Frostpony: Of Hounds & Horses

Several chairs surrounded a wooden table in the centre of the room, with an inactive fireplace nested in the back wall. A plaque featuring a crossed over double barrel shotgun and a bolt action rifle sat above it, with an award featured on the fireplace shelf below.

A bookcase held several titles, many of which Rini hadn’t read and that had gathered dust since. A bulky radio sat turned off in the corner and a collection of tiny rough gemstones sat within a large frame on the wall.

Rini picked the room’s only couch and laid down, rubbing her forehead from weariness.

For her first day back at work after recovering, it’d been a long one. A lack of lunch would’ve made any-creature snappy but what Brambles pulled was just…

She took a deep breath in and let out a long sigh. “He’s a good friend but oh rocks can he be dim.”

As much as she didn’t want to admit, Rini had a gripe with most creatures she knew. Gale always doubted himself, Riley never learned the term “just good enough,” and of course Brambles didn’t even know what a bush bramble was. Though that was typical for many Diamidians, they weren’t known for being scholars and super wise wizards like the ponies.

They were truly the living embodiment of all Brawn and no Brain.

It was true for everycreature really. No-creature was perfect, but some flaws stuck out more than others and the ones that did wore her out fast. Like how indecisive Brambles could be when asked the simplest things, or when Gale would only tell her something important at the last possible moment.

Rini wasn’t devoid of her own flaws of course. If it weren’t for all the short jokes she might’ve been less snappy. More than once that attitude had landed her in hot water and she was more willing to boil then cool off, such as right now.

Annoyed, she wiped her face from frustration. “I gotta think about something else.”

With a breath, she turned over and found herself looking over the various picture frames mounted atop a well occupied fireplace. So many memories in such short order, with most making her smile. “Yeah, those will do.”

Her brother’s eighth birthday within the cottage, back when she was just a four year old pup. Then a family outing at a village fair a few years later. Her brother digging up his first gemstone, and of course, Rini’s eighteenth at that Pizziera with Gale and Brambles.

They were all experiences that she fondly recalled no matter how much time passed. And it seemed to do the trick as she felt a nice flutter in her chest as she looked over them.

But every time she saw her brother in those pictures, a drop of poison was added to the mix.

“I’m sorry Rover, nobody could’ve anticipated what happened to Dad that day. What are you up to now? Still chasing bits or are you chasing tails?”

Rini sat up and walked to take one of the frames. A picture of the two chasing each other as kids. She remembered that day. Running around with the grass beneath them, tree branches swaying over their heads and birds chipping way above.

She let out another sigh as warm nostalgia turned to mournful depression. Putting down the frame as she looked to another, this one of her dad having just worked his first shift at Cherrywood’s (then) new coal mine. Happily smiling for the cameras as well as all the others working with him.

If only they’d known…

“Maybe one day, we’ll all come together. Somewhere better than here, somewhere warm and quiet again.”
...
“I miss you guys…”
…

Several loud door knocks woke Rini from her stupor and she moved to answer. Riley also paused from her cooking to check in. Whoever it was they were knocking incessantly, almost as if another storm was barreling towards them and they hadn't got the memo.

But when Rini opened the door, her expression dropped and she nearly shut it again when she saw Brambles on the other side.

“Hey Rini, wait!” He cried, pressing a paw on the door despite Rini trying to shut it.

“What do you want Brambles?” She said, speaking through a crack. “In case you lost count it’s only been an hour since our last meet up, and that wasn’t exactly the most pleasant one.”

“Turn your radio on!” Surprisingly Brambles sounded completely serious, not a hint of humour or his usual dimness to be found.

“What? Why?!”

“Just do it! The Channel doesn’t matter!”

Rini turned to look at Riley who’d overheard. Both sharing mixed looks of confusion and concern. Brambles was let in as the three made for the living room and Riley pulled the ageing radio up onto the table. She switched it on but only a near incoherent mess of scratchy static and scrambled words met their canine ears.

Frowning, she pulled the back panel out and rearranged some wires.

Quickly, she pulled out some bad ones, crossed a few good ones, jammed in some new wires and closed it back up. It was typical for the old thing, but after she twisted the various nobs and gave it a quick bash the speakers spoke intelligible speech again.

“There we go! Works every time.”

Shortly after the three Diamidians gathered closely as a voice came through. Regal and refined, she spoke with a soft voice carrying an authoritative undertone which set both girls on edge.

Brambles however stood still with a smile, with his tail occasionally wagging to and fro.

“-thousand years we have toiled away for their gain. Equestrian taxes and long hours dictated by their laws taking away from our hardworking families who struggle to feed themselves. But no more! As Queen of Diamidia, I, Eudora Clawthorne swear to you that I shall take this opportunity to usher in a new golden age for our people.”

Riley and Rini both turned to each other with pin-prick eyes. A sinking feeling weighing in their stomachs.

“No longer shall canine kind be confined to Equestria’s shadow, no longer will we have to make do with whatever scraps they throw our way, and no more should we have to bend to their rules. From the body of Equestria, a greater Daimidian kingdom shall rise. One where we all shall find the fortunes we seek! And the ponies shall be put in their place!”

“Wooo!” Brambles howled, throwing his arms up in the air.

The odd looks he got from Rini and Riley however quickly made apparent their displeasure.

“What?”

“Brambles?” Rini began. “Do you…know what she meant?”

“Yeah? She’ll make everything better for us, right?” He spoke completely straight, oblivious to the truth.

“N-No Brambles, I mean I guess but…I don’t know. There’s a lot I don’t like about this.” Riley spoke, unsure of how to respond.

“Yeah, sure I’ll admit having to deal with Equestrian taxes is annoying, but the ponies aren’t monsters! Don’t they want nothing more than peace and friendship?”

Brambles looked between both of them confused out of his mind. Scratching his head trying to make sense of things. “But…what about all that stuff she said about ponies taking money from us? Or their laws? Or the whole shadow thing?”

Riley sighed and shut off the radio before turning to Brambles.

“Hey kid? Has it ever occurred to you that sometimes, people say things a certain way to push their own agenda? Or are just straight up lying? Even if it’s about something small it can still add up.” Riley then walked to and pulled an entry from the bookshelf. A storybook with the cover depicting two halves of a fictional princess. One, a beautiful, elegant unicorn, and the other a blackened, hideous monster.

She placed the book on the table and sat down. It was the kind of fairy tale one would read to their young before bed. For a moment Rini pondered why she’d pull out a children’s book of all things then remembered…

She’s trying to teach Brambles something.

“I know you never had to deal with that kinda crap, being raised without wondering where most of your stuff comes from. But out here, when you need to fend for yourself, you become a lot more aware of the world around you and the dangers there are.”

Brambles gently picked the book up and opened the pages, his previously nervous expression turning to a content smile.

“Good, why don’t you give that thing a read and I’ll ask if you can tell me what the moral of the story is once you’re done?”

A few moments passed as he flipped through the pages. Rini knew what was going to happen, she knew it was coming, and gave her mom a smug grin as she waited.

Eventually that moment came.

“Wow, lots of pretty pictures!”

Riley frowned and sat up, glaring at him in confusion.

“Yeah they are nice but…how much have you read?”

Brambles looked up, lights clearly not on upstairs. “Uh, what?”

Rini wasn’t able to contain her giggles any longer and bursted out into a fit of laughter. Her mother took notice and darted between the two. “What? What is it Rini?”

The scrapper broke from her heaving to address her. “Brambles can’t read mom!”

“W-What?!” She glanced back to the mutt holding the book out, continuing to stare at the pretty pictures.

“You mean to tell me you’ve been friends for over five years with a mutt that can’t read, and never told me?”

“It never came up!”

“So how the heck do you manage to play Ogres and Oubliettes with him?!” Riley still had vivid memories of the many, long hours she watched them play.

“Oh it’s mostly roleplay, and Gale’s an artist so we use pictures!”

Going back to Brambles, the mutt looked up between the two and smiled before closing the book. Having enough sense to know Riley was getting upset.

Who of which face-pawed and sighed, deeply. “Okay look. I don’t blame you for being slow Brambles, that’s not your fault, but eventually you’ll have to get your act together and I hope to skies above you’re ready for it.”

“Because I’ll tell ya one thing,” Riley then turned her head around, gesturing towards the plaque above the fireplace.

“We are.”