//------------------------------// // 3. Complications Arise // Story: Rescuing Rarity // by Crosis //------------------------------// Chapter 3- Complications Arise ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Rarity was feeling quite proud of herself. The plan, dare she say it, was proceeding spectacularly. The premise was in place, suspense and mystery had been established, all in all, the stage was set quite nicely. The only thing left was for the leading lady to kick up her hooves and wait for the star of the show to arrive. The diamond dogs were huddled around the scroll containing her directions, whispering amongst themselves. No doubt they were ironing out the finer points of their villainous roles. Practicing their threatening taunts, reviewing their course of action, deciding how best to complement her role as a damsel. Not that she had any such need to brainstorm or rehearse. Rarity knew exactly what to say and how to act. How could she not, when it was all she’d been able to think about for the past few weeks? Settling back on the couch, she placed her hooves behind her head and let her thoughts wander. It made her giddy to think that it was actually happening. She could already imagine his triumphant arrival: She was dangling in midair, her back hooves just a few inches from the ground. Her forelegs were shackled to a chain hanging from the ceiling, her hind legs similarly bound, her magic still sealed away. The diamond dogs circled around her like sharks, all toothy grins and arrogance. They taunted and threatened her, saying that she would never be found, never be saved. She turned her head away to hide her tears. Suddenly an alarmed howl echoed from further into the caverns. The dogs froze in place, exchanging worried looks before racing to the door. The last one locked it behind him, and she was left alone to wait and to wonder. The sounds of battle erupted from outside. Angry snarls and barking, the thudding of blows and colliding bodies, and finally the fading sounds of frightened yelps. Then… silence. Suddenly there was a crash as something struck the door. A brief pause, and then it was kicked open with flying splinters and the screech of breaking wood. Spike strode into the room with the magnificent poise of a conqueror, fire in his eyes and smoke blasting from his nostrils. His gaze fell upon her. In an instant all that anger gave way to relief, and then to affection. He took one step, then another, then broke into a run until he reached her. He pulled her into a thankful embrace, and she sighed happily at the feel of his claws around her. He tilted his head back and loosed a thin stream of fire at the ceiling. The chain holding her glowed red, then a brilliant white, and finally broke away. Rarity dropped into Spike’s waiting arms. Lifting her bridal style, the dragon leaned in close. Her heart began to race. “…Rarity…” he whispered into her ear. She nearly swooned at the soft, reverent tone of his voice. The intensity of it sent shivers down her spine. “Yes, Spike,” she said breathlessly. “Miss Rarity,” he said again, only this time the voice didn’t sound like Spike at all. It sounded like… Her eyes shot open, and she nearly jumped out of her fur at seeing the diamond dogs looking down at her in confusion. Thoroughly embarrassed, Rarity sputtered out an incoherent jumble of words as she flailed about, finally managing to get herself into a sitting position. What on earth was she thinking? Daydreaming like a star-struck schoolfilly, and in front of these three, no less? They must think she was completely off her rocker. “Eh heh heh heh, do forgive me. I was simply… um… lost in thought.” She tittered nervously. “Oh,” Spot said with an understanding nod. “What were you thinking about? It must have been something nice, you were grinning and sighing a lot.” Rarity blushed heavily. “Nothing! It was nothing at all. Now… uh… what were you saying, darling?” The dogs exchanged a glance and finally shrugged. Rover held out her instructions. “Well, you said we should get ready for second phase of plan, yeah? But problem is, we don’t have any second phases! Notes end after we bring you down here.” Her brow furrowed. “Hmm, that’s certainly odd. I’m quite sure that I…” She trailed off in realization. That’s right. They wouldn’t have the second set of directions, now would they? After all, she’d purposely omitted them before this whole thing began. “Well, you see boys,” she began. “I actually didn’t give you any further directions. I… I planned to, but then I decided that instead I’d wait until the kidnapping was already finished.” “Ohhhh, that makes sense,” Fido said. “Give us less to read so we can focus on first part!” “Partly, I suppose. But I also hoped that by waiting until we were already halfway into the plan, you would be less likely to refuse.” Now the dogs looked even more confused than ever. “Refuse? Why do that? Is second part bad or something?” This was turning out to be even more difficult than she thought. It was one thing to imagine it herself, it was another to try and explain it to others. “It’s just that I was afraid you might find the second phase a bit silly… or… or even degrading,” she finally admitted. Fido waved his paw reassuringly. “No worries, Miss Rarity,” he boasted. “We help you out no matter what!” Rarity felt her nervousness ebb away. Now she felt like the silly one. How could she doubt these dogs for a moment? They’d followed her every direction with smiles on their faces and wags in their tails, of course she could trust them with this. “Yeah,” Rover said. “Besides, it’s not silly at all! I mean, we just wait until the dragon brings the gems, then hand you over and we’re done, right?” “I’m afraid not, darling,” she said with a grin. “You see, even if we were to disregard my own personal agenda, it would be a crime to let such a dramatic endeavor conclude in such a blasé fashion. On the contrary, such a story needs an exciting conclusion. Danger, swashbuckling, and maybe just a tiny bit of romance… and Phase Two will deliver that in spades.” “Ooh, sounds fun! So what we gonna do?” “We are not going to simply proceed with the deal. Instead, we are going to raise the stakes and ensure that Spike rescues me from your clutches in a most daring and heroic fashion!” All three looked appropriately flabbergasted by her declaration. Not that she expected anything less. She was about to explain further when a noise came from the hallway outside. It sounded like the purposeful, angry sound of stomping feet. A distant shout reached their ears. Was it just her imagination, or was someone calling Rover’s name? The diamond dogs immediately tensed up, almost as if they recognized the sound and dreaded its source. Rover whimpered and covered his ears, turning to face the door with the look of a condemned criminal. Fido and Spot quickly moved to either side, blocking her from view. There was a deafening slam as the door was flung open. “ROVER,” a heavily-accented, female voice boomed out. The dogs pressed closer together, their ears flat against their heads and their tails between their legs. Rarity craned her neck to the side, trying to peek between them. Standing in the doorway was a large and decidedly angry cocker spaniel. She was dressed in a long, fluffy bathrobe with a great number of curlers in her fur. Her coat was white with brown splotches, and her chocolate-colored eyes were narrowed to slits as she glared. “So. Here you are.” The dogs and even Rarity winced at her tone. It was dry and sharp as a flint, filled with accusation and disappointment. “He- hello, Patches,” Rover stammered. “Don’t ‘Patches’ me,” she snarled. “Where you been all night? You no eat’a your dinner! You don’t read’a the children their bedtime story! You just go runnin’ off into da’ tunnels sayin’ you got work to do. Well, you better tell me what’s…” Rarity gulped as the dog’s eyes zeroed in on her. When she spoke again, her voice had dropped dangerously low. “Who’sa dat behind you?” “Nobody, nobody at all,” Fido said desperately, waving his arms. “Don’ta you go playin’ dumb with me, Fido! Or I give’a you just what I’ma gonna give him,” Patches warned. “I see somethin’ back there, somethin’ white an’ purple! Now what’sa that behind you?” Rover looked over his shoulder and gave her an apologetic look, and then Patches shoved them aside and loomed over her. The dog’s eyes widened, and her face began turning a bright and angry red. Rarity knew this looked bad. Really, REALLY bad. Catching one’s husband late at night with an unfamiliar mare, especially one tied up and dressed in a skimpy negligee… She shrank back against the couch as Patches balled up her fists, but the angry housewife spun on her heel and furiously slapped Rover upside the head. He clutched his head and howled, trying to duck away, but she quickly drew back and smacked him again. “SO,” she roared. “This is what’a you do every night, eh? I wait for you to come home, thinkin’ you’re working overtime to support’a you family. But no, instead I find you here with friends, foolin’ around with’a some unicorn hussy!” Spot and Fido inched closer, their paws held out beseechingly. “Hold on,” Spot pleaded. “Just let us explain-” Patches wheeled around and gave him a slap in return, nearly bowling the smaller dog over. “Don’ta you tell me to hold on! You two bums are in just as much’a trouble as him! When I tell your wives about this…” Her words soon devolved into a series of growl, yips and barks as she slipped into the diamond dogs’ own language, but Rarity didn’t need to understand to know that she was mighty pissed. Normally she would have taken great offense to being called a hussy, but now was not the time to be indignant. Now was the time to calm Patches down before someone was murdered. “Uh, hello? Er… excuse me,” she said meekly, every survival instinct in her body insisting that she not draw attention to herself. The other diamond dogs looked up from where they cowered on the floor, and Rover frantically shook his head, gesturing for Rarity to stay quiet. But it was too late for second thoughts. Patches’ ear twitched in her direction, and she let out a low growl. She turned around and stomped back over to the couch. Reaching down, she grabbed Rarity by the shoulders and lifted her into the air. Rarity grit her teeth to keep from crying out at the dog’s rough grip and tried desperately to think of a way to calm her down. “You gotta something ta say, floozy? Well, you better make it quick and’a make it good,” Patches said, shaking her roughly. “Because I’ma ‘bout three seconds from dragging your scrawny rump outta this den and tossin’ you into da forest as a manticore snack!” “We-well, you see, this is all just a… a misunderstanding,” Rarity said haltingly. Her nervous stutter only seemed to anger Patches more, and she forced herself into a calmer tone. “First of all, madam, let me assure you that I have not and do not plan to engage in any funny business with your husband nor his friends.” The painful grip on her shoulders lessened just a fraction, and she quickly pushed on. “In fact, you should be proud of them! They are actually working, and quite hard at that. And I assure you, they will be paid quite handsomely.” The spaniel gave her a disbelieving look. “Oh, yeah? Doing what,” she asked, her accent thinning as her anger faded. “They are working for me. You see, I had met the three of them several months ago, and hired them for the night to help me with a very special job...” Patches gripped down harder as she bared her teeth. Rarity paled, wondering what she had said wrong. ‘I only said that I’d hired them for the night and… oh horseapples!’ Now the implications were clear, and she had just dug herself an even deeper hole. “Not that kind of job! NOT THAT KIND OF JOB,” she desperately said. The spaniel gave her another skeptical glare, but finally nodded and dropped her back onto the couch, crossing her arms sternly. “Fine. But now you gonna tell me everything about this’a job. Then I decide what to do with’a dese bums.” Rover rested a paw on his wife’s arm. “It happened like this, dearie…” Patches growled and slapped Rover’s paw away. “NO! You had all sorts’a time to tell me before. Now stand back and shut up,” she ordered. Turning back, she pointed down at Rarity like a vengeful god about to pass judgment. “You… start explaining.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ With nothing to do but wait, Luna paced frantically up and down the hall. How long had it been since the letter arrived? An hour, two? She cursed herself for waiting so long. What if Spike had already confronted these dogs? What if their negotiations had turned sour? What if the worst had come to pass and she could have prevented it? From down the hall she heard voices yelling and hooves pounding on carpet. Relief flooded through her as Shining Armour came barreling around the corner. “Good… evening… princess,” he panted, falling into a quick bow. “Came… fast as… I could…” She returned the greeting, waiting for him to catch his breath. Once he no longer looked on the verge of collapse, she got right to the point. “Captain, my apologies for waking you at such an hour, but I am in dire need of your counsel. Tell me, does your sister speak or write to you often of her time in Ponyville?” Although he looked puzzled by the question, Shining Armour nodded. “Yes, your majesty. I mean, she doesn’t tell me everything, but…” “Has she ever mentioned creatures called diamond dogs,’ Luna interrupted. “Diamond… dogs? Hmm, wait! Yeah, I do remember Twiley mentioning them. They’re a society of burrowers that live underground. Several different packs all living together, I guess.” Luna didn’t like the sound of that. Just how many of these animals were there? Two dozen? Three? An entire army? “How and when did your sister encounter them,” she asked. Shining Armour looked down, trying to remember. “Well, the only time I heard about was quite awhile ago. I, um, don’t remember how long. And there might have been other times before or…” “Just tell me what you remember Twilight saying,” Luna insisted. The unicorn nodded. “Yeah, okay. It started when the dogs came across Rarity looking for gems. She does that, you know? Uses them for her business and everything.” He could see Luna was becoming impatient, so he hurried on. “Anyway, these dogs, their livelihood comes from digging for gems also. I guess they found out that Rarity can locate them with her magic and decided they could use her. So that’s what made them want to try and enslave her.” That little fact gave her pause. She had assumed that this was some reckless act of greed, and what she had been told seemed to support that. If the dogs wanted gems, and Rarity could find them, it would make sense they would try and abduct her. But then again… “So they have tried kidnapping her once already,” she asked. Shining Armour looked at her in confusion. “Wait, what do you mean once already?” She shoved the note into his face. “Read this, quickly.” His face paled as he looked over the ransom note. “Is this for real,” he asked. “After all this time, they’ve got her again?” “It seems so,” Luna said. “You were saying?” Shining Armour returned the note and scratched his head. “Well from what I heard, they managed to kidnap her and put her to work finding gems. My sis and her friends infiltrated the den to rescue her. But according to Twiley, Rarity had already taken care of them by the time she and her friends arrived.” The more Luna heard, the more worried she became. Before she could inquire further, she noticed her guards shambling down the hall, exhausted from their flight. “Perhaps it would be best if we continued this in private,” she said, turning to the door. Shining Armour nodded and followed her inside. Stoking the fire, she waited for him to make himself comfortable before taking a seat herself. Though outwardly calm, her mind was racing. Judging by what she’d been told, she already had a likely yet unpleasant idea of what was going on. But she needed to know for sure before jumping to any conclusions. Shining Armour sighed. “I just don’t get it. Why would the diamond dogs come back after all this time? Didn’t they learn their lesson? And why is Spike the one they want to deal with? Do they think he’s less of a threat because of his age? That he’ll be more willing to cooperate because of his feelings for Rarity?” Luna held up a hoof to silence him. “If we are to answer those questions, we’ll need to start from the beginning. Tell me everything you know about these dogs and what transpired between them and your friends.” She listened intently as Shining Armour continued in-depth. Since it was only his recollection of Twilight’s account, there was little to work with. Unfortunately, it seemed to fit perfectly with her own conclusions. Especially the way their little adventure ended. The alicorn shook her head. “This is worse than I imagined. Rarity and even Equestria itself may be in serious danger.” “Are you sure, princess? I mean, her being kidnapped is definitely a serious matter. But assuming they pose a threat to the whole kingdom? If you’d heard what I have about these diamond dogs… I mean they’re not exactly dangerous. They sound more like bumbling dopes.” “Which makes this new development all the more serious,” Luna said. “Consider it. From what you have been told, these dogs are impulsive and disorganized. They are not the type to think ahead or devise some complex scheme. But look at what they’ve done, seeking her out and taking her in the dead of night. The organization and planning they’ve shown in the letter, the threats to her safety. It seems impossible that they could come up with such a plan on their own.” “Wait… are you saying that somebody else might be calling the shots?” Luna nodded. She began to walk in place, hooves stamping into the carpet. “Yes. And what’s more, I believe that this entire ransom plan is nothing more than a feint, meant to distract us!” “Distract us from what? And why,” Shining Armour asked. “Think about it. There is little they can demand that could equal the prize they have already taken. Need I remind you, Captain, that all six Elements of Harmony must be present for their power to be unleashed? Shining Armour’s mouth twisted into a grimace as he caught on to her line of thinking. “And by keeping one of the bearers held prisoner, they’ve taken our greatest weapon out of commission!” Luna stepped over to the window, staring out towards Ponyville. “Exactly. The gems they have demanded are a pittance, true. But it will take time to gather the ransom, to meet and negotiate. Their true plan could be executed at leisure while they tug us about like puppets on strings.” “But why Rarity,” he muttered. “Twiley would be the obvious choice. I mean, her magic’s definitely the strongest, and she’s sort of the leader of the group. Or heck, why not just capture all of them? They had the opportunity.” Luna turned away from the window, shaking her head. “No, that would have been far too conspicuous a move. By limiting themselves to a single mare, I’ve no doubt they hoped to keep us fixated on this ransom plan, rather than their real motives.” “As for why they targeted Rarity,” she sighed. “I fear that choice was made out of personal grievance rather than logic. “What do you mean?” Luna’s expression was grave. “You said Rarity defeated them herself, did you not? I don’t suppose you know how?” “I don’t think anypony but Rarity actually knows.” Shining Armour closed his eyes as if thinking back to the conversation. “Twiley never mentioned it. Only that she had those dogs groveling and begging for mercy.” Shining Armour paused and looked at her worriedly. “Wait… you don’t think… that they’d want revenge after their last encounter,” he said. “And that when they were told to kidnap one of the bearers, they couldn’t resist getting their paws on her again.” Luna looked to the side, shame in her eyes. “I am certain that they were just waiting for an opportunity such as this. A humiliating defeat can easily fill one’s heart with resentment and hatred. I know all too well how strong the desire for vengeance can become.” Shining Armour frowned, knowing that she was reflecting on her time and actions as Nightmare Moon. Luna was thankful he refrained from offering any sympathy or condolences “I still feel like we’re missing something,” he finally said. “If this really is about keeping us off-guard, why would they even bother with the ransom note in the first place? Wouldn’t it be stealthier to just make off with Rarity and then lay low?” Luna had to admit, it was a sensible question. But Shining Armour had already continued without giving her the chance to respond. “And if they really wanted to delay and distract us, why would they already set a meeting place and time?” Shining Armour dug his hoof into the carpet. “It doesn’t make sense! It’s like they want to be found, like they’re… luring… Spike… right to them…” The stallion’s head snapped up, his eyes wide and frantic. Luna leaned back in shock as he lunged forward and grabbed her by the shoulders, all decorum temporarily forgotten. “Princess! I… I think I know what they’re going to do,” he said quickly. “The reason for the note, for Spike, for all that!” “What is it? Speak!” Luna was finding his panic infectious, her heart beating wildly in her chest. “Even if these dogs keep the elements from uniting, it’s not like their plan can proceed unopposed,” he explained. “They’d still have to go through you and Princess Celestia. Unless they have some kind of leverage over you both.” Luna gasped. Of course… Spike! It was the perfect way to keep them from interfering. Pulling free of Shining Armour’s grasp, she raced back to the desk and snatched up the note. She read through it again, suddenly noticing the sinister undertones. With Rarity’s safety on the line, Spike would be forced to meet them alone, at the very entrance of their den. Far from help, far from safety, and easily captured. And then they would be powerless. Celestia would never risk her son’s life, nor would Luna. “He’s walking into a trap,” Shining Armour said lowly. Luna spun around, her mane billowing out behind her. “We have to act immediately!” Shining Armour nodded. “Yes, your majesty. I’ll triple the watch along the city walls and increase the patrols in the streets. Whatever is about to happen, we’ll be ready.” “Good. But we will not simply be waiting for them to make the first move. As soon as our defenses are prepared, you and I will be leading a pre-emptive attack on the diamond dogs’ lair.” A small hint of doubt crept over the stallion’s face. “Princess, are you certain that’s wise? We don’t know what might be waiting for us down there. It might not be safe for you-” Luna scowled and tossed her mane impatiently. “Dangerous or not, do you expect me to sit idly by while my subject and my nephew suffer at the whims of those brutes? I think not! Go to the barracks, mobilize the unicorn black ops squadron. I want them ready to depart for Ponyville within the hour.” “But, your majesty, shouldn’t we at least inform Princess Celestia before-” She loomed over him, eyes glowing white and horn sparking. “That was an order, Captain,” she said coldly. “Not a request.” Swallowing thickly, Shining Armour gave a shaky salute and galloped out of the room. Closing the door to her chambers, Luna wondered if maybe she should inform Celestia about what had happened and what she was planning to do. But the more she considered it, the more she realized how badly it would complicate things. If awakened now, Celestia would be fatigued and disoriented. It would take time to fully explain the situation, time they couldn’t afford to waste. Even then, hearing that Spike was in danger would likely send her into a panic, making her less capable of dealing with the situation. No, it was best if she handled this herself. ‘I’m sorry, Tia. But don’t worry, I’ll take care of things and get them both back safe and sound,’ she promised. Opening her wardrobe, she leaned in and touched her horn to a small seal carved into the back. A touch of magic, and the rune glowed as the wall slid away, revealing a secret room. Hanging from the wall was a set of heavy, gleaming armour. As Nightmare Moon, she had worn it to inspire terror and dread. Now she would do so again, and these dogs would know what it meant to incite the wrath of a goddess. Putting her crown and necklace aside, she began fitting the armour over her body. “If you mongrels think you can get away with this, you are sorely mistaken,” she hissed, slamming the helmet down over her head. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ There was a deafening crack, and a beam of violet energy lanced out into the night. The assembled voices quieted instantly, their owners all turning to face the unicorn that stood framed in the library’s doorway. Twilight looked out at the crowd of excited and frightened faces. She couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed at the emotions being directed her way. The fear and uncertainty that came from being awakened in the night to some nameless danger, the hope and the trust that she and her friends could make everything alright. The pressure made her feel nauseous. Still, she had managed to temporarily calm them down. Now she just had to reassuringly explain that there was nothing to fear and that they should all return to their homes. Easy, right? She cleared her throat and spoke in a loud, reasonable voice. “Everypony, could I please have your attention? I know that you may have heard some rather… disconcerting rumors from my friend, Pinkie Pie. However, whatever you were told was likely exaggerated and largely incorrect.” A stallion near the middle raised himself higher. “Are you saying that Pinkie lied to us about the emergency,” he asked in a hoarse shout. “That she came around banging on our doors as some kind of prank?” “No,” Twilight said quickly before other voices could chime in. “She merely got carried away. It’s true, a rather serious situation has arisen, and it does involve a group of canines known as the diamond dogs. However, the Elements of Harmony will soon be dealing with the problem. There is no cause for alarm nor any threat to the residents of Ponyville.” So far, so good. The crowd was almost completely mollified. Just a few more reassurances and… “Hey, what was all that shouting out here?” Sweetie Belle squeezed past Twilight and gaped at the assembled crowd. “Wow! What’s everypony doing out here?” “Oh, Twilight’s telling them about what happened to Rarity,” Pinkie said. Sweetie rolled her eyes and let out a long, frustrated breath. “Are you serious? I thought you said I wouldn’t have to explain it anymore,” she said to Twilight. Grumbling under her breath, she stomped further out into the street. The crowd turned their attention to the filly as she prepared to speak. Twilight’s eyes widened. “No! Sweetie, wait! Don’t tell them…” “A BUNCH OF STUPID DOGS KIDNAPPED MY SISTER AS PART OF THEIR STUPID PLAN AND RAN OFF WITH HER TO THEIR STUPID LAIR,” she yelled. “THEY MADE ME WRITE A STUPID RANSOM NOTE BUT STUPID SPIKE BURNED IT UP AND I’M NOT TELLING THE STUPID STORY ANYMORE! HAPPY NOW?” It was like she’d set off a sonic rainboom in the middle of the street. Every one of the assembled ponies was yelling and babbling in a discordant mess of noise. The chatter finally began to die, and the crowd looked back and forth between Twilight and Sweetie. A mare in the front finally spoke. “What did they do to her? What do they want?” “Well, it happened like this,” Sweetie said, back to her usual cheery self. She crossed her hooves and pressed her hind legs together. “They had Rarity all tied up, and they had one of her scarves wrapped over her mouth. Good thing too, or she would have been yelling their ears off! Then I showed up, and they told me about how they wanted all these gems before they let her go. So I wrote the note, and then we left the house and…” The mare’s face paled. “Wait, you mean they were INSIDE your home?” Sweetie nodded. “Uh huh! They snatched her right out of bed!” The mare let out a piercing shriek. “They were actually lurking around town,” she asked, her eyes darting in every direction. “They know where we live!” “Well, duh!” Sweetie scoffed, as if she couldn’t believe how dense her audience was. Pinkie bounced up alongside her. “And don’t forget, those doggies probably got good noses,” she added. “They could probably sniff us out no matter where we were! Ooh, they’d be good at hide and seek!” The crowd teetered once more on the brink of panic. Ponies pushed and shoved, trying to draw closer together and looking in every direction, as if they expected a horde of dogs to come loping out of the shadows. “Ohhh boy,” Twilight muttered. She needed to get this under control. Scratch that, the first thing she needed to do was keep it from getting any worse. Levitating Pinkie Pie and Sweetie Belle, she quickly shoved them both back inside. “Don’t let them say anything else,” she hissed at Rainbow Dash. “Everypony! Please calm down and listen,” she yelled. After several repeated attempts, the crowd settled back into a tense silence. “Now I know this might seem frightening, but I PROMISE there is no reason to be afraid. We will get Rarity back, and we will make sure these dogs never try anything like this again.” “You sure,” Applejack said. “I thought you were the one who said that if’n we let these dogs get cocky, they’d jus’ start trying again and again and again…” “Ugh, Applejack! This is one of those times were honesty is NOT the best possible,” she whispered back. “How can you be so sure,” a stallion demanded. “How do you even know about these dogs anyway?” “Because we’ve dealt with them before,” Twilight snapped. “We’ve already gone into their tunnels and confronted them. We are qualified to handle…” “Tunnels,” a colt said. “What do you mean tunnels?” These interruptions were really beginning to get on her nerves. Why did mobs have to be so unruly? Forcing down her temper, Twilight tried to explain. “Tunnels, you know, passageways underground? That’s where they live. They’re subterranean.” She pantomimed a burrowing motion with her hooves. “They dig. Understand?” She realized that had been the wrong thing to say. The crowd jumped back in unison, their eyes locked fearfully on the ground. “So they could be right beneath us! “They could be digging around under Ponyville right now!” “Are they going to come tunneling up through the floors and into our houses!” “No! I mean, yes! Well, theoretically. But a network of tunnels beneath the town would likely collapse beneath the weight of the buildings. So it’s obvious that hasn’t happened yet. And if they were to try, we would immediately know when buildings began vanishing into sinkholes,” Twilight said. Unfortunately, the crowd found that less comforting than she hoped. Apparently, they interpreted the word ‘theoretically’ as ‘could happen any damn second.’ “They’re going to come bursting out of the ground and drag us down into their caverns!” “GRR… NO THEY ARE NOT,” Twilight screamed at the top of her lungs, overcoming the crowd by sheer volume. Stunned, the crowd once more fell into silence. Twilight stood there panting, knowing that this might be her last chance to restore order. She had to convince them. “Now look,” she said as sternly as she could manage. “This is all a bunch of nonsense. I want you to listen, and I want you to pay attention. Understand?” The crowd meekly nodded. “Good. First of all, the diamond dogs are not burrowing around beneath our hooves. Their den is several miles away, and I assure you that they have neither the time nor the reason to extend their tunnels all the way over here. Period. End of story. No tunnels underneath us.” She tapped the ground with a hoof. “Got it?” The crowd nodded again. Twilight smiled, glad to see that they were finally listening to reason. “Excellent. Secondly, they will NOT be staging any mass abductions of Ponyville citizens. I know they kidnapped Rarity, I’m not denying that. But let me remind you, this is an isolated incident.” Even if they wanted to do it again, which they WON’T,” she said, giving Applejack a pointed look. “They simply don’t have the numbers to pull off that kind of endeavor.” “Are… are you sure,” one pony asked. “Just how many of them are there?” “Hmm, you know, that is a very good question!” Twilight rubbed her chin, trying to remember how many they had seen in the tunnels. “Let me see, I think we saw roughly twelve to fifteen of them, but it’s quite unlikely that we actually encountered every member of the pack. Especially if you take into account the fact that all the dogs we encountered were males. Assuming they use typical canine gender hierarchies, there must be a similar number of females present as well, not to mention offspring.” Lost in her own musings, Twilight failed to notice that the crowd was becoming increasingly anxious as the potential number of dogs increased. Applejack nudged her in the side. “Umm, Twi? Din’t you just say that tellin’ the truth might not be a good idea right ‘about now?” “So we could estimate the pack size as being somewhere between thirty to forty individuals.” Twilight paused, her eyes lighting up. “But wait! That might hold true for wild dogs, but for the diamond dogs, we have to factor in their sentience! Considering their behavior and intelligence, it stands to reason that they would overcome their territorial instincts for the sake of the group. In that event, their society is likely made up of a loosely-knit collection of packs, just like our own settlements!” “You… you mean there could be a whole… whole city of these things? Hundreds of them?” “Or maybe even thousands,” Twilight beamed. “Isn’t that exciting? Just think of the anthropological…” She trailed off, the smile vanishing as she came to an unpleasant realization. This was not a scholarly presentation, and she had accidentally just admitted that yes, there were more than enough dogs to swarm over Ponyville and steal them all away. “Umm, hee hee. I don’t suppose you could all just forget that last part,” she asked sheepishly. Unsurprisingly, the crowd devolved into a cacophony of shouts and screams. Twilight tried to restore order, but this time it looked as if the ponies were too far gone. That is, until another mare began pushing her way to the front, brandishing a megaphone Twilight could barely contain her relief. If anypony could fix things, it would be the mayor. “Everypony, quiet down,” she announced. “This is no time to panic! This is a time for discipline!” “Right,” Twilight nodded. The crowd stilled, anxious to have somepony taking charge. “A time for unity!” She nodded again, glad to see that cooler heads would prevail. “A time to prepare for the worst!” “Wait… what?” “You heard Twilight Sparkle! An army of dogs could already be on its way, there could be thousands of them coming right at us, or under us from any direction! Panicking isn’t going to help us! We have to be ready for them!” The crowd began to nod, murmuring their agreement. “Um, I never actually said that,” Twilight tried to argue. But nopony was listening to her anymore. Pulling Derpy Hooves to the front of the crowd, the mayor pointed dramatically into the sky. “Quickly, my dear! Fly to Canterlot as fast as your wings can take you. Tell Princess Celestia that she is our only hope! We’re outnumbered, surrounded, barely holding our ground in the face of insurmountable odds!” Twilight blanched. They weren’t really going to tell Celestia, were they? “No, wait,” she said. “You’re overreacting!” Derpy nodded and took wing as the crowd cheered her on. Twilight tried to magically drag her back, but the pegasus was already out of range. “The rest of us need to ready the defenses! We’ll make our stand at City Hall! We’ll barricade the streets, board up the houses, and dig trenches to slow those dogs down! Our best chance is to buy enough time for the princess to come to the rescue.” “Stop! Have you all gone crazy,” Twilight screamed. The crowd ignored her, whipped into a survivalist frenzy and raring to go. “Out only hope is to stick together! So are you with me?” The townsfolk let out a unanimous cheer, throwing their hooves into the air. “Then let’s get to it,” the mayor cried. She quickly pointed to Caramel, Snips and Snails. “You, you and you: panic! The rest of you, follow me!” The crowd surged off like a multicolored wave of insanity. Twilight slumped to the ground, staring after them and wondering how things had gotten so quickly out of control. She was vaguely aware of somepony shuffling up to her left, and she wearily turned to see Rainbow Dash grinning nervousl, wings twitching like she’d just been caught raiding the cookie jar. “Um, Twi? We might… uh… we might have a little problem.” Twilight didn’t want to know. She just wanted to crawl under her desk, pull her blanket over her head and wait for the world to end. “The entire town is going stark-raving mad,” she finally said. “Rarity is still kidnapped, and before long the princess will get dragged into this mess, probably convinced that we’re under siege. We’ve already got more than a ‘little problem.’ What else could possibly go wrong?” Dash only pointed back inside. Twilight followed her hoof, and a cold burst of fear shocked her back into lucidity as she stared at an empty couch. At some point during all the confusion, Spike had disappeared.