Ch 1 - Arrivals.
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Frozen Whispers

Ch 1 - Arrivals.

𝒯𝑜 𝓂𝓎 𝒹𝑒𝒶𝓇 𝓈𝒾𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓇-𝒾𝓃-𝓁𝒶𝓌, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑔𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝓅𝓇𝒾𝓃𝒸𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝐼 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌, 𝒯𝓌𝒾𝓁𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉 𝒮𝓅𝒶𝓇𝓀𝓁𝑒…

𝐼 𝒽𝑜𝓅𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓁𝑒𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒸𝒽𝑒𝓈 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝑒𝓁𝓁, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓂𝑜𝓈𝓉 𝒾𝓂𝓅𝑜𝓇𝓉𝒶𝓃𝓉𝓁𝓎, 𝓆𝓊𝒾𝒸𝓀𝓁𝓎. 𝒯𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝒷𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝓇𝑒𝓅𝑜𝓇𝓉𝓈 𝑜𝓊𝓉𝓈𝒾𝒹𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒞𝓇𝓎𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓁 𝐸𝓂𝓅𝒾𝓇𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝓂𝒶𝑔𝒾𝒸𝒶𝓁 𝒶𝒸𝓉𝒾𝓋𝒾𝓉𝓎 𝑜𝓊𝓉 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓏𝑒𝓃 𝓌𝒶𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓈. 𝐼 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓇𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓂𝒶𝓎 𝒷𝑒 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝑜𝒻 𝑔𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉 𝒾𝓂𝓅𝑜𝓇𝓉𝒶𝓃𝒸𝑒, 𝒬𝓊𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝒞𝒽𝓇𝓎𝓈𝒶𝓁𝒾𝓈 𝒾𝓈 𝓈𝓉𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓁𝑜𝑜𝓈𝑒 𝒶𝒻𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒶𝓉𝓉𝒶𝒸𝓀 𝑜𝓃 𝒞𝒶𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓁𝑜𝓉, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒮𝑜𝓂𝒷𝓇𝒶’𝓈 𝓇𝑒𝓉𝓊𝓇𝓃 𝒽𝒶𝓈 𝓅𝓊𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝓇𝓎𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓁 𝓅𝑜𝓃𝒾𝑒𝓈 𝑜𝓃 𝑒𝒹𝑔𝑒 𝓉𝑜𝑜.

𝐼 𝒸𝒶𝓃’𝓉 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓎𝑜𝓊. 𝐼 𝓂𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓎 𝒾𝓃 𝒸𝒶𝓈𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝒶𝓃 𝒶𝓉𝓉𝒶𝒸𝓀 𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝐸𝓂𝓅𝒾𝓇𝑒, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝐼 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝒶 𝓉𝓇𝒶𝒾𝓃 𝓌𝒶𝒾𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝑜𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓇𝓇𝒾𝓋𝑒 𝒶𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒞𝓇𝓎𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓁 𝐸𝓂𝓅𝒾𝓇𝑒. 𝒩𝑒𝒾𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓂𝑒 𝓃𝑜𝓇 𝒮𝒽𝒾𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒜𝓇𝓂𝑜𝓇 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝑔𝓇𝑒𝑒𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝓊𝓃𝒻𝑜𝓇𝓉𝓊𝓃𝒶𝓉𝑒𝓁𝓎.. 𝒲𝑒 𝒹𝑜𝓃’𝓉 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝒶𝓇𝑜𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓇𝓎 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓅𝑜𝓃𝒾𝑒𝓈 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑒𝓂𝓅𝒾𝓇𝑒. 𝐼𝓉 𝓌𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝑜𝓃𝓁𝓎 𝓁𝑒𝒶𝒹 𝓉𝑜 𝒶 𝒹𝒾𝓈𝑜𝓇𝑔𝒶𝓃𝒾𝓏𝑒𝒹 𝒸𝒽𝒶𝑜𝓈. 𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝓈𝒽𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝑔𝑜 𝒾𝓃 𝓈𝑒𝒸𝓇𝑒𝒸𝓎 𝓉𝑜𝑜, 𝒾𝓉’𝓈 𝒾𝓂𝓅𝑜𝓇𝓉𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓀𝑒𝑒𝓅 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓈𝑒𝓁𝒻.

𝐼’𝓋𝑒 𝒶𝓉𝓉𝒶𝒸𝒽𝑒𝒹 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓁𝑒𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒶 𝓂𝒶𝓅 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓁𝑜𝒹𝑔𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓎 𝒶𝓉 𝒹𝓊𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓇𝑒𝓈𝑒𝒶𝓇𝒸𝒽. 𝒮𝓉𝒶𝓎 𝒶𝓈 𝓁𝑜𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝓈 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓃𝑒𝑒𝒹.

𝒫𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓈𝑒 𝒷𝑒 𝓆𝓊𝒾𝒸𝓀, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓇𝑒𝓅𝑜𝓇𝓉 𝒷𝒶𝒸𝓀 𝓉𝑜 𝓂𝑒 𝒶𝓈 𝓈𝑜𝑜𝓃 𝒶𝓈 𝓅𝑜𝓈𝓈𝒾𝒷𝓁𝑒.

𝒮𝒾𝑔𝓃𝑒𝒹, 𝒫𝓇𝒾𝓃𝒸𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝑀𝒾 𝒜𝓂𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝒞𝒶𝒹𝑒𝓃𝓏𝒶

Cold gusts of wind shook the train cart; as sea waves of cold, they punched its walls, fogging the windows and seeping inside. It made the train’s heating system barely useful. Barely, because, despite how little difference it made, it did help us through.

A whole cart for ourselves. The girls enjoyed the ride. Pinkie has had a nice and very long conversation about the best cupcake toppings with Fluttershy ever since we left the Crystal Empire.

Rainbow Dash had given up staying awake long ago, she was snoring louder than Spike during his afternoon naps. But I get it, I’ve barely kept myself awake over the 5 hour train ride.

Applejack and Rarity had remained quiet through the trip, each doing their own thing.

And I’ve been thinking.

I get that Cadance would want to keep this a secret, with Sombra’s recent return and subsequent defeat, as well as Chrysalis’, I wouldn’t want to worry the crystal ponies any more than they already are.

But I just couldn’t come alone. If this is as serious as she suggests, I may very well need the help. It’s a shame I couldn’t bring Spike, but he’s not fit for the northern cold.

And still, what could be causing these magical activities that Cadance mentioned?

My silent contemplation was interrupted by the loud screeching of the metal wheels against the tracks, the sudden stop made me jolt, and sent poor Rainbow flying forward at me, crashing with full speed.

I managed to soften her impact by holding her back.

“Gwah! Ha! Wha- Are we there?” She was quick to kick into high gear.

“I… Think so…” Slowly, I helped her regain balance and get on her hooves.

Confirming my theory, I looked at the end of the train cart to see the partially coal covered conductor pony, proudly pushing the door open as he glanced at us all.

“We’re here ladies! Sorry, but this is the closest I can take ya’ll! It’s so cold out here I need to keep pumping the furnace full of coal and if I keep going, I won’t have enough to make it back home.”

Time to act.

“You heard him girls. Get ready for a short walk and put on your snow gear.” I’d brought plenty of supplies, and so did they. Large backpacks, filled with all the necessities. Sleeping bags, ear mufflers, snow boots, a lantern, research material like quills and parchment — anything I might need.

There was a small commotion as the girls all prepared for the expedition.

“Twilight! Surely, you can’t expect me to walk out in a blizzard like that!” Rarity made her worries very clear. But staying around wasn’t an option.

I looked out the window myself. I couldn’t even see a short stretch ahead of me.

“Sorry Rarity, but this is as far as the train will take us. We’ll have to walk to get there, so you should all prepare for the extreme cold. Put on your coats, or whatever you can to make you warmer.” A real risk of prolonged exposure to an environment like this was hypothermia. Getting so cold your body stops functioning.

“Whoa, look at all this snow! It’s like a giant vanilla frosting wonderland!” Pinkie practically had her face pushing up against one of the windows. “Are you sure we won’t get lost?”

“That’s why I brought these lil puppies!” From her bag, Applejack threw a rope on the ground. We all gathered in a circle. “Wrap this here ‘round yerselves, Twilight will be the one leading so ya’ll should walk in a line. These ropes will make sure we don’t lose one another when we can’t see a damn thing.”

Smart.

We all quickly began wrapping it around our bodies, creating a small single-file line.

As afraid as we all were of going out there and facing unknown dangers, I felt especially burdened. Not for myself, but for them.

I’d turn into an ice sculpture before letting any of these ponies freeze on my watch. I’ve never been through this area. I doubt anyone has, but so long as we can make it to the lodge, there’ll be ponies there to help us.

“Okay.” I took a deep breath, before looking back at them. “Is everypony ready?”

“Yup!” Pinkie nodded.

“Ready as I’ll ever be!” Rainbow continued.

“I suppose...” Rarity was still not on board with the idea, but Applejack gave her a little push from behind.

" ‘Course.” She proudly tipped her hat.

“I mean... Not really but...” Fluttershy too was a bit worried about the idea.

“Just stay behind me and we’ll be fine.” We all stepped closer to the door, I nodded thanking the conductor before he opened it for us.

The sudden gust of wind stunned me for a second. I knew it’d be cold, but even through the thick coat I wore, the scarf, the ear mufflers and everything, the windchill made it even worse. It’d be one thing if it was just cold, but with the wind and the snow falling… It was a lot more than we expected.

No backing out. We need to get moving.

Heavy snow mixed with the setting Sun made for difficult conditions, visibility was becoming poorer. I was the first to hop out, my winter boots helped me not sink completely on the snow, Celestia knows how deep it really is.

The girls hopped one after another, and thus began our journey through the frozen wastes.

The Sun had already set, and while the moonlight helped to partially illuminate things, it did little to aid our journey.

Cold. Dark: My hooves are going to give in at any second, my backpack doesn’t feel any more heavy when I am exhausted.

We’d been walking for longer than we had to because of me. One wrong turn and a miss-matched landmark, and we found ourselves in a strange place. I had to use a compass from my satchel to locate myself, with my horn giving off a faint light to help me view not only the degrees on the compass, but also just a few steps ahead. It also served as a beacon, shining through the darkness and helping the girls know where I was at all times.

“Twilight!” Rainbow yelled. “Are we getting there!? We’ve- Been walking for ages!”

“Calm your tail Rainbow! Twilight knows where we’re goin’!” Applejack just didn’t want Rainbow to panic, but I could tell that even she was worried.

Then, finally! A sign!

Quite literally a sign, revealing itself from the darkness as we stepped closer.

Snow had huddled up around the bent wooden post, it looked like it was barely hanging on. Glacial Haven lodge was up north, we just had to keep going.

“We’re almost there, girls!” I turned to face them, gesturing with my hoof. “Come on!” I’ve never heard of this place before, but if we can take refuge there, some ponies will be able to help us at least.

We were shivering, the cold wind seemed to have picked up, getting even stronger. But we’ll push through this.

“Twilight!” I heard Applejack’s voice through the dark, I think the whole group turned to face her. “Fluttershy ain’t lookin’ too great!”

I stopped our journey, I can’t go on while Fluttershy’s in trouble. Stepping closer to the two, I could see Fluttershy’s drooping eyes, her snout hidden away in the mask. Like us, she wore a coat with a heavy backpack and satchels on her side.

Her body shivered, she looked weak, this just might be a huge sign of trouble.

“Fluttershy, are you okay?” I stepped closer, inspecting her.

“Y-Y-Y-Yes… J-J-Just- A-A bit cold…” Her speech came through slurred, interrupted by her constant shivering. It’s not just a bit cold. I need to make sure she’s really okay.

“Fluttershy, try moving your wings for me” Some major effort was required for her to slowly lift her frost covered wing like that.

Her movement, her speech, the way she was shivering like that, this wasn’t the same kind of cold we were feeling. Her mind seemed like it took longer than necessary to think of a reply for the sentences, she was dragging her words with slurred speech.

Hypothermia. I can tell it’s getting to her. Maybe her coat wasn’t as thick as ours, or maybe her body is much more susceptible to the harsh environment, either way, if we stand around, Flutershy might not make it.

“Ok girls! Gather closer, around Fluttershy!” Being tied with a rope didn’t make the job easier, but we managed to fumble our way around the snow, making a small circle around her with me at the helm.

“We need to keep moving, keep our bodies active, even stopping for a short while like we just did will be a liability!” We got moving once again, with me guiding them through the snowy darkness. “I-If you feel like you’re getting tired, or if you feel cold, don’t stop moving! Stay close to each-other, share as much heat as you possibly can!”

“Right!” Rainbow nodded.

“Fluttershy dear- You look awfully pale…” I didn’t want to point it out myself, I didn’t want to worry poor Fluttershy. But it seems Rarity didn’t hold back.

“I-I-I-I’m- F…Fine…” Fluttershy’s head hung low, practically staring at the ground. Her movements were slow and tired, but with all the girls around her, she would be fine. For a while at least.

“She’s suffering from hypothermia.” It’s time I break the seriousness of the situation to the group. “If we don’t get to the lodge soon, she’ll freeze out here.” Maybe knowing that Fluttershy is in danger will help them move quicker.

I was the one in charge, I can’t let Fluttershy freeze to death on my watch. I can’t.

Through the cold and windy darkness, something emerged. Another sign, but this one looked more proper than the last. No longer was it just a wooden pole stuck to the ground with crudely painted on text, no this was much fancier.

Despite being covered in snow, I could tell the bottom half was made out of finely put together cobblestone, with the top being wood. The golden letters on it didn’t lie either.

“Glacial Haven”

We’d arrived at the lodge. It was just up ahead. Hold on Fluttershy.

“Twilight! Fluttershy’s getting worse!” To my horror, Applejack was right. I looked behind to see the poor pegasus barely keeping herself up right, struggling to take steps forward.

Pinkie helped share the weight of her backpack, while Rarity stuck close to her side, helping her along.

“Talk to her Pinkie, make sure she stays awake!” If there’s anypony I know that can hold a conversation for an indefinite amount of time, it’s Pinkie.

“Got it!” With a grunt under the weight of Fluttershy’s backpack, she leaned closer. “Fluttershy? We’re almost there, is everything okay?”

Hold on Fluttershy. Please.

We were walking for a few 5 or so minutes. Every passing second, her condition worsened. We need to keep moving, we can’t stop.

And then, I finally saw it. We all did.

It emerged into view, taking most of us by surprise. The lodge looked fairly big, ready to accommodate 10 ponies or more. The front porch was packed with a buildup of snow, the small rocking chair sitting by the stairs was already buried.

We couldn’t fully see the whole building, the light of my horn only illuminated a small area, but it was just enough for us to reach the front door and step inside without even knocking.

As soon as the rickety wooden door closed, there was no sound. Just the howling of the wind outside. I suppose we did arrive pretty late, but I’d expect to see somepony working the counter at the very least.

“HELLOOOOOO!? ANYPONY!?!” Rarity’s voice echoed along the walls but… There was no response.

There was no one here to help Fluttershy!

The girls were already undressing, removing their winter gear and placing their backpacks at the reception.

“Ok girls- I don’t know if there’s anypony here. Rarity, Pinkie, you go take Fluttershy to the kitchen, make sure she’s warm under a blanket with some warm soup.” Rarity nodded. She and Pinkie left to find the kitchen, alongside Fluttershy.

I hope they’ll be okay. Fluttershy didn’t look the best, her body weaker than before, I just hope that at least she can stay conscious.

Applejack looked around the reception with an attentive expression. Mounted on the walls were radiators.

“Twilight, I’ll go try n’ find the boiler in this place, get it up and runnin’ ”

“Got it.” I nodded.

“W-Wait! What about me? I’ll go with Applejack!” Rainbow didn’t want to be left alone.

“Heh, so long as you can handle a dark and damp basement with a rattly ol’ boiler.” Applejack teased, heading off with Rainbow by her side.

“Of course not! I’m not scared of anything! Or… Most things!” Rainbow took with her candles and matches.

That leaves me to find somepony here to help us. There’s got to be at least one pony around… Cadence wouldn’t send me here without nopony to help us.

The hallways were dark, I couldn’t really conjure my horn light after a trip through the storm, I was already tired enough. Instead, I removed my bag from my back and grabbed a candle for myself, lighting it with a match. The glowing flame soon danced around the top of the candle, giving off a faint orange light to the surroundings.

I’d taken off my backpack and boots and placed it on the reception like the other girls. I didn’t think anything would happen to it, and with the weight off my shoulders I should be fine to explore around the building.

Moonlight peered through the frosted windows allowing me to see a bit better in the dark environment. I began with examining the front desk. There has to be something here, approaching the reception, I found nothing but scattered papers with names of old lodgers and an assortment of random paperwork. In other circumstances, it would’ve been fun to sit through and examine all these, but not today. Behind the front desk from a poorly hammered bent nail, dangled a set of golden keys with a shine like no other. Each with its own shape. A Square, a Triangle, and a Circular key.

They had no indication of their purpose, but if there were only three of them then needless to say, these have to be important for one reason or another. I approached slowly, the light of my candle seemed to exaggerate the shine on the keys as I lifted them from their spot with my magic, placing them in the satchel by my side.

I need to get moving. I need to find somepony, anypony here. We can’t be alone out here.

“Hello! Anypony!?” My voice echoed along one of the hallways as my head leaned out, the corridor extended further down partially illuminated by the moonlight outside while my candle light did the rest of the work. Just up ahead to my right was a wooden doorway. As I approached slowly, feeling my hooves sink on the soft carpet beneath them, I peered my head into the room.

A small lounge, furnished with some chairs, some bookshelves, beautiful paintings of warm and sunny forests, a stark contrast to the cold wind blowing against the nearby window. Despite all this, it had nothing of interest. I continued on my way.

Where could’ve everypony gone? Suddenly disappearing like this was cause for concern. What if what we came to investigate was the very thing that made these ponies disappear? Are they still alive, or are they in danger? Are we the ones in danger?

If Cadance sent us here, I’d expect at least one pony out here. Yet the cozy hallways as welcoming, inviting, and as beautiful as the decor was, they were devoid of any life. Where could these ponies have gone? A door at the end of the hallway might be the answer.

There was another divergence in the hall. To my right was a door, to my left another hallway. I approached the door to my right, illuminating it with my candle and inspecting its meticulous wooden carvings and the golden plaque pinned to it “Mellow Frost’s office”

Was that the owner of the place? Given the importance of this door, it just might be, and if that’s the case, something useful might be inside.

My hoof reached for the handle, but a creaking sound from behind echoed along the hallway. My body snapped to face the direction it came from, only to find a blur dashing into another junction further down the hallway! Finally, somepony is here! But why are they running away from me?

“Hello!? Come back! I’m not going to hurt you!” I let go of the handle, quickening my steps as I followed along the path it took. Further down, to the middle of this hallway, another junction. A double door to my right, and a hallway down the left, from which I could see the blur turning a corner.

I follow along, trotting through the halls at a quicker speed, finding a half-open door still swinging back into place. I stopped dead on my tracks, pushing the door open slowly to reveal a dark and cold storage room, filled with empty boxes and not a single window to the outside.

It was small, but it looked like it hadn’t been touched in months. Whatever was stored in here had already been emptied a long time ago, but that’s not what I’m here for.

My eyes scanned the dark corners of the room, but I quickly realized the mistake I made. I was in the same room as what could potentially be the same thing that took all the ponies from this place away. I wanted to back out, but I just found myself stunned in place, surrounded by darkness.

“H-Hello! Is anypony here? I don’t mean any kind of harm…” I announced to the empty room, while my mind screamed at me that everything about this was wrong. I somehow managed to bring one hoof further into the room, which felt more like an entire journey.

“Please- My friend needs help.” The only response I got was my own voice echoing inside.

Another step. The orange glow of the burning candle didn’t reach deeper in the room, only darkness was ahead.

I was too afraid to go in on my own. What if what I saw was nothing even? Maybe I’m imagining things. The only way to find out is to step inside. I gulped down and prepared to walk into the storage room.

“Twilight!”

“GAHH!” My candle went flying out of my grasp, extinguishing itself and falling on the floor. “Rainbow! Don’t scare me like that!” It was so relieving to hear a familiar voice.

My body turns to face her, and there she was, her silhouette on the doorway, looking at me with an almost desperate look in her eyes. I tried to talk to her as I reached down for the candle I’d just dropped.

“Why do you look like that Rainbow?” I lifted the candle from the ground with my magic, I could barely see anything inside the room, the only thing helping me see was the light from the hallway illuminating the darkness. “Did you manage to get the boiler up and running?”

“Whaddaya mean? What boiler?”

“What do you mean? ‘What do you mean?’ I’m talking about the boiler.” Did she not go down there with Applejack?

“Oh! The boiler! Well- No- But, I Found something a lot more interesting! What we came to look for! The magical fields!” Her gestures were quick and desperate. “There was this HUGEEEE bright light outside! And I could see it, C’mon we gotta go see it right now!”

Bright lights? That could be one of the many indicators of magical presence, this could be a perfect opportunity to study samples and find out what’s been causing these fields!

But… I didn’t feel safe. The howling winds of the blizzard still haunted me even while I was inside the building, and Fluttershy was still recovering. I doubt any of us are in a condition to go out there again after what just happened.

I knew I should go, I knew it might even be my only chance… But we can’t risk anypony else.

“Sorry Rainbow. It’s too dangerous. We can’t risk it.” Her eager smile quickly shifted to a somber and disappointed frown. “Oh.” I turned away from her with a sigh to inspect the room one final time for anything useful.

“We can go tomorrow, even if it means we’ll lose our chance at it.” The shelves had nothing of use. A closer look in the darkness revealed that the boxes truly were empty, but what confused me most is where the pony that was here could’ve gone.

Was it really just my imagination? I could’ve sworn I saw a blur…

“By the way, Rainbow, have you seen anypony around? I saw something jump into this room but… I don’t know where they went.”

“I didn’t.” Her response was… Cold. Almost uncaring.

“TWILIGHT! APPLEJACK! RAINBOW DASH!” Rarity’s loud voice echoed along the halls. I turn back to the door to find… Rainbow was gone. When had she left? “DINNER’S READY! PINKIE MADE SOME WARM VEGETABLE STEW!”

“I’M COMING!” I stepped out of the room and out in the hallway, but I couldn’t see Rainbow anywhere. Well, she probably heard Rarity and was on her way to the dining room. I should do the same. I take one glance back at the storage room before lighting up my candle and making my way towards the dining room.

“There you go Fluttershy, all better.” Pinkie helped Fluttershy drink the steaming soup. She looked much healthier as she gobbled it down, sitting next to a wall mounted radiator while wrapped around some sheets provided by Rarity.

The dining room was mostly just a long table with a fireplace, the howling wind and the windows to the outside reminded us that the blizzard would not let up for a good while longer.

“How are you feeling, Fluttershy?” I approached with a smile, my eyes examined most of her weary body, I could tell her spirits were lifting up.

“Good… Thank you all.” She smiled back at me.

“It’s what you’d do for me, I’m sure of it.” One friendly nod later, and I’m on my way to take a seat. Rarity is already sitting down at the table with a wooden bowl, eating her own steamy soup.

“Did you find anypony, dear?” As much as I wanted to tell her a comforting lie, I knew I couldn’t.

“No. We’re on our own. I just… Can’t understand whatever happened to the ponies here… Cadence told us to stay at the lodge, this place shouldn’t be deserted like this…” Something was severely wrong. I stared at the table as I leaned forward, while Pinkie stepped out of the kitchen with more soup for us.

She placed a bowl in front of me, and two others on the table for Applejack and Rainbow.

Maybe I should tell them what I saw. The blur. But… In the end, there was nopony there and I didn’t find anypony. I don’t want to worry them for no reason, it could’ve really been nothing. I chose instead to focus on my meal.

The sweet smell of Pinkie’s brew was such a relief after a long and tiring trip like that. I was practically starving, and just the smell alone was enough to put a smile on my face. Then, after a small taste, I began digging in. It was absolutely delicious.

From another end of the room comes Applejack and Rainbow… I thought she went back to the dining room…

“Howdy y’all. We got the boiler up n’ runnin’, but it’ll only hold for so long. Practically runnin’ on duct tape and a prayer.’' Is it working? I leaned back with a raised brow.

“Wait but-” I finished swallowing my food, turning to Rainbow. “Rainbow, didn’t you say you couldn’t get it to work?” She leaned her head to the side.

“What? I never said that.” She spoke as the two made their way to their seats, Applejack wasted no time gobbling down on her food, neither did Rainbow as she just brushed off my comment…

I looked around rather confused. Fluttershy was looking at me strangely, and Pinkie who sat by her side was more focused on her bowl of soup instead. I drop my spoon on the table for a second.

“H-Hold on, you told me you couldn’t get it running. How come it works now?”

“I never told you anything, Twilight. I don’t know what you’re talking about!” The girls all stared at me and her having our small and very confused argument.

“Huh? Rainbow- Okay, what about the light outside?”

“What light?”

“What do you mean what light!?” I spoke louder, what is she on about?

“Uh… Twilight…” Applejack interjected. “Rainbow was with me in the boiler room this whole time…”

Huh…?

A lot of things aren’t adding up…

“Ok- Look, maybe it’s just the cold, or something- I’m just going to finish my food and head to bed.” This doesn’t make any sense, but I saw her, she talked to me… I sigh and just decide finishing my food is more important. Maybe it was the cold that got me like this, I don’t know why I wasn’t thinking straight.

Could these be hallucinations from a magical aura or something? Possibilities can’t be discarded. But I’ll have to explore all these ideas tomorrow. I’m sure we’re all too tired to do it tonight.

The taste of Pinkie’s delicious soup brought my attention back as I continued to slurp up the warm meal.