The couch in the private quarter of the Carousel Boutique was comfortable, but the plush red pillow under which Sweetie Belle sat covered only her tummy, and provided little warmth. Two folded heavy blankets rested neatly on a nearby futon, but instead of grabbing them with her magic, Sweetie slouched further back onto the couch, only to find her new position to be even more uncomfortable than her previous one. She sat back up, and let her stare settle upon the base of the Hearth’s Warming tree as she ruminated.
Granny Smith had been in the hospital for weeks. She probably wouldn't see Sweet Apple Acres again.
Sweetie Belle glanced over towards the blankets on the futon, and greedily exhaled a short, hot burst of air onto her neck. She thought about how nice and warm the blankets would be, and how easy it would be to reach out with her magic and grab one, if only she could muster the willpower to do so. Sweetie let out an unnoticed groan, and she let her her head fall onto another plushy red pillow at the end of the couch.
The sound of plates clinking together roused Sweetie, and she raised her head from the pillow that her head had been resting on to see Rarity bringing a tray up the stairs.
Rarity wore a warm red scarf and a solid pink sweater, and her tail traced luxurious curls towards the floor. The soft light caught her mane in some places, but a few streaks of her hair were left in darkness, which brought out the depth and rich texture of her mane. Rarity greeted Sweetie with a warm grin, and Sweetie watched as she set the tray of hot cocoa—hot cocoa, yay!—down on the table in front of the couch.
“Thanks, Rarity.” Sweetie attempted to smile in the direction of her sister, but then turned back to gaze at the hard, wooden floor. Rarity paused, and took a tentative step towards the couch.
“Sweetie, dear, is everything quite alright? May I join you?” Sweetie scooted over to make room for Rarity to sit, and her sister joined her on the couch.
As soon as Rarity was seated, Sweetie Belle curled towards her sister, and pressed her muzzle into Rarity’s barrel while emitting a quiet whimper.
“It's not okay, Granny Smith isn't going to be okay, even if she gets better it's just going to be a couple more years, and then she won't be okay again”, Sweetie moaned, messing up the tidy curls of her hair by snuggling into her sister.
As the cold little filly pressed herself into Rarity, Rarity grabbed one of the two heavy blankets off of the futon with her magic, draped it over Sweetie Belle, and once again snuggled back towards her sister’s side.
“Sweetie, dear, I love you very much, and you are very noble to care about your friends and their loved ones as much as you do. You're such a good little pony, and I don't want you to ever forget that. May I make you some hot cocoa?”
Sweetie Belle nodded, and leaned into her sister. She rested her head on Rarity’s shoulder while her sister used her magic to pour some cocoa from the pot into a cup for her. As she poured the cocoa, the room was filled with smells of cinnamon and nutmeg and cloves. Rarity stopped pouring before the cup was entirely full, and set the cocoa pot down with a clink, grabbing the creamer. She added a swirl of foamy cream to Sweetie’s cup, set the cup on a saucer, and slid the ensemble over to Sweetie Belle.
“Thanks, Rarity.” Sweetie Belle left the saucer on the table, and held the warm cup of cocoa in her hooves. The cream slid over the surface of the cocoa when she blew on it, revealing some of the milky chocolate below, which let off little wisps of steam as soon as it was exposed to the air.
“I just feel generally sad”, said Sweetie Belle. “There's nothing I can do to help Granny Smith—I can only try to make her feel better for a bit at a time.”
“Well, Sweetie, have you insisted that Apple Bloom let you know when she desires your company?”
“Yes.”
“Have you paid Granny Smith a visit?”
“Yes, all of the crusaders visited her together. We told her several stories, but Granny Smith didn't talk as much as she usually does, so we just sat together in silence for most of the visit. She seemed really tired the whole time.” Sweetie shivered. “I'm going to miss her, and so will Scootaloo and Apple Bloom.”
“Sweetie Belle, I'm going to miss Granny Smith, too. It's always sad to see somepony go, even when they've lived a long, fulfilling life. Do remember that the friends you lose will always be with you in your memories.”
Sweetie Belle raised her cup of hot cocoa to her muzzle, and breathed into the cup, letting the aromatic spices fill her nostrils. Sweetie took a slow breath in, and let out a quiet, pleasurable moan as she basked in the aroma of the cinnamon and the chocolate, and the other spices that she couldn't quite identify. She dipped her muzzle into the cup to take a sip of cocoa.
Rarity giggled. “Sweetie, you silly filly, you’ve got cream on your nose!” Sweetie blushed, and the two sisters made eye contact, only for Sweetie to break it when an uncontrollable fit of laughter came over her.
Sweetie took a minute to calm down, even after wiping the cream from her nose. Rarity covered her laugh, and smiled while Sweetie’s boisterous guffaws turned to quiet chuckles, which faded into a contented silence.
Sweetie Belle set her cocoa down, and snuggled her head back into Rarity’s side. Her warm and cuddly sister snuggled her back, and Sweetie’s thoughts drifted as they sat together.
After sitting still for a minute, Sweetie moved back from her sister, and sat up abruptly. She kneaded the cushion on which she sat with her two front hooves while she spoke to Rarity. “It's not fair. It's not right that having hot cocoa can make me feel better about such a horrible thing, either. If I hadn't had the hot cocoa, I'd still feel bad, and then I might be moved to do something. Except that I can't do anything about it. Granny Smith is going to die, no matter what.”
“Sweetie Belle, I must impress upon you that you are a good, virtuous pony, and that you've done everything that you can.”
“She's still going to die, and so is everypony else,” Sweetie whimpered.
Rarity sighed, and forced herself to keep smiling. She adjusted the cushions on the couch behind her, and corrected her posture before responding. “Sweetie, is there anything in particular that would make you feel better about this ordeal? If you need to, imagine a future version of yourself who felt better about everything, and ask yourself what happened to make that be the case.”
Sweetie Belle picked up her cup of cocoa, taking a sip, and tried to look thoughtful by furrowing her brow. Once she finished tasting her beverage, Sweetie set the cup down, crossed one of her front hooves across her body, and used the other to prop up her chin. “If there was something that I could do right now, while Granny Smith was still around, then that would make me feel better”.
“Well, Sweetie, as I have said, you could always spend more time with Granny Smith and those close to her.” Rarity hesitated, opening her mouth, only to abruptly close it. She paused for a further moment before she decided to continue speaking after all. “I suppose that you could also make a promise”.
“A promise?”
“Sweetie Belle, is there anything beyond your ability to do that you would like to do for Granny Smith?”
“Yes”.
“Then promise to do that thing for everypony you care for that you can do it for, once you are able to do so.”
Sweetie Belle nodded, and looked deep into her sister’s eyes. She stayed her hooves, and exhaled slowly before beginning to speak. Rarity still sat by Sweetie’s side, but had turned to face her, and, her eyes full of compassion, she earnestly regarded Sweetie Belle as she spoke. “Rarity, I promise to you, and to myself, that I'll do everything that I can to help everypony live long, happy lives, where they're healthy and full of energy right up to the very end.”
The volume and intensity of Sweetie’s speech rose as she spoke, like that of the cold wind outside, which picked up speed, and blasted against the nearest window of the Carousel Boutique. While the wide window held strong, a cracking sound tore through that threshold between Sweetie and the outside world as the cool wind railed against the siding of the building, causing it to contract slightly.
“I swear that I will fight to make everypony live exactly as long as they want to—long enough to play with their great-great-grandfoals, or to go on adventures across Equestria in their hundred-and-teens. Long enough to make sure that all their friends can make it to their side to say goodbye before they decide to die. I don't want anypony to age or die before they want to.”
