Sounds were distant and distorted as things came back to Scootaloo.

"Rarity! It hurts so bad!" Cried a familiar high-pitched voice.

"Don't try to stand up, Sweetie Belle." Commanded a deeper voice.

"This is bad..." Commented a deeper southern voice. "Real bad!"

Scootaloo opened her eyes.

She was laying on her stomach in front of a big tree, face right on top of the roots. She hauled herself up to her hooves and shook the stars from her eyes... only to have her helmet disintegrate into three pieces and fall to the ground.

"Woah," she said, barely able to stand.

The filly looked to her left to see her prized Scooter broken in two pieces. This normally would have bummed her out royally, but she was happy to be on all four hooves.

"Ya alright, Sugarcube?" Said Apple Jack's voice from behind her.

"Yeah... I think so. What happened?"

"Ya got into an accident... Sweetie Belle's been hurt."

"What?" She turned to face the farm pony, who had a very somber look to her face. "What do you mean Sweetie Belle's been hurt?"

Apple Jack move to the side and motioned behind herself to the road, lowering her eyes.

Scootaloo could see that Sweetie Belle was laying sideways on the side of the road completely still, but couldn't make much of her out on account of Apple Bloom, Fluttershy, Twilight, and Rarity being in the way. She could, however, make out their faces... they all looked as pale and as grave as Apple Jack.

"Sweetie Belle!" Shouted Scootaloo, going full speed to her friend with wings buzzing. "Are you okay?"

Apple Bloom glanced back briefly then stepped aside, allowing Scootaloo a clear view of what had happened... what she had done.

Sweetie Belle looked up at her friend with big green eyes, her face bloodied, particularly around the mouth and nose... and yet she still smiled at the familiar sight of her friend standing above her. The injured Unicorn took in deep, labored breaths, wincing in pain after each inhale. Tears where in her eyes due to the sharp pain of the seemingly superfical wounds, but it wasn't all cosmetic despite it's initial appearance; the young Pegasus noticed that her friend's right side seemed to be slightly caved in, and when she breathed in deep it was even more obvious. Sweetie Belle let out a sharp cough, blood pouring from her mouth.

And if that wasn't grim enough a sight, Twilight had noticed when Sweetie first tried to stand... only her front half was working.

"Hi Scootaloo," Sweetie Belle said weakly, wincing as she breathed. "You made it."

Scootaloo's eyes darted from Rarity to Twilight, to Fluttershy.

"We sent Rainbow Dash to get help," Twilight said, comfortingly. "It should be here in ten minutes."

Scootaloo's breathing had been labored since she realized she hurt Sweetie Belle, but it became even more so upon seeing her and hearing this news.

"Ten minutes! She's going to be okay, isn't she?" Scootaloo asked.

"Yes." Rarity said, tears in her eyes, unable to look directly at Sweetie Belle or Scootaloo. "She's going to be... just... fine."

Fluttershy looked back at Rarity and put a hoof around her. The Unicorn suddenly burst into tears, burying her head into her friend's shoulders. Twilight shot a telling look at Scootaloo, brutally cutting through Rarity's wistful denial... she didn't have to say anything. Scootaloo knew what was going to happen. She glanced back at Apple Bloom and it looked as though she knew it, too.

Sweetie Belle lay there now growing cold, but she still smiled warmly at the ponies above.

"Rarity, why are you crying?" She asked in an unsettlingly calm voice. "It doesn't hurt as much anymore. I'm okay... Really!"

This simply caused Rarity to cry even more.

"Sweetie Belle," answered Fluttershy, still comforting her friend. "She's crying because she loves you."

Apple Jack added, with a smile:

"Don't worry, Sweetie Belle... They're gonna come real soon and patch you up. You'll be back to your Crusading by next week!"

Sweetie Belle grinned ear-to-ear with a warm, but weak smile:

"That sounds like fun..."

The little Unicorn had grown noticeably even more pale in the short time her friend had been up. She turned to her Pegasus pal, eyes going wide:

"Scootaloo..." She lifted up her hoof, now barely able to point at the Pegasus' side. "You- you got your Cutie Mark!"

Though she would rather have received that news under better circumstances, Scootaloo reluctantly glimpsed down at her side to see a bright blue scooter emblazoned on her flank.

"Wow," she said, looking back up at her Unicorn friend. "I'm still going to help you find yours..." She thought hard for a second. There was only one thing she could think to say, and hearing it made everypony smile. "I remember when I tried singing at that talent show? I totally should've given that job to you. You're such an awesome singer, Sweetie Belle. I don't know any pony more talented."

The Unicorn smiled:

"Yeah.. I like singing, too." Weakly, she attempted to sing the opening bars of their theme song, but ended up coughing blood on the first few notes. She sighed, in spite of it all. "Would be nice if that was my special talent. I bet it could be, if I wanted it to..."

"Sweetie Belle," whimpered Apple Bloom, with tears in her eyes. "Please save your strength! Ya know they're coming fer ya real soon."

Sweetie Belle didn't answer her friend. Instead she closed her eyes as everything for her began to slow down... she opened them again to look down at her flank just in time to see it shine:

"Yeah... music..." she sighed deep, like she were being pampered in a sauna.

As her vision blurred and color faded, she saw two connected 8th notes materialized on her flank. She paused, attempting to take in air with no avail. Even in her current state, she would have yipped for joy if she could as this was something she looked forward to, day in and day out, for all her life. Instead of rejoicing, she felt herself spacing out... only for a moment, of course. She grinned all the same at the thought of finally having her cutie mark. That was the last thought she would ever have.

Twilight lowered her eyes as a lone tear fell to the earth. Apple Jack removed her hat and bowed her head in silence. Rarity continued to cry in Fluttershy's shoulder... she didn't need to look to know. Fluttershy lowered her head as Apple Bloom looked away and the tears began to pour. The only pony who continued to look on was Scootaloo... wanting to cry but finding herself unable to.

Sweetie's eyes were open, but the life had left them. Her pale body finally relaxed. She wore a thin smile, which was as much a grimace as it was a sign of joy. She was dead.

Twilight looked up after a moment and put a hoof to the little Unicorn's face, closing her eyes. She then looked to Scootaloo and shook her head as she stifled her sadness:

"It's not your fault."

With that, Scootaloo took off in the other direction screaming.