and sloped downwards, The rough ground became smoother, and the risk of pitching forward became stronger than the struggle to pull oneself forward. They progressed slowly further, hands and hooves stretched out to use the walls as braces as they went. Blue seemed livid at his companion's speed, but kept his complaints to himself aside from the increasing bulge of his eyes with growing impatience.

Tree's hoofs suddenly slipped, and she crashed into Paul's back end, knocking him loose. Together they careened into Flint, and onwards down the line. The stone ground against clothing and fur roughly as they slid wildly down the tunnel in a rapid circle. Even Blue was helpless to avoid the falling group and gave a quick curse in his native tongue before being swept away in a tidal wave of pony and human flesh.

The tunnel suddenly widened and the slope became mercifully milder. Their plummet slowed to a stop with little more to show for it than some new bruises. The new little cavern was just tall enough to raise themselves from the ground a bit.

The noise of feathers announced Bright Feather's arrival just before he landed beside Tree and tilted his head at her as if silently scolding her.

"Stupid," hissed Blue far less silently. "Lucky they didn't hear, or we be dead, then we lose."

A loud click sounded before the ground beneath them gave way, dumping them into a pen with other blue figures much like Blue. Standing before the pen with a decidedly unfriendly grin was another short figure, but it had gray skin. They shared their large eyes, but his were open, rather than squinted shut. He said something in words they didn't understand before laughing. The laughing they understood.

Fast rose to her hooves and glared at the figure a moment. "You're not a dwarf."

The figure paused his laughter, looking up at Fast. "What? Who said I was a dwarf? Oh! It was him, wasn't it?" He pointed to Blue. "Amazing! Little shit didn't even know what he was fighting." He hiked both thumbs at himself. "I'm far better than a lousy dwarf. I'm a Svirfneblin, or deep gnome, as you topworlders know it. You, my fine capture, are my newest prize." He clapped his hands together. "How's that sound?"

Tree pulled herself from the floor, shaking herself out. "Not cool, man."

Paul dusted himself off. "He don't look so tough."

"Who said that?" The figure leaned to the side to see Paul and Flint as they stood up. "Ah, humans? A rare sight down here. I guess horses are kinda rare too come to think." He tapped his chin. "Talking horses..." He looked over the equines appraisingly. "Hey, whichever one of you wants to become my mighty steed can come out."

Fast's face twisted in disgust. "I'd sooner rot in here than give you the pleasure."

Maud shrugged. "Okay."

"Alright!" He moved to the door of their cell, made of stout metal. "The rest of you, bugger off!" He repeated the words in the other language and it sent the blue creatures scurrying away. Maud stepped out when he opened the door for her and quickly shut it behind her. "They say only the most legendary of gnomes get a talking horse for a mount, and you're the right size too. We're gonna be famous!"

Maud nodded at him. "Hop on."

Eagerly, he hopped up onto her back and grabbed her mane. "Kya!"

He clearly had little experience riding anything, but Maud trotted around in slow circles for him. "You're doing a bad thing."

"Oh, what's that? The way I'm seeing it, I'm doing everything right."

Maud looked over her shoulder. "You're holding my friends hostage. Let them go."

"I think not." He turned up his nose, looking quite proud of himself. "They'll work the mines and like it. They weren't as smart as you were. Don't you worry, being my mount means you'll be treated right."

She trotted alongside one of the far walls, where a lone torch hung. "I've served as your mount. I hope you enjoyed your ride." She suddenly reared up and slammed against the wall, crushing his form against it. Even as he began to slide to the ground, she drove a hoof into his belly and struck him across the face, sending him sprawling.

Without a delay, she retrieved his keys. "I don't see any crown."

Flint barely stifled the laugh that wanted to erupt from him. "Damn woman, that was fine work. Let us out of here."

"One moment," said Blue Dude. "Let me explain what's going on to the others." He waved his hands in the air and began talking in the other language quickly, getting the squinty-eyed attention of his fellows. A rough cheer erupted among their number, and with it, the sound of shoes approaching down the hallways outside the jail.

Company was coming.