Diamond Dogs

by zelkova48

Underground

        A new day had begun for the denizens of Equestria as Celestia’s sun rose over the horizon for a radiant dawn, basking the various towns and cities that dotted the great continent with a warm, golden glow. The birds began to sing their morning tune, the gentle sunlight peered through the windows of every home as each pony rose to start a brand new day. It was such a peaceful moment in time, on the surface that was.

Far away from the sleepy little town of Ponyville, home to the bearers of the elements of harmony themselves, is a small rock quarry. The rock quarry itself was the complete opposite from what it is when compared to the rest of the world. It was just a large patch of dirt, sprinkled with various boulders and rocks along with the occasional tree or two. In other words, it was unremarkable to the naked eye.

Underneath the dirt, however, was where all the beauty was. Beneath several layers of the soft soil are countless numbers of gems of all shapes and sizes, just waiting to be collected and appraised. Each gem that got unearthed would glisten in the sunlight that beamed varied in polychromatic hues. But we’ve only looked a few feet underneath the surface of Equestria, for there are more than just gems and worms that live beneath the dirt.

Several meters underneath the quarry, in an area that spanned around several kilometers are burrows that form a complex network of tunnels and dens. These burrows are home to one of Equestria’s lesser known, and to a certain extent, less appreciated members of Equestrian society.

These creatures, are the diamond dogs. Bipedal canine creatures that have made their homes in the catacombs of Equestria’s subterranean depths.

While the diamond dogs share the same soil with the ponies, they are commonly referred to as savages. Relics from another time that refused to modernize, and to conform with the modern age of progress. Monsters that lurk beneath a child’s bed, waiting for the right opportunity to snatch a new slave for the mines. Untrustworthy brigands that don’t deserve to be on the same continent as their neighbors.

To say that the overall view of the diamond dogs in general is negative would be an understatement.

Their story is muddled, muddled to the point of blatant obscurity. Ponies can’t even open up a book anymore to read about their kind without some sort of stigma plaguing the diamond dogs. Perhaps their kind is doomed to play the heel in the grand scheme of things, fated only to scour the dark depths in search of gems.

Who knows what lies in store for the diamond dogs? But what they do know is that their future, is tethered to the past. There lies more than just precious minerals in the depths of Equestria.

Most fallen heroes are buried underneath the dirt, others still live and breath in the depth of the earth, waiting for their time to come...

The sound of the rooster’s caw echoed throughout the underground burrows of the diamond dogs, resonating throughout each rocky surface until the sound eventually died off in the tunnels. It was time to wake up, according to the bird. However, there was one individual in particular who refused to wake up, only because he was trapped in a nightmare.

Lying on the dirt floors of the den was Rover, leader of the diamond dog pack.

He was an average sized diamond dog, roughly the size of about one and a half ponies. His legs were short, however, this was offset by his broad torso and his long, muscular arms. His head was egg shaped, with leaflike ears and a strong lower jaw. His tail was short but not short enough to be stubby, and had various hairs sticking out of place.

 He had eyes that showed years of experiences, experience not yet mentioned, and had a mouth that has spewed more than it’s fair share of orders and profanity. His fur was a dark gray, absent of any vibrance yet it somehow remains bold. His only attire was sparse to say the least, he wore nothing but a worn red vest that and a black studded collar around his neck.

Rover tossed and turned as horrific images plagued him in his sleep. His memories of a time long past resurfaced at the worst of times, and had warped itself into a grim orchestra of screeching noises and blood curdling screams. It was all too much for him, he had to wake up.

Rover’s eyes wildly shot open as he felt a wave of pain rush throughout his head and towards the rest of his body. It was instantaneous, lasting for only a few seconds before finally settling down. Whatever pain that he felt earlier numbed instantly, he was back to good health but whatever he felt earlier left him with a migraine that constantly picked at his skull like there was no tomorrow.

He let out a loud and exasperated sigh, he wasn’t about to let a little headache and a nightmare stop him from getting onto his two feet.

        He struggled slightly at first, wobbling left and right before he managed to get his footing and maintaining his balance as he stood upright. Rover stretched for a couple of minutes, the sounds of bones and joints popping into place felt extraordinarily comforting and enjoyable, even if it was just for a morning stretch. With a quick smack of his dry lips and a scratch behind his ears, Rover let out another audible sigh before he made his way out of the den.
          
As he made his way out of his own personal den and into the main atrium of burrows. He looked around to see that his other comrades were out and about with their business. He walked through the room, silently acknowledging all of the greetings that he was receiving from his peers all the while making his way towards his two oldest friends, Spot and Fido. As he approached the two, they both saluted him and stood at attention as Rover saluted them back.

Spot was smaller than most diamond dogs, he was a short golden pug that was around hip level when compared to the rest of the dogs. However, that didn’t stop him from helping out the pack. If anything, his small size and enhanced agility along with his high intelligence made him one of the more valued dogs in the pack.

Fido was a larger brute of a diamond dog, towering over most by just a nose, He was a bulldog with light gray fur, whose loyalty and diligence dwarfed all others. His sheer size and strength has also made him a formidable foe to face in combat.

“At ease you two” said Rover as both Spot and Fido relaxed themselves “I know it’s a little early, but can you give me a status report?” he asked. Spot nodded in return before motioning for the two of them to follow him.

“Of course, sir” said Spot as he he led both of his friends towards a small table all the way on the other end of the atrium, one that was overflowing with various documents and maps that depicted the entire underground with incredible detail. All the while that they were walking, Rover looked around the room again and smiled a little. It was nice to see how dedicated and diligent the pack was.

On one corner of the atrium was a room where rations were being prepared for the day. There, diamond dogs cooked various root vegetables as well as some small rodents that they would find underground into a rich and hearty stew for everyone to enjoy as they worked through the day.

In another, various diamond dogs were either going through intense physical training or practicing their weapon skills. Some were performing push ups, others curled with makeshift dumbbells, most were practicing their close quarters combat maneuvers with each other. It was quite the sight to see, like watching a well oiled machine in action.

When the trio finally reached the table, Spot immediately ruffled through all of the paper and pulled out a large piece of parchment that was the map to the entire burrow. He began to give his report on the situation at hand as Rover and Fido examined the documents.

“As you can see here” Spot pointed to a big X that was drawn over one of the tunnels on the map “The eastern tunnel collapsed last night, I’ve already dispatched a cleanup crew to go and clear all of the debris. And over here” he pointed to a big O drawn on another side of the map “Construction of the western air tunnel has been completed. We won’t have to worry about losing oxygen down here should another tunnel collapse” Rover furrowed his brow before turning to Fido.

“Sounds like everything is going ahead of schedule. How did the reconnaissance go? Are there any ponies nearby?” He asked. Fido, in turn, shook his head.

“Negative, boss. Me and my team did a perimeter sweep earlier today, it’s just another average day” said Fido. While Rover was content with the news, there was something in the back of his mind that continued to nag him. The migraine he got earlier began to surface itself and Rover clasped on the the side of his in an attempt to alleviate the pain. Fido took notice to this and spoke up.

“What’s the matter boss? You got headache?” he asked. Rover just waved it off as he tried his best to look like he hadn’t suffered through an entire night of suffering. Fido, however, saw through his guise and raised an eyebrow “Boss, did you have that nightmare again?” Rover conceded to his friends perception and sighed.

“I’m doing a terrible job of hiding it, aren’t I?” said Rover. Spot and Fido simply chuckled together.

“You were never the best when it came to hiding secrets, Rover. Unless you were being tortured of course” Spot remarked.

“Oh, you just had to go and bring that up again, didn’t you?” said Rover with a soft chuckle “Anyway, it’s nothing to worry about. I’m fine”

“Yeah, but your nightmare probably had something to do with...” before Spot could say anything else, Fido shushed him.

“Hey! We swore never to talk about that again!” Fido scolded Spot “We vowed a pact of silence for the fallen, we would never speak of it until the right time came!”

“I was gonna say if his nightmare had anything to do with when that Rarity pony came here a few years back” said Spot “You remember don’t you? The one where we all had to fake being stupid mutts just so we can keep up the whole facade up?”

“Oh, yeah. That” said Rover before the trio bursted out into jovial laughter. The laughter soon died down and the joyful mood slowly contorted into gloom. the three said nothing for a while, they all just stared at the ground. While the former memory was hilarious (and somewhat humiliating) to remember, what Spot said afterwards threw everyone into a state of deep thought. Rover was the first to speak out.

“How... how long has it been?” he asked.

“I think it’s been close to a decade since we got stuck living a lie full time, boss” said Fido “Who would’ve thunk that the cover story the diamond dogs have been using for hundreds of years would be our prison, with Equestria as our cell” his head hung low “What happened boss? We used to be the best in the business, now we’re reduced to playing the boogeyman in a kid’s book”

“What happened? The world happened, that’s what” said Rover “Grr... forget about it, it doesn’t matter anymore. Let’s just get back to work, we need to check to see if the food is running low or not”

“The food fine, sir. Along with everything else” said Spot “We already ran a full check. Everyone else is just enjoying their leisure time, and you should too, how about a drink?” he offered as Fido pulled out a large barrel full of cider from storage.

“Drinking? In the morning?” said Rover with a raised eyebrow.

“Um... sir, it’s around three in the afternoon” said Spot “We figured since you done such a great job of leading us so far, we decided to let you sleep in today. I assumed the rooster woke you up? It’s been doing that lately, it squawks for no apparent reason”

“Ugh... damned birds” Rover muttered beneath his breath “Fine, maybe a drink will be nice. But note, I said a drink, then after that I’m going to see if the pack requires anything else” both Fido and Spot shrugged.

“You’re the boss” said Fido as he cracked open the top of the barrel as Spot passed around the mugs. Fido then began to pour out the drinks, filling up each mugs to the point where it would have a picture perfect head of foam on each one. Once the mugs were filled, the trio smashed their drinks together for a toast before downing the sweet apple drink.

“Ah! Now that is what I am talking about” Spot exclaimed as his cheeks flushed a bright pink “You *hic!* guys are the best!” was the last five words that he said before falling over and passing out. Rover and Fido couldn’t help but snicker at their friend’s drunken state.

“Heh, he could never handle this stuff very well could he?” said Rover before a thought came to his head “Hey, where’d did you get this cider anyway? I thought we drank all of it a month ago”

“Me and the boys procured it from that one orange pony down by the farm” Fido said with a laugh “You shoulda seen the look on her face when she and her brother when they witnessed a freshly made batch of cider disappear from right underneath their hooves, heh heh! Hilarious!”

“Fido, what did I tell you that I told the rest of the pack about stealing?” Rover’s tone became stern “If the ponies find out about what really happened then it will never end for us. Whatever balance we’re trying to maintain is already shaky as it is, the last thing that we need is for all of tartarus to descend upon us over one little theft!” Rover slammed his paw on the table.

“But, boss I-” Fido could say no more as Rover cut him off.

        “This is not just for you! This is for everyone in the pack! We are a team, we work as one! If one of us falls, we all fall! We each have a responsibility to maintain our secrecy and our facade whether we like it or not! This may be our home but this is not our world! I will not let us be persecuted for an act that a single diamond dog committed!

“I will not tolerate your failure to comprehend the magnitude of our situation, Fido! I will not tolerate my own failure in being the leader of this pack, is that understood!” shouted Rover, whose voice echoed throughout each of the caverns and tunnels for every dog in the pack to hear “I said is that understood!” Rover roared once more.

        “Sir, yes, sir!” The entire pack roared in accordance to their leader. The resulting acknowledgement was so loud that the dirt from the ceiling rumbled and crumbled down. The whole atrium remained silent for what felt like hours, no one dared to say a word in the presence of their fuming leader. The apparent anger that was on Rover’s face faded away to show an exhausted dog.

        “At ease everyone, just... go back to whatever it was you were doing” said Rover as he slinked onto a nearby stool. His face found it’s way into both of his paws as he sighed like so many times that he had done today, it was starting to get repetitive. He was drained, even after waking up he realized that he hadn’t even gotten anything to eat yet. The nightmare that he had earlier already left him feeling like crap, now learning that his closest friend could get him and the rest of the pack kicked out of their homes was just too much.

        “Boss” Fido finally spoke up. Rover looked up from his paws and saw that Fido and the dogs that helped him steal the cider were all standing before him at attention “I understand what you mean boss. It’s our fault, me, Lou, and Tiny. We deserve whatever punishment that you give us for endangering the pack” they stood tall, prepared to be sent to the brig if they had to.

        “No, it’s alright. If anything, let this serve as a warning to us all” Rover said in a low tone “You didn’t get caught, which is good. This would have been catastrophic for us if you did though, even if it was just petty theft. Regardless, you all know the drill, just be more careful and mindful when you’re topside, is that understood?” he asked.

        “Yes, sir!” all three dogs saluted their leader as he saluted back.

        “But what are we gonna do with this cider then?” Fido asked “We can’t just return it”
        
“It’s already here, might as well continue to enjoy it” Rover said with a grin on his mug “Since you all worked so hard to steal this for the pack, we should have a little celebration since we’re all on our leisure time, wouldn’t you say?” the three dogs looked at him with a confused expression before smiling alongside him.

“Boss, you can be a hypocrite sometimes, you know that?” said Fido with a laugh.

“Hey, even hypocrites need to eat. Which reminds me, I haven’t had breakfa- um, lunch yet, let’s get some stew up in here!” he announced as the whole pack cheered along for celebration. With that said, the rest of the pack gathered to the main atrium where a little party was held. Within only a few minutes, the festivities were in full swing. Everyone in the pack was enjoying a good time, all except for one.

Rover just sat by quietly as he finished up his stew and some more cider. He was lost in thought, today had been far too stressful for him and he needed something to take his mind off of things. Apparently that something was cider, lots and lots of cider.

Rover’s eyes wildly shot open as he felt a wave of pain rush throughout his head and towards the rest of his body. He didn’t feel so good, but at least the pain was a more of a nauseating sensation rather than the nagging feeling that he felt yesterday. He struggled to get back onto his feet, all while resisting the urge to vomit. He was back in his own den, someone must’ve dragged him there while he was out cold.

It must’ve have been some party yesterday, all of the cider was gone, mostly because he drank to the point of unconsciousness. He was starting to regret it now, how was he suppose to work when he was suffering from a hangover the size of Canterlot? It was even worst when he realized that he was delirious, he was beginning to see things that weren’t there, like the scroll that was right next to him.

“Huh? What?” Rover picked up the scroll and examined it. From the feel of the parchment in his paw and the smell of fresh ink the paper, it was certainly real. But there was one part about the scroll that bugged him to no end, the seal of Princess Celestia was emblazoned onto the wax that held the scroll together.

“Grr... what now?” he asked himself as he ripped off the wax and unfurled the scroll. While his vision was still hazy, he could read the letter just fine. Although the moment that he finished reading the few lines that were actually present on the paper, he felt an boiling anger rage up from within him as he felt the urge to tear the letter into shreds once he was done with it.