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Prologue: Breaking Free4,293 words
Chapter 1: Manehattan Madness5,623 words
Chapter 2: Terrible News5,090 words
Chapter 3: New Arrivals5,468 words
Chapter 4: Royal Home Invasion5,809 words
Chapter 5: Tak's Hostile Takeover 6,607 words
Chapter 6: Race to the Edge4,962 words
Chapter 7: Turn of the Tables6,862 words
Chapter 8: Night-time Mischief 5,539 words

Prologue: Breaking Free

The Tunnels, a place so simply named and yet so filled with such complex history. According to most records it was a grand stone city deep underground at the far reaches of Equestria, that served as home to a great number of highly intelligent Diamond Dogs that lived over 800 years ago, ironically they had very little imagination when it came to naming their home. But for some reason the entrance to the Tunnels was sealed off and no creature has ever seen any one of these Diamond Dogs ever since, centuries past and still there was nothing, until today…

“FIRE IN THE HOLE!!!”

That was the last word to be screamed before another digger pony pushed down on the TNT detonator, setting off yet another small explosion to blast their way through the stone caverns. As it turned out, after 800 years of being sealed up, a great number of Equestria’s explorers and Archaeologists alike had become interested in the Tunnels, some of which only due to the potential profit in selling whatever was in there. Of course those who were more interested in the historical possibilities had the gumption to go into the Tunnels first, even if it meant bypassing any permits required for a dig in order to beat the treasure hunters to the punch. As such all it took was a few sticks of dynamite and a small group of explorers were able to finally open up the Tunnels for the first time in centuries. It was no mystery that Diamond Dogs and ponies didn’t really get along, in fact in some cases they very much despise each other simply because of their perspective on the gems they each desired, but when news that the Tunnels were home to Diamond Dogs reached their ears, this particular group of explorers sought the chance to learn all that they could, even if it was just out of their own curiosity. After 5 days of digging their way through endless caverns, all of which were encrusted with an assortment of gems, each bunch growing larger and larger the deeper everyone went, the explorers finally reached the largest cavern of all. It was a large, circular space that made the explorers feel like they were inside a massive dome, the very stone walls etched with carvings of an assortment of Equestrian creatures, most of which consisted of Giant Diamond Dogs battling said creatures, and each one containing a single gem encrusted where the eyes should be. Needless to say, each and every explorer was impressed by the chamber’s extravagance.

“We’re almost there boys,” their leader declared. “I can feel it,”

This was Bright Eyes, Professor of Archaeology, and a highly intelligent Earth Pony Mare with a pale blue coat stained with dust from the cave and a straight orange mane tied up into a small ponytail. As a filly she always loved to learn, and even now her pursuit of knowledge has driven her to attempt every possible discovery she could imagine, hence the reason she chose to ignore regulations and gather up her group of explorers consisting of friends and work colleges. Those included were Professor Chisel, a silver coated Unicorn, fellow Archaeologist to Bright Eyes and sculpture in his spare time, then there was Boxer, Biggest and Strongest of any Earth Pony Stallion Bright Eyes had the pleasure of knowing, and finally there was Galaxy Quill, a young, pink Unicorn mare with moon-shaped glasses who studies in Bright Eyes’ classes in the Equestrian Societal University. Of course there were other ponies on the dig, all of whom were paid quite well for their efforts, but it was these three in particular that Bright Eyes trusted the most, and it was because of their particular talents that she chose them for this expedition.

“Hey guys!” Galaxy Quill cried out, her gaze not leaving the centre of the stone floor. “Check this out!”

Within a matter of seconds the other three explorers gathered around the young Unicorn, their sights soon staring upon the strange mound carved into the centre of the stone floor, at first glance it appeared to be nothing more than another part of the decorations that adorned the stone walls, however this one seemed out of place, not only because it was the only one coming out of the floor but also because to was the only one that didn’t have any gems, the carving itself appeared to be of a Diamond Dog’s open mouth, a long tough hanging out of it like a level of some kind, and as curious as she was Galaxy Quill wasted no time in pressing a hoof down on it. At first nothing happened other than the dust being lifted away after not being moved for so long, but after a few moments everyone in the chamber began to feel a rumble beneath their hooves, the very ground vibrated violently, before long all four explorers had to jumped back as the carving sank downward, along with a portion of the floor. After the cloud of dust finally settled, every pony was astounded to see that whatever Galaxy pressed, it seemed to activate a small opening, revealing a spiral staircase made from the stone floor, disappearing into darkness as it descended into a lower level.

“Ladies First,” Chisel gulped nervously.

Bright Eyes couldn’t help but roll her eyes at that, Professor Chisel always was a Nervous Nelly whenever it came to the unknown, still she did what she needed to and led the group down the stone staircase, her vision soon clouded by darkness as she went further down. With only Chisel’s and Galaxy’s horns to light the way, along with a few other unicorns joining the explorer on the dig, Bright Eyes soon found herself leading everyone back onto solid ground, her hooves once again hitting a level floor, however unlike the one above, this one felt smooth like glass, as though it wasn’t naturally part of the chamber she and the others now found themselves in. Suddenly she felt something blocking her path, after ushering Chisel and Galaxy to bring their horn’s closer she could see that it appeared to be a pedestal of some kind, shaped in the form of a shallow goblet and filled with a strange-smelling liquid, after giving it some thought Bright Eyes finally took a box of matches out of her vest pocket and ignited it, after which she dropped it into the liquid. As she had expected, the liquid was a flammable substance that provided an even brighter light than a unicorn’s horn can, however it didn’t stop there, after a while the explorers discovered that whatever was in the goblet appeared to be part of some inner pipeline that seemed to connect to several other similar goblets surrounding the chamber the explorers were in, as soon as the last flame was lit the explorers all dropped their jaws in shock. As they had suspected the floor they now stood upon was no mere gravel of a bare cave, but rather a sheet of polished marble, one of which that served as a pathway that weaved through a series of buildings, all of which seemed to have been carved and hollowed out of the very stone of chamber walls, and all of which contained a series of gems faded with age encrusted into the outer walls. Had this once glamorous city been the only thing the explorers had discovered at that moment then their emotions would have been of pure joy at discovering such a historical place, however there was something else in the city that only made everyone stare in horror.

“Sweet Celestia’s mercy,” Boxer uttered in shock.

It was never nice to see skeletons, especially when one was not used to doing so, but the amount of canine bones that littered the stone streets were beyond the count of grief, had there been any living Diamond Dogs amongst the explorers, then all of them would have been howling with sorrow. After taking a moment to absorb everything, the explorers divided into two pairs, each one taking half of the city to explore the ruins.

“What do you suppose happened here?” Chisel asked as he and Bright Eyes passed another Diamond Dog skeleton, this one holding what appeared to be the remains of her own pup.

“A plague maybe,” Bright Eyes answered, though in all honesty it was merely a theory. “Could be the reason why the entrance these caves was sealed off.”

Upon hearing those words, Chisel couldn’t help but gulp.

“You’re saying they could be infectious?” he asked nervously, causing Bright Eyes to chuckle.

“Highly doubtful Chisel,” she replied. “Even if it WAS a plague then chances are that it would have died out ages ago along with everything else here.”

Though this explanation wasn’t that solid, it still made Chisel calm down a little bit, thus allowing him to fully absorb the sight before him. With each skeleton they passed both ponies couldn’t help but feel sad, to think that such a large city of such magnificent craftsmanship was built by these poor dogs, clearly more intelligent than the ones that roam Equestria today, only for them to be entirely wiped out by some unknown cause. However despite the emotion they felt, the explorer keen sense of observation never faltered, which in turn made them notice something odd about each of the skeletons.

“They all seem to be facing something,” Bright Eyes noted, noticing the fact every skull seemed to be pointing in the same direction.

With that piece of info now in their minds, the next logical step was obviously to follow the direction of where all the skeletons were facing, after all if every Diamond Dog was facing the same way when they died, then chances are that the last thing they saw might have been the cause, which in turn would make an interesting discovery. After what felt like an hour of following the hunch, the two explorers finally reached what appeared to be the largest building in the city, which seemed to reside in its very centre. It was a massive, hour-glass shaped building, with the largest sections carved both out of the floor and the ceiling only to meet with a large diamond in the centre, there were no windows like the rest of the buildings, and only had a single pair of double iron doors, both of which were ripped right off their hinges as though someone had kicked them in. Once inside said building, Chisel and Bright Eyes found yet another stone spiral staircase, one which they didn’t hesitate the climb, after reaching the second level, the two ponies were met with yet another incredible sight.

“Woah!” Chisel exclaimed.

However this wasn’t a reaction of awe, at least not the impressive kind, in fact what they saw made their whole bodies shiver. There, in the very centre of the circular room, surrounded by even more Diamond Dog skeletons, all of which were clad in aged armour, was another goblet. However this one wasn’t like the ones that lit up the city outside, in fact the only light source in the room was the light from Chisel’s horn, instead it stood at least 2 feet tall, made out of what looked like jaggedly sculpted stone blackened with age, but weirdest of all, the top seemed to be sealed with an iron cap, which only made the display all the more curious.

“What in Celestia’s name is this?” Bright Eyes exclaimed, her curiosity reaching critical levels upon seeing something so mysterious.

“No idea,” Chisel admitted. “But one thing’s for sure, whatever this thing is, it has got to fetch a fine price for the highest bidder somewhere, every Museum in the world will want it. Maybe whatever’s inside will be worth even more.”

Once again Bright Eyes felt the need to eye-roll

“Must everything come down to money with you?” she asked sarcastically, knowing full well that Chisel’s nervous disposition was only matched by his love for extra Bits. “Alright, let’s get Boxer in here.”

About an hour later, over half of the digger ponies as well as all four of the explorers and an assortment of lit torches and horns were inside the chamber, a large chain attached to a harness around Boxer’s neck with the other end connected to the lid of the black goblet, whatever was inside this strange vessel it needed to be seen.

“And… HEAVE!” Bright Eyes called, shepherding Boxer to his job.

Since Boxer was clearly the strongest out of all the ponies there, it was no surprise that it only took less than a minute for him the pry off the lid, which was easily weakened from age. However while everyone merely expected nothing more than a cloud of dust, what happened next gave every pony an even bigger shock, for as soon as Boxer managed to pull off the lid of the goblet a gush of pressurised cold mist burst from every available crevice, crack and any other opening, blanketing the room in a white fog.

“What the heck…!?!” Galaxy exclaimed.

Luckily the fog wasn’t too thick as to allow everyone to actually see what they were doing, though it didn’t stop it from being any less cold, but in any case every pony was now able to peer into the strange goblet, what they saw, however, wasn’t a pretty sight.

“So… you called me in here just to open up a tub of blue snot?” Boxer asked, snorting in frustration.

Needless to say, seeing the pool of gelatinous blue goop inside the goblet wasn’t something any pony was expecting, no one even dared to poke their hooves in it in fear that it could be acidic. At first glance, the only solid thing that any pony could see was its sky blue colour, after tapping the outer rim of the goblet, they then saw that it has the consistency of paste. After a few minutes of looking over this strange liquid, the explorers then turned away from the goblet to have a small talk

“What would a bunch of ancient Diamond Dogs be doing guarding something like this?” Chisel asked, taking note of the skeletons surrounding the strange liquid.

“Maybe this is just the result of rotting?” Galaxy theorised. “Could have been something else in there before now.”

However Bright Eyes merely shook her head at that.

“No, it’s too old,” she calmly argued. “Any decomposition would have dried up by now, besides that seal would have kept a lot of harsh elements out in order to prevent decay.”

“So you’re saying that goop’s some kind of preservative?” Boxer asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Maybe,” Bright Eyes replied with a shrug, “We’ll have to get some more of our special tools to know for…”

“Uh… guys?” one of the digger-ponies uttered, cutting Bright Eyes off mid-sentence and pointing back towards the goblet.

Of course Bright Eyes hated to be interrupted, but in this case the interruption couldn’t have been more appropriate for at that moment, all the while the four explorers were distracted to notice that the blue liquid had begun to slowly rise out of the goblet, shifting itself into a tentacle-like shape like a cobra rising from a basket. As soon as they finally turned to see what was happening, all four explorers’ jaws dropped once again.

“Oh my…” Galaxy uttered.

At first the tentacle only stood there for a few seconds, the tip of it turning in all directions as though it were trying to feel around for something, needless to say it was a curious sight, in fact it almost seemed hypnotic. Suddenly the feeling was curiosity was instantly replaced by fear when the tentacle suddenly snapped towards the direction of the explorers and wrapped itself around Boxer’s belly.

“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!” he screamed as he was suddenly pulled into the goblet, only to disappear into the abyss of the strange goo.

After that the entire chamber was filled with chaotic screams as more and more tentacles sprouted from the goblet and began to attack every pony in sight.

“RUN!!!” Chisel screamed, desperately trying to run towards the staircase.

However the sheer speed of the tentacles was so astounding that he too was snatched up and carried into the goblet. One by one, every pony had suffered the same fate, snatched up by a tentacle and consumed by the ever-growing mass of sticky goo, until finally only Bright Eyes remained. After seeing her friends disappear to a terrible fate, Bright Eyes couldn’t help but shed tears of sorrow as she held poor Galaxy’s glasses in her hooves, in fact she was filled with so much sorrow that she didn’t even care when the final tentacle wrapped around her throat. However while every other tentacle consumed the other with great speed, this last one took it’s time as it slowly brought Bright Eyes closer to the goblet, almost as though it were toying with her. Then something happened that Bright Eyes could never have expected, while the final tentacle continued to hold her in the air by her neck, the rest of them twisted, stretched and merged like blutack, before long the entire mass of goop had completely left the goblet and took its first step onto the solid floor. Where a puddle of slime sat, now stood a large bipedal figure that stood at least seven feet tall, though that would have been more accurate if the figure’s entire body bended and crouched as though he didn’t have a single bone in his body, he had skin that was the same light blue as the goop he once was, had two toes on each bare foot, wore a purple turtle-neck sweater and brown pants underneath a mossy-green coat, and had a noseless face that only a mother could love, consisting of three tiny tentacles above and below his lips that acted as a goatee and moustache, had a gruesome smile that show a large gap between his two front teeth, and a pair of dark eyes that glowed with green, pupiless irises. If his appearance wasn’t scary enough, what made things even more terrifying was when the figure brought the larger tentacle, now shifted into an arm that ended with a four-fingered hand that was still clasped around Bright Eye’s throat, even closer to his face, a large sinister grin plastered upon it.

“So sorry Darling,” he hissed mockingly with a deep, slippery voice. “But you cannot IMAGINE how hungry I am.”

That was the last words Bright Eyes ever heard before the hand that held her neck once again shifted and covered her body like a cocoon before shrinking back into the figures arm, and thus Bright Eyes, along with the rest of her digging crew, were never seen again. After this horrid act was complete, the figure then casually walked away from the goblet.

Once outside the building, the blue figure stretched out his arms further than anyone could even think possible and took a deep inhale through the gap in his teeth.

“Aaahh… it’s so nice to breath in the free air again,” he sighed, clearly glad to be finally free from the goblet that held him.

It was then that the figure took a moment to take notice of his surroundings, a look of amusement spread across his face as he knelt down and touched the marble beneath his feet.

“Such strange terrain,” he commented, taking note of the aged decay around him. “So is this what happens when one goes away for a few hundred years?”

Of course no creature was around to hear him, any pony that was lucky enough to survive consumption had clearly exited the Tunnels by now, but the figure didn’t care for it was the first time he was able to hear his own voice for so long. After getting back to his feet, the figure then walked towards a nearby Diamond Dog skeleton and casually picked up its skull with little to no respect for the dead, in fact he was so disrespectful that he was basically tossing the skull up and down like it were nothing more than a baseball.

“Oh you poor mutts,” he said mockingly, soon tossing the skull into the air and kicking it away like a soccer ball. “So your efforts to keep me imprisoned have failed huh!?! Not so smart now, are ya!?!”

At that moment the figure couldn’t help but quiver with delight, it had been AGES since he was able to express himself so freely, after all being trapped inside a goblet only allowed so much functionality in his body. But now he was free, and with his freedom came a whole swarm of ideas.

“… but perhaps you can provide a better service in death than you did in life,” he thought aloud, twisting his moustache with sinister delight as old memories came flooding back into his head.

Upon remembering a certain thought, the figure then opened up his palm and a small orb sprouted out of it like a flower bud, the blue skin becoming more translucent as the orb suddenly become as clear as crystal. Inside the orb, a series of even smaller ones appeared to be floating like bubbles in water, each one giving off a flicker of white light.

“Ah yes…” The figure hissed, smiling with delight upon seeing the lights inside the orb. “Even after all these years your souls still remain intact, pure and blank like a canvas waiting to be painted. All you require now… are the proper vessels.”

At those words the figure then reabsorbed the orb back into his hand and began to scan his surroundings, trying to see what he could find that would be suitable for his needs, the skeletons were basically useless, and anything else had been ravaged by the teeth of time… all except a certain item that seemed to be encrusted into every building.

“Yes…” the figure contemplated, plucking a small ruby out of the nearest stone wall and giving it a small examination. “These materials shall do nicely.”

With that final word, the figure then tossed the ruby over his shoulder and clasped his hands together, closing his eyes as he began to focus, after a moment of silence, the figure screamed as loud as his lungs could muster.

“FUSION DISCHARGE!!!”

With those words echoing throughout the entire cave system, another crazy event occurred. As soon as the words left the figures mouth, small blue tentacles by the hundreds all burst out of the figures back and stretched themselves far and wide into the city, each one piercing a single gem without so much as cracking it. After that the same lights that had been inside the figure’s hand was now being pumped out of his back, a single one traveling down each tentacle and into the awaiting gem, as soon as that was complete the tentacles then retracted and withdrew into the figures back once again, leaving a now violently glowing gem in their wake. Before long, each gem then began to double, triple, and quadruple in size, all of them falling out of the wall and landing onto the ground with a small crack, had anyone else been in the Tunnels at the time, jaws would have dropped for sure if they were to see what happened next. After growing to a big enough size, each gem then exploded from the inside like an egg hatching in a most violent way, and stepping out was a creature that no one had ever seen before. At first glance, each one looked like a small canine, each one different in colour and size, though the average was the height of a common pony, with some reaching double that mass, what’s more, every single one of them had gems sprouting out of their upper-bodies as though they were naturally growing out of them, some even had sharpened gems in place of teeth. Needless to say, it was a sight to behold, especially since each and every one of these creatures now seemed to be converging onto the figure’s location, all of them bowing at his feet upon arrival as though it was expected of them.

“My children,” the figure spoke, with cold voice reaching out even to the furthest reaches of the cave so every creature could hear him. “Welcome to the land of the living. For too long has our purpose been postponed, now is the time we can finally do what we are meant to do!”

The creatures all cheered at those words, only then to be silence by the figure raising his hand.

“Now my dear Gemnites,” he continued, giving name to his creations for the first time. “You will scout out the land far and wide, you will learn all that you can about those who inhabit it, and then you will… DRIVE THEM INSANE!!!”

And with that final call, the Gemnites then roared with applause and began running towards the nearest exit like a swarm of bees leaving the nest. Before long the figure once again found himself alone in the tunnels, placing his hands behind his back as even more memories began to fill his mind.

“Fear not Mistress,” he muttered to himself. “I shall NOT fail this time, soon you shall be awakened and we SHALL be reunited once again!!!”

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