Spike walked between Rover, Fido, and Spot, with the rock pick in his claws. Having little energy or motivation left, Spike did not bother to either nor dare to fight against the diamond dogs again. He continued marching on where the others were leading him. After a few minutes, Spike had been brought to some of the wider, and brightly lit tunnels. In the distance, he could hear a faint chanting that continued to grow louder and louder as he got closer. At last, Rover, Fido, and Spot led Spike to a large, cavernous area, filled with other diamond dogs who were hard at work.
“
Hoo hah hoo hah, we chip and chip, the ground away.
Hoo hah hoo hah, we work all night and work all day.
Hoo hah hoo hah, we move rocks, and dirt, and clay.
Hoo hah hoo hah, we work hard, we do not play.
Hoo hah hoo hah, we will all dig, for our pay.
Hoo hah hoo hah, we still work on, we’re here to stay.
Hoo hah hoo hah, we hope for gems, loads someday.
Hoo hah hoo hah, we hope we find, we hope we may.
“
Spike took a long moment to take in the marvelous sight before him. Suddenly, he felt himself shoved forward, which caused him to fall and land in the tier below within the artificial cavern. Spike stood back up and picked up the rock pick that fell besides him. Rover, Fido, and Spot slid down the steep walls of the cavern, and stopped besides Spike.
Rover placed a small safety helmet onto Spike’s head. Spot put down a small empty wooden crate next to Spike, and Fido pushed a massive, empty, iron mine kart up to them. At the lower levels of the cavern, there were many other diamond dogs packed all around, chipping at the ground, and hauling loose debris out of the way. Rover waved a paw, signaling a nearby diamond dog guard to come to them. The guard approached, and then stood silently in attention. The guard was dressed in his steel armor and helmet, and carrying a large shield and pike.
“This dragon here owes us some gems. You are to watch over him, and make sure he does his work. Use any means necessary to keep him in line.”
“Yes sir,” said the diamond dog guard, while nodding. Spike took another look at the diamond dog guard. Spike recognized that he was one of the eleven guards who confronted him earlier.
“As for you dragon, you will not stop digging, until this small box is full of gems or minerals. All debris goes in this iron kart. If you are caught putting rocks, dirt, sand, or anything we do not want in that box, it gets emptied, and you start over. Got it?”
“Yes,” said Spike submissively.
“Good, now get to work. If you do what we ask, we will let you and your pony friend Rarity go free,” said Rover. Spike immediately perked up upon hearing that last statement. “We want you finished by midnight. We will come back to check on you before then, dragon.” And with that, Rover, Fido, and Spot turned and walked away.
Spike suspected that the diamond dogs were telling him the truth this time. All he had to do was fill up that one box with gems, and both him and Rarity would be set free. He would be the one solely responsible for rescuing Rarity from the tyrannical grasps of the diamond dogs. Rarity would then most likely offer her most generous thanks to him. It would also prove that he took the right action, and that Twilight was wrong for berating him. With newfound vigor, Spike stood in a convenient space between two diamond dog workers, and began swinging the rock pick into the stone.
“Faster dragon!,” ordered the diamond dog guard who was assigned to manage the area. Doing as he told, Spike quickened the speed of his strikes, repeatedly hitting the solid stone wall with his pick. Already exhausted from what he did earlier that day and still suffering from his previous injuries, Spike ran out of breath before long, and needed a few minutes to rest. He put down his pickaxe, and leaned against a boulder.
Suddenly, Spike heard an extremely loud crack as he felt a painful lash along his entire backside. “OUCH!,” Spike exclaimed before immediately turning around. Behind him was the diamond dog guard, holding a long leather whip in his paw. “What was that for?!” shouted Spike.
“You are not allowed any breaks until you are done, dragon!,” commanded the guard. “That is a rule. Now get back to work.”
Spike continued alternating between striking the ground again, and placing the broken fragments of limestone into the kart behind him. He continued at it, in fear of another lash.
“Faster, like what you were doing before!,” ordered the guard. Spike reluctantly complied, increasing the speed of his motions. “Now keep that up, and sing along with us diamond dogs.”
“What, why do I need to sing?,” asked Spike between motions.
“All workers must sing while working. That is another rule.”
Spike let out sight, before taking a sharp breath. At the beginning of the next verse, Spike joined in with the chorus of diamond dogs around him in the cavern while they are worked.
“
Hoo hah hoo hah, we chip and chip, the ground away.
Hoo hah hoo hah, we work all night and work all day.
Hoo hah hoo hah, we move rocks, and dirt, and clay.
Hoo hah hoo hah, we work hard, we do not play.
Hoo hah hoo hah, we will all dig, for our pay.
Hoo hah hoo hah, we still work on, we’re here to stay.
Hoo hah hoo hah, we hope for gems, loads someday.
Hoo hah hoo hah, we hope we find, we hope we may.
“
Back in area surrounding Ponyville, Twilight and her friends were frantically looking around for Spike. Now well into the evening, the sun was setting, and the sky was getting dark. Their search was becoming more and more desperate by the minute.
Not wanting to risk endangering even more young creatures, Twilight and the others decided that Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo were not to join them on their search. After a strict lecture from Applejack, the three young fillies promised not to leave Ponyville, and to watch over Twilight’s castle while the older ponies were away. Twilight and her friends followed the path that Agent 770X had traced earlier that day. Far away Ponyville, they continued their search in a dark patch of woods. Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer illuminated the area with the magic from their horns. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Applejack all had bright lanterns fastened to the front of their bodies. Somehow, Agent 770X was able to see without any light source, despite wearing dark tinted glasses.
“It’s definitely past seven by now.” said Twilight, in frustration. “I don’t get it. We asked the entire town, and not one pony claimed to have seen a small purple dragon, in black and red painted armor, carrying a massive bag. Not one! How in Equestria did Spike not only escape the forcefield I made, but somehow carried that massive bag this far away in such a short amount of time, without a single pony seeing him? And how come we haven’t found any trace of him by now?”
“I’m not sure either Twilight,” responded Applejack, who happened to be nearby. “Even Princess Celestia’s agent is confused. That pony could not find any sign of Spike outside the castle. As far as the agent knows, Spike and whatever he was carrying seemed to have just magically vanished into the air. As if Spike could just teleport himself some place like that.”
Twilight froze in place, upon hearing what Applejack said. “Teleport himself? Do you think Spike could have done that?”
“Come on Twilight, how do you recon Spike would do a thing like that?,” asked Applejack. “His fire breath only works on small, flammable objects, remember?.”
“Starlight said that Spike had asked her a question about activating potions. Spike is also the one who restocks my studies and research labs with supplies and materials. Maybe Spike made and used a potion to leave the castle undetected. Applejack, Agent 770X might be on to something!”
Twilight and Applejack suddenly felt a gust of wind that twisted the plants and tree branches around them, followed by a loud crack from the result of the sound barrier being broken. When the wind settled, and Twilight and Applejack opened their eyes, they saw Rainbow Dash, hovering in front of them. “Twilight, Applejack, I think Agent 770X just found the log that the diamond dogs mentioned in their note, and seems to know where Spike went! Get Starlight Glimmer and Fluttershy quickly!,” Rainbow Dash said frantically.
“Whoa there, calm down. What’s going on Dashie?,” asked Applejack.
“It would better for you to see this for yourselves. Get the others and follow me.”
Wasting no time, the group reconnected with Fluttershy and then Starlight Glimmer, who were searching in the nearby fields. Once together, they all briefly shared their findings.
“As I was saying, I met some other pegasi, who claimed that they saw what could have been Rarity and Pinkie Pie walking together around here yesterday afternoon,” said Rainbow Dash. “This explains where Pinkie Pie was. But that was before Rarity was last seen in Ponyville yesterday.”
“I found this lying in the grass,” said Starlight Glimmer, as she levitated a clump of loose hair that had a very distinct pink color to it. “If this was from to Pinkie Pie, then she must have been around here yesterday.”
“Do you think the diamond dogs got Pinkie Pie too!,” exclaimed Rainbow Dash.
“We only know that she was probably here recently. We don’t know where she went after that,” retorted Starlight.
“Um, I spoke with some of the wild deer who live around here,” said Fluttershy. “None of them claimed to have saw Pinkie Pie. But one male dear said that he saw three strange dogs come by here late last night, carrying a box. He said they went that way,” said Fluttershy as she pointed a hoof. “Maybe those were the diamond dogs who took Rarity?”
“We’re already going that general direction anyway,” said Twilight. “Once we find Agent 770X,” we should have our answers.
The five mares continued through the patch of forest, and into the rocky plains and hillsides on the other end. Rainbow Dash suddenly took to the sky and bolted ahead in powerful gust of wind, before racing back to the others. Signaling where to go, Twilight and the others sprinted to the location. In the distance, Twilight spotted Agent 770X standing on a large wooden log. Besides the agent was a large lantern, burning brightly in the early dusk, illuminating the vicinity.
“I have some bad news Princess,” said Agent 770X, as Twilight ran closer. “The diamond dogs got to Spike a few hours ago.”
“What do you mean…” said Twilight, before slowly training off. She took a look at her surroundings. The evidence of what happened there earlier was abundant. The most glaring evidence were the small pieces of black and red painted aluminum plating, scattered all around the area. Also lying on the ground was a small, old, iron helmet, a blunt, lightweight, iron mace, and a makeshift aluminum shield. There were claw marks and divots in the ground, along with a small crater, as if there had been some kind of intense skirmish. There were several mounds of dirt in the ground, which resembled the filled in holes that the diamond dogs were known to leave behind. Next to the log beneath Agent 770X was a wide empty pit in the ground with freshly loosened dirt around it. The pit looked like it was large enough to be the hole that the diamond dogs would have made in anticipation of Rarity’s ransom payment. But must unnervingly of all was the small amount of what was undeniably dragon blood, that had been spilled onto the grass in front of Twilight. Agent 770X and Twilight’s friends remained silent, as they watched Twilight witness the scene for herself. Twilight’s own blood ran cold, as she assumed the worst.
“No doubt this is the work of the diamond dogs,” said Agent 770X. “We’re near one of their few colonies, which consists of a complex network of tunnels beneath that nearby mountain range. If they were the ones who took Spike, they would have likely taken him in somewhere in there, along with Rarity. Don’t lose hope Princess Twilight, we still might be able to recover your friends.”
“Twilight, Spike is most likely still okay. As you sometimes say, he is far tougher than we think,” said Rainbow Dash, affirmingly.
“Rarity did say that the diamond dogs were not all that bad after we first rescued her from them,” said Fluttershy. “I trust that they would not hurt Spike if they caught him.”
“Fluttershy is right, I’m sure Spike is all right Twilight,” assured Applejack.
“We’ll get Spike back,” said Starlight Glimmer.
Twilight remained silent. She walked over to Spike’s discarded helmet. She lied down on the ground besides it, and grasped the old piece of metal tightly in her forehooves. Twilight then clenched her eyes shut, her own thoughts drowning out anything that was being spoken to her.
Twilight thought back on the day when she first saw Spike try that helmet on. She thought about how proud he looked when looking into his mirror while wearing his completed set of armor. She thought about all of the various times when she scolded Spike, shamed him, and disciplined him, whether it was justified or not. She thought about all of the times she warned Spike that his hopes were unrealistic, and doomed for failure. She thought about the aftermath of each of his more catastrophic failures, most of which were started from his own ridiculous ambitions. She thought about a few of Spike’s honest achievements, from obtaining the bloodstone Scepter, to getting his wings, to helping her and her friends vanquish the forces of evil. She thought about Spike’s identity crisis as a young dragon living among ponies, including his multiple treks to the dragon lands. She thought about Spike’s earlier years, before he even learned to read and write. Finally, Twilight thought about the time she artificially hatched Spike from a stillborn egg as a young filly.
Tears forced themselves out of Twilight’s tightly clenched eyes. Uncontrolled sobs left her mouth, between labored breaths. Twilight continued to press the small helmet into her body with her forehooves. It was one of the few remaining belongings that she had of the young dragon who she was sure that she would never get to see or hear from again.
“SPIKE YOU STUPID FOOL! I KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN!,” wailed Twilight. She hardly even noticed the empathetic touch of Fluttershy’s hoof, on her back. “THOSE CRUEL, HEARTLESS, SAVAGE BEASTS! SPIKE JUST WANTED TO PROVE THAT HE COULD BE A HERO, AND THEY TOOK HIM AWAY FROM US!,” shouted Twilight, between gritted teeth, as tears fell off her face. “THE DIAMOND DOGS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS WILL ANSWER FOR THEIR CRIMES! THEY WILL SUFFER FOR WHAT THEY HAVE DONE!” Twilight Sparkle quickly stood up, not even noticing that she frightened Fluttershy. She turned towards her other friends, an intense mixture of rage and grief expressed through bloodshot eyes, streams of tears, and heavy breaths.
“Easy there, Sugar Cube,” said Applejack concerningly, yet sternly. “We don’t know for sure what happened to Spike. Even if the worst did happen, it would do no pony any good to let our emotions get the better of us. We should think about what we found before we do anything rash.”
Twilight stared at Applejack, hate still burning in her eyes. Twilight then clenched her eyes, took a deep breath, and slackened her muscles. Twilight opened her eyes again, making a dark, emotionless gaze to the other ponies. “I’m going to have a word with Flash Sentry about what was found. I will be back here in a few minutes,” said Twilight coldly. Her horn lit up with the purple color of her magic, before she vanished, leaving behind only a few magical sparks that faded into the night.
“Oh dear,” said Starlight Glimmer.
Back in the depths of the gem caves, Spike was hard at work. With no magic to locate the gems, the only plan to approach the diamond dogs had to find all of the precious materials, involved excavating most of the ground around them. While such tactics ensured that nothing was left behind, they were highly labor intensive. While Spike had cleared away a considerable mass of rocks and debris for such a small dragon, he had very little to show for it. In the wooden crate besides Spike were a few meager pieces of white quartz, and a few small chunks of ironstone. Even the other diamond dogs around Spike had been slightly more successful.
“Hoo… hah… hoo… hah… we chip… and chip… the ground… away. Hoo… hah… hoo… hah… we work… all night… and work…,” wheezed Spike, between heavy gasps. He had hardly been digging for an hour, and his situation was becoming more hopeless by the minute. The small rock pick that was given to Spike was still far too large and heavy for him to comfortably handle. Already tired from everything earlier that day, Spike’s muscled ached. His body temperature was still slowly rising, his headache was getting steadily worse, and he was more parched than ever.
With the last bit of energy in Spike’s muscles fading away, he collapsed onto the rocky ground in defeat. Just seconds later, a loud whistling sound was sent throughout the cave. The diamond dogs around Spike let out a collective howl, before turning away from their work. With their tools slung over their shoulders, they walked away in single file lines.
“Wow, I’m tapped out,” called out a familiar voice among the clamor. Spike slowly lifted his head off the ground, in disbelief of what he heard. In the corner of his eye, Spike spotted a familiar pink pony walking slowly alongside the diamond dog workers. The earth pony mare’s normally puffy mane and tail were completely straight and hanging low. The pink hair on her body was a tone darker than usual, and entirely caked in dust.
“Pinkie Pie is that you?,” asked Spike tiredly. The pink pony’s ears perked up, as she turned her head. Upon making eye contact, she stepped away from the line of diamond dog workers she was in, and began walking towards Spike.
“Hey Spike, that’s a silly place to take a nap.”
“I didn’t choose to nap here. I’m too tired to move.”
“Oh, I bet. Volunteering to help with the diamond dogs is really tough work. I just worked three consecutive sessions, and I actually feel really tired,” said Pinkie Pie. She took off her orange safety helmet, and fastened it onto the belt she had around her body. Her personal rock pick was also fastened to her belt. She then lowered her flank, as if she were trying to remove something that was hanging onto her body. “I’m completely exhausted,” she said lethargically. “Lucky for me, I brought some snacks.”
“Huh, what snacks?,” questioned Spike, still laying on the ground.
“I brought coke cupcakes. Their made with one of my super special secret recipes. I kept them inside my invisible saddlebags. Twilight was kind enough to apply her invisibility enchantment to my saddlebags, and I have been using my invisible saddlebags ever since. They are really helpful.”
Pinkie Pie sat onto her haunches, and appeared to be focused on the ground in front of her. Then, as she motioned to reach for something, the end of her forehoof seemed to vanish. Then, when she moved her leg back, her hoof reappeared, holding a cupcake that she seemingly pulled out of the air. Spike found the energy to sit up slowly, and examined what was in front of Pinkie Pie. Surely enough, Pinkie did in fact have an invisible saddlebag. The outer surface was perfectly transparent, making seem like the bag didn’t exist at all. Peering inside the visible interior, Spike spotted what seemed to be more of Pinkie Pie’s cupcakes in her bag.
Wasting no time, Pinkie Pie rapidly gobbled up the baked treat in her forehooves. After one last bite, she finished the cupcake, and reached back into her invisible saddle bags for another one. Quickly finishing that one off too, Pinkie Pie devoured another, and then another, and then another. Immediately, Pinkie Pie’s straightened main and tail puffed out to their usual puffy appearance. The slightly off pink color of her hair turned back into its normal bright pink color. Pinkie Pie held her head high, with a wide smile on her face. “Ah, I needed that!,” she said, after letting out after a satisfied sigh. “Now I’m full of energy again.” Pinkie Pie had already grabbed yet another cupcake from her bags, before stopping and turning back to look at Spike. “Hey, do you want to try one of my coke cupcakes?,” asked Pinkie Pie eagerly.
Sitting upright, Spike examined the cupcake on her hoof. The small cake body was covered with a thick mound of rich, brown colored frosting. On top of the frosting was a mixture of powdered sugar, specs of raw flour, and another edible white powder that was definitely not sugar or flour. Spike’s stomach growled as he looked at the cupcake. “No thanks Pinkie Pie. I am hungry, and I know that you’re an amazing baker, but I really don’t think I should have a coke cupcake right now.”
“Fine, more for me,” said Pinkie Pie, as she tossed the cupcake up, and happily ate it in one bite. “But you do seem very hungry Spike. I know, eat one of the gems I found.” Pinkie Pie turned, and reached into her other invisible saddle bag, revealing a small topaz, and tossed it to Spike. “You seem really busy right now Spike, and I’m super busy too, so I guess I’ll go now. See you later,” said Pinkie Pie, as she turned around to leave.
“Pinkie Pie wait, don’t leave me here! The diamond dogs are holding me and Rarity captive!”
“Oh, Rarity, I saw her earlier!,” exclaimed Pinkie Pie. “The diamond dogs really like her.”
“Hey!,” shouted the same diamond dog guard from before. “Dragon, who said that you could take a break? Get up now!”
“Sorry sir, I collapsed from exhaustion. May I please rest? The other diamond dogs are leaving to take their break, and I really need it.”
“Those workers have just completed their second, four hour work session today. They rightfully earned their time to rest,” retorted the larger diamond dog guard. “You have only been down here for hardly an hour, and the best thing you found is that tiny little topaz.”
“No, that’s not it,” said Spike, looking down at the small topaz that was supposed to be his snack. “Pinkie Pie, please send help! I won’t last a day down here!”
Immediately, Spike felt a painful lash cross his face, as the guard struck him with his whip again. Spike fell over, pressing his claws onto his face. “I don’t want to hear it, dragon! You owe us diamond dogs, and you will not rest until you give us what you owe,” scolded the guard.
“Oh, you owe the diamond dogs. What did you do?,” asked Pinkie Pie.
“I fought them when I tried to save Rarity,” said Spike, as he stood back up, and put his safety helmet back on his head. “They sent me to work here as punishment.”
“Sorry Spike, I can’t help you,” said Pinkie Pie. “Every creature must pay their own debts. That’s another rule of the diamond dogs. Good luck in your digging Spike. And when you see Rarity, tell her that I wished her good luck too.” Pinkie put her safety helmet back on her head, put her invisible saddlebags on her back, and then quickly pranced away to where the other diamond dog workers went to.
Spike looked back at the guard. “May I at least get a drink. I can’t go much longer without water.”
The guard let out a low growl. “Fine. The next group of diamond dogs will be down here for the nighttime shift in a few minutes. I want you back here, and working by then.” The guard turned away, and resumed his patrol route. Spike let out a defeated sigh.
Before long, Twilight magically reappeared to where Agent 770X and her friends were waiting for her. Flash Sentry materialized besides Twilight, wearing his armor and guard uniform. Behind them, several royal pony soldiers began magically appearing behind them in magical bursts. One by one, a force of several hundred soldiers lined up, along with several stockpiles of supplies, weapons, and a few large pieces of machinery. Behind the soldiers was a crowd of several other creatures, including familiar ponies from Ponyville and Canterlot, some changelings, griffons, hippogriffs, and even a few donkeys.
Twilight walked up to Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Starlight glimmer, with Flash Sentry and Agent 770X besides her. She still had the same cold, stern, and emotionless expression from before. “We are going to end this, here and now.”