When Trail Blazer had said they were going to climb those mountains Lustrous thought that maybe they were just going to explore them a bit or walk around them. He didn’t think she meant that they were actually going to climb all the way up them.
But now here they were already halfway about a rocky mountain. Lustrous’s hooves were absolutely killing him and the going was slow now as they had pretty much run out of any easy paths to ascend. There weren’t simple paths or a steady inclination anymore, now they faced sheer rock walls and a treacherous climb no matter where they went. Not for the first time Lustrous envied Steel Wing’s ability to fly.
“Do we really need to go any further?” Lustrous asked Trail Blazer. “I think we’ve gotten a pretty good idea of what these mountains are like.”
“We haven’t even hit the snow yet. I want us to reach the peak so we can look out at the rest of Equestria from up there.” Trail Blazer replied.
“But how? It’s too dangerous for Steel Wing to carry us up that high and we don’t have any climbing equipment. Can’t Steel Wing just fly up on his own and tell us what he sees?” Lustrous argued.
“No, he can’t.” Trail Blazer immediately shot him down. “Steel Wing doesn’t know how to take notes or draw up a map afterwards like I can. It needs to at least be me.”
“Well then can it only be you? Because I don’t quite feel like falling down a cliff and cracking my head open.” Lustrous said.
Trail Blazer glared at him. Lustrous had the courage to glare right back at her though and Steel Wing nervously looked between the two of them, hoping neither one would start a fight. Finally Trail Blazer shrugged off her large backpack and riffled through it before pulling out a rolled up rope.
“It’s going to be all of us.” She said to Lustrous and Steel Wing. “And we have all we need.”
The rope was securely tied around Steel Wing’s midsection and then Trail Blazer’s with Lustrous bringing up the rear. Now all three of them were connected so allegedly if one fell or slipped the other two could hold on and keep them from going down. And with Steel Wing in front he could just fly up a bit above them. The pegasus was also strong enough where he could still stay in the air for a while in case both Trail Blazer and Lustrous lost their grip.
So the three of them piled up all their bags and ignored the unicorn’s misgivings and began their ascent up the rest of the mountain. The one positive in the situation was that at least it wasn’t windy today. If the weather was bad it would’ve made everything even more dangerous. Although it was also possible that if there was a storm or blizzard raging right now, or even if it was just pretty cloudy, Trail Blazer wouldn’t want to climb up the mountain at all because they wouldn’t be able to see anything.
Their going was very slow as Trail Blazer was still well aware of how dangerous this was.
“If we fall don’t blame me!” Lustrous called out to the two ponies above him.
“Quit whining and focus on your own hooves!” Trail Blazer yelled back at him.
Lustrous grumbled a bit but complied. The nature of what they were doing forced him to stay tunneled on his own slow progress, of all of them he was definitely the most likely to slip or fall if he wasn’t being careful. He had heard of some skilled unicorns who could levitate or teleport with their magic and wished he was powerful enough to do the same. With his magic being next to useless he was forced to do this the earth pony way without having any of the natural strengths that an earth pony had. At least Trail Blazer didn’t complain whenever he asked for them to stop so he could catch his breath. Even that abrasive mare knew that the unicorn had limits.
It quickly got colder the further up they went though, a chill was in the air and Lustrous could see the snow up ahead that he had no idea how they’d get through. A few errant snowflakes occasionally drifted past his head before they melted away. It was actually kind of pretty he had to admit but there was no time for him to jot that down in his journal.
Perhaps when I’m at the summit I can write something down. The view better be worth all this trouble. The unicorn thought.
Although he knew Trail Blazer had a point about getting to look out across Equestria from a high mountain like this. He just didn’t think it outweighed the danger of this climb or was really that big a deal in the first place. From what he had seen the mare was more than competent of making an accurate map just from walking around on the ground, she didn’t need to look at things from above to accurately draw them. Maybe this would just make things easier for her? Or allow her to fix any mistakes she might have made.
Lustrous had to focus on his hooves whenever he moved from spot to spot but when he was still he was paying attention to the exact path that Trail Blazer was taking and copied her, grabbing the same rocks and placing his hooves at the right ledges and clefts. That at least was the big benefit to being last. The other good news was how close all of them still were to one another, Lustrous could practically reach out and touch Trail Blazer, the rope didn’t allow them to get far from each other.
He could see that Steel Wing had just made it to where snow and ice started crusting over the rocks. Now how were they supposed to proceed from here?
Well he had his answer when Steel Wing cleaved a hole in the ice and made hoof-holds for every step he took. Lustrous had to admit it was a practical way to deal with things and it actually made it a bit easier for him to climb up than the other part of the mountain. Now it was closer to using a ladder or a stairway. A slick and dangerous one, but still.
It was good that that was there to help since the temperature dropped like a meteor even just a few steps up into the snowy part. Lustrous could feel his blood freezing and frost started to cover his glasses. He could even hear Trail Blazer’s teeth chattering from above him and saw snow gathering along her mane and tail. They probably couldn’t handle this cold for too long but it’s not like they could hurry up either, that would just be inviting disaster.
It dawned on Lustrous that they were now having the exact opposite of the problem they had in the desert.
“Why do mountains have to be so cold?” Lustrous muttered to himself. “Why can’t all of Equestria just be one nice big forest?”
Steel Wing seemed to be slowing down a bit because of the cold too but Lustrous couldn’t tell if he was having the same kinds of problems as him and Trail Blazer. That pegasus seemed fine dealing with everything that came their way so far so Lustrous didn’t worry about him. It was his own shivering body and shaking legs that occupied his attention right now. He had to be extra careful every time he raised his hoof to make it up another step.
“How are you doing back there, Lustrous?” Trail Blazer said from above him.
“Oh, f-fine.” The cold made him stutter a bit. “T-This is just lovely weather.”
“Yeah? Well you won’t have to deal with it for much longer, we’re close to the top.”
The glasses wearing unicorn looked up and saw that that was indeed true, Steel Wing was currently trying to pull himself on top of the snow-capped peak of the mountain while digging more slots for them to work with. When he was done making the way for them the pegasus could probably just fly on top and help steady the rope, if not pull them up entirely. Lustrous knew he was a very strong pegasus and probably plenty capable of that.
Trail Blazer and Lustrous both stopped moving for a second as Steel Wing worked to get the last steps in before going up the peak. Which was actually problematic for them since without any movement the cold just affected them even stronger. Sitting up here a few more minutes without getting any blood flowing and they’d become two pony popsicles on the side of the mountain.
“I think things are secure enough.” Steel Wing finally called out as he stood right at the edge of the peak. “There’s just enough room for all of us to stand up here too, you should come up as quickly as you can.”
They finished the grueling last stretch in a struggle. Frost nestled all over their bodies, Trail Blazer had to shake powder from her bangs and Steel Wing kept shuffling his wings to get the snow off of them. The cold had taken nearly all the energy out of Lustrous and the unicorn would be happy when they were back down and off this mountain. Trail Blazer probably harbored similar sentiments but was keeping them to herself if so.
“Well, we’re here.” Trail Blazer said as Lustrous pulled himself onto the flat, snow covered, peak.
He was shivering quite a bit from the cold but he still took the opportunity to drink in the view with his two compatriots.
It really was quite something. They could see out for miles and miles unobstructed. Forests, rivers, lakes, other mountains, it was a breathtaking sight that allowed them to see the full beauty of Equestria. For a moment all three of them were able to forget the cold and just bask in that glorious wonder that this new world had to offer. Equestria. The home of the three tribes of ponies. It was probable, no, certain, that they were the first ponies to look at Equestria like this. To see this view. Lustrous was proud and happy to know that it was a unicorn, earth pony, and pegasus together at the same time to see it. Even Steel Wing, despite his face still being rather calm, seemed moved by the occasion. Trail Blazer was staring out there with an intense focus too, likely trying to memorize everything. Lustrous wondered if she was moved at all by the beautiful landscape or the special uniqueness of the situation. She probably wasn’t, and he had to pity her for that.
But it wasn’t long before the cold returned to remind them of their situation. Trail Blazer had enough for her notes and map so she said they could start heading down now. And Lustrous had to grudgingly admit, despite the climb and everything else he was glad they came up here.
Although he wouldn’t say that aloud to her.
With a smile on his face that even he was surprised to have, Lustrous went back to the edge of the peak where they had come up. And his smile instantly turned into a frown.
“Er...” He looked behind him at Trail Blazer and Steel Wing. “How do we get down?”