Rarity Belle remembered that day well.
Green grass grew on the knolls and bluffs surrounding Ponyville Train Station, and while the wind was a bit more nippy than it usually was that autumn, nothing was out of place in the world.
Tears were being exchanged on the train platform as six friends gathered around a pile of luggage and a duffel full of books, packed so full that the zip on top had broken. Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie all gathered around Twilight Sparkle and Spike, still bound in a group hug.
Twilight Sparkle was the first to break the hug, "Aww... girls I'm not going to be gone for that long, just a few months."
"But we hardly ever ever get to see you anymore, Twilight!" Complained Pinkie, mane slightly deflated and eyes wet with tears, "You spend all that time up with that company in Canterlot, and now you're going overseas for an entire three months! And how am I supposed to fit my sixteen packs of Super Loopa Cupcakes in a telegram, Twilight? A telegram!?"
Twilight sighed, "Sorry, Pinkie, it's just... really important that this project has my direct oversight. I promise though, I'll be back in Ponyville in time for Hearth's Warming," she gave a weak, assuring smile.
"You sure you don't want our help?" Rainbow asked, hovering next to the group with crossed forehooves, "I'm sure whatever it is you're doing, it'd go a lot better with the most awesome pegasus in Equestria by your side!" she finished her sentence by striking a pose, complimented by a toothy grin.
"You all have jobs, and many of you have family here. I couldn't ask you to abandon all that just for this," Twilight shook her head.
"Well, some of mah family is going, Twi," Applejack cut in, "Big Mac's already signed on to your expedition."
"All the more reason you need to stay," Twilight assured, "Granny Smith definitely can't run the farm all by herself. Especially not with her recent health issues."
Applejack frowned, but stepped back, ceding the point. Granny Smith, despite going for more than a century at this point, had developed a case of tuberculosis that the doctors couldn't treat.
"Well... make sure you bundle up, darlings," Rarity insisted, "Especially you, Spikey-wikey," she acknowledged the young dragon, "Just because you're a dragon doesn't mean you won't need a nice wooly coat when you're all the way up north."
"Yeah... I'll make sure to bring you back something for Hearth's Warming," Spike nodded, smiling deeply at Rarity's affections.
Rainbow snorted, "As long as he doesn't eat it on the way back like he did with your last gift."
The gathered ponies shared a laugh as Spike mumbled something. The rails by the platform began to shake as a locomotive began steaming down towards the platform, its whistle blowing as its wheels screeched to a halt, stopping just ahead of the platform.
Ponies began flooding from its passenger cars, and a conductor stepped out to monitor those who left and got back on to the Ponyville Express.
"Well. It's time," Twilight turned back away from the train, lowering her head, "....I'll... I'll miss all of you."
"We'll all miss you, Twilight," Rarity said, backed up by general affirmatives from the rest of her friends.
"If you-," Fluttershy's voice was choked by a sob, "...see any penguins up there, try and get some pictures for me... if that's okay and it doesn't mess with your schedule," Fluttershy asked, lip quivering as she approached for another hug on Twilight.
"I will," Twilight patted her on the back.
"Don't overwork yerself, Twi," Applejack joined in on the hug.
"I won't," Twilight's voice was punctuated with a sniffle.
"Keep bundled up, it's going to be a cold winter this year," Rarity also joined.
"I will," Twilight repeated, nodding slightly as a fresh set of tears wetted the necks and muzzles of the ponies pressed up against her.
"I'll make sure to write you when the new Daring Do book comes out," Rainbow promised, piling onto the embrace.
"That s-sounds good..." Twilight whispered.
There was a pause for a moment, before Twilight spoke up once again.
"Listen... girls.. I need you to know," She opened her eyes, flooded with tears, "I promise you... that no matter what happens. I'm doing this for you. And I'll be there for you, no matter what, okay?"
The girls didn't even have the time to truly comprehend what their friend was saying, before the moment was interrupted by a pink blur.
"Cannonball!" Pinkie shouted, bouncing up high into the sky, only to come down on top of the group hug, flattening everypony there as she wrapped herself around Twilight's face, letting out a 'squee'.
Another round of laughter was shared as the hug broke up, and everypony recollected themselves after Pinkie Pie's bombardment. Only a few moments later, there was a shrill whistle from the train.
"All aboard!" The conductor cried, waving at the waiting passengers.
"Okay.." Twilight sniffled, hurriedly wiping the tears from her eyes as she got up from the floor, "I really gotta go now... heh..." she levitated her bags up into the air, the ones she didn't being picked up by Spike moments later.
"Bye!"
"Byeeee!"
"Later, Twilight!"
"See you Hearth's Warming!"
"Don't forget to wriiiiiiiiiite!"
The shouts rang over the platform as Twilight gave one final wave, before entering the door to the first class passenger car. The girls stayed on the platform, continuing to wave as Twilight stuck her head out of one of the windows shortly after. They saw her disappear over the horizon as the train pulled away from the station, eventually disappearing from sight...
Rarity Belle stood still, looking up at the Generator. Her eyes went over the plaque on the front, again and again.
"...Why..." she whispered within her own mind.
Why did Twilight Sparkle have to go, and never come back? Why was all this sacrifice necessary for them? Why wasn't she here, leading the expedition with the rest of the Administrators? Why did she lock herself away from her own friends?
The reason she had left was to build this Generator, the thing that would be the salvation of them. That much was clear. But why... why did they have to live without here? What had she herself done to drive Twilight away? Why not even Spike? Why, out of everything the winter had taken from her... why did it need to take a friend so close to her?
Ever since she had seen that plaque, she had been completely lost in her own thoughts. She could stand losing her belongings, losing her looks, losing her dignity... but she couldn't stand losing her friends. She could hold out hope that Pinkie was alive, and that they were going back for her. She knew Fluttershy would be safe in her project to take care of seedlings in another city. But now... now despite her holding out hope against the odds...
Now she knew Twilight was gone.
A flap of wings landing beside her broke her out of her musings.
"You okay, Rarity?" Came Rainbow Dash's scratchy voice.
Rarity looked down at the snow around her forehooves, eyes sullen, "...I'm..." Her voice trailed off, lost for words.
Rainbow Dash's hoof landed on Rarity's shoulder, "It's about Twilight, isn't it?"
Rarity leaned into Rainbow's foreleg, eyes still aimed downwards, "I... I really thought..." Her usually refined accent was decreased to a hoarse whisper, "I really thought she might be here. That she'd be waiting for us. Somehow, against all the odds... I still hoped..."
There was silence, only punctuated by the cries of the worker ponies as they dragged in the scattered materials from the snow, as others erected tents and other structures. As Rarity continued to look down, she noticed her own tears falling from her eyes onto the snow below.
"Well... she did leave though. I don't know why she came back... that's just her fault, I guess," Rainbow shrugged, as she lay a hoof on Rarity's shoulder "We just need to deal with what's left over."
Rarity looked at Rainbow, crestfallen at the lack of comfort, but simply just shrugged and wiped her tears.
"Have you any word if the Captain will form a search party to go back for Pinkie and the rest?" Rarity asked, shrugging off Rainbow's forehoof as she tried to pry her eyes off of the plaque and focus them on Rainbow.
"I uh, I actually came to ask you about that," Rainbow scratched the back of her head, which was finally not fully covered in multiple layers of scarves due to the much warmer climate of the valley, "Me and a lot of the rest of the Scouts are desperate to get back out there."
"Of course you are," Rarity sighed, using her magic to adjust the fuzzy collar of her coat, "It seems all of my remaining friends are desperate to get themselves killed..."
Rainbow raised an eyebrow, "Applejack again?"
Rarity nodded, "Yes," a sigh, "The poor mare... the Captain effected a 24 hour shift on the wood piles, and she was the first to volunteer. 'Anything to keep us warm', she said," Rarity shivered, "Poor darling is going to be working in the snow all day and night."
Rainbow just frowned, "Welp," she flew up into a hover, "I guess if you don't know when the Captain is gonna mount that rescue.. is there any work around here for me to do?"
Rarity nodded, "Plenty. I have no idea how the Captain expects us to both haul those resources in and build all of those tents all in one day," She fretted, sparing a glance back towards the wooden frames of the tents that made a circle around the Generator tower, "If you go to Administrator Amethyst Star, who's just over there..." Rarity pointed in the vague direction of one of the construction sites, "I'm sure she can find a place for a pegasus to help with the buildings."
Rarity watched as Rainbow flew off to go and help. Turning away from the cyan pegasus, Rarity looked up at the Generator once more.
The giant, idle machine stared back.
Rarity's eyes traced the details of the tower, of the care taken in its machinery, of its piping, the thermal hulls, and the internal workings. The entire ten stories of the machine was a marvel of pony engineering. Yet, despite its size, every single component had been installed carefully and with affection.
Wordless, and thoughtless, Rarity walked up to the Generator's base, placing a hoof on the cold plating surrounding its core.
"Thank you," she whispered.
With another heave, Rarity combined the strength in her forelegs with the magic from her horn to lug the wide-headed shovel full of coal around to dump into a nearby cart. Ever since her moment to pause that morning, Rarity had dug in with the rest of the work crew. Even if she had been appointed as an overseer, that didn't mean she was going to just stand idle in the snow and watch everypony else work.
As soon as the cart she stood next to was full, she lay down her shovel and reached up her now free foreleg to brush the sweat off from her brow. The earth pony next to her stopped his shovelling too, hitching up with the cart to drag it back through the snow towards the resource depot by the Generator.
"We really need sleds of some kind..." Rarity thought to herself as she watched the heavy cart rumble and dig furrows into the deep snow that caked the valley floor.
She reached into her coat pocket, taking out a pocket watch on a golden chain. It was incredibly hard to tell the time out here, especially with the sun rising so late and setting so early, so Rarity was glad that of all of her possessions, she managed to keep her watch.
"One more hour to the end of the shift," Rarity mumbled to herself, her voice obscured by the scarf she kept tightly wrapped around her face. She didn't care that the scarf now stank of her own sweat, or that the expensive material was now ruined with dirt and grime. She wasn't going to develop some lung disease from breathing in the toxic dust that hung around the piles of coal.
Her heart ached for the dignity she had lost. Her stylish winter boots had gotten so worn that the amount of patches she had done to them had left them as mottled, brown leather wrappings that had none of the beauty they once did. Her coat, while still intact, was now stained with dirt and grime from all of her nights of sleeping on the floor of the Lorries. Her hat was falling apart, having been constantly caked with snow which melted and drenched the poor fur cap whenever she went inside.
Her mane, the pride and joy of her entire life, had suffered the most. The perfectly cut, dressed, and curled mane had been reduced to a mob of hair that simply dangled haphazardly out from under her cap. The strands still held some of the dark purple life they used to, but without their delicate form they seemed to have nothing left to stand for.
Rarity could not even brush her mane anymore. Her comb had been but one of the possessions lost during the journey. And now, she could only hope the residents of this new city could find time to make such luxury items as combs.
Her eyes turned up as a commotion stirred from across the coal pile. A small, grape-colored filly seemed to be arguing with one of the other workers over something. Rarity abandoned her shovel temporarily, walking over to the filly and the adult with a quirked eyebrow.
"Overseer!" Shouted the worker as Rarity approached, "Can you tell this damn filly to go back to the Generator, where it's safe?"
Rarity looked down at the filly, who looked up to her and said, "But I'm supposed to be here to shovel coal!" The young unicorn stomped a hoof in the snow, "If not, the doctor said my mommy's gonna be cold tonight!"
"What's your name, little one?" Rarity asked, her expression invisible behind her scarf.
"Berry Shine," she answered, "And my mommy's very sick, and the doctor told me I need to come out here and pull my own weight!"
"Oh, dear. You can't do that," Rarity shook her head, "This is grown up work, Berry Shine, you need to go back to the Generator with the other foals..."
Berry Shine pouted, looking down at the snow.
Suddenly, another stallion on the pile piped up, "Hey! The kid wants to work. Why not?"
"Yeah. This stuff's heavy, ma'am, even tiny hooves can make a big difference!" Somepony said from behind Rarity.
Rarity frowned, "We do not endorse child labor, ponies. Berry Shine, you need to go back to the Generator now, or I will pick you up and take you there myself," She said firmly, locking the foal with a hard stare.
Berry Shine looked around at the other workers, who also remained silent. Her pout morphed into a frown, and she eventually turned and ran off through the snow back towards the generator tower.
Picking her shovel back up, Rarity shook her head, before continuing with her work.
Rarity's lips drew around the mouthpiece of the whistle as she blew long and hard into it, with a certain passion that could only come from the signal of the end of the shift.
"Alright! We're done for the day!" She shouted after finishing her whistle, "Let's get back to the Generator to see the fruits of our labour!"
Rarity and the rest of the workers carried their tools with them back towards the stockpiles. The pegasi that weren't working on the construction of the tents had been flying materials from the Steam Lorries and back all day. And, it seemed, at the end of the day that quite a good stockpile of coal had been acquired.
Wood was unsurprisingly absent, as most of it was used to construct tents and buildings. Steel, however, was piled haphazardly underneath the cloth roof of the stockpile building to quite a decent degree.
Already, Rarity could see the red sash and familiar face of the Captain standing atop one of the platforms attached to the side of the Generator tower. He had his megaphone raised, and her ears perked up automatically to hear his message.
"Listen, everypony! I thank you for your toil this day! However, we have not garnered the resources and salvage necessary to construct the Cookhouse! You will not get your rations until tomorrow! However, I trust in our hardiness to tighten our belts for a single day!"
The crowd groaned, Rarity included. Everypony was ravenous after the wait to be lowered into the valley and then the full day of work. To hear that there wasn't even supper prepared for them was upsetting.
"However! Due to the dutiful and expedient work of our construction crews, we will all have a place to sleep tonight!" A pause, "And yes, by a place to sleep, I mean that even though the tents have dirt floors, everypony has a bunk or hammock to sleep in!"
The previous gloom was turned into a cheer. More than half of the ponies there had spent the entire month of their journey sleeping on a cold, hard floor. Their sore backs and blistered hides would be thankful for even a cloth sack to sleep on.
"Shortly, we will activate the Generator! Please, feel free to stay and watch!" The Captain lowered his megaphone, before turning to a purple unicorn that Rarity knew was Administrator Amethyst Star.
Some of the reserve workers took carts and shovels, taking coal from the stockpiles towards three huge bins feeding into the sides of the Generator. While Rarity waited with baited breath, a nagging thought hung in the back of her mind.
"That has to be a full time job to keep those bins full... She bit her lip.
About ten minutes passed. The distinct sound of furnaces being set alight was heard, before suddenly a large, resounding rumble began to shake the ground.
The gathered citizenry murmured nervously as the earthquake continued, and Rarity's heart skipped a few beats as the Generator's plating began to shake threateningly. The rumbling became deafening, and in the distance Rarity could hear loose objects falling in the construction site.
For a few moments, Rarity honestly thought the tower was about to explode.
However, just when some of the crowd began to run away from the Generator Tower, the earthquake came to its climax.
"BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUM"
The sound resounded through the valley, making even the ponies on the 24/7 shift in the distance stop and turn to look. The rumbling faded, but still persisted slightly as the Generator suddenly started to work. The idle machinery and pumps began to start at a frighteningly fast pace, and the spherical core of the tower began to glow red. Steam valves hissed all the way up the tower, and with a huge bang, a puff of smog drifted away from the top of the tower, before being followed shortly by a steady stream of dark black smoke.
The snow suddenly began to leak bursts of hot, balmy air. The snow around the Generator began to quickly melt, draining away into grates that suddenly became visible under the quickly dissolving white blanket. The random spouts of hot air turned out to be intentionally installed vents.
One right next to Rarity began to sputter, before eventually releasing a steady stream of hot air. She reached up to take off her cap in sheer awe, her coat suddenly feeling warm on her body.
Finally, the thermal hulls on top of the Generator began to radiate heat, the air around it distorting like the air around sand dunes in a desert. A merry whistle blew from the top of the tower, which seemed to signal the end of its booting up process.
Above the still deafening rumble of the Generator's machinery rose the thunderous applause and cheering of the citizens of New Ponyville.
Rarity could not be helped but swept up into the fervour as ponies stomped, danced, and shouted praises towards the giant beacon of hope that towered above them. Sanctuary from the cold had been achieved, and the Generator burned with a mighty fury, just as Hope now did in the hearts of the ponies.
Through the crowd, a pony came up to Rarity, tapping her on the shoulder. Rarity looked down, before meeting eyes with those of Amethyst Star.
"Overseer Rarity, right?" Amethyst said, eyes diverted towards her clipboard as she struggled against the buffeting of the cheering crowd.
Rarity nodded, "That's me, yes."
"I need you to go out to the 24 hour shifters at the wood pile and call for volunteers to haul coal from the stockpile to the generator bins overnight," Amethyst requested, finally looking up to meet Rarity's eyes, "We will have an actual night shift for this soon, but we currently do not."
Rarity sighed, "Yes ma'am."
Amethyst only nodded, before turning back to push through the crowd.
Rarity grew distant from the Generator's warmth, and firmly secured her cap on her head once again as her Lamp guided her path into the snow. Only the silhouettes of the workers on the wood pile were visible by their Lamps, cutting through the darkness.
As she came close enough to see her faces, she could see that they were all dead tired. Yet, they still continued to work.
"Hello! Attention?" Rarity shouted, coming to a stop a few meters away from the pile.
The workers stopped and turned towards Rarity.
"The Captain is calling for 10 volunteers to use the nighttime part of your 24 hour shift to instead haul Coal to the bins fueling the generator! It should be a lot warmer there, and you'll be closer to your beds come the end of your shift!" Rarity's voice, usually soft and refined, had developed a hard tone when making her announcements.
"Ah'll do it, Rares," A familiar orange farmpony said, "As soon as ah bring this here cart back to the stockpiles."
The others were hesitant to raise their hooves. Coal was much heavier than wood, and it got into your lungs. Furthermore, nopony wanted to work in a repeat of the morbid conditions of the Lorry engine rooms.
Yet, despite this, nine other hesitant hooves were raised.
Rarity nodded, "Finish your work, stow your tools, and report to Administrator Amethyst Star for instructions."
Applejack immediately began to haul her full cart of wood back to the Generator, but was quickly intercepted by Rarity, who began to walk alongside her.
"AJ, darling-" Rarity began.
"Ah don't care that it's heavier, ah don't care if I get sick from it," Applejack said firmly, continuing to drag her wood cart with her.
"You've already done so much..." Rarity shook her head, "And if you take this job, they'll probably put you on this shift forever..."
"And ah guess ah'll deal with it, Rares," Applejack huffed, voice still firm, "If'n it means keeping us all warm, then somepony's gotta do it."
"Yes, but-" Rarity began.
"No buts, not anymore. Ah'm tired of promises, Rarity. Ah'm gonna make sure this here Generator stays alive, even if it kills me!" Applejack hurried her pace, dragging the cart along with her.
Rarity, unable to argue any further, simply stood, wordless in the snow as Applejack trotted away from her.
She simply looked up at the endless plume of smoke drifting up from the top of the Generator, and sighed.