//------------------------------// // Cold Upon the Mountain Top // Story: White Demure // by Heitomos //------------------------------// The following morning had rolled around, and the group inside of the library began to stir. The Apple family was the first to wake, and Applejack made breakfast for everypony, an act that both cheered everypony up, and took her mind off of waiting for Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy to come by. By noon, they had begun taking turns watching the skies towards Mount Marebrum, looking for any signs of the two pegasi flying their way. Nopony would let Applejack take watch, however, because they all knew it wouldn't do her any good. Instead, those that weren't keeping watch were trying to keep them all occupied and entertained. Something to just pass the time while they waited for the very last ingredient to cure the sick filly. And it was nearing dusk when Apple Bloom's sickness took a turn for the worse. The green spots all over her had started to grow, growing faster the longer they took. From the notes in Zecora's letter, once the spots completely covered the filly's body, the green was going to start to turn white. When that happened, they had less than twenty-four hours to administer the cure, or otherwise, she wouldn't make it. It was also then that they all started to panic. "Why in the hay haven't they shown up yet?" Applejack asked, her mane a mess from the constant stress. "Calm down darling... I'm sure they've just met with an unexpected delay and will be here in the morrow. We still have three and a half days. That should be plenty of time for them to come home and for Zecora to mix her brew." Rarity said, placing a hoof over the farmpony to try and calm her down. "Ah know but... they really shoulda been back by now. Rainbow Dash said she could be there and back in less than a day. And even with Shy there, no offense ta her meant, they shoulda been back today at least." "We know you're worried, Applejack, but you just gotta relaaaaaax. Trust your auntie Pinkie Pie. Just let me do my thangand I'll have you not worried in no time at all!" said the pink party pony, hopping up and down beside the orange mare. "But Ah just can't calm down or focus on nothin' that ain't those two or Apple Bloom... Shoot!" She shouted, stomping her hoof, "Ah just... it's really gettin' ta me, ya know? Ah ain't never been this worried or stressed about nothin' in mah entire life..." She finished, lowering her head. "Applejack... I can't even begin to imagine what you're going through, not having any siblings myself. But I know you're hurting and... well, we'll do all we can to help. And you know what? I'm... going to look up a spell I once read, one that I skipped over because I thought it would be very rude to ever use." said Twilight Sparkle, turning to her books in search of the spell. "Huh? An' what's that?" The farmpony asked. "It's a scrying spell of sorts. Basically, it'll let me see where the two of them have been over the last few days. It creates a small illusion and a trail that the target pony has followed over the course of a few days. It's not very precise, but, it will tell us where they are now, and we can see if they're on their way or what," she replied, levitating a book off of the shelf. "I'll read the spell over tonight, and cast it in the morning if they haven't arrived yet. Hopefully it won't be too hard to cast." "Ah sure hope so, Twi..." "Now come over here with us, darling. Pinkie Pie has set up another board game, and has already trounced me twice. It would be nice to have a little help." said Rarity, speaking from the far end of the library, sitting in front of a table across from Pinkie, who was busy rolling dice. After giving a small sigh, Applejack walked over to the two ponies playing their board game, joining them in hopes that it will keep her mind off of things. By the time the night came around, she had won a couple of games, but Pinkie Pie reigned supreme as grand champion of the dice. Most everypony had fallen asleep, except for Big Macintosh, who was still standing strong and quiet, a pillar of strength for his whole family. Twilight Sparkle was still awake as well, working hard on deciphering the ins and outs of the spell she was working on. With everypony asleep or doing their part, Applejack finally gave in, and joined the former group of ponies, taking a restless sleep beside her sister's bed, next to Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. In the morning, Applejack felt ragged and tired. The restless sleep had given her precious little energy, and even then her stress stole it away. However, when she saw Twilight trotting down the stairs, her heart swelled with hope. "Mornin' Twi..." she said. "Good morning, Appleja- Woah... You look umm... great!" Twilight said, giving a nervous smile at nearly misspeaking what she really thought Applejack looked like. "So, are y'all set to cast that spell of yours?" The purple unicorn gave a sigh, "Well, I studied the spell, and I can cast it-" "Well that's great!" The farmpony shouted excitedly, waking up a few ponies in the room. "But!" "...but?" The orange mare asked, suddenly starting to deflate. "There's a catch to the spell. You see, in order to use it to track somepony, I need a piece of that pony. Usually a tail or mane hair is good enough, or a feather in the case of a pegasus... but the problem if, I have no idea where to go and get one! Fluttershy usually keeps her house clean, so I'm not sure what we could find there, and Rainbow Dash's home is up in the clouds, and we're out of pegasi to search it for us," the studious pony explained. "But... why can't ya just ask some other pegasus in town ta go and try ta raid Dash's place for us?" "Hmm... I suppose that could wo-" "No need!" A voice from up the stairs called. Both Twilight and Applejack turned to the stairs, and saw Rarity, slowly trotting down the steps, "Oh! Rarity. I take it you finished up with my mirror?" "That I have, Twilight Sparkle. Now, I believe I have a quick and easy solution to this issue." "Ya do? Well, what tha hay are you watin' for, sugarcube? Tell us!" said Applejack. With a prim and proper clearing of her throat, the fabulous unicorn began to speak and at the same time, trot towards the garbage bin across the room, "Well, for once, I will admit that not taking out the garbage has come in handy. Just a moment please..." she said, using her magic to carefully poke through the trash. After a moment, she exclaimed, "Aha! Here we are, darlings. Just what we needed." With careful use of her magic, Rarity floated over what looked to be a pair of threads, a red thread and a purple one. "What are those?" Applejack asked. "Wait a minute... I... I recognize those!" Twilight gasped. "Indeed you do, dear! They are, if aged and a little worse for wear, the very same tails hairs you plucked out of poor Rainbow Dash's dock when you stopped her from speeding off. I tossed them out myself and am glad that I did not deal with the garbage until now." said the white unicorn, placing a hoof to her chest in pride. "There ya go again, Rarity, comin' through when Ah really need ya. Ah owe you big time after this." said Applejack. "T'was nothing, Applejack, and I'll not hear another word of it!" She says, stamping her hoof down, "Now, Twilight Sparkle, I believe you have some of your magic to work?" "Right!" Said Twilight, grabbing on to the two strands of hair with her magic, "Stand back a bit, girls." It was by this time that some of the others had awoken as well, content to watch the others talk while they got rid of their sleepiness. By the time Twilight got hold of the hairs, however, the rest of them were quite alert, and all of them formed a circle around the powerful unicorn as she started her spell. That is, everypony except for Big Macintosh, who was content to sit by his sick sister, watching from afar. "Here it goes..." The purple unicorn said with a grunt. With a bit of straining, a large flash of light shined out, blinding everypony for a moment. Once they regained their sight, they all gasped as they saw the illusion of Ponyville in front of them, along with a small blue dot hovering above it. "Phew... okay. The spell is going to start now. The book said it would start a few days before getting to their actual location, so we'll be able to see everywhere Rainbow Dash went for the last few days." She explained. "Well shoot, that's pretty handy fer a situation like this... but Ah can see the potential to invade privacy." Said Applejack. "I know, that's why I skipped over it before... in any case, let's watch." Everypony in the room leaned in towards the illusion. The only sounds that permeated the area were the heavy breaths of everypony, and the ignored sound of Pinkie munching on a mysterious bag of popcorn. Once the blue dot began to move, Twilight started to provide her best guesses as narration. The blue dot started high in the sky, sitting still for several minutes inside of the image of Dash's cloud home, "I think that's her sleeping, which means this is, at the earliest, the morning that you came and got us, Applejack." The dot soon started to move, going back and forth inside the cloud home; most likely her morning preparations. "Oh, there she goes now. With the erratic movements, that must be her doing some tricks in the air and- Ooh!" She said, wincing along with everypony else as the dot suddenly fell to the ground. "Wait, Ah think I remember this. This is when Ah came along and told 'er about mah sister. She did look extra dirty then fer some reason," Applejack said. The dot then flew around the town for a short while. "That's probably her looking for us..." said Twilight. The dot then traveled towards the image of the library, the illusion zooming in as it grew closer to the source of the spell. The orb of light only remained there for a few seconds, the spell giving a sped up version of events, before it flew over to Rarity's house. Another few seconds there, and it went back to the cloud home, and then to Fluttershy's cottage. "Alright, I think we're about to see their journey now... Yup, there they go." She said, the whole group watching the sped up trip towards Mount Marebrum. They watched the quick rest the two pegasi took, and then a pause that could have only meant they were sleeping, "That explains why they didn't arrive yesterday, I think." They continued to watch as it began to move again, flying up the mountain for a while before nearing its peak, and then taking to the side of the mounting and moving much more slowly, "Their wings must have gotten too cold and they had to walk and... wait, what just happened?" She asked. Everypony started in silence as, after a bit of slow movement, the blue light suddenly paused, and then was shunted to the side for a moment. It then began to move excruciatingly slow, deeper in to the mountain, before coming to a stop, taking a pause far longer than the rest they had taken before. The light stayed perfectly still for nearly three minute in the sped up illusion, before starting to pulsate with a dull blue glow. A chill ran down Twilight's spine. "What is it, sugarcube? Why ain't it movin' anymore?" Applejack asked. "That... that blue pulse... it m-means that it's caught up to the present... they haven't moved in over a day." She said, her eyes wide and misting over. A resounding "WHAT!" came from everypony in the room, all staring dumbfounded at the now teary eyed unicorn. "They... t-they haven't moved in... in over a day. And I have no idea what that means... The spell says she's still there, but... it's can't tell me if she's alright or not..." Twilight explained, giving a gulp. The room went dead silent after that; even Pinkie Pie had completely quieted, her hair falling straight in her despair. Nopony made a sound for minutes, the sorrow hanging thick in the air, at least, until Applejack stamped her hoof down and stepped forward. "Look! We can't just stand 'round here mopin' around and thinkin' tha worst. We need to get out there raight now!" She said, stomping her hoof down once again for emphasis. All eyes were on her now, and it was finally her time to shine. "Alraight, Twilight!" she said, pointing a hoof towards the purple unicorn, making her jump, "You need ta find us a way to that mountain, and pronto! I heard about yer group teleport thingy, so get on that. And take those hairs with ya, we can use 'em when we get there. Got it?" "...Right!" replied Twilight, Applejack's conviction giving her both hope and motivation. "Good. Tha three of us," she said, pointing to herself, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie, "we're goin' ta take a stop by Rarity's. Rarity, we need a whole set of quick, super quick, warm clothes that'll keep us all warm 'n toasty up there on that mountain." "Of course, Applejack. I'll get right on that. Come on, everypony, to my boutique!" said Rarity, getting drawn in to the drama at hoof. "Perfect. Now come on everypony, we got ourselves a couple friends ta save." said the farmpony, eliciting cheers from everypony in the room. It didn't take long for the gang, at least, what was left of it, to get ready for the trip. Rarity had quickly slapped together another four sets of the parkas she had made for Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, and quickly clothed herself, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie. Minutes later, a flash of light told them that Twilight Sparkle had arrived, and soon, she too was dressed for cold weather. "You ready fer this, Twi?" Asked Applejack. "I think so. It's going to be a two stage teleportation. The first stage will get us close enough for me to see the peak of the mountain and let me recharge a bit. The second stage will be getting us all there. I've only used this spell once before, and now I have twice the load, but... I'm going to try my best at it. No matter how hard, I know that they're counting on me, and I won't let them down!" Said Twilight, using her words to give herself confidence in her abilities. "Good on ya, sugarcube. You two ready fer this too?" "Yuppers! I've got a good feeling about this one girls!" replied Pinkie Pie. "As do I. I'm ready when you are, ladies," replied Rarity. "Alraight! We're good ta go. Twi, do yer thing," said Applejack, nodding to the purple unicorn. "Right!" With a nod of agreement, Twilight Sparkle moved to the center of her friends, and began to gather her magic. With the first location solidly in her mind, she focused hard, grunted with effort, and in a flash of purple light, her and her friends vanished from the boutique, leaving a small scorch mark on the floor where they all once stood. A blink of an eye later, the quartet of ponies reappeared miles away from Ponyville, the top of Mount Marebrum now quite visible over the horizon. They took a short pause as Twilight caught her breath, ate a sandwich to keep her strength up, and began to cast once again. This time, she had a good view of the peak, but it was going to be a hard shot to make. Still, she concentrated hard on her magic, and in another flash, they were gone. "Hey! I think we- Ahh!" screamed Twilight as she and her friends suddenly fell down towards the ground. The purple unicorn had teleported them just a few feet too high, and with a crunch, they all landed in the fresh and powdery snow below. It took them a moment to recollect themselves, but the four friends were soon huddled together for warmth. "S-sorry about that, girls. I was just a little bit off." Twilight said, shivering a little. "S'alraight, sugarcube. Ya got us up here. Now, we gotta try and find 'em," said Applejack. "It's really c-c-c-c-cold up here!" said Pinkie, her teeth chattering heavily. "I find the snow rather beautiful, if a little too clingy to the coat," Rarity said, brushing some of the falling snow off of her coat, getting frustrated as it just kept piling on. "Ah know it's gonna be cold. But hopefully, this won't take long," said the farmpony. "It shouldn't. I have a spell that will help with the cold though, but first, I need to cast that l-location spell again. Get a closer look at things so that we know w-where to look," the purple unicorn said, her horn already bringing up Rainbow Dash's hair to cast the tracking spell once more. "Please do hurry, Twilight. Had I known it was going to be this cold, I would have made their coats warmer…" said Rarity as they began to watch the illusion once again, the images more detailed now that they were closer to the current location of the target. "Now, don't worry about it, Rarity. This ain't yer fault. None of us knew how cold it was gunna be. They probably dealt with it in their own way. Besides, pegasi are more resistant ta cold than we earth bound ponies, them coats were probably enough." said Applejack, patting the white unicorn's back a few times before quickly pulling her hoof back under the parka, the sudden exposure to cold too much to bear for long. "Oh, I know darling, but I simply can't help but worry about it…" the dressmaker replied. "Ah know sugarcube, Ah know." "Girls! It's done! They don't look t-too far away!" said Twilight suddenly. All eyes turned to the bookworm's illusion, and saw that the blue light looked to be quite close to where they were, at least, by what they could make out of the landscape in comparison to the illusion. "Alraight, they're close. We go a direction. Come on everypony, let's move it!" The others each gave their cheers of approval, and after Twilight Sparkle conjured up some heat, though not enough to start melting the snow, they moved on. They walked tightly side by side, with Applejack and Twilight taking the lead, and Rarity and Pinkie Pie following close behind, each of them taking in what warmth they could from the purple unicorn's magic. None of them spoke after they began moving, the wind having picked up to deafening levels, drowning out all sound. If not for the bright red color of the parkas, it might have been quite easy to lose one another. For nearly half an hour they walked over the snow and ice, but eventually, they entered in to a small valley carved in to the peak of the mountain, every one of them thankful for being out of the biting wind. Now that they could finally speak, Applejack was the first to use the privilege, "They shouldn't be, maybe just 'round this here…corner… Oh no…" Her words seemed to speak for everypony as they came around a turn in the valley, and saw the devastation that had assaulted the area. Where the crevice should have continued, was instead a massive pile of freshly fallen snow, the cliffs above nearly bare save for a bit of new snow. "Girls… I think this explains what happened to them… it looks like an avalanche hit here." Said Twilight. "Oh no… this is simply awful!" Rarity said, bringing a hoof to her mouth in shock. "Hey everypony! Quit being so mopey! We can still find them! We're not out of this yet. I will have Dashie at another one of my parties, and that's that!" Pinkie shouted, almost stomping a hoof down before thinking twice about it. "Ya know… Pinkie's raight! Remember what we saw? They suddenly got shifted. That's probably when tha avalanche hit." Applejack said. "What are you getting at, Applejack?" asked the purple unicorn. "Well, remember? They moved a lil' bit after that! That means they were still okay. Maybe… Just maybe, they're holed up somewhere, waitin' fer us. We can't let that hope leave us now. Not when they might need us," the farmpony said, turning to the others to try and give them the hope they needed. In return, she received a nod from all of them, "Good. Now, it ain't as cold 'ere. Let's fan out and search. At first sign of anythin' you… well, no, don't shout, but come a lookin' fer tha rest of us." With that, they split up, each treading carefully as they moved towards the site of the avalanche, all of them looking for anything that might indicate where their pegasi friends had gone. The search looked difficult, as a lot of snow had piled high, burying a lot of the valley beneath it. The fact that it had been nearly a day since the fall didn't help matters either, having allowed the wind to blow fresh powder over the disturbed terrain, making it smooth once again. The search went on and on, and despite the lack of wind, it was still freezing cold, and it was really starting to wear on them. Their limbs grew numb from the cold; Even Twilight, who opted out of casting her warmth spell so she wouldn't be the only pony warm. "Applejack…" came a voice. "Huh? Oh. R-Rarity, d-did ya find a-anythin'?" Applejack asked, stuttering from the intense shivering. Rarity spoke slowly and deliberately, the thought of chattering her teeth together beneath her, "No I… did not, Applejack. I… I simply cannot… go on anymore. I'm… nearly frozen." The orange mare gave a long sigh, a cloud of breath filling the air as she did so. "Ah know, R-Rarity. Ah'm d-darn near out of i-" Her words were suddenly interrupted by the sound of a loud pop. She turned just in time to see a fountain of streamers shoot up in to the air, staying on course for only a brief moment before being whisked away by the wind. Right away, she knew who had made it. And right away, she knew why. Pinkie Pie had found something. "Let's go!" Applejack said before suddenly bolting off over the snow towards were she had seen the streamers come from. Once she arrived, she saw that Twilight was already there, looking into a small hole in the snow with a pink tail poking out of it. Right behind her, Rarity soon arrived, "What is… going on over here…?" She asked, both panting lightly and trying not to stutter. "Oh good, you're here." Twilight Sparkle said, giving a sigh as she cast her spell once again, heating up herself and her friends now that they were all close. Feeling the warmth flow over her, Applejack gave a pleased sigh, "Ahh… thanks, Twi. That feels loads now. Now, what in tha hay is Pinkie doin'?" "I think I found them! I found a red thing!" The pink pony shouted from her little hole, "I dug a little more, and it keeps on going! It goes right into the mountain side. Help me dig!" "That's why they got shunted so far! They went straight into a cave! And one of the parkas must have been ripped or something… okay, stand back!" Twilight shouted, planted her hooves firmly in the snow and grunting heavily. With a fantastic burst of magical power, Twilight Sparkle's purple aura surrounded a massive chunk of the snow that was pressed up against the cave entrance. With another grunt of effort, she lifted it wholesale in to the air, and with a flick of her horn, she threw it aside, far down the relatively safe valley path. With the snow out of the way, they could see Pinkie sitting there, holding a piece of torn, red cloth between her hooves, pointing it towards a small dent she had dug out. The bookworm pony nodded and focused once more. Her glow felt around the snow, finding the outline of the cave entrance, and encompassed the blockage of snow within. She turned her head quickly away from the cave, and with it, the snow was flushed out, leaving the cave in plain view, and more importantly, accessible. "Pinkie, you did real good. Come on girls, they've gotta be in there somewhere!" Applejack commanded, rushing in to the cave first. Rarity provided the light as they rushed in, while Twilight kept up her heating spell to warm them back up after the search outside. The cave didn't seem very deep, but it had twists and turns that obscured their vision. No more than ten feet into the cave, however, they noticed something that gave them hope. "Look girls! A trail! There's some hoofprints, and… looks like somethin' was dragged…" Applejack said as she went along. "Do you think it was Dashie dragging Fluttershy behind her? Oh no! That means that Flutters might've gotten hurt!" Pinkie said, placing a hoof to one of her cheeks in horror. "Ah'm sure they're fine, Pinkie. It won't be too… there!" The farmpony shouted, pointing a hoof towards the back of the cave. There, huddled up against one another, covered in a red parka on a bed of cold rock, were Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, looking fast asleep. "Oh no… no! Wake up you two!" Twilight shouted, rushing forward and forcing a huge amount of power into her heating spell, not caring about the possibility of burns around her horn. "Woah! What's tha matter, Twi?" Applejack asked, feeling like she was being burned from the heat against her freezing skin. "You are not supposed to fall asleep when you're cold! That could be hypothermia, and… it's really not good. Come on girls, we have to warm them up, now!" The purple unicorn shouted. The others didn't have to be told twice. While the spellcaster remained a few feet away with her spell, the others quickly threw their own clothes over the two pegasi and wormed their way underneath to share in their body heat. Dash and Fluttershy felt as cold as ice, and remained entirely unmoving. Bit of snow and ice that had clung to them were quickly melting away under the intense heat, but below the skin, they were still freezing. "Oh come on, Dashie… Fluttershy! Wake up!" Pinkie Pie said, tears welling up in her eyes. "Come on you two… You can't go freezin' ta death on us! Not after all we've been through…" Applejack said, pressing her head against Fluttershy's side. And it was just when she was about to finally lose her hope, that her eyes opened wide. "Applejack… what is it?" Twilight asked tentatively, afraid of what she might hear. "Ah… Ah heard it...!" She paused for few seconds, before lifting her head and pressing it back down again on Fluttershy's side, "There it is again! It's slow… real slow. But… yeah, it's still there. Ah think Ah heard Fluttershy's heartbeat!" she proclaimed excitedly. "Really?" Pinkie asked, suddenly pressing her ear to Rainbow's side. A second later, her tears were replaced by a bright smile, "I just heard Dashie's too!" "Oh thank Celestia!" Twilight said, placing a hoof to her chest. "Alright! Let's keep this up! The cold slowed them down, so we need to keep the warm coming!" With a renewed sense of hope, they all moved in closer, and although they were starting to sweat, even Rarity, they only help on tighter. Both Pinkie Pie and Applejack had their ears pressed against each pegasus, and listened to the beats of their hearts. As the minutes ticked by, the heartbeats grew in strength and frequency. "How fast are they beating now?" The purple unicorn asked. "About…" Applejack said, counting away the seconds as she listened, "…six every ten seconds." "Hmm… same here!" Pinkie Pie said happily. Twilight Sparkle breathed a sigh of relief, "Thirty-six beats a minute then, a little high for somepony like Rainbow Dash, but that's perfectly healthy. I think they might be safe now… we just need to wait for them to wake up." She said, turning down the heat of her spell, wishing that all the snow hadn't melted so she'd have something to stop the burning feeling on her forehead. Once their hearts were back up to full speed, it was easy to get the heat circulating through their systems, and once that happened, the two pegasi began to stir. "Quick girls, let's get offa them, give 'em some breathin' room." said Applejack, already getting off. "I will do so eagerly," said Rarity, not wanting to express her disgust over her somewhat sweaty state. "Mmph…" Was the first noise either of them made, and surprisingly, it was Fluttershy, "G… Girls?" she asked, her eyes opening blearily as she woke up. "Yay!" Pinkie said, jumping for joy before suddenly bounding towards her two almost frozen friends. "Wait!" Dash suddenly shouted, holding out a hoof to stop the overeager earth pony. "Huh?" the pink pony asked, stopping in her tracks, "Why?" Her lip began to quiver at the idea of being denied the hug. Slowly, Rainbow Dash turned to Fluttershy, the small burst of adrenaline wearing off and rendering her weak once more, and nodded to her. "Rarity?" Fluttershy asked. "Yes, darling?" Rarity replied. "Can you lift up the blanket, just a little?" the shy pony asked. "For you, Fluttershy, anything." the white unicorn replied, so very happy to see her friends alive and well. With a glow of blue magic, the parka-turned-blanket was lifted up gently, and revealed that Dash and Fluttershy had spread their wings over one another, most likely to share their warmth. But, as they gently pulled their feathery appendages back, their friends let out a unanimous gasp. There, sitting snugly between the two pegasi, was a single, purple flower, growing straight out of the mountain rock. In perfect unison, the two pegasi let out a few quiet words before falling back asleep. "We found it."