“Scootaloo, look at this one.” Scootaloo’s mother pointed to small white dove sitting on a nearby branch.The few birds of the cold season were beautiful. The young filly ran over to her mother to admire the bird, Scootaloo and her mother enjoyed seeing the plush winter birds in December.
“Hang on Scootaloo.” she bit the foal’s scarf to tighten it, pulling hard. Scootaloo pulled in the other direction, eager to explore. Scootaloo's mother let go, sending the foal racing off.
“Don’t go too far!” the mother yelled to the filly who was running off behind the pine trees.
“Okay mommy.” she shouted back from the trees. Her high, squeaky voice meant she was still a very young filly, not old enough to go the local school house but old enough to go out with her mother into the Everfree forest during the winter. The mare looked up, noticing grayish clouds forming above the two while they were enjoying the cold weather.
“Scootaloo, Where going to be going home soon.” Scootaloo's mother shouted in the direction the filly ran off to.
“Okay mommy.” Her voice was much more distant this time and the mother grew worried. Scootaloo's young and naive mind could get her into some trouble, considering she can’t fly yet.
“Scootaloo!” The concerned mother shouted into the forest. There was no answer.
“Scootaloo!” She screamed this time in a desperate attempt to get a response. She began trotting off the train and into the tree line where Scootaloo ran off. The frantic mother ran deeper into the forest.
"Scootaloo! Hun? Where are you Scootaloo?" She spun in all directions, searching for a sign of the little orange filly.
“Mommy!” A wave of relief ran over the panting mare when she heard the tiny voice of her foal from behind a tree. She ran towards the voice to find Scootaloo hiding behind a tree.
“You found me mommy! You win mommy!” Scootaloo reached out to hug her mother.
“Scootaloo! Don’t ever run away from me like that again! Do you understand?!” The mare was in a state of concerned anger.
“I’m sorry mommy, don’t be mad.” Scootaloo’s mother embraced her filly in a tight hug.
“I’m not mad sweetie, you just scared me.” She kissed Scootaloo on the forehead to re-insure her love.
“I love you, mommy.” Scootaloo was confused, she didn't know she had done something wrong.
“I love you too Scootaloo.” She wrapped her hooves around Scootaloo. The mare felt the wind pick up and the temperature drop. The wind was beginning to pick up, a short chill was sent through the air. The mare looked around, she didn't see the path. In fact, she didn't even know which was the path was. Scootaloo sat on the grass underneath a tree. Pegasus didn't normally get lost, a keen sense of directions is built into their skin and blood. If a Pegasus pony did get lost, they would fly above the tree tops to search for the path. But the mother to stay earthbound with her foal; Scootaloo is too young to fly so she couldn’t use her wings, even if the mother just took off for a few seconds, Scootaloo could run off and hide again. She stayed on the ground with her foal. The sun was mostly behind the hills and setting. A small white blur caught her attention when it hovered passed her; she looked up to see it was snowing. Scootaloo was trying to gather the snowflakes in her mouth like she’d seen other ponies do.
“Scootaloo, follow me.” She tugged on the filly’s scarf and started walking in the direction she hoped she came from. It was difficult to tell.It began to snow harder, although the snow didn't stick to the forest floor, it melted instantly. They walked on, first for five minuets, then for ten minuets, the snow began poring down on the two ponies, covering any evidence of the path, even their any hoof prints they made would fill up with the frozen snow. The snow began covering the trees and grass, creating one wide, white plane. The snowstorm thickened, now getting colder from the lack of sunlight. Scootaloo’s mother became confused; all the trees looked the same and the thick snow fog only made it more difficult to see the path. She kept glaring back through the snow to make sure that her foal wasn’t too far behind, the mother was walking slowly but Scootaloo was barely moving at all against the frozen winter winds.
“Stay with me Scootaloo!” The worried mother shouted behind her to the worn out foal.
“Okay mommy.” Her voice was faint and drowned out by the hum of the wind against her ears. She stopped to look around, nothing seemed familiar. The trees and rocks were buried in ice and snow mixed with dirt and pine needles. Her coat was soaked in snow that melted when it mixed with the little heat on her fur. Scootaloo was up to her belly, clearly struggling to keep with her mother. The mare herself was exhausted. They had been walking for an hour now, feeling every snowflake as it fell on their noses. The night was harsh and frozen; the mother was drained of her energy.
“Mommy!” The tiny voice of Scootaloo was heard behind her. She turned around. Scootaloo's mother saw the orange pony knelling down in a fawn possession in the snow, she ran towards her.
“Come one Scootaloo, stand up.” She pushed Scootaloo with her nose to help her stand, but she only sat back down. The mother knew Scootaloo was exhausted and couldn’t go much farther; she lay down next to her. The mare began to cry when she saw the once fully energized filly she raised in such a weak state in the freezing snow. Her heavy, rapid breathing meant she needed rest; a young pony should never have to got through this. Scootaloo’s mother was in not better condition, she was much older and had less energy in her then Scootaloo did, she was not meant for the snow and the scarf and boots she put on weren’t protecting her from the wet ice soaking the pony. She put her wing over Scootaloo to keep her warm, disregarding her own need for warmth.
“I wanna go home mommy.” Scootaloo said to her mother. She was looking down at the ground, tears growing in her eyes. The older pony didn’t respond. The snow was building up around the two as they lay on the ground. Scooatloo pushed herself into her mother’s side to get out of the cold; the mare tucked her wing around Scootaloo, creating a blanket for the filly. Scootaloo didn’t quite understand the significance of the situation her and her mother where in, she was simply too young and naive. The mother looked into the innocent, purple eyes of she filly.
“Don’t cry Scootaloo, its okay!” The mother nudged Scootaloo to comfort her. The filly’s purple mane fell into her eyes. Scootaloo was similar to her mother in many ways; she had the same purple mane and eyes, even her smile resembled that of the mares. She kissed Scootaloo on the forehead, the sobbing filly looked at her mother with wet eyes. She was weak, drained of life. The chances of anypony finding them out here were small, and she knew it. The mother looked back at Scootaloo who lay next to her, teary eyed. Scootaloo’s mother knew how upset and distraught Scootaloo was. She remembered her own mother, and how she used to sing to her when she was sad. The soothing voice of her mother put her to sleep when she couldn’t on her own. Scootaloo put her head down of the small grass patch she created from sitting there. The mother knew this could be the last time her and her foal were together, the mare’s old body wasn’t built for this cold weather. She looked back at her and began singing:

You are my sunshine
My only sunshine
You make me happy
When skies are gray
You’ll never know dear
How much I love you
Please don’t take my sunshine away

Scootaloo smiled at her singing mother, the mare kissed her cheek and continued:

You are my sunshine
My only sunshine
You make me happy
When skies are gray
You’ll never know dear
How much I love you
Please don’t take my sunshine away
Please don’t take my sunshine away
Please don’t take my sunshine aw-

Scootaloo had fallen asleep under her dying mother wing; her studded breaths where silent but barely heard. The mother smiled at her peaceful foal, knowing that she had done the best she could to protect her youngster. But, she also knew and accepted her fait. She laid her head on the grass in sheltered patch she created for her filly and closed her eyes.
“Please don’t take my sunshine away.” The weak mare murmured her final words, making a mental deal with Mother Nature to take her, but protect her filly. The mother had done her job, the one job she had: to bring and protect new life, her life, her sunshine.

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