The chariot was silent. Sweetie Belle stared out at the city that unfolded before her. A tapestry of colors painted against a backdrop of uncertainty, it twinkled in the twilight, but for the young mare, it held more shadows than light. Her green eyes sparkled with a flicker of hope and determination. Stark contrast to Button Mash, who sat beside her, grappling with a suffocating dread that seemed to weigh down the very air they breathed.
Sweetie Belle's mind was like a haunting reel of images, chaos, blood, and death, all replaying endlessly. The news had been relentless, each broadcast a brutal reminder of the darkness that had descended upon Equestria. From the attack on Canterlot, a beloved jewel of harmony and the center of everything they held dear. To the dreadful rise of the Black Crystal that loomed ominously over the mountain, the landscape of their lives had changed irrevocably. Sweetie felt a sharp pang of anxiety twist in her stomach as she recalled the heart-wrenching stories of those trapped inside.
What kept her going, though, was the thought of her sister, Rarity, and her friends, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who were said to be caught in the attack. The images in her mind morphed into a kaleidoscope of memories. All the laughter they shared, the adventures they embarked on, the bonds they had formed. Sweetie Belle's heart ached with an overwhelming sense of guilt. Somehow she had been spared from the chaos that ensnared them. She couldn't remember why, only the vague recollection of somepony voice calling her name... and bright lights.
The young mare grabbed her head. It was pounding now. She was tired of trying to make sense of the past few months. Tired of waiting for answers, tired of being trapped in a perpetual state of uncertainty.
Button Mash turned his head toward the young mare. "Sweetie, are you okay?" His voice broke through her thoughts with concern.
She turned to him, noticing the furrow in his brow and the anxiety etched across his face. "I will be," she answered, forcing a smile that felt foreign upon her lips. This was a lie, she needed answers above all things and was unclear if she could move on without them.
Button glanced back down at the ground, his fingers nervously tapping against his leg. "What if… what if he has no answer-"
"No, Spike will tell us everything?!" Sweetie interrupted. Her eyes were full of anger and desperation. "He must know where my sister is or at least what happened to her?!" She was so certain that her words were more of a plea. However, she was unsure if these meant for him or her own doubts.
Button Mash let out a long, heavy sigh, the kind that spoke volumes. "Sweetie Belle, he survived that hell head-on." His gaze fell to his lap, unable to meet hers. "The dragon went through all of it first hand." His voice quivered with the gravity of his words. "And I'm not sure if we are ready to handle the answers that might have come from it." He winced as the chariot came to its stop. "What if he's not the same?"
Sweetie looked away, unable to bear the sight of her friend's doubts possibly adding to her own. She could feel his heart shattering from her choices, but the mare didn't care. Nothing mattered to her outside of finding the truth. "I need answers!" She declared as she jumped out of the chariot, leaving Button behind.
The young stallion shook his head, following the mare as they approached the hospital's entrance. In the back of his mind, another group of memories flashed in his mind. This wasn't the first time he arrived at a hospital with Sweetie Belle. She still couldn't remember every detail. He wanted to help her find Spike, but fear more so what the truth would reveal about her.
As they entered, the stench of death was almost suffocating. Sweetie Belle held back her gag reflex, swallowing down the bile that rose up in her throat. The hallways were a blur, she couldn't focus on anything besides her goal, pushing forward, past the cries and pleas of the sick and injured. She ignored the doctors and nurses as they rushed by, carrying medical supplies and patients alike. The sight of such devastation was almost too much to bear.
Button Mash could feel her determination faltering, but kept up to stand behind her as he always promised he would. She was shaking now, her body trembling with emotion. He could see tears brimming in her eyes, but said nothing, not wanting to upset her further. The last thing he wanted was for her to lose control and fall apart completely.
"Where is he?!" She asked a nearby nurse. "Spike the dragon!"
"Get back to your bed!" The nurse barely looked at her long enough to check if she was even a patient or not. Instead, she simply pushed the two into an empty room and shut the door behind them. The door clicked ominously behind them, leaving only the weight of uncertainty and Sweetie Belle's mounting fury.
"No, no, no?!" Sweetie screeched, her voice slicing through the heavy silence. In that moment, the adrenaline fueled her determination; the sight of Button's half-hearted attempt to look at the disheveled room. The bloodstains stubbornly embedded in the sheets didn't help quell her rising frustration. She kicked the door, summoning both her fear and her resolve.
"This is bullshit!" she shouted, bracing herself against the door with all her weight. It wouldn't budge. In Sweetie Belle's mind, every missed moment equated to one more moment without answers. "Spike gotta be here. We're going to find him, and he's going to tell us everything!"
Button Mash knew that his attempt to calm her would take more than words. "Please, listen," he urged gently, taking a step away from the unsettling sight of the hospital bed. But Sweetie's anger was a tempest without restraint. The answers were so close yet so far.
"Listen? You need to listen!" Sweetie repeated incredulously. "You didn't lose friends, you didn't lose a sister?!" Her emerald eyes blazed with intensity. "You didn't lose anything in the attack!"
Her words struck him like a dagger in his chest, a tear slipping down his cheek. She had no idea the real truth of the matter. However, he still held his tongue and took her spitfire, letting the words hit his heart. He wasn't ready to open that door. All he could do was show her a path forward. Turning toward the window, he conceded to a danger plan.
"Right! We can climb our way out," Sweetie Belle announced rushed to the opening, and kicked it open. Much to her shock the glass broke easily from the force. Was her anger just that strong right now?
Button Mash crouched his shoulders together and slowly followed behind her. "Be careful." His words were lost as she jumped around the walls and began climbing up to an empty room with an open door.
"Just follow me." Sweat dripped down her face at the drop behind her. They were already three stories up, and the room below was filled with injured ponies. One slip would mean certain death. But her determination was too great, and she continued forward. Gritting her teeth she didn't dare look down, focusing instead on reaching that annoying dragon.