Chapter One: End of Generosity
It was supposed to be a simple Sleep over.
Rarity had been having nightmares for quite some time as had her dear friends. The adventures they had been on made the nightmares easy to accept seeing as how they had all worked together to banish Nightmare Moon and defend Equestria from a slew of enemies. It had seemed to the young unicorn that whenever they had a moments reprieve there was something else that knocked on the borders to unleash more evil. Rarity had to smile to herself a few times when she had the thought. Even though she had started her life in Ponyville as a clothing designer and enjoyed her life fully becoming the Element of Generosity was far more exciting. She had met so many wonderful ponies, served the princesses, and even gone as far as to dress royalty for a wedding.
Now she was lost in a void of black. Her sight was blocked by the ever expanding darkness of the nightmare that had taken hold of her. Slowly she curled herself up and wept silently. How long had it been? Weeks? Months? She had no sense of time in this place only the presence of a monster that now controlled her body.
"It is not I that controls you but we my dear." Came the silken razor edged voice of her only company.
Rarity could not see where the words where coming from but groaned to herself as she felt herself grow more and more weary.
"I most certainly am not any part of this, this charade." She whispered meekly.
The voice laughed in a voice that was both hers yet not.
"You truly do not know how this works do you? When I chose you we produced what we appear as now. We are no longer simply Rarity or simply The Nightmare. We are Diamond Edge, and we shall soon control the very world where we tread. Our riches grow each day dear and with each gem our lust for beauty becomes more and more sated. Is that not what we desire?"
Rarity stood in the darkness and scoffed as she brushed her frayed mane from her eye. She had this conversation nearly each day and it grew tiresome. Each time it was almost a plea, a beg for access to the whole entirety of Rarity and therefore her Element. She was not going to give up not now not ever.
"How one could choose such a Garish name as Diamond Edge I will never know. Surely a more regal form of tact is required for such a seat of power." She proudly proclaimed with a wave of her hoof.
A force struck her in the side sending her flying into the black. Rarity knew that her teasing and refusal always ended the same way but this hit was more fierce than any before. There was malice and desperation in the strike and she could feel it down to her core.
"If you will not cooperate with us then we shall have to find a way to coerce you into an agreement. Do not forget that we know everything you know, we share all the love, all of the fear, all of the memories that you have ever had. With such knowledge it would not be hard to bring forth a force that will break you. Perhaps..." The voice paused and Rarity felt a smile spread across the expanse that served as her prison.
"Perhaps we shall see if your most dedicated suitor can bend you to our will." The voice hissed.
Rarity paused and felt her legs wobble from fear. She knew exactly what the voice was implying.
"Don't you dare hurt my Spiky Wiky!" She screamed as she whipped her head back and forth to the suddenly laughing space.
"We will bring him and we shall break him. Then when your only follower is broken on the ground will you give in to our demands and your full potential!"
Rarity screamed and ran forward, trying with all of her might to blast the darkness with her magic. Each blast that erupted from her horn was swallowed by the black and each blast made the space darker and darker than it was before.
"We will find him and we will break him." The expanse whispered as the space fell into deathly silence.
"I'm not you... I'm not... Don't hurt him please." Rarity whispered as she felt her eyes close once more.
Pomsky was the runt of the current litter. He was "lovingly" called Po or Poof by his pack mates and had been treated like a joke since his birth. He was lanky in an almost bony sense but felt his lithe height benefited him when times for combat or light digging was required. Where as his fellow pack members were brawny around the arms and dug at the earth with a growing ferocity he resigned to studying the tunnel layout and making quiet plans on making the tunnels more stable.
His dark oak red coat shone under the lamp light of his lantern as he leaned against the wall and twirled a long piece of charcoal that he used to take notes. His current diagram was much more refined than usual mostly in part to the new force that had taken over the current den of Diamond Dogs. A month earlier they had all been picking on Pomsky and threatening to toss him out of the pack.
Then she came.
Pomsky had always been different. His mother had all but abandoned him for the stronger members of his litter and the little she did give him made him frail. He had grown up wanting more than to dig at rock and pull gems from the earth. He wanted to learn and when he was a young pup he had stumbled upon discarded books in a small dump outside of a city near his cave. With the utmost secrecy the Diamond Dog had taught himself to read and learned of the university of Canterlot and the magic of the Unicorns. He yearned for that kind of knowledge and power, often he had been caught drawing out magic theories only to be beaten on while his work was shredded.
When she came the others threw them at her as an offering. He had been thrown to the proverbial wolves and he feared he would reach the end of his life the moment he laid eyes on her. She was a supreme being of power and with a single glance she could destroy anything that stood against her. Yet she had done something different, something completely against anything the young Diamond Dog would have expected.
He shivered and closed his journal as three lumbering "guards" approached him. They were the fighter pits that guarded the horde of their new leader as the emblazoned deep vermilion diamond on their hoods suggested. Previously the three had been the toughest diggers in the pack but were now resigned to merely staring at a mountain of precious gems and treasures. Poetic justice in a sense the dog thought as he smiled under his thick tan hood.
"Runt. Master see you." The largest bull dog faced one growled as he gripped the handle of his pick-axe.
Pomsky shuddered and put his book into the satchel that he was given to fit his new position. His shoulders popped as he stood to his full height and looked down at the guard. The others, a blocky faced shepard and a a stocky rottweiler, stared at him with a slight sense of annoyance and growing hatred.
"Where is master?" He asked quietly.
"Treasure. She waits. Don't anger her." The bull replied as he licked his fangs.
Pomsky knew better than to keep their new overlord waiting and nodded to the guards. They walked past him and muttered insults that the young dog brushed aside. He fell to all fours and rushed headlong as fast as his lithe legs could carry him. He knew the curves of the ornately dug underground palace like it was made by his own paws. What was once dimly lit crude tunnels were spaciously dug out and decorated with treasures fitting of a goddess. Many of the pack tried to get at the gems and the horde but soon found the eyes of their new master were truly everywhere and after three unfortunate disappearances the rest knew not to touch the treasures within their reach.
"I thought dragons were bad." Pomsky whispered as he came to a skittering halt outside of two monstrously large doors carved from oak. They were inlaid with the figures of their master raising her head high looking over the world before her. The doors took a week to complete and another two days to put in. Nothing though would prepare a normal soul for what lied beyond the doors that served as a gateway to a new world.
He walked forward and raised a paw to knock only to have the doors swing wide open blasting him with the bright sheen of treasure unheard of. large cresting hills of jewels and gold arced like a bridge over him moving like a river through the room. The snake like movements of the treasures worked around him and the space as if it had a mind of its own but after so many days of seeing the wonder it became the normalcy for the diamond dog. He walked slowly towards the cent of the majestic room filled with priceless artifacts that served to make their master happy.
"Pomsky. Come forth to us." Came a booming voice that echoed with the power of a dark night and all of the promise of a dragons horde.
His eyes shot forward and up taking in the sight of the creature that alone had the power to command them. His sight never got used to the visage of a goddess. Her near black coat shimmered in the light and moved as if an unfeeling wind brushed against her. Eyes like frost and diamonds peered out from a flowing mane of purple and white with a hunger that made the dog shiver. A tongue flicked out and licked fangs like daggers as the goddess stepped down from a throne made from white gold while she carried a pouch in her grasp.
"My dear Pomsky. How does our architect and scribe fare this fine evening?" She asked as she stopped a hairs breadth away from him.
His breath caught in his chest as he looked up at her. If he had tried they could see eye to eye yet as she was he cowered before her power. He had seen her exact her power once before and it nearly obliterated a hundred years worth of tunnels.
"Speak." She commanded.
"I am well master!" The dog yelped as he covered his mouth with his paws.
The goddess flashed him a fanged grin as her head cocked to the side as if eating him with her eyes.
"Please my dear servant. You may call us Diamond. If you are so inclined with formalities perhaps Mistress Diamond." She cooed as he felt her magic trace against his spine.
"M-mistress Diamond. I am always pleased- I mean honored! T-to stand in your presence." He muttered as he took his eyes from the holy deity before him.
Diamond smiled again and turned away from him towards the floating writhing golden mass around them.
"My dear Pomsky. we grow ever closer to fulfilling my desire to create a utopia of gold and beauty," she began as she nodded her head to the treasure around them, "You have served us a great deal better than the mindless diggers and soldiers that have fallen under my control. For this we thank you." She finished as her mane brushed against the cheek of the stunned diamond dog.
Pomsky froze and felt his skin beneath his fur grow hot from fear and excitement. She was praising him! He fought very hard for his stubby tail not to wag.
"We must digress. Had it not been for your appreciation of our art and your ability to speak fluently we would have fed you to the earths tunnels to dig for our horde. When you were thrown before us as a sacrifice we laughed for we had never seen such a puny specimen of Diamond Dog."
Pomsky winced and felt himself let out a small whimper.
"But we found that you were incredibly suited for your new office as our personal architect and scribe. In the last month you have written of our wonders with such detail that even we are... envious." She added with a hiss.
Pomsky felt himself shiver from the way she echoed the word "envious" when Mistress Diamond desired something not even the Princesses could stop her. He straightened his back and made a small bow for show.
"I thank you M-mistress." He whispered meekly.
"Now now dear servant there is no need for that. You have earned a just reward for your services rendered thus far." She said as she straightened her neck and dropped the pouch at the feet of the cowering dog. "Please open it we wish to see your reaction."
Pomsky bent down low and grabbed the pouch marveling at the weight of it. He hefted the pouch up and met the hungry gaze of his master. With a tentative flinch he opened the pouch and began withdrawing its contents. A gem perfectly spherical came forth first and as he gazed over its perfect surface he felt his mouth salivate. It was a Queens Ruby. He had read about them before when he had gotten a hold of a few books in a junk pile outside of his first cave. It was one of the rarest gems in Equestria and the spherical shape was only achieved by a dragon sheering a raw gems surface until it was perfectly smooth.
"We wish for you to feel our gratitude. This gem should satiate you for quite some time if not the rest of your life." Diamond cooed with a growing grin. "Please draw out the rest of your gift."
Pomsky looked down at the bag and felt a hard tube shaped object. his eyes wandered to the almost glowing glare of his master as he set the Ruby down and pulled forth a solid silver bracer of some kind. It lacked any ornate emblems or carvings but contained a single purple diamond on its outer surface. His questioning gaze went back to Diamond as she chuckled gently if not suspiciously.
"Put it on dear pet." She almost hissed with eerily glowing eyes.
Pomsky opened the clasps and positioned the bracer over his left arm before closing it with a almost deafening click. He marveled momentarily at how it fit perfectly before a sharp pain stabbed through his entire body. He let out a cry of pain and fell to his side at the goddess' hooves while clawing at the bracer. White hot pain seared into his brain and arm as visions of darkness clouded his sight. Moments later the pain receded and he found himself struggling not to throw up in the treasure room of his master.
"Stand."
Pomsky grunted as his entire being began to bend to the command. He stood and straightened only to look up to notice Diamond was mere inches from his face.
"You should consider yourself incredibly lucky scribe. Most would have perished from such overwhelming power yet here you stand before us with new ability and purpose!" She boomed with a triumphant grin.
As if to answer his unspoken question the goddess closed her eyes and opened them half lidded and filled with power.
"Command that which you strive to control Pomsky." She giggled.
Pomsky stopped and fought the urge to question the cryptic command of his master. His left arm twitched and he looked down to see the gem glow faintly. As he moved his paw he noticed the pouch began to shudder as he did. His eyes widened as he un-clenched his digits and moved them in an expanding motion. Several points pushed from the satchel and with a ripping sound seven long black crystals pierced the bag and floated gracefully above his outstretched hand.
"I have blessed you with a small token of our power. From this day onward these gems shall bend to your will as those fools should have years ago.
The Diamond Dog looked down to the gems and pulled his arm back marveling as the shards followed his movements. With a loud grunt he swung his arm and launched the shards at a nearby stone lying on the ground. The shards launched forward piercing the stone with the ease of a knife through parchment and shattering it into pieces. He pulled his arm forward and felt a tickle of power in his mind as they returned, nestling inside the sockets of the bracer.
"Y-you have given me... magic?" He whispered as he looked up slowly at the wide grin of the princess.
Her eyes were white hot with light and her pupils were tiny little specs as a chuckle began in her throat and erupted into a maniacal fit of laughter. Pomsky cowered and fell to his rear as she looked to the broken stones then back to the Diamond Dog.
"We feel your appreciation and your gratitude. This pleases us more than any other action you could have taken." She leaned down and wrapped his chin in her soft yet powerful mane and yanked him to his feet. "We know of your desire servant. We know well of your desire to tap into the arcane power that until now has been reserved to those with a horn or a gift. You regret being born into this world, you loathe this pathetic way of life. It is from this desire that our gift was born for you."
He felt his throat run dry as the powerful eyes of Diamond pierced his soul and seemed to scrape away at his energy keeping him standing.
"We know of all your desires young one. We can give it to you. Everything you desire. Our generosity knows no bounds for those willing to serve." She whispered with an edge of desire.
"I only s-serve you Mistress Diamond." Pomsky managed to rasp out as her eyes continued to drill into his.
A smile arced across the goddess' face as she stretched out her mane and tail. She wrapped the young diamond dog inside her grasp until his eyes could only look into hers and nowhere else. She knew all of his desires and all of his fears. Where as the fools in her charge would do any job she asked them to do blindly she knew this specimen would serve her with the tact of one of her own kind. There was so much desire for power, for knowledge, and for purpose. She could shape him.
She would shape him.
"We require a service. Do these tasks for us and we shall unlock more spells, more powerful abilities within your cuff. Serve us Pomsky and you shall know the true essence of gratitude and generosity." She whispered as she drew closer to the quivering hound.
"Anything. Anything you require." He stammered out.
"There are those that wish to see our reign end. Those that would harm us and take us away forever. We need you to find those that would stand against us and bring them to us." She paused as her fangs grazed his snout. "Bring them to us dead or alive. Do this and we shall reward you in ways unimaginable by your kind."
Pomsky flinched at the pricking touch of her fang and felt a sense of powerlessness overwhelm him. He knew in his heart he would receive anything he ever desired. Power, spells, riches, everything and anything. All he had to do was serve her unquestioningly.
"What do you require Mistress D-diamond?"
She released the dog and smiled viciously. Her long horn glowed faintly for a moment and the Diamond Dog was filled with visions of a small creature pouring his admiration into his goddess. No, it was someone else. Someone that she once was but would never be again.
"Find him and bring him to us." She commanded with a hiss.
Pomsky stood straight and bowed deeply.
"Good boy."
