Chapter 6:
The Dragon Graveyard
After getting away from Cadance and Shining Armor, Twilight and Flash ran off with joy and are on their way to the Dragon Graveyard. They laughed until Twilight said with joy, "Haha. It worked, Flash!".
"Yeah, we lost them," Flash said as he begins to walk off.
"I am a genius," Twilight said with a prideful grin on her face, causing the colt to pause.
"Hey, for the record, genius, I'm the one who did the leg work," Flash said, glaring at her with disgust.
"Yeah, but I came up with the idea," Twilight bragged, placing her hoof on her chest looking proud. She liked to show off a bit.
"And pulled it off thanks to me! The Future King!" Flash argued with a smirk, reminding Twilight of their engagement.
"Oh, yeah, 'sire'?" Twilight asked with a smirk.
She then leaped at the young colt and lets out a playful whinny as they both tussled around on the ground. It kinda looked like two little lion cubs wrestling each other. But it ended quickly when Flash managed to flip the young princess over and pin her to the ground with a thump.
"Ha! Pinned ya, princess. You owe me an apology," Flash boasted with a giggle. He liked getting the better of Twilight.
"Never! Now let me up!" Twilight groaned in annoyance as she got Flash off of her lightly.
Flash walks away with a prideful smile on his face until Twilight smirked and jumped at him again as the two foals rolled down a hill laughing until Flash flipped Twilight over again and pins her down on her back once more with another thump.
"Pinned ya, again!" Flash gloated with a grin as Twilight pouted.
Suddenly, the two foals gasped in shock and looked to see a geyser shooting out some smoke. As the smoke cleared up, Twilight and Flash have realized they'd entered a place they'd never been to before and never should.
Over a nearby ridge, a huge skull was barely visible. Twilight walked closer with a grin spreading across her face as she and Flash walked up the small hill and saw that it held a massive dragon skull with massive tusk-like horns.
"Flash, this is it. We made it!" Twilight said, realizing they were in the Dragon Graveyard.
Then she and Flash got onto one of the Dragons' horn tusks and exchanged awed looks at each other.
"Whoa!" They exclaimed in unison and amazement as they saw in front of them, a land littered with dragon skeletons and bones as far as they can see.
"It's really creepy," Flash whispered in awe.
"Yeah, but isn't it great?" Twilight asked with a smile.
"We could get into big trouble," Flash noted with a grin, relishing his naughtiness. But he likes to be a little bad.
"I know," Twilight replied with a chuckle. She was not really worried about getting into trouble with her parents now that they were there.
"You know, I wonder if its brains are still in there," Flash said as he and Twilight walked near the skull and looked at the mouth entrance.
"Well, Flash, there's only one way to know. Come on, let's go check it out," Twilight said with a determined and devious grin as she started heading for the skull.
But before she could even go in, Cadance appeared in front of her, "Wrong! The only checking out you two foals will be doing is to check out of here!" She retorted, pushing Twilight away from the skull.
"Aw, man!" Twilight complained as she thought for sure they'd lost her and Shining Armor.
"We are way beyond the boundary of the City Of Harmony," Cadance said with worry.
"Awww, look the Princess Of Love is scared," Twilight said with a mocking chuckle only for the said princess to poke her on her nose.
"Twilight, I'm being serious, young lady! This place is off-limits for a very good reason and right now we are all in very real danger!" Cadance advised, looking around nervously as Twilight walked around her to the skull.
"Danger, Cadance? Ha! I walk on the brave and bold side. So I laugh in the face of danger. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" She claimed, pausing in front of the skull and crouching low with a smirk, before rearing her head back dramatically and laughing loudly to prove a point. But her boastful face turned frightful because just as she finished laughing, another, more cackling laughter was heard from inside the skull, causing Twilight to gasp and run back as she and Flash hid behind Cadance, who stood in front of them in protection from any supposed threat.
Appearing from inside the skull are three Diamond Dogs, two appeared from inside the eyes, and one, likely the leader, appeared from inside the mouth.
The lead Diamond Dog was medium-sized and has medium-gray fur and he has grayish spring-bud eyes.
The largest Diamond Dog had cornflower bluish-gray fur and his eyes are very light yellow.
And The final Diamond Dog is the smallest of the trio and his fur was a grayish gamboge while his eyes are light yellow.
The trio knew these were some of the Diamond Dogs, aka Diamond Hunters. These creatures were unwilling to follow the king and queen's law due to their savagery, diamond-stealing nature, and hunting for sport. So they were banished to the outskirts of the City Of Harmony, to this wasteland.
The lead Diamond Dog walked up to Cadance and the foals. "Well, well, well, Fido. What do we have here?" He asked with a smirk to the large blue Dog.
"Hmmm, I don't know, Rover, uh, What do you think, Spot?" Fido asked the smallest Diamond Dog behind him while rubbing his chin.
Spot the smaller Diamond Dog only replied with a weird laugh and his tongue sticking out.
"Yeah, just what I was thinking. A trio of Trespassers!" Fido snarled as the three Diamond Dogs came close to Cadance, Twilight, and Flash.
"And quite by accident, let me assure you three. A simple navigational error," Cadance said with a nervous laugh and clasping her hooves together as she and the young foals tried to walk away.
However, Cadance was stopped when Rover stepped on her tail and said while recognizing her, "Whoa, wait, wait, wait, wait, I know you. You're Celestia's and Luna's little adopted niece aren't ya?" He said with a toothy smirk.
"I, good sir, prefer to be called a member of the 'Royal Family'," Cadance corrected him, while gently getting his paws off her tail and giving him a snooty look.
"Aaaah, so that would make you…" Fido asked Twilight as he and Spot circled her and Flash.
"The Future Queen!" Twilight replied, bravely as Rover forced Cadance over to them while he began circling them too.
"Well princess, do you know what we Diamond Dogs do to the Kings and Queens who step out of their kingdoms?" He inquired with a raised brow and toothy grin.
Twilight scoffed and said, "You can't do anything to me,".
"Uuh…well technically, Twilight they can. We are on their land," Cadance corrected her with a nervous grin and steepled her hooves.
"But, Cadance. Aunt Luna said they're nothing but slobbery, mangy, stupid, gem-poachers," Twilight argued as Cadance waved her hooves to tell her to stay quiet, remembering Diamond Dogs were easily offended.
"Ix-nay On The Oopid-Stay, Twily," Cadance said through her clenched teeth and nervous grin to Twilight while clasping her hooves. This was not the place to repeat what others thought of Diamond Dogs. Especially what they would take offense by.
"Who are you calling 'Oopid-Stay'?!" Fido demanded with a glare, having overheard the comment.
"My, my, my. Oh, look at the sun, you two! It's time for us to go!" Cadance stated as she, Twilight, and Flash tried to make a run for it.
But Rover got in their way, stopping them, "But what's the hurry? We'd love for you to stick around for dinner," He promised slyly, stalking closely to them with a toothy grin as Cadance shielded the foals before they turned to Fido who spoke next.
"Yeah, we can have some Alicorn on a Cob!" He joked, laughing at his own bad puns.
"Oh, wait! Wait! Wait! I got one, I got one," Rover said, waving his paw before saying his pun, "Make mine a double 'foal' sandwich. Whatcha think?".
They all laughed hysterically at the bad jokes.
Spot then appears jumping up and down and starts gesticulating and jabbering while pointing in one direction wildly.
"What, Spot?! What is it?!" Rover asked, getting annoyed by Spot's rambling.
Fido then looked to where he was pointing before turning to Rover, "Hey, boss. Did we order this dinner to go?" Fido asked his leader.
"No, why?" Rover asked with an oblivious smile.
"Because…THERE IT GOES!" Fido shouted as Rover looked to see Cadance, Twilight, and Flash running away.
The trio ran as fast as they could, passing some skeletons to get away from the Diamond Dogs.
During midflight, Cadance yelped in alarm as her tail was caught by one of the Diamond Dogs.
After running for a while, Twilight and Flash stopped in an open space to catch their breath.
"Did we lose them?" Flash asked, panting.
"I think so. Hey, where's Cadance?" Twilight asked, noticing Cadance's absence.
Meanwhile, The Diamond Dogs were tormenting the pink mare by one of the geysers as she screamed.
"Then the member of the Royal Family hippity-hopped all the way to the Pony Boiler," Fido mocked, grabbing Cadance by the wings and taunting her as she "walked" over to the geyser and was shoved into it, plugging it up.
"Oh, no! Not the Pony Boiler!" Cadance cried in distress before the boiler erupted, causing the Princess of Love to scream as she was shot from it like a firework, sending her far away from the Dragon Graveyard.
The Diamond Dogs laughed hysterically at the pony-rocket until they looked up as they heard, "Hey! Why don't you three pick on somepony your own size?" Twilight challenged, standing above them alongside Flash.
Rover just gave the filly a bored look, "Oh…You mean…Like…You?!" He asked with an evil grin.
"Oops," Twilight muttered, realizing she just turned herself and Flash into dog food.
Rover proceeded to leap and nip at the duo, causing the two to scream and the duo to start running as the Diamond Dogs began to chase the foals. However, Twilight and Flash were stopped when the three Diamond Dogs poked their head right in front of them through another boiler, blocking their path and shouting in unison, "BOO!".
The Diamond Dogs were frightening enough, seeing them through the boiler was terrifying!
The two foals gasped in alarm as the Diamond Dogs laughed at them and chomped at them again, but failed as the two continued to run away from the mangy trio. They ran up and climbed over another dragon skull with Twilight barely escaping a bite from Fido as they proceeded in sliding down the spine of a dragon rib cage. Towards the end, they both screamed as they were sent flying into a hillside of bones.
Twilight and Flash hastily began running and climbing up the hill as the Diamond Dogs began gaining on them from below.
As Twilight managed to reach the top, she heard Flash calling out to her.
"Twilight!" He yelled.
Twilight looked back and gasped in horror as she saw her best friend screaming and sliding back down the pile and towards the Diamond Dogs.
Twilight ran back down bravely, as Rover attempted to take a bite out of Flash, but the princess quickly slashes him on the left cheek with her horn, causing the Diamond Dog to wince and allowing the two foals to escape again before he held a paw to his scarred cheek and growled angrily.
After they climbed back up to the top, Twilight and Flash ran into what appears to be a dark cave. Trying to find a way out, they climbed up another dragon skeleton that still had some decomposing scales on it and attempted to fly away. But as they were about to take flight, the skin below them broke apart, causing them to fall to the ground.
Looking up, Twilight and Flash gasped in alarm as they saw the Diamond Dogs walking towards them.
"Here, little pony, pony, pony," Fido taunted growling, with a sinister grin as he, Rover, and Spot got closer.
Standing bravely in front of Flash, Twilight attempted to fire a laser of magic at them, but what came out of her horn was nothing but a few sparks. After all, she was still a young foal.
The dogs saw her cute attempt and just laughed. "Haha! Did ya see that?! The Future Queen of Equestria!" Fido taunted, as Twilight looked embarrassed.
"Oh don't hurt me!" Rover mocked, pretending to be scared before he turned back to the princess, "Ha! Come on, Do it again…Come on," He dared as he and the other two Diamond Dogs got closer with their hungry smirks.
Charging her horn again, Twilight tries to blast them away until suddenly, a magenta laser of magic appeared out of nowhere and hits the ground near the Diamond Dogs making them pause and jump back in shock, while Twilight and Flash gape in surprise.
"Huh?" the Diamond Dogs said in unison confusion and fear.
Then suddenly, another laser appeared from their side, knocking the Diamond Dogs aside to the ground. It was revealed to be Aurora as the Alicorn mare began to battle with the Diamond Dogs. She took some good horn swings at Rover and Fido and bucked Spot with her back legs, who tried to get away while his two friends tried to take a bite out of the Queen.
Cadance then appeared from the cave entrance, along with Shining Armor, Marina, Gaia, and Storm Heart.
They, Shining Armor and Cadance flew over and landed next to Twilight and Flash as they watched the battle take place in terror. But the battle ended quickly with Aurora standing over them and charging her horn.
"Oh, please, please…," Rover pleaded.
"Ow. Ow. Uncle, Uncle…," Fido begged, all his smug bravado gone.
"SILENCE!" Aurora yelled in her Royal Voice, causing the Diamond Dogs to cringe and cower in fear.
"Ok, we're gonna be quiet right now!" Fido relented in fear.
"Calm down, we're really sorry!" Rover said as Spot tried to hide behind his paws, whimpering in fear.
"If you ever come near my daughter again…," Aurora said angrily.
"Oh…this is…this is your daughter?!" Rover asked, feigning ignorance.
"Oh, yours?!" Fido said, pointing at Aurora while playing along as he and Rover laughed nervously.
"Did you know that?" Rover asked, turning to Fido.
"No…me? I didn't know that. No, did you?" Fido asked, turning back to Rover.
"No! Of course not!" Rover said.
"No," Fido said.
"Spot?" Rover and Fido asked nervously smiling at the smallest dog, turning to Spot, who stupidly nodded yes in response.
Aurora charged her magic even more before releasing it, creating the head of a lion roaring in anger. Rover and Spot held onto each other closely in fear as Fido chuckled nervously and said, waving a paw at her, "Don't worry! Won't ever happen again, so uh, Toodles!".
And the three Diamond Dogs ran away quickly as they could, whimpering and yipping fearfully in the process.
Once they were gone, Cadance flew over to Aurora as Shining Armor trotted over as well. Both gave her a 'That'll Show Em' nod…but then withered under the Queen's angry glare. Cadance and Shining Armor knew that it was their fault for not taking care of Twilight and Flash.
Twilight approached her mother, cautiously as Flash follows, "Mom, I…," She tried to explain, but her mother just whipped her head to her, making the princess stop.
"You'd deliberately disobeyed us, young lady!" Aurora said as she looked at her with a glare and Twilight frowned sadly as her ears drooped.
"But Mommy…I'm…I'm sorry…," Twilight said, trying to apologize.
"Let's go home!" Aurora angrily ordered as she was the first to leave with Cadance and Shining Armor following behind her as they cast sad looks at Twilight and Flash.
Twilight and Flash were following right behind them with the Guardians following them last to keep a watchful and stern eye on them.
"I thought you were very brave, Twilight," Flash muttered to Twilight who looked down and away sadly.
But as they left the cave, they were unaware that Chrysalis was watching them from above and out of sight, standing on a ledge where she had witnessed the whole thing with a silent glare, knowing that her plan to be rid of the foals had failed before her eyes.
Author's Note: Looks like things have just got a lot complicated in the 6th chapter of THE ALICORN QUEEN.
After losing their foalsitters, Twilight and Flash have arrived in the Dragon Graveyard, an area filled with bones from different Dragons. While they were observing and exploring the Dragon Graveyard, Cadance has arrived and told them that the graveyard is off-limits for a very good reason. But Twilight thought Cadance was just being scaredy-princess and claimed that she laughs in the face of danger.
And that's when the three Alicorns met creatures that made the Dragon Graveyard off-limits in the first place, The Diamond Dogs, aka the Diamond Hunters.
Twilight at first thought that the Diamond Dogs couldn't do anything to her since she's the future queen. But Cadance corrected her and told her that Diamond Dogs actually can do something to them, since they are in their territories. And Twilight and Flash couldn't believe how right Cadance was for the Diamond Dogs began to give chase for Twilight and Flash throughout the graveyard, trying to take bite at them.
Seeing that the Diamond Dogs have them cornered, Twilight tried blasting them away with her magic. But it just came out as a few weak sparks.
However, luckily for Twilight and Flash, Aurora came in and fought the Diamond Dogs at ease. Diamond Dogs may mess with a foal but mess with the adults and the tables have turned for the Diamond Dogs.
Seeing they were no match for Aurora, The Diamond Dogs retreated and zoomed off. But even when the Dogs ran off, Aurora was still mad at Twilight for disobeying one of the rules and they all head home with Aurora leading the way.
But as everypony leaves the graveyard, they were unaware that Chrysalis was watching them from above and witness the failure of her plan to be rid of the two foals.
Looks like Chrysalis will have to come with a different plan to take the throne...