(13) Extinction
CHAPTER THE THIRTEENTH
EXTINCTION
When the sun rose that next morning, I was waiting for it, perched atop the watchtower like an owl.
A light breeze came up from the distant ground, bringing with it the scent of rocks and water and moss. Already, the barren, gray wastes were beginning to heal, a short, but thick carpet of green was slowly converging on the town. Day by day, the forest was taking back what it had lost.
I turned my gaze to the western sky, where Luna's moon was melting into the distant canopy. From my position in the guard tower over the hastily-completed gate, I could see for miles. It's somewhat ironic that I was now in the position of watching the gate, the very place where I'd gotten myself into this mess.
After the intense celebrations of the night before, it had been found that the vast majority of the town guard were too inebriated to function properly. As a result, I had been called up to serve on the night watch, being one of the few beings in Wethoof not completely wasted or worse (despite consuming an entire barrel of hard cider). Even Captain Tythus had to take up a spot on the wall, and in the glare of the morning sun, I could see the shine of his armor from where he stood on the western ramparts, sharing the watch with Coconut, who stood some way off to his side.
I felt sorry for the other guards, who were undoubtedly nursing massive headaches, pulling themselves from beds that were not their own. The captain was probably going to break them into pieces for this whole fiasco. But then again, they'd only been in the guard for several weeks, and were still a bit undisciplined and informal. Not to mention the fact that anypony in the guard was suddenly regarded as a hero by the town. Cheers, free drinks, willing bedmates... No wonder so many had been unaccounted for at light's out in the barracks.
Who could blame them? Even ponies have needs.
And they knew how to satisfy them, apparently. But still, I knew so little about Equestrian culture that I didn't know what to make of it all. I wasn't even sure if these ponies counted as mammals, in fact. I mean, come on, they're cartoons! They have outlines! I have an outline!
No. Scratch that. Cartoons are imaginary. This was entirely real. Maybe the animated appearance of everything is just how Equestria looks?
Things were beginning to heat up as the morning progressed. The day promised to be a real scorcher, and already the dew on the tower had evaporated. I looked back at the sun again and made a stab at the time. My replacement for the watch should be arriving soon. Usually, pegasi handled jobs like this. They had better eyesight than earth ponies and unicorns, no doubt a trait designed to help them obverse their surroundings during flight. The only pegasus in the area, however, was currently asleep, slumped on his side several feet away, and making a fairly decent impression of a chainsaw as he gave a hearty snore.
Blueback, my other shadow, had been one of the less intoxicated guards. At least, one of the few still standing. Regardless, he'd spent the night up here with me, having passed out after about ten minutes. I'd found Popper conked out in town, half stuffed inside a rain barrel. Poor guy. Some ponies just didn't know how to handle their alcohol.
With a contented sigh, I settled down against the wall, running a paw over the massive hulks that made it up. Time began to trickle by, as it has a habit of doing when it's hot and muggy out. It was peaceful up here, but not exactly quiet. I could already begin to hear the noises of the town as it began waking up, carried here with the wind. A clank of pots and pans, the screeching sound of shower curtains being wrenched open, doors swinging on squeaky hinges, the sizzle of batter on a hot griddle.
I rubbed my right ear between two fingers, feeling out the V-shaped gap that it now sported. The sharpness of my heightened senses never ceased to suprise me. I could hear a pin drop at thirty paces, and see clearly in the darkest of nights. And smell... Whoa, momma! I could smell somepony coming long before sight and hearing could detect them. It's almost like radar. Except with your schnozz.
Go figure.
Bueback gave a soft grunt and flipped over onto his other side, obviously in the middle of some riveting dream. I regarded him with interest for a few seconds, before becoming distracted with a buzzing insect whining about my face.
I was bored now, anxious to return to the the barracks and sleep. I had some busted gear that needed repairing, too. And, judging by how threadbare my clothing was, I'd need to replace that too. A few rounds of mental gymnastics resulted in one or two improvements I felt could be made to my equipment. I'd talk to Tythus about it when I had the chance.
Suddenly, a new scent filled my nostrils. I inhaled deeply, trying to identify it. From that single whiff, I determined that the source was a pony, rapidly approaching. A mare, to be precise. She smelled of.. sniff sniff... spices, charcoal, and the barracks. And judging by the intensity of the scent, she was somewhat ticked off.
By Gandalf's bushy beard, it's Ginger Snap!
I rose to all fours and reclined against the ramparts, eyeing the trapdoor in the floor where she would have to come up, using the wooden staircase hammered into the inside of the tower that allowed non-flying beings access to its heights. Sure enough, a brilliantly red mane, followed by a toned, cinnamon body, trotted up the staircase to the tower.
She arrived at the vantage point, wincing as she shielded her eyes with a hoof against the glare. "Shift's over. I'll be taking it from..-"
Ginger paused as her eyes finally adjusted to the light, regarding me with barely-concealed suspicion.
"You."
"Me." I replied, fighting back with a legendary poker face, developed from years of experience in awkward situations.
She snorted to herself. "I didn't think we were this desperate for somepony on the night watch."
"You'd rather leave it up to him?" I said, pointing to the sleeping figure of Blueback, who gave an appropriate snore and twitched somewhat violently.
"If that means putting my life in his hooves, then yes." She half-growled, half-muttered. "At least I know where his loyalties lie."
"He's been doing quite a bit of lying, actually. In fact, his 'loyalty' has kept him in that position for the past eight hours." I retorted.
I could tell she struggled to keep down whatever reply came to her mind. Instead, she gave another irritated snort and went over to Blueback, giving him a firm poke in the gut with her hoof. The hung-over stallion didn't budge. Ginger frowned and gave him a push, rolling him over a bit. Blueback giggled in his sleep, his back legs giving a small kick.
"Oh, that's the stuff... Mmm... Pudding."
I facepawed involuntarily. It seemed that was happening a lot these days.
She gave him another poke.
"Harder!" cried the slumbering stallion. "Like... one of your... dirty mares..."
Ginger rolled her eyes, while I silently guffawed, bracing myself against the rampart. The mare gave Blueback a swift shove, sending him toppling from the landing onto the next floor of the tower below.
THUD!
"Zzz... Ah, yeah. That's the spot..." Came his bleary voice from below.
"Well that wasn't very nice," I mockingly scolded her.
"Stuff it, fleabag," she spat.
I waggled a finger. "Temper, temper."
"You shouldn't even be here!"
"Actually, I should be. Tythus specifically told me to take the night watch. You've got a problem with that, take it up with him."
"No. I mean here. In Wethoof."
That gave me pause. Frost Snap's warning flew around my head like a bat in a cave. A very uncoordinated bat. "What do you mean? Is this about last night?"
She said nothing, and seemed to shrink into herself.
We stayed that way for a while, sizing eachother up. Ginger looked at me as if I were a wild animal, and yet, she resembled one too, warily observing the slightest of my movements, and held herself tense, as if I were about to attack. The three thin scars that ran from her jaw to her neck glimmered in the sun, ugly pale gashes on an otherwise pretty face.
Wait... Three lines?
I held up my paw. Three fingers, not counting the thumb. Slowly, I extended all of the claws. The razor sharp lengths, once black, now a softly glowing violet, stained with the essence of a Prince, looked somewhat evil now. I sheathed them wearily. No wonder Ginger was so hostile. A Diamond Dog had done that to her.
I returned my gaze to her, and my understanding was reflected in her hard eyes. She spoke, but with voice lowered somewhat, and my ears flicked around like satellite dishes for an instant as they automatically adjusted to compensate for the volume. "You should have left last night, when he gave you the chance."
The morning sun suddenly lost it's heat, and a dreadful, unexplainable chill ran up my spine.
"Ever since your kind," she hissed those words like they were toxic, "took away my mother, he hasn't been the same. He hates you all, he'll stop at nothing to bury you six feet under."
I made no reply. Instead, I swallowed, rather nervously.
"You broke him. Took him away. He was once a good pony. But now?" She made a sound that wasn't quite laughter. "He's a reflection, a shattered mirror. And he knows it. My father wants a revenge he'll never have, because the last Diamond Dogs in the rainforest were wiped out on the same day as his wife. So there was nothing for him to take it out on. And for a time, he was content. Different, but content.
"And then you came along. You woke something up inside of him that I thought went to sleep a long time ago." Ginger sighed, and for the first time, I could see something else in her eyes besides fear or anger. It was pain. "That is why you need to leave. Because he'll stop at nothing to make sure you don't, that you never will. Even... even if that means taking a life."
Needless to say, I was stunned.
"Why are you telling me this?" I asked her.
She smiled then, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Telling? I'm not just telling. I'm going to show you why. I'm going to show you exactly what your kind did."
Ginger took a step forward, her eyes narrowing as the horn on her head suddenly igniting into a brilliant green blade of fire. I attempted to move away, but I was pressed up against the ramparts. No way out.
She sprang, faster than I could believe she was capable of, and that terrible green light filled my eyes, my mind, my entire being. I felt myself being pulled in an unfamiliar direction. Not up, or down, or to the sides. The only way to describe it was like being pulled away. From everything.
And then... I saw it all.
Wethoof Village, eight years ago...
Ginger Snap lazily flicked a hoof at a butterfly that was flitting its way through the garden. The sun showered the world in gold, as it tends to do on lazy summer afternoons like this one. The mare gave a contented smile and half-lidded her eyes as she wriggled happily in the grass, looking up at the clouds.
A warm, deep, buttery voice came from her side. "That one looks like a castle."
She turned to see her father lying on his back a few feet away, hoof outstretched to the sky, as if he could touch it if he reached a little further. Ginger followed his hoof to where he was pointing.
"Nah. Maybe a house. Not a castle." Castles had towers and minarets, colorful swirling spires and imposing drawbridges for ponies to cross when they came to see the Princess.
Her father chuckled, a rich, booming laugh that carried far, despite how soft it was. She always loved it when he did that. "Well, how about that one?" He pointed to another cloud, off to the left.
Ginger frowned, her imagination running wild. "Kinda resembles a pony," she mused, "their face, at least."
"Oh? And what does this pony look like?"
"She's awfully pretty. She's got big eyes with a funny little notch in her left pupil-"
"-Your mother?"
"Yup! And there's some freckles on her cheeks and the biggest smile you'd ever see spreading them apart. And her mane is kinda messy, even though she tries so hard to keep it nice. But that doesn't matter, because everypony likes her regardless of what she looks like."
He was silent for a time. Then, "I can't believe she's finally coming back, after all these months. How do you think she found Fillydelphia? She wasn't very clear about it in her letters."
"Not one bit," Ginger scowled, "so you won't have to move there if she did."
Her father pointed to a third cloud. "That's a wagon wheel," he declared. "But Ginger, you know we'd never move away from Wethoof. We love it too much here, and you live here as well." He paused, and dramatically wiped an imaginary tear from his eyes. "Ah, my little filly, all grown up and living out in the big bad world! For shame! Has Celestia no pity on this poor stallion?" he cried.
"Daaaa-aaaad!" Ginger protested. "I had to move out sometime! You guys were just smothering me with love and understanding. And plus, you're kind of the mayor. What would ponies say if the mayor's daughter still lived with her parents?"
"That his cooking must be top-notch."
She groaned and playfully slugged him on the shoulder, though it barely even moved him.
They went back to cloud-gazing, as a wet eastern wind came up and sculpted the fluffy behemoths into a new, fantastic array of shapes. Ginger thought hard, about her mother and how much she missed her.
She'd left for the city several months ago to spend some time with her ailing parents, and that meant also spending time with her relatives, a rich, stuck-up pack of gossips, in Ginger's opinion, as well as her father's. That was why they'd opted to stay here, keep the place warm for when she got back. City life just didn't agree with them. And after so long, mother was finally coming home. Today, actually. She was due to arrive with the inbound caravan from one of the zebra settlements from the distant edge of the rainforest. Trade was critical for for the communities in this region, as many goods from outside the green expanse were not shipped here, and a complex network of small paths and tracks could be traveled from one end of the region to another, passing many smaller communities along the way.
The Great Southern Rainforest was a wonderful place. And ever since Frost Snap and Mosspaw had assumed leadership roles in their respective communities, even more wonderful. An unheard-of prosperity had sprung up between the Greenclaws and Wethoof as the D-Dogs dug up gems for the ponies to trade to far-off places, and for their efforts, got supplies and territory. It was unusual, working with the Greenclaws, but so far, the peace had held. Mosspaw and Frost went way back, apparently. They'd met back in the older days when the D-Dogs were savages and the ponies not much more civilized. Ginger had often heard the stories about their adventures, now almost myths. They'd worked hard and long for this balance between the two species, and for the moment, it was holding.
The sound of strong wingbeats abruptly filled Ginger's ears, interrupting her thoughts. One of the pegasi from the town, one of those who foraged far and wide for rare plants for trade, almost crash landed not three hoof-steps away, digging up a small trench with her face.
Her father was up at her side in an instant, concern clear in his voice. "Dewdrops? What's wrong? Why were you flying so fast? Was something after you?"
The mare silenced him with hoof, breathing hard. "The... caravan... attacked..." She gasped.
Ginger's ears wilted like tropical flowers in the desert sun. Her father briefly did the same, before assuming the distant, calculating mindset that had allowed him to lead the town through several dangerous scenarios. It was why he was in charge. It was why he was such a capable leader.
"Location." Was all he said.
Dewdrops took another shuddering breath. "Northwest... The caves..."
"Did you see who was responsible for it."
"Yes..." Breath. Swallow. "The Greenclaws."
Her father hesitated for exactly one-half of a second, before saying, "Rest here. I'll be back."
And with that, he turned and thundered away, off in the direction of the caves. Ginger was hot on his hooves, doggedly keeping up with his blistering pace. The town whipped by her in a blur, and suddenly they were slipping through the jungle in the way that only rainforest natives know how to do, like birds through the air.
The mark on her father's flanks almost seemed to be glowing white hot as she followed him. The emblem of a stormy cloud shaking down thick flurries of snow symbolized his unique talent for elemental magic, a trait all the Snap unicorns seemed to have. But they meant more than their particular magical talent. The marks reflected their personality, as well. Frost Snap was not a cold stallion, but he could be as hard and sharp and unyielding as ice, something that a good leader needs to be in times of trouble.
Ginger's own mark, a wisp of flame, demonstrated her own particular talent with fire, as well as her fiery disposition and occasional lapse of temper. She remembered the day she got it. How proud her parents had been! How proud the village had been! The smile on her mother's face was something she'd never forgotten.
They were a quarter of the way there when her father spoke, still in his mayor-mode. "You must turn back."
"What!?" Ginger huffed as she skimmed the edge of a tree, still going full speed.
Her father took a mighty leap, clearing a massive fallen log in a single bound. Ginger awkwardly scrambled up and over after him, and quickly regained her pace.
"Mosspaw would never attack a caravan unless something is seriously wrong." Her father stated.
"No! I'm coming with you! I could care less about the caravan, it's who's with it that's important! Mom could be hurt... Or worse!" GInger vehemently denied. Like it or not, she was going.
Her father knew it was pointless to argue with her once her mind was made up.
So he didn't.
Instead, his horn flashed an hot blue, and Ginger suddenly ground to a halt, falling flat onto her face as her lower body was encased in ice. She wriggled desperately as her father continued onwards. He looked back once, a quick glance, and then he was gone, a ghost in the undergrowth.
Ginger furiously struggled against her icy bonds, screaming after him long after he'd left earshot. Her own horn lit up,a brilliant green, same as her eyes, and the ice began to steam ever so slightly. But it was too slow. She wasn't getting out anytime soon. Her concentration faltered, panic set in. The glow ceased.
Her long, wordless screech echoed through the forest for a long time.
>x<--<+>-->X<--<+>-->x<
Ginger was pissed.
The block of ice she'd been trapped in had not merely melted. No, once she'd regained her senses, she'd gone far beyond the necessary energy to free herself, fueled by her anger and desperation.
The ice had been vaporized.
And now, as she tore through the undergrowth, her hooves left scorched prints on the ground. Wayward leaves that brushed her coat singed and smoked. The very air around her shimmered with heat waves.
How could he do that to me? She thought furiously. HOW COULD HE!
She let out a fearsome yell and pushed herself even faster, until the trees became vague impressions, and the undergrowth nonexistent. She literally burnt her path through the forest as she ran, arrow straight, a comet that had come to ground, streaking forward in a blaze of fire.
Ginger knew the way. She'd come to the Greenclaw den many times before, alongside her father.
The jungle opened up, and she was running on a flat plain now, the clearing before the caves. A well-worn path appeared beneath her hooves, carved into the ground by generations of paws. Just around the bend now... There! The entrance to the den, a yawning gash in the ground at the very apex of a small hill, as if some giant had decided to sculpt a massive anthill and smash their fist through the very top.
She crested the hill and dived through the entrance, trailing sparks and smoke with every step. For a moment, the hill resembled a volcano, before the trail cleared away.
She was in. The rank scent of Diamond Dog filled her nostrils, of dirt and rock and the deep places of the earth. The dimly-lit tunnels passed by her startlingly fast, luminescent gemstones flickering menacingly from where they were embedded in the roof. But something was wrong. There were no inhabitants, nopony anywhere. Her hoofsteps rebounded eerily off the walls.
Ginger's anger quickly faded away in the solemn silence. The cape of flames was extinguished with a faint hiss. Something about this place put her on edge.
Her ears flicked nervously. The atmosphere felt... wrong.
The tunnels usually had plenty of traffic. D-Dogs coming and going, some laden with cartloads of gems, others with digging supplies or fresh kill caught in the forest. It was hustling and bustling, loud and vibrant, a city below the barrier that separated earth and sky.
"So where the hay is everypony?" she dared to ask herself out loud.
The echoing of her voice mocked her with the same question.
They must be in the cave, she reasoned. It's where they always go when something big is happening.
An expansive, cathedral-like cavern, located deep in the tunnel system, served as a sort of meeting hall for the Greenclaws as well as a sort of dormitory. Ginger had often found it odd that they all slept in one big pile, but now wasn't the time to wonder about such things. She had to find her father.
She followed the tunnel for what seemed like ages, before she finally came to a branch. The inhabitants this place were unparalleled excavators, and had dug out their home so that one could easily traverse its twisting passages with great speed, provided they knew they rule by which the tunnels were built. It was like that in all Diamond Dog dens, or so she'd learned. the rule could be simple, or it could be extremely complex, in some of the more paranoid packs. In this case, it was merely, "Right is Down, Left is Up." Something her father had said to her many times.
Ginger took the right tunnel, speeding through a narrow passage that twisted crazily around like the flight path of a Wonderbolt, corkscrewing ever further into the depths. Her heart was thundering in her chest.
The walls drew away as she emerged into a monolithic cavern, studded here and there with curious rocky spires, some coming down from the ceiling, some reaching up from the floor, many as thick as tree trunks. The roof of the cavern was so high, she couldn't make it out, and the soft taps of water dripping onto the floor sounded odd in the weird acoustics of this room. This was where most of the Diamond Dogs could be found, or at least they had been the last Ginger had been here.
She slipped from pillar to pillar, keeping to the shadows. There were dangerous things that lurked in the depths, and she didn't know what was going on here, either.
A voice sounded, gruff and sonorous. She recognized it instantly as Mosspaw, the Alpha of the pack. Ginger strained in the gloom, trying to pinpoint his location, but to no avail.
"...Don't try it, icycorn. We need her to rebuild what has been lost. She is only one that can find us the gems, the few that remain."
Icycorn? That was what they called her father. He must be in here, too...
"Was raiding the caravan needed to get her though?" Frost Snap's voice cut through air like a steel blade. "Moss, listen to yourself. You sound like Old Yellowfang."
"Last Alpha would have prevented this from happening." Hissed Mosspaw. "We listened to ponies, we work with them, and see what happen to us? Gone! Almost all, gone..."
Ginger swiveled her ears around desperately. There, a rustling sound, far off in front of her. She hunkered lower to the ground, smoothly sliding around her pillar and darting to the next one, careful not to hit the cave floor too hard with her hooves.
"How was I to know what would happen? Do not blame this on me, old friend. Or yourself. This was an accident. But we can fix it! Together!"
The mare poked her head out from around her hiding place, and barely managed to stifle a gasp.
Mosspaw and her father were circling eachother, slowly, cautiously. The Diamond Dog looked terrible, his ribs were showing through, and the vest he wore was torn and the pockets empty of gems. His short black fur had become patchy, and looked to have been torn in in some places. His namesake paws, huge mitts covered in a greenish-brown fur, were tensed, gripping his spear tightly. Opposite, her father stood tall and strong, but a she saw an uncharacteristic flicker of doubt in his eyes.
Between the two males lay another pony, another unicorn mare, tied at the legs and around the snout with vines. Brilliant gem-green eyes looked fearfully up from the floor and locked gazes with Ginger.
Ginger felt her heart fall into her stomach, and keep going.
"Together, icycorn? There is no more together!" Mosspaw growled, low in his throat. "All gone... Because of you! Leave my den, leave me to rebuild my pack! Your fancycorn mate will be returned when we've scoured the last gems from this evil place."
"I cannot allow you to do that." Frost Snap lowered his horn. "She's coming home, Moss."
"Then you will be follow her in pieces."
Her father looked taken aback, and flinched at the Diamond Dog. "Has it truly come to this? We were like brothers, once." He said quietly.
Mosspaw responded with a long, threatening growl that resembled the sound of two boulders grinding together. He tossed his spear to the side, the wooden staff clattering nosily on the stone floor far away. His paws flexed, and eight long, dagger-like claws extended to wicked points. He dragged these on the ground, tearing deep gashes in the rock.
Her father shook his head, before his horn ignited in a pale blue aura.
Nothing moved.
Nothing breathed.
Ginger's hoof slipped from it's position, making a scuffing noise that resounded through the cave like a crack of thunder. Her father's eyes flicked to her, widening in surprise, and then narrowing again as Mosspaw took advantage of the lapse in concentration.
The Diamond Dog leaped across the gap, clearing the bound mare between them with a single bound. His claws came down, narrowly missing Frost's head. The unicorn dipped to the side and lashed his horn across, and the dull shriek of horn on claw screamed throughout the cavern. They broke apart, and came together again, exchanging a testing series of parries and feints, feeling eachother out.
Frost lunged, seizing an opening. Moss twisted away, grabbing him by the neck and spinning violently, sending the stallion sailing away, twirling like a top, before he slammed into the pillar Ginger cowered behind, and collapsed to his knees, winded.
Ginger winced and ducked back into the shadow as she saw Mosspaw charge, one fist cocked back behind his head.
CRACK!
The force from the punch sent jagged lines criss-crossing up the pillar, and Ginger's teeth were jarred simply from being close to the impact. She was reminded why the Diamond Dog was the new Alpha. They had to earn that right through combat.
There was a flash of blue light, and a howl of cold wind. Frost had regained his hooves. He sprang up from where he had rolled and slashed downwards. His opponent had barely enough time to block it, before Frost whipped around on his forelegs and bucked him right in the gut.
Mosspaw slid backwards, grimacing while one arm clenched his stomach and the other warded off a ferocious offensive. He gave ground, one step. Now two. Three. His paw went left when the horn went right.
A streak of bright red, splattering the shattered pillar. Ginger's eyes widened in shock from where she hid in the shadows as she noticed the salty taste of something landing in her gaping mouth.
Mosspaw gave a bellowing roar at the sight of his own blood, and pushed back, going on the offensive. His claws flickered wickedly in the gloom, crashing against her father's horn time and time again. Frost was losing ground, now, his neck weakening. The glow of his horn was flickering. Another strike slapped his head to the side, exposing his throat. He sank to his haunches, forelimbs raised vainly to ward off the inevitable. Mosspaw lunged forward, his claws homing in-
"NO!"
A jet of brilliant green fire lanced out from behind the cracked pillar, striking the D-Dog squarely between the shoulders and sending him skidding away on his stomach, smoking and hissing.
Ginger wondered for a split second who had done that - before realizing only she was capable of flames of that color. Shaking her head in disbelief, she rushed across the floor to puller her father to his hooves.
"You shouldn't be here." The stallion managed to grunt, before turning his head to one side and spitting out at tooth. "This is between him and I."
"And now it involves her, icycorn..." came Moss' voice from the shadows.
The pair whirled around, now back to back. Horns ignited, one green, one blue. The surrounding pillars were illuminated in their flickering, alien light, and the cave suddenly looked very threatening without the dim ambiance. Ginger's eyes struggled to adjust.
"You know the rules as well as I do... Frosty." He taunted them. "And both of you had your chances to leave..."
"Show yourself, old friend." Her father responded evenly, his legendary cool head giving his daughter confidence.
There was a clattering noise to Ginger's left. She turned, horn at the ready...
"GET DOWN!"
A hoof shoved her roughly to the ground, something whizzed by her head and crashed into the shattered pillar, completely obliterating it. The pieces of rock tinkled to the ground like glass. One of the pillars hanging from the roof toppled to the ground, spraying her with sharp shrapnel.
"So that's how it's going to be..." her father muttered. He leaped to the center of the room, standing a few feet away from his bound wife. "Ginger, to me!"
She unsteadily rose to her hooves and stood by his side, facing the opposite direction, eyes desperately scanning the darkness for movement.
A chill magical wind, faintly glowing, swept her mane around, blowing errant strands over her eyes. Her father's horn was shining brightly now, he gave a low groan of effort and the wind suddenly intensified from a frigid breeze to a howling blast of cold. It whipped around the three ponies in a dreadful tempest of light, a tornado of ice and snow and pure magical energy. Ginger shivered, despite the fact that it was much, much warmer in the eye of the storm than the outside.
The Snap family heritage - powerful elemental mages, all of them, and her father was no exception. Ginger might one day be this powerful, provided she lived through this encounter.
As if to combat the force of nature, a low, keening howl, almost a wail, piercingly reverberated over the shriek of the storm her father had summoned. Ginger involuntarily shuddered - there was enough sadness and loss in that one note to send a pony into tears under different circumstances.
The howl abruptly stopped.
A huge shape cut through the wall of wind. Ginger felt something hot stinging the side of her face, before she was bowled her over and sending her skipping into a pillar. Her head cracked against the side, her vision flickered. Her legs suddenly felt heavy and lethargic. Why couldn't she move them?
"Moss! Leave her out of this!" Frost roared.
Her father ceased the storm, having drawn out his foe. They clashed again, holding no quarter. Each was the protector of their home, and each equally qualified to defend it. Each had spent a good deal of their life in the others company, learning and teaching until they knew eachother as much as themselves.
They danced away, and spun back into combat, now standing directly over the bound mare, who was struggling wildly against her bonds. Mosspaw brought his paws together and attempted to viciously bash in Frost's head. The unicorn twisted and caught the blow, and twisted again, locking the claws against his horn. His forelimbs came up, stopping the fanged muzzle in its tracks from biting down on the back of his neck.
Mosspaw strained and heaved, but Frost was as unyielding as a glacier. He couldn't move from the lock, and furiously eyed the smaller pony.
The completely calm, icy blue eyes of the unicorn gazed back, infuriating pools of intellect and tranquility.
Another howl tore from his throat, this one deeper and more powerful. Ginger's ears hummed with it, her entire body began to shake. The cavern resonated with the note, and the pointed pillars began to tremble.
"Moss! Stop that!"
The howl increased in volume. Pebbles on the floor skittered around like they were alive. Ginger winced and covered her ears, yet still the sound echoed furiously through her skull. The cavern itself seemed to tingle with the terrible noise. The pillar behind her suddenly spiderwebbed with cracks.
"Moss! You'll bring the whole place down!"
But the Diamond Dog was lost to his grief, and would not be silenced. He paused only to suck in another breath and release another howl, this one even more intense. There was a horrible cracking noise from above. Her father suddenly began to struggle, not to contain him, but to break free from the lock, which was now working againsthim.
"MOSS! LOOK OUT!"
Her father's horn erupted into life, spitting out a blue pulse of freezing energy, blowing his friend away. The howl faded rapidly, the cave was now eerily silent.
One of the pointed rock pillars, shaken free by the booming dim, suddenly plunged down from the roof of the cavern, right where Mosspaw had been standing a split second before...
...And impaled itself into the body of the mare, who had been lying below the struggle, spearing straight through her side and into the rock below.
Ginger's entire world shrank to a pinprick.
Her father's face, splattered a horrible crimson, in absolute shock.
Mosspaw, trapped against one of the standing pillars by a blanket of ice, falling still.
Her mother's eyes, fixing her with one last, indescribable look, before they closed forever.
Her father, giving a small twitch, something in him shattering.
Her father, walking slowly to where Mosspaw was bound to the rock.
Her father, jerking his head forward, his horn sinking into flesh.
Her father, helping her to her hooves, horn stained red.
Her father, finally sinking to his stomach at the side of his dead wife.
Broken.
Chipped.
Snapped.
My eyes flew open. Where was I? What had just happened?
The tower roof and the open sky presented itself to me from an unusual angle - sideways. I must have fallen over. I rolled off my stomach onto my side, where I saw Ginger Snap, hunched over, wordlessly sobbing into the woodwork.
Without even thinking, without even bothering to even consider thinking, I went to her side and wrapped an arm around her. She flinched, hesitated, then leaned into me, the tears flowing freely.
After what seemed like forever, she stopped. She wiped her face with a hoof and sniffled.
"What was that?" I asked her. "I was watching the world for a while."
"Remember Forever."
"What?"
She wiped again. "It's a spell. To show somepony a memory."
Fucking magic...
I began to think. If what Ginger showed me had actually happened, then that explained so much. But the circumstances surrounding it were unknown. What had been the reason for the vanished Greenclaws? Why had Frost Snap been blamed for it? What had they been doing in those caves?
I had many questions now. But I was going to get them answered, one way or another.
And Ginger Snap was going to help me.
Author: Longest chapter yet! Wow! This chapter was a bitch and a half to write! I switched to third person for obvious reasons, but I haven't done that in a while. Hope you like the action scene, I'm trying to get better and better at those.
ALSO!
WE HAVE AMAZING COVER ART, DONE BY THE MAGNIFICENT, INCREDIBLE
Jovial_Shake!
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This is me making this chapter my bitch.
My foot hurts.
My hand hurts.
Enjoy it, you greedy bastards.
Love the chapter, even though it was almost all exposition. Still, it's kind of nice to finally see the past of this town. Until next time, keep goin and stay golden^^
I wasn't even sure if these ponies counted as mammals, in fact. I mean, come on, they're cartoons! They have outlines! I have an outline!
Stressing the "unreality" of the situation just spoils it for the reader. It's called "suspension of disbelief." You won't have any if you keep kicking at the struts.
this explains much, but makes more confusing.
I will enjoy it to the upmost of my abilities now if you'll excuse me...
i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q485/Tyler_Elwood/tumblr_lxfz3pZ07L1r87u04o2_400.gif?t=1331959780
303567 I can't help but think of how relevant that .gif is to this chapter.
Your pain was worth my enjoyment.
Ah yes, pain-filled background story, my old friend.
GInger vehemently denied. Like it or not, she was going.
ASDFFJTUGHBFHDFHYGBCRDFBCB Y U MESS UP THE FUCKIN' I IN Ginger?!?!?!?!?!? FFFFFUUUUUUU
Anyways, Great chapter.
ASD-FROST!
Promiscuous ponies? Really? It's not even part of a plot point or anything, it's just THERE. It adds nothing for the people that are fine with it, but it does detract for the people that are not.
That aside, this continues to be one of my favorite works on the site. Definitely looking forward to watching the story continue to unfold.
Great chapter theirs something i've been wondering are you planning on pairing Echo with somebody in this story?
Aw jolly. This is awesome
I like it when you put the mosspaw not as an absolute evil here, but rather as a desperate leader.
303567 .....................................................................................................
I liked this chapter, but then again this is one bucking great story. Keep writing my friend! The story is good!
Awwww yeah fight scene coming up! Take out dem hydras!
eu4.memecdn.com/Defusing-bomb-like-a-boss_o_131716.gif
How I see Echo once he wins
Such a good GiF!
make the next chapter longer. i want to read more of the excellent story.
Man you made my night (^-^)/)
aaahhhhh the intrigue it flows like a fine wine.
YUS extra long chapter FTW
Anyone else want to help him cuddle Ginger Snap? Cuz I do
Also, I quite enjoy the fact that you had Echo point out the fact that he was still in a cartoon. How weird would it be to see yourself with an outline?
Great Chapter! Look forward to more, and as always, you have my continued support!
That was an epic chapter. I cant wait for your next one, with all this new plot thickening up and a-bout. Your action scene was well written. I quite enjoyed it, that ending. *single tear* This story easy makes my top 5 favorites. And I really am looking forward to reading the reasoning behind all this hullabaloo with the Diamond Dogs pulling a Houdini. And everything associated with it.
Din
each time one chap comes out, im like
them i was like
but at the end when it ends in a cliff hanger im now like
then FUS ROH DAH
Wow just wow. Very good chapter here
332402
Eeeyup. That was my reaction exactly.
Damn! shit just got real.
I can smell a confrontation coming....
Well gang, it looks like we have another mystery on our hands!
profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-ash2/162039_130242047040212_4431128_n.jpg
-Glassed
I suddenly have a sense of impending shenanigans.
Why do I get the feeling that it's ultimately Frost's fault?
Hoo boy.
Oh no.
Nothing good can come from this.
Just so you know, clicking on the story image links to the old picture.
303567 Your broken foot and aching hand will not be forgotten as one reads this awesome chapter.
333130 Oh lord Glassed that picture killed me.
Another great chapter Rust! Can't wait for more.
333389 Do I need to ready a eulogy? If it's any consultation, I never meant to bring your premature passing Nihilos
-Glassed
332583>>332363
Despite popular belief, I AM human. I make mistakes, and I do not make my living through writing. So I'm not exactly that good at it.
Hence, thank you both for pointing these out. Now that I look back, I should probbably put more thought into what I write instead of just letting it flow.
Also, don't write when your buzzed. Jumbles up your thought process.
Another wonderfully written chapter!
Do not worry rust!
your pain was not in vain!
303567 Rust, have you ever read the Warriors series 'cause you mentioned someone named Yellowfang and that is a character from the series and also the name Mosspaw is used.
333510
Actually, yes!
I have a few ideas I thought I could bring from that series and apply them to Diamond Dogs. They seem to fit well together, at least in my head.
And no, nine lives will not be given.
But ghosties..? Maybe.
Another good chapter, as always. On another note: I always appreciate good writing - that is, good literature and form - and I always stress that people go back over and full-proof their work. However, I only recommend that with the intention of preventing any cataclysmic errors. What I mean to say is that I am perfectly fine with purple prose (as long as its well-placed and keeps me entertained), and perfectly fine with what some may call an over-abundance of exposition. As long as there is a good story being told, and its being told in a way that makes it seem as though I'm viewing it through the character's eyes, what more could I possibly ask for? Ironically, I often come across as something of a grammar & spelling nazi; which any writer should be to an extent. But thanks for the story, Rust. It's good, and you're good at writing it.
And while clop ain't really my gig, I do appreciate a side of realism with my ponies, so promiscuity is game - so long as its befitting of the moment - and given that fur-ball here is something of an amateur psychologist, I don't find it all that strange that he would make some sort of observation like that. Hay, most people have random trains of thought like that. Personally, I felt it made Echo seem more real than anything else.
TL;DR - Sorry about the Wall'o'Text(tm).
333881
I actually love seeing big walls'o'text in the comments! It let's me know someone enjoyed my work enough to seriously put some thought into a response, or hated it enough to rant about how it sucks. Either way, I win, because I listen to my critics, good and bad.
This one was a beast! You really went all out on this chapter and it shows. Drama, Action, Suspence, Mystery. All used expertly inyour story for the best reading experience. Thank you for another awesome chapter. Hell Yeah!
Lots of good plot in this chapter. Favorite hilarious visual: a pony stuck half-in, half out of a rain barrel. Runner up: Pony talking in his sleep getting kicked down a stairwell... and keeps right on talking in his sleep....
I'm not really a fan of the 'in Equestria, everything looks like a cartoon' theory.
But, aside from that, still awesome as always!
333529 Reading the books also help write my story too.
noticed you changed the cover art. While I like it, as its more accurate, I have to say that your old one was bad ass. I take it there will be no armor for echo with wicked arm blades?
Cuz that would have been AWESOME
I do believe I'm on fire from the sheer lack of disarray in the chapter. Where's the fun?
Don't know what to write here,
The First
P.S. Hurry up and introduce him to Ponyville!
332693 me like
FIGHT SCENE FTW
omg
i nerded everywhere
i have to clan up my mess now
338858
Ponyville is the last stop on what will a journey of the entirety of Equestria, and possibly beyond.
So... No going to happen for a very long, long time.