Manonymous Part 8: Anon & Spike VS Diamond Dogs 1/2

>A 32 hour-long nap left you with considerable stiffness for a while, and the knowledge that you had to be stripped in order for Twilight and Granny Smith to make sure you didn't have any bites hidden under your clothes...
>Well, you're probably not going to be able to look that old p0ny in the eye for a while now, even if she did help save your life
>Not that they're probably going to care, p0nies only wear clothes when it's cold or for formal occasions
>All you know is that somebody several times older than you and your roommate have both had an eyeful of your junk
>And Twilight couldn't even contain her curiousity about it on the way back to the library
>"Why don't human males have sheathes to conceal their genitalia? Are you an average-sized male for one your age? Why does one of your testicles hang lower than the other? Is that why you always insist on being clothed?"
>Of course, when you turned the tables by asking about her vagina, suddenly it's "inappropriate" and "harassment"
>Pfft. Hypocrit.
>And she even used one of your precious pieces of medicine Zecora gave you for some sort of experiment, trying to figure out what went into it
>Not that it wouldn't be good to be able to reproduce those things yourself, just they were a hard-won gift from a friend, one you were loath to give up
>6 left
>At least you actually got to enjoy your sleep this night...

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>Day 8 in Equestria
>Still no razor
>Starting to look like the beginning of a wild forest
>Oh well, nothin' more manly than a well-grown beard
>But today's the day
>You want to at least look halfway decent
>Throw on some of the more formal clothes that Rarity made you
>You should ask her for a suit at some point. Suits are boss
>You tell Twilight you've got some shopping to do, and while she looks a little skeptical considering what happened last time you went out, you assure her that no timber wolf is going to come for you now
>"Alright, just be back around lunchtime. Remember, you promised to teach me more about human culture 4 days a week and we've fallen behind a bit."
>Guess that gives you the whole morning to do what you wanted to do
>Two shops you need to swing by: a hardware store and a florist
>From the hardware store, two planks of different lengths, a hammer and some nails
>From the florist, a bouquet
>Must have made a stranger sight than usual, wandering through P0nyville with your building supplies and flowers, dressed as best as you can be
>Even odder would be the purple librarian unicorn following you through town, staying in the shadows, diving behind objects and making sure you don't start any trouble
>Not that you notice, too focused on trying to find a good spot outside of town to set up
>About an hour out of P0nyville, you think you've found it
>A hill that stands out right over the small horse town, giving a perfect view of it as well as the farms and Everfree forest around it
>The hill has quite a few trees surrounding it as well, making it difficult to see from the town below
>You look around, taking in the view and breathe a deep breath of the fresh air
>There's a faint aroma of apples on the air, as well as the smell of pristine water from a nearby river and the grass underneath your feet
>It's perfect
>You set down your planks and nail them together into a simple cross
>Then, setting the long end of the cross into the dirt, you hammer it down until you're certain it's stable enough that it won't just be blown away
>You look down at your handiwork. It's a little crude, but it's the thought that counts here
>You lay down your bouquet and sit before your makeshift marker, thinking about what to say
>The words come slowly but surely, and soon you're having a one-sided conversation
"... Another month come and gone just like that. Seems I'm only just had my visit with you before it's time for another. Well, this one is a little different to all the others we've had, but... Not like I can see the real you right now. Ripped straight out of our world by something I'll probably never understand, and, well, look at me now! Surrounded by creatures of myth everywhere! Pegasi and unicorns, wolves made from wood and magic, a shaman zebra, hell, I've even met a dragon! Well, a baby dragon. But still."
"Honestly. You're probably laughing at the absurdity of it all. And you probably have a few choice words for how I've been acting since I got here. Picking fights from day one and almost dying in my first week... But it was for a good cause. I was fighting to protect good people. Well, good p0nies. You get the point."
"It's amazing really. I've been treated kindly and with respect from day one. Not what I was expecting at all. If the people here were anything like how they were back home, I'd probably have been tossed in a lab to be experimented on til the day I died. Not like that'd get them anywhere, good luck trying to keep me chained up anywhere for long!"
>You laugh for a moment, but it's a bitter laugh.
"This place filled with sunshine and laughter... It's all so innocent. They haven't seen the things our world has seen. They haven't had to fight for their lives like we had to. And y'know... I'd like to keep it that way."
"Back home, I was one out of 6 billion. One who couldn't protect what was precious to me. One that was weaker than I had any right to be... But here..."
"I'm one of a kind. The only one of my kind. And I'm stronger here, too. And I can't help but wonder... What can I accomplish with my strength now? Could I have protected you back then if I was the way I am now...?"
>You raise your head, looking up at the sky. Not a cloud in sight. Rainbow Dash is doing good work today.
>But your cheeks are still wet. Rain without a cloud in the sky. How strange.
"Probably not. It wasn't something that I could have expected... Nobody could have seen it coming."
>You want to believe that anyway. From the bottom of your heart, you really want that to be the truth.
>But you can't help having part of you blame yourself.
"I don't really have much time to talk today. Twilight, the girl who's looking after me, wanted me back before lunch. Oh, I guess I should tell you a bit about her..."
>You spend the next hour talking about the girls that first met you when you crashed-landed through the portal and who helped you get set-up here in P0nyville
>The time seems to fly as you ramble on about the 6, and how they've been willing to put up with you picking fights and how Applejack and her family fought to help you against the timber wolves
>How Twilight helped heal you
>How proud you are to have met people that would risk their lives for someone they've known for mere days
>Before you know it, it's time to head back to Twilight's
>As you stand and dust yourself off, starting your trek back to P0nyville, you don't notice the unicorn in question hiding behind one of the nearby trees step out and examine your cross
>"A grave marker...? But why?" she mutters, glancing around before teleporting back to her treehouse
>Now you have to apologise to Rarity about that shirt you ruined
>A swift knock on the door of her carousel, and it swings open to reveal the glamorous p0ny, busily working away at a particularly complex looking dress. She glances up from her work, looking frazzled
>"Welcome to--Oh, Anon! Well, don't just stand there like you're waiting for somep0ny under the mistletoe! Come in, come in darling!"
>You duck your head under the low frame of the building, taking care not to bang your head on the ceiling
>You've learned that lesson well
>Rarity's horn glows as she grabs ahold of some scissors and fabric with her magic, snipping away. "News has spread all across town about how you saved Applejack and Big Mac from those timber wolves the other day. Fighting off such fearsome beasts, even while wounded yourself! Quite the chivalrous rescue", she purrs.
>You frown.
"It was a team effort, Rarity. Without their help in the fight, we would have all ended up dying against those things. I couldn't have done it alone."
>Rarity gives an exagerated gasp. "Died!? Oh my dear Anonymous, please don't say such a thing! It hardly bears thinking about, losing a dear friend like Applejack AND a strapping young hero like yourself to those... Things!" she flutters her eyelashes at you before turning back to her work.
>Strapping young hero? Really? You knew she had a flair for the dramatic, but that's a bit far, isn't it?
>You scratch the back of your head awkwardly, getting ready to give her the bad news.
"Well, we might not have lost any lives, but I'm afraid I had to destroy one of the shirts you made me in the scuffle. Sorry, I know you put a lot of work into it, so--"
>"Oh, Anonymous! A simple shirt is nothing but fabric compared to the health of my friends, and after the way you acted, so SELFLESSLY throwing yourself in harms way for the Apple's, well, you can always count the foremost fashion arteest in all of P0nyville amongst your friends, Anonymous."
>Well, that went better than expected. But you still feel bad.
>These p0nies have been nothing but accomodating to you, giving you a place to stay, food and clothing for absolutely nothing
>You should pay them back somehow
>You HAVE to pay them back for their kindness.
"I'm sorry Rarity, but I'm putting my foot down over this.
>She looks up from her work, surprised.
"I will pay you back for all the clothes you've given me so far somehow. All you have to do is tell me what you need, call my name, and I'm there and it's done."
>You speak firmly, hoping that she'll take your words to heart and accept your debt to her gracefully.
>Instead, she coos and swoons all over the place.
>"Oh, what a gentlecolt! So honourable! And So forceful! Oh, I cannot resist dear, I shall humbly accept your offer!"
>You smile. There's that over with...
>"In fact..."
>Or not.
>"I have a little something that you can help me with tomorrow!"
"Which is?"
>"Tell me dear, do you know the name 'Saphire Shores'?"
>You turn the name over in your head.
"Can't say it rings a bell."
>"Why, she's only THE P0ny of Pop! One of the most famous performers in all of Equestria! Really Anonymous, you should try and keep up with at least SOME trends, honestly. And she came in just an hour ago and requested that *I* create several dresses for one of her tours!" her face scrunches up as she dances on the spot with a giggle of unsupressed glee.
>She suddenly remembers where she is, and regains her composure with a small cough.
>"Unfortunately, the particular dress that she picked out requires quite an ostentatious amount of jewels to decorate properly", she explains, dragging out a trunk with magic and flinging it open to show you.
>Nothing. Nada. Zilch. It's totally empty.
>"Normally I'm a little more reserved with my gems as decorations, but this piece... It DEMANDED granduer! To be an eye-catching ensemble that nop0ny would be able to ignore!"
>"Sadly, that meant going through my entire supply of jewels, and in order to complete this order on time, I shall need to restock as soon as possible. So, I shall spend the rest of today putting together the base of the dresses whilst tomorrow is reserved for jewel hunting!"
>The trunk slams shut and slides back out of sight
"You want me to dig up gems?"
>She giggles. "Oh no, no, no, dear Anon! That's Spikey-Wikey's job! He's been so kind offering his services to me. I can't imagine having to dig around for such things all by myself. Imagine the damage to my hooves! Oh, or how the dirt would cake in my fur!" she shudders in revulsion. "It would take days of treatments at the spa to get back into any decent condition."
>Ah. Now it makes sense. Poor little bro does whatever he can to get an excuse to stick close to Rarity.
>"I've also promised him a few gems for himself to consume after the job is done."
>Time with Rarity AND food? Spike, you sly dog, you're really taking a mile here. You chuckle at his greed.
"So what do you need me for, exactly? Sounds like you and Spike would have everything down pat."
>"Why, protection, Anonymous! After hearing the account of your brave defense against the monsters of the Everfree, why, I would be a fool to pass up an opportunity to be taken under the wing of such a courageous and stoic guardian for a day!" She flutters her eyelashes at you again.
>Well that seems to make sense.
>"And maybe help pull that heavy cart of jewels afterwards too."
>Eh, training is training.
"Alright, when do you leave?"
>"Just meet me outside the boutique at 9am, sharp. Now, if you will excuse, I still have some work to finish before the day is out. Don't be late!" she says in a sing-song voice before returning to her snipping and and stitching
>With a shrug you duck under the doorframe again and depart for lunch
>Guess you have a job for tomorrow

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>Day 9 in Equestria
>You headed out early in the morning with much bleary-eyed yawning and a small wave to Twilight, who returned your gesture with a chipper "Have a greaaaaat day!" and a smile
>Ugh. Morning p0nies
>At least you had a brother in Spike, who looked just as tired as you, although it's mixed with excitement over seeing Rarity
>Maybe if you can slip away from them once the job is done, he'll have a chance to confess to her
>She'd probably turn him down, but it's good for the kid to learn something about asserting himself and dealing with disappointment, right?
>One yawn and crick filled walk later, and the two of you stroll up to Carousel Boutique
>Well, not so much stroll
>More like a shamble
>Rarity is standing outside with an impatient look on her face, tapping her hoof next to a cart
>When she sees the two of you wandering up with sleep still in your eyes, she perks up immediately, trotting down to meet you
>"Oh, good morning Anon! Spikey-Wikey!" she prances and flutters her eyelashes.
>Bleh. Another morning p0ny.
>You need to ask Twilight to start stocking coffee.
>Stifling a yawn, you manage to get out a greeting. Spike, upon hearing his pet name, immediately jumps like someone jammed a dose of adrenaline straight into his heart.
>"G-g-good morning Rarity!" He lets out a warm sigh, getting a dopey expression as he focuses on the object of his adoration.
>At this point, a confession would be more for Spike's sake then for Rarity's. Little bro's about as easy to read as a Dr Suess book
>Note to self: make sure Spike never takes up poker
>With a yawn, you give your own 'hello' and gesture to the cart
"You two hop in and point me where you want me to go."
>Rarity looks a little apprehensive about that. "Oh, you don't need to bother dear, we can all walk together! Besides, you already look *awfully* tired."
"That's my point. I need the exercise to waken me up. It'll be good for me."
>You finish your sentence with a yawn for emphasis.
>Rarity still looks less than thrilled. She sighs, and says, "Very well. Just... Do try not to make the ride a difficult one. It takes quite a few hours to create and maintain this style." She pats her hairdo worriedly.
>You give a tired, non-commital wave in response
>The two jump in the back and settle down as you grab hold of the handles
>Take a deep breath...
>In... And out...
>Okay...
>And now...
>EXPLODE!
"ORAAAAAAAAA!"
>You try to overcome your sleepiness with a huge burst of energy, dragging the cart with you into a dash
>Rarity gives a squeal of surprise as she grabs hold of the cart. "Watch the mane! WATCH THE MANE!"
>Spike just laughs as the bumps and jostles bounce him up and down like an amusement park ride
>Soon enough, your adrenaline gets pumping through your system and the morning breeze helps sharpen you up
>After your initial burst, you eventually slow down to a light jog
>Still need to adjust to the weights after all
>After about a couple of hours of taking directions from Rarity, she tells you to halt in the middle of what appears to be a wide open dirt field
>Looking around, it almost appears as if the entire area was dug up and flattened
>Nothin' but dirt, rocks and more dirt and rocks
>Oh hey wait, there's a bush over there
"This place is dead."
>Rarity gingerly steps down out of the cart as Spike clambers down the sides to join her
>"Yes, I admit that it could do with some... Sprucing up, maybe... But this is the most gem-rich area around P0nyville," she says, giving a small sniff of disdain. "There's nowhere else to go but here for gemstones for my work."
>her horn lights up and shines a beam over the dirt, moving back and forth in a predictable pattern. Looks like it's scanning for something...
>Suddenly, after passing over a certain patch, the image of several varied gemstones appear, all of them different colours, shapes and sizes
>In general, they're all about as big as your fist though
>You never knew crystals could get that big
>Must be magic or something
>Rarity's smile widens as she sees the image of the gems appear. "Ah-ha! Spikey-Wikey, if you would kindly be a dear and retrieve these for me?"
>Without hesitation, Spike's claws dig down into the earth, cutting through it with ease and tunnels straight to the rocks
>A few seconds later, he pops back out of the ground, grinning with several clawfuls of gems as big as his head
>Dude knows how to dig
>You take them from him and drop them in the cart. It looks like it's going to take quite a few trips to fill up the wagon...
>You grimace. The idea of scanning, digging and placing gems all day sounds tedious and low-energy. It'll take up most of the day and not even be any worthwhile training.
>Who knows. Maybe something will happen to ramp up the excitement...
>But nothing comes
>An entire morning of Rarity highlighting gems, Spike digging them up and trying to sneak a bite out of one before being reprimanded, and you loading them into the cart
>You're bored silly
>Not even anything interesting to look at
>Except for that bush off there in the distance
>The only patch of green surrounded by brown and grey
>Shaking and quivering in the wind
>Wind which you cannot feel
>Or hear
>And which doesn't kick up any dust or dirt as it blows
>...
>You narrow your eyes, staring closely at the bush
>What is going on over there?
>Unbeknownst to you, there are three Diamond Dogs that have been spying on you since the beginning
>Bickering amongst themselves about the p0ny and dragon that have been harvesting the gems that these small-minded creatures are so obsessed with
>Trying to figure out how to get past the bodyguard that would even tower over them, who are usually second only to minotaurs
>And they have a plan
>As you gaze closer, you could swear you see clumps of dirt being thrown into the air behind it...
>Digging?
>Company?
>Sneaky company.
>"Anonymous? Whatever are you glaring at over there dear?"
>The dirt stops being thrown around
>You keep scanning, looking for the smallest sign of movement, but it's all gone still...
>The quiet before the storm?
>Your gut is telling you so
"I'm not sure yet... But keep on guard, I think we're not alo--"
>You're interrupted by a trembling beneath your feet, as two clawed hands burst out of the earth and grasp your ankles
"What the fu--"
>You're swiftly pulled down into the dirt, buried up to your ribcage
>One thought is in your mind
>Ambush!
>You try and twist, looking to get loose, before yelling
"Rarity! Spike! Get outta here! NOW!"
>No good. The two of them are stunned from the sudden attack.
>Another second later, and the hands reach out again, this time dragging Spike down with a small yelp, leaving him buried up to his neck
>Rarity takes a few steps back in fear, not understanding what's going on, and then the hands reach up to grasp her
>As one grabs hold of her legs, she instinctively tries kicking it away, eyes widening
>"No! Get away from me! Don't touch me, you... You...!"
>But her kicking and flailing does no good as more and more hands grab at her, dragging her into the earth with a shriek
>But they don't merely bury her
>She's dragged further and further, until there's nothing but a pair of eyes staring pleadingly at you and Spike
>And you hear one whispered, tearful, fearful word before she vanishes completely
>"Help..."
>And then she's gone
>Spike looks like he's about to start crying. "R... Rarity...?" he sniffles.
>You grit your teeth
>You failed again
>Even though you swore on your own life that you would never lose a friend like that again
>Even though she trusted you to protect her...
>Rage is building in you
>You feel a fever coming on you, burning out of control
>You plant your hands in the dirt, and with a roar, push yourself out from the dirt
>As you climb out of your hole, dusting your self off, you move to undo the straps holding your weights on
>No mercy for the bastards responsible
>You walk over to Spike, who's looking up at you with a tearful expression on his face and grasp him by the top of his head
>As you pull him out of the ground with a small pop, you growl
"Get ready to dig, Spike. We're going after them."
>He looks at you, his eyes widening
>"B-but, big bro... We need to get help! Oh, I-I know! Twilight will know what to do here! We, we can go back to the library and get her to help us..."
"No. No time to waste. It will take hours to get back into P0nyville and then get back here. We have no idea what those things are, or why they took Rarity. Best case scenario, standard kidnapping and they need her alive for ransom. Worst case..."
>Spike swallows in fear. "W... Worst case...?"
>Your expression darkens.
"Anyway. We need to get chasing them ASAP! Spike!"
>You put him down on the ground and kneel, so that you're closer in height to him, placing your hands on his shoulders and looking him in the eyes
"Neither of us can do this alone! With your digging speed, we can catch up to them easily! With my fists, I can take them in a straight fight no problem! But I'll still need somebody to watch my back in case things go south."
>You smile at him, trying to instill some confidence in him.
"Think you can handle it, little bro?"
>"B-big bro... You... You really trust me to watch your back?" His tears have faded now, replaced with a hopeful expression.
>You nod with certainty that this is the best course of action to take
"There's nobody else I'd rather have by my side right now than you, Spike. Believe in me as I believe in you, and we'll get Rarity back safe and sound!"
>Spike looks down at his claws, clenching and unclenching before giving a terse nod.
>"Alright... Let's do it big bro!"
>You stand, satisfied with his fighting spirit
"Come on then little bro!"
>You point down at the patch of dirt that the mysterious attackers dragged Rarity through
"Your claws cutting through even the hardest rock, claws that can even one day carve through the heavens,"
>You raise a fist to the sky and shout
"And my fist which will break through all that stand in our way, forging a path of battle!"
"This is our strongest combination attack!"
"Let's go! Little bro!"
>"Roger! Big bro!"
>And with that, Spike leaps upon the dirt and starts to cleave a path wide enough for you to leap down
>You gaze down into the dark widening tunnel, and jump down after Spike
"GERONIMO!