The Ship that Sailed in the Sea

by Queen Fangirl


The Two that Trailed the Terrain

"I'm tired."

The two stallions trudged through the feathery snow. The snowflakes danced lightly through the night sky, their next move unpredictable.

"You're always t-tired."

They've ventured a lot farther from home than they have thought. What time is it? It's probably past midnight because it's been dark for quite a while now, and they still couldn't fathom how many moons it'll take to reach their destination.

The snow-white equine kicked some snow out of the way and almost tripped. "Agh! Grr, I think I'm gonna lose it." He attacked the ground harder and slipped, falling face-first into the soft ice.

The pale-blue unicorn sighed and lifted his companion back to his hooves. "Goodness gracious, i-it's f-freezing out here," he stammered.

"Oh, it's not that cold. You'll get used to it."

"Easy for you to s-say, you were practically made for th-this place - " he suddenly stopped and stared awkwardly for a bit at nowhere in particular, then groaned and fell on his side. "Uuuggghhh."

"Looks like Party Favor ain't livin' up to his name A.T.M.," the snow stallion teased.

"Shaddup, Double Diamond," Party Favor snapped, "I'm feeling r-really painful, 'A.T.M.', I think I'm about to get f-frostbite. Help a f-friend out."

Double Diamond chuckled and dragged his bestie by his hoof under some forest trees and wrapped his scarf around him. Then he hoofed around for some wood and sanded them together. Favor eyed him in puzzlement and said, "What are you doing."

"What's with the deadpan? I'm making fire, of course."

"...in the snow? Essentially, frozen water?"

"Anything is possible if you try."

Party Favor smirked and replied nothing for a while. Double Diamond didn't manage to create a fire, but he did convince his pal to use the last of his magic to shield them from the cold. The two laid down facing away from each other in silence, admiring the snowflakes as they gently tumbled down from the heavens. Somewhere in between, Party Favor attempted to recollect his memory from previous events. It seems that the stallions were out for a walk, then they got chased by a deer Double was almost sure was a manticore, then something about being bombarded with potatoes by a mentally-concerning mare...whatever happened, the curly-maned pony eventually grew exhausted from thinking about it. "Hey," he muttered to the companion next to him.

Double Diamond yawned. "Mhm?"

"Why did you follow Starlight Glimmer?"

There was a little pause as the other member of the party conflicted on whether to talk about it or not. "I guess...I was kinda desperate."

"Mhm?"

"I was the first to get my cutie mark out of all my so-called childhood 'friends', I loved to ski, so when I pulled off some pretty cool tricks on this tall slope, I knew I was meant to do this for the rest of my life. Actually, no, it WAS my life. I couldn't think about what it would've been without it. But, well, my 'friends' weren't so happy about it, so they kicked me out of their group and left me on my own. My folks never really gave concern to me, either, so since I didn't have anything to stay for, I ran away when I got older. I was just skiing by myself one day until this unicorn came up to me and offered to get rid of my misery. She said, 'You're cutie mark has really ruined your life, hasn't it? I can take away that painful thing if you'd like, that thing that reminds you of everything you lost. Join me, and you will be the happiest stallion alive.' So I gave in, and I kinda served her for the most part until Princess Twilight and her friends came along. They all have such strong bonds, y'know? Even though they contrast each other a lot, they still stick together until the end. It was then I thought, now where can I find ponies like that? I was sorta jealous, which is why I doubted them at first. I know, it was stupid of me, but I couldn't help it. I only feel after all."

Party Favor listened to his friends speech intently. "You really liked Starlight back then, didn't you?"

"...yeah."

The blue stallion thought about Double's words thoroughly. The more he thought about his childhood, the more ticked off he got. "That wasn't fair. Just because you get your cutie mark early doesn't mean their envy should shame you."

"I guess it was for the best. They weren't the greatest friends ever, anyway. I have Sugar Belle, Night Glider, and you now, and that's more than anything I could ask for."

"Still, if I was there I would strangle them and try to go to the ends of Equestria to find you."

"You're a great friend."

The two laughed for no particular reason and glanced at each other. Party Favor turned away shyly and let out a slight huff. "You know, I used to be really poor. Back then, throwing parties and just having a good time wasn't widely accepted where I was from, so I had a lot of trouble fitting in when I got my cutie mark. I met Sugar Belle in a small bakery at the edge of town, and we ran from the place, and like you, we didn't have much to leave behind. One day, I couldn't find her anywhere, but it turned out Starlight took her in and asked if I wanted to join. So, like, I obviously agreed, for Sugar Belle and to let go of my past. But it really wasn't the same."

"I bet it wasn't, you always looked empty in your eyes."

Favor stretched and gazed off into the distance. "Was it that obvious?"

"I didn't hear anything else about it, so probably not. But it honestly made me kinda sad." Double Diamond shifted to his other side, and their faces were a few inches apart. Party Favor flinched and scooted a bit farther, turning slightly pink, though the other stallion didn't seem to notice for he had fallen asleep.

Party Favor stared at his face and felt something inside glow. He didn't know why, but its power was like a firefly full of bright pride. His eyelids drooped, and soon enough, he was sleeping too.