S1 E19: A Dog and Pony Show (What If?)
It had been quite a day for Spike, a day he would not soon forget as he made his way through Ponyville to the Golden Oak Library. Boy would Twilight be surprised to learn what he'd been through today.
The little dragon hummed a tune to himself as the familiar outward presence of the library soon greeted his light green eyes, the glow of the setting sun making said library seem warm and inviting.
Twilight was waiting for Spike when he came through the door. "Oh, Spike," She commented with the slightest bit of concern. "It's about time you showed up. I was beginning to worry."
Spike waved a claw. "Aw come on, Twilight. I can take care of myself, you know."
Twilight was anything but convinced. "You've been gone all day, Spike. I didn't have a clue where you were and everypony I asked told me they hadn't seen you," She stomped a hoof down. "I was beginning to think something awful had happened to you. The next time you decide to just up and 'disappear' for a day, I expect a notice."
The little dragon protested. "It's not like I planned to be away all day or anything. I didn't think I'd be gone nearly that long."
The studious unicorn just inquired of Spike. "Well where were you, then? Can you at least tell me that?"
Spike nodded. "I was out helping Rarity hunt for gems."
"Oh, is that all?" Twilight replied as she breathed a small sigh of relief. "Doesn't seem like it would take that long. But I'll bet you stayed later to help her more. Don't think I haven't noticed how you tend to act around her." And she gave a knowing wink.
Spike blushed as he tried to feign ignorance. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Twilight. It was just a friend helping another friend out, that's all."
"Oh?" Twilight went on teasing. "Then how come you only came back from it now? I don't think gem hunting should take all day, especially when Rarity has that gem finding spell of hers. One of these days I need to ask her to teach me it."
So it was that the little dragon reluctantly confessed. "Well, the reason it took so long is because... well..." He gulped and swallowed hard as a bead of sweat trickled down his face. "We kind of ran into some... unexpected company."
At that the studious unicorn's earlier concern came flooding back to her. "Huh? What do you mean by that, Spike?"
"I... didn't want to have to tell you this," Spike confessed. "But... let's just say we ended up becoming the unintended and unwelcome guests of these creatures called the diamond dogs. And they were anything but friendly."
A look of horror flashed in Twilight's eyes upon hearing that confession! "The Diamond Dogs?! I've heard of them and even read about them. They don't sound like the kind of creatures you'd want to run into," And she began looking Spike all over. "You weren't hurt at all, were you?!"
Spike waved a claw again. "I'm fine, Twilight. And so is Rarity. We're just a little shaken up, but we'll live."
"Really?" Twilight questioned. "I can't imagine Rarity would do particularly well if taken prisoner by those nasty creatures."
The little dragon chuckled. "You think so, huh? Well then, have I got a story for you. You're never gonna believe how we managed to escape. In fact, I think you might just find something worth writing to Princess Celestia about." And with that, his mind began to reflect back to the events of the day and how they had unfolded. Even he was still trying to comprehend the most unusual turn of events that had occurred, and the valuable lesson that Rarity had taught him in the process.
"Well, Spike," Twilight reluctantly sighed. "I'm all ears. Please tell me everything. Just how is it that you and Rarity could end up being taken by the Diamond Dogs in the first place?"
Spike quickly answered. "I told you, we were out hunting for gems."
"I know that," Twilight groaned. "But you haven't told me why. Please don't tell me Rarity was trying to take gems from the Diamond Dogs and got found out."
The little dragon immediately protested! "Now hold on there, Twilight! Rarity isn't stupid or a thief! She would never steal gems that rightfully belonged to someone else, no matter how desperate she might be. The gems were for an important client: Sapphire Shores."
The studious unicorn blinked, scratching her head. "Isn't that the self proclaimed 'Pony of Pop'?"
Spike firmly nodded his head. "Yup. So when a client like that comes to Rarity's boutique and orders several dresses that need flashy gems, you know Rarity's going to have to go look for more. And I was more than happy to assist her when she requested my services. I didn't say anything then because I didn't anticipate us being gone for very long. I figured I'd be back before you even noticed I was gone."
"Well I did," Twilight interrupted. "But anyway, I'm guessing that it was the gem hunt itself that brought Rarity and you into contact with the Diamond Dogs?"
Spike nodded once again. "Yup, though not right away. In fact, we were just about done searching for gems when those dogs showed up and ambushed us. It all happened so fast."
"You're absolutely sure Rarity had enough gems and wasn't trying to find more?" Twilight inquired. "It sounds like Rarity needed a lot of gems, more than I think I've ever seen her be with at any one point."
"I'm going to tell you what Rarity told me," Spike huffed. "Sapphire Shores wanted dresses for her upcoming tour to promote her newest album. And the dresses all needed a lot of gems because that's what Sapphire wanted. You don't understand, Twilight. This could be Rarity's big break, even more so than having replicas of her gala dresses featured in one of Hoity Toity's boutiques."
Twilight reluctantly decided not to press further on that. "Okay, so she needed a lot of gems and you were helping her gather them. Have I got that right so far?"
With a smile the little dragon answered. "Yup, you've got it."
"Okay, but I'm still trying to figure out how that could lead to the Diamond Dogs showing up." Twilight pondered.
"They must've been watching us," Spike concluded. "Although there were a lot of them, there were three that seemed to be more or less the leaders of the pack: There was a big blue one, a dark grey one and a scrawny little yellow one. They showed up first and the rest followed. I remember because it seemed almost too quiet out in the fields before they showed up." And he soon began to think back to that experience, to the unexpected encounter that had touched off the "adventure".
"Oh my gosh! No way!" Spike had exclaimed upon being told by Rarity what the need was for the sudden (and urgent) gem hunt. "You're serious?! The Sapphire Shores?! The pony of pop?!" As he spoke he was busy pulling along a bright red wagon that would be used to store the gems he would be digging up.
The fashionista smiled and nodded. "I could hardly believe it myself, Spike. But I tell you it was true. She came to my boutique not even half an hour ago. I can still remember the encounter quite vividly." And she was already remembering the unexpected encounter despite how recently it had occurred.
Inside of Carousel Boutique, Rarity had just put the finishing touches on her newest masterpiece, a lavish white dress decorated all over with sparkling red and blue gems of various sizes. It was work that had taken at least over an hour, if not more. But the dress was now ready for display, once the fashionista found time to build an appropriate showcase theme for it.
Before work on that project could begin, however, there came the jingling of the bell that signaled the possible entry of a customer. So Rarity called out in a singsong tone of voice. "Coming!" And made her way over to the front door to see who it was, giving her usual customer greeting in the process. "Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chic, unique, and magnifique. My name is Rarity, how may I assist you?"
But when the unicorn saw who her newest customer was, she gasped and nearly fainted right on the spot! Standing before her was an earth pony mare of medium build that sported a pale, light grayish gold coat. She had a light brilliant cobalt blue colored mane and tail with light brilliant azure stripes to compliment it. Her eyes were a light brilliant amber that shone like gold. She had pale, light grayish blue violet eye shadow and wore a white dress with purple, blue and yellow decorating various parts of it (said dress obscuring her cutie mark in the process).
Rarity knew who this pony was. "Sapphire Shores!"
The earth pony nodded in confirmation. "Yes, that's me alright. Good afternoon, Miss Rarity Belle! And how are we today? I've heard good things about you and require your services."
The fashionista stuttered and shook. "You yah... y-y-you know about me?"
Sapphire Shores happily nodded. "Why of course I do, darling. I make it a point to know all of the up-and-coming designers and Clothes Horse magazine simply raved about you. Besides, anypony who could get Hoity Toity to feature their works in his boutiques has to be worth checking out."
Rarity could hardly believe her eyes and ears. "Oh please, don't let this be a dream. But if it is, please do not wake me up," She said to herself before turning to the pop star. "Well, how may I help you today, Miss. Shores?"
Sapphire Shores promptly replied. "Please, just call me Sapphire, everypony does."
With a giggle, the fashionista complied. "Well then, Sapphire, how may I help you?"
The pop star quickly explained to Rarity. "I guess you haven't heard yet, then again it was just recently announced: I'm going to be touring all of Equestria to promote my newest album. The concerts are going by the name of: Sapphire Shores' Ziegfilly Follies, so that means I need to look absolutely sensational!"
Rarity nodded. "I think I have just what you're looking for, Sapphire. If you'll kindly step this way," And she led Sapphire to a small stand obscured by a pink curtain. Using her magic, the unicorn pulled on a rope and the curtain parted to reveal the very dress she'd just been working on before Sapphire's arrival. "Behold: The pièce de résistance de la haute couture! I haven't even given it a proper name yet. But I used every last gem I had on me to complete it."
Upon seeing the gem covered dress, Sapphire immediately let out a gasp as her eyes went wide! "It's perfect! Just what I need. I'll take it."
"Really?" Rarity asked in hopeful excitement.
Sapphire nodded in confirmation. "Yup. And five more while I'm at it. You know, for costume changes. And for good measure I'll need each to be done up in a different jewel."
The fashionista nervously blinked. "Beg pardon?"
Sapphire giggled. "You don't expect me to perform all over Equestria in the same set of clothes, do you? That would get old fast. You really need to think like I do. My fans expect nothing but the best out of me," Then she declared. "I hope that's not going to be too much of a problem for you. I can meet any price."
"But... but..." Rarity stuttered and feeling light headed she suddenly fainted right on the spot.
Sapphire Shores could only remark upon seeing Rarity's reaction. "Yes, I do seem to have that effect on ponies."
"So that is the situation I found myself in," Rarity explained to Spike as the two approached a field out in the middle of what appeared to be nowhere. "And since I detest getting dirty if I can help it, I figured it would be the least I could do if I let my favorite dragon come along to help me out."
Spike blushed furiously, trying his best to "play it cool". "Anything for you, Rarity. And thanks again for letting me keep some of the spare gems for snacks. You don't know hard it is to come by them."
Rarity smiled, taking a moment to pat Spike on the top of his head. "All in good time, Spike. All in good time. After all, I'm going to need to find more gems than I've ever had before if I'm to decorate the costumes according to Sapphire's desires," She then concentrated all her magical power into her horn, soon producing a faint blue glow that began to tug on her. She knew what that meant. "Oh, aha!"
"Did you find some?" Spike hopefully asked.
The fashionista confirmed with a firm nod, marking the spot where she had detected the gems with a stick. "Indeed I did. Right over there. Please be a dear and dig them up."
Spike didn't need to be told twice. He quickly rushed over to the marked spot and used his claws to dig into the dirt. It wasn't long before he had uncovered a small pile of sparkling gems in a variety of colors. The very sight of them made his mouth water. It had been quite a while since breakfast now that he thought about it. "Ooooo! You look so delicious..." He commented, unable to keep his mouth from drooling.
Rarity managed to turn around in time to see Spike not so secretly put the gems in his mouth. She quickly yanked them away with her magic and scolded him. "Spike, you know that's not close enough to the amount of gems I need! And if you start snacking on them I'll never have enough!" She was quick to add. "I promise, I'll let you have all the gems you want after I have what I need to work on the dresses for Sapphire. This field's chalk full of gems, there should be more than enough for us to both get what we want."
So it was that the little dragon reluctantly set the gems he'd found down in the wagon. And soon afterward he was directed to the location of more gems courtesy of Rarity, gems that he would again have to place in the wagon instead of snacking on them as he hoped.
Eventually, however, Spike's efforts were rewarded as Rarity floated over a medium sized, red colored gem. "As promised, here is your reward," She told him. "A gift, from me to you," When she noticed that Spike was looking rather oddly at her she saw fit to ask him. "Is something the matter, Spike?"
Realizing what was going on (and how silly he looked just standing there) Spike blinked. "Oh, no no no. Everything's fine. You're perfect. I mean... it's perfect, the gem's perfect. Thank you."
The fashionista smiled before feeling the tug of her horn. "Bring the wagon along, Spike. We've more gems to dig up. We haven't got all day you know."
"Coming, Rarity." Spike called as he happily towed the little red wagon behind him without a care in the world.
Unbeknownst to either pony or dragon though, they were being watched. Had they been looking or paying attention they might have seen a trio of dog like creatures spying on them and talking about them.
"Yes," One of the dogs said with a smile. "Gems. Gems!"
"Where?" Another dog asked the first one.
The first dog pointed to the wagon as it replied. "Over there, stupid. Gems. Our gems. That dragon digs them up. He is the gem hunter. With him we can have all those gems and more."
"Let's take him!" A third dog suggested. "Dragon come to work for us!"
The first dog eagerly agreed. "Yes!"
But then all three dogs heard Rarity calling out to Spike. "Spike, where are you? There's more gems over here! Do hurry it up! You know it's terrible to keep a lady waiting."
The dogs quickly turned their attention to Rarity as they saw her not only directing Spike on where to go, but also using her horn to pinpoint the exact location of gems buried beneath the soil. They soon realized who the better target probably was.
The first dog told the other two dogs. "Wait! It's not the dragon we want, it's the pony. Pony tells dragon where to find gems. Precious gems."
An unaware Rarity was meanwhile saying to Spike (as he used his tail like a jackhammer to dig up the gems). "Jackpot! I had a hunch we were going to strike it rich this time!" And her eyes befall an enormous cache of sparkling gem stones in a rainbow of different colors! "Oh, these will do nicely! Yes they will!"
The second dog quickly decided. "We must make pretty pony ours. Make pretty pony come to work for us. Then we have all the gems we want. We be rich!"
The third dog eagerly agreed and said. "Yes! Let's do it!" And just like that, the dog creatures prepared to launch an ambush on the unsuspecting pony and dragon.
Neither Rarity or Spike had any way to know that they were about to be in harm's way as the unicorn was simply using her magic to load up the wagon with the gems Spike had so generously dug up for her. She eyed the impressive collection she had obtained in so short an amount of time while Spike prepared to munch on the red gem he'd been given as a reward. "Thanks again for all your help, Spike," Rarity told him. "That seems to be all we can do for today, and these gems will be more than enough to start me on my way with those dresses."
"You sure you don't need my help with the dresses too?" Spike offered.
The fashionista shook her head. "No, Spike. I'm more than capable of managing that aspect by myself, thank you," But then her horn lit up again. "Oh! What's this? Another jewel? How very strange. And it seems to be coming from the trees of all places?" Yet when she went to investigate, she was suddenly startled and surprised to see a large dog like creature jump out in front of her! The creature had fur that looked like soot, and had yellow colored eyes that matched the gem collar it had around its neck.
"Hello, pony." The dog greeted with a sinister smile.
Rarity stumbled back, trying not to look too shaken up. "H-hello to you, uh... g-good sir... whatever you are," She tried to greet in as friendly a tone as possible. "Uh, I am Rarity and this is my friend Spike." She gestured to the little dragon besides her.
Spike gave off a nervous laugh in response.
Rarity proceeded to ask the dog. "Who might you be?"
"Name is Rover, I'm a Diamond Dog." The dog identified itself while showing off its collar.
The fashionista stepped back a bit. "Oh, well that would explain 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," She nervously laughed before coughing due to Rover's awful breath. "I'm sorry, were you out here hunting for gems too?"
Rover firmly nodded. "Yes, we hunt."
"We?" Rarity gulped, not liking Rover's tone of voice.
His grin growing wider by the second, Rover explained. "Other Diamond Dogs, you'll meet them very soon. For although we hunt for gems, you are a better hunter. So now we hunt... for you!"
Before Rarity had a chance to react, two more dogs popped up from the ground behind her and tried to grab hold of her!
"RARITY!" Spike screamed at the top of his lungs as he promptly rushed up to one of the dogs and started using his tail as a jackhammer to draw said dog's attention away from the unicorn. He also swung his claws at the other one for good measure, managing to get both to briefly leave Rarity alone if only to attack him.
Quick to take advantage of her new found freedom, the unicorn rushed away and began charging up her horn. But try as she might, she found herself unable to produce a spark for teleportation. "Blast! Twilight makes it look so easy." She complained aloud.
But the little dragon was worried about other things. "There's too many of them, Rarity!" He panted. "You have to get out of here! It's you they want."
"I can't leave you, Spike!" Rarity protested as she rushed back to help him. "Those ruffians will just take you instead and force you to do who knows what?"
Sensing an opportunity, Rover quickly raced up to Spike while the dragon was distracted dealing with the other Diamond Dogs. And he quickly snatched him up, holding him tightly. "I have you now, little dragon!" He taunted.
Spike tried in vain to wiggle his way out of the Diamond Dog's grasp! And he was panting too heavily to draw in a breath to unleash his fire breath, the best he could do was create puffs of smoke.
Rarity rushed towards Rover, her eyes narrowed in anger! "Let Spike go you horrible beasts! You've got some nerve picking on someone smaller than you!"
Rover only grinned, this was exactly what he'd wanted and now Rarity had foolishly given it to him. "Grab pony, boys!" He shouted as the two dogs from earlier suddenly sprang up from the ground again! "Go for her horn!"
The two dogs (one coated in blue fur and the other in light yellow fur) obeyed without question, grasping Rarity tightly and ensuring she couldn't use magic against them even if she wanted to. Rover then joined them, dropping Spike in the process. "Sorry, scaly one," He taunted. "We have what we need. Pony come to work for us now!" And then he and the other Diamond Dogs rushed to make a hasty retreat!
A horrified Rarity screamed as she struggled in vain against her captors! "Unhand me this instant, you ruffians," She demanded! "You horrible thugs will pay for this!" But nothing she said or did could get the dogs to lessen their hold on her as she was slowly but surely dragged towards a hole. Desperately, she stuck out a hoof during the brief moment of freedom she enjoyed, only to be shocked and somewhat horrified at what it came into contact with! "Dirt?!" She gasped, and by the time the shock had worn off for her she was quickly snatched up again by the trio of Diamond Dogs, pulled down with them.
"Rarity?!" Spike gasped in horror as he rushed to the hole only to find he was too late, Rarity was gone! All he could do was scream at the top of his lungs! "Noooooooooooo!"
"Those Diamond Dogs were like nothing I'd ever seen before," Spike told Twilight as he paused briefly in his reflection to catch his breath. "Oh, I think I'm gonna be seeing them in my nightmares tonight." And he briefly shuddered with fright.
Twilight, however, was worried about something else. "Spike, if what you said is true and those dogs did indeed kidnap Rarity, why didn't you come to me or one of our friends for help?"
At that the little dragon blushed and laughed nervously as he realized something he had never even considered at the time. "Good point, actually," He gave off a nervous chuckle and massaged the back of his neck with one of his claws. "I probably should've done that."
Twilight groaned. "Let me guess, you panicked and then decided that the only course of action was to be a hero for your 'precious' Rarity."
"Twilight, how many times do I have to say it?! I don't have a crush on Rarity!" Spike insisted even though his overall tone and body language conveyed otherwise. "You're right that I panicked, but I didn't try to save Rarity because I wanted to impress her if that's what you're thinking. I just thought that I should save her because she would do the same for me if the roles were reversed. It was just like everything else I was doing up to that point, one friend helping another."
"Right," The studious unicorn replied as her tone of voice indicated she was anything but convinced by Spike's arguments. "Well anyway, just how did you end up finding Rarity after the Diamond Dogs kidnapped her and dragged her away?"
Spike let out a reluctant sigh as he answered. "I did the only thing I could think to do in that situation. I had to give up something valuable to me."
"You mean-" Twilight began but probably needn't have asked.
The little dragon firmly nodded in confirmation. "Yes, I gave up the gem Rarity gave to me for a snack. So I kind of went hungry. But I was so focused on rescuing her that I didn't feel hungry if you know what I mean. Besides, when all was said and done I had plenty of other gems to snack on. So in a way, it all worked out for me."
"And how is that?" Twilight inquired.
"Well," Spike explained as he resumed his recollection of the events that had unfolded just hours before. "That's where the whole 'lesson' thing comes into play. But that's only after I went through an entire experience just trying to get to Rarity. I still can't believe it all worked out so well."
Spike had indeed not thought of going to any of his friends for help after Rarity's sudden kidnapping, largely because he was very much in a state of shock and panic and didn't know what to do! "What am I gonna do?! What am I gonna do?!" He repeated to himself over and over again while pacing back and forth (which obviously accomplished nothing).
It was only once a substantial amount of time had passed and the shock had worn off ever so slightly that the little dragon could even begin to put together the pieces of a plan. "Sweet Rarity, my damsel in distress," He declared to himself as he became convinced of what he had to do. "Fear not. I shall save you from those foul beasts. The Great and Noble Spike shall see to that!"
There was just one problem facing the "rescue" attempt, Spike had no way of knowing where the Diamond Dogs had taken Rarity. Yes, they had gone underground but who was to say they were still there at this point?
Looking around, the answer to the problem soon presented itself to Spike in the form of the lone red gem Rarity had gifted him as a reward. He had yet to snack on it so it remained whole, and it hadn't lost it luster. It was still as shiny as it had been when dug up and gifted to him. Would it work though? There was only one way to find out.
The little dragon soon found a small rope that had been left laying on the ground, forgotten and ignored. He didn't know how or why it had ended up where it did but he wasn't about to look this "gift horse" in the mouth so to speak. He just took out the red gem he had and quickly tied the rope around it, effectively making the whole thing into a makeshift fishing line with the gem taking the place of a worm or other bait one might use. Hopefully, the gem would work just as effectively for its intended purpose.
Running back to the big hole the dogs had made when they'd taken Rarity away, Spike stood at the edge of it and threw the gem attached to the rope down it as far as he could go without losing hold. He'd tied the rope to his tail for good measure, hoping to give himself more distance as he didn't know how far down the hole went. The deeper he could go, the better he assumed his chances would be of getting the Diamond Dogs to notice it. No way would they be able to resist a gem as fresh as this one.
As Spike sat there, waiting for something to happen, his mind began to wander. He briefly imagined himself as a much taller (and much more handsome looking) dragon clad in armor, wielding a scepter just like a knight coming to rescue his fair maiden like in the fairy tales he recalled hearing so often in his younger days. He really felt like he was just like those knights: Brave, fearless and ready for anything.
Suddenly, the little dragon felt a faint tug on his tail! Hoping for the best, he pulled hard in response to the tug. "I've got a bite!" He said to himself! "Oh, I hope it's a big one!"
But as he tugged and tugged, Spike fast found himself on the losing end of a battle for the gem! And to make matters worse, he was being pulled along with the rope and the gem! This hadn't quite been what he'd planned for, he'd hoped to lure one of the Diamond Dogs to the surface and make them tell him where Rarity was. Instead, it seemed he would be going on an unplanned trip into the Diamond Dogs' underground world.
Indeed, that was what happened as the tugging became too great and Spike slipped over the edge of the huge hole! For a brief moment his world went dark, then he rapidly found himself sliding through dirt as he passed through dimly lit tunnel after dimly lit tunnel. At last, his journey ended with a thud as he tumbled to the ground face first and felt the rope tied to his tail snap.
When the little dragon got up a few seconds later, he found himself looking not at one of the Diamond Dogs who had kidnapped Rarity but a dog that seemed to be wearing a helmet of some kind. "Foolish dragon bring gem to Diamond Dogs," It taunted while licking its lips. "Dragon come to steal all of Diamond Dogs' gems?"
Spike snorted, blowing smoke out of his nostrils. "I didn't come here for your gems!" He roared as he tried to sound tough! "I came here to rescue my friend, Rarity! Tell me where she is or the word 'hot dog' is gonna take on a whole new meaning for you!"
The helmet wearing Diamond Dog just laughed as he held onto the gem and approached Spike, effortlessly pinning him down. "Dragon care about pony? Pony working for us now. Pony will dig up gems for us forever!" And he grinned. "Maybe dragon can join pony. Pony not seem to want to work well for Diamond Dogs. Maybe pony need right motivation, like you."
"What?!" Spike gasped as he tried to get up! "You've got some nerve thinking you can boss Rarity around like that! That's right, she has a name."
The dog only grinned while picking Spike up while still holding onto the gem he'd managed to swipe. "We dogs don't care. Pony name not matter to us. What matter is that pony work for us and do as we say. If kidnapping you help her to understand that, then you shall join her in digging up gems forever."
The little dragon thought about trying to escape, before he decided that if he didn't resist he might be able to at least find out where Rarity had been taken. And once he knew that he was certain he could come up with an escape plan. So he pretended to be defeated as he put on the best display of weakness he possibly could. "Please, no! Anything but that!" He insisted, hoping the dog would take the new bait.
The helmet wearing Diamond Dog seemed to suspect nothing at all while his grin grew wider. "Dragon is prisoner now. Prisoners work for diamond dogs. You work with pony before, now you work with pony again. No longer will Diamond Dogs hunt in vain for gems. Diamond Dogs now have all the gems they want!" And with that he carried his prisoner away, already thinking in his mind about how he would get the little dragon to start working for the other Diamond Dogs.
Meanwhile, Rarity was having her own troubles with the Diamond Dogs, namely in the three that had kidnapped her and taken her underground. To her relief they hadn't done much to her yet, they hadn't even locked her in a prison cell or exposed her to a lot of dirt as she been expecting. "Diamond Dogs," She insisted to them all. "Please just let me go, you're making a terrible mistake."
"Silence, pony!" Rover snapped! "You not get to make demands! Diamond Dogs have need for you!"
The blue furred dog laughed as he added. "Yes. You our precious pony pet now."
"Forever!" The yellow furred dog chimed in and cackled. "Pony do as we say, unless pony want to be thrown in dungeon."
Rarity jumped back in protest! "No! Anything but that!" And she decided then and there that it was probably best to comply with whatever these dogs wanted of her, at least for the time being. So she let out a defeated sigh and asked in as polite a tone as she could muster up under the circumstances. "Fine, I'll do what you want. So what is it? Name your price."
Rover quickly answered. "Gems!"
"Gems! Jewels! All of them!" The blue furred dog declared.
And the yellow furred dog added. "Pony have way of finding gems. Use it now if pony want to stay out of dungeon."
"Oh, is that all?" The fashionista remarked in an unconcerned tone of voice as she lit up her horn, quickly detecting the presence of gems all over the cave and marking down their locations by using a stick to draw small x shapes in the dirt. "There, all the gems you could ever need. Now, if you'll be so kind as to show me the exit..."
Rover only replied with a sharp hiss. "Good work, pony. Now dig them up for us."
Rarity tried not to sound too upset at the tacked on condition. "But you just said you wanted me to find the gems."
Rover was quick to explain. "Find and dig them up, or did pony not understand that?"
The unicorn mare sighed. "Oh, very well." She trotted over to the first x and began to slowly dig at it with one of her hooves. Her slow pace quickly irritating the Diamond Dogs.
"What are you doing, pony?! We said dig!" Rover commanded!
"And that is precisely what I'm doing," Rarity pointed out. "I'm not about to chip a hoof for your sakes. I will dig at my own pace, thank you very much. Be thankful I am willing to dirty myself at all for your sakes. I do not have to put up with any of this, you know. And without me, I don't see you... dogs getting the gems you want. In fact, I don't even know your names yet."
Rover just groaned, all but pulling out his ears as he answered. "Fine, pony! You won't dig, others will dig. But you still work for us finding gems," And then he added. "You know me as Rover, other dogs are Fido and Spot," He gestured to the blue and yellow furred dogs respectively before calling out. "Dig, dogs! Dig! And dig fast!" And several dogs in various fur colors came forward to do just that.
Fido, meanwhile, brought over a huge wooden cart and a rusty, dirt covered harness attached to it. "If pony doesn't dig, she hauls."
"Beg your pardon? What do you think you're doing with that... thing?!" Rarity questioned with concern as she tried to slowly back away.
Spot just answered. "You find gems, dogs dig them up and you haul wagon. Or would pony rather dig?" And he proceeded to slip the harness onto Rarity's shoulders in spite of her protests. "There. Now get to work, pony."
But Rarity just saw fit to start remarking. "First of all, I insist that you stop calling me 'pony' all the time. I happen to have a name, you know. I am a lady, and I wish to be addressed as such," She quickly added while sticking her snout up. "You may call me Rarity, or Miss, or Miss Rarity. Whichever you prefer."
"Shut up, pony!" Rover roared! "You work, not talk."
Rarity ignored the rude remark as she just went on to say. "I'm sorry. I was trying to be nice to you dogs even after what you did to me. There really wasn't a need for you to do what you did. Had you asked nicely I would gladly have offered you some of my gems in exchange for helping you find more. The maker only knows you could certainly use more than gems around here," She proceeded to list off a series of complaints. "I must say the working and living conditions in here are simply dreadful. Musty and damp, it's going to wreak havoc on my mane. And this air is stifling, suffocating. And when I try to take a deep breath, the stench of all you dogs makes me nauseated."
"What are you talking about?" Rover questioned as he got so close to the unicorn it was possible to smell his breath.
That was enough to make Rarity gag. "Oh, good heavens. I was wondering what that horrible smell was and now I know: It's your breath," She then continued her little tirade. "Have you never heard of breath mints or soap? You could all do with a good round of soap and water if you ask me."
Hearing the remarks was enough to make Spot grab his ears and shout! "Good gracious, I can't take this anymore!"
And Rover added! "Enough already! Your whining! It-it-it hurts! Make it stop!"
Perhaps sensing that she had found a weak spot to exploit, the fashionista only replied by turning around and glaring at the trio of dogs responsible for her rude abduction. "Whining? Me? I am not whining. I am complaining, there's a difference. Do you want to hear whining?" And without even waiting for a reply she proceeded to make her voice get as high pitched and shrill as possible while saying. "This is whining: Oh, this harness is way too tight! It's gonna chafe my sides. Can't you loosen it a little? Oh, it hurts and it's oh so rusty! Couldn't you have you cleaned it first? It's gonna leave a stain on my coat! And the wagon's getting heavy, why do I have to pull it?!"
All the Diamond Dogs held their ears in response to the 'whining' as Rover shouted! "Stop whining!"
"What? But I thought you wanted whining!" Rarity remarked as she kept up her high pitched protesting.
"Argh, fine! Pony wins!" Rover relented, desperate to make the whining stop. "We'll do anything if pony stops whining," In response to the offer, Rarity glared at what appeared to be the lead Diamond Dog who quickly corrected. "Er, we'll do anything, 'Miss Rarity'." And he nervously laughed.
"Oh really? Anything?" The unicorn with a still pristine white coat inquired.
It wasn't long before Rarity found herself able to take advantage of her captors' newfound sense of desperation to please her and keep her from "whining". She still had to mark the location of gems for the Diamond Dogs, but aside from that she didn't even have to lift a hoof to dig up said gems (let alone carry them in a heavy wagon). And she was even able to get herself pampered a little as one of the other Diamond Dogs brought her water in a small chalice. "I suppose this is better than nothing." She said to herself and began to wonder how she might convince her captors to let her return to the surface.
But Rover, Fido and Spot quickly grew tired of having to carry the gems they'd dug up in heavy wooden wagons. It was far more work than they were used to and not what they had envisioned upon kidnapping Rarity. "Why are we doing this?" Rover complained aloud. "We not supposed to work."
"But we not want pony to bombard us with awful noises from her mouth, remember?" Spot saw fit to remind Rover, and Fido nodded in agreement.
"Yes, yes, I know," Rover agreed. "But this is ridiculous! Letting pony push us around. Dogs do not pull, others pull and dig. Let her make the awful noises all she wants."
Fido was not so sure. "But noises hurt our ears. Pony will just keep whining until we stop. We need some way to make pony obey us."
As if in answer to that dilemma, at that very moment a helmet wearing dog came rushing in and dropped a very unhappy Spike at the foot of Rover, Fido and Spot. "Dragon come here looking for pony," He explained to them. "So dragon can work with pony to help us find gems."
And it was then that Rover got an idea, a rather awful idea at that. "Looks like we have something pony wants." And he quickly gave a whistle, instructing some of the other Diamond Dogs to stop what they had been doing.
Rarity had reacted with shock to seeing Spike! And that shock was enough for her to initially not notice as some of the Diamond Dogs were trying to slip the harness of one of the wagons around her shoulders again. But when the shock faded she was anything but pleased to feel the heavy weight of the wagon again. "Hey, what are you doing? You spilled my drink," She complained and then saw fit to start whining. "Not so tight! I warned you!"
Rover, however, simply saw fit to silence her by holding up a still somewhat dazed Spike. "Silence, pony! You do as we say now, for we have something that pony cares about."
"Spike!" Rarity gasped! "You ruffians better not even think about harming one scale on that cute little head of his, or so help me I'll rip you all to pieces! You hear me?!"
Spike, meanwhile, was clawing desperately at Rover! "You're not gonna force me into working for you guys! If you don't put me down right now, I'm gonna make you sorry!"
Fido only commented. "You two not in position to make threats. There only two of you against all of us Diamond Dogs. You do as we say and no one gets hurt."
Spot was quick to add. "Go ahead, make all the noises you want. But move while make you them, pony. If you don't, dragon works for us and works twice as hard."
The fashionista became alarmed! "You wouldn't dare!" And she began to make her horn spark rather ominously! "I may not know as much magic as Twilight, but I am more than capable of defending myself if need be. And that goes double for whenever someone near and dear to me is in danger, like Spike is right now. This is your last warning, dogs! Put him down and let us go, or things are going to get ugly!"
"Yeah, you tell 'em, Rarity!" Spike cheered as he promptly did the only thing he could think of to escape his predicament, biting down hard on Rover's arm in order to get the Diamond Dog to release his grip.
Rover howled in pain, causing even Spike and Rarity to temporarily plug their ears! "That does it! We done being nice to you!" He roared as he bore his teeth and brought his paws forward so his sharp claws could be seen. "Let 'em have it, boys! Show no mercy! When we done, we make dragon and pony our new mules!"
Despite his earlier bravado and despite his thick dragon scales, Spike now found himself filled with fright. He didn't like the situation he and Rarity had found themselves in at all, and worst of all he saw no way out of it. Even with his claws and his fire breath, and Rarity's limited magical skills he wasn't sure the two of them could hold their own against what seemed like an endless swarm of Diamond Dogs.
"I'm sorry, Rarity," The little dragon apologized, sensing he wouldn't have much of a chance to do so after this was all over and he and the unicorn were working nonstop for the Diamond Dogs. "I thought I could be your big hero, but it seems all I did was get us both into more trouble."
However, the fashionista just looked to Spike and gave him a knowing wink as if to reassure him that everything was under control. It took but a minute for the little dragon to realize what was about to happen.
Rarity responded to the unfolding crisis by turning towards her captors with tears in her eyes that hadn't been there earlier. But all that mattered was that they were there now and were visible for all to see. "Did you call me a mule?" She whimpered. "Mules are ugly."
"What?" Rover questioned, ceasing momentarily in his planned attack.
"So are you saying that you think I too am ugly?" The unicorn mare replied and then started to cry and sob rather audibly, the noise being just as awful to the ears of the Diamond Dogs as her earlier whining.
Spot ceased in his tracks as he saw fit to question the strange behavior he and the other dogs were witnessing. "What are these noises? These noises are not whining!"
Spike just grinned as he looked at the dogs. "Oh are you in for it now. You dogs just made the worst mistake of your lives. You shouldn't make Rarity upset, because you won't like her when she's upset."
And Rarity just went on sobbing. "You all called me ugly!"
Rover sought to correct the record. "No! Mule! I said mule! There's a difference, I think."
Rarity was not convinced. "I know what you meant: I'm an old, ugly mule! And it's true! Just look at me. I used to be beautiful, but, but nooow..." She couldn't even finish her sentence as she sobbed yet again.
"No, no! You're still beautiful, po... uh, Miss Rarity." Fido tried to insist.
Spike rolled his eyes. "Seriously? You're gonna try to pull that defense now, after everything you've done? You expect us to buy that? I don't think so."
And indeed, the fashionista wasn't convinced for even a second as she kept crying. "I don't believe you! You never liked me, any of you! You all just wanted to use me to get free gems!"
"Oh, I've had just about enough of this!" Rover snapped! "The complaining! The whining! The crying! It never stops!" And he gestured a paw to the wagons full of gems at the far end of the cave all were currently in. "Take them, take them and go! Never come here again! Just make the noises stop!"
"Thank you, we will," Spike cheerfully replied as he went over to Rarity to console her. "Come on, Rarity. Everything's going to be okay. You're still beautiful in my eyes. And I'm sure a trip to the spa will be just the thing to give you back your beauty."
Rarity sniffled a bit as she slowly ceased her crying, trotting over to the wagons. "Thank you, Spike. It's nice to know that someone knows how to appreciate and respect me," Then she said to the Diamond Dogs. "Still, it's been a pleasure doing business with you. It's just too bad you had to ruin what could've been a lovely partnership. May we never cross paths again, for your sakes."
"And that's how Rarity was able to walk away with a whole lot more gems than she originally anticipated," Spike told Twilight as the flashback ended. "While also outsmarting those no good Diamond Dogs."
Twilight had listened to the whole story with receptive ears and by the time it had ended she did seem to have a slight smile upon her face. "That is a pretty impressive story, Spike. Although, are you sure that things worked out exactly as you said they did? That seemed a little too easy."
Spike quickly replied. "Well, maybe I glossed over how long we were really down there or how long it took for everything to unfold. I mostly found out about what the dogs tried to make Rarity do from Rarity herself. But I don't think she would lie."
The studious unicorn nodded. "Even so, I think I'll be asking for her side of the story just to make double sure you're not exaggerating."
"But you don't wanna hear the valuable lesson that Rarity taught me in all of this?" Spike inquired to Twilight. "You know, the sort of thing you could write to Princess Celestia about?"
"Oh, and what would that be?" Twilight questioned.
Spike cleared his throat. "Something like how: Just because somepony is ladylike doesn't make her weak or helpless. In fact, by using her wits, a seemingly defenseless pony can be the one who outsmarts and outshines them all," And he explained. "I thought that Rarity needed saving, which is why I didn't think straight when she got kidnapped. But in the end, if anything it was she who ended up saving me. She figured out early on how to get those darn dirty dogs to listen to her, and when they tried to control her she was easily prepared."
"Rarity always had a way with words," Twilight realized. "And being worried about her in and of itself is not a bad thing. But I think there's something else you should've learned from all of this: Trying to be somepony's hero can just as easily end up causing you be in need of rescuing. If something is wrong or somepony's in trouble, don't try to jump in to help yourself if the situation looks bad. You're usually better off getting help, preferably from somepony who knows what they're doing."
The little dragon let out a sigh. "Yeah, I guess that's a lesson I learned as well," And he nervously looked up at Twilight. "Am I gonna be in trouble for all of that?"
"I'm afraid so, Spike. But I won't be too hard on you, your heart was in the right place," Twilight pointed out. "Besides, I'm going to need your help to write to Princess Celestia about what we've learned."
Stats
Page generated in 0.02 seconds
Total duration
877 users online
647,975 hits today, 2,054,621 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.®
Again, very good job on the exchanges, characterizations, action and general wrap-up in this chapter/episode. And, again, the points you made in the author's notes were great. Definitely appreciated how much more sense this made as a Whole Episode Flashback (with Spike admitting he got the parts he wasn't there to see off other sources). And, yeah, Spike admitting he wasn't thinking straight (but still trying to "play it cool") was another good detail.
On to the next chapter.