//------------------------------// // Chapter 13 - Lieutenant Rainbow Dash // Story: Frostpony // by The Original Gaston //------------------------------// Crunch, crunch, crunch, creak... Once again, Rainbow Dash found herself surrounded by fields of snow and ice. Crunch, crunch, crunch, creak... They had been at it all night, and into the next day. Even as a cold front bitterly descended upon them (and most likely upon New Ponyville), she hadn't let them rest for a moment. Crunch, crunch, crunch, creak... Not to be misconstrued: Rainbow Dash did not coldly order them to continue their march through the snow and ice... Crunch, crunch, crunch, creak... But when Blossomforth asked, panting and half covered in snow, "When are we going to stop for the night?", everypony could only bring themselves to stare, before leaning forward and pushing on further into the snow. Crunch, crunch, crunch, creak... "We will rest soon" was the thought that continued to echo through Rainbow Dash's head, repeating every hour as she continued her march along with her new comrades. Crunch, crunch, crunch, creak... But just like with Blossomforth's timid question, all that thought was answered with was silence from her own mind, and the sound of hooves padding through the snow and the howl of the wind as it ripped across the snow plains. "I-If we... or, ah, er... once we crest this hill..." Came a voice over the sound of the storm, "We-We should be able to see the crash site!" Rainbow took a moment to realize who was speaking. Their navigator, Ways Rite, had been the one to speak the least during the expedition so far. While the others, at some point, had raised their voice over the sound of the winter to shout some question or small talk out, Ways had only spoken up when it became his turn to pull the sled. Speaking of the sled, the large lifeboat-turned-cargo sled continued to rumble and creak behind them as they continued their march through the wind and snow. A canvas top covered the hard angles of several boxes and crates, full of the supplies they would require to sustain themselves while out here. However, Rainbow Dash bit her lip as she glanced back at the wobbling set of crates on the sled, she once again realized that there was nothing their supplies could do if the survivors were in a bad state. "If Pinkie was in a bad state..." Rainbow Dash choked back the thought, before looking away and back to the top of the snow dune they were slowly climbing. It'd be okay. They'd make it. "Have we really been..." Cold Front's voice cracked as he grunted suddenly, his strength buckling against the harness of the sled he dragged behind him, "Have we really been walking for over a day now...?" This time, Rainbow Dash honored the question with a response, "Yeah... yeah we have. We can rest once we get to their campsite, though. I'm sure they'll be glad to see us." "What if she's been neglected? I mean, we didn't leave any of our valuable medical doctors behind to take care of the wounded we pulled from the lorry wreck. How can I be so sure that somepony had the heart to take care of a poor mare with a broken leg as everypony else fought off the cold?" Rainbow gulped, her mind and body most definitely having something to say about the question as a grip more icy than anything the Frost could throw her way was tangled around her heart. "You okay, boss?" Blossomforth asked from her left, "You look really sad..." Rainbow sighed, "...I mean, don't you- err..." Her words died in her throat as she looked over at Blossomforth, who simply raised an eyebrow, "...Don't I what?" After a moment, Rainbow shook her head and simply looked down to study the snow beneath her hooves, "...Nothing. I'll be fine." Blossomforth grunted, before seeming to want to let the situation go, however she was interrupted by another, relatively low voice from the back of the group. Lightning Dust, the second of the two ponies pulling the sled, muttered through muted pants and huffs as she exerted herself on the sled's ropes, "She's asking if you have anypony special over there." "Oh..." Blossomforth frowned at Lightning's tone, before continuing to stay silent. Rainbow spared Lightning a single look over her shoulder, before rolling her eyes and continuing to look forward into the white expanse of snow. It was eerie, thinking about how one day, in the not too distant past, she had been right out here staking a path through the snow for the Convoys. How she had come back in, frostnipped and too numb to even know she was shivering. How many times she had considered giving up, only to forge back out into the ice plains once again with the promise of finding the Generator. And now she was back, trudging the same path. Her tracks had been covered by the snow already; the ice, uncaring, had not even bothered to remember her trail. Not even the trail of the Steam Lorries had ultimately been remembered, despite how deep their furrows and how mighty their engines had been. "Not that much further now. Too late to give up now," Rainbow told herself, clenching her teeth as the wind blasted again, nearly causing her to stumble. Slowly, the crest of the hill crept towards the party of weary scouts. The tip of the snow dune, illuminated in the warm orange glow of Rainbow's Lamp, billowed out a steady stream of snowflakes as the wind washed over and above the dune. The wind thrashed at their backs as they came above the windshear of the snow dunes, and Rainbow's scarf and red sash flapped wildly against her coat and protection as she took the final few steps to the top of the hill. Although the day was dark and stormy, she could still see it vaguely illuminated through the smallest glowing of the sun that pierced the clouded skies... A large, open scar in the ice, extending for miles in both directions. Snow had caked back over the collapsed areas around the crevasse, and the ground on the other side was just as stable-looking as it had been on the day when the steam lorries had parked. And, there, on the other side, was a sprawling campsite. The dark forms of several tents were slumped against the snow, but as much as Rainbow's eyes scanned the darkness, not a single fire was seen. "Sweet Celestia... eighty ponies and not a single fire... please don't let it be true..." Rainbow froze, staring out across the snow. The sounds of the Scout's hooves shuffling through the snow and the creaking of the makeshift sled came to a halt behind her. Rainbow turned her head, eyes involuntarily squeezing shut as prevailing wind blasted directly into her face and goggles. Once she opened them again, she saw the eyes of her comrades staring out past her at the campsite too. Nopony could bring themselves to move for the following minute. The wind continued to blow as nature presented the scouts with the skeletal remains of the survivor campsite. "...Where is everypony...?" Blossomforth whispered, her shrill voice carried by the wind into Rainbow's ears. Rainbow choked, looking away as fast as she could as tears suddenly welled up in her eyes. It couldn't be true! There had to be some other explanation! The ponies they had left behind had a week's worth of firewood from the lorry's cargo. Why weren't they burning it? Why had they let their tents begin to sag underneath the snow? For a moment, Rainbow took her goggles off and reached a gloved, snow-caked forehoof to wipe her eyes. The freezing sleet on her hoof did wonders to counteract the hot tears welling up in her eyes, and she pulled down her goggles again and blinked, trying to calm herself. What was she even doing? She was Rainbow Dash, the awesomest pegasus to ever bless the Equestrian skies! And here she was, blubbering... It wasn't all about her, she realized as she turned back to the other Scouts. Ways Rite continued to stare off at the campsite, muttering something she couldn't hear. Blossomforth's expression was unreadable behind her scarf and goggles, but her posture sagged and she seemed to stare listlessly at the top of the snow dune. Cold Front hung his head, foggy breath billowing out unsteadily through his scarf. "We were too late..." Cold Front muttered. "I-it's her fault!" Ways Rite jabbed his hoof towards Blossomforth, drawing a frown from Rainbow Dash, "S-She kept slowing u-us d-d-down. We were a-all tired! B-But she couldn't just shut u-up!" Blossomforth furrowed her brows, bringing her head up and turning to snap back at Rite, but was interrupted by a stomp from Lightning Dust's hooves as she said, exasperated, "It's all that damn Captain's fault. He's the one that left them behind, and he's the one who dragged his Celestia-damned hooves to get us all back here! We could've been out here days ago by now if he hadn't insisted on waiting for his big hot air balloon!" Rainbow gritted her teeth. As much as she hated to admit it, Lightning was being the most logical out of any of them. However, as the rest of her ponies continued to yell at each other, she realized they weren't doing a whole lot of practical business. Rainbow reached up for her scarf and drew it down, taking a deep inhale of icy, frost-filled air before shouting over the wind, "QUIET! QUIET EVERYPONY!" Blossomforth had begun to raise her voice over Lightning Dust in order to snap back at Ways Rite, but seemed to snap her jaw shut as she turned a glare over to Rainbow. "Hey! Listen! It doesn't matter how we got here or who's to blame, but we're here now, okay?" Rainbow's brain raced for things to say. Spitfire had always been the leader, and even though it was planned for Rainbow to take the captaincy after she stepped down, that had been interrupted by the Frost. Rainbow gulped as the ice stung at her throat, before steeling herself and continuing, "Uh... but you see-" Rainbow blinked, before stomping her hoof in frustration and shouting, "You're all just arguing! I'm not seeing a lot of useful solutions! Just because the camp seems abandoned doesn't mean that there might not be survivors, and you're all wasting precious seconds they might not have! Okay!?" Rainbow's desperate, wild look must have gotten through to the rest of the Scouts, because, at the very least, they seemed to steel their resolve. Blossomforth lost the angry look in her eyes, and seemed to come back to her usual, timid persona. "So... how about we pick ourselves up and get our flanks over there as quick as we can, huh? We can't afford to circum- circumnav-" Rainbow mentally slapped herself as Ways Rite visibly looked disappointed behind his snow gear, "Uh- We can't go around the crevasse, alright? So, we gotta pick the sled up and fly it across! The winds are with us going that way. We'll have to hoof it back around across the bridge the Lorries took, along with any survivors we find, alright!?" Cold Front frowned, "Flying? In this weather? I mean- don't get me wrong, I contributed a lot of wingpower to storm breaking back in my heyday... but this stuff is something else! We could wipe out on the other side. The sled could slip and drag us down into the crevasse... I'd rather not die like that!" "I-I agree," Ways nodded, "It's insanity." Blossomforth remained silent for a moment, but her ears flattened as she looked away from Rainbow and she finally opened her mouth, "...What's the point in risking ourselves if they're all probably already dead?" Rainbow's lips drew into a line, and she couldn't bring herself to move, not even to pull her scarf back up over her muzzle as she wracked her brain for something to say. Her ears would perk up, however, as one last unexpected voice came through the maelstrom. "Rainbow's right," Came the voice of Lightning Dust. Shocked, Rainbow glanced up towards Lightning Dust. Lightning locked eyes with her for a moment, before turning and looking at the rest of the Scouts, "What if something was wrong with the wood we left them? What if they were attacked? What if the last few of them are over there, hoping and praying for rescue to come. What if they see our lamps and are too powerless to signal to us, but pray to Celestia that we come as quick as possible? It'll take a good day for us to go all the way around. Do we really take the chance that they're all already gone?" Rainbow stared at Lightning in disbelief, before blushing in embarrassment slightly as she finally replaced her scarf. "I-If Lightning's right..." Ways Rite muttered, "I-It'll take us about t-two days f-for us to circumvent t-the crevasse. I-If they lost their campfires r-recently..." "They don't have that long," Cold Front finished, "Well damn. I guess we're going with the Lieutenant's plan, then?" Rainbow, still trying to process Lightning's intervention, eventually nodded, "...We'll all harness ourselves to the sled and start flying across. We'll use the top of this snow dune to give us elevation and a wind-assisted take off. We'll have to be careful, though, I'm guessing there'll be nasty currents going in and out and around above the crevasse. We'll uh, we'll have to hang on tight, and make sure we get to the other side in one piece, alright?" Lightning nodded, "We should all keep our eyes on the campsite. It might be easy for one of us to get separated if the ropes slip or if something happens to the sled." "Right," Rainbow nodded back, before turning to the rest of the Scouts, "Let's get a move on, then! Get the ropes around the sled before the wind changes!" Finally spurred back into action, the five pegasi got to work, unloading the coils of braided rope from the sled and beginning to wrap it around the sled, tying knots and hurriedly making harnesses. Above them, the clouds loomed, the dark storm continuing to belt out millions of snowflakes across the icy plains, the winds and frost swirling around the waning lamplight of the little ponies... A sudden blast of crosswind suddenly shoved Rainbow against the wooden hull of the sled, causing her wings to flail wildly as she tried to straighten out her flight once again. She had been right about the air conditions above the crevasse. Icy crack or rocky canyon, they both had the same thermal conditions required to completely screw over any pegasi flying down close enough to be effected by them. Without enough wingpower, the most the Scouts would've been able to do is fly in circles, slowly losing altitude until they became exhausted or crashed. However, the Captain had picked his scouts well. There was no shortage of skilled and strong fliers on the team. Even as the sled tipped dangerously, the supplies aboard threatening to upend themselves off into the dark abyss below, the five pegasi surrounding it did their best to pull it back upright. Rainbow Dash was shouting at them which way to fly, but her orders were likely not being heard over the howl of the wind and over the scout's own labored breaths. The flyers were going on pure instinct, and staring solely at their objective on the other side of the canyon. Exhaustion was setting in, however. On any sunny day, Rainbow could've flown in these conditions without breaking a sweat. However, a good few months of surviving on half rations, and then a day of walking without rest already had her heart thundering and her breath dry and rapid. Rainbow quickly jabbed her forehoof up to drag her scarf down beneath her chin, opening up her airway for relieving breaths of chilly, but unrestrained air. As much as her lungs hurt scarfing down the frost-filled air, she felt like her mask was literally choking her with her exhaustion. "We're about halfway now..." Rainbow tried to swallow, only to come out panting and gasping even harder on the other side. Sweat beaded on her forehead, just above her goggles and below the fringe of her mane, and almost instantly began to freeze. Even keeping her legs pulled up underneath her to reduce drag was getting labor intensive as her body slowly ran out of breath. Blossomforth seemed to be ready to drop dead, but determinedly pushed on, her wingbeats inconsistent as the team pushed past the two thirds mark. Ways Rite had been right once again, she was the weakest flier out of all of them. Yet, Rainbow still admired her determination. Even she wouldn't know herself if she'd be able to muscle on if her training and conditioning hadn't made it easier for her. Cold Front had started out the flight confidently, but was beginning to falter now at about the same rate as Rainbow. He simply stared straight ahead, though, legs dangling beneath him as he brute-forced his way forward towards the end of their troubled air sprint. Ways Rite flew at the back of the sled, keeping the hind end upright while providing additional lift. He appeared to be holding up only a few fractions better than Blossomforth. The diminutive stallion was the smallest of the group, so despite his physical fitness Rainbow Dash didn't blame him for giving slack. Still, when the sled slipped and Rainbow looked back to see him struggling to lift it back up again, she worried. Lightning Dust flew right by Rainbow. Although Rainbow had expected Lightning to be motivated just to outdo the others around her, just like she had been back when they knew each other before the Frost. However, the pegasus flew forward, perpetually huffing and gasping, with her eyes solely set on the other side of the crevasse. Rainbow mentally chastised herself for her aggression against Lightning Dust. It had been a long time since they met before the Frost. She had clearly just changed, and for the better. It would be prudent of her to abandon her prejudice against the mare. So why did she still feel so... bad? The ice walls of the crevasse rose up below them. Not much farther now. The campsite was closer than before. Somewhere, down in the darkness, Rainbow thought she saw the wreckage of Lorry Four... or now that she thought of it, was it Lorry Seven? She thought Lorry Four was a bit farther down, and Lorry Seven wasn't a wreckage the last time she checked... Rainbow shook it out of her mind, and focused on pulling the sled the last few yards to safety. Below them, the snow reformed, and the crevasse was just behind them. She knew better than to land, though. Ahead were the old stakes of wood that had marked where actual solid ground was, marked out by herself and the other Scouts that guided the lorries. Only there could they make a landing and not fear of immediately being dragged down into the dark by a collapsing snow shelf. The snow below them did, however, block the wind. The prevailing wind behind them sped up the sled quickly, and Rainbow felt a short-lived shot of panic grow in her as a lot of resistance fell away from her. Finally, the Scouts began to glide downwards, landing steadily behind the row of wooden poles, still stuck above the snow line. As the sled landed back on its treads, creaking and wobbling as it came firmly upright and dug itself back down into the snow under its weight, the harnesses went slack and the scouts collapsed, exhausted. Rainbow's wings gave out as she went tumbling into a snowdrift, her lamp bouncing around on her chest as she fell on her side in the icy snow. She coughed from the exhaustion, taking several deep breaths as she heard her heart thunder in her ears. Despite everything, though, a smile parted her lips. They had made it. Eventually, Rainbow sat up from the snow, pulling her scarf back up over her muzzle as she looked around the landing site. The rest of the Scouts were slowly picking themselves back up, taking off their harnesses. Blossomforth stood slowly, but still stumbled as it looked like she was about to pass out on the spot. Ways Rite had avoided being trapped underneath the sled as it landed, and still sat, back propped up against the back of the sled as he panted. Cold Front did the same, on the other side, eyes staring up at the sky as he tried to slow his breathing. Finally, Lightning Dust lay belly-down in the snow, eyes staring forward at the edge of the campsite just ahead of her. She slowly got up, snow falling off in chunks from the bottom of her coat and scarf. "Now..." Blossomforth heaved a mighty breath through her scarf, "...Now can we go and... pant... rest?" Rainbow steadied her breathing enough to answer, "...Yeah... let's just, unhitch and walk to the camp... try and light a fire. Get warm. I can't feel my... can't feel my legs," she tried to chuckle at that last part, wiggling her forehooves as she slowly turned over to stand up. "I can't feel my anything," Cold Front complained, giving a weak chuckle as he reached up to undo his harness. Ways Rite mumbled something once again, looking in the direction of Blossomforth, but got up from his seat and undid his harness, "L-Lamps are running out of steam. W-We should get the furnace and light i-it once w-w-we're in the camp... o-or we'll straight up freeze." Rainbow nodded, "It's heavy. We'll all take one piece. I'll..." She sighed, "I'll take the biggest one..." The Scouts spared Rainbow a glance, but didn't question her as they unpacked the furnace and the coal from the sled, before abandoning it to be recovered later as they marched off towards the camp. The first thing that caught Rainbow's eye was the sight of the Equestrian flag billowing above the camp. The same flag was draped over the western and eastern sides of the Generator back in New Ponyville, and its blue star-studded image of the Royal Sisters orbiting their celestial bodies still inspired a bit of hope within Rainbow. The flag, although representative of a nation and patriotic pride that didn't exist anymore, still promised that maybe, one day, the future might be like it was before the Frost. However, the campsite surrounding the flagpole did anything but inspire the same confidence in Rainbow Dash. The tents slouched under the weight of the snow. Some had been completely torn down, their canvas and wooden supports completely cannibalized, most likely for fuel. Nopony had been out to greet the scouts as they entered the camp's perimeter, and while they hadn't found any corpses among the wrecked tents, the lack thereof was no more comforting. Most confusing of all to Rainbow was the presence of bundled wood piles still stacked next to the abandoned tents. There was still plenty of wood the survivors could've turned into firewood, just like they had expected. Firepits had been dug, and ash still existed within them, as well as scorched pieces of wood and charcoal. The Scouts put down their furnace parts somewhere next to the flagpole, mutually deciding to split up and search the camp individually and meet back to warm up, eat, and refuel and assess the situation together. Rainbow struck out towards the north... or what she assumed was north at least. Compasses didn't work properly this close to the poles, and thus she hadn't brought one. The only pony that could know the real compass directions was Ways Rite, using the position of New Ponyville's beacon as a reference point. As much as a warm furnace and a refueling of their flickering and waning Lamps sounded amazing, Rainbow couldn't rest with a good conscience if there were still survivors somewhere in the camp. She poked her head into every tent, searching for signs of life. She found a few abandoned belongings. A teddy bear here, a half-buried purse with jewelry in it, an abandoned undercoat there... but no ponies. Not even corpses. Had they tried to find their own way back? Rainbow gritted her teeth in fear of that possibility. They might've missed New Ponyville's beacon, or not known the safe way around the crevasses and cliffs to get home safely. Even worse, some of them were injured and weakened, and might've not been able to make the trip... "Like Pinkie..." Rainbow Dash shook her head. Not the time. Keep looking. If they left, they might've known somepony would come looking for them sooner or later. They would've left a note... a sign... something. Rainbow's lamp flickered, and she swore under her breath as she began to fiddle with it. The light, and heat, within it began to wane as the Lamp worked through the last dregs of its reserves. Frustrated, Rainbow applied the only solution she had for complicated engineer and mechanical pieces: She slapped it. The Lamp waned fearfully as her hoof struck the side of the casing, before finally brightening up once again and casting a cone of light in front of her once again. However, as Rainbow lowered her hoof from the lamp, she heard a gasp from straight ahead from her. Eyes darting up, they met a pale green pegasus stallion, standing in the snow ahead of her, hooves wrapped around a shovel and a bucket at his side. He did not wear the full cold protection that Rainbow did, and what was exposed to the air was frostbitten, blackened, and losing its fur. He lifted one shaky hoof and pointed towards Rainbow. "...Y-You..." He whispered, voice hoarse. "What happened here?" Rainbow demanded, heart fluttering with adrenaline as she rushed through the snow to the stallion's side. His eyes darted around, looking Rainbow up and down, "You're... real..." Rainbow looked into his eyes, and slowly nodded, "Yeah. Yeah I am. My name's Rainbow Dash. We were sent here to lead you to the city." "...We thought you'd be back in a manner of days... it's been more than a week..." He said, his frostbitten muzzle frozen cold, "...Where... were you?" Rainbow bit her lip, "...The Captain told us to stay. We wanted to leave, but he wanted to build a Beacon so that we could navigate safely. We thought you had enough firewood to last out..." The stallion looked down towards the snow, "...I see... you should..." He hesitated, "Did you find any of us on your way here? Did any make it?" Rainbow's fears clenched down on her. Some of them had indeed tried to make it back on their own. Swallowing her uncertainty she shook her head, "No." "I told them, I told them it was a bad idea," Behind the stallion's goggles, Rainbow thought she saw tears, "C-Come... to the tent. There's others." Obliging, Rainbow allowed the stallion to lean on her as he abandoned his equipment, limping back to one, slightly larger, tent near the outskirts of the camp. From within the tent, a small fire crackled. Its light was so small, and its smoke so easily blown away by the wind, it was no wonder to Rainbow that they couldn't see it from afar. Rainbow at least felt vindicated in her risky push to cross the crevasse by wing, if the stallion's condition was anything to be spoken of, the survivors wouldn't have lasted much longer. Rainbow followed behind the stallion as he wiggled his body through the front flap of the tent. A female voice from inside said, "You got back here in a hurry. Where's the bucket..?" Rainbow poked her head in behind the stallion, looking around the inside of the tent as she came inside as well. The fire crackling in the middle of the tent was surrounded by about twenty or so ponies, sleeping and resting in a circle around its warming light. Canned food was stacked up in a corner. Some of it was opened, most of it was still tinned. A kitchen knife had been used liberally to cut open the tin seals around the food. Most of the ponies around the fire were in terrible states. Many of them were bandaged heavily, the cloth being soiled, bloodied, and browned from dirt. Some ponies were missing limbs. All of them were frostbitten in some sense. There was a mare in the corner (assumedly the one who had spoken to the stallion just before Rainbow came inside), who suddenly stood up as she spotted Rainbow Dash, hope flooding her tired, blue eyes. However, Rainbow's attention was immediately grabbed away by one of the ponies lying around the fire. A pink earth pony, vibrant colors faded by injury and blood loss, with a bandaged stump in place of her back left leg. Her back right leg was a mess too, but at the very least wasn't completely missing. Most remarkable, however, was her cutie mark: Three balloons, two blue and one yellow. Rainbow approached Pinkie in a daze, staring at her smashed up body. Her chest rose and fell steadily. She was alive. Dear Celestia she was alive! "This pegasus here is part of a rescue party!" Rainbow heard the stallion exclaim. "Oh thank the Goddesses!" The mare said, coming to Rainbow's side, "What was holding you up? We thought you'd be here days ago..." Rainbow finally tore her eyes off of her friend, "...We were held up. Needed to build a beacon or else we'd get lost. Trust me, if we could've come sooner... we would've done it in a heartbeat." "They shouldn't have left, but after they lost so many in the damn Steam Lorry..." The mare stomped her hoof in frustration at the news, "We've been barely able to go outside to salvage wood and canvas for the fire from the tents without losing limbs from the cold. Storm Catcher here has already been frostbitten to all Tartarus... dear Celestia..." the mare moaned. Rainbow's brows furrowed, "There was firewood outside. Why didn't you use it? Where did they all go?" "We-" The mare sighed, "That wood out there? That was the majority of what we were left with from the cargo of Lorry Seven. It's good old Equestrian construction wood," She sneered, "...Enchanted to be fire resistant. That stuff wouldn't burn if you threw it in a volcano! We had to use the wood that we were supposed to be building with to burn. That didn't leave much room to reinforce our tents and build wind stoppers. We were exposed to arctic weather for the past week, and it's only gotten worse in the past few days!" "You mentioned losing ponies in the lorry? What do you mean?" Rainbow queried next. "They tried to take the remainder of our tent building supplies to Lorry Seven and stoke the boiler," The stallion, who Rainbow now knew as Storm Catcher, rasped, "Damn idiots. Didn't they know the boiler radiating was what caused the ice shelf to collapse the first time?" "A day after they started burning fuel in the lorry, it fell down further into the crevasse and crashed. They didn't come back up," The mare explained, voice bitter. Rainbow frowned. She guessed the Captain would be disappointed by the loss of the Steam Core. If he complained, though, she planned on telling him exactly where he could stick his Steam Cores. "The other healthy ones... the ones that could still walk... they went off to try and make their way to the Generator themselves," Storm Catcher murmured, "Since you said you didn't find them... and they didn't arrive in the city.." "Damnit," The mare murmured. Rainbow looked around the room, considering her options. It was at least a 3 day trip back to New Ponyville, as she definitely wasn't skipping the 2 day trip to circumvani- circum- go around the crevasse. There was no way they'd be able to wing 20 or so survivors back across. The sled they had also couldn't house all the survivors to be pulled along, and there was no way these ponies would be able to walk. They'd need to find a way to make another sled large enough for them to be piled on, and pulled by the few remaining able bodied ponies and Scouts all the way back to the city. A pit formed in Rainbow Dash's stomach. The Scouts were woefully under equipped to physically rescue these ponies. They at most could lead them back, but to help drag them back...? Rainbow looked back up at the mare and Storm Chaser, "...Stay here for a moment. I'm gonna go and meet up with the rest of my ponies, then they're gonna bring their furnace up here and give you some extra heat and figure out a way to get you all to safety back in New Ponyville." The mare nodded, before her face scrunched up in thought, "...Ma'am?" Rainbow paused at the door, "Yes?" "Is the Generator... good? Will we be warm there?" She asked. Rainbow could only bring herself to give the mare a pained look as she slowly exited the tent. "H-How exactly do we plan on getting all these cripples back h-home?" Ways Rite whispered to Rainbow now that they were safely out of earshot of the survivors inside the tent. Rainbow frowned, looking around at the small semicircle of gathered Scouts, "...Not sure. But we gotta figure out a way. No way I'm leaving them behind out here," her Lamp glowed brightly again, refueled by the steam let off by the furnace. The survivors had indeed been grateful for the focused heat of the coal-powered furnace. Some had even perked up enough to wake up and ask questions. Most of them consisted of "When are we going home?" or "When can I see a doctor?". Pinkie Pie was still completely unresponsive, however. "We could make makeshift sleds out of these tents. Between our sled, then maybe two made out of canvas and wood sliding along the snow, we could get all twenty of them back home," Cold Front suggested. Lightning Dust sighed, "Yeah, but that'd require all of us pull at once, and that none of us would be able to rest on the sled. Even the kind souls that stayed behind to take care of them would be required to tug those things. They don't even have snow shoes." "Rainbow is right, though. We can't leave them behind!" Blossomforth insisted, "...We're not actually considering leaving any of them behind, right?" Ways Rite opened his mouth, but Rainbow Dash immediately silenced him with a stomp of her hoof, "No. Nopety nopety no. That's an order from your superior officer, too. We'll carry them out of here on our backs if we have to." Ways Rite closed his mouth, and nodded, "...R-Right... well i-if my estimations a-are correct. I-it'll take us f-four days at best to g-get home." "Didn't it only take us one day to get here?" Cold Front raised an eyebrow. Ways Rite fidgeted slightly, "...W-Well yes, but we took n-no b-b-breaks. W-We pulled the sled in sh-shifts. W-we would all be pulling at o-once. S-So it'd take l-longer because we'd have to stop to c-catch our breaths. And w-we'd need to camp, for the s-sakes of the survivors." Lightning Dust grimaced, "They'll die if we don't give them a chance to recuperate by a fire." Rainbow shook her head, "Damn... is there really no better way?" Lightning shook her head, "Rotten deal. It's the deal though." Rainbow's eyes went to Ways Rite, and he nodded too. Cold Front and Blossomforth averted their gazes, only for the latter to shrug and say, "Guess we'd better rest up by the furnace. We got a long four days ahead of us, huh?" "Yeah..." Rainbow frowned, "...Well. Ways, if you'd like to signal to New Ponyville the situation, and tell them we're going to try and get the survivors back within the next 4 days, that'd be nice." Ways Rite nodded, before re-entering the tent, most likely looking for his magnifying lens that'd make a flash bright enough for the lookouts on the Beacon to see. Lightning Dust, Blossomforth, and Cold Front made moves to follow him, but Rainbow put up her hoof to pause them, "...Uh, could I talk to you out here for a moment longer, Lightning Dust?" Lightning didn't nod, but stayed still outside while the rest of the Scouts re-entered the tent. A moment later, Ways Rite pushed out past her with his equipment, trekking off to the far side of the camp in order to start signalling back home. Rainbow tried to put on a genuine smile, "...Hey... Lightning, I just wanted to say- uh," Rainbow reached up a snow-caked hoof, rubbing the back of her scarf, "...Thanks for helping. You might've saved these ponies by convincing the others to listen to me. You're really not as rotten as when I met you all those years ago, and I'm sorry for being nasty back in front of the Captain." Lightning Dust stared at Rainbow for a moment longer before finally sighing. Her eyes eventually travelled away from Rainbow to look at the tent, "...Tell me something, Lieutenant." Rainbow frowned at the use of her new title, but eventually said "...Yeah?" "There weren't any other survivors in the camp. You're sure these are all of them?" Lightning looked at Rainbow, her eyes sad but unreadable. "I'm pretty sure, why?" Rainbow asked, before her eyes widened in realization, "...Oh... Oh I'm-" Lightning gritted her teeth and looked away again. Rainbow bit her lip. If Lightning's mother had been well enough to walk, she might've left with the steam lorry ponies or the ones trying to trek home alone, "I'm... I'm so sorry..." The other mare eventually just shook her head, "Whatever," she said, before walking away back through the tent flap. With a sigh, Rainbow stared up towards the stormy clouds one more time, before entering the tent after her. Several of the tents had been unfolded and layered on top of each other to make a wide, canvas base. Then, the wooden beams from within said tents had been made into makeshift skis. Together, these made two, flat, inflexible, heavy sleds with a wide, open top that couldn't even shield occupants from prevailing winds unlike the interior of the Scout's lifeboat sled could. However, stacked with as many blankets as they could find, the cripples were piled on top of the sleds, and ropes were attached to the two able bodied ponies and the rest of the Scouts. Only Ways Rite did not currently pull a sled, as he was busy making final arithmetic checks on the party's course back to New Ponyville. However, soon enough he'd swap out with whoever was the most tired. It wouldn't be much relief, but it'd be something. The two able bodied ponies had been dressed up as well as the Scouts could. Blankets had been wrapped around them, and then secured with belts and ropes as a form of makeshift full weather protection. However it was loose in some places, and slipped in others, and Rainbow was still glad to have the extra heavy coats afforded to the scouts, even if it didn't do that much more to protect from the cold. The furnace had been decompiled and placed back in the bed of the lifeboat sled, fitted around the comatose body of Pinkie Pie and a few other of the most injured ponies deserving the most shelter from the wind. According to Ways, they'd be camping four times overnight along the way. Their coal supplies would last, even though they wouldn't be burning any roaring fires. It was more the exposure to the wind the scouts were worried about for the poor cripples. Even with a tent, the open Frostlands were more exposed than the crash site camp. There was no real telling if they'd survive. Rainbow secured her harness as she looked back at her sleeping friend, securely placed down in the lifeboat sled. Her legs and wings still ached from yesterday's trek, and from a night on the floor with only canned food to fill her stomach, but what rest she had gotten would have to do. She could rest fully for a few days once they were back in New Ponyville. Lightning Dust pulled one of the makeshift sleds, along with Storm Catcher (who had had his frostbite bandaged as best as he could). She caught her looking at Rainbow with an almost jealous look in her eyes, before she quickly continued to stare down at the snow once again. With a sigh, Rainbow braced herself against her harness, before sucking in a breath and fixing her eyes on the field ahead. "Forward, ponies!"