Firefly: The Long Job

Chapters

Chapter One: Old and New Business
Chapter Two: Ponies Plan and Harmony Laughs
Chapter Three: Down, Down to Diamond Town
Chapter Four: The Village People
Chapter Five: The Virtue of Patients
Chapter Seven: Begin Operation
Chapter Six: From Another Perspective...

Chapter One: Old and New Business

Captain Rainbow Dash was used to unsavory characters. They were a bit a dozen in any… less-than-legal community. A few years ago, when she’d first started taking disreputable jobs to make ends meet after the war, having to associate with such lowlifes had ticked her off like nothing else. But times hadn’t gotten any easier since. Eventually, she learned to live with it. Some of them weren’t even that bad when you got to know them.

Others were jerks through and through.

The small white rabbit wearing a tiny bowler hat and tie stood on the desk in front of her. He scowled, giving a dissatisfied squeak to the mynah bird perched on a nearby stand. “Mr. Bunny wants to know why you’re running behind. You cock up the job?” the mynah squawked, acting as interpreter. Most animals understood spoken language well enough, but didn’t have the equipment to speak it.

Captain Dash rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks for asking, Bunny.”

The rabbit scowled more heavily and made a curt gesture. “Mr. Bunny hain’t laughing,” the bird said, leaning down from his perch. “I’d lose the cheek if I were you, mate.” Dash wanted to reply with more sarcasm, but she bit her tongue. The room was full of small animals, mostly rabbits with a variety of other rodents mixed in. They were all watching with their paws not-so-subtly close to their guns. The guns were tiny things, almost toy-like; the caliber on them would have been laughable if they shot bullets. But every one of Bunny’s guards was packing chem darts, and Captain Dash doubted they’d loaded tranq rounds. Bunny’s organization lacked raw muscle, but it made up for it in ruthlessness.

Applejack tensed beside her. Dash hadn’t been the only one to notice.

Sighing internally, the Captain put away the jokes. If she’d wanted to start a fight, she’d have brought Gilda along. “Patient Aim figured we were there to cause trouble, and he slipped a saboteur onto my ship. The engine shut down for a little bit, but we caught her and got away before he could catch up.” That was enough of the truth to explain things without going into too many things that Bunny didn’t need to know about.

Bunny turned that over for a second and nodded satisfactorily. Out of the corner of her eye Dash saw most the various animals relax and start to wander off. “Mr. Bunny accepts your version a’ the events. You still manage to nick the goods?” the mynah asked.

“You think we’d show up if we hadn’t?” Dash smirked. “Fact is, Patient had double what you figured, and we made off with the whole batch.”

Bunny gave a low whistle of appreciation. “Cor, that’s alright, innit?” the mynah said. “Mr. Bunny figures you hain’t saying that just coz you’re chuffed with yourself. Looking to sell?”

Captain Dash nodded. Nobody who knew Bunny would ever claim he was stupid. “Of course! So, you interested in four extra cases?”

Bunny’s eyes narrowed. “Possibly. ‘ow much you plan on gouging ‘im for?”

Dash grinned. Jerk or not, Bunny knew the game. “The original price for the job was below market value for this stuff.” She held up a hoof to fend off any protests. “Now, that’s fair, because you were the one who gave us the tip in the first place. But now that we’re square on the original job, the rest is on the market. I want fifty platinum royals.”

Bunny made another curt gesture. “You’re off your trolly,” the mynah replied. “That’s near double the quid a’ the first job.” Bunny made a few squeaks and another gesture. “Mr. Bunny might raise the stakes as ‘igh as thirty, but ‘e’s being more generous than ‘e should.”

That was met with a snort as Dash shook her head. “Yeah, right. I could get more than that on any planet on the Rim. I’m offering you first dibs because we got it doing your job, but you’ve gotta give me at least forty-five royals to make it worth selling.”

“And if Mr. Bunny offers above thirty-five, ‘e won’t turn a profit reselling.”

Captain Dash shook her head. “Forty is the absolute lowest I could go, and that’s only because I’m such a generous pony.” AJ gave a quiet snort at that, but Dash ignored her. Bunny turned the number over in his mind. Dash probably could get a little more selling directly, but making those contacts was time-consuming and risky. Anyone you didn’t know well enough could be working for the Confed, or planning to stab you in the back instead of paying. Bunny was more or less open about what he had in mind. Judging from his expression, though, he didn’t seem to be biting, so it was time to use the secret weapon. “And I’ll even sweeten the deal. I’ve got Patient’s saboteur on my ship, loaded up with a couple of tranq rounds. I know you and him have a rivalry, and she’s probably full of information about his business. Agree to the forty royals and I’ll throw her in.”

Bunny eyes sparkled at that. He tried to hide it, but Captain Dash still noticed. He made a few more gestures and squeaks to the mynah. “To quote Mr. Bunny direct-like, ‘You’re a nag, and a thief’, and ‘e ‘opes the sun scorches your… presumably metafor’cal bollocks. ‘owever, you’ve got yourself a right proper deal. ‘e’ll beam out the coordinates a’ some place safe to drop the goods. You’ll get yours then.”

Captain Dash grinned. The original job had been just this side of profitable, but the extra income would keep them in the air a while longer. She might even be able to buy real food for the kitchen. “Pleasure doing business with you.” She turned to leave, but paused as the mynah coughed for attention.

“And before you leave, Mr. Bunny wants to remind you that should anything ‘appen to Miss Fluttershy while she’s on your ship, ‘e’ll find you, remove your tongue and wings, and stake you out in the desert for the fire ants.”

“Still got a soft spot for her?” Captain Dash said. Bunny glared, and she lost the teasing expression. “Don’t worry, we take care of her as best we’re able, and she keeps better care of us.”

Bunny sighed. “ ‘e finds that reasonable enough. Best a’ luck to you, Cap’n Dash.”

A well-armed badger led them through several twists, turns and a good half mile of underground tunnels. Eventually Dash and Applejack emerged, blinking, into the afternoon sun of Greensborough, or ‘The Borough’, as locals called it. It was the second biggest city on Whitetail, which wasn’t saying much, but with all the food and raw materials they shipped off-planet, its docks were plenty busy. Their sudden appearance from a large shipping container went unremarked by the rest of the crowd. “I swear,” AJ complained, “them tunnels get longer every time we come here.”

Dash shrugged. “Eh, the exercise won’t kill us.”

“Fair ‘nuff. That was a right smart bit of hagglin’ in there, Captain. But I wish you hadn’t included Toolbelt.” Dash glanced at her first mate in surprise and AJ held up a hoof to slow any protest. “Don’t get me wrong, I ain’t exactly fond of her, but the sorta things that get done ‘looking for info’ don’t sit right with me.”

Captain Dash weighed that and nodded. “Yeah, there’s a chance of that, but I think she’ll talk without much persuasion. It sounded like her stint with Patient was just a job, and she’s gotta know he won’t welcome her back after botching it. Besides, good mechanics are rare on Whitetail. Bunny’s too smart to waste somebody he can use.”

“You mean, he’s too smart if his temper don’t get the better of ‘im.” Applejack sighed. “So long as Toolbelt keeps a civil tongue, I guess she’ll be okay. I don’t like her odds if she don’t.”

“That’s her problem,” Dash said with a shrug. “Anyway, let’s head back to the ship and tell our new chef she’s free to get the fixings for a real dinner. I’d be grateful if you’d do a little more walking and go with her. We might be celebrating, but I don’t want her spending too much.”

“And you don’t want her talking to anypony she shouldn’t,” AJ said with a sly grin. “No worries there, Captain. I’ll keep a weather eye on ‘er.”

………

“Whew, that was dee-lish,” Applejack said, stretching out after finishing the last of the roasted yams and steamed rice on her plate. “You weren’t kiddin’ when you said could cook.”

“Beats our normal grub six ways to Tartarus,” Gilda agreed.

“It’s often said hunger is the best spice, but I’ve found that ginger and cumin suffice,” Zecora said with a smile as she gathered up the dishes.

“Yes, I must commend you,” Rarity said. “Given what you have to work with, a dinner like this is truly a masterpiece.”

“Don’t get used to it,” Dash said. “Today was a celebration of a successful job. We’re back to the same old rations tomorrow.”

“True,” Soarin sighed, “but I noticed our new chef outfitting a decent spice rack, so even the regular will probably see an improvement.”

Dash fixed Zecora with a stare, but the zebra just smiled and nodded. The Captain shrugged; she hadn’t gone too far over her limited budget, and it was hard to be mad after the dinner she’d just eaten. It looked like things were winding down, making this the perfect time to address the crew. “Okay, listen up, everybody. I know you’re all eager to spend your shiny new coins, but we’re taking a slow, fuel-efficient cruise to the other side of the Rim while Patient cools off. I’ve got a few contacts out there, and I’ll message them to see if anybody wants to hire us. We’ll put in at whatever town has a job. Once we arrive, we’ve got at least a couple of weeks before we start eating our boots to keep Tranquility in the air.” The crew chuckled at that. That was good, since Captain Dash was kidding. They wouldn’t starve until they hit three weeks out. “Speaking of which, I think the old girl’s been on autopilot long enough. I’ll take a turn at the wheel. Everybody else is free for the rest of the evening.”

Most of the crew stayed at the table and continued talking, but Twilight got up and started making a plate for her sister. According to Twilight, Pinkie wasn’t quite up to sharing meals so soon after her rescue. She was hopeful that her sister would improve, but Dash couldn’t tell how much of that was wishful thinking.

The bridge was quiet and the gauges all rested comfortably in the green. She settled herself in the pilot’s chair and put her rear hooves up on the console as the ship softly hummed to itself.

An hour later, Dash was thinking about heading for bed. There weren’t any ships nearby, no debris in this part of space, and the alarms would tell her if anything went wrong. Just as she was reaching for the autopilot switches, though, the buzz of an incoming transmission stopped her. “Who in the…” she muttered as she answered the call. A semi-familiar face popped up on the main crystal screen.

“Hell~o, Tranquility,” said the mint-green unicorn on the screen. She was lounging on large, comfortable chair, manipulating a complex control panel with occasional flashes of golden magic.

“Ms. Universe. Been awhile since we’ve heard from you,” Dash said, mildly surprised. Ms. Universe had paid them for a few jobs in the past – mostly moving things under the Confed’s nose – but the last of those had been more than a year ago.

“I’ve been busy with other projects,” Ms. Universe admitted. “But it finally paid off! Behold, my beautiful Bon-bot!” The camera panned to the side, centering on cream-colored earth pony doll with a curly blue and pink mane.

Or what Dash had thought was a doll. The eyes suddenly glowed blue and the doll looked up at the camera. “Hello, I’m Bon-bot, the most loving and faithful companion anybody could ask for.” The doll’s eyes slid to something off screen, and it smiled. “You look tense, dear. Would you like a shoulder massage? Or we could talk about all of your perfectly sane and rational theories about the Naked Apes.”

The camera panned back to Ms. Universe. “Maybe later, but I’m busy now.” She turned to look at the camera and grinned. “Isn’t she great?”

Captain Dash cringed. “She’s… something, all right. Is that all you called for?” She wouldn’t have put it past the eccentric genius to do something like that, but Ms. Universe shook her head.

“No, that was just small talk. Now we get to business. I have a job for you. A series of jobs, actually. The payoff is huge, but I won’t deny that some of them will be dangerous.”

“How huge?” Dash asked. Ms. Universe owned her own moon and had money to spare, but that didn’t mean she was eager to fork it over.

“In total, the job will pay twenty thousand royals. Part of the reason I’m willing to pay so much is because this requires complete secrecy. As little contact as possible when you pick up the items, and once they’re mine, I want you to forget you ever saw them.”

Captain Dash’s mouth felt dry. Twenty thousand. That was over a hundred fifty thousand bits. More than Tranquility made in any two years of smuggling and theft. “So can I hear the details before I decide whether or not to take it?”

Ms. Universe mulled that over for a second. “Yeah, I guess. Don’t want you backing out halfway. The targets are six gemstones with strong, unique thaumic presences. Two of them I have already acquired through various means, but I need them delivered. I know the locations of three of the others, which you will be required to steal. I haven’t found the last one, but with all my resources on it, that’s just a matter of time. You will receive a bounty of one hundred fifty royals for each gem you successfully obtain, and the balance when you deliver me the full set.”

This was almost too good to true. It did sound dangerous – stealing anything valuable typically was – but if Ms. Universe was willing to pay that well for secrecy, then Dash was happy to sell. “Okay, I like the sound of this, but I’ve got a few questions before I sign up. Would we be free to take side jobs while we’re working on this? You said ‘full set’ – can we deliver the gems one at a time? And what if you don’t find the sixth gem?”

“Those are reasonable questions,” Ms. Universe said. “I need these gems within the next six months. So long as your side jobs don’t delay that timetable, do what you want. As for delivery, I chose my words carefully. You bring me the full set, all at once, no discussion. Despite my best efforts, my moon is semi-regularly under observation, and if they realize you’re working for me, you’ll be useless. Maybe even dead.”

She didn’t elaborate on who ‘they’ were, and her expression kept Dash from asking. It could have been a figment of her imagination, or it could be deadly serious. Captain Dash wasn’t willing to bet her life on the former. “And the last gem?”

Ms. Universe pouted. “If I somehow haven’t located it by the time you’ve collected the other five, I suppose you can deliver what you’ve got for the full price. I’ll contact you and negotiate the last gem as a new job once I know where it is.” She chuckled darkly. “If I haven’t found it before six months are up, I won’t be in a position to do anything, much less hire you.”

That sounded either ominous or insane, but Dash knew Ms. Universe was good for the money, whatever weirdness they had to put up with along the way. “It’s a deal. Send over the details, and we’ll head for whatever’s closest.”

Ms. Universe tapped a few keys on her control panel and squinted at another screen. “Looks like you’re an easy two days’ flight from one of the ones I already own. It’s a large amethyst called ‘The Tear of Midnight’. Go to the town of Hildenna on Platina and speak to a pegasus named Cardinal Song. I’ll send you his address. Tell him you’re there to buy a Purple-Throated Warbler. He should invite you in and confirm that you work for me by asking where you plan to keep its cage. You will answer that birds weren’t meant to be caged. He will return with the gem, and you can be on your way. Contact me when you have it, and I will forward the money to whatever account you prefer.”

Dash had snagged a pen and paper halfway into the directions and finished her frantic scribbling just as Ms. Universe left off. It was a mite unsettling that Ms. Universe knew their coordinates without Captain Dash having shared them, but then, saying she was good with technology was an understatement. “Gotcha. After that, can you send us the details on all the rest so we can plan the thefts ahead of time?”

“Of course,” Ms. Universe said. Then she cleared her throat and fixed Dash with a stare. “Now, I want to make something crystal clear ahead of time, Captain Dash. I am no fool. You will not receive a better price for those gems anywhere in the ‘Verse. However, should you even try, should you so much as have them appraised, I will consider it a betrayal and react accordingly.” Ms. Universe typically reminded Dash of an overgrown filly: a bit odd, but ultimately harmless. The mare that now stared at her from across the depths of the void was anything but ‘harmless’. Suddenly, the unicorn’s expression shifted to a beaming smile. “Say, do you know why they call me ‘Ms. Universe’?”

For a moment, Captain Dash was silent. “Because you’re everywhere?” she guessed.

One by one all of the screens in the bridge flickered on, each one displaying Ms. Universe’s face. Every comm on the ship crackled to life, eerily echoing her chuckle.

“Because. I’m. Everywhere.” she said, her smile turning malicious. Then everything went off. The screens, the comms, the lights. Dash even felt the engine stop as a tremor ran through the entire ship. The emergency lights didn’t come on, but a few seconds later, the regular lights did and the engine coughed back to life.

For another long moment the ship was silent.

“What in the nine sunscorched pits of Tartarus was that?!” Gilda yelled.

Doors banged open and the rest of the crew, sans Fluttershy, spilled out into the corridor and started moving toward the bridge. Rarity, Zecora and Twilight were probably on their way too.

Captain Dash swallowed the knot in her throat and looked at her crew. “Well there’s good news and bad news. The good news is that I just landed us a job that pays really well.”

“And the bad news?” Soarin asked.

“ ‘That’ was a little taste of what our employer can do to us if we try to double-cross her.”

She was met with silence.

“Next time,” AJ said, her expression deadpan, “you mind if I do the talking?”

………

“And that’s that,” Ms. Universe sighed, pushing herself away from her control panel. “One enormous pile of bits down the drain.”

Now, now, Lyra. You know it’s necessary. Besides, it isn’t as though you’re hurting for money.

Ms. Universe tapped on the screen, activating her sentinel programs and internal defenses. Most of her enemies had learned to leave her well enough alone, but there was always the chance another mage would try infiltrating her system and accessing her data crystals. “That’s true, but I’m still blowing a fortune on the say-so of a voice in my head. I know Dad explained it all before he passed away, but I still have to wonder if you’re real.” Golden magic pulled down two levers across the room and adjusted a dial. The automagic kitchen a few rooms down whirred to life and started fixing her dinner.

This again? I would like to think I have proven myself an asset to you, whether or not you believe the truth.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. My family is the richest in the ‘Verse, thanks to your advice,” Ms. Universe sighed again, collecting a chilled mug from a nearby freezer and filling it with fine sarsaparilla from a tap built into the wall. “I just sometimes wish my life was normal. Not that I don’t like you, but... still…” she stretched out on the sofa, resting her head in the lap of her beloved Bon-bot.

If you had a normal life, I suspect you would be bored to tears.

Ms. Universe shrugged and tuned one of her crystal screens to an entertainment channel. The cartoon on display wasn’t popular enough to merit much in the way of subliminal programming, and the theme song was catchy, so she left it there.

“Would you like me to brush your mane?” Bon-bot asked. Ms. Universe nodded and her loving companion started in, using just the right amount of force, exactly how she had been designed.

Do you think they will be capable of the job?

“I wouldn’t have hired them if I didn’t think so. I might grouse, but I’m devoted to the plan. Dash will come through. She’s dependable.” Between a massive carrot, a massive stick, and the Captain’s own sense of honor, Ms. Universe wasn’t actually that worried about betrayal. So long as she continued to keep her competitors in the dark about the importance of the gems, even the thefts shouldn’t be too difficult. The plan was eminently workable.

Very well. You know the price of failure.

“All too well,” she whispered. Then the presence in the back of her head was gone.

Ms. Universe relaxed on her sofa, deep in the heart of the most luxurious mansion in the ‘Verse, alone except for the pony she had built to keep her company.

Chapter Two: Ponies Plan and Harmony Laughs

Editor: Silentcarto
Proofreader: Coandco
Story Image by: Silentcarto

Disclaimer: I don’t own Firefly or My Little Pony; that is Joss Whedon and Hasbro, respectively. This is a fanfiction that portrays MLP characters in a ‘Verse very clearly based on Firefly. Shake well and enjoy.

“You figure it’s supposed to look like that?” Gilda asked, staring at the house just outside of Hildenna. She hadn’t been happy about taking the job from Ms. Universe until the Captain had told her how much it paid. She’d forgotten her complaints soon enough.

“I doubt that, sugarcube,” Applejack replied. The rest of the crew hadn’t been as eager, but they’d accepted it. Most folk were adaptable in their risk-taking – and morals – by the time they were working on a ship like Tranquility.

“Maybe there was a storm or something. Some of those houses in town look damaged too,” Dash replied. “All that matters is that he has the ‘bird’ we ordered.” The cover story was paper thin, but with luck they’d never have to use it. Cardinal Song lived isolated from the rest of the town and they hadn’t been seen by anyone on their way in. Captain Dash had played it safe and parked their ship on the other side of the southern ridgeline. No sense announcing their presence or letting the locals get an eyeful of their ship.

“I guess,” Gilda said, scowling.

Cardinal Song apparently ran his business out of his home, if the sign on the lawn that read ‘Rare and Exotic Pets’ was any indication. Thick wood made up the body of the house, with a stone outbuilding and a few empty cages in the backyard. The thatched roof was a typical mix of native plants and modern sealant, but it had a mangled cage sticking through it on one side, and a couple of holes big enough to show rafters had been torn through it. A few of the shutters were missing or dangling from one hinge, and the wooden walls were gouged deeply in several places. The front door had been smashed in and sloppily bolted back into place despite the massive crack down the center, and its splinters littered the front porch. Dash could see three possibilities: somebody else had known the gem was here and stole it, somebody tried to steal it and failed, or she was right about the storm.

Well, two positives out of three wasn’t bad odds.

A quick glance at her companions reminded them that she was going to do the talking. AJ rolled her eyes and Gilda continued sulking. Somebody hadn’t been happy that the Captain had limited her to two concealed guns and a single knife. To her, it didn’t matter that too much weaponry would make them stand out.

Tough, Dash thought. She stepped forward and knocked firmly on the door.

A voice called out almost immediately. “Who is it?”

“I’m a customer. Here to see you about a bird.”

There was the barest hesitation in the reply. “Sorry, but I’m not open for business at the moment.”

Dash scowled. Something had gone wrong, and it certainly wasn’t a natural disaster. The stallion sounded calm and collected, but she could sense a subtle tension in him. From Gilda’s expression she was hearing the same thing.

“I’m here about the purple-throated warbler.” Dash let that hang for a moment. “I better not have come all this way for nothing.”

There was a long pause on the other side of the door, followed by some muttered cursing. “Come around to the back door, please.”

“Okay,” Dash said. “I’ll do just that.” She nodded to Gilda and both of them took softly to the air. Applejack walked noisily down the steps. The stallion may have had a secret peephole and seen their entire group, but just in case he hadn’t, Dash would rather he thought she was alone. They might surprise him if things went sour.

Captain Dash landed at the bottom of the porch stairs and nodded. “I’m front. Both of you cover me. If he tries something, feel free to shoot, because I’ll either be in the air or on the ground,” she said in a low voice.

“Gosh, sure wish I had my rifle. That would be real helpful right now,” Gilda hissed back.

“Can it,” the Captain ordered. “We’re not going to make a mess if we can help it. Just be ready if something happens.” She dug a pistol brace out of her saddlebags and quickly strapped it on.

“Got it,” Applejack replied, dragging Gilda away before the griffin could spout off any more.

Dash finished the walk and arrived at a heavier door at the back of the house. It was set below ground level and there was a narrow staircase leading down to it. If Cardinal Song was looking to start trouble, she’d be a prime target down there. But a glance back let her see Gilda laid out on a tree branch overhead with a solid line of fire to the door. Provided Captain Dash wasn’t in the way.

Dash took a deep breath and psyched herself up. It was a lot easier to be brave with the crew watching, so there was that at least. Never let your soldiers see how scared you are. Battles aren’t won by panicked troops. Or by standing around. Dash fluttered down the stairs and knocked on the door, leaving her wings unfolded and ready to move. “I’m still waiting on that bird.”

There was the noise of movement beyond the door and an uncomfortable cough. A concealed plate in the door slid open and Dash stared into a pair of bright red eyes with faint crow’s feet at their corners. “Yes, ahem, very well. Umm… where exactly did you plan on keeping its cage?”

“Birds aren’t meant to be caged,” the Captain replied immediately, fixing those eyes with a glare. Cardinal Song looked away, and a long awkward silence stretched between them. “Well?”

“There’s been an, umm… irregularity in shipping. I’m afraid I’m fresh out of warblers at the moment.”

“An ‘irregularity’?” Captain Dash asked, her expression tight. If this sunscorched nag thought he could deal on the side with the items that she had claim to, then he was about to enter a world of hurt. “That’s funny, because I was told you already had one set aside, and I was just picking it up. I think it’s time you opened that door and gave me some answers.”

“I think it’s time you leave,” Cardinal Song said with another cough. “I have a shotgun pointed at this door, and I’m not afraid to pull the trigger.”

“Yes, you are,” Dash said. “If you really meant to shoot me, you wouldn’t give any warning. And even if I’m wrong, my girls will burn down your house if I get killed.”

There was a tense silence for several seconds. “You’re bluffing,” Cardinal Song said weakly.

Dash gave a shrill whistle, and half a second later, Gilda’s knife buried itself in the door a couple of inches to the left of the eye hatch. There was a startled yelp from Cardinal Song, and the Captain had to suppress her own reaction. That knife had passed less than a foot from her head. Clearly, she needed to have another talk with Gilda about ‘acceptable risks’. But that was for later. For now, she pretended that was exactly what she had expected to happen.

“Okay, okay,” Cardinal Song said weakly. “I’ll let you in and tell you what happened. Just… try to understand that I didn’t want this. If it were up to me I’d have quietly passed the gem along like I was supposed to.”

“I’ll be the judge of that. Put the gun down, open the door, leave your wings folded, and keep your hooves in plain sight.”

The heavy door creaked open, and Captain Dash got her first real look at Cardinal Song. He was a white pegasus with a bright red mane that matched his eyes. His white lab coat had sleeves too short and too wide for his tall, lean frame. He was old, but not elderly. Not yet, anyway. From his expression, Dash guessed that some of those wrinkles were worry lines from recent events and not his actual age.

She stared for a moment, looking for his shotgun, before realizing what had happened. “Wait, you didn’t have a gun at all? I knew you were bluffing when you said you’d shoot, but geez.” Captain Dash almost felt sorry for him. Almost. She gave another whistle, covering Cardinal Song with her own pistol brace while AJ and Gilda left their hiding places. Cardinal Song stood stock still, his expression both scared and miserable.

“So,” Gilda said, landing on the stairs behind the Captain with a thud, “are we gonna beat it outta him?” Cardinal Song flinched and his wings twitched, but he didn’t take a step.

“Not if we don’t have to,” Captain Dash said. “But I’m keeping the option open.”

“I’m curious to see what kinda excuse he’s got,” Applejack drawled. “Merchandise doesn’t just up’n wander off.”

The Captain waved her pistol brace for Cardinal to move inside. He did, and she followed close behind. Applejack was second, and from the sound of things Gilda was recovering her knife from the door. The room was filled with habitats, cages, aquariums and other animal homes. Most of them were empty but there were enough occupants to make some noise and a musty smell. Some of the critters Dash recognized, like the hummingbird that softly hummed on its perch, or the flint-shelled rock lobsters, but most were unfamiliar. None of them seemed like an immediate threat, so she gestured to the staircase in the corner of the room. Cardinal Song went up, and they followed.

The stairs led to a living room decorated in an earthy style with plenty of wood and dull colors. There were more splinters here, and some of the walls had been broken open. Several torn pillows were stuffed into a garbage can along with the pieces of what looked like a small cabinet. This room had obviously been trashed and only recently put back together.

“Take a seat on the couch,” Captain Dash commanded. Cardinal sat on a pair of ripped cushions, and she took what looked like the only surviving chair. AJ and Gilda remained standing, and they did it from opposite corners of the room. Dash stared her captive dead in his eyes until he looked away. “I think I made my threat plenty clear, so I’m going to put my hoof down. Don’t do anything stupid enough to make me shoot you.”

“That seems fair,” Cardinal Song said with a nervous nod. “If you want anything to drink I’ve got iced tea and some fruit juice in the icebox. I’m sorry I threatened you, Miss… Ma’am… um...”

“Captain,” Dash replied flatly. “I’m not upset about that. What I’m upset about is you not having the shipment. Our employer is a little tetchy about those jewels, and I’m not going to pay the price for your mistake. So spill. What went wrong?”

Cardinal Song gave a long shuddering breath. “I’m not a, well, professional smuggler. But I owe a favor, several favors really, to somebody that is. I act as a drop point for them on rare occasions. It pays well and doesn’t interfere with my normal business. Things have gone that way without a hitch for years.”

He glanced at the damage done to his living room, and sighed. “Two days ago the town was hit by a group of Diamond Dog raiders. It’s the kind of thing you hear about in stories all the time, but this caught us completely by surprise. The packs in the northern hills have always kept to themselves, I have no idea what prompted this. Regardless, they moved fast, overwhelmed the townsfolk and stole whatever they could get their claws on. My house is just one of several that they hit, and I was keeping the gem in my personal safe. A big bruiser of a Dog just ripped it off its moorings and carried it off without even opening it. They’ve got the gem now, and I have no idea how to get it back.” He slumped, defeated.

The Captain took a slow, deep breath. Of all the lousy, rotten luck… Then she disciplined her expression into a neutral frown. No job that paid this much could ever be easy. No sense expecting that. “Don’t move. Me and the girls are going to have a talk about your story.”

Cardinal Song started to nod, then caught himself. “Yes,” he said barely moving his mouth. The entry to the kitchen was a massive arch that gave a good view of the living room. Not that keeping him in view was really necessary; the old stallion seemed scared enough to have a heart attack if she said ‘boo’.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I don’t think he’s lying,” Gilda muttered, playing with her knife and keeping a causal eye on Cardinal Song. “The story’s too easy to check out in town, and something smashed that door in. Mr. Spindly on the sofa sure ain’t strong enough for that. Plus he’s a total amatuer at this. Somebody skimming off a gem smuggling route would’ve given us a lot more than an empty threat, or they’d have gone straight to the sob story.”

“I dunno,” AJ said. “He’s definitely ain’t no pro, but he could need the money. The Diamond Dogs probably hit the town, but he coulda used that as cover for his own theft. Seems like there’s too much broken; especially since he don’t got a mark on’em. What kinda raider would waste time smashin’ stuff to find something worth stealin’ insteada roughin’ up the guy that lives there?”

Dash’s thinking went along both lines and she didn’t know which was right. Best cover as many possibilities as she could then. She hated acting like cheap thug, but if Cardinal Song was trying to cover up his own theft, fear was the best way to keep him in line. “Well, Mr. Song,” she said loudly turning to address him. “We’re going search your house to see if you’re telling the truth. If we find the gem, no harm, no foul. Except for whatever our employer decides to do to you after we tell her about this. If we don’t find the gem, we’ll take a couple of days to check your story and see if we can pick up the gem’s trail. If you’re telling the truth, there’s no need to worry. But if you ain’t, then we’re going to have a much longer and more painful talk.”

She started to turn, but stopped as though she’d just remembered something. “Oh, and if we don’t find the gem and need to leave, you’re going to stay inside until we get back. I’m leaving somebody with a rifle and a good scope to watch the house and make sure you’re behaving. She’s a bit trigger happy, so I wouldn’t test her.”

Cardinal Song mutely nodded, his lips drawn so tight in fear they were almost bloodless. Captain Dash nodded to AJ, and patted Gilda with a wing. “Watch him, while we search,” she said quietly. “And don’t hurt him without a good reason.”

Gilda stopped playing with her knife and frowned thoughtfully. She opened her mouth to speak, but Dash cut her off.

“And ‘I was bored’ isn’t a good reason.”

The griffin snorted and rolled her eyes. “Fine,” she said flatly.

………

“Fluttershy!” the Captain called from the main hallway between the crew quarters. Her mechanic hadn’t been in the engine room or her own quarters.

“Captain?” Fluttershy called back, poking her grease-stained head out of a hatch of some kind.

Dash paused for a moment to stare at the sight. “First that pink menace and now you? How many ponies do I have crawling around the innards of my ship?”

“~Juuuuuusst~ the right amount,” Pinkie sang, popping out of the same conduit only a few feet away from Fluttershy. She wore her usual manic grin, but there wasn’t a smear of grease or speck of dust on her. Fluttershy let out a loud squeak and bolted out into the hallway, losing a few feathers in the process.

“Oops,” Pinkie said, her smile vanishing. “I’m sorry, Fluttershy, I didn’t mean to– well, I did mean to, but not like– I mean… I think I left the oven on.” Then she sunk back into the crawlspace, sneaking off to who-knew-where.

The Captain sighed. She hated keeping Pinkie locked up at all hours, but giving her run of the ship wasn’t any fun either. Even if she did keep to herself, for the most part. “Are you okay, little ‘Shy?”

“S-sunny as ever, Captain,” she took a slow breath and her shaking stopped. “What were you calling me for?”

“I’ve got a job for one of your little friends.”

Fluttershy’s eyes lit up just like Dash had hoped they would. “Really, Captain? Oh, this will be so wonderful! I’ve been tinkering with them a lot over the past day, what with holing up in the engine room, and I really think Mr. Hooty is good to go. I mean, I could always use some more parts, better crystals, and y’know, quality tools, but he’s pretty solid for I have to work with.” Dash was hard pressed to keep up with her mechanic, as the normally quiet pony dashed into the engine room, digging here and there among the cabinets and boxes built into the walls and furniture.

Eventually, she pulled out a rusty little owl-shaped robot. It wouldn’t be good enough to fool anybody that got close, but from a distance it could pass for the real thing. “So what do you need him for?” Fluttershy asked. A thought crossed her mind and she clutched the scrap-metal robot close to her heart. “H-he won’t be in danger, will he?”

Captain Dash gave Fluttershy a couple of reassuring pats. “No, no. I just need you to use him to keep an eye on somebody. The pegasus that was supposed to have our gem says it was stolen. We didn’t find it at his house, so I need you to watch him and make sure he doesn’t run off while the rest of us try to find the thieves.” Her expression turned dark. “And if he’s the one that made it disappear, I can almost guarantee you that he’ll try running. Soarin will be right here on the ship with you, and he can take a turn watching the video feed.”

“All right,” Fluttershy said. “But depending on how long you’re gone, Mr. Hooty’s charge crystal might not last. He’s got the best one since we… lost Sir Gale, but that isn’t saying much.”

“Little Shy, if we pull this off, I’ll give you forty bits out of my share just for your doohickey parts.” Fluttershy gasped slightly and the Captain chuckled. “Just let me know when Mr. Hooty is in position so I can radio Gilda to pack it in.”

“Will do, Captain,” Fluttershy said, humming a happy tune to herself as she made some minor adjustments to the robot owl.

That had been easy enough. Provided that Fluttershy’s knowhow got the job done. Gilda or Applejack would’ve been Captain Dash’s first choice to watch somebody, but she needed those two on something else. Neither one of them would be really happy with her plan, but they would come around. Gilda because of the money, and AJ because she was the best first mate a mare could ask for.

The fourth member of the team would take a little more convincing. Still, Dash held all the cards in this situation. Or... most of the cards, anyway. “Knock, knock,” she said as she barged into the infirmary.

The place had been next to empty not too long ago, aside from a shielded cache behind the left wall, but Twilight had filled the place with all the drugs and equipment she’d been planning to use to start her own clinic. She’d also enlisted Applejack and Zecora to help her clean it, and the place looked spic and span.

“Good morning, Captain Dash,” Twilight said, her voice carefully neutral. “Your … uh, ‘job’ go well?”

“Nah,” Dash said, plopping herself down in the room’s only chair besides the one the patient sat in. She stretched out her wings and hooves, getting comfortable. “The stallion at the drop point says the gem got stolen day before yesterday by some Diamond Dogs. Half the crew will stay behind to watch him, and the rest are coming with me into the northern hills. The way I see it, we can either steal the gem back, bargain for it, or intimidate them with force.”

Twilight nodded, obviously only half listening, as she continued inventory or something. A clipboard floated in front of her, at least. “Well thank you for keeping me in the loop. I can prep the infirmary for surgery just in case, though with any luck you won’t need my help. Resolving it peacefully would be the best, and given the amount of money involved in the job, I’d think your mysterious employer would cover the expense of outright buying it back from the thieves.”

Dash shrugged. Maybe Miss Universe would, maybe she wouldn’t. The Captain didn’t want to test that notion until she had to. This mess wasn’t her fault, but it would still make the crew look bad if she couldn’t fix it. “We’ll see. The point is, I want you with us in the hills. Applej–”

“With you?!” Twilight shouted. Her aura winked out, and the clipboard dropped to the floor. “I thought the idea was to keep my sister and me hidden!”

CaptainDash frowned for a second. “Shouldn’t that be ‘my sister and I’?” she asked innocently.

“No, because we’re the the object of the sentence. You wouldn’t say ‘keep I hidden’ which should make–” Twilight stopped speaking, and scowled harder. “Which doesn’t distract me from my real concern. Why do you want me with you?” A look of suspicion lurked in her eyes. Dash could tell she was trying to decide if this was a trap.

Captain Dash leaned forward, losing her smile and cocksure attitude. Mostly of the time that helped, but here she needed to be serious. And not in a ‘do-what-I-say-or-I-shoot-you’ way. “Odds are we’ll be going underground. As I was saying before you interrupted, AJ is in town getting all the details she can about the Dogs that raided the place. I’d bet my ship that their camp or village is in the hills.” Twilight nodded along with her, clearly listening. She still half-suspected something, but was willing to hear the whole thing out. “With you along, we have a permanent light source and you have the medical skills and magic to make the trip a lot easier. Tartarus, just from what I’ve seen of your ability at levitation I’d want you along. Besides, how likely is it that a group of backwater raiders is looking for you? Or that they’d ever get the chance to tell the Confed you were here?”

Twilight bit her lip, trying to decide whether or not to trust Dash. The Captain didn’t blame her. When you were wanted by the Confed, sometimes it felt like the whole Verse was against you. Still, you had to trust somebody.

“Okay, but I’m wearing the Star Glimmer disguise, and I want all of you to call me by that name so long as we’re outside.”

The Captain nodded. “Good idea. Applejack ought to be good for that, and Gilda would never use your name when she could use an insult anyway. I’ll do my best to remember.”

“Great,” Twilight said flatly, her expression unamused. “When do we leave?”

“Two or three hours. It’ll take awhile to get everyone together and ready, but I want to leave as soon as we can. There’s always the chance those Dogs took the gem on purpose. Waiting longer could mean we lose it for good.”

There was a clattering rush from somebody taking the stairs a little too fast. They cursed as they nearly tripped coming down, and Dash recognized Soarin’s voice. The stallion himself moved into view scant seconds later. “Captain, Fluttershy just said you told her to break out her ‘bots.”

Captain Dash sat up, steel entering her spine. She should’ve expected this from Soarin. Tartarus, probably Rarity too. “I did,” she said simply. “I need all my fighters with me when we go looking for the Diamond Dogs. And I need eyes on this guy in case he moves. And I said so.” Twilight was pretending to be busy with her clipboard and medicines, but Dash could feel her attention on the two of them.

Soarin look a step back at the look on her face, but his expression hardened and he stood his ground. He might not be much good in a fight, but nobody could say he was a coward. “That’s great and all, Captain, but this still seems like a bad idea. Did you forget what she was like after her falcon got scrapped?”

A dangerous gleam entered Dash’s eye. “No, I haven’t. But this isn’t the same situation. The pegasus she’s set to watch doesn’t have anything more dangerous than a paring knife in his house. And even if he did, I’d still have her send a ‘bot out. We need it for the job.”

“Yeah, but–” he began.

“And she needs this. Two years since we found her, and she’s still afraid to go outside. Our little Shy needs to take risks, even if sometimes she gets hurt in the process. So long as we’re here for her she’ll be fine. She isn’t the same filly she was a year ago.”

Soarin frowned, but hesitated. “Maybe, but I still see too many ways this could end badly. What if this guy is more dangerous than you think?”

The Captain snorted. “He isn’t, but if somehow I’m wrong? Well, we’ll burn that bridge when we come to it.”

Chapter Three: Down, Down to Diamond Town

Editor: Silentcarto
Proofreader: Coandco
Story Image by: Silentcarto

The shuttle was small compared to rooms Rarity had held in the Training House, but she didn’t mind often. It was suitable for her needs. The focus of the room was, of course, the bed, and it was a sumptuous thing. Trimmed with gauzy curtains, covered in fine (but machine washable) sheets, specially reinforced but soft as a cloud, and wide enough for three ponies. She both loved and hated the bed, but the rest of her home suited her perfectly.

A beautiful but functional wardrobe held her dozen or so outfits, and the drawers beneath it contained all the accessories that went with them. A low dresser across the room held her personal possessions and make-up. The mirror above it helped Rarity make herself presentable every morning. A low table made of old hardwood and surrounded by floor cushions completed the furnishings. Silk hangings and such concealed the bare metal walls, except in one corner where she had hung two small pictures. One showed a pair of tall, proud unicorns and a younger Rarity. The other was a smiling white filly with a curly lavender and lilac mane.

Cleanness was next to goodness in Rarity’s opinion, and the tidy nature of her room reflected that. Most of the time, at least. Currently, it was littered with crumpled pieces of paper and a bit of charcoal dust.

Rarity sketched a rough figure in charcoal. Her strokes were hard and swift, quickly finishing the drawing. She studied it critically for a moment then balled it up and threw it to join the rest on the floor. She smoothed over her drawing pad, set the charcoal to paper, and began again.

She wasn’t actually in the mood for drawing, but she had worked up a temper arguing with that fool of a captain. Drawing would calm her. In theory, perhaps. “‘I’m Rainbow Dash and I’m such reckless idiot that I’ll risk myself and three other ponies on a wild goose chase in miles of underground caverns all while leaving an emotionally fragile filly to hope her precious robot doesn’t get smashed as part of my stupid scheme.’” Rarity muttered to herself, an exaggerated parody of Dash’s unsophisticated voice. It was a touch immature, but she could act that way here. Locked away from the prying eyes of the worlds, she didn’t have to be perfectly proper at all times.

The drawing pad was a mess of angry lines, and the severe outfit taking shape beneath her hooves would have embarrassed even the most martial and daring of mares. Though, if she cut back on the chains and removed the shoulder spikes she might have something that ponies of a certain taste would enjoy.

This page too was crumpled up and thrown away. “Honestly,” Rarity said to herself, “would it kill her to have the slightest bit of consideration for others?”

“Maybe,” said an unexpected voice beneath her floor.

Rarity let out a … sound of distress – perfectly normal under these trying circumstances. If the voice had come from the comm on her wall, or muffled by the door, that would have been one thing. However, it was coming clearly from a small vent in the corner of her shuttle.

“It depends on who the ‘others’ are,” the voice continued. "If she’s having consideration for somepony trying to shoot her, which apparently happens a lot, she’d have to let them hit her and that would kill her.”

“Pinkie Pie?” Rarity asked, trying in vain to slow her heart rate. “Is that you, dear?”

There was silence from the vent for a moment. “I don’t know,” Pinkie said quietly.

“How in the heavens did you get in there? I know you enjoy–” haunting, terrorizing, “exploring the ship, but none of the lines connecting my shuttle to the ship are nearly big enough to crawl through.”

“They aren’t?” Pinkie asked, sounding genuinely curious. “Then I’d better get out of here before I get stuck.” The vent swung open, and a mass of pink mane – followed quickly by a mass of pink mare – exited the insides of Rarity’s shuttle with an audible ‘pop’. Pinkie stood there for a moment, getting her bearings. She violently shook her head with a bizarre noise, and grinned widely. “Hi, Rarity, how’s business?”

Rarity stared at the younger mare for a moment. “Do you actually want to know or is that an attempt at small talk that you didn’t quite think through?”

Pinkie frowned and rubbed her chin as though she had a beard to play with. “Definitely the second,” she said after some thought. “So awkward small talk done, let’s move on to something interesting!. Do you think mirrors are really just portals to alternate worlds where your alternate self just happens to be looking back at the same time?”

“No, darling, they’re just made of reflective glass.”

Two blue eyes narrowed menacingly. “Unless that’s only what they want you to think.”

Rarity sighed, and rearranged her sheer silk dress to fall more comfortably. “Why are you in my room, Pinkie?” It wasn’t that Rarity didn’t feel sorry for the poor girl, especially considering what sort of things must have been done to her to produce such a broken mare. Yet at the same time, Pinkie was difficult and tiresome to deal with. To say nothing of the slight fear Rarity still felt of her. They had been … introduced in a less than ideal situation.

“I’m here to protect you,” Pinkie said, her mane losing some its perpetual frizz. Her expression turned absolutely serious, and somehow her bright coat seemed to have lost its luster. “They’re waiting in darkness, plotting to enslave and torment to feed their greed. They’re poachers and they hide behind trees.”

Rarity hid a shudder, and forced herself to smile. “Thank you, but–”

“They took you once, but I won’t let it happen again. You’ll be safe this time.” Her grin returned, as mad as ever, yet more comforting than that bleak stare. “We’ll have cake, and drink caffeine past midnight, and do each other’s manes, and play board games and talk about the colts we like, and diss the teachers we hate. This will be so fun!” She bounced around the room, gesturing wildly without care for where her hooves went.

Pinkie’s enthusiasm was worrying, but Rarity simply employed a few discrete uses of levitation to keep her from knocking down everything around her. “That all sounds lovely,” Rarity said an idea occurring to her. “Let’s start with our manes. I believe,with some time and effort, I could make yours a bit more reasonable.”

Pinkie giggled like a school filly. “Silly Rarity, you can’t reason with manes.”

Proper ladies did not roll their eyes. They handled problems with dignity and patience. “Of course, dear. Now, if you’ll lie down, I’ll get started.” She lifted a comb, and two mane-picks in her aura, wondering if an actual mining pick would perhaps be a better tool for the job. The more she stared into the bright pink frizz, the more puzzling it became. How in Celestia’s name did it appear to lie flat merely at the whim of Pinkie’s mood? The tangled mess before her was full of knots and snarls.

Slowly and carefully, Rarity went to work. Pinkie prattled on about random topics, sometimes inane, sometimes technical, sometimes esoteric. At one point she switched to a language that Rarity had never heard before, despite being fluent in three tongues and dabbling in another four. Eventually, Rarity just interjected the occasional nod or ‘oh really?’ here and there, letting the sound of Pinkie’s babbling wash over her like the noise of the ocean.

It was slow going, but Rarity was making good progress. The worst of the superficial tangles were undone and she was ready to move to the ‘root’ of the problem. Rarity allowed herself an internal giggle at her pun, brushing aside another lock of Pinkie’s thick mane.

Two wide, purple, reptilian eyes stared back at her. Rarity froze, her own eyes widening, but she made not a sound. The purple eyes blinked slowly, then continued staring at her. Rarity could faintly make out a stubby, scaly body attached to the eyes, nestled far deeper in Pinkie’s mane than should have been possible. Rarity gently combed a thick lock of pink hair back over the eyes, hiding them from view. Released from that unrelenting stare, she calmly put down the comb and mane picks.

“You know, darling,” she said, her voice perfectly even and steady. “Perhaps we should have tea instead.” Rarity gestured to the low table and its cushions.

“Sure thing, Rarity,” Pinkie agreed cheerfully.

The younger mare waited with a surprising amount of patience as Rarity took her time preparing a pot of herbal tea. At last the water was the right temperature and she gently poured it over the herbs, inhaling their soothing fragrance. “This tea set was given to me by my great aunt when I was a young filly.” She smiled in memory. “I wasn’t interested in it then, but when I left to complete my Companion training it was one of the few things I could take with me.”

Pinkie nodded, her expression almost comically serious.

Two cups floated beneath the pot and soon the tea was ready. Rarity gently set one in front of Pinkie, and took the other for herself. “Now, your cup is still quite hot so be careful,” she cautioned.

Without even pausing Pinkie picked up her tea and tossed it back like a shot of some coarse liquor. She gulped down the near boiling liquid without visible sign of distress. Then let out a satisfied sigh, with a small gout of steam. “Another!” she demanded, tapping her cup on the hardwood table.

Rarity frowned. “Pinkie, please be gentle with that cup.”

“Heh, oops,” she said, grinning sheepishly.

More tea poured gently into the cup, and Rarity set the pot down. She picked up her own cup and sipped slowly, enjoying the mild bitterness. Pinkie took a tiny sip, and made a face, spooning in a heaping mound of sugar. Rarity sighed, but it was an improvement at least.

“Rarity,” Pinkie said. She looked thoughtful and played absentmindedly with a teaspoon as she spoke. “What defines us?”

Rarity blinked. Philosophy had been been one of the last things she had expected from Pinkie. Much less hearing such a question out of the blue like this. “We define ourselves, Pinkie. Every day we can decide what we do and how we act.”

“Do we?” Pinkie asked skeptically. “Choices are never made for us?” Her eyes lost their shine and her hair once more began to lie flat. “Did you always mean to become a Companion then? Was that your dream job as a filly?”

Proper ladies did not let their baser emotions control them. They certainly did not curse and throw things at younger mares. “Even then. We have a choice in how we deal with the things forced upon us. I had options when sent to the Training House. Besides, I do not define myself by my occupation.”

“But others do,” Pinkie said, an almost sly look on her face. “So many ponies see the surface and never delve beneath. Appearances are enough for them. How else could they do what they do? How else could they sit and watch calmly when the needles come out and ponies start crying?”

“I-I think we have gone quite far enough in this conversation, Miss Pie. Perhaps another topic would be better.” The mare across the table looked like an inferior sketch of the cheerful filly a moment ago. Her hair was completely flat and perfectly straight. Her eyes were cold and empty, and worst of all was the knowing, mocking smile.

“I disagree. We were talking about others defining the self, and I had a rather pertinent example. It may not be pretty, but you should be able to deal with it. Aren’t diamonds a symbol of strength, Rarity?”

Rarity glared and drew herself up. “They are. I earned my cutie mark on the day I refused to break no matter what the pressure. I can’t claim to know what you’ve been through, but I survived my own trials and tribulations without succumbing. My diamond symbolizes not just beauty but a core of inner strength.” Her eyes narrowed to the perfect angle, her face the epitome of cold fury. “Now get out, you rude little beast.”

Pinkie nodded, but didn’t seem to have heard the last sentence. “Yet for all their hardness diamonds can be so brittle. Strike them in the right place and they shatter.” She leaned across the table, as though she was about to whisper something in Rarity’s ear, then she froze completely. Not a muscle moved, not a breath passed her lips for several seconds. Rarity was about to call for the doctor when Pinkie began blinking rapidly. She slowly sat down down and shuddered.

“Sorry,” she said. Her hair stayed flat, but her eyes were tearful and her ears folded back. “That was a bad one. Ghosts of Pinkie Future, hiding in the wainscoting. They’ll nibble the fruitcake to a nub. But she’s under the tree now, safe until morning comes.” She giggled suddenly. “And no peeking or shaking the box.”

Rarity took a deep, calming breath and finished her tea. “Pinkie, I think it would be best if you left me in peace.”

Pinkie flinched, but slowly nodded her head. “I think so too. I’m… not right, right now. But if I can say something real quick first?” She didn’t wait for Rarity to respond, but grinned as though she had already heard her answer. “I think your cutie mark means more than you think. Diamonds aren’t pretty until somepony makes them pretty. Y’know?”

With that she bounded out of the door, leaving Rarity with a half-full teapot and a thought. She sighed, and poured herself more tea. What nonsense, she thought. Of course diamonds don’t shine until they are cut and polished. Anyone with a ounce of knowledge knows that. But something about the statement irked her in a quiet way. Perhaps she would give more thought to it later.

For now, she made certain her door was locked, retrieved her drawing pad and went back to sketching.

………

The land would have made a decent orchard with enough work. Clearing it would be a pain, but the soil was good and the winter should be cold enough to make some decent frost. You couldn’t grow apples without a good winter.

“Yeah, they definitely went this way, boss,” Gilda said from the front of the group. “Doesn’t even look like they were trying to hide their tracks. Tartartus, the unicorn could probably track them.”

Twilight – or ‘Star Glimmer’, as they were supposed to be calling her – frowned but didn’t say anything. Applejack let out a sigh and went back to watching for somepony tailing their group. That happened to involve a good piece of staring at the surrounding landscape, and she couldn’t help but analyze it with a farmer’s eye.

The hills leading up to the caves were low and rolling. A couple of small streams cut through the shallow valleys and joined into a small river before they reached the town to the south. The group was following a trail of paw prints and trampled plants alongside one of the streams. AJ had to agree with Gilda about the trail. Either they were confident that they couldn’t be tracked below ground and didn’t care about tracks leading to their cave, or they were good enough to leave a false trail capable of fooling Gilda.

Given what Applejack had seen in town and heard from the locals, she didn’t think that second was too likely. Nopony had heard of the Dogs attacking until they suddenly rushed the town a few days ago, and word of that kinda thing traveled quickly. The Dogs shouldn’t have the know-how to fool an experienced tracker like Gilda if they were new to this whole thing.

Leastwise, that was what AJ hoped. She wasn’t watching for an ambush because she thought it was fun.

“There we go,” Captain Dash said, and Applejack didn’t need to see her face to know that the Captain was wearing a satisfied smirk. One last sweep of the forest and AJ faced forward. The cave’s opening wasn’t difficult to spot, sitting right clear in the middle of the trail.

“Am I the only one who thinks this screams ‘trap’?” Twilight asked. “An easy trail leading into a labyrinth of underground passages and no one else finds it suspicious?”

“I hate to admit it,” Gilda grouched, “and I really mean hate, but I agree with the unicorn. Those walls are dug out, not natural, and tracking is going to be near impossible on bare stone.” AJ held her tongue but privately agreed with the both of them.

Captain Dash just snorted and gave them a look. “I was counting on it being dug out. It’s a mine, not some kind of maze. They’ve got to navigate the thing too, so it can’t be impossible. We’ve got the time to explore it, and Star can make enough light to keep them from sneaking up on us.” She eyed the cave and pulled a pistol brace out of her pack, strapping it on with practiced movements. “Besides, we’re only here to check if they have the gem and buy it back if they do. No violence unless they start it.” She paused in thought. “Or we have a really good chance of getting away with it.”

“The violence or the gem, Captain?” AJ asked dryly.

Captain Dash smirked again. “Both. Get ready, ladies, we’re heading down in five.”

Gilda gave a sidelong glance to Applejack, but the first mate just shook her head. The Captain had her mind made up, and there wasn’t any changing it after that. Gilda scowled briefly, but said nothing, only checking her bandoleers and weapon belts, making sure that all the various cutlery strapped to her was where it should be.

Twilight looked nervously at the cave entrance, but gamely schooled her face into a serious expression.

Applejack pulled out her own pistol brace and strapped it on, doing a quick mental inventory. She’d brought about fifty feet of good climbing rope, matches, a small crystal lantern, about two days’ worth of water and food, enough dust masks for all of them, the dummy grenade, the flashbang, a thin blanket, a small first aid kit, a decent knife, spare ammo, and two spare pistol braces. She nodded to herself satisfied; prepared for anything, just like Granny Smith taught her.

“Everyone ready?” Captain Dash asked. “Alright, let’s move out. Light it up, Star.”

Twilight frowned, though AJ couldn’t tell if it was from annoyance or concentration. A low red glow surrounded her horn and grew brighter and brighter the further they walked into the cave. Visibility was pretty good, though seeing everything tinted a bit red was a mite trying on the nerves.

The tunnel opening was tall and dry with a little-worn path down the middle. Applejack wondered whether the passage wasn’t very old, or just not used very often. Gilda led the group, pausing to listen at each bend before ‘slicing the pie’ – pivoting cautiously around the corner with her rifle at the ready. Twilight was right behind her, Captain Dash kept an eye on the first two, and AJ continued to bring up the rear. About forty feet in, they found the first branching. Two passages angled off partially back the way they’d come, and another continued straight ahead. All of the them were similar, but the one straight ahead might have been a bit wider.

Gilda looked and listened down each of them until she was satisfied nothing was going to jump out at the group. “Okay, so which way?”

The Captain thought for a moment. “Straight ahead. They wouldn’t keep the town this close to the surface.”

Twilight nodded. “Plus, all of these passages converge on that one. It’s clearly a larger thoroughfare.” Applejack figured that made sense and nodded, though she watched the two side passages and listened carefully as the group moved on.

Thirty feet and another turn later, Gilda suddenly held up a claw. “Everybody stop,” she said, then after a second’s thought added, “Except the unicorn. She can keep walking.”

“Very funny,” Twilight replied flatly.

“Who said I was joking?” Gilda shot back.

“Enough, you two,” Captain Dash commanded, and AJ heard a faint echo of her words. Curious, she glanced around the Captain and got a look at what was holding up everypony. It was massive hole in the floor with a thick braided metal cable in the middle attached to a stout pulley. The cable continued off to the side, running through a similar pulley and disappearing down into the darkness of the hole. There was another passage nearly identical to their own on the other side of the hole, which Applejack suspected was some kind of shaft.

“Looks like it goes down pretty far,” Gilda said, leaning over the hole. “I can’t see the bottom, but I can see at least two more levels further down.”

“About what I expected,” Captain Dash said. “We found the central mine shaft, or at worst the secondary shaft. Unless the town was completely wrong about the number of Diamond Dogs living in these hills, it wouldn’t make sense to have more than two shafts, three at most.”

AJ took a long look and the Captain and she wasn’t the only one who did.

“And how would you know that?” Twilight asked.

Captain Dash chuckled. “Most folk don’t remember, but Tranquility used to be a mining town before it grew up into a real city. Us flying types used to race down the old shafts and tunnels.” She let out a soft sigh. “Not that it was legal, but since when did that stop a bunch of teenagers?” Then her expression hardened, and Applejack made sure she was looking somewhere else. “Which doesn’t matter now. Gilda, scratch ‘one dash one’ into the wall next to the shaft. We’ll sweep the mine, level by level until we find where the Dogs live. I don’t want us getting turned around and that will mark our way well enough.”

“I just got this thing sharp,” Gilda complained, but she went to her work before Captain Dash could glare at her. Twilight frowned in thought but didn’t say anything, which AJ was grateful for.

“So, whatcha figure?” Applejack asked, eyeing the mine shaft below them. “I can slide down that cable easy enough, but I doubt Twi– er, Star can. Who’s gonna to fly her down, you or Gilda?” Gilda was stronger, but she was also the better shot. Not too difficult, since she could use a rifle while the Captain only had a pistol brace.

Captain Dash chewed it over for a moment. “I’ll take her.” Then she lowered her voice. “If something spooked Gilda, she’d drop Twilight for a gun in a heartbeat.”

Applejack raised her eyebrows, but she didn’t disagree. The Captain explained the plan to the other two without mentioning why she was the one doing the carrying. They arranged at the edge of the shaft and the fliers took off first. As the red light from Twilight’s horn began to disappear, Applejack took one glance back at the tunnel they’d come from. She still didn’t see anything, so she turned back and leapt forward, her hooves spread wide. She hit the cable with her body and quickly wrapped her forelegs around it. The cable swayed from the impact, but didn’t go far. Gravity caught up with her and Applejack began sliding down the cable, picking up speed. Before she started sliding fast enough to scrape the coat right off her forelegs, AJ clamped her sturdy hind-hooves together, squeezing the cable between them. The sudden jerk of deceleration almost made Applejack lose her grip, but she hung on until the cable stopped threatening to buck her off. Once she was stable again, she eased the pressure, letting the cable slide past just fast enough to catch up to Captain Dash.

The pegasus and griffin were hovering cautiously near the mouth of another set of tunnels like the one they’d just come from. She tightened her grip to slide to a halt even with them. Her hind-hooves were hot from the friction, but they were thick and tough enough to take it. Gilda covered the three of them as Captain Dash set Twilight down in one of the tunnels, then stretched out her hoof to AJ. Applejack took it and swung across the short distance to the tunnel. She pretended not to notice the way the Captain dipped in the air and grunted with effort as she took AJ’s weight.

“Can’t say I look forward to doin’ that all day, but things ain’t so bad as I’d’ve thought,” Applejack said, fanning her rear hooves quickly with her hat.

“And here you three thought your fearless Captain didn’t know what she was doing,” the Captain said with a smirk. Gilda rolled her eyes and holstered her rifle, leaving it within easy reach. “Gilda, mark this wall with ‘one dash two’. If we find another mine shaft, we’ll check for markings to make sure we didn’t get turned around. We’ll sweep this level, then head down to the third.”

“And what do you mean by ‘sweeping’?” Twilight asked.

“We’ll check every tunnel big enough for the group until we find the Dogs. Ignore the small holes, they won’t put their town behind a bottleneck.”

Gilda cocked an eyebrow. “Says who? That’s exactly what I’d do.”

The Captain snorted. “Yeah, if you’re building a fortress. They just started raiding a week ago. The town is gonna be built for normal living, not defense.” She paused. “We’re gonna see some traps and stuff, but they’ll be recent, nothing like what you’re saying.”

Applejack thought the Captain was probably right, but didn’t entirely agree. Still, she wasn’t worried. So long as they kept exploring, the Dogs would eventually notice them. Which meant either somebody would come out to talk, or they’d get attacked and have a prisoner or two for questioning once the dust had settled. AJ was fine with either of those possibilities, and she suspected Captain Dash felt the same.

“Any more questions?” the Captain asked. She got nothing but silence in response. “Good. Star, give us some more light.”

Twilight nodded, and the glow from her horn increased, throwing the shadows back further. “I’ll try to keep it at this level of luminosity, but just let me know if I start to slip and you need it brighter.”

“Works for me.” Applejack listened for a moment to see if the increase in light had startled a hidden watcher into movement. She heard nothing, but cast a careful glance down each tunnel anyway.

“Let’s get going,” the Captain said. They moved out, and started exploring. It took about an hour by AJ’s reckoning to check the second level. They did find a second mineshaft, which Gilda marked, but not much else. In the further corners there were a few stairs between levels, but the Captain just marked the bottom of the stairs so they could find them again later, and continued exploring the second. They were only fifteen minutes into the third level when AJ heard something.

“Hold up,” she said. Gilda grabbed her gun, but otherwise everypony stopped. Applejack listened carefully. It had been a faint scratching sound, but with a sorta metallic noise to it too. “Star, light.”

Twilight increased her horn’s glow, taking a hesitant step forward. “What is it?” she asked. Her words almost covered up a second noise, like a faint metallic sort of ringing.

“Shut your mouth,” Gilda shot back. “I heard it too.”

AJ listened, her nerves stretched taut as a wire, but she didn’t hear anything else. She waited for a minute to make sure, and everypony stayed still. Eventually she sighed. “I don’t hear it anymore. I guess we can keep moving, but keep an ear to the ground and an eye out.”

Gilda chuckled, but still kept a tight grip on her gun. “That’ll make walking pretty hard real scorching fast.”

Everyone else rolled their eyes. Twilight took another step forward and AJ heard the noise again. Her eyes widened as she realized what it was. “Wait! Get offa that–”

But even as she spoke, a metal hatch covered in rock dust dropped open beneath Twilight’s feet and she plunged downward, her light disappearing with her. AJ rushed to the hatch as darkness fell, but she wasn’t quick enough. The hatch swung back up and locked into place with the sound of a bolt sliding home.

Leaving her, the Captain, and Gilda in darkness.

Author's Note

Resolution 2016 Status: On track. Two months, two chapters.

Chapter Four: The Village People

Editor: Silentcarto
Proofreader: Coandco
Story Image by: Silentcarto

Twilight tumbled through empty air, but not as far as she would have expected. She had a single moment to glimpse a metal floor before it rushed up and knocked the breath out of her. The blow against her horn extinguished her illumination spell, plunging her into total darkness. She continued tumbling, this time at an angle. Her world became a rolling fall, punctuated with bursts of pain. Finally, she landed on something flat and soft.

“Ugggghhhhhhh…” she groaned, trying to stand up. Unfortunately, her head still spun and ached, and the most she accomplished was not throwing up. Although, given how she felt, that was no mean feat.

A harsh voice gave a pair of quick barks. Whatever they meant, the tone of voice didn’t spell anything good.

Panic gripped Twilight and she tried to channel a spell for light, or a shield, or something! But her mind and body were the tiniest bit disconnected at the moment, and the only thing her frantic attempt at magic produced was a feeble shower of harmless sparks. Something massive and strong gripped her around the barrel, while its twin closed around her throat like a vice.

“Hurk,” she choked out, beating her hooves futilely against the thing choking the life out of her.

The harsh voice barked another string of unfamiliar syllables. The pressure eased, allowing her to draw in a desperate gasp of air. The grip around her throat was still there, but at least it was loose enough that she wasn’t choking anymore. The harsh voice continued speaking, its growls taking on a berating tone.

A deep voice from somewhere close behind Twilight rumbled out an apologetic whine. She could feel its breath on the back of her neck, and the sensation sent shivers down her spine. Twilight considered screaming just for the pure catharsis of it, regardless of what the voices would do to her. She opened her mouth and began to draw in the necessary air for a truly prodigious scream.

“Don’t,” the harsh voice commanded in accented but understandable Equish. “Scream or use magic, and Cliff will break your neck.”

The deep voice, presumably Cliff, rumbled another set of growling syllables and Twilight quickly decided not to test the patience of her captors. At least her head was finally starting to clear from her trip down the chute. It was likely she had a mild concussion, though this was not the ideal time or place for self-diagnosis. “What do you want with me?” she asked, unable to keep a fearful tone out of her question.

“You’ll see,” the harsh voice promised. It was interrupted by the sound of tumbling down the chute, and Twilight’s hopes rose. Had the others followed her down?

The yips and barks coming from the chute dashed those hopes. “Wedges 'round the hatchway! Just like Alpha Duke say! Stu-pid po-nies can't come down!” two voices said in sing-song harmony.

The harsh voice – Duke, she supposed – snarled at them in the barking language. A pair of sulky growls came from the new pair, but they quickly fell silent. Twilight didn’t speak any languages besides Equish, but she thought it was a reasonable assumption that her captors were using some dialect of Canine, the Diamond Dogs’ ancestral tongue.

Duke barked another command, and Twilight felt herself lifted fully from the ground. The paw beneath her barrel effortlessly supported her and while the other paw still gripped her throat.

She peered forward, trying to see where they were going, but she couldn’t detect the faintest speck of light in these tunnels. Her eyes had plenty of time to adjust while Cliff carried her, but everything remained utterly black. That was more than a little disconcerting, but Cliff didn’t blunder into any walls. By the sound of it, neither did any of the other Dogs.

“Where are you taking me?” Twilight asked. She didn’t expect a useful answer, but anything was better than the near silence of the pitch black tunnels.

Duke growled again. “Pony doesn’t get to ask questions. I do. What’s your name?”

Twilight felt a spike of annoyance through the fear. Her head and horn still ached, but at least her mind was starting to clear. “I’m Star Glimmer.”

“Liar! Liar! Coal vein fire!” the sing-song voices chanted again. One voice chuckled, while the other continued. “We heard hat-pony say ‘Starlight’.”

Twilight blinked at that and reviewed the conversation within her mind. “No, she said ‘Star, light’. I was in charge of lighting the path and there was an implied comma in her statement. It was a request for more illumination, not my name.”

Duke snorted. “Nice try, but Dogs aren’t stupid. Can’t trick us like that.”

Twilight rolled her eyes, briefly regretting that her captors couldn’t see it. “You caught me, My real name is Starlight Glimmer. No fooling you.”

“And don’t you forget it!” Duke said.

Cliff snorted, and let out a rumbling series of growls that ruffled Twilight’s mane. Duke moved closer and snapped a series of barks in reply. There was a loud sound of impact, and Twilight felt a tiny tremor run through the Dog carrying her. Cliff let out a series of whines that sounded more sullen than pained. Duke huffed at that and padded off, seemingly satisfied.

Twilight wished she knew what they were saying. Duke was obviously in charge of the group, but that was the second time he had seemed to berate Cliff despite Cliff being large and strong enough to support most of her weight with one paw.

Was there a legitimate disagreement there that she could use to her advantage, or was Duke just insecure about his control of the group? If only they didn’t have a language barrier. Cliff was the only one that hadn’t spoken a word of Equish thus far.

“Do you understand me?” she asked quietly. The soft pad of the Dogs’ paws was the only sound for several moments. Twilight sighed; she should’ve known better. “Just my luck,” she muttered.

“Shush, pony,” Cliff mumbled, his accent even thicker than Duke’s. “Talk later.”

Twilight opened her mouth to reply, but stopped. Her mind whirred with possibilities. Was his second sentence an indication that they would speak further, or just meant to reinforce that she needed to be quiet now? She puzzled over it as they traveled.

The Dogs turned left and right at various intervals, even turning completely around at one point, after some energetic snuffling from the Dogs. Soon Twilight lost all sense of direction. Descending further was the only constant. It was sometimes hard to tell whether the stairs covered one level or two, since no flight seemed to be the same length as any other. Eventually, finally, there was a dim sort of light end of the tunnel.

Duke growled when he saw the light and barked at the faint outlines of Dogs holding spears at the entrance. Those outlines snapped to attention, wincing at his verbal abuse as the group approached. Twilight glanced around, getting to see her captors for the first time in the faint light. Duke was an iron gray Dog, about the size of a big stallion but thicker in the chest and arms. His lean face looked mean and one of his ears was ragged and scarred. The two unidentified voices were a small pair of Dogs that looked enough alike to be twins, or at least sisters, with sandy-colored fur. They were watching her at the same time, their expressions curiously intent. Twilight couldn’t get a good look at Cliff without twisting around in a way which he might mistake for an escape attempt. She could at least glance down to see that his fur was reddish-brown, and his back paws were gigantic.

Duke finished his diatribe and the Guard Dogs leapt to work, tacking a large pair of heavy curtains over the tunnel entry. Duke gave a satisfied sniff, and continued on. The ambient light increased the further they moved down the twisty corridor beyond the guard post. Then they rounded the final bend and Twilight got her first look at the Dog village.

Her first impression was of extreme minimalism, with little more than a few benches, a podium of some kind, and a public fountain fed by an underground stream. Then she noticed the doors and windows built into the walls of the cavern. What she was looking at was the communal area, while homes and businesses were tucked out of sight. Though the face of each home was bare stone, they differentiated themselves with the size and shape of their windows and the material of their doors, everything from stone slabs to rough curtains to polished hardwood. The ambient light came from a thick growth of some kind which coated the ceiling far overhead. Twilight itched to examine a sample under a microscope – she couldn’t even tell whether she was looking at a moss, a fungus, or perhaps some kind of lichen. It shed a soft light, but after nearly an hour in pure darkness it was almost too bright to look at.

There were only two or three Dogs in the village commons, but the group’s arrival sent up a cry from one of them, and a pack of newcomers rushed out of the surrounding bolt holes to greet them. Duke barked again and again in a commanding tone, but it didn’t do much to stem the tide. Old and young, tall and small, Dogs of every shape and size came to peer and poke at Twilight.

Barks, growls and other sounds that Twilight couldn’t understand flew back and forth past her. There were several dozen Dogs, and the noise they made was something to behold. So was the smell. It wasn’t that they stank; in fact, the whole village had a clean, faintly dusty scent to it. The pressed mass of Dogs, though, had a certain musk to them that was a bit overwhelming.

Then, past the natural smell of the Dogs, a different reek reached her nose. An unpleasant smell that brought back memories of rare but urgent surgeries from her time in the hospital. She scanned the crowd, hoping that she was mistaken, but she spotted one individual distant from other Dogs and zeroed in on him. He was favoring his left leg with small winces of pain, and other Dogs avoided him with scrunched noses and expressions of disgust. The crusty bandages wrapped around his left leg weren’t even necessary for the diagnosis.

“Cliff,” she said quietly, taking the risk of turning part-way around. The paw on her neck tightened, but only slightly. “Set me down, please.”

Cliff had a huge face with a thick jaw, heavy jowls, and low brow. His small eyes glittered as they stared at her, and his face turned into a deep scowl.

“Please,” Twilight repeated. “I’m a doctor and that Dog needs my help.”

“Doctor?” Cliff said, his low brow raising a tiny amount. “Can heal?”

“Yes,” Twilight replied. “He has a necrotizing fasciitis infection, and if I can smell it from here then the disease is very advanced. I need to act quickly, or he’ll lose the leg, and then his life.”

Cliff stared at her again, longer this time. He glanced aside, taking in Duke and the small group of older Dogs that he appeared to be arguing with. Cliff’s ears flattened back, and he closed his eyes. “Fine,” he said, releasing his hold on Twilight’s neck and setting her down.

Several Dogs barked in alarm at that action, and few scurried back. Twilight didn’t care, she needed to examine the wound to be sure, then prepare for surgical debridement and drainage. The conditions were appalling compared to the well-stocked, thoroughly-sterilized operating rooms she had once worked in. Even Tranquility’s small but well-appointed infirmary would have been infinitely preferable. The only positive was that she doubted the Dogs had experienced much in the way of modern magical medicine, so the pathogens should be susceptible to her antibiotic spells.

The horn lit with power and she drew the patient towards her encased her gentle but inescapable aura. He yelped in fear, and the noise from the other Dogs redoubled. “Don’t worry,” she said, giving him her best reassuring smile. “I’m a doctor, and I just want to help you.” Hopefully, he understood Equish, or at least her tone. “I’ll need to examine your leg wound, is that okay?”

There was a half-second’s pause from the Dog, but after a glance to Cliff, he gave a quick nod.

“What are you doing?!” Duke demanded, drawing a small, wicked-looking pick out of his pack. Several other rough looking Dogs copied his action, but they didn’t look quite so sure of themselves.

“I’m saving this Dog’s life,” she replied, barely even sparing Duke a glance. A feeling of calmness spread through her. She had been through Tartarus these past two months, but now she was back in her element. She was the doctor, and there was someone who needed her help. “I’m going to need a place to work. Get three of the largest pots you have and boil water.” The groundwater was probably pure this far down, but there was no sense taking chances. “Then clean a room with a low table using cloths boiled in the water, and pay special attention to the table. I’ll examine the patient in the meantime.”

Some of the younger Dogs looked hesitant at that, but Duke growled and advanced on her. He slowed as a looming shadow fell over her. She glanced up and back at Cliff. He gave a rumbling growl and laid a paw on her shoulders, which was worryingly close to her neck again, but she tried not to think about that. He spoke low and unhurried, but there was resolute tone to his words.

Duke barked several words back and advanced another step. Cliff took another step forward, removing his paw from her shoulder and baring his teeth in silent threat. A quiet growl came from the group of older Dogs that had been arguing with Duke. He turned and snarled at their involvement, but he sounded less sure of himself than he had before.

One of the Dogs, a small wizened female, snorted disdainfully. She stepped forward and addressed the watching crowd. A shiver of excitement ran through them at her words, and even without knowing the language, Twilight could feel the opinion turning away from Duke. Duke snapped out a sullen growl and made a consenting gesture. He put his pick away and moved to leave, but not before aiming a venomous glare at Twilight and Cliff.

The Dog elder barked a few soft commands and the crowd dispersed, but Twilight was pleased to see some of them setting about the tasks that Twilight had ordered.

Twilight breathed a silent sigh of relief, and refocused on her patient. He whined as she pulled off part of his bandages. She stopped, but he shook his head and made a ‘go on’ gesture, gritting his teeth against the pain. She briefly debated whether to use a local anesthetic or simply anesthetize him. A light paw landed on her shoulder, surprising her. She turned to find the old Dog there.

“I realize that you are probably keen to help Tin, but it will be a few minutes before the room you requested is ready. I would use that time to speak with you,” the wizened Dog said in perfect Equish, a shrewd expression on her face. The fur was long, well groomed, and a silver-white color that could have been either natural or due to age.

Twilight glanced at Tin’s still partially wrapped leg, but gently set him down for now, careful to keep weight off of his injured leg. Further examination could wait; a few minutes wouldn’t change whether or not she could save his leg, even if every second felt precious in a case this serious. “Certainly,” she replied. “Should I assume this has to do with the scene that occurred just now?”

The old Dog chuckled. “One good thing about ponies; they never fail to notice the obvious.”

Twilight’s ears flattened slightly at that, but she schooled herself in a more professional demeanor. “And what would that mean, Ma’am?”

“Call me Elder Lass,” Elder Lass replied. “It means that we have much to discuss about you, your medicals skills, this village, and your friends still combing our mines.”

Twilight frowned. “Why?”

“Because plain rock can hide bright gems,” Elder Lass said, then noticed Twilight’s confused expression and sighed. “Because things are never as simple as they appear.”

“Then would you mind explaining them to me?” Twilight said. Or do you prefer to just be cryptic, she thought sourly. Not she would have vocalized it, even if Cliff hadn’t still been looming nearby.

Elder Lass nodded. “This is Underhill, as the nearby ponies call it, the oldest Diamond Dog community on this world. For generations Dogs have lived, mined, and died in these tunnels. Until the seams of jewels and ores finally began to play out. We smelled the warning signs, the diminishing returns year after year, the way we had to dig deeper and deeper to find new gems, but we ignored them. As the mines played out, many Dogs left, including our doctor. The few who remain are the stubborn, the dedicated, or those without the means to leave.”

Twilight frowned in thought; things were starting to fit together. The sudden raid from the previously peaceful Dogs was because they were getting desperate. “And Duke decided that stealing from that town was the best solution.”

Elder Lass nodded. “Duke has been our Alpha since–” she stopped, glancing at Cliff. “Well, he has recently become the Alpha, and he has very strong ideas about how to save the village. We have tried counsel him against aggression, but he is … difficult to convince.”

Twilight wondered about her hesitation and side-long glance. What else was there to this story? How did Duke become Alpha, and how was Cliff connected to it? She opened her mouth to ask, but a glare from Elder Lass said that she had guessed what was on Twilight’s mind. A small shake of her head convinced Twilight not to pry further. For now at least.

“I know I have no right to ask this of you, but please do not attempt to escape. Not only are the mines dangerous to those unused to them, but you are the Alpha’s prisoner by our laws. If you run, he would be within his rights to hunt you down. After being forced to back down earlier, I fear he would show you no mercy when he and his guards found you.”

“And my friends?”

Elder Lass hesitated. “He also wishes to capture them or drive them off. I and some of the other Elders hope to dissuade him. Capturing and robbing ponies will only invite retaliation. We raise some mushrooms in the darkness and catch some fish in the underground waters, but without trade we will starve. The mines that defend us from direct assault would become our tomb. We will convince him to release you and ask that you convince your friends to turn back. I can only ask for your patience until then.”

Captain Dash wouldn’t leave without the gem one way or another, Twilight was certain of that. But maybe by doing as Elder Lass asked, she could bargain a price for the jewel and this could all be resolved peacefully. Besides, she had no intention of leaving at least until Tin’s infection could be treated. And she should examine the rest of the village too, while she had the chance. They had been without medical care for so long, who knew what could be plaguing them?

“I’ll wait for you to convince Duke,” Twilight said. “Until then, please have another room prepared, and find anyone with complaints or symptoms. I’d like to put my time here to good use.”

Elder Lass nodded. “Thank you. I imagine you’ll have a fair crowd. We have been without a doctor for quite some time, and folk remedies can only do so much. I’ll start the preparations on another room. Cliff will accompany you, and within reason, see to all your requests.”

Twilight couldn’t help but wonder if he was also there to keep an eye on her, despite her promise to stay. She couldn’t complain too much. She still had questions, and from his earlier promise to ‘talk later’ she hoped he would be willing to share.

But before that, she had a patient in need of her undivided attention. She took a deep, calming breath and turned to Tin again. “Is it okay if I pick you up and continue examining your wound? I don’t want you to put any weight on your leg while I look at it.” He winced, but nodded assent.

This time he didn’t fight her aura as it lifted him, and didn’t make a sound of distress. Still, he looked nervous and whined in mild pain as she began removing the crusty bandages again. She gave him a reassuring smile and spoke in a soothing tone. “It’s okay. You’re going to be all right.” I just hope the same is true of me.

………

Fluttershy hummed to herself, matching the soft whirr of the engine behind her. She was watching the world through Mr. Hooty’s eyes at the moment, though sometimes the little crystal screen went fuzzy or didn’t want to work like it should, but that was okay. She’d coax it back to doing its job.

That was one of the nice things about machines. They always did their jobs as best they could. Sometimes they couldn’t do them so well, sometime they needed a little bit of help, but they always tried their hardest, never shirking or slacking.

Sometimes she liked to pretend that was why she liked machines better than ponies. It was better than the truth.

Fluttershy pressed a series of buttons on her control panel and Mr. Hooty pretended to preen himself, just like a real owl. She couldn’t help but get excited at Dash’s promise. She always spent her pay on parts and tools, but an extra forty bits would help with some of the things she had been saving for. A new charge crystal for the ‘bots would be amazing.

But to earn that, she needed to be attentive. Nopony would slip by while Fluttershy was on duty!

To her credit, she noticed the moment Cardinal Song opened the back window and made a run for it. There just wasn’t much she could do about it. Cardinal was flying for everything he was worth, making a dash for the forest behind his house. His small pack might have been weighing him down, but he was still across the lawn and gone into the trees by the time Fluttershy could react.

She frantically pressed a few more buttons, getting Mr. Hooty powered up for flight mode. She had powered him down so that his charge would last longer, but now Cardinal Song was out of sight before she even made a chance to follow him.

Her breathing sped up, and her vision narrowed to a tunnel-like focus. She felt a panic attack coming on, and for a moment it seemed like the perfect time to panic. Instead, she slowed her breathing, fighting the feelings that threatened to overwhelm her.

“Soarin, get to the engine room and hurry!” she called into the comm.

Okay, so maybe she was still a little panicked.

Soarin burst into the engine room, quick as you’d like. “What’s wrong?” He was worried about her, she could see it in his face. She fought down the last bits of panic, and forced herself to give a reassuring smile. She had to be a brave girl for now.

“Cardinal Song bolted. I didn’t expect it, and didn’t have Mr. Hooty powered up, so I couldn’t chase him right away.” A small ‘ding’ came from the control panel, and Fluttershy flopped back into her seat, pressing a button that set Mr. Hooty’s wings to flapping. She steered him with a small control stick, glancing back at Soarin. “What do we do?”

Soarin stared at the screen, and his expression said that he wanted to curse, but couldn’t find a word strong enough. Instead, he groaned. “Of course he did. Because another thing going wrong on this job is exactly what we needed.” He paused, considering something. “We need to search the forest. I’m no good in the field, and neither are you. And if Rarity has explored any piece of greenery that ain’t landscaped, I’ll eat my shirt. I just wish we could contact the Captain. Skulking around dark woods and searching for fugitives are right up her and Gilda’s alley.”

Fluttershy blinked. “And Applejack?”

Soarin smiled. “My wife is great at everything, except for her taste in comics and movies. Shoot. I guess we just patrol the woods with Mr. Hooty for now. Maybe Cardinal Song hasn’t realized that’s how we were watching him.”

Fluttershy shook her head just the tiniest bit. “It won’t work. There’s too much forest and only one Mr. Hooty.”

“Ugh,” Soarin groaned, covering his face with one hoof. “Great, it’s like the worst game of hide-and-seek ever.”

“Did somepony say hide-and-seek?!” a voice from the comm exclaimed.

Fluttershy squeaked and flinched at the sudden cry, accidentally jerking the control stick and sending Mr. Hooty into a plummeting dive. The wildly spinning view on the screen grabbed her attention back, and she had to yank hard on the stick to save him from a crash in the treetops. “Pinkie?” she asked, raising her voice and glancing nervously at the ceiling.

Smiling too big, laughing at nothing, her eyes glazed over and pink hair bouncing wildly–

She shuddered once, then steeled herself. Mr. Hooty needed her to keep a steady hoof on the controls.

“I wasn’t spying!” Pinkie said over the comm. “It technically isn’t spying if you’re just listening!”

“Why were you listening?” Soarin asked, eyeing the comm.

“Because her humming is pretty; it soothes the savage breast. Although, I honestly can’t imagine one of those being savage, but that’s how the saying goes.” Fluttershy almost asked ‘what saying?’ but she stopped herself. “So anyway, about that hide-and-seek game…”

“What?” Soarin said. “No, I was being facetious.”

“Gesundheit,” Pinkie replied.

“We’re not playing a game,” Fluttershy said. “We’re just looking for someone who doesn’t want to be found, which, I guess is kind of like hide-and-seek, but not really?”

There was silence on the other end of the comm.

“Pinkie?” Soarin said, and Fluttershy had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

In some distant corner of the ship, a metal hatch clanged open with sudden and terrible force. The sound of laughter rose to a crescendo then fell, fading with distance.

“Oh, sweet Harmony,” Soarin murmured his eyes wide. “She’s loose upon the world. I’m going to find Zecora and see if we can track Pinkie down. You and Rarity seal the ship and use Mr. Hooty to help us.” He sighed. “I just hope our spelunking friends are having better luck than we are.” He ducked out, already yelling for Zecora.

Fluttershy turned back to her screen, adjusting Mr. Hooty’s flight pattern. Her expression was intent as she searched the forest through the eyes of her owl.

It was better than thinking about how she’d screwed up again.

Chapter Five: The Virtue of Patients

Editor: Silentcarto
Proofreader: Coandco
Story Image by: Silentcarto

The smell in the impromptu surgical theater was worse than ever, but Twilight took a deep breath of satisfaction. Tin’s wound was debrided to the best of her ability in the current circumstances. A quick check with her heart-monitoring spell informed her that his rate, rhythm, and pressure were all within normal limits.

She picked up the small biohazard bag that contained the various … contaminants left over from the surgery, sealed it, and passed it to ‘Old’ Yellow, the blonde-coated Dog assisting her. “Please, dispose of this whenever the village gets rid of organic waste.” She paused. “Hopefully, somewhere far from water supplies.”

Yellow chuckled, though his nose wrinkled in disgust as the bag neared him. “That would be the mushroom fields, Doctor. That’s where anything organic goes, and this wouldn’t be the first, ahem, personal contribution. Waste not, want not, after all.”

Twilight felt her stomach turn, but forced a smile anyway. “Thank you,” she said. Yellow nodded and left quickly, probably looking to dispose of the bag and its smell as quickly as he could. “I may be sick,” Twilight muttered to herself.

“No topsoil down here,” Cliff rumbled, making Twilight jump in surprise. He had been so quiet that she’d forgotten he was even there. “And where else to put it?” He rose from his seated position to stand over her once again.

Twilight swallowed and reminded herself that he probably didn’t mean to loom and scowl like that. After all, he seemed to be on her side. Still, it was hard to forget the feeling of his massive paw around her neck and how easily he could have killed her.

“You done?” Cliff asked, eying Tin’s sleeping form.

“Not quite,” Twilight replied. “I still need to cast my antibiotic spells; otherwise we risk recurrent or even systemic infection. A good dose of VANC and ZOSyN should alleviate those concerns.”

Cliff paused for moment and stared at her. “Are those real words?”

Twilight chuckled awkwardly even as she began preparing the first spell in her mind. “They’re acronyms. You tend to see that a lot in the medical community. VANC stands for Valiant Aid’s Nanoorganism Cleanser and ZOSyN stands for Zealous Order’s Synergistic Nostrum. I don’t have a lab to culture and examine the causative agents, but those two in combination will cover any non-magical pathogen.” Unless she was dealing with some truly foreign bacteria, but that was a fairly small risk.

Cliff sat back down, his expression nonplussed. “Should have studied Pony harder.” He let out a heavy sigh that Twilight would almost swear ruffled her mane from across the room. “Get on with spells, please. Special patient next.”

Twilight nodded to shown that she had heard and threw herself into the proper formulae and spellwork. Still, a part of her couldn’t help but wonder at Cliff’s last statement. The spells commanded her attention for now though, and she put a hold on her pondering. Power gathered at her horn, directed by a mind honed from countless hours of study and practice. A concentration of energy built and built, ready to wash through the patient’s body, purging it of foreign organisms.

Slowly Twilight lowered her head until her horn just barely touched the clean skin above wound. With a breath she released the VANC and Tin’s body pulsed with the purple light of her aura. She slowed her own heart rate, then checked on the spells monitoring Tin. His vitals were steady, and no adverse reaction was making itself known. Always a positive. She began to prepare the ZOSyN, keeping a careful eye on Tin’s vitals. After ten minutes and another substantial outpouring of magic, Twilight was done.

“You mentioned a special patient?” Twilight asked, carefully washing her horn and fore-hooves in one of the basins the Dogs had provided. She dismissed the visual portion of her monitoring spells, but left the emergency measures that would alert her if Tin’s vitals strayed outside of a healthy norm.

Cliff nodded. “Not here. Follow me.” He rose and padded out of the room, barely sparing her a backward glance. Twilight frowned, but grabbed her kit and followed him.

A small group of Dog pups were playing some kind of game involving several lines drawn on the ground and a multitude of pebbles. They quickly abandoned the game to peer curiously as Twilight left the building. She gave them a small wave, and they began to talk amongst themselves in hushed barks and growls. A few of the bolder ones met her eyes instead of avoiding them. One especially brave little girl grinned and spoke in thickly accented Equestrian. “Hi pretty pony!”

Twilight was about to reply when Cliff barked at the pups. They scattered with barks of their own, some of which sounded suspiciously like laughter. Cliff growled, but his ever present scowl relaxed in something that was almost a smile as he watched them. “Nice to hear. Happy pups are worth more than diamond pickaxe.”

“Are any of them yours?” Twilight asked.

Cliff’s scowl returned, and his eyes were … sad for a moment. “No. Follow.” His tone didn’t brook any argument, and Twilight didn’t hesitate to follow. Cliff led her to the far side of the cavern, down a narrow tunnel Twilight hadn’t noticed before.

More of the glowing substance lined the ceiling, and the walls were filled with more home fronts. Cliff was large enough to nearly scrape the sides, but he navigated the passage with what seemed like long practice. Twilight couldn’t help but notice that many of the doors looked old and uncared for. In a few places they even hung open, revealing bare, unlit rooms beyond. She shut those with a flick of magic. Partially out of respect for those gone, but mostly because she didn’t want a path to darkness hanging open behind her. She’d had quite of enough of lightless rooms after their trip here.

They eventually arrived a richly carved hardwood door, larger and better kept than most of its neighbors. Cliff knocked surprisingly gently, then sat back on his haunches to wait. It wasn’t long before a weary-looking female Dog came to answer it. She wore a loose apron that covered most of her white fur. She was also covered with black patches, and Twilight initially started running through a mental list of diseases that could cause such discolorations. On a closer look, though, she realized the spots were just a unique coloration of the Dog’s coat, and that other than possible mild sleep deprivation she appeared to be in good health. The Dog’s smile upon seeing Cliff was kindly, but tired.

Cliff said something to her in Canine then gestured to Twilight. The new Dog barked in surprise
and looked up to Cliff, hope in her eyes. He nodded, then turned to Twilight. “This is Peridota, my brother’s wife. Brother is inside.”

Twilight nodded once and followed Peridota down the dim hallway. Light inside the home was provided by luminescent mushrooms growing from small metal fittings that reminded her of candle holders. She moved deeper and deeper into the warren, passing small rooms which branched from the central hallway. Eventually, the smell of stale sweat and sharp spices overpowered the natural musk of the Dogs. Peridota moved a thin curtain aside and gestured for Twilight to enter.

“He is in here, doctor,” Peridota said in halting Equestrian. She looked sadly at her husband, then turned back to Twilight. “Can I get you anything? Mushrooms? Tea?”

Twilight hid her shiver of revulsion at the mention of the mushrooms. Peridota was only trying to be nice. “Tea, please,” she replied. Peridota excused herself, and Twilight inspected the sickroom. There were was a low table with chairs in the corner, a shallow closet and a dresser, but the focal point of the room was a modest bed,on which a twitching, muttering Dog lay. His angular features were made all the sharper by the gauntness of his face. One ear and a patch around one eye were colored brown, but like his wife, that appeared to be just part of his coat. Sweat beaded at his brow, matting his fur. His eyes stared wildly, focusing on nothing, constantly darting without any sign of comprehension. The covers of the bed had been tossed aside at some point and lay on the floor. Cliff sighed, and picked them up. He gently laid the sheet on the sickly Dog, who struggled weakly to kick them off.

“This is my brother and our former Alpha, Fishbone,” Cliff said. Twilight found his name less than impressive, but tried not to show it on her face. Either she was successful or Cliff didn’t care, because he continued on. “Three weeks ago he dug deeper than any dog, looking for new jewel seam. He is our best miner with the sharpest nose. They found him on lowest levels a week ago, shaking and not talking sense. Duke became Alpha and Fishbone got weaker and weaker.” Cliff gestured to a mug that Twilight belatedly realized was the source of the spicy smell. “No herb or shroom helped. I wanted to take him to pony hospital, but don’t have enough money. Then Duke ordered us to raid pony town, and now even if we had money, we couldn’t go.”

He placed both massive hands on her shoulders and locked eye with Twilight. “I will do anything you ask if you can cure my brother. Help you and your friends escape, give you any jewel we have, be your slave for life. Anything. Please, just help him.”

Twilight saw the solution to all their problems there. If she could cure Cliff’s brother he would be able to help her fix all of this. The missing gem could be bartered for, and she could be released. The Dog elders clearly didn’t get along with Duke. Restoring their former Alpha to good health would no doubt earn their goodwill and guarantee that she could walk out of here a free pony, and with the captain's prize to boot. She opened her mouth to accept Cliff’s offer, but stopped before a word could pass her lips.

For all his frightening manner and hulking form, Cliff’s eyes were no different from those of many Twilight had already seen. Her mind flashed to the family members of former patients. Those ponies who wondered, worried, and hoped against hope that their loved one could be cured. Twilight brushed aside any thought of personal gain and felt herself give Cliff a gentle smile.

“I can’t promise anything until I’ve had a look at him, but even if I can help, you don’t need to promise me anything,” Cliff stared at her, his face radiating confusion. Twilight felt herself smile all the brighter in response. “I would never hold someone’s health hostage in return for something I wanted. It’s my duty and my calling to help anyone in need. That is what it means to be a doctor. You can pay me back however you feel is appropriate after the fact, but for now, all I need is some time to examine the patient.”

Cliff lifted his hands from her shoulders and scratched his chin. “I don’t get it,” he concluded.

Twilight nodded, unsurprised by his reaction. “My mentor used to tell me that it takes a special kind of pony to be a true doctor. The patient always comes first, and anything beyond that is for someone else to handle.”

She began to prepare some of the standard monitoring spells and turned her focus on her patient. Delirium and fever were vague symptoms that didn’t tell her much. She set her spells to working and turned to Cliff while waiting for their results. “So, if your brother was the Alpha before his illness, shouldn’t you have become the new Alpha?”

Cliff shook his massive head. “Not how things work for Dogs. Alpha must be a strong, clever, capable Dog.” He scowled more deeply than usual and sighed. “I am strong, but that’s all. My nose is weak and my… skill… is weaker.”

Twilight cocked her head at him and arched an eyebrow. Cliff flushed, or so Twilight thought, but said nothing. “Skill?” she pressed, awaiting an explanation.

“Doesn’t translate well. Closest words are ‘Stone Move’. It’s how Dogs dig through bedrock. We need picks for really stubborn spots, but mostly we just move earth and stone with paws.” He stared at his massive paws, then clenched them tightly. “Was never right size to be good digger. Poor skill just sealed it.”

“So it’s a form of Diamond Dog magic?” Twilight asked, studying the results of her spells. Breathing rate was low and blood pressure was high, but neither were at dangerous levels. There weren’t any visible signs of infection – no inflammation or redness. Some swelling in the lower hind-legs; mild edema, by the look of it. She picked Fishbone up in her aura, watching his reaction, as she searched for any tender spots or signs of injury.

“Not really. Not like what ponies call magic.”

Twilight frowned, but chose not to pursue that conversational tangent. Besides, she had her hooves full with Fishbone. Metaphorically, at least. He weakly fought her aura, but otherwise didn’t react. Not until she poked him in the lower left of his back. He suddenly writhed and said something in Canine that sounded like a curse. Cliff stepped forward, his eyes worried, but as Fishbone subsided, he sat back down. Hiding a wince, Twilight turned to him. “I’m going to try another spot that may produce a similar reaction, please don’t be alarmed.”

Cliff didn’t look enthused about the idea, but he hesitantly nodded. Twilight carefully put pressure on Fishbone’s lower right back. He cursed again and fought her aura harder. Twilight set him back down. “Please call Peridota back into the room,” she asked Cliff. “I have some questions for her.” Cliff nodded and left, while Twilight withdrew a small syringe from her kit and carefully took a blood sample. She set an examining spell to work on it as Peridota entered the room, two mugs of steaming drinks in her paws.

“Cliff said you had questions,” she said, setting one of the drinks down, and nervously cradling the other one to herself.

Twilight nodded. “This might sound like an embarrassing question, but it is very important. How much urine has Fishbone produced since he was found and what color was it?”

Peridota looked at her with a puzzled expression, but answered. “When he first came back it was normal, but now he makes much less and it’s dark.”

“I thought so. Was there ever blood in it?” Twilight asked, taking a quick sip of her tea. It had a strong, earthy flavor that she found strange but tasty.

Peridota shook her head.

“Hmm.” That made crush damage unlikely, at least. “I don’t know the cause of this yet, but your husband is suffering from some serious kidney damage. Cliff said that his symptoms have gotten worse over time, is that correct?”

“Yes. We tried many cures, but he is just slipping away,” she said, her ears drooping back. She settled herself, taking a deep draught from her mug, but Twilight could see the toll Fishbone’s condition had taken on Peridota.

“Then it’s progressing. I will do what I can to help him, but given the slow worsening of symptoms I don’t think the damage will be reversible.” Twilight felt her mouth go dry as the implication began to sink in. “I’ll need to run more tests and examine him further, but our only option may be a kidney transplant.” No proper surgical theater, limited tools, limited drugs, no professional assistance. She’d check every other avenue first, but if it came down to it, she was certified for transplant operations. Not that the approval of the Confederation Medical Association would mean much out here, but she knew the proper surgical techniques and had learned the spell to temporarily prevent organ rejection.

“What?” Peridota looked more confused than alarmed, but then probably didn’t know Equestrian well enough to understand what Twilight had just said.

Twilight shook her head. “I need to do more tests and see if I can figure out the cause. It’s very possible that this could have a simple solution once I understand what’s at work.” Possible, but not very likely. She paused then met Peridota’s eyes, her expression serious, but as calm and kind as she make it. “But just in case, it would be helpful if you would gather anyone related to Fishbone. I may need their … blood to help him.” Explaining modern magical medicine to someone in their second language would not an easy task, but Twilight hoped that she would be able convince any volunteer Dogs that she had only pure intentions.

Peridota nodded and left in a hurry, her tea forgotten. Twilight blinked as she heard the door open and shut in quick succession. That was one Dog who apparently had no qualms about her proposed methods. Twilight turned back to her patient, crafting some test spells to examine his blood in greater detail. All the while planning for a surgery that she dreaded would be necessary.

………

Snoop listened carefully from around the dark corner. The ponies and their cat-bird were arguing about something. She put a paw on Snow’s shoulder and gave a quick squeeze and pulling gesture. Snow patted her paw, and in the faint light from the ponies’ distant lantern, she could see her sister grin.

Trailing the ponies was tough, that hat-pony had ears like a Dog no doubt. They were careful to stay out of the light and move quietly, but even the smallest sound made hat-pony’s eyes dart around, looking for the source. It was a good thing she didn’t have the nose of a Dog, or they’d be in real trouble. With the ponies shouting like elders in a town meeting, they could move in a little closer. Snow sniffed delicately then gave a small giggle. Snoop grinned; she could smell the frustration coming off the ponies too.

They’d walked for hours and hours, looking for their friend and the Dogs. Silly ponies, these were some of the oldest mines on the planet. Diamond Dogs had been digging out shafts and carving tunnels for generations. They could wander forever without finding the village.

Not that the Dogs could get much work done with ponies all in the mines. That was why Alpha Duke assigned them the big important job of watching the ponies. The ponies avoided the chute traps after that doctor pony got taken, but it didn’t matter. Time and the mines were on their side. The ponies would have to leave or else rest at some point. That was when Duke would lead a team to catch them.

We should be on that team, Snoop thought sourly, pouting in the darkness. They weren’t pups anymore. They’d already helped capture the doctor pony, and wedge the chute hatch shut. What else did they have to do before older Dogs started to treat them like real adults?

Snow grabbed her, stopping her from accidentally kicking a small stone on the mine floor. Snoop breathed out a sigh of relief and patted her sister on the shoulder. It wasn’t easy being sneaky, but they had each other’s back. But now they were close enough to hear every word. Total success!

“You’re leadin’ us in circles, Captain!” hat-pony shouted. Snoop heard her set down the lantern with a weighty ‘thunk’.

“Oh, and you think you can do better?” bird-pony shot back.

“Seriously? You two are really doing this?” the cat-bird said. She sounded fed up with her friends. Snoop wished she could peer out from the around the corner, but cat-bird and the bird-pony captain had some impressive guns. Best to keep some distance for now.

“I know I could do better! We’ve already been down this hallway, and even if we hadn’t, this place is darn near endless. So what if you flew through some mines back when you were some ‘teen rebel’? That doesn’t make you some expert, and we’re riskin’ a lot more than mom’s disapproval here!”

“Don’t you bring my mother into this!”

“Oh, sorry,” the hat pony said, but from her tone Snoop suspected that she wasn’t really sorry. “Fine, let’s leave the past out of it. You got no idea where we’re goin’ now. I don’t wanna get taken like Star. We either need more ponies or a better plan.”

A slow stamping sound came from around the corner. “Brilliant, Applejack. More ponies. Why didn’t I think of that? But where do we get them? Most of the crew won’t be any use, and if we bring them anyway, who guards the ship and watches Cardinal?”

Snoop glanced at Snow wondering why the ponies would want to watch a bird. Snow just shrugged; she didn’t get it either. Crazy ponies.

“Fine. You can drag Gilda along with you, but I’m heading back,” hat-pony declared with a fierce snort.

“Do you two really think this nonsense will-”

“Shut up, Gilda!” bird-pony yelled.

“You heard the high ‘n mighty Captain, Gilda. Best do what she says or she’ll get angry and stomp around like a foal until she gets her way.”

“Ha ha,” the bird-pony, but it didn’t sound like she was really laughing. Crazy ponies. “Whatever, go if you want, but we’re keeping the lantern.”

“No way! It’s my lantern.”

The gun cock echoed in the tunnels and everything went deadly silent. Snoop and Snow held their breaths, straining their ears to the limits.

“I wasn’t asking,” bird-pony said coldly.

“Captain, you can’t be serious. That’s my only source of light. Gilda, you wouldn’t leave me in the dark… would you?”

The cat-bird gave an exasperated sigh. “Don’t look at me. I’m not involved in this stupidity.”

“Step away from the lantern, Applejack,” bird-pony demanded, and Snoop could imagine the steely glint in her eyes as she leveled her pistol brace. So cool. Still a crazy pony, but so cool.

“Then I’ll find my way out of here, light or no light. Have fun with the Diamond Dogs and try not to die, you idiots.”

“Follow your own advice if you can. See you later, AJ.” The lantern’s handle squeaked softly as it was picked up. The faint light retreated down the tunnel. Hat-pony started cursing under her breath, and Snoop gleefully committed those words to memory for later use. The hat-pony turned and began trudging back the way she came, only to bump into a wall and curse again.

Snoop felt Snow tense with anticipation; the same thought was shooting through both of their minds. This was the perfect opportunity. The hat-pony was practically helpless in the dark. They could capture her by themselves.

Snow put a paw on her shoulder and squeezed twice, pulling a pick out of her pack. Snoop bit her lip worriedly for a second, but she pushed it away. Earth ponies might be stronger than a Dog, but that wouldn’t do her much good down in the deepness. It was two-on-one and the pony would have no idea where her attackers were. Snow squeezed her shoulder again. Snoop nodded, then patted her sister’s paw, signaling her agreement.

As a team they were invincible; there was nothing they couldn’t do together. This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to prove themselves to the entire village. They couldn’t tuck their tails and run back to Alpha Duke. They needed to show everyone what kind of Dogs they were!

Still, it only made sense to be cautious. Together, Snoop and Snow padding silently after the hat-pony. Their picks were ready, and they had plenty of rope in their packs. The hat-pony continued on, sometimes bumping into walls, sometimes feeling her way along. She was heading in the right direction, which impressed the sisters, but wouldn’t do her any good once they caught up. Slowly, slowly, they gained ground on her without alerting her to their presence.

Then, in a long tunnel with no branching points, she suddenly stopped. Snoop grabbed Snow’s shoulder, holding her back. Something was wrong. She sniffed the air and realized that she wasn’t smelling any fear from the pony. Frustration, yes. Anger, a little. But no fear.

Hat-pony turned around. Snoop knew she couldn’t see them, but that that didn’t stop a chill from running up her spine. “Gotta say. Y’all have given us a pretty good runaround, but the games stop here.”

Snow let out a low growl that echoed in the tunnel, bouncing around the hard walls. The pony chuckled and Snoop brief wondered how she could hope to pinpoint from just that sound. Instead, the pony made rustling sounds, like she was digging around in her vest. Snoop didn’t know what she was doing, but her every instinct told her to run or take down that pony right now.

Snow surged forward, a slight scuff on the ground was the only sound betraying her movement. Snoop couldn’t abandon her sister. She rushed forward in concert. Snow moved right and Snoop moved left, ready to hit their target from two sides at the same time.

Hat-pony brought out something that smelled cold and metallic and sounded small. “Sorry about the noise,” she said, letting the object drop to the floor as she clamped both hooves over her ears.

A tiny sun went off in front of her with a thunderclap that shook Snoop down to her very bones. Light stabbed into Snoop’s eyes, while pure sound smashed into her skull. The pick fell from her paw and she didn’t even feel it happen. Her world was nothing but light, pain, and disorientation. She couldn’t tell up from down anymore. She dropped to the floor, but the world still spun around her at stomach-churning speeds.

Something hard touched her. She tried to struggle, but it was too strong. Strong coils of something wrapped around her, strapping her arms to her body and locking her legs together. The pain in her eyes and ears fading and her hearing returned. She heard Snow yipping and the hat-pony cursing again. Her sister’s voice cut off suddenly.

“That’ll stop you from trying to bite me, ya varmint.”

“Don’t hurt my sister!” Snoop barked, a growl rising at the back of her throat. Her words were brave, but there was a sinking feeling in her stomach and slowly growing fear.

Hat-pony snorted. “I didn’t hurt’er. I just slipped a rope over her muzzle for tryin’ to bite me.” A faint light appeared at the end of the tunnel, revealing a pair of dark goggles on the pony’s face. She took them off as her friends and the lantern neared. Snoop could see the grim determination etched into the pony’s expression. “But y’all took my friend and our goods. So, hurting ain’t off the table.”

The pony put a hoof on Snoop’s chest and leaned down until their faces were almost touching. “After my friends get here, we’re gonna have a little heart-to-heart, and you’re gonna tell me where your village is. Like I said, we’re done with games.”

The pressure on Snoop’s chest increased from uncomfortable to painful, and she couldn’t help letting out a small whine. “And believe me, sugarcube. You don’t wanna be standing in our way when we get serious.”

Chapter Seven: Begin Operation

Editor: Silentcarto
Proofreader: Coandco
Story Image by: Silentcarto

“There’s two Dogs keepin’ guard in the next hallway,” Applejack reported. Once they got close to where the twins had told them the village was, the Captain had turned off the light and Applejack scouted ahead. “A big ol’ tarp or something is blocking the way to their village, but it ain’t secured too good so there’s light leaking all around the edges and you can see the Dogs next to it.”

The Captain processed all that and Applejack could practically see her mind whirring away. “Okay, here’s what I’m thinking. We put one of the twins at the opposite end of that hall with the lantern. She flicks it on. The guards get curious. Gilda pops out from around the corner and takes a couple shots at them. That keeps their attention for good while me and Applejack sneak up from behind and knock them out.”

“Or we could just rush’em,” Applejack said, keeping her face as straight as possible. There were times for the Captain’s plans – the mare had gotten Applejack out of more scrapes than she could count – but there was also time to just kick some teeth in. “They’re only armed with spears and they ain’t even holding ‘em right. It’s only thirty feet from the nearest corner and they ain’t paying much in the way of attention. These Dogs ain’t pros.”

The Captain made that face that meant she wanted to pout but wouldn’t give anypony the satisfaction of seeing it. Applejack just waited, calm and patient as ever.

“Yeah, I know which plan I like more,” Gilda said, as she lazily played with the end of the rope keeping the twin Dogs tied up.

“You would,” the Captain said sourly, but she straightened up. “You saw the scene firsthoof, Applejack, so you know it best. We’ll use your plan.”

They turned off the lantern then moved out, Applejack in the lead. It was blessing in disguise that Twilight had gotten herself kidnapped, because she wasn’t half as used to stealth as the three of them. One of the Dog twins rocked back and forth trying to yell something past her gag, but it only came out as an angry mumble. Applejack had to hoof it to Gilda; that griffin knew all manner of tying and gagging folks. Where she’d learned that kinda stuff, Applejack had no interest in finding out.

The light seeping around the curtain shone like a star in a dark sky. Applejack put up her hoof in a ‘stop’ signal. But between the light and the faint sound of Dogs talking to each other further up the other two surely knew they were there.

“Against the far wall,” Applejack whispered. Both of the others nodded and slowly flared their wings. After an unspoken count of three, they charged.

The Captain’s wings were close enough to silent that she was on the first Dog before he even knew what was happening. Hooves on stone weren’t anywhere close to silent, but the Captain was a fine distraction. Applejack was only ten feet away when the other Dog realized that he was in trouble too.

To give him credit, he did remember enough to tighten his grip on the spear and try poking her with it. Applejack slid sideways in a move he clearly wasn’t expecting. Somepony good with a spear could still have smacked her in the head with the shaft or reversed it and cracked her jaw with the butt-end. This Dog didn’t stand a chance.

Applejack bowled into the Dog, her charge slamming him against the rock wall of the tunnel and knocking the breath out of him. Her fore-hooves leapt up and pinned his paws to the wall while he was still stunned. He had already dropped the spear, but her move kept him from getting a grip on her. Unlike ponies, a Dog’s hind legs weren’t worth much in a fight and she wasn’t worried about those. The only weapon he had left was his bite. She was in a prime location to headbutt him if he went trying something that foolish. She might bleed a little, but her head was more than hard enough to break his teeth in the process.

Only he was taking in a breath in a way that said he wasn’t gonna bite her.

More like he was gonna yell.

A thick wad of rags went into his mouth and a tight piece of rope circled the Dog’s head before he could spit them out. Applejack eased off the Dog and before she could say ‘hog-tied’ Gilda had him all trussed up.

Applejack looked to the other Dog, but found him tied up the same way. The Captain was wiping her hoof on his vest. “Bleh, remind me not to shove my hoof in anyone’s mouth again. I’d rather have him call for backup.”

“Been taking some hoofcare pointers from Rarity, Captain?” Applejack asked. She made sure to wipe the smile off her face before she said it.

Instead the Captain struck a pose. “You know me, Applejack. I’m the belle of the battlefield.”

Gilda laughed outright at that, and Applejack couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Okay, so the Dog Village is just past this tarp, right?”

Applejack frowned. “As near as I can figure.”

The Captain grinned. “I have another plan.”

………

Twilight studied the results of her latest spell and frowned.

It was definitely Fishbone’s kidneys that were failing, but for the life of her she couldn’t pin down the exact problem. She had triple checked for crush damage to his internal organs and found nothing. Conversations with both Peridota and Cliff established that he had not taken any new drug, magic, or herbal products before setting out on his trip. She couldn’t find any evidence of other organ failure, hypotension, or allergic reaction.

Blood test spells didn’t show any of the usual culprits for kidney damage, although it could always be a new compound that her spells weren’t designed to catch.

Twilight took a deep breath and steadied herself.

Maybe she didn’t know the exact cause of the injury, but a new kidney would fix his problems regardless. She even had a matching, and willing, Dog by the name of Bingo.

Twilight renewed the spell monitoring his vitals. She felt the first stirring of strain on her magic from that spell and wondered how long she had been awake. The soft light of the mysterious ceiling growth outside never wavered, and she had not seen a clock in the village at all. How the Dogs managed a normal circadian rhythm, if they did at all, was a mystery to her. Strangely, she didn’t feel tired and briefly wondered what had been in the tea she kept drinking. Whatever, the answer was she had probably gone longer without sleep before and was still perfectly capable of the surgery. Everything was as ready here as it was going to get.

“I’ve done all the tests I can,” Twilight said to Peridota, who had unflinchingly – even suspiciously – watched her every move since returning. “And now I know for certain that I need the help of the other Dog to cure him.”

Peridota nodded. “Bingo be proud to help his Alpha. Fishbone owe him great debt.”

“That he will,” Twilight said with half notice as she laid anesthetic spells on Fishbone to prep him for surgery. “Now, let’s get your husband to the operating theater. Did they prep everything just like I told them?”

“Yes, Elder Lass make every Dog do it exact.”

“Okay, let’s do this.” Twilight picked up Fishbone with her telekinesis, careful to support his head and keep his body level. He didn’t react aside from a soft mumbling. Cliff waited ahead of them, holding the door open, and Peridota followed behind as Twilight carefully maneuvered Fishbone out of the house.

Bingo and her tools were already waiting at the impromptu operating theater. All she needed to do was get Fishbone there, remove his damaged kidneys, remove one of Bingo’s kidneys, and successfully transplant it without causing either Dog to hemorrhage or develop a fatal peritoneal infection.

No problem. It wouldn’t even be her first kidney transplant. Even though that had only been once, the patient had been a pony, and it had been in a fully stocked hospital with several experienced surgical nurses to assist and a senior surgeon to supervise.

So basically the same.

There was no reason to panic.

Twilight took another slow breath as they neared the right doorway. It opened from the inside and Elder Lass, wearing boiled cloth over her muzzle as Twilight had directed, beckoned them in. Bingo was on a large table that was covered in more boiled cloth. He fidgeted nervously, but still managed to smile as she entered. He was a brave Dog to volunteer like this, especially with how little he understood the magic involved in the procedure.

There were a few more Dogs inside, all wearing the cloth masks and positioned well away from the tables. Twilight was surprised to see that Duke was among them. He glared at her, watching suspiciously, but at least that was all he was doing for now.

Twilight gently set down Fishbone on the second table and accepted a mask and mane-cap from Elder Lass. Behind her Cliff and Peridota donned their own masks and caps and moved over to the wall with the other Dogs.

“Thank you,” she told Bingo as she came over to his table. He didn’t know any of her language, but she tried to use a smoothing tone. “Just relax and when you wake up we’ll be all done.” A simple anesthetic and sedation spell washed over him. His eyes gently closed and his breathing fell into a steady rhythm. She cast another spell to monitor his vitals.

Twilight turned to face her audience. “Thank you all for observing. I must, however, warn all of you that surgery can be messy and it will be unpleasant to watch. If at any point you feel the need to leave, feel free to do so.”

There was a murmured round of discussion at that, but Duke just grumbled and barked, ‘Get on with it, pony!” All of the other Dogs fell silent after that.

No pressure.

Twilight worked quickly and shaved the skin over where she was set to make the incision. She taped down the rest of the fur around it and covered the rest of each Dog with a sheet to prevent any hairs from finding their way into the incision. Then the real work began. The inner workings of the body were not pleasant looking even when healthy. Twilight had long since grown used to blood and viscera, but one Dog moved quickly out of the room as she removed the donor kidney from Bingo.

That had been the easy part. Now she needed to remove one of Fishbone’s kidneys and replace it with the functional one before his remaining kidney completely failed from the stress of doing all of the body’s filtering. In a proper hospital she could have run his blood through dialysis to purify it, but there was no way she could jury-rig something similar in this situation.

The discolorations of Fishbone’s left kidney were very intriguing on a professional level. Two more Dogs dashed from the room after seeing it. She carefully placed that aside, hoping for a chance to better examine it later. It might finally reveal just what had gone wrong with him.

No time to waste, she carefully lifted the donor kidney in her telekinesis just as the sound of pained yips and barks broke out from the outer hall. Quickly, she covered the incision sites of both patients and surrounded the donor kidney in its own protective bubble.

The door to the operating theater slammed open. Captain Dash and Applejack stormed in, each wearing a dull gray pistol brace and ready to shoot. At least three Dogs lay on the ground outside. One of them had his arms tied to his side and the other two were only semi-conscious.

“Now, that’s how you execute a plan!” Captain Dash exclaimed, grinning widely.

“I’d save the celebrating ‘til we’re safe back at the ship,” Applejack replied. An ugly growl started to bubble out of Duke’s throat, but she swung her pistol brace to aim at him. Duke settled back down.

“Here’s the deal,” Captain Dash said to the gathered Dogs. “We’ve got those two girls you sent to watch us and one of your guards with the third member of our crew. We’re here to collect our doctor and one of the gems you stole. Bring out everything you took, we’ll find the one that belongs to us, and we’ll be on our merry way, leaving your people behind. No fuss, no trouble, and nobody gets shot.”

“Did you hurt them?” Duke snapped. He looked angrier than Twilight had ever seen him, and that wasn’t an easy feat. Veins pulsed at his temple and muscles stood out along his body as he tensed himself. Despite the gun aimed at him Duke looked almost ready to pounce.

“Everyone,” Twilight said. Her voice was not loud but it was controlled, clear, and utterly confident. “There is a very delicate operation going on and I am going to have to ask you to take this outside.”

There was a brief silence that followed.

“Uh… you know when I said ‘our doctor’ I was referring to you, right?” Captain Dash said. “This is a smash and grab; we need get what we came for and leave.”

Twilight took a deep breath. “I understand, but I have a patient here whose life hangs in the balance. Once the operation is done I can go. If that means you need to leave me behind, I understand.” Her stomach rolled at the thought of that. Elder Lass and Cliff seemed to like her, but she was technically Duke’s prisoner and he would not be in a forgiving mood after this. Not to mention if this surgery went badly - which was always a possibility and all too likely with this kind of interruption – then she wouldn’t find much support at all from any of the Dogs. And she could forget trying to navigate those tunnels without help. It was all enough to make her legs feel weak.

But that didn’t change her decision. Her patient needed her.

“Listen,” Applejack said, her voice even but hard as bedrock. “We ain’t leavin’ without you even if we gotta knock you over the head and drag you out.”

“You could try,” Twilight agreed, then hurried to continue after seeing Applejack’s eyes begin to narrow, “and you’d probably succeed. But I would resist. I’m not the best fighter but my magic is powerful enough to make it a difficult task if you want to take me alive. It would be too risky with the entire crowd of Dogs there just waiting for either of you relax your guard.” The room was near silent. “So as I said your only choices are to wait or leave me behind. I will accept either.”

“Sunscorch it, you stupid-” Captain Dash bit off whenever she was going to say next, and sighed. “Fine. Applejack, grab a Dog here that speaks good Equish and have them gather up all the loot so you can look through it. I’ll cover this bunch until the operation is done.”

Applejack didn’t seem happy with that decision, but she nodded anyway.

“Elder Lass can probably help you there,” Twilight said gesturing to the old Dog.

Elder Lass bowed briefly. “I am willing to assist, but first I must ask the same question as our Alpha.” Her small eyes narrowed into dark slits and despite the old Dog’s small size Twilight couldn’t help but shiver. “Did you hurt the pups watching you?”

Captain Dash shrugged. “Not really. They might have a few bruises from when they tried to attack Applejack, but nothing’s broken.”

“Very well. I will assist as best I am able.” Another growl came from Duke and Elder Lass turned back to look at him. “These two have guns and the catbird has three of our village. All they ask is two things we stole from among many. I say we pay that price and consider it light.” That sparked discussion in Canine among the other Dogs, but none of them objected further as she left under Applejacks direction.

“Thank you,” Twilight breathed out. She hadn’t directed it at anyone specifically, but Captain Dash nodded in response. Twilight turned her attention back to her patients. Fishbone’s breathing was starting to speed up and Twilight was afraid he’d go into full blown metabolic acidosis if she didn’t get the new kidney into him soon. She lifted the cloth over Fishbone’s incision and went to work.

Captain Dash glanced over, then quickly looked away with an understanding grunt. “I’m not the kind of mare to kill somebody who isn’t trying to kill me.” She paused. “Besides, I’m pretty sure your sister would kill us all in our sleep if we left you here.”

Twilight suppressed a chuckle as she continued working. Fishbone’s breathing was getting faster, but the pH of his blood was still within acceptable limits. She just had to get everything sewn in correctly and then she could cast an anti-rejection spell. A new kidney would do him little good if his immune system thought it was foreign and immediately attacked it. She finished the last suture and then charged her horn, preparing the spell.

Layer upon layer of spellwork built in her mind. Symbols and formula swirled in her head as she gathered every piece necessary to convince his body that this organ belonged. To alter a fundamental piece of biology at the subcellular level across hundreds of millions of cells. It was a horribly complex spell, but Twilight had always been a diligent student. Her vision narrowed until nothing else existed but her patient. Just as everything begin to turn purple she released the spell and it rushed out of her.

Stars swam in Twilight’s vision in the aftermath of the spell. Her horn ached and felt hot enough to boil an autoclave. She wanted to just sit down and take a moment, but there was something else she had to do, right? Her patient… his breathing was still getting faster, his blood pH was dipping dangerously low. Twilight fought through the fuzzy fatigue that has enveloped her mind.

The clamp!

Fishbone’s renal artery was still clamped shut. Using her telekinesis hurt enough to make her shudder and bite her lip, but the purple field still lit up and removed the small clamp from within his abdomen. She watched as the sutures held, as his new kidney started to work and his breathing slowed.

His blood pH began to right itself. Her horn didn’t stop hurting, but it started to hurt at a more reasonable level. Slowly, she began to clean up and then to suture his incision shut.

“Hey, nice job!” Captain Dash said flicking her a small salute with one wing.

Twilight turned to thank her, and could only watch dumbly as a pair well-muscled forearms burst from the stone underhoof and dragged Captain Dash’s hindlegs down into the holes. Captain Dash was a military professional, but she had the same natural reaction as any another pony. Her forelimbs smashed into the stone below, instinctively trying to keep her from slipping further down as her wings flared to give her lift. A second pair of forearms burst from the stone near her fore hooves and those were dragged underground too. Twilight’s tired mind finally registered that something, somewhere had gone very, very wrong.

“Finally!” Duke barked. He tore off the face mask and stalked forward, the crowd of other Dogs partly quickly before him. “Those bunglers took far too long.” He barked a long string of Canine to the Dogs beneath Captain Dash. Her wings were flared, but she wasn’t getting anywhere. The Dogs had pulled her into the stone up to her barrel and her wings couldn’t flap down without hitting the floor. Captain Dash was well and truly caught.

From the look on her face; she wasn’t aware of the fact.

“Did I say you could come over here?” she asked Duke. “Applejack is still out there, still armed, and Gilda has three of your people. Now, tell those jerks below to let go before I’m forced to do something I regret.”

He was shocked for a second, but Duke recovered quickly. “You’re going nowhere, pony.” He sneered. Your friend can’t fight all of my Dogs at once and we’ll catch the catbird the same way we got you.”

Twilight felt like she should do something, but what? She was practically out of magic and no fighter to begin with. Her horn had barely lit when Duke whipped his head in her direction. Scared, her telekinesis winked back out. The suture needle and thread dropped back to the operating tray.

“I-I still need to close up Bingo. He could get a fatal infection if I don’t.”

Duke stepped towards her and she took an unconscious step backwards. He lifted his paw, and Twilight’s eyes squeezed shut, cringing away.

“No.”

The voice that spoke was deep, rough, and heavily accented. It was also one of the most wonderful things Twilight had ever heard.

Her eyes reopened and she saw the massive bulk of Cliff standing behind Duke, holding his upraised paw in a vise-like grip. Duke snarled out a phrase in Canine and attempted to jerk his paw away.

It didn’t move an inch.

“No,” Cliff repeated. “She is good pony. She helped us after we stole her. After we stole their gems and gold. She offered to stay here alone to help our Alpha. We be honorable Dogs, not this.” A growl rumbled from him. The murmurs in Canine from the rest of the Dogs in the room sounded like they agreed.

“I am your Alpha!” Duke practically screamed.

“Not while my brother lives,” Cliff said coldly. He barked something earsplittingly loud and glared at the floor. Small whines of submission came from the Dogs beneath the floor and Captain Dash was released. Cliff roughly threw Duke at the opposite wall, where he smashed into it with a weighty thump. Duke whirled upright, but stopped when he saw Captain Dash pointing her pistol brace at him with a toothy grin.

“Keep moving, buddy, and I’ll be happy to take the shot.”

“Cliff,” Twilight said, “I… thank you.”

The large Dog simply shook his head. “You deserve all the thanks.” He reached down to his side and Twilight abruptly realized that he was wearing a small pouch. Or rather a pouch that looked small, because he pulled one of the largest gems Twilight had ever seen out of it. The amethyst was a rich, scintillating purple and its countless facets caught the light in an almost hypnotic fashion. She had no doubt that it was the gemstone they had come to find.

“It’s beautiful,” she said breathlessly.

“Yes,” Cliff agreed. “But it is only a jewel. You did everything to bring back my brother and this is all I can offer as gift.” He held it out and Twilight reached forward. Her hoof touched the gem and everything changed.

Walls, floor and ceiling all disappeared into darkness. But beyond them were points of light. Glittering, gleaming little stars in all the colors of the rainbow. They were few and far between until Twilight glanced down. Beneath them - far, far beneath them – was a river of stars, twisting and spiraling into a beautiful ribbon of light that stretched on and on.

And suddenly everything was back to normal.

Twilight almost asked if anyone else had seen that, but from the looks on their faces she already had her answer. The Dogs were all shocked, but the slowly morphed into excitement, and then all out celebration.

“I don’t understand, Cliff. What happened?”

Cliff grinned and for a moment even his dour face looked handsome. “It is new jewel seam. The thing my brother always believed in. It is real. The village will be saved.”

She grinned with him until a sudden thought snapped her out of it. “Wait a minute! I still haven’t finished the operation. Cliff, get all of those Dogs out of here if they can’t be quiet. I still have work to do and cannot be disturbed.”

Chapter Six: From Another Perspective...

Editor: Silentcarto
Proofreader: Coandco
Story Image by: Silentcarto

Duke growled quietly to himself as he exercised. The smell of his sweat filled the room, and it carried with it notes of his anger and frustration. The proper thing to do would be to brew some tea or use some fragrant spices to cover up the smell.

Duke had stopped caring about the ‘proper thing’ years ago.

He heard a Dog approach his door, but ignored them to finish his set. He needed to be strong. He had to be strong. This village depended on him, in spite of its elders. The Dog at his door knocked politely, but it somehow still sounded demanding. Or maybe it just seemed that way because he knew who was doing the knocking.

Duke set down his weights and moved to the door, enjoying the minor aches and pains in his muscles. It was the kind of pain that spoke of a job well done.

he growled. That also wasn’t the proper way to greet one’s Elders, but he had ignored such things even before he was Alpha. There were few benefits to living in a dying town, but that was one of them.

She sniffed delicately, taking in the smells of his home, but of course she was too polite to say anything about them.

That came as no surprise, but Duke nodded and grunted his consent. He spoke the ancient words without resentment. Elder Lass was an unwelcome guest, but he was not a total barbarian.

she replied, a quiet note of relief in her voice. Did she think he would have denied her even the most common courtesy? She took a seat on a low-slung chair nearby. Duke remained standing. It was proper to stand before one’s Elders, but Duke stood just a bit too close. Almost looming over her. He had found that many Elders were more… reasonable when he did that.

Elder Lass sighed.

Duke sneered.

Elder Lass asked acidly.

Duke nodded.

Elder Lass snorted disdainfully at the idea. Duke carefully kept his temper in check, but unless she was noseblind, she would have smelled his anger. She continued on without a comment to his evident feelings.

Duke growled.

Elder Lass didn’t look angry, just disappointed. That was worse than an insult.

That was a step too far. Duke leaned closer, his jaws only inches from the Elder’s ear, and growled. She was a respected Dog, but he was owed his own share of respect as Alpha! he barked. He was almost roaring at that point, when a quiet knock at the door interrupted him.

He glared at the door from across the room. The knocking came again. Duke pretended not to notice the faint, sour scent of Elder Lass’s fear as he looked at her again.

The knocker was one of his security Dogs in charge of keeping peace in the village. Or what remained of it, anyway. he growled. If he had been interrupted because some Dog was being too noisy and annoying his neighbors again, the black-coated little pup before him would definitely learn his lesson.

the Dog barked, sloppily throwing out the salute Duke had tried to drill into his subordinates. The matter-of-fact report petered out there as Duke remained silent and the Dog before him suddenly looked ashamed.

Duke shook himself out of his shock. The Dog had a second to look entirely pleased with himself before Duke continued. He glanced back into his den and gave an insincere smile.

Elder Lass gave a sigh. Duke felt his lips peel back from his teeth in a snarl before he could stop himself. She blinked at him slowly, her expression unchanged.

Duke took a deep breath and released it slowly. She had the best of intentions. It was easy to forget that, given how often she interfered with his decisions. She was not evil, only foolish and misguided. he said, then gestured at the messenger Dog.

Duke told her.

Elder Lass glared at him, but Duke met the stare easily. He was no pup to be frightened of an old bitch. She broke the stare first and grumbled somewhat, but gamely climbed onto the back of the unfortunate Dog.

Duke checked to be sure that she was seated, before taking off at a pace that was barely in the realm of ‘seemly’. Elder Lass’s steed struggled to keep up with him, and she didn’t seem to be enjoying the ride either. After too long for Duke’s taste, they finally entered the common area.

Peridota was in tense conversation with one of the village Dogs, and there was a small group of nervous Dogs waiting nearby. Duke examined them with a critical eye and sniffed deeply. Hope and fear warred within them, but he could have guessed that much just from their body language. Several Dogs noticed him and the sour smell of fear spread further.

Good, he thought, Dogs should fear their Alpha as much as they love him. There was no love just yet, but once the village began to thrive they would come around. For now, fear was all he needed.

he asked Peridota, noting with interest the way that she stood still when other Dogs flinched away.

She frowned prettily.

Duke knew his face darkened because even Peridota wilted away from him. he growled.

Elder Lass said placidly.

She… was not wrong.

Duke had to remind himself of that fact.

A murmur ran through the crowd at that. No Dog, not even Elder Lass, really understood how Pony magic worked, and the horned ones were especially strange and dangerous. Their fears mirrored the ones he had felt ever since Cliff had let go of the Pony hours ago. If you couldn’t snap their neck the moment their horn lit with magic, how did you know that the spell wasn’t a curse?

Peridota sniffed and glared at the rest of the crowd. She could smell their fear as easily as Duke, but the scent seemed to annoy her.

Elder Lass gave a low, happy hum at that. Duke snorted and cast an eye at her, but decided that it was not worth pursuing. Fishbone was too far gone for any help, and when the pony doctor failed, they would realize that he was the only hope the village had left. Slowly, the eyes of all the Dogs present drifted to him.

he declared, getting a surprised woof from Elder Lass in the process. Her fast talking and empty promises would amount to nothing, and soon all of his Dogs would see exactly that.

………

The forest was full of noises, and the cacophony of wilderness soothed Cardinal Song’s fraying nerves. He had always been more comfortable among wild creatures than his own species. Nature is not typically kind, he thought, adjusting his cloak to cover his haunches against the wind, but she is fair. There were miles of Equiformed but untouched woods between Hildenna and the next town to the west. From there he could travel to the nearest city and lose himself with no worry of being found.

The cloak he wore was a slapdash combination of green and brown patches from blankets, pillows, and one of his nicer hats. It looked hideous, but it offered more camouflage than his natural coloring.

He had gotten lucky when he slipped out of his house. There hadn’t even been a gunshot, so he must have caught them during a shift change... or his guard had fallen asleep at her post.

Cardinal didn’t doubt for a second that somebody had been watching him. That pegasus mare had been very convincing on that part.

If I survive this, he promised himself, as he rested in the concealing branches of a sizeable oak tree, it is the last criminal job I am ever involved in. The risk just was not worth the reward.

His wings, unused to flying more than a few miles at a stretch, ached from hours of hard work. But it was a small price to pay to leave his tormentors behind. He might never be able to return home with those madmares after him, but at least he was alive. Cardinal Song gave a silent sigh as he chewed on a block of pressed watercress. His rations would last at least two days, but after that he would need to forage and hope that his stomach was up to the task. He knew enough about the wilderness not to eat anything poisonous, but only real health nuts went for a fully ruminant diet.

The last of his water bottle’s contents had just vanished down his throat when Cardinal Song realized that something was wrong.

He listened but heard nothing. No birds chirped, no insects buzzed, no frogs croaked. Nothing. Even the wind wasn’t rustling the treetops.

The forest was silent.

The hairs on the back of his neck began to prickle, and his heart thudded in his chest. Cardinal Song knew wildlife, but he didn’t understand this. A predator might cause the birds and maybe even the frogs to be quiet, but the insects wouldn’t care. They were too small and numerous to stop making noise for anything large enough to prey on the birds.

Cardinal Song swiftly decided to pack his belongs and fly for his life.

He would get someplace else that didn’t make his instincts scream ‘danger’. He didn’t run -- everypony knew that predators would chase you if you ran. Instead, he trotted as fast as he dared where the ground was clear and soared over streams and bramble patches. He never rose too high, always watching for anything threatening. The forest remained silent as he traveled.

Until a noise, somewhere between a hum and a whistle, began to echo through the forest.

Trees and shrubs vibrated with it as if blowing in the wind, but the sound was subtly different. After several seconds, Cardinal Song suddenly realized there was a melody to it.

Like a flute mixed with a musical bow, it moved and flowed in counterpoint to... something. A third tone that hummed and trilled, almost like…

...a voice.

Two by two, they’ll come for you.

He froze in place and crouched low, but his ears stood straight up as he tried to pick out which direction the sound was coming from.

Two by three, they’re after me.

It came from everywhere. Something was tricky about the acoustics. He continued the way he had been going, further from town, further from home, further from any search parties that pegasus captain might have sent out after him.

Two by four, can’t take no more.

He didn’t seem to be leaving the eerie song behind, but he continued his trotting and partial flying, staying as quiet as possible. The sun was going down. All he needed was a little distance from whatever this was, and he could hole up somewhere. They would never find him in the darkness.

Two by five, get out alive.

The melody was louder now and it seemed to come from everywhere. It sounded more and more like real music, even though there was no source.

Two by six, too late to fix.

Maybe it was getting louder because whatever-it-was was getting closer.

Two by seven, two by seven, two by seven…

Cardinal Song broke into a full gallop, no longer caring now much noise he made. Something was wrong with that voice and that music and he wanted absolutely no part in it.

HeheheHehehehEhehehehe…

Then it stopped.

The music and voice stopped, and the normal sounds of the forest resumed as if they had never left. He paused for a moment to catch his breath and ease his pounding heart.

Was that real?

He had eaten some wild berries with his rations for lunch. He would have sworn that they were harmless, but did they contain some chemical that caused hallucinations? Was he dreaming?

Only the faintest rustle alerted him, and if he hadn’t been a pegasus, he wouldn’t have thought to look up. A bright pink mare waited, balanced on the branches above him. “Surprise!” she shouted, her grin manically wide as she pounced.

Cardinal Song rolled to the side, hardly even noticing as the madmare tore the cloak from his back. She turned the leap into a roll and sprang back to her hooves, tossing his cloak aside. “Gonna get you!” she promised, giggling like a demented school filly. Cardinal Song struggled to lift off, but his roll had dislodged his pack, and his wings were caught under the straps.

He struggled to free himself as she charged. Cardinal flinched away at the last second, and she slammed muzzle first into the tree just behind him. The sight was gruesome. She had been going so fast that her head was entirely pressed against the tree, her muzzle pushed into the back of her skull. Cardinal Song was not squeamish about death, but that was a disturbing way to go.

Only… her body didn’t seem to have gotten the message that she was dead.

One hoof stretched up and grabbed an ear, then it began peeling the face away from the bark. The crushed muzzle popped back out again, as if it were made of rubber, and the mare – or whatever this creature was – shook its head. The mad grin was back and seemed none the worse despite an injury that should have caved its teeth in.

“Pretty sneaky, bro, but it takes more than that to beat me.”

“What are you?”

“I’m-a Pinkie Pie, and I’m-a gonna win!” it declared, rushing forward again.

Cardinal Song didn’t stay to watch. His wings were free of his pack, and he left the weight behind gladly. He flew like he had never flown before in his life. The sound of laughs, hoofbeats, and inexplicable gibberish spurred him to go faster and faster.

The ground disappeared beneath him, and he didn’t even notice until he landed on the other side of the canyon. He glanced back, glad to see that the pink creature couldn’t or wouldn’t follow him across. It glanced down at the stream far below then, across to him and gave an odd little salute.

Cardinal Song rested his weary wings for a minute and began to walk away. He had some respite, at least for a little while. But he couldn’t help looking over his shoulder before disappearing into the brush.

The sun had set and darkness cloaked the forest, multiplying the already thick shadows. The figure of his pursuer was indistinct except for her eyes. They were an intense blue, and they bored into him without blinking. They were so bright that in the last reflected light of day it almost looked like they glowed from within.

Like bright blue neon.

Cardinal Song shuddered, and hurried away. Somehow, he knew that the gaping canyon wasn’t much more than a minor obstacle. He needed to find somewhere hidden and safe before it caught up.

Assuming there was such a thing as ‘safe’ when a monster stalked you.

Jump to top