//------------------------------// // The Fire Down Below // Story: Equestria Ninja Girls: The Thievius Raccoonus // by RainbowRaptorDash1 //------------------------------// Sly and the others waited for Adagio as she sadly towards them. "You okay?" Sly asked in concern. "No…" Adagio answered, still upset. "Bentley said there's a Treasure Key down below. The sub can only carry one of us. Why don't you take it." Karai suggested. "Okay…" Adagio responded. "We'll go after the last treasure key. You get into trouble down there, get back up quickly. We'll think of something else." Sly informed. "I understand." Adagio said as she climbed in while the others went the other way. "Thanks for telling us Adagio was upset, Bentley." Sly thanked in gratitude. "I can tell she was taking it badly. So she might need to solo mission time to calm down." Bentley responded. "Those three get majorly upset every October 31st." Karai informed. "That’s oddly specific." Rarity noticed. "I know." Karai agreed. "Let's just get the next key and worry about Adagio later." Sly said. "Right." Rarity and Karai agreed as they and Sly entered what looked to be a sort of mineral deposit facility. "Bentley, where are we?" Sly asked. "The temperature reading is way off the charts here. This must be the power source for the storm machine." Bentley answered. "Any guards?" Rarity added. "Not sure. I can't get a decent heat signature." Bentley informed. "Well, we’ll find out as we go." Sly said. "Bentley, keep an eye on Adagio, please." Karai requested. "Already on it." Bentley responded. As the three of them went forward, Sly and Rarity were sweating bullets. "It's hot in here." Rarity groaned. "Whew! It’s like a million degrees in here!" Sly agreed. "What are you two talking about? I can't feel a thing." Karai shrugged. "That’s because you’re a reptile, which makes you really lucky, Karai." Rarity responded. After dodging the machinary, the group found only six guards. "Finally, we're in the inner workings." "Six guards... This should be easy." Sly said. "Let's get the key and vault and get out of here. I'm sweating my fur off. Huh, never thought I'd say that." Rarity noted. "Well if you’re sweating that much, maybe you should take off some of those layers." Karai teased. "Not funny." Sly retorted. "Just leave this to me. You two just watch and learn." Karai said as she dropped down. "Hey boys, mind helping a girl out?" Karai requested as the guards turned and saw her as a beautiful snake girl. "I seem to be a little lost." The guards instantly became smitten with the kunoichi. "Well allow me to escort you out of here, ma'am." A guard gladly said. "Thanks, but here's some advice: Never trust a snake." Karai responded with a smile as she spat her blinding venom at him. "GAH!!! my eyes!" A guard screamed as Karai lunged at him and cut him with her sword. "1..." Karai counted as the guard fell before she sped for the others. "Stop her!" Another guard ordered as Karai dodged his attacks and wrapped her tail around his neck. "I don’t think so!" Karai quipped as she hit a pressure point on the neck and the guard blacked out. "2..." Karai counted as she jumped onto another and wrapped around his eyes. "Hey! Where is everyone?" The guard asked as Karai directed her mount to attack two guards and knock them out. "3... 4..." Karai counted as she jumped off the guard and unleashed a series of punches on him, knocking him out. "5..." Karai continued as the last guard tried to make a break for it, only for her to rocket pass him. "6." Karai finished as she knocked him out. "And that’s how it’s done." "You sure you want to stick with the Foot and not come back to your Birth Clan, Karai?" Sly asked. "As much as I want to, I also want to help reform the Foot Clan so that we can help protect the world alongside the Hamato Clan." Karai answered as Rarity and Sly climbed down. "Alright, no harm offering. Got the vault code?" Sly added. "Well, while I had that guard head over heels for me, I pickpocketed a paper that had the code." Karai responded as she brought out said paper. "As repulsive as that was, good work all the same." Rarity said. "Like I haven’t seen you doing it, Rarity." Karai retorted. "Touché, Karai." Rarity admitted. "What's the vault code, Bentley?" Sly asked. "Thanks to the paper that Karai got from using her skills, it’s got to be 5-7-9." Bentley answered as Sly typed it in and the safe opened. "Interesting! Chris Cooper’s Dive Collection Technique. This move is an extension of the dive move you guys already know. From now on, you can use that dive attack on breakable objects for fast-breaking and fast-collecting action." "Sweet. Is Adagio feeling better, Bentley?" Sly added another question. "Not sure, but she did get the treasure key." Bentley answered as Sly putted his calling card in the vault. "Let's get the treasure key and head back." Karai suggested as Rarity returned to her and Sly with the treasure key in hand. "Already got it." Rarity responded before she, Karai and Sly rushed back and found Adagio deep in thought. "Oh, hey guys. What took ya so long?" Adagio quipped with a small laugh. "You feeling better, Adagio?" Sly responded with his own question. "Yep." Adagio answered with a genuine smile. "That's good to hear. You had us very worried, darling." Rarity responded in relief. "Yeah, and I’m really sorry about that." Adagio apologized. "It's okay." Karai said "Let's get going, Raleigh is waiting for us." Sly declared. "Let’s be off." Rarity agreed as she, Sly, Adagio and Karai started going to the cannon.