There were certain rules when traveling, at least, there were back before Sombra and his temporal shenanigans. When you went down the merchant paths, you had to practice proper etiquette, and remembering certain codewords was vital if you wanted to keep from walking into a fight. One of the biggest rules of the road was the simplest: You did not walk up to a campsite unannounced. The only kind of individual who does that is someone intent on a robbery or other mischief. If you wanted to visit a camp, you had to first announce yourself a good distance off, then wait for a response. At least, that's what her father had taught her...

With that in mind, Creepy called out, "Hello, the cave!"

As she waited for a response, the filly considered her options. The traveler's code (Well, they're more like guidelines, really) was pretty clear about this kind of situation: You did not go near a campsite if you didn't get a response. An unresponsive campsite, with the fire still lit, meant big time trouble, nine times out of ten. But the next cave would be a days walk down the line, and even with her supplies, Creepy did not relish the idea of sleeping out in the open. Even a friendly response, way out here, could be problematic: The railroads, from what Creepy understood, had made the old merchant caravans obsolete, so waystations like this one should have been long abandoned. That being said, why would anypony in their right mind be out here?

A few seconds after her call, the filly heard a tentative response. "Hello, is someone out there?" The voice was definitely feminine, and while no expert, Creepy would have guessed the speaker to be an adult mare, somewhere in either her late teens or early twenties.

Calling out again, Creepy answered, "Yes! Two weary travelers! Can we share your fire?"

The response was immediate, and surprisingly enthusiastic. "YES! YES, PLEASE COME IN!" There was something in that tone that worried Creepy. It was the kind of voice somepony might use if they were dangling off a cliff, and somepony had just offered to throw them a line...

Creepy looked up at Whinny. If the windigo thought that there was something strange about the mare's response, she kept it to herself. Looking back at the cave, Creepy called out, "We're coming in!"
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Fifteen minutes later...

"I really cannot say how glad I am to see somepony," the 'pegasus' said, happily. "I've been stuck here for what seems like weeks now, ever since that fiasco at the Canterlot Wedding. I really couldn't tell you how I ended up here: One minute I was just minding my own business, and then everything went black. When I came to, I was on my back, out in the snow, just outside this cave. I had no idea where I was, or where I could go to find help. Honestly, I was beginning to wonder if the world had ended when I had passed out, and I was all alone. I mean, I know that's silly, but after weeks alone here in this cave, you'd be amazed at what you'd start thinking..."

She had introduced herself as Doomie. She had a dark grey coat, electric blue eyes, and a short mane and tail (The mane came down just to her chin, and her tail was about the same length) of the same color. In terms of appearance, she was... well, she was ordinary looking. Or at least, she would be, if it weren't for the fangs.

Creepy didn't have the heart to tell the changeling that she'd messed up her disguise, and that anypony who saw her would immediately be able to tell that she wasn't a real pony. The fangs, and visible lack of a cutie mark, were dead giveaways. Regardless, it was clear that, even if her story was part fabrication, she'd found herself well and truly stranded after what had happened in Canterlot, and had more or less given up hope of being rescued... and then Creepy and Whinny had appeared.

And she just kept talking, and talking... and talking. Creepy was beginning to wonder if changelings needed to breathe. Was Doomie a chatterbox, or had the fact that she had spent the last few weeks alone made it impossible for her not to talk, now that she had an audience? Either way, the fact that the changeling was practically gushing about how happy she was at having company made it impossible not to like her, at least a little bit...

Still, Creepy would need to figure out some way of letting Doomie know that the jig was up...

The three of them were seated in the cave around a warming stone. Doomie had indicated that somepony had left it here, and while it had been quite dusty, and completely drained of power, when she found it, a good soak in the hot springs had recharged it in a jiffy, so it was now able to put out some extra heat. While not strictly necessary in the already warm cave, the stone did provide light, and helped add to the heat that the springs generated, so that interior of the cave was pleasantly warm and toasty.

And Doomie rattled on and on...

"...and the things I saw out there. I would have sworn to having seen a windigo out there yesterday, but that's practically impossible: Windigos don't come to Equestria anymore. Oh! But where are my manners, I've just been blabbering on and on and on. Let me make you both some tea. I found a pack of tea leaves in the supply box I found at the back of the cave, and the preservation spell on that thing was still working, I think. I can't promise flavor, but at least it should be warm. Let me just... what?" Looking at Whinny, Doomie raised an eyebrow, confused at the windigo-turned-unicorn's constant, unblinking stare. It was clear that something was on Whinny's mind.

"Your fangs are showing," the windigo stated bluntly, the slightest ghost of a smile on her face.

Well, that was one way of breaking the bad news to her...