Rainbow Dash slowly picked up her pen, staring down at the telegram slip that sat on her desk up in her cloud home.
For some reason, the recent telegram from Twilight Sparkle they usually got every week simply hadn't arrived. All of their response letters from the week prior had been returned from the post office with a simple "Unable to be sent" stamped on it, with absolutely no further explanation.
They had petitioned the Princesses for answers countless times. They wanted comfort, assurance that their friend would be alright. Yet, as the days dragged on by, the ponies who knew Twilight at the EEC, and the Princesses themselves either had no idea what had happened to Twilight, or refused to comment (the Princesses being in the latter category).
It took poor Pinkie Pie to have a nightmare of Twilight's frozen corpse being sent back in a casket for her to get a visit from Luna and finally get some answers.
"Weather problems" she had said. She claimed the seas were "Too hazardous" for the usual shipping to close enough to the construction site in order to receive telegrams. Luna claimed that she was fine, and that they promised that Twilight would keep her promise and be back for Hearth's Warming.
Just like she promised.
But it had been a lie. It had all been a lie. She wasn't there at Pinkie Pie's hearth's warming party.
The poor pink pony had been putting it off, day after day, still keeping the party favors in store and the banners reading "WELCOME HOME TWILIGHT" hung around the town. That afternoon, with a defeated face, Pinkie had finally taken down the decorations for the earth-rocking party she had planned for their friend's return.
Applejack had turned up for the wait on Hearth's Warming itself, but had soon returned to her empty home, with only Apple Bloom left within Sweet Apple Acre's cold halls. With Big Macintosh... gone, and with Granny in a permanent bed in the hospital, the farm had lost nearly all of its cheer, and with it... the cheer of it's last adult resident.
Rarity hid her disappointment, promptly booking a ticket to Manehatten to attend to her business closing down one of the branches of the Boutique in Manehatten. Her fashion company was always successful, but its owner was never one for saving. Now, with starvation setting in from the two bad crop years in a row, finances were going away from such frivolous things as fancy dresses.
Fluttershy frequented town, and tried to keep everypony together, but by now the fellow pegasus was swamped with work. Not only was she now occupied writing her thesis on her biology doctorate, but she was also working double shifts at Ponyville's soup kitchen and also at the animal rescue...
Rainbow gritted her teeth as she clutched her pen.
She felt like bursting out into tears right there and then. Everything had gone wrong all at once, and her anger could only find one pony to blame: Twilight Sparkle herself.
She felt... betrayed by her. It was her fault that everypony was so sad. How could some damn building be more important than her friends? She had abandoned them all here... and now she had broken all of their hearts.
After everything Rainbow had done for that stupid alicorn, she had just decided to leave them. To disappear, without a trace. It had to be intentional. Others had come back from Twilight's expedition already! She had to be lying to them, had to be cutting them off on purpose!
So, the element of loyalty vented her rage on paper...
"Dear Twilight Sparkle.
"I am extremely disappointed that you couldn't find it in yourself to come home to your friends. I bet instead you're just out there somewhere reading some damn book, or finding new rich friends in that stupid company you love so so much! I cannot believe you could be so heartless. I trusted you that you'd come home, and I know your back on the mainland. You're just ghosting us on purpose!"
"I hate you. I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE-"
After the tenth "I hate you", Rainbow began to incoherently scream in rage. She pounded her desk pen still in hoof as hot tears began to spill forth from her eyes. The pen's tip broke, and ink gushed out, blotting out her writing, staining her hoof and splashing up onto her chest.
She threw the pen as hard as she could, shattering a hole in the window above her desk. Sobbing, weeping, and with her breath hitching, Rainbow shied away from the cold blast of air that shot through the pane.
Blubbering, she unsteadily got up, before spreading her wings and shooting off through an open door towards her bed, picking up a pillow and crying into it.
Outside, the snow continued to fall.
The Generator roared in the distance as Rainbow looked behind her.
Her own tracks lead through the snow back through towards the gigantic steel tower. In the distance, she could still see the whirry mechanical parts that she couldn't figure out pumping steam through the pipes into the city, and the hot glowing steel surrounding the Core as it continued to boil water into dry steam. Silhouetted against it was the plaque that the survivors had found attached onto the Generator when they arrived.
A final message from Twilight Sparkle. Pah. What a racket.
"You could have just told us, Twi..." Rainbow sighed bitterly, turning back away from the Generator as she stomped through the snow, "...So why didn't you..."
She had never truly revealed to her friends how angry she was at Twilight - Never revealed how much anger she still held deep within her heart. Before, it had been easy to forget about the her, and her betrayal... but now that they were here, at the Generator she had spent so long to build... it had forced her to think about her again.
She just looked up, towards the amazing night sky, and towards the colors of the northern lights that danced between the stars. She couldn't be bothered to think about dead mares now. She supposed that she could simply just give Twilight Sparkle her thanks that, in her betrayal, she had given them a new home.
Even if it did mean losing her...
The Beacon towered above her. Long, thick cables stretched upwards from a steel structure, which was anchored into the ground. The cables stretched upwards to a hot air balloon, where a huge rotating light beamed a spotlight into the darkness surrounding the edges of New Ponyville. She could see the vague silhouettes of weather lookout pegasi stationed on top of the Beacon, looking out into the Frostlands in search of activity and, more importantly, for incoming weather fronts.
At the base of the Beacon, which was also nearby the pulley system to raise and lower cargo from the valley edge high above, was a single pony sitting next to a small wood fire.
Rainbow caught his silhouette and recognized him instantly: it was the Captain.
"Miss Dash, I presume?" The Captain looked over to her as she approached.
Rainbow nodded silently, looking the old stallion up and down.
The light of the fire danced across the Captain's face as he pointed to a spot in the snow next to him, "Go ahead, sit down and warm yourself. It's a miserable walk through the snow here from the Generator, isn't it?"
Rainbow silently sat, folding her forehooves together as she tried to appreciate the warmth.
"Tell me something, Miss Dash," The Captain pulled out a clipboard of some kind, examining the front page, "What did you do before the Great Frost?"
"I was a Wonderbolt, sir," Rainbow said, curious, "Before that I was a weather control pegasus for Ponyville."
The Captain smiled, "Yes, that's right. Mainland division too. Must have taken a lot of training and commitment to get there."
Rainbow chuckled, "Yeah... it was my life dream. Didn't really pan out once Cloudsdale was broken up by the storms..."
Placing his clipboard back inside his coat, the Captain nodded his head towards a nearby wooden cabin that sat behind the Beacon's skeletal anchor, "In there is the rest of the ponies who volunteered to be part of the rescue party, and thus part of Scout Unit No. 1."
"Are they the scouts that lead the Lorries too, just like I am?" Rainbow asked as the Captain paused.
The Captain nodded, "...Aye. And now, Rainbow Dash, they're going to need somepony to lead them."
Rainbow had opened her mouth to ask another question, but slammed it shut at the Captain's words in shock.
"You're a highly skilled individual, Miss Dash. We don't have anypony else with your service record in New Ponyville, and we need somepony with enough experience and strength to lead them through tough situations," The Captain explained.
Rainbow snorted, "Captain, sir. I'm... not a leader. I wasn't the captain of the Wonderbolts, Spitfire was. I was the hotheaded new recruit who couldn't do anything right- I..."
The Captain sighed, and cut her off, "Miss Dash, you have to understand something. Nopony in that cabin over there has any experience above busting a few clouds. Leadership comes naturally with experience, and currently all these ponies need is somepony who lknows what they're doing."
Rainbow squeaked out the beginning of a half formed argument, before eventually just diverting her eyes towards the fire, shutting her mouth firmly.
"If I could lead them myself, I would. But, unfortunately, I'm needed here much more. We'll have packed manuals on arctic exploration and the like, some of which I wrote myself. I assume you can read...?" The Captain looked towards Rainbow from the corner of her vision.
Rainbow nodded, "...Yeah, I'm not stupid."
"You would be surprised," The Captain shuffled closer to Rainbow, to look deep into her eyes, "Miss Dash. I'm not saying the Scouts need charisma, or years of leadership experience. I'm saying they need somepony strong, somepony brave. I know how hard it is to step up. I was a year to retirement before agreeing to lead this expedition. I was a navy captain, not a mayor. But I'm here, because I need to be, not because there's somepony else more qualified than me."
Rainbow Dash took a deep breath, staring up towards the edge of the cliff face that surrounded New Ponyville. She was not so afraid of the stress of leadership, or of the fear of the extreme conditions of the Frostlands, in fact: The danger had a strange sense of excitement to it. Instead, she was afraid of getting truly locked into a commitment like this.
If she lead the Scouts, it wasn't like after the rescue expedition for the stranded convoy she could just return home and forget about the experience. She would be committed, committed to eternally plunging out into the frostlands further and further, surveying and exploring. At most, she could imagine only being able to be back in the city she and the others had strived to reach for only a few days at a time.
And if she truly committed, it would be this way until the day she died. She wouldn't grow old and retire, no that was an absolutely silly thought. She would be out there until finally something horrible befell her, and her corpse would remain frozen, buried under several feet of snow as, Celestia-willing, the rest of the scouts left her behind to save themselves.
She wouldn't be able to see Scootaloo grow up, or finally be able to fly. Applejack, Pinkie, Rarity... they'd all be strangers whenever she came home. And, as she thought before, they wouldn't even get to see her die.
But what was it all for? The Captain was right, she was probably the only pony in the City able to competently lead the Scouts. She's also be paving the way for the future, finding resources and locations for future generations to survive and grow in defiance of the Frost. Her participance could and would mean the difference between life and death for her friends.
The difference between life and death... in exchange for abandoning her friends.
Rainbow's face fell, and a cold wind blew between the two ponies. The campfire flickered, and Rainbow's thoughts turned into a disorderly swamp of emotions as the Generator roared in the distance.
The Captain reached out, placing a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder, "Miss Dash... the others are waiting. You must make a decision."
Rainbow fixed the Captain with cold eyes, hiding her emotions. Drawing her lips into a thin line, finally she spoke, "...I'll do it, sir."
The Captain and Rainbow Dash walked towards the cabin's front door. Rainbow felt a slight tug around her neck as the Captain's telekinesis fastened a red sash around it.
"I know it's not much of a ceremony, but you've officially been hired and expressly promoted to the rank of Lieutenant," The Captain chuckled, "Carry that authority as you will."
Rainbow, still feeling mixed up inside, just nodded curtly, "Alright..."
The Captain gave her a reassuring smile as she reached out for the latch on the cabin door, "I'm sure you'll do just fine, Leftenant."
Voices came from inside the cabin, that hushed as soon as the Captain and Rainbow Dash walked in together. A single lantern hung from the ceiling, with a candle suspended within that gave the room some minimal lighting. A fireplace was made out of rocks, and had a small, contained fire burning within. Four other ponies sat around the fireplace, all heavily clothed in multiple layers of winter garb.
"Everypony, this is Leftenant Rainbow Dash," The Captain introduced her to the group, "She's the leader of your unit. Out there, she gives the orders that you take."
All eyes in the room turned to Rainbow Dash, and in response she puffed up her chest and attempted to look brave. Pushing her thoughts out of her head, she attempted to focus on the task at hoof.
"Leftenant," The Captain said, walking over to one of the ponies in the group, "This is Ways Rite. He was our expert navigator on our way to New Ponyville, and now he will help you navigate your way across the Frostland."
Ways Rite was a short pegasus pony, just like the rest of the Scout Team. He constantly chewed on his lip as he stared at Rainbow vacantly. His coat matched the charcoal building up in the fireplace next to him, and his mane was a crusty orange and white.
"This is Blossomforth, one of the scouts you may remember from our journey here," The Captain prodded at the cream colored pegasus.
The pegasus mare seemed chipper, even though the air in the cabin was cold and the light was dim. Her eyes held a certain glimmer that filled Rainbow with confidence and brightened up the room despite the flickering candlelight's best efforts.
"This is Cold Front," The Captain tapped a random stallion, who gave a sloppy salute to Rainbow, "A strong flier, he'll be working with the team to haul your supply sled and weather harsh winds."
Cold Front's slimy grin came with an orange coat, freckles, and a red mane. He almost reminded Rainbow of Applejack, if not a bit bulkier and.... well... male.
"And this.." The Captain went to the last pony in the room, who had since been staring at Rainbow from underneath her hood while sitting in a dark corner, "This is Lightning Dust. She was-"
Rainbow frowned, "I know who Lightning Dust is."
Lightning Dust, the turquoise pegasus with a yellow mane, gave Rainbow a scowl in return, "Been a while, Rainbow Crash."
The Captain stood back, a little shocked, "You two knew each other?"
"Rainbow here had me run out of the academy way back before the Frost. I lost everything because she had friends in high places," Lightning sneered.
"Hey! You broke every regulation in the book and nearly got my friends killed! Don't come here acting the victim, you lying sack of-" Rainbow was interrupted by a shout from the Captain.
"That's enough!" The Captain stomped a hoof, "Whatever happened before the Frost is over. What matters now is the survival of what's left, is that understood?"
"But-" Lightning and Rainbow blurted out.
"Our ponies are dying out there, and I will not have you two bickering out there. I am certain there will be plenty more for you to worry about out in the Frostlands other than a dispute long buried under fifteen feet of ice and snow," The Captain's iron gaze flashed between the two ponies.
Rainbow Dash shot Lightning a final, angry look, before saluting the Captain, "Yes sir."
As the Captain looked away, Lightning made a mocking face towards Rainbow, before looking away again and crossing her forelegs.
"In a moment, our head engineer, Doctor Hooves, will come in and brief you on what to expect while you're out there in the Frostlands," The Captain gave a hard look towards Rainbow, "I have to go receive our nightly report on the city's status, but I will be back to see you all off when you finally leave."
With that, the Captain left, the cabin door creaking closed behind him.
Rainbow watched the Captain until he left out the door, before sighing and reluctantly sitting down with the rest of the Scouts. Her eyes locked onto Lightning Dust, who returned her stare momentarily only to turn away and look at the wall instead.
The room sat in silence as they waited. Somepony coughed, and the fire sputtered for a moment as the lantern above swung from side to side slowly.
"...So... who has family?" Blossomforth broke the silence, looking around the room.
Rainbow remained silent, but the others seemed willing to speak.
"I have a brother. He's an earth pony working to fuel the Generator," Said Cold Front, idly swinging his snow goggles around his forehoof as he waited.
"I have a son..." Ways Rite shuffled a bit away from the group, his back brushing against the wall right next to the fireplace.
There was silence for a moment as eyes switched between Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust.
Eventually, Lightning Dust grunted as she continued to look away from the rest of the group, "I have a mom. She got left behind with the rest of the convoy because she has a chronic illness. The doctors just labelled her as gravely ill when she coughed a bunch and expelled her from the lorries."
"Sob story," Rainbow Dash crossed her forelegs, "Just a manipulative piece of-" Rainbow Dash's stewing anger was interrupted by the sound of the door opening.
A familiar brown earth pony engineer came through, shivering from the cold outside, "I do say," His teeth chattered, "The temperature's dropping fast out there."
Rainbow distracted herself from her thoughts, standing up and facing the earth pony with some posture of authority, "You Doctor Hooves?"
Doctor Hooves nodded, "That I am," He gave a final shiver as the door latched behind him, "I'll brief you on your mission and your equipment now. Attention is paramount, we don't want you confused as to what your kit does while you're already several miles away from help."
Rainbow Dash sat down as the rest of the Scouts turned to pay attention. Doctor Hooves walked towards a locker, before opening it and pulling out a heavy set of saddlebags and a chestbelt full of tools. The scouts marvelled as the weighty tools clanked to the floor, and Doctor Hooves breathed a sigh of exertion from carrying it only for a few seconds.
"This is your standard kit. Weighs a good half of your body weight, and you'll be wearing it every second you're moving," Doctor Hooves kicked the bag with a hoof, "In these saddlebags you have copies of the maps that Ways Rite already has, as well as basic writing implements. You are expected to fill in your maps with survey notes and adjustments as you move through the area. Safe routes, landmarks, everything."
"If you are concerned about proper cartography, I am sure Ways can show you how," Hooves nodded towards the shy navigator pegasus, "Otherwise, packed into your saddlebags are your food rations, dried apricot, canned corn, and preserved beetroot. You have some basic medical supplies for emergency first aid. There are also cooking utensils to heat and serve your rations, as well as to melt snow to drink."
"On the subject of melting drinking water: You must bring the water to boil for no less than one minute before using it. The snow could contain harmful germs that can make you ill, and boiling the water before drinking it will kill any harmful microorganisms in the water. Is this clear to everypony here?" Doctor Hooves asked, only to be met with nods from the Scout team.
"Continuing on, then," He opened the top of the saddlebag, revealing a bunch of wooden sticks with a bundle of red clock wrapped around the top that stuck up above the lip of the bag, "These sticks are perimeter flags. The terrain out there can be very uneven and dangerous. There is avalanche territory, crevasses obscured by snow, and sometimes sudden drops can be hard to see in the monochrome plans of snow. When you are camping, you should scout a perimeter around your tents and then plant these flags around you to mark what is safe and what is unexplored. These flags can also be left behind as waypoints, or again be used to mark dangerous territory along trails. When travelling, you can also use the wood to probe for holes in the snow, as you did when guiding the Lorries before coming here."
Doctor Hooves reached into the saddlebag and pulled out a huge spool of rope, "You are all Pegasi, so you shouldn't need to do a lot of mountain climbing. However, around 5 meters of rope has been provided to you, along with anchors and safety gear should you need them. You will also be bringing along a sled, which may require you set up a makeshift pulley to haul it up a steep incline. You may also have injured or have dangerous conditions that prohibit some of you from flying. Regardless, even though you can all fly, don't be afraid to study the manuals you've packed with you to set up ropes to climb instead."
A hoof was raised by Cold Front.
Doctor Hooves quirked an eyebrow, "...Yes?"
Cold Front spoke, "My pa used to mountain climb. That rope is way too thick for it, though."
"It's all we could spare. We didn't have to 2-3mm climbing cord, only the standard woven rope," Doctor Hooves dismissed, "You'll have to make do."
Cold Front grunted, before leaning back and crossing his forelegs.
"Moving on..." Doctor Hooves stowed the rope once again, before pulling out a long, slender rifle, "Many of you have not handled a gun before. Maybe some of you have been lucky enough to not see one at all. Regardless, we were forewarned by the Company before we set out to the arctic that many polar animals may be starving and looking for any source of food possible. We suggest you not be afraid to defend yourself while you're out there, even if before the Frost we used to be very friendly with animals."
Hooves reared up with the rifle, "I'll show you how to operate the gun. This is a Lavender-Metford rifle, it is a bolt-operated rifle that has been proven with use within the Equestrian military. It's the only type of firearm we were given on our expedition. To load it, you first open the bolt..." Hooves grabbed a handle on the side of the rifle, slowly opening a metal pin to show an empty hole leading down into the rifle's magazine, "Then you take bullets from your chestbelt..." He reached down to the belt that laid on the ground, "And load them one by one into the chamber," He pressed the bullet down, depressing a spring, "Once you have loaded 8 rounds into the magazine... you will secure the magazine latch like so..." He clicked a small latch in place over the topmost bullet, holding it in place against the spring, "Then you load one more bullet on top of it, and push the bolt forward to close the chamber. Back here," He gestured towards a small lever mounted on the back of the rifle's bolt, "There's a safety. Keep this lever down until you're sure you want to shoot at something. Then, pull the lever up.." There was a click as Hooves demonstrated releasing the safety, "And then aim," He raised the weapon until it was level with his face, "And fire by squeezing the trigger down here."
He didn't pull the trigger, of course, and instead opened the bolt and unloaded the bullets one by one, placing them back onto the belt, "When you're not using it, and when it's packed away in your saddlebags, please leave it unloaded. Bullets are volatile, and there's a chance it could go off in your packs and hurt somepony. Any questions?"
There was silence in the room.
"Very well," Doctor hooves placed the unloaded rifle back in its bag, before picking up the chestbelt, "This contains a lot of tools that'll be very useful to you, therefore it's imperative that you constantly check your belt and ensure everything is securely fastened and that nothing is missing."
Hooves took out what looked like a pickaxe, instead much smaller, "This is an iceaxe. Not only can it be used to make anchor points in the ice, but its sharp end can cut through most of anything as well as chop wood. You do have a dedicated wood axe that will be packed in your sled, but this can be used in lieu of it."
He re-hitched the axe, before bringing out a folded spyglass, "A hoof-carried telescope. I assume everypony here already knows what a telescope does."
After being met with general affirmatives, Doctor Hooves stowed the telescope and brought out a large canteen, "For carrying water. It has a screw cap, and carries around a liter of water. You won't be sweating that much, but make sure to drink constantly. You should be going through two full canteens a day."
Placing the canteen back down, Hooves brought out a small gemstone, "A dragonfire gem. Those who were lucky enough to use these before the Frost should be well aware of its use, but I'll fill you in anyway. Attach this to any object made out of a flammable substance, and then strike the gem with any blunt object. Your iceaxe would be best, but your hoof would do, or even a stray rock. The object will burn and be sent to a companion gemstone in the Captain's office. The gemstone will be consumed in the process. Make sure the object you're sending is small enough to burn in a few seconds, or else it may only send a part of it," Hooves swallowed to wet his mouth, "This is to be used in a a crisis situation only. If you are separated from your unit, or if you irreversibly lose contact with the Beacon and can't come home safely. Otherwise, do not in any circumstances use it."
Rainbow Dash nodded firmly. She remembered back in the day, when Twilight Sparkle had Spike to personally provide dragonfire messaging. Some, as an alternative to waiting for the postal system, bought expensive dragonfire gemstones for especially important messages. Rainbow never found a reason to spend such exorbitant amounts of money on them, but she knew they existed.
"Otherwise, you have a small portion of your belt as a bandolier, containing exactly 18 bullets for your weapon. Use them wisely. And, here you have a firestarter to ignite kindling with," Hooves finally dropped the chestbelt, "You also have a sled loaded with spare supplies and tools. Shovels, axes, tents, and parts for your furnace are all loaded there. Are there any questions?"
Blossomforth raised a curious hoof.
"Yes, Miss Blossomforth?" Hooves asked.
Blossomforth cleared her throat, before answering in her squeaky voice, "What is our mission exactly?"
"Retrace our convoy's path back to where we assume the camp of survivors are. If you don't find them there, search the crevasse and nearby area for them. Once you find them, you will need to give those who can walk directions back to New Ponyville. You will also salvage any materials left behind at the campsite, and get volunteers from the survivors to help haul those who cannot walk back to New Ponyville on sleds. After all that is sorted, you'll escort them back along your secured route," Hooves said.
"And what about the corpses?" Rainbow elected to ask as soon as Hooves finished.
Hooves nodded, "You can decide what to do with them based on the situation. Although, we should hope there are few enough of them that we can haul them here for a proper burial."
Lightning Dust huffed in her corner, but as eyes turned towards her, she remained silent.
"Also," Hooves continued, ignoring Lightning, "You will be required to search Steam Lorry Seven and see if you can extract its Steam Core. We were in too much of a hurry to get off the unstable ice shelf before, and Amethyst wants to see if we can recover the priceless technology. You have been provided with a blueprint of the steam lorry to assist you with the salvage."
The room was silent for a few minutes, before Hooves finally finished, "...If there are no more questions, then I suppose there is not a moment to spare."
He gestured towards the lockers, "Take your gear. One locker each. You are to give a report via Mares Code to the Beacon lookouts every hour on the hour. Make sure you always do this, so that we don't lose track of you. Somepony should be posted to always look at the Beacon and make sure you are in a constant line of communication, as well as use its relative position to update your coordinates on the map. The Captain and the others are waiting outside to see you off. Best not to keep them waiting."
Rainbow Dash was the first to stand up, before walking up and taking the gear that Hooves had been using to demonstrate and slowly shrugging it on. It was indeed extremely heavy, and Rainbow Dash, already feeling awkward under her layers of winter clothing, now felt like a Yak with the added weight.
Taking her example, the rest of the Scouts got up and donned their gear. Complaints were muttered under breaths and grunts bounced off the thin walls of the cabin as the other four slowly donned their gear, put on their snow goggles, and pulled up their face coverings. A moment was also taken to fasten wing coverings over the pegasi's feathers, protecting them from the cold.
Rainbow Dash did the same, taking before finally giving a sigh as she was buried under her inches of scarves and sealed off behind her goggles.
Hooves lead the way out of the cabin, and the rest of Scout Unit No. 1 followed.
"Ladies and Gentlecolts, I know many if not all of us grieved the fact an accident in our journey necessitated us leaving behind many of our comrades and family members," Rainbow Dash exited the cabin to see the Captain standing on top of a wooden crate in front of a small crowd of ponies, "However, now that a reliable point of navigation has been built and expedition supplies have been prepared, we are finally ready to send out a rescue team for our stranded loved ones!"
The crowd cheered as they looked and saw the five Scouts coming out of the cabin. Beneath her scarf, Rainbow smiled at the appreciation.
Rainbow's eyes were quick to pick up the white unicorn mare who stood among the crowd, flanked by three fillies. As Rainbow looked between the Captain and Rarity, she began to deviate her path from the Scouts to go towards her friend.
"Pray that they may find fortune on their journey, and that Celestia may preserve them from the frost and the winter. Congratulate their bravery and loyalty to our burgeoning city, that they may forge forward into the unknown to build us a better tomorrow!" The Captain boomed over the cheers of the crowd.
Rainbow Dash approached Rarity as the Captain continued to speak, his words fading into the background noise. She smiled, before pulling down her scarf slightly, "Hey, Rarity."
Rarity blinked in surprise at Rainbow, before eventually smiling, "Oh, hello darling. I didn't recognize you at all!" She looked her up and down, before noticing Rainbow's new red sash, "...You've been promoted?"
"Yeah. The Scouts needed a leader, and the Captain thought I was the best pick," Rainbow chuckled nervously, fiddling with the red silk idly.
"Well he's very right, then," Rarity patted Rainbow on the shoulder, "Nopony here knows flying better than you do."
Putting on a brave face, Rainbow gave a salute, "Damn straight!"
Scootaloo pushed forward, looking up to Rainbow and asking, "You're gonna go find Pinkie Pie now, arent'cha?"
Rainbow nodded, "Yeah. Hopefully."
"When're ya gonna be back?" Apple Bloom asked.
Rainbow shrugged, "We're not gonna rush it. Hopefully within a week though."
"A week!?" Scootaloo gasped, "A week of being out there? It's really, really cold out there!"
"It's really cold here too, Scootaloo," Sweetie Grumbled from the back.
"We got a lot of layers, and we got plenty of supplies," Rainbow ruffled Scootaloo's mane, "We'll be fine," She looked up to Rarity again, "...How's uh... How's Applejack doing?"
Rarity sighed, "The doctors said it's just a minor fracture and she'll be fine. She wanted to come and see you off, but they didn't let her get out of bed. She told you to keep yourself safe out there," She chuckled, "She should take her own advice."
A call came through the crowd, belonging to Doctor Hooves, "Scouts! Get yourselves moving!"
Rainbow turned away from the voice and pulled back up her scarf, "That's me. Keep AJ alive while I'm gone, alright?"
"I will," Rarity promised.
With a confident smile, obscured by her scarf, Rainbow took to the air. Although sluggish with her gear, she did her best to show no difficulty and zoomed up to the top of the valley, the rest of the Scouts following along...