Slobber Chops, or just 'Chop' to his friends, was a good Diamond Dog. He was in his mind anyway. He was loyal to his family, he was a hard worker, he was as good a friend as he could be, and he had been named Ambassador Of Dogs due to his work with the Unicorn Razor Wit. Most important to him though was his family. Family came first, all Diamond Dogs knew it as a fact. Family was the most important aspect of Diamond Dog life. Family were the group of relatives you were born into and nothing was more important in life than its beginning, birth. It was because of such an important aspect of life that Slobber Chops was packing his meager possessions for a journey. His family was about to increase and as tradition dictated, a minimum of one family member would be present when the pup took its first breath.

He pulled back the cloth which allowed him privacy in his room and stepped out into the small hallway of his home. He was a young Diamond Dog, barely past his twentieth birthday. His fur was longer than that of most Dogs and was a pleasant walnut brown. His paws were clean with fine, dusty soil and his claws were polished to a matte black. He had even taken the time to dust his tail with more the the fine, dusty soil that so many of the 'prettier' Dogs loved to buy. He always thought they used the stuff way too much, but then again, his point of pride was not in modern fashions and trends. His ears were long and floppy, the leather of his ears was fine and velvety, and his jowls had been trimmed to perfection. He had even purchesed one of the newest inventions of his kind, a toothbrush. It was a strange device for keeping your teeth from building up the dark orange and brown stuff that smelled so bad all around your teeth. He had begun brushing his teeth regularly, it was rumored that the Ponies had toothbrushes for hundreds of years, but he never trusted rumors. He would just ask his friend Razor Wit whenever he saw her again.

His thoughts soared at the thought of his Unicorn friend. She had been the first Pony that any Dog could recall who had sought them out to learn about them. Several Dogs from his home city of Pumice Carve had been stealing supplies from the Ponies of Trottingham for quite a while. All the Dogs knew about the thefts and while none of them really liked it, the thefts brought needed supplies to the town. Blankets, glass, shiny metal that was tougher than iron and lighter than bronze, almost everything was useful to the Diamond Dogs. None of the Ponies wanted to trade and none of them were willing to try to learn their language. Before Razor Wit came, if Ponies had come to Pumice Carve, they would have been chased out. If a Diamond Dog had gone to Trottingham, he or she would be chased out or even imprisoned. Diamond Dogs tried not to take prisoners, even if they were trespassing. It felt too much like taking slaves and despite Diamond Dogs not taking slaves anymore, the Ponies still thought they did. Slobber Chops thought it was unfair, but then again the world was not a fair place for Diamond Dogs.

Slobber Chops shook his head to clear his thoughts, 'I need to hurry or else the puppy will be born without a family representative from Pumice Carve present. There could hardly be a stronger show of disapproval than the absense of a family representative from a town.' Even though it was more to show support for the newest addition to the family, having family members from other City/States present was an easy way for news to spread.

He smiled and lolled out his tongue as he set forth from his home toward Gem Fount. It was a five day journey on foot to get to Gem Fount. He hoped he would happen upon another Dog to talk to during the journey. It became terribly lonely making the trip alone. Nevertheless, Chop knew he had to go. His cousin's puppy wasn't due for another week and a half, but it was always a good idea to be early. He could help out around the home and take some of the strain off his cousin in her delicate condition. He could not wait until he had puppies of his own. There were plenty of bitches who wagged their tails in his direction and many of them were quite lovely. Some had the most droopy jowls, other had green eyes which was a rarity among Diamond Dogs, while still others had various spots and patterns in their fur. One even has a nose that was speckled bright pink, an exotic beauty to be sure. Still, Slobber Chops for all of his renown and wealth, had yet to sniff any of their muzzles or necks in any way other than polite greeting.

His nose was reserved for one special bitch out there somewhere. He knew he had not met her yet, but he also knew that he would meet her eventually. He looked forward to that day and his imagination began to indulge itself, 'She'll have the most petite earthy scent. She'll be pretty, but not exotic, perhaps a little plain even. Her mind will be sharp though. THAT'S important. She has to be able to match me with wits... not that it will be very difficult.' He knew he wasn't particularly smart by Dog standards. He had not invented anything special, but his status as a diplomat to Ponies made him famous, 'Even though any Diamond Dog could have done it if they tried.' He was hailed as a genius, but he knew better. He was average at best, he merely had the personality to work with Ponies. It was as simple as that. He didn't want to rob another dog of his ideal bitch, he simply wanted one who would appeal to his mind. Razor Wit had introduced him to riddles and it was on that premise that he determined whether or not a bitch was worth his time. Not a single one had managed to decipher his riddle, but he was not concerned, one would get it eventually.

He loped down the tunnel leading out of Pumice Carve and headed toward the Guard Dog checkpoint. There was one at every tunnel in and out of every City/State. As he walked past the outlying farms which grew the cows and pigs they ate for food, he whistled to the swine and bovine gently, soothing them before they went to slaughter. The smells around the slaughterhouse always made him drool. He wiped his mouth as just the thought made him begin salivating. He had a drooling problem. He had it since the day he was born. It was what had earned him his name. He mentally added an addendum to his list of wants for the bitch of his dreams, 'She also has to like me drooling all over her.' He barked a laugh at his private joke and continued on his way toward Gem Fount and his cousin, Flint Eyes.

* * *

On a different world, a very different type of person was having troubles of her own. Ryia Singh pounded down the stairs of her apartment building in the slums of Bangalore, India. Clutched in her right hand was a small duffel bag containing her most valuable possessions. She turned the corner too fast and impacted the wall as she tried to turn. She pushed off the wall and propelled herself down the stairs faster and faster. Her thoughts spun equally as fast, 'Awake for five days waiting for the army to evacuate this part of the city and I just closed my eyes for half a second... eleven hours later I wake up and the army has finished the evacuation!' She made it to the bottom of the stairs and burst through the front door of her building. The streets were empty.

*click*

Ryia looked down and saw a tiny piece of hail on the ground. With dread filling her soul, she cast her eyes skyward, 'The Event! It's HERE!' Without thinking she burst into a sprint heading South, the direction in which the army was evacuating people, 'I'm still alive, there's a chance. There's a chance, there's a chance, there's a chance, there's a chance...' the mantra played over and over in her head as she ran. Her legs began to burn and her lungs pleaded for air. Ryia took in huge gulps of air as she continued her flight down the empty streets. The tall buildings all around her made her feel like an ant, 'Who needs buildings four whole stories tall anyway?' The errant thought strayed through her mind.

She chanced a look upward and her hopes sank, 'NO! It's moving faster than I am!' She pushed her body harder and harder, 'I need to run faster...' she thought about the duffel bag she was carrying, 'Mama, I'm so sorry, but I have to live.' She reluctantly forced her fingers to uncurl from the bag as tears seeped out of her eyes, 'I won't have any pictures of her to remember... but at least I'll be alive.'

*clunk*

A piece of hail the size of an orange struck the ground just in front of her. Ryia stumbled in shock and tumbled onto the roadway in a panting heap. As she tried to catch her breath, she turned her head toward the piece of hail. The hailstone was huge. In the silence, she could hear others also running down nearby streets, 'Did the army just abandon people here to die?' She wondered. She tried to break back into a run again, but her body wouldn't allow her to. She couldn't even rise to her feet, 'I'm too tired... no... NO! I'M NOT GOING TO DIE HERE!' Her muscles cramped as she willed her body to obey. She struggled up to her knees as people began running past her down the street. Men and women ran as if their lives depended on it, everybody knew The Event would vaporize anybody who was left in the storm. The sick, the elderly, and the children had been evacuated first and the adults had been told they would be next. Most had made it to the trucks, some had missed them. Those who missed the trucks were left to their deaths.

A sound like crashing ocean waves reached Ryia's ears, causing her to look behind herself. A wall of hail was quickly closing in on her. The crowd cleared and Ryia was shown a sight which made her blood run cold. The wall of hail was half a second behind a group of people, but as fast as they ran, The Event was faster. As Ryia watched in horror, the people were overcome by the storm. They were pelted with hail a few times and then...

They vanished.

Ryia screamed and found her strength renewed. She struggled up to her feet and turned to run when another young woman barreled into her. Ryia kept her balance by some miracle but the other young woman rolled over onto the ground with a pained cry, holding her ankle.

Ryia was a metallurgical student, not a doctor or an athlete, but she was not about to let the other girl suffer the same fate as she had seen. She bent down and grasped the girl's arm tightly, "COME ON!" She yelled. The girl stumbled to her feet, her ankle already swelling severely. Ryia put her arm around the girl's waist and hauled her along as quickly as she could. As they hobbled away from The Event, Ryia chanced another look behind her. The Event was closing fast, less than thirty meters away.

Hail began to pummel the ground in larger and larger pieces falling all around them. Ryia didn't know the size of the piece that hit the other girl, but the sickening crunch of breaking bones told her of the hit even before the girl screamed. The other girl suddenly went limp in Ryia's arms and pulled her to the ground. Without consciously making the decision, Ryia spun her body and shielded the other girl with her own body. Hailstones of all sizes pelted her back and shoulders as she held the injured girl close to her body. She chanced another look over her shoulder even as another ball of ice slammed into her ribs with a spike of agony. The Event was less than a meter away. Ryia turned her head and closed her eyes, "I'm sorry."

It was the last thing she said before The Event reached her.

Author's Note

Please let me know if there are any typos.