“Rarity, look, the weather clears up here!” Rainbow Dash pulled the other mare with her. “We found it!”

Rarity smiled, barely stopping herself from collapsing in the patch of sunlight. With the last of her strength, she trotted in front of Rainbow and put an ear to the tracks. “And just in time. The train is coming!”

“You can tell that from listening to the tracks?” Rainbow flew closer and attempted to do the same. Surprise crossed her expression as soon as the rhythmic clatter of wheels reached her. “Whoa, cool! Where did you learn that?”

“Mystery novels, dear. And to think some ponies consider them useless!” She winked.

“But is it approaching us?”

Rarity nodded firmly. “Absolutely. The sound was growing louder by the second; it will be here in a few minutes.”

“I’ll make sure the driver notices us after the train gets close.” Rainbow let out a theatrical sigh that fooled nopony. “Guess we’ll have to wait for it in the Sun, then.”

“How terrible,” said Rarity, snuggling closer to her. They were both cold and exhausted, and somehow neither of them minded it under the gentle sunlight.

***

The doors to the compartment glowed pink before they opened, letting in a single mare with a relieved expression. Her mane was an unkempt mess of indigo hair, and she carried half a dozen thick tomes in her saddlebags.

“Rainbow Dash, Rarity, I’m so glad you’re okay!” Twilight rushed towards the two mares. “When the train left without you, I got worried about your safety! So I went and—“

Rarity tapped Twilight’s nose to interrupt her stream of words. “Slow down, dear; you’re doing it again.”

“Of course!” Twilight blushed and took three long breaths to calm down. “I was organizing a search party. The special train will depart for the Empire as soon as the weather gets better.”

Rarity and Rainbow exchanged a confused look. Rarity furrowed her brow and asked, “Shouldn’t you cancel that now, then?”

“The schedule, of course! I’ll be back soon!” Twilight turned around to run away, but Rainbow Dash stopped her.

“Hey, Twilight, before you go, can I borrow that middle book in your left saddlebag?

“You mean ‘The Forgotten Myths and Legends of the North’?” asked Twilight, doing a double take as she read the title aloud. “Sure. Is there any reason why you picked this one? I have other, more credible books with me.“

Rainbow avoided Twilight’s gaze, affecting a careless tone. “I was just curious.” She secretly nudged Rarity with a wing. “It’s not every day that a snowstorm does… this.”

“Oh, that’s the reason why I got it for myself!” Twilight levitated the book over to the table but shook her head before letting go of it. “I haven’t seen any remotely plausible explanations in it. It’s just a bunch of pseudo-historical conjectures!”

“If Rainbow is interested in a book that’s not an adventure story, I think I’d like to see it, too,” said Rarity.

“Well, suit yourselves.” Twilight set the book down. “But don’t blame me for wasting your time on a bunch of pointless, unfounded—”

Rarity cleared her throat and smiled. “Twilight, the search party.”

“Of course! I’ll be back in a moment!” Twilight galloped outside, leaving the duo alone.

Rainbow Dash waited until the doors closed behind Twilight. “It’s him, isn’t it?” She tapped the large, vaguely deer-shaped, winged creature on the cover. It was standing next to several other figures from stories attributed to most of the known cultures.

“I don’t believe the similarities could be a coincidence. He had the same conch on his neck when we met him.”

Rarity opened the book with her magic and quickly scanned its contents. The page devoted to the spirit had a much less flattering picture, as if whoever drew it only heard secondhand accounts and decided to interpret them as menacingly as possible.

“The tempestuous Griffonian deity of northern winds and winter is something of an exception,” she began reading the short excerpt next to the picture. “Portrayed as a deer, it is not known why he’s the sole member of the pantheon not represented by a griffon. Since the stories of his arrival date back to the time of conflict between the pegasi and griffons, the most common theory states that he comes from an older pegasi legend that is now lost to time. This theory is further supported by his name—Boreas does not share the etymological root with his griffon peers.” Rarity closed the book.

“Ha, I knew he looked familiar!”

“I suppose that does explain certain things,” Rarity agreed uncertainly. She pushed the book aside. “Should we… do something about this?”

Rainbow shook her head decisively. “We already promised him to keep quiet, Rares.”

“We did, didn’t we?” she asked with a sigh. “He didn’t seem too bad in his old age.”

Rainbow jumped onto the table and saluted the northern wastelands with a wing. “And with that, we’re done! Team R&R one, god of snow zero. Next stop: Ponyville!”

Rarity smiled at Rainbow’s antics. “We’re almost done.” She got off her seat and levitated one of the suitcases that she had entrusted to Twilight earlier. “Close your eyes, Rainbow.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow but complied with the request. “I hope it’s not something stupid,” she grumbled half-heartedly.

“I’ll let you be the judge. I was saving it for later, but I changed my mind.” Rarity took a red scarf from the suitcase and wrapped it around the pegasus’s neck. “Once again, for going through all of that with me, and for being the bravest and most loyal mare I know, thank you, Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow startled back, blushing. “Oh jeez, you really didn’t have to.”

“I hope you still remember what I said yesterday. I’m not letting you go to your empty house on Hearth’s Warming of all days. You’re coming with me.”

“How could I forget? You’re more persistent than a snowstorm!” The two mares shared a laugh. Eventually, Rainbow Dash leaned closer and whispered, “That scarf, does it have any magical powers?”

“What?” Rarity blinked in confusion. “Well, no, but I made it from a material that remains warm even in the cold, and it should go well with your coat color since—”

“Rarity, I’m just pulling your leg,” she said. “Thanks, I love it.”

Rarity sighed and rolled her eyes. “Never change, Rainbow. Happy Hearth’s Warming.”

“Happy Hearth’s Warming, Rares.”

Author's Note