Alternate Beginnings: Year Three

by Doug Graves

18 Lasting Impressions

August 13th, 995

The evening of the fifth day in the Badlands draws to a close as the group pulls up to the edge of the Macintosh Hills. The three dogs can barely contain their excitement as Doug pulls out the first of many boxes. He carries it down the ramp, placing it outside the wagon with a light thud. He smiles at the group, "Before we get started, I just want to say that it has been a pleasure working with each of you. Now, we know it isn't much, but Rarity and I were able to cobble together a few pieces that I think each of you will enjoy."

Rarity gives a polite laugh, "Well, I was able to cobble together, Doug mostly did the locating and cutting."

Doug smiles at Rarity, "So, without further ado," he moves over to the box, opening the lid and pulling out a vest. The purple of the vest, the same as the golem they fought the fourth day, seems to slowly shift colors, the gradation hard to keep track of as the vest moves back and forth. Fused around the sleeves, collar, and inner edge is a crystal blue, made of roughly ground crystal fragments in a pattern identical to Rarity's cutie mark. "The size might not be exactly right, but we have a reasonably successful seamstress pony here if you need any alterations."

Rarity grins, waving a hoof at him and saying, "Reasonably successful, oh, you."

Doug moves over, holding the vest out for Shav. She looks at it, a tear forming in her eye. Shav strips off her old vest, grabbing the new one and donning it. She smiles, "Oh, it fits perfectly!" as Doug hands one to Kole and Brutus. Each dog takes their own vest off, putting on identical versions. They smile at each other before looking eagerly at the remainder of the box.

Doug smiles, "Well, sorry, but that's it for the personal gifts. I hope you enjoy them!" he says as he pulls out a jacket for himself; it is styled the same as the one made for the Diamond Dogs. As he dons it he says, "Rarity wanted to make a dress for herself but we didn't have the right fabric to really do it justice. But, be assured that as soon as we get home that is going to be the first thing she does." At Kole's whine he rolls his eyes, "Okay, maybe the second thing, but let's not get too sidetracked, not just yet."

Doug goes back to the wagon, dragging out three boxes. He motions to the already open box, "So, these are all of the special gems that we found over the course of our journey. Do you have any particular attraction or desire for these?"

Each dog shakes their head no, Shav adding, "Well, aside from their additional value if we were to trade them."

Doug nods, Rarity interjecting, "Yes; a single essence would be worth between three and ten times a normal gem, with the fear essences being on the low side of that, and anger on the high side."

Doug continues, "We figured the double enchanted ones are worth between ten and seventy times; again, fear barely adding anything, and anger with anything else useful being very valuable." He draws in a short breath, "The less valuable triples we placed at around fifty each. The two valuable triple essences we tentatively placed at two hundred and fifty gems, and the quad at around three hundred."

Each dog draws a quick breath, glancing around at each other. Shav moves forward slightly, "As a thank you for taking us on this expedition, I would like you to have those three gems, as a gift from each of us."

Rarity quickly says, "Oh, dear, you don't have to do that! Really, it's too much!"

Shav laughs, "Oh, listen to you, you'd think you were the only generous one here! Rarity, really, we're glad to do it. It's not like we'll be leaving here empty pawed!"

Doug smiles, "Well, thank you very much for that. Let's see, I have this written down somewhere." Doug fumbles around, finding the inventory of the boxes, spread over several sheets of paper. He motions to the three boxes outside of the wagon, "This is in exchange for all of the other essences that we found. I wasn't exactly sure how you wanted to split them among yourselves, so Shav and I did our best to split them evenly. Each box is sorted by the kind of gem, labeled with a name. And yes, the boxes out here have the diamonds."

Kole and Brutus dive for the boxes, stopped mid lunge as Shav grabs on to their vests. She remarks, "Wow, nice construction," as she halts the two's progress. They both give her a sheepish grin and she sighs, "Fine, you can open the box. But no frolicking!"

The two make their way to the boxes, slower this time, each labeled with one of their names. They open the lid and stare at the diamonds contained within. Brutus says in an awed voice, "This all for Brutus?"

Doug says, "Well, you might want to wait, not spend them all in one place, but yes, they are all for you." Brutus moves over, giving Doug a large hug around the waist before Kole also moves close, hugging him around the chest. Doug does his best to return both hugs as the two cling to him, tears in their eyes.

Shav moves up, saying, "Doug and I spent most of the return trip, when the digging was slow, splitting the gems up. I think you'll each be quite happy."

Doug motions back to the wagon, "Each of you has four more smaller boxes in there. You can go look now if you want, they're all labeled."

The two clamber into the wagon, looking for their boxes as Doug and Rarity trade a knowing look. Shav laughs, saying, "Those two can be quite the pups, sometimes." She glances over as Doug starts preparing a fire; she helps gather wood from the wagon as Rarity pulls out the food.

The unicorn grimaces as she withdraws the last of the turkey, though at least it's better than the other meats he has mentioned in the past. She divides the jerky among the four other plates and brings the vegetables over to Doug, the kabob skewers ready to accept the chunks of peppers, squash, and broccoli.

Shav takes her plate of turkey, starting to dig in as Kole and Brutus come out of the wagon, smiles on their faces. Doug starts the vegetables while Rarity gathers some flat bread, butter, and honey. She offers some to the dogs, each accepting while Doug places a few peppers on their plate. He divides the rest among Rarity and himself, each able to enjoy their meal while watching the sun set over the Macintosh Hills.

Kole and Brutus leave the fire, heading back to the wagon and laying underneath. They turn, resting their heads on their paws as they watch the fire slowly burn down. Shav finishes her meal, placing her plate off to the side and glancing to the wagon. She turns, looking at Rarity expectantly. Doug chews his food slowly, still looking at the sky at the stars start winking into existence, the moon soon joining them as it begins its journey over the Badland Mountains.

Rarity gets to her hooves, looking Shav in the eye. She states formally, "Shavronne; I, Rarity, second mare of Herd Apple, honor the studding of Doug to you. Know that this carries no claim to the Apple name, no offer of support for your young, should this union produce them, and is valid only for tonight. Do you understand?"

Shav nods, "Rarity, I understand and accept." She glances around, saying, "So, is she going to be here soon, or?"

A dull light briefly flares off to the side as Princess Celestia blinks into existence, much like the stars above. She looks around, smiling at the creatures around her. She starts a regal walk toward the wagon, glancing at Rarity and saying, "Greetings, my little ponies. I trust I'm not too late?"

Rarity bows, quickly moving to keep pace with the Princess, "No, Your Majesty, you are right on time." The two get to the wagon and turn, watching the two still sitting by the fire. Princess Celestia's horn shines her brilliant blue, if more muted than usual; her eyes glow the same blue as she settles down on the ground.

Shav says to Doug in a quiet whisper, "I can't believe you are okay with all this attention. And the Princess!"

Doug shrugs as they begin, "Well, it isn't the first time."

Princess Celestia closes her eyes, focusing entirely on the magical aura in front of her. It is still a little unnerving, watching just a single magical aura; the mingling and merging with a void, a blankness instead of the second aura this process normally combines. She smiles as she sees another aura pop into existence. She records the event with the same clarity she always does, adding her notes for Cadance's later perusal. A second and third aura wink into being a short time later; after a few minutes with nothing else Princess Celestia does a quick scan of Shav. Satisfied, the magic surrounding her horn disappears as she gets to her hooves, opening her eyes. She moves over, saying, "Congratulations, you two; triplets." She winks at Doug before saying, "Good night, my little ponies; may the night watch over you all." Her horn lights, a brief flare of her magic duller than normally brilliant light as she teleports away.

Shav rubs her belly, saying slightly dejectedly, "Only three?" She smiles to herself before looking at Doug, the human watching her with a smile. "I suppose that will do. Would you like to name them?"

Doug ponders, moving a hand to his chin as Rarity slowly makes her way over. He says, "How about Rover, Fido, and Spot?"

Shav laughs, shaking her head, "You come up with the silliest names. Very well, if that's what you want." She settles down by the coals, not wanting to move from her position as Rarity and Doug walk back to their tent, "Good night." The two smile, a short nod from Doug and something between a grin and a glare from Rarity.

Next morning is a quiet affair, Rarity and Doug enjoying a breakfast of fruit as the dogs sleep in, though Shav slightly stirs as Doug carries her back to the wagon. They begin rolling along the dirt road of the Macintosh Hills several hours before dawn. Kole peeks his head out of the wagon at the motion before he hops out. He walks a short distance away from the group before returning, sitting on the front of the wagon. He is holding one of his diamonds, peering closely at the twinkling of the moonlight in the gem. After several minutes he goes back inside, laying down and watching the hills go by.

After several miles of trudging along sunlight begins peeking through the treetops of the swamp. Shav and Brutus hop out of the wagon, the lighter load slowly picking up speed as they continue along the slight incline. The dogs hold a few diamonds in their paws, comparing the gems to the ones in their collars and debating which gems look better where.

A sharp whistle rings out among the hills; Rarity and Doug glance at each other as Shav walks to the front of the wagon. She whistles back, two loud high tones, as she moves over to Doug. Two Diamond Dogs burrow out of the ground a short distance away from the wagon, both clad in metal armor and wielding clubs. They advance, looking between Shav and Doug.

The dog in front yells, "Hey! Report!" as he walks up to the wagon. Doug and Rarity continue pulling, Doug watching the dog and Rarity glancing behind her and then back to the left. She stumbles slightly, not used to looking in a direction other than the one she is travelling, before focusing on the ground ahead.

Shav moves to intercept the guard, walking between him and the wagon. She says, "The dig was good. Lots of gems."

The guard sneers, looking over at the two dragging the wagon along. Doug smiles, but it quickly fades as the dog pushes Shav out of the way and moves up to him. He points a meaty paw up to Doug's face and says, "You think you big? You challenge?"

Doug shakes his head, "No, I meant no disrespect, no challenge."

The dog stares at Doug for several seconds; the human looks back, blinking occasionally, before the dog lowers his arm, turns, and walks back to Shav. He says, "Hey, get ready. We empty wagon."

The other guard smiles, a large toothy grin that sends a shiver down Rarity's spine as she glances over. He hefts his club, moving towards the front of the wagon as Brutus says, "Hey, no. They dog now."

The lead guard turns, glaring at Brutus and saying, "Oh? Sniffless, you forget what dog and what pony?"

Kole stands next to Brutus as the two advance, the second guard reconsidering and moving towards Brutus and Kole. Kole says, motioning to the human pulling the wagon, "No, Shav take Doug, take human. She have his pups."

The lead guard cocks his head, confusion on his face before he turns and looks at Shav. He inhales through his nose, a long breath before he snorts, "Runt lie, it too soon."

Kole shakes his head as Shav responds, "Pony magic, they able to tell."

The guard stares at Shav before raising his arm, the loud slap ringing through the nearby hills. The blow knocks her to the ground, twisting her head to the side. Her head slowly turns back and Shav glares up at him, blood dripping from her mouth as he says, "You no Diamond Dog. You just like those two." The guard points towards the front of the wagon.

Shav shakes her head, starting to laugh, "Oh? Here, you take box, take to boss. Tell him, 'this come from union of dog and pony'. Tell him, he want more, maybe he start working with pony, not just take from pony." She spits blood from her mouth, looking the guard in the eye, "Kole, get box eight."

Kole nods, disappearing into the stopped wagon before bringing out one of the smaller boxes. He carries it over to the guard, taking out two diamonds from the pocket on his new vest. He gives one to the lead guard, saying, "For your troubles."

The guard stares at the box, then glances at the diamond in his paw. Kole gives the other diamond to the other guard before turning back and starting to push the wagon. Shav stands, rubbing her jaw before saying, "Tell boss that payment for Shav." She moves back, beginning to push the wagon as Brutus starts walking along, watching the guards and looking as menacing as he can.

The wagon starts rolling again, leaving behind the two dogs and the box. After a time Shav moves over to Rarity and Doug, "I'm sorry you had to see that. Normally that goes a little more... peacefully."

Rarity says, "Dear, yes, but what about you? Are you hurt?"

Shav laughs, "This? That mutt barely scratched me. Are you two good to keep pulling?" The two nod and Shav continues, "We should probably keep pulling through the noon, to be honest, don't want anypony getting the wrong idea, you know?"

Doug nods as Rarity says, "Yes, but... those gems, that was one of your boxes. Please, let us make it up to you. We can pay you back, for all the pain you've been through."

Shav pauses, "Well... I suppose I'll need the help, especially if I'm no longer welcome here. I think it will all smooth over, but, just in case, you know?" Brutus and Kole move to help push, a faster pace as they make their way up one of the rolling hills. Rarity smiles as the five continue their fast walk to Dodge City, hoping there are no more unexpected interruptions along the way.

Comments

[Viper Pit]

9074561
dark magic on a foal is not a smart thing at least wait until she gets her first heat

[LightnDarkGodofSalvation]

This chapter: really, really. I think you're trying to get as much characters from the show as possible, but I still like it.

[DarkPhoenixx]

Ok i will admit when i am wrong.....i was hopeful that these 3 D-dogs would be good dogs but then i doubted them as soon as Shav wanted Doug to give her pups.....and it looks like i was wrong to doubt them.....if i could i would apologize to Kole Brutus and Shav.

[PirateLord93]

10123057
I was suspicious of them too, until they explained the reason for the mating was to protect Doug and Rarity.