Beasts and Burdens Chapter 8:
Getting Down and Dirty
Even while swimming upstream, Steven Magnet managed to get Rarity and Twilight to the mountainside in record time. He swam right up to a narrow channel flowing into a cave.
"This is as far as I can take you, girls," he said as he let the two unicorns off of his back. "Just follow that channel over there, and you'll get where you want to go."
"Thank you so much, Mr. Magnet," said Twilight.
"Please, call me Steve," said Steven. "Anyway, I'd better go check on Cerberus. Good luck, you two!"
With that, he disappeared under the water and swam off.
"Well then, shall we get going?" said Rarity.
"Wait a minute, Rarity!" said Spike. "That channel must be all muddy and stuff. I thought you hated that."
Rarity chuckled dryly. "Thank you for your concern, Spiky-Wikey. However, if there's one thing I know about my sister, it's that she's worth getting a little dirty."
"I agree," said Twilight. "Just, try not to complain too much, okay?"
Rarity paused to think about it for a moment. "No promises," she said.
Spike shrugged. "Better than nothing, I guess. Right, Twilight?"
Twilight sighed. "I guess."
***
"Oh, I do hope Sweetie Belle is alright. She's probably crying her little eyes out right now. I'll never forgive those brutes if they hurt her!"
Twilight was starting to get agitated. All throughout their trek through the tunnel, Rarity would not stop talking.
"Well, look on the bright side," said Spike, noticing his friend's mood through the glow of her magic. "At least she's not complaining about being dirty."
"Yeah, but I'm worried that the Diamond Dogs will hear us if this keeps up," said Twilight, keeping her voice at a low whisper. "Rarity, do you think you can turn it down a notch? We're trying to take the Diamond Dogs by surprise."
"Hmm? Oh, sorry," said Rarity with a sigh. "I'm just, really worried about Sweetie Belle."
"I know, Rarity. Believe me, I know," said Twilight. "It'll be alright. We'll save her."
Rarity merely nodded, but her expression was still clouded with worry. After a few more minutes of trekking (and Rarity's musings), they reached a clearing where a bunch of Diamond Dog soldiers lay in a heap. Before Twilight could investigate, Rarity charged in and pounced on one of the soldiers. Her weight against the soldier's chest caused him to awaken from his bout of unconsciousness.
"Wha?" he grumbled in a dazed tone. "What happened?" As he recovered, he saw a very angry (and dirty) Rarity staring over him. "Huh?! Hey, it's the whiny pony! Guys, it's the whiny pony!"
"Shut your trap, you ruffian!" Rarity snapped, glaring at the soldier with the intensity of a thousand suns. "Where is Sweetie Belle?!"
"Um, who?"
"Don't play dumb with me! You're trying to blackmail me by kidnapping my sister!"
The soldier then realized the predicament he was in. "Oh, that. Uh, for the record, it wasn't my idea..."
"Oh, there's no worming your way out of this one," Rarity said with a snort. "If you harmed one hair in her pretty little mane, I will make you pay dearly! Now, where is she?!"
"I-I don't know!" the soldier whimpered. "I was sent to guard the northern caves, waiting for you ponies to show up! I don't know where the Boss is keeping your sister!"
"You liar!" Rarity barked, pressing her front hooves against the Diamond Dog's shoulder blades. "Now, you will tell me where she is, or I will..."
"Rarity, stop!"
Twilight had seen enough. Using her magic, she teleported Rarity off of the Diamond Dog. When she tried to jump back on, she found herself unable to fight against the magenta glow of Twilight's magic.
"Let me at him!" Rarity howled, pawing the air in vain. "He's lying! I know he's lying! Sweetie Belle is somewhere in these dusty tunnels, and he knows it!"
"Rarity, look at him!" said Twilight, pointing to the now very frightened Diamond Dog. "Does he look like he knows anything?"
As Rarity saw the soldier cowering in fear, she began to see Twilight's point. Slowly, she stopped moving, becoming as limp as a rag doll under the influence of Twilight's levitation spell. Becoming concerned, Twilight lowered her gently to the ground.
"Are you alright, Rarity?" she asked. "Wait, that's probably a stupid question."
"No, no. It's fine, Twilight," said Rarity with a sniffle. "No, I'm not alright. I can't even bear to think about what's happening to poor Sweetie Belle right now."
"Well, maybe it's not as bad as you think," said Spike. "We all thought you couldn't handle the Diamond Dogs when you were ponynapped. Maybe you're underestimating Sweetie Belle, just like we underestimated you."
Rarity gave Spike a wan smile. "It's a nice thought, Spike. But still, I'm her older sister. It's my duty to worry about her. Not only that, but I can't let my parent down. After they heard about our little adventure with the Sisterhooves Social, they've been allowing her to spend more and more time with me. They trust me."
"Well, of course they do," said Twilight, placing a foreleg around Rarity's shoulder. "And believe me, you're not betraying their trust at all."
"Yeah," said Spike. "In fact, seeing you going to such great lengths for her just shows how trustworthy you are."
Rarity's smile grew. "Ooh~! You guys always seem to know what to say." she said, giving the two an affectionate hug. Even the Diamond Dog soldier was moved to tears.
"Okay, okay!" he said, taking out a handkerchief and blowing his nose. "I-I think I know where the Boss is keeping the little pony! And on behalf of the Diamond Dogs, I am so sorry for doing this!"
Spike had to raise an eyebrow. "Wow. Who knew these Diamond Dogs were such softies?"
Before anyone could respond, there was a crash from the other end of the cave. Twilight and Rarity turned to see another Diamond Dog, sliding down the cave wall he just crashed into.
"Let me do the talking this time," said Twilight as the two rushed over. "Hey, can you talk? What's going on?"
"Th-that monster," muttered the soldier. "It's, insane. Trying to break into, Tartarus..."
"Tartarus? Oh horse apples!" exclaimed Twilight. "The Chimera! That's probably what happened to these Diamond Dogs!"
"Sweet Celestia!" exclaimed Rarity. "Do you mean to say that Sweetie Belle might be in the clutches of that, that THING?!"
"I'm not gonna lie, it's most likely," said Twilight. "And if that's the case, we need to hurry. Spike, hold on tight! We got no time to lose!"
Many questions rushed through Twilight's mind as the two ran off into the tunnels. As for Rarity, there was only one thing on her mind:
That Chimera is going to pay. Big time!