Daisy stood and looked at the mountains that towered over her, then down at her little sister who stood just to her side. She had a coat and a big pack of food and supplies.
Daisy sighed, “Alright Dally, you ready?”
“Yes, but how long are we gonna be walking Daisy?” She asked.
“I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter, we will make it. I don’t know how long we’ll have to walk, but we can’t go more than five weeks. If we go longer than that we will run out of food.”
“What happens if we run out of food?” Dahlia asked her sister, look up at her with glowing eyes.
“Don’t worry about it. It won’t happen. The town is a three day air ballon trip away, if worst comes to worst we head down the mountain we are on and settle in one of the valleys.”
“Okay, are you ready to go Daisy?”
“Yes, cmon Dally, keep close to me and be careful.”
The sisters trudged up the first foothills of the tall mountain range that stood in front of them, about halfway up the first hill Dahlia stopped.
“Daisy I’m tired, I don’t think I can walk anymore,” she whinnied.
“Don’t give up yet, we haven’t even crossed the start line, Cmon Dally. I believe in you sis.” Daisy encouraged her sister, getting behind her and gently nudging her further up the hill.
“But Daisy, my legs hurt!”
“I know, but we have to keep walking we can take a small break once we reach the mountains. And once we get to the top on this hill we get to go downhill for a bit.”
“My bags are heavy, I wanna lay down.”
“I know Dally, here, give me one of them,” Daisy said.
Dahlia grabbed one of her bags off of her back and gave it to Daisy.
“Better?” Daisy asked.
“Yes, let’s keep going.”
Daisy and Dahlia walked for a while longer until they reached the bottom of the mountain. The sun was setting and so they set up camp. Daisy gathered firewood, some for now, and more to carry to the snowy peaks. She clicked her hooves together and lit the dry kindling and wood alight with the spark. Around the same time Dahlia finished putting up the tents. They enjoyed some soup for dinner and sat by the fire for a bit it was nice to rest their tired legs after so much walking. Dahlia quickly fell asleep and Daisy did as well, just after putting out the fire and hiding their food.
As the sun rose in the morning the sisters woke up. And continued their journey, stepping up the mountain along the rugged trail that would lead them to their new home.
The trek only got harder as the sisters stepped onward, treading carefully though the rocky cliffs every minute tested them, neigh, every second was a test for the young ponies. When Dahlia was cold Daisy comforted her, when Dahlia was hungry Daisy gave her her food, and when Dahlia was tired Daisy carried her. Daisy knew Dahlia was young, without help she’d never make it to the end of their journey. So they treked onwards as Daisy’s health declined.
***
“Daisy I think I see the ocean!” Dahlia whinnied, bouncing her hooves in the ground, she turned around to see no one there, “Daisy?” Dahlia retraced her steps a ways, she had reached the summit of the final mountain but Daisy lay in the snow a little ways from the top. Dahlia trotted down to her sister.
“Daisy! Get up, we’re almost there! We’ll get there before sunset if you hurry!” *she said, nudging her sister with her nose, Daisy was cold, her breath coming out in shallow shaky breaths.
“I-I know,” Daisy said.
Dahlia pressed her face into Daisy’s side, her sister’s fur was cold as ice, but she wasn’t shivering. “C’mon, we don’t have time to lay around and nap Daisy,” Dahlia said, pushing her little hooves into the ground in an attempt to get Daisy on her feet.
“Yeah you need to go.” Daisy said, her mane was coated in snow and a thin layer of ice crystals surrounded her muzzle.
“Yeah, WE, need to go Daisy, Cmon.”
Daisy sighed, “Dally-“
“No!” Dahlia snorted pointedly, “Get up! I’m not leaving without you!”
“You have to Dally…”
“No I’m not leaving you here! You’ll die! I can’t leave you too!” She whinnied.
“Dahlia you have to go…”
“Daisy I…”
“Dahlia…” Daisy‘a voice quivered, “…you have to leave.”
Dahlia stared at her sister for a moment and then dug through her bag, she pulled out a large loaf of bread and water and gently shoved it over to Daisy with a single hoof.
“Dally-“
“You’ll need this to survive until I come back,” Dahlia said, a couple tears in her eyes.
“But Dally-“
“No buts Daisy, I WILL come back for you, I promise.”
“…okay,” Daisy sighed.
The two sisters embraced, sharing each other’s warmth one last time before they parted, tears streamed from Daisy’s eyes stinging her cold fur. Dahlia stood up, stepping away from her sister waving as she went. Daisy watched her go, setting her head in the soft snow once her sister was out of view. She closed her eyes as the winds blew harsher. And she grew still as the snow of the frigid mountain engulfed her.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
Dahlia stared at the snow under her hooves, “it’s been so many moons…” She said under her breath, walking toward the summit, she stepped over the rocky surface and reached the spot she’d seen her sister last. From where her sister last laid a small daisy poked through the snow, flowers never grow up here, even grass doesn’t, but there it sat.
Dahlia stared at the flower, “I wonder if you know I kept my promise,” she said, a single tear coming to her eye.
She sighed and leaned down, gently plucking the daisy from the rocky dirt, “C’mon Daisy,” she said softly, “Let’s go home.”
