Scootaloo fidgeted in her seat, staring out the window, just waiting for the class day to end. Frost had formed on the edges of the panes. She studied the intricate patterns until the bell rang, jolting her out of her seat. Within seconds she scrambled out of her seat and was out the door.
Apple Bloom caught up to her outside the schoolhouse. “Uh, we’re going to Sweetie Belle’s house, right?”
“Of course.” Scootaloo was already headed down the path towards the rest of town. She bit her lip. “I mean, we don’t know for sure that anything happened to her…”
“Right, right…” Apple Bloom nodded. “I mean, she could’ve always caught a cold and didn’t notice ‘til this mornin’, or somethin’…”
“Yeah. Maybe,” Scootaloo said, but they both knew that was wishful thinking. The image of Sweetie Belle shouting above the gathering blizzard was still at the front of Scootaloo’s mind. She’d been thinking about it all through Miss Cheerilee’s lecture on Hearth’s Warming Eve today. For everypony else, it had just been a history lesson, but last night the two of them had been there.
Here in the real world, the clouds were thin and the winds were tame. It was still cold, but that dream had been something else. The weather team would never set up a blizzard like that.
Scootaloo led the way through town, moving at a fast trot, kicking up snow as they went. Ponies turned to stare at the two fillies as they wove through the streets, making a beeline for Sweetie Belle’s house.
As they came up to the house, it looked somehow foreboding, sitting silently by the side of the frozen river. It was the edge of town, but it still felt unnaturally quiet. They paused for a moment.
“I got a bad feelin’ about this…” Apple Bloom muttered.
Scootaloo said nothing. A memory of coming here with Apple Bloom a few months ago came to the front of her mind—back before anypony else knew about the nightmares. She led the way up the front steps, but before they were even to the door, it opened.
Twilight stepped out, her head hanging down. Her expression was vacant, but then she noticed the two of them standing in front of her. “Oh… Girls…”
The look on Twilight’s face said everything they needed to know.
“Sweetie Belle… Is she…” Scootaloo started to say.
“It’s…” Twilight put a hoof to her forehead. “I don’t understand. This has never happened to anypony more than once. It just shouldn’t be possible.”
“She’s asleep,” Apple Bloom muttered. “Like what’s been happenin’ to everypony.”
Twilight gave a slow nod. “Just when I thought I recognized some kind of a pattern, this happens. I’m so sorry, girls. I don’t know what I can do.”
“It’s, um... It’ll be alright. She woke up last time and she was alright, so no need to worry, right?” Apple Bloom said. She tried to smile.
“But what if this just keeps happening? For a while, I thought maybe everything was just going to pass, and even if I didn’t understand it, things would still get better, but now this happened. It just keeps getting more complicated. Nothing about it makes any sense!”
“Um…” Scootaloo paused. “Does… Rarity know?”
“Rarity…” Twilight’s eyes widened. “I completely forgot! She’s been so busy with work that I haven’t even seen her in a few days, but she probably doesn’t even know what happened!”
“You’d better go check on her. Uh, to see if she’s alright,” Apple Bloom said, trading a glance with Scootaloo. She quickly added, “I mean, not that we would know if anything was wrong with her. But she should hear what happened to Sweetie Belle. She’s, uh, probably worried. Yeah.”
Twilight sighed. “I certainly hope nothing’s happened to her. Her parents are already worried sick about Sweetie Belle,” she said. “I should stop by Carousel Boutique. Thanks for reminding me.”
Scootaloo and Apple Bloom watched her as she trotted away through the snow. They exchanged an uneasy glance.
“Sweetie Belle really is still asleep. So that means she’s probably still stuck in the dream,” Scootaloo said.
“Are you sure that can happen?”
“I don’t know. Luna’s never said anything about it. But it’s the only thing that makes sense,” Scootaloo said. “That storm last night wasn’t normal. I think both of them are trapped there.”
“Great. What are we supposed to do now?”
“Let’s just go through what happened last night,” Scootaloo said. She stared down at the snow, idly pushing it with her hoof as she thought. “Did you see what happened after I woke up?”
Apple Bloom shook her head. “I was awake right after you left. The two of ‘em were still shoutin’ at each other. That’s all I saw,” she said. “The storm was startin’ to pick up just before we woke up, though. Kinda like in the story.”
“Maybe,” Scootaloo said. “The whole dream was kind of like the pageant. Rarity was in her costume the whole time, but I don’t think it’s quite like Miss Cheerilee’s history lessons.”
“Either way, those things are supposed to go after ponies when they’re fightin’. And Sweetie Belle sure does a lot of that with her sister,” Apple Bloom said. “Guess I should’ve known this might happen.”
They started walking back into town. Past some of the rooftops, the spire on top of Carousel Boutique could be seen in the distance. The flag hung limply in the still air.
“Do they really fight that much?” Scootaloo tilted her head. “Up until Sweetie Belle got her cutie mark, she always talked about how much she wanted to be just like Rarity.”
“I don’t know how much she tells you, but from what I’ve heard, Rarity ain’t always the best sister,” Apple Bloom said. “Sweetie Belle’s always tellin’ me about little things Rarity does that get on her nerves. I mean, me and Applejack don’t always get along, but it’s never like that.”
Scootaloo nodded. “You’re probably right,” she said. “I mean, I’ve never really had a sister. At least not until a while ago. And Rainbow Dash and me never fight.”
“Trust me, this is exactly what ponies mean when they talk about ‘sibling rivalry’ and all that,” Apple Bloom said. “Rarity really must’ve trapped her in the dream, then.”
“No. She wouldn’t,” Scootaloo said. “At least not on purpose. It’s got to be whatever’s starting these nightmares in the first place. We should ask Luna about it once we see her.”
There was a sinking feeling in Scootaloo’s gut when she said that. Waiting until nightfall was going to feel like forever, but there was nothing else they could do. Just wait.
“So, uh… what d’you think Twilight’s doin’?” Apple Bloom said, glancing around. “She was just goin’ over to Rarity’s place…”
Scootaloo looked around. “I think we’re about to find out.” She pointed down the street.
Twilight was hurrying towards them. “Girls, I have to thank you for reminding me about Rarity. I probably wouldn’t have thought to go over there otherwise.” She let out a breath. Her eyes were wide.
“Uh…” Scootaloo paused. “What happened? She’s… um, okay, isn’t she?”
“I…” Twilight paused to clear her throat. “I tried knocking on her door, but she didn’t answer. I thought maybe she was just hard at work and didn’t hear me, but I went inside and…” Her voice trailed off.
Scootaloo and Apple Bloom looked at each other, but didn’t say anything.
“Rarity’s fallen asleep, too, and I couldn’t wake her up,” Twilight said. “And on the same day as Sweetie Belle. Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but I can’t help but think maybe it means something. I didn’t think it was contagious, though.”
“Uh…” Apple Bloom hesitated. She tried to act oblivious, but they had known what Twilight was going to find before she ever went over to check. “That’s… really awful to hear. You’re sure it’s the same thing?”
Twilight let out a sigh, and tried to compose herself. She looked incredibly tired. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be getting you two worried,” she said. “I promise I’ll do whatever I can for them, but I just don’t know what else to try.”
“Well, uh…” Apple Bloom tried to smile. “It’ll be fine. I’m sure somethin’ll all work out.”
“I wish it was that easy,” Twilight muttered.
Luna did not seem surprised when only the two of them showed up in the dream that night. She paced across the forest clearing, somewhat restlessly, but her expression was as impassive as ever.
“This news comes as a surprise to me as well, but I did expect to see some resistance,” she said. “The nightmares have been forced to find some way to resist our efforts. Physical obstacles have not been enough to impede your progress, so our enemy has done what they do best—exploit your emotions.”
Scootaloo took a step closer to her. “But we can get Sweetie Belle out of there, right? What’d it do to her?”
“She is trapped in the dream, just as her sister is,” Luna said, staring off into the dim blue glow beyond the trees. “It would not be difficult. Those we care about the most can also be our greatest source of distress. It simply used Rarity’s own dream, her own feelings, to ensnare them both.”
“See? Just like I thought,” Apple Bloom said. She put a hoof to her forehead. “We should’ve kept an eye on her. I should’ve known somethin’ like this would happen.”
“Neither of us knew something like this could happen,” Scootaloo said.
Luna turned her head and looked down at Apple Bloom. “I even had my concerns sending you into your own sister’s dream,” she said. “I know it took a toll on you.”
“Yeah… It sure did,” Apple Bloom muttered.
“Tonight will be dangerous. I am forced to send only two of you into one of the most unpredictable dreams you have faced yet. It is imperative that you do not let your guard down.”
“It shouldn’t be a problem, right?” Scootaloo looked over at Apple Bloom. “There’s still time to talk Rarity out of this. I know she wouldn’t want to hurt her sister, no matter how mad they get at each other.”
Apple Bloom bit her lip. “It’s definitely not gonna be that easy.”
“Is it ever?”
Luna closed her eyes, and a faint glow appeared around her horn. “I sense there is still enough time for you to help them,” she said. “I wish you the best of luck.”
She hesitated, and just briefly it looked like she was about to say something else. Then her magic grew brighter. Scootaloo glanced over at Apple Bloom as the forest disintegrated around them.
A blast of biting wind swept in from the side, nearly knocking Scootaloo over sideways into the snow. They had arrived back in the dream, and the blizzard was even worse than when they had left.
“Scootaloo?” She could hear Apple Bloom’s voice, but could barely open her eyes enough to see her in the white haze.
“I’m right here!” Scootaloo called out.
Shielding her eyes with one hoof, she took a step forward, against the wind. She could make out Apple Bloom standing only a few steps away, just where she had been standing a moment ago before they appeared here. Scootaloo made her way over to where she was and reached out to touch her on the shoulder.
“How’re we supposed to find Sweetie Belle in this?” Apple Bloom shouted, straining to be heard over the wind.
Scootaloo was already beginning to lose the feeling in the tips of her wings. She tried to ignore it and try to come up with a plan. They had to find the castle. That was the only thought in her head. Chances were Rarity and Sweetie Belle were still there. It was hard to make out anything in this storm, but they needed to find it.
“Just follow me! Stay close!”
She kept her head down, moving headfirst into the wind. Her hooves dug into the snow as she tried to keep herself steady. The faint outlines of trees could be seen as they moved further into the blizzard. They were in the same part of the forest as before, if they could make it just a little bit farther, they would have to find it…
The wind seemed to be picking up. It was hard to tell if it was actually getting colder or if they had just been exposed for too long. Scootaloo’s legs were starting to feel stiff, and she wondered if she was actually going to freeze solid.
It looked like they were in the middle of nowhere, just an empty space full of wind and cold, but it had to be the same part of the woods from last time. It couldn’t be too far.
Scootaloo picked her head up and squinted. The wind buffeted her face, and she couldn’t even move her mouth enough to form words. There was no way they could stay here much longer.
A dark shape was beginning to take form in front of them. Scootaloo forced herself to look up at it, squinting, until it came into view. Dark stone brickwork rose up in front of them.
Turning back to Apple Bloom, she raised a hoof to point ahead at the structure. Apple Bloom stared ahead blankly, then seemed to get the message.
The two of them pushed ahead against the raging storm and ran up to the door. All they had to do was get inside and then they could have shelter from the worst of the blizzard. There was no longer light coming from the windows, and they could only guess what things were like inside, but there was nowhere else to go.
Scootaloo turned her shoulder against the wooden surface of the huge wooden door, feeling a thin layer of frost covering the rough grain, and threw her entire weight into it.
Apple Bloom hurried to her side to help her, and the two of them struggled against it.
“It’s… no use…” Apple Bloom panted. “Remember? We didn’t get it open by ourselves last time. Sweetie Belle had to use her magic.”
Scootaloo paused. She hadn’t even thought of that, but all of her concentration had been focused on getting out of this blizzard.
“M-Maybe there’s another w-way in?” Apple Bloom stared up at the wall, and shivered. “One of the… w-windows, maybe. You could fly up there.” She leaned against the wall, slowly lowering herself to sit down.
Scootaloo shook her head. “No. We’re going in there together. We already lost Sweetie Belle. We can’t split up.”
In a way, it almost made sense. This was Princess Platinum’s castle. The door was way too heavy to open without magic, even for a full-grown earth pony or pegasus. It was perfect for the Unicorn tribe. It was hard to believe that they had just been sitting in a history lesson about it yesterday.
Standing up, Scootaloo stared at the door. “We… We have to get in there. This is all a dream, so this thing isn’t even real.”
“It sure feels heavy enough…” Apple Bloom muttered. “And c-cold enough.”
“Just try to forget about all that,” Scootaloo said. “We can either get through here or sit out here and freeze. We need to try again.”
She leaned her shoulder against the door and pushed, feeling herself slip against the icy surface. Not only was it heavy, it was probably also frozen shut. They really couldn’t get a break.
Apple Bloom stood back, watching her. She gritted her teeth, and raised a hoof to shield her face from the wind. “We’ve t-tried to open this thing. It doesn’t work. Maybe there’s another way.”
“Things are different in a dream. We can do things that we can’t when we’re awake. I can fly, Sweetie Belle can do all sorts of magic. You just have to convince yourself that you can do this,” Scootaloo said.
“It’s way too c-cold to be talkin’ like that,” Apple Bloom said, her teeth chattering.
“We have to do it. Sweetie Belle and Rarity are both counting on us.”
Apple Bloom shook her head, shivered again, then took a step back. She squinted, sizing up the door towering over her.
“If this doesn’t work…” Apple Bloom said. “You should probably just fly in that window. Without me.”
“It’s going to work.”
Apple Bloom gave a shrug. She steeled herself, gritting her teeth, then spun around and delivered a swift kick with her back hooves.
The gates crashed open, suddenly swinging with no resistance.
The two of them stood there, gaping at it. It didn’t seem possible.
Apple Bloom put a hoof to her forehead. “I can’t believe that just…”
“No time to stop and stare. Let’s get inside, quick.” Scootaloo was already sprinting ahead, snow flying out from under her hooves. Once her hoof touched the bare stone floor, she slid ahead, nearly losing her balance.
The surface was slick with a layer of ice.
The entire hall was frozen. The torches that had lit the room were dark, and icicles hung from the iron sconces. Scootaloo could almost see her own reflection in the glassy surface of the floor. Everything was unnaturally still. After the chaos outside in the storm, it was even more unsettling.
“No…” Apple Bloom breathed. “No way.”
Scootaloo turned to see what she was looking at.
Encased in two of the crystalline ice formations were Rarity and Sweetie Belle, in the same places they had stood last night. Their eyes were still locked on each other in unblinking glares.
“They’re… It’s just like the old Hearth’s Warming Eve legend, isn’t it?” Apple Bloom said. “They really did get frozen solid.”
Slowly, Scootaloo trotted over to the chunk of ice Sweetie Belle was trapped in. She paced around it, cautiously raising a hoof and tapping on it. It was solid. Sweetie Belle’s eyes stared out at her, unmoving, unblinking.
“Do you think it was those Windigos?” Apple Bloom said, circling around them, keeping her distance from both the walls and the ice crystals.
“It’s whatever we’ve been facing this whole time,” Scootaloo said. “Rarity was dreaming about the old legend. And the nightmare made it all real. In the dream, at least.”
Outside the storm was howling, beating against the door, creaking in its hinges but holding closed. Apple Bloom’s hoofsteps echoed in the silent chamber as she continued to pace around the two frozen ponies.
“Well, there’s no way we’re talkin’ ‘em out of this,” Apple Bloom said. “We’re gonna have to think of somethin’ else.”
“We need to think. This is just like the Hearth’s Warming Eve story…” Scootaloo muttered. She tried to remember what Miss Cheerilee had said in her lecture—she’d been doing her best to listen, but it was hard to focus when she could only think about Sweetie Belle. And now she couldn’t think of anything when Sweetie Belle needed her.
“This whole dream’s like the play last year, isn’t it?” Apple Bloom said, staring up at the arched ceiling of the great hall. Long icicles were hanging down. “After they froze, it was…”
“Clover the Clever. She used her unicorn magic,” Scootaloo said. “And neither of the unicorns here are going to be much help right now.”
“Hold on. There’s still one more thing we can try.” Apple Bloom trotted over to where Sweetie Belle was frozen in the ice, trying not to slip as she crossed the room. She inspected the ice carefully, then spun around and kicked it full-force with her hind legs.
“What are you doing?” Scootaloo shouted, dashing forward. She slid on the ice and caught herself just before doing a faceplant.
Apple Bloom winced, shaking out her back legs. She turned and tapped on the ice with one hoof. “No use. I don’t think we can break this stuff.”
Scootaloo squinted at Sweetie Belle, still looking the same as she had been. “Is she okay?”
“I wouldn’t say that, exactly,” Apple Bloom said. “I don’t think that did anything to her, though.”
“Great.” Scootaloo sighed, watching her breath condense in the air in front of her. “I guess it was worth a shot, maybe.”
Scootaloo leaned up against one of the walls, but it was freezing to the touch. She backed away towards the center of the room, and shivered.
Chances were, they’d still be here for a few more hours. The night had only just begun. But what else could they do? Scootaloo wished she could ask Luna for help, but that would mean waiting another whole day. She couldn’t leave Sweetie Belle like this.
Apple Bloom looked back at the door. Since they’d come in, icicles had already started dripping down, sealing the entrance. It shouldn’t be surprising. This wasn’t a normal storm. Even as she was frozen in place, Rarity’s mind was still creating this blizzard.
“Is this how they really think of each other?” Scootaloo said. “I know these nightmares change ponies, but there’s usually some truth to them.”
“Did you ever hear about that time Sweetie Belle’s parents went out of town and left her with Rarity?” Apple Bloom said. “They ended up gettin’ in a huge fight. She actually came over to my place and tried to make Applejack be her sister instead.”
“Seriously?”
“And back then I actually thought that was the worst fight they’d ever have. Now look at ‘em.” Apple Bloom pointed at Sweetie Belle. “I thought they made up after they did the Sisterhooves Social together, but I guess not.”
“What about the camping trip?”
Apple Bloom shook her head. “You know Rarity’s never liked that kind of stuff. Sweetie Belle practically had to force her to come along.”
It was hard to think about summer right now. In fact, it was only getting colder the longer they stayed here. Scootaloo began to wonder if they would even get out of here tonight. If the dream could trap Sweetie Belle so easily, chances were it could get them, too...
“If anythin’, it’s only gotten worse,” Apple Bloom said. “Sweetie Belle used to want to be just like Rarity, remember? Ever since she got her cutie mark she hasn’t said a word about fashion.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Scootaloo said. “I guess she never was very good at making clothes.” She glanced over at Sweetie Belle, almost as if she was worried she had heard that, but she was still frozen solid.
This couldn’t be all there was. They had gone through tons of dreams now. They never just ran out of options like this. The door was completely iced shut, though, and the chamber seemed to be growing even darker. Scootaloo breathed into her hooves, trying to keep whatever body heat she could.
A thought crossed her mind, something about the icy walls of this castle and the crystal palace from another dream, one that seemed like it had been forever ago. She pushed it out of her head and watched Apple Bloom. She didn’t seem to be faring much better in the cold. Who knew how much longer either of them could take it?
“You’re really planning to move out to Manehattan someday, huh?” Scootaloo said.
Apple Bloom stared at her. “Well, I guess so, but what does that have to do with anythin’?”
“You used to think you’d be working on the farm forever, like your family. But then you changed your mind,” Scootaloo said. “But you’re still not leaving them behind completely.”
“Of course not!” Apple Bloom said. “That’s how the Apple family is. I couldn’t get rid of ‘em even if I wanted to.” She gave a weak smile, then shuddered again in the cold.
Scootaloo flapped her wings a few times for warmth, trying to get feeling back into them. “Sweetie Belle does seem a lot happier when she goes up on stage,” she muttered. “Maybe she’s better off not trying to be exactly like Rarity. It just isn’t who she is.”
“Well, it sure didn’t get her a cutie mark,” Apple Bloom said. “But… maybe you’ve got a point.”
Scootaloo sighed, watching her breath form in the air. Come to think of it, wasn’t she the same way? The first time she’d ever gone into one of those dreams, she’d just been trying to be a hero like Rainbow Dash. But Rainbow Dash had definitely never done anything quite like this, even on all the adventures she’d gone on with Twilight and the others. There was no way anything in the real world compared to how weird these dreams got. And yet Scootaloo had come this far.
“Maybe…” Scootaloo scratched her head. She could feel a few flakes of snow and frost caught in her mane. “I’ve always been trying to be like her, too…”
She paused. Something was different. Light was starting to shine through the upper windows. Faint orange light, like the sunrise in the morning, shining over the glistening surface of the ice. It was hard to feel anything, but Scootaloo thought it might be getting a few degrees warmer.
“Wait, what’s goin’ on now? Did you do somethin’?” Apple Bloom said.
“I don’t… think so?” Scootaloo said.
The ice around Rarity was starting to melt. Her eyes were still blazing, fixed on Sweetie Belle, and she immediately launched back into a fury. “—if you weren’t always barging in unannounced!” Suddenly the realization hit her, and she stopped. The expression of rage on Rarity’s face slowly changed to confusion. She looked down at her hooves still encased in the rapidly melting ice. “What… What in Equestria have I been doing?”
Apple Bloom stared at her. She nudged Scootaloo. “Did she, uh… hear us? All that stuff about her and Sweetie Belle?”
Rarity tried to yank her hoof free from the ice, but the last of it was melting and she was soon loose. She adjusted her tiara and gazed up at the ceiling of the great hall. “I simply cannot believe it. It feels like it’s even colder than before. What’s happened? What are you two doing here?”
“Rarity—uh, I mean, Princess Platinum?” Apple Bloom stammered. “You okay?”
Rarity studied the two of them for just a moment, then her eyes widened. “Sweetie Belle? What happened to you?” Rarity galloped ahead, ignoring the others as she ran up to meet her sister.
Sweetie Belle was shaking the last of the melting ice off of herself. She noticed Scootaloo, then turned her attention back to Rarity.
“Why are we...” Sweetie Belle stared at Rarity, frowning. “We’re still in the… Uh…”
Rarity paused, and for the first time she seemed to notice what had happened. “My… My castle!” she shrieked. “What’s happened to it? This is simply awful!”
“But, uh, you’re okay, right?” Apple Bloom said. “You were just stuck in a block of ice for a whole day, after all.”
Sweetie Belle blinked at her. “What do you mean, a whole day?” She shook her head. “That wouldn’t make any sense. I would’ve woken—“
Scootaloo cut her off. “We’ll explain later.” She nodded towards Rarity.
“Oh, right.” Sweetie Belle stared down at the floor. She rubbed her hooves together for warmth, and stared at them. “A whole day, though?”
“Sweetie Belle…” Rarity’s eyes narrowed. “None of this would have happened if you had just let me be alone. You know how I don’t like to be disturbed!”
“You think this is my fault?” Sweetie Belle said. She planted her hooves in the ground. “Do you even know what this place is? I only came because I wanted to help!”
“Oh, and what a lot of help you were! It’s going to take forever to thaw this place out.”
Apple Bloom rushed forward and put a hoof in front of Rarity. “You’d better not start yellin’ again.”
Rarity took a deep breath. “Now, Sweetie Belle, I know you mean well, but you’re always doing this. Trying to help, and then only managing to get in the way.” Rarity sighed. “If you would just take a moment to stop and think—“
“There you go again! Blaming me for everything!” Sweetie Belle said. “What, do you want me to not help you? Just leave you alone forever?”
“Of course not!”
“You’ve just always been the bigger sister. Mom and Dad always talk about how proud they are of your fashion career. I just want to feel like I can do something right, too.”
Rarity frowned. “Is that... really how you feel?” she asked.
“And then whenever I do get something right, it’s like you don’t even notice,” Sweetie Belle said. “Just look around. Do you even know where we are?”
“Of course I do! This is the…” Rarity paused. She looked around the castle again, squinting at it. “It’s obviously…”
“I came all the way out here to get you to come back,” Sweetie Belle said. “Can’t you at least thank me for that?”
Rarity looked down at her, and slowly took a step back. She sighed. “I suppose I owe you at least that much, don’t I?” She shook out her royal cape, trying to dry it out. “Sweetie Belle, I don’t know what got into me. I was… I tried to shut you out. My dear sister, can you ever forgive me?” She threw her hooves around Sweetie Belle, squeezing her in a tight hug.
“Ugh, your hooves are freezing,” Sweetie Belle said.
Rarity pulled back. “Oh. Right. Sorry.”
Scootaloo could feel her teeth chattering. “Speaking of getting Rarity out of here, it’s kind of too cold to just be standing around.”
Rarity glanced over at her. “Oh. Yes, of course. Now how exactly do we get back to Ponyville?”
“I can’t even tell how long it’s been,” Apple Bloom said. “It’s gotta be almost—“
Scootaloo could feel the morning sun, a welcome feeling of warmth shining on her face as she woke up.
The next morning, Scootaloo trotted into class as she always did. The weather team had set up a light dusting of snow, but she didn’t even mind the long trek across town. She had been through worse.
She sat at her desk, staring out the window as she waited for class to start.
“Oh, Sweetie Belle! It’s so good to see you. Are you feeling better today?” Cheerilee said. Scootaloo turned her head.
“Yeah. A lot better,” Sweetie Belle said. She stood at the door, kicking the snow off her hooves. “What did I miss yesterday?”
“We finished our lesson on Hearth’s Warming Eve. You should probably read that part in the book for homework to catch up with the rest of the class.”
“Oh. Yeah, probably,” Sweetie Belle said, nodding. She trotted over to take her seat next to Scootaloo and wait for the lesson to begin.
After school the three of them headed out into town. Another nightmare down, and who knew how many left to go. Spending the afternoon taking it easy at Sugarcube Corner sounded pretty good right now. There was nothing else to worry about for a little while, at least.
“I still can’t believe it. So you guys woke up, and me and Rarity were still in the dream?” Sweetie Belle said.
Apple Bloom nodded. “Don’t you remember anythin’ about that blizzard?”
“I guess I kind of got carried away,” Sweetie Belle replied. “After a while I didn’t even notice the cold anymore. And then, before I knew it, you guys were there, waking both of us up.”
“Luna said the nightmares are getting more dangerous,” Scootaloo said. “We can’t really count anypony as safe anymore. Unless we figure out how to stop it, it’ll just keep going around.”
“Great…” Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes.
“Let’s just take it easy for a while, alright?” Apple Bloom said. “The important thing is we got you back.”
“Think we should go check on Rarity?” Scootaloo said. “We’re right by her house now.”
Sweetie Belle shook her head. “After she missed almost two days of work? I don’t think so,” she said. “She was right. I should just give her some space.”
Scootaloo nodded, frowning. “Maybe that’s for the best.”
“Sweetie Belle!”
They glanced over to see Rarity running towards them, her scarf billowing out behind her in the wind.
“Rarity? What are you doing here?”
“Mother and Father told me what happened to you. And to me, as well, apparently,” Rarity said. “But I simply had to find you and make sure you were feeling well. Whatever this illness is, it’s simply dreadful. But there’s no need to worry about me, I’m feeling fine, but… Are you…”
“Well, uh…” Sweetie Belle stared at her, fumbling over her words. “I, um… I’m doing alright. Don’t you have stuff to catch up on?”
“I looked at what I had to do and I suppose I’m not that busy,” Rarity said, toying with her mane. “Besides, I think we could both use a day off after whatever it was we’ve been through. Don’t you agree?”
Sweetie Belle paused. “You’re serious?”
“Perhaps when I heard what happened to both of us I realized I’ve been shutting you out lately. I can’t exactly afford to take much time off from my work, of course, but we could still share some time together,” Rarity said. “If you want to go off with your friends, I understand, but—“
“That sounds perfect!” Sweetie Belle looked back at the others. “You guys wouldn’t mind, would you?”
“Do whatever you want,” Scootaloo said. “We’ll be fine.”
“I’ll see you guys later, then,” Sweetie Belle said. She hurried over to Rarity’s side, and they started to trot off towards the center of town. “I never got a chance to thank you for the scarf. It’s super nice!”
“So you think they’ve made up for good now?” Scootaloo said, watching Sweetie Belle and Rarity disappear.
Apple Bloom shook her head. “Of course not. They’re sisters.”
“You’ve got a point.”