Author's Note

If you see any errors, please let me know so I can correct them! Otherwise, enjoy!

"Never go alone."

202 Hours

This was it.

All they'd worked for, fought to survive for, was in vain. There wouldn't be a rescue.

They were all alone and nopony was coming for them.

Blue sat curled up beside the entrance to the caboose, his mind reeling as he tried to make sense of things. Fluttershy rested on her haunches nearby, concerned for the now silent and whimpering stallion accompanying her. Although she too was distraught about the revelation of the rescue crew having come and gone, Blue seemed to be taking things much harder - he hadn't said a word in almost an hour, and it would be growing dark very soon.

"Blue..." Fluttershy sighed, moving over beside him. "I know you're upset, and so am I, but we can't just sit here and... grieve. We have to get up and keep fighting. We can't give up this easily..."

Blue looked up at her through watery eyes. He felt an overwhelming urge to just sob and lay there, but Fluttershy had a point. There was no use in giving up now. But what was there to do at this point? They were not getting rescued, so that was out of the question. What would they do now that they were for certain alone?

Blue shook away the thoughts and shakily struggled to his hooves. "Yeah... you're right. But we aren't getting rescued, so what's the point? You and I both know we can't live out here forever." He glanced warily off at the endless expanses of woods all around them.

"I know..." Fluttershy replied quietly. "But couldn't we leave? Couldn't we try and find civilization? There's gotta be something nearby..."

Blue shook his head. "Sadly, no. I doubt there's anything within walking distance for us. Not that we'd know where to go anyways." He glanced back at the wreckage of the train and sighed. Carrying on now just seemed futile to him, but he didn't want to put that on Fluttershy. She didn't deserve it. "Guess we better get started on gathering supplies. Let's try and figure things out tonight."

"Alright..."

"I, uh..." Blue paused, taking a deep breath and releasing it. "I guess I'll rummage through the cars and see what I can find. If you want, you can skirt the woods and gather some firewood. I have a feeling we'll need a lot..." He pointed to the darkening sky obscured by threatening, low clouds. A storm was imminent.

Fluttershy nodded hesitantly. "How much is a lot...?"

"Start a pile by the door to the caboose. Make it as tall as you can manage. Gather anything and everything that will burn. We have no way of knowing how long the storm coming in will last and we can't take the chances on freezing to death. Better to have too much wood than not enough, in these circumstances."

Fluttershy gave a quick nod. "Right."

Between them, a small, needle-like snowflake fluttered down and settled on the older layer of snow.
Both Blue and Fluttershy watched it the whole time, following it with their eyes on its final descent.

"That's a sign that we need to get going," Blue said, tight-lipped.

The rescue team had cleared out all personal belongings, Blue discovered as he searched through the wreckage of the train cars. Almost nothing of value to him and Fluttershy was left, leading Blue to believe their chances of survival had just drastically gone down. Good thing Fluttershy was away gathering wood, or she'd see him panicking.

Blue ran from car to car, hoping to find something useful, but to no avail. The rescue team had scoured each car, clearing everything - even the caboose was cleared, save for the makeshift stove he and Fluttershy had constructed days earlier. They'd even left his book he'd been reading, though at this point he had little to no interest in it.

As Blue utilized the remaining but rapidly retreating daylight to check out the engine, which was heavily burned, he discovered part of the engineer's room had been left untouched by the inferno. It was here he ran across something that changed everything.

In an overturned decorative desk, Blue found a curled up piece of paper held by a rubber band.

"Is this... what I think it is?" he asked himself aloud as he picked it up and carefully removed the rubber band, slowly unfurling the paper to reveal what it depicted.

It was exactly what he'd hoped it would be - a map. But not just any map; a map of the Frozen North - including their area, so it seemed. He couldn't tell for sure, so he decided later to study it. It didn't, unfortunately, show the locations of any civilizations. Not even the Crystal Empire was marked on the map where Blue knew it should ordinarily be.

As good as finding the map was, it likely wouldn't be of much use to them without showing them where to go. Although Blue could tell from memory where the Crystal Empire was on the map, it was much too far for them to try for on hoof. It would take them weeks to reach it, assuming the weather conditions and rough, mountainous terrain didn't do them in first; not to mention the humongous beast that nearly ate them near the falls. Blue shivered violently.

"Blue!" Fluttershy's distant voice called out to him, interrupting his reverie. "Blue, I think I'm done! Where are you?"

Blue rolled the map up quickly and stuffed it in the small, dark red duffle bag he'd brought along to collect findings in. No use in showing Fluttershy a finding that wasted their time. He zipped it up and replied, "In the engine! Up front!" He stepped into the doorway and waited for her, peering up at the darkening sky blanketed by low stratus clouds. Dusk was soon.

Fluttershy came into view to his left, looking disheveled and very tired. "Blue," she sighed as she trotted up to him. "I found as much wood as I could. I'm afraid I can't do anymore. I'm much too tired and hungry..." She stopped before him and pouted. "I'm sorry..."

Blue shook his head. "Don't be sorry, Shy. You did good then, if you did as much as you could. You did better than I." He shrugged and stepped out of the engine beside her.

Fluttershy looked over at him. "What?" she asked, confused.

"I found nothing useful in the cars," Blue explained sadly. He closed his eyes and lowered his head in defeat. "Rescue team left us with nothing..."

"That's awful," Fluttershy gasped. "What about the stove we made? And our stuff left by the stove, too? Did they take those too?"

Blue shook his head. "Oddly enough, no. Everything there was untouched, though the rest of the caboose is empty."

"At least we still have our stuff," Fluttershy said. "I don't think we could make it without those extra blankets and the fireplace..."

"We could and can, if it boils down to it." He began marching towards the caboose, the snow crunching underhoof. Fluttershy started after him. "I will say that I will be considering a plan of action for us to execute once this incoming storm clears."

"Oh? What kind of plan?"

"One that will save us."

They made their way to the caboose, where Blue checked out the pile of wood Fluttershy gathered for them to use in the stove. She did an impressive job, managing to stack the pile well over rump-level. It was enough wood to last three days, at the minimum.

"Excellent work, Shy. This should keep us plenty warm," Blue praised her, picking up a large stick and tossing it on the top of the pile. "Lots of good wood here."

Fluttershy blushed. "Oh, thanks..."

Blue smiled pleasantly at her. "Come on, lets go inside before we become pony popsicles."

207 Hours

Darkness descended upon them shortly after they'd retreated into the caboose for shelter. Not long after dark, the wind began picking up, howling against the edges of the train cars, and the snowflakes picked up in frequency and size. The storm had begun.

Blue had also taken care of the broken windows, using some metal panels that had fallen off the train during the crash to seal off the two broken windows as best he could. It was better then letting the cold winds howl into the caboose all night.

Over by the fireplace, Blue and Fluttershy hung out curled up in blankets, talking idly about whatever came to mind. The storm raged on, preventing them from going anyplace, as if there was anywhere to go at all. The most they could do is stimulate their minds with conversation, which, luckily enough, wasn't terribly hard for them to manage.

Blue kept his book nearby, deciding that whenever Fluttershy was ready to sleep, he would be getting back into it. For now, they talked.

"...And that was honestly the only time I'd ever been frightened by an animal," Fluttershy finished her short story. She smiled over at Blue. "What about you? Has a regular animal ever scared you?"

Blue sniffled and rubbed his nose. It was running due to the cold, but the fire was helping him warm up. "Many animals, Fluttershy. Many animals..."

Fluttershy cocked her head to the side and frowned. "Like what?"

Blue cringed. He didn't want to tell her, but the truth was the truth. "Uh... well, when I was a colt, I got scared by... a..."

Fluttershy watched curiously, giving him a little nod to continue.

"I got... scared by a butterfly..."

Fluttershy covered her mouth to suppress a laugh. Her cheeks bulged and her sides quaked. After a few seconds of this, she pulled her hoof away and sighed. "Oh dear..."

"Exactly how I figured you'd react. Most ponies do," Blue admitted with a shrug, "but when you're only five and you watch a crinkled up butterfly emerge from a cocoon, it's pretty terrifying."

"Really?" Fluttershy asked, not understanding. The emergence of a butterfly was a wonderful, amazing sight in nature. How could anypony find that frightening? "What about it scared you? I don't understand..." She pouted.

"Coincidentally, my lack of understanding," Blue replied, poking at the fire with a stick, then tossing it in. "I didn't know that's what caterpillars turned into. When my mom explained later, I didn't fear them anymore."

"So... is that all? Nothing else notable scared you?" Fluttershy prodded. She wanted to know for some reason. The caterpillar thing intrigued her enough to want more.

Blue rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment, looking off into the darkness at the other end of the caboose. "Hmm. Well, I suppose there was the time that fish scared me."

"What kind of fish?" Fluttershy asked.

"A really big catfish," Blue replied. "My dad had caught it on a fishing trip down at the river we lived by during most of my colthood. The thing was almost as big as me. And, well, my dad had told me those things had spiny fins and one that big could easily spear a big hole in me, so as soon as he pulled it up, I screamed like a filly and took off."

Fluttershy chuckled. "That's quite the scene I'm imagining."

Blue smiled. "Yeah, I suppose it was funny. I mean, later that night we ate that fish, but, you know, it still scared me."

"Oh."

For a moment, they were silent. Only the wind howling outside and the crackle of the fire resounded throughout the caboose.

"So, uh," Blue started, shifting under his blanket. "Where do you stand in the topic of... uh... relationships?" Blue swallowed hard. It was honestly an innocent question, but he wasn't sure if Fluttershy would see it that way.

"Relationships?" Fluttershy knitted her eyebrows. "Like, friendships?"

Blue gave a slight nod, growing nervous. "Yeah, those, but also... you know... relationships. Like... love."

Fluttershy drew back, seemingly surprised by the question. "I um... I don't know what you're asking. What do you mean 'Where do I stand?'?" She shrank back a bit, which told Blue he was finding an uncomfortable topic.

"I just meant... how do you feel about dating? Stallions? Romance?" Blue glanced nervously at the fire. He knew he might be asking for too much but, at this point, it was a bit too late to retract all that he'd already asked. "I know I might be asking some... rather personal questions, but I feel like we've known each other long enough to be open about it. At least, I hope so."

Fluttershy drew a sharp breath through her teeth and let it out with a heavy sigh. "Well, I typically don't date..."

Blue sat quietly for a moment. "So... you're celibate?"

"Not exactly," Fluttershy replied, withdrawing even further into the folds of her blanket. "I don't date because... nopony ever asks me out on dates..."

If Blue had been drinking something, he would've done a perfect spit-take. "You're serious? Nopony has ever asked you on a date?" Blue was dumbfounded by this. How could nopony ever ask such beautiful mare on a date? Blue wasn't the hottest stallion in town, but even he had been asked out a dozen times or so. Fluttershy should've been able to write a novel with the names of stallion that had asked her by now.

"Don't get me wrong... I've been asked out before..." Fluttershy stared down at the floor. "But it's been awhile. Everypony knows not to ask me because I can't find the courage to say yes..."

Now things were beginning to make sense for Blue. Fluttershy was just too... shy. That meant it was even more unlikely that she herself had done any asking out lately, either. "Well, when was the last time you were asked out? And if you feel too uncomfortable to answer these, just tell me. I'll drop the subject."

"No, it's fine," she replied, sighing. "Anyways, it's been since last Hearts and Hooves Day, at least. Nopony ever asks me otherwise, because they know I either won't reply, or I won't say yes."

"But why? Don't you want to date?"

"Of course I do..." Fluttershy was almost completely covered in her blanket now. Blue could only see her eyes. "I just can't work up the courage to..."

Blue fell silent for a moment as he tried to think of a solution for her. When she got home, maybe she could use it. Or, more realistically, Blue could finally admit to himself that he was developing an affinity for her. All this time spent surviving with her has made him care for her, and greatly. But was it appropriate to say anything? Was it a good idea to perhaps take a chance on ruining their friendship? Maybe even causing rift enough that they could no longer work together to survive?

Blue doubted that would be the case, as she didn't seem the type to shun a guy over his honest feelings, especially in a time of survival. But whether it was appropriate to say anything or not was definitely up for debate. For now, he just wanted to offer her some advice.

"Well, Fluttershy... can I give you some advice?" Blue asked finally, watching her "come out of her shell" a bit.

"I um... I suppose... Though I will admit my friends have already tried that before..." Fluttershy replied, unfurling the blanket and recovering herself so her head was free. She still seemed a bit reserved, which he didn't blame her.

"Cool. I promise I'll try my best. I just want to help you out a bit, okay? I feel like a mare like you deserves to be with somepony that cares about you and wants nothing but to make you happy every day and appreciates you for who you - " Blue realized he was expressing his own feelings and stopped himself short. "I, uh, think I'll start with your shyness."

Fluttershy nodded, looking less than convinced. "Okay..." Then she stood up suddenly. "Actually, I need to... relieve myself first..." she said with a light blush.

Blue stared out the window in concern. "Are you sure you wanna go out there? That storm is brutal."

Fluttershy nodded. "I don't have much of a choice do I? I can't go in here, with you..."

"Fair enough... Just be careful, okay? That storm will kill you if you get lost. Don't wander too far away. If you can't see the caboose, you're too far."

"Alright, I'll be back in a few minutes." She tossed the blanket over herself and wrapped up as much of her exposed body as possible. Blue led her to the door and opened it, letting her out. He watched her fade into the falling snow and sighed, trotting back over to the fire and leaving the door open. It was letting cold air in, but he thought it far more important that she could find her way back in then them being a bit cold for awhile until the fire warmed the caboose back up.

Blue picked up his book and began reading where he left off, or, at least trying to. The howling wind was distracting him and he was slightly worried about Fluttershy.

Also on his mind was the topic of their conversation. He wondered if he should just tell her. All he'd been doing is thinking the worst possible responses he'd get from her. But what if she responded positively? Despite the fact that she clearly has shyness issues, she had no problem cuddling with him. She also performed CPR, including mouth-to-mouth, when he drowned. That may have been a life-saving maneuver, but that didn't mean it didn't take courage to put her lips on his. He knew it would definitely take courage for him to put his on hers...

At this point, Blue really just wanted to be honest. If they somehow didn't make it, he wanted her to know he'd come to enjoy her company and wanted to be with her. There may never be another chance.

Blue set the book down and stood up. "That's it. I'm gonna just tell her. I'm gonna tell her when she gets back in and -"

A bloodcurdling scream cut him off.

Fluttershy's scream.

"Fluttershy!" Blue hollered, racing out of the caboose and into the storm. Fluttershy appeared from the whiteness and ran smack into him, causing them to both collapse in a heap, her on top of him.

"Blue! Blue it's here!" Fluttershy cried frantically and stood up quickly, yanking him to his hooves.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa... what's here?"

A monstrous roar echoed through the snow-filled air, sending chills up Blue's spine. That was his answer.

"No!" Blue cried out in fear and frustration. How did it find them?

In the distance, the sound of heavy thumps with each bounding step the brute took sent Blue and Fluttershy scrambling for the caboose. They ran as fast as they could into the entry and slammed the door shut.

"Blue that's not going to stop it! I don't want to die Blue... I don't want to die!" Fluttershy clung to him and whimpered, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"We're aren't going to die, Sweetie. I promise." Blue's heart raced as he searched the room for a weapon. For anything at all they could use to defend themselves. Fluttershy was right -- the door would not hold back that monster. The caboose would be like a tin can, with them the food within.

There was nothing. Nothing that would stop the beast that barreled towards the caboose as they watched on in horror, holding each other tight.

The creature reached the caboose and began growling furiously, tearing and clawing at the already weak door. It easily fell under the force of the monster. The beast peeked its giant head into the caboose and glared at them, licking its gnarly, jagged teeth in anticipation of its soon-to-be meal.

"Blue!" Fluttershy shrieked, squeezing her eyes closed and turning away from the creature, holding Blue close and shaking. "Blue do something!"

Blue's eyes darted around the room, searching even still for something -- anything -- that could save them, or even just buy them time. His eyes fell upon the blazing fire just behind them as they backed away from the door.

Of course! Fire!

Thinking instinctively, Blue yanked himself away from Fluttershy and balled up his blanket, shoving it hastily over the end of a large, crooked stick Fluttershy had gathered with the firewood earlier that day. Blue stuck the blanket end in the fire until it was up in flames. It meant that he had just sacrificed his only blanket, but if his idea worked, it would be worth it.

"Blue, what are you doing?" Fluttershy shouted over the roars from the intruder.

Blue ignored her, running past her and standing before the creature that was now halfway into the caboose. It glared at him with flashing eyes and snarled angrily, the reflection of the flaming blanket in its haunting yellow eyes.

Undaunted, but internally contemplating the stupidity of his actions, he forced the flaming weapon into to face of the beast, which howled in agony and drew back sharply, rocking the caboose.

"Blue!" Fluttershy fought to stay upright as the caboose rattled to a stop from the shaking. "Blue I think you hurt it!"

"That's the plan," he breathed, edging outside to meet the now furious monster. It stared him down with a new hatred and feral hunger. Blue could see in its eyes how badly it desired to kill him.

Despite his heart beating at the speed of sound and his brain screaming to back away, Blue charged the beast and struck it in the face again with the burning blanket.

The colossal carnivore spun away and roared, lumbering off into the woods, disappearing moments later. Its pained howls could be heard for the next few minutes as it faded into the sounds of the winter storm.

Blue stared uneasily into the woods the entire time before realizing he'd been holding his breath. He took a few deep breaths and turned back to the caboose to assess the damage.

Fluttershy stood just inside, looking perturbed. "Blue, the door broke off..." she said, glancing down at the wrecked remains of what was just moments before the barrier that separated them from the harsh winter landscape.

Blue sighed down at the mangled heap of metal. "We'll have to fix this. Without something holding in the heat, we're wasting our time and effort with the fire."

"What are we going to do then?" Fluttershy asked. "We don't exactly have welding tools..."

Blue glanced around the room. His eyes fell upon his other blanket. He hurried over, snatching it up and going back over to the entrance. He stretched the blanket over the jagged edges so it was taut and the wind wouldn't carry it off. It wasn't very effective, but definitely better than nothing.

"Absolutely not," Fluttershy said flatly. "You're not going without blankets."

"Fluttershy, I already burned one. This is better than leaving the doorway open. Besides, what choice do we have?" Blue motioned to the inside of the caboose. "Do you see anything else helpful?"

Fluttershy sighed. "No. No, I guess not..."

Blue suddenly hugged her. It was pent up. The creature had nearly killed her, and that was just now hitting him. He had almost lost her, and was realizing just how much she meant to him.

Fluttershy embraced him back, unsure what to say.

"I can't imagine what would happen to me if I lost you," Blue said serenely. "I don't think I could go on." He continued to hold her close, feeling her rapid heartbeat on his chest. He was sure she could feel his, as well.

"Blue, don't talk like that," she quietly chastised him. "You'd do just fine. You're smart and strong. You'd find a way to get out of this."

"No." Blue pulled away slightly, looking into her eyes. Their muzzles were only inches apart. As Blue stared into her sparkling turquoise eyes, he decided now was a better time then ever to just admit his feelings. Something told him she wouldn't hare him for feeling something that was only natural.

"Fluttershy, I..." he fell silent, unsure how to proceed with what he so badly wanted to say. He'd confessed feelings to many mares in the past, so why was this any different? "I... I really care about you. I know we haven't known each other long, but I feel like we've become great friends. Like we can share the most personal details about our lives and be completely comfortable with it. And honestly I couldn't go one without you. If something happened to you and I was left alone, well... I'd be devastated."

Fluttershy nodded, giving him a pleasant, understanding smile. "I know Blue. You're very sweet... but you could go on. You don't need me."

"That's wrong," Blue replied assuredly. "Very wrong. The truth is..." He sighed. "The truth is... I..." The words would just not come. He stared nervously into her curious eyes and swallowed the stone in his throat. "Fluttershy, I think I'm falling in love with you..." He immediately turned away, hoping to avoid the disproving eyes that were surely staring him down.

Instead, he felt her soft, gentle touch on his cheek as she turned his head back to face her. She wore the same understanding smile from moments before. This time, there was a warmth to it.

"Blue," she whispered softly, "there's nothing wrong with feelings. We've been pitted against this wasteland alone and we've been through some tough times. But we've learned to rely on each other, and I think I understand what you mean when you say you can't go on without me. You're right... we probably both couldn't go on without the other. And I guess feelings play into this a bit, too..." She pulled him into another embrace, burying her face into his neck. "My point is... I really like you too, Blue..."

Blue felt his eyes well up with tears. "This is probably the high-point of this entire situation for me..." Then he had a thought. "But wait..."

Fluttershy pulled away, giving him a questioning look. "Yes...?"

Blue gave a troubled frown. "You never seemed interested in me. This whole time I thought I made you uncomfortable."

"That's because I'm awful at expressing certain emotions and feelings. We talked about that earlier tonight, remember?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I suppose so..."

A moment went by of nothing but silence.

"So um..." Blue started. "What does this mean?"

Fluttershy cocked her head to the side. "What does what mean?"

"What does... us admitting care about each other mean?"

"What do you want it to mean?" Fluttershy asked, averting her eyes, flushing a light pink.

"I..." Blue thought for a moment. "I don't know..."

Fluttershy leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek. It wasn't much, but Blue felt his heart soar.

"I... I, uh..." Blue stuttered, his face growing hot.

Fluttershy placed a hoof over his mouth. "We should get to bed, Blue. It's late and I'm sure you're as tired as I am."

He nodded, pulling away from her. "Yeah..."

They stood around in awkward silence for a few moments before moving over to the fire.

"Oh, right..." Fluttershy murmured. "You burned your other blanket..."

Blue scratched the back of his head. "I could... share with you, right? We could share yours?"

Fluttershy smiled. "Sure, Blue. I can share mine with you."

Blue returned the smile with humility. "You're too good to me, Shy..."

"Nonsense," Fluttershy said, splaying out her bottom blanket and straightening it out. "I don't want you to be cold."

Blue motioned to the fire. "There is the fire, you know. I just... asked because I like..."

"Cuddling me?" she finished for him, somehow looking both amused and sheepish. She laid down and waved an inviting hoof.

Blue joined her as she pulled the blanket over them. She nestled up against him, and he laid a foreleg around her to pull her closer. Instead of feeling her tense up as she normally would, he felt her relax. The fire crackled away as they settled in for bed.

"Blue?" Fluttershy said in a tiny voice.

"Yeah...?"

"We'll get out of this. Together," she said, laying her head on his shoulder.

Blue rested his head on hers. "Yeah..." It was better not to tell her his doubts. For her, he'd try and at least appear hopeful.

"You believe me... right?"

Blue hesitated. "Yeah," he replied finally. "Sorry if I sound a bit disbelieving. It's not often a two-ton wolf thing attacks you in a caboose during a blizzard in the middle of nowhere."

"Hmm. You have a very negative perspective on things, Blue. Guess I'll have to help break you of that." She smiled mischievously up at him.

"Heh. I imagine you will."

Fluttershy yawned and shifted to a more comfortable position. "I'm ready to sleep, Blue. Sorry..."

"Don't be sorry. Get your rest, okay?" Blue gave her a little squeeze. "But one more thing, before you drift off into dreamland."

"Yes...?"

"No more going alone. Anywhere," Blue said. "I know it's going to be hard to... do certain things with me present, but honestly a little embarrassment is not going to kill anypony. That thing... that thing will."

"Alright..." She laid her head down on her forelegs and closed her eyes. She wasn't happy about that, but Blue was right. It was safer this way. "Goodnight, Blue..."

"Goodnight Fluttershy. Sleep well and dream of wonderful things," Blue said in the most sincerest of ways.

Fluttershy dozed off moments later, but Blue remained awake for another couple hours, lost in his thoughts.

222 Hours

Blue felt a warmth on his face. His eyes snapped open.

Sunlight.

He burst from under the blanket, momentarily forgetting about Fluttershy beside him, and raced over to the window.

Outside, the frozen world was bathed in a golden light, the snow glittering and sparkling like billions of little diamonds. The sky was an azure blue, cloudless, and infinite.

"Blue?"

Blue turned and gave Fluttershy a boyish grin. "The storm is over, Fluttershy. The storm ended!"

"W...what?" She sat up suddenly, the blanket draped over shoulders. She rubbed her tired eyes and yawned. "The storm stopped?"

"Yes, and that means we can make some progress today. This is amazing!" Blue turned back to the window, placing a hoof on its icy surface. "I just hope it stays this way."

"What are we going to do today, then?"

"I have a plan. It's the one from yesterday."

"Should I get ready?" Fluttershy asked.

Blue trotted back over to her. "No, don't worry about it for right now. Let's eat. I'll outline the plan with you."

Fluttershy glanced around the caboose. "Well, um..."

"What's wrong?"

"We don't have any food..."

"You don't have anything left in your bag from yesterday?" he asked, sitting on his haunches, growing worried. The storm would have most likely buried any sources of food for them. It would be much harder to get anything and time-consuming.

Fluttershy stood and pulled her bag over to her, digging through it for a moment. "Oh, good. I have probably just enough for a good breakfast. I'm afraid there's not going to be enough left for later, though." She slid the remaining rations out of her bag.

"That's not good," Blue said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "We'll have to forage a little after discussing the plan."

"Alright..."

As they ate their roots and berries, Blue explained what he had in mind.

"Now," he started. "I can't believe it took me this long to think of this, but we could head up or around the mountain with the tracks above to find a way up to them, then just follow them to the nearest town."

"Wow. That's... actually a good idea." Fluttershy munched on some roots. "But how will we find a way up, and how will we find the tracks from down here?"

Blue pondered for a moment. "I was thinking... we could follow the gouges from the train. They would lead right up to the tracks."

"That might work."

Blue polished off a hoofful of berries and took a swig of some snowmelt from their canister. "We can scope out some locations around the mountainside, then choose the best route."

"Sounds like a good plan to me," Fluttershy got the water from Blue when he was done and got a drink for herself.

"Anything you want to suggest?" Blue asked, trying to include her.

"Not really. I think you have a wonderful plan. I hope this works."

"Me too." Blue stood. "In that case, I'm ready when you are."

"Okay. I'm ready."

An hour later, they were wandering alongside the mountain, staring up and scanning for the tracks they hoped to reach.

The snow wasn't too deep, but deep enough to slow their progress. Not to mention Blue was still in pain from his leg break, which was a legitimate concern for him -- would it inhibit his ability to climb a steep angle to the tracks? He would be finding out.

So far, along their walk, their search had yielded no results. The tracks were simply too far up to be spotted from below, not to mention the trees growing along the sides of the mountain prevented them from seeing very far up. And the gouges from the train would be excellent to use as a guide up, but the mountain was far too steep at that location to be climbed without proper gear.

It seemed like this plan wouldn't be so good after all. The more they skirted the mountainside, the less convinced they were that they could easily get up it.

Another failure, in Blue's eyes.

After several hours of searching, they gave up. Fluttershy guided them around on the hunt for food, trying to beat nightfall. They wandered home just as dusk approached, loading up the dying fire in the caboose with fresh logs and settling in for the night.

They sat around the fire that evening, Fluttershy sorting their food, and Blue deeply indelved in a book. He was actually just trying not to talk, as he was feeling a bit self-conscious about his failed plan. What bothered him the most was the fact that that was his only plan. He hadn't come up with anything else, and likely wouldn't. He had no idea what they were going to do now, and he didn't want to talk about it.

"Blue, I feel like you're upset," Fluttershy spoke for the first time since they'd settled for the night. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he said flatly, not taking his eyes from his book.

"I don't think you are..." Fluttershy replied, not convinced. "I know we didn't get much done today but at least we know what we can't do. That lets us figure out a new plan."

"What plan, Fluttershy?" Blue said, irritated. "What, are we going to fly up the damn mountain? We're stuck on the ground, and I'm hurt. We're going nowhere. The rescue team came and left, and we can't go anywhere. There's nothing we can do now. Might as well sit it out."

"Blue!" Fluttershy scolded him, staring disapprovingly. "Don't talk like that! You know very well that we still have many options. I know you can think of something else. You're not dumb."

Blue sighed. "Fluttershy, I don't feel like arguing with you. I don't know what else to do, okay? What do you want me to say?"

"That maybe you're not giving up? Because you'd be giving up on me. Is that what you want to do?"

"No, but what choice do I have? My plan failed. I wasted a perfectly good day on a terrible plan." Blue tossed the book down and folded his forelegs across his chest in a fit, turning away from her. "We got nothing done today, and it's my fault."

Fluttershy moved over to him, putting a gentle hoof on his shoulder. He pouted up at her, but her consoling gaze broke him.

"Blue," she said in a tender, soothing voice. "You didn't waste anything. We tried a great idea that we learned from. It's not the end of the world and you shouldn't give up. We still have each other and as long as we do, neither of us is allowed to give up. Okay?"

Blue looked down at the floor and nodded, relenting. "Yeah, alright. Sorry, Fluttershy. I'm just... frustrated..."

She hugged him. "I know. I am too, but there's always tomorrow to think up a new plan. What do you say we hit the hay? Tomorrow we can think of a new plan."

"I think that's a good idea." Blue stood and stretched. "The book was getting too lovey-dovey for me, anyways." He winked at her.

Fluttershy smiled back at him and began setting up for bed.

"Sorry again for my attitude, Shy. I shouldn't have gotten aggressive like that," Blue apologized again, feeling bad about how he talked to her. He'd never spoken that way to a lady before, and would make every effort to never do it again, especially to Fluttershy.

"It's okay, Blue," she assured him, setting out the blankets. "Don't worry about it. Let's just get to bed. We have lots to do tomorrow."

"Yeah."

Fluttershy curled up under the covers and Blue slipped under beside her. She nuzzled up to him as he laid a foreleg over her to pull her close.

"Just keeping you warm," Blue said with a nervous laugh.

"I'm okay with that..." Fluttershy blushed, returning the smile.

"Goodnight, Shy. See you in the morning."

'Goodnight Blue..."

Sleep found them soon after.