Double Diamond came to a steady stop on his skis, a spray of white powder sprouting up and then falling down in a lazy drift. All around him there was a light haze of snow sprinkling from the clouds above his head. The mountain was getting even more snow today. Not much, but certainly enough to make the stallion look back at his cutie mark with pride.
His special talent was indeed special. No other pony in town had a cutie mark related to snow. On the positive side, that meant he had the snowy peaks of the mountains all to himself. On the negative side, that meant he had the snowy peaks of the mountains all to himself. It was a blessing and a curse all in one.
He double checked the locks on his skis to ensure they hadn't come loose. Front hooves were good. Same for the back. He would always remember how he had unexpectedly disconnected from his skis when he was a young colt. It was a painful memory that served to make him a cautious and more experienced skier.
“Goodness sakes, Double,” a familiar voice caught up from behind him. A light blue unicorn came gliding over a bunny hill with far less grace than Double had managed over the past dozen ridges. “You don't have to show off and leave me in the dust. I already know you're the best skier this side of Equestria.”
The pure white stallion couldn't help keeping the corner of his mouth from traveling upwards. “Sorry, Party. I got a little carried away. It just feels so good when I get some air and see the whole world below me.”
Party Favor struggled but managed to come to a stop next to his friend. “I get you. It was amazing being able to throw last week's Cutie Mark Celebration in town. Being different is...well, it's fun!”
Double Diamond clicked his hooves out of the restraints and helped his friend do likewise.
“I thought you were going to teach me how to get air,” Party couldn't help but wonder what his friend was doing. “An hour ago, that is...”
“I've got to show you something,” Double answered. He leaned back up after getting Party's hooves loose. His white mane had fallen over his goggles, so he had to toss his head back to get it out of the way. “C'mon. The best spot is right over there.”
The unicorn saw the peak where Double was pointing but failed to catch the meaning. “Best spot for what?”
“You'll see,” the stallion smiled. It wasn't the fake ones they used to wear all the time. This one was honest and true. Party Favor could tell more than any other pony in their small town.
The two of them tread through the thick blanket of snow. The going was slow due to how deep the white powder was, but they had the whole day and not a single need to rush. Though the air was as cold as the white mountain would make one think, it was well into the afternoon. A few rays of sunshine poked through the holes in the gray clouds that supplied them with light flurries.
Though the two made small talk while they made their way up the short distance to the peak, Party Favor's mind was in more places than one. He was thinking about his next response to Double Diamond's excited talk about aerial tricks, but he was also thinking about how much fun they had experienced so far.
The unicorn's mind was drenched with a dose of happiness but stained with a spot of guilt. He hadn't requested Double Diamond to teach him skiing only for the sake of fun. He had a more intimate motive. Simply put, he liked Double Diamond. He liked him a lot.
The sparkle in the white stallion's eyes, the sway of his body with every stride, the messy yet stylish mane...the list went on. It wasn't just the physical traits either. No, it was his character that Party loved so much. He was strong and decisive, but not insensitive or forceful. Sure, he had his bad days and irritated moods like anypony else, but that didn't define him. Most of the time he was relaxed, casual, and ready to lend a helping hoof or caring ear.
It made him just a tad ashamed, but Party couldn't help watching his friend's every movement. Double was to the side and slightly ahead of his skiing companion, so Party could get a clear look at the snowflake cutie mark. It seemed as if it had been forever since it had graced that flank...
“Party?” Double's familiar voice broke Party's concentration. The Earth pony had one brow raised and had stopped. They were both standing at the very top of the area's highest point and Party hadn't even noticed yet because he had been staring at his friend's right flank.
“Uh, what?” Party quickly averted his eyes, blushed, and tried to force a casual tone.
“Nice view, huh?”
The simple words branded themselves into something less innocent in Party's mind. He blurted out a reply faster than his mind could keep him from it. “Oh Celestia, yes!”
Double's brow remained raised. He wasn't sure why his friend was now covering his mouth in shame, blushing as red as a beat, or trembling behind his hooves. There wasn't anything to be embarrassed about when it came to good sight-seeing spots. At least that was what Double believed.
Now that the blue unicorn had something he needed to divert his attention to, he could see why Double Diamond had led him here. It wasn't the highest a point on the mountain but it was still as high as they could get on this side of the ridge. There was an unobstructed view to most of the land around them. Tens of thousands of acres spread out in every direction from the snow-covered slopes of the mountain to the dirty scrub of the plains below. Green fields stretched towards Canterlot and Mt. Canter was visible on the hazy and distant horizon.
“I used to come here all the time when I was younger. Couldn't go higher without oxygen equipment,” Double explained and looked to the highest peak.
“I can see why,” Party added, honestly enjoying the view of Equestria before following Double's gaze.
“It's not as much fun when I go alone,” the skier admitted. He was overjoyed to have such incredible friends, but the friendship did make his past seem a little less fun that he thought it had been. He had done too much alone. “By the way,” Double switched gears and shook the gathering snow from his head and back, “why have you kept volunteering to go with me up here? Don't get me wrong. I love having you with me. But Night Glider and Sugar Belle have only come with me once or twice. You've come every single time. Any particular reason?”
Party Favor tried to smile but botched it. He wound up looking like a psychotic stalker. “Oh, uh, just...you know.”
“I'm afraid I don't,” Double sat on his haunches. His brow was lowered, but only because he thought it might get stuck if he kept it raised any longer.
Something was definitely off with Party Favor. He knew the other stallion had been looking at him every time Party thought he was looking away. He also knew Party had been playing to their friendship far more than Night Glider or Sugar Belle. The mares had observed as much and told him that directly.
Party Favor, less used to the cold climate, was visibly starting to shiver. The freezing air didn't seem as bad when they were on the move, but standing and sitting about made the temperature into a metaphorical exclamation point. The stallion clutched subconsciously at his pink scarf. Maybe he should have brought a yellow one. He only chose pink because he thought it matched his cutie mark best.
Why was he thinking about the color of his scarf all of a sudden?
“Hanging out with you is fun and my special talent is kind of like having fun and stuff and, uh,” Party stumbled over his words. He had to think of something fast or their trip would end up feeling uncomfortable. “We're friends and we should totally spend time together building our friendship. Yeah! The thought of you going out to ski alone is just so sad!”
Party made a pouty face to emphasize his point, but Double Diamond could tell that wasn't the half of it. His friend was hiding something. Experience over the past few months had taught Double not to press too hard too fast, but he wanted to get to the bottom of the issue nonetheless. He knew just the pony to help him too. One of the townsponies was a psychological analyst. She had come to the town to relax and build upon her research. The mare was a skilled unicorn and had even written some professional books that were used by academies throughout Equestria.
Double Diamond switched topics and had a pleasant remainder of the trip with Party Favor. The moment they went their separate ways in town, he knew exactly which door he would knock on.
“Yes?” Love Pattern opened her door to find a white Earth pony standing outside. She, of course, knew who he was. Everypony knew everypony else in town because of how small it was and their shared past with Starlight Glimmer.
“I think I need your help, Pattern,” Double was careful to use the latter part of her name. She preferred it that way. “Can I come in?”
“Certainly,” Pattern backed up and let the stallion inside her home. She knew she didn't have to show him which way was which. Every house in the town was identical, so he took to the living area's sofa without hesitation. She joined him, read the mood, and used her professional experience to breach the obvious problem. “Who do you need advice on?”
“Yeah...” Double grimaced and twiddled his forehooves.
Pattern was young and pretty. Her teal eyes and lustrously-kept blue mane drew most ponies in, but her professionalism and mature air kept the potential suitors away. Double had no thoughts as to her apparent beauty – distinct and identifiable after she had regained her cutie mark – because he was preoccupied with trying to figure out what was going on with his friend.
“Party Favor, right?”
Double Diamond grimaced again. “How'd you know?”
“Please,” the mare smiled and held back a giggle. “Everypony in town can see it. I hope you didn't come to me only for that. It's rather a waste of my special talent, don't you think?”
“Wait,” the stallion did a double-take. “See what? Is there something wrong with Party?”
“Wrong isn't the right word,” the mare countered, leaned to the old coffee table in front of them, and offered the male a cup of tea. He gave his thanks but refused the drink. “Right is far more fitting a description. Have you ever been in love, Double Diamond?”
The stallion was shocked. He didn't see why the subject seemed to change so suddenly. Though he knew she was well known for her psychological analysis of romantic relationships, he had only come to her for general advice. Love wasn't involved as far as he knew. His hesitation told her all she needed to know. She was, after all, well accomplished in her field.
“Ah,” she concluded with a straight face. “You did come here only for that. A pity. It would not be good of me to tell you something another pony needs to tell you of their own free will.”
“But you can read anypony like an open book,” Double pleaded. He leaned across the sofa and grabbed the mare's shoulders without thinking. He was desperate not to have his new friendships torn apart by problems he failed to understand.
“Which is why,” Pattern calmly looked him in the eye and removed his hooves from her shoulders, “I have to be careful what I reveal. It's not right to tell the world what is going on in everypony's mind. I have an obligation of privacy not only to clients but also to those who have not officially confided in me.”
Double leaned back, hung his head, and sighed. “What am I supposed to do then? Party is one of my friends – my best friend. Nopony has ever been as nice to me as he's been. Nopony else has even expressed interest in my special talent for that matter. I don't want us to drift apart.”
A lightbulb ignited in Pattern's mind the way it often did. “Then talk to him. The issue will resolve itself with simple communication.”
“I can talk with him for hours as it is,” Double grouched and gave the mare a frown. “That hasn't solved whatever it is that's going on.”
“You haven't talked about the right things,” Pattern tutted. She stood up from the sofa and beckoned Double to the front door.
“Then what do I say?” the stallion followed and bit his lower lip.
“Ask him if he's looking for somepony special.”
That was odd. Very odd. What had she meant by that? The only thing Double Diamond could think of as he walked down the town's only street was that Love Pattern thought the problem was love related. Maybe Party Favor had his eye on somepony in town and wanted Double's advice. That had to be it. It was the only thing that made sense!
Ponies greeted him left and right with smiles as he went back to his home. They were smiles of a different sort. Smaller, more sincere, casual, and straight from the heart. Everypony was living life to the maximum by thriving in their unique abilities. Double Diamond greeted them in kind.
The bright dry air in town was different than the tundra Double preferred. The sun beat down with a heat that the stallion liked to get from his own coat and scarf instead. The sunshine wouldn't last much longer, though. As he entered his front door, he decided that he'd go to bed early. He was already an early riser and the day's trip with Party Favor had drained much of his energy. In any case, the sooner he went to sleep, the sooner he might be able to grab his best friend for a special talk over breakfast.
He went through the motions. Brush his teeth. Make his bed because he forgot to make it the previous morning. Stow away the skis he had dropped off before seeing Love Pattern. Scrub his hooves so he wouldn't get any dirt on his sheets. The checklist was almost always the same. The only differences that night were the thoughts he was stuck with before falling asleep.
Did Party Favor like somepony in town? If so, why did it bother him so much? What was there to worry about? Maybe he was just afraid of losing...
“Gah!” Double awoke with a start. “What in Tartarus?”
He looked one way and then another. Nothing unusual. He was in his bed, in his house, all by himself. It was morning judging from the light coming through the curtains. He had slept longer than he intended. Party Favor would be up by now. He needed to go through his morning routine quickly.
With a curse, he realized he had forgotten to clean his skis last night like he usually did. When it came to his equipment, Double was meticulous. Every micron had to be spotless. Some sportsponies didn't take care of their gear, but Double treated it like gold. He managed to get his stuff sparkling in record time. With a blur, he was out his front door and once more on the town's only street.
Party Favor's house was in the opposing row of buildings and only a single house down from Double's. It didn't take even a minute to know where the light blue unicorn was, though. He was visible over at Sugar Belle's cafe, making the berry-colored unicorn mare laugh with some silly new balloon animal. A brisk trot and a series of neighborly greetings later saw Double Diamond join his friends under the cool morning sky.
“Where's Night Glider?” Double questioned. He was more interested in Party, but didn't want to be too forward and spook the stallion. They both needed to be relaxed if this was going to work.
“Twelve thousand hooves above our heads,” Sugar Belle rolled her eyes.
“Is she trying to reach outer space?” Party Favor laughed.
Double Diamond shifted nervously on his hooves but tried not to let it show in his voice. “You know her. Ever since we got our cutie marks back, she's been getting the most out of her talent. High altitude gliding sounds scary to me.”
“Even after all those insane tricks you do on those high altitude mountains?” Sugar Belle asked with an insinuating expression.
“Heh,” Double tried to smile, failed, and wound up looking as nervous as he desperately wanted not to.
“Something wrong, Double?” Party was first to pick up the oddness.
Busted. How was he going to keep their talk casual now? Party would be on guard since he knew something was up with him. A cover up! That's what he needed. He had to think of one quick.
“I was wondering if you wanted to hit the slopes today?”
Stupid. Double Diamond wanted to facehoof. They had gone out yesterday.
“Didn't we just do that...like...yesterday?” Party gave his friend a teasing look. He absent-mindlessly moved his hooves to reshape the balloons he had been showing Sugar. They formed into a giraffe. “That addicted, huh?”
“I understand,” Sugar added in. “I couldn't stop baking for weeks after I got my mark back.”
Before Double could follow up, Party gave an answer. “Of course I'd go with you again, Double. I wouldn't miss it for the world.”
Party's dedication to their outings pulled through. Double felt like wiping the sweat from his brow, which had formed from his tension. The mountain would give him a familiar advantage – make him a little more comfortable with springing that question Love Pattern suggested. Double didn't exactly talk often about love-related matters. He wasn't certain he was comfortable with it, but he supposed he would find out today.
“Meet you at the summit at ten?” the white stallion suggested.
“Like a clockwork balloon,” Party Favor nodded. “Oh! Idea!”
Sugar Belle shook her head and headed back into her bakery. “Have fun, you two. I've got orders to bake.”
They made it to the top with ease, though Party was slower than the previous day. He likely hadn't fully recovered since he wasn't a regular athlete the way Double Diamond was. At the rate he kept skiing with his friend, though, that could change in the near future.
“Something wrong?” Party Favor asked as they sat down at the peak they had visited yesterday. The blue unicorn moved back and forth on his flanks, not as tolerant as Double was to the cold snow beneath him.
“Funny,” Double forced a smile and looked out to the lands below. “I asked you the same question yesterday. Almost.”
“Well?” Party's voice wavered with a noticeable chill.
A moment passed while the white stallion considered how he was going to ask the question. Did Love Pattern mean for him to ask a certain way? Curses. He should have asked for more directions. Well, might as well blast right through it. That's how he handled the slopes and it certainly worked for destroying the cutie mark vault.
“You, uh,” Double almost lost his nerve and then got it back in the last second. “Looking for any relationships?”
The lack of falling snow worked only to emphasize the windy silence. The clouds above them were dark and thick, but gave nothing to the mountains below. Lack of direct sunlight meant the powder was not blinding, so they had removed their goggles long ago. Double Diamond glanced over and could see the surprise in Party's eyes.
Did he just mess it up?
As if to keep in sync with Double's worries, Party Favor spoke up slowly and without certainty. “I...what?”
Double dared to repeat himself. It was easier this time for some reason. “Is there somepony you're seeing? You know, as a romantic kind of thing?”
Party felt himself go clammy, though Double couldn't see it. His heart raced. “Why do you ask?”
Double hadn't planned any further. The rest of the words that came out of his mouth were unprepared and unrehearsed. “I don't know. You just seem to be a little absent-minded these days. Sometimes. I don't know,” he repeated and chided himself for it. “What I mean is, I've seen you looking at me and...”
Party Favor's face couldn't decide whether it wanted to be red from embarrassment or pale in horror.
“...I didn't think you had a special somepony. You've always preferred being with me instead of the girls. At least I think you have. Now that I think about it, why did I find that picture of me in your wallet last week?”
Party Favor was as silent as the grave.
Double Diamond ceased his one-sided conversation, noticed his friend was shivering badly from the cold, and moved to help. He took off his scarf and added it to Party's pink one. He griped the other pony's shoulders and rubbed them to warm them up.
“Geez, Party, I should have brought some of my thermal suits. I keep forgetting that you can't take the cold like I can.”
There was nothing but slopes of pure white around them along with the eagle's eye view of Equestria. Without his goggles and other gear, Double Diamond would have done an excellent job of blending into the snow. The wind tossed their manes and was strong enough to steal some of the volume from Party Favor's words.
“I love you.”
Double Diamond thought he heard three words. His brain had actually received the information, but put it on hold because of shock. No, he couldn't have heard that. Party Favor said something else and it was because the stallion had said it so quietly that the wind distorted it and made it sound like something else. Double needed to hear it again.
“What was that?” Double leaned in, angled his ear towards the stallion's mouth, and kept rubbing the male's shoulders to warm him up. He heard Party Favor gulp, clear his throat, and then repeat himself with a voice full of fear and anxiety.
“I love you.”
The wind stopped. Or perhaps it was only Double's mind that stopped. The wind could have kept going. In fact, Equestria could have just erupted in flames and he wouldn't notice. Not even their current vantage point would clue him in.
“What?” Double asked. This time it was not for clarity. The single word came out because his brain had locked and refused to process anything more.
Party was shaking from more than the cold now. “Is that weird?” the unicorn bit out from his fear and chill. “I've never had so much fun with anypony else before. I love the way you're compassionate, caring, and decisive. I love your eyes, your mane, and the way you look when we meet up every morning. You're a great leader, a great friend, and handsome, and beautiful, and I...I don't know what I'm saying anymore!”
Party had reached his breaking point and just started crying from the stress. The rest of his words were lost to sobs and violent shaking. He was cold and terrified of how Double Diamond was going to respond.
He didn't have to wait long to find out, though. Double might not have been observant in love-related matters, but he did know how to act in a single decisive moment. That was how he pulled off his advanced aerial moves, where a quarter of a second was the difference between a good landing and a broken neck.
Party Favor felt the warm embrace of the other stallion. Double Diamond hugged his friend fully. He rubbed the frozen stallion's back to continue heating him up. Though Double was too humble to admit it, some of Party's flattery was mere truth. Double Diamond was a natural leader gifted with initiative. His mind automatically worked on his answer while he started speaking assurances.
“You're a great pony, Party Favor,” Double smiled and spoke softly into his friend's ear. “You opened up to me, Sugar Belle, and Night Glider. You always try to make us smile and offer a hoof anytime we need it. You sacrifice your time and your own interests to care about mine, which nopony has ever forced you to do. If there was somepony in the world that I thought cared about me, it would be you.”
Party Favor sniffled and felt his tears begin to freeze even as the rest of him warmed up. A flame of hope stayed alive in his heart. “Thank you for being my friend,” was as much as he could manage to say into Double's shoulder.
“Maybe we could try something more,” Double moved over just enough for their eyes to meet. With their faces so close, each stallion could see the very soul of the other. It was as clear as crystal behind their eyes.
“Why would you?” Party asked. He had heard the Earth pony's words but failed to believe them.
“Because I have an awesome, loving, perfect pony in my hooves who thinks I'm the greatest thing since sliced bread,” Double Diamond couldn't hold back the grin or the laugh.
Whether from relief, joy, or his companion's praise, Party Favor joined in the laugh. He was still chuckling when the white stallion made his move. This moment was one he would never ever forget.
Double Diamond kissed Party Favor on the lips. It wasn't a short peck. Their lips remained together until Double felt the unicorn return it. They parted with smiles bigger than any they had worn under Starlight Glimmer's rule or any time before.
“I hope you wanted that,” Double blushed. “I don't have a clue what I'm doing here.”
Party felt a shy giggle work its way up out of his mouth. “Me neither. Maybe we'll figure it out together.”
The unicorn's warmth meant something new in Double Diamond's grasp. The cloud cover hadn't thinned out, but the world around him felt sunnier. “Let's get out of the cold,” he suggested and reluctantly let the other male go. He had a new bounce in his step. “You've humored me long enough. I think it's time I did what you wanted to do for the day.”
“Oh good,” Party smirked. He still felt a wash of mixed emotions, but he knew his heart and mind would calm down with time. “I've been wondering what your voice would sound like on helium.”
When their hooves finally cleared the snow, Party Favor levitated something to Double Diamond's forehoof and tied it there. The Earth pony looked at the pink ribbon curiously. He still had his smile but raised a brow at his new special somepony.
“What is it?”
“Just a ribbon,” Party Favor replied and stuck his tongue out playfully.
“Yeah, but what for?” Double insisted as they tread the rocky path back to town.
“So I'll remember this day every time I see it.”
Double Diamond shook his head, sidled up next to the stallion, and put a forehoof over his shoulder. “Somehow, I don't think either of us will need it.”
Love Pattern saw the two stallions come back down from the mountain. She could see everything that had happened just by looking at their faces and body language. She waited until she got back to the secrecy of her home before she laughed. And she laughed hard. Double Diamond had been so easy to push. But then again, most ponies were easy for her to work with. He hadn't paid her anything, but Love Pattern felt satisfied nonetheless.
