Nights on Horlick's Hill

by RarityEQM

Night 24

She had been crying again, a curious departure from the brilliantly bright and shiny grin that encompassed her features the night before. Concerned, but wary, Diamond slowed her pace , letting her intrepidation lead her towards the top of the hill. Scootaloo's face was marred much like the night before; orange streaks discolored the fur along her cheeks and spoke in volumes to Diamond, screaming of some unspoken tragedy.

Nearing the summit of the hill, Diamond grasped at the last fringes of hope, holding out that perhaps, maybe these were happy tears like the night before. That something even better had occurred that left Scootaloo's face awash in liquid emotion. Perhaps that was why she was sitting at the top of the hill on a Saturday. Rarely did the two of them meet on nights that weren't Friday. A Saturday meet was cause for every alarm signal that Diamond had and she steeled herself as best she could while taking to the short jaunt that closed the distance between her and her companion.

Tearfully, Scootaloo turned and peered at Diamond through red, bloodshot eyes. In her hooves, she grasped a crumble post card and clutched it morosely against her chest. She reached up, hiccuped and rubbed at her eyes, staring fixated at the other girl who sat down next to her.

"We're moving," were the only two words Scootaloo could manage before a fresh round of tears tore mercilessly at her fragile stability. Diamond, swallowed quietly, and deftly nodded her head, suddenly finding her own composure slipping through her hooves like sand.

"I...Wha-....You-....n-no...no you'se can't....No....nononononoNO!" Diamond squeaked, her hooves immediately circling around Scootaloo's frame to squeeze her tightly, as if somehow her body could protect her from fate's cruel touch like a shield.

A moment passed, before Scootaloo tugged herself away, reaching a hoof up to draw over her nose in a halfhearted attempt to console herself. She'd spent the better half of the day crying, but still found tears to shed.

"W-when...When are you m-" Diamond asked, before Scootaloo cut her off grimly

"Tomorrow," she huffed. Diamond's jaw dropped. The night had given her a one-two punch to the gut with a surprising viciousness. Tomorrow?! That wasn't fair at all! That wasn't enough time! Did their remaining hours together need to be so short? Did fate need to be so relentlessly cruel?! Diamond climbed to her hooves and pulled herself into a hasty pace around the tree at the top of the hill. She wildly wracked her brain for solutions, ideas, plans, something, ANYTHING she could do to keep her best friend in town. Nothing came to mind, however, and Diamond found herself giving pause to her contemplation when she noticed Scootaloo staring at her. Quietly, Scootaloo lifted a shaky hoof, pointing it desperately towards the dangling bauble around Diamond's throat.

"Y-you can fix this, can't you?! You can make this all go away, right? Diamond?! Please?!" Scootaloo sobbed. Nervously, Diamond cupped the glimmering bulb in her hooves and stared into the heart of the gem. She bit at her lower lip before swallowing and opening her mouth.

"I...I wish..."She sputtered, stopped, drew in a deep breath, and let the pendant return to the dangling state against her chest. Scootaloo stared quietly, and Diamond tearfully shook her head.

"S-Scoot...Scootaloo, I can't..." Diamond whimpered. Scootaloo glared in disbelief before wildly shaking her head. No. This couldn't be happening!

"W-what do you mean you can't!! Yes you can!! YES YOU CAN! YOU CAN! IT'S EASY!" She shrieked, reaching over to grasp the smaller filly's shoulders with her forelegs. Diamond blinked back tears and meekly shook her head again.

"Scootaloo, I can't. I can't and you'se know that I can't," Diamond sniffled softly and cast her gaze anywhere she could other than Scootaloo's heart-broken eyes. Scootaloo wasn't having any of that though, no, she clutched Diamond tightly and growled.

"Y-you said it was only for emergencies, right?! This is an emergency! I don't wanna leave Ponyville! I can't! This is...This is where my school is! This is where my friends are! This is my home! Don't make me leave! I need you! Come on D, make the wish!!" Scootaloo shrieked. Diamond lurched herself away, and buried her face in her hooves.

"Scootaloo, please d-don't make me do this! I don't wanna do this, this isn't what...this isn't w-what you'se want..." Diamond begged.

"YES! YES IT IS! YOU'RE MY LAST CHANCE!! WE'RE FRIENDS AREN'T WE?! SISTERS, REMEMBER?! Don't let this happen, Diamond! You can't let this happen!!" Scootaloo barked, reaching out to grasp at Diamond's pendant. Diamond pulled away, leaping back, tears now starting to trickle down her blackened fur.

"I CAN'T Scootaloo! If I make a wish, it will come true. If I wish you'se could stay in Ponyville, it'll do anything to make that happen. What's the worst thing you'se can think of?! It might do that! What if it killed you'se parents?! Huh?! Then you'd get to stay here, wouldn't you'se?! Is that what you'se want?! What if you'se died?! They'd bury you'se here Scoots...You'd never go anywhere again! What if you'se got lost or trapped somewhere and couldn't get free? You'd be forced to stay!" What kind of sister would I be if I did that to you'se? I can't, Scoots. I...I don't want you'se to move, but I don't want anything bad to happen to you'se either!" Diamond squealed. Scootaloo glared at the crystal filly quietly, her chest trembling with every labored breath and her eyes locked onto the hanging jewel wrapped around Diamond's neck.

"But there's a chance those things won't happen. Right?" Scootaloo hissed. Diamond's ears splayed to either side of her head and the filly took a step back.

"I won't...I won't gamble on you'se life Scoots, you'se is my best friend! I can't, Scoots, I can't do this! Don't make me do this!" Diamond plead. Scootaloo glared the devil's glare and quietly turned away from Diamond Dancer with a look of disgust etched over her muzzle. Diamond wildly shook her head, reaching out for the orange pegasus, but stopped short of actually grasping her.

"L-look, maybe we can find another way! Maybe we can-" Diamond babbled, but Scootaloo cut her off with a vicious snarl.

"We. Tried. We tried everything! We spent the whole day trying everything we could think of. Nothing worked. You were my last hope. See you around, Diamond. Oh. Wait. I guess I won't," Scootaloo snarled, stomping down the hill to her scooter. She tossed Diamond a vile look, turned her Scooter around, and blasted off into the night, leaving Diamond alone on the hill.

Lugubriously, Diamond watched and kept watching, standing perfectly still in her observation of Scootaloo, until the filly disappeared out of view. Quietly, Diamond cupped her gem in her hooves again and glared at the sparkly crystal. The star was the ultimate incarnation of irony: It could grant her anything she asked for, but it rarely gave her what she wanted. She had one of the most powerful artifacts in existence in her hooves and yet there wasn't anything she could do to keep her best friend from leaving her. She could reach into an endless void of power and bend reality itself, and yet, she was alone. She was alone again. For a brief, shining part of her life, she was blessed with friends. The only pony in the whole world Diamond knew who could understand the agony of being a ground-bound pegasi.

Vehemently, Diamond yanked the collar off her neck and threw it as hard as she possibly could into the darkness, christening the voyage with a feral scream of anguish . She watched it sail into the distance before the weight of the evenings sorrowed buckled her knees and she crumpled to the ground. With the last words Scootaloo had said ringing in her ears, Diamond buried her face under her hooves and began to cry.

Comments

[Olden Bronie]

That was so heart wrenching! I just ached for both of them. I thought of friends I'd had to leave and remembered how much it hurt.

I hope they don't ever forget their friendship. I hope there is a better ending than mine were.

Well done, Rarity. You made all this seem so real and raw and I could feel their conflict and pain. You really brought out all those emotions!

[RoyalBardofCanterlot]

Ouch.