Winter Wrap Up: Animal Team

[CaptainMcDerp]

"That's crazy. Not only would it be Tartarus in a hand basket to even reach the caves, what the hay would we do once we got there?

Brooke gazed at the tattooed stallion as he expressed his opinion on the matter.

"Besides," The stallion paused to display a violent shiver before heading straight for the unused piece of blanket beside her. She didn't so much as flinch when the stallion settled into her personal space.

"Besides, that brown mare looked like she knew what she was doing."

Being one to sway more towards logic herself, Brooke couldn't help but agree with such a notion. But if there was some sort of brilliant plan swimming around in someone's brain, she was determined to fish it out.

"That may be an accurate deduction, but I can't disregard the severity of their situa-ack! Cold!" She jumped as the stallion's icy elbow met her side. After recovering form the initial shock, she progressed her sentence.

"Rushing in would be foolish, but constructing a way to assist them without adding more stranded ponies to the equation might be a possibility"

Suddenly, the roof caved in and a stallion plummeted to the couch. Brooke shrunk into the blanket as biting winds rushed into the house. The pony explained that others were trapped in with angry bears and bats. He asked for fluttershy's help, but that might not be the best choice. She may have calmed two panicked squirrels down with just a stare, but Brooke didn't know if the same results would apply to massive angry bears. She glance at Pyro as he spoke up

"I'm going. I can keep myself from freezing out there."

"I suggest you map out a plan first." Brooke said

She considered joining him, but just for a moment. Other than the real possibility of becoming yet another victim in need of rescuing, the only thing she could offer in this was speed, which would be immediately canceled out by the powerful winds. Perhaps she could distract the bears if she made it into the cave, but that was a silly notion considering the cramped proximity. She'd barely have enough room to avoid their swipes. In order to safely get past the bears, one would either have to confine them or sedate them somehow.

She shivered at the drastic drop in temperature thanks to the gap overhead. "Such a task would require a trek across the blizzard, climbing into a cave, and confronting aggressive bears and bats. If one could somehow hinder the bears or cause them to sleep, I deduce that would be the best option if we had the resources to do so, such as a sleeping spell or... something like that." She gazed at the crowd of ponies. "Anyone else have any ideas?"

She blinked as the tattooed stallion huddle even closer before laying his head down. She may not be one for withholding herself around strangers, but the action took her by surprise. Those outside of her hometown in Garden Gait often suppressed themselves when around her until they became official friends, but this pony disregarded personal space as if they've known each other for years. She wasn't particularly bothered, especially considering the recent plummet in temperature. Momentarily baffled would be a better way to describe it. Still, if this pony was going to act like some kind of close friend, she could at least know his name. She briefly cast her eyes in his direction, addressing him as well as anyone else within earshot. "My name is Brooke by the way."

[Corsair]

Fluttershy zipped around the interior of her cottage as Rarity handed out blankets. Many of the animals were still terrified. Some were still scared of the unnatural storm, others by the strange ponies all around, and still other were nervous about being confined in the cottage. Fluttershy calmed all of them, while her own panic was still building inside.

Some of the others were talking about going to look for the group that had gone to the bear caves. She hadn't worried about them when the weather had been normal, but now they must be trapped in the caves, and the bears might be as disturbed by the storms as the smaller animals. Scared animals could react badly, especially if they were confined. Fluttershy was probably the only one that could calm them down, and here she was, trapped in her own home. She didn't want ponies or bears getting hurt out there!

Her mind spun in circles. She wanted to go out and help, but the ponies and animals here needed help too. She was frightened for everyone that was cut off, but the storm was just too dangerous. Anypony that went out there would just end up lost and dangerously cold, if they could even push through the drifting piles of snow.

Fluttershy was dangerously close to hyperventilating, when a sudden crash shook her our of her thoughts. Straw and snow suddenly began to fall through an alarming hole in the ceiling. It looked like the roof had caved in!! The storm must be worse than she thought if the snow had piled up that far already. Then, she saw the brown earth pony that had unceremoniously landed on the couch. Mojo was one of the ponies that had been in the caves! How in Equestria had he fallen through the roof?? However, this was something she was prepared for!

Fluttershy had been friends with a certain colorful pegasus for many years. Rainbow Dash had a bit of a habit of crashing into things while training; trees, windows, doors... and roofs. Fluttershy immdiately flew up and began reknit the thatch of the roof together. The wind tried to push her away, but she fought her way through. She'd just gotten everyone warmed up, She couldn't let them freeze now! She let her hooves settle into a familiar pattern. She'd always had a hobby of knitting, but nothing too extreme. Applejack had once said she had a 'freaky knowledge of sewing,' but to Fluttershy it just seemed easy. Oh, she wasn't a designer like Rarity, but something like knitting a blanket or knitting a thatch roof back together felt natural.

After a few moments, Fluttershy backed away. The hole was not perfectly mended; she have to be outside to really fix it, but hopefully it would hold. While she'd was working, she'd heard Mojo talking about the group at the caves. It was just as bad as she had feared. Pyro was talking about going out there himself. Fire magic or no, he could still get lost. Even if he found his way, there was no guarantee he'd be able to help, or guide the others to safety. Oh, if only she could fix this like she'd fixed that hole... wait a minute...

Fluttershy's eyes went wide. That... that couldn't really work... could it? She looked down at the Rarity. Between the two of them... it might be enough. She dropped back down to the unicorn. "Rarity! I have an idea! We need to get all of the yarn from the sewing room!"

​

[RarityDash]

"How can I help?"

As Rarity returned with the blankets, a pony came up to her asking what she could do to assist. All Rarity could do was give a small sigh and hand the pony a blanket. "I don't think there's much any of us can do about this blizzard, dear," she said softly. "We just need to do our best to keep ourselves warm and hope for the best."

She looked upward and gave a small nod. "Rainbow Dash and the others on the Weather Team are out there bravely fighting this storm as we speak. I know they are, and I know they'll beat it. All the rest of us can do is keep ourselves safe and wait even if..."

She looked toward the little pet bat that had followed her inn she had with her and looked downward, thinking about Presteza, who wasn't anywhere to be seen in the cottage. She had went off somewhere while Rarity wasn't paying attention and now she was nowhere to be found... still out there, one could only assume. Rarity feared for her dear friend out there in the elements.

And Rarity wasn't the only one who was noticing such things. She could hear others in the cottage begin discussing those still stranded out there. She gave a long sigh as she looked downward. She felt conflicted. She wanted nothing more than to rush out there and save Presteza and the others, but it was also important to stay here and help comfort all these confused and cold ponies in the cottage with Fluttershy. It was a difficult thing. She had to keep her head about her and try and stay strong.

It was amidst those thoughts that heavy debris came crashing through Fluttershy's roof. Rarity stepped back, aghast at the development. It was only after a voice came from the spot that she realized that the debris was in fact Mojo, the stallion who had earlier asked her out. She blinked several times as she recognized him. Was this what the wind was out there? Strength enough to carry a full grown pony into the sky and launch him through a solid cottage rood? Bizarrely, he didn't seem near as injured by the impossible fall as one might rightly think and spoke to them immediately, reiterating the danger the others faced. Rarity's expression went grave. Their problems were multiplying. They simply couldn't count on the others to survive these conditions until Rainbow Dash fought off the storm. It was impossible.

​

"Rarity! I have an idea! We need to get all of the yarn from the sewing room!"

At these words, Rarity recalled the more immediate problem. They now had a hole in the roof letting in the wind and snow quicker than they would be able to take. Showing great instincts, Fluttershy was already hard at work sewing up the hole, but now she was requesting more yawn. "Right!" Rarity started as she dashed to immediately fetch the yarn.

She returned only moments later and looked up at Rarity, holding the basket full of yarns. "What do you have in mind dear?" she asked. "Are we to make something that might help us save the others?" she added hopefully.

​

[Pretzelparty]

That was an interesting way to say thank you, Presteza found herself flying away as she was bucked by the elder mare. The mare with no name had a doozy of a kick for such an old soul. As the mare in the cloak tumbled along with the momentum of mane's kick she soon found herself slamming into the wall of the cave. Her impact into the wall shook the cave only slightly but more importantly is gave her a pretty nasty bump on the head! The mare's vision went hazy and she felt dazed and then sleepy. Soon all she could make out were a series of moving blurs and the sound of peaceful flute music that only facilitated her sleepiness and without fail shortly after the music met her ears she was out like a light.

"It doesn't seem we are in danger of anything falling on us, but that bear doesn't look all too pleased. We should go help those ponies." Trekker said as she dashed off, with the blue unicorn behind her.

"Uh... hi... I had hoped that the bats would have vacated the cave before you ponies arrived.... But apparently they are now annoying the bear. I think we should vacate the cave before somepony gets hurt..."

The owner of the bat-warning voice finally revealed herself, along with the ice unicorn and a silver fox companion. Calamity Mane lacked any time to waste. “Can't go out that way, All the bears went there. We'll have to skedaddle back the way you came.”

Soon the sounds of voices began to sound clear again, it seemed like a discussion of the situation at hoof was going on. Slowly, the freckled mare's heavy eyelids lifted and and she rubbed the back of her head,"W-wot just happened?" she asked. The bears and the bats were still pretty peeved at the moment. The sound of sounds of panicked roars and screeching all round the cave echoed in the cave and as the painter pulled herself too her hooves she heard her friend Icy speaking up and then head to the snowed in cave mouth and make them an ice laden exit.. the only problem was that the panicked animals were now blocking the chance for pressy, mane, and trekker (and chrome) to get out.

"I-Icy ..." she shouted shakily,"WE can't get to ya like this! Be safe! I'm gonna have ta stay with these two!" Quietly going back to Mane and trekker she said in a woozy tone,"Oh hi, Trekker... Where we goin' again?"

[starswirlthebearded]

The situation that was unfolding before Trekker was not one that filled her with hope of making it to the newly made exit that Ice Storm had forged. How Ice Storm snuck past the chaos was a mystery. There was no doubt to Trekker that Chrome could make it and he could possibly distract the bear, but she did not want to risk the well being of her oldest friend for the chance to escape into a blizzard and put her trust in a pony she did not know well. Trekker knew that her best chance was to exit the cave the way she came with Calamity Mane and Pressy, whom she could now positively identify and knew from another adventure in the Everfree. Both Calamity and Pressy seemed to agree with this, even without Trekker's input.

With that Trekker decided it was best to leave the basket and release all the insects to complete her chosen job. Hopefully that should do for now. I can't feed critters who don't want to be fed, but hopefully when they hunger they'll eat their fill. Calamity had already taken command telling Trekker to take them back the way they came. "Sure..." Trekker said with trepidation, not used to someone taking charge over her. "I can certainly do that..." Pressy finally greeted herself. "Oh, hey Pressy!" Trekker responded with a bit more vigor. "We are heading back this way," as Trekker motioned down the opposite end of the cave away from the chaos. "We can catch up later after we are out of this mess..."

Trekker looked at Chrome. "You know the way better than I, so lead the way my foxy friend." With that Chrome started off pausing to make sure everypony followed, and Trekker followed suit.

[Zeig]

Ooh, he liked her.

At least, the bucking common sense the deer seemed to be showing. At least one was smart enough, and not running high on a hero complex, to understand the danger of simply rushing back out into the storm without a plan. Such would inevitably lead to even more ponies becoming stranded and in need of a rescue, which - as ironic as it might have been - was something that really wasn't needed at the moment.

Inkbrand let the voices wash over him with a vague sense of awareness once the topic turned to spells and resources and…and thinking. That stuff was for unicorns, maybe Pegasi, to sort out. The tattoo-clad stallion was content to let his head continue resting against the floor in an almost dreary state, the reawakened fire doing its best to ward off against the freezing chill. Ideas, huh?…yeah. Yeah, maybe if a pony burrowed their way underground to go under the storm, or tunneled their way through the piles of snow already built up. Then blasted their way through the cave floor, maybe flooding the entire cave to wash the bears and bats and stranded ponies back to them…yeah, that could work. Maybe.

Brilliant plans aside, Inkbrand didn't pay too much attention to the conversation, though his ears did prick upwards at the soft voice that seemed mostly directed at him. The grey stallion didn't bother removing his head from the floor, but rather tilted it in the deer's - Brooke's - direction, visible golden eye glowing with the burn of the fireplace. He probably let his sharp gaze linger on Brooke's form a moment longer than appropriate, but he couldn't help it. Really.

He really liked her. Just about the only introduction he'd gotten from a girl in Ponyville without his initiative, that hadn't resulted in radioactive blushes, stammered sentences, scoffs, or upturned noses.

Or screaming matches.

"Inkbrand," he finally said after a long moment, a lazy smile splitting his lips wide. Inkbrand couldn't snuggle any closer without literally throwing himself on top of the deer, but he settled on simply turning his head more in her direction, still watching her from underneath his messy bangs. His gaze only stopped to admire the flickering firelight swimming across the deer's form once, before coming back to look straight into her eyes, expression almost contemplative. Not only was he belatedly rather surprised that he hadn't been kicked out of his warm shelter yet, but Brooke was positively amiable about the whole thing. He was…

Aw hay, he was intrigued.

Any inner musings on the deer, however, were cut short at the sudden fluttering of wings, and Inkbrand turned his head, still laying prone on the floor, to watch bemusedly as Fluttershy, of all ponies, patched up the gaping whole to some extent. The call for yarn was also rather surprising, but seeing how the yellow Pegasus and Rarity seemed to have it under some control, Inkbrand didn't bother asking where Fluttershy was going with all this. He contented himself with watching Rarity's backside as the white unicorn moved back and forth, resigned to spend quite a while until this winter finally finished being a little filly about this whole wrap-up thing.

[IceStorm]

Everything that could have possibly happened to make this entire situation worse seemed to be happening. The everlasting struggle between the bears and the bats had positioned themselves in such a way that it completely blocked everypony else from being able to escape, and also made it to where she couldn't get back into the cave to help protect them. At this point, there was really only one thing she could do. She still didn't trust the integrity of the cave at all, but there wasn't really a position that could be argued on right now. That being said, if there was any pony that would have been the best to get trapped outside of the cave, it would have been her. Ice at least had the means to defend herself against the raging blizzard, and was the only pony that she knew of, at least from the ones in the cave, that had the means to deal with the snow around her. "It doesn't look like we have much of a choice now!" she shouted inside. "Try to find stable shelter! I'm going to get Fluttershy!" She hollered inside before sealing the cave entrance with Ice so that the bears couldn't try to follow her through the cave of snow she was making.

"Alright Ice. You can do this. Just remember the training at the academy and remain in control of yourself, and this won't be a problem..." she said to herself as she started to extend the cave. She used a bit of the snow to create plates around her, condensing it into pure ice just as she was doing to make the arch way so that it was structurally sound. She continued doing this, angling the cave up a bit so that she could see above the top of the snow to make sure that she was going the right direction. Once she could see the surface of the storm, she paused, panting a bit. This was definitely taxing on her. It was the largest amount of magic that she's used in a single setting in a very long time. She could barely see the cottage at all which meant that she was a good distance away. She started to move back under the snow drifts and continued carving the cave of ice for a bit longer before she had to stop again to catch her breath.

[Bellosh]

Glancing backwards, Calamity Mane saw that everyone else aside from the ice pony chose not to brave the storm of discordant animals. It was just as well that the others made their escape now; having already turned a corner, Calamity was out of visual range of the creatures, but she definitely could hear the sound of in-fighting dying down drastically. The bears and bats were swiftly losing their will to bicker amongst themselves, and they they couldn’t get out of the cave from where they were, well... there was only one direction they could take.

Calamity Mane let the professional unicorn with the silver fox companion take the lead. Since they already passed this way, they were the logical choices to take point. The cowgirl also let her remaining assistant pass her by, so that the experienced earth pony could cover the rear. With a swift motion, Calamity brought her hoof to adjust her hat... only to feel nothing but mane! Oh yeah, that’s right; she took it off at the cave entrance. Doubtless it’s be trampled to death by now, which probably would lend it a further air of mystique, come to think of it.

But Calamity could not spend too much time letting her mind wander. She constantly kept peeking over her shoulder, making sure that nothing else followed them through the darkness. At least if the bears had any sense, they’d focus on digging through the spilled buckets of fish for their delayed waking-up meal. Mrs. Mane also kept her attention on the stalagmites hanging above; no, sound alone couldn’t dislodge them from their high perch, it still seemed like to the mare. But the ice pony’s words of concern made the gears turn in the vaquero's brain; should it come to it, maybe Calamity could use her trusty lasso to whack the cave roof, causing a few rocky spikes to fall at a time, and make pursuers think twice about following. Whether the plan could work or not, the rodeo queen knew with complete certainty that it’d make a great story to excite audiences with.....

[PyroBlaze]

Pyro looked over at Brooke again as she pointed out that he needed a plan of some sort. He sighed slightly at that. She was right, of course. He could protect himself from the storm just fine, but he still had no idea where he was going. Brooke was speaking about what kind of problems were being faced in the cave, and saying incapacitating the bears without really hurting them would be the best solution. He could try to fence them in with magic shields, but he didn't have anything in the way of sleep spells. Brooke had introduced herself to the tattooed stallion, who eventually came back with the name Inkbrand.

"I could probably keep them contained, but I have no way to put them to sleep. Of course, that would still leave the problem of getting there and back without getting lost. Hmm..." Pyro said, trailing off as he tried to think up a solution to the problem he was currently faced with. The leader had fixed the roof before asking Rarity to retrieve yarn. Pyro looked over to her, initially in confusion. Pretty soon, an idea came to him. Perhaps they could use the yarn to help find the way back here, but that would still leave the possibility of getting lost on the way there. Rarity was already questioning what the plan was, so Pyro refrained from doing so. He still worried about the ponies stranded at the cave. The longer they took here, the more time there was for something more to go wrong at the cave. Even so, he knew he shouldn't rush out there, though he would if the need arose.

[QueenChrysalis747]

Moonlite blinked, "I think I know where Miss shy is going with this, if we sew a long peice of thick twine wire we can wrap it around the hoof of whoever goes out!" she said, "therefore if they are gone way too long we can tug to get them back, and use it to back track!" she smiled warmly, "I wish to take lead go out to find them, I have a friend who has a talent of never getting lost, so I have worked on tracking spells to find him when we play hide and seek," she giggled, but felt foolish telling everypony she played a foalhood game.

[Mojo]

Mojo was very happy to see that Fluttershy seemed to be on top of the situation. When she asked for yarn, the face of the Paint stallion brightened.

"I've got some yarn with me, babes!" Mojo neighed, opening a flap on one of his saddlebags to reveal some balls of multicolored yarn and other sewing supplies to Fluttershy and Rarity, "you can even have me hoof made shag rug I brought with me too! It'd kinda be a downer to part with it, since usin' it the way I did saved me life, but if it'll help our pals trapped in that funky cave, I'm cool with it! I do have some skill in sewing too, maybe we could work side, by side, by side. Whatdoya say, winged beauty and lovely unicorn?"

[Corsair]

"What do you have in mind dear? Are we to make something that might help us save the others?"

"Well, I hope so..." Fluttershy answered, taking a skein of yarn in her hooves. She nodded at Mojo and the little filly, who seemed to have gotten the idea. "If somepony goes out in the snow now, they could get terribly lost! But, if we can make a long enough rope, we can tie them back to the cottage. That way, they can at least make it back here, and lead the others back when they find them!" Sounding less certain, she added, "It will still be d-dangerous, b-but from what Mojo said, the others really need help."

She turned, looking at Pyroblaze. "If Mr. Blaze can use his magic to keep warm, he could go out and get back." Here, Fluttershy paused, gulping. The next part was what terrified her the most. She started unspooling the yarn, avoiding looking anypony in the eye, particularly Rarity. "B-but... he might not know the way. That... that's why I need to go too... I'm the only one that knows the area well enough to find the cave right now..."

The pegasus shivered, just thinking about going out there. "Pegusii are resistant to c-c-cold... I s-s-should be fine..." she forced herself to say. Her hooves were already working, beginning to braid strands of yarn together. The rope had to be thick enough that it wouldn't break by accident, so a single strand wouldn't do. She did look up then, nervously, and asked, "Um, unless somepony has a better idea?" she squeaked, trying to keep the hopeful tone out of her voice...

​

[QueenChrysalis747]

Moonlite sighed, clearly Miss Fluttershy had not hear her at all as she offered to go out as she knew spells to assist her in tracking. She went to the corner and sat, clearly not needed

[RarityDash]

Rarity giggled at the simple idea Fluttershy proposed. Of course! It wouldn't have even occurred to her to make the yarn into such a simple form. It was a smart plan though, but they needed to be careful about it. With how the storm was raging out there, they needed to be as safe as was possible.

"It's a fine plan, darling, but we must be careful with it. Whatever rope we make will need to be as thick and strong as it possibly can be," she said with a steady nod. "If it's even a little flimsy the wind will slice right through it like it's nothing." She looked at how Fluttershy was braiding it. "I'd suggest making it even a little thicker than that, if you can, dear," she said. "Here, let me help..."

Rarity began to assist with the making of the yarn rope, braiding it together quickly and sturdily, creating a length of strong and firm rope that can be followed. She was somewhat surprised when she heard Fluttershy begin to mutter then about taking the lead and going out there all on her own. Rarity started to suggest that she should be the one to go... but couldn't get the words out. Fluttershy was so often treated like a weak child, especially by ponies like Dash, but today she was their leader. It wasn't Rarity's place to tread on her dear friend's authority. No, it was better to just give her her faith and support. She would stay here and focus on keeping the others warm and safe. That was important too. Still, she had to offer something... A little movement in her mane gave her an idea. Her eyes focused on a little bat as he flew out of her mane. She smiled a little.

"If you must go out there, dear, I'd take little Fresco with you," she said in a soft voice. "He is Presteza's pet bat who she left with me... He is quite eager to be reunited with her, I can tell, and he might just be able to help lead you to her..."

The little bat gave a small found and then flew toward Fluttershy, hovering around her. Rarity smiled. "I'll stay here and watch over the others, darling. I'll make sure that everyone stays warm and that if more damage comes to the roof it is promptly tended to..."

"You needn't worry over anything. I just ask that you be careful, and that you find them quickly..." she ended, steady and severe before giving Fluttershy a little hug.

​

[CaptainMcDerp]

"Inkbrand,"

Brooke gazed at the stallion when he introduced himself. Their eyes met for a moment and she briefly returned the smile and nodded.

She veered her gaze to Pyro. The fiery maned unicorn claimed he could most likely contain the bears, presumably with some sort of spell. That was certainly good to hear, but like Pyro also expressed, the question remained... how were they going to traverse from the cottage to the caves without falling victim to disorientation?

Brooke gave a small shiver as she watched Fluttershy cover the majority of the hole in the ceiling. She glanced to the flickering fire before hearing the pegasus speak.

"Rarity! I have an idea! We need to get all of the yarn from the sewing room!"

Brooke's ears angled towards Fluttershy before her eyes followed suit. A grin appeared on her face as she saw Rarity fetch a basket full of yarn. At this point, the doe suspected what sort of thing Fluttershy was up to. And when the pegasus explained her plan to Rarity, it confirmed Brooke's prediction. They where going to braid enough rope to stretch from the cottage to the cave as a means of finding their way back and forth. She watched the two ponies with a glimmer in her eyes. This might just work.

As Rarity and Fluttershy focused on the rope aspect of the plan, Brooke turned her attention to dealing with the bears. Pyro knew a containment spell of some sort but a back up plan wouldn't hurt. She remembered how Fluttershy calmed those two squirrels with nothing but a stare and couldn't help but wonder what the limits to that ability was. Her eyes fell on the yellow pegasus.

"How proficient are you with animals, Fluttershy? I witnessed you calm panicked squirrels with a mere stare but that hardly compares in scale to aggressive bears. Would that be a feasible task for you? Perhaps Pyro could enclose them while you avert their hostility."

She realized how silly her sentence was. A timid pegasus converting enraged bears into docile bears didn't seem likely, but she had to ask. Especially since the pegasus volunteered herself for the rescue mission.

[Pretzelparty]

"Oh, hey Pressy!" Trekker responded with a bit more vigor. "We are heading back this way," as Trekker motioned down the opposite end of the cave away from the chaos. "We can catch up later after we are out of this mess..."

The freckled mare rapidly shook her head as if to dislodge some cobwebs in her head. After finally getting her head clear she smiled at Trekker,"Got it. Savin' the chatter fer later." she said, making the 'my lips are sealed' gesture with her hoof.

Trekker's little fox, Chrome had been leading the trio to the other end of the cave and after a fairly long walk away from the frenzied animals. As she took one last glance at the bears and bats she could only hope they didn't hurt each other. As much as things had gone to the diamond dogs, the ponies were still technically in Winterwrap up and the animals did need to be taken care of. Pressy was not looking forward to talking to Fluttershy about how they'd failed in their duty to these creatures. She'd made note to tell her the second she saw her and hope that there was something animal lover could do to help.

Meanwhile Chrome had finally managed to make it to the other end of the cave. The entrance that Trekker had originally come through was still intact thanks to its opening facing away from the winds of the storm, "Let's hurry back to fluttershy. She's gotta know about wot's happening in there." The mare said as she looked to her companions.

[starswirlthebearded]

Trekker nodded at the painter pony in affirmation of her response. Now facing the entrance (or now exit) of the cave they were faced with the trecherous blizzard. Still having her winter apparel on Trekker was warmer than most would thing. Through her travels she knew how to dress for any weather condition and still be mobile and agile. She put her goggles on that were dangling around her neck.

"Chrome I need you to find the scent back to Fluttershy's cottage. I don't think we want to be out here any longer than necessary." The adventurer requested her furry compatriot. With that Chrome started to dig in the snow to find a path and instantly perked up, looking worried. He looked at the group and looked around. Clearly he sniffed something else out that troubled him, almost looking for approval he stared at Trekker, and with a nod from his friend he dashed off. "Chrome wants us to follow him.... somewhere... but I don't think it is the cottage..." Trekker tried to explain to those around her... she really didn't know what to say... Chrome was a pretty willful fox and often did things on his own, but this time he wanted help. Within minutes of following he started scratching at a small opening ringing the bell. It was clear that he found the lizard and snake dens. "Oh! No pony came for the lizards yet... These must be the lizard and snake dens... they'll freeze to death if we don't help them." With that Trekker knelt down and allowed the a couple of the waking lizards into her coat to keep warm.

[PyroBlaze]

It seemed the leader had the same idea as him, to make something that led back to the cottage out of the yarn. When she said she would have to go out there, Pyro paused. Well, he could probably protect her from anything that would happen to them out there. He supposed it would work to have her along. There had been a unicorn suggesting some kind of navigation spell, but apparently the leader hadn't heard her, and she went into a corner.

"If you get too cold, I can warm you up as well. Just tell me if you want me to." Pyro said after Rarity had spoken, and just before she gave what was apparently Pressy's pet bat, Fresco, to the leader. He supposed they would have to wait for the rope to be completed, or at least give it a head start, before going out there.

"I'm ready to go whenever you are." Pyro said to the leader after Brooke had questioned the Pegasus' ability to calm the bears. Based on what he'd seen, she might be able to.

[Bellosh]

Passing through the cave without further incident, Calamity Mare jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire. Well, that idiom would make better sense if it wasn’t snowing outside, but it conveyed the rancher’s sentiments well enough. If it was up to her, she and her group would have stayed put at the cave exit, waiting for the blizzard to pass before attempting passage outside. Then again however, the weather ponies should have done something to stop this freak storm by now, assuming that pegasi could manage all weather. It just went to show that ponykind will never achieve total dominance over Mother Nature. The aridness of Dodge Junction was proof enough.

As the member of the ad-hoc group of three with the least amount of clothing (as well as a missing hat), Mrs. Mane suffered the brunt of the freezing temperatures. “You better be right partner,” she warned the experienced unicorn; “I have no intention of getting as cold as a wagon tire today.” The silver fox, aptly named Chrome, had different ideas. Calamity Mane despite her severe discomfort understood that Chrome wouldn’t be stupid enough to risk freezing to death without a very good reason, so the veteran cowgirl followed along.

The middle-aged mare was surprised to stumble upon the reptile dens, entirely forgotten about by everypony else. Lizards mainly chose to shelter in these parts, although it seemed a few snakes outside of the main group (which should have been dealt with by that doe Brooke, if Calamity recalled correctly) also took winter residence. Feeling the panicked crawling of countless dozens of tiny legs, the earth pony gazed down to see spiders seeking shelter inside her vest. This must have been where those arthropods hibernated too.

“You have a plan for keeping us warm!?” Calamity shouted, her natural earth pony strength fighting so valiantly to withstand the chilling winds; “We’ll all turn into ice cubes if we don’t do somethin’!”

[Mojo]

"That's a groovy plan, babe," Mojo said in response to Fluttershy's proposal, "but I can't let ya go out there alone. I'm coming with ya, doll! I grew up in the Nimbusgait Lakes region, so I'm used ta trottin' around in the snow and bad weather. Beside that, with me shag rug ta cover the two of us up, we can conserve body heat together. Safety in numbers too, sweetie. How about it?"

Mojo was very sincere in his desire to help Fluttershy and thus, give the cave rescue mission a better chance of succeeding.

[Corsair]

Fluttershy's hooves were shaking as she braided yarn together. She really, REALLY, didn't want to do this, but she didn't feel like she had any choice... Ponies and animals could be in danger out there! She knew what she needed to do, but it didn't make it any less terrifying.. She was thankful when Rarity took the nascent rope in her magic and began to improve it. For Fluttershy, sewing and knitting was merely a hobby; For Rarity, it was her passion and livelihood. She was also oddly thankful that her friend wasn't trying to talk her out of this. If she had questioned the plan, Fluttershy wasn't sure she could have held up her courage.

The pegasus gasped when a little fruit bat emerged from Rarity's mane and flew to her. "Fresco!" she cried out, hugging the bat to her chest. "You poor thing! You must be so scared for Presteza!" Comforting the little creature, she told him, "Don't you worry, we'll find her!"

As the rope took shape, Fluttershy began dressing herself to help ward off the cold. A thick sweater fitted for her wings, a long woolen scarf, and heavy hoof boots. Yes, because pegusii lived at high altitudes, they were more resistant to cold than other ponies, but that didn't mean it couldn't affect them. After a moment, she also found her flight goggles and put them on her head. With the blowing snow, she'd probably need them. Freso tucked himself into the folds of the scarf.

Fluttershy looked at Brooke, surprised at the doe's question. "Oh, don't worry," she told her, "All of the bears around here are friends of mine, and wouldn't hurt anypony!" Then, she looked over at Mojo, and mumbled, "Well, most of the time..."

Pyro Blaze seemed ready to go, but Fluttershy was nervous. She did know the area well, but ever she might get lost in this weather. The little unicorn filly had mentioned something about tracking spells earlier. Turning to her. Fluttershy said, "Your spells might come in handy, but I can't ask you to go back outside like this. Pyro Blaze, is there any chance you could learn the spells? We could use them in case we loose our way..."

****

Shortly afterwards, Fluttershy found herself at the door. Her hooves felt like lead inside of her boots. All she had to do was open the door, but she was finding the first step difficult. She was momentarily distracted from her thoughts by Mojo. The big stallion was offering to go as well. "Um, I'm not sure, Mojo. I mean, there's two of us going out there already, but... maybe you could help us find the others... Just please stay close together."

She took the rope from Rarity as the unicorn gave her a reassuring hug. She tied one end to her tail. Fluttershy took in a huge breath, then fainlly moved to open the door. The door was rapidly forced open by the winds. She put the fight goggles over her eyes, and stepped out into the white. After forcing the door closed again, she fastened the other end of the rope to the outside of the cottage. "Stay close!" she shouted to the stallions over the wind, then began very carefully moving in the direction of the caves...

The trio struggled through the wind and snow. It was slow going. Fluttershy thought they were about halfway to the caves, but she couldn't be sure. Then, something nearby caught her eye. From here, it looked like a mound of snow, but there was a faint light within. In fact, it almost looked like a cave entrance, but she knew that they couldn't be there yet... She moved toward the opening, and was shocked to find herself in some kind of tunnel made of ice! It was still very cold, the they were not longer being buffeted by wind and snow. This could only have come from somepony's magic. "Hello?" she called out, "Is somepony here?"

​

((OOC: Sorry about the length, and rushing things along. Only one more day to wrap up winter wrap-up!))

[Pretzelparty]

"Chrome I need you to find the scent back to Fluttershy's cottage. I don't think we want to be out here any longer than necessary. Chrome wants us to follow him.... somewhere... but I don't think it is the cottage..." Trekker tried to explain to those around her... she really didn't know what to say... Chrome was a pretty willful fox and often did things on his own, but this time he wanted help. Within minutes of following he started scratching at a small opening ringing the bell. It was clear that he found the lizard and snake dens. "Oh! No pony came for the lizards yet... These must be the lizard and snake dens... they'll freeze to death if we don't help them."

Pressy's first action upon exiting the cave behind Trekker and Chrome was to shiver slightly as she felt the powerful biting winds on her face. The climate proved that it wasn't going to make Trekker's trek with her companions easy. The cold weather didn't bother the young unicorn too much. Presteza had been one of more heavily dressed participants this year. Over her body she wore a fur lined jacket, leg warmers, and luxurious looking cloak that fluttered elegantly in the gusts of the storm.

Chrome's nose soon lead the trio of Mare's to a group of dens housing the snakes and lizards. These cold blooded creature's surely couldn't survive in these freezing temperatures! Something needed to be done for them. The only warm place that the mare could think of that was safe enough was none other than Fluttershy's house. They might be able to lead the scale bearing creatures back there but the poor things may not make the trip. The cream colored pony looked to the older and wizened looking mare at her side but...

As the member of the ad-hoc group of three with the least amount of clothing (as well as a missing hat), Mrs. Mane suffered the brunt of the freezing temperatures. “You better be right partner,” she warned the experienced unicorn; “I have no intention of getting as cold as a wagon tire today.”

“You have a plan for keeping us warm!?” Calamity shouted, her natural earth pony strength fighting so valiantly to withstand the chilling winds; “We’ll all turn into ice cubes if we don’t do somethin’!”

...It didn't look or sound like she might be able to make the trip either. As some of the snakes slithered up and into Presteza's legwarmers and jacket. A few of the lizards clambered up into the mare's hat, some of them stepping on her nose and muzzle on the way. It didn't seem like any were taking shelter in her cloak so after a few moments she carefully levitated her cloak off of her and draped it over the older mare's body,"I hope that helps,mate."

[IceStorm]

The amount of time that it had taken Ice to get to where she was felt like an eternity. She honestly didn't know how much closer she had gotten to the cottage, but she knew that she had to keep going. For the sake of everypony else in the cave. After expanding the entrance another several meters, she had to pause again and rest to regain some strength. Regardless of this being her specialty, this was still a lot of magic, even for her to use, and she'd never had to use this much at one setting before. She would definitely feel the after effects in the morning. Just when she was about to start again, she heard some voices, mainly a soft voice asking if anypony was here coming from the entrance of the cave. Ice looked up to see Fluttershy and a group of other ponies connected with some sort of rope. Apparently she wasn't the only one willing to brave the weather to get what needed to be done, done. Ice moved up to Fluttershy still panting a bit.

"Flutteryshy!" she spoke between pants. "We need... to hurry and get to the cave... When I left.... the bears... were still rampaging... The others moved deeper in... I don't know if.... them managed to find an alternate exit before the storm overtook it... I do know that I..." she contiued as her breathing started to slow a bit more as she caught her breath. "I do know though that the entrance from this side is sealed. This tunnel of ice leads directly to the entrance that I left from, and I sealed it behind me to make sure that the bears wouldn't try coming after me while I went to get help. Getting this far with my magic was a feat in of itself. I don't think I could have handled the bears and this blizzard on my own," the icy colored unicorn concluded.

[Mojo]

Doing his part by forming part of the 'rope brigade' that was holding the long, hoofmade rope Fluttershy was attached to, Mojo heard the report from Ice who had somehow managed to escape the cave full of angry animals and trapped ponies.

"That's not cool, not cool at all, icy babe!" the Paint stallion covered with his own shag rug shouted, "Fluttershy, doll, sounds like your gonna need more horsepower to rescue our chums and calm down all those uptight critters. I'm comin' with ya now, and I won't be taken no for an answer!"

The hippie brony handed the two ends of rope he was holding and gave them to Ice.

"Here ya go, Ice Ice Baby! Take me place in line here while I go help that doll Fluttershy," Mojo neighed as he galloped off to catch up with the pink maned Pegasus mare. All along the trail, the Paint stallion's mind was thinking of how to get their friends free and what to do about the angry bear and music hating bats in the cave.

[starswirlthebearded]

With lizards and snakes now crawling to the warmth of the ponies in winter gear, Trekker included, it seems as though they'll be safe for now... though time was short. Warm clothes could only last for so long and Calamity didn't have any! Trekker was fortunate to still have her winter gear from her travels. She didn't even have time to get a vest from Rarity. Still it was troublesome that one in their group did not have the protection from the cold... Then Pressy removed her cloak and gave it to Calamity. That was perfect. However... now they were still facing a storm with now precious cargo... Trekker let out a sigh... There seemed to be no avoiding it now... She would have to throw up a wind resistant barrier using her magic. It wouldn't protect them from the cold, but it would stop the wind and snow at the very least. She was rather troubled that this would be breaking the no magic rule, but she'd rather break that rule than allow others to suffer for her stubbornness...

"That should keep you warm enough..." Trekker trailed off realizing that they never had the opportunity to introduce themselves properly, but now was hardly the time. Still she had to call her something! "...Miss... uh... Cowpony..." Trekker said with an unsure quiver in her voice. "I did promise not to use magic...but given the circumstances... I... don't quite see any other choice..." Trekker looked around as if she was committing some sort of crime as her horn glowed silver and a magical bubble encapsulated the group. "This should protect us from the snow and wind at least. It won't keep us warm, but it can at least prevent us from freezing due to the snow and wind." Trekker explained to the group. It appeared that they had finally gathered up all the critters.

Suddenly Chrome perked up. Trekker looked around as Chrome looked at her... Trekker knew that look all too well. "Keep your passengers safe... it looks like we are going for a run..." Trekker said with an unexcited, almost monotone, voice. She wasn't sure what made Chrome perk up like that but it was likely a rescue party or something... Dashing towards where Chrome was leading them they came to a strange impasse, a pony standing in front of what appeared to be an ice tunnel... Getting closer Chrome went ahead to rub up against the pony they saw in the blizzard. It was Fluttershy with another pair of unicorns and an earth pony, one was the blue ice pony and the brown earth pony they went into the cave with! Trekker gave a nod to Icy and Mojo, then addressed Fluttershy the team leader. "Fluttershy... I'm apologize, I was unable to keep my word about the no magic... It was either that or risk these little guys freezing to death." Trekker said as she motioned to the critters under her winter clothes. "Let me know what I... or we should do." Trekker said with a smile shooting a glare to Chrome who was clearly sucking up to the kind mare who had given him belly rubs earlier.