Another great day in Ponyville where nothing weird happened so far. Rarity was gaily working at her boutique sewing a new dress with her sewing machine while humming to her soft tune. She paused for a minute to have a glimpse at the progress she had made so far. This piece of clothing has a smooth fabric with a soft tone of yellow and orange, which reminds her of her student, Sunshine, and it also has small shiny pearls on the bottom of the skirt. “Ah, Rarity, you’ve done it again,” she uttered to herself and chuckled. She was about to continue with her work until she heard her store bell ding, indicating that another customer arrived. When Rarity turned her head, she saw a pink pony coming in. It was Pinkie Pie.
“Hi, Rarity,” the pink pony greeted.
“Oh, Pinkie Pie, what brings you here?”
“Sorry if I disturbed you, but I got a word from Mrs. Cake. She said that she’s wondering if you can create a suit and a dress for little Pumpkin and Pound Cake. For special occasions, of course.”
Rarity frowned as she quickly got her order list. “I’m sorry, Pinkie, you have to tell them that I’m busy at the moment because I still got other orders to make. I should be able to start work on their order next Friday.”
Pinkie looked a little disappointed. “Aww, that’s a shame. I was wanting to see what those little twins would look like if they all dressed up.”
“Hmm… If it helps, Pinkie, you can help model one of my orders. It could help save time.”
That made the party pony light up again. “Okie Dokie Lokie! Will do!” Pinkie bounced over to the mirror while Rarity adjusted her glasses while checking her order. While Rarity took some measurements and checked the design notes of her order, Pinkie decided to talk about some things on her mind.
“So, Rarity, what other creatures do you think we’re going to get next year for school?”
“It’s hard to say. With those various creatures there, it… kind of overwhelms the ponies that we have already.”
“Maybe we could… get more minotaurs and buffalos. Or maybe even a donkey.”
“A donkey?”
“Yeah. Cranky and Matilda have been around for a while and there’s got to be more donkeys around Equestria. Like Terry’s hometown, Taur-Town.” Rarity started to get to work on putting her new dress together as Pinkie kept rambling on. “I hear that he’s doing a lot better. Iron Will and his spouse sound cute together, and I’ve met them at the parent-teacher conference before. They’re proud of Terry’s performance, and my cutie mark is glowing and so is yours…” Pinkie paused when she looked at her cutie mark, which as she said, was glowing. She squeed with excitement as the same was happening with Rarity. “Well, whaddayaknow!”
“My, this hasn’t happened in a long time.”
“I know.” Their cutie mark figures begin floating in the air and soar their way out to the door. “C’mon! Let’s go!” Pinkie bolted after them. Rarity followed behind after leaving her supplies.
As two mares rushed to the castle, they were confused about their directions. “Hey, isn’t the castle that way?” Pinkie asked. They looked to see the castle still standing proud in a hard-to-miss location. However, it looked like they were running past the location, but instead, they were heading into the Everfree Forest.
“That’s odd,” Rarity commented. “Unless…” The two friends soon found themselves running towards the Everfree Forest until they had made it to the Treehouse of Harmony. “Why at the treehouse out of all places?”
Knocking on the door, they were answered by Sandbar, who was in the middle of a study session with Smolder, Silverstream, and Ocellus. “Professors!” Sandbar exclaimed, then looks back at the marks floating over the new map. “I see this is about to become a normal thing, isn’t it?” He then allowed them to enter the treehouse to see their marks floating over the new map.
“My my,” Rarity exclaimed. This is grander than the other one. I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
“You’re telling me,” Pinkie commented, spotted a silhouette of a familiar purple and green dragon. “Hang on, is that Spike’s head?”
On cue, they heard the door slam open. They turned to see Spike coming in. He saw Pinkie Pie and Rarity, and moved over to them. “Hey, girls,” the dragon called. “Applejack said something about checking out the treehouse after not finding my head on the map…” Spike paused when he saw the map in the treehouse. “This again?”
“Again? This has happened before?” Rarity questioned.
“Yep, with Applejack and her li’l sister,” Silverstream added.
“...And Zecora,” added Ocellus.
“Oh yeah… Zecora too. They had their mission last time.”
“We had ours too last time…” As Sandbar was about to continue, he was given the do-not-talk-about-it stares from his friends realizing that it is best not to speak about what they have gone through. He almost forgot about this.
Pinkie Pie was amazed by this new and unique giant version of the original holographic map back in Twilight’s old castle. She is about to have a good look as she stepped forward to where her mark, Rarity’s, and Spike’s were floating. “What’s the difference between this map and the one in the castle?”
“Give the location a tap, and see it for yourself,” Ocellus recommended with a wink.
She did as Ocellus told her, tapping on the given location, it zooms in making it more life-like. Pinkie again was stunned by this new feature, as well as Spike and Rarity. They can see the life-sized holographic structures. “What the heck!” Spike cried.
“I know, right,” Smolder smirked. “You’re not the only ones that are surprised by this amazing feature.” Sandbar, Silverstream, and Ocellus nodded.
As Pinkie, Rarity, and Spike checked the holographic place out, a figure came out of Pinkie’s body, then came another out of Spike which made him jump, and then the third out of Rairy which almost made her faint, and then came the fourth, and the fifth, until every figure comes out walking. They can see that this place, to everyone’s surprise, is full of anthropomorphic dogs. All were walking on twos, some wore clothes, most notably: the females, and they looked familiar to Rarity and Spike.
“Do they look like… Diamond Dogs?” Spike questioned.
“Looks like it,” Rarity replied while having flashbacks.
“Diamond Dogs?” Ocellus asked. “What’s that?”
“Last time we checked,” Rarity responded, “They’re a pack of… filthy mongrels who dig around for gemstones all day and night, forcing others to work in the mines.”
“So a bunch of mutts who need introductions to my fist?” Smolder questioned.
“Hmm, these guys don’t look like the ones she described,” Sandbar commented.
“Yeah, look over there,” Silverstream commented. She pointed to some of the dogs that looked like a dalmatian, a bulldog, and a cockapoo playing around a playground. “They look pretty cute.”
“Yeah, this place looks to be kind of like Canterlot, it is a kingdom. If they’re like the ones you mentioned, it’d be in a worse shape.”
Rarity and Spike looked at all of the dogs and many of them looked friendly. “Perhaps…, we can give these dogs a chance,” the mare commented.
“I’ll inform Twilight to get one of the airships ready,” Spike proclaimed. “Pack up anything you need. It’s going to be a long trip.”
“You got it!” Pinkie Pie proclaimed. She bounced away to get her stuff and Spike flew off back to Canterlot. Rarity would go back to her boutique still remembering her history with these creatures. She’d be glad to have her friends by her side, she still had a sinking feeling about what would happen.
A couple of hours later, Spike and the two mares were in the air on a zeppelin a couple of hours later. Spike was looking through some binoculars he borrowed from the ship’s crew. “We’re still a couple of miles away from our destination,” the dragon guessed.
“Still gives me time to plan our introduction,” Pinkie noted. She pulled out a sketch pad and started doodling some ideas while Rarity went to talk with Spike.
“Why did the map call for us of all creatures for this?” Rarity questioned. “Is it because we’ve dealt with Diamond Dogs before?”
“Maybe,” Spike shrugged.
“Well, Yona and Silverstream went to that village where Iron Will lived…”
“And these diamond dogs aren’t like the ones we met. I’m certain they knew what they were talking about with that preview.” Rarity didn’t know what else to say as she knew those were the only diamond dogs they met were the ones in the mine, and that was ages ago.
“I guess… we can only wait and see,” the unicorn commented. She and Spike were then taken by surprise when they saw a tennis ball fly right past them. They looked over to Pinkie, who had a bucket of tennis balls beside her and her canon.
“Do you think they would like a more extreme version of catch?” Pinkie asked.
“It’s best if we ask them first,” Spike noted. Pinkie nodded and went to put the bucket of tennis balls away. The dragon then turned his attention back to Rarity. “I should take notes from the ruler of this kingdom. Starlight said the School of Friendship is open to new pupils of all creatures no matter where they live.”
“Hmm, glad you’re seeing some good sides in this,” Rarity commented. “I can’t stop thinking about those ruffians that tried to put me to work in the mines.” The sound of disgust could be heard at the end of her sentence.
“Give them a chance, will ya? You might even befriend one of them… or two.” Rarity knew that Spike was right. All they could do was wait for them to arrive at their destination.
The next morning, the ship finally arrived in the Diamond Dog kingdom. The airship landed in a village less than a mile away from them. Spike, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie walked to the village, still wondering who they would meet. “I’m still worried about this,” Rarity admitted. “Maybe you should do the talking, Spike.”
“If you say so,” Spike responded. “I’m not too sure how these dogs will react to a dragon and two ponies walking…”
“Look out!” cried a voice. Heading straight for the trio was a blonde diamond dog barreling toward them on a skateboard. Nobody had enough time to react and the anthropomorphic dog spectacularly collide with them, while the skateboard took off in the air and was going to go back down to the ground. The four creatures groaned in pain and were about to get up as the skateboard knocked Spike’s head. The blonde diamond dog recovered herself and notice who she had crashed with, feeling bad for them.
“Oh no… Ugh… I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to… What the?” she gasped looking at the ponies and dragon. Rarity looked up at the diamond dog and can see her triangular ears and a green collar. She could also see her wearing a bright pink dress. “Whaddayaknow, looks like we have outsiders from a different land. What are you?”
“It’s okay,” Rarity said as she was given a paw to help her stand up. “I’m Rarity.”
“I’m Ambrosia Muffinbuns, most dogs here called me Amber for short. Are you a unicorn?”
“Yes, I am. And these are my friends, Pinkie Pie and Spike.” Amber helped the respective creatures stand up as she looked very guilty about her collision.
“Once again, I apologize for that.”
“It’s alright. Now, if you don’t mind me asking, why were you in such a rush?”
“Well, uhh…”
“Sarge!” called a male voice, “I found her!”
“Aww, nuts!” The creatures looked to where Amber rolled in from to see armored diamond dogs walking over towards them. Two of them looked to have different shades of red fur, while one of them had orange. They all looked to be different breeds too, one was a Doberman, one was a foxhound, and the other was a pug.
“See, I told you,” the orange pug spoke, “We had to wait until she crashed.”
“Then why did it take half an hour to catch her on wheels?” the red foxhound yelled.
“She got lucky, I supposed.”
“Or we have to drag your fat tail around!” the leading red Doberman spoke in a southern accent. “Now, let’s get that princess home.” He paused when he noticed the newcomers standing next to a frustrated Amber. “Take these freaks as well to the dungeon!”
“DUNGEON!?” Spike questioned. He wouldn’t have time to think as he was bonked on the head by the but-end of the spear. “Gah!”
“Shut your mouth, ya intruder! We have the right to bring unwelcome guests like you to justice! Get them, boys!”
“Yes, sir!” they shouted.
The foxhound and pug looked at each other before simply walking over to the ponies and placing their paws on their backs. “We’re sorry about him,” the foxhound apologized. “He’s always like this.”
“I don’t even listen to him half the time,” the pug added.
“When do you ever?” The pug shrugged and huffed.
Rarity looked at Amber, who looked to already be done with this. “I assume they’re here for you,” the unicorn guessed. “And did they call you, princess?”
“Yeah, they’re my guards,” Amber sighed. She just walked along with the guard, who took their guests with them, Spike being carried over the Doberman’s shoulder.
During their walk, they got to take a look at the kingdom up close. They passed a couple of diamond dogs running businesses, eating out, or just having a nice stroll as they watched the unfamiliar foreigners being taken by the guards. Eventually, they could see a wall that has a big metal gate that opened up to reveal the castle. It looked to have a high level of security not just the surrounding wall.
A pink husky walked over to the guards escorting the guests and Amber. “Oh good, you’re back,” the husky said in a high-pitched voice that sounded strange for a male. “Your Majesty The Queen is waiting for you. Wait, who are these guys?”
“A couple of intriguers planning on stealing every gem we have,” the sergeant answered.
“Uh… actually, it’s a…” Spike corrected.
“Quiet!” He bumped his head again hard.
Rarity leaned closer to Amber. “Is he like this all the time?” the mare asked.
“All the time,” Amber answered. “Can you please just take me to my mother now?”
“Right this way, your highness,” the pink husky said.
“Um, what do we do with these fellas?” the fat pug asked.
“Throw them in the dungeon!” the sergeant proclaimed.
“Can someone tell me someone here has common sense?” Spike begged.
“We can take you to the queen,” the foxhound proclaimed.
“And risk having an attack?” the sergeant questioned.
“If I wanted to, you’d be on fire right now,” Spike admitted.
“I’m starting to like you,” the pug whispered.
Despite the sergeant’s disliking of these visitors, they were taken with Amber to see her mother, Queen Katherina Proudpaws. They arrived at the throne room, seeing her sitting on her royal seat with two other guards from both sides standing in their positions with their spears on their paws. She’s a blue Saluki who has a purple cape worn on her back and a blue collar on her neck. Her disgruntled eyes and frown were on Ambrosia because she was in trouble, her eyes were also on Pinkie Pie, Spike, and Rarity, and was very confused about why they were here in this very room, but she pushed that aside and instead focused on her daughter.
“Ambrosia Muffinbuns,” the queen spoke. “This is the third time this week you’ve snuck out of the castle. Why are you keeping with this kind of impolite and crude behavior!?”
“I’m bored senseless, mother,” Amber responded. “That’s why. I couldn’t be staying there for the whole day watching outside.”
“Amber, you know you have a lot of responsibilities soon and you need to be prepared. Running away from home shows how truly irresponsible and reckless you are.” Amber just growled as Queen Katherina turned her attention to Rarity, Pinkie, and Spike. “I see that we got ourselves 3 outsiders. Allow me to introduce myself, Queen Katherina Proudpaws, and you’re welcome to prefer me as…”
“Ooh, let me guess…” Rarity interrupted, “Kat?”
That word just made the whole room gasp. “She said what now!?” one guard exclaimed.
Rarity felt puzzled on why they gasped when she said “Kat,” until she realized that this kingdom is all dogs no cats.
“You may not!” the queen angrily yelled while standing up, “That word you’ve said is forbidden in this domain! I would’ve to mind my tongue if I were you!”
Rarity got frightened by her yell. “Ah… I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t know that. I’ll let you finish.”
“As I said, you may prefer to me as ‘Your Majesty’ or ‘Your Highness,’ as it has been a tradition in this kingdom since my great-great-grandmother sat on this very throne. Tradition is important.”
“Of course! My apologies, Your Majesty.”
“That’s better.” She sat back down on her throne to calm herself down until she became more formal again. “Anyways, please announce your name and business.”
“Rarity.”
“Pinkie Pie.”
“Spike. We’re from the land of Equestria under the rule of Princess Twilight Sparkle, Your Highness. We’ve been sent here as our mission from our map that has called us… like literally…” Though the explanation of a magical map was a little farfetched to them.
“Maybe sarge was onto something,” the foxhound whispered to the pug.
“We know this sounds crazy,” Rarity admitted, “But believe us… it’s true.”
“And we’ve faced way crazier things before,” Pinkie added.
“Right then,” Katherina commented. “Now when you say a friendship mission…”
“We mean a sort of… like a conflict that needs addressing,” Spike answered. He looked between Amber and Katherina. “And I think… we might have a reason for our calling.”
“Are you talking about us?” Amber asked.
“Well, when you’ve been doing this for as long as we have,” Pinkie noted, “You pick up a few details.”
“It’s that so… then would you could help with my sister too?”
“You have a sister?”
“Yes. Her twin sister, Fiona Floppyears,” the queen noted, “I’ve called her in here a moment ago.”
“Perhaps she’s going through her closet again,” Amber scoffed. Her mother looked down at Amber, as another dog almost identical to her walked in. The ears were floppier on her and she wore a blue jacket, a matching skirt that had white dots on it, and a pink collar that had a green bow on the back of it.
Amber’s sister looked at their guests, cocking her head to the side in confusion. “Pardon me, did I miss something?” she asked.
“Nothing out of the ordinary for us,” the pug stated.
“Fiona, your sister here has found a couple of guests to the kingdom,” Katherina stated. “They seem not to be any threat though.”
“Are you sure, Your Majesty?” the sergeant asked. “They could be giving us a false sense of security.”
“There’s no need to be paranoid. Head back to your usual posts, I’ll take care of them.” The guards disbursed, leaving the queen and princesses with the ponies and dragon.
Spike decided as a royal advisor to speak up first. “I’ve lived with Princess Twilight my whole life,” he stated, “We can assure you we’re a remarkably peaceful community.”
“Though… a couple of us are rough around the edges,” Pinkie noted.
“It’s true, a couple of ponies were cruel, but they were given the proper punishments. Also, it’s not just the ponies that are allies. We also made allies with dragons, changelings, yaks, hippogriffs, and griffons.”
Katherina placed her paw on her chin and looked to be impressed. “You sound like you have a good track record.”
“Thank you, Your Highness. Princess Twilight was hoping to have our kingdoms like yours team up together to make the world a better place. We also have a very nice school founded by our very own Princess Twilight herself in a town called Ponyville, where many critters of all kinds from all kingdoms came to study the values of friendship.”
“Hmm, impressive. If you like to know more about our kingdom, I’d be happy to give you a tour around.”
“That would be great!”
“And maybe… you and the twins can help give it to us,” Pinkie suggested.
“I beg your pardon?”
“It would help us get to know your royals.” Pinkie looked at Spike and winked, to which the dragon gave a thumbs up. Amber was wanting to go for this as her tag was wagging in excitement.
“I have been wanting to see if there are new dresses downtown, mother,” Fiona admitted.
Rarity pricked up her ears after hearing that word. “Dresses?” the mare exclaimed in excitement. “You have a boutique downtown?”
“Yes, there is, it’s got a lot of choices. Though… I don’t think any of them would fit you guys. Maybe the small purple one.”
“I’ll have the guards come along with us for protection,” Katherina noted. “There could be other things we can exchange between the Kingdom of Caninia and the Kingdom of Equestria.”
“Caninia?” Rarity doubted to herself. “The name of the kingdom we’re in I supposed?”
“You stay here until we’re ready to leave.”
“Can I get my purse first, mother?” Fiona asked.
“Make it snappy.” Fiona raced off to find her purse as Katherina went to find the guards. Amber looked at the three guests, each having a different expression.
Spike looked to be trying to think of what else he could say to get Katherina to meet with Twilight. Pinkie was excited to have some fun with the diamond dogs. Rarity, on the other hand, was still iffy about being around so many creatures she had a bad history with.
Rarity, Spike, and Pinkie Pie were soon following the royals down the boulevard with the guards following them. Spike had gotten himself a quill pen and sheets of paper to take notes about Caninia. Pinkie kept searching around for something fun to do. She even waved to a couple of the diamond dogs on the street, who were curious to see these foreigners unknown to them. Rarity was still not feeling unsure about the diamond dogs. The first memory she had with them was far from a pleasant one. She looked at the royals, with Katherina looking quite stern, Fiona was walking with some pep in her step, and Amber was looking to be upset. She even looked for a way to escape.
“Penny for your thoughts?” the unicorn asked the princess.
Amber sighed. “I’m happy to be out of the castle,” she admitted, “But my mother’s gotta have me restrained somehow.” She looked back to the guards, who followed closely behind.
“Don’t look at us,” the foxhound stated, “We’re just doing our job.”
Rarity focused her attention on the young diamond dog. “I understand your frustration, but I’m only guessing that your mother is trying to protect you. Do you often have any intruders break into the castle?”
“Sometimes. Though the mines have the most common thefts.”
“Gem mines?”
“Precisely. I swear that gems grow around here like weeds.”
“Growing gems?”
“That’s only a theory that bounces around Caninia. There are a lot of gemstones, and most of us think that these gems grow like crops.”
“Interesting. Spike, are you getting this?”
“Just heard,” the young dragon said. If this growing gems theory was true, Spike would be starting a farming business when he got home.
“I wouldn’t hold your breath for that theory,” Katherina noted. “We’ve run a couple of tests heretofore and each one came back negative. Some even contradicted each other.”
“Oh…. That’s a shame.” Spike quickly started crossing out a doodle of a gem farm. “Tell us about these gem mines. Do they have anything special?”
“We often use the smaller ones for tools, or most for accessories, like these collars we’re wearing right now.” Rarity took a look at the collars they were wearing and could see the diamond did look real.
“Oh my. I haven’t noticed that until now.”
“That’s right, these collars are pretty pricey,” Fiona noted, “and they look great. And look, there’s the boutique.” Fiona walked over to the shop doors with her sister and mother following her.
Inside the boutique, they could see a plentiful amount of clothing. From casual wearing, to formal wear, and swimsuits. Just as Rarity walked in to join the royals, she saw two more dogs heading toward them. One was an English Setter, the other was an Alaskan Malamute. Both had black and white fur and they wore a red collar and blue cape, the other wore a purple collar and red cape, respectively.
“Katherina,” the two dogs called gleefully.
“Jenn, Indi,” Katherina said. By the sound of her voice and the way she held her arms out to the two dogs, it sounded like they were old friends.
“Oh, Katherina, it’s so nice to see you again,” the English Setter said, accepting the queen’s hug.
The Queen hugged both of them and then turned her attention back to her visitor. “Miss Rarity, I’d like you to meet Jennino Lanterlight and Indiana Ambereyes. They’re both in charge of this shop.”
Both owners were surprised to see a unicorn inside their dress store. “Well, I’d be damned,” Indiana commented.
Jennino just shrugged as she walked over to shake Rarity’s hoof. “Greeting,” the English Setter diamond dog said. “Welcome to Caninia.”
“We haven’t had the warmest of welcomes so far,” Rarity admitted. “Though it is nice to meet a fellow tailor.”
“Oh, you make dresses too?”
“Yes, indeed. I own three dress shops at this point back in Equestria.” Rarity took a look at the bits of clothing they had on display, amazed at the variety they had. She looked at one of the swimsuits and looked at the pattern on it.
“I know most dogs say we don’t normally wear attires,” Jennino said, “But these swimsuits help keep our furs dry.”
“Ooh, stylish and useful. Marvelous.”
“Thank you,” Indiana responded. “So, what brings you all the way here?”
“We’ve been sent here on a mission,” Spike explained, walking into the room. The dress shop owners were surprised to see they had a dragon.
“Whoa,I didn’t know you brought a friend.”
“Oh, yes,” Rarity explained. “This is Spike. He’s the royal advisor for Princess Twilight.”
“Ooh, you have your own princess too?” Jennino asked.
“We sure do,” Spike confirmed. “Since I was brought along with this mission, I would take notes of how our two kingdoms could interact.”
“They’ve mentioned other creatures outside like dragons and griffons,” Katherina noted. “They’ve made their allies from them too.”
“Wow,” Indiana remarked. “That’s outstanding!”
“Again, they’re a little rough around the edges, but they’re good now,” Spike informed. “Now, about these gem mines. Have you ever encountered ones that contained special powers?”
“What kind of powers you’re talkin’ about?” Jennino asked.
“Ones that have fire, ice, electricity, and even ones that help with healing. We’ve taken on those griffons with these special gemstones that can do many different things.”
“And when you say ‘taken on,’ do you mean you’ve fought these griffons?” Katherina asked.
“Not all of them were nice creatures,” Rarity informed.
“Hey, mom, what do you think of this?” Fiona asked. She walked out of the dressing room now wearing a green ball gown that had a bow tied around her waist. “How do I look?”
Katherina smiled at the dress she saw. “You look marvelous, sweetheart,” the queen commented. “Now… Where’s Amber?”
“I last saw her outside with Pinkie Pie,” Spike informed. “...Who’s been awfully quiet.” Confused about the lack of noise, they checked outside to see the guards that were accompanying them eating some cupcakes.
“See, I told you these cupcakes tasted good,” the pug stated.
“Yeah, you do have a point…” The foxhound paused when he saw the queen looking at him, not looking happy. “Oh sh*t!” He tossed the cupcake to the ground before he picked up his spear. “Um… Your Majesty, we…”
“Where is Ambrosia?” Katherina furiously asked.
“Um… Uh. The pink pony distracted us with cupcakes.”
“And I don’t regret it,” the pug proclaimed.
“You’re going to regret it once you start cleaning the barracks when you get back to the castle,” Katherina stated. The guards weren’t feeling so cheerful when they heard that. “Spike!” the Queen called.
The royal advisor walked out of the shop and could see Amber and Pinkie were gone. “Oh boy,” he muttered.
“You can fly, right?”
“Yeah, why do you…?”
“Fly around and find Amber for me!”
Spike was taken aback by Katherina’s order and her tone. However, he didn’t want to argue with her. “Um, yes, Your Majesty.” He took off as the queen looked towards Fiona.
“Stay with Jenni and Indi!” Katherina ordered. “I’ll be right back.”
“Mom, can’t you let the guards handle this?” Fiona asked. “If Amber doesn’t want to try on dresses…”
“Stay. Here!” The young lab listened to her mother.
“Listen, Katherina,” Indiana said, “We can just…”
“Keep her out of trouble, Indi!” Katherina ordered. “Amber is already testing my patience.” The mad queen walked away as the ground inexplicably began to shake.
It only lasted for a few seconds, but Rarity and the dogs in the store could feel it. “What was that?” the unicorn asked.
“An earthquake,” Indiana explained. “Believe it or not, they’ve been happening a lot more often recently.”
“How come?”
“Nobody knows,” Jennino admitted. “We have a friend who works in the mines, but she won’t explain what the problems are. Although, we think it might be related to her health.”
“Oh, dear. What’s wrong with her?”
Jennino and Indiana weren’t too sure what to say. Fiona saw their faces and quickly tried to think of something. “Uh, ladies,” the princess said. “I was wonder if I could get something… um… a summer outfit.”
“Hmm, I was about to start working on that,” Jennino said. She walked into the back of the shop and showed off a new dress that looked to be half-finished.
“Ooh, that looks lovely,” Rarity commented.
“Thank you. The only problem is that I’m having trouble coming up with a good design for it.”
Rarity looked at the unfinished dress and began racking her brain for what she can do to help. “I’ve made a couple of dresses based on the architecture of my home. There’s something around Caninia that could help inspire the look of this one.”
Jennino and Indiana both liked the sound of it. “That’s a good idea,” Jennino commented.
“You can show Rarity around town,” Indiana said. “I’ll keep an eye on Fiona until you guys get back.”
“Actually, I’d like to know if Fiona would come along with me and Jennino,” Rarity admitted. The shop owners looked at the princess, who was already taking some cash out of her purse.
“My mother said I had to stay with one of you,” the golden lab reminded. “I don’t assume I’m stuck here.” The two shop owners looked at each other with Indiana shrugging.
“She’s right,” Indiana noted.
“I’m not quite sure,” Jennino admitted.
“If Katherina gets angry by this, I’ll take the blame,” Rarity noted. After Fiona paid for her new dress, she joined Jennino and Rarity in their tour of Caninia, which now had three groups of guests and diamond dogs roaming around.