Amy and Spike languidly made their way back through the town of Burrowton, each sporting a nice sized bag of goods after their successful shopping trip. Most of their load was foodstuffs such as jerky and ration bars, along with some small necessities Amy had thought to add to their supplies. A second canteen had been bought just in case and sat in the proper backpack Spike now carried.
Quite ironically in Spike’s opinion, they had used some of the bits bought with shards of their sugar diamond to procure yet more gems. Amy had explained that, though the low quality gems took up more space and would be a bit more troublesome to lug around, they would also feed them for much longer. Still, it was a disappointing trade; losing pieces of their delicacy in exchange for cloudy, common rocks.
While they were out, the younger dragon had asked if they would again try to send word back to Equestria, but Amy explained that Burrowton had no direct mailing system in place and instead relied on the occasional caravan to send outgoing letters. Apparently, it was a sort of sub-business where travelers could get discounts for taking letters for delivery to the nearest town. This explained why every store they visited had a bulletin board covered with pictures of wanderers listing them as trustworthy or scammers.
It seemed like a horribly inefficient system, but Burrowton was a very isolated, close-knit community, so the need to contact the outside world was minimal.
Spike really just wanted to get back to the surface and sleep in a comfortable bed instead of the cold ground after spending all of the morning on his feet and then trekking through Burrowton to shop. His stomach disagreed as it rumbled loudly.
“The ham sandwiches didn’t do it for ya, eh?” Amy asked.
“What can I say? I’ve been getting a lot of exercise lately,” Spike responded with a lazy smile. “I’m kinda used to Twilight carrying me around most of the time when we’re doing errands, and now I’m walking from sunset to sundown.” He shrugged. “Guess my metabolism or whatever is starting to pick up.” For a moment, the little dragon pondered whether or not he’d finally lose his baby fat after all of this. Getting his cheeks pinched got old a long time ago.
“Metabolism? That’s a pretty big word for a kid. You pick that up from living in a library, too?”
“Nah, I remember Rarity saying how she was jealous of Pinkie Pie’s fast metabolism. She can eat an entire cake and not gain an ounce.” Tilting his head slightly, he added, “Twilight thinks all the extra sugar is getting turned into some sort of Pinkie-specific magic and that’s how she does all the crazy stuff.”
“That mare chased me through Ponyville without me even being able to see her coming. Me. Yeah, I’d say having some freaky cake-fueled magic is within the realm of possibility.” The seriousness of her statement got the smaller dragon to giggle.
“And she couldn’t have just been, I don’t know, faster than you?”
“Nope, it was cake magic. Only way.”
“Okay, fine, it was magic, can we stop talking about cake now?” Though it was spoken with a chuckle, Spike’s stomach growled in agreement. “It’s making me even hungrier.”
Frowning, Amy glanced to her brother before scanning the surroundings. Eyes lighting up, she pointed to a building with the sign “Crystal Café” hanging above the door. “Why don’t we get a bite to eat then? Not saying Meredith’s cooking is bad, but it’s a bit on the simple side. Might as well try some fancy diamond dog cuisine while we’re here.”
Spike couldn’t help but take a cursory sniff towards the establishment, and the faint scent of food caused his tummy to rumble even louder. “It… does smell pretty good. Are you sure you want to spend the extra bits though? We did just do a lot of shopping, after all.”
Amy dismissed his concern with a wave. “It’s fine, we got what we need with bits to spare. Really, they’re just another thing to carry anyway, so why not lighten the load some while we fill our bellies?”
Grinning, the smaller dragon nodded. “I like the way you think, sister. Let’s go.” Happy for the excuse to indulge a little after ruffing it, Spike practically sprinted to the café’s entrance. “What are you waiting for? Come on!”
Rolling her eyes, the dragoness nonetheless followed her brother, her own stomach jumping for joy at the prospect of good food. Though she had put on a tough front, scorched vulture was not on her list of enjoyable dishes.
The arrival of two dragons at the small establishment had gotten the expected reaction by this point; every head turned and all eyes were on them until they quietly moved to a booth in the corner. It still made Spike uncomfortable to be stared at with such uncertainty, but his scales had been toughing up throughout the day and he did his best to ignore them.
It was a relief when the waiter approached with a nervous smile and two menus instead of a demand for them to leave. It had happened twice on their shopping trip so far and each time was quite disheartening. Amy, being far more polite than he knew she really was, gave a smile of her own and thanked him. “It’s always better to be kind to those afraid of you rather than insulting,” she explained to her little brother. “If you’re lucky, they’ll stop being afraid and there won’t be any trouble.”
“What about when you slammed that one dog’s door when he told us to get out and busted the knob?”
“… Do as I say, not as I do,” Amy answered. “Never thought I’d start quoting Lorey.”
Spike snorted before lifting his menu. Looking through it, his eyes instantly settled on a delicious picture of a dessert and he pointed it out. “I want this!”
“An opal-berry parfait? Spike, that’s a dessert, not a meal. How about you pick something a little more filling?” Amy suggested. Seeing the little dragon’s fin droop, she couldn’t help but add, “You can have the parfait with something else.”
With a brilliant smile, Spike eagerly went back to searching through the menu. Watching her little brother with a soft smile, the dragoness jumped a little when a voice sounded from her side. “I’m sorry, what was that?” she asked the waiter.
“Um, I was just asking if you were ready to order.”
“Oh, yeah, sure,” she answered, quickly scanning through her menu. “How about… an order of your prairie dog pan burgers.”
Scribbling her order down on a small notepad, he looked to Spike. “And, you, sir? Are you ready to order?”
The small dragon lowered his menu, a small blush on his cheeks. “Yes, I’d like, um, I’d like this.” Turning the menu to the diamond dog, he pointed at one of the items.
Leaning forward, the diamond dog nodded and wrote down the order. “A grilled ham and cheese sandwich with a side of fries. Got it. What would you to like to drink? We have water, tea, apple and orange juice.”
Both agreed on sweet tea and the waiter began to walk away, halting when Spike called out, “Oh, and one opal-berry parfait for dessert!”
Smirking in amusement, the waiter made note of the add-on and left. Looking to his sister, Spike saw her smirking herself. “What?”
“Ham and cheese, huh?”
Blushing, Spike said, “Y-yeah, I mean, the ones Meredith made were pretty good, so I figured it’ll be even better grilled.”
Amy chuckled. “Well, can’t argue there, but maybe you should have tried something a little more, I don’t know, unique. I’m sure Twilight won’t be letting you out of her sight when we get you back to Equestria, so you probably won’t get a chance.” Her words became more sincere. “Though, I’m glad you’re taking what I said earlier seriously. You shouldn’t have to be ashamed of eating what you like.”
Their meals came not long after their drinks and the two dragons enjoyed them thoroughly. Amy even managed to convince Spike to try a few bites of her dish, which, though reluctant at first, led to him asking for several more. She was more than glad to share and her little brother reciprocated her generosity with some of his parfait when it came.
Fifteen minutes later, the two dragons leaned contently back in their seats, enjoying the afterglow of a good meal. A loud call of, “Brother!” ruined the moment a bit, however. A dog held his arms open for another in a chef outfit as he came from out of the kitchen to embrace the speaker. “You won’t believe how much trouble I had finding you, Bale!”
“Buddy, what a surprise!” The chef returned. “You should have wrote ahead and said you were coming, I would have set something up.” Moving apart, but with paws still grasped on each other’s shoulders, he added. “Speaking of, what do you mean you couldn’t find me? I told’ja all about this place in my letters.”
“Ah well, this trip was kinda spur of the moment, ya know? Boss sent me and a pal to look for some folks, so I didn’t think to go looking through the letters for your address. At least I remembered the name of your business though, right? Just had to ask around for a while and here I am!”
At this point, the obnoxiously loud conversation was drawing more than a few annoyed glances from the other patrons, and Amy reached for her bag. “Come on, Spike, we should probably be getting back to the surface,” she said, leaving the money for their meal with the check the waiter had brought earlier.
Spike nodded and slid from his seat, the two dragons slipping out as the brothers continued to talk animatedly to each other. As they exited, Spike caught sight of a few pups waving at them. He waved back and smiled. “Hey, do you think we can come back down here tomorrow morning before we set out again? It might be kind of cool to hang out with some of the pups when we don’t have to buy stuff.”
“And make the parents uncomfortable? Sounds tempting,” was the sarcastic response.
“Well, maybe it’ll show them we aren’t bad. I mean, if they only ever see dragons once in a while, then they’ll never change their minds about us.”
“Trying to better dragon-diamond dog relations, you mean? Aren’t you the little politician? Must have been growing up around a princess that did it. ” Amy said.
Spike frowned. “Well, why can’t we? If we can help, shouldn’t we do it?”
Seeing how serious her little brother was, Amy sighed. “Listen Spike, the truth is, diamond dogs have every right to be wary of dragons. It may not be as common as it used to be, but dragons did attack diamond dog dens to steal their gems. Being underground doesn’t keep you safe when dragons can just dig into your home and take what they want.” Amy didn’t mention the stories of dragons not being satisfied with just increasing their hordes and deciding to have a couple of dog treats as well. The little guy didn’t need that image in his head.
Spike drooped a little. “Oh… Well, maybe it can be the first step then? Things don’t get better unless you make them, right?”
Looking into those hopeful eyes, Amy couldn’t help but ignore her skepticism and answer, “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll think about it and we’ll see how things go, but even if we can’t do it tomorrow, we can still do it someday.” Though the dragoness didn’t have much hope in their actions being at all impactful, she would try for her little brother. “Our biggest priority right now is getting you safely back to Equestria, so we really shouldn’t hang around too long.”
Spike beamed. “Good idea, I’m sure Twilight will agree to let me help if I tell her it’s a friendship mission. She’s all about friendship… Well, books and friendship.”
Chuckling, Amy offered her claw and Spike accepted it. Who knows? Maybe they really could change things for the better. The dragoness found that the more time she spent with her little brother, the more optimistic she felt about the world.
><
“So, why’d you stay up here instead of going below with your friend?” the old dog questioned from the register. “If you don’t mind me asking.”
Rocky looked up from the shelves of bizarre gemstones to meet the owner’s eyes. He contemplating snapping that he did mind, but remembered he might be staying here if Buddy turned out to be as incompetent as he acted. “He’s a partner, not a friend, and he’s looking for his brother right now. I didn’t feel like wandering with him after already walking so much.”
“He doesn’t know where his brother lives?”
“He’s not the brightest diamond in the vein,” Rocky offered as explanation, picking a stone and holding it to the light. “What’s with this stuff, anyway? Looks like you’re selling a bunch of impure gems for way more than they’re worth. Twenty bits for this? Is it magic or something?”
Charles grunted. “No it isn’t magic, and it’s not being sold for food either. It’s a treasure.” Rocky gave him an incredulous stare, and Charles sighed. “Look at it; those impurities look like clouds, don’t they? And the little air bubbles are the rain drops falling.”
Looking at the gem more closely, Rocky hummed before placing it back on the shelf. “Still seems like a rip-off, but to each their own, I guess.”
Charles watched the potential customer as he returned to his browsing for a few more minutes before trying to spark up a conversation again. “So you said that other fella was your partner, right? Is that business partners?”
“That’s one way of looking at it, though that makes it sound like we work together often or something.”
“What sort of business do you have here? Burrowton’s more a waypoint than a destination to most.”
Again, Rocky was about to snap that it wasn’t any of the old dog’s business, but a thought struck him. “We’re here looking for a couple of thieves.” He began easily, walking over to the counter. “Actually, maybe you can help me out a bit. If they are here, they’d have probably stopped by your fine establishment. I’m sure you’d remember them if they did; they’re pretty hard to miss.”
“Oh, and who are they?”
“A couple purple dragons, you see them?” Rocky asked as he casually perused the display case. From the corner of his eye, he saw the owner tense a little.
“Really now,” Charles began after a moment. “Not very often I hear about diamond dogs chasing after dragons; most have the sense to run the other way.”
Rocky chuckled. “These aren’t a couple of giant ones we’re after, of course. The older of the two is probably around my size and the other is up to my knee. Even so, I’m not stupid enough to pick a fight with a dragon of any size by myself, that’s why we’ll be getting the town’s guard to help, along with whoever else wants to lend a paw.”
“I don’t think telling the guard that they’re thieves are going to make them any more willing to pick a fight with your dragons, even if they are small. Fur’s pretty flammable, you know?”
“Well, it’s not exactly like we’re gonna be asking.” Leaning on the display, the younger dog gave a cocky smile. “It’s either deal with the dragons, or get paid a little visit from Cujo and the rest of our pack. If there were a choice, it’d be a pretty easy one I think.”
“C-Cujo!? You work for that psychopath!?”
“Hey now, that’s a little harsh, don’t you think?” Rocky returned, knowing it was an entirely accurate description of his alpha. “It’s not like he’s an indiscriminate killer or something.” No, Cujo always had a reason for when he killed someone, like if they bumped into him while he was having a bad day, but everyone knew to avoid such offenses, so it hardly ever happened.
“He ripped the last mayor’s head off when he refused to pay protection money!”
Well, that was true, though it was years ago before Cujo had joined the doctor’s company. The Doc had really been a good thing for the pack in retrospect; the frequency of Cujo’s wanton acts of destruction had been reduced drastically thanks to Zariba focusing the giant dog’s violent nature.
“Point,” Rocky conceded, “but that was a pretty long time ago, before I had joined the pack even. He’s a changed dog now.”
“If that were the case, we wouldn’t have to be worried about him coming here for us not helping you out,” Charles observed, calming slightly.
“Oh, I’m not saying he’s a harmless puppy, just that he probably wouldn’t slaughter everyone. Some, sure, but it’d probably just be broken bones and property damage for most.” Still propped up on the display, he waved dismissively. “Look, the point is, we’re the victims here who got stolen from and all we want is some help catching the culprits. Just do the right thing and cooperate for all of our sakes.”
Watching the elder dog wring his paws nervously, Rocky felt somewhat guilty. Dr. Zariba would be proud of how he had used his words to coerce the owner into cooperating instead of violence. If he were being honest with himself, even he was a little proud of how he managed to emulate his boss’s casual, but cold demeanor as he broke Charles down.
But it still felt underpawed. Roughing someone up when they were giving you a hard time just felt more candid; everyone was clear on their positions then. The Doc tended to make the victims of his verbal sparring question whether or not they were in the right when they finally agreed to his terms.
Just like Charles here. Rocky knew those dragons weren’t the bad guys, and Charles, even if he didn’t know them, probably suspected as much just by the fact Cujo was the one after them. But he would help take them down, anyway. The older dog’s eyes kept flickering from his own to over his head, obviously reluctant to meet his antagonist’s gaze, so Rocky decided to grant him a small mercy and return to perusing the wares beneath the glass.
Maybe he’d end up buying something when this was all over as a sort-of apology to the old dog. He could even give it to Buddy’s family if they ended up staying with them as a thankyou gift. With how hard his mother had tried to hammer good manners into him, she was no doubt glaring at him from the afterlife right now, so it’d probably be a good idea to appease her a little.
Gods only knew how many smacks to the head and ear twists were waiting for him when he finally kicked the bucket.
“You know, I might not be in a rush right now, but it’d be nice if you just told me what you knew about the dragons already. I can read it on your face that they’ve come through. Did they already leave?” Rocky asked, spotting an exceptionally shiny stone beneath the glass that caught his eyes.
“Well… I wouldn’t say that,” Charles began haltingly. “Matter of fact…”
Observing his silhouette on the stone’s surface, Rocky tilted his head as another figured reared up behind his own. His eyes grew wide as he tried to whip around, but a powerful arm snaked around his neck and he quickly found himself in a chokehold.
Eyes bulging, Rocky reached up and tried to unwind the python from his throat, but it was no use as another claw grabbed the top of his head, sealing his fate as he and his attacker fell to the ground.
Wheezing, the diamond dog desperately scratched at the arm strangling him, but his claws simply slid against the smooth surface. He saw Charles saying something as he rushed out from around the counter, but his panicked mind could only make out static as his vision grew dim. Just as the darkness overtook the last of his sight, Rocky thought, Mother forgive me, I’ll see you soon.
~8~
When Amy and her brother arrived on the surface and made their way inside Charles' home, it had been with the intention of turning in early and getting as many hours of comfortable sleep as they could manage before hitting the road again. Plans changed quickly however, when Amy heard the old dog shout a familiar, stomach-dropping name.
Holding an arm out to halt Spike and making a hushing motion, Amy stepped silently through the halls. The younger dragon was quick to pick up that something was wrong and followed as quietly as he could a few paces behind.
Once the dragoness reached the archway of the small shop, she leaned against the wall and flicked an ear fin to listen carefully. Every word the diamond dog, a subordinate of Cujo, spoke made Amy’s rage grow and she felt a momentary desire to fry the mutt. Not wanting to burn Charles’ home down was the only thing that prevented her from turning her enemy into charcoal.
Peeking around the corner, she saw the dog leaning casually on the counter, acting as though he hadn’t been making threats just a moment ago. Looking up, Charles met her gaze and gulped. For a second, Amy thought he was thinking of outing her, but he merely continued to stare, begging her silently for help.
She once again made the gesture for silence before stepping fully into the room. As quietly as possible, the dragoness stalked towards her prey, claws flexing as she came up behind him. Was this always going to be how it was? No rest? Having to avoid civilization just because Zariba’s scumbags would be waiting for them? No, Amy was capable of far more than just running away; it was time for these scavengers to be reminded of that.
Charles said something as Amy approached, but she wasn’t paying attention enough to know what. She reached an arm forward and the diamond dog jerked, finally noticing her presence, but it was far too late for him. In seconds, the dog’s windpipe was being crushed between her forearm and bicep.
His attempts at pulling her loose was wasted as his claws scratched harmlessly across her scales. The struggling brought the two to ground, but Amy would not relent as she continued to choke the diamond dog out. Gaze flickering towards another voice, she spotted a frightened Spike, and her hold tightened.
She wouldn’t let this criminal ever get the chance to put her brother in danger. As the dog’s struggles died, Amy knew he had fallen unconscious. It would only be a few more minutes now and she could drag the mutt out for the vultures to feed on.
Spike continued to yell and Charles joined him, but she didn’t understand why they were so frightened. The threat would be gone soon enough.
It was a shock when Charles came up and tried to pry Amy’s arm away. What was he thinking? This was one of Cujo’s mongrels, why try to help him? As a warning, Amy sent out a quick burst of fire, and Charles stumbled back.
With him deterred, the dragoness returned focus to the task at hand and squeezed tighter. At this point, it was possible she would snap the dog’s neck before he suffocated fully. That was fine with her; the result would be the same.
A blow to the shoulder gained a growl from Amy as she quickly searched for her assailant. Whoever it was would be easy to defeat if their pitiful attack was anything to go by. It was confusing then that there was no one around who could have attacked her; just her little brother brandishing her staff with panic in his eyes.
He struck her again. Amy couldn’t believe it. What was he thinking? Had he lost his mind? The insanity of the situation was enough to shock Amy out of her bloodlust and she managed to make out the young drake’s words. “Let him go, Amy! You’re going to kill him!”
“W-what? Spike! He works for Zariba!” She protested, voice somewhere between a hiss and a yell.
“That doesn’t mean you can kill him!”
“That’s exactly what it means!” Amy shouted, grip tightening.
“No it doesn’t!” Spike retorted, shaking his head furiously and eyes shut tight. “Killing others is wrong even if they’re bad.” Opening his eyes, Spike pleaded, “Please, please don’t do this.”
“But… but he’s going to get the whole town after us like Bedville. He has to be stopped.” Even as she argued, she felt her hold loosen. Seeing her little brother this distraught and being the cause of it was something she never thought would happen; something that should never have to happen.
“But he hasn’t yet; we caught him before he could. This doesn’t have to happen.”
Biting her lip, Amy looked at the dog in her grasp, bloodshot eyes rolled up in their sockets and tongue hanging out, looking for all the world to be dead already. No wonder Spike and Charles were acting so frightened. Did she really want her little brother to see death while so young?
Deciding no, she let out a frustrated growl and let the diamond dog go. It had been just over two minutes from when he had passed out, and for a moment Amy feared it was too late for him, but after a few seconds, the dog gasped lightly. The breathing was rattled, but his chest rose and fell steadily. He’d live.
He could also wake up soon, and that could be a problem. “Thank the gods,” Charles sighed as he stepped forward. His eyes flicked skittishly towards Amy a few times before he said. “Are you… going to be okay, girl? You still seem… agitated.”
“Of course I am,” she growled. “Because of this piece of trash, Spike and I have to book it out of here quick. I don’t want to be anywhere near here when he comes around.” She began to pace. “And he’ll know we were here too, so he’ll be able to tell the freakin’ zebra. That’s just going to make it easier for the bastard to guess where we’ll go next.”
“Maybe… we can hold him up or something,” Spike suggested meekly. He was still shaking from what had just occurred, but was trying to hide it as he fiddled with Amy’s staff.
The dragoness avoided looking at him; the sight causing her heart to clench. “How? Tie him up? Leave him in the attic?”
Charles shook his head. “No, that won’t work. I’m sorry, Amethyst, but you know what would happen if we did something like that. There’d be no denying why we did it, who we were helping. Cujo would come here and wreak havoc for sure. Plus, there’s another of his pack down below. He’s looking for his brother so they could stay with him while they were in the city. He’d come looking for his partner.” Sighing, the old dog added, “Honestly, the other one, Buddy, he seems like a real nice fella. It’s hard to believe who he’s working for."
“Great,” Amy moaned. “Well, if we can’t keep him from telling his boss we were here, then delaying the message really is our best option. But how do we make sure he has to stay here in Burrowton without holding him captive?”
Putting a knuckle to her head, the dragoness concentrated hard. Maybe poison him? Nothing serious, just something to hold him up. No, that’d be too suspicious. He’d probably think Charles was involved and cause him trouble down the road. Keeping him bedridden though, that did have potential.
A look of realization lit up her face. “I got it!” Moving over to the prone body, she glanced over to her little brother. “Spike, you might want to look away for this.”
“What are you going to do,” the younger dragon asked apprehensively.
Kneeling down and pulling the dog off the ground a bit, she answered. “We have to keep him here, but the blame can only be put on us to keep Burrowton safe, so, well, I’m going to put him in the hospital.”
“What!?” both Charles and Spike shouted.
“It’s the only way!" Amy shot back. She was going to attempt a better explanation, but the dog in her grasp groaned and his eyes began to flutter. Just as he came to, it was to the sight of a purple fist flying at his face. After the blinding flash of white, there was once again only darkness.
><
Buddy tapped his foot impatiently as the elevator continued its slow ascension. While shooting the breeze with his brother, Bale mentioned the bit of excitement that had wondered into town earlier that day, a pair of dragons. Once he heard that, Buddy was off like a shot, a quick shout over his shoulder that he would be back later was all he gave his confused brother.
“Come on, come on. Can’t this stupid thing go any faster?” he said to himself, punctuating his frustrations with a stomp. As he had run to tell his partner the news, a guard stopped him and asked what was wrong, apparently suspicious of the new face sprinting through town. When the guard learned his panic was over the dragons, he reassured Buddy that the dragons had already left and that the town was safe. The information had the opposite affect than expected.
Now Buddy was worried for his grumpy partner who could be facing off with the girl who broke Cujo’s arm with one punch. Buddy did not want to see what sort of mess something like that could make of a dog a third the size of their alpha. It was doubtable that, even if they had the doc’s healing potions and a medic on the scene, Rocky could be put back together again.
The elevator jolting to a halt pulled Buddy from his grim thoughts and he rushed to get the gate open. Running up the tunnel, the diamond dog leapt over the boom gate, ignoring the operator’s yelp, and continued towards the house. Just as he reached the backdoor, it swung open to reveal a fussing Meredith.
Right behind her stood Charles, straining under the weight of the limp diamond dog whose arm was slung over his shoulders. Buddy gawked at the bloody mess of his partner’s face, the left side swollen to an obscene degree.
“Are you going to stop staring and help me get him to a doctor or not?” Charles grunted, shifting the unconscious heap up and causing his head to loll about.
Well, Buddy thought as he moved to Rocky’s other side, at least he’s still breathing.