Apple Jack paced back and forth in the barn, muttering to herself as she double and triple checked that everything was in place. The table against the back wall was covered in food and treats, which had taken quite a lot of effort as Granny Smith had come up with the brilliant and time consuming idea of making sure they had at least a little of every single pony's favorite.
There were lights strung from the rafters, and a warm fire in the center of the barn, surrounded by blankets and quilts. A tree sat closer to the door, beside the window, and in the corner of her eye, Apple Jack could see the Cutie Mark Crusaders hard at work covering it with decorations, with some assistance from Big Macintosh to reach the higher up branches.
A sigh of relief escaped the orange pony. Everything was in place. The barn was beautiful and warm, soon to be warmer with the voices. Preparing for Hearths Warming was always a little stressful, but the satisfaction when everything fell into place.
Speaking of things falling into place, the first knocks on the barn door rung out at seven. Precisely on time. Apple Jack smiled and went to answer the door, oblivious to the...
...bitter, chilling wind that rolled in from the north cut straight through Rainbow Dash's cyan fur and feathers, chilling her to her bones and making her wince. It was a bad night to be outside, and it was only going to get worse.
"I want to thank you all for coming in on Hearth's Warming!" Spitfire's voice rang out loudly, but it was still nearly lost in the wind. "I know you all have places you'd rather be, but this is an emergency!"
Rainbow Dash sighed, though the wind quickly stole that away before it could be heard. There was definitely somewhere she'd rather be. A nice warm barn, surrounded by friends. That was where she should have been, not out here in the blinding snowstorm.
And yet, here she was, freezing her hooves off. Duty called, after all.
"I'm sure you've noticed, but this storm is unusual," Spitfire continued. "A rogue wind has brought this blizzard down from the edge of the Crystal Empire, and it's unsafe for Princess Luna to fly alone in this weather. We are to be her escorts, and tame this storm to the best of our abilities."
Standing side by side with her fellow Wonderbolts, Dash tried to hold her head high. They were all out of uniform, as they'd been called in on very short notice, but that didn't matter. What mattered is that they were all on the job now. After all, there was a purpose to all those flying stunts, and that purpose was the protection of the princesses in all aerial matters. Unfortunately, that included nights like this, where it was necessary to fly in conditions nopony else would even think of braving.
But there was still hope that she could make it to the party, if the storm could be cleared before the end of the night.
"Dash!" Spitfire's voice brought her out of her thoughts.
"Yes, ma'am?"
"You're on cloud control!"
"Understood, ma'am!"
Usually she loved cloud control, but... not on a night like this. Still, she shook the snow from her wings and took off with her team, her usual rainbow trail lost in the endless grey and white sky.
It was going to be a...
"...mighty cold night."
Apple Jack nodded in agreement. Just the opening and closing of the barn door was enough to send a shiver through the room, though it didn't stay cold for long. Over the last two hours, all of the invited guests had arrived, and even a couple of uninvited guests who were looking for shelter from the roaring wind outside. Everypony was here... except for the one pony that Apple Jack had most been looking forward to seeing.
"Where's Rainbow Dash?" Rarity voiced the exact thing that Apple Jack was thinking.
"Busy," Twilight said sadly. "Cadence sent me a letter to warn me that a huge storm was rolling towards Ponyville, and I think she sent one to Celestia and Luna too. Luna is going to need help on her nightly duties here. So it's very likely that the Wonderbolts were called in to clear the storm and get Luna through this area."
"Oh..." Apple Jack tried not to feel too disappointed. After all, it was a very important job that Rainbow Dash had. Still, looking out at the storm, she couldn't help but feel concerned.
"No pegasus would dare to fly in that..." Fluttershy mumbled.
"No pegasus but Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo chirped happily. "She'll clear the storm in no time, and sail in here with a trail of rainbow flames behind her! It will be a Hearths Warming Miracle!"
Apple Jack smiled. "That's a sweet thought, Scootaloo, but I don't think so. There's some real nasty winds out there. It's a dangerous night to be flying."
Twilight nodded. "Rainbow has a long night ahead of her."
Apple Jack nodded, and took a step away from her chattering friends. She wandered out into the crowd, and through to the other side, to the tree and the window. She pressed her nose to the cold glass and let her breath fog it up a little.
"Stay safe out there, Rainbow," she whispered to herself.
She closed her eyes, distracted for a moment by the thought of...
...heavy wingbeats and rose eyes barely visible through the snow. Rainbow Dash soared through that gale, bucking and crashing through cloud after cloud of freezing cold snowflakes and piercing ice crystals. She'd never flown in a storm this cold, or this dangerous. Still, as the hours passed, her team was informed that Luna had made it through the storm, and they were going to cease attempts to clear as it was getting too dangerous.
Hearing that command, Rainbow Dash felt relieved. It was nearing midnight, but she could still make Apple Jack's party. The foals might have gone to bed by now, but her friends would probably still be having fun with AJ's family.
Her wings felt heavy, and every part of her was cold. Her team leader called for a change in formation, and the team began their return to Ponyville.
Most of the team, anyway. When Dash attempted to turn, she felt a sharp pain in her wings. Fear gripped her heart as she realized she was in a condition that no pegasus ever wanted to be in. Her wings were caked in ice and snowflakes, and as such they couldn't close all the way. Still, she was able to flap, and she trailed behind her team. No need to panic.
And panic she didn't. Until her team was so far ahead that Dash could neither hear nor see them through the snow. As her frozen wings only grew colder and heavier, her fear grew twice as fast.
"Can't panic in the air," she muttered to herself. "Panicking in the air is how you end up in the hospital."
Glancing back at her frozen wings, she figured she'd end up there anyway if she didn't land before her wings were too frosted to move.
It wasn't her fastest landing, but at least it was a safe one. She angled her wings downward as much as she could, blinking away freezing tears as the stinging pain made her feel like her wings might just snap off. She found a clear spot to land, and simply circled in a slow downward spiral until her hooves were back on solid, snowy ground. She tried again to fold her wings, but was met with the same sharp pain as before.
Now that she'd landed, exhaustion was beginning to set in. She couldn't even hold her wings up to keep the from dragging on the ground.
Dash looked around. No sign of her team. No sign of anything, really. The snow and the darkness concealed almost everything. But she had to find Ponyville. She had to. She didn't even care about the party anymore. She just wanted to survive the night.
Maybe she could take a break? Clear her head? A nice little nap in the snow never did anypony any harm. Maybe once it covered her, she'd finally feel just a little warmer...
She quickly shook her head and gritted her teeth. She wasn't going to just lay down and let the snow bury her Celestia knows where until she died of frostbite.
"Come on Dash... Hypothermia is for quitters... now, focus... home..."
Home... Fluttershy had once told her about birds that always knew how to find their way home. Could pegasi be the same? It seemed unlikely, but it was all she had.
And so, head low, wings dragging, Rainbow Dash put all her faith into her heart, and stumbled off into the night.
She only hoped...
...she would make it. She had to. She had to be okay. Apple Jack was pacing again, frantically checking and re-checking every window for any sign of Rainbow Dash. The party had long since died down. The lights were out, the candles and the fire were both burning low, and everypony had elected to find a warm spot to curl up in the barn rather than brave the howling storm. The only ones not in the barn were the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who were tucked into Apple Bloom's bed inside the house, Big Macintosh and Sugar Belle, who had cuddled up to sleep in the red stallion's bed, and Apple Jack, who had crept away from her sleeping friends and family in the barn to keep watch inside the farmhouse, where she was unlikely to disturb anyone who wasn't family.
The hearth fire was burning low, and Apple Jack broke from her pacing to throw on a few more logs. She knew it was silly to think that Rainbow Dash might still show up, but there was a feeling in her chest that told her something was horribly wrong. She wasn't so stupid that she'd brave such an awful storm herself to look for a pony that might not even still be out, but the least she could do was stay awake and keep an eye out. Keep the fireplace hot and a blanket on hand. Just in case...
...Rainbow Dash needed warmth. She needed it more than she'd needed anything in her life. It was all she could think about as she continued to drag herself through the deepening snow. She couldn't feel her wings anymore. Or her hooves. She was about ready to drop. And really, it would be so easy, Give in. Let the cold take her. Maybe she'd never be found...
But what about Apple Jack? Sure, Rainbow was now far too late to even think she might make the party, but wasn't it worth it to keep fighting through the agonizing cold if she could see AJ again? She could see it now, in her mind's eye. Cuddling up against her best friend's side, head resting on her back. The comfort of a fire and the familiar smell of the Apple Family home. If she died here, she'd never get to feel that again.
Wait, was that really a light in the distance? Was that not imaginary? The mere thought that maybe, just maybe, she could escape the biting wind and be somewhere safe, was enough to help her carry on. Using everything she had left, she pushed forward, staggering along despite the desperate attempts of her knees to make her collapse. Relief flooded her when she saw the source of the light. A familiar building. She barely managed to get up on to the porch, and that was when her legs collapsed with the pitiful sound...
...of somepony collapsing against the door. Apple Jack rushed over and threw open the wooden door, looking down at the pitiful sight at her hooves.
"Oh... oh sweet Celestia's sunbeams... Rainbow Dash, what happened to you?"
The pegasus only responded with a weak groan, and Apple Jack felt her heart break.
"You poor thing... Let's get you inside."
Being more gentle then she'd ever been with anything, Apple Jack helped Rainbow Dash struggle back up on to her hooves, and supported her as she limped across the room to the fire place, where she collapsed again on to the rug. Apple Jack quickly closed the door, and rushed over to her ailing friend.
"Rainbow... your wings... sugarcube, have you been out in this storm all night?!"
Rainbow Dash nodded. The fire's heat was burning compared to the cold outside, but at least the pain was bringing feeling back into her frozen limbs.
"You stay right there, Rainbow. I'll get you a blanket and a cup of hot cocoa."
"Thanks..." Rainbow Dash's voice came as a breathy sigh as she shifted from being all sprawled out to a position where she was lying with her legs folded under her. She figured they'd warm faster that way, and it was less hard on her wings.
Within minutes, Rainbow Dash had three quilts over her back, a pillow, and a mug of hot cocoa. Satisfied that Rainbow would be comfortable, at least for the time being, Apple Jack laid down beside her and nuzzled her gently. "You had me real worried, you know..."
Rainbow Dash was a little surprised by the affection, but she wasn't opposed to it. Instead, she shifted closer to Apple Jack. "I did?"
"Of course you did. Flying out in a storm like that..." she sighed. "Well, the important part is you're home safe now. Even if it did take all night."
"...you stayed awake looking for me?"
"Yeah. At the time it seemed silly, but I was right. I may not have Pinkie Pie's talent for premonitions, but... it's a thing with us earth ponies. Sometimes we just know. And I'm glad I stayed up. Imagine if I hadn't..."
Rainbow shuddered, and finally found the strength to fold her wings in so she could move closer still to Apple Jack. "I don't want to..."
"You look exhausted. If you can make it to my room, you can have the bed."
"But what about you?"
"I'll sleep on the floor. Or out here."
Rainbow Dash frowned. "...what if I want you to stay with me?"
"You'd want that?"
The pegasus took a slow breath. "Thinking of you is what got me through that storm, you know. So, yeah. I want you to stay with me."
Apple Jack smiled at her. "Sugar, I'd stay with you forever if you asked me."
And with that, Apple Jack helped Rainbow Dash up the stairs to her room, where Rainbow Dash was rewarded for her struggles with a soft bed, a blanket, and the best cuddles in all of Equestria.
