> An Unending Chill
>  by Kaptein
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1: First Winds
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Celestia’s sun was shining beautifully, birds sang cheerfully and - judging by the cheerful sounds of ponies outside - everypony seemed to be about their usual business.
That couldn’t explain why it was so blisteringly cold.
Twilight Sparkle shook off the three extra blankets she had put on the night before, her body giving a small shiver at the chilled morning air nipping at her. The frigid nights for the past week resulted in her needing the extra insulation. 
Going downstairs, she started on breakfast, leaving Spike to sleep his morning away. The poor tyke - after yesterdays bi-monthly reshelving, he deserved a bit of a rest.
A simple and warm meal of hot oats helped push the cold away and put a smile on Twilight’s face - despite the cold, it was going to be a good day, she could just feel it. 
Wrapping a thick scarf around her neck, she headed outside to start her morning errands.
She was not alone in wearing some kind of warm garment - others were adorned with scarves or coats and even some had winter boots. The sight was odd considering it was the middle of autumn. 
She didn’t get a chance to ponder as a heavy weight knocked into Twilight’s side, almost pushing her off her hooves. “Oof!” she grunted, turning to look at what pushed her.
“Watch where you’re going!” an angry-looking stallion growled, causing Twilight to take a guarded step away from him. He stalked off, shooting heated glances back at Twilight.
“I wonder what his problem is…?” Twilight asked herself under her breath, before turning and resuming her trip to the market stands.
“Hey Applejack,” she greeted, making her way to her friend’s applecart, giving a warm smile to the farmer. Applejack gave a weary smile back, tired rings under her eyes.
“Mornin’ Twilight,” she greeted back. Her voice was as tired as her eyes, her body slumping slightly.
“Is everything alright?” Twilight took a step forward, her brow furrowed in worry. Applejack was usually cheerful this time of morning. What possibly could have her troubled like this? 
Applejack’s eyes darted to the side, searching for a lie before she simply looked down at the ground, heaving a resigned sigh. “I swear, winter is supposed to be two months away and it feels like its first chills are comin’ in already.” She looked up at the sky. “This cold is leavin’ more than I care of my crop damaged to the morning frost, and it’s been pushing back the amount of harvesting we can get done. I’ve been up all night worrying ‘bout it!”
“Oh my. That sounds bad,” Twilight said sympathetically. It didn’t bode well for Ponyville if the Apples’ harvest was struggling. She looked up at the sky as well. Clouds were slowly gathering overhead - Rainbow must have had rain planned for that day.
Saying her goodbyes to Applejack, Twilight turned to do her morning shopping - she still felt a bit chipper this morning and wanted something fresh for lunch. 
A cold tingle touched her nose, a wrinkle chasing the smile off her face. “Snow…?”
Twilight looked back up at the sky, an unsettling churn building up in her stomach. No - that couldn’t be right; they were still in the middle of autumn! But, sure as it was, snowflakes lazily drifted down from the darkening clouds overhead.
Slowly, ponies came to a stop as they glanced upwards, more snowflakes falling down. The entire plaza came to a grinding halt, everypony practically dropping what they were doing to stare at this oddity.
Twilight didn’t have time to join them - galloping at full speed back towards her library, she found a very nervous Rainbow Dash there. Her hooves were prancing on the spot, droplets of cold sweat beginning to form on her brow. Aviator goggles swung wildly around her neck.
Rainbow immediately rushed to Twilight and gripped her shoulders tightly. “Twilight! you’ve got to help me out here! The weather’s gone crazy!”
Twilight levitated the pegasus off of her. “Easy there, Rainbow Dash. We’re still two months from winter - why’s it snowing?”
Rainbow’s eyes were wide, the panic slowly building up in them. “That’s exactly it, Twilight,” she said, “It’s not supposed to be snowing! Cloudsdale’s entire weather team is out there trying to push back the rogue clouds but they just keep coming! Nopony even knows where they’re coming from. We’ve already had six fights break out in weather HQ about this whole mess!”
Twilight took a bewildered step back. “I’m - I’m not sure how I’m supposed to help right now, Dash,” she said, Rainbow’s panic seeding uneasiness into her. 
“Maybe your magic can help out - I don’t know! We’ve spent the entire day just trying to find out where they’re coming from!”
A firm knock on the library door snapped them both out of their argument. Twilight walked up to it and opened it. A pegasus stallion wearing a pair of aviator goggles, akin to the ones Rainbow Dash and other high-altitude weather pegasi wore, stood at the door, peering past her into the library.
“Rainbow Dash!” he called out. “You’re needed back at Weather HQ - pronto. Every available pegasus is being called up there.”
Twilight blinked at the stallion in confusion. “Why? What’s going on?”
The pegasus stallion sighed, pulling the goggles off to hang loosely around his neck. “Snows have been hitting every major town and city in Equestria,” he replied, the words sending a chill down Twilight’s spine. “We’re scrambling as many teams as we can to try and do damage control.”
The chill along Twilight’s spine spread very quickly to her stomach. “Wait, what?” she whispered, her voice sounding very small. “H - how bad is it?”
A bleak sigh escaped the stallion, no hope behind his eyes. “Fillydelphia and Manehatten are already snowed in. Cold fronts are hitting all along the western banks of Equestria, and we’re even getting reports of snowstorms blowing in down past Appleloosa.”
“...how come none of us have heard about this?” Twilight asked weakly.
The smile faded from his face. “Too much panic - every pony in every town has been too focused on trying to figure out what’s going on. The rogue storms only started a week ago - Ponyville is one of the last to be hit.”
Twilight Sparkle stood, a numbing feeling spreading up from her hooves. She turned to look at Rainbow Dash, eyes filled with worry. Understanding flooded into her - no wonder Rainbow Dash was in such a state. She knew, even if partly, just how badly things were going. 
The stallion continued, “We didn’t think it was that serious up until a few days ago. We’re scrambling every spare pegasus to try and find out what’s going on.”
Twilight looked between the two. The resigned look on the stallion and the weary look on Rainbow’s face were both final nails in the coffin of quiet panic building up in her. “But - it’s been a week! How come nopony even knows about this!?”
“I - I’m not too sure. Weather HQ is keeping quiet and something seems to be disrupting the normal mail routes. I really wish I could tell you more, but I don’t know any more to tell.”
Twilight simply stared in disbelief at the stallion. She tried forming a coherent argument but words kept failing her.
The stallion finally spoke. “Come on, Rainbow Dash. We’re running out of time.”
With a resigned sigh, the multi-coloured mare trotted nervously up to the door. She gave Twilight one last look, two dark pink pools of fear and worry behind the confident mask that was Rainbow Dash. She closed her eyes, pulling up the goggles over them. “I’ve gotta go, Twilight,” she said, her voice deflated. “Please - maybe one of your books has something. We’re at a loss here.”
Together with the stallion, they took wing towards Cloudsdale as Twilight could only look up at the still-darkening sky. 
After a few moments, she turned, closing the door behind her. “Spike!” she called out.
The baby dragon walked up to her. “Yes, Twilight?” 
“I need you to send a letter to Princess Celestia.”
He nodded, fetching a quill and parchment.

Dear Princess Celestia. 
I’ve just heard from the weather pegasi that snow is falling all throughout Equestria. Do reports detail on how bad it is? Is everything in Canterlot okay? This is all catching me off-guard and I’m surprised at the lack of news.
Please respond soon, Princess. I’m worried.
Your Faithful Student
Twilight Sparkle.

With a puff of green dragon-flame, the scroll was off to its intended recipient. All she could do was wait for the Princess’ reply. 
She turned to go to the main library section - hopefully there was something in there that could shed some light on the freak weather.
Twilight stopped and stared out her library’s window at the town outside. A layer of snow was beginning to form.

> Chapter 2: First Arrivals
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight waited. 
And waited.
Two days. Three days. Four.
On the fifth day she was practically having a panic attack. Something bad had happened to Princess Celestia - she was convinced. Why else would her beloved mentor just ignore her for five days straight? 
All kinds of horrible scenarios played repeatedly in Twilight’s head - what if Canterlot had been completed snowed under? What if Celestia had frozen to death?
Twilight lay in her bed, the thoughts of something terrible happening to the Princesses and Canterlot barrelling through her mind like an out-of-control train.
She suddenly sat upright, gasping softly to herself. What if Canterlot had undergone a complete societal collapse and anarchy took over, the citizens of the city overthrowing the Princesses in a coup?
A loud dragon-fire burp interrupted Twilight’s train of thought. “Twilight!” Spike called out, running up to the unicorn with a rolled up letter in claw. “It’s for you! I think it’s from the Princess!”
Twilight yanked the scroll from Spike, pulling the letter open. Her palpitating heart calmed, a relieved sigh escaping her lips as she read it out loud to herself.

My faithful Student.
I’m sorry I haven’t replied earlier. Yes - it is indeed true that blizzards are hitting all across Equestria. Myself and Princess Luna have been caught organising emergency relief for our citizens. 
News is sporadic, but I promise I will keep you updated as much as possible. In the meantime, I would like you and the Element Bearers to stay in Ponyville and assist with keeping the town safe.
Princess Celestia.

Twilight turned the parchment over, examining it for more. There had to be more. Why wasn’t there more?
The numbing panic was slowly ebbing back into her - Celestia’s letter was oddly vague and did nothing to soothe her fears. If anything, it fueled them. 
She stared out of her library window, pulling the snug blanket a little tighter around herself. Her mind drifted off to the snow falling lazily outside. In five days, nearly two feet of it had fallen - and it showed no sign of relenting. How was Celestia handling things in Canterlot? If it really had swept across all of Equestria, like her letter had said, then how full were the Princess’ hooves in dealing with everything?
From what she could see, market activity had all but ceased in Ponyville. The thought fueled Twilight’s worry - what about the rest of Equestria? From Princess Celestia’s letter had told her, everywhere was being hit by the blizzard.
Her train of thought drifted off to the weather pegasi and their duty to keep the skies clear. Twilight’s mouth twitched slightly, a pang of worry shooting through her stomach as an image formed in her head - Rainbow Dash and several other pegasi bravely facing off against the rogue weather, only to be beaten down again by more ice and clouds. 
“I hope she’s okay…” she whispered to herself. Her train of thought continued on to her other friends - Rarity was probably swamped with orders of warm apparel. Hopefully she could keep up with the sudden need of clothing. 
Twilight shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “I wonder how Applejack’s farm is doing…?” she said, her voice cutting deep with worry. The snow was probably destroying what little crop was ready for harvesting. 
She swallowed, hard, not even realising the lump of icy panic building up in her throat. 
A sudden, loud knock at the door made the unicorn jump, bringing her out of her train of thought. “I’ll get it, Spike!” she called out.
Giving a small whine as the cold air nipped at her coat, Twilight headed downstairs. 
Waiting for her, a cold and shivering Rainbow Dash stood in the lobby of the library. Her coat had flecks of snow covering it and icicles dangled from her wing-tips.
“H-h-hey Twilight…” she said through chattering teeth.
“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight gasped, rushing over to her friend. “Are you okay? You’re freezing!”
The pegasus walked stiffly towards Twilight, wings still flared outwards. “C-can I crash here for the n-night, Twi? M-my home is k-k-kinda blocked in.”
“Yes! Of course you can stay the night!” Twilight said, her magic pulling a blanket from the storage closet. “Spike, get some hot cocoa for Rainbow.”
“Th-thanks, T-T-Twilight.” Rainbow stifled a huge yawn before going across to the sofa. She sat down, pulling the blanket tightly around herself, still shivering.
“What happened out there, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked, sitting down next to the pegasus, a worried frown on her face. “You’ve been gone for days!”
Rainbow gave a tired chuckle, taking the mug of steaming cocoa from Spike. “Th-thanks, Spike,” she said, before taking a deep drink. She shuddered, the warmth almost visibly spreading throughout her body. “Things got bad out there, Twilight…” she said after taking another sip. “We’ve been out there trying to keep it in control - and we just...we just couldn’t…” she trailed off.
Twilight placed a hoof around Rainbow’s shoulder, keeping silent.
“I haven’t slept in two days - just got relieved an hour ago,” Rainbow Dash continued, holding her hot chocolate in both hooves as she stared into it for a long while. “...Weather HQ wanted to keep things quiet for as long as possible.” She looked up at Twilight, a sheepish, almost pleading smile on her face.
Twilight hesitated slightly, glancing nervously at the drifting snow outside her window. Looking back at Rainbow, she spoke. “Why didn’t they tell anypony sooner?”
The pegasus shook her head. “It was humiliating for them. For us.” She took another long sip. “I mean - simple snow? Of course we could keep that in check! There’s no way it would spiral out of control and cause mayhem all across Equestria!” She looked up at Twilight, tears brimming in the edges of her eyes. “We’ve dealt with Everfree weather before - we’ve been able to control it. This blizzard - there wasn’t anything we could do…”
Rainbow Dash’s head slumped downwards, her eyes closing. Twilight leaned closer to her friend. “Rainbow…? Are you okay…?”
The ebbing panic was building up again inside Twilight. Rainbow dash was always head-strong and sure of herself - but here? She looked and sounded defeated. The blizzard was so bad it had all but broken the pegasus.
“I’m not okay, Twilight,” Rainbow suddenly sobbed. “Weather HQ told us not to tell anypony - they’re scared it will spread panic or something.” She looked up at Twilight, tears forming in her eyes. “I’m homeless until this passes - and we don’t even know if it will pass.”
“Easy there, Rainbow,” Twilight soothed, pulling her friend into a hug. “I’m sure everything will be alright.” She closed her eyes, really hoping everything would be alright.
Rainbow Dash silently hugged her back.


***   ***




The snow had compacted and blocked off the entirety of the entrance into Twilight’s library. A solid wall of snow greeted her on the other side of her door. Doing anything outside was almost as impractical as it was dangerous due to the risk of freezing to death in the sub-zero temperatures.
Rainbow Dash had fallen asleep on Twilight’s couch and slept right through the night and the following morning. Weather-duty must have taken everything out of the pegasus - usually the only time she was asleep at this time of day was because she had already finished her morning rounds.
Twilight glanced out the window again. Even at midday, it was cold and gloomy outside.
None of this was helped by the fact that they were running low on supplies. It mattered not that it was below zero outside - if Twilight didn’t go out soon, they would all starve to death.
Twilight’s horn flared up, her magic grabbing and donning herself with the warmest coat and boots she had. The magic shifted in hue slightly, as she wrapped a Dragon’s Warmth spell around herself, before preparing a magical wall to save the interior of the library from the waiting snow outside.
She briefly considered just teleporting to where she needed to be, but decided against it; the dangers of interpenetration from a failed teleport were as painful as they were messy.
A beam of heated magic shot out, slowly cutting away at the ice and snow buildup in front of her, creating a path for the unicorn. Howling winds whipped above the wall of snow and ice above Twilight Sparkle. 
Surely somepony out there must have had some sort of shop open.
Especially on a Tuesday.
The beam of magic emanating from Twilight’s horn melted the snow, forming a channel for her to walk through. She dredged and muscled through, head bowed down against the seemingly unending wall of white in front of her.
Without warning, the snow crumbled to reveal another path that had already been cut. Her heart skipped a beat as she took a few steps out into it. A thickly wrapped earth-pony walked past with a shovel, offering her a nod in greeting as he dutifully kept the path clear.
Without warning, the snow crumbled. Her heart skipped a beat when she noticed another path had also been cut out. A thickly-wrapped earth-pony walked past with a shovel, dutifully keeping the path clear.
“I can’t believe I didn’t do this sooner…” 
Even under the heavy snowfall, the community marched on. She made a mental note to scold herself severely for placing the library under a complete shutdown.
Twilight followed the paths by memory, navigating to Sugarcube Corner. A spur-of-the-moment thought popped into her head; Spike and Rainbow deserved something nice for dinner.
The bell tinkled lightly as she entered the bakery, a cotton pink ball of energy almost colliding with her the second she was through the door.
“Oh my gosh, Twilight! You’re okay!” Pinkie Pie buzzed, gripping Twilight’s face in her hooves. “Then again, I always knew you’d be okay - I mean, you’re the most smartest unicorn I’ve ever met. And I’ve met a lot of unicorns - so that’s saying something!”
Twilight pried Pinkie’s hooves off of her. “Yes, Pinkie Pie. I’m fine.” She looked around at the shop, taking in the view of the lively atmosphere. “And so is Sugarcube Corner, from what I can see.”
Indeed - the bakery was thriving. Many ponies gathered around the tables, sharing their warmth and baked confectioneries with each other. A crackling fire burned softly on one side of the bakery, Mrs. Cake bustling with a tray of muffins on her back as her husband took orders at the counter.
It was almost as if the warmth of the ponies’ cheer and friendship in here kept the chill outside and at bay.
“Hey, Twilight?” Pinkie’s voice interrupted, derailing Twilight’s chain of thought. “Are you okay? You looked like you dozed off for a second there.”
Twilight shook her head, smiling at Pinkie Pie. “No, I’m fine. I just needed to pick up a few things for Spike and Rainbow Dash - she’s staying at my place for a few days until she can get back into her cloud home again.”
“Oh my, I hope she gets to go home soon,” Pinkie said, a slight frown forming on her face. “I know, we can throw her a welcome-back-to-your-own-home party when she finally gets back!”
Twilight chuckled. “I’m sure she’ll appreciate that, Pinkie. If you don’t mind, I’m just going to buy a few things.”
“Okie dokie lokie! If you ever need anything, your good old Auntie Pinkie Pie is always here for you!”
Even in the worst of times, Pinkie always had a buzz of energy about her. Perhaps that infectious buzz was what always kept the Element of Laughter, well, laughing. 
Twilight finished up her business at Sugarcube Corner, purchasing a few custard buns for dessert and muffins for breakfast. A quick chat with Mrs. Cake later, and Twilight was well-stocked with baked goods for the next few days. 
Pinkie was still bouncing about, helping with orders and general cheer. Twilight found a seat to enjoy a croissant for herself. As she swallowed the last bite, Pinkie Pie trotted over to her table. 
Twilight smiled at her friend. “Hi again, Pinkie Pie.”
Pinkie grinned back. “Mrs. Cake says I can take a break for a while - so where else would I want to be except with my good friend Twilight!”
Twilight frowned slightly. Even at the best of times, Pinkie didn’t make 100% sense. “Do you know how the others are doing? I’ve been cut off a bit by all this weather.”
“Fluttershy is helping out at the Ponyville Hospital - she’s being super caring for all the ponies who need help with sudden colds and flu.” Pinkie Pie’s head tilted slightly, as if to jingle the thoughts around in her head. “Rarity is really busy making warm clothes for everypony and Applejack is trying to look after Sweet Apple Acres.” Pinkie’s head tilted back to normal as she gave Twilight a blank look. “Anypony else you need to know about?”
Twilight took a moment to process the information - apart from Rainbow Dash, everypony seemed to be relatively fine.  “No, that’s just what I needed to know for now, Pinkie. Thank you.”
They remained for a moment longer, catching up on each other’s lives before Twilight saw the time - it was getting late outside and she wanted to be home before dark.
Thanking the Cakes and Pinkie again, she said her goodbyes before entering the blistering cold again on her way back towards the library.
She hadn’t even made it halfway when she noticed a collapsed form lying in the snow. Her eyes widened, a soft gasp escaping her lips as Twilight dropped her shopping bag and rushed to it, bending down to examine the form.
It was a unicorn stallion, shivering badly and barely breathing. The thick jacket he wore had long since stopped staving off the cold. Twilight’s horn lit up as she prepared a second Dragon’s Warmth spell, carefully wrapping it around the weakly struggling pony. “Are you okay, sir?” she asked frantically. Against better judgement, she took off her coat and placed it over the stallion.
His eyes flitted open weakly, staring around wildly before settling on Twilight. “M - my family…” he half-whispered, half-whimpered. “Please help...we came from Baltimare...my family...they’re still stuck in the blizzard…” He managed one last struggle, weakly gripping at Twilight before falling unconscious. “Please...help them…”
Twilight looked back at the way she came. It was starting to get dark out. 

> Chapter 3: First Loss
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	
The stallion - or Harp Fisher as he murmured faintly to the nurse - was safe and sound in Ponyville General Hospital. He was unconscious but still alive. Nurse Redheart commended Twilight in bringing him so quickly - any later and frostbite might have settled in.
His family, however, was a different story completely. Twilight didn’t even have the first clue on where to start looking - Rainbow Dash, as tired as she was, had already zoomed to the skies with other pegasi in search for the lost ponies.
They didn’t even exactly know what they were looking for.
Twilight zipped up her winter jacket, turning to Applejack - who had volunteered to be a part of the search team. They both held lanterns, to see in the quickly fading light.
“He said he was coming in from Baltimare, so I would expect we’d find them somewhere North East of Ponyville,” Twilight said, her magic unfurling a map from her saddlebags. 
“We’ve got pegasi combin’ the sky and a few search teams already. I’m not sure what else is needed out there.” Applejack shook her head sadly - Twilight recognised that look.  “It’s practically dark out already. I’m not sure we’re going to find them in time.”
The unicorn nodded in agreement - there wasn’t much for them to do with the search teams already out, but they had to at least try. 
On cue, several of the ponies came trudging through the snow to recuperate from the cold. Twilight didn’t even realise the knot of tension building up in her chest until the returning members shook their heads sadly - they had found nopony.
The knot was quickly sliced through by the cold twang of worry. They were running out of time - fast. 


****


Bundles upon bundles of linen were piled around the walls of the Carousel Boutique. Scraps and offcuts of dresses, saddles and winter coats littered the floor. Over a dozen mannequins stood around shop floor, each with a work-in-progress stitched around it. 
Rarity Belle tutted to herself as she practically danced around her workspace, magic threading needles and thread through panels and hems for the pending orders she had.
The sudden burst of orders for winter-apparel had left her completely swamped in work - but she had adopted a firm pace and was working through everything smoothly.
‘What was Rainbow Dash thinking with all this dreadful weather?’ she thought to herself. A little warning would have been nice - some preparation is better than none.
A pair of nice stallions had offered to keep the snow build-up clear around her Boutique - after all, it wouldn’t do business very good if her clientele couldn’t even get to the shop to pick up their orders.
“Aha! Perfect!” she exclaimed, tying off the last stitch in one of her works - a simple winter’s saddle with extra long (and warm) skirtings.
Glancing  at the clock on the wall, she let out a small and controlled gasp at the time. It was already late into the evening. The gloomy weather was already starting to mess with her perception of time. 
Her magic neatly folded and boxed the completed order, before placing it the completed bay with other waiting orders. 
‘Hmm - I do have quite a few pending pick ups here,’ she thought to herself. Perhaps it would be nice to drop off some of the ready-paid orders. After all - she couldn’t have ponies freezing to death!
Humming a tune to herself, Rarity packed a few completed items into her saddle-bags. Trotting into her walk-in closet, her magic created a dance of various items around her, the three full-sized mirrors showing her every flattering angle as she compared different items. 
Electing a coral blue scarf with violet highlights and matching boots, she hoisted the saddlebags onto her back.
A list was levitating in front of the fashionista. “Hmm - first drop off is for Mr and Mrs Stalk. They’re just around the corner!”
Pushing her door open, Rarity found that somepony had quite kindly already cleared the snow leading to her Boutique for her. Making a mental note to thank the pony, she set off to the Stalk’s residence.
The buildings of Ponyville seemed to do a good job at shielding against the winds raging above. The cold nipped at her coat, causing her to emit a small whine. 
The trip to the Stalks was short, if not lonely. It seemed Rarity was the only one actually out - normally Ponyville was bustling with activity. 
A shiver ran up her spine. It was like a ghost town.
Silently thanking Celestia, Rarity arrived at a small single-story cottage. A dim glow from the windows announced that the Stalks were home. Giving a few, curt knocks she put on her friendliest smile.
The door cracked opened, before a young colt opened it further. Rarity’s smile faltered at the sad, distant look on the colt’s face.
“E - Evening. Your mother or father wouldn’t be around, would they?” Rarity asked, her hooves shifting uneasily.
“Who’s asking?” The flat tone in his voice bordered disinterested.
“It’s Rarity - I’m here to drop off an order for some sweaters.”
Wordlessly, the colt turned and shut the door. After a few moments it opened again. There stood a wiry stallion with a light green coat and a bunch of celery sticks for a cutiemark.
His eyes narrowed as they settled on Rarity. “I wasn’t expecting you here.”
“Oh, I’m terribly sorry dear,” she began, trying to keep her voice steady against Celery Stalk’s fixed gaze, “I was just in the area and I thought I’d drop off your order for you - afterall, I don’t want you all freezing in this dreadful weather.”
Rarity levitated the package out from her bag as Celery eyed it suspiciously. “We don’t have any bits,” he said flatly.
She shook her head. “No need to worry about that right now. You can sort out payment when you can.”
Celery eyed the package suspiciously, before grabbing the string in his mouth. He turned to take it back inside, leaving his door ajar. The family of three had been sitting around a small table. A moderate fire crackled in the corner, but Rarity felt no warmth coming from inside. She shivered, despite her jacket still keeping her warm.
Celery set the package on the table, opening it. His wife, Rhubarb and their son each took their sweaters.
Celery walked back to the door, a hint of a smile touching his face as he held his new sweater. Warmth started to almost seep back into the household as the stallion looked up at Rarity. His once stony gaze held a friendlier glow to it. “Thank you, Miss. We greatly appreciate it.”
There was something vastly different in his demeanor now, Rarity noticed. He was friendlier, even if it was only slightly. 
“It is only my pleasure, Celery. I hope you and your family stay warm in this weather. I have a few other clients to visit as well.”
Celery nodded and thanked her again, closing the door. Rarity stood for a while longer as conversation began to pick up inside the house behind her. She shivered, remembering the indifferent, cold gaze Celery had.
But now - it was warmer. The gentle laugh of the young colt was warm and genuine. 
She shook her head. The evening was closing quickly, and there were other orders to deliver.


*****


Twilight and Applejack readied their snow-shoes and lanterns, setting out with two other ponies. A part of her was thankful for the howling winds sweeping away any build-up of snow, however the double-edged sword it presented drove a deep worry into Twilight. 
The new search party set out, battling against the howling winds battering against them mercilessly, powering forward into the blizzard.
It was safer to search in pairs - Twilight and Applejack choosing to sticking together. It was already two hours after sunset - their lanterns offering nothing more than a token gesture against the storm - serving little more than a pilot light showing where the others were.
Twilight’s magic was at its limit - her brow was furrowed with the active concentration needed to keep her Dragon’s Warmth spell alive around herself and her friends.
“It’s no use!” Applejack called out. Even her apple-bucking strength strained against the howling gale that was determined to stop them every step of the way. “We’ll never find them out in this storm!”
Twilight began forming a reply when a faint voice called out from above. “Look out!”
She barely had time to register the voice before a rainbow streak tackled into her, sending the two tumbling a few feet. “Rainbow!” Twilight said hotly, picking the pegasus off of her as she stood up. “What is your pro -,” 
She was interrupted by the thunderous crash of an old oak tree being uprooted by the heavy winds, collapsing where she had been standing moments ago. Her eyes wide, she stared at Rainbow. Her wings and movement was oddly stiff but a determined and resolute look burned behind her eyes.
“How did you see that?” Twilight said, wiping off the excess snow from her coat, giving Rainbow an incredulous look.  “I can barely see my own hoof in front of me!”
Rainbow gave a small, tired smile. “I was born to fly, Twilight. When you’re up there you can’t afford to not pay attention. Plus, the view is a lot better up there than you’d think.” 
Twilight’s eyes narrowed sceptically, the aerial view could hardly be any better. She didn’t have time to dwell on it as Applejack’s voice pierced through the winds. “We found them!” 
A wave of relief flooded into Twilight, the tension in her shoulders suddenly releasing. Galloping over she approached Applejack standing in front of an old tree hollow, her Dragon’s Warmth spell already ready to cast.
Inside was a young mare and even younger colt - much younger than the stallion who had wandered into town earlier. The mare was barely conscious, her body set up as a shield against the cold for the colt. Twilight’s spell wrapped around her body as another rescue pony brought a blanket for her and the colt.
“Easy there, you’re safe now,” Twilight said soothingly, wrapping another spell around the younger colt, her magic stretched to its limit. Unlike the mare, he was still awake. “What’s your name?”
“Bottle Brush,” he said meekly, shivering slightly at the nippy air suddenly exposed to him. “My sister kept me warm - I hope she’s fine…”
Twilight looked at the mare. She offered a meek smile before drifting off again. Applejack was already hoisting her onto a makeshift stretcher. She turned back to Bottle. “Come, let’s get you back to Ponyville - your dad’s waiting for you.” Twilight smiled warmly.
Lifting him onto her back, she turned to make their way back. Bottle spoke, fear wavering his voice slightly. “Have you seen my mommy? We lost her trying to hide from the cold.”
The tension returned to Twilight’s shoulders, that same icy chill returning to her stomach.


End of Act One


> Chapter 4: Kindness and Warmth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	
The past three weeks were a complete blur to Twilight. The winds had died down, allowing them to start clearing the snow and get Ponyville back on track to normalcy. What they weren’t expecting was the flood of refugees from all across Equestria. 
Ponyville was the least hit by the freak winter. Manehatten had all but been wiped off the map, the few fragmented reports of the refugees saying that the town had been frozen into a solid glacier. Appleloosa’s crops were ruined by the sudden perma-frost and Applejack’s orchard wasn’t faring much better.
Twilight’s thoughts drifted to Bottle Brush as she sat in her study. His sister was badly frost-bitten but otherwise alive. His father had woken up but was just as clueless as to where his wife was. 
A shiver came over the mare as she pictured her own mother. An image briefly forced itself into her brain - her mother cold and alone shivering in the snow. She didn’t allow it to play to its conclusion.
 Praying to Celestia, she hoped she was still safe and sound. Just the idea of losing her mom made a lump form in her throat.
“He probably didn’t even have a chance to say goodbye…” Twilight found herself whispering, swallowing the lump painfully. She shook her head vigorously. No - negative thinking like that wasn’t going to help anypony.
Going upstairs to her bedroom, Twilight gazed out of the window towards Ponyville park. Rows upon rows of tents had sprung up in the past two weeks. Ponies forced out of their homes and working on vague rumours from Cloudsdale’s weather team had directed them all towards the small town. She could see small signs of life - the odd stream of smoke and some pegasi hovering over the tents.
She had tried sending letters to Princess Celestia, but half of them were simply burped back out again albeit severely deformed from what Twilight assumed was magical feedback. The weight of worry had been pressing down on her shoulders badly. Without her mentor for guidance, she found herself becoming more and more lost on what to do. 
Twilight went back downstairs again. She smiled softly at the blue pegasus snoozing softly on her couch, wrapped thickly in blankets. Rainbow’s home was still snowed-in and the constant outings into the biting winds had left her with a nasty cold. 
A purple claw reached out and tapped Twilight on the shoulder. She turned to the baby dragon. “Yes, Spike?”
He fidgeted nervously for a moment. “Hey, Twilight, you might want to come see this.” He motioned towards the main counter in the center of the library. “It came while you were upstairs.”
Twilight’s heart leapt - a letter? From Celestia? Or even anypony! “Quick, what is it?” she blurted out, rushing towards the table.
Her enthusiasm died down slightly at the mangled sight of what looked like what was supposed to be a letter. The edges were charred and despite being written on in thick ink, the edges of the letters were distorted. 
What was more disturbing were the contents of the letter. ‘Dragonfire not working. Winter is magical. Please be safe - Celestia’
She peered closer at the note, hoping more would appear. Nothing but the bold characters stared back. There wasn’t even a date or any other marks on the piece of scrap.
“Do you think the Princesses are fine, Twilight?” Spike asked, the dragon’s voice wavering slightly.
Twilight paced for a few moments before gently sitting down. Her magic levitated the note onto the table as she gazed wide-eyed at the floor. A light, empty feeling settled in her chest before she looked up at Spike. “I don’t know, Spike,” she breathed. “I really...don’t know.”


****     ****




With one final heave, the large cauldron slid onto the table, its steaming-hot contents wafting a delicious smell through-out Ponyville’s park. Several other cauldrons sat next to it on a long table, others on a large cart the pegasus and pulled from her cottage. 
Fluttershy began arranging and stacking bowls. It was still early in the morning, the sun barely peeking out over the horizon. The thick winter’s coat helped keep the morning chill out, but she still shivered involuntarily at the sight of the rows upon rows of tents set up throughout Ponyville Park, pathways cut between them in the snow. 
The weather pegasi had spread the rumour that Ponyville had been the least hit by the storms. Those who chose to run from the Winter, ran to the town to hide from the cold.
Those who chose to stay….Fluttershy shuddered, repressing the thought. There was a reason pegasi had stopped roaming the skies almost two weeks ago.
The large, makeshift tents had been set up to house the homeless population swarming in. Families and strangers alike huddled together to share what little warmth they could against the cold. 
Most, if not all, of the refugees had little more than the clothing on their backs. Fluttershy’s heart ached at their plight - especially the foals too young to know the disaster they were facing. Many were cold and hungry and didn’t know why. 
She had used up all of her savings getting a communal soup-kitchen ready. This was to be its opening day. 
Of course, she hadn’t told anypony about it. She didn’t want to burden anypony else with lifting the heavy cauldrons or setting up anything - it was so much work after all. Fluttershy couldn’t bear the thought of anypony having to do that work, especially after everypony had lost so much in the blizzards.
A thought occurred to her - what if no pony arrived? She hadn’t exactly advertised to the others that she was even setting up a soup-kitchen. A mini panic-attack began to settle in the pegasus’ chest. She had spent the better part of yesterday and the early hours of the morning setting this up. What if it were all for nought?
Sitting in silence, stewing in her own panic, Fluttershy didn’t even notice a stallion with a dark-coat walk up to her.
After a while Fluttershy was suddenly aware of the thickly-wrapped stallion carrying a shovel standing there, a quizzical look on his face. “Excuse me, miss?” 
The only response she could give was a quiet ‘meep!’ as she attempted a way to hide behind her mane. 
“I’m sorry, miss,” he began, motioning towards the half-set up tables. “I couldn’t help but notice you setting this all up on your own.”
Fluttershy nodded meekly. 
“I was on my way to help with shovelling snow but - ,” he smiled sheepishly, “I couldn’t let a good mare like yourself do all this on your own.”
Fluttershy shook her head. “N - no, it’s okay...I can manage…”
The stallion also shook his head. “They’ll manage without me for a while. I’m Noteworthy.”
“Fluttershy…”
The stallion frowned for a moment, Fluttershy feeling a terrified tremble building up her spine. His frown eventually softened into a smile. “Well, it’s very good to meet you.” He leaned his shovel against the table, examining the table layout. “If I may ask...what are you actually setting up here, miss?”
Fluttershy blinked nervously a few times, looking left then right before speaking. “It’s...it’s a soup-kitchen…” she said softly. “I couldn’t bare the thought of everypony going hungry…”
Noteworthy took another look at the tables, his eyes wide with wonder and surprise. “How long have you been setting this up for?”
“Since yesterday…”
He looked back at fluttershy, an unreadable look lingering on his face for a moment before he broke into a smile. “That is an incredibly noble thing to do. Here, let me help you.”
Fluttershy couldn’t muster the willpower to refuse. She simply gave a meek nod.
With Noteworthy’s help, Fluttershy was able to finish setting up the entire table far quicker than she initially hoped for. Soon, burners were running under the pots to keep them hot, bowls and spoons out and ready for the hungry refugees in Ponyville.
“Say…” the stallion began, touching his hoof to his chin. “I can’t say that I heard about your soup kitchen here.”
“Oh - um - that’s because I haven’t actually told anypony about it…” Fluttershy almost whispered, trying to hide behind her mane again 
Noteworthy stood up, raising an eyebrow at Fluttershy. She shrank under his gaze. 
“Well, now, I’m sorry but this won’t do!” He started moving towards the tents. “If you don’t mind, miss, I’m going to inform the rest of the ponyfolk about the good thing you’re doing here today. I might even get a few volunteers to help you.” He offered a smile to the timid pegasus before taking off on a confident trot. 
Fluttershy blinked a few times as the stallion departed. A faint smile tugged at her lips.



Author's Notes:
I've been struggling to find a proof-reader/editor - so from here on out I'm going to just self proof-read it.

Please leave a comment and/or any suggests for this chapter and the story overall. I'd love to hear your feedback.

Thanks for reading.