Author's Note

As always, let me know if you see errors or mistakes, and enjoy the story!

Promises

245 Hours

The next morning, the two ponies awoke early and prepared for another go at rescuing themselves. With no plan in play, they would likely use the clear weather unwillingly to sit around and formulate strategies to escape from the Frozen North.

The sun shone brilliantly as it had the day before, but the thin layer of high-altitude cirrus clouds to the northwest indicated that in the next 24-36 hours, that would change. Whatever they were going to do, it would have to happen fast.

Even more alarming, despite the sun shining with no obstruction and little to no wind present, the air felt as though it was colder today than the previous day, meaning some sort of winter frontal system was moving in, and quickly. It wouldn't be long before the wind picked up, and then they really would be in trouble if caught outside.

Fluttershy wandered around the edge of the woods, gathering berries and roots, while Blue sat on a log out in the sun, thinking deeply about what they could do next to find rescue. Unfortunately, he was having trouble with this, and soon found himself wondering if he could use the map to locate a way to civilization somehow, though he was fairly certain it would be near-useless.

Blue glanced from his log, watching Fluttershy for a moment as she sedulously gathered their breakfast and lunch. She was much too busy to be noticing what Blue was doing so he made his way back into the caboose and retrieved the map, unfurling it and peering with little interest at the area it depicted. He knew the whole area, but only geographically. Most of the towns were not labeled on maps to begin with, but this map didn't even mark where he knew the Crystal Empire should be. It was as though a Pegasus had flown up into the sky, painted a picture of the ground, and printed it as a map.

The map was simply not useful. It was too large, anyways. The map depicted from the Frozen North all the way to just north of Canterlot. Without a closer look at the area he surmised they were even in, he wouldn't be able to determine where to head as their destination. The map was essentially pointless, and whoever had made it had to of known this.

Blue sighed resignedly and rolled the map back up, shoving it carelessly into the saddlebag where he'd been storing it. Just then, Fluttershy came waltzing up, humming cheerfully and smiling as though everything was and would be all right. Blue was baffled by her upbeat attitude, as he could not match it. What was there to be cheerful about, anyways?

"Well Blue," she said with an ear-to-ear grin with such cheeriness that it was nearly infectious. "I've gathered enough food for us to make it until tomorrow night!" She set down before them a very full bin of mixed berries and roots.

"Huh," is all Blue could manage. He was impressed, but his mood wasn't better. Fluttershy always found a way to cheer him up when he was down, or vice versa, but this time he just felt that nagging sense of helplessness that no bucket of food could overcome.

Fluttershy's face fell. "Blue…? You don't seem very excited about this..."

He feigned a grin. "See? Excited."

"I'm not convinced."

Blue sighed. "I honestly didn't expect you to be."

Fluttershy sat beside him, her face revealing her growing concern. "Blue, what's bothering you? Is it what happened the other day...?"

"It's a compilation of things, actually," Blue admitted, staring off into the trees. "But the most prominent and foremost being that we have no plan."

"Then we think of one," Fluttershy said simply, as if it were really that easy. Granted, they'd come up with plans every time something arose, but this time, there didn't seem to be any available options. With the last failure, it seems their ideas had come to a grinding halt. At least, for Blue they had.

"Fluttershy," Blue started, closing his eyes for a moment to think. When he opened them, he finished his thought. "If I do recall correctly, the mountain was far too steep for either of us to safely traverse its slopes, correct?"

She nodded. "Mhm."

"Have any ideas to get around that? Any ingenious alternatives?"

Fluttershy opened her mouth, sat for a second or two that way, then closed her mouth, turning away. "I um... I don't know..."

Blue stood. "Bingo. Now you know why I'm upset." He began trotting away, towards the caboose.

Fluttershy jumped up and followed him. "Blue, just because we can't rethink that particular plan doesn't mean others don't exist. We have to keep our minds open and try harder."

Blue stopped and spun around. "You see the clouds?" He pointed a hoof stiffly up at the high-altitude cirrus clouds overhead. "Those are a sign. A sign that bad weather will be here in the next day or so. Have we really any time to be sitting here all day trying to come up with better plans?"

Fluttershy frowned, narrowing her eyes. "It's our only plan of action, Blue. And far better than the alternative."

"And what's the alternative? Dying?" Blue asked, snorting. "That's been a threat the whole time we've been out here, Fluttershy. It's not 'an alternative.' It's a realistic risk we face with every plan. And at this point, I'm half-tempted to say we'd be better off not coming up with some crazy idea that will more than likely just put us further in danger."

Fluttershy gasped. "Blue! That's quitter talk!"

"Is it?" Blue raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Or am I finally realizing what kind of nonsense our 'plans' keep putting us through?"

Fluttershy's frown turned to one of determination. "Blue, we aren't going down that road. We've been through too much to sit here and think this way. Yes, when we go out and try stuff, bad things happen. But look where we are. Isn't something bad bound to happen at any time?"

"It'll be less likely without stupid antics, I'll tell you that much." Blue turned and started back towards the caboose.

Fluttershy ran up and jumped in front of him, halting him with a scowl. "You're not giving up. Didn't we already talk about this?"

"I'm not giving up. I'm just being smarter." He slipped past her.

Fluttershy intervened with his progress a second time. "No you're not. You're giving up on me. You said that neither of us is allowed to give up on the other. By giving up, you're giving up on me. So I'm telling you that I'm not giving up, and you're not giving up. Clear?"

Blue closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out quickly. "Okay, okay. fine. You win. We sit here all day thinking of some master plan to get ourselves nearly killed again. Happy?"

"No," she said sharply. "We're going to think of another plan that will get us out of this mess. That's what we're gonna do."

Blue shook his head. "Whatever you say then."

"I'm not convinced you mean it."

Blue rolled his eyes. "I'll think of a plan with you, okay? Just... please. Let's go inside."

Fluttershy studied him for a moment, then stepped aside. "Okay."

They entered the caboose to attempt to come up with a new plan, but only one of them held any confidence.

249 Hours

Hours later, after having discussed multiple options, they were running dry. Nopony had come up with a definitive plan of action, just as Blue had suspected, but he was beginning to feel a little better about the whole thing.

Fluttershy was right -- earlier, he'd almost given up on her. He couldn't ever do such a thing. After all, one of the main reasons he kept fighting was for her. Giving up on such a mare was just... selfish.

As they munched precariously on some edibles Fluttershy had collected that morning, Blue felt compelled to apologize for his behavior.

"Fluttershy, I'm..." he paused, setting his food down. Fluttershy stopped as well, watching him curiously. "I'm sorry. About earlier. It was the stress getting to me again. I promise you that I'll never give up on you. I swear my life on that."

Fluttershy placed a reassuring hoof on his shoulder and gave him a gentle smile. "It's okay, Blue. And you don't have to say that -- I already knew you wouldn't. You kinda already said you wouldn't before."

"Well... now it's a promise."

"What's more important is that we continue to work together. We can do this, Blue. I believe in us."

Blue hugged her. It was spur-of-the-moment, but he really just wanted to hug her. She was strong, brave, and kinder than no other. He wished he was half as good a pony as she was, but he didn't need to be with her around. She was like the other half of him.

Fluttershy returned the embrace tightly. "Feeling better?" she asked hopefully, her voice muffled from her muzzle being buried in his neck.

"Yeah..." Blue replied quietly, giving her a gentle squeeze. "A lot better now..."

They pulled away from each other a couple moments later, both giving awkward smiles.

"I uh..." Blue started, rubbing the back of his head and trying to determine how he would construct his next sentence. "I... really like... you... being around..." He butchered the hell out of it.

Fluttershy giggled, a hoof over her mouth. "Oh? Is that really what you wanted to say?"

Blue flushed hard. "No, not at all. Let's... change topics."

Fluttershy giggled again, but nodded. "Okay then. what's on your mind?"

"I might actually have an idea."

"For our next plan?" She asked, sipping some chicory root tea she'd brewed up for them.

Blue nodded. "Yes. I want to outline it with you, as I literally just thought of it. Just now."

"Hmm," Fluttershy hummed, setting her tea down and thinking for a moment. "Can I... go relieve myself first?"

"You don't need my permission for that, silly girl. Just go do it whenever you need to. I'll be here, keeping an ear out for you."

"Okay then," she said, hopping up quickly and hurrying out of the room. When you gotta go, you gotta go.

Blue kept his eyes on the doorway, seeing her shadow just outside. He thought it a bit creepy to be staring at it, as he could see what she was doing, so he looked away, back down at his food, but kept his ears trained for trouble. Meanwhile, he analyzed his new plan.

When Fluttershy returned, he discussed it with her, only for them to discover several holes in the strategy, and the plan fell flat. And now, it seemed, it was Fluttershy's turn to lose a little hope.

It started when Blue noticed her fiddling with her food instead of eating it, which, as far as he knew, was out-of-character for her.

"Hey uh," Blue scooted over beside her, bumping her should with his. "You alright?"

Fluttershy smiled up at him. "Oh, of course. I'm doing fine."

Blue could tell this smile was faked. "I doubt it. You seem a bit down. What happened to that chipper young mare from earlier?"

She sighed. "She left when she figured out you were right earlier."

Blue drew back. "What?"

Fluttershy seemed to draw into a ball, her head dropping low and her limbs drawing in. "You were right. We thought up several plans here, and every one of them wouldn't work. You were right. I just... didn't realize that until this last plan hit the dirt. You were right all along..."

Blue shook his head, not believing what he was hearing. Was Fluttershy giving up?

"No," Blue said sternly. "Hell no. No way."

"What...?" Fluttershy looked up at him, eyes rimmed with the moisture of tears.

"Not a chance. You can't give up. After all that stuff you said earlier. How could you have such a change of heart so quickly?"

"I just realized you were right, that's all. I was wrong to be upset at you for it..."

"No, no, no!" Blue stood up, shouting angrily. "You can't give up now! You're the one who kept our hope going, Shy! You're the one who's been making this whole event even remotely bearable!" He stopped, staring into her eyes and lowering his voice. "You're the one who's kept me from giving up. You've been my source of strength all along. If you lose hope, I'll lose hope. Is that what you want...?"

Fluttershy turned away. "I don't want to keep feeding you false hope..."

Blue realized he had to do something, and fast. Things were deteriorating quickly. If Fluttershy succumbed to hopelessness, they both would. And that would drop their survival chances to zero.

"Look... I know the couple plans we thought up didn't work out. But there's always more. What if..." Blue's mind raced, trying to formulate a new plan to get her hopes back up, if even a little. "What if I told you I have a new plan?"

That got a stir out of her, but not much. "Sure, I'll bite, I guess... What is it?"

"Well... I'll need your full attention. Come on," he said, sitting beside her, patting the floor. "Sit up and listen."

Fluttershy complied, but slowly. This gave Blue the opportunity to smooth out the sharp edges of his plan in just those few seconds of spare time. Fluttershy now peered over at him with mild interest.

Blue couldn't believe what he was about to do, and definitely wasn't proud of it. But whatever it took to get this mare back on track, he'd be willing to do it. Just her smiles alone made his day better. The thought of her losing hope was already draining his. This was a last-ditch effort to get things back together, or they'd be lost.

He swallowed hard as he prepared to lie to the face of the prettiest mare he'd ever known. "I have a plan for us. To get help."

"What is it...?"

"Well..." Blue rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I uh... I may have learned the location of a nearby town from the map."

Fluttershy seemed to perk up. Her once flattened ears pricked up, and her eyes opened up a bit wider, her pupils dilating. "Really...?"

Blue nodded. "I'm fairly certain we have around two days of travel before we can reach it, but there's a town."

"Oh, Blue!" Fluttershy leapt into his arms, clinging to him and burying her face into his neck. "That's so wonderful! Can I see?"

"Uh, no! It's... there's no reason to get the map out. I've already seen it so." Bkue felt awful for making up story after story, but it was necessary. Fluttershy had done yet another 180 and that was all that mattered to him. "We should try and get prepared tonight so tomorrow we can head out," he said, trying to divert her attention away from the map. She was far too inquisitive, and might see through his lie if she kept at it.

Fluttershy pulled away. "Oh... you're right. I'll go restock the food." She stood.

Blue got up as well, stretching his legs and groaning. "Ahhhh... great. And I'll uh... restock water. And perhaps poke around for some other supplies. Maybe there's something left for us around here."

"Great idea. I'll be back over here shortly," Fluttershy told him, spinning away and making off towards the treeline.

"Don't go too far!" Blue called after her, recalling the attack the other night and shivering violently.

"I won't!" she called back, barely visible through the low branches of the forest. She was already at work, yanking up roots and tearing down twigs.

Blue watched her carefully for a moment, his fear slowly ebbing away. It was replaced with his thoughts about the new "plan" in place.

How long could he keep up the lie? Hopefully until they actually found help, but Blue knew he was taking a risky shot in the dark taking them into uncharted territory. Unfortunately, it occurred to him that the creature was still out there, and being caught in the woods might spell death for them.

But what if they found help first? Blue wandered aimlessly around the wreckage, pretending to look diligently for some unseen item to aid them on their trip. He had to at least try and look busy.

If, in the event they actually found help, which was part of his plan, he wouldn't have to worry about her discovering the truth. It would be as though he told the truth from the start. But that was if they found help. Chances weren't very good, however...

What if things went awry, like they fell into another ravine, or the beast attacked while they were out in the open? What would they do? Sit there and take it? That wasn't realistic, but neither was expecting nothing bad at all. It was probably better to go 50/50 on it and be prepared for both.

Still, the many threats lingered over his head. Too many things could go wrong. This was like tossing a dart at a dartboard -- if he hit anything but dead center, they wouldn't be making it. That was scary.

But their chances were worse if they did nothing, as they'd earlier discussed. This truly was the only way for them to have a chance.

Blue found nothing in his "search", so he played it safe and returned to the caboose looking disappointed. He never was a good actor, though.

Fluttershy joined him around half an hour later, humming to herself as she trotted in merrily, filling the corner with her collection of goodies.

"Looks like you hit the jackpot," Blue joked, sliding over to her and trying to act cool. Nervousness was making him act out. He needed to relax or his cover would easily be blown.

"I did!" Fluttershy exclaimed happily, grinning up at him. "I found a whole patch of delicious edibles! Isn't that wonderful?"

Blue nodded with a jovial smile in return. "I'm not surprised you found it, though. You're smart like that."

She blushed and averted her eyes. "Oh... thank you for the compliment, Blue."

"Not a problem in the least. Say, why don't we relax for a bit? Perhaps we can discuss further what I had in mind, plan-wise."

Why was he offering to talk more about his fake plan? What was he thinking? The idea was to divert her attention from the scanty details, not lead her deeper into the topic!

"I suppose we could. But shouldn't we be getting going?" She glanced out the nearest window. "You mentioned a storm earlier..."

Blue hummed. "Well, you are right, but we shouldn't be heading out so late. We'll be caught in the dark and we know how that usually fares."

"Not good," Fluttershy mumbled in agreement.

"Exactly. Let's take another night, and we'll head out tomorrow morning, bright and early. Sound good?"

Fluttershy gave a quick nod. "Right."

They wandered back over to the dying fire in the stove. Blue began restocking it, bringing the fire roaring back to life. He sat on his haunches beside it, taking up his drink from earlier. It had gotten cold, but he finished it nonetheless.

Fluttershy sat across from him, watching him and waiting for him to speak. After all, it was his plan they would be discussing.

Blue set his empty drink aside and took a deep breath, letting it out quickly. He hoped the plan would make enough sense that she wouldn't ask too many questions. He might not have answers for some of them.

He began by reoutlining the idea of finding a small community a few miles away, to their northeast. The nonexistent community was apparently just a small logging town, but it was their only option, since the next "nearest town" was almost 30 miles to the west.

Blue expressed that it was important they paid great attention to where they were going, as the town was so small, it'd be easy to be a mile off and walk right past it without ever knowing it was there.

Furthermore, the area they'd be traversing had some areas of rough terrain, meaning they might run into some obstacles. Bkue added that it was likely they'd have to skirt some large hills or cliffsides along the way.

Fluttershy did end up asking questions, but nothing that would implicate Blue, luckily. She asked about the redirectment due to obstacles and wondered if that would throw off their sense of direction. Blue assured her it wouldn't.

Once darkness fell, they'd changed topics to more personal matters. They shared more information about their lives and laughed about stories of their experiences throughout life. Having a good time was important in their situation; stress would begin to overload them and they'd end up mkre depressed and hopeless. Plus, Blue really desired to get to know her even more. Fluttershy herself wanted to know him a little better, as well. After all, they were spending all their time together, albeit without a choice, but they were getting to really enjoy each other's company.

Blue found himself questioning throughout the night if this was what falling in love truly was.

The night drew to a close, with Fluttershy already fast asleep, curled up in her blankets, while Blue sat nearby, finishing the last couple chapters of his book.

Blue finally finished it, closing it and quietly setting it on the floor beside him. He watched Fluttershy as she slept for a few moments, thinking deeply about his lying and how it might destroy their friendship if she found out, and how much he desired to be a part of her life, despite only having known her just these last several days.

I'd better not screw this up, he told himself as he laid down for bed, still eyeing his sleeping friend. She was the last thing he saw as he drifted off to dreamland moments later.

Blue paced around in a grove of gnarled hemlocks, wondering what was taking Fluttershy so long. She'd stepped away to relieve herself while they travelled towards the town, but she'd been gone too long.

Finally growing worried, Blue made his way into the trees Fluttershy had disappeared into earlier. "Fluttershy? You okay?"

The trees seemed to grow denser, blocking out most of the light. Despite it being midday, he could hardly see more than a couple dozen feet in any direction. With the low branches and deep snow, Blue was having trouble getting around. But he had to find Fluttershy.

Even more alarming, it was dead silent -- no birds chirping away, no wind, no nothing.

Complete silence, save for his hoofsteps crunching in the snow and his voice as he called out for his friend.

"Hello? Are you out there?" Blue tried again, slipping under some low branches. Ahead, he noticed it was brighter -- a clearing.

He made his way through the branches and snow towards the apparent clearing. Finally there, he dropped low to get under another branch when he noticed a large print in the snow.

No.

Blue rushed into the clearing. Fluttershy stood in the middle, staring off into the trees opposite of him.

"Fluttershy?" Blue quietly, hoping not to attract the attention of the beast most likely nearby.

Fluttershy turned. She looked upset. Angry.

"You. You lied to me."

Blue drew back. "Wh... What?"

Fluttershy marched towards him, scowling. "You thought I wouldn't find out? I'm not dumb. But you must be if you think I'd believe this nonsense."

Blue took a step back, his jaw dropping. "I... what are you talking about?" His heart was racing. She'd somehow found out he lied. How?

She finally reached him. But instead of looking angry as she had just seconds ago, she looked hurt. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"I thought you cared about me.... How could you?" she murmured, sniffling and looking him dead in the eyes.

Blue couldn't find the words to reply. When they finally came, he was interrupted by a deafening roar.

No!

It came crashing through the trees where Fluttershy had been staring into earlier. It barreled into the clearing, just behind Fluttershy. Blue could see the desire to kill in it's eyes and it stood over the two helpless ponies. Except...

Fluttershy didn't look at all frightened. Instead, she continued to tearfully gaze into his eyes shaking her head as though he was just the worst thing ever.

"Fluttershy!" Blue managed to gasp, standing rigid. His fight-or-flight response was kicking in, but he couldn't leave without her. "We have to go!"

Fluttershy didn't move... but the creature did.

It lumbered forward and snatched the mare up in its wicked claws.

"Nooooo!" Blue screamed.

Fluttershy didn't seem at all worried. She kept giving him a sorrowful, haunting stare that sent chills up his spine.

As the monster lifted her to its gaping maw, Blue stood around and watched with horror. It began munching on her, tearing her body to shreds and staining the snow crimson. Blue was frozen in shock and terror, unable to flee and avoid the same fate as soon as it finished with her.

The thing roared again, but from within its roar, Blue heard Fluttershy's voice calling him a liar, accusing him of being unreliable. When it stopped roaring, Fluttershy's voice could still be heard.

Blue was still unable to run, but now he was confused and terrified. Fluttershy just got eaten and her voice was still echoing around in his head, calling him a liar and asking him why he would do such a thing to her. Nothing happening made any sense, but it was scaring the daylights out of him.

The beast stepped forward and wrapped its gnarly claws around his shivering, frozen body. He was able to start thinking clearly enough to act, but now, it was far too late. He was about to become dessert.

As the creature opened it's mouth to start gnawing on his head, Blue began sweating despite the cold and screaming bloody murder. Fluttershy's voice filled his head yet again, over and over accusing him, crying, yelling that he was a fraud. As his head disappeared into the pungent, cave-like mouth of the beast, the world grew darker and all Blue could hear is his own screams and Fluttershy's repetitive accusations.

He begged for it to end. "Stop please! Stop! Fuck, I'm sorry! Aaaahhhhh!"

The jaws clamped shut with a crunch.

"Ahhhh! Shit shit nooo!" Blue screamed as he awoke, sweating and panting like he'd just finished a marathon. His heart threatened to leave his chest and he felt lightheaded, ready to pass out again at any moment.

To his right, Fluttershy sat up, looking thoroughly concerned and alarmed. "Are you okay Blue?" She didn't admonish him for his language, but only because she was worried about him. Whatever he had dreamt, it must've been awful if it woke him up in a panic and fit of swear words.

Blue sat there for a moment, trying to catch his breath and collect himself. The dream had been too realistic. Plus it was clearly telling him he was a scumbag for lying. He had no arguments for that.

It took him quite some time to recollect. When he was ready, he replied, "That uh... that was not a good dream."

Fluttershy felt a pang of pity for Blue and shook her head. She was more than familiar with bad dreams. "It didn't sound like it.... you were yelling 'I'm sorry' and my name in your sleep." She cocked her head to the side, knitting her eyebrows. "What was it about?"

Blue began to panic again. He couldn't tell her what it was about. Not all of it. "I uh... would rather not discuss details. It involved that thing though. That... creature."

Fluttershy brought a hoof to her chest and gasped. "Oh, no. That definitely must've been awful. Are you going to be able to get back to sleep?"

Blue honestly didn't know, but if he had to answer, it would be no. "I don't know for certain..." he admitted, looking away and closing his eyes. He was a bit embarrassed about this. No mare had ever been around him during one of his nightmares. They occurred every now and then, less frequently since foalhood, but when they did, they were themed by something floating around in his conscience. Visits to the psychologist only made him feel worse about it. He was told they were normal and should go away, but they haven't, and were no less terrifying than when he was a foal. Normally not so graphic, but this one just happened to be accompanied by memories of the terrible monster that seemed to stalk them.

Fluttershy placed a reassuring hoof on the back of his. "If there's anything I can do to help you get back to sleep, I'm willing. I don't want you to be tired tomorrow. You'll need as much energy as you can muster up..."

Although she was right, Blue didn't see himself falling back asleep tonight, or at least staying asleep. "No, it's fine. I'll be okay, don't worry about it. Just get some rest."

She didn't appear convinced, but she said goodnight and rolled over, falling asleep moments later. Blue laid down, facing the opposite direction and staring off into space.

He only managed another hour or two of sleep the rest of the night, still hearing faint echoes of his nightmare deep in his mind.

265 Hours

Awaking in the early morning hours, just as dawn transitioned to morning, Blue and Fluttershy packed, ate, and scrambled off into the wilderness in the direction of the false logging town.

The sky was overcast, the air freezing, and the breeze brisk. Blue knew a storm was soon, but they had to get out of there. They had to get help.

Blue led through the woods, occasionally stopping to glance at the map, albeit discretely. Fluttershy could never lay eyes on the map, lest she discover his equivocation.

The trek took time. Too much time. For the next few hours, Blue and Fluttershy trudged through the woods and crusty snow at a slow, but steady pace. They only traveled about half as far as Blue had predicted, and time was running out fast. The sky grew darker, the wind picked up, and Blue began to worry that he may be leading them straight to their deaths.

"I don't like the looks of those clouds, Blue..." Fluttershy piped up, trotting up beside him.

Blue sighed, holding pace. "I don't either. I hope we're close to that town, or we're going to regret this trip."

"I think we're going to regret more than this trip if it starts storming."

"Touché."

With that. they trekked on, trying desperately to beat the imminent winter storm bearing down on them like a hungry lion over its prey. It was as though the storm was deliberately sent to sabotage them and their progress, or at least, it felt that way to them.

Soon, the sky darkened with night, the bitter cold rushed in, and the first few flakes made their way to the surface of the earth.

They had run out of time.

"Blue, what are we going to do?" Fluttershy asked fearfully, clasping her forehooves together and looking at him for an answer. They had taken refuge from the brewing storm under the lower branches of a tall spruce tree.

Blue stared off into the woods around them, watching the flakes grow bigger and more numerous, as well as the wind picking up, beginning to whistle through the trees. "I honestly don't know Fluttershy. I really don't..."

"We can't just sit here," she said. "We'll be dead in hours!" The fear in her voice made her voice waver.

"Where are we gonna go? Do you see a place to stay the night in? We don't even know how long this storm is gonna last. It could be a week long system for all we know. I don't know what to do, okay? I thought we had more time. I thought we could do this. Guess I failed us again, for the last time." Blue closed his eyes and plopped down into a laying position under the tree. With his hope and will all but gone, he had no energy even to sit there. This was defeat for him, and he was ready to embrace it.

"No, no, no!" Fluttershy hollered, grabbing hold of one of his forelegs and yanking him to his hooves. "We already discussed this on more than one occasion. We are not giving up!"

Blue jerked his foreleg away and glared at her, rubbing his shoulder. "Look around you! There's nothing. Okay? Nothing. We are as good as dead and it's my fault. Can't you just let me accept my mistake like a stallion?"

She huffed at him. "No. Because there was no mistake here. At all. Just another minor setback. We can work through this like everything else so far. Haven't we?"

"Pfft, is that what you think? We 'worked through' everything else?" Blue waved a foreleg around, gesturing to the ever-whiter forest. "Still in the woods in the middle of Celestia-knows-where? Yes? That's because everything we've 'worked through' hasn't been enough. It has done not a damn thing. In fact, it's made things worse! You-"

"Blue, look!" Fluttershy interrupted him, pointing an excited hoof past him into the trees.

"I see the snow, dammit. Are you even listening to me? For Celestia's sake-"

"Hush for a second and just look!" She slapped his cheek and spun him around.

Blue rubbed his tender cheek and nearly yelled at her for not telling him what he was looking for when he saw it.

"Dear Celestia..." he breathed, his heart skipping a beat.

Off to the west, Blue could see the faint and fading silhouette of a pony-made structure. Squarish, made of wood, no doubt, and most likely empty.

And just like that, Blue's fears melted away, and he squawked with excitement, spinning to embrace Fluttershy.

They had found a log cabin.