Frostpony: Of Hounds & Horses

Brambles walked forward, weaving past cargo crates and smouldering fire barrels.

He was excited because he was going to be helpful to his friends! He loved being helpful! And all he had to do was simply just talk to a few soldiers for a while. It was so dead simple there was no way he could screw it up...

Right?

“Hey guys!” Brambles waved as he approached, the patrol continuing their march ignorant of him. “Guys?”

All three mutts persisted in their walk unslowed, their glow lamps bathing them in bright orange and allowing him to see their faces. Pupils the size of pinpricks sat heavy above rolls of darkened fur ridden with bags. Their cloth-wrapped mace-like tails wagging and occasionally bashing the hull of the vehicle bay.

His expression dropped for a moment as they trudged past like a set of unhearing automatons. If only for frustration to quickly overpower his anxiety.

“Oh no, you don’t get to ignore me!” He rushed forwards in front of them and to their sides, waving and snapping his digits all the while. “Hey! Anydog in there? Scrapper Brambles to air control? Hello!?”

Elsewhere, Rini and Riley looked at each other with concern.

Brambles moved up beside them and dug into his coat pockets, searching. “Okay, I didn’t wanna do this, but you’ve left me with no other option!”

The Terrier dug around and soon pulled out a large, blue rubber bone with several ageing bite marks and a pair of initials inscribed on it. From the distance Rini struggled to contain her laughter whilst Riley shook her head and facepalmed.

“Does he seriously think that’s gonna work?”

With a clench of his fist the toy made a high pitched squeak. Each soldier’s ears stood up and they turned to him, as if a spell had just been broken, again making Rini struggle not to laugh while Riley just looked stunned.

Many sets of laser focused, pinprick eyes may have shaken another mutt. It certainly gave Rini cause for concern, but the discomfort of the moment was lost on Brambles as he rested his arm.

“Now that I have your attention. Do you guys like milkbones?” He smiled.

All three’s tails suddenly began to playfully wag and they let their tongues loose, panting. In the distance Brambles could see his friends make their moves and race towards the Rustbucket, and all he had to do was keep going.

He already had several ideas, at least one of which related to his stomach.

Back with the group, they stopped by a pile of crates and watched as Brambles led them away. The path towards their escape now cleared, but more work was to be done.

“How are we gonna get in?” Riley turned to her daughter. “Ramp’s too exposed, too well lit. Some dog would see the ponies coming.”

“Look around, vehicle bay’s got to have plenty of hatches and extra doors. Should be a few ladders on the treads.”

“Treads? This thing’s got treads!?” Exclaimed Riley.

“Yep, how else do you expect to get a building moving?”

She turned back to the vehicle bay and once she saw it she couldn’t unsee it. Huge, gigantic treads the likes of which could overshadow any pick up truck. Were the ground any less frozen they’d have surely sunken into the earth from their sheer weight.

Climbing to stand and approaching, the stark difference in size became all the more apparent. To hear about it or see pictures of the beast was one experience, but to be physically present, and able to take in the humbling sight was another.

It was the first time in years, no decades, that she’d felt this small. Not insignificant, but small, tiny even.

Riley turned back to Rini who stood still beside an equally stunned Gale. Her expression a knowing one.

“Weird world we live in, right?”

She weakly nodded and turned back to the giant armoured skirt that covered the wheels, quickly climbing a ladder. Rini and Gale followed suit, with the refugees shortly after. All staying low to the plating where they’d be difficult to spot from below.

Rini explored around and dimly shined her glow lamp across the battered hull. It didn’t take long for her to find and pry open a hatch. She turned to the others as she prepared to enter. “Wait here, I’ll let ya know when it's safe.”

A round of quiet acknowledgement followed and she took a deep breath, before diving inside.

It was mercifully temperate and Rini gave herself a proverbial pat on the back. Whether or not it was because of the air conditioning or the night’s natural cooling, she didn’t care. Her environment didn’t boil her in her jacket and believing she had a part in that gave her some pride.

Any amount of psychological relief was worth its weight in gold at the moment.

Rini quickly found herself inside one of the maintenance hallways on the port side, already the hum of machinery and the grinding of gears ground on her ears. Brass, iron and burn wafted through her nostrils and were it not for her Glowlamp, she’d have been enveloped in total darkness.

“You’ll keep the engine on sure but the lights? Oh no!” She groaned and looked both ways, checking corners before banging on the hatch for the others, addressing them as they entered.

“Stay quiet, sound carries in here.”

Both nodded and she continued onwards, her mind scanning its memory for anywhere she could hide the ponies, at least until they left the town.

“Okay, chances are hiding them within the engine’s maintenance ducks will get them roasted. What about the crawl space near the front? Second floor should work, at least for now.”

Rini skulked around, peering from behind each corner, her nerves on edge. It was almost like playing a game of hide and seek trying to find whoever else was aboard before they found her. Every corner, crawl space and vent cutout a host to a potential onlooker.

Riley and Gale followed close behind, both equally unnerved if not more so by the claustrophobic halls.

Soon however her journey would be interrupted when she reached a door, and heard mumbled speech from the otherside.

She cracked the door open ever so slightly and peered inside, finding the familiar visage of Cole knelt over an exposed mess of tangled wires. Beside him, a much leaner dog spoke aloud, occasionally passing him a tool or two.

“-So now they’re opening up this new barbecue joint opposite it. Advertised their menu on the scaffolds and it looks pretty good.”

“Mhm.”

“I’m thinkin’ of going once it’s open, never even heard of half the stuff they got on offer. Kinda sad the other place shut down but eh, what can ya do?”

“Yep.”

“Huh, you know you're a real mutt of few words, ya know that right?”

Cole let out a soft sigh as he sorted through the disjointed wires. The internal lights of the room casting an orange gleam across the both of them and even from here Rini should see dark rings around the hound’s eyes.

“I’m tired, okay?”

“Tired? Shouldn’t you call it for the night then?”

“N-No, not that kind of tired. I’m just…tired, in general.” Cole’s voice sounded almost hollow, actually making the other dog shiver a bit.

“Oh? Well I know a guy who could-”

Rini shook her head and stood up, turning towards Riley and Gale gesturing to stay quiet. Pulling the door open she steadily walked inside and where both mutts paused to look at the new arrival.

Surprise sent their jaws agape, the taller dog more dramatically than Cole who gently set his wrench down. Rini forced a smile as she met their gazes, switching off her Glowlamp as she did so.

“Hi boys, everything okay here?”

“Didn’t think I’d be seeing you here this late, they got you on all hours too?” Asked Cole.

“Kinda, but that’s not why I’m here.”

“Oh!” The other dog butted in, raising a paw. “You're trying for those benefits they promised, aren’t ya?”

Rini glared at him unamused, while Cole seemed more disappointed than anything else.

“No…not at all.”

“Free lunches?”

“N-No, I-”

“What about medical insurance? That’s a new one.”

“Agh-that’s not what I-I mean no!-J-Just shut up okay?!” She howled at the mutt, managing to catch Cole off guard also.

Rini took a step back and rubbed her forehead. Her prepared argument was now derailed by the engineer. “Who even is he? Seen him around but I never bother asking for names.”

With a deep breath she settled herself and turned to the black and brown labrador, now with room to speak.

“Cole? Remember what I said the other day? Just before the accident?” He nodded, blinking with eyes wide and tired. The mental toll of acknowledgment plain as day to the both of them.

“Well, I’ve had enough, and so have a lot of other creatures I know. We’re leaving, but we’re gonna do it in the worst way possible.” She let out a soft laugh in jest, but her words carried too much weight to be vain.

Cole stood up and stared at her solemnly, his broad shoulders contrasting the thinner dog to his side. Yet the way they were slumped spoke of an untold pain Rini could merely sense, but not comprehend.

“Need help?”

Her eyes went wide and Rini almost recoiled, unexpectant of the response. “Y-Yeah, what we’re doing is big, probably dangerous-No definitely dangerous.”

“Does it involve our girl here?” He knocked against the wall, to which she hastily nodded. “I…I think I know what you're doing.”

“Yeah…as I said it’s kind of dumb, but if there was another way that didn’t result in the military chasing us I would’ve picked it.” She bowed her head and played with her coat, anxiously hoping to get through. “Please Cole, I wouldn’t be taking the chance reaching out like this if I didn’t care.”

“Oh please Rini ya don’t have to beg girl, I’ve had my own lil’ trial.” Cole spoke, fire returning to his eyes.

She snapped her head back up at him with eager, hopeful eyes.

“Uh, what’s goin’ on?” The other mutt glanced between the two as they talked, now becoming nervous from the subject matter.

Cole turned to him with a smile, “Oh, nothing you need to worry about. I think our friend Rini here’s just taking Ol’ Rusty out for a drive.”

“Y-You mean she’s stealing it?” He took a step back, pointing at her.

“Now now, I think that’s a strong word to use here, Pinch.”

“I-I donno about this.” He replied, backing towards a closed door. “Isn’t that…kind of illegal?”

“Pinch, take it from me, not every law’s a good one.”

“R-Right, but…they’ve been so nice, they brought us a new food truck. They resupplied the town, and gave out work benefits like candy!” Both Rini and Cole took a step forward and began encroaching upon the lone dog. Rini could see Cole easily overpowering the thin mutt but whether he could actually catch him beyond the door was another question.

A single mutt screaming and howling would be heard throughout the vehicle bay, something she couldn’t afford.

Not this early.

“What you're doing isn’t just wrong, but like…really wrong!” He continued to backpedal, almost to the door.

“Pinch, come on, don’t do something you’ll regret.”

“Y-Yeah!” Rini added, “We don’t wanna hurt you, or anydog for that matter. You can walk away from this, just don’t tell anydog, okay?”

His only response was to gently shake his head, seemingly determined to escape. Rini grimaced as the talkative mutt refused to keep himself busy with chatter.

Pinch grabbed the pushbar on the door and threw it open, twisting around ready to break into a full mush-

“No!” Rini shouted.

-Only for a navy blue blur to grab him and yank him inside, his cries muffled and cut off.

Both dogs froze in place. Eyes wide as moons and horrified faces that had seen the swing of the reaper’s scythe.

The world grew still as Rini’s mind raced with what her friend had just done, again. “Fuck me running. What are you Gale?!”

Cole slowly turned towards her, speaking quietly. “Friend of yours?”

“I-I think…”