Chapter 8: Taking the Mines
The next day, Twilight woke expecting the sun to be shining through the windows. When it didn't, the first thought that came to mind is that maybe she had woken up early. That was until Applejack came into the room. "You're awake, good. As you've probably noticed, the sun hasn't come up." Applejack was about to continue but Twilight cut her off.
"Applejack, I've noticed that your speech has been lacking, should I say its countryness." Twilight asked becoming more and more suspicious of her friend and whether that truly is her friend or not.
"Look Twilight, things aren't exactly normal anymore, I guess I've just become depressed. Now back onto the matter at hand." Twilight would accept that for now but she wasn't going to let her guard down. Something isn't right and Twilight knew it. A pony doesn't just stop talking the way they have always talked. "Tonight is the party that Trixie is throwing. She is sure to have multiple copies of herself. You need to find the right one and take her out and don't worry, you'll blend right in. Are you ready to go?" Twilight nodded and made her way to Spike.
Twilight reached the boat and hopped in. "Let's get this over with Spike." Twilight continued to focus on Applejack and the others for that matter as they had all been acting strange lately. Pinkie Pie had hardly shown herself, Fluttershy is walking around as if there is nothing to fear which is completely disturbing. It's like the two ponies had switched personalities. The closest one to normal is Rarity and even then, Twilight could tell that something is off. As Twilight continued to think, she hadn't realized in what direction she had been going. Once they stopped, Twilight heard her name being called. She snapped out of her daze. "Sorry Spike." Twilight then realized where they are. "Why are we here Spike? This can't be where Trixie is."
"Nope, Rainbow Dash wanted to speak to you. I'll be here when you're ready to go to find Trixie." Twilight nodded and then got out of the boat.
Once Twilight walked so far into the cut off section of Ponyville, Rainbow Dash came over to her. "Rainbow, what's going on?"
"So I have Flim and Flam but there arose some complications. I went to send them to the jewel mines but it turns out that there are Diamond Dogs in control of the area. What I need is for you to take them out. Do that and Flim and Flam will be permanently out of commission. To send Flim and Flam there with the Diamond Dogs there would be just like letting them go." Rainbow explained.
"Why don't you just send them someplace else?" Twilight asked curiously.
"The mines are the most secure place for them to be. It's the one place that there is no chance of escape so long as the dogs aren't there." Rainbow then hoofed over twenty sleep darts. "You'll need these."
"I thought it was your job to take them out for me and besides, you got them out with no problem. Why not just do the same with the Diamond Dogs. I have a lot to do anyway, it's not fair" Twilight didn't get to finish her sentence as Rainbow Dash interrupted her.
Rainbow understands the frustration that Twilight is clearly showing and it is tolerable but to say that it's not fair made Rainbow Dash blow her top. "Don't you ever say that it's not fair Twilight, you don't have that right. I got stabbed and almost died, Apple bloom saw both her friends get eaten alive by diseased rats. I lost Cloudsdale to Gilda and Rarity lost her little sister. We lost our homes, friends, and family. We have all lost so much more then those few but important things that I've mentioned. You, you lost the princesses and a home. You still have your brother, you still have most of everything that you had. You have no right to say anything is unfair. You don't have that right Twilight, you don't get to say things like that." Rainbow Dash said fighting back tears. "So much of what we had is gone but you" Rainbow couldn't hold back her anger anymore and let it loose. Before Twilight knew it, Rainbow's hoof made contact with her jaw hard. "Don't you ever say that again. When I woke up after being stabbed, I was alone and apparently drifted into this section of Ponyville. I had to run for my life but when my stallions noticed how me they came to help. I'm lucky to be alive and you had the nerve to say that what I asked you to do is unfair." Rainbow calmed down.
Twilight took off her mask then felt her face after being hit and could feel a little blood on her face. Rainbow had hit her hard and now she began feeling guilty. "I'm sorry Rainbow Dash, I didn't really, I should have known. I'm sorry, can you forgive me?"
Rainbow took in a deep breath and smiled slightly. "I'm sorry too Twilight, I shouldn't have hit you. Now help me help you huh?" Twilight nodded as she put her mask back on. "Good, the mines are north of here in the hills." Twilight nodded and then ran off.
Twilight recognized the hill but didn't ever remember seeing any entrance to a mine. Then again, things have really changed. Twilight went up to the top of the hill and a single guard stands outside. Twilight jumped down and wrapped her legs around the pony's neck and knocked him out. With that done, Twilight threw the guard to the side and made her way inside the mine. Once inside, she pulled out her sleep darts and got ready to use them.
Tunnels fill the area, she couldn't tell which one to go down. She walked up next to the first tunnel and peeked around the corner. It led to a dead end but she went down anyway and picked up a blue vial. Nothing else is in the tunnel and so she left. When she exited the tunnel, a dark figure ran down on of the tunnels and a guard had been thrown out of it. Quickly Twilight shot the guard with her dart and put him to sleep. "Who was that?" Twilight asked as the dark figure peeked around the corner and waved her over. Twilight wasn't sure if this were a friend or a trap. Deciding that this figure to be friendly, she followed the mysterious pony. Twilight continued to find more blue vials as well as red ones as she followed the dark pony. Twilight only had to shoot a few guards.
The two had gone through multiple tunnels now and finally came to a big room with candles that lit up the whole room rather then parts and pieces like the tunnels. The dark pony saluted Twilight and then ran off. In the big room are three Diamond Dogs, the same ones that took Rarity. Twilight aimed and shot the blueish grey dog with a sleep dart. The other two noticed and called on their guards. The guards came running in but not before Twilight knocked out the other two dogs. Twilight continued to shoot darts at the guards, one by one knocking them out. By the time the last guard reached Twilight, she had run out of sleep darts. 'Fantastic' Twilight thought as she readied her sword as the guard ran at her. Just as the guard swung his sword, a dart hit him in the neck knocking him out.
Twilight looked to the right where the dart came from and standing there is Rainbow Dash with Flim and Flam. "Well done Twilight, though I admit that you weren't by yourself. I had some ponies taking care of other guards in other tunnels." Rainbow pushed Flim and Flam further into the room and then her and two other ponies picked up the dogs and carried them off. "By the way, I believe you have a reward waiting for you just outside."
Twilight ran out the way she came until she found the exit and left. When she got out of the mines, she found five runes waiting for her. "How?" Twilight looked around to see if she could find anypony. Twilight shrugged and picked up the runes. 'Thanks Rainbow Dash.' Twilight thought as she ran back to Spike.
Spike could see Twilight running toward him and smiled. Twilight finally reached him and stepped into the boat. "So how did everything go?"
"Just great Spike, now let's go take care of Trixie." With that said, the two were off toward the party.
Rarity had been waiting for some time for the party to start. Once it did, she walked up and gave the pony her invite that Rainbow had given her and she was let in. 'Ok Twilight, I'm waiting for you.' Rarity thought walking into the building.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed and please review, thank you.
