Snow fell lightly on the mountaintops surrounding the little hidden village, twinkling in the fading sunlight. Years had passed since Starlight Glimmer had fled, and taken her dark shadow with her, freeing the populace to make their own lives. Now, the populace slept peacefully in their cottages.
All except one mare. Night Glider sat atop a snow cloud over a particular mountain, one with smoothened slopes that easily trailed down to the ground. Such a slope, coated snugly in a smooth white blanket of snow and sparsely marked with trees, was perfect for skiing. With a sigh, Night Glider settled down onto the cloud, a distant look in her eyes as she allowed her mind to wander, carried away on the wind like the falling snowflakes below her, back to thoughts of him...
"Whoo-hoo!"
She zipped low over the ground, zigzagging between mounds of snow and trees. The wind whipped through her mane and stung at her eyes, adding to the exhilarating, pulsing thrill, this feeling of being alive that she was caught up in, barely aware of the weight dragging behind her on her tail.
"Okay, Night! Let her go!" a voice called behind her.
She snapped her tail down, releasing the cable she was dragging, and flew up into the air to get out of the way. A white blur shot beneath her, flying across the snow and over the makeshift ramp they had made. Rising up into the air like a rocket, he spun once, twice, three times, then landed on the ground beneath, sending a cascade of powder flying up into the air.
"Yeah!" Double Diamond hooted loudly, kicking his skis off and removing his goggles with a laugh. "That was awesome!"
Laughing joyfully, Night Glider landed beside him. "Oh, it feels good to be able to fly again!" She grinned at Diamond. "But you know what feels even greater? Having somepony to fly with."
Diamond let out a little laugh and looked down, adjusting the purple scarf around his neck. "Y-you know," he stammered out. "I feel that way, too, Night Glider. I...I'm really glad we're friends."
Night Glider tilted her head a little to the side. She'd never seen Double Diamond nervous like this: since regaining his cutie mark, he'd always seemed to be carefree, fun-loving and thrill-seeking. Now he was stammering, blushing, struggling to look up at her with his big blue eyes shining.
Gosh, he's cute, Night Glider thought, then blinked. Did I really just think that?
"Uh, hey," Diamond stuttered out. "I heard that Sugar Belle's got a new flavor. You want to head down to the bakery, you and I? Er...as friends?"
Night Glider half-forced a laugh, fighting down the heat rushing to her cheeks. "Yeah. As friends."
That was how it had started. The meetings had become more frequent and longer, the talks lasting into the night and venturing into more personal territory. And somewhere along the way...they had become more than friends.
It had been a risk, Night Glider reflected as she turned and reluctantly began to fly back home. But then again, both of them were risk-takers, loving the thrill of being on the edge, never thinking about the risks. Swooping low over the village, Glider slowly cantered down the main street, past the houses of her neighbors and friends.
"So you and Double Diamond are dating now?"
"We are not dating, Sugar Belle," Night Glider said to her baker friend over her mug of hot cocoa that she was enjoying at Sugar's Bakery. "We're just two friends who are going out with each other a lot."
"Mmm," Sugar Belle said in a slightly singsong tone, tilting her head a little to the side. "Sounds like you're dating to me." She leaned in over to the table, her grin sparkling. "Do you think he's cute? Are you in love with him?"
"I am not in love with him, and I don't think he's cute!" Night Glider replied hotly.
"Then how come you're blushing?" Sugar Belle teased, giggling as her friend quickly turned away. "Come on, admit it. You're in love."
Night Glider smirked back. "Okay. I'll admit it when you admit that you totally have a crush on Party Favor."
Sugar Belle's cheeks went from magenta to tomato red in an instant. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said quickly, turning away.
"Oh, come on," Night Glider said. "I've seen the way you look at him when his back's turned." Sugar Belle responded by blushing even harder and letting out a little embarrassed squeak.
"Look. You should just ask him out or something. One of you has to make the first move."
"B-but what if he says no?" Sugar Belle squeaked, nervously fiddling with her mane.
"Even if he does, he'll still be your friend, right?" Night Glider said. "And what if he says yes?" She leaned forward and touched her friend on the shoulder . "Trust me, Sugar. You've got nothing to lose."
Nothing to lose. Those words stung Night Glider harsher than any winter chill now, much later. But that's what it had seemed like back then, when it felt like the two of them owned the world, that the only way to go from there on was up...
"Come on, you can go faster than that!" she taunted, flying alongside Double Diamond as the two of them glided across the snow, zigzagging over moguls and between trees.
"You wanna see fast?" he shot back, smirking. Lowering himself on his skis, he accelerated, shooting ahead of her. She made to catch up to him when he hit a hard mogul that suddenly seemed to rise out of the ground in front of him, sending him arcing into the air, flailing his legs and shouting in surprise. He hit the snow hard and tumbled down the slope, sending white powder and both his skis flying into the air before finally crashing to a halt, headfirst in the snow.
Night Glider's heart leapt to her throat. "Diamond!" she shouted, speeding down and hurriedly digging him out. "Diamond!" The stallion did not reply. Panic gripping her mind, Glider furiously flung snow away from him, trying to reach his head. "Double, can you hear—"
Her response was a snowball right to the face. Double Diamond rolled over, completely unhurt, his whole body convulsing with laughter. Glider stared for a moment, snow slowly falling from her open mouth, then picked up a hooful of snow and flung it at Diamond's face. "You jerk! You scared me half to death!"
Double just laughed harder, packing up more snow and tossing it at her. It wasn't long before she joined in the laughter, and the two began to tussle, wrestling and hurling snow at each other. The fight ended with Night Glider lying on top of Double Diamond, both of them breathless from exertion and laughter.
Finally catching his breath, Double looked up at Glider and paused. She was still smiling radiantly, covered in snow, her mane falling around her face, backlit by the sun and clear blue sky. She looked gorgeous, more beautiful than a fresh snowfall.
An fluttering in his chest, an instinctual surge of emotion took over his body. Slowly reaching up, he took her by the back of the head. Her expression changed to confusion, then to shock as he leaned up and kissed her on the mouth. But after a moment, she melted into the kiss like whipped cream on cocoa, gently pushing him back into the snow. They barely noticed the cold wetness; the warmth of each other, of their confirmed love, was more than enough.
Finally, they separated, the taste of their first kiss still on their lips. They stared at one another for a second before Diamond let out a little nervous laugh. "I guess we're really serious now," he said.
"Heh, yeah," Night agreed, laying down and cuddling him closer in the snow.
Months passed in a blur of dates, passionate kisses, and cuddles that lasted throughout the night. Had it really been so long ago? Instinctively, Night Glider's hoof sought out the small silver ring that she wore on a chain around her neck. The jewelry weighed very little, and yet to her, it was as heavy as the world, weighed down by her love and memories of him. She still remembered the day...
"You ready?" she asked.
"Yeah, of course I'm ready!" Double Diamond replied. His grin was as gamine and genuine as ever, but there was something wrong with his voice: it sounded strained, nervous.
She raised an eyebrow. "You sure you're all right?"
"I'm fine!" Diamond replied quickly. "Let's do this thing!"
Night Glider stared at him for a moment more, then shot up into the air, preparing for their trick. Arcing high into the sky, she looked down towards her partner and almost tumbled out of the sky.
Marked into the snow above her in ski tracks was a query, one that she could never have prepared for: "NIGHT GLIDER, WILL YOU MARRY ME?" She looked down at Double Diamond beneath her and saw the hopeful look in his eyes, and knew that he had been planning this moment for some time, and was hoping with every fiber of his being that all his preparation, the hours spent up on the slope on his own, were going to pay off.
They were. Her heart soaring higher than any pegasi, Night Glider shot down and tackled Double Diamond in an embrace, kissing him full on the mouth. Tears fell from their eyes (although both would later deny that they had cried).
"That answer enough for you?" she whispered breathlessly. He let out a quivering, joyful laugh, pulling a small box out of the snow and opened it up. Inside was a simple silver ring on a chain, polished so that it shone like fresh snowfall. Her hooves quivering, Night Glider slowly extracted the ring from the box and placed it around her neck.
They were wed soon after, in the biggest party that Party Favor had ever thrown since the liberation party after Starlight was chased out. The entire village had turned out to watch them exchange their vows, to celebrate their union long into the night before allowing them to move into their new cabin.
The stone building hadn't changed at all since they'd first moved in, Night Glider reflected as she moved up the dirt pathway to the door. Where once she had found it warm and inviting, now it seemed cold and unfamiliar. Sighing, she opened the door and entered the sitting room. A crackling fire was in the hearth, casting light across the sofa and the mare sitting on it.
"Hi, Night Glider!" Sugar Belle declared, bouncing up to her friend.
"Hey, Sugar," Night replied. While she was genuinely happy to see her friend—it was almost impossible to not be happy to see Sugar Belle—but the smile and embrace that she bestowed on her baker friend and best mare lacked her usual energy, and it was with a thrill of envy that Glider examined the golden ring on Belle's horn, one that had been presented to her on a heart-shaped balloon by Party Favor at her own wedding.
"Hey, guess what?" Sugar Belle asked, bouncing up and down excitedly.
"You developed a new flavor of muffin?" Night Glider asked, wearily.
"No, silly!" Sugar Belle squealed excitedly. "I'm pregnant!"
Night Glider had to struggle to bring her latent feelings of joy out from the depths of her heart. Forcing a smile, she hugged Sugar Belle again. Over her shoulder, Glider's eyes fell on the coffee table, upon which had sat the letter that had changed everything...
"Drafted? Drafted?!"
"I can't do anything about it," Double Diamond said softly, his head bowed, unable to look at her. "The Guard needs more ponies to fight off the changeling invasion.
"You can't go!" Night Glider shouted, stamping the ground with her hoof. "You can't just leave! I don't give a buck about the changeling or the war! This is family!"
"You think I wanted this?" Diamond shouted, his frustration and anger taking control of him for once. "You think I volunteered? You think I want to leave my home, to leave you?" He let out a little frustrated whimper, then reached out and slowly stroked Glider's cheek. "I love you. I don't want to leave you."
"Then don't!" Glider said, taking his hoof in her own and gripping it tightly, as if to keep him from being pulled away. "Stay with us!"
"I can't," Diamond replied, looking away. "This is more important!"
"There is nothing more important than this!" Glider shouted, furious tears leaking from her eyes. Her shout triggered another noise, a bawling from upstairs. Both of them looked up in shock: they thought that she had been fast asleep, thought she wouldn't hear them arguing...
"How's she been?" Glider asked, separating from the embrace.
"She's been good," Sugar Belle said, looking up towards the ceiling. "She fell asleep a little while ago."
"I really appreciate you doing this," Glider said.
"Anything for a friend," Sugar Belle replied, giving her a quick nuzzle and heading for the door. She paused at the threshold, looking back with a rare expression of seriousness. "He is coming back." She stated this as a fact, but Night Glider did not react, not even turning around.
"Good night, Night Glider," Sugar Belle said softly, stepping out into the growing darkness. As the door shut behind her, Glider fell onto the sofa, her face buried in her hooves. For how long she sat there, she did not know, but she was suddenly stirred by the sound of crying from upstairs. Flying up the stairs, she zoomed into a small room that had once been a guest bedroom. Inside was pink walls decorated with blue clouds, a plastic toy chest, a plastic table that served as a changing station and a small crib. Inside the crib, thrashing about in her nightclothes as she wailed, was a small filly, little less than a year old.
Crossing to the crib, Night Glider reached inside the crib and pulled her daughter out, cuddling her to her chest. The filly's crying quieted into whimpers as she looked up at her mother, her ice blue eyes shiny with tears.
"I miss daddy too, honey," Glider whispered, holding her close...
Nopony had said anything all morning. Glider watched in silence as Diamond slowly put his packed saddlebags on his side. In her forehooves, their newborn daughter fussed, reaching out towards her father.
Diamond stepped forward and kissed the filly on the forehead. "Daddy loves you," he said, his lips quivering and voice shaking as he struggled to contain himself. "Don't ever forget that." He looked up at his wife and leaned forward to kiss her too. She clung to him, never wanting to let go. All too soon, he pulled away, leaving a bitter taste on her lips.
"Goodbye," he whispered, tightening his scarf around his neck. Without another word, without a backwards look that would no doubt force him to stay, he strode quickly to the door, shutting it behind him. And just like that, he was gone, vanished from their lives. The filly began to cry, and Night Glider held her close, tears falling from her own face...
There was a knocking at the door. Wiping her eyes, Night Glider carried her daughter down the stairs and into the sitting room. What she saw coming through the door made her freeze, drawing in breath in a gasp.
A pony with a snow white coat and ice blue eyes was striding slowly through the door, a purple scarf around his neck, removing a chipped, worn helmet from his head to reveal a windswept mane. Double Diamond smiled up at his wife as if he had only just left.
In a single second, Night Glider had flown across the room and seized him in a kiss, tears falling from both of their faces as they embraced joyfully.
"I missed you so much," he whispered, hugging her close. "Not a single day went by I didn't think about you."
In Glider's forelegs, the little filly stirred, her blue eyes shining with joy. "Dada!" she shouted, reaching up her little legs to him.
He let out a tearful laugh and brought her into his embrace. "You remembered me!"
"Of course she did," Night Glider said, wrapping her wings around her two little snowponies, who had finally come home again.
Author's Note
I was bored and sketched this idea out in my mind. Then I wrote it down. Something a little different for me. What'd you think?
