//------------------------------//
// Personal File #1 
// Story: Frostpunk 
// by SkyStrike__ 
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It's early morning and dawn's first light is shining into the edges of the crater. I couldn't sleep at all last night or the night before, and it's taking it's toll on me as I look into the mirror next to the bed. My eyes were sunken and bloodshot, my mane had a similar frazzle as Princess Twilight's after one of her panic attacks. "Wow, I've really begun to let myself go." I said to my reflection as I attempted to flatten the wild curls with my hooves. After my mane was somewhat acceptable in public, I sat down to write the my next journal entry.

Entry Log 005
Day 3 in New Canterlot

I was told by Twilight that keeping a journal would help me cope with the stress of leading. Of course back then I would have shirked off this comment, but looking back now; I'm glad I took up the offer to read the parts of the journal she wrote during the clean up from Tirek's rampage. In fact; I actually relate a lot to how she felt during that time with how I'm feeling now. So I've set up a few pages where I just write what I'm feeling instead of just updates on the city like I originally expected.

I got word via telegram that the scouting party had reached the lost convoy. They managed to gather up all of the survivors and are headed home. With the beacon in the sky they said they should have no problem finding their way back. Between then and the time I'm writing this, I've been approached several times by many of those who have family members in that lost convoy. They thanked me for spending some of our limited resources to get them here. It was indeed an investment of resources, but it was the right thing to do.

Speaking of telegrams, I sent an encoded message to Canterlot. While I am aware that it is fruitless to request support from this distance in a frozen hellscape. Its comforting to both Princess Celestia and myself that we can remain in contact. Despite this though, I've received distressing news from her. Apparently the small way station in left in Ponyville has gone dark. With the weather worsening like it has been for the cold season, and it's residents having moved north east to Canterlot; this way station was just as fragile as any other part of the southern line. If it doesn't come back up, we'll lose connections with the south for the winter. If we can even call this winter.

I hear the sounds of the telegraph behind me. "Huh?" I look over to the telegraph machine and I see a new message has been passed down the line. What I saw sent me at a full galloping to the window. What I thought was a cloud cover was actually a dim sun. I was speechless, and could only stumble backwards and mumble to myself. "Oh, sweet Celestia. So the predictions were true."

"You okay, Sky?" Firestrike asked from behind me. "You're constantly stressed out, and I can see it taking it's toll on your emotional state." 

Despite the fact that I found out that the mare I loved was a young queen trying to blend in. She still had captured my heart, and despite every concerned note I got from coworkers we've remained faithful. Though why she doesn't abandon the Chrysalis Era appearance is a closely guarded secret even from me. Though it seems like something she doesn't like to talk about so I don't push it.

"You always seem to know when I'm upset." I said "You reading my mind or something?" I laughed and looked back. "Sorry if I woke you up. Just learned that the sun indeed is dimming as you theorized."

She looks down and scratches at some ice the metal floor. "Well, I'm sure it's just something temporary, maybe Celestia is attempting to fix whatever is wrong with the atmosphere." She looks away. "It's not going to last. We just need to outlast the winter." She had lost the energy she usually had. 

"Fire, I know you're lying. You refuse to make eye contact while lying." I sigh. "Though I don't blame you for it." I trot over from the desk and wrap one of my wings over her barrel. "Yeah; given the conditions we're likely going to fail, but if we try believing we'll fail we ensure it." 

She looks to me, a bit of her energetic spark rekindled. When she got up, one of my feathers got caught in one of the holes in her wings. "Oh. I'm sorry, I forgot that could happen."

It stung pretty bad, but I kept my smile, even if I had to force it for a second. "Eh, it'll grow back. They always do, but you should keep it as a sign of good luck." I tuck it into the band that keeps her mane style up. "It looks good."

She smiles and goes over to the mirror to start fixing her mane up. "Thank you, Sky." 

"That's what spouses are for. To be there for each other when times are tough." I head back to my desk to finish what I was writing.

Not many have bothered to take down notes on The Frost, but I learned a lot designing the weeks spent out here looking for possible sites for the generators. The Board of Science was against me overseeing the search since I was the head of project torchlight, but my Alicorn powers deal with dirt, rock, and metal so nopony was more qualified to help the search was me. Despite the Frost, there are still 'seasons'. I find them similar to the tropical monsoons, with small intermediary periods of around thirty to forty days in length. These intermediary periods are the best times to head north to begin generator cities. It's currently about twelve days into the current intermediary period, nine of them were spent just travelling to this place from waystation 3. It was also why we left Canterlot over a month ago. The timing had to be perfect to make this work.

The summer is the southerly wind season; where high winds bring snow and warmer weather from the temperate equatorial regions, but even the record high in this area is ten degrees below freezing. Then there is the northerly wind season formerly winter; where the polar winds ravage the land, and bring in the occasional storms of kicked up snow. I'm not entirely sure if either season is better for survival since they bring unbearably blistering cold temperatures, and even at the lightest it's usually still -40 degrees on a good day and -30 if we're lucky.