Chapter 1-Frost Bite
Winter had come to the land of Equestria. Everypony was excited and trying to figure out how they were going to be spending the holiday break. The Mane Six, along with Spike the baby dragon, already knew what they would be doing. When Autumn arrived, it was announced that Princess Twilight had to oversee the annual Winter Equestria Games that was to take place in the Frost Bite Valleys. This gave her friends the idea that they should spend the first part of the break there by the ski lodge and also take a look at the game.
On the train ride over to Frost Bite Valleys, everypony's excitement grew and grew. They were all looking forward to doing some skiing and the day of the tournament games. Except for Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. Pinkie was only looking forward to doing some ice skating. Rainbow was only interested with some snowboarding.
"Sounds as though you two will be by yourselves for this trip." said Applejack
"Actually," said Rainbow Dash. "Pinkie and I are planning to do that for the whole trip."
"You mean you two aren't coming to see the games?!" puzzled Twilight
"The games are something everypony has already seen." exclaimed Rainbow "I've got something even way more exciting planned for Pinkie and I that'll be better than the Winter Equestria Games."
"Like what?" asked Fluttershy
"Rainbow has been telling me about this awesome area in the Frost Bite Valleys that's just perfect for snowboarding and ice skating." answered Pinkie "It's called the Blizzard Night Zone! Sounds like the place for thrills doesn't it, but a little creepy-sounding."
Twilight was in shock!
"You can't go there!" she protested.
"Why ever not, Twilight?" asked Pinkie
"It's not like that place is restricted." complained Rainbow
"It is restricted!" went on Twilight. "Blizzard Night Zone does have these unique parts to snowboard and ice skate but has been closed off for some time."
"Whatever made ponies want to do that?" asked Rarity
"Too many recent avalanche sightings and blizzards happening in the night." exclaimed Twilight "It's unsafe to be there!"
"One of those last parts must explain why that area has the name 'Blizzard Night Zone.'" said Pinkie
"Those all sound like silly reasons to me." snorted Rainbow.
"Well, there is one reason that I have found silly to why they had to shut down that area." continued Twilight. "The reason why that Valley has the name Frost Bite to it, is legendary. Frost Bite is the name of this pony from a long time ago who got lost up in the Blizzard Night Zone and was never heard from again. But many years later, ponies hear of some kind of a monster covered in snow and icicles that bites lost travelers on the ears, cheeks, and muzzles which turns them into ice. Those legends may sound a little realistic in some places, but I know something that sounds fake when I read about it."
"Should we not go anymore, Rainbow?" asked Pinkie "We don't want to be like those ponies who were never heard from again, right."
"Are you kidding?!" said Rainbow "Exploring Blizzard Night Zone has not only become an exploration, but a adventure!"
"Then I might as well come in case you run into Frost Bite and need my help." said Pinkie
"We'd better talk them out of it." said Applejack "We don't want them to get into trouble for exploring restricted routes."
"Let them do what they want." said Twilight "For what I've known, when Rainbow Dash makes up her mind about something and with Pinkie on her side, there's no stopping those two."
"I just hope you're right about the Frost Bite monster legend being a fake." said Spike
After a few hours, the train soon reached Frost Bite Valleys. Everypony got off at the station, and went to go settle down at the ski lodge where it was nice and toasty.
Several days later, on the day of the Winter Equestria Games, Rainbow and Pinkie headed off to Blizzard Night Zone, taking along with them, their snowboards and ice skates. They soon arrived at a part of the woods that had a path blocked with chains and a sign that said, "Do Not Enter."
"This must be the place." said Pinkie
"Let's fasten our seat belts!" chuckled Rainbow "We're going to be in one heck of a ride."
"But how can we fasten seat belts while we get to play in the snow?" asked Pinkie
As Pinkie and Rainbow went deeper into the Blizzard Night Zone, they ran into problems in no time at all. Most of the paths they were coming across had been blocked by avalanches. This made Rainbow have to fly up towards the trees to look for shortcuts and any other possible way around the blockages. It took a while, but it wasn't long until they reached the part of the area with all the ice skating rinks and snowboarding drifts. The two had a wonderful day, but had so much fun that they forgot to watch the time. By the time they decided to check, it was very late int he evening.
"We must have spent the whole day here!" cried Pinkie
"It's a shame that fun times can't last forever." said Rainbow "Now we'd better head back fast before we run into Frost Bite."
"Don't worry, Rainbow," said Pinkie. "Twilight said that there's no such thing as Frost Bite."
"You never know." teased Rainbow.
As soon as Rainbow and Pinkie started on their way back, it became very dark. To add to that, a fierce snow storm came in. Rainbow had no fear over it, but Pinkie began to get a little worried.
"Rainbow, are you sure this is the way we came from?" asked Pinkie. "Because I don't think none of this looks familiar."
"Nothing to fear, Pinkie," huffed Rainbow nervously. "It's not like we've been going around in circles."
"Well, I do know that we've been passing around that same fallen tree over there about three times by now." replied Pinkie.
"I'd better fly up to the top of the trees again." sighed Rainbow.
But the wind was blowing so fiercely, that Rainbow found out in an instant that she couldn't.
"Crud!" grumbled Rainbow.
"Looks like we'll have to find a new way back by hoofing it." said Pinkie "But we'd better make it back fast, I don't want Frost Bite turning us into ice sculptures."
"I'm just worried that we might have to spend the night out here until the morning comes." said Rainbow nervously. "By the time we get back to the ski lodge, everypony will be so upset with us."
Several minutes later, Rainbow and Pinkie decided to both face it. They were truly lost and had to find shelter quickly before they started sneezing like crazy.
"I don't we'll be able to find a cabin or any kind of shelter in this part of the woods." said Pinkie "This place is restricted, remember, no pony lives here."
"At least there's that cave over there." said Rainbow as she pointed out to where it was.
"I suppose that will work just fine." responded Pinkie. "As long as there are no animals already living there."
Pinkie and Rainbow were soon out of the storm and resting inside the cave. They built a campfire and began warming themselves up around it. They grew so warm in such a long while, that they were just about to doze off, when the campfire blew out!
"Oh, darn it!" muttered Rainbow. "It took me a while to get that started."
"It wouldn't have happened if you hadn't built it so close to the opening of the cave." said Pinkie
"But we're nowhere near the cave." complained Rainbow. "If the campfire were to blow out right about now, that frosty wind would've had to come someplace from inside the cave..."
Rainbow and Pinkie looked deeper into the interiors of the cave. Next, they heard a chilly, spooky voice.
"Who goes there?" said the voice.
Rainbow and Pinkie jumped but plucked up courage.
"Let me do the talking here, Pinkie." said Rainbow nervously. "Uh, hi, we're a couple of travelers, we just got lost in that storm out there and were wondering if we could spend the night here until the morning comes."
"I'm afraid that is initially impossible." continued the voice. "Perhaps it would be better if I showed you lost travelers what I do to a bunch of intruders to my home."
Rainbow and Pinkie grew even more nervous once they heard that. They were full of fright once they began to hear clingy footsteps coming towards them. A shadow appeared that made the image of a pony covered in snow and icicles! Pinkie and Rainbow screamed, and ran out of the cave back into the storm! They ran and ran as the chilly, ghoulish laugh trailed after them. They never stopped running until they were able to find their way back to the ski lodge.
Next morning arrived, and everypony found out that Pinkie and Rainbow weren't in their bedrooms at the ski lodge. This meant that they hadn't arrived back from the Blizzard Night Zone, or so they thought. When Twilight and her friends traveled downstairs to the fireplace lobby, there they found two ponies, covered in snow and icicles which were melting away from their bodies since they were sitting beside the fire.
"That must explain why the floor is all wet." said Applejack
Then the ponies realized that the two ponies turned out to be Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie who were making faces which looked as though they got frozen with fright.
"It looks as though Frost Bite got them after all just by staying out in that storm all night." said Twilight sarcastically.
"The question is," said Spike. "How were they able to escape with their very own lives."
"It must have been horrible for them." put in Rarity.
"Frost Bite, he's after us." shivered Pinkie.
"That was no myth, Twilight." hissed Rainbow. "That was real."
"Um, can anypony seem to tell what exactly they are talking about?" asked Fluttershy.
Chapter 2-Fluttershy Rescues the Otter Family
The Mane Six were soon back in Ponyville, but Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie remained unusually silent for quite some time after their chilly trip full of fright. A few days later, Fluttershy was called upon request to come to the local Coltanada Aquarium which lay beside the coastal regions of the land due to a frantic emergency. In no time at all, Fluttershy was leaving her cozy cottage and back out into the deep freeze. Before she left, she had also asked her friends to look after the Ponyville animals along with Discord. By then, she was on the next train ride for Coltanada.
By the time she reached the Coltanada station, there was a fierce snow storm coming in. This made Fluttershy realize that the country was in for a difficult time for the Winter season.
"Harsh cold, harsh cold, harsh cold!" she stammered.
Even though, she made it safely all the way to the aquarium. It was hard to spot at first, with all the fog coming in from the sea beside the aquarium surrounding it. Still, it didn't matter. The aquarium keepers had been waiting outside for her in strong snow jackets with bright flashlights.
"I hear that this problem is a emergency." said Fluttershy to the aquarium keepers. "What is the situation?"
"The fog from the sea is getting much thicker by the minute." they explained. "We can hardly see a thing in the exterior areas where we keep the otters. At a bad timing too. Most of the females are about to give birth to some new-born pups. We've tried searching for the otters pond by ourselves but it's no good. Thank goodness an animal expert like you has come at a time like this. If you search for the otters, we'll go fetch a vet."
"Of course I will." said Fluttershy bravely.
So the keepers left for the veterinarian's office. Fluttershy was left alone by herself at the aquarium, along with a flashlight and fleece jacket provided by the aquarium. The first thing she did was to check the map outline of the place carefully which stood just outside the entrance. She found out that the otters pond was in the far left of the aquarium close to the sea. She went inside. Suddenly Fluttershy remembered that she was not good at being alone, but knew she had to carry on. The lights inside were left on and so was the heater. It made Fluttershy feel warm and confident. Seeing the sea animals from the interiors made her feel much better too.
But once she entered the doors to the otters pond, she was back outside in the deafening cold and the much too thick fog. Fluttershy took some deep breaths, and continued onward.
"Here otters, otters, otters!" she called.
There was no reply. Fluttershy crept cautiously forward so as not to bump or fall into anything in the fog. She had her flashlight but it was no good. Fluttershy was still searching for the otters when all she could find was a sign that read "Beware of Ponds!" Before she could think of anything else, Fluttershy fell of an edge and slithered into one of the ponds! The frosty water tingled her with savage bitterness. Fluttershy quickly swam back up to the surface for air and climbed out of the water.
"Brrrrrr, now that is cold!" she cried.
Next thing she realized, she no longer had her flashlight. Fluttershy poked her head back into the water but it was nowhere to be seen.
"No time looking for the flashlight in a pond." she said to herself. "The water probably drained out the bulb in it by now."
Fluttershy was pretty much worried. With no flashlight, it made the rescue much harder than before. But she knew she was getting closer to the otters.
"The otters can't be in the pond," thought Fluttershy. "With it being so cold, they must be elsewhere. But where exactly? They still couldn't have gone far."
At that moment, Fluttershy began to hear some yelping. She froze exactly where she was, and listened closely. The yelping sounded like it was coming upwards. Fluttershy looked up, took out her wings, and began flying through the fog towards the barren, rocky cliffs of the seaside. As Fluttershy neared the otter's cry for help, she in no time spotted them in the drafty fog. She approached them carefully and landed on the rock they were stranded on. The otters and their mates full of ready-to-be-born pups backed away.
"Come here, otters." soothed Fluttershy. "I won't hurt, any of you, I'm a friend."
The otters were still staying perfectly away from Fluttershy. The mates panicked and their husbands began hissing angrily at Fluttershy.
"Oh, what to do now?" pondered Fluttershy. "If this keeps on going, those new-born pups will have a problem of being born."
Then Fluttershy got an idea. Quickly, she took off her warm, cozy jacket completely. She waited to see if that did anything. The otters quit panicking and hissing.
"Come with me and I'll be able to help you." reassured Fluttershy once more.
The otters crept over to Fluttershy and there was no more trouble from there. Fluttershy decided that it would be best that the otters didn't go down the way they came from with the fog in the way of their sight. She decided to take carry some in her arms, a group at a time, back to safety. Of course, she took the mates first and came back for their husbands later on. By the time Fluttershy brought the otters inside the aquarium and out from the cold, the aquarium keepers arrived with a vet. The vet checked the female otters at once, one at a time, he helped them give birth to their new-born pups.
"All these pups and their families now need is somepony to look after them for a few days." said the vet
"You can go home now, Fluttershy." said the aquarium keepers "We'll take it from here."
"That's alright." said Fluttershy "I'll help too."
The aquarium keepers were surprised at first, but agreed. Fluttershy made the extra long stay at the Coltanada Aquarium until the pups and their families were feeling much better. Soon the weather in Coltanada improved and the otters were able to go back outside to their pond.
"Thank you, Fluttershy." said the aquarium keepers "This certainly wouldn't have happened without your help."
"Thank you!" said Fluttershy "There's nothing more than I like but helping out a couple of friends and animals in need."
