The Nine

I awoke to see the other mares that had been in my line. We were underground, but I could see the sky. Silly aliens, letting me escape so easily. I made to take off but only managed a jump. I attempted to flap my wings, but couldn’t feel them.  I looked back and found why I couldn’t feel them. They were no longer there. At least I didn’t have any scars. Sure, I was torn up about losing them, but I had bigger things to worry about. Namely, the giant who was taking the stand just now. He was one of the aliens, six legged, except his body continued upwards from his torso. It created a centaur like image, except he was huge. Just his torso was twice as tall as a pony, and with the added height of the upper body, he was easily four times the height of a pony. When he spoke, his voice rang like a baritone bell.

“You creatures, unfit for less than what you have accomplished, are now slaves of the Tratchy army. You will mine, whether you like it or not. Move!”

At least he was to the point. I picked up my pick and set to the wall.

“Ah hate minin” said the pony next to me.

“Me too” I replied, hitting the wall with as much force as I could. “By the way, nice to see you again AJ.”

“Ah wish we didn’t have to meet here, but it is good to see you again.”

Just then, a high pitched whine came from the other side of the room. “I can’t mine this! I’m pregnant!”

We turned to see none other than the gifted fashionista, burdened by her baby. She was already four years into the pregnancy, and it was definitely showing. She honestly couldn’t work in her condition, but our slavedriver would have none of it.

“Alright, then, don’t work. But, remember, if you don’t work, you don’t eat.”

This seemed to change her attitude, and she set to mining as best she could. She wasn’t very good, but she made a few dents. I chuckled a little, knowing that this would be the last thing she’d ever want to do.

“Why’re you laughin?” AJ asked me, not even a hint of a smile on her face.

“Come on, how can you not find this funny? She’s just so helpless.”

“Ah don’t think that’s funny at all. Ah honestly feel sorry for her.”

“Well, yeah, of course I do, too, but it’s still funny to watch her struggle.”

“You are a sick, twisted pony.”

“Look, AJ, I don’t need you lecturing me, alright? I’m just going to put my mind to this wall, and I think we’ll find this a more enjoyable time if we just ignore each other.”

“Or we could race.”

I looked at her, and I realized it was a great idea. “You’re on.”

We tore through that rock like hot knives through butter, and were much farther along than anyone else in no time at all. Eventually, though, we both ran out of steam. Luckily for us, food was being served. It wasn’t five star, but it wasn’t whatever the mistress had been cooking. We went right back to work afterwards, eager to beat each other, and actually earned the attention of the overseer.

“You two are phenomenal. How do you do it?”

“We race each other” I said, not knowing AJ was still going.

“I wish that every one of you beings could go this fast. As it is, though, you are doing three ponies’ worth of work. Anyone you would like to exempt?”

“Ah can think of one” AJ said.

“Rarity” I said, without missing a beat.

“The burdened one?” he asked. When we nodded, he called her over. “These two have relinquished you from duty on account of your disability. You may rest until you are free from your excess weight.”

She grinned wider than Pinkie Pie and hugged us both. She then made for the bedroom as quickly as she could. When the overseer had left, AJ and I returned to our work.

“I guess ya really did feel sorry for her. That was mighty nice of ya.”

“You know you were going to say it if I didn’t.”

“That’s beside the point. The point is that you did say it. I might even call it noble if ya hadn’t been laughing at her earlier.”

I smiled at her, knowing the sentiment behind her words. We set back to the wall, and by the time we were sent to bed, we were both exhausted.

However, our exhaustion had to wait. Halfway through our sleep, what I would normally call midnight, Rarity went into labor. AJ and I did all we could to help, but she had a rough time of it. She went on into the ‘morning’ when everyone else rose, and barely got the egg out by the second meal.

“That could’ve gone smoother” I said, holding the egg.

AJ just glared at me.

“Well, now that that is out of the way” Rarity said, bouncing her hair back into a pseudo normal position. “I must say, I’m famished.”

“I hear that” I said, possibly too happy. “Even if it is slop, it’s filling slop.”

We joined the other mares in the dining cavern, and dug in to the ‘food’. We were hardly half way through before the overseer came over to us.

“I trust that the three of you will be able to get back to work soon? Being three ponies short of a full work force is a serious detriment, as I’m sure you can understand.”

I just stared at him. “Us three? What happened to Rarity’s work being done by us?”

“Oh, my. You really don’t understand, do you? You set us back so far that she will have to help, even though she really can’t” he said, and Rarity stared daggers at him.

He left, and I turned to the other two. “Looks like we’ve got some digging to do.”

The others grumbled in agreement, but I just laughed it off. “Come on, manual labor only makes you stronger.”

Rarity glared at me. “What if I get larger muscles? Can you imagine a muscular fashionista?”

I thought about it, then broke out laughing. “That would be something alright. I guess I could imagine a buff fashionista” I pronounced that word with an over done haughty accent. “but I could never see you buff, Rarity.”

She just glared at me, but thankfully AJ saved me. “She has a point, ya know. Try and think of yourself with Mac’s muscles. It’d be ridiculous.”

She pondered this, and then resented. “I guess you’d be right, but still. Would I look that ridiculous?”

“Yes” AJ and I said in unison.

She sighed, then finished her meal. “Maybe this will do me some good. After all, if Equestria does survive this, I could be the talk of the town.”

AJ and I shared concerned glances, but said nothing, not wanting to ruin her morale. We followed her back to the main mining chamber, and set back to the wall. It wasn’t long before the overseer came over.

“You girls seem to be the most dedicated out of your group. Although, I have learned that it is the most dedicated that are the first to betray.”

I looked back at him. “There are two things you need to know. The first is, I’m not stupid, and neither is anyone else. You’re bigger, stronger, and better protected. We’ll be waiting to strike, not flying blindly into battle. The second is, don’t underestimate us. When your time comes, it will be us who deliver it.”

He looked at me, amused. “I like you. You’ve got guts, but you know when it is a good time to fight and when it is not. Though, I want you to know something” he leaned in very close, so we were eye to eye, nose to nose. “I will break that spirit of yours. I will break you” He jabbed a finger into my chest at his last word, then promptly left.

“That wasn’t very nice. Though Ah have ta say, you certainly did tell him somethin. I couldn’t agree with you more that we won’t charge into a losing fight.”

“Right” I said distractedly, a little rattled by what he had told me.

I wasn’t too awfully worried, but it still gnawed at my mind. It was running mad with all the ideas of what he could do. I honestly didn’t want to, but I had no choice but to imagine all the ways he could break my spirit.

When I went to bed later, I had a few different nightmares about him breaking my spirit and me submitting to his every demand. When I woke up in a cold sweat the third time, AJ was awake. She noticed me and came over.

“Nightmares?”

“Yeah. I can’t help but think of all the ways he could break me.”

She chuckled. “This is his way. He’s breaking you by letting you break yourself. He may be large, but his strength is all in his mind games. If you don’t think about it, it won’t happen. Simple as that.”

I grinned in realization. “You’re right!” I then chuckled, seeing my foolishness. “I can’t believe I didn’t see that earlier. Thank you so much, AJ” I was about to go to sleep, but I realized something. “Why are you awake?”

“I’m not.”

That was when I woke up. I held a hoof to my head, unsure if I was still dreaming. I looked about, and nobody else was awake. I flopped back down onto the bed, but was quickly interrupted by AJ. Not in person, but in my head.

“You’ll be alright, sugarcube. Just don’t fret, and you’ll be fine.”

“How are you talking to me?” I asked aloud.

My only response was a deep throated chuckle, one that was definitely not AJ’s. I was freaked out, but figured it was just cabin fever setting in. After all, I had been in the same place for a long time. I couldn’t even fly. I was ground-bound and bored. Kiqo had said that was what finally drove him over the edge. I let my mind follow the path down to insanity, and eventually fell asleep. My dreams were still troubled, but this time not by AJ or the overseer. This time Kiqo spoke to me.

“Look, Rainbow, I know you’re thinking you’re going mad. You aren’t. I know you probably don’t believe me, but you aren’t. What is happening is you are finding the little pocket of insanity that everyone has in the back of their mind. I imagine that your little puddle of insanity is hardly big enough to sink in. But, I digress. I came here for a very specific purpose. By finding your insanity, you have opened a link. Your’s isn’t that strong, but it’s still there. This link actually doesn’t connect you to the other nutjobs. There’s a middle colt. Or, rather, a middle Beast” he sighed. “Look, I’ll have to explain this all later. He’s shown me the future, and you’re destined to live. Of course, you may or may not be able to save everyone, but as far as I can see, you will live. For now. Now, wake up.”

So I did. I held a hoof to my head again, then the other. I buried my head in my hooves, letting the maddog’s words sink in. I wasn’t insane, but I could be. I would have to ask him when I got out. If I got out. He didn’t say if I would get out, just that I would live. Would I live forever in this mine? No, I thought, shaking my head. He had said he would explain later. That meant I would see him. No, not necessarily. He may just tell me in my dreams. I quickly shook that thought away, knowing that holding on to the fact that he would tell me in person gave me insurmountable hope. I rolled out of bed, landing on my four hooves. I walked out into the main chamber, and began mining.

I needed to refocus my mind, and I knew I couldn’t go back to sleep. Too many voices in my dreams. I struck again, and a glimmer caught my eye. It was a small cache of gemstones, like the ones Spike had once dug up for Rarity. Knowing that whatever came out of that egg would more than likely eat gems, I quickly nabbed them and stashed them underneath Rarity’s bed. By the time I left the bed chamber, AJ woke up and came with me to mine.

“So, I found some gems” I said, mining beside her.

“Ah figured ya might. Why’d ya bring it up?”

“I just wanted to mention that we should stash them. For Rarity’s kid.”

“That’s mighty considerate of ya, Dash. But, dontcha think the alien will get suspicious when not as many gems show up?”

“Look, her kid could be the most valuable being in this squad. And, if he isn’t fed, he won’t be much use to us.”

“Why’s he so important?”

“I’ve been watching Mr. Six Legs. He went over to where someone had gotten close to a lava pool, and he pulled his plates in. It must get really hot under there, so they lower their defenses so they don’t roast. Rarity’s kid breathes fire, so that’ll heat him up to the point of roasting. Then, we can kill him much easier.”

She grinned. “I didn’t know you planned so much, Dash.”

I let the pick fall, and then let it rest there. “Yeah. We’ve all got our secrets. Planning ahead was something my mom taught me” I felt the tears coming, and struck the wall in anger.

“Ya alright, sugarcube?”

“No. I’m not alright. I hate crying, but as soon as I think about her I do. Tough guys don’t cry!” I shouted as I shattered a good chunk of wall, tears still streaming down my face.

“Look, Dash, ya can’t hold in yer feelin’s. It may hurt, but ya gotta let em out or they’ll eat you whole.”

I just stared at her. “I suppose you’re right. I guess we have some time, so maybe if I get this off my chest I’ll feel better.”

“That’s the spirit. Now, tell me all about it.”

I sighed. “I lost my mother when I was just a filly. We were flying through Cloudsdale, having a blast, when a freak storm came out of nowhere. I don’t know why the other pegasi had one planned for that exact moment, but she threw me out of the way, allowing me to live. She, however, didn’t make it. I went back to that spot later, and found her hat. She had always worn it, and I knew that she would never leave it behind. I took it home, giving it an honorary place next to my bed. Whenever I couldn’t sleep, I’d just look over at it, and I’d suddenly realize that she was there, even if she wasn’t actually there. It always made me feel better, and I’ve kept it there since.”

AJ just stared at me in shock. “Oh, Dash. I never knew. Why’d you hide it for so long?”

“Whenever I think about her, I cry, and tough guys don’t cry.”

“Why are you so devoted to this ‘tough guy’ way?”

“That’s the other part. After I lost her, I devoted myself to speed, knowing that when I had a kid, I wouldn’t want them to go through the same thing. I knew that speed would save me from something like that, and the tough guy attitude just came with it. It also helped hide the truth about my mom.”

“Wow. So, you seem pretty broken up about your mom, but what about your dad?”

I just looked at her, confused. “I never told you? He was a deadbeat. I never knew him. He left before I could even walk.”

“Oh. Well, at least you got your secret out in the open.”

“Yeah. I guess I do feel better. Anyway, looks like everyone else is waking up. I guess we should get back to this.”

She nodded, and we went back to our labor. We seemed to grow a bond between us, and I knew I’d have a friend until the end of time. I had figured she would be there for me before, but now I was certain. Every day the overseer harassed me, but she kept me going through it all. In the course of things, she wound up telling me her story.

Her father had died in a rodeo, and her mother had mourned him until her end. She just moped around the house, never so much as eating. AJ had grown up on a hardscrabble farm, and it was made worse when her and Big Mac were the only ones harvesting, since Applebloom was still too young. When her mother died, Granny Smith stepped in and was their mother figure for most of their life.

After a year, or so I assumed, Rarity’s egg hatched. Not knowing what it would be, it was a momentous occasion. What stepped out was disturbing, to say the least. His back half was golden scaled, but his front half, including his head, was covered in golden fur. However, his rear legs were pony styled, having hooves instead of claws. His front legs were clawed, and his head was shaped like a dragon. His mane, being black and white striped, was very stiff, and came in interrupted bursts, like a dragon’s ridge. It was still undeniably hair, but it seemed to be scales. Possibly the most disturbing thing, though, were his eyes. They were shaped like a pony’s, but had slitted pupils like a dragon. All in all, he was the strangest thing I had ever seen.

He started out very small, but he quickly began taking everyone’s stuff. Knowing what would happen when he did, we let him. He quickly grew, wings erupting from his back. His wings were amazing. They had the ribs and claws of a dragon’s wings, but the feathers of a pegasi’s.

He eventually grew so large that we couldn’t hide him anymore. When the overseer found him, and all the missing mining equipment, he flew into a rage. He attempted to kill Rarity’s son, whom she had named Tom, but it resulted in a fight better than the movies. The overseer had a spear, but Tom had many advantages over him. For one, he had fire. Tom was quite clever for being so young, and bathed his opponent in glorious fire. The overseer quickly withdrew his shell, actually steaming. This opened up a weak spot. Tom made many gashes, but received more than his fair share. They dueled back and forth, and within the span of five minutes, they were both exhausted. The overseer had triplet scratches all over his face, and two gigantic hoof shaped bruises on his chest. Tom was missing some of his mane and tail, and some of his scales had fallen off when they deflected a hit. They were standing there, facing each other down. They seemed to be focused on only each other, so I hatched a plan.

I went to the kitchen, and brought back a knife. I snuck up behind him, and quickly hopped up on his back.

“Payback’s a bitch!” I cried, taking his wings off in one swing.

He cried in agony, distracted enough for Tom to tear his throat open. This distracted him from me, and I sank the knife in between the holes where his wings had been. I was aiming for the spinal cord, hoping to paralyze him, but I completely killed him. When I looked at where I had stabbed, I found a brain.

However, the other aliens seemed to have heard the commotion. They set about slaughtering us rebels, attempting to get us all. However, Tom, AJ, Rarity, and I managed to escape. Tom quickly flew us to Canterlot, where I knew we’d be safe.

We landed at the castle, and we spread out, searching for anybody. I found Kiqo, told him our story, and we all settled back down, waiting for the next inevitable batch of escapees. Who came next made me the happiest mare in Equestria. I never thought I’d see that black furred blondie again. Of course, I was overjoyed to see our son again, even though the purple mane and black body still threw me off. And Spike was even more joyed when he found Rarity and his son.

It was a little strange, seeing Spike next to his son. Spike had obviously done some hoarding, since he was fairly large. He wasn’t as large as he could be, but he was pretty big. Noticing this made me want to hear their story, so Ace told me.