For so long, the Diamond Dogs were considered our enemies, but we never thought one of them would become our ally.
Chapter 4
“Who exactly are you thinking of?” Pip asked, “Are they a pony or a Diamond Dog?”
“Actually,” Fido answered “it’s a dragon.” Everypony looked at him in confusion. It was highly unlikely for a dragon to be
found in the Crystal Empire. Even though the land was enriched with gems, the Diamond Dogs had mined so much of them that they could only be found in the underground mines beneath the once peaceful kingdom, the last place a dragon would think to look for gems.
“He is actually a purple and green Earth Dragon who helps us out in the mines. Let’s see, what was his name? I have such a terrible memory when it comes to this. Sam, Semore, Stanley…”
“Spike?!” Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom said in unison, both shocked at whom the thought it might be.
“Yes, that’s it, Spike!” Fido said in realization, “He’s helped us in mining and cave-ins. In fact, I owe him my life from a cave-in two years ago.” He turned to see the shocked expression of the two mares.
“So Spike is alive?” Apple Bloom said to herself.
“I take it Spike is an old friend of yours?”
“He is;” Sweetie Belle exclaimed, “we've known him since he and Twilight moved to Ponyville. He has had a crush on my sister ever since he met her. But we thought he had been killed when the Nameless took over.”
“Well he is, in fact, alive and healthy.” Fido stated smiling, “When he collapsed on the border the Frozen North, I gave him food, water, and shelter; he looked like he had run a marathon. He has told me all about his time in Ponyville and with his friends. And trust me; he never stops talking about Rarity. He is worried sick about her and he hopes to see her again.”
“You’ve got to take us to him!” Sweetie Belle said beaming with happiness.
“Hold on a minute,” Apple Bloom spoke up, “We can’t all go; if we do, the Diamond Dogs might suspect a rebellion and make it harder ta find Twilight and the others.”
Sweetie Belle agreed with Apple Bloom. “I’ll stay here and help the other ponies; it will also give me some time to study up on magic.”
“Pip, Fido, and ah will head to the Crystal Empire ta look fer Spike.” Apple Bloom added, “Since Fido knows the land better than we do, we should have an easier time finding ‘im.”
Sweetie Belle used her magic on a small tree in a flower pot to grow some apples. Since the soil outside was hardly fit for any living plant, they had to rely on the apple tree in the flower pot for food.
“There, that should be enough food to last about ten days.” She told the three, “The Crystal Empire too far to reach on foot, so you should be there in at least two if you hide on the train.”
“Thanks Sweetie Belle” Apple Bloom replied, “is everypony ready?”
Pip had filled his saddle-bag with food, maps, parchment, quills, ink containers, oil, a lantern, and some cloaks. “Ready when you are Apple Bloom.”
“Ready to go.” Fido answered.
“Alright, let’s move out!”
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The trio set out to the north, carefully eluding the guards in order to get out of the town and onto the train docked at the station. In order to avoid being mistaken for slaves, and elude the guards on board, the three hid in the cargo car near the caboose. The Great Wall's border ended between Galloping Gorge and the Frozen North; so in order to reach the Crystal Empire, where Spike was said to reside, they would have to exit the car when the train came to a stop at the Wall.
The train set off as soon as the group got settled in the cargo car. Pip ignited the lantern after closing the door so they all could see in the pitch black car. The ride was long an quiet as no one said a word. Finally, after sitting around for fifteen minutes, Fido broke the silence. “So, is your friend always so serious?” He whispered to Pip, inaudible to Apple Bloom.
“No, she wasn’t always this serious,” the spotted stallion responded, also inaudible to the yellow mare. “She used to be so happy with her friends, always trying to look for her cutie mark.”
“So what happened?”
“The Nameless happened.” Pip answered letting out a disappointed sigh, “When It and its army came to Equestria, she and Sweetie Belle were affected by it the most. Scootaloo betrayed us by using Anti-Magic Rings to keep Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, and our princesses from using their magic; then she blew up most of the library with bombs she had planted ahead of time.”
“Wait a minute, Scootaloo? As in, Captain Scootaloo?” Fido interrupted.
“Yeah, that’s the one. Do you know her?”
“Hardly, all I know is she sometimes comes by the mines along with General Mammon to ensure there is no rebellion among us. She just sits around watching us while Mammon tortures us and hordes most of the gems we have worked so hard to mine out.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Pip said with sympathy.
“Well, it’s hard for us, but what can we do?” There was another moment of silence. “So this Scootaloo used to be your friend?”
“Well, I barely knew her, but she, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle had formed their own little group called the ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders’ and were always hunting for their cutie marks. They were inseparable, but that all changed when Scootaloo nearly destroyed the library.”
“So the Wielders of the Elements were killed in the explosion?”
“We don’t know, all we found were the remains of the Elements themselves. Sweetie Belle still believes they are alive, but Apple Bloom…” Pip paused, “she is just not sure. She seems to have been scarred the most from their disappearance.”
“So how does she tie in with the Wielders of the Elements? Did she know them personally?”
“Yes she did. And the truth of the matter is,” Pip paused again, “the Element of Honesty…was her older sister.” Fido was taken aback when he heard this.
“What?!” he loudly whispered. Pip immediately shushed him hoping Apple Bloom did not hear.
“Yes, it’s true. Just don’t mention her older sister around her; she gets angry at the mention of her or Scootaloo.”
“Well, I guess that answers my question on her serious mood.” Fido remarked, starting to feel sympathetic for the yellow mare.
“Yeah, and what’s worse is that she has sworn to take revenge for her sister. I’ve heard her threaten to tear the Nameless apart if she ever saw It.” Pip looked at Apple Bloom with concern. “I worry about her sometimes.”
Fido caught the look on Pip’s face and spoke up with a smirk. “You like her don’t you?”
“I-uh-wha-what?!” Pip babbled. The question caught him off guard and his attention turned to Fido. “W-Why in Equestria would you assume that?”
Fido raised an eyebrow at him. “I’ve seen you shooting glances and worried looks at her ever since I’ve been here. I’m a dog, I have strong senses; plus it doesn’t take a scientist to tell your feelings for her.”
Pip stuttered a bit before replying. “Okay, so I have a crush on Apple Bloom, so what?”
“Why don’t you just tell her how you feel?”
“Are you crazy?! We are in the middle of a world crisis! We can’t be distracting ourselves with relationships at a time like this! Besides, she’d just shoot me down anyway, so what’s the point?”
“Okay, point taken. Though I’m pretty sure she will catch on to your feeling eventually.”
“What makes you say that?” Pip asked turning his attention back to Apple Bloom. She looked up at the dog and stallion and noticed Pip was looking at her.
“What’re you lookin’ at Pip?” she asked in a serious tone.
“Huh, oh-I was, I-I just spaced out for a minute.” Pip replied snapping back to reality.
“Well don't get distracted. Remember why we're on this train ride; Spike is out there somewhere an' if one of us get's distracted, we're done for." She then went back to staring at the floor with an agitated face. Fido couldn't help but let out a small chuckle only audible to Pip. The young stallion got up and moved next to some crates, that were not to far from Fido, while mumbling angry to himself.
“Young love,” the diamond dog said to himself, “thou art truly one of the greatest mysteries I will never understand.”
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After two days of travel, the train came to a stop at the northern border of the Great Wall. The two ponies and the dog quickly hopped out of the car and hid amongst the snowy terrain of the border of the Frozen North to avoid being too easily spotted. Apple Bloom and Pip immediately threw on their cloaks to blend in with the darkness and the blizzard around them. The two ponies tried to find a spot in the Wall that they could use to slip through the wall undetected, but this section of the wall was in perfect condition.
“Great, so there’s no way we’re gonna get through the wall and we just wasted our time comin’ here. Got any more bright ideas, Diamond Dog?” Apple Bloom asked coldly.
Fido ignored the comment from the yellow earth pony as he cracked his knuckles and flexed his arms. “Well, like I always say;” he replied, “if you can’t find a door, make your own.” With that, he started to dig into the ground.
“That’s quite a clever idea!” Pip remarked, “We dig under the wall to the Crystal Empire so we can get past the Great Wall to avoid drawing any unwanted attention.”
“How’re we gonna know where we’re goin’ if we’re underground?” Apple Bloom questioned.
“Don’t worry about that,” Fido answered, “I have been doing this for years, so I have developed a strong since of direction.”
Apple Bloom looked around the the area and found a boulder that was a big as the hole Fido was digging. She walked over to the boulder and started pushing it towards the hole, moving it with very little effort. “Well, if we’re gonna go under it, we’ll need this to cover the hole to avoid suspicion.”
“Alrighty then, if we’re going to get to the other side quickly, I will need one of you to hold the lantern while I dig.”
“Pip, that’s yer cue.” Apple Bloom quickly said. Pip nodded to her and ignited the lantern.
“Gah,” he said cringing as his taste buds hit the handle, “Ah, fogoh howl ahul dis ting tahs!”
“Quit whinnin’ Pip,” Apple Bloom told Pip, “It’s not that bad, ya get used to it. Now let’s go!”
“Howhay Ahle Vwoom.” Pip said in dismay. He was not looking forward to carrying it through the tunnel and enduring the taste of metal the whole period of the trip underground. Once Fido started to dig towards the wall, the two earth ponies jumped into the hole and sealed it with the boulder.
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As the dog continued to dig through the tunnel, the two ponies began to start shivering from the cold of the Frozen North. "H-Hey F-F-Fido h-h-how much l-longer unt-t-til we g-g-get there?" Pip asked, shivering.
"We are almost there," Fido answered, "Just try to put off the shivering for a little while longer."
"K-K-Kinda hard ta do w-when we're in the F-F-Frozen North." Apple Bloom retorted. Fido once again ignored the harsh statement from Apple Bloom and continued digging.
To the ponies’ surprise, they were able to reach the other side of the wall, they assumed, in as little as fifteen minutes. The Diamond Dog in front of them was digging through the tunnel the whole time without any sign of wearing out. When they finally saw light, it was light from ignited torches and lamps. The entered a room with torches and lamps mounted on the wall, the smell of burning embers in the air, and an elevator shaft located a few yards in front of them. The group suddenly felt a rush of warmth and relief as they saw enchanted firestones planted all around them giving off heat. As Fido sealed up the newly created tunnel with a nearby boulder, he introduced the two earth ponies to the new area.
“Welcome to the Crystal Mines,” Fido stated, “It is south of depressing, east of dangerous, on the border of freezing, and just below the Crystal Empire.” They stepped onto the elevator and Fido pulled a switch on the wall of the elevator downward, causing them to descend deeper into the mines.
“What did you mean by ‘dangerous’?” Pip asked out of curiosity. Suddenly, as the trio was reaching the second floor, they heard a constant rumbling followed by booming sounds off in the distance. “What was that?!”
“The answer to your question.” Fido answered with a concerned look. As the three stepped off the elevator, they saw diamond dogs with lights, first-aid kits, stretchers, and mining equipment running off towards the sound that was heard a few seconds ago. “It sounds like we’ve just had another cave-in.”
“Ah take it cave-ins happen a lot in these here mines?” Apple Bloom asked a bit concerned.
“More than you know.” The green vested dog replied, “If I had a gem for every cave in we’ve had in the last eight years, I’d be the richest dog in these mines.”
“Come back here you mutts!” a new voice suddenly yelled. Fido cursed in a loud whisper, grabbed the two earth ponies, and dived behind some nearby barrels. Three diamond dogs turned around in fear to see a dark green unicorn mare with a bright yellow mane. Her eyes were completely white and her mane was straight like it had just recently been soaked by water.
“Where do you think you’re going?!” the mare yelled, using a levitation spell to tower over the dogs.
“P-P-Pardon us, G-General Mammon; w-we were just going to help with the recent cave-in.” the small one tried to explain through his stuttering and quivering.
“Y-Yes, u-us Diamond Dogs h-have to stick together. W-we always look out for our b-b-brethren.” The tall one added.
“I don’t give a flying feather about your loyal instincts!” Mammon shouted, scaring the dogs even more, “Get back to your post and bring me more gems, or do you want to end up like every other dog that has denied my orders?!” Mammon’s horn flared a gold color and she summoned several daggers, made purely out of diamonds, around the dogs.
“Y-y-y-y-yes, General Mammon! W-w-whatever you say General Mammon!” All three of the dogs took off in the direction they came from, eager to get away from the unicorn with soulless eyes.
“That’s what I thought.” Mammon cackled as she floated off in the direction of the fleeing diamond dogs.
“Was that the Nameless’ General you were telling me about two days ago?” asked Pip who managed to get a glimpse of Mammon before she left.
“Yeah, it is,” the green vested dog answered, “ain’t exactly ‘Miss Nice Filly’ is she?”
Apple Bloom walked out from behind the barrels letting out an annoyed sigh. “Let’s just find Spike n’ get outta here okay?”
“Uh, right.” Fido said coming out from the hiding place, “follow me; he’s just down this way.” He was beginning to lead them down a northeastern tunnel when he suddenly stopped. “Oh, before I forget…” He turned around and grabbed two rusty collars from one of the barrels they were hiding behind. “Put these on.”
Apple Bloom eyed the collar suspiciously. “What the hay’re we s’possed ta do with these?”
“Put them on so the others will think you’re work horses,” the dog answered, “this way, we can get to Spike without causing suspicion.”
“Fine.” Apple Bloom said bitterly. The two ponies slipped on the collars and proceeded to follow Fido down the northeastern tunnel.
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Fido led the two earth ponies down multiple passageways watching carefully for any sign of a possible cave-in that might occur. While passing through, they spotted quite a few crystal ponies that were being used as slaves in the mines. They were all dirty and covered in injuries. Their hooves were chipped and bruised from digging up gems in the ground and walls. None of the crystal ponies could feel any joy from such torture, resulting eliminating the crystalic effect from their coats. Some of them looked like they were dehydrated while others looked like they were on the verge of collapsing.
Only a few the trio saw had actually collapsed from exhaustion. Those that had collapsed were subjected to multiple beatings from the Diamond Dog masters. Apple Bloom made multiple attempts to attack the Diamond Dogs, but was immediately stopped by Pip, who told her that attacking the dogs would just be suicidal.
“Don’t worry, we will be able to save them,” Pip told her, “but right now, we need to find Spike without drawing any unwanted attention or this will all be for naught.” Apple Bloom just stared angrily at the ground, cursing the Diamond Dogs under her breath.
“We’re here!” Fido finally said, approaching a room that was slightly brighter than the tunnels. Fido picked up the pace as he entered the room. “Hey Spike, did ya miss me?”
“Jeez Fido, when you were taking a vacation, I didn't think you’d be gone for an extra three days.” came a familiar, yet slightly darker voice, “did you order the cider with alcohol this time?”
“No, actually, I ran into some pony at the bar; and it’s some pony you might be familiar with.”
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“What are you talking abo-” Pip and Apple Bloom stepped into the light removing their cloaks. They managed to make eye contact with the purple and green dragon sitting at a table in the middle of the room. The dragon was now the size of a full grown stallion and he was now more muscular than he was eight years ago. “I…It can’t be…”
“Spike!” the two earth ponies shouted in unison. They immediately ran to Spike and tackle-hugged him. The three spared a moment to let loose a lot of laughter and tears of joy.
“Oh Spike, we thought you were dead.” Apple Bloom said after the moment ended.
“I thought the same thing about you guys.” Spike replied, “After I fled from Ponyville, I wasn’t sure what to think. When they came for us in the basement, an explosion blew open the door allowing those…things to come in and capture us. I was the only one who managed to escape from them, and all I could think to do at the time was run for my life. I had never been so scared in my life! I just kept on running north as fast as my tiny legs could carry me until I collapsed in the Frozen North.
When I woke up, I was here in the mines with Fido helping me back to recovery. I’ve been working in these mines ever since that day.” He paused. “I kept hoping that you, Twilight, and the others were still alive and would come to end this nightmare; but when I heard that Scootaloo became Captain of the Nameless’ Special Forces, I began to give up hope.”
“Yeah, she can have that kind of effect on you.” Apple Bloom said dryly, “Ah swear, sometimes ah can still here her voice tautin’ me…” Apple Bloom suddenly paused. Wait a minute.
“Yes I know this is the best place in the mines for gems,” came another familiar voice, “but you need to go and give the dogs in the eastern region a visit.”
“Oh come on Scootaloo! I want more gems!” came the voice of Mammon. Apple Bloom caught Mammon walking down another tunnel with a orange mare clad with purple armor and a purple mane out of the corner of her eye. The mare had a long flowing mane similar to the style Rainbow Dash used to have and familiar light-purple eyes.
“Sorry Mammon, but it’s the Queen’s orders!”
“You traitor!” Apple Bloom said with hatred, starting to dash towards the two mares.
“Apple Bloom, wait!” Pip yelled trying to stop her.
“AH’LL KILL YOU!!!!”
End of Chapter 4
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