>A chime sounds into your ear, followed by a notice about there being maybe ten minutes left on your personal communicator's battery life.
>That's not all.
>There's an obnoxious brushing noise like a giant scratching post being used by a rake. 
>Outside of the glass a large, fuzzy shape shifts left and right, up and down against your vehicle. 
>It passes by the windshield, smearing condensation over your view with a noise not unlike a squeegee. 
>It is quickly followed by a great curtain of strands, leaving trails as they slide along.
"Daisy."
>The motion stops, revealing a crevice hidden in shadow in the receding twilight. 
>There's a few muffled crunches of snow as the form moves aside entirely to reveal all of one of your squadmates. 
>The massive Equine peeks out from under her helmet, curious yes watching nervously behind a visor.
>"Yes, human?"
"What are you doing?"
>She inhales through her nostrils and finally says a mere four words, though the translation that buzzes into your ear is something a bit longer.
>"Trying to warm you with the transference of thermal energy generated from friction?"
"The mech's not that cold."
>She frowns at the message relayed by her own translator.
>The pony breathes out a long, trail of vapor so very visible in the outside air. 
>Despite the situation she looks hopeful as the star slowly slips its dying light upwards along her frame.
>"It'll be dark soon," she notes.
>You kinda figured this arctic training operation might have a few issues  .
>Your mech freezing up is not what you imagined.
>There's a clank noise from behind and your mech shudders. A few crunches of snow later and Big Bounty, another pony suited in armor and cannonade, leans into your field of vision.
>"I really don't think I can fix it," she mutters through your translator.
>Daisy looks panicked. 
>"Oh no! Humans don't have warm coats; the cold will make him hibernate!"
>Space ponies. 
>You shake your head, if they can see you in the dark of your nonfunctional command cabin. 
"We don't hiberna-"
>The giant pony's face pushes its way right up against the windshield. 
>Her voice nearly blots out the translator and her breath fogs the glass.
>"I'll save you, human!"
"If it involves scratching your butt on my armor again, I think I'll pass."
>"I'll do whatever it takes!" she replies, panting plumes of vapor as she starts working herself into a frenzy.
>You wait a minute before her panic fades into the surrounding climate and hold up a finger for attention.
>Immediately she leans forward to get closer look, knocking her visor against your mech with a solid clunk. 
>Your harness restrains you from moving anywhere but the hula girl and fuzzy dice you stuck onto your dashboard as a joke, rattle. 
>Now that they caught your eye, you can't help but be amazed at how easy it was to pass them off as an "idol to the goddess of war who does her victory dance" and the human's symbol of destiny: the "cubes of fate."
>A whimper from outside gets you to try and meet Daisy's uncomfortably close gaze. A seismic shiver, shaking snow off of her armor.
"Daisy, the cabin's airtight; I don't think it'll actually get cold for a while."
>"You're not cold in there?"
>If she pushed against the mech any harder it might knock you over. 
>You can practically hear the muscles in the pony's freakishly large eye turn to watch your outstretched digit. 
>She squints, glancing between your hand and your face.
"No, it's pleasantly cool."
>She gasps dramatically. "I think he's succumbing to hypothermia!"
>"Squadmate!"
>Daisy freezes up at the sound of a very authoritative bark.
>The lean, mean, and eternally frowning Wave Runner, pulls the panicked Daisy aside. 
>Her helmet, marked in exotic alienhorserunes as opposed to Daisy's simple English lettering, carries the full mystique of the pony who wears it.
>"Daisy, stand down. Our human's tough."
>"But he won't stay warm overnight."
>Ever the voice of calm stoic, the fifth member of your squad clears her throat. 
>The largest and most outwardly imposing of the ponies, Hoof Step, begins to make one of her rare commentaries.
>"Squad Leader Wave Runner. Permission to speak?"
>All eyes were on the polite behemoth, save for the squad leader herself. 
>She was giving everyone else a rather unsubtle look that said "why can't the rest of you be like this?"
>Wave Runner doesn't let the moment last, no matter how much she probably wants it, and nods towards the towering brute. 
>When the subordinate in question doesn't say anything, you swear you see the simplest hint of an approving smile on Wave Runner's face.
>She loves her organization. Or was that a bit of frost on the glass?
>"You have permission to speak, Hoof Step."
>"If you're so worried about him staying warm, just stick him in your armor. 
>The others' eyes go wide and ever so slowly look your way.
>"He'll be warmed by our body heat," she finishes.
>You can feel probing stares as the sun begins to fade over the horizon, leaving their faces partially obscured in shadows. 
>Too bad you can see the glint of Daisy's suddenly very menacing and very poorly hidden.
>Wave Runner either pretends not to notice it or is too busy trying to praise her subordinate.
>"Very clever, Cadet Step. And we won't have to worry about him falling off like when we carry him normally."
>"Squad leader," Daisy says with an outstretched hoof. "I'll do it! As our resident human expert, I volunteer!"
>Ignoring that as best you can, you grump at your microphone.
"You do not carry me 'normally'."
>Daisy grins wider. "Remember that time in the bath?"
"Oh, come on we were-"
>"Or that time in the park?"
"Bounty, don't you start, too."
>"Or? You're a toy in a frozen can."
>The squad leader stomps the snow for silence and turns towards you. 
>"Auxiliary, we must take some... irregular actions to ensure your survival."
>No way was this a good idea. 
"Wait, wait, wait! Can we drag the mech back to base or set up camp? You guys are fine in the cold, right?"
>"Dragging?" Big Bounty snorts. "Not unless you want to break it."
>The squad leader turns her head, catching the light enough to highlight her glare. 
>Obviously not an option.
>"Squad leader, I have a solution."
>Thank you, giant pony savior!
>"Speak, Step."
>"The human has a good idea."
>"Explain."
>"If we rest together, we could warm the machine enough to keep the human heated and safe."
>Daisy's face may or may not be stuck with that big, eager smile plastered across her face.
>You can hear her loud breathing over the cold breeze passing over the windshield.
>"And it would be a good bonding moment with the alien!" she says excitedly.
>The squad leader thinks it over before a final swish of her tail signals that she has come to a decision.
>"Squad, we're digging in for the night!"
"Great."
>Wave Runner raises an eyebrow.
>"You'll be fine, auxiliary," the commander snaps back, shuffling off to the side and out of sight.
>You'd watch her, but no matter how many times you hit the control panels not a single camera feed would appear.
>Instead, you heard her voice, crisp over the wintry evening and the crunch of snow beneath armored hooves before the translator even kicked in.
>"Daisy, Big Bounty, lower the mech onto its back. Hoof Step."
>"Yes squad leader?"
>"Be ready to catch the mech. I don't want to file damage reports alongside the malfunction papers."
>As the two armored horses hustled their way to either side of your machine.  
"Wait, what do you mean, 'lower me down?' You don't have any hands."
>The answer came with a couple of hooves, each wrapping around the upper portion of arms.
>You could see the servos and mechanics of the equine armor, glistening with frost but functioning without any sign of sluggishness.
>Daisy, contrastingy sunny, leaned her head up right beside your command chamber.
>"I won't let you fall, human."
>From the other side, Big Bounty huffs against the opposite side of the glass, fogging the side badly.
>Joining that breath is the distorted image of her saying something in alien horse lingo.
>Her face obscured by the condensation on the glass, you can't read her lips from the blob of colors.
>From the foreign tones, you can barely pick out that she's talking about you.
>"You're not that heavy," the translator chips in after a delay.
>There's a groan as the leg on the other side starts to tug on the tonnes of metal.
>"Hold tightly, pilot," is Daisy's last words before gravity decides to let you know what it's like to ride one of those amusement park rides that just drops you in a tight, confining chair.
>You gasp at the straps digging in to keep you in one place, instinctively grabbing at them as everything shifts.
>The distinct clang of heavy metal on heavy metal and a grunt from one of the ponies brings you to a halt.
>A crackle of static follows the light soreness in the back of your head.
>Thank you impact-cushions.
>Something babbles something; a question directed at you, you're pretty sure, and you try to uncomfortably shift your position while waiting on your personal translator.
>Maybe one day you'll be able to understand complete sentences.
>"Human, human, are you injured?"
"No, I don't think so. Mech's still offline."
>"But you're not hurt?"
"Yes-I mean, correct."
>"I am happy," Daisy smiles before she rapidly retreating.
>"I claim this side!"
"Claim wha-"
>The space horse reappears, lowering herself onto her stomach to sit position herself alongside the windshield.
>She scoots a little further, her head resting on what would normally be a missile rack a short distance above your piloting and command chamber.
>Today, it is a worthless hunk of metal.
>And a headrest for space ponies.
>The metal alloys groan and the mech shifts deeper into the snow below as she puts her weight on the machine with all the tender caution of an elephant trying to walk on glass.
"Daisy?"
>The glint of metal flashes by the outside, giving way to the duller colors of the foreleg.
>She wipes at some of the frost on the window with her leg where the plates had been unfastened.
>"C-cold," she mutters to herself.
>Now with clarity, you're caught in a staring contest as flakes of snow slowly fall across her snout, racing with the snow falling on your mech to bury the two of you in a snow bank.
>She eyes you carefully, her snout somewhat reddened beneath her hairs as a response to the weather.
"Daisy, where's your armor? Isn't it cold?"
>She mumbles a response, a shiver quaking down her body.
>"N-n-no, of course not."
>You can hear the scuffling of activity in the snow around your mech.
>You strain to lean forward for a better look, undoing the straps to find the others are digging around your mech.
>With their size, their hooves are like snow-plows, easily reshaping the snow into a giant nest.
>Wave Runner goes in a slow circle to inspect their work.
>"two minutes and fifteen point seven seconds. Excellent for those who pitched in, but I expect half that when we dig bunkers tomorrow."
>A round of quick confirmations echo through the squad and the others begin to do whatever giant space ponies do to settle in for the night, curling up around the mech.
>All except the commander, who continues to keep watch until the rest are comfortable.
>Wave Runner turns around towards you and Daisy, an eyebrow raised.
>You can hear your squadmate's sharp intake of breath behind you as the two of you meet your superior's stare.
>"Er, squad leader, I was-"
>Wave Runner motions for silence.
>"Keeping the most vulnerable member of your group warm by exposing yourself to better share body heat."
>Briefly, you wonder if this might have been considered lewd for them too.
>If it was, no one seems to care.
>There's a moment of silence while she trots around the mech and lowers herself down to the same position Daisy is on the other side.
>She wraps a hoof around the arm of your mech, her head raised just enough to look at both you and Daisy at the same time.
>"Right?" she finishes.
>You begin to reply when a beep sounds in your ear.
>Personal communicator's battery has officially died and gone to electric heaven.
>Wait, the conversation's still going.
>Daisy says something and looks at you. 
>Wave Runner's doing the same from the opposite side.
>You just nod at her.
>Her eyes go wide and she digs a hoof underneath your mech's shoulder, wrapping herself around it.
>She starts hugging the undoubtedly cold metal against herself.
>Daisy, not to be outdone, does the same, adding her own awful scraping noise of hard surfaces against hard surfaces as she tries to cuddle your expensive warmachine.
>Soon as the task is done, you're left being the awkward focus of attention as the group quiets down.
>Wind Runner is off to sleep rather quickly along with everyone.
>Everyone but Daisy.
>She lies there, taking in the moment.
>After a short while, she whispers to you, but the meaning is lost to the winds. 
>Something about a star?
>You're pretty sure you know their word for star.
>You point to your earpiece but she just blinks at you and smiles back.
>Here you are.
>Stuck as the centerpiece in a snuggly nest of giant space alien ponies.
>With the wind breaking around you and the snow moving on to go haunt some other place, you have to admit that you can feel a modest patch of heat seeping into your cabin as your squadmates press themselves against it.
>The snoring is pretty loud and Daisy keeps nestling her head in the crook of the mech's arm and kissing the cockpit in her sleep.
>Or, at least you think she's sleeping.
>You can see her eye moving around beneath her shut eyelids, but every so often she murmurs some word or another.
>You can't understand a word she's saying as she groans out a sigh and tugs on the metal.
>You're stuck watching her lips compact against the glass for the fifth, and hopefully final time.
>Even if the windshield wipers were working, there's no way to clean off the memory of all those lip imprints.