It seemed like it had been years since Spirit had been in the desert in reality it had only been weeks.
“I’m amazed the trains are still running” Applejack said sitting next to Spirit as he stared out at the familiar desert.
“After this trip they won’t be running all travel has been canceled until all this is over.” Spirit said
“So we have to walk back?” Pinkie Pie asked
“No I mean after we finish our business in the desert.”
“Good, I don’t like walking that far anyway.”
The train came to a stop at an empty station. The group departed the train and stood on the platform.
“Where is eveypony?” Applejack said looking around
“All evacuated” the conductor said
“Ah so who is going to make all the dessert?” Pinkie Pie sounded a little sad
“Desert not dessert “ Spirit sounded out the two words “Is that all you think about is sweets?”
“Yes why?” she said cheerfully
The group walked through the empty streets in the village.
“This is kind of spooky.” Applejack said as she looked at the bare marketplace stalls
“I know no pony is even inside their homes” Pinke Pie called from inside a home
“How did she…? She was just” Spirit looked to where Pinkie Pie had been walking next to him
Applejack looked up at the Spirit “it’s best if you don’t think about it.”
They stopped at the edge of the village and stared out at the large sand dunes that lay before them.
“Alright did you bring everything I said?” Spirit asked the ponies
“Yup” Applejack opened her bag reviling large amounts of water.
“Me too I barely had room for my other stuff” Pinkie Pie’s bags were filled with party supplies “What?” Pinkie Pie looked at
Spirit.
“Well at least you brought water. Come on I want make it to the Desert Shield camp by night fall.”
The group walked into the dunes until they were surrounded by sand as far as the eye could see
“How do you know where you’re going?” Pinkie Pie asked
“It simple I use the sun and the wind to tell me where I’m headed.” Spirit told the pink pony
“WOW really that’s so cool” She exclaimed
“No I just use this compass.” Spirit said dryly as he showed her the compass
Applejack laughed at the disappointed pony. “So where is the Diamond Dogs home?”
“There is a valley just opposite the village. The Diamond Dogs have set up a village of their own there.”
“Why do they live all the way out here?”
“I don’t know all they do is mine for crystals. They don’t seem to enjoy the company of others they only time they interact
with others is when they try to catch them and force them to work in their mines.”
“and that’s when you save them right?” Pinkie Pie asked
“Right”
“So what makes you think they will help us? You said it yourself they’re not very keen on talking to others.” Applejack asked
“I’ve been getting reports that the dogs have disappeared into their mine systems. The last time they did that something bad
had happened to them I figure we help them with what whatever has happened they’ll owe us and help us to repay the
favor.”
“What happened to them last time?” Pinkie Pie asked Spirit
“Me” he said as he reached the top of a large dune.
From the top of the dune the group could see a camp of the Desert Shield guards next to an oasis. They made their way
down the dune and headed toward the camp. The guards had positioned carts around the camp as a makeshift wall with
guards patrolling the outside. As they approached the entrance a guard wearing a pith helmet met them.
“Good evening Sir” The colt saluted Spirit
“Evening Dusty” Spirit returned his salute “How is everything?”
“We’ve been expecting you it’s been quite here…I don’t like it” Dusty said
“Any updates?”
“Nothing new since the last report. We will break camp immediately and drop you off just outside the valley leading to dog
territory.”
Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Spirit rode in the back of the guards cart as they headed toward the dogs home.
“Earlier you said that you were a problem for the dogs what did you mean by that?” Applejack said as she rocked gently in
the cart.
Spirit looked up in the night sky then back at the two ponies “It was about a year ago the dogs had got the jump on one of
my friends that was with me in the desert. I tracked them to their home that’s how I found it in the first place. It took me a
week to finally prepare enough to mount a rescue I fought my way deep into their mineshafts when I found my friend…”
Spirit paused “When I found my friend they had worked him to death.”
The Ponies looked at the Spirit sadly
“What did you do?” Pinkie Pie asked
He looked at her with a look she hadn’t seen on his face before.
“I made them pay” he said
They didn’t ask Spirit any more questions about his past the rest of the trip
The sun was already high in the sky when they reached to entrance to the valley. The guards had set up camp again at the
bottom of a dune. Spirit and the ponies where at the top looking down into the valley. Spirit was watching the valley through
a set of binoculars.
“What do you see?” Pinkie Pie asked
“Nothing.”
“Is that good?”
“There’s usually dogs all over the place. Something defiantly happened down below.” Spirit said as he put away his
binoculars “Let’s go take a look up close”
They carefully approached the valley keeping an eye for any dangers. When they entered the valley there where many
entrance in the valley walls.
“What are all these?” Applejack peered down one
“Mineshafts the dogs cut into the rock”
“Where do they lead?”
“There is a large network of them right beneath our feet. All running to one central chamber that where all of the dogs are.”
Spirit answered “If I remember correctly that’s the one we need to take” Spirit pointed to the largest mineshaft of them all.
The floor of the cave had mine cart track running as far as the eye could see. Every so often the walls where braced up with
wooden beams. Torches lined the walls keeping the main tunnel well lit.
“How far does this go?” Applejack said as the Spirit held her back “What’s the matter?”
Spirit put his finger to his lips and pulled the two ponies into a side passage way.
“Pinkie you got any rock candy?” Spirit whispered
“Do I” Pinkie Pie rummaged through bag pulling out various shapes and colors of candy she placed them in Spirits hand
“Thanks” he said as he tossed them out into the shaft
“Hey don’t waste my candy” Pinkie Pie said
“Shhhh watch” Spirit pointed at the candy
They heard footsteps approach them and could hear something running.
“Ohhhh I thought we cleaned this place out” a voice said. A small dog wearing a vest walked up to the candy and picked it
up. “What’s this? This isn’t diamond.”
The dog was suddenly lassoed and fell to the ground
“Nice job Applejack” Spirit said as he stepped from the shadows
“Thank you “Applejack finished tying up the dog
The dog gave Spirit a horrified look “I…I…I’ve heard of you”
“Excuse me” Pinkie Pie interrupted “ but if you’re not going to eat that I would like it back.” She gestured to the candy in the
dogs paw.
“Uh okay” the dog dropped the candy
“Thank You” Pinkie Pie said happily as she trotted off
The dog looked around him then back to Spirit “What do you want please don’t hurt us we’ve already got trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?”
“Some of our tunnels collapsed a while ago some of our family and friends have been trapped.”
“Whats your name?” Spirit asked the dog
“I’m Rex”
“Well Rex we’re here to help.” Spirit smiled
Rex was running as fast as he short legs would go. The group had no trouble keeping pace with him.
“Are you sure you can help?” Rex panted
“We’ll do whatever we can.” Applejack answered
“This is wonderful we were starting to give up. Right up here”
Rex led the group into a large cavern that housed the Diamond Dogs. Houses had been carved into the rock like a village
made of stone. The ponies stopped and stared at the stone houses.
“We’ll come on then” Rex called back. He led them to a large Amphitheatre that was dug into the rock.
A handful of dogs filled the seats all watching several dogs on the stage.
“BOSS!” Rex yelled as he made his way to the front “ I FOUND HELP!” he ran onto the stage and looked up to one of the
dogs.
“What are you talking about Rex?” the dog asked
“There!” he pointed up the Spirit and the ponies
The crowd turned to see what help had arrived some gasped and ran toward the stage.
Spirit held his hands up and announced to the crowd.” I mean you know harm I’m here to help”
“A likely story” the Boss dog said “I remember the last time you were here” he pointed to an eye patch he wore.
“That was your previous leaders fault. We told him to leave the ponies alone and yet even after that you still didn’t listen.”
“We parted ways with those who wish to harm the ponies…” the Boss said “We want peace”
“Then it looks like we’re in business. Now what’s this disaster?”
“A few days ago we had a collapse in one of our main mineshafts nearly our entire village was there?”
“What were all of you doing there?” Applejack asked
“When we work it’s a community effort it’s a lot harder without sla…er ponies helping us” Rex added
“So how did you all make it?” Spirit looked at the handful around him
“We were tasked with cleaning the village while the rest worked in the mine.” The boss said
“You’re the janitors?” Spirit said holding back a laugh
“It’s a respectable position!” the Boss yelled
“Not really boss…” Rex said as the Boss smacked him in the back of the head
“What caused the collapse?”
“No idea we’ve been working around the clock to get them out but we just don’t have enough workers.” The boss said sadly
as all the dogs hung their head.
“And that’s where we’re at” the Boss said to the group
“How long can they last you said it’s been days” Spirit asked
“Assuming they can get to the supplies in the mineshaft and the amount of dogs they have till tonight.”
“Pinkie go get Lt. Dusty tell him we’ve got a rescue mission.” Spirit ordered
With the assistance of the Dusty and his guards they made significant progress toward the trapped dogs.
“ALMOST THERE!” the Boss yelled
Spirit and the Boss where working side by side both swinging pick axes as hard as they could. Applejack and one of Dusty’s
guards where assisting the other dogs in bracing the rescue tunnel. Finally Sprits pickaxe broke through to air. They looked
at each other and quickly dug out the hole.
“Hello!” the Boss yelled into the hole
“over here” a weak voice called out
They quickly helped the stranded dogs out of the shaft it wasn’t long until the area was empty save for the Boss and Spirit.
“Is that all of them?” Spirit asked as he watched the Boss pace back and forth
“I was sure he would be here!” the Boss said
“What who?”
“My pup! He was trapped here too.” the Boss sat down on the ground
“Don’t worry maybe he’s deeper down.” Spirit calmed the dog
The two searched up and down until they heard a slight whimper “you here that?” the Boss said as he ran on all fours
toward the whimper.
They found a black pup curled up in a crashed minecart “MY BOY!” the Boss cried as he picked up the pup.
“Dad!” the Pup yelled “I knew you’d come”
“Let’s get you out of here” he patted the pup on the back.
As they made their way back to the exit the entire shaft began to shake.
“Tremors!” the Boss yelled “This cave is already unstable we need to move!”
The two ran as fast as they could the exit was just in sight when the Boss was pinned under a falling beam.
“PAPA!” the pup yelled as he ran to his father’s side
Spirit and the pup pulled on the beam it didn’t budge
“Come on!” Applejack yelled as she jumped through the hole she saw the pinned dog and rushed over.
“Take my son” the Boss said pushing him toward Appejack. Spirit nodded to the pony as she dashed off with the pup in tow.
“You get out of here too”
Spirit laughed “what so you can blame me for leaving you”
Applejack cleared the exit of the cave as a loud crash and dust emitted from the rescue tunnel.
“Where’s the Boss?” Rex asked
“Where’s Spirit” Pinkie Pie added
Applejack looked back into the dust filled cave. As she saw two figures emerge the Boss was hanging on to Spirit as he
hobbled out of the cave.
“Dad” the pup ran and jumped onto his dad.
“Francis I knew I could count on you” an elder dog said
“Francis?” the Spirit narrowed his eyes at the dog
“What? What kind of a name is Spirit anyway?”