The History of the Alicorn Amulet

by Old Ben Kenobi

Chapter 8- Rambling Rock Ridge Part 2

Starswirl's eyes opened slowly. He had had a restless night's sleep, and he awoke to notice there was a thick blanket of mist surrounding him. He looked around to see his captors were all soundly asleep. There must be a way out of this thing, he thought. He found the knot that kept the net closed. Starswirl knew how to undo almost any knot in under 5 minutes. He wrapped his hoof round eagerly around it and attempted to unknot it. However, when he found out what kind of knot it was, his heart sank. It had been created so that it could only be undone by claws. Of course, he could have undone it by magic if he wasn't on the inside of this horrible magic-sapping metal. Starswirl looked at the sleeping forms in front of him. The largest one, Tom, got up, yawned, then went back to sleep again.
Starswirl heard a crunching noise in the sand behind him. He turned around to see the form of a unicorn approach him.
"Who's there?" Starswirl whispered gruffly.
"Shhh!" The figure whispered.
"Moonswift?" Whispered Starswirl.
The figure nodded.
"What are you doing here?" Asked Starswirl.
"I couldn't just leave you to go on by yourself!" Her green eyes looked into his blue. "When I walked into the forest, I knew that I truly belonged on the land. I-I owe you my life. So, I can't let you go into danger alone. Whatever your quest is, I will do what I can to help you."

Moonswift's horn glowed green, and the knot came undone. Just as Starswirl crept out of the net, the two unicorns heard a gruff voice emanating from the net.
" 'Ere, 'oo are you?"
Suddenly, the three dogs awoke. Tom was the first to get up and notice Starswirl and Moonswift.
"There are two ponies!" He yelled. "Don't let them escape!"
Bill and Bert sped towards the two unicorns. Starswirl shot a beam of blue light at Bert, but it bounced off of him.
"Moonswift!" Starswirl shouted. "The gems round their necks make them impervious to magical effects! They win this round."
The Diamond Dogs surrounded them. Bill and Bert had ropes in their hands, made of the same material as the net they had used to catch Starswirl with. In a flash, they had tied up Moonswift's and Starswirl's legs, and then went back to the fire, dragging the two ponies with them.

The three dogs sat around the fire, finishing their foods. Moonswift and Starswirl were not given anything.
"Any chance of us getting anything?" Shouted Starswirl. Bert turned around to answer him.
"We go underground soon, pony. You will get food then. Until then, be silent!"
Moonswift's eyes widened in fear.
"D-did he say 'underground'?" She whispered to Starswirl. He nodded.
Moonswift whimpered. Starswirl felt a pang of sorrow for her. Having only just been introduced to the ground, he realised she would not be prepared for a long trek underground. He looked around at her, expecting her to break down, or weep. But she did not. She stared at her captors with a look of utmost loathing, and said only one sentence to Starswirl.
"Leave this to me."
She called out to the nearest diamond dog, Bert.
"Hey you!" She shouted. All the dogs turned around.
"What do you think you are doing, keeping me tied up like this?"
Bert looked confused.
"Pony can use magic. Pony will help us find gems!"
"What about the gems you already have?"
Bert looked even more confused. The other two looked the same.
"Don't you remember our agreement?" She asked, with a subtle wink to Starswirl. "I wanted you to release me, and you wanted gems, so I gave you that giant bag of gems?"
Bert looked more confused than ever. However, the other dogs turned their eyes to Bert, a look of smouldering anger on their faces.
"What gems, pony?" Asked Bert. " Have you gone mad?"
"Don't 'choo try and deny this, Bert!" Tom yelled suddenly. "If pony gave you gems, why did you not share it with us?"
"Yeeah,"joined in William. "We share our gems. Why do you keep your gems from us?"
"I have no gems," Screeched Bert. "The pony is lying!"
"Lying is she?" Roared Tom. "You are lying! Show us the gems!"
Starswirl looked over to Moonswift, and saw that she was untying the rope with her teeth. He quickly did the same, picked up his staff and supplies that were left next to him, and they snuck away, the sound of the dogs' raised voices fading into the distance, still completely oblivious their prisoners had escaped.
When they were far enough, Moonswift and Starswirl stopped running. Starswirl turned to talk to Moonswift.
"How did you know what to do?" He asked, quite surprised.
"If you lived with my two sisters, you would know how to deal with bullies, too," She smiled.
Although Starswirl was impressed, he still had something to say to Moonswift.
"Moonswift, you cannot come with me on my adventure. I'm sorry, but you know very little of the land, and I would really rather do this on my own."
Moonswift laughed.
"Starswirl, you cannot do this on your own! I realised that as I was heading into the forest. You were the one who allowed me to finally achieve my dreams of escaping to my land. I cannot let you face danger and death alone. And you said it yourself; I know nothing of the land. How could I survive the forest on my own?"
"I'm sorry,"Starswirl repeatedly stubbornly, "But the thing I'm looking for needs to be kept secret."
"Then don't tell me,"She said simply "I know nothing of the land, so I wouldn't recognise it if I saw it."
Starswirl looked at her suspiciously.
"Are you sure you could go on a quest for something that you have no knowledge of whatsoever? Are you willing to take the risks?"
"Yes," She said simply. "It's not about what we're looking for. It's about the fact that you helped me, so I will help you. Do you not understand friendship?"
Starswirl scowled.
"It's not about 'friendship'. I don't have friends. If you must repay the favour, then you may accompany me. But I don't have 'friends'."
"Fine," She said, taken aback by his coldness. "If you feel like that, then I will come with you."
Starswirl nodded, and they both walked together towards the edge of the Ridge.

Author's Note:

I finally did this chapter! I am still a little busy with my mock GCSE'S, especially since I took an extra exam, but I will add another chapter eventually. Previously, I went to the Isle of Wight, where there was no internet, which is why I couldn't update it earlier. But here it is.