Two Days Later
"The best cold simulation they can possibly do in this entire factory, is walking into the kitchen's walk-in freezer?" Zipp asked as they walked towards the cafeteria.
"Well, we don't really deal with crazy sub-zero temperatures around here, so it's the best they could do on short notice," Sunny told her, as she and her five friends entered the cafeteria, heading back towards the kitchen.
After she had taken a look at the 'Scouticus Maximus' all terrain vehicle CanterLogic had designed for their journey, she sent a text out to their group chat, asking who wanted to tag along with her and Sprout for what would likely be around a week to ten days.
The other four had immediately volunteered. Queen Haven had had some reservations about the distance, as it was considerably farther than a half-day's hike down the mountain, but after Zipp assured her of all the precautions they were taking, as well as the best cold weather gear Zephyr Heights' top outfitters were providing, she relented.
Said outfitters were already here, waiting by the doorway to the kitchen, along with several clothing racks containing wool articles of clothing, all varying degrees of tan and brown.
"Greetings, Princesses. We're here to get you and your friends outfitted for extreme cold," one of the two stallions announced.
Sunny counted quickly, and it looked like there would be ten pieces per pony; four hoof boots, back half, front half, a neck gaiter, scarf, goggles, and a cap.
"What about holes for the wings?" Pipp asked as she looked over the barrel and chest piece.
"Out of the question," her older sister replied. "Where we're headed, there's some kind of weird blizzard in front of the mountains. We couldn't get anywhere close in the air, it was much too cold. We made camp for a day, and it didn't seem to move an inch. It would certainly explain why there haven't been any explorers up there."
Piece by piece, the outfitters helped each pony into appropriately-sized snow suits, and when she was fully clad, Sunny was quite eager to step into the freezer.
"We can provide two complete suits for each member of your party, because we highly recommend letting each piece dry completely between excursions. Dampness hinders the insulation considerably," the other outfitter told them.
When they were all dressed, they filed one by one into the kitchen's large walk-in freezer, which the staff had temporarily set to -20, just for an hour to avoid freezer burn on any of the food.
Sunny was amazed; when she stepped into what must have been frigid air, she didn't notice much more than a very mild chill.
"Not bad," she heard Hitch say underneath the gaiter and goggles. In fact, aside from Pipp's height, the only way to tell each other apart were voices, manes, and Izzy's horn.
"How's your horn, Izzy?" Sunny asked.
"Just fine. Magic spells keep it perfectly warm," her friend replied.
"So when do we move out?" Sprout asked, clearly one of the most excited.
"We're still getting some food stores put on the vehicle, shouldn't take more than a couple days," Sunny explained. "Once we're under way, I think Sprout should take each of you through some of the basics of how to drive it, just in case you need to, before we get to trickier terrain, where he'll be doing most of the driving."
Sprout's gaiter moved just enough to where she could tell he was smiling excitedly.
"If we can sleep through the engine noise and the fact that our sleeping spots will be moving, I think it'll be best of we keep it moving as close to all the time as we can."
"Sounds like we're sticking around until we're ready to head out," Zipp said. "Anypony up for laser tag? I saw that arena on the way into town this morning."
"Ooh ooh," Sprout said, removing his headgear as they began to file out of the freezer. "You're on."
I wonder what they'll find.
Wonderful job on the chapter and great job on the cover art, Little Tigress!
Can't wait to see what they find up there.
Love the art.
So I am guessing this is what they will find. A Crystal Graveyard.
Not bad, nice read thanks.
I take it you’ve seen the storyboard.
Another great job on the chapter. Definitely appreciate the work that is going into the exchanges, characterizations and future chapter set-up. Definitely liked the description of the snow gear the gang will be wearing (including the point that the Pegasi' wings would be useless anyway in that extreme cold, so there would be no point in having room for them) , the fact that the walk-in freezer was the best Canterlogic could do to prepare them for sub-zero temperatures, Zipp and Pipp having to reassure their mother that every precaution possible would be taken, Izzy making good use of her magic to keep herself warm, the training and driving schedules and the mention of activities to keep the gang busy until everything is good to go.
Certainly looking forward to more of this.
Okay so it looks like sunny and the others are preparing to head out to the mountains but still the need time to get everything all set up still I wonder if the Crystal Empire is still there also I really like the picture it's really cool can't wait to see how this is going to work out
Laser tag
First rule of cold-weather dressing is if you step outside and don't notice the cold, you're overdressed and will start sweating soon, which is bad news. You want to be wearing just enough layers that you feel a little chilly when first starting out.
A new cover? How fancy.
I wonder if they'll find any survivors.
11017923 THIS!
To much CAN be as bad as to little or none. Believe it or not.
And you want to be in cold that has at least a little bit of humidity, to dry and you'll be in trouble quicker as it wont always feel as cold as it is
11017940
Me too. Guess we'll find out.
You've been without magic for centuries, but after just a few ...weeks? Months?...you've already perfected magic spells to keep your horns warm from the sub-freezing temperatures that your kind hasn't experienced in centuries.
...Unicorns are awesome!
11018094
Maybe I should have worded it better.
Using magic of any kind is enough to keep a horn warm. (Headcanon)
I'm just going to make this a thing. Probably not celcius. The walk in freezers I've been inside have all been at -20 by default.
yes excellent training https://youtu.be/bD5NHpvlpN8
11018174
I swear this was not an intentional reference, lol
Even here in the north, the summer of 2021 was literally the worst in my living memory, and buck me if I ever praise summer again. And buck the loonies who say Climate Change isn't real.
Winter tundra is the best.
And we stand tall
Sons of the snow
We will not fall
Under these blows
For our hearts they are hardy
Our spirits are strong
And our voices are lifted into
This Sovngarde song
I suddenly hear the opening theme from Wrath of The Lich King
11018197
Absolutely. Screw summer. Summer can go die in a frozen hole.
Seriously. All the stupid real-life non-changeling bugs, the ruthless sun...ugh. Nothing to like about summer.
Of course Sprout loves laser tag. ^^
Izzy is a quick learner, she'd just rediscovered heat spells.
Good artwork.
smol
11137584
smol pone
11137602
Ver smol. Pipp has great versmolitude.
Wait, did she seriously just call Sunny a princess!?!?
Or could of just moved the food somewhere else instead.
That's good to know.
Btw, the cover art looks splendid!!!
11250317
No, they were addressing Zipp and Pipp.
I like the idea of the vehicle I won't mention.Lol.