“Ok, my little ponies listen up. I know many of you are planning to spend time with friends and family tonight, but a very bad blizzard will arrive in Ponyville soon. So, I highly recommend, if you do go to a friends house, please, make sure you are home before it comes.” Ms. Cheerilee said. All the students nodded and the school bell rang, indicating school was over.
Fillies and colts left the school house bumping into one another, roughhousing as they left to see their parents or hang out with friends. Some colts were talking with the ladies trying to get an invite to hang out over the holiday break, others were just excited to get home and have some hot cocoa with loved ones.
The Crusaders, however, weren't interested in getting any beverages or seeing their family. Sure, it was a day before Hearth's Warming but they had other plans today. On a normal day, they might go to their clubhouse or to Sugarcube Corner to for a snack. Sometimes Scootaloo would take her friends to Rainbow Dash’s place to listen to stories she might have.
But instead, the three were headed to Diamond Tiara’s mansion.They weren't exactly sure why but she seemed awfully excited today. Diamond Tiara normally was even-keeled, even around the Crusaders, but something was up, something she hadn't told them.
“We really should've listened and brought something to keep us warm,” Sweetie Belle said breathing on her hooves, the other two crusaders nodded their heads in agreement.
Soon enough the three fillies made it to Diamond Tiara’s mansion and knocked on the door.
Diamond Tiara answered the door and smiled brightly seeing that her new friends made it. “I'm so happy you three could come,” she said opening the door all the way. She continued, “I know I shouldn't keep secrets, but I didn't want to spoil the surprise.” she said winking at them as she walked into the living room. “This way,” she said, beckoning her friends to follow.
As the Crusaders followed Diamond Tiara they noticed the mansion had many decorations up, a sprig of mistletoe, a few bells, and a few trees. What really surprised them, though, was when they saw Spoiled Rich in the living room all cheerful and happy.They assumed she'd be mean and spiteful.
“I see you noticed mother. Because you helped me I was able to tell daddy about how she was acting. It took a little time but now she's quite lovely,” Diamond Tiara said giving her friends hoof bumps.
The Crusaders looked around the room and noticed a segmented, picture frame that had many mares and stallions in it and even a Diamond Tiara as a baby in one of them. The three daw’d at how cute she looked sucking her hoof. Diamond Tiara blushed, pushing the picture away “Yeah, let's not worry about that old thing, I'm pretty sure you girls are wondering why I've brought you here?” she asked, eager to change the subject.
“Yeah, why did you ask us to come?” Sweetie Belle asked.
Diamond Tiara smiled. “Since it’s Hearth's Warming Eve I thought maybe you three wouldn't mind staying for a few hours to party,” she said. It was their first Hearth's Warming eve together and she really wanted to hang out with her new friends.
The Crusaders originally planned to go home in an hour, so they weren’t out when the blizzard arrived. But perhaps they could stay at the party for a little while. It also gave them a chance to get to know Diamond Tiara better, and maybe get some free candy.
“Sure we can stay for a few hours, but we do need to get home before our parents worry about us. And we really don’t want to get caught in that blizzard,” Sweetie Belle said.
“Then let's get this party started,” Diamond Tiara yelled, going to the next room over, which had DJ Vinyl. He started playing some music for the party. The party was pretty small, only Spoiled Rich, Diamond Tiara and the Crusaders were presently in attendance. Not many ponies were able to make it due to family obligations.
During the first hours of the party, the Crusaders just talked amongst each other about colts and who they might like. Scootaloo told her friends she didn't have a crush on anypony, however, when they brought up Rumble she turned a deep shade of red. After talking the three went to get some pizza.
The time was passing really quickly, before they knew it, it was already dark outside.
As the party continued Scootaloo decided to talk to Diamond Tiara, hoping to learn more about her new friend. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom were both chatting with one another. A few more guests had arrived, Button Mash, Pipsqueak, and Rumble. They eagerly went to get some food and after that the colts went on the dance floor.
One last guest arrived Silver Spoon, although she would much prefer to stay home and spend some time with her family, she couldn't leave Diamond Tiara’s side. The other two Crusaders invited her over to talk with them.
“Hey Diamond Tiara,” Scootaloo said walking over to the drink table. There were many drinks to pick from, she noticed her favorite, blueberry punch, and happily poured herself a cup.
“What is it Scootaloo?” Diamond Tiara asked, stifling a yawn. The party was starting to make her tired but she kept forcing herself to stay awake. She had friends over and didn't want to ruin this night for them.
Scootaloo dragged her hoof across the floor. “I was wondering do...do you ever miss your Dad when he leaves for work on Hearths Warming? I know I would if my dad was still here.”
Diamond Tiara cocked her head to the side.“Doesn't your Dad still live with you?” All Diamond Tiara knew about Scootaloo’s family was that Scootaloo lived with her mother,she never wondered who her father might be.
“Well, it's a long story,how about I just tell you the short version? My mom told me he had to fight in a war to keep us safe. He went to defend Equestria from the changelings. When I was nine, an officer holding his badge came to our door.” Scootaloo stopped for a moment to catch her breath, a few tears fell and she continued. “My mom cried after she heard the news. She always says that he died a hero,” she finished now in tears crying her eyes out. It was a sensitive subject but she had to tell Diamond Tiara, she asked after all.
Diamond Tiara smiled and wiped Scootaloo’s tears with a handkerchief. “Hey, it's ok. I’m sure if something were to happen to my Daddy I’d cry too,” she gave Scootaloo a hug, and Scootaloo accepted it.
After they hugged Diamond Tiara thought it was time to end the party, unfortunately, it was starting to get really late and everypony was getting really tired.Scootaloo just wanted to get home and try to get her mind settled, talking about her father wasn't really something she did often.
When the crusaders left the house they waved bye to one another and prepared to go their separate ways, it was quite dark out, anything could happen if they stayed out too long, “Hey maybe we should walk home together,” Sweetie Belle squeaked.
Scootaloo laughed. “Come on, what are you? A baby,” Scootaloo joked. “We’re grown fillies, we can walk by ourselves. Besides it's not like anything bad is going to happen,” she said as she started to walk towards her house.
Apple Bloom yawned “Yeah, she's right. But I wouldn’t mind walking you home if you're afraid of the dark,” she offered nicely.
Sweetie thought about it and agreed. “Yeah, I wouldn't mind that, though I don't think Scootaloo should go on her own.”
Apple Bloom smirked, “Awh don't worry about her. Sure she's very stubborn but she can handle herself,” she said as the two started out towards the Carousel Boutique.
Scootaloo walked home slowly. Although it was freezing out it wasn't unbearable. Sure there was an occasional breeze but it wasn't too bad. Scootaloo stopped near the entrance to the Everfree forest and listened. She could've sworn she just heard a stallion's voice. “Hello?” she called out but there was no response. She started to make her way towards home when suddenly a very strong wind knocked her down. A tree started to fall down towards her, Scootaloo tried to run but the wind was so powerful it knocked her back down. The force of the tree was so sudden, she didn’t realize it fell right on top of her back legs. She quickly realized she was pinned to the ground. The tree had fallen directly on top of her two back hooves. She tried getting out but it was too heavy, She tried to push the tree off her but quickly realized there was no way she could move the massive trunk.
Not willing to give up so easily, she tried to wiggle out but the tree was covering her legs so much that it was impossible. Fueled by the fear that she might die, Scootaloo started hitting the tree with her hooves as hard as she could hoping it would crack, but it remained as solid as ever.
Scootaloo’s hooves trembled, she again tried to pull herself out from under the tree but to no avail. She was trapped and the snowstorm wasn't getting any better. By the next hour it would be an arctic class blizzard and even the most hearty of pegasi wouldn’t be able to survive in one to those. Pegasus weather manipulation magic allowed pegasi to survive many harsh environments but an arctic blizzard was not one of them. Besides the extreme temperature, the freezing arid conditions made breathing significantly harder. And even if they could cope with that, the harsh wind would carry life-threatening debris.
Scootaloo winced in pain, the tree crushing her back legs.“I’m such an idiot” she said aloud to no one, feeling genuinely terrified. She knew if she stayed any longer she'd die, not because of the tree but because of the snow.
It began to get colder and the wind started picking up even further, whipping through the forest. “H..Hello CAN ANYPONY HEAR ME, I’M STUCK!” Scootaloo yelled but not a single answer. She shivered crossing her two arms together and breathing on her hooves to try to get some warmth out of it, but it was so cold. Tears started to flow out of her eyes, “I’m going to die,” she thought. She started to breathe in heavy, her fear taking over. She made one last effort to push the tree off, or even dig into the ground were here hooves were but again she failed. She continued doing the same thing until the cold started taking effect. In a moment of despair, she laid down with her two arms, hugged tightly to her chest in a futile attempt to cover her body to try and keep warm. A sudden numbness hit her and she began to shake.
Dizzy Twister spent most the day cleaning her home and drinking hot cocoa. Despite the distraction, however, it wasn't stopping her from worrying about Scootaloo. As it grew dark and the storm picked up, she looked out her window. “This storm's getting bad, I need to find her,” she thought.
Dizzy Twister would usually let Scootaloo coming home late slide, it was Hearth’s Warming eve after all, but it was more than an hour past curfew and Scootaloo still hadn't come home. The only two possibilities Dizzy could think of was either something bad happened or she went to stay with a friend. “I'll visit Sweetie Belle, she’s closest,” she thought grabbing her saddle bag, a jacket and one other jacket for Scootaloo once she found her.
Once she was packed and ready to go she realized just how intense the blizzard was. There was so much snow falling down that it became hard for her to see, she pulled out a pair of goggles from her bag so she could see better. The goggles helped a little, keeping the snow out of her eyes, but it was still hard to see.
Seeing how bad the weather was set off a fresh wave of worrying. “I hope Scootaloo found shelter somewhere,” she thought as she trudged across Ponyville. She eventually made it to Sweetie’s house and knocked on the door waiting for somepony to answer.
The door flung open due to the wind and a rather shocked Sweetie Belle looked at Dizzy Twister, “Hi Mrs. Twister, uh why are you here? Shouldn't you be at home?” Sweetie Belle asked, both concerned and confused.
“Hi Sweetie Belle, I’m looking for Scootaloo have you seen her?” Dizzy asked, trying to keep the panic out of her tone.
Sweetie Belle grew even more puzzled. “I don't understand, didn't Scootaloo make it home? Last I saw her was at the mansion. I told the girls we could walk each other home just to be safe but the two of them thought it be better to go separately,” she said.
Sweetie’s explanation only led to more questions. Why would Scootaloo of even been at the mansion? And why were any of the crusaders there to begin with? They knew a storm was coming. “Why did you three even go to the mansion?” Dizzy Twister asked.
“Diamond tiara had a party so we thought we’d stay fo- she was interrupted by an angry looking Dizzy Twister. “And you three didn't think that maybe you should ask an adult first?”
Sweetie Belle backed up into the house, “I’m sorry, I guess we got all caught up with the party and wanting to get to know Diamond Tiara a little more,” Sweetie Belle said.
Though she was angry that Scootaloo and her friends had been so careless at least Dizzy Twister had a starting point to begin her search. She set out towards the mansion. As she approached she saw a knocked down tree on the edge of the Everfree forest near the Rich estate. She also noticed an orange object. With the blizzard now in full force, she couldn’t tell what it was, but the color alone made it worth investigating.
As she got closer to it she could see that it wasn't an object or an animal but it was her daughter. Dizzy Twister ran over to the tree as fast as she could, and thanks to that reserve of adrenaline fueled strength all mothers have when protecting their children, she was able to lift the tree a tiny bit, just enough to be able to move Scootaloo’s body out from under it. “Scootaloo are you okay!” she asked worriedly. There was no response. Dizzy put a hoof on Scootaloo’s neck to see if there was a pulse, and luckily there was, though it was barely noticeable.She took out the extra jacket she had brought and wrapped Scootaloo tightly. She then put Scootaloo on her back and rushed towards the hospital.
As soon as she got to the hospital she rushed past ponies that were already in line, “This is an emergency!” she screamed over the protest. “My daughter, I saw her being crushed by a tree, she’s not moving, please help me!”
If the desperation in her voice wasn’t enough, nurse Redheart saw the desperation in Dizzy Twisters eyes and called for a stretcher. Scootaloo was quickly carried away, Dizzy Twister tried to follow only to be stopped by the nurse.
“I’m sorry Mrs. Twister but you can't go in there, but I promise once they’re done you can see her.
Dizzy Twister instinctively wanted to argue but the nurse was right, right now Scootaloo needed the help of a doctor. Sitting in the waiting room left her racked with guilt. “This is all my fault I shouldn't of let Scootaloo go out on her own,” she thought ruefully.
Dizzy Twister fell asleep on one of the hospital chairs. Eventually, she was woken up by nurse Redheart with a gentle shake. “I have good news and bad news,” the Nurse said. “The good news is your daughter is awake, you can see her now. The bad news is she broke her legs she will have to use a wheelchair for about five months, other than that she's ok”
Dizzy Twister sighed, relieved that her daughter was still alive. “Did the cold do anything to her? What about her hypothermia?” she asked the nurse.
“She did suffer some minor frostbite, that will need to be treated, but it’s not serious. ” Nurse Redheart said and moved onto doing some paperwork. “Need anything else Mrs. Twister?”
“No thanks, I’d just like to see my daughter.” Dizzy Twister walked down the hall and went into the room Scootaloo was staying in. Like all hospital rooms it had a large bed with a few stuffed animals. A heartbeat monitor was hooked up to her daughter, its steady beeping filled the room. “Hey honey how are you?” she asked as she sat down on one of the chairs struggling not to break down into tears.
Scootaloo smiled brightly. “Hi, Mom. Uh sorry I wasn't able to come home last night, I ran into trouble,” she said pulling the blanket closer to her chest.
“I know Scootaloo and there are some things I’ve been thinking about. You need to be more careful. Next time it might not just be your legs that get hurt,” Dizzy Twister said.
Scootaloo tried to protest but realized that her mother was right a tear slid down her eye “I’m sorry Mom I know you warned me about the storm but, I stayed out longer than I should've, I know.”
Dizzy Twister moved her chair closer to Scootaloo and wrapped her hooves around her bringing her into a big warm hug. “You don’t need to say you’re sorry. I do have one question, why were you close to the Everfree forest?”
Scootaloo was quiet for a few moments before saying, “It's weird but I heard a stallion's voice, it kinda sounded like, well like dad's,” she said softly.
“It's ok Scootaloo I miss him too. Your father was a really great stallion, but he's in a better place now. Promise me from now on if you stay out longer, you tell me first, ok?”
Scootaloo simply nodded, and the two remained in the loving embrace.
Several hours had passed and Dizzy Twister hadn't left Scootaloo’s side, although she did ask for one of the Nurse to send Cheerilee a letter which would notify her on what has happened.
Scootaloo yawned and stretched her forelegs, “Good morning mom,” Scootaloo said with a bright smile.
Dizzy Twister smiled back “Morning sunshine,” she said just as the door swung open, in came Diamond Tiara.
“Scootaloo! I heard what happened,” Diamond Tiara said breathing heavy a few tears came out “I just feel like this whole thing is my fault, I mean I was the one who made you three stay I feel like maybe I had something to do with this accident” she explained.
“Whoa, whoa calm down Diamond Tiara, It's not your fault it was mine I shouldn't have really stayed out for that long, I knew a storm was coming and what did I do? I stayed at a party and then I went and stood next to the Everfree forest entrance. None of that was your fault” Scootaloo said trying to calm her friend down.
“Maybe, Oh! I almost forgot!” She pulled out a card from her saddlebag and put it on Scootaloo’s bed, “Everypony from school heard from Cheerilee what happened to you, so I went around to all our classmate's houses so they could sign your get well card,” she said happily.
Scootaloo opened the card and was surprised to see everypony in her class signatures under a big “Get Well Soon”. “Thanks, Diamond Tiara,” she said.
“No problem, I guess I should go now you do need a lot of rest,” Diamond Tiara said and walked out the door.
Dizzy Twister smiled. “Ok, Scootaloo let’s get out of here. You have gifts to open tonight” she said.
“I still get my gifts? Even after everything that happened?” Scootaloo asked, surprised.
“Of course, you do silly filly, it's Hearth's Warming today!”
Hearing the news Scootaloo, bolted upright and after a brief struggle managed to get herself situated in her wheelchair and rolled herself out the door.
“Mommy’s just glad she didn't lose another family member,” Dizzy whispered, following close behind.
Author's Note
This is my first time writing a story were a pony is in some form of danger, so I hope you enjoyed it.
