Deke and Little were woken up. They didn’t want to leave their blanket, but the storm had settled during the night and it was time to survey the damage. For now, breakfast was ignored.

Red, Black and Lance had been working on the washroom door for a few hours before Deke and Little had been woken up. Cherry Tart was antsy. She was the first out the door to survey the damage. She went sliding forward before slamming into ground. Red was right behind her to help her up.

Deke gingerly stepped out of the house onto the ice. He didn’t push Little about being more afraid than he was. Deke looked around, stunned at not being able to recognize anything. The ice distorted everything. The Buttercup was out of sight from where he was, but if the house was any indication, it was fully encased in thick ice.

“How thick is this?” Deke asked.

“Eight inches here,” Black stated. “But I know this is a low point.”

“Sirs!”

Deke looked over to see Bronze Valve gliding over to them. He was wearing an Enclave soldier’s winter coat. Deke and Little made their way to where Ruby Snow was.

“Report from the Buttercup. I got the bay door sealed right before the storm him. We cut the power and hunkered down in a few rooms. There was no point in burning out the engines trying to win a battle already over. It wasn’t easy, but we survived.”

“The crew here was able to get the engines covered. A few are recovering from burns from the flying ice. The engines are being warmed up slowly, same with the power.”

“Injuries?” Ruby Snow asked.

“Minor ones,” Bronze Valve nodded. “Some cuts, bruises, Seven’s wing got tweaked. It may be sprained. It was hard to tell with everything happening.”

“Dream Catcher?” Ruby Snow called.

“She is inside,” Lance yelled back. “Injuries?”

“Minor,” Ruby Snow nodded.

“I will get her over there shortly,” Lance replied.

They all were shivering.

“Have you had any contact?” Ruby Snow asked.

“Storm made it impossible,” Bronze Valve replied. “I have them working to make contact with the Red Dawn. They should be giving the report I wrote right now.”

“Good,” Ruby Snow nodded. “How cold is it?”

“-20 Celsius Sir. At least. These temperatures have never been recorded, even this far north.”

“We need to fix that,” Ruby Snow replied, thinking.

Ruby Snow surveyed the area. “Deke, Little, go grab your clothes. You are staying here to help. With a field phone. These pegasi need winter clothes. I will call ahead and get some organized. The rest of the Third can help deploy them. I do not know how out east fared. We still had troops there.”

“What about our soldiers?” Bronze Valve asked.

“I hope they stick to the weather orders,” Ruby Snow replied. “We will pull their coats and keep them here in case they come looking. We need to move the Buttercup as soon as possible. It is a long flight.”

“For clarification,” Deke said. “We stay here helping out however we are needed. Same with any other crew member. You are taking the Buttercup to retrieve severe winter equipment for these ponies.”

“Exactly,” Ruby Snow nodded. “We have an obligation. A duty to protect them. This time, its weather. This is a catastrophe. So go! Grab your things. Chief, get a team together for their coats. And where is that Dream Catcher?”

“Here Sir,” Dream Catcher said sliding to a stop as planned. “You have injured?”

Dream Catcher was carrying her special saddle bags. They were loaded with everything she needed.

“Follow me,” Bronze Valve said leading her off.

“You can find your own way,” Ruby Snow told Little and Deke.

Little tried to launch but she put too much into her hoofs, not wings, and splayed out on the ice. Deke gave a hearty laugh as he dug his hooves in correctly an trotted to a proper launch. Shadow had given them a lesson in how to grip on ice.

It was easy for Deke to grab a few uniforms. Little was just coming down the narrow hallway.

“Where is your winter gear?” Little asked with an eyebrow raised.

“I don’t have any,” Deke shrugged. “I never got any issued to me.”

Little sighed. “Let the Captain know so it can be drawn for you.”

Deke told the Captain and moved what he had to the house. He secured the cloak over a service dress uniform and headed back outside.

“Cherry Tart,” Deke said walking up to her. “What can I do?”

She was examining a tree.

“Still determining that,” Cherry Tart said distracted. “We are double checking the house, the barn, and further out in the fields. But you have solid hooves.”

Deke chuckled. “Shadow taught me, us, well. Little, she needs to learn.”

“No cut?” Cherry Tart smiled. “No attempt at winning. Getting points on her. Or being better?”

Deke shrugged. “Not the time. Later. Maybe.”

“Well, that blanket did a number on you two,” Cherry Tart said nudging him.

“She is antsy and not in a good mood,” Deke sighed. “She was not prepared.”

“And you were?”

Deke smirked. “I had Shadow to prepare me. At least mentally.”

The Buttercup groaned, metal crying in pain. The crew on hand came dashing out of the top hatches and attacked the ice’s fingers still holding on. The ship finally broke free, backing up and away where the ice was thinnest. It left an impressive shell of the hull.

“Amazing,” Deke gawked.

“Beautiful,” Little said hovering over. “But come on Deke, we have to move this gear off quickly so we can them on their way. There are few other hooves to help. Its a skeleton crew with the rest getting patched up. Its like four of us.”

“Right,” Deke shivered.

They left Cherry Tart and moved over to where the Buttercup was touching down. She lowered her ramp and gingerly let the tip rest on the ice. They were inside fast and moving lockers full of cloaks into the barn. They unloaded their full load of the field rations. There was no way to keep any of it warm, so it was stored in the barn. Cherry Tart had made their barn proportional to the size of their house.

Ruby Snow met them at the bottom of the ramp when they were done.

“Here,” He said handing Deke a winter cloak. “This is Bronze Valve’s. He said take it, he won’t need it and is in need of a new one, which he will pick up. So, use it and it will become the spare when we get back.”

Ruby Snow helped Lavender Mist into the Buttercup like she was the queen of queens. The ramp closed behind them and they were off.

Deke shoved his cloak into Little’s arms and wrapped himself in the winter cloak. Bronze Valve kept his wool cap in the pocket. It was not standard issue, but it had his Warrant Officer blocks on it. Class three, not class four.

“New experiences await!” Deke declared before digging his hooves in and dashing off to the others to find out what needed to be done.

They all were gathering outside the washroom.

“Okay everypony,” Cherry Tart said pulling her cloak tighter around her. “Give it to me straight.”

“House is iced, but secure,” Black stated. “It will shift when the thaw comes, but we will be ready. We know.”

“The trees are iced,” Red stated. “But they should be fine. It might be a rough year next harvest, but we gave you the best. They will spring back.”

“Thaw?” Cherry Tart asked.

“Your mom and I will be here to help with that. The boys can take care of their farm. I am not sure how exactly it will play out. With wire, I bet we can save a lot from a break.”

“We can get the wire,” Lance stated. “And Rain and I will be here to help with all that. Buck and Lunar can handle the thaw. It will be basic irrigation. Although, I do not think we will get any work done this year to prepare for the thaw.”

“That is correct,” Bronze stated. “Unless things do a complete flip, we have between 8 to 14 inches of ice to melt.”

“Damn,” Cherry Tart swore. “That is a lot.”

“I am not a farm pony,” Deke stated. “But is there a way we can crack the ice in ways to help it thaw in the way we, or well you, want. I doubt we will be around for the thaw.”

“This is at least 8 inches of solid ice,” Bronze stated. “Only thing it is good for is buffing so we have a skating rink.”

“Why does that seem to be more than leisure?” Deke asked.

“Well,” Lance chuckled. “If a good icing happens, we often form up ice hockey teams and battle it out. No skates.”

Deke grinned with a chuckle. “That sounds fun.”

“But, we can talk more later,” Lance said. “Finish report before our bones freeze solid.”

“Its at least -20 Celsius,” Little Stated. “At least. How you are standing there I have no idea.”

“Practice,” Red chuckled. “And Lance has the advantage with that cloak Shadow gave him.”

“Barn is secure,” Big Red continued. “Cherries are frozen solid and often to each other. We will have to be careful sorting them. Let them thaw by the fire just enough they do not stick together.”

“Lets go!” Cherry Tart ordered. “Grab more firewood and three baskets of cherries!”

“We have this,” Little stated. “We have the winter gear on. The Captain is headed to meet up with the rest of the Third and move emergency winter equipment to this whole area. Heavy wool cloaks and more blankets are on their way. It’s our civic duty to help any and all Pegasi in need.”

“That will be a huge help,” Black stated. “Nopony will want to take it, but they will. They are not stupid.”

They moved another load of firewood in and then the cherries. Little pulled in the field phone as well.

“Take off your coats,” Early Blossom warned. “Or they won’t help you when you have to head out next.”

Deke shrugged his off first. “If anypony can fit in it, they can use it. You guys can’t always explain what you need done. We are too green.”

“He is getting wise,” Grandma Cherry Tart chuckled. “Quite wise. How about you, Little?”

“I am not wise,” Little sighed. “Not for this stuff. I am a newborn foal when it comes to all of this.”

“That’s a hoof up,” Deke said as he grabbed the blanked.

Little hadn’t caught on to getting back under the blankets yet and she was taking too much time. Deke tackled her to the ground, perfectly wrapping them together. A little too tight. They were jammed in tight, face to face.

“Get off!” Little growled.

“I’m stuck,” Deke replied. “I admit, I over calculated.

“You shouldn’t have tackled me! I am trying not to swear! To fit in! You are making that impossible.”

“Okay, we need help,” Deke stated. “I have no idea what I did.”

Deke went limp, forced to wait until one of the couples decided to get out their own blanket to help.

Once they were helped, they settled in properly, side by side. It didn’t last long as two soldiers carefully entered, announcing their presence.

“Lockers in the barn,” Little stated. “Your cloaks are in there, organized by name. If you need them, grab any field rations. Head back out to help. If you are stacked heavily, spread out. We will pay real bits for room and board. Inform them that emergency supplies are coming to aid in this catastrophe.”

They left without a word. It was too cold to waste their warm breath.

Rain Jubilee broke the silence that was very disconcerting to Little.

“Little, how are your hooves after the ice?”

“Just fine,” Little said admiring them. “You are better than anypony I have ever had. Quite amazing. You just do not get this work and longevity anywhere else. And you taught me some tricks. And more importantly, Deke knows how to do it right.”

“That would require me to like you enough to do it,” Deke huffed.

“I think you are smart enough to do it right,” Little stated.

“Think?” Deke asked.

“Fine,” Little groaned as she rolled her eyes. “You are smart enough. More than enough. You are handling this much better than me. I want to kill something. And you are calm.”

Everypony laughed, surprising Little.

“Well, if you want to kill something,” Deke grinned. “We could show them some of the sparring forms. Or is that something beyond your skill?”

“Well…” Little said looking around. “I guess. We could. It would let off some steam. It would warm me up.”

“I am enough to warm you up if you would let me,” Deke zipped.

Little’s mouth was open in shock from the little interjection.

“It’s on!” She declared.

“We can’t work up a sweat,” Deke warned as they struggled out of the blanket. “We will only cause more of a problem for us if we sweat. Shadow warned against it.”

“Shadow is right,” Lance added. “It will only get cold on your body and cause you too freeze more.”

“How good was Shadow?” Dream Catcher asked.

“Ummm...” Deke stammered. “Well, to finish the segment, they put us into a tournament. Everypony for themselves, but barracks backing their fighters. Shadow broke Cardinal Spitfire’s spirit in the final round when he destroyed her in front of everypony. Everypony. She hated him even more after that. But when they became battle buddies, well, the two of them know how to kill a grudge when something of real importance comes along.”

Dream Catcher didn’t get the answer she wanted.

“You were going to lose that question,” Lance told her. “No matter what. Shadow was going to have to get his hooves dirty. Even if it means fighting with his hooves. That is part of being a soldier. Becoming the weapon.”

“Lance, you know a lot,” Deke stated. “Shadow made it sound so quiet and simple here.”

They laughed at Deke.

“Well,” Lance said wiping the tears away. “I did a lot of research since Shadow joined up. I have a good family who can run the farm. I have some spare time to explore things.”

“That and Lance has been helping me with our new school curriculum,” Black stated. “We have been updating it since Shadow helped open our eyes.”

They lightly sparred, moving through they sets they learned in Basic Training. Despite the cold, they got warm, quickly.

The cherries were warm enough, so they began to sort them. Red in one basket, yellow in another and remove the stems. Bad ones were tossed into a third basket they all shared. There were plenty of misses, leaving bad cherries all around the floor.

Lunch was bundled up in their spots, made by Yellow and Rain Jubilee. More soldiers reported in and headed back out, armed with their winter gear.

A special pony entered near dinner. He was armed with winter gear to combat the cold.

“Cobalt?” Dream Catcher asked confused.

“Yeah,” Cobalt said lowering his scarf. “I came out to see how things were going. And if you needed a hoof.”

“That was reckless and stupid!” Dream Catcher chided. “You know better!”

“Apparently not,” Little said rolling her eyes. “Young, idiot love.”

“Your time will come!” Grandma Cherry Tart told Little as she pointed at her. “But it was stupid.”

“Cobalt?” Little said, questioning the name. “Cobalt Oath. That is you. I thought it was you!”

Cobalt took a step back. “Uh, and you are?”

“Lighting. Lieutenant Lighting. I know it is you! Don’t try and deny it! I know it was you. You were are the Second Conclave!”

“Am I in trouble?”

“The what?” Dream Catcher asked.

“No, but you were there,” Little pressed.

“Fine, I was. But that is no crime. I was not invited to the Third. They wanted somepony out on the edge who does most of their work with home remedies, not full medicine. I fit the bill and came from a city they could identify.”

Little giggled. “Sorry. Its not a crime. You are not in trouble. Us being out here is a long story.”

“Tell this one first,” Deke said.

“Yes, how do you know about the Conclaves?” Cobalt asked defensively.

“I had no choice but to memorize all of your faces,” Little stated. “I was on the Buttercup, patrolling the skies above the Second Conclave. We were not at the Third Conclave.”

Little sighed. “I had the painful job of patrolling the skies above, carrying the armored Riot Squads. Squad 1 to start. Bastards. All of them soulless fucking bastards. I had to deal with a sergeant named Bull.”

“I hate him,” Little growled. “I will kill him given the chance. I almost shot him a few times when he barged on the bridge like he belonged. We were the little chariot doing his bidding. I only bring it up because the bastard hates farmers.”

“Why?” Deke asked first.

“He had two farmers, how did he put it. Well the one that really pissed him off was stuck up, thought he was smarter and better. Bull said only a ‘fucking farmer could overpower a stun stick and do what he wanted. Oh, and something about thinking he was all that for cuffing him. And they got out of it because they couldn’t do their duty.”

“There was no being happy with him, was there?” Deke asked.

“Not really,” Little nodded. “He had true hatred for that little white pony.”

“Wait,” Deke said. “White? Farmer? When did this training happen?”

“The Second Conclave was almost three months ago. He did it a few months before that. All I know is that it was their first teaching segment outside of their training in Peace Enforcement Officer School. Probably ACS because Arrow said they had that training for the first time. But she didn’t know I had to watch over him. That was, is, classified.”

“Got that?” Little asked Cobalt.

“Got it,” Cobalt gulped.

“Any more about the ponies?” Deke asked. “Names? Identification?”

“White was the one he really hated. And then Red was the white one’s battle buddy and also a farmer.”

“That’s Shadow,” Deke chuckled. “Pretty sure. And Cardinal Spitfire. Which means Shadow went to ACS like she did and they paired them up. Makes sense. They wouldn’t tell him what they were doing with him because of me.”

“I know one way to find out,” Little said sliding out of the blankets. “I could try calling Arrow.”

Little spun the phone up and dialed. She knew the number off the top of her head. She had memorized most of the major numbers. It wasn’t long until Arrow was on the phone. The field phones were not known for being private.

“Hey Sis!” Little said, happy for the first time since the storm hit.

“What’s up?” Arrow asked. “It has to be important if you are calling me. Last I knew you were headed out to private war games on the Rising Sun.”

“Right, war games,” Little said. “Going good. But I called because of a Pegasus named Bull.”

“Kill on sight!” Arrow growled. “Soulless bastard who only enjoys fear and power. He taught us Crowd Control and I had to work with him, at his request, during the third… It doesn’t matter.”

Little was shocked. “They dragged you into the Third Conclave? You are in an ACU.”

“Yeah, well Chocolate has a knack for it. A knack he loathes. And the other two did well. So us four were picked. The only ACU and the only non Peace Officer unit. I think he pulled us in to teach us a lesson.”

“Lesson?” Little asked.

“Yeah. Shadow Flare and Cardinal Spitfire were not just excused, but given leave. The whole thing caused quite a stir. Nopony at the Squad Barracks wanted anything to do with Crowd Control and found it counterproductive to our training. Majorly. And it is!”

“Bull made comments about the two of them the rest of the week. He made more comments while on patrol. The other units laughed at his snide remarks. I am sure he brought us in to teach us a lesson we couldn't learn. Retaliation for us having two in our unit able to get out of doing ‘our duty.’”

“He knows their names, but he just calls them White and Red.”

“Thanks,” Little smiled. Arrow could not see it, but they could.

“You are not where you are supposed to be,” Arrow stated. “What is going on?”

“Well,” Little hesitated. “I have the unfortunate job of training Lieutenant Deke.”

“Hey Deke!” Arrow called out. “Olive Pit is the officer in charge of the medical unit attached to the Squad Barracks!”

“Now I really have to back!” Deke said excited.

“We don’t have time to let an officer on probation, for failing, make a stop there,” Little stated.

“You do, but not for him,” Arrow said. “I have been trying to get a hold of you, but the Rising Sun is not a Cloudship.”

Little sighed. He voice had had an edge conveying her annoyance. “I am deployed with the Third Fleet. That is why.”

“Ooooh. That explains a lot. Especially why you were present at the Second Conclave.”

“Did they make you memorize names and faces?”

“Bull tried, but Unit 41 told him to Fuck off. Flags and I outrank him and used that for leverage.”

“Smart move,” Little stated. “But you have something to tell me?”

“Oh, right,” Arrow said. Her voice reached the peak of it’s peppiness. “I’m engaged to Dipper! I’m engaged to Dipper! He is a stallion in Unit 41!”

Little was shocked. “I am, my little sister engaged. Before me. I am both pissed off and happy for you.”

They laughed together.

“I guess we will be swinging by Fort Wind soon. Once this disaster is taken care of.”

Little froze, realizing she had stepped over a line she didn’t want to cross.

“What disaster?” Arrow asked in her serious peppy voice.

“For the past few days were got iced in up north.”

“Shadow Flare comes from there,” Arrow stated. “What, are you visiting his family?”

“Accidentally,” Little cringed. “Our captain wanted cherries, so we stopped. Didn’t know it was his sister’s farm. Trade was hooves for enough fresh cherries for the whole crew. We knew the storm was coming, but not that it would be so bad or come so quickly. We got iced in and the crew was spread out among the other farms, where they were helping.”

“Now we are dealing with extreme cold temperatures and the Third is retrieving emergency cold weather equipment so nopony, Pegasus, freezes.”

Arrow chuckled. “So Deke gave in and infected you. Awesome.”

“Yeah, Yeah,” Little said.

“How bad was the harvest?” Arrow asked. “You don’t hang around Shadow Flare without learning something about harvest and fear it going poorly.”

“Bad,” Little gulped. “There is 8 inches of ice everywhere. At least. Trees frozen solid, ground is very difficult to walk on. We don’t have numbers, but for here, all the cherries did get picked. The caveat is that all are frozen solid.”

“Damn,” Arrow swore. “You said cherries, I was hoping you could save me some.”

“Hey, they will still be leagues better than the other farms. The best are grown here. I will bring you a can or two of preserved cherries, maybe a jam if things swing that way.”

“Sweet!”

“Of course,” Little replied. “That is if I can. I don’t even think the original transaction still holds. It may be nulled after this flash freeze.”

“I’m glad you guys are all safe,” Arrow stated. “But I have to go. Lieutenant Razzleberry and Lieutenant Olive Pit have been using us to help run combat training for the medical team. They are way out of shape.”

“Why did he go with Razzleberry?” Deke groaned loud enough for Arrow to hear.

Arrow’s laugh was crystal clear and beautiful over the phone. “Because, Captain Marble Falls is still at routine Wonderbolt training. So the Lieutenant is the next best. And, I was trained by Lieutenant Razzleberry. I know how close things were. You barely took first!”

Deke laughed. “Fair enough. How are they handling it?”

“Just fine,” Arrow chuckled. “But now its time for them to lose. We get to be unmerciful and make sure they fail.”

“Good,” Deke chuckled back. “Let Olive Pit know I said hi.”

“I will,” Arrow replied. “Sis, is there anything else?”

“No, I was just calling about Bull and Crowd Control.”

“Shadow Flare and Cardinal Spitfire would be a two pony show, if they didn’t have their major conflict of interest. I am glad they dodged that and got leave. They had a good time in Cloudsdale. Shadow would have just stayed around here if Cardinal Spitfire hadn’t dragged him out of the fort.”

“That is Shadow,” Deke interjected.

“Got to run!” Arrow scrambled hanging up.

“Conclave?” Lance asked.

Little sighed. She got under the blanket with Deke before answering.

“Have you heard about the demonstrations?”

They all nodded.

“There is another movement,” Little said, choosing her words carefully. “A more problematic and dangerous one. It’s gained a lot of traction in the cities. They have problems with the Enclave and think below isn’t as bad as it is.”

“It isn’t,” Cobalt grumbled.

“It is,” Little assured him. “I can give you a 100% assurance it is.”

“Because of what, the ice?” Cobalt shot back. “All the evidence comes from the military.”

“My sister, Arrow who we called, is on the forefront of the soldiers preparing to go below,” Little stated, keeping her cool. “That is their job in the ACUs. It is bad. I have witnessed samples being taken by a special crew. They have to drill through the clouds, all the way, to take them.”

“And we have recon teams below,” Deke added. “Shadow Flare either is or was below.”

“Or they just say that,” Cobalt argued back. “It isn’t open information. Some of us think a civilian expedition is in order. For the good of the Pegasus Race. To work together with the military to really get stuff done.”

“That would be a disaster,” Little sighed, laying her head down. “No, I can’t tell you any more than that. Because it is all we know. Yes, we have to trust and rely on them. This group is using the food scare to their advantage. The food system has been opened up to be as crystal clear as possible.”

“And they are hoarding food.”

“Cobalt,” Dream Catcher said. “We just lost our harvest. Half of the district probably is going to turn in losses. You know your stuff, just not farming like we do. Dad, what will you be giving for tax?”

“Nothing,” Lance replied down trodden. “Our farms are wrecked, above and below. And then half of them truly got nothing in the harvest. We will hold our own, but may need the Enclave to put food into our hooves so we make it to the next harvest. And that may be a low yield as well.”

Deke felt Little snuggle up closer to him. “Cobalt, things are messy right now. We can’t risk more destabilization. The Enclave has to hold firm for the good of all. It sucks, but it is how it needs to be. For now.”

“When I can finally get to see Shadow, I will pull out more info,” Deke stated. “I am good at it. And then probably secretly release it to the public. But it isn’t looking good. They had to do a massive supply drop below, most likely for the recon team Shadow is on.”

“You are an idiot,” Little growled. “We don’t know anything other than we dropped a lot of unmarked boxes below. Not to who. Not what they were. Just below. And that is a secret. I assume you secretly dragged up those files while you were on the bridge, alone, supposedly flying the ship.”

“Eh,” Deke shrugged. “I did more than fine multitasking. But there really is nothing to know.”

“You personally oversaw this?” Cobalt asked.

“I did,” Little stated. “We took on the idiot a week ago. He is still on probation after failing a practicum. And when our captain finds out.”

“He also will hear some fun things from calling Arrow,” Deke grinned.

“Fine,” Little growled. “But still Cobalt. Yes. I did see it. And yes, samples were taken and no, you do not want to go below.”

“Cobalt,” Deke said. “I was trained for going below in Basic Training. It is no joke. Harsh is putting it lightly. And our teacher actually went below as a scout. He has a mass on his wing causing him pain and grounding him. I doubt they can remove it without taking his whole wing. Below, it is easily as bad as they say.”

“Banishment is a harsh punishment,” Cobalt stated, changing tactics.

Dream Catcher groaned. “Yes. Everypony agrees on that. But what else is there to do? Lock ponies up so they can waste our resources? That only hurts us all. And the Counsel has been listening to the demonstrations. They opened up about the distribution system. They have been talking to the others in the Conclaves.”

“Enough,” Black stated. “This will not get settled. Not here. Cobalt, these two have been invaluable to making sure our harvest got in, and other harvests got in. They deserve that respect. Soldiers or not.”

“Yes Sir,” Cobalt nodded.

They got Cobalt a blanket and they went back to sorting the cherries. Little had, again, quietly shuffled closer to Deke.

Next Chapter: Chapter 60 - Combat Medic Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 24 Minutes