“You mean to say we've been horn-swaggled?” Rockspot asked.
“Shh!” Rainbow Dash hissed, for a rather large minotaur with a scarred face was marching ominously towards the wooden shed where Rainbow stood beside the guard. As his hoofsteps resonated through the floor of the quarry, the tiny foal under Rainbow's cloak squeaked for one last time and was silent.
“She claims that she's from Windthrow, Thunderhorn,” the guard said as he bowed before the tall, muscular biped. “She asks to see the supply of mana crystals.”
“I just wanna be sure they're available for when the next caravan arrives,” Rainbow said with a nervous smile.
Thunderhorn looked Rainbow Dash all over. His one good eye narrowed as his nostrils snorted. “Why didn't Fulltrot himself come?”
“She said that he's recovering from an injury—” The guard began.
Thunderhorn punched him in the gut, forcing him to wheeze. “I asked her, not you, oaf!”
“Yeah... Uhm...” Rainbow Dash stared at the minotaur's brawny knuckles and thick arms. “Fulltrot can't make it for a few weeks. That's why I was sent. Our village really, really needs those crystals, on account of the horrible bat-things and all. What are the odds that I could have some set aside so that we—”
“The crystals won't arrive for another few days, Wintergater,” Thunderhorn grunted.
Rainbow Dash blinked. She glanced between the wheezing guard and the towering minotaur overseer. “But I thought that—”
“The unicorns are late in their delivery.” Thunderhorn sneered. “The crystals aren't here. Go back home. They'll be here when Fulltrot is ready to lead the caravan again. You have my word.”
“If I could just—”
Thunderhorn marched away, shouting orders at several laboring minotaurs around the quarry.
Rainbow Dash exhaled, her nostrils flaring. “Well, if that wasn't a big, steaming pile of suck.”
“Do all pegasi talk like you?” Rockspot murmured. Rainbow Dash thwapped him through the cloak with her tail. “Ow!” He went quiet.
Rainbow Dash looked carefully over the landscape. She saw the dark tunnel leading into the cave along the south end of the quarry. She eyed the smoke billowing out of it. If she listened very closely, she could hear the faintest hint of yelping voices. They didn't sound like minotaurs, or winged creatures.
“Hey, uhm...” Rainbow Dash glanced over at the guard who was still recovering from Thunderhorn's fist. “I know I gotta go and all, but I need to take a leak.”
Wincing, he looked over at her. “A leak?”
“Yeah. A lady leak.”
He squinted.
“A lady pony leak.” She cleared her throat. “Like, big time.”
The minotaur sighed. He pointed at a pile of lumber, behind which several flies were buzzing. “Over there. Hold your nose in. You'll regret it otherwise.”
“Thanks... uhm... handsome! Good luck with your rock banging!” Rainbow Dash waved the minotaur off. He walked away as she made to trot towards the lumber pile. Once he was gone, she dashed in a blue blur towards a supply shed much closer to the mouth of the cave.
“Augh!” Rockspot's voice whimpered. “What's happening now?” he whispered. “Why are we moving so fast?”
“Quick detour, Spotty.”
“What kind of a detour?”
“One that's worth plugging your nose during.” Rainbow Dash waited for an opportunity. While there was a break in the crowd of laboring minotaurs, she stealthily made her way to the mouth of the cave, and snaked her way deep inside.
More sneaky Dash? Well, it seems to be working... dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_unsuresweetie_flip.png
Lemme guess.
The ponies that are carried away by the bats are used as slaves by the minotaurs?
56 down 100 more to go
1283480
Yeah!! we're almost their
A message from MASH-
What's up, evaluators? I regret to inform you that I probably can't evaluate this chapter tonight. I just got back from a back to school dance and I feel like I'm gonna barf just typing this. Seriously. Once, I went outside, and there was bucking STEAM coming off of my forehead. I'll make up for it by doing two evaluations tomorrow.
Sorry, evaluators.
-MASH
IIIIIt's Dashie's evaluation time!
I'm all better now, and it's time to evaluate! In this chapter, the assumed minotaur leader tells Dash that the unicorn crystal delivery is late, and she can't see it. The more these minotaurs are around, the more I feel like something fishy is going on. Also, something I might have missed a few chapters ago - the minotaurs were seen by Dash stuffing a bat monster into a cage. I am almost certain that the minotaurs have something to do with the bat monsters. Also, Dash goes all TF2 spy again, sneaking into a minotaur mining quarry where she heard screaming, non-minotaur and non-monster. Slave labor, I presume. Perhaps it is the ponies, as 1157696 said...These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
P.S. The promised second evaluation will be up later tonight!
Ok, based on the things that happen in the story and the comments before, I think IC reads these comments.
Sneaky-leaky, nice titles Also, that beginning line was from an old comment, I remember seeing it. Are you reading these and borrowing lines? Sneaky person.
Lady pony leak. Yes.
Gonna make a guess that the minotaurs are somehow controlling the bat creatures, thus creating a demand for the village to buy the crystals, don't know how sladesteed fits into that but hey, that's just a theory, a pony theory
~The Dinkster
"That's racist! "
8030534
flim and flam
trixy
unicorns are more likely to be smarter and more clever on advrage they have higher IQs meaning they are more likely to do some swindling also in a place where magic is not commonly know Ex an earth pony village a unicorn could easily trick them for all they have with promises of magic beyond what is capable
8424148
How to piss off earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns in a single sentence.
Graphic, detailed piss scene next chapter.
I'm calling it.
9742720
Goddamn but your name is accurate for that comment.
I hate everything about what you said.
Oh no, so is mine!!
1608823
To you, 11 years ago. You were more correct than you could possibly have imagined.