The mountain plateau was alive with activity, diamond dogs hurrying to dismantle the ocean of tents that covered it. Alongside them, minotaurs hauled away the larger stones and structures, while teams of earth ponies smoothed down dirt that had been disturbed by the day’s activities.
Two figures wandered through the bustling crowd, making their way toward their docked skyship.
“Well, what’d ya think?” the smaller of the two asked, stretching her wings and taking to the sky for a moment. The pegasus banked around, surveying the swirling, almost clockwork motion. “Definitely bigger than the last Packmeet, that’s for sure. And more fun, even if you kept sitting on the sidelines.”
The taller figure rolled his eyes, raising a brown-furred paw to block the dust. “Peony, I must have told you a thousand times, this isn’t my thing. My team was right at the crucial stage in that Unicornian excavation—”
“Yeah yeah Tumble, I’m sure they were,” the pegasus retorted, rolling over to land beside him. A pegasus and diamond dog had made for an odd pair, and had drawn more than a few stares and dirty whispers. But she loved her adopted brother as much as she did her own father. “And like I kept telling you, if you’d really given it a try, you’d have liked it. Besides, look at it this way. Maybe this time some of the artifacts will make it to the university without bite marks.” She giggled as Tumble glowered at her, effortlessly sidestepping his retaliatory elbow. “Gotta be faster than that, I’d thought you’d have learned that watching me wrestle.”
Tumble shook his head. “Was hard enough trying to get away from that minotaur you beat in the finals. He might be named Iron, but he was quick on his hooves.”
Peony snorted. “Please, he’s all brawn and no muscle to back it up. It’s tough to believe, but I think he might be worse at wrestling than you are.” She leapt into the air with a laugh, Tumble’s paws passing through the space she had occupied. “And again you miss, are you even trying?”
A small pack of passing pups barked their amusement, watching the spectacle with wagging tails and bright eyes.
Tumble growled irritably and glared at Peony. “Just come on back down, I’ll show you!” he shouted, his voice echoing in the evening air. Both pony and dog froze as they realized the activity had ceased, all the tents now crowded together into a loose ring, forming a loose circle. He could almost make out the empty space in the center, though the densely packed crowd blocked his view further. “What is that?”
“Ponyfeathers, thought we’d have more time,” Peony muttered, galloping toward their ship. “Tumble, I need a hoof here.” She reached the loading ramp and started to tug on the ropes, only to stop as she didn’t hear a reply. “Tumble?” She turned and spotted him staring towards the middle of the circle, ears alert. “Horseapples, figures it’d take him about now.” She hurried to undo the last rope, the ramp falling open with a thud. She leaped inside, grabbing the pull-bar tied to a large crate. “At least I can drag this by myself. But he’s definitely sleeping on deck when we’re done.”
Tumble stood motionless, ears flicking quietly as he tried to pick out a sound. It was almost as if the entire plateau had been cut off from the rest of the world. Even the wind had died down, the only motion being the sun as it began to creep below the horizon. He felt his paws start to move, and let them guide him, the pups hurrying ahead.
One stopped at the edge of the crowd, beckoning with an arm. it barked in Stonetongue, the diamond dog’s native language.
Tumble briefly wondered what it meant, when a hoof smacked the back of his head and staggered him. “Ow!” He turned to see Peony scowling at him, tugging on a large box. “What was that for?”
“Because I need you to stop spacing out and help me, otherwise we won’t be able to enter!” she shouted, pointing to the drag bar. “Now let’s get this thing moving!”
Tumble frowned, but took hold of the bar anyway. Together they started to drag it toward the ring of bodies. “What’s in this thing, rocks?” he asked, grunting at the strain.
“You could say that. But no time to explain, just keep dragging!” Peony mumbled around the other end of the bar, her wings flapping to help drag it along.
“Wait, why don’t you use your magic? We could just fly this thing there,” Tumble speculated, only to wince as Peony smacked him with a wing.
“You big doofus, there’s certain things you just have to do the right way, and this is one of them. Now pull!”
They dragged the box through the maze of tents, and finally reached the edge of the crowd. The closer dogs turned, and silently parted, allowing them to continue toward the center. Finally, Peony glanced up and nodded. “Alright, we’re here. Now just be quiet and wait for my signal, okay?”
Tumble dropped the pull bar and stood up. “What are we...” He never finished his sentence, staring at what squatted in the center of the circle.
A massive, coal-black metal frame loomed ominously, dwarfing the wizened dog that stood beside it. His wrinkled paws held a simple wooden staff, which seemed to be the only thing that held him up.
The crowd of diamond dogs was silent, squinting as they watched the sun slide below the horizon. The ponies and minotaurs were gathered to one side, just as fixated on the golden disk
Finally, the sun vanished from view, and the elder dog lifted his muzzle.
Wordlessly, Peony nudged Tumble and gestured to the box. Glancing back at the elder, Tumble shivered as he saw the old dog staring directly at him. He and Peony undid the strap securing the top of the box, and he felt the pop of disintegrating magic. The scent of a diamond flooded his nostrils, and his stomach growled eagerly.
“Keep it down, Tumble,” Peony hissed quietly. “This is important.”
Tumble nodded and glanced inside the box, eyes wide as he saw the contents. The diamond was easily the size of his torso, and he grunted as he started to heave it out. Finally, it cleared the edge of the crate, and fell to the ground with a thud.
Other packs were pushing their stones forward, and Peony stared as she carefully sized them up. “Looks good so far, we might have a shot...” She frowned as she spotted a pack a few spots down, not making any effort to display an offering. “Just what are they planning?”
The elder waited until all the noise had stopped before he began to shuffle around the ring, carefully sniffing at each gemstone in turn. Some he would linger at, and run his paws across their rough surfaces appreciatively. A few he would even lick, and those packs so lucky would grin in satisfaction.
Finally, he reached Peony and Tumble, nose wrinkled as he sniffed. He sniffed their diamond, and tilted his head.
Peony bowed her head.
the elder replied simply, turning his gaze to Tumble. The corner of his muzzle twitched, and he continued. As he reached the pack with no gem, he scowled.
The alpha of the pack lowered his head respectfully. He gestured, and his beta swept a claw across the loose dirt.
The elder stared, jaw hanging open along with every dog who could see. The diamond was massive, easily twice the size of Tumble and Peony’s, glittering as the moonlight shone on it. He rapped the staff twice on the ground.
Peony relaxed against the box, grinning at Tumble. “Well, we might have lost, but it’s still been a pretty good time, huh?”
Tumble was silent, crunching on the piece of diamond he’d been given. After the elder had chosen, the dogs had carefully excavated their gem, and settled it into the stand. The moon had steadily risen into the sky, finally reaching its zenith as the diamond thudded into place.
The diamonds not selected had been dragged to the side, and unceremoniously broken into pieces. A team of dogs sorted out the fragments, passing them out into the crowd until every dog present had received a piece. Peony had caused some minor confusion, until she’d told them it was fine, and that she would simply hold on to it.
Meanwhile, the chosen diamond shone brightly, the moonlight almost amplified by the gem instead of scattered.
