//------------------------------//
// Rarity the Captive 
// Story: Spike the Brave and Glorious 
// by Troyjan 
//------------------------------//

Rarity stretched her body as she lay on her comfortable sofa, before returning to her original pose once more. Surrounding her were several pieces of her furniture. A soft classical melody was being played from a vinyl record on her magically operated phonograph. Rarity finished the last bite of her salad, before taking a sip from her glass of seltzer. However, Rarity was not in her home, nor was she in any of her establishments. Rarity was resting deep underground, in one of the deepest spaces of a highly complex cave system. The several oil burning lanterns that hung around the area provided the space with ample lighting, making the chamber the most brightly lit space in the underground caves that were untouched by sunlight. Unlike the tunnels that Rarity had traversed on her way to her current location, the floor and walls were composed of compact stone, and contained no traces of any sort of loose soil, clay, or stone dust. Several decorative items and pieces of art were hung along the walls of Rarity’s space. The ceiling composed of short dull stalagmites. The only thing that was noticeably out of place in the chamber, was a large, rusted iron door. It completely blocked off the only exit, and was held shut with a heavy, complimentary padlock. The iron door was meant to keep things out of Rarity’s cell just as much as it was to keep her in it.
But Rarity was not the only creature in her cell. The three diamond dogs, Rover, Fido, and Spot were still busy tending to their captive.
“May I take that from you?,” asked Rover, as he looked over Rarity’s empty salad plate.
“Yes, and would you please get me some more seltzer,” said Rarity as she levitated her almost empty glass. Rover nodded in response.
“Are you still cold?” asked Spot, as he added more thermal insulation around the walls of the large space they were in.
“Yes, but considering you couldn’t get a fireplace in here as I had requested, I suppose that this temperature will just have to do,” said Rarity dismissively.
“Do you want more lights?,” asked Fido, holding several sticks of unlit candles.
“Yes please, it’s so dark and dreary down here, without any windows,” said Rarity.
Rover unlocked Rarity’s cell with the key he was holding, walked out while carrying Rarity’s plate, and locked the door again. He came back holding another bottle of seltzer and a dish of ground up wheat in his paws. He refilled Rarity’s glass and placed the new dish on the small table besides Rarity’s sofa. Rarity took another sip before looking at the next course of her late lunch. Rarity turned her head and held her nose up high.
“Unacceptable,” said Rarity, in as polite of a tone as possible.
“Is something wrong, Mistress Rarity?,” asked Rover.
“This plate of ground up wheat, it is unacceptable for consumption. Even that dish you served which was nothing more than cut up grass and leaves was more edible than this.”
“My humble apologies Mistress Rarity,” said Rover as he bowed his head. “You ponies do not eat any meat, none of the plants we forage, or that canned dog food that we like. We don’t really know what food you ponies like. I was sure that you ponies like eating grains.”
“We do eat grains, but we typically don’t eat them raw. To start, you should mix this flour with water and cook it with something, before serving it to me.”
“Understood,” nodded Rover, before leaving again.
The three diamond dogs had spent plenty of time and effort preparing Rarity’s cell to her specifications, to the best of their abilities. Once Rarity was there, they had spent the next several hours tending to their captive’s demands. After Rarity had finished her amply delayed lunch, she sat up from her sofa and let out a sigh. “I cannot say that I’m pleased, but I can tell that you three are doing the best that you can. I suppose I can call this satisfactory for now,” said Rarity.
“Thank you Mistress Rarity,” said Rover, Fido, and Spot, as the bowed their heads at once.
“We are still sincerely sorry Mistress Rarity for what we did last night. Are you ready to forgive us diamond dogs now?,” asked Rover, as he knelt down before the pony.
Rarity turned her head and let out a huff. “That will have to wait. What you did was beyond unacceptable, and criminal,” accused Rarity. Rover winced in response. “Although, I suppose that it was part of your plan all along. And you did provide this space for me and my belongings. I suppose that I can dismiss that incident for the time being,” said Rarity contemplatively.
Rover’s ears immediately perked back up, as he stood back up on his rear paws. Fido and Spot did the same.
“Has there been any update?,” asked Rarity as she looked at her grandfather clock. The time was already well past two in the afternoon.
“I checked just fifteen minutes ago Mistress Rarity. The dogs on watch have not found any signs yet,” responded Rover.
“What a bother,” commented Rarity. “It is so utterly drole and dismal here in this cell. I wish to be let out to the surface for some fresh air.”
“I deeply apologize Mistress Rarity, but I believe we have already explained why we cannot do that,” responded Rover.
“You are our captive. We cannot let you anywhere near the surface, until we are ready to let you leave.”
“Well, then I wish to be escorted someplace else for the time being. Anything to leave this cell for a little while,” complained Rarity.
A smile quickly formed across Rover’s face. He never forgot that Rarity was an educated unicorn with competent magical abilities. Abilities that could be used for all of their mutual benefits. “I have another idea!,” exclaimed Rover. “How about you help us find gems like before? You locate the buried gems, and we dig, gather, and sort them,” proposed Rover. “You get to keep the best gems that are found, we keep the rest.”
“Don’t worry about the filth Mistress Rarity. You don’t have to walk through the tunnels,” said Fido. He turned lifted up one of Rarity’s other sofa’s which had a wooden frame nailed underneath it, and long wooden handles nailed to the frame. Fido held up the apparatus at one end as Spot held up the other. The two diamond dogs lowered the sofa such that Rarity could easily climb up onto it.
“We will carry. You don’t have to take a step Mistress Rarity,” said Spot.
Rarity took a moment to contemplate as she looked over the makeshift litter. All she had to do was try to stay comfortable, and to use the gem locating spell that she knew, whenever she was taken somewhere new in the tunnels. 						 
“Fine, I suppose I could help with that for a while,” said Rarity.
Rover, Fido, and Spot smiled brightly as they rubbed their paws together. “We are very pleased to have your help Mistress Rarity,” said Rover.
Rarity got onto her other sofa, and Fido and Spot hoisted her up onto their shoulders. “Diamond Dogs, onward!,” exclaimed Rover, as they carried Rarity out of her cell.