The sun was shining high in the sky over Svarpils. Activity had been stirring since the first rays of sunshine, with ponies going to fields, fishing or to the mines. Not so two quite young brothers, who were still fast asleep under the straw roof of their parents house, although the sun was slowly rising high enough to shine through the one window up in the roofs side and right into the little ponies eyes. As such, one of them stirred. The older of the two brothers, Icestar, slowly opened his eyes, blinking once or twice before stretching and looking at the rays of sunshine which had undoubtedly disturbed him in his slumber.
“Ugh…” Was the first thing that came out of Icestar’s mouth that day before he kicked his legs out, flinging some hay over the wooden boards. He gathered his limbs underneath himself and pushed his torso off the ground. As soon as he stood, he quietly made his way towards the stairs down into the main part of his home. The floor opened before him, and stairs led down towards the front door stacked with shelves and trunks underneath.
Some of the boards creaked as he started to make his way down them, his hooves clacking on each one quietly. He emerged in the entrance of his home, only one door separating him from either the outside or the main room where his parents were likely already up.
He entered the room, pushing the door open with his hooves. As every morning, his father was eating before resuming work in the mill while his mother weaved baskets, having already finished her share. He approached the table they were sitting at, his mother dropped the basket she was working on and smiled at him warmly.
“Good morning Icestar. Your brother’s still asleep?” She asked, beginning to move towards the fireplace in the corner of the room, a pot of… something Icestar honestly couldn’t name was always cooking there, but it was tasty.
“I think so.” He answered as his mother ladled him some of the contents from inside into a bowl, setting it onto the table after. Icestar sat down onto the bench, beginning to sip the soup from the bowl, just then the door was pushed open once again and his brother, he looked slouchy and pulled his hoof over to the table. As Icestars brother sat down, he began rubbing his eyes with a foreleg and yawned loudly.
“G’morning Ma and Pa.”
As Comet emerged from the door that Icestar had come from only moments prior, his mother moved towards the pot in the corner again.
“Good morning Comet, so you are up.” Their mother placed Comets bowl onto the table as well, before going back to work on her basket. The two brothers began eating together, as they usually did. As they were doing so, their father spoke up.
“So lads, I've got a big day ahead of us, what are you two up to?” His voice was gruff, the voice you’d expect from a millpony working every day.
Comet was first to finish swallowing and answered. “We’re gonna go to the woods. Right Ice? We’re gonna have an adventure!”
“Right!” Icestar answered after finishing his soup. “And I’ll watch him dad, don’t worry.”
His father chuckled. “As if I ever do. Have fun you two, be home for dinner.”
After Comet had finished his bowl as well, the two brothers went out. They followed the winding paths that led around Svarpils, first following the river upstream before crossing one of the many bridges which spanned it and following the path to the woods. The air was beginning to warm up and the trees gave a cool shade with spots of warmth every so often when light broke through the ceiling of leaves. This wood was one of the sources of firewood for the town and village, though it was currently in rest and no wood was to be cut. Instead loose sticks were collected by the needy if they had no alternative, or if they were simply closer. Today however the forest was calm and seemingly empty.
Many small streams went through the woods, the water was usually clear and clean, with a stoney taste. Comet and Icestar often stopped at them to drink before continuing on their adventures. Today was no different, the streams also offered perfect cooling since the moving water never really got warmed by the sun. After cooling off and drinking out of the stream, the two brothers continued into the forest and Icestar went ahead of Comet, as he looked around clearings to find the perfect one for their first game. But as they were crossing from one clearing to another they heard gruelling, yowling sounds from somewhere deep in the thicket.
The sounds, or rather the source of them, got closer and louder. “RAAAGHAA!” Came the cry to their left, and Comet flinched at the scream. He cowered back as he spoke to his older brother.
“Wh- What’s that Ice?” He asked, a slight quiver in his voice.
Icestar didn’t know, it did not sound like a wolf, but there hadn’t been a beast near Svarpils in years. Why would one show up now? He positioned himself next to Comet as the sounds got ever louder.
“RAAAGHH!” Came the cry from the woods once again, now louder and closer than ever. Only seconds after, a haired, huge creature emerged from the bushes beside Icestar and Comet, it swayed from left to right in its step, and looked incredibly hideous. It had the face of a dog, but the ears of a deer, towards the back it began looking more like a cockatrice or dragon, with a long scaly tail and clawed feet, while its torso resembled something of a mix between dog and pony. Icestar stepped in front of Comet, shielding him from the approaching thing.
As it came close enough, Comet turned around and bucked it right on the nose, he expected it to snarl, for it to recoil and to snap at him, but that is not what happened.
“GRA-OWW!” The beast screamed, the menacing tone of a beastly cry gone. Instead it sounded much more like a pony. “My Snout! Asshole!”
Comet took a step back, slightly confused now. The beast seemed to fold in half, before falling over, and its back began laughing.
“What happened, he buck you?” It asked in between chuckles.
“What do you think?” The front part of the beast rebuked, before both parts ruffled around in laughter. “Just means it worked!”
Comet, having taken several steps back with Icestar, now spoke up again. “What’s going on?” He asked in a confused tone.
The beast began wobbling, and from the underside 4 pairs of hoofs poked out, as an orange and a black coat merged from inside.
“What do you think?” The orange one replied.
“We got you with our april fools costume!” The Black stallion continued.
A realisation washed over Icestar as he heard what they said, of course it was the first of april. It was a tradition in the upper village to play pranks on each other, they just usually did not participate since they didn’t have many friends in the upper village.
“Well you did-”
Before Icestar could finish speaking, Comet interjected in an angry tone. “You scared me! That was rude!”
The Orange Pony, who had done most of the talking so far, raised his brow.
“And you’ll do what because of that?” He stepped forwards, bowing his head down to Comet. “Run to Mommy? Tell Daddy to beat me up?”
Icestar stepped between them, raising his voice. “Hey, stay away from him. You got us, good work. Can we keep going?”
The Orange Pony raised his gaze back up. “And what are you? His guardian angel? He’s gonna need to deal with this stuff on his own someday. Come on Tar. We’re leaving mommy-boy and his big bodyguard alone.”
With that, the orange and black stallions picked up their costume, and headed down the forest path and away from Icestar and Comet. Icestar looked down to his brother.
“I’ll always protect you, alright." He started. "From bullies, monsters and from whatever else may come. Always.” He spoke softly, his brother nodding.
Then Comet pressed his body against him, calming them both down.
The two ponies strolled around for some more time after that until the sun was beginning to sink back down in the sky, they hadn’t come upon any more pranksters or the two from before again, and they instead just played on the paths and clearings. It was a good day, and Icestar always watched so that nothing would happen to his little brother. However when they returned from the woods, something seemed wrong. The air smelled foul, like the campfires which roared in the tavern during festivals. Only… much stronger. Icestar rounded the last corner before they exited the forest first, Comet right behind him. The bushes and trees clearing up to his left, he stood in shock.
The city of Svarpils was aflame. Smoke billowed from every building, even within the palisade. He could hear screams now, gut curling screams. All around the Keep tiny dots swarmed in the sky, many falling down to somewhere he could not see. The fires had already engulfed many houses outside completely, flaring high into the sky with smoke rising even farther. He could see two Ponies with the Svarpils shields rushing from a watchpost towards the palisades, as two flying creatures approached, he could make out their silhouette now, they were griffons.. Comet came up beside Icestar, looking at the fires.
“W- What is happening Ice?” His little brother asked, coming closer to him.
He swallowed. “We- We need to find Ma and Pa…”
Icestar began with a fast trot, before breaking into a full sprint. He did not care if anyone saw him or his brother, they needed to get to their parents. They crossed the bridge, the boards buckling under the two ponies quick hooves. Icestar kicked up dirt as he almost slipped after the bridge, his legs began to hurt but he had to keep going. He and Comet were now finally on the path towards their home, just across this hill and-
Their home was destroyed. The door had been kicked in, the cart outside kicked over. The benches and buckets were smashed and a pile of their mothers baskets was smouldering out from a fire. The brothers approached slowly, Comet hiding behind his larger brother.
Icestar pushed the remains of their door to the side gingerly and looked around the corner. He could not see anything in the darkness, but as his eyes adjusted and he trotted into the main room of their home, he gasped. Before him on the ground we’re his Ma and Pa. Father was splayed across the floor, his left forearm completely… gone. Mother was bleeding from the head, eyes looking at him emptily. Tears welled up in his eyes as he approached them, nuzzling into her mane he wished for to wake back up, deep down he knew that would never happen.
Behind him, Comet looked on. “Are they… sleeping Ice?”
“They’re-” Comet almost broke out crying, before pulling himself together slightly. “They’re not… gonna wake up, Comet.”
“What do you mean?” Comet looked worried. “Everypony… wakes up…”
He shook his head. “Not like this.”
They fell silent, Comet approached and laid down beside Ma, snuggling into her fur. Icestar now cried fully, tears matting the fur of his Father, who he was pressing his face into. Why did this have to happen? Who did this? He did not have an answer, so he simply continued crying.
From outside heavy steps sounded then, chainmail rattling against itself and boots striking the ground. Icestar perked up, tears still streaming down his face. “Comet, we need to leave.” He nudged Comet up, he did so reluctantly trying to stay by Ma’s side.
“Comet…” Was all he could say, before fires streamed in through the window from the outside quickly beginning to overtake the roof as well.
Icestar panicked, pushing Comet away from his mother and out of the door as their home began to burn. He pushed Comet as hard as he could, the little colt refusing to part from his mother any further, and as he finally pushed him to the door he saw the griffon who had set his house on Fire, and another approaching them.
“RUN COMET!” Icestar screamed at his little brother still standing at the door, looking out in terror.
“RUN DAMMIT!” Tears were still streaming down his face as he shouted. “RUN TO LINZBERG TELL THEM WHAT HAPPENED! FOLLOW THE RIVER!”
The griffon approached them, blood splattered on his armour. His shadow fell onto the two tiny ponies, cast by the fiery backdrop of the burning castle, though he looked beyond them and to the house they had emerged from, enjoying the fiery show.
“RUN! JUST FUCKING RUN COMET!” He screamed, his voice cracking, but Comet never moved.
Icestar looked at him, pleading, begging with his eyes for Comet to run, to do anything. He needed to protect his little brother, why wasn’t he moving? He turned forward, and saw the armoured claw of a griffon punch him across the muzzle. He slid across the floor, stones raking his fur and skin. He rolled over once and as he turned his eyes back towards his home he saw Comet still standing there, looking at him with a scared expression before the griffon raised his mace.
Icestar tried getting up, no he forced himself to stand up, his legs were almost buckling from the strain. It hurt, his side stung and his fur was matt with dust, buit he stood, and raised his gaze back towards Comet before he froze, the pain so much more intense.
The mace was impacting Comets head, it seemed to almost cave in and a crack ran out and through the very core of Icestar. The sight was tearing him apart, his heart had already ached so incredibly when he saw his parents bleeding on the ground but his brother, the one he had sworn to protect forever and ever only hours earlier… He was dying now, and all the pain Icestar felt, from getting hit and sliding across the floor, from his dead parents, from not even getting to grieve, from his brother, it was all compounding into him. Why? Why did this happen? Why not him? He was right here, and he couldn’t even fulfil the one thing he swore to his brother…
Icestar screwed his eyes shut and as the griffon approached him next, he would never reopen them.
