Starlight cautiously made her down into the mines, doing her best to remember where each tunnel led to. Her village had used this mine for storage in the early days, but abandoned it once they'd built their storehouse. Right now, however, it would aid her in her attempt to escape.
Slowing down slightly, the unicorn strained to look around for something to assist her. She was currently in a section that was level and approaching a spot where four tunnels converged. A check of the walls turned up an old oil lantern, which had no more oil inside it.
Starlight smiled at feeling the lantern. While it would not help her with sight, it did tell her where she was in the mine. Turning to her left, she went down a tunnel and felt to her right. After a few meters, she felt no more wall and knew she'd found one of the storerooms where the tools had been kept. She was certain that there would be something in here to help her remove the ring suppressing her magic.
Feeling around the dark room, Starlight's hoof did eventually make contact with something useful - a workbench. She felt around on the top and found a few tools, but nothing that would assist her like she wanted.
Then she felt her hoof pass over a long wooden handle. Grinning wide, she ran her hoof up to one end and found the item she was hoping was still here: a pick-axe.
Starlight wasted no time, grabbing the pick-axe with her hoof and sliding it over so she could grasp it with her mouth. A first grasp caused her to spit from a film of dust that settled onto the wood, but a quick wipe with her hoof removed enough of the dust to allow her to grab it with her teeth and swing it. She could handle the weight, which would let her use her new weapon, but that wasn't the reason she wanted the pickax.
Placing her hoof on the workbench, she continued feeling around until she felt the next object that would offer her assistance - a bench vise. Finding the handle, she turned it until the vise was fully shut. With a solid point to make a lever, Starlight placed the pick-axe down so that the one end could wedge the point into the space between her horn and the ring. She would need to be careful; one screw up and she could injure her horn greatly.
Once the pick-axe was in place on both the vise and her horn, Starlight began applying gentle pressure, hoping to loosen the ring's hold on her horn. At first, there was no give, but after a few moments, she could feel the ring begin to wiggle. Encouraged by the progress, Starlight began rocking the pick-axe back and forth, slowly working the ring up her horn.
At a point where it felt the ring was loose enough to be pulled off, Starlight let the pick-axe fall on the bench. She quickly brought her hooves up to her horn and grasped the ring, forcing it to the end of her horn and off.
A searing pain began to shoot into her horn as she ripped the ring off and flung it as far as she could. With the ring now fully gone, Starlight took a moment to rest, thankful she was able to get the ring off as quick as she could to avoid the absolute worst of the anti-removal spell. Magic-inhibiting rings were made to be extraordinarily difficult for prisoners to remove them, but not completely impossible to do so.
Once the pain of the enchantment stopped, Starlight decided to try out her magic. She felt around for a lamp on the bench she could light, but found none. Then she slapped herself with a hoof.
"I can use my magic now!" she thought to herself as she focused her magic at her horn's point and began to cast a beam of light across the storeroom.
The room still had some stuff in it. Most of it was supplies the village didn't need much of; some stacks of two by four lumber and nails that could build another house if need be. Starlight walked towards the back portion of the room and found what she had been looking for: lamp oil. She then found a pair of old saddlebags and loaded up the lamp oil in them. Once she felt she had enough, she snuck back out of the room and found the lantern on the wall. She grabbed it in her magic and quickly filled it, sparking the wick with magic to get it to light.
The tunnel quickly filled with light, and Starlight looked around to see the tunnels went off a ways in each direction. The mare already knew which way she needed to go, so she took the desired tunnel and galloped off in that direction, ready to enact a plan to trap her six pursuers down here for a long time, if not permanently.
Twilight and her friends had rushed back into the mine and hopped over the opening where the pile rocks had been. The headed down into the tunnel, moving a little bit slower and using her magic and Rarity's to light up the mine tunnels ahead of them.
"We really need to be careful down here, girls," the alicorn told her friends. "It's pretty clear to me that Starlight knows plenty about these mine tunnels, and she may very well be planning an ambush for us or some kind of trap to let her slip away."
"Well, she's gonna hafta do more than what she did if she wants ta lose me!" Applejack declared with a hoof stomp.
"Right!" Rainbow Dash replied. "We'll make that mare regret even trying to escape inside these tunnels!"
"I appreciate your enthusiasm," Twilight interjected, "but we need to keep our feelings in check. She could manipulate them against us without us realizing."
"Umm..." Fluttershy spoke up.
"What is it?" Twilight asked her.
"Does anypony smell lamp oil?"
Twilight and the others quickly caught a whiff of the air, and sure enough, there was a scent of burning oil lamp.
"Let's go!" Twilight told the others as she galloped further down into the mine, her friends hot on her hooves. After a few minutes of running straight, Twilight came to a stop at an intersection of tunnels.
"Okay," she turned to her friends, "the smell is the strongest here, so there's a good chance Starlight is somewhere nearby. Let's split into pairs and search each tunnel. AJ, Pinkie, you girls keep going straight. Rainbow and Fluttershy can take the tunnel going left. Rarity and I will take this one to the right. We'll go and investigate for about five minutes or so, and then we'll all come back and compare notes. I don't expect to find Starlight so soon, but will have a better idea of which way she's likely went."
"Not to rain of yer parade, Twi," Applejack butted in, "but it's all too possible Starlight's got a trap set up somewhere and might even be bankin' her farm on us splittin' up to look for her. Maybe we should stick together?"
Twilight shook her head. "I agree that she probably has a trap set up, but we can't waste the time investigating each one as a big group. Pairing off to check each tunnel is our best option. I'll tell you what though..."
Twilight's horn glowed and three whistles came into existence.
"AJ, Rainbow and I will each take a whistle. If something happens, we can blow it or give it to the other pony so they can blow it and alert us to trouble. Sound good?"
Applejack didn't look happy, but went along with the plan anyway.
"I guess this'll work for me, but do ya think ya can magic up some kinda light for us?"
"I would, and it would help conserve my magic, but conjuring the lamps would also mean conjuring the oil. I know that there used to be miners down here, but that doesn't mean they left extra oil sitting around, and there's also the distinct possibility of the oil being so old that it's no longer usable. I'm sorry, but I don't think I can resolve that problem, but if you do find good oil, I'll see about getting us some oil lamps together; I'm not going to expend the energy until we're sure there's fresh oil down here."
"Okay, Twi," AJ relented, "We'll look for Starlight and keep our eyes peeled if we find any usable oil. Back here in five, everypony."
The group split off into pairs and went their separate ways. Applejack and Pinkie went into the left tunnel, Fluttershy and Rainbow kept going straight, and Twilight and Rarity went to the right.
The alicorn and unicorn duo kept sniffing the air, noticing that the oil lamp smell was getting stronger the further they went. "She definitely went this way," Twilight told Rarity.
"Should we head back and call for the others?" Rarity asked in response.
"Not yet. We should check this tunnel further down for-"
"HEY EVERYPONY!" Applejack's voice called out. "GET YOUR FLANKS OVER HERE!"
Twilight and Rarity did an about face, and met back up with their friends. Twilight was about to ask what they found, but then she took notice to what Applejack had in her hoof: Starlight's inhibitor ring.
"Okay, new hoofball game," Twilight said as she brought a hoof to her temple. "Starlight has the use of her magic again, and that lamp oil smell could very well be some kind of trick to get us lost in here. I think the best course of action right now is to make sure nopony gets lost down here and make some enchanted markers."
"What good is the enchanted markers gonna do us?" Applejack asked.
"Using the enchanted markers, Rarity and I can both find our way back out of these mines using a simple tracking spell. We'll split up into two groups of three. Fluttershy and Pinkie will come with me. AJ and Rainbow will go with Rarity. If either of us thinks we're getting lost, we can use the spell and locate the marker to find our way back."
"I've never used a spell like the one you're talking about, Twilight," Rarity pointed out. "How do you know I'll be able to do it?"
Twilight smiled at her. "Because it's based off of your gem location spell. You know, the one you got your cutie mark for?"
Rarity, feeling a bit embarrassed, became a bit bashful. "Well, yes, I do."
Twilight gave her a quick rundown of the spell. Applejack had went back and got some lamp oil and two lanterns, allowing the group to light their way without expending magic. Finding the tunnel going left ended rather abruptly, the groups went down the center and right tunnels, Rarity's group going straight and Twilight's going to the right. Despite the assurances they got against getting lost, all the ponies were a bit nervous about what Starlight would do if she came across them.
Starlight had found her way down the tunnel far enough she had a few minutes to think. She didn't want to go too much further; she hadn't investigated much of the mines past where she had set up the storeroom for her village's supplies. That meant that she was entering unfamiliar territory.
Slowing down a bit and getting a feel for the layout of the tunnels, Starlight figured that the ponies who created these mines didn't know much about what they were looking for. Sure, they were likely mining for gold, but they passed up mineral ores that had potentially more value, like bauxite ore that could be refined for aluminum that many ponies preferred for building sky chariots from. She made a note that if she was able to escape from here and deal with the six mares accordingly, she would get some ponies together to mine out the ore and make some money to fund a new village.
Shaking the thought from her mind, the lilac unicorn looked around for something she could use against the group.
The mine, unfortunately, yielded little to nothing to assist her. There were some crates, but none large enough for her to hide behind. She thought to use a concealment spell, but she knew that alicorn would be able to pinpoint it easily. Her best bet would be to try to create some kind of distraction.
As that thought crossed her mind, she re-examined the crates, and an idea came to her.
Twilight's group were making their way down the tunnel, keeping their eyes and ears open in the off chance that they caught sight of Starlight before she caught sight of them. The alicorn was becoming a good bit impatient, eager to catch their escaped prisoner as soon as possible and get back to Canterlot so she could be judged and punished by the princesses.
Fluttershy was in the center of the group, nervously casting her gaze to and fro, doing her best to stay calm in the dark tunnels.
"Twilight, are you sure we can't make the lantern a little brighter?" she asked in a whisper.
"I'm sure, Fluttershy," Twilight answered quietly. "If we make it any brighter than this, then there's a good chance that Starlight could see it and we'd be forced into a confrontation that we're not prepared for."
Fluttershy didn't answer immediately. Her gaze fell back onto the lantern, its light only illuminating about a pony's length of distance away from them.
"C'mon, Fluttershy," Pinkie tried to encourage her friend, earning a "Shh!" from both mares as her voice was far too loud for their liking.
"Well, Sor-ree!" Pinkie responded, quieter, but still louder than a whisper.
"Pinkie, we're getting distracted," Twilight pointed out. "We have no idea how far these tunnels go or how sturdy the support beams holding the ceiling up are. For everypony's safety, I think we should recapture Starlight and get out of here as quickly as we can."
"I agree," Fluttershy chimed in, "and..."
Fluttershy went quiet, but Twilight heard the whimpers and saw her friend's worried expression. "And...?"
"Well, if these miners hit a pocket of gas, it'll be really dangerous for anypony if we go much deeper."
Twilight rolled her eyes. "Fluttershy, I know the signs of methane poisoning, and I haven't experienced any of them yet. Trust me, if I even get a little bit light-headed, we're turning around and leaving Starlight to her fate."
Fluttershy looks at Twilight in shock. "Y-You would do that?!"
Twilight looked at Fluttershy for a moment before letting out a sigh. "If there's a gas pocket down here and Starlight encountered it, she would've probably teleport-"
Suddenly, Twilight realized something she hadn't thought of before.
"Dangit! She could've went down far enough to be sure that we would follow her and then teleport back to the entrance and escape, or worse yet, destroy the entrance and trap us down here without air! We need to turn around, right now!"
"Why? You only just got here!"
A sudden shot of magic hits the ceiling of the mine, blasting a support apart and sending rock crashing down to the floor.
"Look out!" Twilight shouted as she used her magic to shove her friends out of the way. She then dives for cover as the ceiling caves in.
After a few moments to make sure she's okay, Twilight then gets back up and rushes over to the rocks.
"Fluttershy! Pinkie! Are you okay?!"
"We're fine, Twilight."
The unicorn breathes a sigh of relief as she concocts a plan.
"You two work on moving the rocks. I'll see if I can't-AAH!"
Twilight is cut off as a magic bolt sears into her flanks, knocking her back to the ground.
"So worried about your supposed friends that you forgot all about me!"
Twilight tries to stand, but can't feel her hind legs; she was hit with a paralysis spell. Moving her upper half to look behind her, she sees Starlight standing up behind some wooden crates she overlooked while distracted by Pinkie.
"You won't get away with this!" Twilight shouts at the mare.
"Oh, please!" Starlight taunts as she approaches the alicorn. "You don't stand a chance against me! Even as an alicorn, you're still much weaker than me!"
"You think you're stronger on your own? You're wrong! My friends give me strength!"
"Can it, Princess!" Starlight spits back. "If you get your strength from your friends, why are you dragging your flanks across the ground, huh?"
As if to make a point, Starlight sends another bolt at Twilight. This time, the alicorn erects a shield around herself, deflecting the bolt.
"You and your friends ruined everything for me! I had a good village full of loyal ponies. We had a utopia before you came along!"
"No you didn't! Nopony was happy with you in charge! Making ponies give up their cutie marks is unnatural!"
"Friendship is unnatural! All I've ever seen it do is set up your heart to break! Nopony in my village ever suffered a broken heart!"
Twilight glared at Starlight. "Never having a heart to break is far worse than a broken heart."
A sudden blast launches Twilight from the ground and into the rock pile created by the cave in. The mare lets out a cry as she feels the hard impact against her side and wings.
"Shut up! I've heard enough from you! Now I'm gonna make sure you suffer!"
Starlight began conjuring the most powerful spell she could think of, preparing to cast it on the alicorn before her.
"Once I'm through with you, I'll go after your friends, and then I'll get my village back, and after that, I'll take my message of sameness all across Equestria, and nopony is gonna stop me!"
Starlight had the spell formed in her mind, ready to unleash it on the alicorn.
"Now, I'm gonna make you suffer, like you made me-"
Starlight is frozen in place, her magic locked up. A look of confusion washes across her face, and she suddenly feels energy begin to emanate from her flank. The surprised mare suddenly feels all the energy and will within her leave, and she falls to the ground like a rag doll. She struggles to get back up, but the weakness feels like one ton weights around her withers and flanks. Even her neck feels like it's full of lead, and as she tries to voice her confusion, something inside compels her to speak.
"Or, maybe, I won't."
Almost as quickly as it came, the weakness and heaviness leaves, and Starlight regains her energy. Looking at her hooves in confusion, she thinks back to the feelings from before and looks at her flank. The equal sign sitting there glows for a moment and then goes dim.
For the first time, Starlight looks at her symbol of liberation from the individuality that ruined friendship for her, and instead of reverance, looks at it in horror.
She suddenly feels something shoved onto her horn, and before she can turn to see anything, Twilight hits her with her own, full-body stun spell. Frozen in place, the lilac mare can do nothing but look up at her warden, a scowl on the lavender alicorn's face.
"Now you know what all the ponies you subjected that spell to felt when they tried to embrace their individuality again."
Twilight crouches down lower to look more intimidating to the mare.
"You felt it, didn't you? That weakness washing over you, robbing you of your desire to do anything? That's what everypony you subjected that spell to felt. Did it feel as good to you as it did to them?"
Starlight couldn't voice a response. Instead, a single tear falls from her frozen eye.
"That's what I thought," Twilight concludes as she calls to her friends through the wall. "I captured Starlight. Keep working on digging out. I'm gonna ping Rarity and get the other girls down here. We'll get the tunnel fixed enough so we can get you out of there."
"Okay, Twilight!" Pinkie calls out through the rocks. "We'll get this done in a jiffy!"
Twilight smiles, then scowls as she looks at the frozen mare again. "If I were you, I wouldn't try taking that ring off anymore."
The purple alicorn puts a sleep spell on Starlight, then turns and heads back up the tunnel, hoping to reach her friends before they get too much deeper into the mine.