Mask

Diamond.

Spike stared at the diamond in the ceiling for a moment, flashes of his friends racing through his mind, specifically Rarity fussing over his suit before they went to the gala or her adjusting her glasses whilst she fixed a dress, even her angry face when he accidentally tracked in dirt after a gem hunt. He thought she was as beautiful as a diamond then, her Cutie Mark seemed to match his thoughts on the matter. He still remembered the perfumes she used or the gems she gave him. He even remembered the kiss she gave him on his birthday, and how the others would give him weird looks when he said he would never wash that cheek again.

His heart ached for a brief moment, before a hand on his shoulder shook him out of his memories, Spike looking at Cherry Jubilee, giving her a quizzical look, the woman nodding her head a direction, Spike following her a bit, walking away from the wall. "Cherry, we already agreed we would stay and -"

"I think you should go on ahead." Cherry interrupted, making Spike look at her in surprise.

"I'm sorry, that cave crawling earlier must have plugged up my ears a bit. Did you just say I should go?"

"Look-" Cherry sat her gun down and stared at Spike, rubbing the back of her neck, "I understand that it may not make sense, but they are after you, so ya gotta get goin while they're distracted with us, Spike."

"Cherry, I can't just leave all of you here like this!"

"That's why ya ain't!" Cherry grabbed his chest armor with her hands, bringing him in close, staring deep into his eyes, before saying, "Spike, from what Applejack told me about ya, ya ain't one to back down from a fight if yer friends are in trouble. But right now, these varmints are gonna keep on trackin ya until they catch ya, and I can't let 'em do that." She pointed towards the other side of the cavern, keeping her voice low, "Now ya listen close, kiddo, there's a gate that way, I want you and yer friend here to make an escape while we hold 'em off."

"Cherry, I can't just-"

"You." Cherry set Spike down and turned to Storm, Bright Light adjusting her weapon sights and aiming down them, giving a glance towards the group. "Ya make sure he reaches the next area." She then leant in uncomfortably close, her eyes taking on an uncharacteristically hard edge, "If anythin happens to that boy, Imma find ya and tan your hide right then and there, understand?" Storm nodded a bit too quickly, showing her discomfort, making Cherry smile. "Good."

"Cherry, I really shouldn't go. I brought this to you guys, I should be here to try and help." Spike protested, then made to continue, before the sounds of yells cut him off, making Cherry and Bright Light turn towards the doors, seeing men and women gather at the top, aiming their weapons.

Cherry turned to Spike, then gave him a soft smile, before leaning in and pressing her forehead against his, Spike closing his eyes and giving out a soft, smoke filled sigh. If she minded the smoke, she physically made no show of it, the two separating after a moment, before looking at Bright Light, saying, "Well, ya heard the music! Let's get on that dance floor." She started walking away, Spike watching the duo as they left.

"C'mon, Spike, we gotta go." Storm spoke, her wings rustling a bit as she grasped Spikes arm. Spike, however, wouldn't budge for a moment, watching Cherry and Bright Light run towards the gate. The sickening pit in his stomach deepened, but he relented, following Storm, gritting his teeth in anger.

Silver sat there, staring at the broken doors in front of him, inspecting the sides. He shook his head, before looking back at Wave Surfer, the man fiddling with the radio. He looked back at Steel and waved him over, Meteor and Flare watching the tunnel they came from, sitting behind an overturned minecart, ignoring the feeling of the rocks they were kneeling on. Stone was, currently, drinking out of her canteen, watching everyone.

"What do you make of this?" Silver asked, tapping the door with his foot, hearing the soft thud reply back.

"Well, this would have been our quickest way to the settlement." Steel mumbled out, before kneeling down and brushing his fingers along the ground, his wings bunching up a bit, before he looked back up at the door. "Diamond Dogs fought something here. Something big."

Meteor walked up, before shaking her head as she knelt down next to Steel. "Looks more like they were following something big. Must have broken the door."

"How big, exactly?" Stone asked, her eyebrows rising a bit.

Meteor inspected the prints, "Dunno. All we got are some footprints. Could be any size under ten feet."

Steel hummed to himself, before looking back a bit, seeing the way they entered. He hummed a bit, before raising a hand, a sheen of magic covering his hand, then the door. He grunted a bit, a loud, metal groan echoing out from the tunnel, before he slung his weapon over his shoulder and reached outwards with his other hand, giving a loud grunt as another metal groan, shifting a bit, dust sprinkling downwards.

Both Steel and Meteor backed up a bit, giving each other looks, before Flare walked over, a glow taking over her hands. She took the same move as Silver, grunting and baring her teeth. Sweat poured from Silver and Flares foreheads, giving strangled sounds as they used their magic to slowly lift the door, inch by tiny inch.

Finally, it was tall enough, Waves jaw fell as he witnessed them moving it. However, he was snapped to attention when Silvers knee buckled, hos face red and his breathing coming out harder and harder. Flare was fairing even worse, her hands shaking and her face bright red, the door stopping. When it gave a sudden shift downward for a second, Wave, Meteor and Steel jumped into action. They grasped onto the overturned minecart and started moving it, sending out a hellish screeching sound as they scraped the cart along the rails.

They put it under the door, then gave Silver a nod, the man giving a grunt as he stopped, Flare following suit, the door slamming down on the minecart. Silver walked forward, hitting his fist against the door, hearing a soft creak, though nothing else happened. "Should be safe enough." Silver mumbled out, before ducking under the door.

Stone turned to the others, then bumped her shoulder against Waves, who jumped a bit, then asked, "So...how much ya wanna bet he finds something horrible in there?"

Wave shook his head, then pointed upwards, "From what you guys tell me, it can't be any worse than up there."

On the other side, Silver turned his flashlight on, pulling his shotgun out and aiming it around. He gave a grunt as he walked forward, kicking something with his foot, making him jump a bit from the noise. He looked down, giving a gasp as he saw something; a childs skull. He aimed his flashlight around, seeing different skeletons littered amongst the hall of stone and gems, giving a sad and uneasy look.

"Sweet Celestia." Silver turned to see Steel looking at the skeletons, Meteor ducking under, Flare using her magic to activate a light, one she threw down the hallway. Dozens of skeletons littered the ground and walls, though the walk way was clear, crushed bones leading the way.

"I don't like this." Wave mumbled out, making Stone look around. Stone inspected the marks, giving Wave a grim look seeing a skeleton holding a smaller one in its arms, shaking her head. "Yeah, I definitely don't like this."

"No one made it out." Silver mumbled, looking around, inspecting the scorch marks on the walls, before shaking his head, ignoring the claw marks on the walls. "Come on, we gotta get a move on."

"Sir?" Silver looked at Wave, who walked forward, the young man slowly pulling his map out, using his own flashlight to light it up, "According to the map we found earlier, there is a way around. It will take longer but..." Silver gave a look, making Wave continue, the man brushing his forehead free of dirt and sweat, "Something doesn't feel right, sir."

Silver looked towards the light that Flare threw, before giving a soft hum. "You're right. Something doesn't feel right." Silver turned to make an order, only to pause as he saw claws slide on the other side of the door, the other turning when they heard the scratching noise. A loud rumble echoed out through the cave, Silver bringing a finger to his lips, the others nodding as they quietly slid backwards.

The claws they saw were sharp, incredibly so, and the hand attached to them was large, easily able to lift a man upwards. They could hear its tail dragging behind it, the creatures three toed foot coming into view, another low rumble echoing out into the cave. They quickened their pace, trying to leave the creature behind, Wave looking backwards as the creatures snout pushed under the door, flicking its long tongue outwards, before pulling its face away, hissing into the air.

CRACK!

The group froze, only to look backwards at Flare, who was frozen in place. She looked downwards and lifted her boot, a childs femur had been broken by her foot. They looked back at the door to see a massive hand grip underneath it, its claws slowly scratching along the door, its long tongue flicking outwards as it hissed. Silvers flashlight finally shined onto it, its head rearing back as it roared at them, a throaty hissy snarl that shook them a bit.

"Run or fight?!" Storm yelled out as the creature smashed against the door, denting it. It hissed again, its body smashing against the door again and again. "Sir! Run or fight?!"

Silver looked back into the hall, seeing another door behind them, down the hall. Heavy. Metal. Perfect. "FALL BACK! OPEN THE DOOR!" He looked at Flare as the creature roared again, "Flare! Blind it on my signal!"

Wave, Meteor, and Steel started running down the hall, Steel reaching the door first, flaring his wings outwards a bit as panic set in his body, ripping open the metal latch. Stone finally made to the back, adjusting her boomstick, aiming it towards the other door.

"MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!" Wave barked, pushing the skyblood away from the panel. He turned his flashlight on, looking through the switches as he heard the creature smash against the door. It roared as he flipped through some switches, before smashing his hand into the red button, the door opening slowly, groaning a bit. "Door is opening! Buy some time!"

The creature grasped onto the bottom of the door, lifting it upwards, a loud metal groan echoing through the hallway once again. Silver reached outwards with his magic, grasping onto the mining cart and giving a grunt, slowly pulling it out of the doorway, giving a silent apology to the bones he scraped out of the way with the cart. The beast snarled as it lifted up the door more and more, before finally showing itself.

The beast was massive, and definitely reptilian; its eyes were slitted, akin to Spikes, however they were blue instead of green. Its face looked almost like an tegu; thick jaws, fat face for jaw muscles, though it definitely had hints of a monitor lizard. Its back was covered in some sort of bumpy, armored scales, its hands looked almost human like, if not for the foot long claws across the two middle fingers, with a four inch claw on the thumb and a three inch claw on the fourth finger. It, interestingly, had no fifth finger, but they didn't have the time to ponder the reason why, like Twilight would. Its foot, digitigrade, almost looked like a dragon or dinosaur, with three toes and a dew claw, and its tial was long, though the base was fatter than the end, which was almost whip like.

The Lizard opened its mouth, showing no teeth, before its gums slid back a bit, showing off its teeth. It roared, moving forward a bit, before Silver whistled, making it cock its head, hissing as it flicked its tongue. Flare made a movement with her hand, shooting a ball of light as the beasts face, before it exploded outwards, blinding the poor beast. It gave an angry screech as it tried shielding its eyes, only for Silver to give a yell as he used his magic to lift the mine cart, then throw it at the beast.

It was off by its mark, as Silver aimed for the Lizards head. However, thanks to a combination of Silvers tired state, gravity, and the mine carts weight, it did manage to slam full force into the Reptiles chest, sending it flying backwards. The door, not being held up by the Lizard, decided to slam shut on its tail, cutting the creatures tail off at the third of its length. Silver put his hands on his legs, hunched over, breathing heavily, his throat feeling dry, sweat pouring down his face, Flare joining him and panting heavily, her breathing a bit more raspy than his, but she smiled and gave a chuckle.

"I hear they grow back." Stone half yelled out, making Wave look backwards.

"At least, for tegus they do. I don't know about that thing."

Flare tapped his shoulder, making Silver nod, ignoring the squirming tail. They started walking towards the others, Flare opening her mouth to say something, only for a muffled roar to be heard, making the others point their weapons towards the door, Silver and Flare running towards the others.

"Show off." Stone joked, smacking Silvers shoulder, her gloves protecting her from the sweat.

"You know me. Can't let the youngins think I've gone soft now." Silver mumbled back, pointing his gun towards the door, watching it dent as the Lizard smashed into it, giving out muffled snarls. The door gave a loud beep, making the group look backwards, seeing two Diamond Dogs standing there, confused, weapons in hand.

The group pulled their weapons up, making the Diamond Dogs lift their weapons and snarl. They probably would have a very violent, bloody fight...had it not been for the fact the door that was holding the Lizard at bay was suddenly smashed through, the beast giving a throaty, deep hiss as its eyes narrowed in on the group. Silver and his team shouldered past the Diamond Dogs, though the dogs stood their ground and snarled as they started firing at the reptile. The Lizard snarled and rushed them, Silver sparing a glance backwards in time to see the Lizards claws stab through the first Dog, though he tore his eyes away and kept running when he heard the yelps behind him and the gunfire.

Cherry watched the hallway, scanning it with her eyes, using a rag to clean the salvaged weapon in her hand, Bright Light sitting next to her, inspecting her Sweeper, . She heard paws tapping against the stone, making her stand up, chambering a round, peering out from behind the wall. There, she spotted the one Diamond Dog who talked to them earlier, before giving a grin.

"Now, here I was thinkin y'all would be late for lunch!" Cherry Jubilee called out, before holding her weapon loosely. "Now, before Ah tan yer hide for tryin to kidnap my friend here, what were ya plannin to do? Just make some big rush at us an hope it just might work?"

The Diamond Dog snarled and pointed at her, screeching out in its high pitched voice, "YOU BRING DRAGON HERE AND WE NO NEED TO USE FORCE!"

"Interesting negotiation. Hey, Lamp Light, mind tellin this mutt our answer?"

The woman on the crossbow, with a lamp painted on her chest, wearing a mask and goggles nodded. She spun the light around and flashed the Dog with lights, a ballista bolt smashing into the ground in front of the Dog, making it yelp in surprise.

"Fuck off!"

"Less eloquent than Ah like, but it gets the point across well nuff, Ah suppose." Cherry spoke, before finally pressing her boomer against her shoulder, Bright Light joining her and aiming as the Diamond Dog.

"VERY WELL, HUMIE! WE HAVE OUR ANSWER!" The Dog screeched out, before walking back into the darkness. Cherry and Bright Light shared a confused look, before Cherry made a motion with her hands, everyone taking cover.

"I don't like this. Ain't like these fellas to back off when asked." Cherry mumbled out, making Bright narrow her eyes a bit.

"Yeah, something isn't sitting right." Bright light peeked past the wall, squinting a bit. "That Dog is up to somethin, and I'm not sure I wanna be caught on the -"

A roar echoed out, making them jump upwards, the man next to them flicking on the light and pointing it down the hallway. Bright Lights blood ran cold as she saw what it was; one of the beasts that killed their comrade not even a few hours ago, an armored beast with a massive horn, tumors growing around it. It walked on its knuckles, keeping its claws out of the way, giving a gutteral roar.

Diamond Dogs stabbed at the beast with spears, driving it forward, ignoring its pained roars as it stumbled forward for a moment. As soon as its white eyes hit the light, it gave a surprised roar and rushed forward.

"What ya waitin for, a kiss on the forehead? Shoot the damn thing!" Cherry barked out, Lamp nodding as she loaded the ballista. She fired a bolt into the creatures chest, making it roar in agony, quickening its pace.

Another bolt was fired, making it snarl as it embedded itself into the beasts shoulder. It roared in agony and anger, before smashing a fist into the wall, loosening a rock, ripping it out of the wall. It threw the rock at the wall, Cherry watching in slow motion as the ballista splintered apart - along with Lamp Light.

Her body slammed into the wall, before she crumpled onto the ground, her arm bent at an unnatural angle. Bright Light shook Cherry out of it, making Cherry bark out, "WE NEED A DOC! GET OFF YOUR LAZY ASSES AND SHOOT THAT THING!"

The six people on the wall started firing into the beast, watching it stumble forward, bullets piercing into its flesh. It roared angrily and started charing, blood practically raining off of its body as it tossed another rock, knocking two people off the wall, though these two were lucky, being quickly dragged away by medical personnel.

"AH WANT THAT THING OBLITERATED!!" Cherry yelled out, her guns barrel burning orange from the heat.

The beast roared outwards as it lifted itself upwards, ready to smash the gate, only to fall forwards, the weapons finally taking its toll on it, blood spilling out of the bullet holes and ballista bolts. Cherry and Bright Light backed up a bit, hearing the creatures bulk smack against the gate, denting it. Cherry and Bright Light shared a look, before peeking over the wall, seeing the dead beast.

"Well...that was easy." Cherry mumbled out, before looking at the creature again, dquinting as she noticed a glowing object. "Hey...what's that thing strapped to its back?"

BOOM!