//------------------------------//
// The cold 
// Story: The letter 
// by zoruatrainer66 
//------------------------------//

Two weeks passed slowly for me, and as those weeks passed I fell deeper into the hole of sadness. Watching from the sidelines as the older ponies starved themselves or gave more comfortable spots to rest to the young, telling their stories as they prepared to die, and withered away, watching as parents lost their parents and children lost their grandparents. Every death was a blow to the heart, as ponies I knew were dead and dying, starving and weak. Children had it the worst, especially the new born foals and younger children, this was no way to live! Confused and scared. hungry and thinning. This was no way to live...


'At least this island is warm'I thought as I looked towards the Emerald flame at the center of the island.'that fire lets us bury our dead at least.'funeral pyres were getting common now, at first it was those who could not be saved from their injuries or infections. Now it was the elderly and the weak or sick, starving themselves so us younger and stronger ponies could live longer. The latest to go was Flash Fly's Grandma. An elderly mare who always greeted you with a smile and a tray of cookies, me not having grandparents I looked to her as mine. Knowing she was gone was like a needle in my heart that hurt with every beat. Being the Queen's daughter meant getting to know the ponies of the kingdom. Seeing so many friends dying or sad and hungry felt terrible, like watching the world die.

Every death was as painful as the last. Every life lost was a broken heart, my mother fared no better. One day, while walking towards my mother I heard a cry from nearby, Trotting over I saw an infant laying on the ground crying out with hunger. Getting closer to the foal quietly I was stopped by a large white hoof, I looked up to see my mother standing behind me. She smiled wanly and walked towards the foal. Taking it in her hooves she cradled it and hushed it until it was sleeping, then she handed the foal to me and walked off to find the parents. Looking down at the foal in my hooves I remembered a  conversation about something. Thinking on this as I held the child. Something about my people and a way to save them, my eyes widening as I concentrated on this memory. It was foggy and unclear, all I remembered was a deep voice saying it could help me. After trying and failing to remember I saw my mother walking over looking sad and lost, for all the world to see she was crying, Placing the foal on my back I trotted over to my mom and hugged her close. Pulling me closer and hugging me for dear life she whimpered, "It's not fair... Why do we have to suffer? Why do we have to die? What did we do to deserve this!?" she cried out, tears streaming down her face. "This foals parents are dead... and they left behind their child. This Is no way for this foal to live." she stated quietly. Staring at the sleeping foal in my hooves, she brought me closer and nuzzled us both. weeping for the lost and crying for those who came next. I sat with her and cried my piece, sad for the foal with no parents, mad at the world for our situation, and scared for my mom and myself, what would we do when we were the only ones left.