//------------------------------// // Dog Fight // Story: Life, Death, and Ponies // by thunderclap //------------------------------// “So, you’re really planning on going through with this?” Trixie asked; her incredulity at your proposal still apparent. “You keep asking me that, and I keep telling you the same thing. Yes, yes I am serious.” You stated walking side by side with Trixie toward the spot that you found her. “Alright then, here’s a new question. Why are you so dead-set on helping me? Don’t you hate me?” “I do hate you.” “And you’re still helping me?” “Look, I can relate to losing a home. It’s a feeling I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. So I’m going to help you no matter what we think of each other.” “Wow, subtle way of calling me your worst enemy.” Trixie said with a roll of her eyes. “Oh please, I’m my own worst enemy. But, I suppose you could be a close second.” You replied with a cheeky grin. “Do you take anything seriously?” Trixie growled. “I take plenty of things seriously, but it’s also good to relax and lighten up every time you get the chance.” “You’re thinking of taking on a group of Diamond Dogs by yourself and you want to lighten up?!” “It’s either that or start worrying about every little thing that could go wrong. And if you ask me the former seems much better for the long haul.” “Whatever,” Trixie sighed. “There’s no way I can talk you out of this, is there?” Trixie asked, looking up at you with an almost pleading expression. “Nope,” you chuckled. “Besides, we’re here.” Trixie stopped and all the color seemed to drain from her. She looked around, saw the discolored dirt that marked where you found her, and started to shudder. You turned away from the *frightened mare, being courteous to avoid seeing her in a moment of weakness. At the same time you carefully examined the area. Making sure you didn’t miss any important details while you came up with a plan of action. After what you considered an appropriate amount of time you started asking Trixie questions. “Trixie, I know it’s hard coming back to this place, but I have my reasons for doing this.” “I have no idea what you mean!” Trixie snapped, returning to her haughty demeanor. “I’m perfectly fine being here, just get to your point so we can get this over with.” “Very well, I want you to close your eyes and recount what happened to you to the best of your abilities.” “Alright,” Trixie said, taking a deep breath. “As I said before, I was walking down this trail to avoid running into anypony before my next show. Everything seemed peaceful, when, all of a sudden, the ground started to erupt all around me. The next thing I knew I was surrounded by those Diamond Dogs. I tried to use my illusions on them but it didn’t work and… oh Celestia.” Trixie stopped telling her story and started to shudder again. The memory seemed to be too much for her. You tried to comfort her by placing a hoof on her shoulder but she shook it off. “I’m sorry to have to do this Trixie, but I need as much information as I can get before I can take these Diamond Dogs on.” “I’m fine; it’s just chilly out here, that’s all.” You ignored the obvious lie and continued. “Okay, go back to when they had just come out of the ground. How many of them do you see?” “I… I’m not sure… ten… twelve maybe?” “Good, can you describe what they look like at all?” “Most of them had brown fur and eyes, they were easily six and a half feet tall, and each of them had different colored vests on.” “Good job, you’re doing great.” You said. “When I last asked you about this, you said something about a leader. Can you describe him for me?” “I’ll never be able to forget him.” Trixie said, fighting to stop herself from trembling. “He was over a foot taller than the rest of the Diamond dogs. He had jet black fur that was as dark as night, his eyes were this putrid green color that made me sick to look at them. And hanging around his neck was this strange, green gem.” “A green gem?” You repeated, falling deep into thought. “Does that mean something to you?” Trixie asked opening her eyes. “Possibly,” you stated, rubbing your chin. “Based on all the records on Diamond Dogs I’ve come across they generally have two uses for gems: food and commerce. They either eat the gems they excavate, or sell them to other parts of the world. And when their gems aren’t being used for those purposes, they’re kept in stockpiles until they’re needed.” You explained. “This Diamond Dog might be different. He has broken away from the rest of his kind.” Trixie pointed out. “That’s true; he might have a sense of aesthetics that many of his kind don’t share. Still, it could be something to keep in mind. Okay, I think I have enough info, let’s go get your caravan back!” “How do you plan on doing that? We didn’t bring any shovels with us.” “Silly girl, shovels would take too long. I have a much better way.” You closed your eyes and gathered magical energy into your horn. You came up with this idea while waiting for Trixie to recover. If you sent out a sonar pulse you might be able to find the tunnel system that these Diamond Dogs were calling home. You finished the preparations for the spell and sent out the pulse. In a few moments the pulse bounced back and told you exactly what you needed to know. “It seems they’ve got a series of tunnels about fifty feet down. What’s more, they seem to fill in the paths they use to reach the surface so we can’t use those to get down there.” “So what do we do?” “I was expecting something like this. So, I’ll just teleport us down there.” “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” “Positive; now stay close to me while I do this.” You performed the teleportation spell with no difficulties and found yourself surrounded by pitch black darkness. You made a small beam of light with your horn and found Trixie recovering from the sudden teleportation. “Sorry,” you said, approaching Trixie. “I should’ve warned you that the first time is always rough.” “I’ll be fine. Anyway, how are we going to find these Diamond Dogs? We have no idea how large these tunnels are, or where they’ll end up taking us.” “I’ve got that covered too. The Diamond Dogs are probably holed up in the area with the highest concentration of gems. If we find that, we’ll most likely find them.” “And how do you plan to do that?” “I’ll show you.” You gathered magical energy and used the gem locator spell that Twilight and Rarity taught you and in moments a scattered trail of rare gems revealed itself to you. “You’re just full of tricks aren’t you?” Trixie asked with an edge of sarcasm, and perhaps jealousy. “It pays to have good friends.” You replied, ignoring the thinly veiled malice. “Come on, who knows how long of a walk we’re in for.” You and Trixie walked down the tunnel together in strained silence. That didn’t matter to you. You were just helping Trixie because it was the right thing to do. You didn’t care if you made friends with the egocentric pony. At least, that’s what you told yourself. You hated to admit it but you did feel a strange connection with her. You knew what it was like to not have a home, and the way she pushed others away was eerily similar to what you did back when you were human. A part of you was hoping that you could reach the showpony and help her change for the better. It was most likely a fool’s errand, but you couldn’t help but try. The silence was finally broken by Trixie. “There’s something I need to know.” “Sure, what is it?” You replied with a shrug. “You said you could relate to losing a home. What did you mean by that?” “Well, you see,” you said with a nervous laugh, “when I was a kid something happened and my family was forced to move around a lot.” “What do you mean something?” “Look, I don’t like talking about my life. Hay, I haven’t even told my best friend everything about my past. So, would you please drop the subject?” “Fine, as long as I get my caravan back I don’t care what you tell me.” The rest of the trip was spent in an awkward silence. Eventually the glittering trail led you to a large chamber with an odd dome shape to it, and several other tunnels sporadically peppered along the chamber. In the center you could see the group of Diamond Dogs filling what you guessed was Trixie’s caravan with various gems. “What’s your plan? How are you gonna do this?” “I’m going with the good old fashioned charge in and go at them head on.” “You’re not serious, are you?” “Hey you dirty bunch of fleabags!” You screamed charging toward the Diamond Dogs, having left your coat and bag with Trixie. “I’ve got a bone to pick with you!” The Diamond Dogs stopped what they were doing and gave you a strange look. “What this pony want?” One asked. “Me think something wrong with it.” Another said. “You all took something from a friend of mine and now, I want it back!” “You think you can take what we stole.” The one you assumed to be the leader said with a guttural laugh. “You a very funny pony.” “I’m glad I could entertain you, but I’m very serious. Give me the caravan or I’ll be forced to do this the hard way.” “Get the pony!” The leader barked. With that, the dozen Diamond Dogs leapt out towards you, they’re claws aimed right at your throat. “Why do they always pick the hard way?” You sighed. You closed your eyes and gathered energy into your horn. In a flash, you caught the Diamond dogs in a levitation spell and slammed them into the ceiling with just enough force to knock them out for a while. You let out a huff and opened your eyes and felt your jaw hit the ground. Standing in front of you was the Diamond Dog leader, with a maniacal grin on his face. “How the hay are you still standing? You should be down for the count.” “I stole this gem from some merchant. Now magic won’t work on me.” ‘So that gem is magicite.‘ You thought. ‘I should’ve known based on what Trixie said. Alright, time to do this the old fashioned way.’ You charged at the Diamond Dog leader and tried to sweep his legs from under him. The tactic worked, but the leader grabbed you by the scruff of the neck and took you down to the ground with him. You flailed wildly for a while, trying to hit something vital on the Diamond Dog leader. After a few moments the leader threw you off of him and got back to his feet. You did the same and tried to size up your opponent. The leader barreled towards you and swiped at your face with one of his claws. You brought up your hooves to defend yourself, but without their support you started to lose your balance. The leader took advantage of your opening and hit you with a vicious uppercut to your chest. You crumpled into a heap, but that didn’t last long as the leader picked you up by the mane. The Diamond Dog leader stared at you with a wild gleam in his eyes. He laughed for a while before he started to slash you with his free paw all over your body. You could feel blood oozing onto your fur with each new wound that the leader opened on you. Your mind started to go fuzzy and you could feel yourself teetering on the edge of consciousness. You thought you heard Trixie calling out for you, but that didn’t seem right. What would Trixie be doing down here? Before you could black out a part of your mind lashed out and you thrust your horn into the Diamond Dog leader’s shoulder. The leader dropped you and clutched the wound you gave him. You scurried away from him and tried to collect your thoughts. ‘I can’t fight like this. I’ve never had to fight on all fours before. I could use a transformation spell to get back my human form, but then Trixie would know my secret… Wait, I have an idea.’ You took a deep breath and gathered energy into your horn. You healed as many wounds as you could in such a short time and felt your body start to change. A strange itch started to spread across your body and eventually turned into a burning sensation. You endured the feeling and finished the spell. You stood up and looked at your arms. There was no doubt about it; you had changed yourself into a Diamond Dog. And just in time too, the leader came at you with a claw right to your face. You blocked it with your left paw and countered with a punch to the jaw. The leader reeled for a moment and tried to knee you in the stomach. You dodged it and kicked the leader’s knee inward. You thought you had the upper-hand, but the leader punched you in the gut while your guard was down. You and the leader traded blows for a while, both of you looking for any chinks in the other’s armor. You didn’t know how much longer you could hold out, but a bolt of inspiration ran through you. You cupped your paws and then slammed them into the leader’s ears. He let out a bestial cry and fell to his knees. While he was still recovering you punched him in the temple and knocked him unconscious. You let out a sigh of relief and undid your transformation spell and limped over to Trixie’s caravan. You opened the door and used a levitation spell to get all of the gems out of it. And with that you collapsed from a combination of exhaustion and blood loss. Trixie cried out and ran to your side. “Hey, are you ok?” “I’ll be fine.” You huffed. “I just need some rest and something to stop the bleeding.” “Hold on, I have bandages in my caravan. I just hope those Diamond Dogs didn’t throw them out.” Trixie disappeared for a while and came back with a first aid kit. She applied antiseptic on your wounds and you let out a soft moan. She just rolled her eyes and finished treating your wounds. “You idiot,” Trixie sighed, “you nearly died. Why didn’t you give up?” “It’s called doing the right thing and helping somepony.” “But you hate me. Why’d you go so far for somepony like me?” Trixie asked you, genuinely confused. “We don’t have to hate each other.” You said, offering Trixie a weak smile. “Hay we could even be friends.” “Hmmph, The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn’t need friends!” Trixie proclaimed with a dramatic flourish. “But I suppose you could be an exception.” Trixie added with a blush. “Thank you for pitying such a lowly peasant such as myself.” You said with as much sarcasm as you could muster in your condition. “You’re welcome.” Trixie replied, ignoring your sarcasm. “Now um… how do we get out of here? You’re in no shape to teleport us out of here.” “The air down here has to be coming from somewhere. If we can use our magic to track the air currents, we should be able to find a way out.” “I’ll take care of that. You just get some rest in the caravan.” “That’s rather unexpected from you, Trixie.” You said with a warm smile. “It’s called doing the right thing and helping somepony. I learned it from a friend.” Trixie replied, returning your smile with one of her own. “Now get in the caravan before I change my mind.”