Barking Down the Wrong Hole
Admittedly, Emerald had long forgotten about his birthday. Though, he supposed, he really wasn't to blame.
Thestrals didn't celebrate these 'birthdays' like ponies did. Ponies kept track of the very date, and sometimes, time of their birth, and celebrated it every year on that same day. Thestrals generally just celebrated en mass during the last day of every year for every thestral born that year, followed by a small memorial for those who died.
Regardless of his faulty memory, he'd admit that the party was... nice.
Both Princess Luna and Celestia had deigned to show, the latter coming as quite the surprise, admittedly. Wisp and Trixie were, of course, there as well, with Spitfire showing up halfway through. He was a little disappointed that the others hadn't shown up, but Iron Will and Starlight were much too far away, and Gustave and Sapphire both had important work they had to do.
He had no idea what the others were up to, but he knew that they all had their own lives to live and potential families to take care of, so he didn't mind.
While plenty of them didn't show, he did receive quite a few letters greeting him, as well as plenty of cards from those who hadn't been able to come by.
Another thing he'd forgotten about birthdays, was the gift giving. He'd been surprised when Spitfire had all-but-slammed a wrapped parcel in front of him, demanding that he open hers first.
The looks on their faces when he asked what she was talking about had been rather funny.
After some explanation, he'd then been stunned when Trixie had added to his small stack, as well as a small little box from Wisp. But of course the most surprising was when Celestia had merely smiled at him and said that his 'gift' was too large to transport, and that he'd have to see it the next time he was in Canterlot.
He... was a little afraid of what it could be.
Luna had said much the same thing, except that hers could be transported, and that it should arrive the next day.
Nevertheless, the excited looks that all gave him begged him to open them all already, and his hoof was forced.
Wisp had hoofmade him yet another one of her special bracelets, as she had every year around this time. He made sure to thank her, of course, and planned to put it with the rest in his bag.
Unbeknownst to her, Emerald had actually made a special corner dedicated entirely to the gifts she gave him in his bag/pocket dimension, though they weren't all birthday gifts, obviously.
Spitfire, the ever practical stuntmare, had gifted him with a set of solid black goggles, with red tinted lens.
... And the Wonderbolt uniform he'd worn during the Best Young Fliers Competition, much to his consternation.
Her reasoning had been something along the lines of 'if you ever need to go fast again, you won't have to worry about your eyes'.
That had been rather pleasant to hear.
He was still a little pissed about the Wonderbolt uniform.
Honestly, could she be anymore obvious?
Trixie had surprised him with a small book titled 'Hobbies for Idle Hooves'.
He had a feeling that there was an insult somewhere in there, but he was grateful, nonetheless.
After that the party had continued for a few hours, until Emerald had to cut it short so he could get to work, to the surprise of the guests, though the princesses seemed the most stunned.
Evidently, they hadn't thought he'd still head out during his own birthday. Which was idiotic in his opinion.
Of course he'd work on his birthday. Why wouldn't he?
Regardless, his declaration had signaled to Spitfire that it was time she left as well, since she had to be ready for drills in the morning. The princesses had decided to leave after that as well, since they couldn't convince Emerald to stay otherwise.
...
Luna's gift to him was revealed the next day, when a group of guards showed up at his door, and led him over to the nearby clearing behind his house, where a training gauntlet waited for him.
He wouldn't lie.
He really wanted to hug Luna right then.
A week had passed since his new equipment had arrived, and he'd been spending every morning before work and every night after patrol running through it. It was standard equipment, yes, but it was more action in the past week than he'd gotten since coming to this town. And it was made ever better once he'd offered to let Sparky use it alongside him.
But, alas, he couldn't run it forever, and soon he found himself sitting behind the counter at Sugarcube Corner one again, his new goggles resting on his head.
Evidently, his improved mood hadn't escaped notice.
"You seem a lot happier than usual," Mrs. Cake noticed, glancing at the stallion beside her, "Did something happen? Or are those new goggles of yours that amazing?" she asked, smiling teasingly at that second part.
Since the foals room was mostly done, they had time to, once again, start helping out in their store, with herself working the counter with Emerald, and her husband helping Pinkie in the kitchen.
Emerald shrugged,
"I suppose. I've been getting restless lately, and now I have an outlet for my excess energy, is all," he said, not feeling like going into too much detail, "And, yes, I happen to like these goggles very much," he remarked, gently adjusting them,
"Really?" Mrs. Cake asked, sounding strangely excited, "Well that's wonderful! I'm glad to hear that you've found yourself a nice marefriend," Emerald blinked at the unexpected response, as well as the minor innuendo he'd discovered after as he connected the dots for a moment,
"Uh... what?" he asked. Mrs. Cake tittered,
"Oh come on now, there's no need to be shy," she said, patting his leg lightly, "Pinkie's told me all about you and Twilight, and I think it's wonderful,"
"Umm..." Emerald muttered, sparing a backwards glance, hoping to get Pinkie to explain. He didn't find her, "Sparky and I aren't... together, Mrs. Cake," he said simply. She blinked,
"But... Pinkie said-"
"She's joking," he interrupted, "It's in poor taste, yes, but it's still a damned joke," he growled, though he made sure to direct it away from his employer, in case he'd offend her.
"I see..." she breathed, then turned pink, "Oh my, I'm so sorry for assuming, dearie!" she apologized, "But..." she continued, "I must admit the thought of you and Twilight together is a rather nice one," she added, smiling gently.
The kind smile did nothing to fix his now ruined mood.
Great, it was spreading!
He slammed his head into the counter, ignoring the sound of the bell ringing from in front of him,
"Why hello! How can we-" Mrs. Cake suddenly cut herself off with a gasp, "S-s-sapphire Shores?!" she stammered. Emerald's head shot up immediately, nearly giving himself whiplash in the process.
Sapphire Shores, the famous singer, stood in their very doorway. With a short, but poofy, two-tone blue mane and tail, bright yellow coat, and gleaming yellow eyes that held a strange hint of darkness within them, she cut a regal figure. Tall, thin legs led up to en equally thin torso that expanded slightly towards her flanks, where he could just spot a gleaming sapphire wreathed in ocean blue waves.
She wore a poofy white shirt with a blue and white striped collar, where it flared out at the back into golden-tipped arrows, with small sapphires gleaming in the center. There was also a set of purple horseshoes with golden buttons set in. The outfit complimented her appearance perfectly, and the purple eye shadow she wore only accented it further.
Although this was the natural appearance of 'The Pony of Pop', an irregularity could be found resting on her back. A large white and yellow striped box adorned with a yellow bow stood out impressively, looking completely and utterly out of place on the singer.
"Well, ain't this just a cute little shop?" he heard her mutter, looking around appreciatively, "Sugarcube Corner certainly fits."
Emerald clicked his tongue,
"What in the name of Tartarus are you doing here?" he asked, ignoring the stunned look Mrs. Cake, as well as the looks her husband and Pinkie, who peeked out the second they heard her shout, were giving him. Sapphire jumped slightly at the sound of his voice,
"Wha-? Emm?!" was her stunned reply, before it was broken by a laugh, "Ha! And here I was thinkin' I'd have to run around town to find you!" she said, before her eyes landed on the counter he stood behind, "Hehe, what? Since when did you take an interest in baking?" she asked, waltzing forward, completely ignoring the starstruck looks on the other three ponies.
"Since when did you take an interest in Ponyville?" he returned without heat. Sapphire merely smiled,
"Since Nightmare Night, moron," she said,
"Of course," he muttered, before sighing, "I take it Luna had something to do with that?"
"Of course," was her response, her eyes flickered up for a moment, "Nice goggles by the way," she added, before narrowing her eyes at them, "... Is it just me, or do those look like Heavybolt goggles?" Emerald blinked, his brow rising in confusion,
"'Heavybolt'?" he asked, before it clicked in his head, "Oh, you mean the brand. Yeah, Spits got 'em for me, so..." he trailed off,
"Of course she did," Sapphire scoffed, then grinned, "Well, she always did have great taste in equipment. Helped me out with some of the stage props, and woo! They are perfect!~" she sang, before she snapped herself out of her thoughts, "Right, well, anyways-" she slid the box from her back onto the counter, "sorry about missin' your birthday-" she missed the way Pinkie suddenly stiffened, although Emerald hadn't, "I'm planning a tour around Equestria, but I've been stuck lookin' for a new designer," she admitted.
Emerald frowned for a moment, before a thought crossed his mind. Though he hesitated to speak his mind, fearing the repercussions.
Eventually he disregarded his own thoughts, and spoke,
"I happen to know a good designer. There's one here in town," he said, immediately catching her attention,
"Really?" she asked, "Who?"
"Her name's Rarity," he provided, "If you walk out the door, turn left, keep going until you hit another left, its the giant carousel shaped building. You really can't miss it," he directed. Sapphire nodded,
"Hmm, I'll definitely have to take a look," she said, "Now, enough chatter, open the box!" she said excitedly, waving aside everything else for the moment., "I wanna know whatcha think."
With a roll of his eyes, Emerald complied and carefully tore open the gift, swiping aside the remnants of the paper into the nearby bin. Opening the box, he reached in and pulled out a small, rectangular object.
A moment passed, before he identified the object as a picture frame. Turning it over, he inspected the framed photo, and snickered.
"Really?" he asked, grinning, "An autographed picture?" he asked, turning it to reveal that it was, indeed, a signed picture of the mare before him. Sapphire shrugged,
"Figure you'd want a little somethin' to remember me in my prime," she said, before she tilted her head, "Ya might need to take it out and adjust the photo, though. It doesn't really fit too well, but it was all I had time to grab," she admitted with wave of her hoof. Emerald chuckled, and put the picture into his nearby bag,
"It's fine, Sapphire, I appreciate the thought regardless," he remarked, before another thought crossed his mind, "Heard from Will or Star lately?" Sapphire began to shake her head, but stopped partway through,
"Actually, I did hear from Will not too long ago. He mentioned he was starting a self-help group somewhere in Trottingham, though I'm not too sure how well that'll go down."
"A self-help group?" Emerald asked, "That... doesn't sound like him," Sapphire smirked,
"Well, he might've also mentioned saving up to buy an airship for a touring business, but it was a letter, and you know he doesn't have the best writing."
"Well, that's more like it," Emerald muttered, "The old goat always did like exploring."
"Yep," she said, popping the 'P', then glanced back out the window, "Woo! I'm burning daylight! I gotta head down and check out this designer of yours," she said, before laughing, "If you think she's good, then she's gotta be somethin' special!" she added, already jogging out the door, "See you around, Emm!" she called, waving at him.
Emerald gave a small wave in return, before she disappeared.
He waited for a few beats, then turned to face Pinkie, who was now glaring at him.
"What did she say about your birthday?"
Shit.
Thankfully he managed to avoid the worst of Pinkie's misplaced anger, via explaining to her that it was a surprise party and therefore nothing could've been done about it.
Although she had laughed at him when he mentioned having forgotten his own birthday, her response being, Who could ever forget their own birthday?.
He... supposed he couldn't argue with that.
Could he?
Whatever. His lunch break had come by after an hour of two after Sapphire's unexpected visit, and he found himself heading over to Horte's Cafe once more.
Perhaps that was poetic, in a sense. It was this cafe where he and Sparky had ended up bonding several times over the course of his stay, and now it was where he found himself congregating to, everyday, for lunch.
Admittedly, some part of him even expected Sparky to show up, given that she had revealed that this was her favourite cafe in town. Perhaps it was that little part of him that kept him coming back?
Inwardly he realized that since that mare had come into his life, it had been getting more and more complicated.
Her questions and beliefs about friendship. Her friends. His job, his station, his everything. Ever since he had come into contact with Twilight Sparkle, his life was taking a very, very strange turn, and he wasn't sure if it was for the better or the worse, yet.
On one hoof, he felt more... comfortable in this town that he had anywhere else for quite some time now. He had... friends whom he spent time with. Ponies in this town who made him... appreciate his life more. Who changed him for the better.
On the other, he knew that whatever bonds he made here would only end up hurting them all when he inevitably left them behind. These bonds would plague him when he left, distracting him from his work, and who knows who would end up suffering if his lapse in concentration cost him precious moments he needed to work?
And then there was this infernal crush of his.
Admittedly that was his main issue. His feelings for Twilight were making him more invested in her life. Her friend's lives, even.
While that was a good thing, given his current job, it was the future that really worried him.
Would this attraction grow? Or would it fade away and die? How would either of those outcomes affect his interactions with Twilight and her friends?
So far his feelings had already started to affect him.
He was kinder. More... sympathetic. He found himself occasionally getting lost in thought whenever the mare would cross his mind, even during patrol. He genuinely started to care for the mare's feelings. He'd even offered to let her use his new training course, for Faust's sake!
The night of the cockatrice incident came to mind. The things he said. What he did.
His feelings made everything harder, yet easier, at the same time.
And the worst part?
He couldn't bring himself to put a stop to it.
He gave his order to the waitress when she came by, and he was about to return to his meddlesome thoughts, when-
"Emerald!"
He barely had time to register who the voice belonged to when he was all but tackled by a white figure, her hooves wrapping around him wildly.
"Uh, hey Rarity?" he said, only partially confused. Her hooves tightened around him for a moment, her cheek rubbing against his as she hummed happily,
"Oh! I can't believe you sent the Sapphire Shores down to my little boutique! I can't even begin to describe how wonderful that will be for my business! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!!" she gushed, only to pull away for a moment, in which she took the time to place a very loud, very long, kiss against his cheek, "Mwah!~"
He rolled his eyes, and gently pushed her off of him,
"While I appreciate the affection, however unusual it may be, I think you're going a little far, aren't you?" he asked, only for Rarity to titter,
"Oh contraire!" she said, smiling widely, "You might not understand just how big this will be for me, but if I have Sapphire Shores wearing my designs during her entire tour, why, I'll be one of the most desired dressmakers of the year! I know I've already been featured in a few articles, but this is the real deal, Emerald!" she gushed, then deflated slightly, "Of course it won't be easy. I'll have to head out into the quarry to dig up more gems," she sighed, "A lot more..." Emerald frowned,
"What, exactly, do you need gems for?"
"My dresses," she responded easily, "My latest design required a rather hefty number of diamonds, and not only did she ask for it, but several others... all done in a different jewel."
"What kinds, exactly?" Rarity gave her hair a small flip,
"Well, I'll most likely go with rubies, sapphires, emeralds, topaz, and perhaps amethysts," she said, "Those are the most well-known gems among the population, though I might change my mind depending on what I find."
"That'll take you awhile," he said, "You sure you've got that kind of time?" Rarity smiled,
"I know a few spells that allow me to find gems rather easily. The only issue is the, uh, digging," she said, shuddering slightly. Emerald could only smirk,
"You afraid of a little hard labor, Rarity?" She scoffed,
"Not in the slightest," she said, tilting her nose up, "Hard work is perfectly fine it's just..." she deflated, and a small sneer found its way onto her otherwise delicate features, "I am not a fan of dirt... or sweat... or anything that would stain my coat, really," she admitted.
"Germaphobia?" he asked, she nodded, "Then I suppose you'd best ask Applejack or Crash to help you out, though I doubt Applejack has the time."
"Indeed. I was actually thinking about asking Spike if he could help out. I'm sure he wouldn't mind the opportunity to earn a few gems for some work, do you?"
"Oh, I'm sure he'll jump at any chance that you give him," Emerald responded with a smirk. Rarity's grin faded into a frown, much to his confusion,
"I... suppose you're right," she sighed, "I'm aware of Spike's affections, yes, but... I really believe he has to learn that there's just too large an age gap between us," she said.
"You think inviting him out to help you... for several hours where its just you two... alone, is going to get him to realize this?" he asked, and frowned, "I might not understand Equestrian customs as well as I probably should at this point, but isn't that what ponies call 'leading someone on'?"
Rarity grimaced at his question, and eventually gave a reluctant nod,
"I... suppose so... but I'm not sure what else to do!" she exclaimed, beginning to pace to the side, "I mean, surely I can't just sit him down and explain all this to him, it would break his heart! He's such a gentledrake, but he's still so young! If I were to do that, who knows how it would affect him down the line! I might make it so he never trusts a mare ever again!" she muttered, then let out an aggravated groan, though she still managed to make it look somewhat elegant.
Emerald's only response was to shrug. How was he supposed to help with this?
"What do you think, Emerald? You were young once an-" she abruptly cut herself off, "I-I mean, as a male yourself, surely you have some idea of how to deal with this, yes?" He shook his head,
"'Fraid not. Before coming to Ponyville, I've never had any sort of romantic affection for anyone, much less experience dealing with someone else's."
"I... see," Rarity muttered, then took in a deep breath, "Very well. I suppose I'll have to ask somepony else to come along to help me," she said, then stopped, "Or... perhaps I can bring Spike along and wait for a moment when he's in a good mood to tell him about it," she muttered, "I may have to sacrifice a few more gems than I planned, but it might work..." she whispered to herself, probably not caring if he could hear her or not.
Emerald rolled his eyes,
"Regardless of what you choose," he began, "at least make sure you know what you're doing. If he senses any sort of hesitation, he might just think something is making you say that and push back harder," Rarity nodded,
"Of course. I'll... keep that in mind. Well, if you'll excuse me, I have a little drake to find," she said, giving him a polite nod, before wandering off.
Hardly a minute passed where he was alone, when the waitress came back with his food. Thanking her, he began to eat the, admittedly plain, salad, when he was interrupted once more.
"Ooh, what about Emerald?!" came the excited voice of Pinkie from behind him. He withheld a small growl and continued to eat,
"Well... I'm not sure. You'd have to ask..." replied the quiet voice of his shy cousin,
"Okay!"
He scarcely prepared for the pink mare when she popped into his vision, smiling her characteristic smile that nearly had the corners of his own mouth turning upward.
"Hello Pinkie," he deadpanned, not pausing the consumption of his salad,
"Hi!" she replied, "Wanna go on a picnic?" she asked. He blinked in surprise,
"A... picnic?" he asked,
"Yeah!" she responded, "You know, food, a basket, a blanket in the park!"
"I know what a picnic is, Pinkie," Emerald said, "Why are you having one?"
"Why not?" she asked, causing him to sigh.
"Fine, when is it?"
"After work!" she gushed, smiling widely,
"Alright," he groaned. Pinkie gave a small cheer, before darting away, pulling Fluttershy along with her, leaving him to continue eating in peace.
"C'mon Emerald!" Pinkie cried as she bounced around in front of him, "We don't wanna leave the others waiting!"
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Emerald returned with a roll of his eyes.
Sugarcube Corner had decided to close up a little early due to lack of customers, leaving Emerald and Pinkie to head out sooner than they had planned.
Despite that, Pinkie still felt it necessary to rush over to their rendezvous point. Thankfully she wasn't tugging on his leg like she was wont to do, though it did little to appease his souring mood.
"Oh! There they are!" Pinkie squealed, before she started running up to the library, where Sparky, Applejack, Crash, and Fluttershy were waiting.
He jogged after her, idly taking note that Rarity must still be gathering gems at this time.
He nearly frowned. She was taking much longer than he thought necessary, given that she went out to the quarry.
Then again, he didn't how gem rich it was. For all he knew, this was an all night endeavor rather than just a few hours.
"Hey girls!" Pinkie greeted cheerfully, coming to a stop in front of them, with Emerald not too far behind.
"Howdy Pinkie! I see ya got Emerald ta tag along," Applejack observed, "Nice goggles, by the way," The pink mare nodded,
"Yep! We're gonna have so much fun!"
"Yeah, as soon as Rarity gets here," Crash said, looking bored,
"Where is she, anyhow?" Applejack asked, looking around. Sparky shook her head,
"She and Spike are out gem-hunting in the quarry," she muttered, "I don't know why she couldn't just do it herself," she added bitterly.
"An' get her hooves all muddy?" Applejack asked sarcastically, "Yeah right. Rarity won't even touch a little mud unless it's imported," she joked, causing the girls to laugh.
Their happy moment was cut short as a familiar drake suddenly ran up to them, sputtering madly,
"Girls-! Rarity-! Dogs-! Gems-! Help-! Save!" he sputtered uselessly, frantically waving his claws around.
The resident thestral shared a confused glance with the five mares, before they all turned back to him,
"Okay Spike, calm down. What are you talking about?" Sparky soothed, placing a gentle hoof on his shoulder. Spike looked up at his sister-figure, and, for a moment, it looked like he wasn't going to calm down. Eventually, however, he took a deep breath, then spoke once more,
"Rarity's in danger! She was foalnapped by a bunch of creeps calling themselves Diamond Dogs!"
That surprised Emerald.
"Diamond Dogs?" he asked with a frown, the sudden question causing the group to focus their attention on him, "Are you sure? What did they look like?"
"W-well, they were pretty tall, maybe as tall as the princess, I think?" Spike began, "They wore a bunch of vests, and they were carrying a lot of gems... oh, and they were wearing black collars and-!" Emerald cut him off,
"Did you say black collars?" he asked fervently, causing Spike to give him a rapid nod. Emerald scowled, "I see, let's go!" he said, before darting off in the direction that Spike had come from.
He heard the mares and drake squawk behind him, before they began chasing after him.
It took them a little over a minute to make it just outside of the quarry. He took a moment to let the others catch up, but just as he was about to head in, he was stopped by a purple hoof.
"Emerald, what's going on?" Sparky asked,
"Yeah, do you know something we don't?" Crash questioned from behind her. Emerald glanced towards the quarry, then back at the girls, before he sighed,
"Listen, as much as I'd love to tell you the story of the political nightmare that was the Diamond Dog Civil War, I really think that saving Rarity, as well as whoever else these Mutts have taken prisoner, takes a much higher priority than a history lesson," he snapped. Sparky winced at his tone, but nodded regardless,
"I guess that's fair. C'mon Spike, take us to the hole these Diamond Dogs made so we can save Rarity!"
"On it!" the little drake said with a firm nod, before he took off ahead of them.
The Ponyville Quarry was a mostly barren landscape, dotted heavily by large rock formations. The soil was a dead gray colour that proved its infertile nature. Despite this, it was rather well known for the large diversity of gems that could be found in the area, as well as their unusually high quality.
What they were not known for, however, were the dozens of holes that now dotted its surface. The group was stunned heavily by the abundance of tunnels, but the surprise was knocked loose once Emerald managed to confirm that they all led to the same place, making it less of a hassle to pick and choose.
"Alright!" Crash cheered, "Let's get going!" the boastful pegasus dashed over to the nearest hole, and disappeared inside, only to be suddenly ejected bodily from the hole, before a mound of dirt piled itself up, sealing the entrance.
"C'mon everyone, hurry and jump down!" Sparky called, signaling the group to branch out.
Try as they might, however, their attempts were futile. Every time one of them approached a hole, it was sealed off in seconds by the Mutts that created them, which only served to aggravate the group with every failed attempt.
"Ugh! This is hopeless!" Crash snapped, stomping her hoof from her perch a top one of the dirt mounds.
"I agree," Applejack muttered morosely, "I ain't got a problem with dustin' mahself off, but Rarity can't stand dirt if it ain't from the spa," she added.
"Gosh, I sure hope she's okay..." Fluttershy murmured, looking worriedly towards the many sealed holes.
"Hoping isn't going to save her," Emerald said, "Besides, they have to leave at least one hole open for ventilation purposes. All we have to do is find it, and we're golden," he added,
"But where is it?!" Spike demanded, shaking with worry. Emerald ignored the hatchling's words, already walking off.
Honestly, given the sheer number of these dirt piles, it wasn't too difficult for him to spot the one place that didn't have one,
"Over here," he called, stopping by the lip of the hole,
"Huh, that was... easy," Applejack muttered, "I was thinkin' we might have ta dig our way in," she admitted. Emerald scoffed,
"Please, a mole couldn't outdig a Diamond Dog, let alone a bunch of ponies, a dragon, and a thestral," he said, sparing a backwards glance.
"So, how are we gonna do this?" Crash asked, peering down into the hole, her voice laced with skepticism,
"Well-" Emerald began, but Spike cut him off,
"I've got it!" the hatchling cried, pulling out a large, rectangular sapphire from... somewhere, "Pinkie, do you have a fishing rod I can use?" he asked, further confusing the thestral, as well as most of the surrounding ponies.
"Totally!" Pinkie said, pulling a fishing rod from the apparent black hole she called a mane, "I keep one on me in case of fishing emergencies!" she said, hoofing it over to him.
It spoke volumes about the mare when none of them bothered to question her.
"What're you gonna do, hook one?" Emerald snarked as the hatchling threw the sapphire into the hole, the fishing line tied around it. Sparky elbowed him in the side, though he pretended not to notice,
"Well, I for one think it's... nice that you'd be willing to sacrifice the gem Rarity gave you to help her," she said, then turned to Emerald, "And since we'll probably be waiting for a bit, why not tell us about these Diamonds Dogs while we're here?" she asked, the question luring the attention of all but the hatchling onto him. Emerald rolled his eyes,
"Alright, might as well," he said, "About three-hundred years ago, the Diamond Dog Kingdom of Jewelia broke out into civil war. You see, Diamond Dogs, by nature, are prideful. They take great pride in their ability to hunt for gems, and they absolutely refuse to take any help from outsiders because of this. One day, however, a Diamond Dog leader by the name of Hounder decided that this couldn't stand. He believed that Diamond Dogs were above the act of scrounging around underground, and chose to rise to the surface, along with his followers and created the Kingdom of Jewelia, and became its first King. However, there was a small faction of Diamond Dogs who refused to change and war broke out nearly fifty years after the Kingdom's creation. During this war, in order to properly differentiate the two groups, they decided to wear collars. The Newbreeds, as the ones who rose to the surface called themselves, wore white collars to symbolize their new, clean, lifestyle. The Mutts, as those who refused this change called themselves, wore black collars to show their rejection of that new lifestyle. And the fight continues to this day, almost two-hundred-and-forty years later," Emerald explained.
"So what're a buncha Mutts doin' near Ponyville?" Applejack asked.
"Well, as you can imagine, being a rebel group battling a Kingdom with hundreds of thousands of bits worth of jewels at its disposal makes it difficult to fight back. Especially considering that King Hounder managed to broker an alliance with Equestria, and a peace treaty with the dragons before he died. From the looks of it, the Mutts have figured out just how rich in gems Equestria is, likely due to the ambient magic surrounding its inhabitants, and they've probably decided to try and take the territories for themselves,"
"Well... that doesn't sound too bad..." Sparky muttered, "They're just trying to preserve their old culture, right?" she asked.
"Right," Emerald agreed, "Except that this has been going on for centuries, and their views have changed dramatically. As you can guess, they need as many gems to purchase supplies, and as many paws to fight back with. So the Mutts have decided to take ponies prisoner and force them into slave labor to dig for their gems for them," Emerald sneered, "Whatever pride they once had is dead and buried now. And even if it wasn't, they're here illegally. The Guard has standing orders for them to be captured on sight and sent to Jewelia to await their sentence,"
Things faded into silence after that, only broken momentarily by Crash making a joke when it became obvious that Spike had gotten distracted by something.
As it was, this silence gave Emerald a good opportunity to think about the Mutts beneath them.
The Mayor hadn't told him anything about Diamond Dogs being near Ponyville, so it was likely that they'd only recently hauled in. Which was a good thing, as it decreased the chances of them finding other ponies being held captive.
Then again, who knows how many other towns these Mutts have been to before they came to Ponyville? Rarity might be the only pony they've gotten from Ponyville, but it was possible that they had others.
But what were the chances that these mares, and the hatchling, would hunt for these other captives? Plus, they'd made it somewhat clear that they were here for Rarity, not the Mutts themselves. Elements of Harmony or not, they were still civilians, in a way, so it was up to him, the only guard in Ponyville, for some inane reason, to hunt down these criminals.
Which meant he needed to separate himself from the group early on. He needed to take down as many of these Mutts as he could, and save whatever slaves they'd managed to get. This could prove tricky, as he had no idea how many enemies he could expect to find, or how skilled they'd be.
But then again, when had that ever stopped him?
He stayed with the group for a moment, casting his eyes around the field around him, when he saw it. Another unsealed hole, perhaps sixty feet away from their current location. Were the Mutts trying to bait them in, or something?
It was possible, but from what Spike had told them about the three that had taken Rarity, he was a little concerned about their level of intelligence. Or rather, the lack thereof.
Regardless, he'd take whatever they wanted to give him, trap or no trap.
To be honest, he didn't even understand why they were just waiting around instead of jumping in, but, again, traps were a thing.
Either way, it was a simple matter of sneaking away from the mares, who had grown increasingly focused on the hole to compensate for Spike's lapse in concentration, and made his way over to the second hole. He cast a glance back, just to make sure they hadn't noticed, and, when it was clear they didn't, slipped his new goggles over his eyes, pulled his spear from his bag, and jumped down.
-----
Rarity gave a disgruntled huff, though she'd never admit it.
Those brutes had the nerve to steal her away from her work, and then had the gall to place her in such a filthy cell! She could not believe the turn her day had taken.
And to think! She'd been this close to finally telling Spike the truth about their relationship, and how it could never happen!
The sound of paws hitting the dirt caught Rarity's attention,
"So, this is new hunter?" came a gruff, male voice, just as one of those Diamond Dogs came into view, a torch burning in its left paw.
It was much, much taller than her, with dark brown fur, and large yellow eyes. Similar to the three that took her, it stood with a small hunch to its back, possessed a pair of long arms that ended with large, clawed paws, and wore a black collar around its neck, with a white gem at its center.
But the similarities ended there. Instead of a vest of gray or red, it wore a set of brownish-gray armour that extended only to its waist. On its arms were a pair of metal gloves, and a pair of metal shoes rested on its feet. It lacked a helmet of any sort, which let Rarity get a glimpse of its ovular head. It had a pair of long ears that dropped down, framing its pointed snout.
The Diamond Dog growled at her when it noticed her gaze, and she quickly averted her eyes, especially considering she'd just spotted the long sword at its waist.
"Yes, Leader!" the voice of the red-wearing Dog from earlier spoke up excitedly, "Pony find many gems! Pony is better hunter than we!"
Leader turned his head away from her,
"Put pony with others," he said, sending chills down Rarity's spine. Others?
"""Yes, Leader!!!"""
Leader walked off, leaving Rarity alone with the three Dogs who brought her here. The door to her cage was swung open by the largest of the three, and Rarity couldn't help but back away as they approached,
"C-come on, now," she began feebly, "s-surely you wouldn't hurt a l-lady such as m-myself, would you?" she asked. She was ignored, as evidenced when the large one roughly picked her up by the tail, causing her to yelp in both shock and pain.
They ignored her cries as they carried her from the cell and through one of the many caves that made up their home.
Rarity wasn't sure how long they'd been carrying her, as she tried her very best to block out the pain, as well as the horrid thought of how many hairs she had to have lost by now, so when the big Dog finally dropped her, she was quite happy.
Well, as happy as a lady covered in dirt could be, she supposed.
She let out a decidedly unladylike groan, but she felt it was called for, and sat up, curling her tail to hold it her hooves just in case those brutes decided to ruin it again.
Her thought were cut off by the sound of ringing metal, bidding her to turn to face the source on reflex, and she nearly fainted at the sight.
There were five ponies behind her, all of whom she didn't recognize. Three mares and two stallions, the oldest looked to be perhaps forty, while the youngest couldn't be much older than her own sister.
All of them, however, were absolutely covered in filth, and it certainly smelled like it too. All of their coats were so matted down with dirt and sweat that Rarity genuinely couldn't tell what colour their coats or manes had once been.
It painted a very clear picture of what could happen to her if she didn't GET OUT OF HERE!!
She noticed that, all save for the youngest one, they were strapped to a large metal cart that had to have weighed almost half as much as they did soaking wet, filled near to the brim with gems, which couldn't have made it any easier to pull. They were skinny beyond what Rarity could ever consider natural, though they seemed to be able to use those shovels and pull those carts with minimal issue. The youngest one, however, was busy putting away the gems they'd mined into the carts, since she obviously couldn't do any mining herself.
She also noticed that she was the only unicorn here, with the rest being earth ponies.
She must've let out a small squeak slip through her lips, since the youngest pony, a little filly with bright green eyes-so very similar to Sweetie Belle's that it almost made her sick-paused for a moment, and turned her head to look at her.
"No stopping!" came a horrid shout, startling the little filly into rapidly returning to sorting the gems.
Rarity could feel the bile rising in her throat at the sight, and the smell, though she wouldn't say so, but it was easily ignored when compared to the burning anger that surged through her.
But even though the anger threatened to overwhelm her, she reined in it, as a proper lady should, and instead turned back to her captors.
Obviously she didn't hide her anger as well as she should've, as the smallest of the three Dogs flinched away from her, though the other two didn't pay it any mind.
"Find gems," the apparent leader of the trio said, "Saw you earlier. We know you can," he ordered, pointing down the tunnel they were in, where Rarity could spot a few torches burning brightly. Rarity fought the urge to turn up her nose at the crude order, fearing what they might do to her given their apparent contentment with slave labor, and did as she was asked.
She trotted down the path, her horn lighting up as she cast the spell. It took a moment, then she could see. And she was struck dumb.
Gems.
Gems everywhere!
She could scarcely comprehend the sheer number before her, the feedback from her spell not helping in the slightest. Still, she managed to compose herself enough, mainly to keep them from getting too impatient. Finding the smallest deposit near her, because there was absolutely no chance that she'd willingly give these beasts what they wanted so easily, she pointed it out,
"There," she said, pointing to it, "That's... almost all I could find around here," she lied.
"Almost?" the biggest Dog asked, leering at her, suspicious.
"Yes!" she snapped, doing her best to portray annoyance, not that it was hard, hoping it would get them to believe her, "There's only another two I can find around here!" she added, knowing it wouldn't be too suspicious of a number.
"Hmmm..." the lead Dog thought for a moment, glaring at her with his hateful yellow eyes, then nodded, "Fine," he said, his paw reached out to grab something, before he roughly threw it at her, "Dig,"
The shovel he'd thrown surprised Rarity with its suddenness, though she managed to mostly avoid getting hit. As it was, a small cut had been opened across her cheek by the, thankfully clean, tool. She froze for an instant, her inner germaphobe panicking for a moment, the warm blood dripping down her cheek barely registering, before she broke herself from her ruminations.
She was thankful that the Dogs decided to leave when they saw her pick up the shovel and begin digging.
She was doing her best to ignore the fact that she was rummaging around in dirt, when a ghastly voice spoke.
"You really shouldn't push your luck like that," the voice startled the mare, whose head whipped around to find that one of the five ponies from earlier, a male who appeared around his thirties, had wormed his way towards her. She stared at him for a moment, then spoke,
"I truly don't expect to be here long, Mr...?" she said, allowing her unasked question to hang in air.
"Brake Shaft," he said, then gave her a hollow chuckle, "None of us expected to be here long, yet here we are... nearly a year later," he said, then turned to the little filly, "Even little Cotton has begun to lose hope."
Rarity bit her lip at that, but didn't say anything else.
She knew her friends would come to save her. She had absolute faith in them.
Now, she just needed to wait.
-----
The cave was surprisingly well lit, even if he didn't have his thestrali vision, his goggles wouldn't have impaired his sight at all.
Honestly, aside from the slightly reddish tint the goggles gave everything, he might not have realized that the lenses were there at all.
Spitfire had a really good eye for equipment.
He could hear the faint sound of metal ringing in the distance. Either they were having their little prisoners use pickaxes or shovels. Given the frequency of the ringing, it was more likely they had shovels, but had recently found some gem deposits.
On the bright side, most of the sound came from that direction, meaning that, unless the Mutts were unnaturally quiet, there were only, maybe, ten in total, if not less.
That made things significantly easier, as Spike's description painted at least three of them as miners instead of fighters. Though it was guaranteed that there was at least one high level fighter here, since miners were important in their culture.
A sudden cacophony of sound startled him momentarily, but he managed to deduce that it belonged to Sparky and the others.
It was about time they jumped in.
With no reason to stand around, Emerald immediately darted down the path, aiming to take down the lone figure he could hear not too far from the large group nearby.
-----
Twilight held her head from where it had hit the ground, internally berating Spike for his idea, even if she had acted supportive earlier.
Shakily, she stood up and looked around, only to be mildly disappointed, but not surprised, to find that she had no idea where they were.
"Great," she heard Rainbow mutter, "How are we gonna find Rarity now?" she asked.
Twilight agreed. The area they'd found themselves in seemed to be a hub of some sort. It was a large, spacious area, whose walls were almost nothing but holes, leaving them with a good twenty different paths they could take.
Honestly, if it wasn't for the large support beams she could spot along the walls, she'd be terrified about the stability of these tunnels.
At least these Mutts were competent enough to put them up.
"I'm not sure," she said, gazing down each tunnel. They were all the same, with the only unique feature being a large wooden sign above each, with different, and unrecognizable, writing adorning them.
Emerald didn't mention anything about these Mutts having a different language!
"Hold on," Applejack said, "they wanted her 'cause she can find gems, right?" she asked, Spike nodded, "Well, they've probably got 'er where ever the most gems are," she reasoned.
"But... how are we going to know where all those gems are?" Fluttershy asked,
"Rarity's gem finding spell!" Spike exclaimed, "Not only did she use it to find all those gems, but that's why these Diamond Dogs took her!" Twilight nodded, but a thought struck her,
"Rarity's the only one who knows that spell," she argued, "I mean... she showed it to me once, but..."
"You can just copy it!" Spike said, looking up at her pleadingly, "You're the personal student to Princess Celestia after all!" he added, "One little gem-finding spell can't beat you!"
His words gave her confidence, probably more than they should've, but she wouldn't question it.
"Yeah... you're right, Spike," Twilight said, taking a step forward, "Okay... now if I can just remember how..." she murmured, focusing her magic into her horn. It took her a minute or so, and several failed attempts, but eventually, she succeeded.
Twilight opened her eyes, and was genuinely rendered speechless.
She could see the gems from where they rested in the ground, like beacons in the dark. But that wasn't all. Even the gems that were too far for her to see with her eyes, she could still feel using this spell. Had she not been so used to spells even more advanced than this, she might've been forced to end the spell from the sheer feedback she was receiving.
No wonder Rarity could find so many gems with this.
In the back of her head, Twilight's respect for Rarity rose now that she understood just how advanced this little spell was. Even more so when she recalled that Rarity had made this spell when she was a filly.
"Well?" Rainbow asked, "Did you do it?"
"Um, yeah," Twilight answered, taking a moment to adjust to the information rushing through her head, "It's... this way!" she announced, pointing down the correct tunnel.
"Alright!" Spike cheered, hopping onto her back, "We'll save you Rarity!" He pointed forward and, with a roll of her eyes, Twilight complied, and darted down the path.
-----
The cut on her cheek was beginning to really sting, though that didn't come as too much of a surprise.
Her hooves ached from the arduous task of digging. Using her magic would have made this a much, much easier task, as well as kept most of the wretched filth out of her gorgeous coat, but she chose not to.
After all, how could she possibly take the easy way out when there were five other ponies with her, all of whom had been struggling for far longer than she?
Even so, she couldn't simply sit by and let them struggle, not when she could help.
She used her magic to help Cotton with putting away gems, something the little filly had smiled at her for. Rather than make her smile in return, it only served to reignite the anger she felt towards these brutes.
She was a lady, and while she most certainly had a sharp wit, she sincerely doubted she'd be able to outsmart that Leader Dog, at least not to the degree of letting them all go.
But that was fine. She knew her dear friends would do everything in their power to save her, even if it meant contacting the Princess herself.
Her shovel suddenly hit something, nearly startling her at the sudden ringing. She hadn't even realized she'd closed in on the gems! Regardless, she set about piling the jewels into the nearby cart, doing her best to ignore the shooting pain running up her legs.
Goodness! How could ponies do hard work like this everyday?! If this is what it felt like, her appreciation for ponies like Applejack just shot up!
Not that it was exactly low before, but...
She let out a rough breath as she let the shovel hit the ground once more.
"Not used to this kinda work, princess?" one of the other mares sneered. Rarity frowned at the rude tone, but held her tongue.
They were entitled to a little aggression, she told herself, after all, they've been here for quite some time.
That didn't mean she had to respond to their aggression, however.
She rested her hooves for a moment, hoping that a moments rest would give her to energy to keep going, but she, along with the others, were distracted by a sudden crash.
-----
"What was that?!" Twilight asked, looking around for the source of the noise, nearly stumbling as she did so,
"Those Dogs might be hurting Rarity!" Spike deduced, "C'mon we need to hurry!"
-----
Metal screeched as blade met blade. Sparks shot away from the point of contact, his larger opponent growling as he was forced away.
Emerald spun his spear, readjusting his grip on it as he did so.
This Mutt had surprised him when he blocked. His intention had been to knock him unconscious on the first blow, since the Guard's standing orders of 'Capture on Sight' meant he couldn't just kill him, but he supposed those longer ears weren't just for show.
How ironic was it that someone else's hearing would be detrimental to his plans?
"What is not-pony doing here?" the Mutt growled at him in broken Equish,
Emerald didn't respond, instead charging forward at his adversary. The Mutt swung his blade to intercept, but Emerald immediately ducked, spun his spear, and jabbed the blunt end forward, straight into the Mutt's stomach.
He doubled over, giving Emerald the chance to swung his other hoof up, solidly colliding with his skull.
He stood for a moment longer, before the Mutt slumped to the ground, out cold.
He sneered at the form of the Mutt. All of that armor and apparently little skill.
Emerald sighed, it wasn't anything less that what he'd expected, but that didn't mean it wasn't disappointing.
His ear twitched, searching for any source of sound, and found one immediately. He frowned,
"What are those mares doing?" he muttered, walking off towards the noise.
It didn't take long for him to arrive at an intersection. It took him a moment to determine the correct path, but once he did it was a simple matter to simply run down the tunnel, spear at the ready.
Unfortunately he didn't quite follow his spear's example, coming to a dead stop when he found, not six ponies and a dragon like he'd expected, but eleven instead.
All of them were completely surrounded by Mutts, and those Dogs did not look happy.
-----
Twilight swallowed, feeling more nervous the farther down the tunnel they ran.
She hadn't thought that this would be as nerve-wracking as it was. Part of her had thought that it would be a simple in and out situation, where they run in, grab Rarity, and run out without having to worry about much of anything.
She did not expect to hear the sound of fighting for a good ten seconds, and for everything to go silent right after.
If it wasn't for Rarity's gem-finding spell she'd managed to copy, then there would be no way for them to navigate their way to her. And that was assuming that they were right to follow the gems.
Her magic was the only source of light around them at the moment, and it didn't provide quite enough to see for more than a foot in front of her. As such, Twilight was only partially surprised when she ended up tumbling over something she didn't see, her fall causing her friends to start cascading over her and Spike, earning more then a few yelps of pain.
"Oww..." she moaned from beneath her friends.
"Oh? You don't look like the Dogs brought you here," an unfamiliar voice suddenly droned, startling the six of them into jumping off of each other.
"What?" Spike asked, staring at the newcomer, his features illuminated by the torch he was carrying. It was a stallion who looked a few years older than them, with a brown coat and a mane and tail of the same colour, with a pair of dull yellow eyes. She couldn't spot his cutie mark for some reason, but after a moment of thought, she realized that he was absolutely covered in dirt!
A few seconds later, she realized that the brown of his mane, tail, and coat, were also dirt.
Then the smell hit, and she couldn't help but scrunch up her nose in disgust, but she kept herself from saying anything.
"Pee-yew!" Pinkie had no such reservations, holding her hoof to nose and scooting away from the stranger. Rather than be offended, like Twilight had expected, he chuckled,
"Yeah, I'm sure I smell pretty bad. Been almost a year since I had a good shower," he admitted, before looking past them, "So, where are the Dogs escorting you bunch too?"
"What?" Rainbow asked, "C'mon, do we look like those Mutts could've taken us?" she bragged. The stallion frowned,
"I was in the Royal Guard, once, and they took me down," he said, "No offense, but you're all just civilians. They're better equipped and better trained than you lot," he added, before shaking his head, "Whatever, what are you all doing here?"
"We're here to save our friend!" Spike spoke up, staring defiantly at the pony in front of them. The stallion smirked,
"Save your friend, huh?" he asked, before shaking his head, "Well, too bad. Last time somepony came down here on a rescue mission, they ended up beaten and forced to work. I should know, considering it was me."
That was a little surprising to hear, but it definitely explained why the stallion didn't seem excited to see them.
"Who are you, anyways?" Rainbow asked. The stallion smirked, then gave them a lazy salute,
"Soldier Spun Gear, at your service," he mocked. Twilight frowned for a moment, before recalling the Title system she and Emerald had talked about for a moment regarding her brother's position. She couldn't quite remember how a Soldier stacked up to a Mage, however.
"Soldier Spun Gear?" Pinkie asked, then giggled, "That's a funny name!"
"My name is Spun Gear," the stallion corrected her, "Soldier is my Title."
"Title?" Applejack asked, Spun shrugged,
"Read a book on it, or somethin'," he said, "I'm not wasting my breath on you," he said, turning around, "Good luck on your, heh, 'rescue mission'," he said, walking off.
"Wha-? Hey!" Rainbow shouted, nearly charging after the stallion, if Applejack hadn't held her back, "Just because you failed doesn't mean you can just make fun of us for trying to save our friend, buddy!" she snarled,
"Simmer down, Rainbow!" Applejack snapped, "Jus' ignore 'im. He ain't who were here fer,"
"B-but... wouldn't it be, um... mean if we just left him behind?" Fluttershy asked. Twilight nodded,
"She's right girls. Spike," she added quickly, "We can't just abandon somepony because they're a little... rough. It would be wrong," Rainbow groaned, but nodded,
"Fine..."
With that out of the way, Twilight and the rest turned to Spun, who had already walked out of earshot, and followed after him.
It didn't take long to find the rest of the group. Twilight was the first to see, and smell, the group, and was the first to freeze in place.
Five ponies in total, all completely covered in dirt just like Spun Gear. They were all skinny beyond belief, in a manner that eerily reminded her of Emerald when he first arrived. Hollowed cheeks, sunken eyes, manes and tails that were dirty and had started to fray at the edges from lack of care. All of them were busy shoveling dirt to the side, hunting for gems without a care. Twilight could feel herself trembling at the sight, but she nearly lost herself when she realized something.
Most of them appeared around her age, with one being much older than her, and another being perhaps half her age.
This might've been her.
Or her friends.
In fact...
"Rarity!" Spike shouted, spotting a familiar white figure farther away from the group of five. His sudden cry had caught the attention of everypony in the room, causing them to stop working and face them.
The group of six didn't bother paying attention to the sudden stares, their gazes focused solely on the white figure that Spike was running up to, with them not far behind.
Rarity jumped slightly at the call, and turned around just in time to receive a baby dragon running into her at full speed, claws wrapping around her neck.
"Oof!" she groaned, having to use the shovel she held to brace herself, "Ooh... Spike?" she asked, staring down in surprise.
"""""Rarity!""""" Twilight and the others cried at once, startling her further,
"Girls?!" she asked, before a bright smile wormed its way onto her face, "Oh, girls!" she cheered, lurching forward just as they all collected themselves around her, wrapping each other to a massive group hug.
"Oh! It's so wonderful to see you again!" she gushed as they let go a minute later, "My, I was beginning to worry something had happened to you!" she said, looking over each of them fondly.
"We're okay, Rarity," Twilight assured, but paused as her eyes roamed over her friend's form, "But what happened to you!?"
Indeed, Rarity hadn't come out of this unscathed. Her beautiful white coat had been stained a dirty brown along her hooves, and her glorious mane and tail had become frizzy from the hard work she undoubtedly had to do, with her tail beginning to turn a nasty shade of brown along the tip. Her hooves looked red and swollen, even beneath the dirt, and there was a long cut along her cheek, where a trail of dried blood had crusted over it and down her cheek.
Rarity cast a quick glance down, and sighed,
"Yes, it's awful, I know!" she said, hoof held against her head, as if she was about to faint, "But no worries!" Rarity added, "A few hours at the Ponyville spa will have me fixed right away!" she cheered, surprising Twilight.
"Really?" she asked, "I would've thought you'd be a lot more.. worried about your appearance," Twilight remarked. Rarity nodded,
"Indeed, I would be, but..." she trailed off, her gaze traveling past them, landing on the group of workers. Twilight followed her gaze for a moment, before nodding in understanding,
"Right, of course," she muttered, before shaking her head, "Well, don't worry Rarity. We're getting you out of here! You and everypony else!" she announced, turning to face the others at the last part.
"Are you?" a gravelly voice came from behind them. Twilight whirled back around, coming almost face to face with a gray Diamond Dog wearing a red vest.
"AH!" she squealed, jumping back at the unexpected sight, Rarity and the others following along with her.
"Ponies weak," the Mutt said, sneering at them, "What makes ponies think you can escape?" he asked.
"More workers!" the smaller Mutt said, clapping cheerfully,
"Leader be pleased," the larger one growled.
"Dogs! Put them in chains!" the one with the red vest called. A sudden series of barking from behind them startled the ponies and dragon, causing them to turn just in time to watch as three large Mutts came bounding in, covered in armour from head to toe, each one holding a set of chains and manacles.
Twilight swallowed as their group huddled together, the worker ponies looking almost bored by the whole thing, as if they'd all expected it.
Twilight realized that they probably did, if what Spun Gear had said was true.
Those ponies had already given up hope of ever escaping. What was the point in even trying if they simply didn't believe it was possible?
"Ha! You don't scare me!" Rainbow boasted, holding up her hooves and throwing a few punches for effect, "C'mon!"
"Rainbow's right, girls," Applejack said, "We're gonna hafta get down an' dirty if we wanna get out," Twilight nodded, lighting up her horn, though she couldn't help but send both Pinkie and Fluttershy worried looks.
Pinkie was glaring at the closest Mutt, an action that proved surprisingly intimidating for the usually peppy earth pony.
Fluttershy, as expected, was curled up, looking terrified of the incoming fight, but she stood surprisingly firm despite that.
Returning her gaze to the one with the red vest, Twilight prepared herself to cast the only offensive spell she knew, specifically the Bolt spell, and just about attacked, when-
"I leave you lot alone for five minutes and this is what you get up to?" a familiar male voice echoed from the tunnel they'd arrived from, behind the armoured Mutts.
"Emerald?" Twilight called, startled. She blinked for a moment, then looked around, only for her eyes to widen in surprise.
She had thought he was with them the entire time!
"'Course it's me, Sparky," he said, his disguised form appearing from the shadows of the tunnel, staring coldly at the Mutts blocking his way and- was that a spear?!
Twilight's eyes focused on the honest-to-Celestia spear the town guard was holding in his hoof, its silver blade glinting dangerously in the light.
"Really, it's like you girls are magnets for trouble," he added, resting the shaft of his spear against his shoulder, coming to a stop in front of the Mutts in his way.
"More ponies?" one of the Mutts growled, sounding a little confused,
"Not quite," Emerald answered, grinning wickedly, before lashing out.
Twilight blinked and nearly missed it.
Emerald had gone from a stand still, to full on vaulting himself at the closest Mutt, nailing it in the chin with his back leg. In the same, smooth motion, he swung his spear around while he was still in the air, slamming the flat side of the blade against the next Mutt. Using his newfound leverage, he swung himself over the Mutt, his spear's blade pushing the Mutt it hit into the first one, and slammed, back hooves first, into the face of the last Mutt. The last Mutt was slammed into the wall of the tunnel, hard enough to crack the earth.
He landed easily, looking no more put out than he would have walking into the library, staring at the three remaining Mutts, who were looking significantly more worried than before.
"Well?" he asked, staring at Twilight and the others, "Don't just stand there, get out of here," Twilight blinked,
"What about you?" she asked. He responded with a shrug,
"I'll knock 'em out, send a letter to the princess and have 'em shipped out to Jewelia," he said. There was a strangled growl from the Mutts at that, startling Twilight,
"Never!" the red vested Mutt shouted, lunging forward, straight at Twilight. She yelled in surprise and braced herself, but a pained yelp stopped her.
Looking back up, she was just in time to see the Mutt fall backward, the blunt end of Emerald's spear having impacted him directly between the eyes.
"You alright, Sparky?" he said from directly beside her, startling Twilight a little.
So fast!
"Umm... Yeah, I'm fine," she responded. He nodded, turning to the last two Mutts,
"Good. Now get out of here. All of you," he said, voice firm and unrelenting.
Twilight nodded,
"Y-yeah," she muttered, then shook her head, "C'mon everypony! The exit is this way!" she called, running back down their original path, her five friends running behind her.
Rarity came to a halt just before leaving, and turned to the other five, confused,
"Well?" she asked, "Aren't you dears coming? Or would you rather stay in these dreadful tunnels?" she added.
Brake blinked at her, stunned, and spared a glance at Emerald, who had already begun tying up the Mutts, who were only putting up a small struggle.
"U-uh... y-yeah," he stammered, waving at the others to come along.
-
-
Emerald sighed, leaning back against the couch he was resting in.
It hadn't taken much time to round up the Mutts and send a letter to Celestia, who then sent a group of guards to come collect his catch, as well as hoof him his normal pay.
Celestia also had the foresight to send a second group meant to collect the ex-slave ponies and bring them to Canterlot for identification, as well as whatever reimbursement the princess was sure to give them after all was said and done.
After that was over with, Rarity had suddenly remembered the sheer number of gems she had found back in the caves and very nearly begged her friends, and Emerald, to help her collect some of them for her order.
Which led to now.
"And... Ta da!" Rarity cheered, drawing back the curtains with as much flair as she could muster, coat cleaned and mane and tail groomed to perfection once again. It hadn't taken her long to clean herself up once they brought and stored the gems in the Boutique.
Sparky and the others 'ooh'd at the sight of Rarity's latest design, while Emerald gave it a critical once over.
"Yeah..." he muttered, "That's definitely something Sapphire would want..."
It was completely white in colour, with a long zipper across the back hidden by an added cape. The entire thing was encrusted with polished diamonds, all cut into various shapes and sizes, and, at the angle he was sitting at, he was forced to squint just to look at it thanks to all the light it reflected at him.
"Wow!"
"That's awesome!"
"Ooh!"
"This is amazing, Rarity!" Sparky said with a smile, glancing over at her fellow unicorn, "No wonder Sapphire Shores wanted so many!" Rarity tittered,
"Indeed! I must say, while not my best work, I am rather proud of how it came out in the end!" she gushed, then gave them a determined nod, "I have to get to work right away! This whole Diamond Dog, or should I say Mutt, business has completely thrown me off schedule!" she cried, already levitating around boxes filled with fabric and gems around, "I'll have to work all night to make up for lost time, but it'll be worth it!" she said.
"Do you want any help?" Fluttershy asked, Rarity shook her head,
"Oh not at all!" she replied, "It's a little inconvenient, but I'll be fine!" she stopped for a moment, turning to them with a smile, "I appreciate the worry, truly, and I'm ever so grateful that you all came to save me, but I'll be fine," she assured, then used her magic to open the door and began shooing them away, "No, go on! Much as I love playing host, I'm afraid I'll need absolute peace and quiet for this!" she said.
Emerald and the others began filing out the door, but just before Rarity shut the door, she stopped and peered outside,
"Oh, and don't worry everyone!" she called, "I promise I'll make it up to you for everything you did!" she added, then closed the door behind her.
The group of seven were silent for a moment, before Applejack broke it with a scoff,
"That's jus' like her. Even after gettin' foalnapped by a bunch'a Mutts, she's still puttin' all her time an' effort inta her fancy dresses," she said, shaking her head.
"You have to admire her work ethic, at least," Emerald remarked, earning a nod from the farm mare.
"Well, I don't know about you guys," Crash began, stretching her wings, "but I'm gonna hit the hay,"
"Already?!" Pinkie asked, surprised, "But the sun isn't even going down! We should celebrate with a 'We Saved Rarity From a Bunch of Mean Old Dogs!' party!"
"As nice as that sounds, Pinkie," Sparky said, "why don't we just have that picnic we never started?"
"That's right!" Pinkie gushed, "I totally forgot! C'mon everypony, we've got a picnic waiting for us!" she cheered, and started running off.
Applejack shook her head, but followed along regardless, pulling Crash behind her. Fluttershy smiled, and trotted after them.
"I think I'm gonna stay and help Rarity with her order," Spike said, scooting back towards the door to the Boutique, before slipping inside without another word, leaving Emerald and Sparky alone for the time being.
The two of them shared a look, when Sparky smiled,
"Thanks for helping us save Rarity, Emerald," she said. He shrugged,
"Eh, it's what I do," he replied easily, causing Sparky to laugh. She stared at him for a moment longer, and her eyes flickered upward,
"You know, you look really nice with those goggles," she admitted, her face turning a faint red. Emerald felt his heat up in response as well, though he tried to hide it,
"Really? Thanks, I suppose," he said, "You look nice as well. Though that's normal." he said, muttering that last part.
Evidently he hadn't said it quietly enough, considering the tomato impression that Sparky was currently doing.
He chuckled at the sight, finding it one he wouldn't mind seeing more often. He jerked his head towards the retreating ponies,
"C'mon, Sparky. We've got a picnic to attend," he said, reaching over to grab her hoof, before he pulled her along, ignoring the heat in his face build at the action.
Sparky sputtered behind him, and he smiled.
He was really beginning to like this town.
Stats
Page generated in 0.026 seconds
Total duration
969 users online
2,272,756 hits today, 2,561,572 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
1st Jk Why did I say that. Oh well
D'awww, go for it you love struck dolt.
It's obvious that soldier what's his face knows who Emerald is
Shipping intensifies.
9289409
It only grows.
Wait, what happened to the Mutt leader?
I'm surprised that in no moment Emerald decided to ask for reinforcements just like he did for Flim and Flam...
9292358
Probably was panicking.
9292358
Well, with Flim and Flam, he did have to deal with a massive crowd that didn't know his identity as a guard. But with the Mutts, he only had Twilight and the others who already knew.
9292896
But in theory his mission is to protect Twilight, instead of let her go head on to the danger, should he not be sure that she don't end as a diamond dog slave?
9293048
Remember, Spike's plan was to hook one on a fishing rod. Considering how willing the others were to just sit around and wait, it isn't hard to imagine that Emerald believed he'd have been finished rescuing Rarity by then.
It was bad luck on his part that things that probably shouldn't work, tend to when those ponies are involved.
9293119
I guess... Thanks for the answers :)
I wait for Mondays
9298325
I eagerly wait for Mondays as well.
9299208
Yes!!!
Waaaiiit a minute. I think i've seen that book around here before......
"One one hoof." Do you have an autocorrect, cause I've been seeing error's like this.