Nights on Horlick's Hill

by RarityEQM

Night 25

Diamond knew better than to use her star. She knew better than to make the wish for Scootaloo's return and give into the desire screaming at her in the back of her mind. She knew better than to wish Scootaloo would come back, no matter how badly she wanted to do so. Such a wish would be to invite disaster. Scootaloo's parents could die. That would send her back to live with her aunts. One of the Cutie Mark Crusader's could die as well. Scootaloo's parents would surely let her come back to attend the funeral. Just because Diamond would wish Scootaloo would come back wouldn't mean she'd 'stay' in ponyville. Or, on a much worse note, Scootaloo could return dead, her parents having decided to bury her in Ponyville where she spent most of her youth. There was an infinite well of horrors the star could choose from in order to grant the most mundane of wishes. It was gut-wrenchingly cruel in that regard and it was that very reason Diamond habitually wore it around her neck. It was her star, and her responsibility to protect other ponies from its nigh endless cruelty.

Days trickled by. One after another after another after another, twenty four hours like sand through Diamond's hooves. Days were like hours, and the hours were like seconds, and the seconds burned and bled into each other, passing by seamlessly with no beginning to their ends and no end to their beginnings.

Throughout the radiant blur of misery, the Night's Errant decided to bury herself in her work. To lose herself in her dedication to the night and funnel her distress into something positive. So she begged Princess Luna for a task, any task at all, really, to keep her focused on something other than the Hill that over looked Ponyville and the hole carved out of her heart in the shape of an orange pegasus. Luna, of course, obliged, sending Diamond to various locations on the map. To cities, to caves, to haunted forests, and desolate deserts, but regardless of the numerous missions Diamond had been tasked with, nothing proved to help. Every time she returned the hole in her heart remained just as large as it did when she left.

Days had passed since Diamond had peered up at the stars. Weeks had passed since she'd made any wishes. A month passed by since she visited the hill. There really wasn't any point. It had started as an excuse for Diamond to steal a break from the evenings demands and feed her obsession with stars, but once Scootaloo had started joining her, it had become an excuse for Diamond to hang out with her best friend. Her only real friend. Now she had no excuse at all to journey towards the hill late at night. She could look at stars anywhere she wanted during the evening. The hill was no longer special and the magic had all been drained away. Still, once again, Diamond found herself trudging along the dirt path towards Horlick's Hill. It was habit, she was certain, almost as certain as the dull ache that throbbed miserably inside of her.

"You'se had to screw this up, didn't you'se, Diamond? Y-you'se just had to go and mess it all up!! First you'se was obsessed with stars cause you'se wanted a family. You'se wanted a star so bad you'se got sick trying to catch one. Then you'se haaaaaaaaaaaad to come ta Ponyville ta thank Luna for the stars in the sky. You'se found a family. Bardigan adopted you'se. Luna gave you'se a job. You even found out you'se wasn't gonna die from Icarus Syndrome. You'se, just, couldn't, be, happy. No. Noooooo. No, Diamond, You'se HAD ta go n' make friends with Scootaloo. You'se just HAD ta run into another pegasus who was around you'se age, had the same problems you'se had, and was friendly, and...and...you'se just...you'se just had ta go and let her in, didn't you'se?! YOU'SE HAD TO STILL BE LONELY, YOU'SE IDIOT!! And now look?! LOOK AT THIS MESS!! You'se should never have gotten attached. But you'se did. And now...now you'se is all alone again. You'se knew this was gonna happen. This always happens when you'se make friends. It never lasts. 'Magic of friendship' Pah. Ain't that a kick in the tail," Diamond snarled, trudging up the side of the hill. Each step weighted like she were wearing lead horseshoes. She stopped at the summit and gazed across the darkened town below, where a morose sigh spilled past her lips.

"Is...is friendship supposed to be like this?" Diamond called out. The night did not reply. The filly reached a hoof up and rubbed her eyes with a whimper, finding her vision was starting to get blurry. It didn't help. She shook her head but the tears didn't stop.

"This is stupid!! THIS IS STUPID!! Knock it off, Diamond, You're fine! I DON'T CARE IF SHE'S GONE!! This don't bother me none! I'm invincible! I DON'T CARE!!" Diamond screeched into the night, listening to her own voice echo a confirmation of the situation. She reached up and rubbed at her eyes again. "I'm invincible!! I'M INVINCIBLE DARN IT! ... SO WHY DOES THIS HURT SO MUCH?!" Diamond barked, trembling with a terrible rage that bubbled to the surface just below her sorrow. She wanted to scream and lash out, violently slam her body into something and break it into a bazillion pieces. Instead she settled herself down under the huge tree and buried her head in her forelegs. It hurt to much to sob anymore. Her tears only seemed to make things worse somehow. The girl sighed, peering at the glimmering jewel dangling from her neck. What was the point of having all the power in the cosmos if you were too scared to use it? Especially using it on something you wanted? Diamond bit her lower lip. Maybe the star would do something benign. Perhaps she could make it benevolent if she tried hard enough.

"I wish..."

She trailed off, images of Scootaloo's casket flickered through her mind.

"I wish..."

Diamond winced. The image of Scootaloo's casket was replaced with two coffins and Scootaloo standing over them distraught.

"I wish..." Diamond sighed. She could think of one million ways that this could go wrong, and what scared her the most were all the ways she couldn't think of. She drew in a deep breath, peering at the gem again and squeezed her eyes shut.

"I wish Scootaloo would come back? Granted,"

Diamond's head snapped up in surprise at the voice that made the wish for her and came from somewhere overhead. Immediately, the filly jumped to her hooves, watching in utter amazement as an orange pegasus dropped down from the branches above her, grinning wildly.

"Heya Diam-" Scootaloo yelped with a squeal, unable to finish her sentence due to the other filly that immediately wrapped her legs around her in a tight hug.

"SCOOTALOO!! S-Scootaloo!! You're back! You're back, you're back!! I-I thought that I would never, ever, never see you'se again!! I thought you'se was gone forever!!" Diamond shrieked, fresh tears racing down her face while she squeezed Scootaloo as hard as she could, as if afraid letting go would result in the girl vanishing. Scootaloo, however, did not vanish and simply wrapped her forelegs around the other girl gently.

"My parents changed their minds at the last minute. I've been lookin' for you to let you know, but you haven't been hitting the hill!" Scootaloo explained, trying to wrench her way from Diamond's grasp. Diamond did not let go.

"I'm s-so sorry I didn't, d-didn't make a wish for yo-" Diamond sputtered, but Scootaloo shook her head.

"Naw. You were right. I shouldn't have asked you to do that. I'm sorry, if something terrible would have happened I'd be the one to blame but you would have shared in the guilt and that's not really the sort of thing I wanna do to you. Forgive me?" Scootaloo asked meekly, watching Diamond nod her head against her chest. That was a yes, if Scootaloo had to guess. She smiled.

"Can, um, D, can you let go?" Scootaloo asked. Diamond shook her head, but she only clung to Scootaloo a few moments longer before she reached up to dab at her eyes again.

"Why'd you wait so long to tell me you were here? Were you in the tree that whole time?" Diamond squeaked. Scootaloo shrugged.

"I was waiting for you on the Hill! I said I've been lookin for you, and since I don't know where you live, and you only come out at night, this was my best bet! I kinda dozed off, and only woke up when I heard you under me. Where've you been?!" Scootaloo questioned. Diamond gave a groan.

"Coming back here reminded me of you'se too much, so, I, was sorta trying to avoid it until it didn't hurt so bad. So, I asked Luna to help keep me occupied. She's been having me go on all sorts of adventures!" Diamond explained. Scootaloo nodded, a grin tugging at her lips and she sat down on the hill side.

"Wanna tell me about 'em?" She asked. Tearfully, Diamond smiled, sat down next to her and nodded her head.

Comments

[Olden Bronie]

Beautifully written, as always, dear Lady! You made Diamonds' anguish at her loss so very heartbreaking. And her joy at being reunited with her best friend was expressed with all the joy of coming in from a long, cold night into the warm embrace (literally!) of perfect friendship! Well done, Rarity!

[RoyalBardofCanterlot]

Days had passed since Diamond had peered up at the stars. Weeks had passed since she'd made any wishes. A month passed by since she visited the hill. There really wasn't any point. It had started as an excuse for Diamond to steal a break from the evenings demands and feed her obsession with starts, but once Scootaloo had started joining her, it had become an excuse for Diamond to hang out with her best friend. Her only real friend. Now she had no excuse at all to journey towards the hill late at night. She could look at stars anywhere she wanted during the evening. The hill was no longer special and the magic had all been drained away. Still, once again, Diamond found herself trudging along the dirt path towards Horlick's Hill. It was habit, she was certain, almost as certain as the dull ache that throbbed miserably inside of her.

*Obsession with stars?

[RoyalBardofCanterlot]

Awww, this was sweet! Diamond's anguish was painful and I loved the reunion.

[Olden Bronie]

I have a good idea what Scoots is planning and I hope so much that Silver likes Diamond, too and isn't mean to her. Diamond deserves someone nice and 'Cause Scoots will probably lose her in the Everfree if she isn't.