Diamond Dogs

by zelkova48

Just a Dog in a Box

An average, run of the mill cardboard box rustled from within the confines of an armored carriage as it rumbled its way through the vast, bumpy woodland expanse that is western Equestria. It bounced and jostled side to side, up and down, to and fro as the carriage traveled for several miles without stopping until it reached its predetermined destination. Eventually, the rumbling and the shaking stopped as the carriage itself grinded to a screeching halt.

The sound of a massive drawbridge could be heard opening before muffled shouting caused the carriage to move again. Even with the shift from pothole laden dirt trails to cobblestone roads, the armored carriage rode about as smooth as a sheet of twenty grit sandpaper covered with a layer of broken glass and rusty nails.

Conversations could be heard on the outside, whether it was idle chit chat or strained arguments, the fact that there plenty of ponies talking was a sign that this place was a highly crowded area considering that the carriage had literally been heading towards the middle of nowhere. Then, for what felt like an eternity, the carriage finally stopped for good.

On the outside, a group of heavily armored stallions began to unload all of the cargo off of the carriage. They were wearing a set of royal guard armor that had it’s palette swapped for something more suiting of their allegiance. Instead of the average white and gold of the average guards or even the dark navy blue of Luna’s night guards, the insurgents all had beige colored armor with red neckerchiefs.

The new colors were suppose to represent their revolutionary ideals, even if it did mean leveling a city or twelve to get their point across. But whether their motives were justified or not was entirely up for debate. All that truly mattered at that point was preparing for what has to be perhaps the largest military conquest in the history of the world. But that day won’t come unless every box got unloaded and stored in the warehouses, especially the one was that heavier than normal.

“Geez, these ration supplies are getting heavier and heavier by the day” a guard complained.

“Well isn’t that a good thing?” another guard replied “That means that we won’t starve to death when the winter months roll along”

“Pfft, that’s if we even make it till winter” the other guard retorted.

“Please. Like that weakling Celestia and her deranged sister can do anything about us. We have the spells, we have the numbers, and we have the will to carry out what is necessary. Something that those two can never understand even with their years of experience”

“No, that’s not what I meant. I’m saying that these rations taste like the hind side of a smelly mule who just finished his business in the loo after eating a days worth of broccoli and beans. There is no way you are going to get me to eat this stuff, even if you bribe me”

“Oh, come on now. These rations aren’t all bad”

“Have you tried any?”

“...”

“I thought so. Now, come on, let’s get going...”

        The two guards ceased their squabble and decided to focus on the task at hand, which was moving all of their supplies into storage. It took them a good half hour to unload most of the packages and boxes of food, all that was left was one final box that was just a tad bit bigger than the rest. It must’ve contained a lot of food if it was that big. Without wasting another minute, the two guards grabbed the box and hauled it over to food storage as fast as they could.

        “Phew, finally. That’s the last of them” said the guard.

        “Hey, what’s up with this box?” the other guard asked.

        “Huh? What do you mean?”

        The two thoroughly examined the box that they had been carrying. All it had was a broad line running through the middle of the box with the words FOOD and HANDLE WITH CARE written onto the side with what looked like a black marker. The font and overall design looked normal enough to pass off as a regular old box, yet there was something off about it that made the two guards scratch their head in confusion.

        “Uh, should we open it?”

        “What! No! What are you crazy? We can’t just go opening around boxes just because you think they’re suspicious looking!”

        “He’s right you know. It’s rude to go opening things without the permission of your superiors...” a new third voice joined in.

        The two guards froze at the sudden introduction of a mysterious new voice. But before they could even have a chance to reached for their sheathed weapons, both of their heads were gripped within a vice like paw and were slammed together like a pair of brass cymbals. During that very instant, the two unsuspecting guards were out like a light, falling to the floor as consciousness slipped away from them.

        It didn’t take very long for the two unconscious guard to be tied up, gagged with their own neckerchiefs and hidden away inside the box that they inspected not five minutes ago. Before long, their aggressor stepped out into the light and revealed himself.

Rover quickly inspected his surroundings the moment he appeared onto the scene. He made a break for the door, peering through the crack to see if he had anyone else had been alerted of his presence. He checked both sides, and saw that he was still in the clear. No one else had even the slightest clue of what went down in the storage room. This was good, Rover didn’t need anyone else to know that he was there at all.

“So far, so good...” Rover whispered to himself. He pulled out his small knapsack and rummaged through its contents. Inside was a small collapsible hand crossbow, a set of tranquilizing darts, a coil of rope that had been attached to a grappling hook, a binocular and his two way radio. It was the bare bones essentials, but it was all that was needed.

After double checking to make sure he had everything, he walked over to an isolated corner of the room and crouched down as he reached for his two way radio. He fiddled with it for a bit, tweaking with the knobs until he found the proper frequency for his comrades in arm.

“This is Rover, come in. Is anyone there?” he asked through the radio. He received static for a good few seconds. Soon, some feedback from the radio signaled him of his incoming message.

“Hello? Hello? Is this thing working right?” Hunter asked from the other end.

“Hunter? Is that you” Rover asked “Tell me, where are you at right now?”

“Me and two others have set up shop at least a kilometer away from the fort, we got a small camp and everything. Not only that, we’re prepared to get you out of there the moment everything goes to Tartarus”

“That’s good to hear. How are things looking on your end?”

“Not bad, not bad. I can’t say the same for you though. Spot was right, it’d be suicide to try a head on assault on that massive thing. On one side alone, I counted at least fifty, maybe even sixty guard all on patrol at once. I mostly see unicorns around the wall, but pegasi are patrolling the air space, and earth ponies are blocking every possible entryway into the fort”

“But even with all of their defences and patrols, their security was anything but infallible. I’m inside, and none are the wiser”

“The false hijacking was a success. Although, I can’t imagine what it must’ve been like to be stuck inside of a cardboard box for hours on end inside of a carriage on a bumpy dirt trail”

“I didn’t mind. In fact, I found it to be quite comfortable. Natural, almost. It’s a shame that I had to abandon the box though...”

“We all have to make sacrifices, Rover. That’s how our lives work. We can’t get something for nothing. Boxes aside. I can’t see through walls, Rover. What’s the inside look like? I need details so that we can crack it wide open later”

Rover got up and walk over the door again and peered through the crack once more. He scanned the area, making sure to take mental notes of the various key point and structures that will be instrumental in taking down this fort. He did a quick sweep of the area, but found nothing of great importance that would help his cause. He crouched down and pulled out his radio again.

“I can’t see anything from this angle. The only thing that I can tell you is that this place looks incredibly medieval from the inside”

“Hmm... try to find a better vantage point. I don’t know where you are, but from where I am, there is a tower to the north that has a blind spot. If you can make it there in one piece, you’ll get a better view of the fort’s interior. But remember, this is a sneaking mission, try not to get caught, and don’t go starting fights that you can’t win”

“I trained under Wulfe since I was pup, Hunter. I know the rules of stealth. Rover, out”

        With that said, he pocketed his radio and pulled his bandanna over the lower half of his face. He quickly left the storage room and headed out in what looked to be the eastern courtyard of the complex. He could see plenty of carriages lined up in neat rows just nearby, he also saw the same carriage that he hid in before he got here.

Up by the corners of his eyes was the tower that Hunter mentioned. Rover reached for his binoculars and surveyed the tower. He could spot only one guard up there. But not only that, he looked incredibly lazy, as evident by his slouched posture and weary face. Putting his binoculars away, he set off to make his way to the tower all while sticking as close to the shadows as to avoid any and all detection.

As he skulk his way past the courtyard, using anything that he could hide behind, shrubs, large crates, and ornamental statues, Rover could easily see how outnumbered he and the pack truly were.

There were hundreds of armored stallions and mares in one courtyard alone, possibly hundreds more within the inner confines of the central towers and walls itself. All were equipped with the same beige colored armor and red neckerchiefs and some sort of weapon to their choosing.

There was surprisingly, an equal mix of all pony subspecies, and they were all either honing their skills or were simply relaxing and chatting amongst themselves. But regardless of their demeanor, if Rover were to get caught now, it would take a miracle for Hunter to bust him out with only his crossbow and two other dogs.

“I sure hope the other packs get here fast...” Rover whispered to himself before sneaking off towards the direction of the tower. After passing three other living quarters and what he assumed was the latrines, Rover let out a relieved sigh when he finally reached the other wall of the fort. All he had to do now was find the ladder so that he cou-