The Next Day

Sky cringed slightly while Midnight checked his bandages. The early morning sunlight shone over the arctic white wasteland in front of them, and bathed them in a warm shade of orange while she worked.

The biofoam had done wonders to heal and prevent infection all over Sky's body, however, nearly a full day after it was applied, the foam did little in the way of numbing the pain anymore. It was especially apparent when Midnight pulled the bandages off to inspect the wounds, and ice cold air made contact with the tender flesh.

"Fuck..." Sky muttered through gritted teeth.

"I know, big guy. I know. Just bear with me here for a few minutes... It's actually amazing how much that foam healed your burns. These are all still pretty serious, but even a small hospital with a decent doctor could use a few spells to fix the rest of this right up, and you probably won't even get any scars from it." Midnight replied, giving a supportive smile.

"Y-yeah... Just... please be careful... It's... still really painful." Sky responded, suppressing a pained groan as Midnight checked more bandages.

"I'm trying to be as careful as possible. Trust me, I don't want me to hurt you either." Midnight gave him a playful grin and continued her work.

A few minutes later, Eddie walked over to the two ponies and tapped Midnight on the wither.

"How much longer do you think you guys are gonna be? We need to get moving soon. It's twenty four miles to Ponpei, and if we keep a decent pace, we can be there before sunset." He explained.

"Just a minute. I'm almost done." Midnight replied.

Eddie gave a small nod before looking over to Sky, "How're you doing?"

Sky hissed in pain as Midnight adjusted the last bandage, "Oh, you know... everything hurts real bad... and the cold isn't helping." He grumbled.

"I hear you. Don't worry man, we'll get you to Ponpei, and the doctors there will fix you right up." Eddie said, giving an encouraging smile.

"I don't think I can really walk though..." Sky muttered, sadly glancing down at his bandaged forelegs.

"You don't have to walk. I can carry you. Don't sweat it." Eddie dismissed.

"Won't that be kinda hard for you? It's twenty four miles." Midnight questioned.

"I've had to carry a lot of weight over really, really long distances before. It's gonna suck, no doubt, but I'm not stopping until we get to Ponpei. Once we get there, I'll drop you guys off, and then go back for Jay, Mike, and Tempest." Eddie declared, slinging his pack in the process.

"Eddie... you can't run yourself ragged like that. We'll get the rest of the group back, but you need to rest at some point." Midnight admonished.

"I'll rest when everyone's safe. I'm not leaving my friends to die out here, no matter how tired I am." Eddie replied.

"I think after carrying my ass for twenty four miles, you'll change your tune." Sky shook his head.

"Here's hoping I won't. Now, come on, let's get moving." Eddie said as he leaned down to pick Sky up.

"Hold on. Here, I can make this work so you don't hurt him." Midnight spoke up, before igniting her horn.

A bright blue aura wrapped itself around Sky's torso and gently lifted him into the air. With an impressed shrug, Eddie crouched under the stallion and took his weight on his shoulders.

"Do you have him?" Midnight asked.

"I got him. You can drop the spell." Eddie replied.

Midnight cut off the spell and allowed all of Sky's weight to come down on Eddie's shoulders. He took a moment to shuffle the weight around to make it more comfortable, before giving a small shrug.

"Eh, you're not that heavy. What, maybe a hundred pounds?" Eddie joked.

"Try one forty. I used to weigh damn near two hundred, but these hollow bones and smaller size took fifty pounds off." Sky chuckled.

"Well, let's get moving then. The less time I have to carry you, the easier this will be," Eddie replied before looking over to Midnight, "You ready?"

"Just a sec." Midnight replied before digging through her saddlebags.

She pulled out two beanies and scarves before levitating one of each over and onto Sky. Once they were situated, she adorned her beanie and scarf, and gave a determined smile.

"Alright, ready." She said.

Eddie chuckled for a moment.

"Good god you're adorable," He muttered before looking up at Sky, "I see why you like her."

"She thinks of everything." Sky replied, relishing in the warmth of his beanie and scarf.

"Heh, looks like it. Alright, let's go. Rebecca! Melody! You both good to go!?" Eddie called.

"Yeah! Just finished putting the tent away!" Rebecca called back.

She and Melody quickly walked over to Eddie, Sky, and Midnight after packing the last of their things into Rebecca's pack.

"Well well, doesn't somebody look even more adorable than before." Rebecca teased the crimson pegasus.

"Rebecca, I swear to god if you try to squeeze the shit out of me while I have these burns all over my body, I will let Midnight blast you with every ounce of magic in her body." Sky replied, leaning away from her slightly.

"Woah, jeez. Relax, I would never do that when you're all fucked up." Rebecca defensively replied. There was a bit of undeniable hurt in her voice that made Sky purse his lips.

After a moment to study her face, and only seeing a sad frown, Sky dejectedly sighed.

"I'm sorry... I'm just in a lot of pain right now."

"It's okay." Rebecca gave a half hearted smile.

"I think you owe her one good squeeze once you're feeling better, don'tcha think?" Eddie reasoned.

"Ugh... fine. You can have one good hug once I'm better... Again, sorry." Sky sighed, wilting slightly in the process.

Rebeca perked up immediately, "Yay!"

"A-anyways, we should get moving now. Ponpei is still a long ways away." Melody spoke up, directing all eyes to her.

"Right. Let's go people. We've got a lot of ground to cover." Eddie announced, taking the first step off of the mountain and into the frozen wasteland below.

Jason and Tempest walked through the deep snow as more of the white flakes fell from the sky at a leisurely pace. Jason shivered under the blanket he'd wrapped around his body while Tempest trekked through his footprints behind. The icy cold chilled their bones and made each step further into the chilled world feel like an exercise in futility. A sharp breeze cut right through their clothes and sent freezing pricks of cold all through their bodies.

Jason's feet were almost numb from the cold, and he struggled in vain, to keep some semblance of warmth in his hands while they slowly froze as well. Each step felt like a hundred needles stabbed at his toes, and below that, was a deeper, more dull, throbbing pain that made him wince with each passing second.

Behind him, Tempest's hooves dug deep into the snow, sending a chill up her forelegs. She only had a beanie and her armor to keep her warm against the cold, but she persisted on. Her fur was covered in a thin layer of ice and snow from her constant exposure to the elements, but she managed to keep her complaints to herself. One look at Jason's exhausted gait, and she could tell that he was feeling worse than she was.

For a long time, they trekked onward. The white snow fell onto the white world around them, and everything blurred together in a mess of icy snow that made it impossible to discern which way was which. Jason paused briefly to check his compass and sighed. The mist from his breath quickly dissipated into the sky, before he turned around to Tempest.

"Alright... If this thing is still pointing North... Then we're still going the right way." Jason managed through the cold.

"Ponpei was just Northeast of that mountain... Even if we just go East, we'll get to the coast soon enough... From there, we can just follow the coast up to the town." Tempest replied, catching her breath.

"Right... You ready?" Jason asked as a particularly harsh gust of wind almost knocked him off balance.

"Y-yeah... Let's go." Tempest replied.

Jason turned around and led the way forward into the freezing wasteland. Tempest quickly followed after him, and soon enough they were slowly trekking through waste-deep snow. Tempest fell in line behind Jason's trail as he bore a path through the snow with his body. They continued on like this for several more hours.

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Twelve hours later

Eddie trudged through the deep snow with Sky on his shoulders. The ice cold wind battered at his tired body, but he pressed forward through the pain with a grimace on his face. Behind him, Rebecca, Midnight, and Melody also waded their way through the deep snow in similar states of pain from the arctic chill - The ponies of the group especially, due to the fact that the snow came all the way up to their necks and frigid moisture soaked into their coats, making them feel even colder.

"How much further?" Rebecca asked, turning to Melody.

"It should only be a few more miles. Straight ahead." Melody replied, her horn glowing orange.

"We've been walking in this cold for hours. We're gonna need to stop to rest pretty soon." Midnight chimed in.

"It's getting dark out. If we stop now, we might end up stuck out here for the night. Even sharing a tent, it'll be cold as all hell." Eddie reasoned.

"Are you sure you can keep going with Sky on your back for the rest of the way?" Rebecca asked with concern in her voice.

"Heh, I had to walk thirty six miles with this much weight back when I tried out for Recon. Trust me, I can make it." Eddie replied.

"Jesus... You guys are insane." Sky muttered from his position on Eddie's shoulders.

"Eh, you get used to it." Rebecca shrugged.

"Right, well, let's keep moving then." Midnight spoke up.

"Right."

The group proceeded forward into the frigid world around them. The sound of their boots and hooves on the deep snow made loud crunchy sounds as it was compacted under them. Midnight and Melody shivered from the cold sinking through their coats and sapping away at their bodyheat with each passing minute while Rebecca cupped her hands together and tried to blow warm air into them. Eddie struggled through the deep snow as he led the way, a thin sheen of sweat glistening off his forehead while he pushed on. On top of him, Sky struggled to keep any semblance of warmth due to his higher elevation than the rest of the group. His thicker fur helped greatly, however even with that advantage, he was slowly feeling the effects of the cold, particularly on his forelegs and hooves.

"So this town, Ponpei... It's got a port, right?" Rebecca asked, looking to Melody.

"Yes. We have a lot of sea traffic that comes through our port... I take it that's why you're all heading there?" Melody deduced, fighting off a deep shiver from the biting cold.

"Yeah... That's the plan. We'll see how it goes though. First thing's first, we need to get the rest of our group." Rebecca replied.

"I can go with you to find them." Melody offered.

"Really?"

"It's the least I can do for you all saving my life. Besides, you're going to need help to get back to Ponpei after you find your friends." Melody reasoned.

"Huh... Thanks, Melody. We all really appreciate that." Rebecca gave a friendly smile in return.

Melody gave a small nod before the group descended into a focused silence. For a long time after that, they merely pressed forward into the cold and toward Ponpei. As they walked, the sun slowly set on the horizon, and the already frigid temperature dropped even lower. Sky visibly shivered on Eddie's shoulders while he was carried through the cold, with Midnight and Melody not faring much better. Rebecca rubbed her hands together for warmth, but it was to no avail. She shivered from the bitter cold as it washed over her body again and again. Frost formed in both her and Eddie's eyebrows as the sweat turned to ice, and even the ponies of the group had ice crystals forming in the short fur of their muzzles.

Eventually, the sun completely disappeared behind the horizon, signaling the end of the day, and the beginning of the cold night. Off in the distance, harsh, nearly black storm clouds slowly closed in on the frozen wasteland. Eddie panted heavily from the exertion of carrying Sky for so long, and his weary legs ached from the strain, but as his eyes glanced at the incoming storm, and the harsh cold winds sent another icy chill down his spine, he pushed even harder to get to Ponpei.

Finally, after almost fourteen hours of trekking through the snow and cold, the soft lightning of Ponpei shown out in the dark night, and Eddie stepped into the town. Immediately, Melody took the lead and directed the group to the nearby hospital. Despite curious glances from the few ponies still out and about, the group made it to the hospital without delay, and Eddie stepped into the waiting room with Sky still on his shoulders. The heat of the building instantly sunk into their skin and fur, drawing a grateful sigh from nearly the entire group.

The nursing staff at the front desk looked at the group with quizzical glances before Melody and Midnight made their way over.

"We need a doctor. My husband has some serious burns that need to be taken care of." Midnight explained.

The nurse glanced back up at the crimson pegasus with a layer of frost frozen to his coat before hurriedly heading back to get a doctor. Her assistant gave a wary look at Rebecca and Eddie before leaning closer to Midnight.

"Um... Ma'am, what... are those creatures behind you?" She whispered.

"They're humans. They're friends of ours. Eddie over there just carried my husband over twenty miles." Midnight replied, giving Eddie a thankful nod.

Eddie sighed and nodded in reply before several nurses and a teal pegasus with a forest green mane stepped toward him and Sky. They wheeled in a gurney between the group of them, and positioned it right in front of the tall man. Eddie, taking the hint, gently slipped Sky off his shoulders and set him down on the gurney as softly as he could. Sky hissed in pain from Eddie's hands on his forelegs, but soon quieted down once he was laying completely on his back.

"Can you tell us what happened exactly?" The teal blue pegasus asked.

"He got third degree burns from flying so close to lava. All along his legs and stomach, the fur was burned off or charred. We used some biofoam to heal the burns for the most part, but they're still second degree at best. Not to mention the last fourteen hours of us walking through the snow, so he's probably hypothermic too." Eddie recounted.

"Right... Um, what's biofoam?" The pony asked.

"It's... ugh, it'll take forever to explain. Just go help him, dude. I need to sit down." Eddie waved the pony off and took a seat in a nearby chair. He sighed and rolled his shoulders to deal with some of the pain after carrying Sky for so long.

"Um... Could- could one of you explain things a little more then?" The teal pegasus asked, looking at Midnight and Melody.

"Are you a doctor?" Melody asked.

"Yes. My name's Doctor Icer. I need at least some information from you, otherwise I can't do too much to help your husband." Doctor Icer said, a slight frown on his face.

"Okay... Sorry. We're all just really tired from walking so far in the cold. Here, take me to Sky's room and I'll explain everything I know on the way." Midnight said, walking over to the door.

"Wait, you can't go back there. You're not authorized-" Doctor Icer started.

"Dude, just... don't." Rebecca chimed in.

"That's my husband back there. I'm going back there whether you like it or not." Midnight pointed out.

"I would just let her go back with you. Trust me, it's been a very long day." Eddie added from his seat.

Doctor Icer looked around the room for a few seconds before sighing and heading for the door.

"Alright, fine. You have to stay outside the ER while we operate on him though." He relented.

"Fine. Now, what exactly do you need to know?" Midnight replied, stepping toward the door with him.

Jason stumbled though the darkness and pelting snow as it fell from the blackened sky with Tempest struggling just a few feet behind him. The darkness that covered the land made it nearly impossible to keep track of where they were going, and the snow slowly trying to bury them alive did nothing to help their progress. Icy white clung to Jason's uniform and armor as well as Tempest's coat, slowing their movements down slightly while the continued to struggle onward.

Jason squinted through the harsh snow and looked down at his compass. The needle continued to point North, giving him a fair indication of where to go, however, just as he took another step forward, a sickening crack filled the air. His eyes immediately widened at the imminent danger, and he quickly turned around to Tempest.

"Stop!" He shouted.

Tempest froze mid-step and fixed him with a curious look.

"We're walking on i-" Jason tried to explain, only for the ice under his feet to give way, and he plunged down into the ice cold water below.

"Jason!" Tempest shouted.

His head quickly popped back out of the water and he gasped for breath as the cold sucked the air out of his lungs. With shaky hands, he paddled toward the edge and grabbed a hold, before trying to pull himself out. The ice cracked under his hands, and gave way, dropping him back into the water once more, and stealing his breath in the process.

Tempest quickly unfastened her saddlebags and took her armor off. Once she was down to just her body suit, she carefully made her way over to Jason as he struggled to pull himself up onto the ice. She stopped just a few feet shy of the fractured ice and laid down on her stomach, displacing as much of her weight with her legs as possible. As she slowly made her way over to him, Jason tried to climb out of the freezing water, but again to no avail. Each time he was able to get his torso free of the water, the ice gave way beneath him, and he plunged back into the water once more. His body shivered heavily from the cold, and his hands were nearly completely numb as he clawed back onto the ice again.

"Jason, stop trying to pull yourself out. You're just going to break the ice more. You need to calm down." Tempest instructed.

"E-e-easy f-f-for you t-t-t-t-to say..." Jason stuttered as he continued to struggle against the ice.

"Jason, please. Trust me. You need to stop struggling and let me come to you, okay?" Tempest again instructed.

Jason hesitantly paused his efforts and shivered in place with his hands resting on the ice to keep his head above water.

"W-whatever... y-y-you're gonna do... d-d-do it fast..." Jason managed as he shivered in place.

Tempest gave him a reassuring nod before crawling forward on her hooves. She kept her belly to the ice, and spread her legs wide to provide the largest profile possible as she moved. She made her way to Jason painstakingly slowly, making sure to test the ice in front of her before allowing it to take her weight in any capacity. Only once she was completely sure that it wouldn't give out under her, did she move forward and eventually reach Jason. She gingerly reached out with a hoof and placed it over Jason's gloved hand.

"Okay, I need you to do exactly what I say, okay?" She said.

Jason gave a shaky nod.

"Alright, grab my hoof with your hand." She instructed.

Jason's free hand slowly, and shakily made its way over to her hoof, and he grabbed a hold. Tempest immediately felt how cold his hands were just through his gloves, and a shiver forced its way down her spine before she fixed him with a determined look.

"Okay. I need you to start kicking with your legs. Just as if you were swimming straight forward in normal water. I'll start pulling you up, but don't let go of my hoof, okay?" She continued.

Jason's response was again, only a shaky nod, before he started kicking his legs out as instructed. The splashing sound of his legs against the freezing water was all the signal Tempest needed to start pulling him out, and she slowly backed up with her hind-legs. Slowly, Jason's chest reached the ice, and with a good pull from Tempest, he was hefted up onto the frozen water. He kept kicking his legs against the water for a few more seconds, before Tempest pulled him fully onto the ice. He gasped for breath as the frigid air pelted his soaked bodysuit and skin. Tempest quickly bit down on his collar and pulled him away from the ice, onto the more solid snowbank they'd unwittingly stepped off of.

"F-f-fucking... H-h-hell..." Jason muttered through the cold.

Tempest's completely ignored him, and instead hurriedly moved to build up what snow she could into a wall of sorts to block out the wind from Jason and her. As she worked, she glanced back at him to find his entire body shaking violently in the cold.

"Take your armor and suit off." She commanded.

"W-what? Jason stuttered.

"Armor and suit. Take them off, now!" She shouted as she patted the snow together to form a decent wall.

Jason gave a hesitant, yet shaky nod at her new aggressive tone, before stripping from his armor. While he worked to get out of his uniform, Tempest hastily finished up the wall of snow blocking the wind out, and started on another wall on the opposite side. The cold air stung at her coat and damp forelegs, but she hurriedly mashed together a wall-like mass of snow that could help to block out even more of the snow. Once she was done with that wall, she set about making two more. Meanwhile, Jason unzipped his body suit and gasped as the cold air met his bare skin. He slowly crawled out of his bodysuit, exposing his naked body to the freezing air entirely.

"Just try to warm up while I get these walls up. Do you have any way to make a fire?" Tempest asked as she continued to hike up more snow.

"N-n-no... E-e-Ed... had t-t-the log..." Jason managed through his shivering.

"Alright. Just try to warm up as best as you can. Use that fabric Rarity gave you." Tempest ordered.

Jason shakily grabbed his pack and pulled out the waterproof fabric Rarity had gifted him. He quickly unfolded it and wrapped it around his freezing body. After a minute of fighting with the fabric, he was tightly wrapped up and nearly completely hidden in the material.

A few minutes later, Tempest finished working on the walls of the makeshift shelter. She glanced down at Jason's shivering form, tightly wrapped in the fabric, before biting down on the zipper of her own bodysuit and stripping out of it.

"Make some room in there. I'll get in and you can use my body-heat to warm up." She commanded.

Jason only managed to give a sluggish nod and unwrap himself slightly from the fabric. Tempest quickly snaked her way inside and took up a position resting on Jason's stomach. She placed her hind-legs along his thighs, and wrapped her forelegs around his shoulders. His body felt cold against her fur, and still slightly damp. She suppressed a shiver at the sensation before laying her head down against his neck.

"Wrap us up and cover your head. Your hair's wet and that's just going to suck more heat out of you." She instructed.

Jason gave a weak nod before doing as he was told, and completely wrapped them both in the fabric. Once completely inside, Tempest's body-heat finally began to sink into his freezing skin, and Jason gave a sigh as the warmth began to sink in. Almost unconsciously, he grabbed her barrel with his hands and pulled her closer to him.

"T-t-thank you..." He whispered.

"Just try to conserve your energy. This isn't the best option in the world but it's all we have right now." She replied, squeezing him tighter to her chest.

"He-hehe... Yes ma'am..." Jason replied before burying his face into her mane.

"I told you to never do something like that again..." Tempest whispered.

Jason did not reply, he merely pulled away slightly and placed a gentle kiss against her forehead. Tempest only squeezed him tighter in response.

Eventually, Jason's violent shivering died down to a much more acceptable level, and he even started to feel the warmth of Tempest's body soak into his skin. All the while, he held onto her tightly, as if at any moment, she would disappear forever. However, even with her body heat warming his cold torso, Jason's hands and feet were still ice cold and slowly turning blue. The needle-like pain of the icy chill, and dull throb of his nearly completely numb hands, kept Jason from getting too comfortable.

"Hah... G-gonna need some way to warm up my hands... and feet..." Jason whispered through shivers.

"Put your hands under my barrel." Tempest replied, lifting herself up slightly to give him room.

Jason placed his hands on his stomach, and was quickly rewarded by Tempest laying down on top of them, bathing his fingers in her warmth.

"Good god... You're so warm." Jason whispered.

"Perks of having a coat of fur... speaking of which, why doesn't your species have any? You've got some hair on your chest, but not anywhere near enough to survive up here." Tempest responded, giving a questioning prod at Jason's chest with her hoof.

"We... we're not really meant for arctic environments... Mostly tropics and the like... Doesn't stop us from coming up here to die like idiots though." He replied, giving a weak chuckle.

"I'm not going to let you die." Tempest said, casting her gaze downward.

"I know... I know..." Jason leaned down and placed another kiss on her forehead, "I owe you."

"No... We're even. If I have to save you again, then you owe me." Tempest teased with a little grin.

"Heh, here's hoping you won't have to." Jason warmly replied.

"Agreed." She smiled.

For a few more minutes, Tempest continued to simply lay on Jason's stomach and share her warmth, before moving down slightly to lay on his legs and use her tail to keep his feet warm. Her chin came to a rest on his stomach, and he quickly took to scratching her ears in thanks. They continued like this for some time- switching between warming Jason's hands and feet, before a distant sound caught Tempest's ear, and they flicked toward the source of noise on instinct.

"Hold on..." She whispered.

Jason paused his movements and looked at her curiously for a few moments before Tempest looked back down at him with wide eyes.

"I think I just heard Eddie."

Author's Note

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SpbEmeIFj0

Hey guys. Been a while since I wrote anything down here. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and the story so far. I tried my best to make the ice scene realistic from what I know of falling into ice, but if I missed something, please let me know.