//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Kidnapped // Story: Three Diamond Dogs Kidnap Twilight Sparkle // by CartoonDuck //------------------------------// The feeling of waking up somewhere other than your own room could be a chilling experience, the fear of the unknown could paralyze you and freeze your mind of any rational thought. Twilight Sparkle felt that exact paralyzing fear as she lay on a cold surface, a stark contrast to the warm bed she had gone to sleep in. Twilight, however, would not let her mind stay frozen for long, she knew she had to analyze her surroundings, to judge how much danger she was in. The first sense she felt was the taste of rope in her mouth, and a soft fabric covering her eyes. Secondly, she tried to move, but her hooves were tied together, as were her wings. Thirdly, she tried to light up her horn, but instead of the usual sensation of magic, she felt a strong pressure pushing it back, like a weight was placed on her head. She was completely helpless and therefore knew her situation was not just dangerous, but dire.        She felt the floor beneath her move at an unsteady pace, the grinding of metal grading at her ears and echoing all around her. The sound reminded Twilight of the time she and Princess Cadence had been imprisoned in the crystal caves, forced to drive a cart across mining tracks to freedom. An underground cave of some sort was her best guess as to where she was.  Suddenly, someone behind Twilight grunted loudly, which was followed by another voice humming a catchy tune. Twilight perked her ears up to listen intently.  “I told you earlier to stop humming,” a deep voice grumbled. “Oh come on Rex, why do you have to be such a buzzkill,” a second, more high-pitched voice replied. “We did it! The pony princess is ours!” So, there were two creatures, maybe ponies, maybe not, who had taken her captive. One of them appeared to lack a certain level of intelligence, as he was dumb enough to say his partner’s name.    “I’m tired, okay?” the voice belonging to Rex complained. “Tired of pushing this stupid pegacorn for half a mile down an endless tunnel!”  That was rude, Twilight thought to herself. It’s pronounced alicorn, not pegacorn. Wait, if they don’t know how to pronounce my species, they couldn’t be ponies, could they? It had only been a minute and her captors had already given her massive clues as to who they were. “Oh relax, Mr. Grump,” the second voice replied. “we’re here!” The grinding metal halted, and the floor under Twilight stopped moving.    “Get Princess what’s-her-face out of the cart,” Rex ordered.  “Okay, Pony Princess, I’m going to lift you out of there, so don’t be alarmed,” Rex’s partner said to Twilight reassuringly.  “Why lift her out? You can just do this.”  Twilight felt a strong force hit the cart from behind, which sent it falling forwards. She tumbled out of the opening and rolled onto the floor. “Simple and easy.” Twilight sat up and shook the dust from her coat. If she could glare at Rex, she would, even for a criminal, he came across as very mean spirited.   “I’ll get Diesel,” Rex said. Another name drop Twilight would make sure to remember. As Rex walked away, Twilight listened to the sound of his fading footsteps against the floor. It was not the clopping of hooves, but something softer. It could be a dragon’s feet or a griffon’s talons, but she wasn’t sure.  A few minutes passed before the footsteps returned, accompanied by a second pair. A loud and boisterous voice spoke up. “Good work, Spot! I knew I could count on you to watch our prisoner!” “He watched her for like two minutes,” Rex said dryly.  Rex, Spot, and Diesel. Twilight let those names sit well in her mind. Any and all information she could gain from her captors was of use, especially if she could escape and identify them to the authorities.  “Spot, be a kind lad and remove her blindfold,” Diesel said. “This is my time of glory, and I will not have Twilight Sparkle miss this!” “She’s not going to zap me with her pony magic, is she?” Spot asked. “I heard it comes from their eyes.” “It comes from their horns, you idiot,” Rex retorted. “Indeed it does,” Diesel continued. “But have no fear, we placed a magic suppressor on her horn, and not a cheap one. This one is in fact my creation. Every diabolical instrument I construct is indestructible!  This so-called hero of Equestria will do us no harm, I assure you. Now, remove the blindfold and be quick about it.”  The blindfold was hastily torn off, and Twilight got a good look at her soundings, and the creatures holding her captive. Three diamond dogs stood over her, all with different appearances and attire. A wooden table stood at the center behind them, with three chairs sitting around it and a map of Equestria laid out on top. Next to the map was some sort of metal glove, with wires sticking out from the sides. Behind Twilight was the cart she rode in, laying overturned in front of an old mining track. The walls around her were grey and brown, with protrusions of rock sticking out and patches of moss spread out between cracks and crevices. The air was dry and the ground was dirty, but it seemed like most diamond dogs preferred such arid conditions.  The dog with the loud voice, who Twilight assumed was Diesel, stood between his partners with his hands to his hips, giving her a truly wicked smile. He had jet black fur and wore a long trench coat, its dark red color reminding Twilight of blood. She couldn’t help but back up a little as his grey eyes sized her up like a predator stalking its prey. “Welcome, Twilight Sparkle,” he addressed, spreading his arms out wide. “to my evil lair! HA HA HA HA HA!”      “Why do you always have to be so dramatic?” Rex complained. Diesel’s arms slowly fell to his side. “Rex… don’t ruin my moment, or I’ll bury you out back like Oscar.” Rex didn’t show any outward reaction to the threat, but Spot dropped his head sadly. “I miss Oscar.”  Spot had white fur and a black patch around his left eye, highlighting the bright blue in his irises. His only attire was a faded brown vest, far more simple and rugged than his two partners. Rex, on the other hand, wore a sleek black leather jacket, which contrasted well with his dark brown fur and equally brown eyes.    “Remove her gag,” Diesel ordered. “She should be allowed to speak.” Spot united the rope around Twilight’s mouth. She spat it out and gave Diesel a death stare. “If you want gems, this is the wrong way to go about it. We’ve dealt with diamond dogs just like you and beat them!” “The little pony thinks we want gems,” Diesel mocked. “No, my dear, we are far more ambitious than the fools you must have encountered.” Twilight narrowed her eyes. “What do you want?” “I want everything, starting with all that magic you got stored inside you. Hold her down, boys!” “What!?”  Rex and Spot moved to Twilight and grabbed her from both sides, their crooked yellow nails digging into her skin. She struggled under their grip. “Hey, let me go!”  “Is this when the light show starts?” Spot asked excitedly.  “This is when the stupid princess gets her stupid magic taken away,” Rex answered. “Friendship ain’t going to save you now, Sprinkle.” Twilight stopped moving to glare at Rex. “It’s Sparkle, and you’re not the first villains I’ve faced. You’ll fail, just like all the others!” “Keep talking Princess,” Diesel said. He walked over to the table and picked up the metal glove, strapping it to his hand. He then walked back to Twilight and lifted it into her face. A shining blue orb in the center lit up, forcing her to squint her eyes. “Get ready Equestria, my evil reign begins now!” The glove started up like an engine, the gears and other mechanical parts working loudly to make it function. Twilight thrashed and squirmed, her eyes clenched shut. “No, No!” She knew what it was like to have her magic stolen, and it was not a pleasant experience. There would be a burning sensation as all the energy drained from her body, her head would spin and her thoughts would grow hazy.   There was no pain, however. In fact, nothing happened at all. Instead, the glove made a hissing sound, and the blue orb flickered out and died. Diesel looked down at his creation, which had gone silent. “Uh… give me a second.” He opened up a small contraption and began tinkering with red and blue wires. When that didn’t work, he resorted to waving it around like a child. “This should work! Why isn’t it working!?”  Twilight breathed a sigh of relief, while Rex and Spot glanced at each other. Finally, Diesel gave up and let the glove slide off his hand and onto the ground. “Dammit, another failure. It looks like we need a new plan.”  Rex and Spot released their grip on Twilight, who glanced at her forearms to see if their nails left a mark on her coat.    “Okay, I say we take a breather,” Rex suggested. “Maybe a few hours at least. Have a nap, maybe a snack, and come back refreshed to -” “I got it!” Diesel cut him off. “We sell Twilight Sparkle to Princess Celestia for ransom!” Rex frowned. “You’re kidding, right?” “It’s the perfect plan. My glove may have failed, but my mind is an endless hole of possibilities! I just need the funding to build a new device that can fit my evil whims!” “Or we could just hunt for gems.” “No no, that’s too pedestrian for us. We have the Princess of Friendship right here in our grasp, I say we take advantage of that! We’ll take every last bit from Celestia.” “This is a stupid plan.” “I think it’s a great plan!” Spot exclaimed. “Good idea, boss! Always thinking outside of the box!” “Thank you, Spot. At least someone appreciates my genius.” Twilight couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Such a reckless plan could only fail, they had to know that. “So how are we going to do this exactly?” Rex asked.  “I am going to write a very thorough ransom note,” Diesel explained. “you and Spot will then deliver it to Canterlot.”  “How the hell are we supposed to do that?” “Don’t ask me. I come up with the plan, you execute it. Improvise, that’s what a good henchman does.”  Rex crossed his arms. “Yeah, well you know what? A good boss comes up with a more detailed plan than improvise how to deliver a ransom note to the most powerful pony in the county!”  Diesel’s face stiffened, his eyes hardening. “I smell fear in you, Rex. Are you afraid?” “Excuse me?” “I’m not afraid!” Spot boasted.  “I know you aren’t, that’s why you’re my number two. Try to look after Rex on your journey, will ya? He’s a delicate one.” “You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Rex groaned.  Spot gave Diesel a stern salute. “I won’t let you down, sir!” Twilight meanwhile, shook her head in disbelief. Okay, it’s official, these guys are crazy!