Author's Note
Just so everypony can follow the story:
2 lines like this:
indicate a change from what's actually happening to a memory and/or back
1 line like this:
indicates a small amount of time passing
Is This My Destiny?
Well, I guess this is the end.
The adventure had drawn to an unexpected close as Sweetie Belle eyed her cutie mark.
I can’t believe I thought a diamond mining cutie mark was going to be fun, she thought as she plummeted down the side of the mountain, no hope of anypony rescuing her before meeting her unexpected end.
Oh, so many things I haven’t done yet: I haven’t gone around the world yet, I haven’t met with Princess Cadence, I haven’t even had a marefriend …
At that last one her mind began to work overtime, pulling up memory after memory of a certain crusader, relentlessly reminding Sweetie Belle time and time again of what she had let slip.
Oh, what could have been, if not for those dang cutie marks! The very mark I longed for was what dragged me to this situation, and what separated me from her, the pony I loved.
She continued to reminisce throughout the entire fall, the wind rustling through her mane and coat, its deafening roar no longer as annoying as it had been in the first ten seconds of the descent.
If only I’d known …
“Oh, cool! You got your cutie mark! I guess that means you’re destiny’s in diamond mining!”
Scootaloo was jumping up and down uncontrollably, her joy unparalleled other than by Sweetie Belle.
“Yeah, I finally got my cutie mark!” Sweetie Belle went up and hugged Apple Bloom and Scootaloo with all her might, her lifelong dream having finally come true, tears of happiness rolling down her muzzle. No longer was she the last crusader left without a mark, no longer would she be ridiculed for having a bare flank. Her future was bright, bringing limitless possibilities and possibly even true happiness. There was no place for sadness or depression.
At least, until the day of parting came.
“So, I guess this is it, then. Our last full day together. Tomorrow, we leave.” Silence ran rampant among the three, each pony struggling to control her emotions. Sweetie Belle’s face held no semblance of the joy she had once felt upon discovering the figure on her flank. The tears in her eyes were the product of sadness, that day marking the great divide among the three fillies, though fillies they no longer were, yet mares not quite either.
“Aw, don’t be like that, Sweetie Belle! Ya’r gonna make me cry, too!” Apple Bloom’s eyes had already started watering, the tiniest of streams rolling down her muzzle and dripping to the floor of the clubhouse. The memories the place held were simply too joyous, too numerous to count, and now, it would hold one last one: the parting of ways.
No matter how hard she tried, even Scootaloo was unable to stop her “liquid pride” from streaming down as she recognized the importance of that day. Apple Bloom was going to stay with her family on the farm while Sweetie Belle was going off to the Gem Caverns in search for diamonds. Scootaloo herself had to take the train in the opposite direction, still trying to understand exactly what her cutie mark meant: she had no idea why hers was a bell with wings, but she was sure the answer lay at the Wonderbolts’ Flight Training Camp. Unfortunately, before she could go there, she had to take part in ground training and successfully fly through an obstacle course, both of which were being held in Appleloosa that year. The time had finally come for the crusaders to follow their own destinies, their own paths through life, and unfortunately for them, that meant one of the most heartbreaking moments in their lives was nigh.
The three crusaders, all three with their respective marks, hugged each other tightly, neither wanting to let go anytime soon, each hoping that fate would be kind and let them meet again sometime in the future. Sweetie Belle was hit the hardest, having not once been able to stop her tears from falling.
“It’s okay, Sweetie Belle, we’ll see each other again, I promise!” Scootaloo’s voice cracked a little, her eyes still watery, her face attempting to form a comforting smile for Sweetie Belle. “As soon as I finish, I’ll fly top speed to the Gem Caverns and we’ll hang out, so don’t you worry!” The white unicorn simply hugged her again with all her might, unwilling to let go of the pony who had protected her all these years.
I should have told her then.
Sweetie Belle spotted her tears sailing by, the wind propelling them away from her as she continued to fall. Each memory simply led her to another, just like every tear brought another with it, every reminiscence uncovering those regrets she had hidden deep in her heart.
Why, why didn’t I just tell her then?
Under the lamplight, Sweetie Belle stared at a piece of her stationery, a paper blank of words, yearning to be used, yet the white unicorn could not bring herself to do so. She had not the nerve to tell her directly, so in writing was the next obvious choice. Even so, she still could not convince herself start the letter, to expound all of her emotions onto a simple sheet of such miniscule thickness.
I have to tell her, she thought, her heart pounding before the task that lay ahead.
Gathering enough strength, she began by writing the introduction, almost missing the paper and writing on the table as she attempted to calm her nerves. She dropped the quill and closed her eyes, slowly letting in a deep breath and exhaling, repeating until her hooves had stopped shaking. She picked up the quill again and continued writing:
Dear Scootaloo:
I don’t know exactly how to say this, but I’ll try to start off nice and simple. Do you remember that one time when we were crusading and this monster came out of a cave and you threw your scooter at it to stop the monster and save me before he could hurt me? Well, see, the thing is that after that crusade, I started having this … this funny feeling in my stomach every time I saw you. Remember a couple days after that when I told you that I was sick, and that I couldn’t go crusading for a whole week? Well, see, it’s not that I was sick, it’s just that whenever I was near you, I started to have these, I guess you could call them ‘butterflies’ in my stomach. It was the same feeling I had gotten a while back when I saw that blue colt in Cherilee’s class, before he left, only this time it was much stronger. I thought that the feeling had gone away after then, but I have only just realized that it had never disappeared. The highlight of my day used to be going crusading, but soon all I wanted the most was to spend time with you. I didn’t care as much about finding my cutie mark anymore: I only wanted to be by your side.
I guess, in the end, I knew that this day would come. I don’t expect a response, but I felt that I had to tell you how I really feel:
I love the way your mane gets disheveled every time you take off your helmet.
I love the way you ride your scooter at top speeds even though you already know how to fly.
I love the way you never back down from a challenge.
I love the way you always protect me from the unknown.
I love the way you make me feel when I’m near you.
I guess, what I really wanted to say is …
I love you, Scootaloo.
I only wish I could have told you sooner, before we had to part ways.
If only I knew you felt the same way about me.
I hope you have a good life and find a good mare or stallion who will love you every day, one who cares about you and l–
Sweetie Belle had started to cry for the seventh time that day, a huge teardrop staining that one sentence that hurt so much to write, the pain like a sword through the heart. She quickly crossed off those words, attacking the paper with her quill, making sure the sentence could no longer be read by even the best of eyes.
I hope you have a good life, and I can only wish for our paths to cross again. Maybe then, I will have the courage that I so lacked these past months.
- Sweetie Belle
The unicorn could take it no more, knocking her vial of ink off the table, hitting the floor and shattering into a million pieces. Sweetie Belle could have cared less, though, as she lay on her bed, sobbing uncontrollably onto her pillow, her thoughts of the orange pegasus only making matters worse.
“How could I have been so stupid? She was right there and I just let her slip by.”
Though she was able to control the tears, the pit in her stomach wouldn’t disappear as she kept blaming herself for not acting on her love. After a couple of hours, she had calmed down and settled into a fitful sleep, not even her dreams providing the comfort she so desperately needed as she whimpered on throughout the night.
Sweetie Belle woke up with a fright, her breathing erratic, her mind a blur. As she started to breathe in and out deeply, her thoughts became more focused, which only led her deeper into depression as she recognized that the day of parting had arrived.
Oh, buck! What time is it?
Sweetie rushed over to her alarm clock only to realize that Scootaloo’s train was about to depart. In that span, she made a split-second decision, one that could make or break their friendship:
I will give her the letter.
Sweetie Belle quickly put on her saddlebag, placing the letter in an envelope and in one of the outside pockets. She then summoned all her magic and wished with all her heart for her spell to work, a sudden blinding light illuminating her room as she disappeared …
… and later reappeared a couple blocks away from the train station.
A little closer would have been better, Sweetie thought. She spent no time waiting before galloping at full speed towards the platform, all the while ever-conscious of her own mental clock ticking down to the inevitable. Doubling her speed, her muscles aching from the strain, her heart racing as if she were escaping from Tartarus itself, Sweetie Belle traversed the seemingly endless distance until she reached the desired train. Unfortunately, the vehicle had already boarded and started to advance, slowly gathering speed as the white unicorn searched frantically for her friend.
Perhaps it had been fate, or maybe just dumb chance, but Scootaloo had chosen a window seat, her head poking out as she saw the ponies on the platform start to move. One specific pony caught her eye, though, one with curls as purple as the grapes used in the finest of Canterlot wines.
“Sweetie Belle!”
“Scootaloo!”
Sweetie Belle galloped forward with all her might, attempting to reach her friend’s seat before the train accelerated any more, but she knew that there was no way she would make it. Instead, she levitated the letter as close as she could to Scootaloo, all the while her legs burning as if on fire, threatening to give out without a moment’s notice.
“Scootaloo, please grab this!”
The orange pony was a bit surprised, but noticing how much energy Sweetie Belle was putting in to levitate the letter to her, Scootaloo reached out and tried to catch it. Unfortunately, the object was too far back.
“I can’t reach it, Sweetie Belle. Can you go any faster?”
“I can’t, Scootaloo!” Sweetie Belle cried out, tears already forming in her eyes, horrified at the thought of her friend not receiving the letter. In an act of desperation, Sweetie Belle used her telekinetic grip and constructed a paper airplane out of the letter, throwing it with all her might at the pegasus.
But alas, as fate had given, so did it take away, for all the white unicorn’s hope was dashed in a millisecond as she saw the plane, less than half a hoof’s length away from the orange pony, suddenly rise up and twirl, disappearing to the other side of the train.
No, this can’t be happening.
At that sight, as the train continued on its way, Sweetie Belle simply stood there, processing exactly what had happened. After a few minutes, she did nothing more than walk away. No crying, no shouting, no sound other than her hooves striking the ground.
“Hey, Sweetie Belle! Hey, are y’alright?”
The unicorn ignored Apple Bloom’s question as she mustered enough magic to teleport her back, failing to get to her room but still placing her quite close. As she locked herself in her room, she just broke down completely. She didn’t even make an attempt to stop the waterworks, simply surrounding herself with pillows, attempting to calm herself before her train arrived. There was no family left in Ponyville to comfort her: they had all gone to Canterlot to congratulate Rarity on winning her new award. In fact, she didn’t even want anypony there: it wouldn’t have helped anyway, she kept telling herself.
If only Scootaloo were here … she would know what to do.
With that thought, all the progress she had made in slowing her tears withered away, her eyes faucets of sadness, her heart encompassed by depression.
[/hr]
Oh, what I wouldn’t give to see her face one last time. Maybe I should have stopped her from leaving. Maybe then, I wouldn't be in this situation.
Sweetie Belle suddenly looked down and noticed how close she was to the ground, rapidly planning her last thought:
I still love you, Scootaloo. After all these months, I still love you.
Sweetie Belle opened her eyes, suddenly blinded by a large white light. All around her, she could feel endless warmth, even hear birds chirping in the distance.
Could this be where the good ponies go when they die? Something called the Eel-ee-shun Fields?
She struggled a bit more with her vision, blinking repeatedly until outlines began to form. Suddenly, a familiar face appeared in front of the light, one face that Sweetie knew all too well.
“Scootaloo?” Of course, that must be where I am. There's no way she would actually be here: she’s still in Appleloosa!
“Sweetie Belle! You're okay!”
“Huh? What do you mean? Aren’t I dead?”
As if on cue, a swirl of color entered the white unicorn’s vision, vague figures of trees and rocks forming as Sweetie looked from side to side. The information overload woke up her mind, which began piecing everything together after a couple seconds.
“Scootaloo! You're here! But how? I was walking up the mountain with my group when we encountered a rockslide. I was hanging from the boots of another pony, but the weight was too much, so I let go so they could save the other pony! But I'm not d–”
Scootaloo cut off the white unicorn, doing quite possibly the most unexpected thing Sweetie could think of:
She kissed the unicorn.
It was a simple kiss, but one that showed exactly how much the pegasus cared for Sweetie Belle. For half a second, the unicorn couldn't think, this time not blinded by the light but rather by the heat, by the softness of Scootaloo's lips. How she had longed for such a moment, for days, for months! Now that she was finally experiencing it, she felt something she had not felt in such a long time: calmness, joy, even the butterflies. She melted into the kiss, dragging it out for as long as she could, never wanting it to end.
As their lips parted, Sweetie Belle's curious mind kept trying to rationalize everything, bombarding Scootaloo once again with questions and explanations.
“But, how did you know? I never told anypony else, and the letter I was going to give you got lost when I th–”
Scootaloo suddenly took out a small piece of parchment, light purple in color, the ink on it faded slightly. It was the watermark on the paper, that simple bell, that actually betrayed its identity to the white unicorn.
“That's the letter! But how did you get it? I saw it fly to the other side of the train and–”
“And it landed on some other pony's seat. It took him months, but he finally tracked me down and gave me that paper, and I'm glad he did." The orange pegasus paused for a while, as if she were choosing the correct words to say.
"I didn't know that you felt that way about me, Sweetie Belle. Perhaps, if I had known, I would have ... I would have told you how I really felt about you. Sweetie, that feeling that you've had these past months, I've had it too, and I wanted to tell you that as soon as I could. I love the way you're always cautious, thinking about my safety. I love the way your mane and coat shine under the sun. I love the way you sing, I love the way you talk, I love everything about you! I guess ... I was just too scared to admit it back when we were in Ponyville.”
By now, Sweetie's eyes had teared up, each sentence Scootaloo said lifting her heart up to unimaginable heights. Not even in her wildest dreams had the unicorn pictured such a moment.
“Unfortunately,” Scootaloo continued, “by going all the way here, I forfeited my spot in the finals for the obstacle course, but you know what? I don't really care about that anymore, and do you know why?”
Sweetie Belle simply stared at the orange pegasus, jaw agape.
"Wait, what? I thought flying was your dream! You were so happy when you were finally able to get off the ground, and you would always talk on and on about the Wonderbolts!”
A frown had worked its way onto Sweetie's mouth as she recognized that were it not for her, Scootaloo would still have been at Appleloosa striving for that spot.
“There's no need to get all sad, Sweetie!” Scootaloo raised Sweetie's muzzle and looked her in the eye. “In fact, I should be thanking you. Because of you, I was able to find out what my cutie mark really meant. Now, take a look at my cutie mark. Now look at the letter you wrote.”
Sweetie did as she was told, noticing a striking resemblance she had overlooked every time she used that special paper.
The bells. They were exactly the same.
“Now I know what my destiny is, and it's got nothing to do with racing or the Wonderbolts, but something much better,” Scootaloo continued, inching over towards Sweetie Belle as she placed one wing over her.
“My destiny is to care for you, to protect you, to be with you …” Scootaloo pulled in for another kiss, a bit more passionate than the previous one, Sweetie taking in every sight, every sound, every smell, everything during the seconds their mouths were connected. “And to love you. And I don't care what anypony else says, or if that even is the reason why I got my cutie mark. I have chosen this to be my destiny. It's the best future I could ever have.”
It was quite surprising for Sweetie Belle to see this emotional side to Scootaloo, who had just pulled her in a soft embrace. The two stayed there for a long time, each reveling in the warmth of the other, watching the sun set as waves of color shimmered overhead, neither one wanting the day to end. For Sweetie, her heart no longer felt heavy, no longer did she have to carry that regret to her grave.
Scootaloo turned to her new marefriend, smiling ear to ear at how beautiful she looked under the colors. “Now, what do you say we go back to Ponyville for a while and just, you know, hang out? I'm sure that diamond mine won't be open for a while 'til they assess the damage.” Scootaloo's question made Sweetie Belle bounce with delight, exactly like she would do when she was younger.
However, instead of replying to her answer, Sweetie simply galloped forward, yelling back to the orange pegasus:
“Last one to the train station is changeling food!”
“Oh, YOU'RE SO ON!”
And just like that, Sweetie's worst day became her best, because now she had somepony special in her life, somepony who would never leave her side, somepony she loved deeply and unconditionally:
She had Scootaloo.
Perhaps this is exactly what fate had in store for the small filly, ever since the creation of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Perhaps Scootaloo's cutie mark appeared in that way just to unite them. Perhaps …
But in the end, who really knows? Cutie mark magic predates even the Immortal Sisters that control the sun and moon. For now, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo could care less, for it is not the cutie mark that makes the destiny, it is the pony and the decisions the pony makes that shapes all life.
And for those two ponies, life was good.
