The smell hit them first when they finally got the door open. A thick wave of unwashed fur, old food, and unwashed male mixing with the more typical smells of the workshop; oil and grease, a melody of earthy smells and chemicals and metals. Jali, not exactly a bed of roses himself after a long day helping with the harvest, couldn’t help but cough and gag.
“Yeah, how many days did you say it was since you last saw him?” Jali asked the mare beside him. She too had her muzzle wrinkled at the heavy smell in the air. It wasn’t exactly a stink, but it wasn’t in the pleasant category at all.
“Honestly… I don’t know,” she admitted. She considered it before responding. “About a week? We know he’s come out to get some food… some of mom’s muffins went missing.”
It had been days since the resident diamond dog, or diamond pup, he wasn’t an adult yet, had been seen. After the fourth explosion from that side of the house, something had to be done.
Also caught up in his own work, his father Time Turner called in reinforcements. Jali, his zebra brother, Dinky Hooves, the marefriend of the former, and Zipporwhill, the marefriend of the dog in question, were sent to pull him from his lab/burrow.
“Nine days,” the second mare said, bring up the rear. “He started just before you left for harvest week, remember?”
Jali scowled and pushed the pile of boxes and spilled papers away from the door with his skull. They had had somehow toppled and were the cause of the blocked door. Harvest week was demanding at Sweet Apple Acres. He and all the other farmhooves bunked in the farmhouse while they worked to clear the orchards. “And he’s been working since then? Shit. What idea did you give him this time?”
“As if I know,” Dinky said, rolling her eyes. She levitated a few sheets to look them over but set them back down after a short while. “You know how he gets…”
“Give the pup an idea, and he’ll work it till he’s cracked it,” Jali sighed.
“Like Ripley with a bone,” Zipporwhirl commented thoughtfully. “He is a dog…”
“He’s obsessing again,” Jali complained. He looked around the surprisingly large room. It was an odd balance of disorder and structure. There were always clear spaces amidst the scattered… things, for lack of a better word, and clear walkways through and around everything too. And despite the ground be, well, dirt in several places, it wasn’t actually that dirty.
“Janga, ‘the buck are you!”
There was a short bark of surprised that instantly drew their attention. A bit of navigation later, they found the diamond dog crutched before a worktable. There was a large diagram spread out beside him on a stand, filled what looked like a cross between a spell circle, a circuit board and a model of a cat cradle creation. A gem was held in a clamp, glowing in a soft green with a tangle of wires and poles in a frame around it.
Janga himself had a narrow instrument in each paw, some sort of mineral or stone wrapped in fine wire and capped with a crystal point that glowed, one white, the other blue. While they couldn’t see his eyes behind his large and rounded tinted goggles, it was easy to imagine him blinking owlishly at them.
“What are you guys doing here?” Janga asked.
“Bro… what are you doing?” Jali asked carefully.
Janga grinned, pleased to have a change to share his inventions. “I made a new charm! This one lets you—”
“Never mind that! Is it done?” Jali asked.
“Well… yeah?” Janga looked down at his worked and chewed his lip. “The theory checked out and the simulation and the first test. This is the seventh copy I’m making before I start full testing. Why?”
“Dad says you’re grounded, so you know what that means.”
Janga actually bristled but a whine came out, not a growl. “But, I’m almost done!”
Grounding for Janga, was actually the opposite of grounding for most children. It meant he was barred from his room and his workshop, wasn’t allowed to do work unless it was homework, and had to leave the house and go to the park or something to play outside.
“Janga, you need a need a shower. And to brush your teeth. I can smell your breath from here.” Jali made a face and waved a hoof before his face. Zipporwhill giggled.
Janga looked between the trio and his work a few times. “But… I’m fine. I don’t need a shower…”
“Janga! When was the last time you had a shower?” Dinky asked.
“Um…” Janga thought about it. Long and hard, sitting on his haunches, massive forepaws scratching at the granite slab that was the floor in that section.
“You don’t remember, do you?” Dinky said, scowling.
“Wait, I got this!” Janga said. He pushed his googles up and squinted his eyes at the change in light. Despite being dogs, diamond dogs had light sensitive vision. He tried again. “I… think I had one after that thing with the zeppelin?”
“Sweet Celestia…” Zipporwhill said, her jaw dropping. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
Jali swore under his breath and pinched at his brow with a hoof. Dinky just sighed.
“… what?” Janga asked. He sniffed himself. “I don’t smell bad…”
“The zeppelin thing was a month ago!” Jali yelled.
Janga winced. “Um… I rolled in some plants a few times since then?”
“Get him!”
Janga yelled and tried to make a run from the nearest open earth. Dinky’s magic aura snagged at his tail, slowing him enough that Jali was able to barrel into him like a runaway locomotive. They both went down into a tangle of limbs and hooves and paws.
“No! Get off! I don’t need a shower!” Janga protested. He wasn’t the biggest diamond dog around, but he was still bigger than the average pony his age. Unfortunately, Jali was two years older, used to wrestling with him, and more on Big Mac’s development tree than the average pony’s. In short notice Jali had a secure hold on his brother, pinning his arms behind his back, pretty much sitting on him to keep his head on the ground.
“You’re right, you don’t need a shower,” Dinky said, her muzzle still wrinkled. Her horn lit and one of the gems on Janga’s collar lit. Thin strands of magic spilled from his collar and worked to tie him up securely. “You need decontamination. But since we can’t, you get a bath.”
Janga whimpered and looked at her with his best pitiful puppy dog eyes, blue orbs watering. The one thing he hated more than showers were full baths. Than and swimming, which were close enough to being the same thing.
Jali snorted as he got off him. “Janga, we’ve been immune to that for years.”
Zipporwhill cooed and nuzzled him, hugging him, pressing his face to her chest fluff. “There there, baby.”
“Mostly immune,” Jali amended. “You mind if I take him, Zips?”
She grinned and nodded, and with the ease of experience, Jali slipped his head under Janga and hoisted the still thrashing and protesting dog to his back.
“I don’t wanna!” Janga cried, kicking weakly. “And the binding stone wasn’t supposed to be used for stuff like this!”
“You love multipurpose items,” Zipporwhill giggled. She gently booped his nose and he blushed, stopping his struggles, for the moment at least.
Thus pacified, the group vacated the lab, Zipporwhill opening as many windows and doors as she could so it could air out.
Time Turner looked up from his own scattered papers as they passed his office. “Oh! Excellent! I see you found the pup! Brilliant! I love it when things work out.” He hesitated and sniffed. “And he is in need of a bath. Badly.”
“Yeah, Doc,” Janga said, grinning. “Does his grounding still stand?”
“It does, of course.”
“Perfect! We’re going to the bathhouse then!”
“What!” Janga started struggling again, but though the magic only looked like thin faintly glowing strings, where were proven strong enough to hold Janga even when he was ten times as powerful. They could, in theory, even hold Spike tied down if he experienced another greed growth. He wasn’t going anywhere.
Time Tuner grinned and tossed a bit bag at them. “Have fun kids. Make sure you get behind his ears!”
Laughing they headed out, ignoring the plaintive whines coming from Janga. It was a marked sign of the kind of antics they got up to that no one really remarked at the site of them trotting down the street. Janga’s whines had turned to plaintive whimpers by the time they reached the public bathhouse.
“Hey, Jali! And Dinky and Zipporwhill too. With tied up Janga again?” Foam Coating laughed. He had been working at the bathhouse for a few years, and it was far from the first time a reluctant Janga had been brought in.
“Hey Foam,” Dinky greeted, stepping forward to take care of payment.
“So, magic bindings? I almost miss when you had him hogtied,” he snickered.
“It’s still an option,” Jali laughed. “But the mares say the magic way is faster.”
“I don’t wanna take a bath…” Janga whimpered.
“Janga, you’re fourteen. You should have outgrown this years ago!” Jali grumbled, jostling his passenger and making him yelp.
“Showers are evil… baths are eviler…”
“Is the big bath open?” Dinky asked, ignoring Janga’s protests.
“Yep. It's off prime time so only a couple ponies in the hot room.” It wasn't as high end as the spa, but the bathhouse still had perks.
Janga started struggling again. Jali jostled him. “Knock it off! You reek more than I do! And that's saying something.”
“Oh my little puppy,” Zipporwhill smiled as she leaned in close to Janga and whispered into his ear.
“What! All of you?” the diamond dog barked in surprise. His cheeks were red with blush as he looked at Dinky and Jali the best he could from his thrussed up state.
“Well, if it gets you to be clean I'll do it,” Jali shrugged. “‘Sides, it's not like Doc expects us back soon”
Dinky just sighed, but with a smile, dropping some bits on the counter.
Foam looked at the pile. “We haven't raised the price that much. And despite the latest attempt, there isn't a pet charge for Janga.”
“We’re probably gonna use a lot of your shampoo. And we need a curry kit.”
“Noooo…” Janga moaned. Zips silenced him with a kiss and he didn't say much after that.
“Four and a curry kit then,” Foam said with a grin. It only widened at Zipporwhill's expression after the kiss. “and a bottle of mouthwash for the dog breath!”
