Well, we've made it to the base of the Crystal Mountain range safe and sound, and sweet Goddess it's cold. Like, really cold. I was expecting it to be cold, that much was only natural, but wow. We were supposed to make it just before nightfall, but evidently, somepony had miscalculated and we wound up touching down in the dead of night.
I personally wouldn't have minded if it weren't for a few things. Namely the drastic drop in temperature, but also the fact that—aside from the small lodge where we were to stay for the night—there were no other buildings around. There were no ponies to greet us except for the wrinkled old stallion running the lonely little lodge.
Now I was really glad Rarity had decided to come along because right now, the only ones keeping us company in this place are the freezing weather and howling winds outside. Granted, things are pretty cozy right now; It was quiet inside the lodge save for the small but very warm fire crackling in the hearth.
I'm wrapped head to hoof in a nice and comfy wool blanket, sitting at a small table near one of the windows as I write this. Rarity had pulled out some kind of chintzy romance novel and made herself comfortable in one of the velvety armchairs near the fireplace. That's to say nothing of the surprising quality of the hot cocoa and herbal tea—of which I had the former and Rarity the latter.
The old stallion in charge is a bit... strange, but I have to admit he keeps a very nice lodge. It was actually far nicer than I was expecting for being all the way out in a mountain range I'm sure nopony bothers to visit very often. I had to wonder how the guy could afford the upkeep living out here on his own. Speaking of the lodgekeeper though, he's a nice enough stallion, just... strange.
Whenever he talked to me or Rarity I got the sense that he wasn't all there—like he was constantly distracted by something or his mind was off somewhere far away in another time and place. A bit of a melodramatic way to describe it I'm aware but that's just the kind of vibe he gives off. Naturally, Rarity had also noticed something was off.
She tried to pry in that persistent way that she does, but the only bit of his story she was able to get out of him was that he used to be some hotshot mountaineer. He certainly looked like he was bred for it—burly physique, thick off-white coat, full beard that had gone fully grey but was still very impressive.
Apparently, there used to be a small little hamlet at the base of the mountain a long time ago. Back when he was still climbing mountains the folks in town called him the Yeti, presumably because of his climbing skill and the fact that the stallion could probably blend right into the snow around him. When I asked what happened to the hamlet, he told me there'd been some horrible accident.
To hear it from him, there was a massive avalanche that buried most of the town, killing dozens and driving the rest out of their homes. Ultimately those who survived tore down what was left of the town and left the mountain for greener pastures (probably literally). We asked why he was still here and he told me he couldn't fully let go of the life of a mountaineer. The problem was that he wouldn't tell us why he quit.
We assumed it had something to do with the avalanche he talked about but he never actually said that outright. He did mention we could actually see the remains of the town a couple of miles west of the lodge, but I had and have absolutely no desire to do so. In fact, both Rarity and I agreed that his story seemed a little... suspect. The whole thing reeked of a ghost story, with the stallion as the ghost and Rarity and I as the unsuspecting victims.
I didn't use to believe in ghosts, but I've seen some things since I started working for POUT and now I know better than to dismiss the seemingly impossible. In all honesty, a part of me expected to wake up in the morning and find the stallion gone, along with the entire lodge, or the lodge itself in complete ruins. I ran a thaumic scan of the place just to be sure and I didn't pick up anything out of the ordinary, but you never know, y'know?
It was better to be safe than sorry after all, and this mission is stressful enough as it is. In any case, that's where we are now. We made it to the lodge, unpacked our gear and we'll be heading up the mountain starting tomorrow with the Yeti as our guide. I'm not exactly the mountaineering type and it wasn't exactly something we covered in basic training. I did read some books on the subject though.
It doesn't seem too hard and Rarity assures me it'll be fine but I don't know. She's pretty enthusiastic about the whole thing, oddly so, if I'm being honest. I still don't really know what her deal is actually. I tried talking to her some more in an attempt to glean a bit more about her personal situation, but she just smiled and pulled that 'every mare has her secrets' line out.
I couldn't really say anything against that because I had some secrets of my own to keep, and she knew that. I knew she knew that and we both knew that she would've just turned the whole thing around on me and I'd be the one on the defensive and it would all be a huge waste of time. We'd get nowhere and I'd likely lose any rapport I had with the mare.
I didn't want to lose that rapport, I like Rarity. She was essentially a more ladylike version of Sunset now that I thought about it. Not nearly as smart and far kinder, but just as perceptive and good at getting what she wanted—for the most part. So yeah, I just left the matter alone for now. I figure she'll open up eventually and depending on how things go, she might end up finding out about my mission one way or the other.
The thing is, I don't really want to wipe her memory if that does happen. It'd be a huge violation of protocol if I didn't but even then I'd still rather not. Call it a hunch, but something tells me it might actually be better if I let her in on the details. I'm not too sure what I'll do in the end, but for now, I'm keeping my mouth shut. I'll cross that bridge if and when I come to it.
At any rate, I tried asking the lodgekeeper if he ever encountered anything strange during any of his climbs, but as I expected, I got nothing out of him on that front. Rather, he just told me a few meaningless anecdotes about some of the encounters he had with the local wildlife or some injury he sustained while hiking.
It wasn't anything I couldn't have guessed on my own, but sitting here now, I'm wondering if maybe I might've missed something in what he said. I'll go over what he told me once I'm ready to go to bed, which shouldn't be too long from now seeing as how it's gotten so late. And as much as I'd rather not, I should probably check out the remains of that old hamlet too if I get a chance.
I only just got here and already things don't seem right. I'm just hoping the lodge is still here and still as cozy and welcoming as it is right now when I wake up.