Zero Hour: Part 9
They passed a few more guards and individual working Dogs as they went along the corridors. Passing the time, on the other hand, Spike was testing the waters by using Observe far more often. He had set grinding the skill aside for a while to avoid becoming too fixated on it, which proved to be the right call just minutes ago. As useful as its information-gathering was? Observe had inscrutable limits and gaps. Not least of all, reading the results wasn't trivial even if Photographic Speedreading was free... Which it super duper wasn't.
Now that Spike was outside of the tense exploratory and combat sections of his evening (which he had already started to break down into phases and scenes like an O+O session, in his head) he could afford to spend time and effort gathering information. The plain tunnels didn’t give him much to work with, but there were enough individuals and objects around to keep him occupied regardless.
The results were... not exactly easy to work with.
The average Diamond Dog had a higher level than any given random pony in Ponyville, but with stats that were significantly less impressive. They were focused into physical pursuits for the most part, although some (the ones currently doing less-taxing work) had a noteworthy slant towards Luck. Not a single one that he saw had a title, except for the guard Dogs.
...And those were the weirdest part. Every one of those guards was almost a cookie-cutter copy of Guard Seven, just with another number on the name. [One Of Many] title, level in the high teens or low twenties, near non-entity mental attributes. If he didn't know better he would have assumed they were NPCs in a game or some kind of magical automaton.
That last bit brought him to a concerning conclusion: Given that they were Diamond Dogs, did that mean they had distinct breeds like normal dogs? Maybe these guards weren't selected based on potential and strength but literally born into the role. Spike had a feeling he was close to the right track, but the details would have to wait. Or possibly they would end up being another instance of Equestria's constant strangeness, seen only in passing: Hard to say at the end of the day!
The detailing and quality of the tunnels began to subtly improve as they got deeper. Better lamps were used, proper doors or gates closed off side rooms, the floors were smoothed. If Spike wanted to be suspicious, he'd say this was a sign the Dogs were planning on staying this far out. Being more charitable? They probably had already stayed here for long enough that adding creature comforts helped pass the time and soothe the mind.
Eventually they reached a wall... of sorts. It was closer to a cave-in or the aftermath of an industrial accident, dozens irregularly-sized rocks stacked up without mortar to bind them. Despite the oddity it served the same purpose of keeping things in and out, breaking up what had once been a larger natural space. An opening barely large enough to fit guard dogs was flanked by two of the hulks, and the quality of the torches here was the best so far. There were even a few lonely tapestries hung in the space, making it clear that this was the local seat of power.
The left guard looked over their group and shrugged to his partner. The right guard also shrugged, but then spoke in a low and gravelly voice.
"...Prisoners?"
"Guests! Maybe allies from the outside. Helpful pony, helpful dragon."
This time it was the left guard's turn to speak up.
"...Trap?"
Rover helplessly spread his arms out and chuckled, trying to deflect.
"Ah, heh, well... If yes, not much we can do! Bad times mean bad decisions."
"I don't think that's a thing."
"Shush Tony."
Clearly the guards either weren't concerned or actually agreed with that principle: Either way they stepped aside to let Spike, Piercing, and the three dogs pass. Guard Seven stuck close to them as they went past the barricade, stopping only to briefly nod at his fellows.
The interior of the sealed-off space wasn't opulent or regal. It was barely what most ponies would consider habitable. Stark stone stretched up and down both walls while the ceiling was rife with stalactites that dripped and drizzled. The lighting across most of the impromptu hall was dim and the flooring was more raw stone, albeit cleared and smoothed. But despite the low (by necessity) quality of the environment? There was still an air of critical stability.
That sense was focused entirely where the light wasn't dim, where the stalactites didn't drip, where the walls took on the appearance of something just a little brighter and better. One thin Diamond Dog was in the back of the room, nestled on a throne carved directly from the stone. Even without paying mind to the trappings around him? Spike knew he was looking at the man in charge here.
[Top Dog In Exile]
King Rudy
LV ???
King Rudy was thin, but taller than the other Dogs they'd seen. Not the hulking height of a Guard, if anything he was thinner than normal. He wore green robes over pale brown fur which grew darker as it rose, to the point where his face and ears were coal-black. He held a simple scepter in one hand and wore a single plain ring on the other, and while his head bore no crown? Spike still recognized that a crown should go in that space, in the same way he felt the implied shape of Luna and Celestia's regalia even when they weren't wearing them.
No guards stood around the throne, but clearly the King was used to having them: When he saw the approaching guests he raised a hand to wave off his retinue out of reflex. Nothing happened for a moment, until King Rudy laughed and spread his arms as if to say 'Well what can you do?'
"...It was necessary to cut down on the... personal protection. I am sure you understand."
Spike had spent more than enough time in Canterlot to know the proper forms for greeting and speaking with foreign royals, even if he had the chance to ignore them most of the time.
"No problem at all, Your Majesty! We've encountered some of the issues you're dealing with on our way in: It's laudable to have kept order to any degree at all under the circumstances."
The King laughed at that again, this time with a little more of a sharp barking edge to it.
"I suspect you have been in royal court in the pony lands plenty yourself, Mister..."
"I am Spike, Your Majesty: Spike the Dragon. My companion and... handler for this trip is Piercing Ammunition of Equestria's Lunar Guard."
Mr. Ammo nodded to the King.
"An honor to meet you, Sir."
None of the dogs made note of it, but Spike caught that difference in address: Apparently either the Ammos had some minor title of note, or their military rank was enough to make the difference. Either that or Piercing just didn't mind the particulars as much, or any mix of the above.
"Feel free to drop the formalities if you wish. This is not a proper meeting of nations."
"Let us know if you're interested in changing that: We could contact the Princesses and make this a more traditional exchange if you prefer."
Rudy set his scepter down in the crook of his stone throne's arm and twisted at the ring on his other hand as he spoke, looking pensively at Spike.
"My preference would be closer to the opposite, now that you mention it. I notice you did not speak of your own affiliation, Mister Spike?"
"Just Spike is fine if we're ditching formalities: And I guess I didn't? I'm certainly a citizen of Equestria and I'm absolutely here working with Luna and her Guard. But at the same time I think she's always seen me as kind of independant? What with the whole dragon thing."
"I would imagine. Which, I suppose, brings me around to an apology. I have to guess you are here because our escape route is bringing us dangerously close to one of your settlements?"
That did get to the crux of the issue, and with the kind of directness that made it very clear Rudy both already knew and quite possibly didn't care.
"Yessir: The town of Ponyville."
Rover took this chance to run up and kneel by the throne, briefly speaking in the same uncertain language from before. This time Spike was prepared, and dropped into his menus to flip subtitles on: While it didn't translate anything, it gave him the notice that the words were [Spoken Rudinian]. Maybe the Diamond Dogs had specific languages in different regions? Either that or this 'Top Dog In Exile' was an even bigger deal than the title implied.
Eventually Rudy nodded and reached out to pat the other Dog on the back.
"Thank you Rover. You may stand down now."
The King made a few brief statements in that same language. Immediately, Tony scurried over to Rover and Guard Seven stepped away from Spike and Piercing. WIth the space around them cleared, King Rudy looked over them again with an expression that was surprisingly sad.
"We have had encounters with ponies of Ponyville in the past. And yourself as well, I am being told. This was during a period that I was... away from the warren, so I apologize for not recognizing that fact earlier."
"Accidents in the past are exactly that, sir: Both accidents and in the past. I don't intend to hold any kind of grudge when your people are clearly under attack."
"Even if we were once the attackers, and against a close friend of yours at that?"
That might have given others pause, but not Spike. He'd grown up around Celestia, which meant he had a tailor-made answer for any questions in that vein. Just a simple shrug and-
"...Equestria."
"Hah! Well said. If only we had the same kind of reputation... Although reputation is not much for holding off bugs."
Maybe it was ambition, maybe it was gaming the system, maybe it was the heightened stats giving him new avenues and ideas. Either way, Spike dropped a little joke with a deeper message.
"Fire tends to be a much better tool for that."
That got the King to look at him in a new light, and very nearly caught Piercing in an abrupt laugh. He'd have to tally that off on the list at home for 'Guards Breaking Character': Maybe if he kept spending time with Rarity's relatives he'd be able to overcome Rainbow Dash's high score?
"You are not wrong, little dragon. And I am told that you are not always, ah, little?"
Oh man. He'd dropped that hint on a whim, was it actually going to pay off?
"I came into some new magic in the last months. Part of it includes adjusting my size, yes."
Apparently that was enough to confirm something to Rudy.
"Rover, Tony? Go fetch up whichever council members are present. Guard? You are dismissed."
During the brief scramble of the other Dogs leaving, Piercing gestured to Spike to open their party.
Sounds like you're planning to negotiate with the King directly. I peg that right?
Yeah: I figure it's better for me to tackle this as part of my quests than to get other ponies involved needlessly. Was I wrong?
Naw, all good. Just making sure you're sure. If you decide to go with this route then me and the missus won't be able to give you any backup from here on out. Even Luna's hooves will be kinda tied if it comes to that. Independence has requirements and all that jazz.
Understood. And thank you for the concern, Mr. Ammo... Pierce. But that's only for the mission itself: There won't be any problems with me training under Arcane or learning from you, right?
Course not! That's just us doing our own thing on our own time. But as far as official Equestrian business goes, you'll be going solo.
Spike shot him a wide smile: The idea of fighting alone from here suited him just fine.
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Top Dog encountered, but given the name of the language, is the dogs name the Rulers name, or is their actual given name and they worked their way up to it, or are they a lot longer lived that otherwise expected for the general Dog?
Tall and thin? Greyhound, Selikia? Doberman? Poodle?
Just because Pierce cant help Spike in an official extra county enemy counter clear effort, doesnt man he cant be in the same area at the same time doing some Equestrian Crown bug extermination, or even a bit of licenced vermin control?
Ah, the Diamond Dogs are ready to be brought out of the prehistoric equivalent of the Middle Ages...
Great chapter with a Spike that really is pulling his own weight and more. Respect for that Dragon that in indeed a indipendend force to be worth a lot on its own.
10751533
I love unorthodox and outside the box thinking.
Great idea
10751537
To be fair... Equestria isnt that far infront of em...
Given how canines obtained those in our world, I would be a lot more concerned about this if I didn't have a passing familiarity with the Ziggy Stardust gimmick. And the official comics were not subtle. (Center left, thumb is literally on the panel border)
Reminder that these need to copy-pasted into a new to actually view; they can't be linked to from any site they notice does it regularly unless it's Reddit.
10751533
An image of a real dog was "included" via the aforementioned method and can be viewed via the aforementioned workaround. The fact that it can't be viewed just by clicking the link is the sole reason for the scare quotes.
10751592 Oh, right...
10751592
I cant think outside the box.
Its just the box that I can use, includes L-Space as a subset.
Interesting and hehe nice innuendo and smart move spikes meta gaming like a pro
10751623
Yup, I'm used to Imgur's dumb behavior by now. But it's the most easily-accessible image host for me to use, and I didn't feel like having the click lead out to the original hosting page (a 300-odd character garglemesh of an AWS link). I figure if anyone cares enough they'd see the link and check it out through a new-tab / copy-paste, but that for those who don't it would be less disruptive than including it as an actual embed.
Top Dog in Exile? What an interesting title...
And Spike is being pretty cocky here. Curious to see how this develops.
10751533
Afghan Hound?
10755091
As a bi guy myself it was only to be expected: Gotta rep the home team. :V
10756041
Preach it brother!
....would this make Spike an attaché? He is working in conjunction with the Lunar Guard AND has Diplomatic standing if I remember right?
Wonder if this will gain him a title like “Scaled Diplomat” or “Celestial Speaker” that gives him a bonus to Speech and/or Charisma?
I've been following this story since the beginning, but I don't comment often, so I thought I'd just let you know I am really really enjoying this! It's a treat every single Friday. Keep up the good work! You've held my intrigue extraordinarily well.
Your image appears to be broken. Imgur says that the image cannot be displayed because it "contains errors." Might just be me, but I figured I'd tell you.
10768968
For me it gave an error and then loaded anyways.
Hm... I think we all know Independence has benefits but also a lot of Doggo drop of disadvantages...