Chapter 7: To the Rescue
"Are you really sure about this?" asked Scootaloo, looking at Dawn with worried eyes as they stood on the platform. Perlin stood a respectful distance away, his eyes focused elsewhere, making it clear that the cream-colored colt was doing his best to give the two of them their privacy. It seemed a strange consideration from a pony who had been in a life-and-death battle with Dawn less than an hour ago.
"I'm not sure of anything," said Dawn, "But, if Perlin's right, then I need to do this or those ponies won't ever leave mom and I alone."
Scootaloo frowned. "But...why can't I come with you?"
Dawn leaned forward, pressing his forehead against hers, even as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her close against him, folding his wings across Scootaloo's back and holding her tightly. "You aren't ready yet," he said softly, "You will be...one day, just not today."
"But-"
"Besides," said Dawn, cutting her off, "I have something I need you to do here, while I'm away. You need to tell mom what's happening. If she thinks I've run off, there's no telling what she might do. You need to make sure she knows that I'll be coming back. I'm not running away. And..."
Dawn pulled back so that he could look her in the eyes more easily, "I need you to look after her for me. She gets wrapped up in her anxiety too easily. Will you do that for me?"
Scootaloo's eyes looked away and she nodded, albeit reluctantly.
Dawn smiled and used a hoof to tilt her face back so her eyes were looking at his again. "Thank you," he said, before leaning in and kissing her. It wasn't a quick peck, as Dawn kept his lips pressed against hers for several long seconds before finally pulling away so that he could go back to resting his forehead against hers.
"Promise me you're coming back," said Scootaloo, a plaintive note in your voice, "Whatever else, don't leave me and Fluttershy behind."
"I won't," promised Dawn, "I'll be back soon."
"Okay." The two of them stayed together, until a faint whistle prompted Perlin to look up.
"That looks like our train," he said, "Time for us to go."
"Are you sure that I don't need to bring any money?" asked Dawn, looking away from Scootaloo, though not letting go of her just yet.
"Nah, I've got money taken care of," said Perlin, smirking.
Dawn sighed and looked back at Scootaloo, shrugging. They continued to hold onto each other until the train pulled into the platform. Only then did Dawn let go and step away.
"Be careful!" shouted Scootaloo as he got onto the train.
Dawn nodded over his shoulder and followed Perlin. As the last of the few other passengers got onto the vehicle, the train let out one last whistle before sliding out of the station. Scootaloo watched it go forlornly, not taking her eyes off of it until it disappeared from sight.
Twilight Sparkle groaned and rested her face against her hooves, resting her elbows on the table as she tried her hardest not to burst into flame. "Of all the times..."
Upon hearing what Dawn had done, Fluttershy and Caramel had rushed back to the library, where they'd been only a few hours later, Scootaloo in tow. There, the poor filly was forced to retell the story of what had happened between Dawn and Perlin after Twilight and Spike managed to call everyone together.
"Is he out of his mind?" demanded Rainbow Dash, smacking her hooves against the table, "That Perlin guy is bad news."
"What Ah want to know is how he got into Ponyville in the first place," said Applejack, "Ah thought Twilight's brother was lookin' fer 'im up in Canterlot."
"He was," said Twilight, "If I had to guess, he probably snuck onto one of the trains down and then abandoned it before it reached town."
"That's what we were thinking," said Storm Front, sharing a look with Red River, "By the time we even realized that Perlin was here, he was already gone."
Red nodded in agreement. "I know Storm here saw those flashes of lightning over at the quarry. We just assumed that Dawn was training extra hard to work out his frustrations."
"Um, perhaps it may be a bit foolish to think this," said Rarity, looking around nervously at the group of assembled friends, "But perhaps we shouldn't worry too much. All things considered, it appears that Perlin is on our side, at least for the time being. Whatever he has in mind, it appears that he intends for it to help Dawn."
"But he might just be lying to get Dawn to let his guard down," protested Twilight.
"I don't think so," said Scootaloo, drawing everypony's attention, "When he showed up, he and Dawn started fighting right away, even though Perlin wasn't even really supposed to be fighting Dawn this time. He does it because it's fun. It wouldn't be any fun for him if he won because of a dirty trick."
Red and Storm both nodded in agreement. "That is the kind of pony that Perlin Bluestreak seems to be," Storm admitted.
"Hey everypony," said Pinkie Pie, speaking for the first time since the meeting started, "What about the ponies who are trying to take Dawn away from Fluttershy?"
Twilight's eyes snapped wide open. "Horseapples! If whoever they send to replace Softhoof comes down and find that Dawn's run off, it won't matter what his reasons are, that'll give that Grayblood guy all the reason he needs to get the verdict he wants. We've gotta bring Dawn back before that happens."
"Actually," said Arkenstone, his voice immediately calming Twilight a little, "If what Perlin told Dawn is indeed true, then it may very well being that Grayblood's insistence on a certain verdict may indeed be the very problem that Dawn and Perlin are going to address. If that is the case, then it won't matter what the new inspector finds or what conclusions she draws."
"I hope that's the case," muttered Twilight, still not liking the idea at all. Turning, she looked at Fluttershy, who was leaning silently against Caramel, neither of them saying a word. "Are you okay with this?"
Fluttershy looked up at them. Even though she was trying her best to put on a brave face, it was clear that she was close to tears. Even Caramel's foreleg around her shoulder was only barely keeping her from breaking down. "I-I...I trust Dawn. I'm worried about him. But, if he thinks that this is what he has to do, then I'll believe in him."
Feeling somepony nuzzling up against her, Fluttershy looked down to see Scootaloo pressing against her side. "Dawn told me to look after you," said Scootaloo, "So I'll stay with you, okay."
Fluttershy nodded and lowered her head to rest her muzzle in the filly's fuchsia mane.
"I guess we'll have to wait then," said Twilight unhappily.
At first, Dawn thought the train was taking them to Canterlot. He could see the tracks leading up the mountain the white city perched upon it. However, just before the train would have begun its real ascent past the foothills, it changed tracks at a juncture, following a level path that ran parallel to the contours of the mountain itself, carrying the train along the rest of the range.
"You still haven't told me exactly where we are going," he commented, turning to his traveling companion.
Perlin yawned and stretched his wings with a metallic rattle, before turning to smirk at Dawn. "You're right, I haven't."
"If we're going to be working together, I would appreciate it if you would stop being so coy and cryptic," muttered Dawn.
"Aw, you're no fun when we aren't trying to kill each other," lamented Perlin, "And here I thought you were like me, seeing as you don't care for chess either."
Dawn raised an eyebrow, recognizing a distraction when he saw one. However, he opted to not press the issue. He would find out soon enough, he was sure. "I don't see how one or two similarities make us that alike. I never got to play chess all that much, so it could be that I never learned to like it. Why don't you enjoy it?"
That earned a chuckle from the cream-colored colt. "Isn't it obvious?" he said, "A game with only two sides is no fun at all."
Dawn snorted in derision. "I suppose your amusement is the only thing that really matters to you."
"More or less," replied Perlin, "That's how I got this job after all. You should meet my boss. I've worked for quite a few ponies, but he's the first employer that I actually like."
"I'll take your word for it, thank you very much," said Dawn curtly.
Seeing no reason to keep the conversation going, Dawn chose not to say anything else. His training, in an effort to work out his frustrations, along with the fight he'd had with Perlin, were leaving him tired and sleepy. The ebony colt opted to lower his head and take a nap as he waited to find out where they were going. Dawn closed his eyes and allowed the rhythmic clacking of the train lull him into a doze.
Perlin watched the other colt fall asleep with a small degree of bemusement. It's pretty surprising that he'd feel comfortable enough to sleep with me right here with him. Perlin's left wing began to twitch, slowly extending in Dawn's direction.
The result was immediate. Dawn's right wing snapped out and up, spreading his feathers in clear preparation for a sideways strike. Perlin quickly retracted his own wing, almost gaping in amazement as Dawn's wing lowered back down in response. He reacted without even waking up. Given how little Perlin had actually moved, Dawn had most likely responded purely to Perlin's intent.
With a snort, Perlin turned his attention back to the window, gazing outside, a wry smile on his face. This is gonna be fun.
"Are you okay with this, mom?" asked Scootaloo as Melon loaded up her saddlebags with a few necessities.
"I understand," said Melon Cream, smiling kindly at her daughter, "I'm actually very proud of you for doing this. I'm sure that Fluttershy appreciates you keeping her company while Dawn's away."
Scootaloo nodded. "She's really worried this time." With what's happened, I don't blame her.
"There," said Melon, sliding a toothbrush into the bag before closing it, "That should be everything you need. How long do you think you'll be over there?"
Scootaloo shrugged. "I wish I knew. I don't know how long Dawn's going to be away, or even what he'll be doing while he's out."
"I'm sure he'll be fine," said Melon, "He'll come back soon. We don't want him missing his first Nightmare Night after all."
Scootaloo nodded. Melon gave her one last kiss goodbye and watched as the orange filly started out for Fluttershy's cottage. Melon too, hoped that Dawn would return safely, if only so that anxiety would fade from Scootaloo's face.
The trip out to Fluttershy's cottage had become so familiar that Scootaloo could do it in her sleep. After coming out on a nearly daily basis for her lessons with Dawn, Scootaloo knew the route by heart, which wasn't that difficult, since she was coming by air. As she came in for a landing, she managed to pick out the figure of Fluttershy as she moved amongst her animals, carefully tending their needs before calling it a night. All her preparations for winter had been seen to. All that was left was to simply wait until her friends were either hibernating or migrating away.
"Hi," said Scootaloo as she came in for a landing.
"Oh, hello," said Fluttershy, smiling at the bright-orange filly, "Why don't you go set your things inside. I'll be in shortly. Did you have dinner?"
"Yeah, I ate already," said Scootaloo. She'd had dinner with her own mother before packing to come to Fluttershy's house.
Scootaloo went inside and set her saddlebags on the living room table. A few minutes later, Fluttershy came in, pausing to shut the door behind her. After a few more minutes of work, she had the fireplace lit, the bright blaze warming the living room as cold night began to set in.
Scootaloo crawled up onto the couch and settled in. Before long, Fluttershy joined her, gently draping a wing over Scootaloo and pulling the filly tight against her side. The two of them lay there, simply cuddling, basking in the fire's warmth as they passed the night silently.
"Scootaloo?"
"Yes." Scootaloo lifted her head and met Fluttershy's eyes.
"You were with Dawn when he left. Do you think he'll be alright?"
Scootaloo gulped, thinking back to the moment of Dawn's departure. He had been hesitant, somewhat uncertain about his plan of action. But that was only to be expected, given that said plan consisted of something along the lines of "help with whatever it was that Perlin was planning." Scootaloo turned to gaze into the fire. "I'm not sure. I don't trust that Perlin Bluestreak. He's a creep."
"What's he like?" asked Fluttershy. She had heard a bit from both Dawn and Rainbow, but wanted to see if Scootaloo could offer any other insight.
However, that didn't seem to be in the cards as Scootaloo waved her forelegs. "Creepy...I guess," she said as helpfully as she could manage.
Fluttershy sighed and dipped her head.
"It'll be okay," said Scootalo quickly, trying her best to keep Fluttershy's spirits up, "Dawn can take him. I'm sure of it." She nuzzled in under Fluttershy's neck, rubbing up against the yellow mare's chin.
Fluttershy smiled. "Thank you," she said as she turned to press her muzzle into Scootaloo's mane.
The two of them rested on the couch and watched the fire as it burned down to embers. When the last glowing lights extinguished, Fluttershy made sure that there was no threat of a spark catching something, before ushering Scootaloo up to bed. The two of them curled together under a heavy comforter, Fluttershy once again tucking the filly beneath her wing.
Comforted by the warm feeling of Scootaloo cuddled up against her, Fluttershy relaxed and began to drift off to sleep. However, she was roused by a soft sniffling sound coming from Scootaloo. Lifting her head, Fluttershy looked at the filly through the darkness and realized that Scootaloo was crying. "Scootaloo, what's wrong?"
"I...I'm scared," admitted Scootaloo finally. She had been trying to put on a brave front for Fluttershy's sake, in order to help Dawn's mother stay positive while they waited for him to come back from Celestia knows where. But, in the end, she was the one who needed comforting. "Wha-what if Dawn doesn't come back? Why does this feel so different from last time?"
"Oh Scootaloo," said Fluttershy, nuzzling her cheek, "It's okay. I know you're worried, especially now that you and Dawn are together. It's alright to be afraid."
"I know," said Scootaloo, "I just want him to come back soon."
"And he will," replied Fluttershy, "He'll come back to us. So let's do our best and be strong, so that when he comes home, we can welcome him back with a smile. Okay?"
Scootaloo sniffed one last time then wiped her nose. "Okay."
Fluttershy rolled over on her side so that she could wrap her forelegs around Scootaloo and pull the filly tightly against her. Scootaloo returned the embrace and Fluttershy enfolded the filly in her wings. Finally, both of them drifted off to sleep.
"This is ridiculous!" shouted Softhoof, "What in Equestria do you think you're doing?"
"My job," retorted Grayblood, glaring back at his subordinate, "Which is apparently more than I can expect from you."
"You have a lot of gall saying that," hissed Softhoof, "I'd think you were a mushroom farmer with how much manure you're shoveling. Where in the hay do you get off calling my investigation insufficient, huh? I've turned over every rock, looked in every closet, searched every cavity and you're still not happy. Why don't you just tell me exactly what you want?"
"What I want is a proper review by somepony who's actually dedicated to finding out the truth of the situation," snarled Grayblood, "Not somepony who's going to allow herself to be led astray by honeyed words of sentiment by a naive mare who doesn't know the first thing about proper childcare."
Softhoof's teeth bared. "I've heard enough of you talking out of your plot. Why don't you stop mincing words and say it straight out. You want to take that colt out of his current home, no matter what the reason might be. You don't actually give a damn about truth or any of that crap. What I want to know is why."
"It's not your place to ask those questions," snarled Grayblood, clearly at the limits of his own patience, "If you can't maintain a professional demeanor, you can get out and see yourself out of this department."
"I'm behaving plenty professionally by the standard you're setting," retorted Softhoof, "I've never seen such a baldfaced attempt to force out a specific verdict in all my life. I have no intention of being part of this insanity any longer. You can take this as my resignation and a forewarning that I'm going over your head to the upper ministry staff about this."
"You wouldn't dare," growled Grayblood, his eyes narrowing, "You have nothing to support your assertions-"
"Nothing?" shouted Softhoof, cutting the stallion off, "I have twelve years of support! Twelve! Years! That's twelve years of investigating the home lives of foals, looking into their support network, checking their families, their communities, reviewing finances, checking psyche profiles, exploring every avenue available to ensure that a foal is living in a safe, secure environment that will enable her to grow up healthy and happy, along with following up later to make absolutely sure that I made the right decision. I have twelve years of practice and experience to base my decisions on, compared to an ass like you who can't manage anything better than vague mumbling about truth and thoroughness. I think your superiors will be very interested to hear just how thorough you've been." Softhoof spun about sharply and marched directly for the door leading out of the office.
"Wait!" cried Grayblood, "You can't go to my superiors!"
"Watch me," said Softhoof over her shoulders.
"Please! Stop!"
Softhoof paused on the verge of pushing the door open and leaving. "Why should I?" she asked, her tone dangerously low, "You'd better give me a better explanation than what you've said so far or I'm out of here. Now tell me exactly why you won't accept my decision to rule in Dame Fluttershy's favor."
"I can't!" cried Grayblood, "I can't let you rule in her favor. They won't let me!"
Softhoof turned back around so that she was facing her (possibly former) boss once again. "Who are 'they' and what do you mean that they won't let you?"
Grayblood let out a sound that was halfway between a sigh and a sob. "I told you once before, didn't I? Some very important ponies have taken an interest in this colt's case. They want a very specific outcome."
"I still haven't exactly heard where that means you just cave to their desires," said Sotfhoof, her eyes narrowing. After all, it wasn't as though she and Grayblood had gone up against important ponies before. They'd faced down rich merchants who adopted children solely for tax reductions, politicians taking in foals solely to improve their image, and even convicted criminals who tried to indoctrinate their foals in the "family business." Over the course of her career, Softhoof had been faced with threats of physical violence, attempts at blackmail and extortion, as had Grayblood. But they had never backed down even once.
Grayblood groaned, resting his elbows on the desk so that he could rub his eyes. "Things are different this time..."
"Come on, time to wake up."
Perlin's voice prompted Dawn to open his eyes and lift his head. After spending so much time in the presence of a pony that he regarded as an enemy, regardless of the fact they were supposed to be allies now, old habits had reasserted and reinforced themselves, ensuring that Dawn could come fully awake at the slightest prompting. Looking over, he eyed Perlin speculatively. The older colt responded by tilting his head towards the window, indicating that Dawn should look outside.
Dawn did and his eyes widened at the vista that greeted him. Their journey had lasted through the night and the whole previous day, with another night passing before Perlin had just roused Dawn in the morning. Now, Dawn looked out to see that the terrain had changed completely. Rolling hills had risen up into craggy mountains that seemed to close in from every direction. Wherever Dawn looked, all he could see were sheer cliffs and jagged peaks. The train was now winding its way through a pass between two sets of such peaks. In the process, as it came around a curve hugging the side of one mountain, it afforded Dawn a perfect view of their intended destination.
Out the window was another mountain, a bit taller than the other peaks around it. From their position, Dawn could see the winding tracks that ran along to it. However, what drew Dawn's eye was not the mountain itself, but what was on it.
In a way, it reminded him of the sight of Canterlot, which was easily visible from Ponyville. This too was a city on the side of the mountain. However, that was where the similarities ended. Canterlot was a city of shining white marble, perched on the mountainside much like a bird's nest set on a branch. The city that they were approaching now was a dark-gray color, possibly granite. Rather than being built on the side of the mountain, it looked as though the entire city, along with the palatial estate that overlooked it, had been carved from the bedrock of the mountain itself. From tip of the highest tower, down to the houses, streets and boulevards that ran through the settlement, it looked as though workers had simply carved away the spaces of the mountain in between the buildings and sculpted the city itself from the mountainside. It was beautiful and artful in a different way from Canterlot.
"Where are we?" asked Dawn.
"This is Diamond Mountain," said Perlin, "We are presently along a section of the border that we share with the griffon lands. This city is an important trading hub with a number of the more friendly griffon aires in the former empire. As such, it actually utilizes griffon architecture, which, as you can see, involves building into the land rather than building on it."
"It's certainly different from anything I've ever seen," noted Dawn, "Perhaps you'd like to tell me why we're all the way out here and how coming out here will help with my own problems."
Perlin chuckled. "All business, aren't you. It's not that hard. This settlement, everything on the mountain and under it, used to be a viscounty. Like many other noble territories, the family that used to rule it ended up losing control over most of the territory. However, the majority of that estate on the uppermost level of the city still belongs to the original rulers and owners of this settlement. Currently, the title is held by one Sweet Water, the official Viscountess of Diamond Mountain and a member of the Noble Court."
"Once again," said Dawn, "I ask you to explain what this has to do with me."
"Fine," huffed Perlin, "No sense of suspense. We still have at least two hours before we arrive. I just woke you up so that you could get a good view of our destination. This is the most scenic view we're gonna get."
"Still," said Dawn, "After everything you've already put me through, I'd appreciate it if you got to the point."
The older colt heaved a disappointed sigh. "Fine." Turning his head, he snorted. "Killjoy."
Turning back to Dawn, Perlin began to explain. "As I said, the central estate of Diamond Mountain is still under the rule of Viscountess Sweet Water. Right now, her ponies are entertaining a rather important guest there, a mare by the name of Hope Spot. She's a perfectly normal mare, a nurse, studying to be a doctor, I'm told."
"And..." prompted Dawn.
"This mare also happens to be the younger sister to one Grayblood, who happens to be the department head of Foal Protection," continued Perlin with a smirk.
"A hostage," observed Dawn.
"Sort of," replied Perlin, "You see, if she were just a plain hostage, Grayblood wouldn't be in such a rush to force a specific verdict out of your case and would be going about it so ham-hoovedly. However, it just so happens that Ms. Hope Spot happens to hold a few debts. She was in the midst of paying off those debts when our friend, the good Viscountess, arranged for her incarceration. Now, if Hope Spot defaults on those debts because she isn't allowed to pay them off, her current career path could end up severely derailed. Even if she tries to fight it, it'll simply devolve into a messy legal affair that could draw things out for years. The resulting litigation would strain her and her family's finances and, after all of that, the debt would still be there, along with interest. All of that could bring an end to Hope Spot's dream of becoming a doctor."
"So, if Sweet Water is holding this mare hostage, it must be to keep her from making the next payments on her debt," supposed Dawn, "Which means that the situation is time-sensitive for Grayblood, hence his hurry to find some pretense to disqualify my mother as my caretaker."
Perlin nodded. "Exactly. You're starting to figure things out."
"But what does this Sweet Water want with me?" asked Dawn.
"It isn't you so much as it is somepony you know," said Perlin, "She's a member of the Noble Court. Now which of your friends are they especially interested in?"
"Twilight Sparkle," whispered Dawn.
"Correct," agreed Perlin, "If Grayblood succeeds in finding a pretense to declare that Fluttershy mare unfit to be your mother, then the questionable circumstances under which it happened will lead to your friends challenging the decision, particularly Twilight Sparkle, as she's the one who knows the legal systems that they'll need to use to appeal. That will inevitably lead to a public spectacle, especially after your little article in the Equestrian Times. The press will flock to Ponyville to find out more about the situation. The increased scrutiny would make your life and the lives of your friends Tartarus.
"Enter Sweet Water, who, as the mare with the keys to the whole situation, offers to resolve everything behind the scenes, nice and quietly, in exchange for certain favors and 'services' from Twilight Sparkle." Perlin smirked. "Though rather roundabout, it's a simplistic plan at heart. Unfortunately, those are the ones that tend to work out for the best. Fortunately, it is also rather easy for us to reverse the situation."
"So I'm guessing the plan is to enter the estate and free Miss Hope Spot," said Dawn. His outward voice was calm, but his blood was boiling. He had never met this Sweet Water mare, never exchanged words, never even seen her. And yet, he now hated her with a passion that he hadn't believed was possible. Not only had she seen fit to attack him in the most underhooved manner possible, threatening to take his home and his mother away from him. Not only was she doing it simply as a means of gaining leverage over Twilight Sparkle, rather than out of any actual animosity towards him. Those things were frustrating. But that wasn't what truly enraged Dawn. Even though they had tried to kill him over nothing more than the appearance of his eyes, at least the Cult Solar had always dealt with Dawn directly. But this Sweet Water had taken an innocent mare, threatened her safety and her future, and all to make Hope Spot a pawn in the Viscountess' scheme for selfish gain. An innocent mare was suffering and imprisoned because of the labyrinthine machinations involving ponies she rightly had nothing to do with. Yes, Dawn despised Sweet Water now.
Perlin nodded. "Once we get her out and back to safety, Hope Spot will be free to continue settling her debt. Sweet Water isn't an idiot who'd try the same thing twice. So she'll be in the clear."
"It sounds fairly simple," said Dawn. The city was no longer in view from the window as the line of the track had shifted so that the train was now heading right for it.
"It is," replied Perlin, "Sweet Water is so confident in her clever maneuvering that she'd never conceive of somepony basically breaking into her estate to free a prisoner that they shouldn't know about."
"Could there be any wrinkles that might complicate this?" asked Dawn.
"Maybe," admitted Perlin, "I have no idea what their security is like. However, I doubt it's anything substantial. Sweet Water would never send her mares-at-arms away from her home in Canterlot, so the worst we can expect is a few hired hooves, or possibly hired claws."
"Griffons?" asked Dawn.
Perlin shrugged. "This is a trading settlement with several griffon aires. Griffon mercenaries are more convenient to acquire, seeing as most griffon principalities don't ascribe as much of a negative connotation to them as we ponies do. I wouldn't worry about it though. Griffons are tough, with plenty of sharp bits, but griffon magic can't hold a candle to pony magic."
Dawn nodded, remembering the story that Twilight had told him about how three practitioners of the Three Pillars had once routed a massive griffon army. Soarin' had briefly mentioned that Spitfire had done something similar, successfully seeing off an attempted invasion of the Crystal Empire with no one but the twenty ponies of the Wonderbolts to support her. Griffons apparently had something similar to pegasus magic, being able to walk on clouds and even manipulate them to an extent. But that seemed to be their limit. Weather ran wild in the griffon lands, indicating a complete lack of a concerted effort to enforce any sort of control over it.
"Do the griffons have anything we should worry about?" asked Dawn, turning his attention back to Perlin.
"It's doubtful," said Perlin, "The only thing griffons are really known for is their armor and weapons, which are supposed to be pretty advanced. Most of our metals, including rare metals like mithril and orichalcum come from griffon lands."
"I thought Equestria had plenty of mines," said Dawn.
"Those are crystal mines," said Perlin, "Unicorns obsess over crystal and gemstone mines, since quite a few have uses for particular kinds of magic. It's an abundance of gemstones that drew the unicorn refugees to settle in Equestria to begin with. In fact, it was a large deposit of diamonds that convinced Sweet Water's ancestor to build out here, hence the name, Diamond Mountain."
Perlin opened the window to their compartment and leaned out to get a better look at the city and gauge how far they were from it. "It looks like we've got more than an hour before we actually arrive," he said, pulling his head back in and closing the window, "Let's hit up the dining car and get a good meal. We'll need to fortify ourselves for the work ahead."
Dawn's stomach growled ominously, and not just because he was hungry. This being the colt's first real experience with mass transit had acquainted him with the knowledge that the food offered on the train was not very agreeable to his constitution. "If it's all the same, I'll wait until we arrive and perhaps sample the local cuisine."
Perlin laughed. "A few minutes ago, you were so eager to get started on this little venture. But now you want to play tourist?"
Dawn sniffed disdainfully. "As it so happens, I doubt I will be much help if I have to stop in the middle of battle to throw up or search for a toilet. Indigestion doesn't do much for one's readiness."
Perlin simply laughed and pulled on his cloak. "Fine then. A little sightseeing never hurt anypony."
Dawn readily admitted that he agreed with that last statement. Though its coloration could be described as rather drab, especially when he held it up against the lovely pastoral coloring of Ponyville, Dawn couldn't help but find Diamond Mountain to be a fascinating city from a purely architectural standpoint. Buildings had entire walls composed of the same piece of rock, having been carved carefully from the bedrock of the mountain itself. Stone bricks and mortar were used sparingly, only to fill in places where natural fissures in the rock had created gaps or weaknesses. The city was built in tiers that naturally grew smaller and smaller as they rose higher towards the mountain's peak, or the building where the peak had once been.
As one might expect, the higher tiers were occupied by ponies from the higher classes, while the lower ones were occupied by by laborers, those ponies who either worked for the ones above, or labored in the mines further down still. In fact, the entrances to said mines opened up directly into the lowest levels of the city. While it certainly made things more organized, the heavily stratified structure of the city made the disparity between the working classes and the wealthy all too clear in a way that grated heavily on Dawn's nerves.
The train itself had pulled into the station, which had been built on one of the lower mid-level tiers of the city. From there, Perlin and Dawn slowly made their way up, winding their way through sloping streets that often became full stairways, impediments that made Dawn wonder how heavier goods were moved up and down the city.
Apparently divining the reason for his curiosity, Perlin smiled and pointed ahead toward the heart of the mountain. "There are elevators that run between the tiers. Those are used to move large and unwieldy items up and down the mountain. It's a pretty convenient system for the ponies who live at the top. But then again, any system usually is."
Dawn nodded and kept his gaze moving, looking for any sort of eatery that might offer something that would appeal to his appetite. As he looked, his eyes spotted a sleek form of feathers and fur. Up ahead, a full-grown griffon was walking, or rather, prowling along the street. It was the first time Dawn had seen one of these creatures in the flesh, though he'd seen plenty of pictures in books. However, none of that prepared him for his first view of such a creature in real life.
The fact that both species were quadrupeds was perhaps the only thing that griffons and ponies truly had in common. Where ponies walked, trotted, and cantered, griffons prowled or stalked along their way, betraying their predatory nature with the smooth, almost liquid ease with which they moved.
Dawn watched the griffon in front of him with a look of fascination, his attention completely absorbed by the natural grace with which the creature moved, a grace that Dawn could achieve, but only because of his years of practice. In comparison, the griffon in front of him was relaxed, like he was out for an afternoon stroll, but still moving with the grace and poise of a pony that had trained for most of their life.
Perlin's eyes also found the griffon and he chuckled. "Geez, you couldn't look more like a tourist," he said, looking at Dawn, "Quit gawping like an idiot or you'll start attracting the wrong kind of attention." Still, Perlin turned his eyes back to the griffon, following him along his path as the creature ducked into a small shop on the side of the street. "But, on the other hoof, I think we've found a spot for lunch."
"A place where griffons eat?" asked Dawn.
"Yeah," said Perlin, "Griffons are omnivorous, but they prefer meat. Of course, the ones that come across the border to Equestria generally honor our customs and dietary preferences, so most of their meats aren't an option here. However, it just so happens that one of the griffons' preferred foods is one they happen to share with pegasi."
"Fish?" said Dawn.
"Fish," agreed Perlin, "Why don't we go in and see what they have to offer. Being this close to the griffon territories, I can tell you that fish is much cheaper here than it would be in a place like Ponyville."
Dawn shrugged, not having seen any better options. Perhaps griffon cuisine would suit his palate better than anything else they might find in this town for now.