Chapter 12 - Journey to the Hive of the Changelings
After Sombra disappeared, Spike used the Reality and Power Stones to repair the damage he and the villain had caused to the town during their battle. Afterwards, everypony started discussing what to do next.
"Well, Sombra is already defeated. He can't give us any more trouble, right?" Rainbow asked to nopony in particular.
"Sombra is a very dangerous villain, Rainbow. Remember, last time we only could stop him because we had the Crystal Heart, his one true weakness... and we can't go to the Crystal Empire and get it to... wherever Sombra escaped. Too risky." Twilight commented.
"He's surely back to the hive." Adam frowned, getting everypony's attention. "Changelings live in hive-like communities, with a dominant queen, as it happens with bees and wasps... but now that Chrysalis is gone, my brother will step up on the job. Not to mention he'll either plan how to get Chrysalis back, or find a substitute."
"So, he's still a threat." Sonic grinned. "Let's go get the guy."
"Not that easy, Sonic; King Sombra is Adam's brother... I can't use the Infinity Stones against him without feeling guilty, I mean, I can't just turn him into stone or imprison him in another dimension..." Spike groaned. "And I don't know if the 'sealing spell' can work on him... I mean, Sombra's powers aren't the same as Discord's."
"Well, uh... maybe you can heal the guy." Fluttershy offered, in her usual meek voice. "I mean... Chrysalis corrupted him, right? What happened to him isn't that different to what the Alicorn Amulet did to Trixie, remember?"
"That's a good point." Rarity added. "As much as we hate King Sombra (sorry to say this, Adam), it seems he's a victim too."
Adam and Spike looked at each other and nodded.
"I think that can work... My aunts couldn't heal him the first time because he was getting too powerful too fast, and they had to stop him quickly... plus they didn't have the Infinity Stones at hoof's reach." Adam pondered out loud. "I guess Spike already dominates the Stones' powers to the point of being capable of healing my brother... but we still need a way to stop him in case that doesn't work."
"How about using a Crystal Heart?" Pinkie giggled.
"Pinkie, we already said we can't get the Crystal Heart out of the Crystal Empire..." Applejack rolled her eyes but Pinkie interrupted her.
"I didn't say 'THE' Crystal Heart. I said 'A' Crystal Heart. As in, making another one."
"Pinkie, the Crystal Heart is a very special magical antique that isn't easy to replicate..." Shining Armor started explaining until Pinkie pointed at Cadence's cutie mark.
"But we have a model here that Spike can copy." The party pony grinned. Before anypony else could object, Spike wide opened his eyes and dashed in front of Cadence's flank.
"Okay... Pinkie, of all the crazy ideas of yours that might work... this might qualify as one of the best." The dragon grinned.
"If I can help you, go ahead." Cadence smiled at Spike while the others grinned at the idea.
"Okay, everypony, and other creatures, stand back." Spike chuckled while getting ready to use the Stones.
The dragon got serious and started focusing all his energy on making a new Crystal Heart; by using the Reality Stone, he managed to create a tridimensional image of Cadence's cutie mark, and then combined it with the Power Stone's energy to make it solid. Combining the energy of all the other Stones, the Crystal Heart soon started glowing just like the original one whenever its magic was at work.
"And... it's done." Spike smiled while holding the heart. "Cadence's special magic is love-related, just like the original Crystal Heart's; I increased and 'crystalized' that magic to empower the heart, and I even added a bit of the Soul and Mind's magic. If we can't heal King Sombra, I can use this to defeat him... or maybe depower him enough to perform an effective healing spell."
"Perfect. So, where's this hive?" Knuckles asked.
"I know the way... but there's a special alarm spell on it that will detect us if we approach it by the usual methods, like running or flying... even teleporting." Adam frowned. "The best way would be to go underground for at least the first part of the journey, to avoid some of the hive's protective spells."
"Okay, let's do it." Everypony turned to see Pinkie Pie wearing a miner's helmet and a shovel. "I just hope we don't make the wrong turn in Alhorsequerque."
"Thanks for the enthusiasm, Pinkie... but... I think there are other ways." Now Sally was the one grinning. "The Diamond Dogs have tunnels that cover a good portion of Equestria's underground, right?"
Spike, the Mobians and the other ponies grinned at the idea, but Garble and his group groaned at this.
"What? It's a better option we have right now." Spike said to the dragons.
"Yeah, if you don't mind using those... ugh... mutts' holes." Fumes frowned.
"Nothing against you guys, of course." Puff said to the Mobians, realizing many of them were canines, just like the Diamond Dogs, so they would probably get offended. "It's just that we would rather not get even close to those... things."
"Gee, too much xenophobia in the air or what?" Spike rolled his eyes; he noticed the other dragons didn't get it. "It means, 'hating other species or races', guys."
"You didn't know that Dragons and Diamond Dogs have been at war with each other, did you?" Garble narrowed his eyes.
"I'm a Baby Dragon who's been raised by ponies all his life and only knows how to act like a pony, what'd you expect I know, Snaggletooth?" Spike snarked as Garble covered his mouth and the other dragons laughed themselves stupid.
"Alright, that's enough of that, ya bunch of hyenas." Garble yelled, ordering his gang to stop laughing at him. "Fine, Spike, we get it now. The thing is, Diamond Dogs and Dragons... we don't get along; at all. We dragons eat jewels, and they love collecting jewels, so we steal gems from each other every chance we get."
"Okay, that makes sense." Rarity pointed out. "Still, I think you guys should be the ones going with Spike on this mission; as you pointed out, Garble, your kind is used to stealing from the Diamond Dogs, so you are familiar with their tunnels and know how to orient ourselves underground. Besides, many of us can't use our abilities to full extent inside the tunnels."
"That's a good point." Daemon added. "I can't even extend my wings in there... and that would be a problem for pegasi too. And Knuckles can't use his super strength inside a tunnel without causing an accident."
Garble sighed and nodded; he realized they were right and, as much as he hated the idea of getting inside a Diamond Dogs' tunnel, he also knew he was very well suited for this job, so now it was his and the other dragons' turn to help, just like Pinkie and Twilight's abilities had made them the perfect choice to assist Spike at the Library.
"Then, besides Spike, Pee Wee and the other dragons, who else is going to the Diamond Dogs' territory?" Rainbow asked, a bit upset about the fact she wouldn't be that useful in this mission due to being mostly underground, where her flying skills were not that useful.
"It's a family issue too, so I must go as well." Adam pointed out.
"And once the group arrives at the hive, it will surely be some melee battle." Lupe added. "That means the melee fighters have to go too."
"That would be me, the elastic powered ones, Lobo, and maybe one or two ponies too." Fiona proposed. Pee Wee then placed himself on top of Spike's head, volunteering himself to go with his 'dad' again.
"Okay, count me in." Applejack nodded at the others.
"And as much as I hate dirt... I have experience dealing with Diamond Dogs, and I know my way through the tunnels." Rarity added, volunteering herself as well. The others nodded in agreement, knowing that Applejack and Rarity were quite adept at physical fighting, to the point Rarity usually didn't rely on her unicorn magic when battling but on martial arts skills.
Soon, the group was ready to go. Everypony went to the Diamond Dogs' territory and Rarity used her magic to detect nearby gems, meaning the Diamond Dogs' wouldn't be far. They soon found a tunnel entrance, and the dragons used their claws to enlarge it. Those who weren't going underground gave their 'see you later' to the ones going; the ones not going would still be on alert in case they were needed later. After all, once knowing the exact location, Sonic and Rainbow Dash would arrive at the hive in a few minutes.
Now in the tunnels, Adam and Rarity used their unicorn magic to provide some light, and they marched ahead of the group, since Rarity was the one leading the group and Adam volunteered to be next to her at all times to provide protection if necessary. Applejack was the one protecting the group's rear, so Spike, the Mobians and the other dragons were walking in the middle; despite the dragons being alert at all times to detect any approaching Diamond Dog, it wasn't easy to stay silent through the whole journey, so they started talking among themselves.
"So... Sally..." Spike took a few deep breaths while touching his backpack with his tail, "... eh... you... do you like... well... presents?"
"That's a bit of an... unusual question, Spike." Sally arched an eyebrow but smiled. "But yes, I think everyone, pony or otherwise, likes a nice present once in awhile... but I don't know if this is a good moment for this conversation."
"Yeah, I know... and this present in particular... maybe bringing it to a Diamond Dogs-related mission isn't that smart, but..." Spike used his Reality and Space Stones to teleport something from the backpack to his hands. "I've had this for some time now... and I want you to have it."
Sally wide opened her eyes when seeing the beautiful Glacier Sapphire. The rest of the group (minus Adam and Rarity, who were paying attention to the frontlines) gasped at the sight; of course, the dragons also started salivating and their bellies started making noises.
"Yummy..." Garble and company grinned while looking at the huge, beautiful gem.
"Spike... I... this is a wonderful present... I... I don't know what to say..." Sally finally accepted the Sapphire as Spike handed it to her.
"It's a beautiful jewel for a girl that is worth all the jewels in the world, and more." Spike blushed a bit at this. "Before knowing you... I thought only Rarity would be worthy of a present like this... You proved me wrong, Sally."
Sally blushed and her heart started beating faster and louder than usual. She knew the backstory of Rarity and Spike's relationship, and how much he had loved the white unicorn. With this present, and his words, Spike wasn't just giving Sally a token of affection; it was his way to show Sally that he loved her as much as he had loved Rarity, and that he was willing to make huge sacrifices for her; in fact, due to dragons' appetite for jewelry, and their usual greedy instincts, giving away a gem like this was like the ultimate proof of love and compromise.
"That's so nice!" Leeta smiled at the scene.
"Yeah... that gem looks so delicious..." Shakes grinned.
"Shakes, we don't eat gems, remember?" Lyco explained to him and the other dragons. "But we like them as... presents. Just like the Diamond Dogs, we girls love jewelry. And a gem this big is something we only get from VERY special... people, ponies, dragons or whatever that want to prove how much they care for us."
"Mmm... yeah... I see." Garble rubbed his chin. "Giving away a jewel like that one... You only do it if the one getting the jewel is far more important for you than any jewel."
Rarity, who had finally noticed the conversation (mostly because of the repeated use of the words 'gem' and 'jewel'), gave a discreet glance at the Glacier Sapphire before, again, paying attention to the tunnel. The white unicorn smiled at this; she would have loved to receive a gem like that one, but knowing that Spike had found a female to love, to the point he considered her worthy of the ultimate token of affection he could give, even sacrificing a delicious food in the process, made Rarity quite happy, as this proved that Spike was finally moving on, and they could continue being friends without any awkwardness or guilty feelings.
The other dragons, on a rare display of empathy, had started thinking about this too. It was no surprise that they had developed very strong feelings for their female companions, and, after seeing Spike giving away the Sapphire, they were thinking about doing the same. The trick, of course, would be finding equally good gems without 'repeating' Spike's... then again, Glacier Sapphires weren't easy to find anyway. The dragons made mental notes about finding some great jewels to give as presents after completing this mission.
"Everypony hold on." Rarity stopped walking, the unicorn getting defensive immediately.
"What's going on, Rarity?" Fiona asked her.
"I sense jewels; they're moving, and coming this way." Rarity frowned.
"But jewels can't move by themselves." Leeta added, puzzled.
"Yeah, they can, if Diamond Dogs wear them on their collars." Rarity explained. The whole group went on high alert, as they all remembered Rarity was right, and many of the Diamond Dogs wore jewels instead of dog tags. Now the canines in the group growled a bit as they could hear and smell the Diamond Dogs coming, and, as expected, soon several ones emerged from the nearby tunnels plus a few dogs came out of tunnels they dug right at the moment.
"Alright, let's see what we have..." The leading dog gasped when looking at Spike. "No... not you again..."
"No-no-no-no-no..." Another dog shook his head and then started hitting his own head against the closest wall. "Not again-not again-not again..."
"Friends of yours?" Fiona grinned at Spike.
"Eh... more or less." The purple dragon shrugged before looking back at the dogs. "Hi, guys. We're just using your tunnels for a moment. We'll be out of here in a few minutes..."
"Hey, hold on!" The leader growled again, apparently forgetting about whatever fear he had for Spike. "You can't just get through our home as if you owned the place!"
"Yeah, I mean, do we enter your territory to do whatever we want with your things?" Another dog snapped. Spike just rolled his eyes at his companions.
"Uh... okay, guys, chorus in One... Two..."
"YEAH, YOU DO!" Spike and his friends chorused at the Diamond Dogs.
"O...kaaaay... you got us there." The leader groaned. "Still, we're not letting you enter our place uninvited!"
"Not our fault you didn't leave a mail address so we could send you a letter beforehand to ask for permission." Spike smirked at the dog.
"And besides, you have no mailbox." Rarity followed with the 'joke' at the dogs' expenses.
"Well, Rarity, considerin' nopony but dogs live down here, Ah doubt any mailmare would take this route." Applejack grinned.
"That's a very offensive stereotype..." The leader dog started arguing back when Sally pointed behind him.
"Mailmare!"
"WHERE?" All the dogs started looking around, getting embarrassed grins when realizing the princess had tricked them. They felt a bit less embarrassed when realizing most of Garble's gang was doing the same.
"Uh, where's that mailmare you are talking about?" Puff asked to nopony in particular. Garble, who had (eventually) realized this was a trick/joke from Sally, face-palmed and then gave him a slight shoulder slap. "Oh. I am making a fool out of myself?"
"Yep; and you're not the only one." Garble groaned.
"Okay, seriously, can you guys let us pass through your tunnels?" Adam got back to business.
"Hey, you expect us to forget that a bunch of dragons are invading our territory?" The leading dog growled. "Maybe we can ignore the ponies... and those who look like us dogs aren't that bad... in fact, the females are good looking..."
Garble and his gang got immediately closer to their beloved ones, and Lobo made a point of his state as Lupe's mate being more than evident.
"... but the dragons? Ugh. These guys... we Diamond Dogs can't stand them."
"The feeling is... uh... eh..." Garble stopped arguing and then whispered at Nicole. "When the two sides feel the same, what do you call that?"
"Mutual." Nicole whispered back.
"Thanks." Garble now got back his normal volume. "The feeling is mutual! We dragons can't stand you mutts. You fleabags always steal our jewels."
"And you dragons eat ours!" Now several Diamond Dogs chorused back at Garble.
"Because we eat jewels! You only use the jewels as... well..." Shakes now was the one getting stuck, not knowing the right word.
"Ornaments." Rarity ended the phrase for him before looking at the Dogs. "We ponies also use the jewels as ornaments, but stealing the gems is a crime, no matter the species. Now, how about we discuss this like civilized beings..."
Rarity gave the Diamond Dogs a second look.
"... as hard as that might be for you... Okay, the point is, we can solve this issue through dialogue and good will. You Dogs know by now that there's no use in fighting us, especially with Spike on our side."
The Diamond Dogs gave her a blank stare.
"He's Spike." Sally, rolling her eyes, pointed at the purple dragon.
The Diamond Dogs gave a collective 'Aaaaah' at the realization.
"Still, we can't let you invade our territory without at least trying to stop you." The leader continued. "It's like... a rule of ours, or something like that."
"Well, at least they don't have the rule of 'smelling a stranger's tail when first meeting'." Lyco whispered at Amy.
"Okay... if you really need to fight us... how about, you fight me?" Spike pointed at himself. Pee Wee then landed on his shoulder and frowned at the dogs. "Okay, you fight us, Pee Wee and I. He wants to participate."
"Hey, not fair!" Another Dog groaned. "You are gonna use that weird stone on us again, and hurt us so much you'll make us wet our beds for days!"
"THAT WAS PRIVATE!" Manyof the Dogs snapped at the one revealing this information.
"Nobody could take you out for a walk? I'm sure there are a few trees out there." Amy grinned at the now very embarrassed canines.
"Okay, look... I promise I won't use that stone in particular. I'll just enhance my abilities a bit to make it a fair match; same with Pee Wee's skills." Spike cleared out.
The Diamond Dogs decided it was fair enough. Since they couldn't battle in the tunnels without risking an accident, the canines took the group to a large cavern, with Spike's friends and the non-fighting dogs seeing the whole thing from one of the cave's superior levels, while the battling would be done at the bottom of the cave, making it a pit-fight of sorts. Garble and his gang had to make an effort to ignore some jewels they saw around the cave; Rarity and Spike had the same problem but, due to much better self control, they could focus on the task at hand with little problems.
"Hmm... I don't wanna go too far. Besides, if I turn into a giant dragon, I might destroy this cave by accident." Spike commented at Pee Wee as they took their place at one side of the cavern. "I guess just making me a muscular, moderately sized knight-like guy will be enough."
Spike used the Power and Reality Stones to shape himself as the muscular, handsome, tough-looking knight he had once dreamed himself to be, precisely to face the Diamond Dogs; for his outfit, he went for a light body armor, with a large, circular red and silver shield; he added a dragon symbol in the shield's center, with the Infinity Stones forming a circle around it; plus, he added a weapon-like device on his other wrist, with Spike using the Stones to make Pee Wee get a malleable form that fitted perfectly inside it.
"Hmmm... Spike really looks good in ANY shape he gets." Sally thought out loud. Her female friends, hearing this, grinned a bit, while the guys just chuckled and commented how lucky Spike was.
The Diamond Dogs, on the other hand, had selected a moderately big pack to face Spike in battle. The leaders, who would be among the fighters, made all his companions to wear some strong body armor, as they'd need a strong protection against the purple dragon.
"Hey, why are you using a... is that a weapon?" A random dog asked Spike.
"Yes, it is. I'm using it so I don't need to use my normal dragon weaponry, like my claws, my jaws and, of course, my fire breath. Remember I'm gonna limit myself to fight on your level, but I'm not gonna make myself completely defenseless either." Spike's explanation was apparently enough for the dog, and soon the pack was taking positions to start the battle.
"So, what's the signal to start fighting?" Spike, already in a battle position, asked the dogs' leader.
"CHARGE!" The leader growled/barked, and instantly the pack charged at Spike from every single angle around him.
"I should have known!" Spike dodged one of the dogs' jaws and replied with a shield-hit to his head, sending the dog against the canine that was right behind it. Then, Spike rolled on the ground to avoid another attack, and then threw the shield like a frisbee, starting a ricocheting action as the shield went from one dog to another, hitting several ones until it passed next to Spike and the purple dragon caught it in mid air, using it immediately to protect himself from another dog's claws while kicking him away.
"Whoa! Who knew you could use a shield that way?" Fumes gasped at the scene. Not surprisingly, most of the Mobians said 'We did'; considering many of them were Mobian warrior wolves, used to fight with all kinds of classic weaponry, they all had used shields as both defensive and offensive devices, even if they would admit Spike's shield seemed to be perfectly suited for these long-range attacks. Sally guessed that Spike's connection to the Infinity Stones was among the reasons the shield could move the way he wanted, since the Stones were part of the shield, and Spike had shown the capacity to control them even when not touching them or the Infinity Staff.
After battling the dogs this way for a couple of minutes, Spike made a ramming attack, placing the shield in front of himself and making a dash, hitting and pushing away all the dogs on his way. Once Spike was no longer surrounded, he used his connection to the Mind Stone to tell Pee Wee (via telepathy) that he was about to fire him; the little phoenix was more than eager to participate.
Spike aimed the weapon at some attacking dogs, and fired Pee Wee, who instantly got covered in flames, and started hitting the Diamond Dogs with such force that even their armors were giving them very little protection. One dog tried to catch the fire bird in mid air, but right when he was about to hit Pee Wee, the little phoenix exploded, sending the attacker against a nearby wall. Pee Wee continued flying, undamaged, and exploding every few seconds; these explosions weren't as powerful as the first one but still enough to stun and blind the dogs for a moment, time that Spike used to continue attacking them with hand-to-hand and throwing-shield combos. After a minute or so, Pee Wee changed to his normal shape and flew back at Spike, who used the Reality Stone's power to change the phoenix back to the semi-liquid state and the little bird flew back inside the weapon. Spike continued hitting the dogs until getting another clear area for him to move, and repeated Pee Wee's ammo attack, with similar results, until Pee Wee gained some altitude and then made a diving attack at a group of dogs, hitting them with what seemed to be a mix of a fireball and a thunderstrike that knocked them out.
"I think it's enough. Good job, Pee Wee." Spike smiled while morphing Pee Wee back to normal and caressing him. The purple dragon then looked back at the dogs; or more precisely, those that were waking up. "How about you guys? I think we should finish this now."
"This... doesn't end.. until... I say it..." The leader dog stood up but then fell on his butt, groaning at the impact. "Okay. I say it ends now."
Spike nodded at this and then used the Power and Reality Stones to heal the dogs; at least enough to make them stand up mostly uninjured.
"Just to show there are no harsh feelings." Spike grinned and morphed back to his own normal shape. "Now, before we leave... can we have some guides to lead us out of here? Your tunnels are several miles long, and they form a labyrinth; with someone guiding us, we'll be out of here much faster."
The leader sighed and called three of his most trustworthy pack members... who happened to be the three dogs Spike knew the best.
"Yep, I saw this coming." Spike rolled his eyes.
"Please, please, please, Fearless Leader, don't send us with him." One of the dogs whimpered while the other two were now on their knees, begging at their leader.
"Yes, we still have nightmares about this dragon!" Another of the dogs cried.
"Gee, in this place, I'm as popular as the fleas." Spike groaned. He was used to be underestimated in the past, before starting his journey, but being feared and despised was something new he didn't enjoy that much either.
"I'm the pack's leader, and that means you are gonna obey me; if I say 'wag your tails', your only reply must be 'how fast?', remember it now?" The leader literally barked at the trio. The dogs sighed and nodded at this, realizing they had no way out of this situation.
"Fine, let's go." The trio's shortest dog turned at Spike. "Just... don't... touch us, please."
"I feel sooooo loved." Spike frowned yet nodded, and, after saying 'Bye' to the leader, the dragon and his group were back on the tunnels, with the trio guiding them.
"Great... we're guiding the dragon that messes with us, the unicorn that started our ruin, and a bunch of others. After this, I'm gonna quit and become a lap dog." One of the dogs groaned at this.
"You, a lap dog? No offense, but you are too ugly to be a lap dog." Amy grinned at the canine.
"Hey, it works for the pugs." The dog replied.
"Anyway, exactly, where are you going? We're approaching the main tunnels, and we chose the right one from there." The smartest of the trio (of course, it wasn't that hard to be smarter than the other two) talked to Lobo. Being a canine as well, the dog felt more comfortable talking to him more than to Spike, Rarity, or any other dragon/pony.
"To the Changelings' Hive. We're in a rescue/elimination mission... depending on the results." Lobo explained him.
"The Changelings... are you guys suicidal or what?" Another dog gasped at this. "That's one of Equestria's most dangerous places; only place worse than that, that I can think..."
"Not that he thinks that much." Rarity whispered at Applejack.
"... would be inside a volcano." The dog continued, ignoring the unicorn.
"Hey, volcanoes are nice." Garble argued. "And I think you dogs like them too. After all, we dragons make our homes at volcanic places, and you always try getting inside our caves to steal our jewels."
"You dragons steal our jewels too, so it's fair game!" Another dog snapped at Garble.
"But you dogs started it." Puff sided with Garble.
"But it wasn't our fault; it was the Changelings' fault!" The third dog growled.
"Hold yahr horses. Yah are saying the Changelings make yah dogs steal jewels?" Applejack asked a question every non-Diamond Dog in the group wanted to make.
"No, they don't make us steal jewels, but it's because of their fault that we have to steal the jewels." The smart dog answered. "You see, we Diamond Dogs didn't use to live underground; originally, we only used these tunnels and caves to search for jewels, but our original house was an area in the Everfree Forest... precisely where this tunnel leads, actually. It's right half-way into Changelings' territory."
"Inside the Changelings' territory... Oh. I get it now. They kicked you out." Adam guessed. Being a long living alicorn, he actually remembered not all Diamond Dogs lived underground several centuries ago.
"Yes; they literally kicked the dog. And we are the dogs." Another of the dogs groaned.
"Of course we defended ourselves, but the Changelings were too many, and some had very strong magic, so they defeated our ancestors and forced us to abandon our original home. According to our elders, this place is filled up with these huge rocks with jewelry stuffed inside." The smart dog continued. "And we Diamond Dogs don't eat jewels like you dragons, or use it as an expensive thing like you ponies do, but we NEED to have jewels; it's an instinct of ours. We also use the jewels to decorate our homes and as 'dog tags'. We feel incomplete if not having a jewel in our collars."
"And because of that, we try to steal jewels from the dragons, since they store them in caves, and since we live underground, the caves are pretty much part of our territory." The shortest dog added. "And of course, you dragons try to steal our jewels too because you guys eat them."
"And it becomes a never-ending cycle." Sally concluded. "Maybe you dragons and dogs should come to a truce or agreement of sorts."
"No offense, Princess, but most of the Diamond Dogs and Dragons' meetings have very few words, and lots of fire, and claws, and teeth, and kitchen sinks..." Garble noticed those that weren't Diamond Dogs or dragons, and Spike, were now staring at him. "What? We hit each other with whatever we can hold."
"As I always say to Twilight when she makes a report... That's a bit too much information." Spike rolled his eyes but then had an idea. "Mmm... but, what if you dogs finally can return to your original home?"
"I don't think the Changelings would want us back. And about paying rent, well, who wants a Changeling as a landlord?" The smartest dog groaned.
"I know, but if this mission works, we'll finally get the Changelings under control. Or at least weaken them enough so they don't need such a big territory." Lyco pointed out. "Under those conditions, you Dogs can return to your home, and you'll no longer need to battle the dragons."
Now the Diamond Dogs and dragons got very thoughtful expressions; something EXTREMELY rare in both species... and stayed like this for a very long time, as the group continued advancing through the tunnels.
"Oh, for Celestia's sake; this isn't a multiple options' question. Just say 'Yes' or 'No', please." Applejack groaned. "Or 'Yeah', or 'E-yep', or 'E-nope' or whatever yah like."
"Fine, we get it; hold your relatives." Garble groaned yet nodded. "I get what you mean, but you know we dragons have no... official leaders or something like that. We don't have a government, or a Queen, King, or any other bed-themed ruler like you ponies."
"Well, can't make promises here either." The smart dog replied. "I'm the leader of this mini-group, and we are in charge of a small section of the largest pack, but I'm not the pack's leader."
"Good point." Adam commented. "Still, Garble, you can talk to the other dragons, and you dogs can talk to your leaders as well, so both species can come to an agreement."
"Besides, if the Diamond Dogs move to their original territory, and they and the dragons stop stealing from each other, the truce will come naturally." Sally continued. "No more reasons to fight equal to no more feuds."
"Fair enough." The smart dog and Garble chorused.
A few minutes later, the group finally reached the end of the tunnel. As the dogs said, it was a large clearing in the middle of Everfree Forest, but with some huge rocks spread around the terrain. Rarity gasped a bit as her horn started glowing.
"This place is like... an open space's mine. Many of these rocks must be stuffed with jewelry." Rarity had to make an effort to stop herself from cracking the rocks herself. The elastic powered ones also had to make a little effort to control the dragons, who almost dashed around the place to do what Rarity was thinking the moment the white unicorn mentioned it.
"Hold yahr horses... or dragons or dogs." Applejack got a little authoritarian tone to control the dragons. "Remember we're on a mission here. Besides, we just agreed that any jewel in this place will be for the dogs."
"Oh... right." Puff groaned while he and the other dragons cooled down a bit.
"Well, still, if you guys open a few rocks for us right now, you know, as a payment for bringing you here and also as a... eh... what's the expression..." The smart dog scratched his head in deep thought.
"A goodwill gesture." Rarity ended the phrase. Spike decided it was a good idea, and, after Rarity pointed out which rock had the most stuffing, Spike opened it up with his bare hands, as if the large boulder was just a big nut.
The purple dragon gulped and salivated a bit when looking at the very impressive jewels inside the rock, not just because of how many they were, but also because a few of these were quite rare gems too. Rarity, the dogs and dragons noticed this too, and they all got a bit too excited.
"The precious... the precious..." The shortest dog grinned while caressing a shiny emerald he had immediately retrieved from the rock.
"Gee, you and your jewel better get a room." Amy rolled her eyes... and then wide opened them when the dog started looking around. "Uh, you know, I was only kidding."
"Well... I... think this is a good payment." The smart dog grinned at the large jewelry display. "Mmm... guess now I have to... give you a goodwill gesture too, so... each dragon can get a gem. Oh, and also the white pony, since she selected the rock."
Rarity, after thanking the dogs, selected a large bluish diamond with a little imperfection on the inside; looking at it against the light, the imperfection had the shape of a cat's shadow.
"I'll call this... The Blue Feline."
The dragons started selecting their own jewels; however, unlike other times, they weren't looking for the most delicious gem, but for particularly pretty ones to give as gifts. Garble selected a Fire Ruby each, Puff a Sky Diamond (similar to the one Rarity got but a little smaller and without imperfections), and Fumes and Shakes got a Forest Emerald; the other dragons were fine with random gems they ate right there; Garble, Puff and Shakes also started chewing their gems but instead of outright eating them, they were just shaping them, giving them stylish heart forms.
"Guess we better leave now." Spike said once he finished eating the huge amethyst he had selected for himself. "Thanks again for guiding us."
"You're welcome." The smart dog said while looking at the other jewels he and his companions would carry back home. "Oh, and one more thing. If you are gonna spend the night in this forest, you have to be careful with the Timberwolves' Curse."
"Oh, don't worry, we have handled Timberwolves in the past." Applejack pointed out. "And we have our own wolves with us, just in case."
"Yeah, not a good idea to attack our pack." Lupe grinned.
"That's good and all, but I'm talking about a real curse." The smart dog replied. "It's an old saying of us Diamond Dogs."
The three dogs cleared their throat and chorused a verse.
"Heed the wrong of the Timberwolves, those who wander into the heart of the Everfree Forest will be stricken with unremarkable madness."
"Okaaay... if that was poetry, I don't wanna read it." Fumes got a puzzled look, similar to everypony else.
"And what does it mean?" Lobo asked.
"No idea. We know the curse, but since we hadn't been here in many years, we forgot the meaning." The shortest dog confessed.
"Oh, for Celestia's sake... We got a Zecora-saying without the wisdom." Applejack groaned.
"Guess if means we have to be careful with the Timberwolves. At least I hope it's all." Adam admitted, as he didn't know about this curse himself. It was probably very ancient and only knowledgeable for those living in this part of the forest.
After saying good-bye to the dogs, the group walked into the forest, heading to the Changelings' nest, and hoping they wouldn't find the curse's real meaning the hard way.