PONY

by Deathsia

Loyalty Part 2

Ericka and Twilight landed inside the base only for a vast underground landscape to meet their eyes.

“What is this place?” Rarity asked as she timidly stepped forward up to a small cliff face with a twenty foot drop to a lush grassland that extended for what seemed to be miles.

“It seems that Josh wanted to make sure anyone who found his base had a hard time finding their way into it's depths.” Twilight remarked wisely as she stepped next to the white unicorn and stared on.

“Well we aren't going to find the way into the deeper parts of his base by standing here. Pinkie Pie's already in here looking for Richard so lets get moving!” Ericka exclaimed as she took off from the ground only to be yanked to the ground by the tail by Twilight. “Why did you-!” Ericka began to exclaim agitated only to look up and see a net of magical beams appear above them and gasped.

“Josh wasn't stupid. He has traps set up for both Pegasus and Unicorns in this place.” Twilight remarked as she levitated a small rock on the ground and tossed it up at the net at which point the rock could be seen flying through it as if it was unharmed only to fall into fragments on it's way back down with a clattering sound as the pieces of the rock hit the ground.

“Wow, I was almost frappe'd!” Ericka exclaimed in shock only to receive confused looks from the others and took note of this realizing they had no idea what she was referring to. “It's a term used from my home planet. We have these blenders that... You know what, never mind.” The dark blue Pegasus began to explain only to stop herself when the others looked even more confused than before now.

“Anyways, I guess we're walking.” Twilight remarked as she looked down in an attempt to judge the height.

“And how are we supposed to do that? There's no way we can make that jump without breaking a leg or two!” Rainbow Dash exasperated with an annoyed glare.

“I might be able to conjure a net, but Josh has magical limiters placed all over the place. I don't know how strong the net will be. You can feel it too can't you Rarity?” Twilight asked as she looked to her friend whom nodded in acknowledgment.

“Yes, it feels as if somepony is draining the strength from my horn. I thought they only used these kinds of things in Canterlot prison.” Rarity remarked as she placed a hoof on her horn then looked back at Twilight.  

“Can't you levitate us down one by one?” Ericka suggested curiously as she walked up to the three.

“I can try, but with these magical limiters, I don't know how long my range of magic is. For all we know it could only extend to five feet.” Twilight remarked and sighed.

“Consarn it all! How the hay are we supposed ta' get down thar then?!” Applejack erupted from behind the five stomping the ground in frustration.

Ericka looked about herself taking note of the fact there we three Pegasus, two unicorns, and one earth pony at which point an idea came to her, not the best of ideas, but it was better than standing here doing nothing. “The magical net only extends above us and doesn't go any lower right?” Ericka asked curiously.

“Looks that way but-”

“Then me, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy can use our wings to hover everypony down to safety! And if things get bad or that magical net thingy lowers itself on us, you and Rarity can combine your magic to lower us down to safety right?” Ericka continued cutting off the lavender unicorn mid-sentence.

Twilight placed a hoof on her chin as if to contemplate whether or not Ericka's idea would work or not for a few moments before she smiled at the dark blue Pegasus. “Sounds like a plan to me!”

“Ya sure bout this sugarcube? If these here plan of hers goes south, the lot of us could be in for some hurtin.” Applejack remarked with a worried expression as she walked up to the other five.

“We're fresh out of options A-J, so this plan is going to have to work!” Rainbow Dash replied as she hovered above Rarity and picked her up.

“Rainbow Dash is right Applejack, we have no other options here. We have no idea what we're up against and this area is a unicorn and Pegasus's worst nightmare.” Twilight replied as Ericka hovered above her and lifted her up.

“Ah guess so, but-!” Applejack began to say only to give a panicked jolt as Fluttershy picked her up.

“Um, please don't squirm so much. It's already going to be hard enough for me to carry you. I'm not a very strong pony...” Fluttershy remarked nervously.

“Oh horseapples covered in caramel, this ain't gonna be good.” The farm pony remarked in dismay as her expression became as pale as a ghost and slammed her eyes shut.

...

…...

…......

“Hey A-J, you can open your eyes now!” Rainbow Dash's voice exclaimed followed by the farm pony snapping her eyes open and realized her hooves were on solid ground once again.

“Oh sweet Celestia, thank mah lucky stars!” Applejack exclaimed and began to kiss the ground only for the other five to snicker, giggle, and laugh which caused her to look up and glare at them.

“You wouldn't by chance be scared of heights are you A-J?” Rainbow Dash jeered with a smirk.

“Nah! Ah just don't like it when mah hooves leave the ground is all! It makes meh nervous ya know?” The farm pony replied with a blush which earned more giggles from the five.

“Um, Applejack, that's the same thing as being scared of heights.” Twilight remarked doing her best to not laugh at the farm pony's fear.

“Stuff an apple in it, the lot of ya! They're two very different things!” Applejack exclaimed as she sat on her rump and crossed her arms with a blush looking away from the five whom couldn't take it anymore and broke into spontaneous laughter.

Their laughter was abruptly interrupted however by the ground shaking beneath them furiously and the appearance of stone walls erecting themselves from the ground. The six soon found themselves trapped in a small stone room with a single stone hallway as their only path.

“Another defense of Josh's?” Ericka inquired quietly to Twilight as the six observed their surroundings.

“Possibly, but now we're at a huge tactical disadvantage. Josh most likely knows we're here now. So we're at his mercy.” Twilight replied softly and sighed in dismay.

“If I know Josh, he knew we were here from the moment we set hoof in this place.” Ericka remarked with a scowl as she looked down the stone hallway.

“Lets go everypony. Regardless if Josh knows we're here or not, we have to find him and put a stop to this!” Twilight replied with a confident expression now as she began to walk down the stone hallway followed by the other four with Ericka walked next to her.

“Just out of curiosity, how do you plan on defeating him?” Ericka asked curiously as they turned to the right and continued down the path.

“With the elements of harmony of course.” Twilight replied confidently at which point Ericka stopped and facehoofed. “Is that your solution to everything?” Ericka asked with an annoyed expression and tone to match it.

Upon hearing this, Twilight stopped and turned around to face the dark blue Pegasus. “Of course, nothing in Equestria can beat the elements of harmony.” Twilight replied not sure what Ericka was getting at.

“In case you missed the memo, Josh isn't from Equestria. The elements of harmony may not have an effect on him because of this. Did you even consider an alternate means? Such as offensive magic? Besides according to the books I've read, the elements of harmony require you all to be together to use them and Pinkie Pie is no where to be found. What do you plan on doing if we run into him and we still haven't found Pinkie Pie?” Ericka asked looking at Twilight now whom was at a loss for words.

“I... didn't think of that.” The lavender unicorn replied after a few moments of silence looking down at the stone floor now.

(play Sad symphony now)
“I know that this world of yours rarely sees any form of threat and when one does pop up the elements of harmony are always your ace in the hole, but this isn't like Discord, Nightmare Moon, or Chrysalis! This is a man who is not from your world and is using your world's magic for his own dark ends. We have no idea what he's capable of.” Ericka replied looking at the other five now as well as she continued to speak. “If the elements of harmony don't work, we're going to have to get our hooves dirty and I don't mean with mud. This fight may not have a happy ending and Josh won't show you any mercy. He will kill each everyone of us without a second thought if we give him the chance. You all realize this don't you?” Ericka finished looking from Twilight to Applejack now whom all looked at the stone floor and shuffled their front hooves nervously.

“I-I've never had to k-kill anypony before...” Fluttershy remarked meekly after a few moments silence.

“It ain't like ah didn't think it might come to that Ericka...  it's just that ah didn't want to think of killin anypony.” Applejack replied moments after Fluttershy softly.

“Well guess what, you all better start thinking like that. Because in the world I come from, war happens every five years with another planet. It's not pretty, and it never has a happy ending, but we fight and we die because we want to protect the ones we love.” Ericka replied coldly before she turned to walk away only for Rainbow Dash to land in front of her.

“Hey, tone it down a bit honey. You're going to freak everypony out.” The cyan blue Pegasus remarked in a hushed tone only for Ericka to glare back at her.

“No, I won't tone it down! Do you want everypony to die Rainbow Dash? Because if we take another step without being ready to kill whoever comes after us, we're as good as dead! This isn't a fairy tale! This is realty!” Ericka exclaimed and walked past her lover a few feet more before she stopped and sighed.“I wish we had never come here. You all don't deserve this. Your world should never have to see or experience what mine has.” The dark blue Pegasus remarked sadly as Rainbow Dash walked up next to her and placed a hoof on her shoulder.

“Well we are. And even though things look bad.” Rainbow Dash remarked as she walked in front of Ericka, placed a hoof on her chin and lifted it so that her eyes were level with hers. “I wouldn't take back anything that's happened if it meant possibly never meeting you.” Rainbow Dash said with a soft smile as she stared into Ericka's eyes which were glistening now.

Ericka then gently pushed her lover's hoof away, wiped her eyes with a soft sniffle and gave a light laugh. “Damn it Rainbow, you're not making this any easier you know. When this is all over, I'm going to have to leave.” she replied doing her best to smile despite the tears in her eyes now.

“Maybe, but you're here now. So lets go kick some flank and spend the time you have left together, that sound good?” Rainbow Dash replied smiling still.

“Yeah, that sounds good.” Ericka replied managing a wry smile as she wiped tears from her eyes.

“Alright everypony, things are going to get ugly from here on out! I know it's hard to think about but Ericka is right! We can't do things the way we always have. This Josh guy means serious business! So let's bring our A-game! Because if we don't, we'll be pushing up daises in Canterlot cemetery! Got it?!” The cyan blue Pegasus exclaimed looking back at the other five and extended a hoof out to them.

“Ah guess we ain't got any choice now do we?” Applejack replied with a smirk as the placed her hoof on top of Rainbow Dash's.

“I certainly hope my mane doesn't get ruined.” Rarity remarked nervously as she placed a hoof on top of Applejack's.

“I-I guess there's no other way around it...” Fluttershy remarked as she timidly placed a hoof on top of Rarity's.

“Lets go kick some ass, erm, I mean flank!” Ericka exclaimed enthusiastically as she placed a hoof on top of Fluttershy's.

The five then looked at Twilight whom was staring at them with an slightly annoyed expression. “Ass, huh?” Twilight remarked as a smirk washed over her face. “Alright, lets do this everypony!” Twilight exclaimed as the slapped her hoof on top of Ericka's. Moments later the four flung their hooves up with a cheer and began to charge down the stone hall only to come to a screeching halt as they entered a wide room filled with holes and dirt piles.

“Um, what the hay is this?” Rainbow Dash asked looking confused at the slightly large room.

“Reminds me of a minefield but there's no way Josh could have access to that kind of technolgy on a planet like this.” Ericka remarked as she walked cautiously out into the dirt field only for a furry brown hand to erupt out of the ground and attempt to grab her by the hoof.

“Gah!” Ericka exclaimed as she flapped her wings on impulse to evade the furry hand while taking note of the magical net just above her head that looked just like the one she recalled seeing earlier.

“You missed!”

“Oh put a diamond in it! I'll get the pony next time!”

“Those voices sound familiar, don't y'all reckon?” Applejack remarked curiously as Ericka landed safely back on the stone floor next to Twilight.

“A little too familiar.” Rarity chimed in with a cringing expression.

“Am I missing something? What just tried to grab me?” Ericka asked in a confused tone.

Twilight sighed aloud and groaned. “Diamond Dogs. We had a run in with them a while back. But why are they here?” The lavender unicorn replied curiously as she looked around the room for a possible safe path but found none.

“Diamond what? Are they dogs made of diamonds or something?” Ericka asked curiously.

“No, they're called diamond dogs because of their obsession with gem stones.” Twilight replied and groaned once again in frustration. “This is going to be a pain in the flank. There's no way a crossed that's not covered in dirt.” The lavender unicorn remarked looking at the other five.

“How is this going to be so hard? We just above the piles of dirt and holes and we're clear right?” Ericka replied still not getting the full picture.

“That simply won't work darling. Diamond dogs are expert tunnelers. Chances are they have a labyrinth of tunnels below us that reach over the entire span of this room.” Rarity said taking a step forward.

“I don't suppose you'll let us pass will you?” Rarity called out curiously.

“Oh no, It's the winy pony! What do we do?!”

“Winy pony?” Rarity remarked with a deathly glare at the dirt floor as her temple pulsed.

“How am I supposed to know?! But if we don't stop them, we don't get those precious gem stones we were promised!”

“Well, we're bucked. If gem stones are involved then there's no way in Equestria they will let us a crossed without a fight.” Rainbow Dash remarked with a groaned and a facehoofing gesture.

“Let me see if I can reason with them.” Ericka replied after a few moments and walked up to the edge of the dirt floor next to Rarity. “Listen to me, whatever Josh has promised you is a lie. He's just using you!” Ericka exclaimed hoping they would listen to reason.

“The two legged creature warned us that you might try and trick us! Well we won't listen! We want those gem stones!” 

Upon hearing this Rarity sighed and looked at Ericka. “There's no reasoning with ruffians like these.” The unicorn remarked, closed her eyes, and snapped them open a few moments later with a smirk. “Ah-ha! I knew it!” Rarity exclaimed with a smirk which was met with confused looks from the other five.

“Well as you all know my magic has a knack for sniffing out gemstones, and as I suspected they have a plentiful amount stored below us.” Rarity replied with a confident smirk.

“And that helps us how?” Rainbow Dash asked as she gestured towards Rarity her her right hoof curiously.

“Darling, you insult me! My magic may be limited here but am far from powerless!” Rarity exclaimed as her horn glowed brightly and moments later a faint rumbling could be heard followed by panicked cries from the diamond dogs and moments later a path of diamonds erupted from the ground.

“Well buck meh into zapapple harvest, nice work thar Rarity!” Applejack exclaimed as she darted a crossed the path of diamonds followed by the other four and soon after Rarity.

As the four darted down the path however diamond dogs erupted from the ground next to the both on both sides and began to lunge at the six in an attempt to capture them.

“Keep going, we're almost there!” Ericka exclaimed as they continued to dodge the diamond dog's assault growing closer to the other side of the room with each passing second.

Just as they closed in on the exit however, Rarity gave a high pitched cry as one of the diamond dogs secured their grimy hand around her left hind leg and began to drag her into the ground.

“Not the mane, don't touch the mane, wha-ha-haaa!”

The other five made it to the other side and quickly turned around to their horror as Rarity was dragged underground.

“Rarity!” All five shouted nearly in unison as the diamond dogs dove underground and it soon became deathly quiet.

“Is she...” Fluttershy asked timidly trailing off as if unable to speak the last word of her sentence.

“Don't be speakin nonsense thar surgarcube! She's just dandy, she'll come poppin out of one of their holes any moment now, ah'm sure of it!” Applejack exclaimed looking back at Fluttershy and then back to the dirt floor.

Several tense moments passed now and there was still no sign of the white unicorn.

“No...” was all the lavender unicorn could say in dismay as they continued to stare on.

“It can't be... Come on Rare, don't be kickin the bucket so early now!” Applejack exclaimed though her voice was quieted now as if she was talking to herself more than the others now.

“This can't be happening...it isn't happening...is it?” Fluttershy asked though her voice cracked and shook as she spoke.

“It's happening alright...” Ericka remarked and abruptly slammed her right hoof into the stone wall next to her. “I should have been paying attention to behind us more closely! Now Rarity is...she's....  !” Ericka began to say only for her attention to be yanked to the dirt floor by a faint rumbling.

(play Fighting is magic-Rarity's theme now)

A flurry of gemstones erupted from the ground now followed by Rarity whom landed on the dirt floor her mane looking worse for ware but physically she was just fine.

“Rarity!” The five shouted once again but this time it their voices were filled with relief and joy.

“Take that you ruffians!” Rarity exclaimed with a triumphant grin.

“Come on Rarity! Let's get out of here!” Twilight exclaimed as she rushed out to her friend only for a paw to reach out of the ground and grab her right hind leg which was hit with a gem stone which shot from the ground and hit the hand causing it to release it's grasp on the lavender unicorn.

“No, I must stay here and contend with these ruffians! Go on, I'll catch up!” Rarity exclaimed as Twilight darted back to the safety of the stone floor and looked out at her friend.

“But Rarity-!” Twilight began to say only for the diamond dogs to erupt from the ground and lunge at the five at which point another flurry of gemstones erupted from the ground blocking their path.

“Do not argue with me Twilight Sparkle!” Rarity exclaimed and fired several gemstones from the ground at the diamond dogs whom retreated underground to evade this attack by the white unicorn.

Ericka looked at Rarity and immediately understood. “Let's go Twilight. She can handle things here. We have to find Josh and put an end to this!” Ericka exclaimed as she placed both front hooves on each of Twilight's shoulders and looked her in the eyes.

The lavender unicorn hesitated but eventually looked back at Rarity. “Don't you go and get yourself hurt okay?!”

Upon hearing this Rarity gave a slight bow and smirked. “Darling, the only thing I'm worried about now is my mane, it's simply atrocious!” The white unicorn replied which was met with a smirk from Twilight who quickly ran down the stone path followed by the other four.

“Now then, you diamond dogs owe me a trip to salon and then some!” Rarity exclaimed as her expression became pissed off and determined as dirt paths ran along the ground towards Rarity...