Cozy Glow had never been the most athletic pony. Especially not on foot.
All this walking was beginning to take its toll on the little girl. Her breathing became more laboured with every step she took.
“Would you like to take a short rest?” Sunset asked.
Cozy ignored her and picked up the pace.
“Seriously, Cozy. You don’t have to push yourself so hard.”
“I’m fine,” she replied.
But she could only keep it up for another block or so before she ran out of steam and collapsed next to a nearby trashcan.
“How far… Is it… Left…?” She managed to wheeze out in between breaths.
“I’m sorry, Cozy, but we’re still about halfway there.”
“Halfway!?”
Every muscle in her legs hurt. Muscles she’d literally never had before.
There was no way she could walk that amount of distance again!
Sunset placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Let’s rest here for a bit.” She looked around the area. “If I remember correctly, there should be another bus stop somewhere--”
“No! I’m not taking another step!” Cozy stomped her foot for emphasis, which would have made her fall over again had she not already been leaning on the trashcan.
Sunset bit her lip. She should have had the foresight to borrow a car from one of her friends. But she couldn’t exactly call and ask them to pick her up now. Not with Cozy’s history with their Equestrian counterparts.
Flash Sentry might work. But given her reaction to the bus, she doubted Cozy would appreciate it anyway. Sunset certainly didn’t have fond memories of her first car ride…
“In that case, how about I carry you?” She suggested.
Cozy whipped her head up in surprise. “What…?”
“I’ll carry you on my back!”
Cozy shook her head. “Nu-uh! You’re not carrying me! I-I can still walk…!” She tried to wobble away, but only managed to get a few steps before her legs gave out again.
Sunset kneeled in front of her and grabbed hold of her legs. “Here. Put your arms over my shoulders.”
Too tired to struggle, Cozy was forced to oblige.
“Don’t worry. I won’t drop you,” Sunset said as she rose up. She shifted the new weight on her back a little to get a feel for it. “Whoa, you’re really light,” she noted. “Must be because you’re a pegasus.”
Cozy didn’t respond, being too busy resigning herself to the humiliation of being carried like a little foal. The looks they got from the people around them didn’t help.
“What’s that like by the way?” Sunset asked after a few minutes of walking. “Being a pegasus, I mean.”
“Don’t you know?”
Sunset shook her head. “Nope! I was a unicorn!”
Cozy hadn’t considered that. She had just assumed she was a pegasus like her.
She had never liked unicorns. They all thought they were so special just because they had magic!
“Must have been nice to be able to fly wherever you wanted,” Sunset continued. “Soaring through the sky and looking down on the landscape below you.”
“I guess,” Cozy replied. “Not that I’ll ever get to do that again…”
Sunset quickly changed the subject. She kept up the conversation the whole way, telling her a little about herself and pointing things out along the way.
Cozy stayed silent for most of the time, sometimes giving few-worded replies. She just didn’t know why Sunset bothered with this getting-to-know-each-other charade.