Sunlight dazzled in the high mountains. The mountain slopes so perfect for skiing down would blind most ponies and yet, he has eyes so used to the sun that in reflecting, they could at times look like steel. He was always ready for the next dash down the mountainside and was adept to life there, a rugged adventurer with thick locks of snow grey hair and a coat that could make him turn invisible in a snowstorm. Double Diamond was facing his element, the thin air and the blustering wind that felt like needles.

He was in the middle of taking a long break as he peered over the crest. Below were verdant forests and an enchanted waterfall from which a faint roar could still be heard in the utter silence of the slopes. He stepped away. It all looked beautiful but everything on the far side of this peak had a very treacherous edge. The fall alone from there could be fatal since he couldn’t fly. He hadn’t travelled there before and what lay beyond looked like a vast track of wasteland going as far as he could see which was ugly.

His ski slats were left standing near a rock wall like crossed legs. Sometimes the world told him to turn around and that nasty bit of desert sprawled out at the roots of the mountain gave him a uniquely bad feeling. Call it a skier’s instinct, one thing he has relied on for years. He could tell when a slope was about to give way into an explosion of powder or when a storm was coming. He wasn’t sure where he was exactly so his thoughts turned towards trying to find a small cave to take shelter in before working his way back where he came. In that time of rumination, he heard the soft crunch of steps not far off. It was absolutely perfect timing but not for him.

“Hey. Is somepony there?” he said. His alert ears angled in the direction of the hoof steps. He didn’t have to shout as the mountain walls did it for him, throwing his voice around and shaking it even more than his already wary mouth had.

A mare approached from a steep ridge. He first saw a vivid purple and blue mane nestled around the purple of a very solid looking horn. The mare carried herself as confidently as somepony born on the slopes, wearing not even a scarf much less the heavy and very expensive winter clothes that Diamond had cemented to his body. Her tail and mane were flowing by the wind.

“Who are you and what are you doing on my mountain?” she inquired. She had a surprisingly sweet air about her, with a voice tinged with eagerness and curiosity. She blinked her eyes rapidly to wipe flakes of snow that drifted downwards.

He waited a moment as the two sized each other up. “I didn’t know this area was yours,” Diamond said. His voice was quite hesitant towards the mare before him.

“I’m living here so I guess it makes the mountain mine, don’t you agree? But it doesn’t mean that others can’t come and share it with me. It looks like you’re a bit lost? Maybe a little?” Her voice was edged with even more sweetness and Diamond, his own edge dulled by two days in the wilderness, found it rather compelling.

“I am kind of like an explorer. I seek out new places for me to find an adrenaline fix,” Diamond said honestly.

“How delightful! Well, I don’t think this place will disappoint.” She gazed to her left where the desert stretched out further than they could see. “I came to the ends of our world to do a bit of exploring of my own. And as I have explored, I have carved out a place of my own here in this land that meets the edge of the far north.” She grinned amusingly. “Here and there, there are monsters. And in the frozen north, no pony dwells and in their place are hairy savage like creatures that consumes animals raw with giant teeth and have horns bigger than our heads!” She spoke swiftly and dramatically, waving a hoof near her head as if feeling the edge of a giant horn.

Diamond smiled but only to erase his growing unease. “Certainly we are far enough from the north to be afraid of that.”

“Truly but this mountain has its fair share of monsters if you know where to look. Come with me to my home below. You can rest there until you continue on your way.”

“Well, I suppose I wouldn’t mind a bit more travel,” Diamond said. He took a few steps forward towards her but truth be told, he felt rather vulnerable and conspicuous all of a sudden. The last thing he needed was to feel as though he was being watched by monsters. He had been frightful of campfire stories as a foal and his fearful self hasn’t changed all that much. The only thing he was really courageous about was the slopes and only because snow didn’t bite. But he was certain that she was alright so he hurried and followed her.

She led the way down the mountain. She was a great guide, her knowledge of the mountain very astute. She could see pathways that even he was blind to upon first glance. They jumped a few crevasses and navigated a difficult slope or two. Diamond used his ice pick to help keep him steady as he descended. But Starlight had it easier. It was there that he first saw that she had great magical power as her magic floated her down like a bubble, reaching the ground in mere seconds. He thought of bringing it up with her later when it would be more prudent so until then he would keep his distance. They kept going until the domain of snow turned to long stretches of winter trees. There were gurgling creeks and lakes where beavers lived. He could see the homes from the forest path. It was so misty where the mountain’s embrace held strong. It wasn’t until they left its roots that the desert air assaulted his senses. It wasn’t just dusty and harsh but cold unlike the deserts of the south. There was no respite from cold in this part of the world.

The two of them wove their way around boulders that were strewn about like a giant’s failed attempt at playing marbles. Brambles scraped his hooves and he almost stained his coat when an Ironside as thick as a ship’s rope hissed at him near some rocks. He hadn’t seen a snake like that so far north before. This was truly a dangerous land.

He took out his binoculars and gazed down a wide slope to where he could spot a tiny house in the middle of the desert plain. He was grateful to finally see an end in sight, even if it was in an area surrounded by giant spikes of rock and twisted remains of trees.

“We’re here…my home,” Starlight said. She smiled proudly as if they had just arrived at some grand place instead of some tiny speck of life that clung to the middle of nowhere.

She opened the door and let him inside. It was dark but from what light came in through the windows, Diamond could tell that the place was reasonably normal as far as houses went. The walls were a thick concrete like material inset with stones to keep it strong. The area was sparse as far as décor went. No colors or things superfluous in nature. Just a small desk here or a table there. Without much to look at, his eyes were drawn towards a picture of a couple horizontal parallel lines hanging on the wall. It was just that: two thick black lines.
“Are you an artist?” he inquired. He stared at the odd thing.

She turned on some gas lamps and was then pouring them some water out of a utilitarian looking stone jug. “An artist? Whatever do you mean?” He gestured towards the picture and she nodded enthusiastically. “Oh…that is a wonderful symbol I have embraced in my life. Perhaps if you’re interested you can learn about it later. For now, we’ll eat.”

“Alright. I could eat.” He set aside his things and took off his coat which made things unnecessarily warm in the confined air of the house.
They both sat on opposite sides of a table. Shadows played on the walls from the lamp set nearby. Starlight had brought out a loaf of bread so Diamond added some butter from his food pack to his along with a few carrots to add some crunch to it. Starlight seemed content with plain bread and water like how a criminal would eat. He didn’t say anything out of not wanting to sound rude by questioning her. They ate the food at a swift pace.

“Um…what’s with your cutie mark? I bet there’s a story behind that,” he said. That question sounded to him like safe territory and thankfully, she seemed to agree.

“Isn’t there always a story behind every cutie mark?” She let the rhetorical question hang in the air as her head rested on her hooves which formed a pyramid. He didn’t know why but she looked remarkably serene with a relaxed smile stretched out across her face. “Like I said earlier, you could call me an explorer too. Only not in the same way as you are, I don’t think.”

“What do you mean?”

Starlight’s eyes gleamed in excitement. “I delve into ponies and how they live. That symbol you saw earlier is my greatest masterpiece. It means equality and I would love to speak to you about it. Maybe right now?”

“I’m not sure. Isn’t it getting late?”

Starlight looked outside. “Well, perhaps it is. Then I will show you my inspiration for it in the morning. I’ll be glad to show you where the beds are. You must be aching for something to rest your head upon.”

“I could,” Diamond agreed. “Do you have a place for me?”

“There is a spare bedroom. You may use it.”

She led him to the spare bedroom on the second floor. His was to the right of the stairs and hers to the left. Straight ahead looked to be a washroom with a tub and buckets inside. The temperature had dropped as he ascended the stairs. Diamond saw a freshly made bed, some bare furniture and a window where he could see more of the desert which looked golden in the last beams of the dying light. Starlight set the fire in the wood stove ablaze.

Diamond was genuinely grateful for her hospitality and wanted to do something to show his gratitude but he couldn’t figure how exactly. Sure she acted polite and kind but the place didn’t exactly give him much to go by like interests or hobbies and he still had no idea what to make of that equality symbol. After he set his mountain clothes on the back of a chair, he turned and extended a hoof. She took it then pulled him closer before gripping his shoulder kindly.

“I will see you tomorrow,” she said.

“Yeah, sure thing,” he muttered half-heartedly. He gave a token effort towards reciprocating her friendly affection before she stopped and he withdrew, perhaps a bit too fast. He wasn’t sure. His cheeks also felt warm but he hoped that he didn’t blush at the touch of that mare who he must admit was not just the most beautiful mare in the wastes but perhaps the prettiest he had seen in a long time. The touch almost made him want more, to learn more about his mare and who she is. Instantly, he could tell they shared something in common. He had always been a lonely stallion and for better or worse, he thought she wasn’t so very different.

They said good night and she left into the hallway, shutting the door behind her. He slowly sunk under the heavy blankets and let his head lay like a lead weight upon the pillow. She was right. His body was exhausted. But his mind wasn’t and he couldn’t stop thinking, threatening to ruin his desire for sleep. Not just about the mare herself but that strange symbol on the wall. She said it meant equality. But what was she equal to out here? Having had enough, he shut his eyes and forced his mind to slow down by visualizing himself riding the slopes again of his homeland in winter. It seemed to work because all thoughts of the desert faded away into nothingness.

Author's Note

To like the ten people reading this, I hope you like the concept of this. I think Starlight Glimmer is going through the early stages of her ability to indoctrinate ponies to her beliefs. Double Diamond is just the first. Oh, and if you don't like it then please suggest improvements. But, NO refunds!!