Author's Note

Chapter content warning: initial non-consent.

Diamond Dogged

"Really? That's amazing!"

Nora drank in the praise with pride, making some token effort to feign humility.

"Aww, gee, it's nothin', Twi..."

She was face to face with her favorite nerd, passing on the story of how she had helped Garble with his friendship problem - sans all the juicy details, of course.

She decided it would be best to drop in and inform her. After all, Twi was the compulsive sort - if Nora didn't stop by and let her check this off her mental checklist - there was also probably at least one physical copy of said list, come to think of it - then the purple pony would only show up at an inopportune moment to do so herself. Besides, she freely admitted it to herself: she wanted to brag about what a good job she did.

"I can't believe they made such progress in one day thanks to you! I've had a breif run-in with Garble before, and believe me, he's not usually the accommodating type."

"It's the human perspective, my dear little pony," she said, touching her nose while putting on a bad renidition of an English accent. It's like she was trying to parody Sherlock Holmes or something, though she wasn't sure that reference would land here. Then again, Equestria seemed to have a pony-themed spin on most of human pop culture, so maybe it wasn't so unlikely after all. Either way, it elicited a giggle from the princess, just as planned.

"You're a natural. You should do this sort of thing more often," she went on, before her eyes lit up, seemingly taking inspiration from her own words. "Me and my friends do this sort of thing all the time, you know. We get to travel all over Equestria and beyond, helping ponies as we go. It's super rewarding, but also a lot of fun! And a great learning opportunity, too," she added. Of course she would get that in there.

"You're not suggesting I go on some pilgrimage of freindship, are you?"

"Well, I wouldn't put it like that," she went on, "But it's made me and the girls closer than ever. I don't think the map would ever call you - no cutie mark, and all - but you're welcome to join us any time we're called away on official friendship business."

That was quite the offer. It might be nice to get out of the countryside once in a while.

"You're too kind, Twi," she said, ruffling her friend's mane. "I may take you up on that some time. As long as we wouldn't be away for too long," she added, knowing full well she'd miss the old familiar faces (and other body parts) found right here in Ponyville. Still, the idea of getting out there, and, in a more explicit sense, "getting out there", was an exciting one. She wondered what kind of exotic partners she could stumble across. Heh, it was almost like she was planning the start of some great empire.

On a non-sexual note, there would be plenty of cool things to see, too, she was sure, and it'd be a nice way to get some bonding time with the girls, something she still needed to make a better effort on. Speaking of...

"Actually, Twi, I was wondering-"

It seemed the princess wasn't done.

"Y'know, this idea has legs. LOTS of them," she said with some determination, seemingly oblivious to Nora's words, or the inherent silliness of her own statement. "As the only human around, you're kind of like an emissary already. A representative."

Gee, she hoped not.

"Since you arrived, humans and ponies have already established a solid foundation of friendship! If, I, uh, do say so myself..." she coughed politely. "But what about other species? We're already making efforts to extend a hoof to our nearest neighbors, but maybe it's wrong that we've been leaving you out all this time. Sure, you're the only human in Equestria, but doesn't that make it more important that you're involved in this stuff? And you showed such promise with Ember and Garble..."

The pony yammered on, leaving Nora's head spinning. She was going a mile a minute, now, and Nora had some trepidation at where this was heading.

"So how about, we make you some kind of... friendship ambassador?" posited the mare.

Nora let that sentence hang in the air a couple of seconds, as a small staring contest ensued between the two of them.

"That... sounds a bit much, don't you think, Twi?" she asked, metaphorically recoiling at the suggestion. Perhaps upselling her own abilities in this field wasn't such a wise move after all...

"Not at all! A title befitting your skills, I'd say. I can think of nopony - sorry, no human - better for the job," replied the alicorn, resolute. She trotted up to the human, placing a comforting hoof on her knee. "Nora, we haven't known each other for super long, but I consider you a close friend. Heck, me and the other girls were practically besties from day one. From what you've hinted at, I gather things move a little... slower, back on Earth..."

It was just like Twilight to remember all the details Nora had let slip about home. It wasn't surprising, really - she had practically interrogated her for info the first time she got the chance. Human friendship was a more subtle aspect to pick up on, but Twilight had been keen, since the subject was so close to her heart. Nora had tried explaining that while it can happen, it's less common for humans to find a best friend for life on a whim, like ponies seemed to.

"But if you can move things along so quickly, like with our dragon guests, that must make you one exceptional woman."

She was also one of the few ponies to consistently remember the term 'woman', rather than just 'human'. What a gem, this pony.

Then again, she may be making an extra effort to butter her up.

"I wouldn't ask this of you if I didn't trust you completely," she went on. "Of course, the decision is yours, but think it over, okay? Maybe we could give things a trial run at some point?"

Beaming purle eyes blinked up at her. They were attached to a pony, sure enough, but Nora could have sworn they belonged to a puppydog.

"What would a friendship ambassador do, exactly?" she inquired.

"Oh, so glad you asked!" replied Twilight, rearing up on her back hooves in excitement. Nora knew deep within her soul that as soon as she had asked that question, she had lost. If she wanted to refuse, she would have taken that opportunity to do so. With a sigh, she resigned herself, listening to what would no doubt inevitably be her new role.

Twilight, for her part, seemed to realize her over-eagerness may be sending the wrong signal, and so she reigned it in as much as she was able, suppressing the grin that threatened to break off of her face, and planting for front hooves firmly back on the floor of the castle where the two conversed.

"Really, it's nothing so different to what you did yesterday," she started.

Oh, if only you knew.

"Just meeting with different creatures, sharing tips about friendship, showing them around town - I know we talked about travel earlier, but you could do it all from home! I'll just let you know the next time we get some foreign dignitaries in. Something to that effect," she concluded. She sounded like she was downplaying the work slightly, but then again, maybe it would be a breeze. Ponyville couldn't have international visitors that often, could it? The dragon duo were the first such occurance of this that Nora had seen, and she'd been here a few months now.

"Okay, okay!" she pleaded, seemingly wanting the excitable mare to stop for her own sake as much as anything. The poor thing looked almost out of breath already, Nora dare not let her carry on. "You sure are persuasive, Twi. Sign me up, do it! Just... don't put too much stock in this, okay? Nothing official, no big fuss, if I quit, nopony cares. Got it?"

"Got it!" came her expected reply. "I think this'll be really good for you, Nora. You know, steady work?" she said, peering at her. The way she was looking made it seem as though she was saying this mainly to see how Nora would react. Nora knew that Twilight didn't know about her 'business' - recent events had confirmed that, luckily - so she must have wondered what the human did all day. She must have seemed quite lazy, not getting a job in all this time. Yeah, she had bits, so maybe her friends assumed she did odd jobs for some quick cash? Heh, technically that's not false. But she didn't know exactly what they thought of her financial or employment status, and preferred not to dwell on it. Whilst Twilight's propsed position was hardly anything full time, this would at least answer some of those inevitable questions.

"Do I get a cape?"

"I can have Rarity-"

"Joking, Twi! Joking!"

Man, this pony. So stuffy. It was cute, though, so she gets a free pass.

"You know, you interrupted me there. I was about to ask you something."

Her four legged friend brought a hoof to her mouth. "Oh my, I'm so sorry, Nora!"

Again, so uptight.

"Relax, Twilight! It's fine, really," she said, regretting bringing it up. She was just being playful. "I wanted to know if you wanted to hang out today."

Call it a belated apology. Sure, she and the girls were still on good terms, as she'd learned, but she still felt bad for dipping on the sleepover. Usually, Nora was the one making excuses to swerve her pals, if anything - her being the one to propose something was rarer since she'd taken up her night work.

Twilight's face cycled through several emotions in quick succession. "Oh, um-"

This was unexpected.

"I'll even give you a lecture on human agricultural practices," she coaxed, appealing to her friend's bookish nature. Really, that just meant revealing the existence of combine harvesters, but she figured for a pony, that'd still be mind blowing.

"I want to, but I can't," she said sadly. "The friendship school is set to re-open soon, and I've got so much to do," she revealed, voice strained. Damn, if the work was getting to her of all ponies, it must have been a lot.

"No problemo, another time, then," she replied, though Twilight still looked adorably upset about the missed encounter.

The two said their goodbyes, and Nora headed out, another stop on her agenda.

She hadn't long left the castle when her walk was cut short by a familiar voice.

"Nora, Nora!"

She turned to see one Lyra the unicorn, bounding up to her at a near sprint. This one always seemed to know where she was, like she could sense her. It was kind of creepy.

"Oh, heya, Ly," she said.

The minty menace stopped in her tracks, scraping up the dirt road in front of her hooves. Her eyes went wide in awe. "Ly?" she repeated.

Oh, stupid Nora. Stupid, stupid...

"Just me being casual, like I am with everypony," she said, not wanting to give the wrong impression. Her words seemed to have little impact; Lyra mouthed the nickname, repeating it silently, before a smile spread across her face.

"Does this mean we're friends?"

'Friend' is an unusual term for someone you've eaten out, Nora considered.

"Uh..."

"Friends give each other nicknames, right? Sometimes I call Bon Bon 'Bonny'," she explained. Lyra had mentioned her employer a few times, now. Nora hadn't really seen her with any other ponies - perhaps the candy shop owner was Lyra's only real pal. "You even gave me a gift, remember?"

"I did?" asked Nora, before remembering the end of their last encounter. "Oh, I gave you an apple. No biggie."

"It tasted great."

Nora shrugged. "Well, credit to the Apples, then."

"Wanna hang out?" the mare asked abruptly, blinking a few times in fairly quick succession. "...Together?"

"Oh, man..." Nora muttered, rubbing her neck. The perky pony was beaming up at her with beady eyes, looking as though her future happiness hinged on this answer. But Nora wasn't one to be browbeaten. Bon Bon had stepped in and saved her from what could have been a slightly awkward situation last time, but if she had to turn down the pushy mare flat out, she would. Even if it did kill her inside.

"Sorry, can't," she lied, changing tact at once and abandoning those principals upon seeing a slight tremble of the unicorn's lower lip. "I've got to head to Rarity's, to pick something up."

Well, it was a half lie. She was heading to Rarity's, since she'd forgotten her ensemble yesterday after Pinkie's dramatic entrance, but it would hardly tie her down. She had just offered to spend the day with Twilight, after all.

"That won't take long, right?"

For a pony that seemed to have such trouble with social cues, she picked up on that rather quickly. It's like she could read minds.

Damn it, Nora thought. Why did I tell her specifically what I was doing? Of course she'd poke holes in it.

Nora guessed she wouldn't have to take such precautions with most ponies. Trying to let Lyra down softly was starting to feel like a tougher challenge than keeping her profession a secret from her friends, and twice as emotionally draining.

"No... I suppose it won't," she said, not waiting for an answer, instead opting to resume walking, each step filled with purpose. As predicted, the mare picked up after her, but this would buy her time to think. She didn't want to crush the poor thing, so despite her better judgement, she'd opt to find some other way out of this.

"But..." Nora's brain remembered something her fashion-loving friend had mentioned offhandedly yesterday. "Rarity's taking me gem hunting, so that could take a while."

Smooth, Nora thought to herself, slightly proud of her quick thinking.

"Oh..." said Lyra, looking downcast. "I'll just tag along to Rarity's, then. She's got something for me, too."

Really?

Nora doubted the authenticity of her statement, but said nothing.

One short joruney later, they had arrived at Carousel Boutique. It was a quiet day out, all things considered - ponies came and went, but in no great quantity. Just a lazy Tuesday.

Nora's knuckles rapped on Rarity's exquisite door, its deep purple contrasting with the more muted colors of the rest of the exterior, beckoning people in. Nora assumed it was good fashion sense, if Rarity designed it, but it seemed like good marketing sense, too.

"Coming!"

As she waited at the entrance, Lyra snaked around her right leg, poking her head out to gain equal footing in the soon to be conversation. As old wood creaked open, a smiling face greeted them.

"Oh, Nora, darling! I was expecting you! It seems in our excitement at welcoming home our dear Spike, we forgot my newest creation. I had tried dropping in on you last night to return it, darling, but it seemed you had already turned in for the evening."

That's a relief - if Rarity had been a bit earlier, she may have caught an eyeful of developing human-dragon relations.

"Oh, and miss Lyra, I see. Your item is ready as well. Come in, the pair of you."

Huh, so she was telling the truth. Lyra lit up, stepping around the human's long legs and trotting inside, while Nora lingered a little, trudging in slowly, still calculating how she would navigate the Lyra issue.

When she rounded the corner to the boutique's workshop, she saw a little dragon sitting on the table, munching an emerald. Not surprising that Spike would be here - she hadn't run into him at the castle.

She was also greeted with the sight of Lyra frantically dressing herself, with some magical assistance from Rarity, a formal white collar button-up wrapping around her torso. Nora had seen ponies wear clothes, of course, but she rarely saw them dress - Lyra looked so awkward pushing her hooves through the little arm holes in the shirt, but she supposed that was normal here. Ponies tended to wear more flowing clothes - dresses, skirts, that sort of thing. At least, the mares did. Other than that, accessories were favored - hats, bowties - anything that wasn't too, well, cumbersome. She knew pony shirts existed, but they weren't super common.

"Ta-da!" exclaimed the proud white pony in the center of the room.

Lyra, however, instead looked right to Nora, a slightly nervous expression on her face. "W-Whaddaya think?" she asked, sweetly.

For fuck's sake, stop making me feel so bad for planning to ditch you, Nora chided internally.

"Not too shabby," came her reply; complimentary, but suitably neutral.

"Looksh kinda neat," said Spike, mouth half full of shiny rock.

"I concur, darling."

Lyra shone, her smile unwavering.

"Now, for you, my dear," cooed Rarity, already levitating various odds and ends off the table in front of her.

"I'll just take mine bagged to go, please," Nora said quickly, not wanting to flash her new apparel in front of a young dragon and an obsessive unicorn.

"One step ahead of you, darling," came her reply, a trendy gift bag made of some holographic-looking material floating into her hands under a light blue aura. Rarity really did think of everything.

"Sweet," she said to herself, before looking at Lyra expectantly. When no one in the room said anything, she pushed on. "I suppose you'd better head out then, since we're... y'know, busy."

Rarity cocked an eyebrow, and Spike briefly paused from his munching.

"We are?" asked Rarity.

"Well..." Nora began, her hands folded, fingers flicking idly. She suddenly felt bashful about having to follow through on asking this. "You mentioned gem hunting yesterday, right?"

Spike perked up at this. "S'how I got this beaut," he said, holding up the remnants of his emerald proudly in one hand. It was more than half eaten, and a good chunk of the remaining half had been slobbered on.

"Yes, darling, why?" inquired Rarity, pushing to the heart of the matter.

"Well, it sounded interesting. I was wondering if you could... take me. Show me what it's all about?"

Nora felt like a kid asking for a higher allowance. She didn't want to burden the mare.

"I already asked Twilight if she was free today, but she had friendship duties," she explained, piling on just a smattering of guilt to help get her way. "And I figured, since it's helpful for your work and all..."

If there was one thing Nora didn't feel self-conscious for right now, it was her blatantly asking Rarity this despite her comment to Lyra earlier indicating that this was a done deal already. Lyra just watched them quizically, as though hoping for some extenuating circumstances that would free up her prescious human's schedule.

"Well, I suppose I'm free, dear, but I usually get my little Spikey's help-"

She could barely round off her sentence before the drake leaped off his perch and piped up.

"I'd be happy to come along... if it means spending time with you, Rairty," he gushed.

Oh, brother.

As love swirled in his head, Nora considered that the kid was not unlike her own tag-along, in some ways. Rarity was more accommodating of his innocent puppy love than Nora was of Lyra's unexpected ambushes, however.

"Well then, it's a done deal," said Rarity.

"Nice," said Nora, trying not too look to happy. "I'll just head home and drop this off," she motioned to her bag, "Won't be 10 minutes. See ya around then, Lyra."

Perhaps a poor choice of words - knowing her, she'd take that as another invitation. Still, Nora was off the hook for now. And things worked out - she did really want to spend some time with her friends today, to catch up on lost hours. Maybe this whole 'gem hunting' thing would be fun.

"This whole gem hunting thing is real fun," said Nora, wiping beads of sweat off her brow.

They were deep in an underground cavern, staking out jewels by the armful. Rarity's magic made quick work of finding the things, and Spike was ever the enthusiastic digger. Nora tried to keep up with him, but the tyke had her beat, to her shame. The things love does to a dragon.

Rarity was decidedly more hooves-off when it came to gem extraction, using her magic, and mostly seizing stones close to the surface, or ones which Spike had already unearthed, so as to not cast flakes of stray mud onto her coat. All things considered, Nora was surprised she was involved in this process at all, being so averse to dirt and grime. Would it not be easier for her to buy the things, rather than risk a splotch on her pristine coat? Then again, she was rather particular about the jewels she used for her designs - it may happen that her discerning tastes made such a notion impossible. Nora also sensed that she did enjoy Spike's company on the excursions, too, as overbearing as he could be at the worst of times.

"Glad you talked me into it, darling."

"Hey, hey Rarity!" came a higher male voice. "I found another big one! Check out the shine on this amethyst!"

The little scamp came bounding to the pair, left arm outstretched and holding his prize. When he reached Rarity, he held it up, twirling it slightly under claw, letting the light catch it.

"Very nice, Spike. Add it to the pile."

He did so.

They were making great headway. Nora knew that such precious stones were less, well, precious in this land - Rarity's own shop was enough of a testament to that, with eye-catching glittery gems speckled in practically every direction - but seeing the raw deposits like this was another thing altogether. It was like heaven for a geologist. And pretty spectacular for regular folk, too.

Having neither magic nor claw at her aid, Nora used a trusty shovel, supplied by her pony chum. It was a little short, probably intended for equine use, so she had to lean over a little more than she'd like using it, but it did the job. Nora was no purist, but she wasn't about to get on her hands and knees and dig for the bastards with her hands like a certain dragon.

She had worried she'd feel like a third wheel, but Rarity was very accommodating of her, and Spike, for his part, didn't seem to mind her presence at all - no risk, then, of upsetting his alone time with Rarity. Nora half wondered if he'd care if any number of ponies were here, as long as she was. It was sappy, which made her want to puke, but in a good way. She didn't have anyone like that, which suited her fine, but she also got a little sad when she considered it too long.

Nora pressed down on her spade with one shoe - not the sturdiest footwear for this work, but in lieu of proper work boots, sensible enough - and gripped, leveraging the thing. A shiny blue gem, partially submerged, rose under the soil, nearing the surface.

Bingo.

"By the way, darling," said Rarity, to the air. If she were addressing Spike, she'd have specified, so Nora hung on her words. "About the mare with you this morning..."

Ah, here goes.

Figures, thought Nora, that she'd go thinking about relationships and then be instantly reminded of Lyra, who seemed a little smitten with her.

"Whaaaat is it?" she said, voice uneven due to being caught off guard by the question.

The white pony tutted, seeming to consider things, before replying. "Oh, nothing, dear."

Just focus on the gems, Nora.

As her sapphire slowly surfaced, she glanced at her own stock of jewels. They lay in a heap behind her, dazzling in their multitude of colors. It was satisfying work. Something about the simplicity of the thing. Perhaps this was what Applejack felt when kicking trees all day. Nora was content to leave that one to her and the other ponies, however.

"Got it..." she muttered, plucking the mineral from its non-literal roots. "I could do this all day."

She was a tad dirty, despite her efforts, some stains lining her hands and arms, exposed by her rolled-up sleeves. She'd caught her own reflection in a few of the brigher gems, too, and sure enough, she was dirty there as well. It must have spread when she wiped her face. She couldn't help it - this was hard work! Tiring, and sweaty...

"Oh, I was thinking I'd head back soon, actually," chimed in Rarity.

Aw, already?

Nora had only cooked up this excursion as a decoy, but she was rather enjoying herself.

"You sure, Rare? There's still so much more to collect!" she said, gesturing at the walls of gem-studded rock around them. The pony did not look particularly impressed.

"Be that as it may, between our hard work here and my resupply trip yesterday, I'm quite set, really."

Nora frowned, but understood. She supposed the allure of the sparkly stones didn't hold as much appeal to one who was born here, even if she did need the things sometimes.

"Spike?" she called out. The pitter-patter of scaly footsteps quickly rang out, before Nora saw the drake emerge with arms folded, brightly colored rocks piled high aloft them. She regarded him warmly. "I was thinking of heading home for the day. Would you be a dear and gather up what we have?"

He gave a mumled affirmation and set to work. Nora watched him for a minute, mulling over what to do.

"Y'know," she said. "I think I'm gonna linger a little, Rarity. I wouldn't mind seeing some more of this place."

The cavern they were in was expansive, indeed. Nora knew she stood no chance of pillaging it all, especially now that her friends were leaving her, but she'd be damned if she wasn't noting the prime spots for next time. This warranted a second trip!

"You sure, darling?" asked Rarity, looking up at the trail leading into the cave, as though trying to ascertain a more accurate time of day. It was still afternoon, Nora knew that much. "Well, if you insist. Don't lose track of time, now. Wouldn't want you stumbling around this rocky region in the dark."

"Yeah, I'll be fine," she replied, exhaling, still cooling off from her last burst of activity. "Take what I got. I'm gonna get more anyways!"

It was the least she could do, dropping this on her on such short notice.

"Oh, I simply couldn't, darling."

"Please, I insist!" she pleaded. "Still owe you for those first sets of clothes, don't I?" she added with some sass, bringing a hand to her hip.

Rarity seemed a little cross at this. "I told you, darling, I will have no payment for helping a distressed mare in need. Especially a need for fashion! Consider those clothes a gift."

"Consider the gems a gift, then," said Nora, her teeth sparkling more than the legions of jewels around her.

She saw the unicorn wavering. Hook, line, and sinker.

"Oh, alright," she conceded.

After Spike and Rarity - mostly Spike, to be honest - set to work preparing themselves to leave her, Nora relaxed, savoring the break. When it was eventually time for them to depart, she waved them off.

"Won't stay too long," she told herself. After all, she had work. And a cute new outfit to try. Let's see how the studs like that.

In short order, Nora had amassed another humble supply of gems, cleaning up most of the good finds in this section of cave. But she felt a calling. She had to go deeper.

Glancing down the cavern, she noted the cave descended a little sharply, here.

Shouldn't be a problem.

There was one problem, though. Her booty. Her loot. She'd been chucking it rather brazenly, doing the minimum to ensure her keeps were vaguely sorted, but she didn't want to just leave them behind before she went further in. She was sure she had seen mutliple entrances to this place when the trio had been on the approach above ground, so if she got lost down there, she was confident she'd find a way out. But she wasn't confident she'd find her way back here, specifically. Thus, only one solution presented itself: the gems travel with her.

Even her minor hoard was enough to present difficulties when it came to transportation, however. And she really didn't want to leave any behind. She tried scooping them up in her hands, but such was the size of her stash that just two or three would constantly spill over the top of the pile as she made to carry them. Truth be told, her bust probably didn't help, taking up a fair portion the space in front of her torso.

Wait a minute, she realized. What am I doing? I'm a human, I should use my resources.

Stretching the fabric on her greasy shirt, she pulled it tight, piling gems into the fold.

Clothes! I'm a genius!

Nora walked slowly to the rear of the cavern, holding her shirt with both hands as gems clanked together beneath her. This technique worked, alright, but she'd have to be careful. As she got closer, the once minor slope seemed slightly more daunting without any free hands. Still, she was undeterred. She'd only been on her own a short while - if she wasn't going to check this next area out, at least, then there was no point in her staying behind.

With some care, she reached a foot forward, planting it on a perch barely bigger than her shoe. The angle meant she could see the upper walls in front of her, but peering below at her own footing was a bit tougher. It looked like things evened out in a short distance, though, so it was probably just this initial phase that was difficult.

Another step. The platform she found was of similar size to the first. Shifting her weight, she was fully on the declining ramp now. No easy way back from this position; she didn't have the room to turn around without her hands.

As jagged edges stuck out in every direction before her, she considered her next step carefully, not wanting to lose footing. She lifted her left leg cautiously, feeling around with her foot for lack of proper visibility, until she settled on her choice: a spacious ledge some two feet below her previous position.

It was a bit of a reach, with her right foot some ways higher, but this one seemed big enough that she could stand on it fully, she just had to-

Immediate thoughts were cut off by the feel of wet cave moss under her heel, something she hadn't noticed. She was only noticing it now because, upon leaning forward slightly to bring her other leg down, the change in balance had caused her to slip on said slick surface. Her first instincts, despite better judgement, were to clutch her shirt and its cargo, thinking she could steady herself, but alas, her left foot veered fully off of its perch, and she was sent falling down the bumpy drop.

"Aaaaaah!"

Arms flew out now, late, abandoning their hold on her prize. She flailed, trying to land a grip on the side of the cave wall to stop her descent, but was met only with slippery, smooth knobs, or pointy surfaces that she may put her hand right through should she attempt such an act. And so Nora descended, clunking as she went, limbs taking the brunt of her blows.

When the dust settled, so to speak, she landed on her hands and knees, scraped and bruised, but okay.

"Phew~"

It stung, but she'd be fine. She was grateful to be able to say that. Ponies were hardier than they looked, but she wasn't like that - one bad fall in the wrong way could eliminate any human just like that. She exhaled deeply, with purpose.

Looking up, she saw some of the scattered remnants of her plunder, chromatic beams signalling her, calling out to their mistress. It was hardly as much of a priority, now, but she may as well pick up what she had. Then she could sit down for a breather. Nora sighed, feeling her stomach just to make sure she was okay. That had certainly put a damper on things.

Still, she was here now. May as well explore before heading up and never making that journey unaccompanied again. At the very least, she'd never pull a stupid stunt with carting her haul down a cavern like that. Taking in her surroundings, she was struck by the relative vastness of the place. It seemed the cave had split into a whole new expansive area, replete with branching ravines, moats, and passageways of its own. It was like a hub of some kind. The chill from the surface didn't reach her, here; the slight breeze one got to let them know that daylight still awaited on the other side.

She composed herself, before putting her best foot forward, assuring it was steadier ground this time, and making for the ruby that had landed in the center of this new ecosystem. She bent over, touching it, ensuring it was undamaged.

"That's one," she said to herself, before stopping. Nora looked behind her, then around more generally.

Strange, she pondered. Could've swore I heard something. Or... felt something.

It was the creeping dread you got when you felt eyes on you. Somehow, with no physicality of the observer making itself known, you just know when you're being watched. It was the feeling that made you pull the covers over your head in bed at night, even when you lived alone, because you were afraid of what's in the dark. It was way your ears pricked up when you walked into a cramped alley and heard footsteps behind you. It was the anxiety of walking out of a store without buying anything. Of feeling worried when you should have no reason to.

Nora took in her surroundings, surveying them, ruby still in hand.

Or... not.

She released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

"Nnnrrrrah!"

"AH!"

She yelped, startled at the noise, flopping onto her bottom. Out of nowhere, a pair of lime green eyes leered at her from up close. They were cat-like, narrow, but the face they belonged to was not. It was gray; rugged. And, most critically, it had jaws.

"What's this one, boss?"

A voice beckoned Nora's attention, alerting her to the fact that this gnarly looking figure was not alone. She turned, seeing another, similar presence behind her, the lumbering, slightly hunched body jumping from a vantage point up high. It landed with deft and ease, betraying a familiarity with these caves and how to navigate them.

"Where did she come from?"

Another such voice, gravelly, unlike any creature she had heard, called out on the other side, also to her rear. The body it belonged to matched the movements of its prior counterpart, landing with a thud. She was caught on three sides.

Nora backed up, dropping her gem. She scooted on her ass, too fearful to rise, not that there would be much point. After only two seconds, she came up against a hard surface, her back meeting a rise in the cave floor. Firmly trapped. The duo to her flank moved in, staring at her from their slightly elevated position, the raised surface she had backed into only about three feet high. She pressed on it hard with her spine.

As she moved her neck to look up once more at the beast in front of her, she quivered. Her top and pants were frayed and ripped all over, some cuts on her bare skin. She was not faring well. The mysterious creature before her regarded her with interest - too much for her liking. It looked like it may be hungry. Getting a better look, now, she saw floppy ears and a canine nose. It was covered head to toe in fur - hardly unusual in this land - but its most striking feature was its massive, hulking arms. It loomed, leaning on them in an almost simian fashion. Just what were these things? Hybrids? Some magical experiment gone wrong? They looked like they borrowed from a manner of viscious animals.

"Wh-wh-wh-wha-" stammered Nora, unable to finish the job of asking them to identify.

"What IS that?" came the semi-feral voice of the being in front of her, finishing her sentence. He closed the distance between them, putting an oversized paw on her knee, sniffing at her, all concepts of personal space dismissed.

The two lingering behind her did the same, stepping down from the rock face and sniffing at her. One, with a coat of a more tan variety, grabbed her shoulder.

"She walks like diamond dog, but..." the green-eyed creature, taking the most authoritative role of the trio, seized her arm in his other hand, running it along her bare skin. She was in a short sleeve, so he got a good feel of her. She shuddered slightly under the strength of his touch. He was close enough that she could feel his breath hitting her. "No fur," he concluded.

Diamond dogs? Is that what these things were? Not that she had time to delve into semantics, but she supposed they did seem mostly canine, even if they appeared to borrow traits from multiple species. She had never heard of such a thing. She wondered if even the ponies knew about them.

"Maybe she's from another pack?" suggested the one to her back right, the biggest of the three. He had a flat head, ears splayed back. His eyes were a sickly yellow.

"Maybe she a hairless breed," said the remaining one to her left, still holding her shoulder. "I seen it before, Rover!" he added, addressing the gray one who appeared to be their leader.

'Breed' was not exaclty the word she wanted to hear right now, regardless of context.

Her head turned frantically, eyeing each of her captors up in turn before repeating the process again. She was trying to make sense of any of this. She noted that they all wore jackets - two gray, while the one directly in front of her wore red. They all also sported diamond studded collars.

Snapping her out of her manic scanning, Rover's dark claw came up to a tear in her top, gripping it.

"What is..." he started, before tugging on it. Under his powerful hand, the fabric protecting Nora's modesty was ripped away instantly, and she screamed.

"Let me go!" she wailed.

"It speaks!" cackled the tall gray one. He started prodding at exposed back, tugging on her bra strap, the last thing protecting her decency. As he did so, pointed nails dug into her skin.

"Ow, ow!"

After a few twangs, he gave it a slightly bigger tug and the clasp broke. Her brassiere fell to the ground, revealing her perky breasts. The cavern air washed over them, tingling them, making her nipples hard.

"I knew I smelled a female," growled Rover in a low, menacing voice, "But what a female!"

"You sure she no cow?" asked the tall one.

"She no cow, Fido," replied the short one, "But she made for milking!"

"If she's a diamond dog, where's her tail?"

Nora had noticed that her three aggressors each had club-like tails adorned in spikes or studded flesh. The things looked like weapons.

"Docked, maybe," said Rover. "Maybe she's been a naughty pup. She must have run away from her pack, if she made it out this far..." he traced a claw over her face slowly.

"I bet she could feed three litters with these," said the short one, name as of yet unknown. Without any warning, he pushed his face against her chest, mouth making its home around her left nipple. He suckled fast and sloppily, like, well, an animal.

"Ug! Get off!" she cried in vain. They the sordid gang were hearing only their own discussion.

"Any good, Spot?" asked Fido, moving in catiously, before mimicking his actions on her right side.

"Ah!"

They sucked hard on her chest, the flesh on her breats pulled against the vaccuum created around their mouths. They violated her, slobbering tongues flicking at her nipples. It pained her.

After a minute of this torment, they stopped.

"She's dry, boss!" said Spot, disappointed. Nora had had enough, panting and heaving, she took an opportunity to chastise them between breaths.

"That's because I'm not pregnant, idiot! You only make milk when you're pregnant."

A pause lingered in the air. Why were they looking at her like that?

...Oh no.

Rover grinned, licking his lips. "You heard her, boys, she's fertile and unclaimed."

"It's our lucky day!" squealed Spot.

Rover snarled. "You mean my lucky day. I'm the pack leader, I get her."

Spot's ears, previously pert and attentive, flopped down to the sides of his heads as he broke eye contact, whimpering slightly at Rover's growl. Nora recognized this canine trait - he was showing submission.

"At last," Rover monologued, "After all our females disappeared - hunted, lost, or stolen by that accursed Rhinestone Pack - we have our salvation! You," he continued, tracing his claw down from Nora's face, over her chest and to her navel, stopping with his claw in her belly button, "Will save our pack. At last, a fresh litter! More females in the pack! We will thrive! We will prosper!"

"But I'm not a diamond d-"

Nora's voiced was cut off, the lanky Fido clamping one of his massive hands over her mouth, silencing her. With his other hand he supported her right shoulder; Spot held her up by her left side, stretching her horizontally while hoisting her into the air.

"Mmmff. Hhhmm!" she cried, pleas falling on deaf ears.

Rover undid the belt holding her pants in place. He seemed the most competent with basic tools and other civilized impliments of the three. Showcasing such talent, he strapped it around her hands before linking it up again, binding her. While he hovered over her upper half, he gave her chest a single, almighty lick, absolutely drenching it in doggy drool.

As he retreated over her, he hooked her pants at the waistline, pulling them with him, revealing her panties. Her pants wouldn't come off without a fight, her shoes trapping them at her ankles. Rover was undettered, tugging still, working one shoe loose - the laces had already come undone, and so it cascaded off her raised toes with ease under his pull. When the other didn't budge, he yanked harded until her pants ripped at the back, the meager remains of her primary bottomwear clinging to her skin.

"How many layers she got, chief?" panted Fido, stomping a leg at the excitement of what was to come.

"Bitch must have been an alpha's personal pet to get this much crap," said Rover.

"Maybe cos she hairless!" squealed Spot in his shrill voice. "Cos, y'know, she'd get cold-"

He was cut off by Fido, who slapped him on the back of the head, communicating 'shut up, idiot' wordlessly.

Rover reached for her nethers, feeling her up through the thin satin shielding her. She moaned into Fido's hand, head shaking. This was bad. Real bad.

After pushing down on her pussy, thumb circling the outline of her clit, he made a grab for her underwear, shredding them in one fell swoop. The tattered remains of her panties flew out around her, Rarity's hard work undone in an instant. The annoying duo holding her in place laughed at this.

Nora's mind raced; it raced with futile thoughts on how to escape. She was down here, alone, away from all civilization. She was outnumbered, out-muscled, and she couldn't even cry for help. She was at the mercy of these animals.

She peered down, Rover's form visible between her own boobs, which sagged slighlty off the sides of her chest due to her suspension, and between her raised legs, which he held in place by her ankles. A red obelisk emerged from between his thighs, a sign of his obvious arousal.

Nora inhaled deeply through her nose, steeling herself. She knew there was no way out. He would have his way with her.

He brought the tip of his red rocket to her own sex, which was slightly slick at the stimulation and her anxious excitement, despite her clear displeasure at things. Okay, she thought, these guys were hulking brutes. Musclebound, not too bright - she could work with that type, normally. Maybe if she met them on her street corner she'd consider it? Maybe? But down here, in this dank cave? Pawing at her like animals, treating her like livestock? It was... it was...

Rover pushed inside her, burying his bone. Nora squealed.

It was hot. As. Fuck.

She paused mentally, surprised at herself. Where had that come from? Was she rationalizing this bad situation?

Rover started humping her, pushing his canine shaft in and out of her human vagina. He moved postion slightly, hooking his hands under her knees, allowing him to lunge slightly further, able to firmly hilt himself in her. He pistoned rapidly, knowing no tact, and showing no regard for her condition. As the others steadied her, her belt dig into her wrists slightly, and their pointy fingers marked her every time her body bounced under's Rover's relentless rams and drives.

She wasn't giving up, writhing under the hold to no avail, and screaming into the meaty paw that gagged her. C'mon, c'mon, something, someone...

Fido's sweaty paw being right under her nose, Nora was unable to escape their stench. The mutts reaked. Figured if they lived in caves they smelled bad. Their odor assaulted her, adding to the unpleasantness of the situation.

As she bucked her hips, trying to wriggle free, Rover plowed her, not minding her protests at all. Nora had been dominated before, but never like this. When it came to ponies, she'd never found herself with the need to say no. She always set her boundaries when a client asked her what they wanted, and if she wasn't game, that was that. Even the seedier characters she encountered respected that, even though she could tell some of them really didn't want to. This was primal. This wasn't sex, it was mating. She reflected on her encounter with the dragons yesterday. They considered sex a power display, or a means of reproduction. But even they seemed more... refined. Dignified, somehow. This, however... it was sloppy. Degrading. She might as well be a slab of meat.

And she thought dragons were tribalistic? Hoo, boy, if only she could have known. These things, these so-called 'diamond dogs' - was that even a species, or just the name of their little gang? They were at least a couple rungs down on the evolutionary ladder. While dragons understood higher concepts, and simply seemed to prefer not to engage with a lot of them - community, friendship, et cetera - these hounds acted like they lived to eat and fuck. They were capable of speech - a strange, raspy, alien tonuge though it was - but nothing else really indicated much going on between their ears. They were as dumb as... well... dogs.

Rover loomed over Nora as he pumped her, his body rocking her each time his pelvis bumped her. He was staring down at her with those animalistic eyes, squinting, inspecting her. His cock was smaller than a pony's, but by no means small. It was somewhere between Garble's smooth, snake-like penis and a stallion's thicker, fleshier rod - it was tapered, which made it ideal for fucking, able to spread her more the further inside he went - and it was veiny. The thick veins on its surface brushed against her vaginal cavity, like a ribbed condom.

He glanced at her stomach, eyeing it with delight. "Soon," he shrieked, "You will carry my pups!"

He grunted at her tightness, Nora's human pussy clearly not one-for-one compatible with his dog dick. Her folds closed around his penis as it entered and exited, milking it, egging it on. Her chest felt colder still, the thick slobber clinging to it and accentuating the feeling of the cave air hitting her skin. As her mind screamed and thrashed against the treatment, her body began telling a different story. The muscles in her upper arms spasmed under the hold of Spot and Fido, able to remain taut no longer, her whole form giving out. Her bucking hips, once veering to her side in all directions, seeking freedom, now found themselves bucking with the dog's thrusts. Nora didn't even realize it.

She stopped yelling into Fido's hand, accepting the futlity of such an act. Just cum... she pleaded with her assailant in her mind, before catching herself. So that it'll be over... Yeah, just cum for me, so this can end.

She felt a swelling from within her, Rover's cock expanding at the base.

Oh no, she thought. Is that...?

A knot. It budded, tethering the two together. They were bound at their genitals, now, any dreams of escape well and truly dashed beyond any repair. She was in this for the long haul; he would cum inside her, filling her with his seed. It was only a matter of time. The knot restricted his movement; each time her pulled back for a thrust, it locked them in place. When he pulled too far, his swollen dick tugged at her pussy, in a horrible, delightful way. Rover changed position once more, abandoning his hold on her legs and propping her up by her ass instead. His pointy talons dotted her bum with sores.

Yes, yes, yes...

Nora's mind went blank, her field of vision a haze of guilty pleasure. Surely she shouldn't be enjoying this?

While the dog's range of motion was more limited thanks to his swolen knot, his pace quickened, buffeting poor Nora with short, fast, hard thrusts. It was almost mechanical. She leaked juices from her aching cunt, her body inviting the brute in, betraying her.

Just cum, just cum, she repeated in her head, as though trying to form some psychic link with the mutt pounding her pussy, urging him on without the use of her tongue. As he locked eyes with her again, somehow, so knew he understood. He saw her pleading look, her pitiful, broken face.

I'm yours, you beast. Breed me.

As his pace quickened still, his arms seemed to tense up, and he steadied his torso, locking it in place. She knew what that meant. In no time at all, an eruption sounded off inside her; the dam burst. She was flooded with dog semen, locked inside by the knot that plugged her still. Knots... they were built for baby-making.

She felt like a dog, right there and then. Used, toyed with - she was this thing's pet. Well, if they wanted a dog, they were getting a bitch in heat.

Nora's breathing reached critical speed, her chest rising and falling without restraint. Her head spun. As the waves of pleasure overcame her, she felt her energy slipping. It was all too much. Her eyes closed slowly and wearily, and her ears rang, blocking out the bestial noises of the diamond dogs, and the soothing sounds of the otherwise still cavern. As her consciousness slipped, her lips defied her with one last act, tugging at the corners into a slight but discernable smile.