Dreamer's Travels

by Lost_Kitten

Chapter II: Let Slip the Dogs of War

Dreamer Glisten could hardly believe his eyes. He had heard about these creatures! Diamond Dogs! What could it want from him? He had no gems, and no way of finding any. The mongrel was just rifling through his multicolored woolen satchel.

"What do you want?" He called out, hovering in the air above the mangy cur. A reply came from the thing's raspy throat as it looked up to regard him.

"There you are, pony!" It practically howled and ambled forward, closing the distance between them until they were right on top of each other, quite literally. "I have something you can help me with, and if you do, I'll gives you backs your bag." Dreamer was incandescent before he could even say anything. He readied a storm of words to fume at the beast.

"That's extortion, you mutt! Quit giving me these horseapples and give me back my bag!" After finishing his brief tirade, he cursed under his breath. Had he made a bad impression on someone because of a cultural misunderstanding? Flipping his wet mane out of his face, he took a deep breath and calmed himself as best he could. "I am so sorry about that outburst. What can I help you with?"

The dog's jaw had first curled into a hardened snarl, but now simply smirked. This pony was going to help him with no further coercion? Alright then!

"Precious pegasus," the churlish thing began. It was not lost on that pegasus that he had been complimented, and he blushed a little. "We needs you to pull!"

As if on que, two more dogs came into view, these ones armored in plate and carrying spears dragging a cart from the depths of the cave. Dreamer obediently landed next to the cart, inspecting the rusty contraption and the equally worn harness by which it was pulled. WIthout warning, one of the dogs slammed the harness onto Dreamer's shoulder. He recoiled with shock, but was quickly realizing that even if these dogs were hostile, they clearly had him outmaneuvered. Not that they were, of course. This was all clearly a cultural misunderstanding. It was probably common for ponies wanting to take shelter in their tunnels to be put to work as compensation. He bit his pride and began to pull as they directed him, deep into their tunnels.

---

Hours later, Dreamer was exhausted, but his spirit would never flag. He had seen much within these caverns, and was already taking mental notes. It was truly fascinating how this society was run. The common grunts of Diamond Dog civilization hardly spoke, but were stronger and better armed than their more intelligent counterparts, who ordered them around. The tunnels spun and twisted in every which way, and he had to be guided through them lest he get lost. Clearly these creatures had some sort of preternatural navigation to keep them oriented within them. As the sun began to sink (by his reckoning, anyway) on the horizon (not that he could see any horizon down here), the dogs began to trickle out of the main caverns and into smaller grottos that they slept in.

Dreamer shook off the harness of the gem-laden cart once he realized nopony was watching him any longer, and began to wander. He had pulled gems from all over the tunnels into one specific chamber in the back of the vast mine where a humungous Diamond Dog had scooped them into an even deeper chamber. It was with no small curiosity that he made his way again towards this chamber, but not after harnessing himself to the cart once more. He was heading that way, after all.

Having always had a good sense of direction, Dreamer arrived soon enough at what he assumed to be the penultimate chamber of this labyrinth. Unbridling himself from his cart with a sigh of relief, he heard the loud snoring of a Diamond Dog just through the tunnel at the far end of this chamber. It spoke to the brutish nature of these creature's sinuses that this fast slumbering was audible from over thirty feet away.

Dreamer crept forward, aware of the noise each footfall made. Squeezing through the tunnel at the far end, he saw that enormous dog, curled up and knocked out cold. He stepped into the grotto that accommodated this magnificently savage beast, feeling a strange sensation akin to fear and reverence, not only for the big dog himself, but the veritable dragon's hoard of jewels it slept atop.

He advanced toward the beast, checking to see if anyone was behind him before creeping deeper into the chamber. Gingerly at first, he began to speak.

"This really is a well-functioning outpost. You do a great job keeping everyone in line, and it has paid dividends." The great dog stirred, sending gems tumbling from the top of the pile to its base. He continued. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd actually like to ask you a few questions about it." Looking up, the hairy fiend processed the words being spoken, and its malicious glare at being disturbed quickly became a prideful smile. Dreamer continued his entreaty. "I am Dreamer Glisten, a student of political and social sciences. I am travelling Equestria to study local systems of government firsthand, and was impressed by the strong apparatus of your polity." The dog was very obviously failing to comprehend the finer points of Dreamer's speech, but liked the sound of it anyhow. It replied.

"Pony..." it began, its breath like rancid fish carcasses, "...what do you want to know?" Dreamer smiled.

"Well first thing's first, if I could just have my bag back..."

---

The enormous dog sagged with exhaustion already. Dreamer always did his best thinking on hoof, and had insisted his captor walk with him through the winding tunnels as they spoke. It had been three hours. The marble-colored pegasus had been interviewing him about how he'd come to lead this particular pack of Diamond Dogs, how he kept order, what kinds of problems he had encountered, and how he'd solved them. Then came the questions about political theory. The dog was fine enough at spinning tales of (his own) great deeds, but then that little pony would ask him something like "Were you influenced by the works of Caramel Marks?" and the mighty hound would have no response. The little pony in question was taking vigorous mental notes, and one could practically observe the gears turning in his very head. After fully a minute of Dreamer expressing his shock that Play-Hoof's theory of Forms hadn't factored into the political philosophies of the Diamond Dogs, enough was enough.

"AAUAAAAAEAAAAHHHGGGG!!!!!!" Screamed the canine. Dreamer considered that he may wake the others, but realized that they probably wouldn't even hear it over their own snoring. The bestial cry had startled him though, and he recoiled somewhat.

"Are you okay, sir?!" He asked quickly. The reply he received was another such moan of internal pain.

"Stop talking, pony!" Dreamer stammered an apology, but was shouted down again. "I said STOP!" Before he could even think, Dreamer was checking his bag was hooked securely over his shoulder, and bolting out of the cave.

Comments

[Lahirien]

This is looking interesting so far! Can't wait to see more of it.

[Lost_Kitten]

11191447
Thank you very much, friend!