Chapter 34: A Dog and Pony Show (Last Edited 10/3/2022)
September 6, 2020
Gem Mines (ten miles east of Ponyville)
Rarity had received a special request from famous pop star Sapphire Shores for a set of five dresses. Unfortunately, these dresses called for gemstones that she didn't have in stock. Not one to turn down a customer's request, she had enlisted the help of Spike and Jack to obtain her material.
It wasn't hard. Spike was madly in love with her, and Jack was always eager to help out a friend in need.
"So, who exactly is this Sapphire Shores?" Jack asked.
"Only one of the most famous pop stars in the world!" Rarity exclaimed. "Her songs are consistently near the top of the charts. She's the most listened to pop artist in Equestria next to Countess Coloratura!"
"I don't know who this Countess Colorawhatsit is either, so that description wasn't very helpful," Jack said.
"Man, what rock did you crawl out of?" Spike asked jokingly.
"I think it'd be good for you to remember I'm not from Equestria," Jack huffed. "I'll bet you wouldn't know who Ariana Grande or Billie Eilish are if I asked."
"Who?" Spike asked.
"Case and point," Jack said.
"Boys!" Rarity called. "I believe you have some digging to do?" she requested, using her magic to highlight the Spot she wanted them to dig.
"Sure thing, Rarity!" Spike exclaimed. "Anything for you!"
Jack and Spike got to work and soon dug up a pile of already cut rubies. A few months ago, the fact that these gems had seemingly already been worked on would have bothered Jack, but now he simply noted the fact that they were cut gemstones instead of geodes and tossed them into the little red wagon he was pulling. Life in Equestria had done a number on his ability to question things that didn't make sense.
"You must be flipping out over this order, Rarity!" Spike exclaimed. "I mean, Sapphire Shores is so gorgeous and talented. Any dress designer would jump at the opportunity to make something for her!"
Rarity shot Spike a sour look.
"I mean, she's not even half as gorgeous and talented as you are," Spike replied with a nervous chuckle.
"Simp!" Jack shouted.
Spike and Rarity stared at Jack in confusion before returning to their conversation.
"Ladies do not 'flip out,' Spike," Rarity Dismissed. "However, I was quite in awe," she continued lighting up her gem-finding spell. "Oh, I need to find more jewels than ever before to decorate her costumes. Oh, aha!" she exclaimed, having located another cluster.
"Did you find some?" Spike asked.
"Yes, Spike!" Rarity exclaimed, pointing to a patch of dirt. "Right there!"
Spike clawed the dirt away with the speed of a jackhammer, revealing a cluster of cut gems. Rubies, sapphires, emeralds, amethyst, all lumped together with no regard to their separate physical properties.
"This is normal," Jack thought to himself.
"Ooooo!" Spike said, licking his licks. "You look so delicious..." he continued, mouth-watering at the sight of the gems.
"This is also normal," Jack thought, watching Spike grabbing a clawful of jewels.
"Spike!" Rarity scolded. "I promised I'd give you gems to snack on, but we need to collect more first, or I'll never be able to make these outfits for Sapphire."
"Hm... I will miss you, my sweets," Spike sighed, holding the gems over the wagon reluctantly.
"Come along, Spike," Rarity said, trotting across the arid landscape, "We have many jewels to find."
"At your service, milady," Spike said, bowing like an incel attempting to be a "nice guy."
"The fuck are you doing?" Jack asked, cringing intensely.
"Just trying to be polite," Spike answered.
Jack shook his head and placed a hand over his face. "Don't bow, man. That's completely pathetic."
"But I…"
"Oh, Boys!" Rarity called.
Jack and Spike spent the next few hours digging up gems in the dry heat for Rarity's project.
"You've been very patient today, Spike," Rarity said, patting Spike's head. "And for that, you get the finest reward," Rarity exclaimed, levitating an aquamarine from the wagon above Spike's open mouth. "This is from me to you."
Spike carefully clasped the gem and stared at Rarity.
"Is something wrong, Spike?" Rarity asked.
"No," Spike said, clutching the jewel to his chest. "It's perfect."
Jack rolled his eyes before feeling a strange sensation. As they continued their hunt for gems, the feeling became more and more pronounced. Something was stalking them.
Not knowing what it could be, Jack reached his free hand into his pocket and grasped his pistol. The area around them was completely devoid of plant life, so Jack had decided that the Glock would provide better protection than his magic. He didn't think he'd have to use it, of course, and he'd never had all that much success with it, but still better with than without. And if even if he did end up having to use it, how hard could it be?
After several hours of digging, the wagon was filled well beyond capacity.
"Well, Spike, I think that's all we can do for today," Rarity said as Spike placed a load of gems atop the already overflowing wagon. "And these will certainly get me well on my way with Sapphire's outfits. Why don't we start headi..." she found herself being cut off by her horn lighting up. "Oh! What's this? Another jewel. Oh... oh, strange," she noted, letting her horn lead her. "It's in the trees. Oooo— eww!"
Rarity had found the gem attached to a collar worn by a large bipedal dog.
As the dog stepped out of the Brush, Rarity found herself backing up. "Uh... uh... good day, gentle... uh, fellow. Uh, I am Rarity, and these are my friends Spike and Jack."
Spike waved nervously while Jack reached for his Glock.
"And you are…" Rarity inquired nervously.
"A Diamond Dog," the dog answered in a Gollum-Esq voice.
"Oh really?" Rarity asked, continuing to back away. "Oh well, that explains your fine taste in jewelry. I mean, I-I-I know that diamonds are a girl's best friend, and now I know that they're a dog's best friend too, hahaha. So, um…" she coughed, "you're out hunting for gems as well?"
"Yes," the dog answered. "We hunt."
Jack whipped his pistol out and pointed it at the approaching canine.
"Uh... we?" Rarity questioned.
"We hunt for gems," the Diamond Dog elaborated, holding up the jewel on his collar. "But you are a better hunter. So now we hunt..."
Hearing the sound of dirt being dislodged from the ground, and turned to see two patches of dirt erupting from the ground.
"For you!" the Diamond Dog exclaimed.
Two more Diamond Dogs leaped out from the shifting dirt and swiped at Rarity, who screamed in terror.
Spike jumped into action using his tail like a jackhammer on the nearest dog. "Run, Rarity! Run! Aaaah! Uh!" he shouted before being pinned to the ground by a Diamond Dog's index finger.
As Rarity fled, Spike tripped the dog that had been holding him down as it tried to pursue.
"Don't move!" Jack shouted at the other Diamond Dog, aiming his Glock at its chest.
"Why should I?" the Diamond Dog sneered. "You think I'm scared of your tiny stick?"
"You really should be," Jack said. "Don't make me use this!" he pleaded, not wanting to kill another sapient being if he could help it.
"I'm not scared of your stick ape," the Diamond Dog repeated. "And if I was, it wouldn't matter. Spot already has the pony!"
"What?!" Jack exclaimed, turning to see Rarity being dragged toward a large hole. Before he even had a chance to react, he was knocked face-first into the ground and could only watch as the other two Diamond Dogs joined Spot as he carried Rarity to the hole.
"Unhand me this instant, you ruffians!" Rarity shouted. "Stop! Put me down, you thugs! You brutes!"
"Rarity!" Spike and Jack called together.
Even running as fast as they could, they could only watch Rarity struggle and scream as she was dragged below the surface.
“Nooooooooooo!" Spike shouted, falling to his knees. "I never even got to tell her how I felt."
Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Spike looked up to see Jack staring at him.
"Go get Twilight and the others," Jack said.
"What about you?" Spike asked nervously.
Jack cocked his Glock. "I think it's time to take Old Yeller behind the barn," he said darkly.
Spike didn't know who Old Yeller was, but he knew Jack wasn't messing around. So with a quick nod, he ran back to town to get the other elements.
Once Spike was out of sight, Jack hopped into the hole.
Diamond Dog Mines
Jack hadn't any idea how deep underground he was. It had taken him a minute and a half to get to the bottom, though. Thankfully, the hole was dug at an angle rather than straight down.
The sound of water dripping from stalactites echoed throughout the tunnels. There was plenty of light in the labyrinth of tunnels, meaning that all Jack had to worry about was choosing the right path. Setting his eyes on the largest passageway, he assumed it must be the main shaft.
Gripping his gun, Jack ventured forth.
"Chill, man," Emerald Jack said. "I get that she's your friend, but I don't think this reaction is necessary. Why don't we just calm dow…"
"You know why!" Jack shouted.
"Shhh, they'll hear you!"
"I don't care!" Jack shouted again. "I won't let her down! I won't let any of them down! Not again."
"None of that was your fault," Emerald Jack said calmly. "And neither is this. Now calm down and think this out before you get us captur…"
"Intruder!"
"Too late," Emerald Jack sighed as three armored diamond dogs armed with spears flooded the tunnel.
"What is it?" one of the dogs asked as Jack brought its head into the Glock's iron sights.
"Some kind of hairless ape," another dog answered.
"Get it!" a third one, apparently their commander, ordered.
As the two lackeys made their move, Jack squeezed the trigger, and with a bang that echoed down the cave, the first dog dropped to the floor.
Seeing his comrade fall, the second one turned to check on him. "Buddy?" he asked. Seeing the blood pool from Buddy's head, the dog screamed. "He's dead! You-you killed him!" he shouted, pointing accusingly at Jack.
"Y-yeah," Jack confirmed, struggling to grip the Glock in his trembling hands. "I'll d-do it ag-gain if you don't take me to Ra-Rarity. T-to you, I mean." Needless to say, this was the first time he'd actually killed anyone. It felt awful.
The commander moved to assist his remaining packmate but stopped when Jack pointed his weapon at him.
“Y-you too,” Jack stammered.
Seeing no other option, the commander dropped his spear and nodded. "Come ape. Your friend is this way."
The two dogs led Jack down a tunnel. Five minutes passed by, and Jack couldn't stop thinking about what he'd done. "I had no choice, right? He was pointing a weapon at me. It was him or me.”
" That's right, it was you or him," Emerald Jack reassured. "Now isn't the time to think about it if you let your guard down…"
"She's in here, ape," the Diamond Dog Commander informed, pointing to a dimly lit crevasse.
"In-in here?" Jack asked.
"That's right."
Jack peered inside. "I don't see… AHHH!" he shouted. With an audible crunch, he could feel the bones in his pistol hand being crushed. It didn't take much thought to realize the other dog had just bitten him.
"Not so tough without that stick, huh?" the dog growled as the Glock fell to the floor with a thud. Pushing Jack to the floor and baring his fangs, he continued. "You'll pay for what you did to Buddy!"
Blood poured from Jack's hand, bone was visible in several locations, the pain was like nothing he'd ever felt, but he barely even noticed. "I killed his friend."
This was why Jack never had any interest in being a soldier. How could he be? How many Taliban and ISIS fighters were only fighting because their families had been killed by American bombs? How many Hamas fighters were only fighting because their families had been killed by Israeli bombs?
That didn't justify anything that true Islamic extremists were fighting for. Of course, Jack wasn't so delusional to think like that. But still, the fact that he'd never be able to tell if his opponent was a terrorist was fighting for Allah or simply some Afghani or Arab wanting a sense of justice for his dead family was enough to turn Jack completely away from enlisting. And now here he was, at this moment, he knew exactly why this dog was fighting, and he had no desire to stop him. "So, this is how it ends. I guess it's better this way.”
"What are you doing?!" Emerald Jack asked in a panic. "I thought we were past this!”
Unfortunately, Jack had far from gotten over his cycle of self-loathing. The nightmares were gone, he'd found happiness in his new friends, but the idea that he'd been responsible for so much misery in his past was still ingrained deep in his subconscious. It would not be destroyed so easily.
"If this keeps up, I'll have to…" Emerald Jack thought in a panic. "But if I do that, he could… I'll just have to risk it! What about Rarity?! She's still in danger, isn't she?! Are you just going to let your friend be kidnapped like this?!"
"Rarity!" Jack realized as his eyes lit emerald.
Before the diamond dog could decide how to get his revenge, he was blasted through the wall by a green beam of energy.
"I… understand why you're mad," Jack stated, energy swirling around his hands as he prepared another volley. "I don't blame you either, but so help me, God, I'm going to save my friend!" With his next beam, he blasted a hole in the next wall sidestepping the unconscious dog and his terrified commander to find Spike and the other elements.
"Jack!" shouted Spike.
"Oh, my goodness!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "What happened to your hand?!"
"No time!" Jack snapped. Thanks to his magic, his wounds were already starting to heal, but his hand was still a bloody mess. "We need to find Rarity!"
"What are we waiting for?!" asked Spike, who was perched on Twilight's back.
Using the same spell Rarity had used to mine gems, Twilight lit a path of gems down a corridor. "We're getting close," she said. "I can feel it."
As if on cue, the sound of Rarity crying could be heard echoing from the tunnel ahead of them.
"It's coming from down here!" Spike exclaimed, pointing ahead. "Come on!"
Reaching a large chamber, they could hear Rarity's cries growing louder.
"She must be in there," said Rainbow Dash, noting an iron gate. "Let's go!"
No sooner than Rainbow Dash had spoken, a squad of guard dogs jumped them. Hopping on the ponies' backs and tying ropes around their muzzles.
The dog who attempted to jump Jack quickly found himself slamming face-first into the wall after being hit by a blast of magic, and the dogs who mounted the girls soon found that hanging on to their new workhorses was easier said than done. Like a group of bucking broncos, one by one, the girls sent their riders flying.
"Yeehaw!" Applejack shouted. "Get along, little doggies!"
Hearing crashes from behind the gate, Spike grabbed a stalagmite from the roof and brandished it like a sword. "I'm coming for you, milady," he shouted, still perched on Twilight's back. "Hi-ho, Twilight! Away!"
“And just what do you think you're doing?” Twilight asked with a glare.
"Please, Twilight. Just give me this," Spike asked with a shrug.
"Eh... fine," Twilight sighed.
Rearing her legs, Twilight charged right through the gate.
"Lady Rarity, I'm here to save you!" Spike declared.
Fortunately, it didn't seem like Rarity was the one in need of saving.
"Save us!" the Diamond Dogs shouted. "Please, save us! Make it stop! Please!"
It seemed to be that Rarity's prissy nature had been too much for them, and her constant complaining had nearly driven them insane, and they were quite literally begging for them to take her back.
"Rarity! You're safe!" Spike exclaimed, hugging Rarity as she walked up with a cartload of gems.
"Why, yes," Rarity confirmed. "Hello, girls. You arrived just in time to assist me."
"Assist you with what?" Applejack asked.
"With those," Rarity answered, pointing to no less than seven carts full of gems.
Receiving no resistance from the Diamond Dogs, they grabbed the carts and left for the surface. However, they were far from home free just yet.
"What happened to your hand?" Fluttershy asked Jack.
Jack held up his injured hand. Thanks to his magic, the wound had dried up already, and the bones were beginning to heal. However, there was another wound Jack had to deal with. "I… killed…" he began.
Jack's confession was interrupted by a scream from Rarity. The Diamond dog commander Jack had defeated before had chosen now to make his move. Constraining Rarity to his chest with one paw, he held Jack's Glock to her head with the other. "You made a mistake leaving this on the floor, ape!" he growled. "Now I'm going to take away your friend just like you took mine!"
Spike and the other ponies gasped.
"He… he doesn't mean you…" Twilight stammered.
"No way," said Rainbow Dash.
"Jackie would never…" said Pinkie, her normally unruly mane deflating into straight locks.
"It's gotta be a lie!" shouted Spike. "I don't believe it!"
"Ah don' believe it either," said Applejack, "but he's tellin' the truth."
"No…" Fluttershy whispered. "He's mistaken, right Jack?"
Jack’s Mind
Emerald Jack stared in abject terror as the room around him filled with jade light. "This can't be happening!"
"Free at last!" shouted a maniacal voice.
Diamond Dog Caves
Jack's blue irises were soon filled with a jade glow as the ground beneath him shook violently. Lunging at the Diamond Dog commander, a bright red rose materialized in his now fully healed right hand.
Before the canine even had a chance to touch the trigger, he'd already dropped the weapon. As the dog's paw went limp, Rarity let out yet another scream. The rose had been lodged deep into the dog's jugular. Blood sprayed from his neck like a broken fire hydrant.
Eastern Continent: Unknown Location
Having sensed an intense concentration of chaos magic from the Everfree region, Blutknochen let out a sinister chuckle. "Looks like it's time for Phase Zwei."
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Not bad I guess, but I guess we will see in next chapter what happen when Jack tell what happened
10879082
Ok this made me smile