//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 - Those Who Dwell Underground // Story: A Heart of Change // by SilentBelle //------------------------------// A Heart of Change – Chapter 8: Those Who Dwell Underground By: SilentBelle Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle wasted no time in rushing over to their friend by the tunnel mouth. As she approached, Apple Bloom indeed heard the faint, shrill sound echoing through the shaft. “Huh, it sounds like a mine cart. Not well oiled, either.” As suddenly as she had spoken, the incoming sound suddenly ceased. With a frown, Sweetie Belle focused for a moment and her horn sparked to life, shooting out a focused beam of white light down the shaft. Two harsh cries of pain sounded down the tunnel in a disturbing manner. Squinting, the earth pony could make out two silhouetted shapes beside a mine cart, their arms over their faces. Around their necks, she caught a glimmer of reflecting light. Diamond dogs. It makes sense, Ah guess. “Stop! Stop!” one of the diamond dogs shouted. “Please turn it off!” “It burns! It burns!” “Woah!” Sweetie Belle cried out in surprise and let her spell flicker out. “Sorry! I didn't mean to blind you!” she cried out her condolences. “I forgot that diamond dogs are sensitive to light.” “Ah think just about anyone is sensitive ta light if they've been in the darkness fer so long.” “Gah! You ponies,” a grating female voice, spoke up, with a growl, “why are you so late?!” The two dogs approached close enough for Apple Bloom to notice their distinctive gemstones. The girl had a sapphire, which played off the greyish-blue of her fur, while the male had a diamond in his collar which contrasted sharply to his auburn coat. They were both scowling as they stepped out of the darkness and both had noticeably darker fur toward the end of their snouts, which served to pronounce the ivory colouring of their teeth. “Late?” Scootaloo asked. She lowered herself to the ground as if preparing to dash forward at a moment's notice. “How'd you know we were coming here?” “Huh?” The sapphire one's eyes darted to the pegasus, then the unicorn. “Wings, horn, and none of them shine? These are different ponies.” “I wonder where the crystal ponies are. They were supposed to be here by now,” the auburn dog wondered aloud, more to himself than anyone else. “Crystal ponies? Right, this must be one o' their mines,” Apple Bloom muttered, more to herself than anyone else. “Sorry fer intrudin' on yer mine,” she offered to the two dogs. “We didn't mean ta end up in here, but we had ta take shelter from a fierce storm outside. Oh, and Ah'm Apple Bloom by the way. Pleased ta meet ya two.” She presented them with her fore-hoof and gave a genuine smile. The dog with the sapphire merely frowned at the action for a moment before responding. “I am Gravelle, of the Blacksnout clan." “I wonder how they came up with that name...” the pegasus said snidely, but pulled herself out of her prepared crouch. “Oh, be quiet, Scootaloo!” She prodded the pegasus with a hoof to emphasize her words, and Scootaloo winced slightly at her touch. Apple Bloom then turned back to the dogs, hoping they hadn't taken offense from the comment. “Sorry Gravelle, she's Scootaloo. She can be a mite rude at times, but she doesn't mean anythin' by it.” “And I'm sure you meant nothing by that.” Apple Bloom deemed it necessary to ignore the comment. “And this here is...” She looked around in surprise. Where'd ya go, Sweetie? she wondered for a moment before spotting her. Sweetie Belle had managed to make her way over to the mine cart that the dogs had been pushing. She had her hooves up on the edge of the cart and was peering into it. “What are you doing, little pony?” the auburn diamond dog asked simply as he watched with a look of amused confusion on his face. “Sweetie Belle, what are you doing?” Apple Bloom echoed the question in exasperation. “Huh... Why were you moving this cart if there's nothing inside it?” Sweetie Belle responded, ignoring the other two questions. “To pick up the supplies,” the male dog stated simply. “Sorry, 'bout that,” Apple Bloom managed to say as she made her way over to the wayward unicorn. “This is Sweetie Belle, Ah'm sure she meant no harm to yer cart.” “How could a pony possibly hurt the cart?” he responded, offhandedly, though there was a hint of laughter in his eyes. “I'm not sure,” Sweetie Belle replied with a smile, “I could try though, if you want me to.” Apple Bloom heard Scootaloo snicker slightly, and even Gravelle gave small growling chuckle as they made their way next to the cart. “Sweetie, Ah swear, ya can be such a headache at times.” “Honestly, I do try.” “It would be hard not to notice, with all the effort ya put into it,” Apple Bloom said with a shake of her head. “So...” Sweetie Belle began, and turned to face the diamond-collared dog, “what's your name, big guy?” “Byron.” “Hmm, Byron, huh? It's a good name, it suits you.” Sweetie Belle offered a grin. “As does yours,” the auburn dog replied, with a slight smile. “Do try to live up to it.” Sweetie Belle let out a light laugh. “Alright! I'm sorry, Apple Bloom. Can you ever forgive me?” The words were so sweet, that, had the unicorn not been sticking her tongue out at her, Apple Bloom would have probably found the idea of giving her friend a sound knocking far less appealing. But she was in the presence of strangers, and such uncouth behavior was beneath her. “Too many sweets ain't good fer yer health,” she stated with her own smug grin. Contented with her rebuttal, she turned to the red dog and nodded. “Pleased to meet ya, Byron.” “Likewise, the pleasure is ours, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle.” “You both seem used to ponies. Well, at least the crystal ones,” Sweetie Belle offered. “Do you talk with them a lot or something?” “Often enough,” Gravelle replied, but shot a look to the entrance of cave. “They are our trade partners. They offered us various tools, supplies, and even a presence in their city if we helped them with their mining. At first many were against it; they didn't like outsiders coming into our caves. But it's good, for both our pack and the crystal pony's pack.” “Oh, and ya mentioned that y'all were waitin' fer the crystal ponies just then. Was that fer tradin' as well?” “A supply caravan was supposed to arrive earlier today. If we want to continue with our digging, we need the better tools that the crystal ponies bring. Crystal is hard to dig...we can't use our paws effectively; we need tools that the ponies make. However, without the shipment, we will run out before too long.” Byron looked at the empty cart. “We thought they might have arrived by now, so we came with the cart.” “Huh,” Scootaloo piped up, “I thought ponies always said diamond dogs weren't very smart, and they talked poorly.” Apple Bloom cringed and shot the pegasus a dark look. “Hah!” Byron let out a small laugh, while Gravelle simply gave Scootaloo something of a challenging look. “It's a common thought amongst ponies, and not a very smart one. You'd do well to remember that we are as varied as you ponies. To think less of others is unbecoming of any, dog or pony.” Ah wonder how true that actually is... Ah imagine both of these dogs were chosen particularly 'cause they're good at dealin' with ponies. But he's right, it's foalish ta treat others without respect. Now, if only two certain foals could learn that lesson. She glared at both of her friends. Scootaloo didn't even notice, and Sweetie Belle merely smiled back with eyes that told her the unicorn probably knew what she was thinking. Scootaloo frowned at the response that Byron had given her, and thankfully, she kept her silence. “A-anyway,” Apple Bloom said, in an attempt to pull the conversation to a less awkward topic, “Ah don't think that caravan'll be commin' any time soon. There was a mighty storm outside, if they were on route here ta here, it'd probably have knocked their wagon over. Ah mean, the trees were flattened fer miles.” “Hmm... Byron, this isn't good. We really need those supplies. The boss is not going to be happy.” “No, she won't. But neither she or Slater will be angry at us. We will get the supplies somehow, even if half the pack is sent out to track them down. But, it is not our place to decide such things; it is our place to find out what we can.” Byron turned to look at the three mares carefully. “Where did you three come from, and why did you enter our mine? We haven't seen a non-crystal pony in our tunnels for nearly five years.” “We're from Ponyville!” Sweetie Belle chimed in happily, playing a sharp contrast to Byron's stern tone. “We came on the train to the Crystal Empire!” “Ponyville? To the south then? Something happened, otherwise you'd all be in the Empire by now,” Gravelle said levelly. “The train nearly crashed, is what happened,” Scootaloo interjected. “We were eating our lunch, and suddenly the train came to a screeching halt, and the front engine was derailed. So, we went out and helped the train crew uncouple the broken engine, so they could head back to Ponyville.” “But, then what derailed the engine in the first place?” “There were some sorta strange crystals on the tracks. Ah dunno really what they were, but Sweetie probably has a better idea, Ah reckon.” Apple Bloom gave her friend an inquiring look. “Um... so how much do you dogs know about magic anyway?” Sweetie Belle asked with a raised eyebrow. “It's kind of hard to explain the whole thing if you don't know much about magic.” “We do not know very much about magic, it's true,” Byron said as he idly scratched his head. “We do, however, know much about crystals. Perhaps not all of your explanation will not fall upon deaf ears.” “Alright. I'll keep it simple then,” the unicorn began, with a smile. “As far as I could figure, there's some other unicorn out there with a powerful weather spell. Powerful enough to cover all the land from here to the Crystal Empire, or perhaps even further. And while that unicorn has his weather over the land, he's able to use the weather to cast spells from far away. I know that seems weird, but that's the general gist of it. He used a huge spell to make crystals form on the train tracks, making them unusable and hazardous for traveling purposes.” Gravelle frowned a bit. “So you are claiming that there's a pony powerful enough to control miles of weather and cast spells anywhere in that area?” She let out a chuckle as Sweetie Belle simply nodded. “Surely, you must be joking.” Sweetie Belle smiled, at the dog's good humor. “Nope, I'm not joking. I'm not the type to lie.” “Sure could've fooled me...” Apple Bloom heard Scootaloo mutter to herself. “Tell us of these crystals then, Sweetie Belle, if you would,” Byron gently insisted. “Oh, I'm pretty sure that they were similar to the glowcrystals that you dogs use in your mines. Though it wasn't dark enough outside to see for sure, I'm quite certain that we would have seen them glowing if it had gotten dark enough.” “How do you know about glowcrystals?” Gravelle sized up the unicorn, her eyes flashing for a moment to the necklace around her neck as if noticing it for the first time. “I have my ways,” Sweetie Belle replied smugly. Sweetie Belle, what are ya up ta? Why're ya antagonizin' them like that? Apple Bloom was well accustomed to her friend's grin and tone of voice, and seldom did it ever do more good than harm. It took all of her effort to not rebuke the unicorn. “Hmm.” Byron merely held a look of light curiosity, if he had been annoyed or angered by Sweetie Belle's antics, he showed no sign of it. “The glowcrystals are no real secret, Gravelle. It is not surprising that some ponies would know about them. Regardless, glowcrystals are quite different from most crystals. Usually we find them deep in pockets of rock when digging near ore deposits. We don't know too much about them, other than that they emit a light to see by when digging in the dark. I've never heard of any being found above ground before. That seems strange to say the least, but I do not doubt your honesty in this matter. The boss will need to hear of this.” He frowned as if he were toying with a thought for a moment. “Would you three would be willing to talk to the boss?” “What?” Gravelle shot Byron a questioning gaze. “You sure about that Byron? We rarely let any ponies into our den, and we never let them into the council room.” “If the bosses don't wish to see these three, then we shall just escort them out. It's as simple as that. But you know they will want to at least talk with them.” Gravelle looked a little unimpressed by the response, but she kept her misgivings to herself. “Oh. You're going to bring us to your den? That's great! I wonder what it looks like. How many dogs are in your-” “Hold on now!” Apple Bloom interjected. “Yer gettin' ahead o' yerself Sweetie Belle. We haven't agreed on it yet.” She looked at the two dogs. “Give us a moment ta decide, will ya?” “Of course.” Byron nodded once in acknowledgment, and the two dogs stepped away from the trio and moved further down the tunnel, to allow some room for discussion. Apple Bloom cast a glance at the entrance that lead outside, past their dying campfire, and shivered at the thought of having to go out there again. She then looked at the dark tunnel before them and the single track that ran off into its depths. Along the sides of the mine tunnel, she noted the thick wooden braces that ran evenly along its length. It ain't actually that bad of an idea, goin' in there with the diamond dogs. They seem reasonable 'nough, and they might even have another entrance they'd be willin' ta take us to. Still, ah doubt all the diamond dogs'll be as nice. “Ah'll admit, it's not a bad idea,” the earth pony said simply. “See, I told you it was a good idea.” Sweetie Belle smiled happily. “I see you're quite chummy with these dogs,” Scootaloo all but whispered. “I don't know if this is such a good idea. That Gravelle keeps giving me that look.” She glance nervously diamond dogs off in the distance. “Besides, it's kind of cramped in there.” “And it's cold and wet outside. Oh, and let's not forget, some crazy unicorn was trying to get rid of us. It makes more sense going with the dogs.” “I can't help but feel you have ulterior motives, Sweetie...” Scootaloo deadpanned. “And I can't help but feel like you are afraid the cave's going to collapse on you.” “I'm not afraid of that! This cave doesn't scare me!” “Don't worry Scootaloo, the tunnel ain't 'bout ta collapse. It's constructed really well.” Apple Bloom tapped one of the thick supporting beams with a hoof. “They built this place ta last.” “I'm not afraid of that!” the pegasus all but shouted. “And when did you get so keen on going deeper into the cave? I thought you were arguing that going outside made most sense.” “Since it started bein' the more logical option. Now we know what ta expect goin' inta the mines. It's somethin' we didn't know before.” “But.. what if they have something planned? It could be a trap.” “Even if it is,” Apple Bloom admitted, “Ah'd still rather face a whole bunch o' dogs than have ta face that cloud 'gain.” “C'mon Scoots, you're outnumbered. You know the rule.” Scootaloo gave the unicorn a sour look before emitting a sigh of defeat. “We haven't used those rules in years, but fine! We'll go with the dogs. But, only because I know your aren't going to change your mind. Just remember,” she warned, “if it is a trap, don't blame it on me. And for the last time, don't call me Scoots!” Sweetie Belle merely smiled, and the pegasus shook her head. Ah don't think you'll ever get her ta stop, Scootaloo. Apple Bloom stepped forth with her friends, toward the two diamond dogs. Celestia knows Ah've tried time and time again ta change her mind. She does what she likes, and hay, you know it better than anypony. “Alright, we're comin' with y'all ta yer den, then. Thanks fer the kind offer.” And ya know we wouldn't have her any other way. Together, the trio followed the diamond dogs into the tunnel. They paused for only a moment, as Sweetie Belle coaxed a simple, even glow of white light from her horn. * * * Scootaloo wouldn't admit it to her friends, but the pressing weight of the mountain was getting to her. To admit such a fault would be to give into the feeling, and she was determined to fight it off. With every step, the air she breathed felt heavier, and the echoing of her hooffalls sounded increasingly eerie. Her wings subconsciously twitched at her sides; she ached to fly once again. Even had her wings not been so sore, she wouldn't have had the room to fully spread them inside the tunnel. The scene before her continued on, in a seemingly endless flow of repeated grays and shadows. The nearly straight tunnel, with its dust-covered tracks, offered no sympathy for the pegasus' plight and acted as a steady obstacle to keep her eyes trained to the ground, lest she trip on them. The darkness behind her stalked her, threatening to consume her, which forced her to keep up the steady pace with the rest of the group. While before her, the backs of the diamond dogs could be seen as they pushed the empty cart along the tracks, it's metallic keening sent shivers down the pegasus' spine. The small dome of light which emanated from Sweetie Belle was the only thing that kept Scootaloo from losing her nerve. She couldn't shake the feeling that the dogs were up to something. Why would they want us to meet with their bosses? We aren't ponies of renown or anything. And the way that that dog, Gravelle was looking at me... I can tell she doesn't like us. Darn it, we should have gone outside and faced whatever is out there. At least then it wouldn't feel like I'm being slowly smothered. She shot a nervous glance at the dark shadows behind her, and stepped a little closer to Sweetie Belle. At least I'll be ready if they do try something. Even without my wings, I'm still fit enough to protect my friends. She kept her glancing at the diamond dogs ahead of them, ready to catch a hint of change in their monotonous action. “Geez, Scootaloo, can't ya stop starin' daggers at 'em fer two minutes?” Apple Bloom whispered to her. “They ain't some dangerous monsters ya know? They're friends to the Crystal Empire.” “So why are they bringing us to their bosses then? You have to admit, that's really suspicious.” Apple Bloom gave her a doubtful look. “They gave us a choice. It's our decision ta follow 'em. We have no reason ta presume the worst from 'em.” Scootaloo let out a stubborn huff. Well, you never took part in the races in Cloudsdale. It's always better to presume that someone new is out to get you. I'm not going to be caught off-guard. “Just try not ta make their whole civilization hate us,” the earth pony offered, half-jokingly. Scootaloo rolled her eyes at the comment, and she saw her friend turn her head with a look frustration on it. It made the pegasus feel little guilty. Sorry Bloom, I'm just not feeling one hundred percent. I'll try not to snap at anypony else. Hopefully we can get out of this place soon. Though, the ever-present weight of the mountain seemed inclined to dismiss such a hope. With a frown upon her face, she kept walking with her friends down the tunnel. * * * A silence had settled upon the group--the sort of silence borne from monotony, and it grated on Sweetie Belle with every passing moment. “Hey, Byron!” she called up to the dog. “I don't suppose you've heard of the Greypaw clan before?” Byron turned and squinted at the unicorn for a moment. “Of course we know of our cousins to the south. While we live far away, our packs send messengers to each other on a regular basis. How, may I ask, did you learn of the Greypaw clan?” “Well...” Sweetie Belle led in, happy to have something to break the monotony. At least for her ears, if not her eyes. “I once entered their cave by accident, not unlike our situation here. I was running from a storm and took shelter in a cave. And then, the cave entrance collapsed behind me. Thankfully, I was able to avoid getting squashed and ran deeper into the cave. Eventually I ran into a dog and he took me to his boss. Eventually he showed me another way out of the cave.” “Hurr,” Byron hummed at the story. “That is an unusual circumstance, young Sweetie Belle. Most dogs would see a pony in their caves as an intruder to be dealt with. Although, you don't have to worry about the dogs in our clan,” he assured her, “they are used to our partnership with the crystal ponies.” “I see,” the unicorn remarked. “Well, I suppose it's a good thing that Ruben was an odd one in the pack then. At the very least, he was nothing if not respectful.” “You mentioned you met the boss of the clan, correct? What were your opinions on Garner and how she ran her clan?” Hmm, I wonder if they have some sort of rivalry. “She was very... practical, I guess. And she was very reasonable when I talked to her.” “Didn't they foalnap you?” Scootaloo asked from behind her. “You call that reasonable?” Byron scratched his head and gave a questioning look to Sweetie Belle, who, in turn, frowned at the pegasus. “Well, she had good reasons, you know?” “Really?” “Well, yeah. They may not have been morally-inclined reasons, but they were still sound logical reasons.” “So Garner had you... placed under custody?” Byron asked gently. “For what purpose?” “Well, I heard about it from my sister a couple years after the fact, but they had already made an exchange with my sister and her friends. Garner had planned to trade me for my sister's assistance in finding gems. It makes sense when you think about it.” “But it didn't actually happen?” Gravelle asked. “This was years ago; how could a little pony have escaped from a whole clan of diamond dogs?” “I have my ways,” Sweetie Belle said, refusing to elaborate any further. She didn't want to think about the chain that had been placed around her neck. Never again! The thought settled firmly in her mind. It still made her uneasy after all those years, the idea of being chained to one spot, to have her freedom taken from her. It certainly had helped to learn what the diamond dogs did have planned for her, had she stayed there any longer. Her nightmares had stopped after she could connect the dots. Over the years, she started viewing the diamond dogs as any other creature with reasons and goals of their own. She really couldn't fault their behavior too much. Their plan almost worked. And it's not like they actually wanted to hurt me at all. Garner just saw an opportunity and went for it. “Well, you can rest assured that no such acts will befall you while you are in our company,” Byron assured the unicorn. “I vow this on my pride as a diamond dog. Our clan knows the importance of maintaining good relationships with ponies. We've benefited greatly from out deals with the crystal ponies over the last four years. I'm also grateful that one sour experience with our cousin clan has not sullied your view on diamond dogs.” Sweetie Belle smiled at that comment and they continued walking down the tunnel for a while. Every so often, Sweetie Belle would notice a tunnel that branched off to the side and plunged into thick darkness. “This sure is a pretty long tunnel,” she said absentmindedly as she examined the passing passageways. “Why do you have such a long tunnel anyways?” “This central tunnel is used for the transferal of our crystal mining to the pony's entrance to our cave. It's for the type of crystals that they use for the buildings in the Crystal Empire,” Byron offered. “The side tunnels are where we actually dug the crystals out, then loaded them in carts like these. The carts and tracks made the transportation easier, and the crystal ponies were the ones that pulled them while we dug. All the gems that we found in the process, we kept, but the building crystal went to the ponies.” “So then, y'all must have been the diamond dogs that were contracted by the Empire fer the Equestrian Games ta build their new stadium. It's quite the sight.” Byron smiled at the earth pony. “We all put a lot of effort into the digging. I am glad that some appreciate such efforts. I have actually seen the stadium a few times in the past and I'll say it is quite a beautiful building,” he admitted with a hint of pride. “It's truly a testament to what ponies and dogs can accomplish when we work together.” “Wow, ya work as an ambassador ta the Crystal Empire? That's amazin'!” Apple Bloom's interest had clearly been piqued, and Sweetie Belle was glad to listen to them chat for a while. “As a business ambassador to the Crystal Empire, I end up there frequently.” “So, have there been any other buildin's that were made by both diamond dogs and ponies? Ya see, Ah'm aimin' ta get a better understandin' o' engineerin' and construction work, and the Crystal Empire has always been one o' the most intriguin' cities for their buildin' style.” Apple Bloom and Byron kept talking back and forth about the Crystal Empire, but Sweetie's mind soon strayed from the topic as something really light caught in her ear. A laughter that echoed very faintly. Scoddri? The thought came to her mind in an instant, and she focused her attention upon her amulet. As she kept stride with the rest of the group around her, she strained her senses, searching for the source of the quite laughter. With every step the sound seemed closer, yet still so very far. Eventually, she could see the emerald strand of magic leading from her amulet, extending outward before her. When she looked up, she stopped in surprise, for the tunnel had ended and hundreds of small glowing stones were arranged in the cavern before her. “We are here,” Gravelle announced with a smile and she lifted the cart from the tracks, and placed it next to a group of other empty carts. “Welcome to our den,” Byron said pleasantly, motioning in a wide arc before them. “The greatest masterpiece of diamond dog architecture. Inspired, of course, by our interactions with the Crystal Empire.” “Amazin',” Apple Bloom said in a whisper of utter rapture. “Ta think ya could build a whole city inside of a mountain. Ah just don't know what ta say. How many dogs live in here? It's huge!” “We are the largest of all the clans, Apple Bloom,” Byron said. “There are so many of us that I do not know the number, but I imagine nearly as many as there are ponies in the Crystal Empire.” Even Scootaloo looked a little stunned, and her wings unfurled ever so slightly from her sides. Sweetie Belle took in the sight before her. It almost reminded her of when she looked at Canterlot from a distance at nighttime when clouds covered the sky. The numerous lights spoke depths to the population that remained out of their sight. It may as well have been outside, for she couldn't make out the roof of the cave from where they stood. Her amazement faded as she frowned and traced the translucent thread of magic before her. It flew out into the distance, toward what looked to be the centerpiece of the whole city. Scoddri... what's happened to you? End of Chapter 8