Octavia absolutely loved dogs. Everything about dogs made her smile inside, and whenever she saw one—be it on the sidewalk, in a house, at a party, or in a field—she would instantly squee at the top of her lungs and lunge forward like a bloodthirsty cat spotting its next tasty meal. Her hoof would contact with the dog's head, or side, or leg, or butt, and she would immediately begin to pet it while cooing like a grandmother to a grateful foal. Sometimes, animals were a lot more fun to be around than other ponies were.
She had grown up with a trio of Labradors back home, each with their own personalities that clashed with one another in the most entertaining ways. Buddy was always the adventurous one, causing trouble and going places with the others following closely behind. Daisy was the second one, more cautious and subsequently wise than the others. Though she'd join Buddy, she'd pull the middle and keep the two males from hurting each other. Traize was the third, named after the phrase Trail Blazer that Octavia's sister was always so fond of for Buddy. Eventually when they got Traize, they gave him that name, which sounded menacing enough to suit his rather hostile personality just fine.
They were hers, and she absolutely loved them. It was a sad time when they passed.
Octavia shook her head.
But enough about that. Octavia loved dogs.
Deputy Beagle was not a dog.
And Octavia hated him.
Opting to not talk to him, she asked, "So, what'd they do Sheriff Water?"
Water, walking in front of her on the right side of the wagon, turned his head slowly and rolled his eyes, "They're thieves, Chell. It basically says it on the tin.
Octavia growled in her throat, but remained friendly and sarcastically placed her hooves together in a patient attitude, "I apologize Sheriff, I meant how much they have done."
"Oh," Water replied. Octavia sighed in anguish. "Well Ms. Chell, they've been robbing stores from Manehattan all the way to Las Pegasus. Damn surprise—'scuse my Prench—they've only been caught once in their career, and that was more than five years ago." Stopping, he stuttered, "Wh– What's so funny?"
Octavia cleared her throat quickly. Best not to raise any suspicion or questions. "It's nothing sir. I just recalled a joke from earlier this week." Hearing an obviously confused hum from Water, Octavia gave out a long sigh and straightened herself in her seat inside the wooden confinements of the wagon. Positioning her rump to get more comfortable, she groaned and crossed her forelegs at nothing as she harumphed. It was a short while on the road before she felt the wagon begin to slow down and, getting up, she watched as she and the law-ponies approached a fork in the road.
A grin began to form on her lips, small but there.
The wagon wheels creaking in the dirt, Water and Beagle stopped their movements and stared intently at the three ways lying ahead of them. First they looked to the left, and then their sights flew from there and to the center, and then down to the right side. Sitting there, they repeated the gesture in reverse and finished back at the left side. Once again, they went all the way down, and then back again.
Octavia stared blankly at them.
She blinked.
Water cursed, "Horse feathers..."
"What're we gonna do now Sheriff? We can't just go wanderin' around here at night, especially if we end up going the wrong way! What're we gonna do, go different ways an', I dunno, radio in?"
Octavia gasped quietly. A hoof raised to her throat, and she cleared it before placing her forelegs over the side of the wagon's bed. "He's right you know," she said. It pained her to say it, especially since it was about Beagle and defending him of all things, but sometimes there were things that had to be done and lying and cheating were but one of the few things she was willing to do. She had to get home and turn her damned oven off.
And practice her music.
And go to sleep.
Gods was she tired. Hearing somepony kick a rock into the woods—she assumed it to be the Sheriff—Octavia suppressed a yawn as much as she could, not wanting to seem like she was trying to make an excuse up to get back home. So she instead made up an excuse to get home in a matter of seconds that it would take a grown, fully educated mare such as herself to remember what two plus two was. She was known for a lot of things besides playing the bass as an Earth pony, and convincing ponies was one of them. For the most part, most of the other things were completely useless.
Her mind pouted. Nopony ever wanted to know how many seconds she could chug a full jug of milk. Time alone in your house gave you many talents, and Octavia had that one.
It was only good at parties, and she didn't really attend them so much as play at them–
"Consarnit all! How're we s'posed ta find them now?!"
"Sheriff, if I may offer some advice," Octavia called. Water glared at her, so she added a sheepish, "Please..?"
He gave a defeated sigh, flailing a useless hoof her way. "Augh, fine. Go ahead then..."
Octavia blew out a happy breath, brushing a few locks of mane out of her eyes with her hoof. She really had to brush it once she got back. "Ahem, I will have to agree with Deputy Beagle here, Sheriff. We can't simply be out here at night. I'm not entirely sure if you two have been around here as much, seeing as how you aren't from Ponyville or any of the surrounding areas, but the Everfree Forest is not something to dawdle in. It's absolutely dangerous at this time of year, especially."
Whoops.
She hadn't meant to say that.
"Whaddya mean by that, Chell?"
Thankfully, it was Deputy Beagle and not Sheriff Water that had asked that, and so she was able to make something up almost immediately. "You see here, Deputy Beagle, the cockatrices out here have their mating season in the summer. They are numerous around these parts, and disturbing their activities is a surefire way of getting caught by a very angry, male cockatrice that could kill you by just looking into your eyes. Do you like your eyes, Deputy Beagle?"
"Uh," his eyes went to the ground, then back up to stare into hers, "yeah, sure–"
"They'll be a stony grey once that cockatrice is done with you. Listen here, your Sheriff over there is most likely a little angry right now. I have to get home, and while I understand your wanting to get these nasty crooks, I do believe that my life is a lot more important than the meet to your mission's ends. Now, I would highly appreciate it if you would go tell him to call off his little search of ours. I just..." she let her head dip down and changed her facial expression. Rising, she pouted out her bottom lip and tried her best to think of dead puppies. "I just want to go home."
Beagle looked at her for half a minute or so, most likely testing his inner lie detector on Octavia to see if she was lying or not. While, yes, she was simply pulling an act so she could return home, she did honestly wish to return home and turn her oven off and practice her music. Yes. Please. She hoped that her act was working. Sure enough, Beagle gave a slight frown and turned tail, holding a hoof up to speak. Octavia's heart sped up at the thought of returning to her cozy household.
"Hey Sheriff–"
"Quiet, leatherneck, I think I found somethin'." Pawing at the ground, he hummed and looked to the right side of the fork in the road. His steely gaze soon flitted to Octavia, and he asked, "Chell, where do you think they were headed?"
"Honestly sir, I wouldn't be able to inform you. I was only able to see them go one way back where you two picked me up. Lest I'm mistaken, that was a little over a mile or two away." A chuckle almost crept out of her throat as Water groaned, his hooves making rubbing contact with his temple. Finding Beagle looking at her, she shook a hoof at Water and made a noise with her tongue that was very reminiscent of a stealthy snake.
Beagle gave an obvious a-ha, and walked over to where the Sheriff was. Nudging his side, he received no answer. Giving another push, he droned, "Sheriff Waaaaaaater, I gotta ask you somethin'–"
"Quiet boy! I'm thinkin' right now." Water turned around, a hoof to his chin as he mumbled something under his breath. His voice escalating once or twice, Octavia's hope never dwindled until he suddenly sprang up and shouted, "I've got it! Beagle, strap in, and everypony keep quiet!" Octavia groaned in her throat, her head collapsing onto the wooden beam to her right. Giving off a low whimper, she cracked her left eye open and felt her head rise in curiosity at the sight before her.
Sheriff Water, his horn lit, was walking around the area like a dog about to prep for bed. Considering his Deputy's name, it was a proper simile– Gods that was really stupid Octavia immediately hated everything about herself for saying that she wished she could take that back. Shaking her head to dispel her punitive and immature thoughts, she watched Sheriff Water slowly walk to the right turn, his head bending forward as if to sniff the air.
Lowering the appendage, he took a few steps ahead of his prior position, stopped, and started again.
Octavia would have chuckled if it didn't mean that she wasn't going home soon as a result.
The whole thing looked like some form of tribal dancing.
The shout that Sheriff Water spouted surely matched the description.
"Wah! Found it! They're this way! C'mon Deputy Beagle," he approached the wagon's harnesses, still speaking enthusiastically, "we've got some," CACHUNK, "thieves to catch! Hiyo, let's go everypony! Hang on Chell!"
Octavia gave a low, irritated groan, but did as she was advised and calmly grabbed the wooden beam by her head. Watching as they sped off, she caught the sight of a sign that she could not have previously seen while they were at the fork. Finding the side she was looking at completely devoid of the other side's large gathering of moss, she quickly understood why that was so. Raising a brow in curiosity, she gave a slight shrug and crossed her forelegs in front of her, lower lip pouting out as if she were a small filly.
Ugh.
What a hike.