//------------------------------//
// Episode 105: A Scratch in a Friendly Melody: 
// Story: Mega Pony: Season One 
// by Monty Eggman 
//------------------------------//

Episode 105: A Scratch in a Friendly Melody:
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THE STORY SO FAR...:
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In the year 20XX, in the peaceful land of Equestria, Princess Celestia, the country's benevolent ruler, unveiled a great secret to the ponies that she trusted most. A secret project meant for the better safety of Equestria and all of its citizens: Mega Pony; the first fully-robotic pony!

Although Mega Pony has established his reputation as the guardian of Equestria and its citizens, the robot has also been built to be able to live his life like any ordinary pony, and pursue interests of his own as well. One of those interests was making music, which he had discovered when he had first visited two other ponies, Vinyl and Octavia, during a trip back to Ponyville. After showing an interest in their musical talents, and after helping them resolve an argument, they became friends with one another, and have enjoyed each other's company since then.

But as Mega Pony stated himself, no friendship is perfect: He has often had to settle other disputes that had erupted between the unlikely pair.

This is the story of one of those disputes...

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CHARACTER SELECT:
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Mega Pony (PCN-001): The first robot pony. Built by Celestia.

Vinyl "DJ PON-3" Scratch: Popular disc jockey. Loves to "drop the bass".

Octavia Melody: Vinyl's friend and roommate. Expert cellist.

Rarity: Skilled dress designer and gem hunter. Element of Generosity.

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The time was somewhere in the afternoon on another typical day in the town of Ponyville. The sun was shining brightly, the gentle winds were cool and comfortable, and the citzens were walking around, going about their usual duties. At that time, in a cottage not far from the Golden Oaks Library, the faint sounds of piano keys could be heard. The chimes could only be heard by those who passed by, and were nearly mistaken for bird songs, as the notes complimented the birds' chirping perfectly.

The pony playing the piano was Octavia Melody, an Earth Pony mare that enjoyed listening to and playing music; classical music, mostly. While many knew her expert cello-playing, the sepia-coated mare was experienced at playing all sorts of different musical instruments. Sitting next to her was the robot, Mega Pony, who had come by not only to visit Octavia and her roommate, Vinyl Scratch, but also to attend a music lesson; since the day he met Octavia and Vinyl, Mega Pony showed a great deal of interest in music, and desired to learn all about it.

The Earth Pony had just finished playing a series of notes in front of Mega Pony. Turning over to her "student", she told him, "Now Mega Pony, what I have just played for you is called an 'octave'. It is a set of eight notes, placed together in ascending pitch."

"Octave?" asked the robot. "Wait: That sort of sounds like-"

"My name?" Octavia interrupted. "Well, it should: After all, it was directly inspired by this musical term."

"I see..." Mega Pony then asked, "But, I must ask: What would have happened if you DIDN'T pursue an interest in music? I'm just saying, it would be...well, kinda weird if you had a musical-sounding name, but chose not to have anything to do with music at all."

"Hmmm...yes, I suppose that would be rather bizarre if that were to happen." the Earth Pony responded. "I am not exactly sure how it all ends up working out with a pony's name and everything...In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if nopony else knew why that was either." Octavia then immediately changed the subject, saying to him, "However, let us discuss that another day; we should get back to our lesson for now."

"Oh! Yeah, sure...sorry about that." Mega Pony replied, chuckling weakly.

"Quite alright, Mega Pony." the sepia mare told him. "Everypony comes down with a wandering mind every now and again...some more so than others." At that moment, there was a knock on the door. "Speaking of which...I believe that's Vinyl, returning from the marketplace." she then told him as she moved off of the piano bench and got on all fours. "Excuse me one moment..."

The Earth Pony trotted over to the front door and opened it. Sure enough, standing there was Vinyl Scratch, Octavia's white-coated, electric blue-maned Unicorn roommate and friend. Floating next to her were several paper grocery bags filled with food and all sorts of other things from Ponyville's outdoor market. Vinyl seemed to be slightly frustrated, based on her annoyed-looking facial expression.

"So, did you get everything on our list?" asked Octavia.

"Yeah, yeah...I did." Vinyl answered, grumbling a little. "I didn't forget anything this time..."

Noticing her roommate's tone, the Earth Pony said to her, "Vinyl, I know you don't enjoy doing any of our weekly chores, but you don't need to display your frustration in front of everypony."

"Whatever..." the white Unicorn said with a sigh. "Just help me get this stuff into the kitchen; trying to levitate so many heavy bags at once makes my head hurt."

"Very well, then." Octavia then turned towards the room where Mega Pony was still sitting in and called out to him, "Mega Pony, could you come over and lend us a hoof with these grocery bags?"

"Sure! Of course, Ms. Octavia!" the robot responded, leaving the piano for now to assist the pair. "It'll be a good opportunity to test the new device that my mom built into me, anyway." He then turned over towards a pair of grocery bags and closed his eyes. His horn then began to radiate with a light-blue light, which also appeared around the bags as well. Then all of a sudden, the bags began to levitate in front of Mega Pony, just like how Vinyl was doing the same with her Unicorn magic.

The three of them brought all of the groceries into the kitchen (Octavia balanced one of the bags on her back, since she couldn't use magic) and set them down on a round table in the middle of the room. "I suppose that takes care of that." the sepia-coated mare stated. She then said to Mega Pony, "So I see that the Princess finally designed something to allow you to use magic..."

"Well, technically, it isn't really magic;" the robot informed her. "Mom installed a device inside of my horm that allows me to move and operate objects using electromagnetisim. To put it simply, it's supposed to replicate basic Unicorn magic."

"Ah, I see." Octavia responded. "Anyway, I'll take care of putting the groceries away. It shouldn't take very long."

As the Earth Pony mare began sorting out all of the items in the bags, Mega Pony glanced over at Vinyl, noticing that something was bothering her. He decided not to ask what was upsetting her, deciding instead to try and take her mind off of it, whatever it was. "That's a...nice dishwasher you two have set up here..." he said to the Unicorn, glancing over at the appliance in question.

"Huh? Oh! Yeah...uh, sure...Thanks, Mega." Vinyl responded, still slightly distracted by whatever was on her mind.

"Yeah, it...it looks like it's a real top-of-the-line model." Mega Pony told her, trying his best to get her thinking about anything else. After looking at the dishwasher for a while, he then asked, "Uhhhh...why are there speakers attached to it, Ms. Vinyl?"

"Well, to answer your question, Mega," Vinyl began to say, in a rather proud tone, "those speakers are a personal modification of my own: Now this thing cleans dishes with the power of wubs!"

"...Wubs...?" asked Mega Pony.

"Sound waves, if you wanna get all technical and junk." the Unicorn explained. Pointing to the washer's control panel, she added, "See here? Ya crank this dial up to eleven, and it cleans the dishes at a microscopic scale! Trust me: It's the only way to clean dishes in just the right way!"

"...It's ALSO the only way to clean dishes and annoy half the town at the same time." Octavia commented as she placed the last of the groceries in the refridgerator.

Vinyl, hearing that remark, turned to face her roommate and said to her in a raised tone, "Don't start talkin' under your breath, Octy! If you've got somethin' to say to me or about me, say it to my face!"

"The only reason I made that comment was because I'd like to have at least ONE morning where I'm not abruptly awakened from bed because of that infernal device!" Octavia said back.

"Um...guys...?" Mega Pony meekly said. "That's enough now..."

But his words fell on deaf ears as Vinyl shouted, "Don't you call it that! If anything, I improved it!"

"You DO realize that what you did to that machine voids the warranty, right??" asked the sepia mare angrily. "If that thing breaks down, we would have to buy a completely NEW dishwasher to replace it, and we'd be lucky get even ten bits just to dispose of this one!"

"And I said that it'd be no problem!" the Unicorn yelled back. "I'll just give that Amy chick at Maretag a call and we'll have a new washer in no time!"

"You're saying that as if money grows on trees, Vinyl!" Octavia scolded her. "In fact, we wouldn't be spending so much money replacing all of our food supplies right now if it weren't for that last-minute party you and your rowdy friends had right here in our home last night!!"

"Guys...please...calm down..." Mega Pony pleaded. "There's no need to-"

"At least THEY know how to have fun once in a while!!" shouted the Unicorn. "Maybe you oughtta try it sometime instead of acting like a stuffed shirt 24/7!!"

"I act the way that I do because it's expected of a mare like myself to actually ACT like a proper lady!" the Earth Pony argued. "By far, the only thing YOU know about manners is how to do everything you AREN'T supposed to do!! Sometimes, I believe that the only reason you exist is to make my life as difficult as possible!!"

"Alright, THAT'S IT!! I don't need to take this!!" Vinyl shouted louder than anything her DJ equipment could muster. "I see what this is all about: You just don't want me around, right?! You think your life would be SO MUCH easier if I weren't livin' here with you, is that it?!?" Heading out of the kitchen, the Unicorn angrily added, "Have it your way then, Tavi! I'm outta here!!" The enraged mare then walked past the front door and slammed it closed as hard as she could.

There was a bit of an awkward silence in the air after the heated argument. Mega Pony glanced over at Octavia, whose face was both shocked...and slightly saddened. Once she regained her wits, however, she huffed and said to herself, "Fine then...Good riddance...", and began walking towards the staircase leading up to their bedrooms.

Mega Pony followed the Earth Pony out of the kitchen and asked her, "M-Ms. Octavia, you're not just gonna let Vinyl run off by herself like that, are you?? What if she gets hurt or something?"

"Hmph...forget it..." the mare grumbled. "If she wants to run off and start acting like a foal, so be it. I am not going to waste my time talking to her if she doesn't want to listen. And frankly, I have absolutely nothing to say to her anyway..."

The robot looked at Octavia, showing a rather worried expression. He wasn't convinced that the sepia-coated pony was making a sound decision.

Octavia sighed and told her guest, "I need some time to clear my head, Mega Pony; we will return to our lesson a bit later. Right now...I just wish to be left alone."

The robot nodded and said to her, "I understand, Ms. Octavia...I'll just keep practicing what you've taught me so far until you come back." The Earth Pony nodded to say that she heard him and continued up the stairs to her bedroom, gently shutting the door. Mega Pony then trotted back over to the piano, with that feeling of worry still floating around him.

Outside their home - in fact, outside of Ponyville entirely - in the stone-covered wasteland known as Rambling Rock Ridge, the still-angry Vinyl Scratch was wandering aimlessly about, still grumbling to herself. "Stupid Octavia...thinks she knows everything about everything..." she muttered. The Unicorn then sat down on a small, flat stone and said to herself, "Who does she think she is, talking to me like that?!" She then groaned a little during her inner monologue. "As if I didn't have enough problems today already, now there's this!" Vinyl then picked up a small rock and hurled it as hard she could out of frustration.

The rock skipped across the ground before landing very close to a single bush growing right nearby one of the few trees in the area. The clinking sounds of the rock hitting the dirt attracted the attention of three individuals, who poked their heads out of the bush to see what it was. They all appeared to be canine-like creatures, but they had slightly different appearences from each other:

The first one was tall and thin, and had brown fur with pointed ears that were fully erect. He wore a red-colored vest and had a long, thin tail. The second one was big and burly, covered with bluish-grey fur, had a large forehead and tiny, floppy ears, wore a large grey vest, and had a very small, stubby tail. The third one was the smallest of the three, bearing tan-colored fur with slightly folded ears, long droopy jowls, a small grey vest, and a short tail with spiky bristles on it. All three of them also wore diamond-studded dog collars as well, with the red-vested one even having a dogtag attached to his own collar.

The big, burly canine picked up the small stone and asked the tall, thin one, "Who threw this stone? You heard it too, right Fido?"

"Oh, I heard it alright, Rover..." the tall, thin dog, named Fido, answered. Pointing ahead, he added, "And I'm certain that's the one who threw it over here."

The other two dogs looked over and saw Vinyl Scratch sitting on the flat stone and still grumbling to herself over the fight she had earlier. "It's a pony; so what?" asked the short one. "There's nothing weird about ponies tossing rocks around."

"You can't be serious, Spot..." Fido said to him. Pointing at the Unicorn again, he asked, "Do you have any idea who that is??"

The other two dogs glanced over at Vinyl for about five seconds. Afterwards, they looked back over towards Fido and said to him, in unison, "...Nope."

The tall, thin canine slapped his face before telling them, "That's the pony that makes the music that we hear on the radio!! Don't you remember?! She's the one we're looking for; the pony we need...to pull off the BIG job..."

"...Ohhhhhhhh..." the other two dogs responded, finally getting it.

"Once we have that pony in our clutches," Fido explained, "the rest of the work will be easy! Finally, no one will be able to get in our way!!"

"...Y'know, from this far away," Rover began, "that pony kinda looks like Ms. Ra-"

Just then, Spot quickly stopped his companion's comment short by covering his mouth, causing him to muffle the rest of his statement. "Do you mind?!" the short dog yelled at him, "The last thing I need right now is to remember that white-and-violet headache again!"

"Would you both be quiet?!" growled Fido. "You're gonna scare her off! Now follow my lead and don't make any sounds!" And after that order was given, the three dogs began to burrow through the ground under their clawed feet.

Vinyl, unaware of what was going on around her, sighed a little to herself and began to think more about what had happened earlier. "Y'know, now that I've had some time to think about it," she said to herself, "maybe I was being kind of a jerk to Tavi...Even though she did make a snide comment at me...I mean after all, she actually taught me what the word 'snide' meant..." Getting up off of the stone she was sitting on, she then told herself, "Maybe I should go and talk to her...After all, it wasn't her fault that I was angry to begin with...I just hope that she isn't too sore at me..."

But before she could take a single step forward, the Unicorn suddenly heard something behind her. "Huh? What's that?" she asked herself. She looked around for the source of the noise, but didn't see anything. (That's weird...) she thought. (I know I heard something...But what? And where?)

At that moment, Vinyl suddenly heard the sounds of rumbling earth behind her. When she turned around to look, she finally saw the source of noise: The three dogs that were spying on her earlier. "Hello..." said Fido with a sly smirk on his face. "Lovely day today, isn't it?"

The Unicorn gasped and took a defensive stance. "Back off..." she said to them. "I know who you guys are! You're those Diamond Dog things I've heard about!" Backing up a bit, she then asked them, "What d'ya want from me?? I don't have any gems or jewelry or anything like that on me, so it's not like I have anything you want!"

"Heh heh heh...Oh, but you DO have something we want." said Spot, rubbing his tiny paws together. "We don't want something FROM you...We want YOU, period!"

"M-ME?!?"

"That's right, pony." stated Rover. "And you're comin' with us right this minute!"

"...And if I refuse?" asked Vinyl.

Fido's eyes squinted a little, but his sly smirk never left his face as he told her, "We weren't asking for your permission." He then shouted to his cohorts, "Get her!!"

Vinyl gasped as she tried to run away, but stopped as soon as she saw the small, but feisty Spot in front of her. She then turned around, only to confront the hulking Rover. She then looked over towards Fido and realized that she was surrounded. "G-g-get away from me!!" she shouted at them. But they didn't listen.

Not far away, there was yet another individual roaming around the wasteland. It was none other than Spike, a young dragon that was often seen working with Twilight Sparkle. This time, however, he was collecting gems in a small, red wagon. The reason was because gemstones were actually a food source for many kinds of dragons, and Spike was no different. Of course, he was also looking for gems to give to Rarity, to help her with her dress-making.

The little dragon had just located a shiny purple jewel in the shape of a hexagon. "Wow..." he said, licking his lips, "This one looks like it would taste REAL good..." Spike then paused for a moment to think about it. "Then again..." he added, "Rarity could possibly use this for something...It's so hard to decide what's food and what isn't."

"...HEEEELLLLP...!!" shouted a voice off in the distance.

Upon hearing the cry for help, Spike immediately stopped what he was doing and frantically started looking around. "What was that??" he asked himself. He left his wagon full of jewels behind for the moment to investigate the noise. When he got there, he was shocked when he saw Vinyl Scratch being abducted by the three Diamond Dogs. "Oh no! It's the Diamond Dogs again!!" Spike exclaimed, worried. Getting angry, he shouted at them, "HEY!! What're you doing to her, you big brutes?!"

Unfortunately, no one heard Spike's yelling, including Vinyl. The dastardly canines grabbed the poor Unicorn and took her down into a nearby hole that seemed to go deep into the Earth. "Help me!!" Vinyl screamed. "Somepony, ANYpony! HEEEELLLP!!!!"

Spike was dumbstruck by what he had just witnessed. However, he was able to snap himself out of it quickly so that he could come up with a plan to save her. "I need to find somepony to help me save Vinyl from those Diamond Dog jerks!" he told himself. "But who?" Thinking for a while, he then decided, "Well, maybe I should start by telling her friend Octavia about what happened...She might know what to do..." The young dragon then ran off towards Ponyville to go find help.

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Several minutes had passed by since Vinyl left. During that time, Mega Pony continued to practice playing the piano with the lessons he had learned so far, starting with a simple melody that he had heard Octavia play during one of his sessions with her.

"Now...let's see if I got this right..." the robot said to himself. He slowly tapped each piano key in the correct sequence, while also saying the name of each note to himself in order to help him better understand them. "...F-sharp...A...F-sharp...E...A...D...E...D...C-sharp...B-" But when he tapped the last note, it gave off a sound that he knew wasn't right. "...No, no no...I meant 'A', not 'B'!"

Mega Pony then took a deep breath to calm himself. (Just relax now...) he thought to himself. (You can do this right...just remember the lessons you learned so far...) He then played the sequence once more, this time getting the last note right. "Alright! I did it! I played the tune perfectly!" he cheered. "I can't wait to tell Ms. Octavia!" After he said that, he then realized something: Octavia hadn't left her bedroom since the fight she had with Vinyl earlier. "Hmmmm...she's been up there for quite a while..." Mega Pony said to himself. "I hope she's okay...Maybe I ought to check up on her before I do anything else..."

The robot left the piano for the moment and trotted up the stairs towards Octavia's bedroom. Once he approached the door, he paused for a moment before knocking on it. "Who is it?" asked the mare on the other side.

"It's me, Mega Pony. May I come in?"

"Yes. The door is unlocked; you can come in."

Once he got permission, Mega Pony used his "magic" to operate the doorknob and open the door. When he stepped inside, the robot looked around at all of the fancy decor that covered the Earth Pony's bedroom: Full bookshelves, file cabinets filled with various music sheets, a large redwood desk with an old-looking desk lamp, and a soft, red chair off to the side, which was where Octavia was currently sitting while also paging through a book to pass the time.

"Have you been sitting there the whole time, Ms. Octavia?" Mega Pony inquired.

"...Yes, I have." Octavia answered. "I do apologize if I've worried you by not coming back earlier; I suppose I did lose track of time while I was up here..." She then told him, "However, I was able to hear you practicing even with my door closed; you're doing quite an excellent job so far on the piano."

"Oh, um...thank you, Ms. Octavia." the mechanical pony responded. Glancing at the book that Octavia was holding in her hooves, he then asked her, "Is that a photo album?"

"Yes, it is." the sepia-colored mare answered him. "It's my family's photo album, in fact. My family has been adding meaningful photographs in this very album for decades...I was just looking through it a little to help calm myself down..."

The Earth Pony then flipped to another page, where Mega Pony saw a picture of her and Vinyl standing in front of a large, fancy building and smiling. "Wow...you two look really happy there." he noted, pointing to the photo. "When was this taken?"

"This picture was taken sometime after we graduated from West Manehatten University." Octavia explained. "Very nice school; lots of interesting classes, especially their Psychology Department. I daresay I will certainly not forget about that class anytime soon."

"Manehatten? Is that where you're from?" Mega Pony then asked the mare.

"Yes. And so is Vinyl."

"...Huh. I would've thought that you lived where I live, in Canterlot."

Octavia chuckled a little. "I get that a lot, espcially since I perform there quite often." she told him, turning back to her photo album. "Anyway...this school was where Vinyl and I first met each other. And you'd be safe in assuming that our first meeting didn't exactly go over well..."

"I see..."

The Earth Pony then flipped to another page, which showed various photos of them either at home, or at various places around town. She then continued to talk, saying, "At first, we really couldn't find any way to co-exist...but over time, we eventually came to respect one another, and against all odds, we found a way to become best friends and care for each other...We even split a down payment on a house here in Ponyville so that we could save the rest to pursue our individual interests...In fact, it was Vinyl who chose this house for us, so that I would not have to walk too far to get something I need from the library..."

"That was really nice of her, wasn't it?" asked Mega Pony.

The Earth Pony slowly nodded and replied, "Yes...it was..." After she said that, a tear began to form under her left eye, which dripped onto the cover of her photo album.

Noticing that Octavia was crying a little, the concerned robot then asked her, "M-Ms. Octavia? Are you okay??"

Sniffling, the sepia-coated pony responded by saying, "I'm just horrible...What kind of friend am I...?"

"What do you mean?"

"I should have never let Vinyl run off like that without trying to stop her..." Octavia told her houseguest. "But I allowed my anger to get the better of me when I should have asked her what was wrong with her and try to make her feel better...But now she's left, and now I have no idea if she'll even want to talk to me again..." As she spoke, the sad mare began to slowly get more upset, which was evident in the way her words were beginning to break up.

Mega Pony put up his right front hoof and softly patted the Earth Pony on the back to comfort her. "It'll be okay, Ms. Octavia..." he told her. "I'm sure if you go and apologize to her, she'll forgive you, and you'll be back together in no time."

"How can you be sure?" asked the mare.

The robot smiled and answered her, saying, "If Vinyl is a true friend, she'll forgive you; no doubt about it. Take it from me: One little fight isn't going to destroy your friendship with her, and it never will."

"...Well, I wouldn't call our argument 'little' by any means, but-" Octavia then stopped herself and said, "No, you're absolutely right, Mega Pony. I need to go and talk to Vinyl so that we can work things out, and get our lives back to the way they were."

"Exactly." the robot told her. "All we need to do is find out where she is right now...But where would she be?"

At that moment, there was a frantic pounding on the door that grabbed the attention of both ponies. "Who could that be?" asked Octavia. "I wasn't expecting any other company today..."

"Maybe it's Vinyl?" asked Mega Pony.

"I suppose we shall see." After saying that, the sepia-coated mare walked down the staircase, with Mega Pony following close behind. She then opened the door to see who it was.

It was Spike, who was still in a panic over what he had seen earlier. "Ms. Octavia! Am I glad to see you right now!" the dragon said to her, relieved to find somepony home. He then glanced over and noticed that Mega Pony was there as well. "Mega Pony? What are you doing here?" he then asked.

"Don't you remember?" inquired the robot. "I come here every Tuesday and Thursday for music lessons. I told you that a couple weeks ago..."

"Oh, yeah...I guess I forgot." replied Spike, embarrased that he had forgotten about that. Clearing his throat, he then told the pair, "Anyway, I glad you're both here; we got a REALLY big problem right now!"

"What sort of problem?" asked Octavia.

"Well...i-it's Vinyl Scratch; she's...she's been kidnapped by Diamond Dogs!!" the dragon informed her.

The two ponies gasped; they were in complete shock, especially Octavia. "You...you must be joking...!" she said to Spike. "Are you absolutely SURE it was Vinyl??"

"I'm sure, alright!" he answered. "I wouldn't miss that wild, blue mane of hers anywhere!"

The Earth Pony was completely horrified by what she had just heard. "This is terrible...!" she said to herself. "It's...it's all my fault...I let her run off by herself, and now she's in danger! If anything happens to her...I will never forgive myself...!"

"It's okay, Ms. Octavia...We'll save her and get her home safe and sound!" Mega Pony assured her. "I promise, nothing bad will happen to Vinyl at all!"

"I do hope you are right, Mega Pony..." the mare responded, still feeling guilty.

The robot then asked Spike, "Where did you see Vinyl last?"

"She was in Rambling Rock Ridge when those dogs took her underground." the dragon answered. "We can get there by heading south from town, but..."

"But what?" the mechanical pony questioned.

"But if we try to go after them, there's bound to be a whole buncha guards waiting for us!" Spike told him. "Those Diamond Dogs will have us horribly outnumbered!"

"That...could be a problem." Mega Pony admitted. "But what else can we do?"

Just then, Octavia snapped out of her state of depression when a thought came to her. "Wait a moment: Didn't an acquaintance of yours have a run-in with these Diamond Dogs a while ago?" she asked the dragon.

"Acquaintance?" asked Spike. "Oh! You mean one of my friends, right?" Octavia nodded yes as the little dragon began to try and remember when the last time he encountered the Diamond Dogs was. He then let out a gasp when he recalled that very event. "Oh yeah! Of course! I almost forgot!" he exclaimed. "Rarity! She knows exactly how to deal with those jerks!"

"Really? Rarity's dealt with those things before?" asked Mega Pony.

"She sure has!" Spike informed the robot. "We should go and see her; she might be able to help us save Vinyl!"

"Sounds good to me." Octavia said to him. "Let us hurry and speak to Ms. Rarity and come up with a plan; the sooner, the better." Mega Pony and Spike nodded to say that they understood. The trio then moved as fast as they could to Rarity's home, with the baby dragon riding on top of Mega Pony's back.

Meanwhile, at the Carousel Boutique, the fashion-forward Unicorn was busy working on another new dress project. This time, she had some help, courtesy of her younger sister, Sweetie Belle, who was a friend of Apple Bloom's. The younger Unicorn had a white coat, just like her older sister, with a puffy mane and tail, both colored with light-pink and light-purple stripes. She also had a pair of big, light-green eyes, which gave off an aura of youthfulness. Finally, just like her friend Apple Bloom, her flank lacked a cutie mark, as she had not yet earned one.

Normally, the young filly had a bright and cheery attitude, and was always seen smiling or otherwise happy. This time, however, she appeared to be slightly frustrated, mainly because the job Rarity had given to her was to stay still and help model the dress that she was designing. Standing still and doing nothing was something that Sweetie Belle wasn't fond of, especially when the pins that were stuck in the dress were beginning to make her itch.

"Rarityyyyyyyyy...!!" the little Unicorn whined. "Are we done yeeeeet?! I need to scratch reeeeeeeeally badlyyyyyy...!!"

"Stop complaining, Sweetie Belle! We won't get done any quicker if you don't stay still!" Rarity told her. "We are already a bit behind schedule as it is, thanks to that little cold you picked up that prevented you from going to school a while ago..."

"Okay, I get it! I won't borrow Scootaloo's toothbrush again!" Sweetie Belle responded, still feeling uncomfortable in the dress that she was modeling.

As Rarity used her measuring tape to record the length of the dress, she heard a knock on her front door. Glancing over towards the boutique's entrance, she said to her younger sister, "Hold on a moment, I need to answer the door. I'll be back shortly."

"Aw, c'mon!!" complained Sweetie Belle, knowing that she was going to be stuck wearing that itchy dress a while longer.

Rarity trotted gracefully over to her front door and opened it. Once she saw who it was, she greeted them, saying, "Oh! Mega Pony, Spike, Ms. Octavia! What can I do for you today?"

The young dragon then told her, "We've got a bit of a problem...and we could really use your help."

"My help? With what?" asked the Unicorn.

After the trio of guests let themselves into the boutique, Mega Pony, Spike, and Octavia told Rarity about everything that happened involving Vinyl and the three Diamond Dogs. "You can't be serious...You mean to tell me that those...those ruffians had just abducted Vinyl?" asked the violet-maned Unicorn, who wasn't pleased to hear that the Diamond Dogs were causing trouble again.

"They sure did..." Spike replied. "I saw it happen with my own two eyes! They all swarmed around her, grabbed her, and then took her deep underground!"

"But whatever for?" asked Rarity. "I don't recall ever seeing Vinyl wearing jewelry of any kind, and it's not like she would have anything else valuable on her..."

"That's what I am not sure of either..." Octavia chimed in. "In all the time that I have lived with her, I know for a fact that Vinyl absolutely hates wearing jewelry, though she does like looking at it...I honestly can't think of any reason that those creatures would want to take her away like that..."

"Well, whatever their motive was," Mega Pony began, "the only thing that we should worry about is making sure that Vinyl's safe. We need to find a way into the Diamond Dogs' lair, locate Vinyl, and get out before those dogs cause us too much trouble."

"This little dragon friend of yours told us that you had an encounter with these Diamond Dogs before..." Octavia said to Rarity. "Is that true?"

"Yes, unfortunately..." the Unicorn responded, feeling slightly uneasy. "I don't really like bringing it up, though. It's an experience that I'd rather forget...Everything about those beasts is absoLUTELY unpleasent! Their fur smelled horrible, their posture was dreadful, their sense of fashion was HORRENDOUS...UGH! I could go on for DAYS explaining how disgusting those things can be!"

The other occupants in the room were a bit stunned after listening to Rarity and hearing how much she disliked the Diamond Dogs...except for Sweetie Belle, who was scratching herself all over after she was finally allowed to take off the dress. The robot decided to break the silence and said, "Well, I'm not really sure what to expect from these Diamond Dog guys, besides what I know from my databanks, so we could use all the help that we can get in order to save Vinyl...So, will you lend us a hoof and come with us, Rarity?"

The violet-maned Unicorn shuddered a little. "Ugh...the thought of having to go back to that dreadful cavern is making my coat hair stand up on end..." she admitted. She then sighed, and manged to form a smile before adding, "But I suppose that I would not be living up to my Element if I didn't help you out in your time of need."

"So you'll help us save Vinyl?" asked Spike.

Rarity nodded and answered, saying, "I most certainly will!"

"Thank you so much, Ms. Rarity." Octavia told her. "This means so much to me..." The Earth Pony mare put on a determined facial expression and said, "Alright then, if everypony's ready to go, then let us move out immediately!" The others nodded in response.

"Sweetie Belle, you stay here and be good while I'm gone, okay?" Rarity requested of her younger sister.

"Okay, Rarity." the little Unicorn replied. "When you guys get back, I'll cook up a really nice meal for you all to enjoy!"

"Oh, um...tha-that's quite alright, dear..." Rarity replied in a hesitant tone, a bead of sweat running down the side of her face. "There's absolutely no need to go through all that trouble just for us...Just be good until we return! Goodbye!"

As Rarity closed the door behind her, Mega Pony then asked, "What was that all about, Rarity?"

"It's...it's nothing. Nothing we need to worry about right now..." the Unicorn answered him. "Let's just go and do this as quickly as possible..."

From inside the boutique, Sweetie Belle was watching her sister and the others leaving to go rescue Vinyl. Once they were no longer within eyesight, the filly raced over to the kitchen, eager to prepare a meal despite what Rarity told her. She opened up one of the cupboards, noticing that there wasn't much left inside. "Hmmmm..." she hummed to herself, picking up a tin can and a small box. She then glanced over to the corner of the room, where Rarity's pet cat, Opal, was sleeping.

Sweetie Belle trotted over towards the cat and set the two items that she had gotten earlier in front of her. "Hey, Opal..." the filly said to her, "what do you think goes best with pancakes? Eggplants or creamed corn?" The cat just gave an uninterested look in response.

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It wasn't long before Mega Pony, Octavia, Rarity, and Spike (who was sitting on Rarity's back) reached Rambling Rock Ridge, searching for the missing Vinyl Scratch. The group eventually reached the top of a medium-sized plateau overlooking an even taller cliff ahead. A large tunnel could be seen going into the cliff wall, and standing beside the entrance were two Diamond Dogs, clad in metal armor and holding sharp spears.

"There it is..." said the robot, peering at the cave entrance from behind a large boulder. "That must be the Diamond Dogs' lair."

"Indeed it is." Rarity confirmed. "I'll never forget this place for as long as I live, no matter how hard I try to."

"We need to find a way to get in there to save Vinyl..." Octavia noted. "But how are we going to get past those two guards without them knowing?"

"Leave that to me." Mega Pony told her. "I have a way of stopping those two dogs down there without even having to fight them." The robot then closed his eyes and triggered his weapon-swapping power, changing his body color in an instant. Once he was done, Mega Pony's face and body were now sepia-colored, and his helmet and boots were colored a dark grey; the same color scheme as Octavia. And of course, he now had her cutie mark on his flank.

"What...what did you just do??" asked the Earth Pony, shocked at what she saw. "Why do you look like me right now?"

"That's Mega Pony's copy ability." Spike told her. "He can get special weapons and powers from anypony just by touching their cutie marks."

"Ah, I see...Now I understand why you wished to touch my mark before we got here." said Octavia.

The others watched as Mega Pony pointed his horn towards the two Diamond Dog guards. All of a sudden, it began glowing, and a second later, a soft, soothing melody began to play out of it. The song was loud enough for the two guards to hear it, but before they could find the source of the music, they began yawning and getting very sleepy. Before long, the two couldn't stay awake and fell to the ground, their loud snoring making noise comparable to that of the buzzing of a chainsaw.

*** WEAPON EQUIP! *** Octavia's Lullaby ***

Once the guards were incapacitated, Mega Pony's horn stopped glowing and the soothing music ended. "There, that should stop them for a while." he said.

"Awesome! He put them both to sleep!" cheered Spike.

Octavia was astounded, but not just because of how Mega Pony was able to deal with the guards; there was something else that he had done that surprised her. "That song..." she said out-loud, "that's the same lullaby my mother used to sing to me when I was a filly...But only my mother and I know about it..." Turning over to the robot, she asked him, "How could you have possibly known about that song?"

"Don't ask me..." he responded. "My Copy Chip is designed to replicate or create a weapon that relates to the special talents of the pony I get it from. Other than who I choose to copy, I really don't have any control over how my Copy Chip works."

After pondering about it, Octavia then hypothesized, (I guess that Mega Pony must have picked up the melody from my subconscious when he copied my power...Well, I certainly can't complain about the results, since he was able to defeat both those dogs down there with it.)

"Alright, let us go...The sooner we save Vinyl, the less time we'll have to spend in this horrid place..." Rarity commented as she carefully trotted down the side of the small plateau that they were on, followed by Mega Pony and Octavia. The group then entered the cave, running right past the sleeping guard dogs.

Once inside, the three ponies and dragon now had to figure out where Vinyl was being held captive. "Well, now we're inside the Diamond Dogs' lair," Octavia began, "but now we need to figure out WHERE we actually have to go..." She then asked Rarity, "Since you've been here before, I assume you know the way around these caverns?"

"I wish it were that easy..." the fashonista answered her. "I may have been here in the past, but it's safe to assume that these beasts have dug some new tunnels through here since then."

"Hey, I have an idea!" said Spike, still sitting on Rarity's back. "Maybe you can use your gem-searching spell to find out where they are! After all, that's how Twilight and the others were able to find you the first time we were here!"

"I suppose it's worth a try." the Unicorn replied. She then activated her horn to use her gem-seeking spell; one that she usually used to help her find gems for her dresses. Unfortunately, her spell was only able to locate a single gemstone: A small ruby that was sitting beside the group, buried in the dirt and stone. "Oh dear...I was afraid of this..." she said, sighing.

"What's wrong?" asked Mega Pony.

"My spell was only able to find one gem..." Rarity told him. "More than likely, the rest of the gems that were here have already been dug up..."

"That's not good..." said Octavia. "We're no closer to finding Vinyl than we were before." After that comment, the three ponies suddenly heard crunching sounds nearby. They all glanced over and saw that Spike had hopped off of Rarity's back, dug up the ruby, and was eating it.

The dragon glanced up at the others and saw that they were all giving him a look. "...What? All this tension is making me hungry." he said to them, gulping down the last pieces of the jewel. The others sighed in response.

Thinking for a while, Rarity came up with another idea. "I've got it!" she exclaimed. "I think our best course of action is to go to any place that is heavily guarded."

The others were shocked when they heard that. "Not to offend, but...are you CRAZY?!" asked Octavia. "Why would you suggest something like that?!"

"I know it seems a tad extreme; believe me, I'd rather not attempt such a thing if I had the choice." the Unicorn told them. "But think about it: Those beasts wanted Vinyl for some reason, so it's a safe assumption that wherever they have her, there are sure to be lots of guards around to make certain that nopony can get to her."

"Oh, I get it now!" exclaimed Mega Pony. "So if we see any part of the cavern that contains guard dogs, there's a good chance that Vinyl will be there, too!"

"Exactly." confirmed Rarity. "And if any guards come after us, you and I can stop them!" Mega Pony nodded to say that he was on board with her plan.

"Sounds good to me!" added Spike.

"I suppose it is our best option..." Octavia commented. "I'm okay with this plan if it will help us find Vinyl sooner."

"Alright then." Rarity then looked over towards Mega Pony and told him, "You lead the way, Mega Pony."

"Got it." the robot replied, walking up in front of everypony. Spike hopped onto Rarity's back once more before they all headed forward. Not long after they started, Mega Pony already found some guards ahead of them. "Alright, I'm picking up some movement: There are two guards in the left tunnel, and three in the right one." he informed the others.

"Then we should head towards the right." stated Octavia, pointing at the tunnel with her right front hoof. The group then headed inside, entering a small chamber.

Sure enough, three guard dogs were inside, and they immediately turned to face the ponies and dragon as soon as they came in. "Hey! What are you doin' in here?!" shouted one of them. However, that guard rushed towards them to attack before an answer to his question was given.

But Rarity was ready for it: Using her magic, she hurled a good-sized rock right into his abdomen area. The impact was enough to make the creature collapse onto the ground. "Don't even THINK about touching me with those dirty claws of yours!" she yelled at them.

"Alright! Nice shot, Rarity!" Mega Pony complimented.

The Unicorn turned around to face them and said, "Oh, why thank you. I have been practicing my throwing skills in my spare time. I might even try my hoof at a game of Darts sometime and-"

"Look out!! Behind you!!" shouted Octavia, pointing behind the Unicorn.

Rarity gasped as she looked behind her and saw the other two guards coming up from behind. The Unicorn had no time to react, but luckily for her, she was saved when both the dogs were struck by six, white gemstones and knocked down to the ground. Rarity breathed a sigh of relief and looked over at Mega Pony, who was now sporting the white-and-violet color scheme and diamond cutie mark that she had. "Thanks, Mega Pony." she said to him. "I appreciate it."

"No problem, Rarity." the robot replied. "Lucky for us, I had the right mind to get your special weapon as well before we came here."

*** WEAPON EQUIP! *** Gem Seeker ***

Once the guards were taken down, the group began searching the chamber for any signs of Vinyl, but she wasn't anywhere to be found. "She's not here..." Octavia said with a sigh. "The only things that these dogs were protecting was this gem chest and...sound equipment?" The Earth Pony seemed a bit confused when she saw what appeared to be speakers in the chamber they were in.

"Well, at least we took these guys down." Spike noted. "That's three less guards we'll have to deal with later."

"Yes, but I am sure that we'll have to fight through more if we want to save Vinyl, and escape without any implications." Rarity added. She then turned to Mega Pony and asked him, "Do you think you will have enough energy to continue using my power on anyone who attacks us?"

"I have enough power to use the Gem Seeker about fifty more times." he answered. "So as long as I don't have to fight any more than fifty guards, we'll be fine." Turning towards the tunnel ahead, he added, "We just need to be smart and pick our battles wisely." The others nodded and followed the robot through the tunnel ahead.

Meanwhile, in a rather large chamber that seemed to serve as the Diamond Dogs' main living quarters, the three dogs that had kidnapped Vinyl earlier were sitting at a round table (which was actually constructed out of gemstones, like most of their belongings). They were in the middle of a card game, unaware of what was going on elsewhere.

The short Diamond Dog, Spot, was looking over the cards that he was holding. "Alright...I'll see your three rubies and two sapphires and raise you...one emerald!" he said to the big and burly Rover.

Rover glanced at his cards and thought about what to do. He then took an emerald from his pile and tossed into the center of the table. "I'll call." he said.

"Same here." added the red-vested Fido. "What have you all got?"

Spot then showed his cards and told them, "I've got a Flush: All of them are hearts!"

"Three of a Kind..." grumbled Rover as he grumpily threw his cards onto the table.

"Heeheehee...too bad for you!" chuckled the small dog as he prepared to take all of the gems in the pot.

"Not so fast, Spot..." Fido told his companion. He then slowly put down his cards, revealing that he had three Jacks and two Aces. "Full House."

"Urk!" the little dog grunted once he saw those cards.

Fido chuckled and slid every last jewel in the center of the table into his pile. "Nice try, but this round goes to me!" he gloated.

"Urrrrgh...that's not fair!" complained Spot. "I just dug those up today!!"

"Yeah, yeah...Tell it to someone who cares." the red-vested Diamond Dog responded while counting up his winnings.

Just then, one of the guard dogs walked into the chamber and said to the trio, "Hey, guys! We've got a situation in here!"

Fido and the others glanced over towards the guard upon hearing that. "What kind of situation?" asked the red-vested canine.

"One of the other guards has reported that there are four intruders in the caverns." the armored dog explained. "According to what they've said, three of them are ponies, and one is a baby dragon."

"Then deal with it." Spot simply said while shuffling the deck of cards. "That's what you're paid to do."

"Well...that's the problem..." the guard began, feeling uneasy. "None of the guards have been able to stop them. There are still reports that they're progressing deeper into the caves..."

"What?! That's impossible!" shouted Fido. "There's no way that a bunch of ponies and a little dragon could take on the entire Guard Dog Squadron!" Grumbling, the red-vested canine then asked, "Who are they? Do you have any idea on what they look like?"

"O-only one of them..." the guard answered. "Only one of the three ponies was identified. We don't have a name, but they say that it's a female Unicorn, with a white coat and a violet-colored mane and tail."

"Hmph." Spot responded, not hearing the description at first. "So what? That doesn't sound very-" But when he and the other two dogs realized what the guard had told them, they froze up completely. "D...did you say...a white coat...and a violet mane and tail...??" the small canine asked, not really wanting to hear the answer.

"That's what I heard." the guard responded.

Fido, Rover, and Spot were all trembling a little after they heard the description that the guard gave to them. "G-guys...you heard what he said, right...?" the pint-sized Spot asked his companions. "There's no mistaking it: That whining pony, Ms. Rarity is here!!"

"Wh-what could SHE possibly be doing here?!" asked Fido, worried. "I thought we were done with her for good!"

"Wh-what are we gonna do, guys...?" asked Rover. "She'll be here any moment!"

"Well, don't look at me!!" the shorter dog responded in a frantic tone. Getting stressed out, he then added, "Of all the times for that pony to show up, why did it have to be now?! We can't afford to let her presence here ruin our plans!"

"And what kind of plans are those?!" asked a voice that the three dogs recognized immediately. The trio slowly turned around and saw the very pony that they didn't want to have to deal with: Rarity. Standing next to her were Octavia, Mega Pony, and Spike, and all four of them had looks on their faces that told the canines that they were through playing around.

"M-M-M-Ms. Rarity...!" began a trembling Fido. "F-fancy meeting you here...! W-we were just talking about you!"

"Don't. Even. Start." the white Unicorn told them sternly. "I'm on a tight schedule as it is, so I'm going to make this short: You're holding Vinyl Scratch down in these dank caverns against her will, and we're here to rescue her!"

"Urk! Wh-what are you talking about??" asked Rover, trying to play dumb. "We don't even know this, uh...'Flyer Scorch'..."

"You know who we're talking about!" Spike shouted at them. "I saw you three take her down here earlier, so don't try and lie to us!"

"So do us all a favor:" Octavia chimed in. "Let my friend go right this minute, or you will most certainly regret it!" The three Diamond Dogs trembled; they didn't know what to do.

"If you don't release Vinyl by the time I count to three, I'll start my complaints by telling all of you just what I think of your, 'living quarters'." Rarity threatened. "And by the way, I'm using the word 'living' VERY loosely."

The three canines were in a panic, especially Fido. Sweating, he thought to himself, (This is bad...If they force us to let the other pony go with them right now, our plans are ruined! But I can't stand having to listen to Ms. Rarity whine again! And neither do Rover or Spot! I don't know what to do!!)

Rarity, tired of waiting, began to make good on her earlier threat and began counting. "One...Two..."

"Hey! What's goin' on down there?!" asked a voice from out of nowhere.

Rarity suddenly stopped counting as she and the others looked around. "Who was that?" asked Mega Pony. "And where did that voice come from??"

Octavia then suddenly glanced up at a cliff above and gasped once she saw who it was that was standing there. "Vinyl! It's you!!" she exclaimed.

Sure enough, it was Vinyl Scratch, standing on a path high above them. The Unicorn DJ glanced down and seemed surprised to see her roommate and Mega Pony there. "Huh? Octy? Mega? What are you doin' here?" she asked, confused.

"We came here to rescue you, Ms. Vinyl." the robot answered.

"Rescue?" asked Vinyl.

"Yeah." Spike chimed in. "I saw you getting kidnapped by those three Diamond Dogs a couple of minutes ago! So I got Octavia, Mega Pony, and Rarity to come with me to help save you."

"Save me?" asked the DJ. "What are ya talkin' about? I don't need saving..."

"WHAT?!" exclaimed the other three ponies and dragon. They certainly didn't expect to hear her say that.

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Several minutes later, the four ponies, one dragon, and the three Diamond Dogs were now sitting down at the large round table. Vinyl was prepared to tell them all exactly what had happened after she was brought to the underground caverns. "Vinyl...I don't understand;" started Octavia, confused about the whole thing, as were Mega Pony, Rarity, and Spike. "This dragon here told us all that you were abducted by these creatures and taken down here against your will...And now you're saying that you are NOT in any danger whatsoever?? That doesn't make any sense at all..."

"Look, I know it seems kinda weird, but trust me: There's a logical explanation to all of this, Octy." the Unicorn DJ assured her.

"Then what is it?" asked Mega Pony. "Was Spike wrong when he said that you were kidnapped?"

"Well, he's ALMOST right..." Vinyl answered. "They did force me to come down here, just like he told you. However, the story doesn't quite end there..."

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After those Diamond Dog guys dragged me down into their lair, I thought that they wanted to steal something from me. But since I don't like wearing jewelry, I knew that I didn't have anything on me other than my favorite sunglasses. Needless to say, I wanted some answers, and quick.

"Alright, what's the big idea?!" I shouted at them. "Why'd ya bring me down here, anyway?! I don't have anything you want, so if you're tryin' to mug me, you're wastin' your time!"

But then, all of a sudden, I saw that the small one dropped down onto his knees and said to me, "Please...! Ms. DJ PON-3! You have to help us!!"

"Huh??" I asked, not exactly expecting to hear that. "Help you??"

The one in the red vest then came over and said to me, "Please, forgive us for dragging you down here the way we did, but we were afraid that you would refuse to assist us with a little problem that we're having..."

"Problem?" I asked, calming down a little. "What kinda problem?"

The really big one then stepped forward and told me, "It all began a few days ago: We were digging around for gems like we usually do, when all of a sudden, we began hearing some weird rumbling sounds from far away. At first, we ignored it, but as time went on, the rumbling began getting louder and louder..."

"Not only that," the small one added, "but in addition to the noises we heard, we also began feeling strong tremors from time to time...And just as the rumbling sounds got louder, the tremors also started getting stronger..."

"At first, it was just simply annoying..." said the red-vested dog, "but since the tremors began, cave-ins within the tunnels have tripled in number. Worst of all, two of own have already been seriously injured as a result of these cave-ins. If we don't do something soon, the entire lair could be buried in rubble!"

"Woah...that's horrible!" I said, shocked at what I heard. I then asked them, "But what do you need me for?"

"Yesterday," the big one started, "me, Fido, and Spot were wandering around through the tunnels to try and figure out where the tremors were coming from, and what was causing it...For a while, we didn't see anything, but eventually, we found out what it was: It was some sort of huge, drilling machine!"

"Drilling machine?"

"Yes, a drilling machine!" the tiny one answered me. "And it was tearing up our tunnels and stealing all of the gems that rightfully belong to us!! We went over to try and stop it, but as soon we yelled at the thing, it started chasing us! We thought we all goners!"

"But then, one of your songs happened to start playing on the portable radio that we take with us to our digging sites." the red-vested dog told me. "We're not sure why, but once your song started playing, it caused the digging machine that was chasing us to go haywire! It spun around in place several times, its drills began flailing around, and finally, its back exploded and it fell over! And it's been completely motionless since then!"

"So wait, lemme get this straight:" I said to them, trying to process everything. "You're tellin' me that one of MY songs on the radio caused that digger to malfunction and shut down?" Thinking about it for a bit, I chuckled and said to myself, "...That's actually pretty awesome."

"Yeah, that's right!" the big one confirmed. "We thought everything was okay after that, but then we still kept hearing and feeling earthquakes in the caverns! We then figured that there must've been MORE of those machines around, tearing up our home!"

"That's why we need your help!" the small one then said. "We need you to play your music all throughout the caves, and get rid of those infernal digging mahcines once and for all! Please, you've just GOTTA help us! We don't know what else to do!!"

I paused for a moment to think about everything that I had just heard. It was kind of a bizarre situation: These Diamond Dogs, who most other ponies considered to be dirty, snarling brutes, were on their claws and knees asking for my help, wanting nothing in return, except for the chance to live their lives peacefully without having to worry about losing their home...or being trapped forever in it. Even though they sorta forced me into their lair without asking me, I couldn't say "no" to them.

After making up my mind on the subject, I smiled and told them, "Alright...I'll do it. I'll stop those digging machines and save your home."

"You will?!" asked the red-vested dog, happy to know that I was going to help them. "Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!!"

"Woah...did ya hear that...? Fido just said, 'thank you'..." I overheard the big one whisper to the little one. "He almost NEVER says that..."

"I heard that!!" the red vest-wearing dog shouted. He then cleared his throat and said to me, "Anyway...whatever materials you need to assist us in shutting down the other diggers, we'll be happy to get for you, DJ PON-3."

"Sounds good to me." I told them with a nod. "And please: Call me Vinyl."

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"...So for the past coupla minutes, the Diamond Dogs have been bringing in all sorts of sound equipment and setting them up all over the place so that when I play my tracks, it'll cover every nook and cranny of the lair." Vinyl explained, finishing her story.

"So that explains why we saw all those speakers and other equipment here..." Octavia realized, recalling the time when they fought the first three guard dogs inside the caves. "Now it all makes sense..."

"Well, I must say..." started Rarity, a bit flabbergasted. "I certainly never expected to hear something like this..."

"I don't think any of us really did, either." Spike agreed. He then asked, "So...NOW what do we do?"

"Well, I don't know about you guys," Vinyl spoke up, "but I gave the Diamond Dogs my word that I'd stay here and help them get rid of the diggers that are wrecking their caves. So for now, I'm not leavin' this place until the job's done."

"Then I guess that settles it..." Mega Pony started, getting up off of his seat and showing a determined look on his face. "If you're really sure about this, Ms. Vinyl, then I'll stay and lend a hoof as well."

"You mean it?" asked the Unicorn DJ. The robot nodded yes in response.

Octavia then got up next and added, "I shall remain here and help out as well. Wherever Vinyl goes, I go, and I'm not going to abandon her."

"Tavi..." Vinyl responded, touched by what her friend had just said.

"I'll help too!" Spike chimed in. He then asked Rarity, "What about you?"

The Unicorn fashionista wasn't sure what to do at first: She didn't like the Diamond Dogs because of what they did to her in the past, but after hearing what Vinyl told them just now, she couldn't help but feel even a little sorry for them. Finally, after thinking about it for a while, Rarity finally caved in and said, "Very well. I shall help also...I suppose not even creatures such as the Diamond Dogs deserve to have their homes destroyed."

"Thanks, guys..." Vinyl said to the others. "I really appreciate it that you all wanna help out. With all of us workin' together, we'll smash those diggers into scrap in no time!" She then asked, "So, where should we start?"

"I think we'd better split up into smaller groups first, so that we can take care of all of the necessary preperations simultaneously." Mega Pony suggessted. "We have to be ready as quickly as possible, before the remaining machines start digging again."

"Good idea." Octavia commented. "I shall stay with Vinyl and assist her in setting up all of her sound equipment." She then turned towards her roommate and asked, "Is that okay with you?"

"Uh, sure Tavi." the DJ replied. "I'll get the big Diamond Dog to help out with the heavy lifting, too."

"Okay then." Mega Pony then looked over at Fido and said to him, "Meanwhile, I need you to take me over to the digging machine that's already been disabled. I think I might be able to scan it and find some more information about them."

"I suppose that sounds like a good idea to me..." the red-vested canine replied.

The robot then glanced over at Rarity, Spike, and Spot and told them, "As for the three of you, you're going to be our main lookout: We need the three of you to go around and map out all of the tunnels, so that none of us will get lost if we have to do any moving around." Rarity and Spike nodded to say that they understood. Spot wasn't enthusiastic about having to be in close proximity to the violet-maned Unicorn, but he, too, went along with Mega Pony's idea and nodded as well.

The robot tapped a button on his helmet, which remotely opened a hatch on the right side of his body. Inside was a compartment containing an E-Tank and three headsets with microphones attached. "Everypony, take one of these communicators." he then told them. "This will allow us to keep in touch with each other while we're working. If anypony sees anything suspicious, do not hesitate to contact each other." Rarity, Octavia, and Vinyl nodded and each took one of the communicators.

"Well, if we're all ready, let's get moving and stop those diggers!" Spike chimed in. After that, they all split up into their assigned groups, ready to get to work.

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Deep in the dark tunnels of the Diamond Dogs' lair, Mega Pony and Fido were heading towards the chamber that contained the already-disabled digging machine. As they walked through the caves, the dog suddenly spoke up. "Um...Mega Pony, was it?" he said.

The mechanical pony glanced up at him and replied, saying, "Yes, what is it?"

"...Has...has Ms. Rarity told you about when she was down here before...?" Fido then asked him.

"Only bits and pieces." Mega Pony answered. "Not a whole lot; she didn't seem to like talking about it very much."

"Uh...yeah. I guess she wouldn't."

The robot sighed a little and told Fido, "Based on what I can tell, I can safely assume that her first visit down in these caves wasn't a pleasent one, right?" The Diamond Dog nodded, feeling a bit uneasy from hearing that. Mega Pony then said to him, "I'm not going to ask about what happened between you, your friends, and Rarity; as far as I'm concerned, it's none of my business. But whatever the deal is, you and your friends need to find a way to resolve things and co-exist. Trust me, it'd be much better if you did."

"It's not exactly that easy." the dog said to him. "In case you weren't aware of it earlier, Ms. Rarity hates us."

"All the more reason that you guys should try to work things out..." said the mechanical pony. "Otherwise, nothing's going to change: Rarity will still have contempt towards you and your friends, and all of you will still be scared of her...Do you really want to live the rest of your life the way things are?"

That last comment of Mega Pony's really got the Diamond Dog thinking about the whole situation concerning their uneasiness towards Rarity. "I'm...I'm not sure about that..." Fido responded. "I'm pretty sure Ms. Rarity won't even talk to us, and I'm sure Rover and Spot don't want to either."

"Don't take her remarks and actions too personally..." Mega Pony informed him. "Rarity's a really good pony; she just has problems letting certain things go sometimes, especially if it was particularly upsetting to her..." He then asked, "But think about: If Rarity really hated you as much you think she did, then she wouldn't have offered to help you take care of the problem that you're having with these digging machines."

"I guess you have a good point..."

The robot smiled and added, "Tell ya what: After we're done with everything here, I'll go talk to Rarity about it. Even though she might not want to listen to you, she'll listen to me...And hopefully, all of you can finally get rid of all this bad blood between you and her..." Changing the subject, he then told Fido, "We'll worry about that later, though; right now, we have a job to do. How much further do we have to go?"

"Oh! Um...not much further." the Diamond Dog answered. "The chamber's just ahead of us." The two of them then continued heading forward to where the downed digger was.

Meanwhile, back in the Diamond Dogs' living quarters, Vinyl was busy setting up all of the sound equipment that the other dogs had brought into the caverns. The machines were expensive, but it was a relatively small price to pay, especially since the Diamond Dogs had more than enough valuable gems to cover it all. Octavia was also there, helping her roommate hook up every last speaker, and they were further assisted by the big and burly dog, Rover, who took care of all the heavy lifting.

No one had said anything since they started working, until, all of a sudden, Vinyl glanced over at her friend and said to her, "Hey...Octy? You got a sec?"

The Earth Pony stopped what she was doing and glanced over at her Unicorn roomate. "What is it...?" she asked her.

Vinyl sighed and replied, "Look, there's something I need t' say to you..." The DJ rubbed the back of her head with her right front hoof, trying to work up the courage to say what she felt she needed to say. "I...I'm...I'm sorry...about the way I acted back home earlier...I didn't really mean any of that stuff I was saying to you, but I just wasn't thinkin' straight because I was so mad..."

"...Well, I suppose that when we're angry," Octavia replied, "we tend to say a lot of things that we don't really mean to say..."

"Yeah, exactly." Vinyl responded. She then told her friend, "But...you oughtta know; I wasn't mad at anything you did or said today..."

"You weren't?" asked the Earth Pony, a little surprised.

The Unicorn nodded to say no and told her, "To be honest, I was angry long before I came home from the market...See, while I was shopping, I ran into Neon Lights..."

"Neon? What was he doing all the way here in Ponyville?"

"Lookin' for me." Vinyl answered. "He came by to tell me that...that my gig with him tomorrow in Las Pegasus got cancelled. He said there was some sort of electrical problem or somethin'...He told me that he tried t' mail me a letter 'bout it, but I guess it got lost in the mail or whatever..."

"Oh dear...I'm sorry to hear that, Vinyl." Octavia responded, showing a great deal of empathy. "I knew how much you were looking forward to it...And to be told that just before the day of the event...It's no wonder that you were so angry."

"Uh huh...I was so mad about it, that...well...that I guess I just took it out on you..." Vinyl replied, feeling really guilty. "Sorry for being such a rotten friend, Tavi..."

The Earth Pony genuinely felt sorry for her roommate, understanding why she had been so angry earlier. Octavia walked over to Vinyl and told her, "It's okay...I forgive you, Vinyl." She then told her, "And...I'm sorry, too..."

"Huh? About what?" asked the Unicorn.

"To be honest," the sepia-coated pony began, "I could tell that something was bothering you when you came home, but I foolishly chose to ignore it...Perhaps if I had asked what was troubling you sooner, we would have avoided our earlier altercation completely...Please forgive me."

"...It's cool, Octy. No hard feelings." said the DJ. "We were both acting a little boneheaded, but we know better now. Let's just leave it that."

"Agreed."

Vinyl smiled and said to her roommate, "Now, c'mon Tavi, we've got some work to do. This equipment's not gonna hook itself up." Octavia nodded, smiling as well.

At that moment, the two of them heard sounds of someone blubbering nearby. They glanced over and saw that Rover, who had been listening to the whole conversation, was in tears at what had taken place. "That...that was so beautiful...!" he said inbetween sobs. "You guys are so good to each other...I just can't help myself!" The Diamond Dog continued to cry out loud sobs. The two ponies simply chuckled a little at the thought of someone like him acting in such a way before returning to their assigned duties.

Further down into the lair, Rarity and Spike were following the small Diamond Dog, Spot, through a rather large, pitch-black tunnel. It was so dark, that it was necessary for the Unicorn to use a light spell in order to be able to see clearly. Spot, on the other hoof (or claw in his case), opted to carry a portable lantern to light the way.

"Ugh...This tunnel is WAY too dark for my liking!" the Unicorn complained. "I can barely see a hoof in front of my face! Why is it that the rest of the cavern is lit up while this passageway is comPLETELY pitch black?!"

"Grrrrr...would you quit whining ALREADY?!?!" shouted a frustrated Spot. "We have enough problems right now without you around, if you recall!!" Grumbling, he then added, "And to answer your question, the reason that THIS tunnel isn't lit up yet was because it was recently dug out!"

"Recently dug out?" repeated Spike in question. "You mean by those diggers you and Vinyl were talking about?"

"Of COURSE it was the diggers!" the dog replied a bit loudly. "There's no way that a Diamond Dog would ever dig out a tunnel like this!"

"How could you possibly tell?" asked Rarity. "You creatures create so many tunnels around here, so how do you know that it wasn't dug by one of your own? It looks just as shoddily-made as all of the other tunnels..."

Spot groaned a bit and pulled out a piece of paper from out of his vest pocket; it was a map of the entire tunnel system that made up the lair. "Look here: Do you see how all of these tunnels have been carefully created?" he asked them. "You might think that we don't pay attention to every last detail like you do, pony...and you're right. But we at least pay enough attention to make sure that we dig out each and every tunnel as carefully as possible!"

"Why's that?" asked Spike.

"Because this cavern is more than just a place for us to dig gems..." the Diamond Dog began to explain to them. "It's also where we all live! And if we DON'T dig out our tunnels carefully, we'd be subject to cave-ins frequently and someone would most DEFINITELY get hurt!" Spot then added, "But these digging machines are making all these new, huge tunnels all over the place, with no regards to our well-being at all!!"

Rarity and Spike were a bit surprised to hear that. Apparently, the one thing that the Diamond Dogs thought was more important than valuable gemstones was the safety of their own kind. "I see..." the Unicorn responded. "I have to admit: It's very generous that you value the safety of your own more than anything else...Perhaps I was a bit hasty to think otherwise..." Rarity then told Spot, "I'm still not pleased about being here or around you, but I shall still help you to save your home and everyone in it."

"...Hmph. Just don't get in the way." huffed the dog. "And if you could do us all a favor, keep your whining to a minimum."

"...Fine." the Unicorn responded grudgingly as they continued down the tunnel.

Back with Mega Pony and Fido, the pair had just now entered the room that contained the digger machine that had already been disabled. The robot was shocked when he saw the large contraption before him; the digger seemed to resemble an ape-like creature of some sort. It had a rather large body, similar to that of a bodybuilder. It had a big chest area that was black with a red circular jewel-like decoration in the middle, complemented with two, large, red shoulder pads. Its head was also rather big, and it consisted of a yellow helmet and an underbite that was bigger than its overbite.

The machine's arms were long and thin, and at the end of each one, there was an oversized drill bit; it was clear that those drills were what the machine had used to dig around the Diamond Dogs' lair. Instead of legs, the machine had a pair of tracks, the working part that also allowed tanks to be able to move, and on the lower front part of it, there were four long, sharp spikes. Finally, there was a third arm on the machine with a claw at the end of it, extending out of what appeared to be a backpack.

"Is that the digging machine...?" asked Mega Pony, almost speechless after seeing the mechcanical behemoth before him.

"That's it, alright." Fido confirmed with a nod. "This is the machine that's been causing trouble for all of the Diamond Dogs here."

"Well, I don't blame you for showing so much concern...I mean, just LOOK at this thing!" said the robot, still a bit shocked. "Whoever built this wanted to be sure that it was ready for anything..." He then walked over to the inactive contraption and told Fido, "Alright...I'll do a quick scan and see what information I can get from it..." Mega Pony then put his right front hoof on the machine, which would allow his internal devices to obtain important info regarding its name, what it was desgined for, and, hopefully, what its weakness were, if any.

After a few seconds, the robot pony took his hoof off of the machine, having just finished scanning it. "So, what did you find out?" asked Fido.

"Quite a bit, actually." the mechanical pony replied. Looking at the downed mechanism, he explained, "This digging machine is known as MEU-1, a Mining and Excavation Unit; codename 'Guts Driller'. Apparently, it was designed using blueprints from other machines...No names were listed, though...just some more serial numbers: 004, 027, and 075..."

"What do they mean?" asked the dog.

"Beats me..." Mega Pony replied. "What I do know is that this machine was designed not only for digging, but also for combat as well. Apparently, its creator must have assumed that it would meet with some resistance. It's heavily armored, well-equipped with all sorts of weapons, and is capable of being able to fight in an underground environment."

"How does it do that?" Fido then asked.

"Well, it's equipped with powerful hearing devices, so that it can use its sense of sound to move around, even when its surroundings are completely pitch-black." Mega Pony told him. "However, it has one fatal flaw, which you and your friends discovered. Its hearing devices work a little TOO well, and because of that, it is unable to handle any noise that's at a particularly high volume."

"I see...so that's what happened!" the Diamond Dog exclaimed. "When Vinyl's music played on the radio when we encountered this machine, it must have been loud enough to make it malfunction and shut down!"

"That's what seems to be the case here..." agreed the robot. "But there's more: This mechanoid was only one of four diggers that were built; the others are MEU-2, MEU-3, and MEU-4. According to what I could find, the other three machines were built exactly like this one."

"So now it's just a matter of finding them and making sure that they hear Vinyl's loud music." Fido stated. "But how are we going to find the other diggers?"

Before another word could be said, a beeping sound suddenly came out of Mega Pony's helmet. It was then followed by a familiar voice. "Mega Pony! Mega Pony! Are you there, dear?!"

"It's Rarity!" the robot exclaimed. He then put his left front hoof up and tapped his left ear with it before saying, "Mega Pony here. What is it, Rarity?"

"I think we've found what appears to be one of the diggers!" the Unicorn told him over the communicator.

"Really? How can you tell?" the robot asked.

"Because it's chasing us RIGHT NOW!!!" Rairty screamed in panic.

"What?!"

Elsewhere in the tunnels, the Unicorn fashionista and her companions were running as fast as they could to avoid getting run down by the Guts Driller behind them. Unlike the one that Mega Pony found, this one was still fully functional, and was using its drills to try and swipe at Rarity, Spike, and Spot.

"Sweet Celestia!" the baby dragon exclaimed. "That thing's humongous!!"

"Of course it is!!" yelled the Diamond Dog. "We wouldn't be having any problems if it was tiny!"

Rarity was panting heavily from exhaustion, but did her best to ignore it in order to stay ahead of the mad mechanoid behind them all. "Mega Pony...!" she said between gasps. "What should we do...?!"

"Stay as far ahead of the digger as possible, and try to lead it into the living quarters!" the robot told her. "Fido told me that's where most of the sound equipment is set up, so it's more likely to hear Vinyl's music there than anywhere else! I'll contact Vinyl and Octavia to let them know."

"Alright, then...I'll try my best!" the Unicorn responded before cutting off their connection. Mega Pony then went ahead and began contacting the rest of the team in the living quarters to warn them of the impending robot attack.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

"So one of the other three diggers is comin' this way, huh?" asked Vinyl after Mega Pony told them what was going on.

"Yeah, I'm afraid so, Ms. Vinyl." the robot told her. "It's chasing Rarity and the others right now!"

"Oh dear..." Octavia chimed in. "Is she okay?"

"Right now, yes...but we'll all be in really big trouble if we can't get our plan to work!" Mega Pony said, a bit worried.

"Don't worry 'bout a thing, Mega!" Vinyl said to him while glancing over her turntables and other equipment. "Octy and I got all of my DJ equipment set up. So once that thing shows its ugly mug, it'll get more wubs than it can handle!"

"Okay, good to hear." Just then, after finishing his comment, Mega Pony then heard rumbling right near where he and Fido were. When they looked over to see what it was, they were horrified to witness the emergence of another Guts Driller, active and ready to cause some damage. "Uh oh, we've got more trouble!" the robot then said to Vinyl and Octavia. "Another digger just showed up! We're on our way to the living quarters, so get ready to play that music!"

"You can count on us, Mega Pony." Octavia told him. "Be careful." After switching off her communicator, the Earth Pony then asked her friend, "Did you hear that, Vinyl?"

"Loud and clear, Tavi." the Unicorn DJ answered her. "Two of those diggers are comin' this way, and I'm willin' to bet that the third one'll show up, too."

"Most likely." Octavia agreed.

"I've got the perfect song to play for when those brutes get here, and it's probably my loudest one yet." Vinyl continued. "I WAS planning to play it at the gig I was supposed to go to tomorrow, but I suppose now's the perfect time to test it out!" The DJ then added, "There's just one thing, though: This music's meant to be performed with the help of TWO ponies, and the other one was originally supposed to be Neon..."

"Are...you asking me to-?"

"I know you're not a fan of dubstep, Tavi...but right now, this song's the only thing that's gonna save our flanks!" Vinyl reminded her. "This is life and death we're talking about here...So, I'm askin' you...as a true friend: Will you come on up here and help me give the performance to end all performances?"

The Earth Pony thought for a while; while it was true that electronic music wasn't anywhere near her favorite, she knew that her friend needed her help now more than ever. Octavia smiled and nodded, saying, "Very well, then...As you yourself have said in the past, let's blow the roof off of this place, Vinyl!"

The Unicorn gasped a little; after all, this was the first time that she had actually managed to get Octavia to help her perform one of her dubstep songs. Vinyl smiled and levitated a pair of headphones over to her friend before saying, "Alright, Tavi...Just follow my lead, and the rest'll be a piece of cake!"

Not long after the pair did a final check on all of their equipment did the ground began shake and rumble. "Here they come..." said Octavia, sweating a little. She then asked Vinyl, "Are you sure that I'll be able to do this with you?"

"You'll do fine, Tavi." the Unicorn DJ assured her. "I wouldn't have asked ya if I didn't think you could do it." The Earth Pony smiled, happy to know that her friend had so much faith in her.

The rumbling began getting louder and louder, meaning that the diggers were getting closer and closer. "Brace yourselves, ponies..." Rover told Vinyl and Octavia. "Here they come...!"

All of a sudden, there was a loud BANG, followed by the sounds of spinning drills, revving tank tracks, and hysteric screaming. The two Guts Drillers that were chasing Mega Pony, Rarity, and the others had just emerged from the tunnels and entered the living quarters. A second later, the third machine appeared as well, in pursuit of some of the Diamond Dog guards.

"There they are!" exclaimed Octavia. "Those must be the diggers right there!"

"Woah...! Those things're MASSIVE!!" added Vinyl, surprised a little. The DJ regained her composure and stated, "Well, they ain't scarin' me one bit! I'll take 'em all down with the power of wubs!" Turning over to her sepia-colored friend, she asked her, "You ready to kick up things up a notch and drop the bass?!"

"For the first time, it would be my pleasure, Vinyl!" Octavia answered. She then switched on the equipment and the two music-loving ponies began playing what was indeed the loudest piece of music that anypony in Equestria had ever heard. The beat was hard, the volume was high, and the sound covered so much of the caverns, that there wasn't a single soul that couldn't hear it.

Vinyl, of course, was having loads of fun playing her newest work. However, surprisingly enough, so was Octavia; the pony that, up to this point, never cared for dubstep, seemed to be having just as much fun as her roommate, just as Mega Pony, Rarity, Spike, and the Diamond Dogs were enjoying listening to it.

The only ones that WEREN'T enjoying Vinyl's music were the three Guts Drillers. Just like the first one, they began acting strangely upon hearing the loud song all around them. Sparks began shooting out of their heads, they began twitching violently, and their arms began flailing around. Finally, it was too much for them to handle, and two of the diggers' heads exploded almost immediately, toppling over and hitting the ground hard, no longer capable of performing their duties.

"They did it!!" cheered Mega Pony. "They destroyed the diggers!"

"That was so awesome!" Spike exclaimed happily. "Those junk heaps didn't know what hit 'em!"

But Rarity wasn't nearly as happy when she noticed something peculiar. "Wait, hold on: Something's wrong..." she told everyone in the room.

The others were confused at first, but when they saw that one of the Guts Drills was still active, they understood why she was so concerned. "I don't understand..." Fido began, getting worried. "That song was just as loud as the music that the first digger heard! So why isn't it blowing up, too?!"

"I'm not sure," Mega Pony started saying, "but if I could harbor a guess, I believe that Vinyl's song only caused the machine to malfunction slightly. It's still active, but now it seems to be going berserk!"

The robot was right: The remaining Guts Driller was still showing signs of being affected by the Unicorn DJ's dubstep music, but instead of destroying itself, the digger went haywire, driving itself all over the place and smashing apart whatever got in its way. In its crazed state, the mechanoid swung one of its drills towards where Vinyl and Octavia were. Luckily, the Earth Pony reacted quickly and pushed her friend out of the way before avoiding the drill herself. The pair got out okay, but the sound equipment was smashed beyond repair.

Once she recovered her wits, Octavia asked her roommate, "Vinyl! Are you alright??"

"Yeah, thanks to you." the Unicorn replied. After they both stood up, the pair saw what was left of all of the DJ equipment. "Aw, crud! That stupid thing smashed all of my stuff! Without that song, there's no way to stop it now!"

"Quick! Everyone get to a safe place!" shouted Mega Pony. "There's not much time!!"

All of the others went to higher ground in order to escape the rampaging digger. But as Rarity began running up the stairs, she heard screaming nearby. When she turned around to look, the Unicorn fashionista saw that Fido, Rover, and Spot were being chased by the Guts Driller.

The three Diamond Dogs were running as fast as they could to stay ahead of the dangerous machine, but it seemed to be gaining on them. "Run faster!!" screamed Spot. "That crazy thing's still behind us!!!"

The canines picked up their pace, but gasped when saw that they had accidentally ran right into a dead end. The trio screeched to a stop and tried to look for a way out, but it was no use; they were trapped, and the Guts Driller was closing in on them. "Rover...! Why did you lead us over here?!" asked Fido.

"Me?! I was following Spot!!!" argued the bigger Diamond Dog.

"Don't you try and pin this one on me!!!" yelled the small dog. Their argument quickly subsided when they heard the whirring sounds of the drills behind them. The Guts Driller was ready to strike them down as the three ducked and covered in a futile attempt to protect themselves...

But just when all seemed lost, a large boulder, surrounded by a sparkling, blue aura, suddenly flew through the air and struck the digger's drills, successfuly smashing one of them off completely. This sudden attack caused the Guts Driller to reel back, temporarily stopping it from doing the unthinkable. The Diamond Dogs slowly opened their eyes when they realized that they were still alive. "What...what happened...?" asked Fido, confused.

"What are you three doing still standing there?!" shouted a familiar voice. "Get out of there before that HORRID machine flattens you into pancakes!" The trio was shocked when they heard that it was none other than Rarity saying that; as it turned out, it was her who was responsible for throwing the large rock at the digger to stop it. The Diamond Dogs had no time to ask why she decided to save them; they simply ran as fast as they could to reach the staircase leading up to a higher cliff.

Once everyone was safe, the group watched as the Guts Driller continued trashing everything that it could see. Luckily, it wasn't equipped for climbing stairs, so there was no chance that it would get to the cliffs above. Still, the crazed machine was presenting a problem, and it had to be stopped. "We might be safe up here for now," began Mega Pony, "but if we don't do something soon, that digger will most definitely destroy the entire cavern!"

"But what're we gonna do?" asked Spike. "That thing smashed up all of Vinyl's sound equipment! That means that she can't play her song anymore!"

"The little dragon dude's right:" the blue-maned Unicorn chimed in. "I can't make any music without my turntables and stuff! Without it all...my special talent's practically useless right now..."

Right after Vinyl had made her comment, Octavia then recalled something she had heard earlier in the day, and got an idea. "No, Vinyl..." she told her friend, "your musical talent will still be able to save us all!"

"Huh? How?" asked the DJ.

The sepia-coated mare then turned her attention to Mega Pony and told him, "Mega Pony! Use your copying power on Vinyl and see if you can get something that will help us out!"

The robot gasped; in all of the confusion, he had forgotten about using his Copy Chip to do just that. "Ah! Of course!" he exclaimed. "That could do the trick!"

"What're ya talking about, Tavi??" asked Vinyl, confused.

Octavia then explained to her friend, "Just allow Mega Pony to touch your cutie mark, Vinyl...I know it sounds strange, but trust me: You will see what I mean."

Vinyl wasn't sure what her friend was talking about, but something in her mind told her that she could trust her advice. "...Alright, Tavi." she responded. "If there's one thing that I've learned from you, it's that you always tend to give advice that makes some sorta sense." The Unicorn DJ then walked over to Mega Pony and presented her mark to him. "Alright, Mega...do what'cha need to do."

Mega Pony nodded and immediately pressed his hoof against Vinyl's cutie mark. As it had done in the past, his horn and the mark began glowing brightly for a few seconds, followed by a small explosion of light. Once he was done using his Copy Chip, the robot then did a quick analysis of the weapon he recieved in order to figure out what it did and how it worked. Once he was finished with that, he then told everyone, "Okay...I think this will do the job...But there's only one way to find out for sure..." Mega Pony then swapped out his default weapon and changed his color scheme to match Vinyl: A white body, and a bright blue helmet and hooves. And, of course, the DJ's musical cutie mark was on his flank now.

Vinyl, needless to say, was shocked at what she saw. "Sweet Celestia..." she uttered with a gasp. "How'd he do that??"

"Just watch, Ms. Vinyl..." Rarity told her. "I'm certain you'll be impressed with what he does next, whatever it is."

The robot then jumped down to the low ground below, and prepared to face the malfunctioning Guts Driller. When the digger noticed that something was behind it, it immediately turned to face him and spun its remaining drill. It then charged ahead, ready to mow Mega Pony down.

"He's gonna fight that thing by himself?!" asked Spot. "He's NUTS!!"

"Naw, he knows what he's doin'!" Spike assured the Diamond Dog. "Just watch him! That digger's goin' down!"

As the Guts Driller came closer and closer, Mega Pony began drawing energy into his horn. As it charged up, small blue electrical sparks came flying out of it, and the horn even began glowing a light blue color. By the time it was fully charged, the wild machine thrust out its drill towards the mechanical pony.

But before it could even reach him, Mega Pony then unleashed the energy he stored into his horn, firing a large, white beam at the metal monstrosity. At the moment it was fired, a loud sound filled the room, similar in volume to Vinyl's music. The sudden noise caused everyone in the chamber, even Vinyl herself, to cover their ears. The beam continued forward and struck the Guts Driller with incredible force. Fueled by the power of sound waves, the beam caused the beast to sputter and spark even more. Its head began spinning, its arms shook violently, and its entire body quaked and rattled. Finally, at long last, the sound wave beam proved to be much more than the digger could handle, and the machine exploded into thousands of pieces, which scattered all over the living quarters.

*** WEAPON GET! *** Bass Cannon ***

The rest of the group above uncovered their ears and opened their eyes once the final Guts Driller had been destroyed. They all looked in awe at what remained of the devious device. All that was left was a charred shell, barely recognizable at all. "Oh my goodness..." Rarity spoke up in astonishment.

"Woah...THAT...was epic." Vinyl added.

"For once, I can most certainly agree..." Octavia stated.

Mega Pony took a deep sigh and blew away the small puff of smoke that came out of his horn before swapping back to his standard colors. He glanced over and saw the others running over to meet up with him. "Awesome job, Mega!" Vinyl congratulated him. "You totally trashed that thing!"

'Thank you, Ms. Vinyl," the robot responded, "but this couldn't have been done without all of your help. Thanks to everypony - and dog - here, those digging machines won't cause any more trouble!"

"Yes, I think that we should feel very proud of ourselves and each other that we were able to work so well together." Octavia stated. "Despite our differences and attitudes towards each other, we were capable of performing a task that anypony else would have thought to be impossible." The Earth Pony then glanced over at Vinyl and added, "And through it all, we learned to care for each other and be able to co-exsist."

The Unicorn smiled at her friend upon hearing that. It was clear to her and everyone else that their eariler grievances towards each other were now in the past.

Fido then walked over to the Unicorn DJ and said to her, "Thank you, Ms. Vinyl, and all of your friends, for helping us get rid of those digging mahcines once and for all! Now we can finally dig for gems again in peace!"

"Hey, no prob, dude." Vinyl replied. "Happy to lend a helping hoof...But next time, if you need my help with something, try asking me instead of kidnapping me."

"Um...yes...o-of course." the red-vested dog responded.

Rarity then walked over to Spot and said to him, "Well...I suppose I should say that I am happy that all of you will be able get your lives back to normal now..."

"And why's that?" asked the small dog, in a slightly bitter tone.

"To be honest," the Unicorn continued, "when you showed concern towards your own kind, I was pleased to hear that you considered their health and well-being to be the most important thing, even before your desire to obtain gems...Perhaps you three might have some good in you after all..."

"Um...thanks." Spot replied. He then paused for a second before adding, "And I guess I should...I should...well...thank you...for saving me, Fido, and Rover from the driller earlier..."

Rarity glanced over at Spot after hearing what he said to her. She then put a small smile on her face and said, "...You're welcome." before walking over to Mega Pony and the others. The four ponies and dragon left the caves soon after.

Once they were gone, the three Diamond Dogs stood there in place, thinking about what had just happened. "Say...you guys..." Rover suddenly spoke. "Did ya notice that Rarity seemed a lot...nicer that time when she was talking to us...?"

The others nodded yes in response. "Maybe she's not as bad as we thought she was..." Fido said to them all. "After all, she helped us out when we needed it..."

"...Maybe. We'll see, I suppose." Spot told his friends. "Now come on...we've got some cleaning up to do before we get back to digging. And we'll start by removing all this scrap metal from this chamber." The other dogs nodded in response before getting to work.

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Outside, in Rambling Rock Ridge, Mega Pony and the others were heading back home after performing a job well done. The robot pony sighed happily as he said, "I'm glad that's all taken care of. Now the Diamond Dogs can live in peace again, and not have to worry about losing their homes." He then put on a look of concern and added, "But...there's still one thing that bothers me..."

"What's that?" asked Vinyl.

"...Who built those digging machines?" he then asked. "Somepony had to have been behind their construction. Unfortunately, my scan of them didn't tell me who was responsible for it...This is starting to feel like the Para-Bot attack all over again."

"It certainly does seem to be the case..." Rarity told him. "I got that feeling myself when that one began chasing me back in the tunnels...There was definitely something similar about how that dreadful machine acted compared to the Parasprite robots..."

"Which means, in all likelihood," Octavia chimed in, "that whomever created the Para-Bots may have also been responsible for those diggers as well."

"But who??" asked Mega Pony. "And why??"

"Don't worry yourself, Mega." said Vinyl calmly. "You'll find that jerk someday, and you'll stop them! For now, just be happy that you and all of us were able to stop whatever that guy was tryin' to do in the Diamond Dogs' cave!"

"You're right, Vinyl." the robot replied, easing up a little. "I'll find out who they are soon...Until then, I'll work hard to make sure that they don't cause any more trouble for anypony! Anyway, changing the subject..." he then said, looking over at Vinyl and Octavia, "I'm also glad to see that you guys are friends again."

"Thank you, Mega Pony." the Earth Pony responded. "Of course, that's assuming that we had ever stopped being friends at any point today."

"Yeah, Octy's right." the DJ agreed. "All we did was have an argument; we've had 'em in the past, and we're probably gonna have a few more later on...But there's no way that I'd ever stop bein' friends with her, no matter how angry I might get towards her."

"Same for me." Octavia then stated. "We may not always agree with each other, but Vinyl and I know for a fact that nothing can destroy true friendship. Our bond may take a beating every now and again, but in the end, we'll always try come out of it, and be even better friends as a result. It's like the old saying goes, 'That which does not kill us only makes us stronger'."

"That is a good attitude to have, Ms. Octavia." Rarity told her. "Perhaps I should take you both to see Twilight later; I believe you might even help her compose a letter to Princess Celestia about what you both learned."

"Send a letter to the Princess herself? I'm in!" said Vinyl. Octavia simply nodded yes to say that she was okay with the idea as well.

"I'm sure my mom would love to read what you have to write to her." Mega Pony told them.

Octavia then glanced over to Vinyl and said to her, "You know...I have to admit something, Vinyl." The Unicorn DJ looked over at her, wondering what she was going to say. "Although classical is still my favorite style of music and always will be...I have to tell you, when I was behind the turntable and performing that song to stop the diggers, I felt an incredible rush while I was up there...It's hard to describe, but it was unlike anything I had ever experienced!"

"...You serious, Tavi?" asked Vinyl, not sure if she heard her correctly.

"Very." the sepia-coated mare simply replied, smiling. "I must say...it was actually quite enjoyable to be up there, playing that music with you...It's something that I shall not soon forget, Vinyl..."

"Wow, thanks for sayin' that, Tavi." the white-and-blue maned pony told her. She then smirked and asked, "So does this mean that you'd like t' do some collabs with me and perform at clubs all over Equestria?"

"...Vinyl, I had an epiphany, not a brain aneurysm." Octavia informed her in a more serious tone.

"...Huh? What's a 'brain anniversary'?" Vinyl asked, not understanding the word her friend used.

The Earth Pony slapped her face with her left front hoof, groaned, and replied, saying, "No, not an anniversary, Vinyl! An aneur-" She then stopped after she realized that she was raising her voice out of frustration. Octavia then took a deep breath to calm herself and said, "Never mind...I'll tell you when we get home."

Mega Pony, Rarity, and Spike chucked to one another at the whole thing. Not long afterward, the Unicorn fashionista began sniffing the air in a perplexed manner. "What's that smell...?" she asked herself, sniffing as deeply as possible. "It's hard to tell...but it seems to smell sort of like..." Her pupils then shrank to a smaller size once she realized what it was. "...Burning pancakes...! Oh no!!" The others watched as Rarity galloped to town as fast as possible. "Sweetie Belle!!! That better NOT be you messing up MY KITCHEN!!!!" she screamed in distress.

"Rarity...!!" Spike shouted, clutching onto the Unicorn's violet tail as tightly as he could. "Slow down!! You almost tossed me off your back!!"

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[Unknown Location / Time: 22:37 (a.k.a. 10:37 p.m.)]
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"...Hmmmm...so the Guts Driller units failed, huh?" a shadowy figure asked a pair of small creatures before him. The creatures appeared to be no bigger than the size of a head, had dark-colored faces and small beady eyes with a pair of tiny feet on the bottom of their very small bodies. Their other defining feature was the yellow helmet that each one wore on the top of their heads. The pair nodded yes to answer the other individual's question.

"I see..." the figure replied. "And did either of you happen to find out who was responsible for destroying them both?" This time, the pair shook their heads to say, "No."

"Hmph...well you two better hope that the boss is in a good mood, 'cause he's certainly not gonna like to hear about this one." the figure warned them. "However, if you tell him as delicately as possible, he might NOT turn the two of you into matching soup bowls."

This remark made the two creatures shiver in worry.

"Now...get out; both of you." the figure ordered. "You've given me more bad news than I really wanted t' hear..." The creatures nodded yes and did just as they were told. After they did, the figure then got up and said to himself, "First those bug robots failed, and now this...Seems as though the boss's plans for this place aren't gonna be as easy to implement as he had hoped..." The figure then chuckled and added, "Oh well...at least we'll get a little bit of enjoyment out of it...And as for whoever it is that's tryin' to play hero, I'll see to it that they...crash and burn..."

The figure then walked into a faint beam of light, extending what appeared to be an arm of some sort; at the end of its arm was a drill, and he began revving it up to emphasize his threatening words...

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NEXT EPISODE: "Equestria-Fried Chicken"
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