Chapter 3
"And then my pal Twilight here used her magic to take those trees down." Rainbowdash boasted as she told there tale to the some of people at the campsite, she also showed off some of her flight moves as well to the annoyance of Applejack who didn't like it when Rainbowdash was feeding her ego.
Twilight was with Snow White and Prince Charming explaining to them a bit more of their world and their positions in it. "And I'm the personal student of our ruler Princess Celestia, she has taught me everything I know about magic. I've been studying it since I was a foal. I love magic, everything about it, it just so wonderful and great." Twilight face began to beam with happiness
"Really?" Charming said. "You know a lot about magic?"
"Yes! Yes I do. Although not as much as Princess Celestia of course."
Charming and Snow exchange some worried looks at one another, Twilight seemed to notice.
"Is... is something wrong?" Twilight asked looking concerned.
"Well..." Snow said looking for the right words to use. "Most people we know who use magic don't tend to be... this friendly. Well those who aren't fairies anyway."
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked looking really curious now.
"It's just... I'm surprised that you manage to live a very peaceful lifestyle and bee a user of magic considering it's ... consequences." Snow White said.
Twilight didn't understand why would magic effect Twilight's lifestyle, sure she might have been a bit of a shut in in her early years because she studied magic non-stop but she's lived a perfectly good life in Ponyville with her friends. Then it came to her back in the forest when Rumpelstiltskin had whispered to her "All magic comes with a Price..
"Oh!" Twilight finally realized. "Well were I come from, magic is mostly used in positive ways, to help people not hurt them."
"It's not that we don't like magic. We've seen the good, but the way you talk about magic you seem to have a bit of a obsession with it." Charming commented.
"Obsession!" Twilight felt a bit insulted by this remark. "I would prefer passionate about magic then obsessed. Magic in our world comes from the power of friendship and love, I don't know how magic is powered here but it must not be good."
"Pretty much." Snow replied leaving Twilight to worry about magic in this world. Twilight then began to think about what Snow and Charming were saying, she known in her past she was always a bit of a shut in, she never really had friends at a young age. Then a though crossed her mind, what if magic did have a prince and it prevented her from having child hood friends when she was a filly. She felt he heart sink a little bit at this though. "Did magic have a price to bear."
A few feet away Rainbowdash continued to show off her awesome moves to some of the people at the campsite who were at awe by her flying abilities.
"So you think your pretty tuff huh." Rainbowdash turns around to see Grumpy walking up to her.
"Yeah, pretty tuff, I've been the winner of Iron Pony competition three times in a row." Rainbowdash boasted looking at Grumpy with a smirk on her face.
"Want ah put you money were your mouth is pony." Grumpy said daring Rainbowdash to a challenge.
"What do you have in mind dwarf?" Rainbowdash said sounding interested.
"Simple." Grumpy throws Rainbowdash an axe, she catches it wondering what it was for. "You and me in a little mining competition.
"Uh in case you haven't noticed shorty, were in the middle of a forest, I don't see any mines for miles." Rainbowdash pointed out finding the axe to be very heavy.
"Don't worry, there's an old abandoned dwarf mine a few feet from the campsite. Come on I'll show yah." Grumpy and Rainbowdash headed off into the forest. They walked for what seemed to be a few minutes, until finally they found the entrance to the mine which was inside a mountain.
The entrance to the mine was boarded off and a large "Warning, Keep Out, Haunted." sign was on it. Grumpy began to tear off the boards that covered the entrance.
"Hey it says to keep out." Rainbowdash pointed out.
"Ah, they always put signs like that in old mines, afraid it's going to collapse, but this old mine hasn't collapsed in hundreds of years."
"But why do people think this place is haunted?" Rainbowdash asked seeming a little concerned.
"It's just a old dwarves tale. Says there's a monster that lives in the mines, but most people think monsters inhabit every dwarf mines." Grumpy responded
Rainbowdash and Grumpy enter the mine it is dark and drafty a small railway could be seen on the ground a few leftover Axes and pikes were there left behind from a age long past.
"So what exactly is the challenge?" Rainbowdash asked.
"Simple..." Grumpy then swings his axe into one of the rocks, the impact barley left a scratch on it. "These rocks are enchanted, they're hard, and don't crack easily."
"So how de we break them?" Rainbowdash asked skeptical that even her strength could break a enchanted rock.
"Lucky for you, these Axe's are also enchanted as well, but it still takes a few swings to even get a small crack in the rock. So whoever can crack this bolder open first is the winner."
Rainbowdash had her game face on. "Ready!"
"GO!" Grumpy said as he began to swing his axe at the rock again not leaving a crack on the rock. Rainbowdash followed suite as she started to swinging her axe at the rock and started hitting it. The two of them were using every ounce of there strength trying there hardest to make that bolder break. With each swing there was still no sign of their bolder weakening. But Grumpy and Rainbowdash were not giving up that easily. They would continue to these rocks until they cracked.
******
At the Campsite, Twilight, Snow and Charming were going over a map of the Enchanted Forest. Twilight was curious about learning about the world she was in and seeing how different it was from what she had read in her fairy tales. She also wanted to get her mind of the thought that magic may be darker then it appeared .
"So our forces have so far managed to stay well hidden in the forests, while the Queen's and King George's forces patrol the roads and highways that lead to the main towns and villages."
"Fascinating." Twilight said. "Do you plan to take the castle, or..."
"Uh Twilight." Fluttershy cut off.
"Not now Fluttershy." Twilight said going back to the map. "So, do you think your forces will be able to..."
"Uh Twilight." Fluttershy said still whispering but trying to be a little more forceful.
"Not now!" Twilight said getting annoyed she turned back to Snow and Charming. "Like I was saying."
"Hey where's Rainbowdash?" Applejack said walking up to Twilight and Fluttesrhy with Rarity right behind her.
"Yes, I haven't seen her in quiet some time." Rarity said.
"Isn't she here?" Twilight asked looking around the campsite for Rainbowdash unable to find her. Snow and Charming were looking around for her as well.
"Hey where's Grumpy." Snow White asked noticing her friend was missing.
"Oh I know, I know!" Pinkie Pie said coming from out of nowhere.
"You do, were are they!" Twilight asked with a sense of urgency in her voice.
"Oh she and Grumpy went to a abounded mine a few feet away from the campsite. Said something about a challenge." Pinkie Pie explained.
"Ugh, a mine I hate those especially after the last experience I had to go through in a mine." Rarity said remembering an event that happened to her a few years ago.
Then a look of fear appeared on Prince Charming face. "Did you a say abounded mine." he asked Pinkie Pie.
"Yep!" She replied smiling.
"Oh no! There's a reason that mine was abounded." Prince Charming said sounding alter.
"Oh, I bet there going to meet a giant monster soon." Pinkie Pie said.
"Is that what your Pinkie sense is saying." Applejack asked.
"No silly, you see since were in a world of Fairly Tales, this place must run on a narrative which means that it follows the formula of most fairly tales begging, middle and end. Right now in our story were in transition from begging to middle were we will face a few random monsters and forces before heading to a climatic battle and then the final conflict at the end." Pinkie Pie explained much to the confusion and bewilderment of her friends.
"Uh..." Twilight said not sure what to say, she looks at Applejack and Fluttershy for help.
"It's just Pinkie being Pinkie." Applejack said trying to defuse the awkwardness.
"Right, lets go." Twilight said. "Which way Prince Charming."
"I know they way." Prince Charming drew his sword and began to head in the direction the mine followed by Snow and the rest of the Ponies. Twilight hoped that her friends would be safe.
*******
Rainbowdash and Grumpy continued swinging there axes at the rocks finally making a few small cracks in them but still not able to break the rocks open.
"So... first time being in a mine before." Grumpy asked.
"Nope, last time I was in a mine my friend Rarity was captured by a bunch of diamond dogs." Rainbowdash asked.
"Diamond what?" Grumpy asked looking confused.
'Diamond dogs, Nasty creatures that wanted to use my friends Rarity ability to locate gems so they can have all the gems they wanted."
Grumpy seemed intrigued. "Well, I bet that bit them in the but, trust me I've seen what happens when magic is used for evil purposes. Although I have to ask, can she find fairy dust?" Both Grumpy and Rainbowdash chuckled at that thought.
Then they cave began to shake and rumble. Rainbowdash and Grumpy turned around sharply wondering what was going on. As the booming got louder and louder a large figure could be seen in the shadows.
"Uh Grumpy." Rainbowdash said her voice cracking a bit. "I think were going to find out what haunts these mines."
Then the large figure revealed itself to be a large, fat, ugly looking troll.
"Oh dear." Grumpy said looking up at the creatures monstrous completion.
The troll then picked it nose and then noticed Rainbowdash and Grumpy. He opened up his mouth his voice big and booming but sounding as if it was hard for him to fully complete the sentence. "You, Dwarf and Pony." he said pointing to them. "Queen want pretty pony, want Dwarf dead."
The troll then lurched at the two of them however his weight slowed him down allowing for Rainbowdash and Grumpy to avoid being squished by his gut. The troll smashed his face into the wall causing him to lose balance for a few seconds before gaining back his footing.
"Split up!" Grumpy yelled.
The troll watched as he saw Rainbowdash go one way and Grumpy the other. "Queen say find Pony first!" With that the troll went after Rainbowdash who went deeper into the caverns of the mine flying with all her might flapping her wings as hard as she could. Rainbowdash could hear the trolls footsteps in the distance getting louder and louder. As she turned a corner she slammed herself face first into grumpy who was also running from the troll.
"Grumpy!" She said looking surprised. "I thought you went the other direction?"
"I did, apparently this mine goes full circle."
"What are we going to do." Rainbowdash asked as she heard the troll getting close on them.
"Don't worry I have an idea, see that celling." Grumpy pointed up to show the foundation of the mine above them it looked cracked and broken. "We need to get the troll to this point and knock down the rocks above."
"How?" Rainbowdash asked.
"We just put a little pressure on the foundation." Grumpy smiled brandishing his axe.
Grumpy and Rainbowdash then hear a loud roar the troll was getting close to them.
"Get moving." Grumpy demanded as he and Rainbowdash ran into the shadows of the mine as the troll appeared from the corner. He sniffed around searching for the ponies sent. He slowly began walking down the mine slowly heading to the weak celling of the mines.
"NOW!" Grumpy yelled as swung his axe with all his might into the mines foundation, Rainbowdash used her legs and bucked the walls the same way Applejack would a apple tree. The mine began to shake and part of the celling then collapsed on the troll knocking him out unconscious.
"Yes! We did it." Rainbowdash cheered happy they survived that awful encounter.
"Grumpy!"
"Rainbowdash."
"That sounded like Snow." Grumpy replied.
"And Twilight."
The two of them ran out back to the entrance of the mine and saw their friends entering the mine looking relieved to know that their friends were safe.
"Your okay." Fluttershy said sounding relieved. "We were worried you go hurt."
"Oh please we were fine, just had a run in with a troll nothing we couldn't handle." Rainbowdash boasted. Although the reaction from other Ponies looked shocked and horrified.
"Yeah, thankfully this one her is one tough pony." Grumpy said actually giving Rainbowdash a smile.
"Right back at you Dwarf." Rainbowdash said smiling back.
'Well come on lets get out of here, before this place collapses." Prince Charming said looking at the mine's foundation.
"Yes I must agree this place is dreadfully filthy, but then again I guess most mines are." Rarity commented.
The group then exited the mine and once again were in the bright light of the sun. As soon as they're out they hear the crunch of grass coming from the distance and there a young woman wearing a red hood appeared in front of them she looked tired and worried.
"Red." Snow White said looking worried. "What's going on."
"Snow." she said trying to catch her breath. "The Queen's forces they found us."