Author's Note

See a mistake? Plot hole, spelling error, factual inaccuracy, or grammar blunder? Please, do tell me in the comments section. Otherwise, enjoy!

"What now?"

66 Hours

Morning rolled around quickly. It was at least the third day since the accident, and only now was the weather clearing up. All at once, the snow stopped falling, and the wind stopped blowing. This was their opportunity to make a move.

Blue was the first to leave the caboose. The snow piled up against the door in a massive, rump-high drift. He could hardly get the door open, but managed to succeed after a few moments of struggling. He stumbled outside and glanced around, squinting.

Behind him, Fluttershy peeked out, slowly stepping outside to join him.

The sky was solid grey, the sun obscured but occasionally shining through for a couple glorious seconds. But it would quickly be overcome by the low stratus clouds rolling through, remnants of the powerful winter storm.

With well over a foot of fresh snow on the ground, their progress would be seriously inhibited. The act of merely walking was now going to be a struggle. Take into account their injuries, fatigue, and hopelessness, and you had a recipe for giving up.

Blue sighed heavily, glancing around at the frozen, bitterly cold landscape. A cloud of vapor obsured his view every time he exhaled.

He couldn't honestly see them going anywhere. Where was there to go, anyways? It was pure nature out here; they were all alone.

"Blue?"

He looked back at Fluttershy, who wore an expression of deep concern. She probably knew they were in a bad situation. She probably had the exact same thoughts that he'd just had.

"Yeah? What's wrong?" he asked gently, trying not to let his worry show.

Fluttershy glanced off into the woods. "That other pony never came back... and he's been out in the storm for days..."

Blue swallowed hard. "I know." He turned to face the woods with her. "He's gone."

She shook her head. "We don't know that. We can't just give up. We should go out and-"

"Fluttershy, nopony can survive three days in a winter storm like that. He's dead."

Fluttershy gasped. "How could you say such a thing?" She glared at him. "We need to go find him. He's out there somewhere. Scared and lonely. And definitely cold."

Blue sighed and turned to her. "Fluttershy, be realistic. He's been out in a winter storm without a jacket or blankets for three days, and he was injured Celestia knows how bad. He's gone. We can't risk our own well-being on somepony who's more than likely dead and gone. I'm sorry, but that's the truth and another fact of survival: recognize when somepony is lost and don't expend precious energy on them."

Fluttershy's eyes welled with tears and she burst into crying, spinning away from him and running back to the caboose, disappearing inside.

Blue sighed again, feeling like a piece of work. How could he be so insensitive about something so terrible? Of course he was right; the pony was most definitely lying dead somewhere. But he didn't have to he so brash towards Fluttershy about it. She was just being kind and hopeful. This is what he got for spending time with a bunch of rowdy stallions and never with mares; he had become insensitive.

He turned from the woods and trudged through the icy cold snow back to the caboose and slipped in, shutting the door with a clang behind him. Once inside, he found Fluttershy curled up on her blankets, sobbing softly into her forelegs. Blue felt a twinge of guilt; it was his fault she was crying. He went over and sat on his haunches beside her, unsure what to do. Console her? Apologize? Do nothing?

After a moment's hesitation, Blue placed a hoof gently on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Fluttershy..."

She sat up, sniffling. Her cheeks were streaked with tears, her forelegs soaked. Blue felt like a complete jerk.

She wiped her eyes and sniffled again. "It's... it's okay. You were right. He's... gone..." She immediately fell back down, returning to her sobbing.

Blue's heart broke. This wasn't the situation for her. She didn't deserve it. "Hey. No crying. It's not your fault. If you want, when we go collect firewood, we can look for him. Okay?" he said softly, rubbing her shoulder consolingly. "And honestly, I completely understand your feelings on this. I..." Blue paused for a moment, trying not to picture the scene he was about to speak of. "I saw a mother and two foals dead after the crash. It... hurt to see. But we can't let grief control us. We're in a fight for survival now, and even though it's very sad that ponies were lost, there's nothing we can do for them now. But we can make sure we don't join them. Okay?"

Fluttershy glanced dolefully back up at him, breaking his heart again. "O-okay..." she stammered, sniffling loudly and wiping her nose. She stood up slowly and shakily. "When are we going to get firewood?"

Blue looked out the window. "I... guess sometime before dark. It would be better that way. Perhaps we should start after a bite to eat."

Fluttershy gingerly rubbed her stomach. "Good idea..."

Blue nodded and retrieved his food rations. Over the past couple days, they'd both managed to find more food, including fruits, vegetables, grains, snacks, and some bottled waters. None of it would last more than a week, but there was enough for them to survive until rescued, Blue hoped.

Fluttershy snacked on some crackers and cheese while Blue had himself a few pieces of fruit. They were careful not to consume too much; they'd need to save as much as they could, since they didn't know if they'd be rescued. Or when.

Blue packed his food and supplies into his saddlebags and waited for Fluttershy to finish packing hers. She didn't carry as much as he did, but she did have a few important things, including the medical kit. Blue decided to let her carry it along, as she seemed to know more about wound care. After they both finished getting ready, Blue lead the way out into the snow.

It was cold, but they could tell the temperature was going up. It probably wouldn't get above freezing, but with the fact that they'd be obtaining firewood, that wouldn't matter much. They'd be warm soon enough.

"This powdery snow is really annoying..." Fluttershy said, barely keeping up with Blue as they trudged into the trees. The snow was indeed powdery and dry, blowing around in the quiet, gentle breeze that occasionally blew through, sending glittering white dust from the trees down. It was a beautiful sight to behold, except they were both too busy trying to survive.

"I know," Blue called back to her, not slowing his pace. Time was of the essence. "We'll get our wood and be done for the day. It shouldn't take long."

"I hope not. I'm getting cold."

I know, Blue thought. I'll do what I can to warm us up. He continued on, finding a large brush pile amongst some dead-standing evergreens in a clearing. Their bark was peeling and hanging in jagged patches, their tops knocked out by the storm. The perfect wood for a fire.

"Is this it?" Fluttershy asked, glancing up and down the trees, looking uncertain.

Blue removed his saddlebags and set them in the snow beside her. "These are about as good as it gets. The wood in these trees is dry and brittle. It'll burn like kerosene."

"Oh, um. Okay. Can I help?"

"It's okay. I'll carry it in my saddlebags. I'll be able to carry more than you, anyways. Plus, you have the medical supplies. I don't want those damaged." Blue turned to the trees and approached them, the snow crunching loudly underhoof with each shuffling step he took. He immediately began breaking branches off and started a pile, stacking the wood up neatly until he achieved a decent little supply that would easily last them the night.

Fluttershy staggered closer, peering down at the pile. "Shouldn't we get more? That doesn't look like very much..." She furrowed her eyebrows and brought a hoof to her chin.

Blue snapped a small branch off the nearest tree and presented it to her. She took it hesitantly, holding it up and looking confused. "It's spruce. Um, is there something I'm missing?"

"Spruce is a good low heat wood," Blue began, breaking himself off a piece and examining it. "It will burn fairly quickly, but the heat it puts off will be lower, so we won't bake alive in that stuffy caboose." Then he turned and broke off another branch for a different tree nearby. He held it out to her.

"Alder?" she said, eyeing it then him.

He nodded. "Alder is a hardwood. What that means for us is that it will burn longer and hotter. The idea is to get a mix of hard and soft woods. You throw in the wood that burns quick to get the fire going. Then you toss in the hard woods to keep it going and retain the heat."

"Oh. Hmm," she hummed, studying the stick she held. "I suppose that makes sense."

"Basic survival," Blue said with a shrug.

"But do we have enough wood?"

Blue nodded again. "This will be enough for one night. We can always come back here tomorrow." He began packing the wood into his saddlebags.

Fluttershy gave a little sigh, catching Blue's attention. He stopped packing and looked up at her, seeing her looking off into the woods. Her eyes were darting around, as if searching for something.

"Are you okay?" Blue asked, following her gaze and seeing nothing.

She looked back at him. "What about... the other pony?"

"Oh, right..." Blue glanced down at his saddlebags. He'd almost forgotten about his promise to her. "Let me finish this and we'll go looking a little, okay?"

"Okay..."

Blue frowned. "You don't sound too enthusiastic for a mare that really wanted to look for this guy."

She sighed heavily. "I'm just... afraid..."

"Of?"

She remained silent for a few moments. "Of... of what we might find."

Blue finished packing and tossed his saddlebags on. "What do you mean?"

She glanced wearily at him, bags under her eyes. He probably had the same. "What if you're right? What if he's..."

Blue placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder and gave a single squeeze, gazing into her eyes. "Relax, okay? We'll search for him. We probably won't find anything at all, to be honest. He may have been... buried. By snow."

Fluttershy turned away, looking sick.

Blue decided not to delve further into that topic and instead motioned for her to follow him as he started the search, heading deeper into the woods.

The Engelmann Spruce trees, Red Cedar, Sitka Spruce, Alder, White Pine and Juniper trees surrounded them, towering overhead and soaring to heights of over 200 feet in some places. This was the land right before the stunted-growth tundra, so all the trees achieved their full height. However, some were missing tops from the frequent winter storms that blew through the area.

The snow amongst the trees was shallower, allowing for easier movement. Fluttershy and Blue attained a steady pace, scouring the woods in search for the missing stallion - or any traces left of him.

Overhead, the sky began to clear, much to their delight. The sun, low on the horizon, shone brilliantly against an azure blue sky, and the temperature started an upwards trend. Unfortunately, it still wasn't above freezing, making it dangerous to continue their search for more than an hour or two.

After an hour, Blue called it quits. The sun was beating a hasty retreat back towards the horizon, meaning dark would fall soon. At this time of the year this far north, the sun lasted merely a few hours before descending back out of view and allowing night to return.

They found nothing of the stallion. Any traces of him would likely have been buried by the storm. And if he'd expired, the snow may very well have buried him, as well. It wasn't worth the time and effort to continue searching; the guy was long gone, wherever he was.

The return to the caboose was quiet and uneventful. Fluttershy didn't want to talk, and Blue was feeling guilty. It began to dawn on him that it was his fault the stallion was gone. Had he stayed with him and Fluttershy, he wouldn't have strayed off into the woods. It was his own negligence that caused the stallion's demise.

Once they reached camp, Blue pushed aside his internal reflection and began the process of finding a place inside the caboose to safely burn the firewood.

Near the back of the car was a small space large enough for the wood to fit indented into the wall. It was made of steel or iron, but the side had a seam running all the way around, as if it could separate from the rest of the space.

Blue went outside and found where the space was, and indeed, it was able to be opened. A latch allowed him to prop it open to vent the gases and smoke burning the wood would put off, so they could safely remain inside the car and get warm.

After he got their new fireplace set up, he stacked some spruce wood up in it and poured some vodka all over it. Unfortunately, they didn't have access to starters, and all dried grasses were buried under snow, so the highest proof alcoholic beverage they had would have to work as one.

It went up in flames fairly easily, and not a second too soon. The sun had sunken below the treeline, casting them in darkness that only grew darker.

As the fire crackled to life, the cabin began to warm up significantly.

Blue sat on a large duffle bag near the fire, and Fluttershy curled up with a blanket beside him, sipping some tea she'd made using the fireplace and a teapot.

Blue started reading a book he found, trying hard to get his mind of the guilty thoughts plaguing him. He hadn't stopped thinking about how it was his fault the stallion was dead, neither had he told Fluttershy this for fear that she'd talk him out of it. Of course she'd tell him it wasn't his fault. But he knew the truth. The guy was dead, and Blue was to blame.

"Blue, I'm sorry to interrupt your book, but, um... you look distressed. Is something bothering you?" Fluttershy cocked her head up at him, knitting her eyebrows. The only light in the room came from the fire, which illuminated her face, highlighting her features.

Fluttershy is certainly a pretty mare, Blue found himself thinking suddenly as he met eyes with her. Then again, I think every mare is pretty just because I don't have one.

Blue let out a long breath and set the book aside. "Yeah, something's been bothering me all day now. I really didn't want to tell you, though."

"Forgive me for being nosy, but, why?" she asked, turning her body towatds him to give her full attention. She set her tea down on the floor beside her and returned her attention to him.

Blue rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Well, I've been blaming myself for what happened to that stallion. I feel like it's my fault he ended up out there." He turned his head to the fire, gazing at it's licking, reaching flames.

"I... don't understand. Why would you think that was your fault?"

"I left him unattended," Blue replied, sighing. "He left because I wasn't there to stop him. He was injured, in need of attention, and I didn't stay and help him."

"Well, what were you doing then?"

"Looking for supplies to help you and him. Your injuries needed things I myself couldn't provide alone. So I went back to the wreckage seeking the materials to tend to your wounds."

"Blue," Fluttershy said in a soft, pleasant voice. "It's not your fault. You weren't off doing your own thing. You were still trying to help him, and me. You can't accuse yourself of being liable for his..." Her voice trailed off. "The point is, you're not responsible for whatever happened to him. You were trying to help him, even if you weren't there. He wandered off on his own. That wasn't your fault. Okay?"

Blue didn't really believe her. But at this point, there wasn't much use arguing. "Yeah, I guess so. I tried my best. Which, as it seems, is never good enough."

"That's not true either. You saved him and me, even if he went off somewhere. You did a great job." She placed a reassuring hoof on his foreleg, inciting him to meet her gaze.

He wondered how she retained equanimity despite all that's happened. Then again, somepony needed to. "Do you really believe that, or are you saying it to make me feel better?"

"I truly believe it, Blue. I wouldn't lie to you or anypony else."

A few moments of silence passed, with nothing but the crackle of the fire filling the car with its sounds.

Blue eventually took a deep breath and released it, turning away from her and snatching his book back up. "Well, I think I'll get back to this book. It was getting rather interesting. Thanks for the kind words, Fluttershy."

"No problem at all," she said with a smile, picking her tea back up and taking a quick sip, turning back to the fire. "If you don't mind me asking, what's your book about?"

Blue shifted a little. "It's about this stallion and this mare falling in love after they meet at a ball. So far it's pretty... romantic."

Fluttershy looked a bit uncomfortable. "Oh... well, I hope you continue to enjoy it. It sounds lovely." She didn't make eye contact with him, and instead gave her tea another ginger sip, staring at the fire.

Blue cleared his throat, sensing the discomfort, and directed his attention back to the book.

Blue found himself barely clinging to conciousness, the book he was reading on the floor in front of him, having fallen from his lap when he dozed off.

A quick glance to his right showed him that Fluttershy was curled up under her blankets, fast asleep, her covers rising and falling slowly with her slow, heavy breaths. Her teacup lay on its side nearby, empty, thankfully.

Blue yawned and stretched, standing up. If he was going to join her in slumber, he'd need his own blankets. He went back over to his spot in the caboose and gathered his few blankets, returning to the fireplace. He pushed his duffle bag aside and laid out a blanket to sleep on, then curled up on it, pulling his blankets over himself and yawning again.

Today had been moderately successful. They'd gotten themselves a fire. Being cold was no longer a threat inside their makeshift shelter. But that was only one step in the right direction. They were still stranded in the wilderness, and their food situation wasn't in good shape. It was only a matter of time before they ran out...

No. He couldn't think so negatively. It wasn't healthy, especially in these circumstances. Help would arrive soon, and he believed that.

It was now just a matter of how soon.

With a final yawn, Blue evicted the thoughts from his mind and closed his eyes, letting sleep take him over a few moments later.

86 Hours

The next morning, Blue and Fluttershy ate a breakfast consisting of oats and honey, then set out to gather more firewood.

The weather was cloudy again. The temperature had gone down, as well. Blue feared this meant an impending storm, but Fluttershy expressed that she doubted it. It was really just a waiting game, since neither pony new for certain.

Instead of hitting the patch of dead trees they'd done yesterday, Blue suggested that they do a little exploring of the area, perhaps scope out some resources. After all, their own supplies wouldn't last forever, and they had no way of knowing when help would arrive.

Out in the woods, Blue and Fluttershy stumbled through, looking for anything from berries to water sources, besides more dry, dead timber.

"Blue, are we heading back soon? My legs are beginning to hurt," Fluttershy whined, stopping and lifting her left hind leg and right foreleg, groaning.

Blue stopped and turned back to her. He felt a bit of sympathy for her, as his own hooves were beginning to bother him. "We're almost done, I promise. There's just a patch of woods over here we haven't checked and I wanted to see what it might have to offer us. Is that okay?"

Fluttershy didn't look too happy, but she nodded stiffly. "I'll make it..."

"Alright. We have what we need already. I just wanted us to be sure of what we had access to." He turned and pushed through the deepening snow as the trees began to clear again. He had no idea where they were, but the good thing was all they had to do to get home was follow their trail back. Snow could be a blessing.

The trees suddenly started growing close together, with barely enough room to maneuver between them.

"Blue... this is getting hard to go through," Fluttershy noted unhappily, barely keeping up.

Blue squeezed between two trees. "It's okay. We're about to turn back. Just a little further."

Blue kept going, slipping between smaller and more closely growing alder and pine trees. He thought it odd that they were suddenly so close together and so small, but he was also curious as to why.

As he pushed through a small cluster of saplings, he felt air under his hoof and cried out. He fell forward and scrambled to grab something to hold on to, finding a sapling and clinging to it as he plummeted over the edge of...

...a ravine!

It had to be at least 100 feet deep. Falling from this height would be fatal, although the cliff side was slanted at a 130° angle.

"Blue!" Fluttershy shouted down at him as he fell and was yanked to a stop by the sapling, smacking against the side of the cliff. His vision swam for a moment as he recovered.

"Blue!" Fluttershy called out again, peering down over the edge.

"Y-yeah... I'm here. Get me up please. Please." He clung to the sapling for dear life. He dared not look down, either. What was at the bottom was something he hoped not to find out.

Fluttershy hung around near the edge, unsure of what to do. She'd never been in a situation where she had to rescue somepony hanging over a cliff. Looking around her, she noted the vast number of long, ropey saplings.

"Hmm..." she hummed, going to a good 10-foot one and snapping it down at the ground. It wouldn't come loose, so she had to start twisting it. She grew frustrated quickly, especially when Blue began calling out to her, warning her that he couldn't hold on forever.

Finally, after struggling to twist the thing around a few times, it snapped loose and she fell back, holding it tight.

"I'm coming, Blue!" She raced to the edge and lowered the thicker end of the sapling. "Take this, and I'll pull you up!"

Blue gawked at it in disbelief. "Fluttershy - you can't pull my weight all the way up and over that edge. I promise you that."

"What did I do then?" She began to cry, worried that she might soon be alone out here. That was a scary thought.

Blue grunted, growing tired of holding his weight. "Tie the end to a tree, then I'll slowly climb up. You can help me over when I get close."

"On it," Fluttershy said and quickly went to complete the task. The nearest tree big enough to support his weight was a small alder, just barely over 20 feet in height. But it was big enough.

Fluttershy wrapped the end of the sapling around the tree twice and tied it the best she could. She returned to the edge of the cliff where Blue was with the thicker end and slowly lowered it to him.

"Did you tie it tight?" Blue asked hesitantly before taking the sapling end. He didn't want to fall to his death over a mistake.

"I wrapped it two times and tied it, yes. Please, just grab the end and get up here. I'm getting scared," she said, exhasperated. She was still crying too, which only made Blue feel even worse about his situation.

"Alright. My life is in your hooves..." he acceded, not letting go of the current sapling he was hanging from. He'd hold it too once he got ahold of the one Fluttershy had lowered. The more support, the better.

The muscles in his forelegs began to burn in protest, and Blue knew it was time to make it or break it. He took a deep breath and released the sapling with one hoof and snatched up the other that Fluttershy provided.

"Oh, dear Celestia I'm going to die," he muttered, squeezing his eyes shut painfully hard, his breathing heavy and gasping.

Fluttershy whined. "No, no you're not! Climb up here, Blue, please... I can't do this without you..." She began to sob, sitting on her haunches and burying her face in her forehooves.

"Dammit. Fluttershy, please not now. I don't need to die feeling like I failed you. Just... give me a sec to gather my composure and I'll start climbing up."

Fluttershy sniffled and stopped crying, peering down at him between her forehooves. "O-okay..." She leaned forward and offered a hoof. "Take it when you get close please..."

Blue gave a quick nod. "Yeah." He took a deep breath and slowly slid his right hoof further up the sapling she'd given him, then did the same to his sapling, planting both his hind legs to the cliff face and pushing up with all his might. Slowly but surely, he inched up the side, closer and closer to Fluttershy's awaiting hoof. It took every bit of strength he had, but he managed to reach her a few moments later. He immediately let go of his sapling and took hold of her hoof with his, grasping it tightly.

"I've got you! I'm not letting go!" Fluttershy told him, her eyes telling a story of sincerity.

Blue nodded. "Okay... I'm coming up. Pull with all you've got."

As Fluttershy began to tug, Blue pulled down on the sapling and pushed with his hind legs. He was nearly to the edge when a loud, crisp snap sent a stab of fear through his heart.

For a split second, he and Fluttershy stared in terror into each other's eyes, then all hell broke loose.

The sapling broke free from the tree, and the sudden weight yanked Fluttershy from the edge. The two, helpless and unable to find anything to grab on to, tumbled down the cliff face towards the bottom, screaming and crying out in pain.

"Lay flat!" Blue howled, trying to right himself. "Lay flat and slide!"

Fluttershy complied the best she could, and eventually, they reached the bottom. The two hit the ground where dozens of rocks of all shapes and sizes awaited. Fluttershy yelped as she struck a large boulder and rolled, and Blue cried out when he hit the solid ground made of rock, hearing a sickening snap as his left hind leg broke somewhere. He collapsed and rolled away from the cliff face, the searing pain shooting up his leg as he clutched wildly at it.

The two lay there for a long time, panting and whimpering from their fresh new wounds and injuries.

Finally, Blue sat up and gasped in pain. He glanced over at Fluttershy, who was climbing shakily to her hooves.

"Fluttershy... my leg broke..." he sighed, clenching his teeth. This was a terrible setback. Now he was totally incapacitated. What would they do if he couldn't go gather firewood or fight off predators?

Fluttershy clambered over to him, falling to her knees and examining his outstretched hind leg. She gently prodded the now swollen area just above his hoof.

"You've broken your pastern," she said gravely. "You're not walking on this leg..."

"Shit..." he breathed, minorly surprised Fluttershy didn't chastise him for his bad language. Maybe she felt like it was necessary this time. "What now?"

Fluttershy pulled her saddlebags off and extracted the medical kit. "I'm gonna splint that. We need to try and get back up there. We need to get back to the caboose before nightfall..."

The two glanced up at the sky, unable to see the sun. The ravine was too deep, but they could tell what time of day it was. Dusk was approaching.

"Fluttershy, we're not getting out of here," Blue broke it too her, staring up at the cliff top high above them. "That's too far up for us to climb. And much too steep."

"There's got to be another way," she said, shaking her head adamantly. "There's got to be a way out of here." She placed a metal splint on either side of his lower hind leg and began wrapping it in gauze.

Blue winced. "I don't see any way out, but we can try."

"Of course we don't see a way out. But there is one. There has to be!" She finished his splint, taping off the end. "Now, try and stand up."

Blue planted his forelegs on either side of himself, feeling Fluttershy wrap hers around his upper body in an attempt to help him up. He was able to stand, but only on his three uninjured legs. The broken one simply wouldn't hold any weight.

"We're fucking done for," Blue said angrily. "This damn cliff just ruined everything."

"Blue! Stop using that language. And we're not done for. We have a lot going for us," Fluttershy said sharply, reprimanding him. For some reason, he fell silent as she commanded. He didn't know why.

Glancing around them and sighing, Blue searched for a clue as to what she meant. He saw a whole lot of nothing and snorted. "Fluttershy, please don't tell me you're going mad. Either that or that you bumped your head on the way down. There's absolutely nothing for us down here. In fact," He glanced back at his hindquarters, feeling something missing. His saddlebags. "We seem to be missing our water bottles and firewood."

"I still have my pack, Blue. And some food and water. We'll be fine. We just need to get out of this ravine." She stared down the ravine, hoping to see something useful. There was nothing. "Can you walk at all?"

Blue grunted and took a few steps. He stumbled a bit, but walking was manageable.

"We need to get going if we're gonna try and get back home before dark," he said, pointing a hoof at the darkening sky.

Fluttershy visibly shivered. "Yeah... Let's pick a direction and move as fast as we can."

The two of them stared down either direction, but saw nothing intriguing or indicative of a way up and out.

"I say we go this way," Blue said, pointing to the left. The ravine almost seemed to slope upwards, but it very well may have been an illusion.

"Why that way?" Fluttershy asked, coming up beside him.

"Because," Blue said. "It looks promising. As promising as it gets, being in this hellhole. Let's go before we run out of daylight." He started with a heavy limp, Fluttershy walking beside him, her body against his to hold him steady.

The ravine curved around, leading to another long section of emptiness. There was still no sign of a way up the sides, and darkness was descending rapidly upon them.

"Blue..." Fluttershy whispered fearfully, walking closer to him still.

"Yes, I know. We're out of time. We'll have to try and set up camp somewhere." He stopped and scanned the area.

A cool breeze blew through, and Blue perked up.

Fluttershy shivered violently. "Blue, without a jacket or blankets, we won't make it one night out here. It's too cold..." She rubbed her upper forelegs, trying to warm up as her teeth began to chatter audibly.

Blue shook his head. "We'll make it. I'm looking for a depression or cave in the cliff side. That's our best bet. And by the way," he said, casually pointing in the direction of the wind funneling through the ravine, "that wind is from above. Which means somewhere down there, there's a way up and out. Tonight, we'll camp. Tomorrow, we'll get out of here."

Fluttershy nodded, still shivering. "I hope you're right..."

I do too, Blue thought bitterly. Otherwise we'll both end up dead by morning.

They continued on through the rock-littered ravine into the wind. Around the next curve, they discovered what they silently plead for: a small cave in the side of the cliff face.

"Perfect!" Blue exclaimed. They both hurried over to it, eager to escape the cold.

"Are you sure it's safe?" Fluttershy asked, concerned. She peered uncertainly into the mouth of the pitch-black cave.

With another bone-chilling breeze, Blue didn't even have to answer. Fluttershy hurried into the cave entrance with him in tow.

Although they could see nothing, they knew it was safe enough. There wouldn't be any creatures of danger living down in the bottom of a ravine in the icy cold Frozen North.

At least, they hoped not.

The cave was shallow, but they were out of the bitterly cold winds, and that's what they needed. It only took them a few moments to get things set up, as limited as they were.

"I'll sleep closer to the entrance to protect you," Blue said, limping over towards the mouth of the cave as Fluttershy dug around in her saddlebags.

She glanced up at him and jumped up. "Oh, no you don't. You're injured. I'm protecting you." She moved in front of him before he could protest and shoved him back towards their stuff.

"Hey, I'm the stallion around here. I'll be the protector," Blue growled, struggling to turn around. Fluttershy somehow overpowered him, likely due to his injury.

"You need rest and to heal up. You're not going to play hero, Blue. Now lay down," Fluttershy said sternly, pointing beside her saddlebags.

Blue grumbled inaudibly and complied, though he still didn't know why he let her tell him what to do. Then again, it's not like he had much choice. He laid there and watched her go through her bags until she came out with a three small blankets. She unfolded two, laying one down for him and the other over him. The third was clearly for her.

"This should keep you a little warm," she said, tucking the edges under his body.

Blue felt a bit uncomfortable. "You're not going to go without a blanket, Fluttershy. You need warmth or you'll die."

She shook her head. "No, I'll be fine. You just rest up and stay warm."

"Fluttershy, I mean it. I'm not going to keep this blanket on if it's the only one. Period."

She sighed resignedly. "Then what do you suppose we do, since this is the only blanket we have to lay on?"

Blue hesitated. "I don't know. But I'm not going to be the only one warm tonight."

Neither of them spoke for a few moments as they tried to think of something.

Blue suddenly had an idea. "Fluttershy... I know this is going to be a bit unorthodox, but it's the only thing I can think of, and we're kind of in survival mode. I don't know how you're going to feel about it though," he admitted, catching her curious gaze.

"Um, well, what is it?" she asked, sitting on her haunches beside him.

Blue scratched the back of his head. "Well, to conserve body heat, we could always... you know, share the blanket."

Fluttershy blinked, looking sheepish. "Oh... um... well, I suppose... if that's the only way..."

"To survive, I think it is."

Fluttershy nodded slowly. "Of... of course. To survive..." She looked away.

Nopony moved.

"Do you want to share it?" Blue asked, sitting up from a laying position. He was beginning to feel the throbbing pain from the break in his hind leg and wanted nothing more than to pass out for the night.

Fluttershy sighed. "I suppose..." She set her saddlebags nearby and curled up beside him, her body flush with his, and rested her head on her forehooves, glancing meekly over at him.

Blue immediately felt the warmth from her body and relished in it. His plan would work; they'd stay warm all night this way. He used his good wing to drape the small blanket over their backs and rested his head on his own forehooves, trying to ignore the pain in his leg.

"Goodnight, Fluttershy," he whispered softly. This was the end of a long day, including one where they'd survived the impossible. Saying goodnight made him feel at the least a little normal.

"Goodnight," she returned just as softly. "Sleep well..."

And sleep well, he would; sleep embraced him, and her soon after.