"There you are!"

Sweetie Belle startled as if she hadn't expected her fellow Crusaders to still be looking for her.

She stopped and waved, "Hi!" then continued walking.

"That was odd," Apple Bloom commented as she and Scootaloo hurried to catch up to her.

"Yeah," her pegasus friend agreed. "You'd think she'd be happy to finally be found."

It didn't take them long to catch up to their friend. Sweetie Belle's gait was stiff and slow, though she kept on plodding.

Not sure what to say, the two friends just kept pace with her for a minute.

"Uh Sweetie Belle?" Scootaloo was the first to break the silence.

At first it seemed like her friend hadn't heard her, though she eventually nodded. "Yes. That is my name after all." She stopped and turned to look at her bewinged friend. "And you're Scootaloo."

The way she said it was odd, as if she just remembered.

"Ah think she's hit her head or sumthing," Apple Bloom chimed in. Trotting a lap around Sweetie, now that the unicorn had stopped.

Sweetie Belle regarded her with a mildly confused look on her muzzle. "Maaaaybe," she eventually replied.

The state of her definitely supported Apple Bloom's theory. The unicorn certainly looked like she'd spent several hours in a dangerous forest by herself, which fit, because that's exactly what she had done. Her usually soft coat looked rough, and her mane even moreso, and the way she moved was stiff, almost like she was in pain, or exhausted.

"Right," Apple Bloom concluded. Their friend clearly needed their help in some way.

"That's right. She's your friend Scootaloo, amd I'm your friend Apple Bloom" Apple Bloom explained while the unicorn stared between them. "We're really glad we found you."

Another blank stare.

"You've been gone in the Everfree Forest for hours," she prodded. "We got worried.

Sweetie Belle mulled this over and eventually gave them a crooked smile. "That's nice."

It didn't stop there. After a few seconds she reached out a hoof to them. "I'm Sweetie Belle, friends. I have been lost in the forest for hours."

"Yeah…" Scootaloo put a wing around her friend, ignoring how rough her coat felt against her feathers, and how cold the pony was. "We'd better take you back to your sister."

"Right, I have a sister." She smiled and nodded. "I should meet her."

"Zecora's closer," Apple Bloom said, giving Scootaloo a worried look.

Something was seriously wrong with their friend.

Author's Note

So this was a bit f a low effort entry. Wrote it at work by the prompt of a friend. Thinking I'll do more with this new kind of monster though.