//------------------------------// // Chapter 23: Aftermath and Rumors // Story: My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic: Stallion Edition // by SuperPinkBrony12 //------------------------------// It had been a stressful couple of hours for Fancy Pants, who had learned from Shining Armor, that Rarity had been kidnapped by a trio of creatures called Diamond Dogs. Fancy Pants had only heard stories about them, but from what he had heard, he was incredibly concerned for Rarity's safety. If only he had known that her favorite gem hunting spot just so happened to be on Diamond Dog turf. He would've tagged along to make sure she was safe. But there was no way he could've known. And now it was too late. Yes, Sapphire Shores' order was the perfect opportunity for Rarity to work on her own, but at no point did that involve Diamond Dogs. And Spike was just a baby dragon, there was only so much he could do to help. All Fancy Pants could do was hold down the fort at Carousel Boutique, with his wife, Fleur De Lis. "I've never seen you so upset dear." Fleur commented. "You need to relax, all that stress is not good for you." "How can I rest when my assistant is in danger, and there is nothing I can do to help her?" Fancy Pants asked "If I had just known about this earlier I'd head down there, and give those Diamond Dogs a piece of my mind. As a matter of fact, I'd give them much more than that. I was once a champion middle weight boxer in my college days, and I think I still have a few moves stored in my memory." "You wouldn't last five minutes with those ruffians." Fleur told him "They'd gang up and dogpile you before you could ever throw a punch." "I'd like to see them try." Fancy Pants stated "Just because I'm a gentleman, does not mean I cannot defend myself. I've been in tougher situations and come out without a scratch." "That's because you got lucky." Fleur explained "You'd do more harm than good going off to fight the Diamond Dogs now. Rarity's friends have already gone after those ponynappers. And they won't rest until Rarity is safe and sound." "I don't doubt that they'll suceed." Fancy Pants commented "But Rarity has been working with me for a long time now, and she's like family to me. I really feel like I should be doing more to help her. If it was you down in those holes, I'd risk my life if necessary in order to save you." "I know that dear." Fleur replied "However, the situation is already being taken of care as we speak. And when Rarity gets back, she is going to feel much better knowing that she doesn't have to worry about you risking your life on some crazy sense of honor." "You're right, I guess." Fancy Pants sighed. "Glad you think so, now relax." Fleur reassured him, and began to massage his back "Just take it easy. Rarity will be back before you know it." "I hope you're right." Fancy Pants said with concern. "I know I'm right." Fleur replied. And indeed she was. Rarity returned a short time later with cart loads of gems. More than enough to complete Sapphire Shores' order. Much to the surprise of Fancy Pants and Fleur. And they were quite surprised when she told them how she was able to outwit the Diamond Dogs. Needless to say, they couldn't believe it. And neither could any of Fancy Pants' friends. All the same, it was true. And thanks to Rarity, Ponyville was safe from surprise ambushes and jewelry thefts by The Diamond Dogs. For the time being anyway. For a week following the event, Rarity worked on the order that Sapphire Shores had given her. All the while, word of her supposedly impressive feat began to spread. Apparently, The Diamond Dogs had quite a problem for many citizens of Ponyville, and now that Rarity had seemingly frightened them off, Ponyville was eternally grateful. Despite that, Rarity's friends continued to worry that the event might have shaken her up a bit. Even though Rarity reassured them all that she was perfectly fine. One bright and sunny day, about a week following the 'Diamond Dog Incident' as it was now being called. Shining Armor stopped by Carousel Boutique. "Oh, hello Shining Armor. So good to see you again." Fancy Pants said with a smile, as he opened the door "Please. do come in." Shining Armor did so without hestiation. "Would you like some tea?" Fancy Pants asked "I could certainly go for a cup of it myself." "Tea sounds nice." Shining Armor replied. "Got any preferences?" Fancy Pants asked. "Not really. Whatever you can whip up is good." Shining Armor stated. "Very well then. I'll just mix up my normal brew." Fancy Pants said, and prepared the kettle "It'll take some time to make." "That's alright." Shining Armor explained "That's not the reason why I came here." "I know why you're really here." Fancy Pants replied "You're still concerned about Rarity, aren't you?" "Somewhat." Shining Armor said reluctantly "It's you I'm more worried about." "Whatever do you mean?" Fancy Pants asked nervously "I'm perfectly fine." "That's what I'm sure you think, and normally I wouldn't doubt you." Shining Armor said with a sigh "But unfortunately, Fleur has told me that you're still on edge." "Oh, she did huh?" Fancy Pants asked. Shining Armor nodded "I'm afraid so. And she specifically asked that I talk with you about it." "I don't need help if that's what you're implying." Fancy Pants boldly proclaimed. "I'm not saying you do, but I'm not saying you don't either." Shining Armor explained "There's only one way to know for sure." "And what would that be?" Fancy Pants asked, unsure of what Shining Armor would suggest next. "You and I are just going to have a little chat as friends." Shining Armor explained, following a moment of silence. "Okay." Fancy Pants said, sighing with relief "What do you want to talk about? We can talk about anything really. Maybe you'd like to hear more about Sapphire Shores. Or perhaps you'd like to know how well Carousel Boutique is doing. With all the publicity generated from Hoity Toity, we're getting a lot of new customers." Shining Armor sighed, this was going to be a lot harder than he initially thought. But he owed it to Fleur to at least try. "I wanna talk more about the Diamond Dog incident." Those words quickly changed Fancy Pants' mood. He clearly wasn't interested in talking about such a thing. "Why do you want to talk about that?" he asked nervously, his left eye twitching a bit "There's nothing to talk about. I'm perfectly fine. Miss Rarity is back safe and sound, those ruffians have been dealt with, everything is as it should be." "I believe there is." Shining Armor stated "It's been a while, but you still seem rather shaken up. And if Fleur of all ponies thinks there's something bothering you, then she's probably right." "Fleur really knows me that well huh?" Fancy Pants asked. "Indeed she does, especially because of how long you two have been together." Shining Armor said honestly "I can still remember how much of a stir your wedding caused. It was all anypony was talking about for weeks afterwards." "That's because it was a truly high class event, not unlike The Grand Galloping Gala." Fancy Pants stated, looking fondly back on the memories "I spared no expense to make everything the way Fleur wanted it. And that old saying is true, money can't buy happiness." "Truer words were never spoken." Shining Armor nodded "But we're getting off topic here. I know that was probably your plan, but it's not going to work." "Look Shining Armor, I promise I'll be fine eventually. It's only been a week." Fancy Pants pleaded "Just give me time and this will all be a fond memory." "I'm sorry, but Fleur tells me you haven't talked at all about what happened that day. The only way you'll be able to put it behind you is if you talk about it." Shining Armor said reluctantly. "I've told you already that there's nothing to talk about." Fancy Pants replied "Like I said before, it's only been a week. Give me time, and I'll move on like everyone else." "Fancy Pants please," Shining Armor pleaded "just talk. You'll feel a lot better once you do, and we won't have to keep doing this." Fancy Pants was silent for a moment, then he sighed "There really is no alternative is there?" "I'm afraid there isn't." Shining Armor said somberly "So, are you finally ready to talk?" "Indeed I am." Fancy Pants replied "But first, I believe the tea is ready." And indeed it was. Fancy Pants brought the kettle over and poured some into a cup. He did the same thing twice, once for Shining Armor, and once for himself. "Okay, are you ready to begin?" Shining Armor asked, after taking a sip of his tea. "Yes." Fancy Pants nodded "Where should I start?" "How about from where the problem originated?" Shining Armor suggested. "You mean, the gem shortage?" Fancy Pants asked. "Yes." Shining Armor nodded "Start from there." "Alright, I'll try my best." Fancy Pants said honestly "Keep in mind, I may not know everything about what went down that day." "All I can ask for, is for you tell me what you know." Shining Armor explained "So, what exactly made Rarity realize she was running low on gems?" "Well, it all started when Sapphire Shores made an unexpected stop at Carousel Boutique." Fancy Pants stated "I know this, because Miss. Rarity told me herself about the visit. Apparently, all that publicity from Hoity Toity has really payed off. Anyway, Sapphire Shores is currently in the midst of preparing for an Equestria wide tour. Because of that, she wanted something absoltely outstanding to wow her crowd." "That's Sapphire for ya, the only thing that she's more interested in than her sensational music career, is her taste in fashion." Shining Armor said. Chuckling slightly, before regaining his composure. "So, from what I understand, Miss. Rarity showed her a dress she had just finished, which had gems attached to it in pretty much every spot possible." Fancy Pants explained "And Sapphire loved it. She loved it so much that she not only decided to take the dress itself, but also a few more done up in other gems. Apparently for costume changes or something." "And that's why Rarity decided to bring Spike along and go gem hunting, correct?" Shining Armor asked. "Correct." Fancy Pants nodded. "That was when Rarity was ambushed, kidnapped, and taken underground." Shining Armor explained "And when that happened, Spike went to go get Twilight and the others. And they all set off to try and rescue Rarity. That's when you and Fleur first learned about what had happened, am I right?" "Indeed you are." Fancy Pants said reluctantly. "So, while Twilight and the others were busy trying to rescue Rarity, what were you and Fleur doing?" Shining Armor asked. "Well, we kept Carousel Boutique open." Fancy Pants explained "No other customers came in during that however." "What else did you do?" Shining Armor asked "Be honest with me." "Do I really have to tell you?" Fancy Pants asked "I mean, I've told you a lot already. Haven't I?" "Nothing really useful." Shining Armor admitted "In order for this to work I need to know exactly what you did during the time Rarity's friends were trying to rescue her." "Really?" Fancy Pants asked. "I'm afraid so." Shining Armor said reluctantly "But I have a feeling you'll feel a lot better once you've confessed." "You really think so?" Fancy Pants asked nervously. "Of course." Shining Armor said with a smile "After all, what are friends for?" "Very well then, I guess." Fancy Pants sighed "I pretty much just spent that time worrying about Miss. Rarity. I know I probably should've done something more productive, but I couldn't help myself." "Something tells me that's not all." Shining Armor said sternly "I'm not asking for a full hour by hour description of what you were doing, but I would like to know more." "More about what?" Fancy Pants asked. "What you did during the time you spent worrying about Rarity, more specifically, how you felt when the news first reached your ears." Shining Armor explained. "Well, I spent my time only partially worrying to tell you the truth." Fancy Pants admitted "Much of my time was spent devising various plans to go down there, and teach those Diamond Dogs a lesson. A real good lesson at that." "And that was all that you did from the moment you learned of Rarity's fate?" Shining Armor asked. "No." Fancy Pants stated "I'm ashamed to admit it, but when I first heard the news I was terrified." "Why is that?" Shining Armor asked. "I've heard rumors about The Diamond Dogs." Fancy Pants explained "From what I hear, they're vicious, mean, and unforgiving. They lay in wait to snatch unsuspecting ponies, who they then use as slaves in their underground mines." "Good heavens!" Shining Armor exclaimed. "It get worse." Fancy Pants continued "According to some rumors, they work ponies to the point of exhaustion. All the while making them pull heavy carts, or dig until their hooves are red with scratch and bruise marks. And any ponies that refuse to work, get thrown into pits to rot away. Meanwhile, they don't let ponies eat or drink until the day's work is done, or the ponies have no energy left to move." "Is that all?" Shining Armor asked. "For the most part." Fancy Pants nodded "But some rumors go so far as to say that The Diamond Dogs steal gems of all sorts from other ponies, with the intended purpose of luring the ponies to their turf so they can be kidnapped. So, with ponies saying such dreadful things about them, could you really blame me for being so worried? If they had ever done anything to Miss Rarity I would never have been able to forgive myself." Shining Armor said nothing for a moment, then he smiled "Well, from what Twilight and her friends told me, those ponies are wrong. And you really should know better than to listen to rumors Fancy Pants." "Why is that?" Fancy Pants asked. "Because in reality, more than half of those rumors aren't true. The Diamond Dogs are nothing more than incompitent idiots." Shining Armor explained "Just ask Rarity. The instant she started whining nonstop they were begging for her to be taken back. And before that, she had them treating her like she was their queen." "Really?" Fancy Pants asked. "Yes, really." Shining Armor said, chuckling quite a bit "How else do you think she managed to get her hooves on all those gems? They didn't just come out of nowhere you know." "To be honest, the thought never crossed my mind." Fancy Pants admitted "Maybe if I'd thought of that, I would've realized just how silly those rumors were." "Probably." Shinng Armor nodded "But at least you learned your lesson now." "Indeed I did." Fancy Pants smiled "That's the last time I let rumors confuse me. I can't believe I ever listened to them in the first place. It feels like the poison joke incident with Zecora all over again." "Well, at least this time the rumors weren't so farfetched, unlike with Zecora." Shining Armor explained "If you're still in doubt, why not head to that field of holes The Diamond Dogs once called home." "They're not around anymore?" Fancy Pants asked. "Not since Twilight sent a report to Princess Celestia about them." Shining Armor replied. "I thought Twilight only sent friendship reports to Princess Celestia." Fancy Pants said, obviously confused. "She does for the most part, but every now and then she sends a report about something important to the security of Equestria." Shining Armor explained "She did the same thing with Zecora, though I helped her out since she was still getting to know Zecora at the time." "I see." Fancy Pants nodded "But if Princess Celestia is aware of those Diamond Dogs, I don't think anypony has anything to worry about." And indeed they didn't. Thanks to Princess Celestia, The Diamond Dogs, like with Nightmare Moon, and the numerous other disasters that befell Ponyville, soon became nothing but a distant memory. At least to everyone except Rarity and Fancy Pants.