Morning crept up on them before they knew it. Sunlight poured in through the cracks and cast shadows on the wall. It must have still been terribly cold, but nestled under the sheets cradling each other, Vapor and Starlight were warm.

When Starlight’s eyes opened she was greeted with fluffy mane and white fur in her face. Unlike the morning before, she felt no desire to pry away. Vapor shifted, one of her eyes peering up.

“Awake finally?” Vapor mumbled so quietly that a pony standing a mere few feet away would register it inaudible, but Starlight heard it clearly.

It didn’t at all feel like when she’d woken up in Vapor’s personal space the day before. Then, she’d felt anxious and awkward that she’d allowed herself to fall into that position so readily, as if the brunt of the responsibility fell almost entirely on her for doing so in the first place. Now was a stark contrast, remembering so vividly how Vapor had pushed herself into that position in the middle of the night. Starlight did not feel so guilty anymore.

Instead, she blinked away sleep and made no effort to get out of bed or pry herself from the comfortable snuggle. She gave a nod of affirmation to Vapor’s question, but otherwise remained still. Vapor scooted herself back a notch and their bodies were once again pressed so close that their fur intermingled, grazing against each other’s skin. Starlight could feel the other mare’s breathing, slow and calm.

“I feel like I just had the best sleep in ages.” Vapor yawned, bringing a hoof out from under the covers to her mouth. Lifting the blankets for even a second was enough to let the cold in, and she shivered. Starlight quickly squeezed the hoof under Vapor’s barrel, and the mare nestled in.

“Brrr.” whispered Vapor, snapping her hooves back to her sides and clutching Starlight.

“Better now?” Starlight had her muzzle in Vapor’s neck, smelling her sweet, flowery scent.

“Yeah, but... I know a way to make it even better.” Vapor started moving, prying herself away. Before Starlight had a chance to ask, or protest the absence of her warm body, Vapor turned herself around to face her, and brought her body back in.

Vapor’s head immediately burrowed into Starlight’s chest, both hooves tucking around her back. Starlight did the same with her own hooves so that they were holding each other. She looked down, her vision full of Vapor’s wispy mane and strands of white-green hair that jutted out in all directions, tickling Starlight’s nose and face. She scrunched up her muzzle and nearly sneezed.

A soft giggle from below caught her attention and she caught Vapor’s gaze looking up at her with sharp eyes.

“See? Totally better.” Vapor whispered, giving Starlight a big squeeze.

“Much.” Starlight nodded. She couldn’t disagree that it was far more comfortable. She felt a nagging at the back of her mind telling her that something was wrong, but dismissed the idea.

The room fell silent apart from the steady breathing of either mare, the occasional rattle of the windowsill, and the odd howl of the wind outside. It was still early, and perhaps no one else had gotten out of bed yet. That suited Starlight just fine.

They must have laid like that for an hour, sharing no words but mutually enjoying the other’s presence, before new sounds started to rise from the other side of their door. At first, it was just hoofsteps, the sound of somepony in the kitchen. Then a door creaked, voices met and matched each other’s volume, grew louder and louder.

Both Starlight and Vapor knew that the moment wouldn’t last forever. Vapor had, after all, made a promise the day before and still had to fulfill that—there wouldn’t be a toasty fire until the front door was unstuck—but neither seemed particularly in a rush to start the day yet. It seemed like they were challenging each other for who would move first, giving the other a reason to also get up. It was a game neither were going to win. Vapor was the first to snap, starting to stir and wiggle.

“I better go out there,” she whispered again, “I just...don’t want to.” She sighed.

Starlight did something she never in a million years would have seen herself doing, but at the time felt like it was exactly what needed to be done: she started to rub Vapor’s back, her hoof drifting down and following the curve of her spine, then tracing it back up. She felt that Vapor needed some sort of comfort, and even if it was uncharacteristic for Starlight, it’s what she did, anyway. Vapor cooed and laid her head back down, closed her eyes, and remained motionless once again. She relished in the moment and her enjoyment of it was clear.

After some time, Vapor pried herself away most reluctantly with a flutter of her eyelids, giving Starlight a regretful look, and sat up. She stretched out her hooves, her wings, and kicked the covers away.

“I really, really should get out there now.” She sighed.

“Yeah, you’re right, but it was nice while it lasted.” Starlight rolled her hoof in the air and shifted her gaze away, chuckling nervously. She didn’t dare think about what everything was about yet. Not when such pleasant warm feelings were still fresh on her mind.

Vapor and Starlight both climbed out of bed at the same time and smoothed out the blankets. Starlight was far more careful than before, making sure not to make a fool of herself again.

Trotting into the common area, there were only two ponies up and about. Emerald, wrapped up in his coat and many scarves, was trying at the door again. The rest of his family was obviously still in bed where it was warm. Huck was preparing cold fruit and cold coffee, the best he could without a fire.

Immediately upon leaving their room they were hit with a blast of icy cold. Without the fire burning, it had crept into the large room and infiltrated everywhere. Starlight shivered, trying to shrug it off. She caught Vapor gazing silently at the tall fireplace, as if gauging in her mind how this was going to work.

“Are you sure about this?” Starlight asked her, keeping her voice low. “We can try another way.”

“No. It has to be this.”

Huck joined them by the sofa where he’d brought out some extra blankets. Starlight wrapped herself in one, huddling under it appreciatively, and watched as Vapor prepped herself with little wing exercises and stretches. It didn’t take a smart pony to realize she was nervous about this.

“It’s no use.” Emerald, joining them, swallowed back a cup of the awful cold coffee and grimaced. “Door’s still stuck. There should be a shovel somewhere by the shed where I left it. You remember the plan?”

“Get out, get the shovel, clear the door, get where it’s warm.” Vapor nodded. Starlight noticed her shiver and knew she was already feeling the cold. The temperature must have dropped considerably since Starlight arrived two days ago.

“Right. I’ll take care of the wood. Don’ worry about anything but the door.

Vapor nodded again, gave her wings a single lazy flap, and walked under the mantel. Her hooves were immediately caked in ash but there was little she could do about it. She ducked her head until she was under the chimney, and looked up.

“How’s it look? I haven’t cleaned up there in ages.” Huck called from her side.

“...Like nothing but black. Ugh, this is never gonna come out of my fur. I think...I think I should fit.”

“Okay, but take it easy. We don’t need you getting stuck on top of everything else.”

Vapor remained silent as she took a cautious step, leaned back onto her hind hooves, and started to squeeze herself up through the chimney. She was worming herself through, back pressed against the brick and soot while she used her hooves to wiggle herself up. Starlight watched nervously from the sofa. She’d never thought of herself as claustrophobic, but she couldn’t imagine what it was like up there.

Slowly, Vapor disappeared while the chimney swallowed her up more and more. First, her hind hooves ascended into the black. Her tail hung low and flicked for several more minutes, getting dirtier and dirtier every time it accidentally batted against the wall. Soon, all of Vapor was gone, and one could scarcely remember she had ever been there to begin with, were it not for the occasional grunts she let out from exertion and the shifting of her weight each time she went up. Before long even the sounds were gone.

The rest of the room fell into complete silence. Emerald had shuffled himself back to the door, waiting in earnest for the moment he could help. Huck sipped his coffee by the window. Starlight never moved, staring at the fireplace that had swallowed up the mare she had been snuggling so comfortably with less then an hour before.

A hoof fell on Starlight’s shoulder and patted her gently. Starlight looked up in surprise to see Huck staring solemnly down at her.

“Fret not. Vapor’s a strong lass, she’ll be fine.”

“I... you’re right. I just can’t help but worry.” Starlight let out a sigh. Huck simply nodded in understanding before returning to the window.

After an agonizing eternity of waiting, the silence was broken by the soft patter of hooves on the roof. Starlight jumped the moment she heard them. Not long after, Huck started to shout.

“There she is! Up in the air. What’s she doing up there?”

Starlight rushed to his side to see where he was pointing. Like he’d said, Vapor was doing a few slow, unsteady circles through all the wind and snowfall, her eyes locked somewhere in the distance. She didn’t stay up there long, however, as she descended back down to the ground and landed to a running trot. She bolted toward the shed and sifted through lumps in the snow by the shed door until she’d found a wooden handle. Yanking it out, it soon became a shovel.

Rushing back to the front door with the shovel dragging behind her, Vapor started to attack the drift of snow that had piled up there. Starlight could barely see her through the glass, wings beating aggressively at her sides to keep herself warm when she had no coat, trying to shovel it all away while chipping away at ice.

“Emerald, keep trying that door! She needs all the help she can get!” Huck rushed to his side and, together, they kept tugging at the door, trying to dislodge it from its place. Starlight could do little but watch helplessly. She could swear Vapor was getting wearier and more tired the more she went at it, her shivering becoming more and more obvious. The drift must have been mostly gone by now, but the deeper she got the more ice she found.

Big clouds of breath leaving Vapor’s lungs were becoming more and more frequent as she panted from exertion and breathlessness. Her heart must have been pumping but it couldn’t keep her body warm. She gave up beating her wings as ice started to form on her feathers. It was becoming harder and harder for Vapor to keep trying. Starlight felt afraid for her new friend, and for herself. For losing a pony that she already had grown to care about.

She thought about that very morning, how they’d woken up snuggled together; how nice and cozy they’d been, and not just because it was cold outside. Vapor had been kind and understanding, listened to her woes. She thought about every detail of Vapor, how her mane was curly and frizzy when she was sleeping, her cute, gentle snores, the way she squeaked and muttered when Starlight had rubbed her back. A sudden, startling realization smacked Starlight right in the face and sent a shock through her whole system. It made her heart skip a beat and her chest tighten. It wasn’t just about huddling for warmth anymore, it hadn’t been all morning. Something had changed since they’d first met and though it had barely been more than two days, Vapor had stirred something deep with Starlight... and now Starlight felt more strongly about her then she’d felt about anyone in years.

She took a step away from the window, noticing how her hooves suddenly felt heavy and her body was wobbly. She tried to process all of the dozens of thoughts racing through her head at that very moment, but was also acutely aware of what was going on outside. She looked up to check on Vapor, only to see her chipping away at the door. Her eyes had grown extremely tired and she was shivering relentlessly now. She picked up the shovel in her muzzle and started swinging it like an axe, desperate to get through. It took a few good swings before something gave, the stallions on the other side of the door gave a violent tug, and the door finally came flying open.

Huck quickly grabbed Vapor and pulled her in, draping a blanket around her shoulders, leading her over to the sofa to sat her down, leaving her with Starlight before rushing to help Emerald outside.

Starlight wasted no time in throwing her own blanket around Vapor to share, and pulling her in for warmth. Vapor was shivering, teeth chattering and wings twitching, but said nothing. She was eager to press her face into Starlight’s chest again. Starlight decided she didn’t care about anything at the moment other than making sure Vapor was warm again.

Starlight cradled her close to herself and rubbed her shoulder with her hoof. With time, Vapor stopped shivering enough to pry herself away and stare up at Starlight. For the first time, Starlight noticed just how dirty her whole body was, caked in soot and ash.

“T-there’s...s-s-sompony out there. In the trees.” She grabbed Starlight and squeezed with urgency. “We have to...f-f-find them.”

It took Starlight a moment to register the information she was being given but it came as no less a shock. Rising from her seat and leaving Vapor wrapped in her blankets, she considered her options. They needed firewood or they were all going to freeze. Huck was busy shovelling away more snow to clear away the door and prevent anything from happening again. That left one choice.

“Vapor, you’re not going anywhere like this. Where did you see him?” She was already putting on her things and grabbing her coat.

“East, down in the valley. His fur is red so he was really easy to see.”

There was only one door on the far wall that the fireplace shared which was left unopened. Vapor and Starlight’s room, the little family, the bathroom: all those doors were wide open, either from being left like that, or in the case of Melody and Cinnamon, so that they could stay in bed where it was warm and still hear what was going on. The door in the middle was Gideon’s. Starlight went to it and knocked once. She had little patience for courtesy anymore, knocking again, but this time harshly and loud enough it echoed through the whole inn.

On the other side, sounds started to emerge. A groan, shifting of a mattress. Paws on the wood floor, heavy weight shifting back and forth as it toddled to the door. Gideon opened the bedroom door a crack and peered at Starlight with a big, yellow eye. Tired and hazy, it regarded her for a moment, looking her up and down, sensing the urgency on her face before she even spoke.

“There’s somepony lost out there, we--”

“Where.” The door flung open to reveal the room within. Luggage was strewn about haphazardly, some maps and writing material scattered around a writing desk and crumpled on the floor. Gideon had moved back near his bed, was putting on a sweater and a coat. Even big, scary gryphons didn’t risk the cold, not when it was like this.

“In the valley in the east, under a tree. Vapor said he was easy to spot from high up, on account of the colour of his fur. No telling how long he’s been out there. I’m coming with you.”

“Don’t be an idiot, you can’t fly and I’m stronger than you are. I’d just be carrying both of you” Gideon had collected a few things that Starlight realized resembled medical supplies, shoved them in a bag, and flung them over his shoulder. Under his bed, a wooden crate that had been shoved into an enormous bag with a shoulder strap lay crooked and poking out, the blanket from the bed laying partially over it. Gideon caught her gaze, followed it, and abruptly kicked it back under the bed and into the darkness.

“I--”

“Stay.” He growled as he briskly walked past her and shut his door loudly. He glanced at Vapor out of the corner of his eye and headed for the door. “I’ll be back. Don’t even think about going in my room, if you know what’s good for you.” He gave Starlight a mean glare and turned around, heading out the door and taking flight.

“It’s okay. Gideon’s strong. He’ll find the pony.” Vapor’s voice was feeble and especially quiet. “Come back and sit with me? I’m still a little c-cold.”

Starlight couldn’t deny how right both of them had been, but it still didn’t make being left behind and useless while everyone else had something important to do hurt any less. She took off her coat and returned to the sofa, where Vapor was quick to nestle herself against her. They shared the blankets for warmth and she held Vapor tight until she stopped shivering.

“I just wish...I could be doing something important. I feel useless.” Starlight admitted. “I’ve just been watching everypony else save the day while I sat here doing nothing.

“That’s not true. You’re looking after me and keeping me warm. That’s important.” The other mare offered a small smile and it melted Starlight’s heart. Her feelings came bubbling to the surface again, and she felt a tightness in her chest again that was impossible to ignore.

Huck had returned with some firewood and was trying to get the fire started again. A few failed attempts occurred, flames that would ignite and then quickly flicker out, before the fire was finally roaring and keeping the place warm. Emerald came back with enough wood for two days, which he carefully piled someplace far away from Gideon’s door.

By the time that Melody and Cinnamon emerged from the last bedroom, Vapor and Starlight were still huddled together. Not too dissimilar from the morning, when they’d been behind closed doors, with Vapor’s head tucked under Starlight’s chin, her muzzle tilted into Starlight’s chest fluff, but half-poking out to gaze into the fire. Starlight’s hooves clung to the other mare’s back and gave her a slow, gentle rub.

Melody and Cinnamon both took a spot on the sofa next to them and munched on toast while Cinnamon chatted away about how his Papa had saved the day once again. No one drew any attention to the two mares beside them, in their silent embrace, listening to each other’s heartbeats; Starlight felt just fine.

Author's Note

I've always intended for this story to be a little more grounded in real-life emotions and natural-feeling characters. As such, it also has a very natural sort of conflict happening in this chapter, with the characters responding in a way that suited their personalities rather than the show's less-then-consistent way of showing unicorn magic. That is to say, Starlight doesn't exactly show the magical prowess that fit some people's perception of her thanks to the show's inconsistent handling of it, and that's okay. This story isn't really about that. Furthermore, magic is more of a plot device and a convenience for the writers in the way they handled the abilities of characters like Starlight or Twilight.