The others followed Shining Armor up the ramp, all easily jumping a gap in the ramp thanks to Discord's training. They then slowed down and crept carefully into the lair, finding a large table and different hallways leading off to unknown rooms.
"So, who has guard duty today?" came a bored, deep voice.
"Chrissy." a higher voice replied. The stallions ducked out of the way, hiding on the ramp as the three villains entered the room again.
"Alright, but I get the cupcakes tonight." Chrysalis said
"Like we'd want your sugar, I'm trying to build my physique, not add more fattening things to my body." Tirek grumbled, he was a lot larger then he should have been after being locked up for so long. "If Grogar had let me pull more magic from the captives..." He muttered
"Grogar says we have to keep them alive to use as bargaining, or else I would have already destroyed Starlight Glimmer." Chrysalis said
"How would you destroy her? Drain all her love so she shrivels up?" Cozy Glow asked
"No you fool, I'd take the love and leave her to die, what else?" Chrysalis replied
"Go on, get on with guard duty before Grogar gets madder at us." Triek snapped
"Who's us? You're the one who drained the prissy unicorn's magic." Chrysalis retorted, before taking off, heading for where the stallions were hiding.
"Discord, make us invisible, quick!" Shining whispered, and Discord snapped his fingers. Chrysalis flew right past them, Discord's cloaking magic rendering them completely invisible.
"I'll be in my area of the lair." Tirek said to Cozy Glow, leaving down a tunnel.
"Okay, I'll be setting up another meeting!" Cozy Glow called, zipping off. Once she was out of sight, Discord lifted his spell and they walked into the room.
"Discord, which way did Tirek, Cozy Glow, and Chrysalis go the first time you saw them leave?" Starswirl asked
"This way, follow me." Discord replied, leading them down a tunnel. They took many countless turns, until they came to a place where it split into different tunnels.
"Which way now?" Rumble asked
"They probably took the girls down into the deeper parts of the lair, so even if they were able to escape, they wouldn't be able to find a way out." Sunburst commented
"In The Ponies' Guide to Mazes and Madness, it says to find your way through a tunnel maze, you have to keep turning right, and you'll reach the exit." Shining Armor said, and they all stared at him.
"What? When you've got Twilight for a sister, you have to read a lot of random books to keep up with her." Shining Armor said
"He's right, now I remember, I read that book too, it did say always turn right." Sunburst said. Shining nodded, leading them to the right. They kept going right for a while, then the tunnel seemed to get wider, as if it was opening up. They sat down and began to make camp, seeing as how they couldn't keep going forever.
"We should work out an escape strategy for when we find the girls." Flash Sentry advised
"Hmm, maybe if we break the lock and distract the villains so we can get them out?" Cheese said
"Or we could create a diversion, then sneak around the back way." Sunburst said
"What back way?" Shining asked
The stallions didn't know it, but Chrysalis had scented their love for the girls when she'd passed them. After gathering Cozy Glow and Tirek, she followed the scent until she found them.
"This is wonderful, if we let them destroy Grogar's plan, he'll fail, and it'll give us an advantage." Cozy whispered excitedly
"Is anyone else beginning to feel some strange thing?" Tirek asked
"What do you mean?" Cozy Glow asked
"You know, I feel it too. Gross, what is that?" Chrysalis asked
"I don't know, but maybe we'd better look into it." Tirek said, as the three made their way back.
"There you are. Tirek, you now have my permission to drain the ponies of their magic. I have decided that they pose more of a threat to us with magic than without." Grogar said as they emerged.
"I swear Slowpoke, if you don't shut up right now..." Spitfire threatened
"Oh, look, how original, the mare named after a hot temper is swearin'." AJ mocked
"So, what's the rest of the threat Spitfire? What is it, huh, huh, huh?" Surprise asked
"Yeah, I wanna know too!" Pinkie added
"Shut up, both of you! Where's a shot of whiskey when you need it." Spitfire muttered, rubbing her temple with her hoof. Just then, Tirek entered the room, smirking at them through the bars of the cage.
"What do you want Tirek?" Twilight growled
"This." he replied, opening his mouth. He first took all the Unicorn's magic, then the Earth Pony's.
"You won't get away with this!" Applejack said, before collapsing onto the floor of the cage.
"Won't I?" He asked unconcernedly, then started on the Pegasi.
They collapsed, one by one. Rainbow fell and pulled her little sister closer to her body. Scootaloo hugged her as Daring dragged herself over to lie beside them. Spitfire caught Fleetfoot as he drained her magic, and glared at him.
"You monster." She hissed
"I believe great minds think alike, your magic seems much more powerful than normal. Almost...evil-worthy. I suppose the magic is a family trait? Ah, yes, you're a Flare. The family famous for having Fire Magic in their veins. The evilness must be from a family member. Perhaps a parent?" Tirek suggested, and Spitfire growled.
"Shut up." She muttered
"You know, I expected your friend to have some magic too. The Frost family's daughter, unable to use and access her ice powers? Well, then someone's been naughty, or her parents wouldn't have stolen it away." Tirek sneered at Fleetfoot. "But I digress..." Tirek trailed off and sucked up Spitfire's magic next, then moved on to the Alicorns. After he left, the ponies all struggled to sit up.
"What do we do?" Fluttershy asked
"I wish I knew Fluttershy." Twilight sighed "I wish I knew."