“Okay. I forgot how much I hate sneaking,” Rainbow Dash grunted. It had been twenty minutes since she parted ways from the prisoners. She spent the entirety of the time worming her way around the furthest edges of the quarry. There were so many minotaurs out in the open that she couldn't find a safe route down the center without being seen. “I wonder if they'd hate me if I flew off to another part of Wintergate and brought an entire army of earth ponies with me?” She glanced at the horizon. Her brow furrowed. “Yeah. No more stupid thoughts. Thanks.”
She sighed. She perched atop a wooden shack overlooking the east side of the dig site. From her vantage point, she could see Thunderhorn frowning and shaking his fist at two lackeys. He didn't look entirely happy about something. Rainbow Dash assumed that it must have been her sudden and inexplicable disappearance.
“I am taking an awfully long 'leak,'” she said with a smirk. She squinted her ruby eyes and scanned the landscape. “Better think of something soon. They'll be spotting the broken lock to the prison cell any moment.”
Her gaze fell over digging equipment, large machinery, metal crates full of rubble, piles of gravel, and finally a large wooden building. She narrowed her eyes even harder. She could spot several thick iron pipes snaking their way in and out of the far sides of the structure. Half of them ran up out of the quarry and towards a distant water source. The other half ran into the cave itself.
“Huh. Wonder why I didn't see those before?” she muttered. She scratched her chin with a hoof, glanced at the pipes once more, and smiled. “Bet the minotaurs could use a bath.” She chuckled slightly. With a flutter of her wings, she lifted off and flew in zig-zagged patterns behind the blind sides of various obstructions. Gradually, she made it over to the wooden structure. Once there—”Ugh!” She groaned, pushing and pushing at the door. “Frickin' figures it's locked! Why is it that I'm always—?” She paused, blinking. A severe blush blazed across her cheeks. With a sigh, she stepped back... and pulled the door easily open. “I swear, this was what they taught the last year of flight camp before I dropped out.”
Once inside, Rainbow Dash discovered a complex maze of pipes, valves, and copper joints. The entire room billowed with hissing steam. She could hear the tell-tale rush of heavy currents of water roaring through the tubes. The very foundation of the building vibrated from the high pressure of the pipes and pumps and bypasses.
“I'd give two bits just to know what all this stuff does...” She trotted through the tight interior of pipes, pipes, and more pipes. She frowned. “Dang it! Why can't they just have a sign saying 'Please don't hit this cuz it'll spill the most?'”
She eventually came upon two pipes. She gazed at them both, one after another. “Hmmmmm... Buck it. Let's just start turning things.”
She gripped tightly to a valve. Snarling, she put her weight into turning it. Just then, a swath of daylight fell over her.
“Halt right there!”
“Just a second!” Rainbow Dash groaned, twisting the valve. “I just gotta get this thing turned and—” She found herself caught in the body of a horned shadow. “...Aw Luna crackers.”