The Equestrian Games

Cherry's dreams ended like they usually did, with the three fillies screaming. But it wasn't the shouts that awoke her, it was the buffeting wind hitting her in the side. Her eyes opened drowsily, as she noticed Moon Breeze and Ember Blaze sitting by the entrance to the cave. They were talking, but Cherry couldn't hear them. She shakily stood up, fighting against the forceful wind. She stumbled over to the mouth of the cave, and stared slack-jawed at the view. Swirling winds were running back and forth, dragging tiny snowflakes along with them. You couldn't see more than a few feet in front of you, which was why it was a surprise when a dead bird was flung into the cave by the wind. Unfortunately for Blaze, the bird flew right to where he was sleeping, slapping him in the face. He awoke with a start, shaking his head to clear out the smell of rotten, frozen, feathers.

Terry woke next. "Wha...." He muttered sleepily as he stood up, seeing the storm. Cherry just rolled her eyes at the two stallions and instead looked a the steadily building pile of snow. She shivered and creeped back toward the inner part of the cave, where the bags were kept. She opened one, then another, and another. After she had looked through them all, she sighed.

"We only have one blanket guys," she said, "We'll have to either take turns, or share." Ember and Moon then trod back inside and saw the small blanket Cherry had pulled out. Moon recoiled.

"That'll barely even cover one of us!" She gasped, "We'll never get through this storm if it lasts too long." She then took a deep breath to calm down, and looked at the blanket with narrowed eyes. "Is there anything else we can use for warmth."

Cherry tapped her chin. "We could use the backpacks, if we took the stuff out of them. But even with that, I don't think we'll have enough. We'd be too weak for attacks if something were to happen." Cherry sighed, and, almost as if on que, a small package flew into the cave, hitting Blaze again.

He picked it up, and observed the small tag. "Uhh, Cherry?" He shouted over the storm, "Its from Crystal!" Cherry jumped up and rushed over. She grabbed the box, pushed aside the small parachute, and opened the lid.

She grinned, pulling out two large blankets. "Yes yes yes! Thank you Crystal!" She shouted excitedly. She then looked inside and lifted out boots, a jacket, and a hat. "Oh thankyouthankyouthankyou!" She said again. She took the boots and began to try them on, while Blaze brought the blankets over to the other mares. Cherry soon had the boots and jacket on, and was fitting the hat. Everything matched perfectly. She observed her outfit, and with a satisfying nod, headed toward the entrance.

"I'm gonna try this gear out. Kay?" She said to the others, receiving nods. Cherry turned back toward the lip of the cave, and took a breath. She then pushed forward into the storm. She reached up and brought down the goggles that came with the hat, and observed the surroundings. All was bare and white. She could see the frozen stream by the side of the cave and trotted over to it. She cautiously placed her hoof on it to see if it was sturdy. Once she was confident it was, she put more weight on it and took another step. Soon she was on the other side of the stream.

The wind was strong. It swayed Cherry back and forth, but she was determined to get just a little further. Then, just as she was about to turn around, she tripped over a lump. She stood up and brushed the cold snow off, giving attention to the mound. She trod over, and brushed snow aside, gasping at what she found underneath.

"Pageturner..." She whispered to herself, brushing more of the white powder away. She heaved her up and over her back, and she crouched a bit, getting used to the extra weight. She then began her trek back toward the base. The snow was stinging at her legs, and biting at her unprotected muzzle. Her mane and tail were tangled up into knots. She had spread her wings to prevent the unconscious mare from falling off, but that only made the cold worse. Her hooves ached, and stumbled with almost every step. She was relieved when she saw the stream, signaling they were close. She rested her hoof on the ice, begging it to hold. When it did, she took her second step.

She regretted that.

The ice cracked under her hoof, and it didn't take long for it to split apart, plunging both ponies into the water. Cherry screamed, before her muzzle dived under. She flailed her hooves, trying to escape the ice cold water. She spread her wings and was beating them frantically, trying to get herself up. As she broke the surface, she remembered Pageturner. She turned around and dived back under. She reached the bottom of the river and saw the limp body. Wrapping her hooves around her, she heaved her up. Cherry stumbled onto the land, dragging the helpless mare behind her. She then managed her get her forebody off the ground, as she flapped her wings as hard as she could. She then lunged herself into the cave, dragging Pageturner with her.

All of her allies rushed over, worried for their companion. Terry and Moon immediately began to tend to Pageturner, drying her off and looking for any injuries. Blaze grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around Cherry, who was shivering violently. Ember had also gotten her some berries to eat, while she warmed up. Once Cherry felt good enough to move a bit, she crawled over to where they were taking care of the mare.

"W-Will she b-be ok-k-kay?" Cherry asked, still shivering.

"Can't tell" Terry muttered, as he moved his hoof around her chest, looking for her heartbeat. Once he found it, his frown deepened. "Her heartbeat's weak, I don't think she'll last the night."

"No!" Cherry interrupted, "She can't die! Not one of my friends!" She shouted, stomping the floor. She felt a hoof rest on her shoulder, and looked to see Blaze.

"Cherry," He said gently, "There's nothing we can do. Its not our fault Nightmare Moon would be so cruel." Cherry sighed and nodded, sniffling. A low cannon sounded in the distance, signaling Pageturner passing. Cherry bit her lip and looked at the limp corpse of her friend.

The friend that was destined to die in the games.