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                 Let Slip the Dogs of War                  
                  -by Crowquill Symphony-                  
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                  Chapter 1: Dust to Dust                  
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Chapter 1: Dust to Dust
Let slip the Dogs of war
A fan fiction by Crowquill Symphony
Chapter 1: Dust to Dust
The old lands, 1536 Pre-Harmony, 50 years before the Windigos
Lightning strikes. Bolts of magic overhead. He didn’t want to be here, killing ponies for other ponies. He didn’t want to be waging their pointless wars, losing brothers and friends because they refused to get along. A burst of lightning cracked nearby, splitting one of his companions in half. He gnashed his sharp teeth together; every one of his kind that died in this added heat to his hatred, his anger at the pointlessness and his contributions to it.
He lifted his weapon, a machine of wood and steel woven together with the kind of precision only achievable with the claws his kind possessed. Ponies couldn’t use such things, wouldn’t bother to if they could. They didn’t understand the subtle pride and honor that came from a mastery of such a weapon. He clenched his teeth, pulling the trigger and knocking a pegasus from the heavens. She screamed all the way down and the spun across the ground as she landed, leaving dark red splotches on the muddy field.
He quickly went to work, trained claws pulling out the rectangular cartridge and jamming another in. He pulled back the hammer, heard the click and raised the gun again. With another pull, the hammer came down, striking the small gemstone atop the box. Inside a burst of magic lit the black powder, and a ball of iron flew out, finding its place in a unicorn’s skull.
He was a machine on his own, a machine built to move, to fight and win, or if the time came, to die with honor and dignity. Each movement he made was calculated and precise, his mastery of the gun a form of art in itself. Each bullet found a mark, each cartridge fell atop the other empty cartridges in the small sack, ready to be refilled when the battle ended. Waste not want not, and his kind was not keen on waste. They made homes in the earth, mined the gems and ores, used them without waste. Each material was precious, not even a pinch of sand went unused.
He focused on his enemy, putting down pony after pony, with his comrades falling around him. He was alone, but he kept fighting; none of his forefathers would have run, and neither would he. Each slug found a mark; each bullet sent another foe to the depths of the earth to meet the mother of all.
He fought for the helpless, for the ponies that couldn’t save themselves or evacuate. They paid for his services, but the money was worthless; his kind didn’t use money, all they needed they took from the earth. He was no simple soldier or mercenary, he was a warrior, a dog of war. He fired another shot before he felt it, the tingling of magical energies. He felt himself growing lighter, growing distant. He grabbed the sack of empty cartridges and loaded another cartridge; even if he was dead, they would reap his fury and anger. There was bound to be plenty of powder in the heart of the world.
He felt the energy screaming through him and howled to the stars as his body burst into light.
Somewhere high above the world, amidst the moon and stars, an entity watched as unicorn magic took the body from the warrior. There was something special about him, something unique. He was not like the others of his kind; he was wise, intelligent, even spiritual if also a bit violent. In an act of mercy and pity, she moved his spirit, his essence, and the very makeup of his earthly form and held it within herself, keeping him alive.
He would not die today, not truly die at least. He would remain in this incorporeal state, in this long slumber, until the world was one of peace, and the ways of war were long forgotten. He would remain until the shadows threatened to engulf all of ponykind, and on that day he would return, a hero to guide them and lead them, a warrior to teach them to save themselves.
He would sleep until they needed a dog of war.
Sweet Apple Acres Outskirts, 1836 Era of Harmony, 2 months after the Royal Wedding
Applebloom stared out into the distance, her mind empty as she relaxed in the shade of an apple tree. There was nothing quite like these lazy summer days, relaxing after finishing her chores. She would’ve been out with her friends if they were available, but there was a certain joy to resting like this. Today’s weather was sunny, with a few clouds drifting in the sky and a cool breeze sweeping through the town.
The sound of hoof steps nearby roused her from her rest, and she began to look around for the source. She crept about, silent as a mouse and sneakier than a raccoon. She peaked around trees, moving as quietly as she could. After a minute she heard distant voices, and as she came closer she could make out what they were saying.
“… can’t believe we were sssent out here. I heard that the princess is in Manehatten with her royal guard while we’re sssstuck in thisss hick town.” They were definitely speaking Equestrian, but their voices were sinister, sounding like hissing made into word. Every tiny part of her mind screamed for her to run away, but she kept crawling forward, determined to figure out who was talking.
“We could take thisss town easily. We outnumber them, and then we would be one ssstep closer to accomplishing our goals.” Applebloom took a few more steps and was finally able to see the source of the voices. There were three of them in a circle, black as the depths of a dark cave with pure blue eyes, jagged horns and thin insect-like wings. Their bodies were full of harsh, jagged angles, and everything about them seemed sinister. She held back a scream and began to creep away from them.
She knew what they were. She had seen them during the siege of Canterlot. She had stumbled on a group of changelings, plotting about taking over Ponyville. She turned, getting ready to burst into a run when she spotted the changeling behind her. It was bigger than the other three, and it was covered in jagged scars. It gave her a horrid smile, showing rows of razor sharp teeth.
The filly’s scream echoed through the woods. Nearby, he awoke. He was himself again, crouched low, his nose still filled with the scents of fire and death, eyes trying to adjust to the sunlight. He heard the scream, a youthful scream that he remembered. He had failed before, watched ponies burn villages to the ground and imprison the villagers, but the most haunting noise was the screams of the fillies and colts. He burst into a sprint, swinging his sack of empty cartridges over his shoulder and pressing his rifle up to his chest. She was a mile away at most; he would be there in a minute.
Two of the smaller changelings held the filly down as their leader stared at her. He smiled again and let out a sinister laugh that made the farm pony shudder. “You’re certainly a brave one,” he said, his voice smoother than his companions but just as frightening. “Or you’re foolish, considering you tried to sneak up on a group of changelings. Did you really think we’d let you leave? Impossible.”
He turned to the other free member of his group and let off a steam of harsh sounding words in a language Applebloom couldn’t understand. It smiled and approached the filly with a demented smile that frightened her even more. “No wordsss filly? No matter. You’ll be a perfect tool for infiltrating thisss town.” He laughed evilly, and Applebloom let out another scream. The changelings all laughed at her fear, enjoying the sight of a pony in turmoil.
He hated them for their laughter and cruelty, and as he burst through the trees he dropped his burlap sack and swung his rifle up. He pulled down on the trigger and the head of the changeling above Applebloom burst into a spray of green ooze and grey bone. The laughter and screaming stopped as the boom echoed into the distance. Before the changelings could recover he had loaded and fired another shot, the bullet ripping one of their leader’s legs out from underneath itself.
The two remaining changelings turned tail and started running while their attacker emptied the cartridge from his gun. One turned its head behind itself, just in time to see their assailant bring the rifle down on his head. The crack echoed through the woods, with the last surviving changeling trying its hardest to escape. It couldn’t hear anything following itself, but it kept running. Fear had stolen its sense; if it had flown away, then it might have stood a chance.
The warrior ascended from beneath the ground in a practiced strike, gripping the changeling’s throat in his massive jaws. The taste of lime and sour milk filled his mouth, and it took all of his willpower to clench his jaw and end the creature’s life. With a resounding crack the changeling fell limp. He spat the corpse out onto the ground, letting the last hints of life leak out into the soil.
He trudged back to the filly, relieved to see that she had run away, leaving him with the changeling’s leader. With one leg gone, the commander turned to the monster that towered over him. “Who are you?” it choked out, already woozy from blood loss. “What are you?”
A foot came down and snapped the changeling’s neck, leaving the soldier alone in the clearing. With a deep, gravelly voice he spoke to the empty woods around him. “Powder Finder Choppers.” He said with his eyes on the dead body. “Soldier.”
He wasted no more time, setting his belonging in a small pile. Empty cartridges that he’d need powder and iron to refill. His rifle, still working perfectly fine. His armor, an assortment of leather and iron that served to show his occupation more than to protect him. He had no idea where he was, where his companions were, or even if they were still alive. He had nothing idea what do to do, so he did what any member of his kind would do.
He dug.
Ponyville Square, Three hours later
“Ahm tellin y’all, we need t’take care of this now! Ah ain’t about t’let any changelings or monsters run ‘round mah farm without mah permission! Ah figure we get the whole town t’gether an’ chase em out!” Applejack stood atop a pile of crates made into a crude stage, preaching to the assembled townsfolk of Applebloom’s encounter. “They say they outnumber us, but even if they do, we more than make up fer it in tenacity! So Whadya all say?” She shouted, prompting a roar of approval from the town.
Applebloom huddled next to her brother Big Macintosh, her face and ribbon still spattered with a bit of the green mess from the changelings. Even wrapped in a thick blanket she shuddered, the sight of the changelings bursting apart warping every perception of peace in the world. Even though everypony was frightened of these monsters, they agreed that whatever was threatening their town had to be dealt with.
As the roaring began to subside, Twilight Sparkle took the stage with her faithful assistant Spike following close behind. She cleared her throat and said to the crowd, “Now listen  everypony, we need to be extremely careful when dealing with the changelings and whatever the other monster is. In order to…”
“Oooh! Twilight! Twilight! I know what it is! I know what it is!” Everypony turned, and many groaned, at the sudden outburst from the towns pink party pony. Pinkie Pie bounced up to the makeshift stage, a wide grin across her face as she landed dead center. “My Pinkie Sense went shoulder shake, mane frizzing, hoof itching!” At the mention of Pinkie Sense, the entire town’s attention was roped. They gazed at the pony, not a skeptical gaze amongst them, waiting for her revelation.
“Yes-sir-ooni, that can only mean one thing! The monster is a Diamond Dog!” Pinkie threw her hooves in the air as frightened and startled gasps came from the crowd. Far at the back of the group, Rarity fainted onto a convenient couch.
Twilight stepped forward once more. “I realize that a diamond dog is a serious threat, especially if it’s capable of what Applebloom has told us. However, I believe that with caution and exceptional effort, we can confront these troubles and keep Ponyville safe! Who’s with me?” She shouted, and the crowd once more was whipped into a frenzy, roaring and cheering and stomping their hooves. Everypony charged out from the square, roaring and shouting, ready to protect their homes from the invaders.
As they drew closer to the farm, the thundering hoof steps shook the ground, and just beneath the earth sat Choppers. He could feel the subtle vibrations that revealed their distance and speed. He ignored it for the most part, though occasionally he would shut his eyes and rest his paws on the ground, truly seeing their approach. Numerous ponies at a full charge, lightly equipped and approaching fast. When he checked again, he could feel the subtle differences that revealed the identity of the charging ponies.
The group was mainly earth ponies, a group of unicorns, and a single running Pegasus. That was what surprised Choppers the most; ground crossing pegasi were rare, and for her (at least he assumed it was a she) to be running with this already mixed group surprised him. The three tribes were at war, weren’t they? He had seen them fighting, had fought with them on many occasions, helping the helpless and whatnot.
Were they united? That spell that hit him, perhaps it was some kind of time travel spell, or teleportation spell. Maybe this world was one of peace. Maybe dogs like him were no longer necessary? If that was the case, he would gladly retire his rifle and spend his days digging for sapphires, his favorite stones. He would carve out a small cave on a mountainside
that faced the sunrise, maybe even start a family.
If they were at peace, that is. He couldn’t forget that. As long as there was a battle to be fought and his arms could carry a weapon he would fight. He loaded a partially refilled cartridge, more out of habit than any real concern since the slug hadn’t been loaded yet, and with a jump and a clawing motion he rose from the ground to meet his neighbors.
The sight of a diamond dog rising from the earth would be enough to frighten anypony, but to see one clad in leather and iron armor, wielding a large wood and steel club-thing froze the advancing mob instantly. At the front were the bearers of Harmony; Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle all stared at the beast before them. He stank of smoke and blood and was covered head to toe in grime and splotches of dried blood, with the dull green stains of the slaughtered changelings showing at the front.
Nopony moved, and the Dog’s eyes scanned the assembly. In addition to the earth ponies and unicorns he had expected, there was also a fair amount of pegasi present. None of them wore armor or carried weapons, and unicorn’s horns were dull, no magic running through them at the moment. They were at best a militia, at worst an angry mob. He cleared his throat, causing a few of them to recoil, and then addressed the crowd.
“Powder Finder Choppers, Third in command of the 26th Strike Pack. I request parley with your leader.” He spoke quickly, and then watched for their reaction, his hands resting on his rifle. The six ponies at the front took a step forward, with the purple unicorn acting as the leader.
“My name is Twilight Sparkle, personal student to Princess Celestia, bearer of the Element of Magic. You are trespassing on private property, and we would like you to leave.” Her gaze didn’t waver in the slightest as she spoke, and her voice remained steady throughout. The dog’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he focused very carefully on Twilight.
“Princess Celestia, eh?” the name was unfamiliar to him, and so was the title of bearer. His theory seemed firmer by the second. “Never heard of her. How large is her territory? Past the Iron Wrought Mountains, I’m guessing.”
“Territory? You mean Equestria?”
“Never heard of it.”
The two stared at each other for another moment, neither yielding in their gaze. It was clear to Choppers that he was nowhere near home and that he needed to find the nearest den to figure out how the world had changed. There needed to be at least one den nearby, and they probably had a pillar he could use. As for Twilight, she was trying to understand how the Diamond Dog before her didn’t know about Equestria or the Princess of the sun.
“Regardless,” she said, “you’re a clear and present danger to this town, and I…”
“What about those weird bug-pony things?” Choppers crouched down to the ponies face level as he asked the question, his rifle resting across his lap. “Those things pinned down a filly, and most likely would’ve hurt her if I hadn’t intervened.”
Twilight boldly stepped forward, irritation clear on her face. “You horribly scared her! Whatever you did to those changelings was horrifying for her to see, and even if you managed to chase them off…”
“Chase them off? I ripped them to shreds. Better than they deserved.” Choppers’ cold conviction sent a shudder down Twilight’s spine, and for a moment she fell silent. “I am a warrior with principles, and chief amongst those are the protection of the youth. When the pegasi took Stonefield I spent six weeks evacuating…”
“Hey! What are you talking about!” Rainbow Dash threw herself face to face with Choppers, locking eyes with him and wearing a snarl on her face. “What, do you think we’re crazy? Why would we try to hurt anypony?”
Choppers face became colder than before, and even the nigh unshakable Rainbow Dash felt a twinge of fear. “I’m under the assumption that things are different here than what I’m used to, and I can understand that such events may have been forgotten.” His dark brown eyes stared into Dash, and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. “But I will not accept anyone, pony, dog, griffon or dragon sticking their face in mine like that.” He leveled the barrel of his rifle towards her wings and one claw drifted towards the trigger. “So I’d suggest you move, or you’ll be lucky to be airborne ever again.”
The response was fast, almost too fast for Choppers to react. Dash bolted backwards, as did the residents of Ponyville. The other bearers of Harmony stepped back, but quickly regained their courage and stepped forward again. Everypony in attendance could tell just by looking that this dog was serious about his threat, even if they weren’t sure of how he could follow through on it.
Unsurprisingly, it was Pinkie Pie who broke the ensuing silence. “Hey! Don’t be a meanie mean pants! Can’t we all get along?” she hopped behind Choppers and hopped onto his shoulders. He reached up to pull her off, but in another second she was on the ground in front of him, and a second later she had somehow managed to get her hooves wrapped around his rifle. He panicked slightly, as she flipped and twirled it around. “Hey, what does this thing do?” Her hoof strayed for the trigger, and he lunged to tackle her.
He knocked her to the ground a second too late. The rifle fired, shocking and scattering half the ponies in attendance. Pinkie started laughing at the strange device. “What was that? It was really loud.” Not amused at all, Choppers tore the weapon from her grip and glared harshly at her.
“This is not a toy. If this was properly loaded, someone could’ve died.” He spoke coldly, squashing Pinkie’s joy instantly. Twilight stepped forward again with a stern expression.
“So that’s some kind of weapon? Are you here to try and take over Ponyville?”
“By the Mother's glory, I am not attacking! If I was so hostile, you and half the ponies here would be dead, and that’s not a threat, just a statement of fact!”
“I am not going to stand by and listen to you threaten my friends!” Twilight shouted as her horn began to glow. Choppers stared at her, his mind running through the various combat spells he had seen. As far as he could tell she was either going to filet him alive or hit him with a stun spell.
Ten seconds later he was trying to regain feeling in his arm. “Stun spell? Really? I’m twice the size of anything that’s meant to be used on.” He felt more annoyed than anything else, and he decided that he wasn’t getting anywhere with these ponies. “Let’s make a deal. You tell me where the nearest den is and I’ll get out of here. Boom, no more Choppers. Alright?”
“And what do we get out of this?”
Choppers growled at her. “I’ll throw in some diamonds. You unicorns like sparkly things, right?”
Twilight was taken aback by the statement. ‘You unicorns?’ Before she could protest he tossed a paw full of diamonds towards her. “So, where’s the nearest den?” he said.
Ponyville Quarry, Concurrently
Rover stared out from one of the many pits in the quarry, an uneasy feeling in his gut. Something had come, something powerful, he had felt it, him and every other dog in the cave. Fido had started smashing into walls, his great size leaving large shattered areas and a minor cave in. Spot, on the other hand, had simply curled up into a ball, shuddering silently for hours on in.
As for him, he had felt the urge to go above ground. The sun had begun to set behind the mountains in the distance, casting dark shadows that seemed to stretch for miles, and the light left him nearly blind. He pulled his legs out from the hole and began to wander around, contemplating the feeling in his gut and his life in general. He was a dog of great standing, a diamond digger! The only ones in his pack above him were the elders, and they rarely intervened with anything outside the most ceremonial matters.
Rover was in charge. He was the alpha male, the leader of the pack, the big kahunna, the grand poobah. He had his choice of nearly any bitch in the cave, even the sweetest and loveliest ones who would’ve scorned him as a mutt. That’s what he was, after all; his father had come from a pack to the west, his mother a well respected bitch in the community. Rover had spent years getting past that, rising through the ranks.
Mutt. He hated that word, mainly because other dogs spat it like a curse. He was a mutt, but he was also the best digger in the pack. Half of the den had been carved out by his claws, and he had found more metal and gemstones in a month than most of the pack found in year.
Not that the spoils had been good recently; the best veins had been running dry, and more often than not the forges and smelters lay cold and dormant. He pulled his red vest close around him as a cold wind passed him. Why was he worrying about his past? It was behind him, and there were more present concerns to attend to. The presence in his gut was burning strongly, stirring worries inside his head. What was causing this? Why was he feeling like this?
Every dog had felt it, every dog had reacted. But he was the only one whose reaction had lasted this long. The last time he had felt anything like this was…
His blood ran cold and he jolted upright. The last time he had felt anything like this was a day before he became the alpha of his pack. This was the same as that time, when he was an under-appreciated steel digger. The entire pack had gone bonkers, and he had been doubled over an hour everyone else had recovered.
The last alpha had felt it too, and he had tried to fight his inevitable replacement. He had grown old and grey, had lost most of his mind, and in the end had buried himself under a ton of stone trying to kill Rover. He had taken the old dog’s place, had become the diamond digger.
And now it was his turn. He would have to retire to his superior, to whoever was destined to take over. He would become another dog of no significance, another mutt on the outside. He looked around and found that the sun had long since set, leaving the world in darkness. He would be expected to return soon, to assure everyone that everything was alright. He pulled his vest closer again.
At least I’ll still have Fido and Spot, he thought, those two would follow me to the heart of the world and back. He dug down, heading back to his den. When the decision comes, I’ll step down gracefully, maybe become a steel digger again. Might as well resign with dignity.
His tunnel broke under him and he fell a short distance, landing softly on recently churned earth. Rover looked around, trying to recognize the tunnel he had fallen into. His eyes stopped on the giant dog that was staring back at him. At least as big as Fido and carrying a strange weapon, the dog observed Rover carefully before letting out a slight grin.
“Powder finder Choppers. Need a dog of war?”