“Come on! We need to get moving!”
“I can’t...I can’t...go any...further...”
“Yes you can. Just a little further.”
The snow came down hard as the wind blew it in many different directions. Despite the fact that it was beginning to sting their eyes, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle still trudged on, the snow on the ground going up to their bodies. Even though it was night, the snow on the ground and the pink in the sky made it easier to see the forest around them.
Squinting her eyes against the precipitation, the orange Pegasus said, “It’s over there, I can see it! Once we get to the mountain, everything will be alright!”
“Scootaloo,” said Sweetie Belle, her voice barely audible over the harsh winds, “I can’t go any further. I can’t...”
The white filly collapsed against the snow, out of breath and tired from their journey. Seeing her fallen friend, Scootaloo backtracked and took her by the hoof, almost dragging her against the snow.
“Come on, Sweetie Belle,” she practically shouted, a saddened but firm expression on her face, “Please get up! We need to get moving. It’ll get us if we stay here!”
“Then leave me,” the unicorn shouted, “I’ll slow it down. You just get there and find somepony to help.”
“NO! I’M NOT LEAVING YOU!”
Scootaloo continued to try and drag Sweetie Belle, the unicorn filly trying her best to get up and walk again. Try as she might, she couldn’t find the strength to stand, not after a long journey with hardly any food or rest.
Tears began to well up in the Pegasus filly’s eyes, stinging them as it did. “Get up! Please! Get up!”
“I...I can’t...,” she said softly.
“Yes you can, you just have to try.”
“I’m...I’m sorry...”
“PLEASE!!”
Then, Scootaloo stopped pulling her hoof and went beside her, trying to push her body in an upright position. Although it managed to get Sweetie Belle standing, it didn’t last very long as she went tumbling down the other way. However, Scootaloo still tried to get her to stand.
“We’re getting there together,” she said, her voice on the verge of cracking, “I’m not going without you! “
“Scootaloo,” said Sweetie Belle, her voice lower than before, “There’s something...I have...to tell you...”
“Save it for when we get there,” Scootaloo cried, “We need to move, now!”
The orange filly managed to get her unicorn friend to stand one last time before the two of them collapsed onto the snow, both of them running out of strength by the second. Scootaloo lay next to Sweetie Belle, panting heavily; her breath was the only thing she could hear against the blowing wind.
“Please...,” the unicorn filly managed to choke out, “H-Hold m-me...”
Using whatever strength she could muster, Scootaloo brought herself closer to her, wrapping her arms around her friend in a desperate attempt to keep her warm.
“Everything will be alright,” she managed to say, “You’ll see. We’re gonna make things better.”
Sniffling, Sweetie Belle said, “I...I want...to go...home...”
“W-We can’t go home,” she said softly, “We no longer have one, remember?”
Sweetie Belle nudged herself deep within Scootaloo’s shoulder, trying her best to stay warm. The orange filly held her close, looking up at the mountain as she did.
“We need to get moving,” she said, “Come on, Sweetie. We have to go.”
“Scootaloo,” she said in a soft whisper.
She looked down at her friend to see that she was looking at her, their eyes connecting with one another. Scootaloo could see that Sweetie Belle was smiling at her, trying her best not to let the tears in her eyes stream down her cheeks, even though they were.
“Yeah?” asked Scootaloo, her tone matching hers.
“I...” she said, “I...I l-l-love y-y-you...”
It was then that the tears Scootaloo fought so hard to keep in began streaming down her face. She didn’t care that she couldn’t feel it against her coat or that it was stinging her eyes. All that mattered was the unicorn filly in her arms. Immediately, she tightened her embrace, her tears going into Sweetie’s dual-colored mane.
“I love you, too,” she managed to choke out.
“I-I’m glad...that w-we’re...h-here...t-t-together.”
“Me too, Sweetie Belle. Me too.”
Then, the two of them fell silent, both of them with their arms wrapped around each other. It felt like an eternity had passed, even though it was only a minute or two. The only thing Scootaloo could here was the sound of her breath and the wind that kept blowing in her face.
Soon, Scootaloo slowly looked up at the mountain again; her neck felt like it was practically frozen. Then, she looked down at Sweetie Belle, who was still nestled in her arms.
“Come on, Sweetie,” she managed to say, “We need to go.”
No response.
“Sweetie, let’s go.”
She nudged the filly.
“Sweetie?”
Still no response.
“Sweetie!”
Nothing.
“SWEETIE!!”
Quickly, she gripped her friend as tightly as she could, crying her eyes out.
“Sweetie Belle,” she whispered, tears still leaking from her eyes, “Please come back. Please. We promised...you promised...”
She cried for her friend as hard as she could, refusing to believe that she was gone. Soon, Scootaloo felt her own breathing beginning to become more and more labored. Everything around her looked like it was being painted white. She felt light-headed and tired as she rested her head against the snow.
As she lied next to her friend, she looked up at the sky, a small break in the clouds managing to pull through, despite the snow still coming down. In the night sky, she managed to see a crescent moon above them, almost as if it was smiling down upon them. Scootaloo raised her hoof into the sky like she was trying to touch the moon. Then, she rested her hoof down against her side as she closed her eyes softly.
She could have sworn she heard something approaching, but that didn’t matter anymore. She simply closed her eyes, the only thing she listened to was the sound of her labored breathing, the intervals between each breath getting longer and longer.
Then, everything went silent.
There was no sound at all.
No sound...but the wind.
Author's Note
Song of Inspiration
Thanks for reading.
