The Joker and The Rose.

"The mooring line! Grab the mooring line!" The dock worker shouted, The large ship slowly entered the sky-dock, the hull groaning and scraping against the edge of the platform

"Steady as she goes." Silver Shield said in a clear and reassuring voice.

"You have been saying that ever since we left Canterlot sir." The first mate pointed out.

"Oh quiet Godfrey this is the first time i have ever done this, and its Captain to you."

*Sigh* "Yes Captain." Godfrey replied.

The ship slowly came to a halt.

"There, that wasn't so bad was it?" Silver Shield said to the first mate.

"Extraordinary work Si- I mean, Extraordinary work Captain " Godfrey said with a toneless almost depressed voice, the same he had kept ever since he realized who was to be the captain on this journey.

"Now, Princess Celestia said that she had felt a powerful magic coming from this place, since this is so far away from Canterlot it had to be very powerful if she could sense it all the way here, even with her skill in magic," Silver shield said, his mind filled with worry about what kind of power they would find here. "She said it could even be more powerful than the elements of harmony... and if its that powerful, it must be either destroyed or if possible captured, for the greater good of Equestria."

"Now where to find it?" he continued.

"May i suggest the local watering hole, Captain?" Godfrey pointed to a building further downhill close to the river, a sign depicting a large tankard hanging above the door.

"Yes, that would be a good a place as any to start looking, Godfrey Prepare the men to walk asho-... eeeh, we are not on water and the river downhill has the only shore, what do they call it when you walk of an airship?" Silver Shield said with a confused look on his face.

"I really don't know Captain, I have never been aboard a flying ship before either." Godfrey said.

"Oh yeah, this is the first of its model, we should have brought somebody who knows how to work this thing... and you really need to lighten up from time to time Godfrey, It would do you good." Silver Shield replied to Godfrey's Tone.

"Well what do you expect? I'm a 50 year old sailor that has stood before the mast long before your father was born Captain, this is what happens then." Godfrey said as he looked upon the mainsail with his big grey eyes, in fact his whole body was a mixture of different shades of grey, his coat, his mane, his tail and his eyes were all in grey.

Silver Shield shuddered, "Well i better not stay to long on a boat then, but anyway, as i said prepare the men to walk... uuuhm, Dammit i am just going to call it 'walk ashore' no matter if there is a shore or not!" Silver Shield exclaimed in a frustrated tone.

"I will get the men ready." Godfrey started walking down the stairs from the helm.

--- Several miles north of the village, deep underground in a Diamond dog den. ---

I heard the sound of a metal door opening and closing.

I rustled around in the chair i was tied to, trying to shake some blood into my numb limbs.

"Resistance is useless." Said a voice that sounded more like a bark. "Who are you?" it then continued with same barking noise.

"How about you undo these ropes that ties me to this chair and maybe i will tell you my name the last few seconds before you die." I replied to the gruff voice.

The voice laughed, which honestly sounded more like a mixture of coughing and suffocating at the same time.

"You are no place to make threats baldie." It said with the same limited vocabulary as a 4 year old.

"Baldie!? Did you see the hair on my head before you put this soggy bag over my head?"

"You are first thing walking on two legs that no has fur, no feathers, no scale covering body i have seen." It said.

"Well, like they say in America, 'there's a first time for everything."

"Whats an America?" the voice said with a dumbfounded tone.

"Never mind that, are you going to take this bag off or am i gonna have to release a can of whoop ass on you?"

The voice laughed again.

"You are real funny guy. But what are you? You no Griffon, no dog, no pony."

I decided to avoid that question for now, this was obviously not a human being.

Instead i went with a cliche move, sure it might get me killed but i JUST CAN'T RESIST MYSELF!

"Take me to your leader." 'Pheeew... I've always wanted to say that.' i thought to myself.

"Why should i?" The dog said with a curious voice.

"Because then i will tell you what i am."

I could hear the dog thinking, the one cogwheel in its head turning.

"Okay, i take you to leader."

"Good dog."

'This thing isn't very smart, luckily curiosity and stupidity go so well together.' i thought to myself.

I felt what i thought was two giant hands grabbing hold of the bag over my head and drag it away...  I was wrong. Before my eyes stood a big dog with grayish fur on its back legs, its bulky paws grabbing me, chair and everything, lifting me up and dragging me away out the door and down the hallway.

'Well i was right about the not being human part, but seriously what the fuuuuuuuu-?'

I looked up at the strange dogs face.

"You couldn't find a better way to move me?" i said trying to get somewhat comfortable with him holding me under his arms.

"Not many chairs in den, if you want to sit while talking to leader you will need chair." the dog replied.

"Yeah well you couldn't just untie me and i could carry the chair myself?"

The dog stopped for what seemed to be an eternity or two, hard to tell in such an uncomfortable position, thought about it and then spoke. "No, this way annoy you more, more fun for me." It said with a smile on its face, at least i think it was a smile, it could just have been that it had recently devoured a sack of lemons.

"Right, ha ha very funny." i replied, my comment so loaded with sarcasm that this buffoon didn't seem to pick up on, lucky for me.

"Resistance is useless" It said in a monotone voice.

After a few minutes of continuous rocking back and forth under the right arm of the big dog, we finally got to a door. The dog opened the door, dragged me in and put me down at the end of a table, he then went back, closed the door and stood next to it in the room with me.

The dog then pulled in a lever by the wall, a ringing voice soon filled the room.

"My god is that annoying! Shut it off!" I yelled at the dog behind me.

"Wait." it replied simply.

The ringing noise stopped.

I looked around in the room i was in. In front of me was an old table, its surface covered with claw marks, coffee spills and what could only be described as a mixture of guacamole and Chili con carne, though i doubt that is what it really was.

At the opposite end of the room there was another door, its handle suddenly turned and it slowly opened.

If i thought the dog behind me was big, this thing was gargantuan! The dog was so tall that it had to bend its back to not hit its head against the ceiling.

This giant beast also came with an even rougher voice, bellowing out a command behind me. I could hear the scuttling of claws against smooth stone behind him. how it was possible for me to understand what it was saying will most likely riddle me for years to come.

The Giant dog sat down opposite me of the table on another scrawny chair.

"Who are you?" It said with a voice that sounded like an avalanche continuously took place in it's throat.

"This again? Can't we just say that i'm an inanimate object, and then you can put me in the corner so that i can get to work on getting this overly complicated knot up so i can escape." I said while trying to get a good grab at the knot behind my back.

"Resistance is useless." Said the dog guard behind me.

"Haha, you are very funny, but i am not like these simple-toons, i actually have a brain bigger than my eyeball." Said the big dog.

"I'll believe it when i see it, which i will once I've stomped it out of your head."

"Resistance is useless." The guard dog said once again.

"So you keep saying." I replied.

"You are in no position to make threats." The huge dog opposite me spoke.

"Oh shut up you mutt," i  i raised my right leg and slammed it down on the wooden floor to make my point, however i had not accounted for that the board i had hit with my foot was loose, abiding the laws of physics usually found in cartoons, the other end of the board flew up precisely between the legs of the dog sitting opposite me, i could hear a wet crunch. The dogs face turned into some kind of mixture of pain, anger and complete and utter despair... also several shades of purple.

"Well... that works i guess," i said as i then heaved both my legs up, flipping the table in the air, hitting the big dog in the lower jaw.

I fell backwards, doing a complete back roll and landing on my legs, my upper body still tied to the chair. I shot myself backwards and towards the guard dog behind me who was still laughing at the facial expression of his... companion? No, boss would be a better description.

The chair hit his ribs and emptied his lungs of air, the only sound coming out of his mouth was a quick "Oof!".

With both the dogs down i quickly released the knot i had been holding, the rope loosened and i slid it off my body, "Can't be easy tying ropes with those big claws." I said with the first lungful of air I've had in several hours. 'just because they are bad at making knots doesn't mean that they are bad at making it tight.' I then took one end of the rope and tied it around the guard dog.

I turned around to see that the other dog was lying on the floor holding both his paws between his legs and whimpering.

I walked up to him, smacked my foot down at the side of his head, he looked up to me and said: "The others will get you." with a high pitch voice that sounded like he had inhaled a years worth of helium.

I simply replied, "You are in no position to make threats." Before raising my foot again and smacking it down harder on his head, rendering him unconscious for the next couple of hours.

"Have a couple of aspirin and call me in the morn'" i said, wishing i had a pair of shades i could put on at that very moment.

Speaking of putting on something, it was not until now that i realized that i was wearing a black tuxedo with a purple shirt and bow tie. 'Okay, can't remember putting this on.'

The door that the boss dog had come from suddenly burst open. In the doorway stood two other dogs.

They took a long look at the scene in front of them, a guard in the corner tied up, their boss lying on the floor unconscious  with a strange creature standing over it... but by far the most horrid... the table!

"YOU BROKE TABLE!" One of the dogs barked out.

I looked around at the mess surrounding me, then down at my clothing, i looked up again and simply replied: "Yes, the doctor will see you now."

The other dog took word now. "That was last table! I will spill your guts!"

Both of the dogs came rushing towards me, their claws extended and their fangs showing.

I quickly grabbed one of the legs from the table, easily ripping it off since the table was half rotten, smashing one of the dogs in the face in a upward motion, he did a half backwards flip landing on his back.

The other dog pounced me, tearing away at my left arm.

"HEY! I need that!" I said, shoving the broken table leg into the side of the dog.

A quick yelp escaped the dogs mouth followed by blood, rolling over from me clenching the wound that i had opened by its rib cage.

I quickly got up, assessing the situation i realized that i had just taken out 4 dogs double my size, my left arm brutalized and bloody, the adrenaline keeping the pain at bay for now, but it would start hurting like hell soon.

I started walking to the door, as i went through it i looked back at the mess i had made and thought 'I can't believe that worked.' A smirk appearing on my face. Seconds later i ran down the corridor on the other side of the door.

I passed door after door but decided to keep on going to the end.

I quickly came to a walkway, sitting on the side of a wall in what seemed to be a giant underground chasm. Down below i could hear the distant sound of mining picks smashing against stone. Up above i saw a rocky roof, lit with torches sitting in holes in the Stalagmites.

'Those might be useful in combat, however i will need some way to knock them loose.' I thought.

The walkway went around in a big circle, leading into different rooms. In the middle of the open area was a set of wires that apparently was supposed to be some sort of lift.

Looking around i soon realized that the only way up and out was through the lift. I saw how sunlight was shining down from the elevator shaft that stuck out down from the roof. To get to the lift i had to go down to the lowest floor and ride it up. I decided to go left, running to a ladder nearby, i grabbed the ladder and quickly slid down to the bottom.

"Ow ow ow ow OW OW OW!" i said as the friction of holding the bars made my hands burn.

'That was stupid,' i thought to myself as i hit the ground and put my hands in my armpits.

The floor of what i assumed to be the mining shaft was rocky and irregularly formed. I climbed to a better position to check if i  could make my way to the lift.

What i saw was mindbogglingly disturbing. Slaves, mining away at the rock, their bodies weak and unourished, some of them were completely black, with holes in their legs and their... wings? almost transparent and bug like. They had the outlook of horses except smaller, but there were other creatures as well. A mixture of Lion and Eagle, griffins from ancient Greek mythology, now alive in front of me. I saw "regular" horses as well, if you could call them regular. Some of them had horns, using what appeared to be magic to scan for precious gems underneath the earth. There were Pegasi too, Their wings tied to their bodies with chains so they could not escape, same with the Griffins.

They all looked cartoonish, now that i thought about it, everything looked like i had stumbled upon a cartoon series. Everything had a thin black outline surrounding its edges and even in this dark mine the colours seemed brighter than reality usually would allow.

'Oh what kind of fresh hellhole have i managed to get myself into?'

My thoughts were quickly interrupted by yet another barking voice.

"HEY! Why are you not working!" I heard coming from directly behind me.

Before i could turn around i felt something pushing me in the back, most likely a paw, i fell down the small hill i had chosen for a better view.

The only view i was currently seeing though was the ground racing quickly towards me.

'This is going to hurt.' i thought moments before i hit the ground.

--- Back in the village ---

The door to the tavern flung open, Silver Shield walked in with Godfrey right behind him.

Their entrance had gone largely unnoticed by the taverns customers, the bar was filled with ruffians of all colours and forms, he saw Griffons, Diamond Dogs and all three types of ponies. He walked over to the bar, the bartender was an old earth pony with thick brown fur and a talent mark showing the same tankard of ale as the one outside on both his flanks.

The new visitors approached the bar, some of the other customers eyes following them.

"Hello, have you heard any rumors going around lately?" Silver Shield asked.

The bartender gave them a quick look before answering. "No, nothing going on all the way up here." He said before going back to scrubbing the mug he was holding.

Silver Shield sighed, he knew the bartender was hiding something, they always were in these parts, "Maybe this will help loosen your memory." he said while swinging a sack in front of the bartenders face, the faint sound of coins clinking together could be heard from inside the sack.

The bartender gave them another look, before he took the sack and put it behind the counter. He leaned in and whispered in a hushed tone "There is a Diamond Dog den north of here, i heard they managed to capture a dragon, apparently they are supposed to be magical creatures, but other than that there is nothing."

He then leaned back behind the bar table again. "Now if you aren't here to order anything i suggest you get out." He said with a rude tone.

Silver Shield gave the bartender a quiet stare as he walked back towards the door. Godfrey who had kept silent this whole time finally spoke, "Maybe we should take a look at this Diamond dog den, Captain?"

"Hey, i call the shots here... and yes, lets see if the d-dog den is the source. Lets go back to the ship and prepare for departure."

--- Further north back in the den ---

I woke up to the sound of howling and hooting. I looked around and saw a crowd of dogs surrounding me.

"Oh so the pup is finally awake!" Said the same gruff voice i heard before i got pushed.

I tried to get up only to discover that my right shoulder had been dislocated and my left arm still being completely ripped apart by the guard dog earlier, gave me some trouble getting up.

But finally i got to my feet, only to realize that the pain in my left arm was starting to get worse and my right shoulder aching like hell, i realized that i was in no condition to fight these dogs off.

Not that i had any chance before, sure i had taken martial arts classes but for that you needed to have both your arms working. Only kicking wouldn't help here, i had the suit for it but i needed to have thin eyebrows with spirals at the end and blond hair, and maybe a cigarette.

I scanned my surroundings, The crowd of dogs had started to come closer, the one that had kicked me was standing opposite me ready to strike again.

This dog must have been the big boss, he was a solid 3 meter tall beast, he wore armor made out of some sort of scaly material, the edges of the scales looked like they could cut diamond.

On his back hanged a large broadsword made out of the same scales as his armor, but this was just one big scale, encrusted in gems that shone in the torchlight like a thousand stars.

'Oh just... lovely.'

I took a step back but felt that there was nothing to step on, i looked at the ground behind me and discovered that there was no ground, just a massive dark pit. I looked over the edge and the further down my sight went the darker it got. The pit seemed bottomless.

"Anything to say before i kill you?" The armored dog said.

"Yeah, how far a drop is that?" I asked, looking back at the dog approaching me, pointing a thumb behind me towards the looming pit.

"Oh that hole there leads all the way down to Tartarus, We will be having dinner before you hit the bottom!" It said with a chilled voice.

The dogs around howling, hooting and screaming even more to "HAVOC! HAVOC! HAVOC! HAVOC!"

'Kind of odd screaming that in a fight.'

The giant dog took another step, crouching low as he made ready to pounce.

'Oh great, i guess this is the end... and i haven't even had breakfast yet!'

"Well crap, i guess i can't get out of this one." I simply stated.

"Any last words... pup!" The dog practically spat the last word out.

"Last words are for fools who haven't said enough! Just get on with it already!" I said with a chilled voice.

The crowd went silent. The armored dog spoke: "So be it."

He leaped towards me, digging his claws into my chest. The utter force of his momentum pressing the razor sharp claws deeper in towards my ribs.

He stopped right at the edge, digging his back feet into the ground, his claws slipping out of me as i continued forwards in the air.

Before i knew it, i fell, further and further down into the dark abyss, I looked up and saw the dogs standing close to the edge watching me fall, pointing and laughing. Their laughter filled my ears as i continued to fall.

After a while the pain in my arm, shoulder and chest became too much, i faded in and out of consciousness several times,

I saw how the walls got closer, the hole was getting narrow, i feared that i might hit the walls and have my body splatter into a thousand pieces, but then they opened up into an even greater underground chamber, this one was much larger than the one i had been falling from, it seemed to never end, the weak light from above not making much of an effort to pierce through the darkness.

I looked down towards my imminent destination, i saw a large black lake stretching further away into the darkness.

'Oh no, not again,' My thoughts was cut off by the impact of my body hitting the water.