Chapter 10
Listen up sweet child of mine
Have I got news for you
Nobody leaves this place alive
They'll die and join the queue
Three fillies, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, trekked through the treacherous japes of the Everfree Forest until they reached the vast space of open ground known as Amethyst Resovoir. Once an enormous lake, it was supposedly hit by a large meteorite that broke into millions of fragments, scattering diamonds everywhere in the lake. When the lake dried up, let left behind a bed of diamonds. At least, that was what Twilight Sparkle had told them, but then again, when Twilight Spoke at length about something historical, most ponies tended to just zone out.
“Well, here we go, girls,” chirped little Apple Bloom as she hefted her spade into the air, “Cutie Marks in Diamond Digging!”
“I just hope that trick Rarity taught me works,” said Sweetie Belle, the tiny white Unicorn. She tapped her horn nervously. “I still think it would be better if she was out here too.”
“Ahh phooey!” Apple Bloom scoffed “We’re here for cutie marks, ain’t we? No sense in havin’ her help us. We gotta do this on our own.”
“Shall we get started?” asked Scootaloo, the light brown pegasus, twirling the spade in her hooves.
“I’m not being funny, girls, but this place gives me the creeps,” Sweetie Belle said anxiously, tightening up her little body. “Not even a cutie mark isn’t worth spending an afternoon being scared out of your wits!”
Apple Bloom smiled, confident as ever, “don’t worry about it, Sweetie. We’ll be alright.”
Sweetie Belle nodded and shut her eyes, trying to squeeze magic through her little body up towards her horn. She felt it tingle and tug her towards her left. She stepped forward, a gravitational force seemingly tugging her by the horn. “This way,” she said, walking with the pull. Her horn seemed to draw her towards a section of the ground. She felt the pull tugging in a circular motion. “There,” she said, dragging her hoof over the ground in a cross shape.
Apple Bloom drove her shovel into the ground, Scootaloo followed. They scooped out large heaps of dirt and piled them up around the hole. They dug deeper and deeper until Scootaloo finally hit something hard.
“I got something!” she said excitedly. She brushed dirt aside with her hooves.
“Is it a diamond?” Apple Bloom asked eagerly.
Scootaloo shook her head, “It’s hard, wooden. Feels like a box.” She knocked on the wooden object. “It’s hollow. Could be a chest!”
“Like a treasure chest?” Sweetie Belle offered.
“Maybe we’ll get our cutie marks in treasure hunting instead of diamond hunting!” Apple Bloom, “Come on, Sweetie Belle!” Apple Bloom and a reluctant Sweetie Belle jumped down to help Scootaloo dig the object out of the ground. The three foals set to work moving aside dirt until they uncovered the large, wooden treasure chest that was buried a few feet under the ground. They heaved the heavy object out of the hole and set it next to it, panting hard from their exertions.
“Phew,” Apple Bloom mopped her brow. “Here’s to Cutie Marks in treasure huntin’!”
“Not so fast,” Sweetie said, pointing at the rusty padlock that sealed the chest shut, “we still need to get it open.”
Scootaloo slammed her shovel against the lock, tearing it off with a single swing. “Problem solved.”
Sweetie Belle smiled slightly. She reached forward and with Apple Bloom’s help, lifted up the lid to the treasure chest. The eager little foals peered inside with expectant faces, only to have their hopes dashed.
“Hey, what gives?” Scootaloo said with a frown as she pulled out the old black top hat that was inside the chest. “This is what was inside?”
Sweetie Belle took it and put it on her head, “I think it’s cool! How does it look?”
“Well... kinda... lame, actually,” Apple Bloom said glumly.
“How lame are we talking?” Sweetie Belle wanted to know.
“Like on par with that rump-bumping thing that Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon do,” Scootaloo laughed. “It makes you look like you belong in a circus.”
Sweetie Belle giggled, “Well, I don’t care what you two say, I’m keeping it! It would be a shame to leave here empty hooved. Maybe Rarity can fix it into something nice.”
“Do neither of you care that we just wasted like four hours of our lives digging a mangy old top hat out of Amethyst Reservoir?” Apple Bloom asked miserably. “Only the Cutie Mark Crusaders could go to a lakebed supposedly full of diamonds and dig out a hat.”
“Still, it was fun, right?” said Scootaloo, bumping Apple Bloom on the leg with her hoof. “At the end of the day, it’s not about whether or not we get our cutie marks. It’s about having fun as friends?”
They all looked at each other, nopony sure how to respond.
“Of course it is,” Sweetie Belle said, smiling warmly. “And I had fun!”
“Yeah, well we know you did, Professor Hayton,” giggled Scootaloo.
“Ah think she looks more like Whinny Wonka,” Apple Bloom said, finally cracking a smile. “I guess it doesn’t matter about the cutie marks. Or the diamonds for that matter. Still, would have been nice to find some diamonds.”
“You ponies want diamonds?”
The three fillies turned around in shock. In their gleeful conversation, neither of them had noticed the arrival of three large, grey dog-like creatures who were standing a short distance away.
“Uhh yeah,” Apple Bloom replied nervously. “We were out here looking for Diamonds.”
“We know a place with lots of diamonds,” the first of the dogs said, narrowing his eyes at the ponies.
“Really?” Scootaloo said, her eyes widening.
“Umm, girls...” Sweetie Belle looked uneasy.
“Yeah,” said the dog, taking a few steps towards the fillies. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a handful of small crystals.
The three little ponies came forward and looked at them with awe. They were so bright and sparkly! Apple Bloom reached out, trying to touch them, and the dog snatched back his paw.
“We’re the diamond dogs. We can show you a place to find diamonds,” the dog said, putting the crystals back into the pocket. “It’s not far.”
“That’s mighty kind of you!” Apple Bloom said cheerfully, “ain’t it girls!”
“Uh-huh!” Schootaloo agreed.
“Umm...” Sweetie Belle looked down nervously. “I don’t think we should girls.”
“Why not?” Apple Bloom demanded, “Cutie Marks in diamond digging, Sweetie Belle!”
“It’s just that...” Sweetie Belle studied the features of the dog. He smiled at them, showing a row of dirty teeth. Something about his eyes didn’t sit right with Sweetie Belle. Something about him didn’t seem... all there. Something was wrong, and she couldn’t quite place her hoof on what it was. “I need to get home.”
“Awh c’mon Sweetie Belle,” Apple Bloom said. “Don’t bail on us now!”
“I’m sorry, it’s just...”
“This won’t take long, little pony,” said the diamond dog, grinning again, from ear to ear, “plenty of diamonds for all little ponies.”
“Thank you,” Sweetie Belle said sincerely, “but I need to head home. Rarity doesn’t like it when I stay out too late and she is supposed to be cooking something really delicious tonight and-”
“Okay, Sweetie Belle,” Apple Bloom said. “You wanna go home, go home, but I want some diamonds!”
“We can’t just let her go,” Scootaloo said, “you really want her to walk back on her own? Let’s just go.”
“Well...” Apple Bloom considered. She looked at the diamond dogs and then at Sweetie Belle’s sad little face. Even under that ridiculous top hat, Sweetie’s face could melt the coldest heart. Something about the way her friend’s eyes sat in her head didn’t seem normal. She looked like she was trying desperately to retain a sense of terror. Apple Bloom sighed. She turned to the diamond dogs, “thanks, Mr Diamond Dog. I really appreciate the offer n’all, but I think it would be best if we just left.”
“That’s too bad,” said the diamond dog. “Because we really want you to come with us!” he stepped forward and seized Apple Bloom by the throat, pulling her forwards. The little filly let out a shrill cry as she tried to struggle hard against the dog’s powerful arms. His two companions ran towards the group. "Blood for blood, little ponies!"
As Apple Bloom writhed and twisted in the dog’s grasp, Scootaloo took one of the shovels and slammed it against the dog’s head. Apple Bloom bit down hard on his paw and bucked her back legs, kicking him in the stomach. The dog let go, recoiling in pain and Apple Bloom jumped forward.
“Run!” she shouted, but Sweetie Belle was already a good hundred feet in front of her.
Scootaloo swung the shovel against the injured dog, battering him about the chest, arms and shoulders. Her frenzied strikes stopped when the other two dogs grabbed her and restrained her flailing limbs. They covered her mouth and carried her, along with their injured companion away.
By the time Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle realised what had just happened, Scootaloo was already gone.
Heaven's gates won't hold me
I'll saw those suckers down
Laughing loud at your locks when they hit the ground
Every icon in every town
Hear this, your number's up, I'm coming round