The massive steam train plowed through the snow-covered tracks as it slid into Winterberg Station. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy stretched their legs while they stepped onto the platform, each yawning after the ten-hour trip.

Rainbow Dash glanced up to the posted schedule as the train slowly rolled away. "Oh wow. The next scheduled train to arrive is our ride home, then the station will be closed for the winter."

"We better not miss it then..." Fluttershy frowned.

Rainbow Dash hopped into the air and circled the small station. "Yup... We'll be trapped here for sure if we miss our ride. No way we could fly through the blizzards that are on their way. Scary to think about, ya know?"

Fluttershy squeaked, "Yes..."

"Aw, don't worry. Chin up and move out." Rainbow Dash waved towards a road and flew ahead.

Fluttershy stepped off the platform and the crisp snow crunched beneath her hooves. She tightened her scarf and fluffed her wings before she pressed on through the cold. As Rainbow Dash left her sight, she picked up the pace. She trudged on, then took flight, her eyes darting from side to side for a glimpse of rainbow-mane.

"Rainbow?" she quietly called out. "Where are—oomph!"

Fluttershy fell onto her rear and shook a pile of snow from her mane. "Rainbow!"

The culprit hovered next to the single green branch of an otherwise white, snow-covered evergreen, holding her sides in a fit of hysteric laughter. "Baaaa-ha ha ha! I got you good, 'Shy!"

Rainbow's laughter slowed as a small snowball collided with her chest.

"Humph. That wasn't very nice. How do you like it?" Fluttershy stood up and shook herself off with a wiggle of her haunches.

"Aw..." Rainbow Dash fluttered down to her side and swept her back clear with a wing. "I was just playin'.

Fluttershy stuck her tongue out and continued walking. "I know. You just scared me a little."

Rainbow landed next to her and trotted along. "You can get me back later."

Fluttershy nodded, then spotted a small white fox burrowing through the snow at the base of a tree. She pressed her foreleg into Rainbow Dash's chest and carefully reached for her camera.

"Ouch. What—"

"Shh!" Fluttershy hushed, then whispered, "there's a snow fox over there."

It perked its head up in time for Fluttershy to snap a perfect picture, then it shook its body and created a small cloud of snowflakes. As they settled, it was nowhere to be seen.

"Amazing!" Fluttershy hugged her camera and beamed at the sight.

"I've never seen one of those before. Weird." Rainbow Dash shrugged and carried on.

Fluttershy hopped to her side. "Of course not. That lovely little guy doesn't live as far south as Ponyville. Their snow coats would melt, then they'd look..." Fluttershy covered her mouth and giggled at the thought.

"Gotcha. Oh look..." Rainbow Dash hopped into the air and glided to a fork in the road.

Two signs pointed down opposite directions, each with a name carved into it. Pointing to the left: Winterburg, and to the right: Circle Lake.

Fluttershy merrily skipped along and headed down the smaller of two trails towards the lake. "Almost there, right?"

Rainbow Dash darted to her side and nodded. A warm smile eased onto her face while she watched her friend snap dozens of pictures of wild critters scurrying about, including; a white squirrel with cheeks stuffed full of acorns, a flock of mud swallows fluttering to the south, and a rabbit frantically bouncing deeper into the forest.

The snow drifts laying across the trail were becoming taller as they advanced. Each pegasus took flight and flapped down the apparent trail until the snow had covered its existence completely. Rainbow Dash scratched her head and pointed between a large pair of evergreen trees.

"I think it's this way," she said as she fluttered forward.

Fluttershy nodded before taking a picture of a groundhog burrowing into a snow mound. She then lowered her camera and tilted her head at the sight of something larger. Her eyes met with a creature standing at the precipice of her field of vision, and with a dull flash of blue light, it was gone. She shook her head and wiped her eyes, then chuckled.

"You alright?" Rainbow Dash asked. "You're missing that weak flier picking at its wing." She pointed across the snow to a small bluejay preening itself.

"Oh!" Fluttershy snapped a photo, then shrugged. "I think I just saw a deer in the woods. She had really pretty blue eyes, but vanished before I even realized what I was looking at."

"Vanished, huh... Okay then." Rainbow Dash crossed her eyes and stuck her tongue out with a chuckle.

"Quit it. I'm being serious..." Fluttershy pouted.

Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes and glanced through the trees. She turned around and searched for a trail, then nervously laughed. "Okay, don't freak out, but I'm not sure where we are."

Fluttershy widened her eyes and dropped the camera, which dangled at her chest. "We're... lost?! When did this happen? I though you knew where we were going... Oh my... Ohhhh dear. This is not good." She covered her mouth with both hooves and began to hyperventilate.

"No! We're just off course. Don't worry about it, I'll just fly up and..." Rainbow Dash looked up into the impossibly thick ceiling of evergreen needles and gulped. "Okay, well it can't be much further. Let's just keep moving and try to spot the trail."

Fluttershy chewed on the tips of her hooves as she followed her friend. They headed through the dense forest while the wind whistled through the trees. Distant echoes of old creaky tree trunks swaying in the wind sent chills up her spine, and she squeaked. "Oh no... I..."

Rainbow turned around and grabbed Fluttershy's shoulders. "Listen up! I need you to not be scared, okay? This forest isn't that big, and it's not far to the lake. Once we hit the shore, we'll head to the left, which is east." She pointed to her right. "We left Ponyville at seven in the morning, that means it's about five o'clock right now. Look where the light is coming from. This general direction is northwardly, so even if we're off trail, we'll hit the lake soon. The problem is that the sun will set soon, so we have to hurry unless you want to spend the night camping in the woods."

Fluttershy slowly nodded and steeled her nerves. "Okay... I can do this. I-I'll be brave."

"Thank you. Now let's get to our cabin so we can relax by a fire, okay?" Rainbow Dash offered a quick smile before turning to lead the way.

Fluttershy stayed at her heels as they went. She took deep breaths and ignored the fur standing on her spine as she heard what she thought were whispers directly behind her. A low rumble stole her attention, and she glanced into the forest. A deep blue glow slowly faded into the darkness, and she shuddered.

"Come on. Keep up, Shy." Rainbow Dash waved forward and shook her head.

"Okay..." Fluttershy squeaked.

Rainbow Dash stopped and examined a tree. There were deep gouges freshly carved into its trunk. "This is weird."

Fluttershy bit her lip and closed her eyes. "L-Let's hurry, please."

Rainbow Dash scratched her chin and poked at the damaged tree, then shrugged and moved forward. She spotted another marked tree and flew up to it, then peered deeper into the woods where another gouge could be seen marking a dark brown trunk. "I think these are a trail... Wanna follow it or keep heading north?"

"Uhm, I..."

"Shhh! Listen. You hear that?" Rainbow Dash placed a hoof to her ear and squinted.

Fluttershy cringed and covered hers as she heard a deep hum in the distance. A dim flicker caught Rainbow Dash's attention, and Fluttershy frantically flapped to her side as she darted towards it.

"You see that? I think there's somepony over there. Let's go check it out," Rainbow Dash said as she tapped the next marked tree.

Fluttershy stayed close behind and kept her eyes on the snow beneath her. "I don't know if we should... I mean, what if we're trespassing?"

"It's a national park. Nopony own private property out here. This is Celestia's land," Rainbow Dash explained.

Rainbow Dash rubbed her hoof into another deeply gouged tree trunk and glanced around before shouting, "Who's doing this?!"

The only answer was a chilling howl from above the treetops. Fluttershy looked back over her shoulder and gazed between the trees into the twilit distance. "W-Which way should we g-go now?" Fluttershy asked with chattering teeth.

Rainbow Dash let her scowl slip into a wobbly frown at the sight of her best friend shivering. She glided to her side and pulled her closely before she rested her chin on Fluttershy's cold, pink mane. "Hey, let's get moving. It's not much further."

Fluttershy stopped flapping and supported her weight on Rainbow Dash while she held onto her. Her body stopped shaking and she smiled before looking up into her eyes. "Promise?"

"Of course. You can count on me!" Rainbow a Dash beamed and gazed out into the forest to find her way. Each direction radiated a dim, off-white glow, and the pegasus scratched her head.

Fluttershy widened her deep teal eyes and breathed over her front hooves with a puff of white. The powdery snow serpentined along the forest floor while zigzagging between the trees. "Which way is the wind blowing?"

"To the east, probably," Rainbow Dash answered before raising her hoof and pointing past a thick tree truck. "Follow me."

Fluttershy took a deep breath and flew in Rainbow Dash's trail. As they went, a low pitched hum grew louder and louder. Fluttershy tried to ignore it by humming a song, but her heart began to race as it got louder still. She began to breath heavily and she covered her ears at the brink of panic.

"Stop it!" she shouted and snapped her gaze backwards.

Rainbow Dash flinched and lowered her ears. "Stop what?!"

Fluttershy opened her eyes while both mares hovered in silence. She shook her head and glanced around. The humming noise was absent, and she gulped. "That noise was scaring me..."

"What noise?" Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Probably just squirrel or something."

Fluttershy fidgeted and glanced from side to side. "It stopped... Is it just me or is it brighter now?"

"Yeah, I can tell where the sun is again," Rainbow Dash noted. "Looks like the trees are thinning out finally. The lake must be getting closer."

Rainbow Dash led the way as they reached the edge of the woods. They fluttered above the icy lakeshore and bumped hooves.

"See? No problem. I'd never get us lost." Rainbow Dash beamed while Fluttershy took a deep, calming exhale.

"Thank you. So now which way?" Fluttershy asked as she glanced down the shore.

"This way." Rainbow Dash pointed towards a wooden dock protruding into the ice in the distance, then flew ahead.

Before Fluttershy joined her, she looked back into the woods. The wide opening that led them there was nowhere to be seen, and she scratched her head. Without a second glance, she darted forward.

Rainbow Dash whistled and zipped up to a tall log cabin. "And here we are!"

Fluttershy caught up and landed near the front porch. "Oh my. It looks so peaceful out here... I love it."

The log cabin sat near the icy lakeshore, covered in snow and icicles on each log's round protrusion. To the west was a vast lake bordered by tall, snowy evergreens for miles. Behind the cabin was a tall mountain with a dazzling icy peak and trees patching its cold, gray stone surface.

A small gust of wind howled through the air, and Fluttershy shivered as snowflakes began to dot her mane.

"It wasn't supposed to snow today..." Rainbow Dash grumbled as she pulled a key from her saddlebag and attempted to unlocked the door. The key stuck and Rainbow yanked back on it, snapping the head off. "Darn it! Cheap lock!"

"Uhm... Are you sure this is the right cabin?" asked Fluttershy.

"I don't see any other cabins around here. You wanna go back and look?" Rainbow Dash asked as piercing wind chilled their coats.

Fluttershy shivered and shook her head, then Rainbow Dash turned around and bashed the door open with her hind legs. The two then entered and shook the fresh snow from their coats.

"This place isn't quite like I remember it... I barely remember it. Anyway, can you believe how cheap it was to rent this place for a whole week?" Rainbow Dash trotted through the front room and twirled around after latching the door shut.

"I'm glad it wasn't too expensive. It looks nice, too." Fluttershy glanced around and noted the large brick fireplace pre-filled with cut logs. "It's chilly in here."

Rainbow Dash shrugged and circled back before poking around the firewood pile. "Huh, I should have requested extra firewood because I know you'll need it. I knew I was forgetting to do something..."

"Oh, well... I'll be fine if you want to try and preserve it for now." Fluttershy tightened her scarf and smiled.

"Nah. Don't worry about that. I want you to be comfortable." Rainbow Dash struck a match and tossed it beneath the logs onto a small pile of kindling. "I'll just go chop more if we need it. No biggy."

Fluttershy smiled softly and nuzzled her friend. "Thank you."

Rainbow Dash glanced up and away with a crooked smirk. "Don't mention it."

While Fluttershy warmed herself by the fire, the kitchen caught her attention. A bundle of basic provisions sat just past the entrance, and she stepped over to investigate. There was flower, sugar, wheat, various seeds, and a barrel of oats all propped into the corner. The wooden stove had a layer of dust coating the surface, and pantry was empty.

"Looks like we're the first visitors in a long time," Fluttershy said as she opened a cupboard and a miller fled for its life.

"Yeah probably. Most ponies rent these cabins early in the summer when it's warm enough to swim. Nopony wants to freeze their tails off mid-winter except us." Rainbow Dash placed a wing over her friend's back and chuckled. "Looks like we'll have to find that trail and hike into town to pick a few things up, huh?"

"Looks like it. Unless you want to eat oats all night." Fluttershy giggled and brushed her hoof under Rainbow's chin.

"I don't." Rainbow Dash flicked the barrel with her tail. "Let's go check out the bedrooms and unpack, then we'll head out to town later. This snow covering the trail is really annoying me, though. We'll have to be extra careful."

Fluttershy nodded and trotted towards the stairway with Rainbow Dash close behind. They walked up the creaky steps, and Fluttershy gulped as the entire cabin creaked beneath a howling gust of wind.

As they reached the top, Rainbow Dash rushed into the master bedroom. "Called it first!"

Fluttershy giggled and followed her friend into the room, where she dropped her heavy saddlebag onto the floor with a deep breath of relief. "That's okay. Where's my room then?"

"Right out there and to the left. No wait, that's the bathroom. To your right is your bedroom." Rainbow Dash stretched out on the large and comfortable bed.

Fluttershy lifted the bag with her teeth and headed back towards the stairway, then opened the door to her right. Inside was a small bathtub with a shower curtain eerily draped over it. She tilted her head and leaned closer. Something was in the tub, concealed by the curtain. She took a wary step forward to investigate.

"Oops."

"Eep!" Fluttershy cringed and bit her tongue.

'Haha! Calm down there scaredy cat. Let's check your room out." Rainbow Dash chuckled and stepped back down the hallway.

Fluttershy glanced back at the tub and gulped, then chased after her friend. Rainbow Dash pulled the door open and each mare stared with wide eyes. The smaller bedroom was completely empty aside from an enormous pile of chopped logs.

"Guess we found the extra firewood we need..." Rainbow Dash huffed and let her wings fall limp.

Fluttershy scratched her head and sat her bag down. "That's alright. I don't mind sleeping on the couch downstairs."

"Forget that. The bed in my room is huge! We'll share it, alright?" Rainbow wrapped a wing over her back and leaned in with a shiny grin.

Fluttershy blushed and nodded. "Okay... but only if you really don't mind."

"Don't mention it. I did say I'd keep you warm if it got too cold up here." Rainbow lifted her friend's bag and carried into the master bedroom.

Fluttershy gave a quick nod and followed her into the room, then hopped onto the bed. "It's pretty chilly in here."

"Yeah it is. I think these windows are a little drafty. Plenty of blankets to keep us warm, though!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she dived into the covers.

Fluttershy fell backwards and giggled at the sight of a mound moving towards her from beneath the blankets. She scooted back and lifted them up to join Rainbow Dash. It was dim beneath the layers of comforters, but enough light permeated the fabric to leave each mare visible.

"Warmer already, right?" Rainbow Dash asked as she breathed over her front hooves.

Fluttershy nodded and scooted closer until their hind legs were touching. "It is."

The two made eye contact, and as Fluttershy reached up to touch Rainbow's cheek, she gulped and jumped out from beneath the covers.

"Hey, we should get downstairs. Can't leave that fire unattended for too long, you know..." Rainbow Dash scratched her head and shrugged before darting down the steps.

Fluttershy sighed and climbed out as well, then made the bed up nice and neat. She then dug through her saddlebag and lifted out her personal friendship journal. After turning a few pages, she took a quill into her mouth and began to write.

It's only the first of five days, and it's already been quite an adventure. Sure it's a little chilly up north, but Rainbow Dash being with me makes it more than bearable. I hope I see an icicle bear while I'm here. And maybe even a snow gollum. Oh my, that'd be scary, but so exciting! I can't wait to go exploring the forest after we rest up. I think it's really as enchanted as I've heard. I was scared while we were lost, but there is definitely something magical hidden in there. I wonder who that deer is... I hope we see her again too. I hope we see lots of great and magical creatures, oh, and especially the caterpillars!

I want to remember this week for the rest of my life.

Note to self: Buy a walk-in freezer to breed snow foxes.

Fluttershy gave a quick nod before shutting her journal.

"Come on, Shy! It's nice 'n toasty down here for ya!" Rainbow Dash called out from the first floor.

Fluttershy giggled and tucked her book away, then headed downstairs to join her friend by the fire.

Rainbow Dash stared up at a huge portrait hanging above the fireplace. A stallion with an angry expression wearing a classic business suit loomed over them, his piercing eyes staring down into her soul. "Yeah, so I think this is the wrong cabin after all."

"I think so too. What should we do about it?" Fluttershy asked.

Rainbow Dash shrugged. "I'm not sure. I mean, it's obvious that nopony's been here in a while. Even these cobwebs have cobwebs. I'm guessing we're in a less visited part of the lake."

Fluttershy yawned and curled up on the couch. "Well we did pay for a cabin. It's all the same, right?"

"Right. They got their money, so it shouldn't really matter. I doubt anypony will ever find out anyway. We're good." Rainbow Dash stretched out and joined her friend on the sofa. "Let's take a nap and then explore this place a bit."

"Hmm... Sounds... nice," Fluttershy muttered between deep breaths, her eyes closed.

Rainbow Dash closed her eyes as well and rested her chin on Fluttershy's chest. The two drifted off to sleep in front of the warming fire, and the snow continued to fall outside.