“Never trust a mine,” Powder muttered.
“Why not?” Rumble asked.
Powder looked at Rumble for a long pause before uttering a single word, “dogs.”
“Dogs?” Rumble asked, “as in ponies’ pets?”
“It’s best to leave it alone,” Merchi said, “We don’t have to worry about it for now.” She then took the lead and walked into the void that was the dark mineshaft.
After what walking for quite some time, Merchi suddenly halted and extinguished all the torches.
“What is this for?” Powder grumbled.
“Look,” Merchi whispered.
Up ahead of them, they could now clearly see the shadows of three dog-like figures in a light from the lantern one was carrying. Soon the light vanished down one of the lightless tunnels.
“Oh, what where those? They don’t quite look like anything I’ve seen,” Rumble said, “though if you think about it, this means that the mine isn’t abandoned or that we aren’t the only one’s trapped.”
Powder sighed crudely, “I guess that hope is out of the question.”
“What hope? What were we hoping for or about?” Rumble asked.
Powder shook his head, “this mine being abandoned.”
“What’s so scary about mines?” Daring asked.
“You’ve heard of Diamond Dogs, right? They are creatures that live down in underground mines out of their overly obsessive greed for gems,” Merchi informed the group, lighting only one torch, “they are natural diggers and can burrow at almost unnatural speeds.”
They started heading forwards once more.
“And what’s so bad about them?” Daring asked. “Maybe they could guide us around this abandoned place.”
“This mine is abandoned, yet they are here. There are no lights except theirs and ours. There is no working, not even them. There’s something strange about it all,” Powder said, “I don’t like any of it.”
“While normally Diamond Dogs are annoying to deal with, they do generally understand when one is passing through, or lost, and will ignore you as long as you don’t have any gems,” Merchi continued for Powder, “but there is no gem digging here. Then there is the fact that this mine was made for that secret room, not by the Diamond Dogs themselves.”
“So the three are renegade or something?” Rumble asked.
“We don’t know and we should keep it that way,” Powder said, taking the lead and Merchi’s torch. They had reached wall where they’d seen the light and shadows.
Within moments, Victorian gagged, “what is that putrid smell?!”
“They live down here,” Merchi shrugged, “what do you expect?”
The group then walked along with the scent, hoping it may lead them closer to a way out.
Powder extinguished the flame and the group halted; they could see the lantern light ahead.
Slowly, they crept through the shadows that danced around the light in the opening.
Inside sat three Diamond Dogs. Two were male and the other was a female. They were all the same rock-grey and were huge in size. They’re hands looked more like iron shovels the size of a Pegasus’s spread wing. The first thing each of them noticed were the hollow stomachs. The other stand-out feature they noticed were the bloodshot eyes, or at least the group hoped they were bloodshot.
Relief filled the group as passed with no problem and found themselves trudging onwards, even though they were still blindly trotting along into darkness.
Not a single one noticed the contents of the room since they were too focused on the Dogs. The room was filled with many gorey sights that should never be described, ever; what was in that room would cause even the strongest and bravest to feel and express terror. This room should best be forgotten by all, for it shouldn’t be allowed existed in this world.
“Another dead end…” Powder muttered. They had just turned from the tunnel they were currently in, and so were only a few feet down this side tunnel. They had all agreed it was probably best not to stay in one tunnel for too long incase they are seen by the dogs, but it seemed like too many times that they were dead ends.
“Um… guys?...” Daring called quietly and insecurely, “this may be a strange question, but, um... are these drag marks and a trail of blood?” She pointed to the dimly lit ground in front of her.
Powder went over to Daring instantly, brightening the ground with the torch. Sure enough, there were drag marks across the ground, as well as blood, though the blood was old, dry, and crusty.
“That… can’t be good…” Rumble managed to get out, actually keeping quiet on his own accord for once.
“We need to find a way out, now!” Powder ordered, instantly taking the lead and running down yet another tunnel.
The others needed not a warning; they were right behind him before he’d even finished his sentence.
After what felt like minutes, the group came to a halt. It was quite foolish to run, but they had hoped the trail would lead them to the outside. Instead, it lead them to another dead end.
Suddenly, Merchi extinguished the light. The group instantly fell still and silent. They noted a lantern light dimly lighting up the corner. It was getting brighter each moment that passed by. Soon voices could be heard.
“Trotting. Definitely trotting. We know trotting,” a hoarse voice grumbled.
“Yes, yes. Trot, trot,” a brittle voice agreed.
“Here trotters!” the third voice called, that one sounding more feminine than the rest.
They came into sight, but the shadows the group huddled back in were not yet touched by light.
“Where are you trot trot?” the brittle-voiced one asked.
Powder slowly brought out his shotgun, preparing for an emergency.
“Trotting! You down there?” the hoarse-voiced one called.
Powder looked at the rest of the group, then walked into the light, shotgun ready.
“What do you want?” Powder asked, glowering at the three dogs.
“Food. Yes. Food food,” the brittle-voiced one said.
“I do not have any food on me,” Powder said. He hadn’t budged an inch; he hadn’t changed his position in advancement of retreat, “now leave.”
“But you do have the food!” the feminine one said.
“I do not have any food,” Powder repeated, “I will not warn you again.”
“You are food! Pony food! Pony meat!” the hoarse-voiced one cried, taking charge.
Powder fired the gun, though the dog was not in range. “That’s not a good idea,” he advised.
The charging dog halted in his tracks. “Guns mean. No gun,” it complained.
“Stay back and leave now,” Powder said, firing another warning shot.
“Don’t fire! Gun bad for mine!” the feminine voice wailed.
“I can fire my gun whenever I want,” Powder yelled, “Now leave us!”
The three dogs then huddled together and started conversing with each other.
“Merchi, the TnT,” Powder whispered.
Merchi silently and stealthily summoned the portal and took out a stick of dynamite to give to Powder.
Powder put his gun away and took the dynamite from Merchi, still not moving an inch from his current pose.
The three look at him as if it was the perfect time to strike. All three instantly bolted down the tunnel at incredible speeds.
Powder had expected it and threw the already lit dynamite towards the dogs. He dove back to the others.
There was a huge explosion.
When the dust cleared, the tunnel had collapsed in front of them. They were now trapped in a section of tunnel that was blocked on both sides.
Whatever happened to the dogs didn’t seem to deter them. They may have howled in pain and cried out, but soon enough digging could be heard through the holes in the debris, though the digging was slow and distant.
“We don’t have much time,” Powder said, “we need to find a way out, now!”
There was a pause as the group realized they could see moonlight.
“Am I the only one seeing this?” Rumble asked.
“No…” Victorian said, pointing towards the source.
Opposite of the debris, there was a small hole in the wall, right at the shaft’s end.
Powder grimaced as he tried to bust through wall with another kick. The digging was almost upon them, or at least the sound was closing in.
"For the hundredth time, that's not going to work, damn it!" Merchi grumbled at him.
"Then what do you expect me to do," Powder roared, "I have a job to do, that is to keep everyone safe and sound, and, if you couldn’t tell, THIS PLACE ISN'T SAFE!" He shouted, then added with a grumble, “and TnT’s out of the question; this space is too small…” Powder needed to think up a better strategy than just bucking the wall pointlessly.
Then an idea hit him. He quickly pulled out a small sack out of his saddle pack.
"Powder, not that," Merchi said, eyes growing wide. She knew exactly what he was about to attempt.
"What's in the sa-" Rumble started.
Pops poorer the contents onto the floor near a single spot.
“Oh it's gunpowder.” Rumble finished.
Powder ignored Rumble as he rolled up the smaller cloth to make a miniature-scale explosive, which he then proceeded to shove into the small crevice of light.
"Wait you’re going to blow up the wall!?" Victorian asked with worry.
“This is only a small amount and should be safe. Any other worries are your problem. This is my job; I’m doing this for your safety. Now get ba-” Powder began.
“Powder don’t-” Merchi pleaded.
“Stop arguing, Merchi,” Powder interrupted.
"Isn't that dangerous?" Daring asked, awed by the stallions determination.
"Stop asking questions and get back, now!" Powder said, holding back in his volume. He didn't need anymore words as they all shuffled back as far as they could, knowing that they really had no other choice.
"So Merchi, why are you two constantly at each others throats all the time?" Rumble asked, in an attempt to change the subject.
"Now is not the time, Ramble!" Merchi hissed.
There was an explosion and Powder flew into the wall just above the others’ heads. He bounced off and landed in front of them with a loud and audible thump. Blood splattered slightly from his mouth as his head hit the floor, painting some red dots and lines on the old, dirty soil known as the ground, and his body went limp; it wasn’t hard to tell, even in the dim, prisoning mineshaft that was holding them captive, that Powder was injured badly.
In what little light they had, the others realized that the right side of Powder’s head had been burnt slightly.
"POWDER!" Merchi cried, crouching down next to him. "Don't die on me you jerk! Come on, wake up! Wake up you damn idiot!" She frantically opened the portal and brought out a first aid kit one would find in a hospital.
"You... You weren’t supposed to die, you idiot!" Merchi yelled.
The other three ponies exchanged concerned looks, not sure if they should worry more about Powder’s injuries or Merchi’s reaction.
Merchi slapped him once. Twice.
On the third one, he stirred from his unconscious state with a moan.
"Damn that hurt. Put a little too much powder in that…”
Powder grumbled, his blue and green eyes opening as he looks up at the sandy-white pony that was on top of him.
“Hey, Merchi, get off of me; you’re not exactly… light."
Merchi's ears perked at the voice. "You jerk!” Shesnorted angrily, shaking Powder’s neck, but only gently because she wished not to worsen nor irritate Powder’s injuries.
"You’re alive! That’s a relief!" Daring said.
"That’s not important," Powder coughed, “in case you’ve forgotten, we need to get out of here!”
The debris behind them had already began to crumble; the feral dogs had finally reached the last part of the debris caused by the collapse and were still digging with all their fury.
Merchi helped Powder up and supported him as they walk to the wall that had been cracked by the explosion.
“Ramble, I’m in no condition to deliver the final buck,” Powder said, turning with Merchi to look at the blue pegasus.
“No problem!” Rumble happily obliged and bucked the wall, smashing it and sending the decimated chunks flying in all directions down the cliffside.
Though the hole they may was still quite a distance from the ground, there stood a conveniently place tree branch that had grown from the tree across from them, bridging over the darkened void below. The branch itself would have been considered unnatural if the tree itself didn’t have a height of at least twice the branch’s length. The trees all seemed unnaturally tall; they all seemed more ancient than Equestria itself.
The branch alone was big enough for the whole group stand on all at once. Below them laid the abyss Victorian had glanced down at earlier, from the lost room, though the castle was no longer in view.
The Diamond Dogs broke through the debris and charged into the open space. Behind them lingered a hungering darkness – a black nothingness; behind them gapped a void from which they hadn’t left for many centuries.
The dogs paused for a moment, adjusting to the moonlight. None of them held the lantern for it was extinguished by the collapse; they’re eyes had adjusted to the complete blackness the tunnel provided them and needed to re-accustom themselves to light.
In the moonlight, the wounds to the dogs could be seen as well. They all had injured paws that were slightly blood-stained and covered in fresh cuts.
They soon were able to see once more and were ready to take revenge on the ponies.Behind the dogs lingered a hungering darkness – a black nothingness. A void from which they hadn’t left for many centuries.
“Pony pony,” one of them said, though it was unclear as to which one.
“Merchi,” Powder looked into Merchi’s eyes.
Merchi met Powder’s gaze and nodded.
“Revenge! Make food pay! Food!” another one of them yelled.
The dogs then charged, but it was already too late for them.
“Everyone hold on!” Powder yelled.
Merchi had cut the branch and they were already starting to fall.
“Are you crazy?!?” Victorian cried, instantly clutching the branch for dear life.
“It should work!” Merchi called back, holding Powder tightly to the branch along with herself.
As they fell, the cliff came closer and closer to the tree and the base of the tree grew wider and wider. Between the two objects, the tree branch grinded itself away at both ends until the group could feel it starting to slow down. Soon enough, the branch came to a halt altogether.
“We still alive?” Powder asked.
“What kind of question is that!” Victorian yelled, standing on the branch again, facing the two unicorns, “you just did that without knowing the result?!”
“This or dog food,” Merchi shrugged.
Victorian went silent, realizing that was something she hadn’t considered. She decided to peek over the edge.
“I still don’t see a ground,” she muttered.
“Ground’s right here,” Daring called. She walked under the log from the other side and appeared in Victorian’s vision. She was about ten feet below her.
“Daring,” Victorian said strangely calm, “did you just fly down here instead of fall like the rest of us?”
“What did you expect?” Rumble said, landing next to Victorian, “it’s a natural instinct to.”
“I’m going to throttle you,” Victorian growled.
The conversation was interrupted by a thud and shake on the log. Rumble instantly takes flight out of shock. The action received a glare from Victorian.
Rumble laughed nervously, “yeah. Sorry 'bout that.”
The tension changed as they looked at what had caused the shake. One of the Diamond Dogs had fallen; he must’ve had his front paws on the log. His back feet were blood stained, showing signs of paw marks that had probably held him for as long as they could, but were unable to save him. Now his body lay on the ground from smashing face first into the log, blood trickled underneath the body and slowly began to pool.
“Is he… okay?” Victorian asked.
“We’d best not stick around to find out,” Powder said.
Daring joined Rumble in the air and helped him lower the others down to the ground, one by one.
Victorian was the last to be brought down. She instantly hugged the ground and started kissing it.
Merchi looked at the Rumble and Daring.
“She’s afraid of heights,” Daring said.
Victorian stood up and glared at Daring, then said, “I’m sorry Daring, but some of us here can’t fly.”
It was obvious the group was trying to ignore the sght of the crushed and gushing body behind them.
“We can make small talk later,” Powder said, still managing to take charge of the situation, even while injured, “we need to get out of here incase the other two climb down.”
The group ran into the darkness of the forest as best they could with Powder’s injuries. They weren’t too concerned with escape because that fall had actually been quite the long one. Still, they didn’t want to waste time.
Once they finally stopped for the night and set up camp, they started thinking about their current situation.
“So… where exactly are we?” Rumble asked.
“We’re in the forbidden section of the forest,” Daring said.
“Forbidden?” Rumble asked.
“Yeah, the section where Celestia ordered no pony to enter for reasons unknown,” Daring said, starting to get excited again. “This must mean some awesome tomb or something is hidden here that no one has ever entered! And what’s best is now we have an excuse to be here!”
“Daring, don’t be so stupid,” Victorian protested.
“But Victory, think about it!” Daring said, “Ruins unseen by anypony else. Mysterious historical sites. You know?"
Daring let the silence sit in the air to make her words linger in Victorian's ears.
“I guess that does sound interesting,” Victorian mused.
Daring looked at Powder and Merchi, who had her first aid kit back out.
“Our job is to assist you for this exploration,” Merchi said, “we’ll follow you until you’re done.”
“Then it’s agreed!” Daring said.
The group still unknowing of the true dangers of this forbidden land, the true dangers that awaited them.