As they waved goodbye to Treble and Rose, the twosome of Dusty and Chase moved slowly away. Eventually, they left the two friends far behind. Moving past the burnt orchard, the pair found the path that lead to the Diamond Valley, the home of the Diamond Dogs. The long, winding path meandered through the desert land, a bridge over a river visible in the distance. Beyond the bridge, barely discernible, rose Rambling Rock Ridge, which surrounded the Valley. The relatively flat land between the pair and their destination created an easily traversable landscape.
"This'll be a piece of cake," said Chase, nonchalantly, "We just have to get there from here, right?"
"Yeah," agreed Dusty, "We might as well take our time, seeing as we have it. My brother would probably try to rush us there, as he does with everything else."
"How'd he get so uptight, anyway? He looks like if you poked him, he'd jump three feet in the air."
"I don't know," said Dusty, more to herself than to her partner. Louder, she added, "It's probably this whole situation. He's never really been good at dealing with change, so he tends to lash out. Personally, I don't blame him, this was pretty hard on the both of us. You don't seem to be bothered that much, though. Why is that?"
"Well," Chase began, "When I was little, and I lived in Texas, I was always bein' bullied because of the way I spoke. You know, like kids are. I had to adapt to it pretty quickly. Then, when we moved to Connecticut, I was new to the school. I had to make new friends, deal with different teachers, the normal stuff. Then, my mother passed away, so I also had to deal with that. A few years later, my dad got a girlfriend, and left me alone a lot. I had a sort of fallin' out with him, sad to say. Finally, I moved out to East Hartford, and my dad and I stopped talkin'. Basically, what it boils down to, is that I had to deal with change all my life, so even somethin' as big as turnin' into some freak of nature doesn't bother me at all."
"Wow, sounds hard. Yeah, we've lived in Tolland our entire lives. Our parents are just your typical mother and father, and we were both just your normal, average kids. Well, almost normal. I was always the stronger of us, both emotionally and physically. He, however, was the smart one, though mostly with useless information. He once told me that the Daddy Long Legs are actually crustaceans, not spiders. I don't even know where he learned that, or what use I have for it."
Both ponies laughed at that. As they had been talking, they approached the bridge. The small structure looked a little out of place in the middle of nowhere, but, nonetheless, it was a sturdy bridge. As the friends crossed it, they could see a small line of trees sheltering the path. The ridge towered over the line, looking somewhat menacing. As the two ponies advanced toward the trees, they could hear the faint sounds of an attack. More cautiously, they crept forward, always on the lookout for any immanent danger. Exiting the strip of forest, they witnessed a small filly trying to avoid being hit by three large dogs. Acting quickly, Dusty flew out and slammed her hoof into the middle dog's face.
"Don't you know it's not nice to team up against a defenseless little girl!" she cried, "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"
The two other dogs looked to their fallen comrade, then to the angry mare standing in front of them. Immediately, they began to size her up. The largest dog, a slate grey animal wearing a collar studded with diamonds, lunged forwards, attempting to punch Dusty in the face. Deftly dodging, she slammed her right front leg into his giant stomach, leaving a very noticeable hoofprint in the very center. Coughing and spluttering, the dog keeled over, winded by the sheer ferocity of the punch. Turning to the third dog, a smaller creature with a light brown coat, she towered over him. He could sense that he could not win the fight at that moment, grabbed his two partners and ran away.
Looking behind her, she saw the filly, a small, orange unicorn with a light blue mane and tail, lying on the ground, Chase standing right next to her. Rushing over to the girl, she picked her up and placed her on her back.
"We need to find someplace nearby," Dusty said quickly, "I don't know what they did to her, but I intend to find out. Then, I'll teach those monsters a few lessons about proper respect."
Chase, not wanting to anger the athlete any further, simply nodded his understanding. Now moving with urgency, the pair ran along the face of the ridge, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Soon, they found a cave that appeared uninhabited. As fast as they saw it, they entered. The interior was barren, except for a small table-like rock in the center. Placing the filly gently on the slab, Dusty began to do a thorough check of any injuries the girl may have obtained. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, she sat back, sliding down onto the floor, relief written on her face.
"Whew," she said, "Thank God that she's alright. She doesn't have any injuries as far as I can tell. She probably just fainted because of the exertion of avoiding those brutes."
"You can tell all that?" Chase asked, slightly incredulous about the examination, "Are you sure?"
"I took horseback riding lessons when I was a little girl. They taught us about proper care of the animals, including how to check for injuries. I'm a little rusty, but I assure you, I'm definitely good enough for that."
Slowly, the small pony began to stir from her sleep. Opening her eyes and looking around, she took in all her surroundings, including the two strangers taking care of her. Looking between the two of them, the filly shrunk back a little, still unsure of what to make of the situation. One moment she was being attacked by humungous Diamond Dogs, the next, she was in a cave with ponies she had never met.
"Don't be shy," Dusty said gently, "We're not going to hurt you. I'm Lightning Dust, and the stallion's name is Nightchaser. What's yours?"
"I-I'm Orange Popsicle," the girl said quietly, "Wh-where am I? What happened to the dog things?"
"You're in a cave, close to where we found you. I chased the scary dogs away, they won't be bothering you too much now that I'm here."
Orange's eyes widened, "Wow, really? You must be crazy strong! Thank you for saving me Miss Dust, Mister Chaser."
"Heh, no problem," said Chase, "What are you doing so far away from home?"
"I'm not far from home, I live here! At least, near here. Besides, I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself...though I disobeyed Mom."
"Why don't we take you home?" Dusty asked, "I think that you need to let your mother know you're all right."
Orange thought about this proposition for a small while. Soon enough, she nodded her head. Leaving the cave, the three ponies began walking down the side of the ridge once more. Eventually, they came across a large cavern, much bigger than the hole in the wall they had just left. The inside of this one looked more like a home than the other, with pictures on the walls and furnishings around the room. At the back of the cave, a fire roared, throwing its flickering orange light across the large space. Sitting in one of the chairs, a lone mare, orange in color, like Orange, but with a hot pink and brown streaked mane and tail, watched the trio entering.
"Orange Popsicle!" the mare exclaimed, "What were you thinking?" she left her chair, marching straight towards her daughter and enveloping her in a tight embrace, "Please, please don't do that again. You had me scared half to death! I thought for sure those nasty Diamond Dogs took you away from me," Peering up at the two other ponies, she asked a simple question, "Were you the ones who saved my precious daughter?"
"Yes," Dusty answered, "We found her being attacked by those dogs you were just talking about. After I sent them packing, we checked to make sure she was not hurt, then we escorted her back here."
"You don't know how grateful I am to you. Why don't you come in, what's mine is yours. By the way, my name is Tangerine Delight, but you can call me Tangie."
"I'm Lightning Dust, or Dusty, if you prefer."
"And I'm Nightchaser. Call me Chase. Thank you for your hospitality."
"It was my pleasure," Tangie answered.
The group moved further back into the cavernous space. Sitting in the wooden chairs, they settled down for a while. In the fire, a large pot sat, filled to the brim with a stew of some kind. The delightful smell of cooking greens and cheese wafted throughout the room. Chase's stomach took the opportunity to growl very loudly. Blushing, he looked around, trying to focus his attention on something other than the food. Eventually, his eyes rested on the clock, which showed three o'clock.
"Oh my gosh!" he said, shocked, "We missed lunch! And Cherry worked so hard to make us somethin'."
"Heh," Dusty chuckled, "Chase, she gave us rations for when we're on the road. It's not going anywhere. Besides, I don't need you stuffing it down your big mouth."
"Not to worry, dear," Tangie added, "I've got something just as good, and I think it's ready!"
Rising from her spot in the living area, she walked over to the large pot, opening it up. She ladled four bowls of the stew, and passed them around the room.
"This is my special Veggie-Cheese Stew, guaranteed to put a smile on your face, a bulge in your tummy, and warmth throughout your body. Careful, though, it's hot."
The party started chowing down. The stew's creamy, yet chunky, texture slid down their throats with ease, warming them up on its way down. The blend of vegetables and cheese complemented each other so well, they could tell each and every flavor that went into it, yet it all felt like the ingredients were one and the same.
"That's really good," Chase complimented, "I wish I could have that more often."
"You can," Tangie reminded him, "There's plenty to go around, so help yourself."
"Don't mind if I do."
"Excuse me, Tangie," said Dusty, "I couldn't help but notice that Orange's father isn't here. Why is that?"
Tangie's face fell, "Well..."
"If it's a touchy subject, then you don't have to tell us. Forget I said anything."
"No...I'll tell you. It was five years ago," Tangie began, "I was pregnant with Orange at the time, and I was living in Ponyville. My husband worked as a policepony in the local sheriff's office. The office is right across from the Chaos Guard relay station, where they send and receive messages. We moved out here due to the Incident. A few days later, Cold came home carrying a message. Turns out that he was called to Canterlot to be promoted. We didn't know what that meant at the time. He went there by himself, as ordered, and came back home to tell me that he had been recruited into the Guard as one of Lord Discord's personal bodyguards. We were so happy, because it was a special privilege to be called for that duty. It was fine for a little while. Eventually, though, my husband was accused of treason because he said something in private that went against Discord. They didn't have any solid evidence to use against him, but they found him guilty anyway. The last thing I heard from him was that he was forced to work in the Crystal Caverns beneath Canterlot. That very day, Orange was born and lost a father. I've been raising her alone ever since."
With the last sentence, Tangerine broke down into tears. Dusty didn't say anything. Instead, she got up from her chair, walked over to the weeping mare, and gave her a big, comforting hug, enveloping the unicorn with her wings, like a shield. A shield from the cruelness of her world. Orange joined in, wedging herself under a wing. Slowly, Tangie stopped crying. Only when she was completely out of tears did Dusty remove herself. Chase had watched the whole thing in silence, letting the mares figure out their feelings, stewing in his own thoughts. Placing the bowl down, he walked up to Dusty.
"I'm sorry to leave you so suddenly," he said to Tangie, "But we've spent long enough here. I don't want you to bring up any more sorrow. However, I promise that, no matter what, we'll find your husband and return him here. I also promise that Discord's going to pay for what he's done."
Tangie simply nodded. The pair thanked her for the meal, and went on their way. Quietly contemplating their thoughts, neither spoke a word. Unfortunately for them, the peace would not last.
"Halt there, ponies!" yelled a voice, "You think you can attack me and get away scot-free?"
Looking up, they saw the Diamond Dogs they saw earlier. The leader, a dark grey dog with a red jacket, was surrounded by a large group of about a dozen armed and armored dogs. Glancing at each other, the duo broke into a full gallop towards the woods on the far side of the valley.
"Come back here, ponies!" screamed the leader dog behind them, "You will not get away from dogs!"
This spurred the two to run even faster. Finally, they entered the tree line, only then taking a cautionary peek backwards. The dogs had almost made it to the woods when the pair found themselves on the outskirts of Ponyville. Suddenly, the Diamond Dogs turned around, sprinting away and screaming until they disappeared from sight.
"That was weird," Chase said, speaking the thought on both their minds, "I wonder why they turned tail and ran?"
"Maybe that's why," Dusty said, pointing behind Chase's head. There, marching towards them, were a group of Chaos Guards. In the forefront stood a yellow pegasus with a short-cropped, light pink mane and tail.
"Excuse me," she said, sounding rather quiet, "But you may want to stay within Ponyville unless you have a Guard escort. I'm Commander Fluttershy. Please come to the relay office so we can identify you. It would be appreciated."