//------------------------------//
// Epilogue  
// Story: Baby It's Cold Outside 
// by Orchid Spice 
//------------------------------//

	Alto Stratus untied the braids from her mane and tail. The mare she had found in the woods was suffering from severe hypothermia, and she was nervous about the poor pony pulling through. The nurse said he would retrieve her when the unicorn woke up, but waiting was not Alto's strong suit. Her pacing was making the other ponies in the waiting room uncomfortable, and more than one had started fidgeting. Finally, the nurse opened the door and motioned for her to come back with him. Alto almost bowled him over before realizing she couldn't lead the way. Out of the two of them, only one knew which room the mare was in. He looked at her with a mixture of annoyance and impatience, and she knew he probably had other patients to attend to. 
The door opened and Alto saw the mare sitting up in bed, sipping on some soup tentatively. She trotted over, smiling. "It's good to see you're awake." 
The unicorn smiling at her, putting the spoon down. 	"It's all thanks to you, I hear. I wish I knew how to thank you." The unicorn bowed her head to Alto, tears welling up in her eyes.
Alto shook her head. "It's alright, honest. I'm glad you're okay...You don't remember what happened?"
The mare shook her head, seeming to concentrate intensely. "I-I remember feeling cold.. and hearing bells. These, absolutely beautiful bells. But. Other than that, it's all blurry or dark." 
Alto gave a tight-lipped, sympathetic smile. "What were you even doing out there? You should have known a storm was coming." 
The white unicorn seemed to deflate at the question. "I...W-well. You see I got lost running.." She was clearly dodging the question, watching the nurse leave. As soon as the door was shutting behind him, she looked at Alto again. "Some. Bullies came after me in the woods, and... I ran." She sighed, seemingly at her own weakness. 
Alto Stratus blinked a few times, trying to comprehend this. "Bullies? What are you, a filly?" Seeing the mare's negative response to this, Alto spoke up, "I didn't mean that to be cruel. I just, what kind of mare still gets bullied? I would think most ponies would have grown out of that." 
The unicorn shrugged. "I thought they would. But being a blank flank and a freak apparently warrants harassment at any age." 
Alto looked at the mare for a long time. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her pale purple mane was clearly singed in some areas. She has this defeated look about her, and Alto didn't believe it was the hypothermia. This was a mare with little hope. This was somepony who needed a friend. "Hey, after you get out of here. How about me and you get something to eat. We can talk all about these bullies, and I'll go give them a piece of my mind." 
The unicorn's eyes brightened up almost instantaneously. "You really want to?" Her voice, still hoarse, had brightened and sounded very excited at the prospect.
Alto nodded, smiling. "Yeah. Me and you, we'll hit the town," she held out her hoof to the unicorn, "I'm Alto Stratus. Storm extraordinaire, and snowflake aficionado." 
"My name is Grimoire," she giggled, taking Alto's hoof, "I am an expert in nothing." 
"That'll change one day. I can feel it." Alto smiled at Grimoire. "Well Grim, get better. Eat, sleep, and do what the docs tell you. I'll see you soon." Alto gave a curt goodbye nod, heading out of the hospital, smiling at the snow on the ground, glittering in the dawning of a new day.