A role-playing gamer in Celestia's Court

by Gsarge9289

Smoke Under the Mountain

I followed the Nightmare Force’s directions to a metalworking town called Steelhoof. It was a decent sized pony town at the base of a mountain that housed their iron mine. Years of tabletop gaming led me to figure that our dragon problem was in the mines, but I figured gathering information from the townsponies should be our first course of action.

Our first pony was an earthpony with lime green fur, white mane, and big brown eyes.She looked over Starswirl and me with an appraising look before adjusting her glasses from behind her desk at the mineworks office. “And how may I help you two?” She spoke in a clipped professional fashion as I caught a look at her nameplate that read Keylime Pie.

“Would you happen to be related to Pinkie Pie?” I asked casually as Starswirl looked at me confused and the mare tilted her head to me.

“That would be my cousin. Though I doubt you came all this way to ask that. Fan of hers?” She adjusted her glasses at me.

“Friend of hers, actually. I know this is going to be a weird question, but have any ponies gone missing or new passages opened in the mine recently?” I tried to play cool as I could while she took a harder look at me with narrowed eyes.

“And how would you know that? Why would I tell you that anyway?”

“We just wish to help. I have information that there’s something dangerous near the town and I figured it might have hidden in the mine.” Keylime moved her scrutinizing gaze between Star swirl and me again.

“So, what is it that you are hoping to do here?”

“May we at least investigate the mine for a bit? If we’re wrong we’ll simply be our way.” Starswirl gave a dramatic huff and flourish of his cape. Keylime gave a laugh as she couldn’t fight back a smile from her muzzle.

“Fine, you may give it a once over, but I better not hear you getting in the way of the miners, understand? Say hi to my cousin for me.” I nodded to her in understanding as Starswirl and I took our leave to the mine after she wrote a note and stamped a seal on it. We showed it to the guards and entered as I closed my eyes and let my magic flow out into the mountain mine to map out everything. The mine itself was impressive and then I hit a hidden complex and found numerous caverns filled with large bipedal creatures along with a huge creature laying in a large room with a domed ceiling.

“Well young friend? What’s the verdict?” I brought my focus back to myself looking at Starswirl.

“Pretty big cavern complex, a tribe of maybe diamond dogs, and looks like Nightmare was on the money about the dragon. I’m not sure you and I could handle a whole tribe by ourselves.” I wiped my brow as the old sage stroked his beard in a manner fitting his historic personia of the classic wiseman.

“Hmm, a whole tribe of diamond dogs is certainly concerning even without a possibly evil dragon. I guess a bit of digging and certainly you are surrounded in your element of specialty.” The both of us made our way to a wall that I knew had a cavern on the other side. “We should try to convince them to close the mineworks while we try to clear this little problem.” I marked the wall by shaping the rocks to look like a smiley face.

“I don’t expect them to listen, but who knows. Stranger things have happened.” We trekked out and confronted the guards at the entrance. “There’s something dangerous in the mine. Is it possible to call an early break or clear the mine?” The guard looked at me like I had grown a second head.

“Do you have proof?” The two guards shifted at their posts.

“We…Don’t have proof we could bring you without making the mine more unsafe for the miners.” The two guards turned to look at eachother with concern.

We made our way back to Keylime as she reflected my sour look back at me. “Pinkie’s friend, the look on your face tells me that you’re about to suggest that I need to close the mine. What was your name again?”

“Onyxian, I met your cousin about six months ago. Yeah, there’s a big group of something and a big something in your mine. Right now, I’d like to get everypony out before my companion and I try to clear them out.”

Keylime crossed her arms shooting a hard look up at me. “Let me guess. All for the low-low price of?” I was a bit taken aback.

“The price of nothing or the price of lost labor for a bit. Nothing for me and my friend. I really just want to get rid of whatever’s in the mine for my own peace of mind.”

“Really? Your own peace of mind? Nothing else?” Her body relaxed and her face softened. “Okay, I’ll clear the mine.”

Starswirl had looked ready to argue our case to Keylime as the both of us seemed a bit surprised as we followed her back out to the mines as the guards snapped to attention at seeing her.

“Get everypony out.”

“Everypony? Ma’am?”

“Did I stutter? Everypony, clear them out and once they’re clear only these two can go in and nopony else is allowed in until they say the problem is dealt with.” It was pretty impressive watching Keylime work as she adjusted her glasses at the guard on the right side of the door. “Well? I believe you have foreponies to inform of the situation.” At that the guard hustled off into the mine and in no time the miners were all accounted for.

I made my way in and back to the wall I had marked and turned to look back at Starswirl with a gallows smile. “One last chance to turn back.”

He simply did that old man clearing his throat cough and adjusted his hat and cloak. “ You know this could all be a ploy by the NIghtmare to kill you? I’d be a very poor friend to leave you to face such a threat by yourself. Just open the blasted wall and let us begin this foolish errand.”

With a wave of my hand the wall crumbled away to expose the cavern on the other side as the old wizard made a few gestures with his horn and both of our bodies were now transparent as we slowly made our way into danger.

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[LSTS Connor]

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