My Little Investigations: The Gemstone Godfather

by Metool Bard

The Dogs of War

July 11, 11:59 AM
Everfree Forest
Northern Timberline
***

"Alright, you mutts! Pick up the pace! Double time!"

A familiar bark took me by surprise as I approached the northern timberline. When I had left the place, it was pretty much barren and desolate. But in the two hours I was gone, a large number of Diamond Dogs had popped up and were hard at work digging for gems. It seems as though they realized that Rarity wasn't around, and they decided to take advantage of the opportunity.

And speaking of opportunities, I found one of my own. If anyone was going to know about dragons in this area, it was going to be the Diamond Dogs. Not only that, but they were already willing to cooperate with my investigation by talking to Sykes Silvervest. Getting some more information out of them was going to be a cakewalk. With that in mind, I began to approach them.

But before I could even get close to one of the sentries, somepony pulled me behind a rock and placed a hoof over my mouth. Turning my head, I saw that it was the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well.

"Shh. Keep down," Mare-Do-Well whispered as she released me. "And keep your voice low."

"What's the big idea?" I hissed. "I don't know if you know this, but these Diamond Dogs aren't that dangerous. I talked to them; they're willing to help out."

"Notice how they're all on high alert," said Mare-Do-Well darkly. "They're expecting something."

"How the hay do you know?" I asked.

"Keep in mind that you and your sister are not the only ponies investigating," said Mare-Do-Well. "I've figured out a few things myself."

"Like what, for instance?"

"Like the fact that this Sykes Silvervest is the least of this pack's worries."

I blinked. "Wait, you weren't there when I met with Rover Redvest. Heck, you left before I could tell you about the collar you found. How do you know this?"

"I follow ponies who are in peril so I can protect them," said Mare-Do-Well with a shrug.

"So, you're stalking me."

"A little," said Mare-Do-Well, sounding a bit ashamed. "But once I saw that the Redvest pack didn't pose a threat, I took the opportunity to do some investigating of my own in the catacombs."

"And, what did you find?" I inquired.

"From a few select conversations I managed to eavesdrop on, it appears that the Redvest pack has been the victim of thefts in the past few days," said Mare-Do-Well.

"Oh yeah, I kinda remember Rover saying something about that when I first came across him," I said. "But, who would want to steal from these guys?"

"What do you mean?" asked Mare-Do-Well.

"They told me that the Redvest pack isn't doing so hot right now," I explained. "They lost a lot of gems and status because of a failed endeavor, and they're in debt to boot."

"To Sykes Silvervest, I presume," said Mare-Do-Well. "He seemed to come up a lot in conversation."

"Yeah," I said with a nod. "And apparently, they think he's after me, too."

"I wouldn't be so quick to jump to conclusions, Ms. Sparkler," said Mare-Do-Well, lowering her hat over her eyes.

"Well, I'm not," I said with a shrug. "Then again, there aren't a lot of conclusions to jump to right now that make sense."

"Indeed," said Mare-Do-Well. "So, if I may be so bold to ask, what are you doing here?"

"I'm trying to follow up on a lead I got from Rarity," I said. "You see..."

Before I could go into any further detail, one of the Diamond Dogs let out a bloodcurdling howl. I was about to poke my head out and take a peek, but Mare-Do-Well forced me to hide and shook her head.

"They're back! The bandits are back!" I heard Rover roar. "Take what you can and get underground! Defend your hauls at all costs!"

As he was barking these order, I noticed that a shadow was passing me overhead. I looked up to see a swarm of dragons flying in, hooting and hollering as they descended upon the Diamond Dogs. Although Mare-Do-Well prevented me from seeing most of the ensuing battle, I managed to get a few glimpses of it. And well, it wasn't pretty. The Redvest pack did their best to fight back, stabbing with their spears and springing from the ground to try and trip the dragons up. Nevertheless, the dragons clearly had the upper claw, and they were merciless. Diamond Dogs were getting burned and tossed left and right. One was even slammed into the boulder I was hiding behind. Through my peripheral vision, I saw the dragon's flame toast the boulder. I don't know if that Diamond Dog survived, but part of me hopes he did.

And all the while, Mare-Do-Well was looking on, panting heavily and clenching every muscle in her body. I couldn't really tell because of the mask, but if I were to guess, I think she wanted to go in and help the Diamond Dogs. I don't blame her, but I doubt even the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well can take on a swarm of dragons. Stopping out-of-control vehicles and fixing dams are one thing; dragons are, well, dragons. I think she knew that, which is why she was resisting the urge to join the fray.

After a long battle, a loud voice made itself known over the awful din.

"Alright, boy-os! That's enough fun. Take five."

This time, Mare-Do-Well allowed me to take a peek at what was going on. Diamond Dogs were strewn all across the landscape, and all of them were badly injured. In the center of the carnage stood another Diamond Dog wearing a pair of shades and a vest that appeared to be made out of dragon scales. His shaggy fur was white with brown spots, and he had something in his paw that he was fiddling with. I couldn't quite make out what it was.

"Yo, boss! We're kinda sick and tired of you doing this!" snarled one of the dragons. "Why don't we just waste 'em and take all the gems they got?!"

"Peace, Garble. You know why we can't do that," said the shaggy Diamond Dog. "Redvest is not our enemy."

"Then why attack us at all, you lunatic?!" Spot snapped. "This is the third time this week you and your dragons have gone after us like this! What did we ever do to you?!"

"If you don't know, then you are fools," said the shaggy Diamond Dog. "In the meantime, take solace in the fact that you have no serious casualties. Your lives are more important than gems."

"Don't try to confuse us with your fancy philosophy!" Fido barked. "Just stop picking on us! We're not worth it!"

The shaggy Diamond Dog sighed. "You know how to make this stop, Redvest pack. Let Silvervest know that Kohryu has marked him, and that he must repent."

Rover snarled. "The answer is the same as before! This Kohryu you speak of is a myth! Silvervest doesn't believe in myths! Stop dragging us into your crazy war! You won't win, anyway, even if you get the support of all the dragons in the land!"

The shaggy Diamond Dog snickered. "Redvest, are you so naïve that you honestly think Silvervest is untouchable? Open your eyes, man. Only Kohryu is untouchable."

"Yeah, he's untouchable because he doesn't exist!" barked one of the soldiers who somehow survived the battle. "You're crazy!"

"You really think so?" said the shaggy Diamond Dog, fiddling with the weird object in his paw. "Because my boy-os here seem to disagree. Do you want to take it up with them?"

That put the soldier in his place. The shaggy Diamond Dog smiled.

"Didn't think so," he said. "Anyway, I'd love to stick around and set a spell, but we gotta blow this joint. If Silvervest doesn't know what's going down in five days, we'll be back. Catch ya later. Oh, and you might wanna shield your eyes."

He then held up his paw and looked towards the sky. "Bright as the flame!"

In a flash of light, a giant phoenix appeared out of nowhere. With a loud screech, the bird spread its wings, causing a blinding light to radiate from its plumage. When the glare died down, the dragons were gone, as were any gems in the area and the weirdo Diamond Dog. As the Diamond Dogs started tending to their wounded and heading back underground, I sat there staring blankly into space.

"Wh-what the heck did I just see?" I asked.

"I'd wager we just bore witness to the Redvest pack being robbed," said Mare-Do-Well.

"Yeah yeah yeah, I got that part," I said. "But, since when do dragons take orders from a Diamond Dog? And not just any Diamond Dog, but a crazy one who has an ax to grind with Sykes Silvervest."

"I don't have the answers to these question," said Mare-Do-Well with a sigh. "Nor do I know who this Kohryu is. All I know is that this might be a lot more complex than we thought."

"You're telling me," I said. "I came here figuring that those dragons were just playing a prank on me, but that doesn't seem to..."

I trailed off as a realization struck me. That crazy Diamond Dog was apparently at war with Sykes Silvervest. And because of that ransom note, I was somehow caught up in it. I mean, Sykes Silvervest and those teenage dragons were my only real suspects at this point, so I had to be involved somehow. I began to tremble all over.

"Oh, Celesita. Why me?" I murmured. "Why my family? What did we ever do to deserve this?"

Mare-Do-Well placed a hoof on my shoulder. "No one deserves this, Ms. Sparkler," she said. "That being said, I did tell you that investigating would be dangerous."

"Y-you never said anything about a war, though," I said.

"That's because I didn't know," said Mare-Do-Well, obscuring her eyes with her hat. "I'm sorry."

"No, no. It's, not your fault," I said. "I just feel a bit, overwhelmed. I mean, I'm just a jeweler's apprentice. I'm not prepared to deal with this."

"I understand," said Mare-Do-Well. "Actually, if you were to stop investigating now, I wouldn't hold it against you."

Part of me thought that was a good idea, but another part said that I couldn't give up. I-I really didn't know what to do.

"M-maybe I should go to Princess Twilight. She might know how to fix this," I said.

"I'm, not sure if it's that simple," said Mare-Do-Well. "Ponies interfering in Diamond Dog politics might spark an international incident."

"Don't you think that's a bit of a moot point now? I mean, they're roping me into their war!" I said.

Mare-Do-Well sighed and shook her head. "Politics is a fickle thing, Ms. Sparkler; especially when it comes to other species," she said. "I wish it wasn't that way, believe me. But you have to understand that not every creature in Equestria views the world from a pony's perspective."

"Th-then, what am I supposed to do?" I asked.

"Just as before, you have a choice," said Mare-Do-Well. "Either investigate and find the truth, or leave everything to me. I'll protect you and your family either way, so there's no pressure."

Even though she said that, I felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders. I wanted to defend my family, but I felt like this was way over my head. I-I just couldn't decide.

"L-let me think about it," I said.

"Fair enough," said Mare-Do-Well. "For the moment, I'll assume you're still investigating unless you tell me otherwise. And of course, I will respect whatever decision you make and abide by it."

I gave her a nod and got up to leave. I'm not sure why, but Mare-Do-Well giving me this choice didn't feel, right. I mean, I was kinda glad that she was taking my feelings into consideration, but if she needed my help, why wasn't she giving me a pep talk or anything? Just like everything else in this stupid mystery, it just didn't make sense.

"Wait, Ms. Mare-Do-Well. I have one more que—"

I turned around to get an explanation, only to find that she had once again disappeared. I, guess I just had to hold that thought for later. With a heavy sigh, I headed for home.

***

I spent the rest of the day just debating with myself over whether or not to continue investigating. Sure, it would be dangerous, but should I let that stop me? What chance do I have going up against ruthless Diamond Dogs and powerful dragons? Did I have more strength than I realized? Should I believe in myself, or know my limits? Even now, I don't have any answers to these questions.

But the deciding point was seeing Dinky all curled up and snug in her bed as I passed by her room that night. It took sheer force of will to hold my tears back. Dinky was involved in this too, whether I wanted her to be or not. Whether it was Sykes Silvervest or that wacko and his dragon clan, someone was dragging my sweet little sister into a war. I couldn't let that happen. I vowed right then and there that I'd keep trying despite my doubts. Because I was not going to let anypony hurt her.

Well, now you're all caught up, and you know where I stand. Someone is soaking me for gems, they won't tell me who they are, and there's a big war over, something that I'm somehow involved in. As crazy as Ponyville is on a regular basis, I think this is gonna be hard to top. I don't know if my resolve will last, but for what it's worth, I'm gonna make every last bit of it count.

Wish me luck. I feel like I'm gonna need it. Badly.

Comments

[theNDinspector]

In the center of the carnage stood another Diamond Dog wearing a pair of shades and a vest that appeared to be made out of dragon scales.

Huh, I'd say that he's like the villain from "How to Train Your Dragon 2", with the dragon-scale jacket and the fact that he controls dragons, but this story was written before that movie came out in theaters...so, yeah...weird.

[Ri2]

Oh my. ANOTHER Diamond Dog faction with dragons? The mystery deepens

[SilverDiamond]

Again with some weird tribe or being, that doesn't really exist in canon. And not an OC, but an actual being or tribe of importance... Ugh. Then again, they might be just making it up... Not much to go on right now.