//------------------------------// // Chapter 13: Restless Nights // Story: Strength of a Brother's Bond // by Trexorb //------------------------------// Chapter 13 Down in the the taverns of Dragon’s Gate was where most of the miners would go to relax, to let loose and complain about their jobs, home, and wives. A salvation from the outside world, never a real worry about what goes on. All that matters are the booze and entertainment. The bar was named The Granite Pint for all the miners that ended up there after a hard days work. They would usually come into the bar and order up some good ale and rum to ease their tired bones. It was always full of cheers and laughter, with plenty of shouting and cursing from the drunken patrons. The windows were always bordered with wooden planks because, well- *CRASH* Customers are sometimes too much to handle. “And stay out of me bar, ye good for nothing drunk!” The barkeeper shouted to the sprayed out pony in the streets. With that said and done, he brought more boards beside him and went to work hammering in the planks. Inside the drunken haven was all the miners that were left off early. All of them were talking about their missing workers, as well as some rumors about a bloodlust kid. Some of the workers were even scared to enter the mines anymore, thinking about quitting the mines and find a more safer environment. A certain diamond dog ignored all the commotion going on and simply sipped on his cider. The diamond dog was not a local to town, nor any place in equestria. His odd orange fur simply blended in with the interior of the bar though, not being noticed by the rowdy drinkers. His right green eye simply stared into his mug, looking at the reflection of his own muzzle, with the scar across his left eye that adorned his face. The fedora he wore blocked the scar from showing to the others, having only his good eye to be seen. The clothing he wore was also curious for his species. A green jacket was what he had around himself, it’s purple trims contracting his orange fur. Around the dog’s wrists and knees was black bracelets, looking as if they were meant to be cuffs. The dog took a small sip from his wooden mug when his ears perked up hearing some interesting news about the cellar down below. “...And then we simply bet our bits on which creature wins. I won seven times in a row with my luck. Its all good fun, and no one dies. Well usually.” Without moving his head, the dog’s eye wandered the room till he found the source of this information. A pony, cleaner than the rest of the customers, happily holding on to his bag of bits, was sitting on a round table in a corner as he talked with his fellow crew members. The dog couldn’t help but grin at the plans he was conjuring if he had that many bits on him. “Yer interested, aren’t ya?” The dog’s attention snapped back by the sound of the old scottish voice. His eye turned to a well-aged earth pony, who was busy cleaning off a mug from a drunken guard. “What those loud colts be talking about, ye want to be a part in it, don’cha ye lassie?” The red stallion said as he inspected the glass mug for any smudges. The dog’s eye was wide at first, then relaxed as he chuckled with amusement. “Just listening to some drunken ponies talk is all.” The dog closed his eye as he enjoyed the sweet nectar from his mug. The bartender couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow as he continued to scrub the stubborn cup. “Aye, that be true. By the way, ye speak might fine equestrian for a mutt like yourself.” “I guess I learn things quickly.” “Aye, I bet ye do.” Silence fell on the two as the bar continued going on with its excitement. The dog was preoccupied searching through his bags for bits while the bartender was now squinting his eyes as he continued on the same celestia damned stain. After ten minutes of vigorous scrubbing on the bloody mug, the bartender sighed then threw the mug across the bar, shattering it once it made contact with the wall. “Bloody thing... Oi!” The dog’s ears perked up, as the bartender grabbed the attention of the diamond dog. “So are ye interested or no?” “Uhhh... sure, I guess. Could be some good fun.” “Haha! Oh, it’ll be a riot alright. One tartarus of a time!” Chugging the rest of his drink, the dog left out a sigh of enjoyment as he slammed the empty mug down. The bartender glared at his new opponent, ready to clean this new mess. Grabbing ahold of the mug with his hoof, the pony went to work scrubbing the darn thing with a rag. The dog looked around the bar, wondering about his next move and where he must go. “Sooooo....” The eldered pony pointed with his free hoof to the right of the dog, while focusing on the mug. “Follow the counter, take a left and there’ll be a door waiting on ye. Knock three times, wait for three seconds, then knock twice. The lass there will tell ye what ye have to do.” The orange diamond dog nodded in appreciation, dropped his bits from his pack, then went to follow the wrinkled pony’s instruction. Guess this will be easy pay for me. The naive dog thought. He turned the corner just as he heard the bartender say. “Come on now, Cobalt. Ye can’t be sulking around in me bar. Best to be going home now.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [Begin the brawl!] Dodge, weave left, left jab. Will attempt wild swing. Dodge then retaliate with sweep kick... All the spectators watched in awe as the fight went on. The stakes were high for this match right here. The brawler griffin champion, Razor, vs. the newcomer dog, whose name still eludes us. Duck, strike over-extended arm, take punch, attack exposed stomach... Bets were all placed on the griffin, the majority rooting for their champion. His attacks were all strength with such rigorous velocity. By the looks of the fight, it was too evenly matched to tell a solid victor, but the ponies and griffins all around were rooting for the champion, wanting to bring home the bits that they won. Attacking with wild slash, duck and jab three times in the abdomen.... The arena was only blocked with wooden planks to sure the rowdy gamblers won’t cheat and help the fighters in the ring. Not that the champion needed it. “Come on, you bloody mutt! Stop hitting like a sissy and fight!” The griffin shouted as he cocked his arm back. Dodge heavy pun- “GAHHHHHH.” The dog was struck straight across the face, knocking him down to the cold stoney floor. The griffin grinned as he watched the dog handle his face with care. He spread his wings, challenging the dog to even try and get back up. The fallen fighter groaned as he crawled to a wooden plank and picked himself up. He adjusted his jaw carefully, checking sure that it was still intact with his head. *SNAP* “AHHHHHHHHHHHHH-” Now it is. The griffin chuckled as he curled his talons into fist, ready to go another round against the mutt. With him leaning against the wood and nursing his jaw, the dog scanned the area of the crowd, seeing their excited faces, all grateful that they made a wise bet with their bits. I think that’s enough of a show for now. Slowly standing tall, the dog held his muzzle as he casually walked towards the gate, passing the confused griffin. “HEY! Where do you think you’re going?” “I’m done. You bested me, good sir! I’ve lost. Now if you excuse me, I’m gonna go grab myself a drink.” He said as he reached over the wood for his fedora and jacket, holding the hat steady in his claws. It was all good fun, and he didn’t want to humiliate the poor griffin. He did nothing wrong against- *HAAK- PTOOOE* ….... Did... he just spit at me? The dog stood rigid as he felt a new wet spot adorned the back of his furry head. Slowly, he moved his paw as to confirm his suspicions of the moist fur. He could feel the griffin grinning, knowing that the dog was not about to leave any time soon. The room fell silent to the dog as he began his cold calculation on the bird. [End song here] This mustn’t register on an emotional level. Looking down at his jacket and hat, he placed the jacket back to hang on the wood as he turned to face the fighter once more. First, distract target... He moved counterclockwise around the griffin, having his right paw trace the planks gently. Then block blind jab, counter with cross to left cheek... The griffin was now getting anxious, wanting to finish off his prey and prove he was victor of the ring by fights, not by having the enemy leave out on him. Discombobulate. Dazed, will attempt wild haymaker. Employ elbow block and body shot... The dog now was tapping his index finger to his own beat as he continued to slowly analyze the future situation. Block feral left, weaken right jaw. Now, fracture... The dog was now on the opposite of the gate, now looking curiously at his own fedora in his own two paws. The griffin, as well as the crowd, was getting too impatient. Break cracked ribs, traumatize solar plexus. Dislocate jaw entirely.... “Come on now, you stupid mutt! Show me what you got.” Heel kick to diaphragm.... “Tell you what,” The griffin teased. “You beat me and I’ll even give this shiny necklace I found on the streets!” The griffin maliciously grinned as he showed off the jewelry that he kept in one of his pouches. Can’t let such fine gold go to waste... In summary: ears ringing, jaw fractured, three ribs cracked, four broken. Diyafram hemorrhaging. Physical recovery: Six weeks.... “But if I win, I’m gonna take that pretty hat of yours and shit all over it if you keep staring at it like its your lover!” For psychological recovery: Six months. Capacity to spit back at head: Neutralized. The dog stared coolly at the mad griffin, both waiting for the right moment to strike. Just have to wait for the right timing to commence. ….. ….. …... Now. With that, the dog threw his hat in the griffin’s face, blocked the blind jab and countered with a shot to the bird’s face, then smack both sides of the head, causing the griffin to stumble backwards. The griffin threw a savage swing, only to have the dog block with his elbow and return a jab to the ribs proceeding then to crack his chest, face, neck and elbows. In a final assault, he shoved his claw foot straight towards the foe, knocking him back and crashing into the wooden gate, having splinters fly everywhere. Thank you sherlock, you wonderful teacher. Still an ass, but a great teacher. The crowd was stunned, seeing the griffin groan as the dog stood tall, breathing easy from such an offense. Looking around himself, the diamond dog found his fancy hat on the floor and placed it on his head, having his ears hold the fedora carefully on top. The dog looked around the shocked gambler’s faces, silence having filled the basement room. The tension was high too, having so many drunken ponies just lost their bettings. The dog had to think of something quick if he wanted to leave without harming anyone else unintentionally. Eh, might as well give them some more fun. With this thought, the dog lifted both his paws into the air and shouted... “DRINKS ARE ON ME!” The once quiet audience was now uproaring in merriment and cheers, forgetting that they’ve lost their wagers, but instead, using the prize money for their drinks. Which most of it would’ve ended up being used for drinks anyways. As the gamblers all filed out of the room to tell the bartender what to drink, the dog looked down and smiled at the fallen griffin, who was now knocked out cold on the cellar floor. Bending his knees for a clearer look, the dog couldn’t help but grin at wounded fighter. “I believe you said you owe me a necklace of some sorts?” Using his paws, he reached into the griffin’s pockets, prodding through the sack for the item that was wager to him. “Ah hah! There you are.” His paws slowly lifted a golden chain out of the pockets, smiling all the while at his new reward. He grinned a toothy smile at the reflected amulet that was linked with the chains. The green gem that centered the amulet shined a dim light as the dog held the chains. “Hm... This is a pretty necklace alright,” He said as he slowly got up and placed the amulet around his neck. “I think I’ll hold on to this. Pleasure doing business with ya.” With that said and done, the dog went up to the party upstairs, the drunk all drinking with their prepaid beer and rum, all laughing and recalling about the fight that happened just moments ago. Ponies, diamond dogs and griffins all lining up and being joyful with one another, not a care as they drank hardy. The dog could only smile at the small happiness he accomplished. He casually walked back towards the counter with the now busy bartender. “I don’t know how ye did it, but yer making this place more lively.!” The happy owner laughed as he went to fill out more drinks. “They be going on about how ye won the match against Razor. Crazy drunkards.” “It’s true though, I did win.” The dog cheekily smiled. “Plus I’m using the winnings to help pay for everypony’s drinks.” The bartenders froze what he was doing, mugs filled to the brim in both his hooves as he gawked at the dog. Shaking his head, he hurried and delivered the drinks, only to come back and say. “Really! Ye even won against Razor!? And using the winnings to pay for everypony?! Mutt, I don’t know whether ye be mad or generous.” “Just helping out some ponies is all. Gotta keep them smiling now.” “Aye, no kidding. After all that’s been happening the past few years, we need some happiness in our lives. What’s yer name, mutt?” The bartender questioned as he gave the dog another apple cider. The dog placed his left paw on his fedora as he tipped his head back and chugged the sweet apple product down in one sitting. Once he finished the fine drink he smiled a toothy smile as he stated his strange name to the bartender. “My name is Sigma,” The dog answered, tipping his hat. “At your service.” The red pony raised a curious eye at the dog. “Sigma, hm? Aye, a strange name for a strange mutt, such as yerself. I have to ask ye though, what’s a diamond dog like yerself doing in this little town of ours?” Sigma tapped his chin with his finger, giving some thought before carefully answering the bartender. He could trust him with some of this information. “You see... I’m building this.... Idea.” The diamond dog hesitantly said over the rowdy drunks singing an out-of-tune song. “I looking for a few things to help me with this idea. Iron, granite, steel, gems. Heck and sturdy mineral I can find. Oh and a blacksmith too. Know where I can find these?” The red pony leaned in, squinting at the dog as he whispered “I may know where ye can find a blacksmith. He’s an old friend of mine. The question is lassie, why would ye need all them minerals?” The dog grinned wide, showing off his sharp, pearly whites. The bartender physically flinched and inched back slowly, afraid for what the diamond dog might say. Instead, Sigma reached into his pack and pulled out a blue rolled up sheet. Placing the blue mysterious paper on the counter, he unrolled it with his paws slowly, holding the edges so it wouldn’t roll up again. He turned the blue paper towards the bartender, so that he can get a better picture of this idea Sigma had. However, to the pony, this was all alien to him. Examining the paper, the bartender couldn’t make out much, other that it was a design for something..... unique. He recognized number and distances, but most of the words seemed foreign to him. He never seen something like this before, and he’s seen ALOT of things as a bartender. Just nothing like this. Curiosity getting the better of him, the pony just had to ask “What, erm... What the hay is it?” “A blueprint.” The dog simply stated as his eyes looked over the exact same paper. “A blueprint? For what exactly?” The bewildered pony questioned. “For protection....” With that said, the orange diamond dog lifted his paws off the paper, having the blueprint roll back into its original shape. “Well... Like I said, the blacksmith might be able to help ye, though I doubt even he would understand what that is. Thats the good news.” The diamond dog raised his eyebrow as he was returning the design into his sack. “The bad news is getting all them minerals ye need. See, the rumors ye been hearing around the bar now. They be true.” “There be a killer colt out loose in those mines. He murdered every pony in there. Even this poor guard’s brothers.” He pointed to the diamond dog's left, back towards the guard from earlier, though instead of drinking, he was literally passed out on the counter. The tear streaks on his face was noticeable to both Sigma and the bartender. The elder pony let out a heavy sigh as he looked on towards the blue guard. “*Sigh* Poor lass. Lost alot this week. He’s been drinking ever since he came back from them mines. No miners been down there for awhile now. Prices on gems and minerals have spiked since it happened. So, unless ye got more bits to pay for ye supplies, which I highly doubt, mutt, ye ani’t getting any of yer supplies soon.” The dog stayed silent as he pondered, still looking at the snoozing colt besides him. He needed those supplies for his idea. An idea that he could gain quite an upper hand against anything that went against him. If he can get the materials, this idea can become a reality for him and only him. Meaning..... “I guess I got no choice then...” Sigma reluctantly said as he sat up from the bar stool. The bartender nodded his head sagely, seeing that the dog had no real choice to- “I’ll be heading off towards the mines then!” The diamond dog happily cheered. He grabbed his bag and swung it over his shoulder, a new excitement washing over him. With that, he left the happy patrons to their singing and dancing as he went out the front door. The orange diamond dog was off into the night, towards the cursed mines, awaiting to make his idea a reality. The bartender was still nodding his head absentmindedly, not realizing what the diamond dog exactly said straight away. When he did, his eyes shot wide in realization of two things. One, that diamond dog wasn’t coming back alive any time soon. Luna rest his soul. and two... “PONYFEATHERS! Damn mutt doesn’t have enough winnings to pay for all these drinks! Why I oughta....” A/N: New character has arrived! Yes, I am going to keep the ‘idea’ a secret for the time being. Yes, I realize my chapters are being somewhat...... Meh. Yes, I do need to fix that last chapter. When I have the time of course. So for now, enjoy!