Celestia's sun beats down on the barren landscape surrounding Dodge City. For miles to the south and west barely anything can be seen as the land slowly rises to the Macintosh Hills, marking the boundary between the Badlands and the rest of Equestria. To the east lay the Hayseed Swamps, a treacherous bayou filled with dangers, though supposedly not as bad as the Everfree forest. The Hayseed Swamps also border the Badlands to the northeast, this time separated by the Badland Mountains.
The Badlands themselves are a desolate wasteland. They are nearly devoid of life from the lack of water and volatile leylines. The area lacks access to shipping routes mostly from the mountainous terrain but also from the flux of magic in the area. It isn't enough to injury a pony that spent a day or a week or even a year in the area, but tales are told of ponies who slowly grow more and more out of touch with reality as their minds are slowly corrupted. Not to evil or nefarious purposes, but instead the mundane lack of purpose and absentmindedness one might expect from an elderly great grandsire. Seeing it in a pony who has just received a cutie mark makes even the most stalwart of frontiersmares pause and beat a hasty retreat.
Those same attributes are what makes the Badlands a tempting location for any brave or foolhardy enough to venture forth. The constantly fluctuating leylines creates caches of gems, and exposing those gems to the same leyline merely increases the size of the gem, barely affecting its value or usefulness. However, if a gem is exposed to the fluctuations of a different leyline then a whole new host of possibilities arise. However, expose a gem to too many different leylines and the possibilities grow sentient.
The Badlands is one of a few areas that contains both necessary qualities. The constantly fluctuating leylines create the gems and wreck havoc on magical creatures, allowing the gems to grow and absorb the magical qualities that make them so valuable. The number of leylines in the area make it better for the gems and worse for ponies: a pony can slowly adjust their thaumatic frequencies, 'tuning' themselves to a single area's flux and slowly becoming immune to the magical chaos present nearly everywhere in Equestria. Gems, however, merely soak up the magic like a soup soaks up spices.
Many of these combinations are worth no more than the more valuable of the individual essence. After all, a gem that, when properly enchanted, allows one to both hover through air easier and glide through water quicker is only more valuable to a sunken treasure hunting pegasi, and both of them already have one.
Rarity is looking for gems that fit one of two categories. First, she is looking for gems that can be used in her everyday dress crafting or her higher end crafting for Canterlot clients. Which, truth be told, is just about any gem; they all have their uses somewhere in the spectrum, even if it might mean shaving them down and using them as an outline. She might even barter them to some of the other crafters in Ponyville who are unable to make the trip to the Ghastly Gorge or the Badlands, and instead import the gems they need, the imbued ones at a hefty markup.
The second, and more important, category are those for a special order she has received from the Canterlot guard. They are looking to create a new armor for the elite guard assigned to protect Princess Celestia and Princess Cadance. The centerpiece of the armor will be a gem with an anger essence, enchanted to give resistance to fire. Or a wrath essence, giving resistance to lightning; or a doubt essence, giving the wearer increased agility. Really, any of the gems that could be enchanted versus the more common elemental attacks and either toughness or agility. The special essences Rarity is looking for allow the layering of additional enchantments, based on the essences that they find.
For ponies whose talents lie in enchanting gems, one can only enchant a gem a single time, to provide some ability such as fire resistance or disguise. However, the essences allow the addition of additional enchantments, based on the types of magic the gem absorbed. Those specialized in the area also find it easier to work with gems that are already aligned with the type of enchantment they will receive. Certain enchantments, such as the one on the royal guard armor to disguise the pony underneath, are the most obvious choice to layer and require using powerful unicorn or alicorn level magic. The disguise spells are closely regulated, to the point where Princess Celestia makes a trip to the armory whenever a new batch of guard armor is finished.
Normally Rarity would not be involved in this line of work; the spellcraft necessary to enchant the gems is not involved in her occupation as a seamstress, and she isn't the kind of unicorn to learn new spells on a whim or just for a single job. Leave that to the enchanter mares who enjoy that sort of thing. Doug had got to talking with Princess Celestia when she came by last heat season and observed Applejack and Pinkie Pie. He mentioned their trip to the Badlands and Rarity's desire to gather a large quantity of gems for her upcoming work. Princess Celestia made the necessary connections and got a special contract for her choice of gems; as long as the quality held up she could delivery any or every one of the applicable gems, and at a very reasonable price.
Doug nods as the two plod along, slowly making their way towards the pass between the Macintosh Hills and the Badland Mountains. He says, "Wow, this is all fascinating stuff. Reminds me a lot of Diablo, or Dun- I mean, Ogres and Oubliettes. Really, any action oriented role playing game." He wipes a bead of sweat from his face, taking another drink of water as they walk along the path. "Exile here would be pretty nasty, though."
Rarity nods in response, glad for the full body garb Doug had insisted she wear for the two day journey. Her hat, normally decorated for whatever occasion she would be attending, is a turban stripped down to the bare essentials in order to reduce the weight on her neck and shoulders. She has sewn a long strip of fabric around the outer edge, hanging down to cover the sides of her face. Her mane, normally styled to perfection, is wrapped in a tight bun and hidden inside the turban. None of her pristine white fur is visible aside from her muzzle, and even then she has a currently detached veil should they encounter a sand storm inside the Badlands. When she helps drag the wagon she leaves it open, allowing her to breathe easier on the dusty road.
While Rarity keeps her mane and tail in her preferred style during their expeditions to the Ghastly Gorge, she has her tail carried high and in a tight ponytail to keep it away from the straps holding her to the wagon. Doug is fine carrying the packs on the trips to Ghastly Gorge, but the considerably heavier wagon is tiring him out too quickly, a begrudging Rarity allowing herself to be used as a common mule and help pull. The light white fabric tunic covering her back drapes over her sides, separate from the section wrapping her legs and leading to her boots. She had decided against replacing her horseshoes just for this trip, opting instead to wear a durable set of boots of her own creation. They are the most stylized of the garments she is wearing, though she has sewn her cutie mark into a number of them, an exceptionally stylized version along the flanks of the tunic.
Doug continues, "So, tell me more about those, I don't know, gem golems. How does that work exactly?" He smiles as a cool breeze blows from behind, finally giving the two some relief from the hot sun.
"Well, not much is known about the gem golems, as I suppose we shall call them. You see," Rarity pauses, unsure of how much to embellish, "Little is known about the creatures. They are theorized to be magical constructs, not actually living creatures. When I encountered them in the Ghastly Gorge they sometimes run away or hide, so it can be difficult to tell if you came across one or not."
Doug frowns, "Then, why did some of the ponies back in Dodge City seem so worried about them?"
Rarity frowns, "Well, most of my experience with them has been in the Ghastly Gorge. You rarely see a gem golem there that has acquired more than one essence, so they tend to be smaller and easily dispatched through force. Say, hitting them with a large stick."
Doug looks back at the iron-shod quarterstaff he had crafted before the trip, "So, good thing I planned on using that stick for more than just walking around."
Rarity smiles, "Well, I hope it doesn't come to that, but better safe than sorry. The real danger will be if we encounter a gem golem that has absorbed, say, five or more essences, especially if they were large gems to begin with. Each essence stacks multiplicatively, or so I've heard, so a golem with five essences might be twice as dangerous as one with four."
Doug shudders nervously, "And you said there are more than twenty different essences that we might encounter?"
Rarity nods, "Yes, though I highly doubt we will find a golem with all twenty essences. Such a monstrosity might possibly be a threat to even Celestia!"
Doug nods, "Well, hopefully it isn't too determined to devour us or something. Does your gem locating spell tell you if it is an essence or how powerful?"
Rarity nods, "It gives a rough number on how many essences, generally within one. I have been surprised, when I thought I was getting a rare find that turned out to be a gem golem. Though the gem it leaves behind is nearly always worth the trouble, even if we didn't have the contract to find them, you just have to ensure that it doesn't spontaneously reenchant itself."
Doug shakes his head, "Well, that's not going to make it easier to sleep at night." He looks to the sky, "Speaking of which, we probably don't have too much longer before we need to set up camp."
Rarity looks at the sky, "Yes, we have at most an hour before moonrise, and we should be trying to sleep by then, not working on setting up camp. I'll let you know if I spot a good area, but everywhere so far looks the same."
Doug nods, "Yup, sounds good." The two continue walking in silence for a few minutes before Doug asks, "So, you want to tell me about the Badlands again, and why we are going on this journey?"
Rarity gives an exasperated sigh, "Again? What, you didn't like my telling the first time?"
A voice comes from Rarity's side, "Oh, you do great job explaining first time."
Rarity and Doug turn to see a Diamond Dog walking alongside them. He is walking upright, his muscular arms reaching past his knees and nearly to his feet. He is wearing a tan jacket and a black collar studded with small diamonds. He gives a friendly wave, smiling and showing off his canines. He says in as friendly as his gruff voice can manage, "Hi, my name Kole!"
Rarity responds, trying to hide her surprise and fear, "Oh, well, it's nice to meet you Kole, my name is Rarity, and this is my partner, Doug."
Kole gives a snorting laugh, "Doug? I mistake you for Diamond Dog with name like that! You heading to Badlands?"
Rarity nods, "Well, there isn't much else to head towards in that direction, now is there? What are you doing out here all alone?"
A voice comes from behind them, "Oh, he not alone." Another Diamond Dog lopes up, quickly closing the gap from behind and standing on Doug's side. He is the same gray as Kole, shorter but much bulkier and wearing a similar collar. A large, nasty mass of scar tissue covers his face where his nose should be, as if it had been shorn off by a blade. His arms occasionally drag on the ground as he keeps pace. The four continue walking along the road as he says, "What bring pretty filly like you and... dragon guide here?"
Rarity gives a nervous chuckle, glancing at Doug, "Oh, well, we were just making our way to the Badlands. Thinking about setting up camp, it will be night soon!"
Kole shakes his head, "Oh, make better time walk at night, better than walk during hot day! Stick with brother and me, we better guide than dragon there, he not know what he doing!"
Kole's brother moves over, closer to Doug as he says, "Yeah, shove off, we not tell anypony how bad you treat poor mare here." He leers over at Rarity, "No worry, miss, we take care of you tonight. Real good care of you."
A third more feminine voice rings from behind them, "Oh Brutus, you won't stop, will you? Besides, if your nose still worked you could tell that she has already mated with him."
A disgusted look comes over Brutus' face as he looks over at Doug, "Wait, you mate with her already?" He gives an exasperated sigh, throwing his arms into the air, "Where sexed up mares when I was pup!"
Rarity hides her own disgust as she and Doug turn, looking at the newest arrival. The female Diamond Dog stands taller than either of the others, wearing a red jacket and collar studded with nicer looking diamonds. Her arms are not nearly as muscular or long as her companions but the gleam in her eye shows that she is the leader of the pack.
She walks closer to the wagon, looking over Rarity and Doug before saying, "Sorry about how he acted, it already got him in trouble with the guard once. They said that next time he gets caught holding a mare against her will they would take off another inch from his face! Not that that would do much." She winks as the two glance over at Brutus; another inch from the front of his face would take off his eyes and part of his brain. Rarity grimaces, trying to keep from retching her lunch at such barbaric treatment as Doug gives a quiet chuckle. "Heh, you've got a sense of humor. I like that; you can call me Shav."
Doug responds as Rarity keeps her mouth shut, "Nice to meet you Shav, my name is Doug Apple, but you can call me Doug. This here is my mate, Rarity. So, what are the three of you doing all the way out here?"
Shav grins, "Well, you passed our warren about fifteen minutes ago. Kole here alerted us and so we figured we'd follow you, see what you were getting up to. Also, you know, protect you if any bandits or wild animals came upon you."
Doug gives her a friendly smile, "Well, thank you for that! I think Kole is right, I'm not really familiar with this area. Have you all been to the Badlands before?"
Shav laughs, "Oh, plenty of times. Enough to know that you won't get far if you don't know what you are doing, and we certainly know our way around. Besides, what kind of bitch would I be if I let these two wander around with you?"
Doug gives a half smile, "Uh, not a very good one?"
Shav smiles, rapping a claw on the wagon, "Oh, I like you, Doug! Doug, Doug, Doug," she says to herself in a singsong voice, glancing into the wagon at the tools and boxes of goods they have inside, "Looks like you planned on staying for a while. What exactly were you planning on doing? Dugging holes?"
Doug glances to Rarity, the mare done recovering from her earlier scare. She gives a quiet shrug before smiling at him. Doug says, "Yes, we were hoping to get a bit of prospecting in, try to locate some gems."
Shav grins at the two, examining her sharp claws, "Oh, that sounds like fun! But, it would really pay to have a set of experienced guides with you, who knows what kind of creatures one might come across as they prospect around."
Rarity forces a smile on her face, "Well, I have heard of the legendary capabilities of the Diamond Dogs, I think a trio of... robust examples such as yourselves would be perfectly suited to help guide us. Maybe we could come to some sort of arrangement?"
Shav puts a large paw to her chin as the two male dogs grin and nod eagerly. She sighs, their exuberance giving away any chance she had of disguising her own eagerness to the opportunity in front of her. She says, "Well, I think we can come up with something, but once we have finished dinner. We should make camp now; it'll take... about five hours to make it into the Badlands, and we'll want to arrive just as morning dawns. Rarity and I can hash out the arrangement, then we'll keep watch while you two rest. It'll be quite the early start for you, but we should be able to take a break after a few hours of travel in the Badlands."
Shav turns to Brutus, "Brute, run back home and get supplies for a week, we'll need food and water. And bags." She looks over at Rarity, grinning, "Lots and lots of bags." Brutus gives her a quick salute, taking a long look at Rarity as he lopes off back the way they came. She heads over to the wagon that Doug and Rarity have pulled off the side of the road. Doug and Kole are busy unpacking one of the crates, withdrawing food, water, and some wood.
Shav moves over to Rarity, the mare holding a mirror with her hoof and inspecting her light eye shadow, the only makeup she insisted that she wear. It has held up reasonably well, and she levitates over her small case of makeup, quickly dabbing away the smeared section and reapplying. Rarity turns, nodding at Shav as the dog sits down next to her. Rarity puts away her case, saying in a tired voice, "Well, what did you want to talk about?"
Shav glances into the wagon, her eyes focusing on the shovels and picks arranged on the walls. She points a paw at them, "Was that what you were planning on using to unearth the gems?" At Rarity's nod Shav shakes her head, "Well, that might work out here in the plains, but you're going to need something stronger if you plan on digging out in the Badlands." She wiggles her paws, "Something like these puppies. So, how do you plan on finding these gems, anyway? I've seen lots of mutts think they are going to go out and strike it big just to come back empty-pawed. You got something special tucked away there, gem mare?" She grins, "I like the sound of that. J'mare."
Rarity smiles at the nickname, "My cutie mark, and spell specialty, is a spell that allows me to locate gems. If you plan on digging, I think Doug will definitely appreciate being spared that work, he's always preferred more delicate or intricate tasks. More suited to them, anyway, with those hands of his." Rarity pauses, looking back at Doug and Kole. The human has gotten a fire going, roasting a few vegetable kabobs as Kole watches him cook. He also has some sort of stew going, the water just beginning to boil. Rarity glances back to Shav, "I'm sorry, I don't know my Diamond Dog physiology. You don't need to eat anything in particular, do you?"
Shav shrugs, "Same as ponies - grains, vegetables. Not so much the grasses, but we can eat meat if you brought any. Or if we find any." At Rarity's lack of reaction she grins, "Oh, you eat meat too? I would love to get my paws on some, we don't have a lot around here."
Rarity shakes her head, "Doug is the meat eater, not me. He brought some turkey jerky with him, I don't think he'll mind sharing at all."
Shav takes a long look at Doug, the human still wearing his full body covering in the warm evening sun. "So, what is he, anyway? Those two mutts were calling him a dragon, but he obviously isn't, they must not have gotten a good smell."
"Oh, he's a human. Just, think of him like a mix between a pony and a Diamond Dog, that's probably good enough for now." Rarity smiles, looking over at her stallion as he puts a generous portion on a plate and hands it to Kole. The dog looks at his plate before looking over at Shav, raising a piece of bread but not taking a bite of his meal yet. Shav stares back at him and Kole nervously puts his paw down.
Doug finishes loading another two plates, bringing them over to the two females. He hands one to Shav and she takes it with a smile, taking a bite of the roasted peppers. She grins, taking another bite as Kole begins eating his portion. Shav looks over at Doug as he returns to the fire, making another plate that he covers with a piece of cloth and then a fifth plate for himself. He takes a bite before walking over to the wagon, pulling out a box and removing four pieces of turkey. Kole watches intently, beginning to salivate as Doug places one piece on his own plate and another on the covered plate. He walks back to the fire, handing another piece to Kole. The dog takes it with a large grin, biting into the turkey and exhaling contentedly. Doug walks over to Shav, glancing at Rarity. The mare gives him a smile as he hands the piece to Shav, the dog glaring at Kole. Shav turns to Doug, taking the piece and biting. Her glare fails to soften as she continues to watch Kole, the dog looking a little nervous.
Shav shakes her head, the smile returning to her face as Doug returns to the fire and grabs his plate. She leans over to Rarity, "Well, you certainly have him well trained. If only I could get my two to behave that well." She smirks, "So, is he that good in bed as well?"
Rarity coughs out the carrot that nearly lodged itself in her throat, "Excuse me?"
Shav shrugs as Brutus lopes back into the camp, carrying several large packs. Doug points to the wagon and Brutus unloads them inside before grabbing the covered plate. He tosses the cover towards the wagon and spots the piece of turkey, giving Doug a wide grin. He quickly scarfs it down before starting on the rest of the plate. Rarity recovers a little more as Shav says, "Well, those two are... passable, I suppose. Last litter they both served well enough."
Rarity raises an eyebrow, "Both?"
Shav nods, "Yup. You can generally tell which whelp is whose, and it helps keep the pack together. I heard ponies do it differently?"
Rarity slowly nods, slowing becoming more comfortable with the conversation, "Yes, well, Doug is the, ahem, stallion of our herd. We have three foals among the five of us mares, one of which is mine, which is normal for the two years we've been together. Applejack, our lead mare, and Pinkie Pie, our most junior, have both taken this last heat." Rarity yawns, "Anyway, you wanted to talk about an arrangement?"
Shav nods, looking back at the three at the fire. She says, "If your gem spell works as well as you must think it does, that will be a huge boon to this little foray. I will be in charge; if I tell you to do something, you do it. If you have any ideas for which direction will be better for finding more gems, but I get us there."
Rarity nods, "That's acceptable, but your authority only extends so far; we won't be kowtowing to any unreasonable demands. Doug will help dig where he is able and needed, and he will be in charge of the wagon. I imagine we will need to do a large amount of traveling, and I would appreciate one of you three to help him with dragging the wagon should he require the assistance."
Shav smirks, "What, afraid to get your hooves dirtier?"
Rarity looks up, slightly offended, "No, I will be tired from walking around and surveying the land, and I will need to rest my hooves and horn whenever I can."
Shav shrugs, "Whatever, I'm fine with that. We'll dig out whatever gems we do find, and we split the total fifty fifty."
Rarity nods, "Acceptable, but how do we split the gems?"
Shav puts a paw to her chin, "Hmm. How about, we bag each cache separately, as we find it. Then, at the end of the day, we take turns picking a gem until we've divvied that bag up, then go on to the next bag."
Rarity thinks for a moment, "Very well, but whoever picks the bag gets the second pick from that bag. I will have two picks and Doug one; and each of you get a turn. We alternate between the two groups, one choice for each group, until the bag is gone."
Shav grins, "That works for me. Oh, and we all help if we find one or more of those gem golems you were talking about. We'll figure out a way to split the proceeds if that happens." She holds up a paw and Rarity holds her hoof, shaking as best she can. Rarity gives a sigh of relief, glad to be done and able to go to sleep.
Shav smirks, "Oh, and one other thing." She leans in close to Rarity, looking deep into her eyes. "I can tell how much Brutus wants to take you. He'll hold off as long as you stay, heh, intimate with Doug. But I'm not going to give him or Kole any release, not during this trip." Shav moves in closer, causing Rarity to back up slightly, a somewhat fearful look on her face. "At the end of this trip I'm going into heat, and you're going to have to make a choice. Doug sires my next litter, or those two get to have their way with you." She leans back, the smirk on her face growing, "Either way, at least one dog is getting laid this trip, the choice is up to you." She leans forward again, tapping her claws on the ground while staring at Rarity, the smirk on her face gone. "Oh, and this is non-negotiable, just in case you thought to try to weasel your way out of it." She laughs, "Well, I suppose there is one other way out. If we fill this wagon with gems? You might be able to keep a tenth of them, if you want to leave this place with anything other than the clothes on your back. Otherwise, I would practice your water finding spells." She silently chuckles, looking at Rarity with a cruel smile.
Rarity slinks away, slowly making her way back to Doug. The fire is extinguished and he has a tent set up, patiently waiting for her to return from the negotiations. Shav continues staring at her until Rarity enters the tent, dreading how to bring the news to Doug.