Screaming slept horribly. The bed was lumpy, the room she got was drafty, so the wind whistling the gaps between the logs of the old musty home. The home itself was poorly maintained due to the fact that the family that previously occupied it left for the capital when food became scarce some years ago.

No one had come in to stuff moss or some type of insulation between the logs since their departure.

So here she lay, the sun peaking over the horizon. The curtainless windows did nothing to shield her from it’s on ending rays of blinding brightness. She hated coming here. She couldn’t understand how Orion had talked her into this insanity.

“Screaming, we need to get the fuck outta here for awhile, don't you think?” Orion had entered her private room’s study earlier that afternoon and had made small talk to which she was finding herself hard to focus on considering the rather fetching outfit he wore was a major distraction for her.

The outfit of this day seemed to have been one of comfort, but it did little to hide the tone muscle under the soft cotton sleeveless tunic. Red was the color of the day, coupled with the dark gray cotton pants that wrapped tightly around his cannons, she couldn’t help but daydream wistfully.

She had noticed that much of his clothing had an ‘R’ etched in cursive that was on a tag with three diamonds, or crystals she could not tell. What she could tell was that most of his clothes were custom work. The distinct feminine tag begged questions that birthed jealous thoughts in her mind. “Just who had made his clothes?”

The idea of another female having already some claim on him often would send her into fits of unnecessary fury. Fury she only displayed away from Orion. She wasn’t sure how well he knew her culture, but she had no desire for him to see that side of her until he was well and truly caught in her net. Jealousy often showed ugly to those who had no idea it was there.

Because her thoughts had been turning, again, to dark imaginings she nearly missed his last statement.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” She blushed. She hadn't meant to ignore what he was saying, and being caught in doing so was more than embarrassing.

“Man I often wonder where your head goes, Scream. I said we need to get outta her. Like leave the city for a while. I don’t know about you, but I am tired of the constant parties, seeing the same sights day in and day out. So I figured, why not go on a vacation within a vacation?”

She mulled it over in her mind. On the one hand she too was tired of seeing the everyday sights she had seen for the last seven years. The increasing poverty only made her want to run away from it all. She wanted to help so badly. But when she asked her uncle to allow her to run programs to reeducate the populace in order to help them find work, he had to painfully explain the kingdom’s coffers could not support much more than shipping in grain from the south east.

She cried that night. Seventeen and she could yet do nothing.

But she was worried about leaving home. Fears of being on her own once again made her hesitant to leave. When she had learned the truth about who she was, and what had happened to her parents, she broke down and sobbed into her uncle’s arms.

Since then, the very idea of stepping outside the city for longer than a day was often too much for her to contemplate. Now here he was, trying to convince her to go.

“I don’t know Orion, I am not sure my uncle will just let us go off on our own. Where would we even go? Back to Canterlot? I haven’t really been back in a very long time. It would be nice to go someplace new though.” He had remained quiet the entire time with a small smile on his lips.

“ I already got someplace picked out. North of us is a town called Avery. It’s on the coast. So what I was thinking is we head up there for a couple of weeks, swim, relax in the woods around it, maybe even take a brief trip to Neighbon, which is only another five miles north of there. Eat some seafood, take in the local atmosphere. Anything is better than seeing the same shit here.”

She had always wanted to go to Neighbon. She heard that the city was bustling with life and festivals. Maybe they could see one in action! She quickly agreed after that.

Her disappointment was immense when she learned they had no beaches in Avery. The land to sea ended at a sheer drop off the cliffs from one-hundred and twenty feet above sea level. There was a beach, about two or three hundred yards off their coast. A sandbar had formed against the jutting rocks out there. But there was no shade to be had. So she and some of her retinue would have to carry their supplies out by hand.

It would have been easier to just teleport them all out there. But Orion, the one that had planned and dragged them all out here, had left early that morning and no one could find him.

She nearly tore her own feathers out in frustration. Where had he gone? And why drag them all the way out here? Surely he knew in advance the area’s geographical disposition. Didn’t he?

“Excuse me, beigermeister, have you seen Orion anywhere? He has been gone for almost two hours and I am beginning to get a little worried.” She was intimidated by the older hen. Her height and experience in life vastly dwarfed her. She commanded by sheer presence alone.

“I’m sorry, my Lady, but he saw me earlier this morning and said something about surveying the land. He took a few of my council with him and they have been gone since.” She smiled softly. “I’m sure your nest-mate will return soon. He has your arms-griffon, Gilda if I remember correctly, with him. He is in good claws.”

Screaming blushed furiously. “He and I are not bound to the nest. He is yet of age.” What she kept to herself is that he hadn’t noticed her attempts to catch his eye. She was failing, spectacularly.

A rye chuckle came from the older hen. “Does he know that? The way you look at him, he would have to be blind not to notice.” The crestfallen look on her face made Grendal frown. “He hasn’t noticed has he. His age is a problem? How old is he?”

“Just turned fifteen in the spring, what?” The beigermeister was laughing.

“You casted your net into the pond full of tadpoles dear. Though you reeled in a rather large one. Still, fledglings his age are often more concerned with boasting and displaying their colors to actually landing in a nest, maybe you are pushing for something not yet ready?”

His disappearance, being out here nearly by herself, the fact that she has gotten nothing in return from him as far as any attraction. Now, this hen was laughing at her. Mocking her attempts to secure her future. She began to cry.

“There there. I’m sorry if I seemed insensitive, truly. I was just surprised you would want for someone so young. But this is more than just him isn’t it?” Using a wing she had guided Screaming to a seat in her office.

Composing herself after a time, she told her. Everything that was bothering her. From the state of the people of Griffonia, to her fears of being useless in her countries attempt to redevelop themselves.

Grendal patted her arms, her wing still wrapped about her. “Well, I can assume he hasn’t told you why you all are really out here then. Well…..”

First, she was shocked. Then angry. After that she went through a litany of emotions that ranged from pride to outright fury at what he was planning and how much he had lied to her and her uncle.

“I see, he is using your town as a testing ground for ideas to...to improve our kingdom over all. He didn’t want to tell my uncle, because he was worried without proof of his ideas working, he would just reject it outright. So he devised this little scheme to improve the lives of one town, while also fleshing out the ideas in this notebook.” The very notebook she now held in her claws. She didn’t know whether she wanted to read more or tear it apart. He used her. Used her! Deceived her uncle, and lied about the reason he really came to see her.

But he was also trying to help, trying to save the very nation she had grown to love despite the failings of it. He was attempting to restore hope, and by the look on the beigermeister’s face, he had. Remembering the looks on the people’s faces here this morning, they knew. He had told her nothing, but the people had already heard.

The old drakes and hens of the village were smiling. A look she had not seen on their faces the night before. The hatchlings were somehow full of energy. He had brought in supplies, explained why they had lugged such a heavy wagon of items no one had seen yet. Didn’t charge them a dime yet he paid it all himself.

He was out, right now, surveying where to plant the crops he had planned. The salt fields, she still couldn’t believe he had known a way to easily preserve meat with salt of all things, he was sizing up for mining.

Orion had planned for all of this, she even figured he knew she would find out. This wasn’t a vacation. He was attempting to save her people. Using her to get away from the capital in order to get out from under Bloodbeak’s eye.

She wanted to laugh. Cry. But mostly she just smiled proudly, he was growing up to be something special.

“Now remember, we are NOT strip mining the place. Too much refuse from the site would likely damage the environment. If you noticed, nothing was really growing there. So we have to be careful and dispose of the non-product away correctly so as to not harm the local environment. Got it?

Nodding heads, and smiling beaks were his response. Orion could hear the quiet murmurings of the council and few tradesmen, or was that tradesgriffons? They were of course in awe of his idea to mine out the salt in the ground. His scans showed that it was big, bigger than what he could easily read.

The wand he had made was still in his pocket, it had pulped itself. He had made it to gauge the depth and width of the potential mine, but it had failed at the fifty yard mark. Still, the scan showed a vast deposit, easily large enough to last several decades if not a couple of centuries. A broad sweeping scan showed him the area had more than a few like it in the area.
These fuckers were going to be loaded.

They were headed back to the village in the early afternoon. Having wanted to get back to report their findings and to make plans to mass produce how to books to go with each shipment of salt. He was leaving most of the logistics in distribution to them. It was their show after all. He was just giving them a much needed push.

Earlier, he had sent back the farmers, with seedlings and how-to books on how to tend the potatoes, carrots, and other temperate climate vegetables that could grow this far north. They were already excitedly talking about how fast the produce could grow.

The masons that had gone with them, of which there were only two, each held a copy of a book showing how to make graineries. The grins on their faces were infectious. He was surprised to find out they were nearly on the verge of figuring out how to make them on their own. They especially liked the idea of the ground ones, as they can store the meat they hunt and fish on their own.

They had no idea how fast these plans were going to accelerate them.

Walking past the rough hewn gate, he stopped. Screaming was standing in front of the cabin she had been given. She had locked eyes with him and, well he couldn’t describe the expression. He wanted to say she was constipated. But a quick look to the mayor of this tiny ass village had told him all he needed to know.

She knew. Likely was told the real reason they were here while he was gone, sooner then what he wanted but not unexpected. The guards around the village that had come with them were straight up glaring daggers at him.

“Well, that isn’t good.”

He didn’t even wait to go somewhere private.

“Yeah, yeah. I lied my ass off. The only way I figured it was going to work. I mean really, Scream, do you honestly think your uncle would have said yes if i would have said, ‘Golly gee sir, I’d really like to go to an out of the way place to run some ideas that may or may not work?’” He crossed his arms. “No I am quite certain he would have glared at me, and shortened my time with you.”

“That doesn’t mean you had to lie to me!” Oh now he knew what that look meant, she was livid. Famous Griffonian temper was arising, he had heard a few rumors about her legendary meltdowns. Not going to happen.

“Ah ah. Do you think you would have outright agreed to come with me? Knowing I was planning this? Would you have kept it from King Bloodbeak?”

“Of course not!” Her hand quickly went to cover her beak eyes wide. Anger can be useful. In this case her emotions prevented her from lying. Orion just gave her a knowing look. “You, you jeopardize the very lives of these people if what your doing doesn’t work!”

“Oh come on, that’s a weak ass argument if I have ever heard of one. By now you all realize what was in those wagons we had all been dragging here. Those were outrageously pricey by the way. That’s also why I am getting the death glares from your guards.”

She sputtered. She was trying to find some way to stay furious at him, but he knew she couldn't. They all knew it. He was right in his planning even if it was a sneaky ass thing to do.

“Why couldn’t you have told me last night?” She had him there, there wasn’t much reason to keep up the ruse once they had arrived.

“To be honest, I didn’t know how to break it to you. You found out far sooner than I wanted, but it wasn’t unexpected. The odds were that if you found out, being as tired and crabby as you were, you’d likely murder me in my sleep. Either that or I was gonna be beaten by your guards with bars of soap in socks, either or.”

He sighed, they had become a soap opera, the villagers looked on in amazement. The guards were surprisingly, chuckling, they were likely embracing the suck at this point.

“This, is a chance to do something meaningful. Not budgeting against the tide. Not hoping that next year someone will come up with a way to bring in the cash to keep your economy afloat. God does not favor the man who does nothing but pray, he helps the one who helps themselves. In this case, I am helping you and yours not fade to nothing.”

“You claimed that this was sanctioned by the king himself.” The quiet way that was spoken, yet carried to every ear in town, made him cringe. “Aww shit.” He had forgotten that particular lie.

“Yeah I did-” He was knocked off his hooves so fast he didn’t realize what had happened. Hitting the ground in a skid, he grabbed the side of his muzzle. He had been hit, hard. The beigermeister stood over him, fury in her eyes.

“You lied to me and my people, our lives are now in your claws and you couldn’t even tell that truth!” Oh yeah, pissed to the max.

He went to stand up, but Grendal pushed him down. Going to stand up again she pushed him, he grabbed her hands, yanked her down and rolled her over till he was on top and she was pinned under him.

Spitting out some blood to the side he grinned, “I let you hit me once, but if you think you are going to just keep pushing me around, I’ll magic your head into your own asshole understand?”

She struggled vainly for a few minutes before finally giving up.

“Now, I am actually sorry I lied. To everyone.” He said that last loudly and looked around, still holding the griffon under him firmly. “Had I thought of a better, more honest way I would have done so. But I have a lot of knowledge. But my social and charismatic skills suck ass.”

He stood up letting Grendal go. She glared at him, but didn’t try and further the conflict. “These ideas will work. I know they will, but I can’t give you a reason as to why. I know that sounds strange as fuck, but it’s true.” One hen glared at him as she placed her hands around her child's ears. “Great, we have a Karen.”

“So you know they work, but can’t tell us how you know.” This bitch wasn’t giving up on this. He was going to have to take a gamble.

“Namely you would not believe me if I told you. Master Grimcrest, by the way epic name, in your professional opinion, what do you think the chances are the crops will grow quickly.”

Being put on the spot Grimcrest nervously licked his beak as his mayor stared at him. “In truth, they will grow fast, much faster than we originally believed. We could have viable crops in as short as two months on many of them. Some even earlier. From what our masons have told me, we can apply the skills from making graineries to our own homes. To shore them up for winter. This can very well be a huge boon to our benefit.”

Orion smiled smugly. Grendal was still angry, but she was no longer looking like she was going to bite nails out of boards.

The less nervous griffon spoke on, “In addition to that, we have already seen the method of preserving fish. A barrel was brought in with the supplies, a barrel that contained almost eight hundred fish. They were packed a month ago by the ledger’s report. They have not rotted. And a little rinse has proven them edible. If this alone is all Master Falls had, I would call this a major improvement.” He had gained confidence in his speech, and his fellow council men had actually gone and hauled the barrel out of a nearby cellar.

The mayor was no longer angry. She had walked up and began sifting through the barrel, inspecting each one. Quiet talk went on between her and the others for a whole thirty minutes.

During that time Screaming had walked over to stand next to Orion.

“I get it, you’re actually trying to help my people. But why? Why couldn’t you tell me? To let me in on the plan from the beginning.” She was quiet, and not because of the debate going on amongst the elders of the village. She had drawn in on herself. She looked so tiny standing there, shoulders hunched, unable or not willing to look at him. “Why?”

“Scream, since day one I was lying. Not that I am not actually happy to see you. Honestly I was excited to spend time with you. But my original plan was to tell, who I believed at the time, your rich adopted family my ideas, to have them sell them without my name being dropped. An idea sold can have powerful ramifications. The mere mention of rumors of those ideas could have flashed through your nation like a storm. But then….”

He sighed, running his hands through his mane.

“Then I saw those people on the train. The little supplies I had on hand I gave freely, and it was if I gave them the world for that one moment. No one, and I mean no one, should live life like that. The fear in the parents eyes. The weeping of that mother on the day we departed to come here. Because your Uncle is actually the King, I couldn’t just say ‘hey these ideas will work’.” He looked over to her. “Do you believe he would have bought what I was selling?”

She was quiet, the council and the mayor were getting a bit louder now. But Orion kept his eyes solely on Scream.

“No…..he would have thrown you out of the castle, likely shipped you back to Canterlot faster than you arrived.” She sighed, and surprisingly leaned her body against his. He caught her gently and wrapped an arm about her. “You chose not to tell me because you couldn’t be sure of how I would react. To be fair, I would have likely run to tell him your ideas myself. Never really realizing that it would upset him.”

“For what little it's worth Scream Queen, I’m sorry. Really. I fucked up out of fear of my plans being exposed early. I had to think hard and fast to pull all this off. If I had more time, I’d likely been able to come up with a better way to include you. As it is now, I have a month and a half, maybe more if I can squeeze it.”

She sighed heavily, everyone seemed to be doing that. But when she went to open her mouth, Grendal and her council marched over. They didn’t seem angry, many had smiles on their faces. She was still frowning but it was far more speculative than before.

“We have come to a decision. You have lied to us. All of us. But you knew we were going to find out about it anyway. That is why you had brought so many supplies. In case this didn’t work you planned to support our winter.” She smiled. “Thank you for considering my peoples needs should you have failed.”

“After looking at several examples, speaking to the handwerkers we, or more appropriately I, have decided to allow you to continue with your projects here.” Orion gave a half smile, he knew the boot was about to drop. “You will however, have to tell me how you know these ideas will work, and where you got them.”

“Absolutely not. As I said, you would not really believe me. No one would. I will be up front on what else I want to try. But the secret to the knowledge in my head is mine alone. You will just have to accept that little fact angry bird.” He chuckled to himself, getting confused looks in attendance. In his head he had already started to debate which angry bird she was, he was settling on Matilda. The white one.

“And should this end our brief partnership?” She had cocked her left eye, not phased by his own quiet laughter.

“Then it ends here. You at least got some ideas, and I may just bounce around to other villages to help where I can in their local economies. I can’t force any of you to accept my terms. Just as you cannot force me to accept yours.” He leaned back against a fence post marking the boundary between two homes. “The choice is, to accept my original plan, now under the knowledge that the nation has no idea what's going on out here. Or send me packing, your move lady.”

Grendal chewed on a claw in thought. The whole village had gotten quiet, the children were even silent as hell. Orion was getting some Children of the Corn vibes with them.

“Fine. I do not like it. But the evidence of you actually trying to help weighs heavily in your favor. However, no more lies. Only the truth now. What else do you plan?”

He smiled, hooked with the same line, only without the bait this time.

“Well. I heard there is a non-griffon group up here. Likes to burrow a lot. That sort of thing.” The glares of the villagers told him much. “I see you have had dealings with them?”

The mayor, and village elders, all spat onto the ground. The fact that the beaks bent the way they did to accommodate the action short circuited his brain. “They can fucking spit? How?!”

“Yes, we have. They came into our village two months ago. Demanding workers to help clear out their tunnels. Filthy beasts had to be chased off. What?” She had noticed the miserable look on his face.

The reports pointed to the evidence of Diamond Dogs in the area. Knowing they were actually here was great, learning that they had been chased out meant the two groups were already going to start out as rocky to begin with. He needed them to get along.

“Well shit, that isn’t going to work.”

“What do you mean? Should we have driven them off?” She looked eager to do so, several of them were.

“No. Fuck no. You need them.” The shocked look from the entire village almost made him break down, almost. “Well you see, they have a skill set you do not have, they have to scavenge everything they can to feed themselves. They have no agricultural capabilities. That’s why they steal constantly. They developed amazing mining skills. But shit all for anything else.”

The perplexed looks he was getting made him explain.

“You all have noticed the plans for a blast forge in the notes I have given you.” A few nods, still with that look of not understanding. “That furnace is for iron ore, the hills are packed with the stuff here.”

He had seen them all over the place, a simple scan showed all he needed to know. He had to use the wand to its near failure in order to find a vein. And holy shit was there a big one. The nation of Griffonia had vast untapped resources. With careful planning and lessons about how to deal with pollution in a constructive way, this nation could rise to prominence in less than five years.

“I still do not understand, Diamond Dogs care for nothing other than gems and crystals, to what possible reason would they want to dig up iron for?”

He just smiled, “Why my dear beigermeister, food.”

Rover yawned heavily, he had been outside under the afternoon sun for over two hours. While the Diamond Dog couldn’t be called intelligent in any sort of way by his fellow dogs, he even knew his brain was cooking in the bronze helmet that he wore on his skull.

Such was his punishment for taking extra scraps during meal time this morning. It just smelled so good and he was soo hungry. He sniffled, he believed life was unfair to him. He never considered that his actions could have left one of the pups hungry, no Rover was not one to understand much beyond orders and his own desires.

He stared at the grassy landscape in stupor, thinking he may just take a nap when he noticed something approaching.

His orders were to chase off griffons, and any beasty that came upon the tunnel to the warren. But what came over the hill was not a beasty, nor a griffon. It was a pony. A unicorn pony. He had no idea what to do. Being unable to think for himself beyond noting it was not who or what he was guarding against he just stood there.

The pony walked right up to him, and Rover had to crane his neck back. This was a tall pony! He had only ever seen a few but none of them were ever that big.

The pony was dressed in a red tunic and gray pants. Under that he could see the solid black fur. The pony’s mane was brown, and he had a little scruff of the same on his chin. But what really drew his gaze was the large swirl pattern horn on his forehead. It reminded him of the pools of water in a cave when he was little. He would splash them and they would make the little ripples in the shallow waters.

“Good day to you my fine friend. I hope the sun hasn’t baked that brain of yours to mush, you look like you’ve been out here awhile.”

The pony had spoke! To him! Rover had no idea what to do, his limited instructions never told him how to deal with a pony coming up and talking to him. What should he do? He thought hard.

Soon enough something interrupted his arguably slow thought process. A, something had been pushed into his view. He blinked, slowly. It was a round tan-ish thing. With a stopper at the top.

“Oh dear God, your brain likely is mush right now. Here, have some water. Just pull the stopper at the top and aim the spout into your mouth.”

Water? Rover was so thirsty, he could definitely use a drink. But how was that holding water? He only lapped his water up in pools inside the caverns in the tunnels dug by his people.

Doing as instructed though he had to be guided to pull the stopper, the Diamond Dog soon found the joys of a bag of water. Guzzling greedily He drank the entire container in one fell swoop.

He shook the bag looking for more and not finding any, he then tossed the bag aside and looked back to the pony, surprised to see him there.

The pony sighed heavily, suddenly there was some type of bag into his hands. “You have got to be fucking with me, I had to pull the dumb one.”

Orion could not believe this shit. He had been watching the den, or warren of the resident Diamond Dog clan for almost a week.

From what the villagers had told him back in Avery, these guys had moved in sometime before the snowfall of last year. Grendal had sent a request for their removal but with the limited resources of the nation they had yet to get a response.

For the most part, the dogs had kept to themselves.

The only time they had interacted with the locals was when the day two months ago were they seemed to demand help in clearing their tunnels. There were no kidnappings, which is usually typical of the mutts.

Diamond Dogs seemed to employ a weak form of slavery. They worked those they took to the bone, but once the job was done for what they wanted they would simply let them go. It was a strange way of running things. That had not happened here with the griffons.

It could be possible that they had more to fear from the griffons as they did the ponies, but it seemed unlikely. The kidnappings often happen at night.

Because of that, Orion felt it was moderately safe to monitor them for a time, to see just how big the pack inside actually was.

That was made more difficult then he hoped. He felt guilty dragging Scream and her soldiers all the way up here, so he opted to spend time with them, as well as help direct work efforts into improving the village.

Many of the village houses were outright being torn down, replaced with a better block foundation, and already new supports were in place to begin building the walls. The fields had been plowed in record time, with a large stream being dug between them for a rudimentary irrigation system being put in place that could be at full capacity by next year's end.

He even managed to spend time with Scream and Gilda. They, and the soldiers with them, had managed to build a little shack on the rocky islet off the coast. Took only two days and a lot of flying.

It was actually a pretty cool place to chill, Orion figured once things were truly underway he could let himself relax and stay out there for a couple of nights.

She was there now, relaxing in the June sun, while he was stuck here dealing with the dumbest fucking individual he had ever met.

Seriously, this mutt’s eyes even blinked out of order.

He sighed again before putting the water bag away.

“Okay bud, let’s try this again shall we? My name is Orion Falls. What’s yours?” He held his breath, hoping against failure.

There was a pause, and then, “My name Rover.” Success! He wasn’t a complete retard.

“Did he just drool all over himself…?” Shaking his head to put the thought away, and vowing to never let him touch anything of his again, “Well it is a pleasure to meet you Rover. I am looking for the man, or woman, in charge of this here pack. Are they in? May I see them?”

The now named Rover just blinked in that stupefied way he did. “They here. No see dem.”

Sweet baby Jesus, he spoke slower than shit moved in winter. “Why can’t I see them? What’s your job out here bud?”

“No see dem, said no thing allowed. I guard. No let beasties or Griffies inside.” He stood up straight, a look of pride on his face at doing his own job.

“May you never breed my friend. I wonder, do you know what neutering is?” He wanted to groan in frustration. This was not how he wanted this to go. But there was something in what he said. He smiled, he did not want to enter by force and this dog just gave him the in.

“Am I a griffon? Do I look like one?”

Rover the Stupid blinked, and gave him a hard look up and down. “No….?”

“So, would that mean that I am barred from entering? Considering I am not a beast nor a griffon I should have access to meet your leader correct? Considering I am not on the list of those to be stopped, yes?”

The dog stared, and then adopted a position that Orion was sure was supposed to be thinking, but he looked like he was going to take a shit with the way he was suddenly concentrating so hard.

He aged while the moron thought, it had to be at least five minutes before he finally got an answer.

“Yes, you can go.” Rover smiled, thinking he was being benevolent.

Well, now for the hard part, but given this guy’s intelligence he thought it likely he would snag that win too.

“Excellent my good friend. I thank you humbly.” This was so not his style. “I do have one request if you would grant it.” He waited for what felt like an hour for the dog to respond with a nod and a tilt to his head. “I do not know the way, would you kindly show me?”

This time it didn’t take him long at all. “Yes, Rover can show way. It dis way, come!” Wow, he was suddenly happy as a pig in slop, if Orion had to guess it was likely the idea of actually getting out of the sun.

Thus he followed him down. As they entered the cave, his horn glowed weakly as he began to actively scan their position. He did not want to get lost while down there, so he began to construct a map in his head of where he was at all time. Just in case negotiations didn’t go as planned.

The tunnel slopped sharply down and to the left at first, and then broadened out in a natural cave. Water was dripping from stalagmites into small pools throughout the moderately sized natural formation.

This is when he got his first sight of a female Diamond Dog. “Jesus Christ they smell fucking terrible, do they not even give themselves tongue baths?!”

The female closest to him was all but naked. Where good Ol’ Rover was dressed in a rusted ass pair of greaves with a cuirass that was being held together with leather in places leather was going to get easily cut, this maybe lady only wore a rotting leather loincloth.

These guys were worse off than the griffons. As he cast his gaze around the room, he spotted some more females and even a few males, all similarly dressed. They were drinking out of the pools of water.

“They know how to at least use armor if not make it. But they can’t even figure out how to make stone cups or something. That can’t be healthy, shit.” This was beginning to paint an entirely different picture for him.

While he had only been able to observe a couple hours out of a day, he got the impression that there were over eighty of them in all. Possibly more, if he were to count children. The marks in the river a mile to the west of them showed some very sad attempts at catching fish.

Now seeing their emaciated frames he was starting to get a better picture on what was wrong.

In books, there were interviews done to understand them. In those sessions it was discovered that Diamond Dogs were constantly infighting with each other. Observations further highlighted that when a pack, or ‘family’ as they were called, lost a fight, they were ejected from the lands they held and had to move on.

That is likely what happened here. Judging by the state they were in, it was likely a bad loss on an already weakened group.

Down they went again. Another chamber. This one branched off into eight halls. They took the third on the right and kept going.

Throughout the little journey they were making, Orion had noticed something. There were a lot of angry glares coming from the others. He expected that, he was an unknown coming into their home. But those looks weren’t directed at him, they were all falling on his guide.

Rover obviously knew too, for as they kept going, he increasingly drew in on himself. The proud posture he once held was gone. In place was a pitiful thing. His eyes were watery, and filled with shame.

“Oh you done fucked up somewhere didn’t you? Would explain why you were on guard detail for three days in a row…” He was actually starting to feel bad for the mutt.

He went to ask what happened when he suddenly stopped.

“Here wait. I go. Tell dem you here.”

Orion was startled, and checked his internal map to see he had a complete scan of his path back to the surface. He sighed in relief and nodded giving the dog a thumbs up. “Yep, I’m cool to wait here bud.”

Rover cocked his head, but never asked the question that was clearly occupying his likely small, small brain.

Pushing back a stone wall, he marched in shutting it behind him. That is when he noticed the two guards looking at him, with heads cocked. How had he not noticed the fuckers before now? The both carried rusted spears, and of all things, long swords. How in the hell did they plan to fight him if it came to that?

His thoughts came to a screeching halt when he heard a loud crash coming from behind the stone door. There was unintelligible shouting, a slam, more shouting.

Now he really felt bad. Hopefully he could improve the poor dog's luck with what he had to say.

More shouting, and then the stone door cracked open, and a chihuahua of all things looked up at him. Anger was clear on his face. “What da hell do you want?!”

Orion blinked. The fucker had a solid New York accent. The way he sounded, he almost thought there was a Diamond Dog Italy out there somewhere.

“I have a proposal that may just benefit the both of us. Well the people I represent. And from what I have seen? You need to take me up on my offer.” He smiled. Showing his teeth.

The midget mutt blinked, looked at his mouth and blinked again in shock. “Yeah, okay. Alright. Come ‘on in. Make yourself at home.” There was a look in his eye, one Orion did not think bode well for him.

Walking in behind him the door slammed close with a boom startling him. Something was slipped over his horn and suddenly the map in his head was gone. The magic was still there but it couldn’t go anywhere.

The blow came out of nowhere, he barely had time to dodge, got a glancing blow to the side of the head instead of the back of it. He sprang to a corner and took stock of his surroundings.

Rover, that poor bastard, was in another corner cowering. In fear.

The little fucker chihuahua was smirking from a little throne he had placed toward his left. Center and to the rear of the room.

The one who took a swing at him was an absolute unit of a dog. Carrying a club the beast was grinning like one who had found a prize.

Orion took a chance to look at his horn, a nullstone ring. His blood ran cold. Of all the places to be, he had no idea that they might have had one.

He didn’t get much more time to contemplate, because Unit was coming for him. He barely managed to dodge the swing from the asshole and bounced over to the cowering mutt.

“Hey, Rover. You didn’t warn me about a possible surprise beat down…” He said in a panicky voice. He only got whimpers in response. The poor guy looked like he got straight up jacked up. The left side of his head was swelling.

He didn’t get a second chance to get out of the way. A loud whack, and blackness.

“Your Majesty, an emissary from Equestria is here.”

Bloodbeak was startled out of his work at the sound of his stewards' voice. He had been up late again and the kaf was certainly doing him no favors in waking him up.

The old bird stood by his King’s desk with a look of utter indifference. The griffon knew that his Steward, Stuart Sunclaw, a good drake. His placid look was a carefully constructed mask to be as unobtrusive as possible.

“What? Celestia sent an emissary? What for?” He was grumpy, and stalling for time so that he could mentally deal with some prissy noble pony from Canterlot.

“He claims he is here on some matter about a colt that came here. Orion Falls if I remember him correctly.” Holding up a clawed hand, “Do not worry m’lord. Nothing was said to him about the hatchling.”

Bloodbeak smiled, as per instructions. No one talked to the ponies about anything without expressed leave to. It was standard to keep the whorse in her castle as blind as possible to the goings on in his nation.

“Thank you Stuart, show him in please, and lock the door behind you.” His steward nodded and turned to his task.

Shortly a tall stallion entered the room. He blinked at the pony. This was an officer in her majesty’s royal guard. The all white pony entered the room at a crisp pace and saluted. That took him for a loop.

Dressed in gold armor that had purple accents, he removed his helmet. A shock of well trimmed mane in three different shades of blue fell to his shoulders.

Before Bloodbeak had a chance to speak, the stallion spoke first.

“Good Afternoon, your majesty. Forgive the sudden arrival. I am here on a mission to ascertain the location of Orion Falls. My name and rank is First Lieutenant Shining Armor, of Her Majesty’s Royal Guard.”

Composing himself he spoke. “Good Afternoon to you Lieutenant Armor. It is a rare occurance to have an officer of another nation on my doorstep. Please, sit.” He gestured to a chair in front of his desk.

“All do respect, sir, but I wish to remain standing. The sooner I locate the colt the sooner I can get out of your mane.” He was ramrod straight. The very image of a soldier. And likely less imaginative as most.

“Very well. To what purpose is there in finding my niece's guest?” He was choosing his words carefully. He did not want to offend Celestia’s goldencolt. The word was that the lieutenant was on the fast track officer program. The Princess was pushing him fast into a position of authority. Of what he did not know.

“Your majesty. Orion Falls left Canterlot without permission from either his guardian, Daisy Evergarden, or Princess Celestia. He is a minor colt. That alone is enough.”

“So she sent a junior officer out to retrieve him? All this for a fledgling?” It made no sense. Sure Orion was unusual. But to be so obvious in concern for what could arguably be a mostly ordinary individual. Why?

Something wasn’t adding up. He had no idea what the Princess was up to, and why the on and off interest into the colt. He knew where he was. As to why he had chosen Avery of all places, dragging his niece with him, he had no idea.

“Best to let this pony chase his tail for a bit.”

“I see. I had no idea that he had left his home without permission. He and my niece, Screaming, left for Arber south east of here. I believe they planned to do some skiing in summer. He wanted to be cool and she wanted to go wherever he went. Such is youth and love.” He smiled.

Lieutenant Armor grimaced. It was apparent that the young officer was hoping for a quick pick up and back to the capital with the pair of them.

“Very well, thank you. I hate to come and go so quickly but it was impressed upon me that I should acquire him as quickly as possible.” He saluted.

Bloodbeak smiled again, and gave a nod in acknowledgement. “I understand, she was never one for waiting on results was she?”

For the first time since he walked into his door, the stallion smiled. A tired smile. “No sir, she most certainly isn’t.”

Pleasantries done, the tired King stood and looked out the window, his mind trying to make sense of what was actually happening.

He observed Shining Armor’s departure.

“A platoon for one hatchling? What are they expecting? Him to fight?” The whole affair spoke of an undercurrent he couldn’t quite figure out. With resolve he called in Stuart, time to get to the bottom of this.

“Just who are you Orion Falls? To warrant an entire platoon for your apparent capture is beyond what I expected from that crone.”

“Yes, sir?” The dry tone of his steward spoke up behind him.

“Inform my personal guard. I am making a trip to Avery. I wish to have all needed supplies ready within three days.”

“At once your majesty.” The drake departed in pursuit of making the necessary preparations.

“Who are you Orion Falls….”