//------------------------------// // Chapter 10 - Separation // Story: Nighttide Star // by Vertigo-01 //------------------------------// It took Rarity several seconds to process what was going on. After a moment, she struggled to stand to her hooves, but fell back into the frigid slush. Just holding her head up against the wind was almost impossible, and the thrashing snow made it difficult to see even a few hooves in front of her. Her eyes were painfully dry, and she could feel a pounding in her head. “… Spike… wh-where… is…” Rarity wobbled in place as she craned her neck from side to side, looking for the baby dragon. But there was only white and grey. It didn't take long for the little bit of warmth left between her and the saddlebags to fade. Rarity reached into one of the pouches and pulled out a scarf, carefully wrapping it around her neck. She pulled it taut against her, much as her current strength would allow, and proceeded to stand again. It simply wasn't going to happen. The wind pushed Rarity onto her haunches, so she decided to try crawling forward. For the little bit of visibility she had, all she saw was the white of snow covering the ground, and the dull grey of the air in front of her. Rarity pointed her head down against the wind and crawled forward. With each step she took, she left a trail of crimson behind her, the blood of somepony coated over her front hoof. After inching ahead only a short distance, she looked up to see the faintest plume of green-tinted smoke billowing from a hole in the ground. Rarity approached the hole slowly and peered down. There, covered in a light layer of snow, was a baby dragon lying on his side, a small trail of smoke pouring out his nostrils. “Spike… Spike, wake up…” Rarity lay down in the snow and pulled Spike toward her. She could feel him shaking in her hooves. “… Wh… whoa.” Slowly, Spike opened his eyes to the grey world around him. “Where are…?” “Spike.” Rarity tilted his head toward her. “Spike, are you alright?” “Y-yeah,” the baby dragon stammered as he squinted against the wind, trying to look up into her eyes. “But… what happened?” Rarity was just relieved to see he was alright. Her strength running low, she pulled him close to her chest, then collapsed on her side. “Rarity!” Spike shouted as he struggled to push out of her grasp. He noticed the blood covering her hoof, which appeared to have come from wiping a large gash above her right eye. Rarity was unconscious again. Spike looked at her and the world around them in disbelief. Eventually, the baby dragon broke free from Rarity's now limp forelegs and clambered on top of her to pull out the first-aid kit from her saddlebag. He dove back into the snow and wrenched the lid open, causing several bandages to fly in the wind. “No no no! Wait!” Spike reached helplessly into the air, trying to catch them, but then threw the lid back close to keep anything else from flying out. As he peeked back inside, he pulled out some gauze and a couple of the remaining bandages, then proceeded to dress the gash above Rarity's eye. “It's gonna be alright, Rarity… it's gonna be just fine…” The baby dragon shook, partly from the cold, partly from fear, as he tenderly treated her wound. __________ “Damn… what the hell did that pony do?” Nighttide crouched in a thick plot of fresh snow as she peered into the grey horizon. Not a pony could be seen, and her sensors were completely garbled. But as concerning as that was, there was something else that worried her more. Just before the crash, she had seen Rarity's horn glowing blue. She figured she was about to use a teleportation spell of some sort, but then something happened right before they were separated: her magic had turned black. Nighttide stood to her full height, the weight of her suit keeping her planted securely in the loose ground. It appeared she was on a wooded embankment, the tattered remains of the balloon lying in a heap to one side. She trotted over to have a peek inside the overturned basket, only to find it empty – save the freshly splintered pine it managed to gather on its way down. With a sigh, she looked around. The slope above was too steep to climb, but she could work her way downhill. Hopefully in time, she would run into somepony else. As she walked between the whistling pines, swaying beneath the relentless wind, Nighttide let her systems run a diagnostic sweep. It appeared the shockwave had elements of an electromagnetic pulse. While not strong enough to disable or erase her systems, it had been enough to fry some of the internal components of her sensors. “Weapons, check. Reactor, check. Vitals are stable…” Nighttide mumbled to herself as she pushed forward against the wind, reviewing the diagnostic report. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted an orange and pink lump half-buried in snow. “Applejack! Pinkie Pie! Is that you?” “Yeah, we're over here!” Applejack shouted, waving her over. Pinkie Pie was huddled together with her underneath a brightly colored blanket, trying to stay warm as the snow piled around them. They both had wrapped scarves around their necks, and it appeared Applejack's hat was missing. “Thank goodness you two are alright. You are alright, right?” Nighttide shouted against the wind. “Yeah, we're fine. We were gonna look for the others, but then this storm…” “I know what you mean.” Nighttide turned her muzzle toward the wind, peering off in the distance in hope that she could spot some other colors. Nothing. “Are you two able to stand?” “Only if we stick together,” Applejack replied. “The wind's too strong!” Pinkie Pie shifted onto her knees, her blanket almost flying away. She reached back and pulled it off the two, then tucked it inside her saddlebag. “C'mon, Applejack. We've got some friends to go save!” “G-g-glad to see you're s-still in high spirits, P-Pinkie,” Applejack commented as she gave a visible shiver to the sudden loss of warmth. Nighttide noticed the wind was picking up, so she worked her way between the two mares and switched her systems to purge heat, allowing her suit to radiate warmth to share with the others. The three marched silently into the grey of the storm. After a moment, Nighttide spoke up. “Hey, do either of you know what exactly happened?” “We were wonderin' that ourselves.” Applejack held her head close to Nighttide's, trying to angle against the wind. “In case ya didn't know, Twilight's the only pony we've ever known who's been able to teleport. But I think that's what Rarity was tryin' to do back on the balloon. All's I remember is bein' surrounded in this bright light, but then it got real dark all the sudden. Next thing I knew, I was lyin' in the snow, and Pinkie Pie here was at my hooves.” Nighttide could feel Pinkie shivering against her side. It appeared she was now the cold one. “Y-y-yep, that's wh-what I remember t-too. I also heard wh-what sounded like a sc-scream in the distance when I w-woke up.” “You know which way it came?” Nighttide asked. Pinkie shook her head. They continued forward in silence for several minutes, hoping that they would eventually run into their friends. Occasionally, the snow on the ground would level out for a bit, and they would look in either direction to figure out which way to go. It didn't really matter if they turned or continued straight – there was no starting point from which to reference. So they picked and chose random directions as they slowly inched their way through the storm. Finally, they heard something. A faint whimper not too far from them. “…Ya hear that?” Applejack shouted. “Sure it's not just the wind?” Nighttide asked. “Pretty sure it's somepony. Come on.” The trio turned toward the sound and bolstered their sides against the wind. As they trudged through the snow, they spotted what looked like a yellow wing sticking out of a very tall mound of snow. “Fluttershy?!” Applejack shouted into the freezing air, but no response. She turned to Nighttide and Pinkie. “It looks awful steep.” “Agreed,” Nighttide said. “Let me see if I can make it up. My suit should help with traction. You two stay here and hunker down.” Nighttide broke free from the group as Applejack grabbed hold of Pinkie Pie, bracing themselves as close to the ground as they comfortably could. “Fluttershy!” Nighttide called out as she slowly made her way up the loose mound of snow. With every other step, she could feel a portion of the mound giving way underneath. She looked back to the other two and saw they were backing up slowly, the snow beginning to fall in layers in front of them. In time, Nighttide broke even with the top of the mound and found Fluttershy lying perfectly still on her side, her left wing sticking rigidly out of her side. Nighttide trotted carefully forward and sat next to her. She tried to run an external vitals scan on her, but even those sensors appeared to be damaged. She carefully picked up Fluttershy's muzzle and stroked her pink mane, which was now a tangled mess. “Fluttershy! Fluttershy, can you hear me?” No response. Fluttershy’s head lay limp in her hooves with eyes closed; not even a flick of her ear signaled consciousness. Nighttide carefully checked the mare’s torso, being careful to not move it too much in case she had suffered any internal injuries. There didn't appear to be any major scrapes, but her wing stuck out at an odd angle. She didn't like how it jutted out without so much as giving into the force of the wind. After a moment, Fluttershy began to mumble. Nighttide leaned down and nuzzled against her, trying to stroke her back to waking. “… Tw… Twili…” Fluttershy tilted her head up ever so slightly. As she opened her eyes, she met with Nighttide's. “Fluttershy, it's Nighttide. Are you okay?” Fluttershy tried to sit up a little, but recoiled in pain. “OW-AAH—Wha…” She looked over to her side and noticed her wing. “Fluttershy, we've crash-landed somewhere in the mountains. Applejack and Pinkie Pie are just down this hill, but we haven't found the others yet.” Fluttershy struggled to sit up as Nighttide wedged herself underneath her to act as a brace. Fluttershy's saddlebag had been ripped off at some point; only part of the strap remained looped around her. “I… I think my wing's broken,” Fluttershy whimpered with a barely audible voice. “Looks like it. The others still have their saddlebags, so they should have some first-aid kits on-hoof.” Fluttershy swayed a little in place as she braced herself against Nighttide. Even though she wasn't an ace flyer, she knew enough about wings that first-aid would not be enough to fix the damage done. But then she thought of something. “Have you girls found Twilight?” “No. We haven't ran into Rarity or Spike yet, either. And last we knew, you were following Rainbow Dash into the storm.” Nighttide paused as a gust of wind pushed against them. “Can you remember what happened?” Fluttershy took a few seconds to process the question, then shook her head. “Come on.” Nighttide helped Fluttershy to her hooves. “Let's meet up with the others downhill. Can you walk?” Fluttershy took a couple of short steps forward, but stumbled into Nighttide. The two almost toppled over, but Nighttide held her ground. “Slow.” Nighttide said. “Let's go slow.” “Alright,” Fluttershy murmured. The two carefully made their way down the mound and back to their friends. Thankfully, the snow didn't slip too much on their way down. Considering temperature around them, Nighttide figured the snow could easily be compacting into a frozen solid. The four mares gathered around each other as Applejack pulled a first-aid kit out of her saddlebag. Fluttershy instructed her to the best of her ability on how to wrap her wing in a makeshift cast using gauze and a splint. As Applejack wrapped the first layer of gauze around her wing, Fluttershy yelped in pain every so often. It felt as if a bone in her wing had been fractured, and what with the angle it shot out, probably in more places than one. It took several minutes, but Applejack eventually finished the job, wrapping the wing in two thick layers. Fluttershy was now wide awake thanks to the pain, but her dizziness had not died down much. She brushed back her mane and felt a tender spot on her forehead. “Fluttershy, let me see that.” Applejack shuffled closer toward her. “…Well, could've been worse.” “What is it?” Fluttershy wearily asked. Applejack gave her a reassuring smile. “Just a bruise, sugarcube. You'll be fine.” As Applejack brushed out some of the snow that had packed into Fluttershy's mane, Pinkie Pie looked up at the group. She was on the verge of tears. She hated to see her friend hurt so badly, but she also knew there were other friends still missing somewhere in the grey unknown. It was simply too cold, and the situation too desperate, to let her emotions get the better of her now. They still had to find the rest of their friends. But… “Pinkie Pie? Hey, what's up?” Nighttide shifted toward the pony ever so slightly. “N-nothing, it's alright!” She gave a weak smile and turned to Fluttershy. “Now that you're all fixed up, we should go look for the others. Don't want to keep them waiting forever, right?” She let out a nervous chuckle. Nighttide could see the tears in her eyes, but she had a valid point. “Right. Come on, girls.” The four braced against each other and took a path into a lighter part of the storm. The ground was solid and level, but they were still careful with each step they took. __________ Spike had finished dressing Rarity's wound and was now working on finding a way to keep them warm. He pulled out a dark blue silk blanket from Rarity's saddlebag and draped it over her, working quickly to tuck it underneath her on all sides. Tapering one end to her back side, the blanket lifted off her body a little with the wind. “Alright, that should do it.” Spike climbed inside the blanket and tapered it at the other end, sealing it off from the wind. There was little space for him to work with, but very carefully, he breathed a few small flumes of fire into the still air of the blanket, warming the space around them. Rarity lie perfectly still against the snow, her muzzle partially wrapped in her scarf thanks to Spike. The silk blanket lay over her as the lump of a baby dragon wiggled ever so slightly underneath it, trying his best to keep them warm. The storm was slowly beginning to die down. While the wind continued to blow against them, snow had stopped falling, and the grey sky began to brighten. After a few minutes, the sun broke through a small part in the horizon, shining into Rarity's eyes. In time, she began to stir. “Mm… wha…” She peeked through her eyelids at the white world around her as she slowly recalled what had happened. “…S-Spike? Spike!” Rarity threw herself onto her stomach, tossing Spike and the blanket off her side. “OUCH! Hey, what'd you do that for?!” Spike stuck his head out from underneath the blanket as he held onto the corners, making it look like he was wearing a silk cape. Rarity looked back at him and stifled a laugh. “Oh, Spike, I'm so glad you're alright!” “And I'm glad you're alright, too!” Spike walked over with the blanket and looked up at her. “How's your head feel?” “Huh…” Rarity reached to her forehead with her blood-stained hoof and felt the gauze placed over the gash. “Wh-oh my. What happened?” “Looks like you hit your head on something. I got out your first-aid kit and tried to patch it up best I could.” As Rarity looked down at her would-be hero, her eyes began to tear up. But before they could escape, the biting wind dried them away. “Oh, thank you, Spike.” She scooped him up into her hooves and gave him the biggest hug ever, making the baby dragon blush. “But I don't suppose you have any idea where we are?” “Why don't you ask them?” Rarity looked over her shoulder in the direction Spike was now pointing. In the distance, a group of familiar colors slowly made their way toward them. “Guys! Hey guys, we're over here!” Spike shouted. “Spike! Rarity! Oh, thank goodness.” Fluttershy trotted forward a little faster than the rest, awkwardly hefting the cast of her wing. “Are you two alright?” “A little worse for wear,” Rarity said as she rubbed her forehead, “but otherwise, we're just fine. I see you weren't so lucky yourself?” “Oh, this?” Fluttershy looked back to her wing, doing her best to keep the pain from showing in her expression. “It's okay. I'm just glad you two are alright.” “Hey, you guys!” Pinkie Pie bounded forward with Applejack. The group exchanged relieved greetings as Nighttide slowly made her way up to the group. “Hey you two," Nighttide called out. "I'm guessing neither of you have seen Twilight or Rainbow Dash yet?” “I'm afraid I haven't,” Rarity replied. “How about you, Spike?” “I haven't seen a thing except for all this snow.” Although the wind still fought against them, the clouds overhead began to thin, and soon, forward visibility increased. It appeared as if they were standing between two large mountains on a snowy slope. Several hooves uphill from their position, the ground appeared to taper off into a clearing. “I don't know exactly where we are,” Nighttide said, “but I wouldn't be surprised if that isn't where the tracking signal was coming from.” The group looked up the hill against the wind as a bright orange glow began to break through the horizon. Applejack glanced around at the others and sighed. “Well, I guess it's as good of a place to start as any.” With a mutual nod, everyone slowly trekked their way up toward the break in the storm.