5. Everfree and Canterhorn
Atlas walked through the woods at a leisurely pace, enjoying the scenery without feeling the need to rush. Discord zipped to and fro, examining everything he deemed interesting. The forest they found themselves in was peaceful since the ponies eager to build new towns hadn’t wandered this far into nature yet. All kinds of birds and critters zipped to and fro, scurrying about the forest floor beneath the canopy as they chirped their merry songs. Copious amounts of moss covered the tree trunks and spilled onto the ground, complementing the wild untamed aura of the place.
“Don’t wander too far off!” Atlas called after Discord, a loud shout of “OK, dad!” came from somewhere behind the trees.
After spending a long time in their cave, Atlas and Discord decided it was high time that they went out to take a look at Equestria and how it was developing. It was sort of a vacation for the both of them, especially Atlas, since he had done almost nothing else but research for the past few years. The destination that interested Atlas the most was, of course, the mountain where he figured Canterlot would be built.
Using an advanced form of the mapping array, Atlas was able to accurately map almost half of Equestria; the map created from that now guided them on their travels. Adjusting their course a little, Atlas had them go through an enormous forest, which he currently suspected was the Everfree in the past. Just as he always thought, the fabled Everfree hadn’t always been the hellhole it was in the show. In fact, currently, the forest couldn’t be more peaceful and idyllic if it tried to.
With his head in the clouds, Atlas followed the direction his nose pointed, paying just enough attention to keep meandering in the right direction. From time to time, Discord would float by to reassure Atlas that he was still close. They spent most of the morning walking like that, only stopping to scrutinize something that looked interesting. A tree that grew into a peculiar shape; a giant boulder that had no business being in the middle of a huge forest, or the nests of exotic birds they happened across.
After resting for a light lunch in the middle of a flower-filled clearing, the duo happened to come to the first obstacle in their journey.
“Whoa…” Discord exclaimed astounded. “I can’t even see the bottom…”
A giant chasm in the earth stalled their idle march. The ravine looked as if it had formed naturally, most likely from an earthquake that occurred eons ago. True to Discord’s words, a thick, inky abyss swallowed all light from above.
“I wonder if there’s anything down there…” Atlas said in awe. “You brave enough to float down there?”
“Down there?!” Discord asked incredulously, his eyes bugging out of his head. “No way! I wouldn’t be able to see and it looks like it’ll swallow me whole if I go down!”
“You’re over-exaggerating,” Atlas said, waving him off. “It’s just a hole; there’s most likely nothing down there. You’re also basically a reality bender, so a little light spell should be no problem at all. Heck, I think you’d probably be able to just throw your eyes down there to check it out, you’ve done stuff like that before!”
Discord peered over the edge tentatively, an uneasy feeling of being watched haunting him. He briefly considered what Atlas just told him, and while he trusted his father to not make a bad call on things like this, it still scared him. Vertigo set in as he looked down, causing him to recoil away from the abyss.
“No way!” Discord said, shaking his head.
“Ah well, if you won’t do it, I’ll just have to go down myself,” Atlas laughed before simply jumping off the ledge and disappearing from view.
“Dad!” Discord called out, panicked.
He scrambled towards the ledge, once again looking down, just in time to see Atlas being swallowed up by the darkness.
“Wheeeeeeeeeee!!” Atlas hollered in childlike excitement, confusing Discord even further. What confused Discord was that Atlas couldn’t fly, so why would he jump into a bottomless pit? Thinking about it rationally, Discord figured he probably knew a way to slow his descent, or surely he wouldn’t have jumped. The rational thought calmed Discord down somewhat, which caused him to breath a sigh of relief. Still, he waited with bated breath for Atlas to give him a sign that he was okay, but as the time passed worry started to set in again.
Suddenly, a flash of light accompanied by a subtle popping noise appeared next to Discord, revealing a perfectly healthy Atlas. “Yup, just boring ground and jagged rocks down there.”
Discord was stunned for a moment, relief washing over him like a wave of cool water on a hot summer day. After recovering from the shock, Discord punched Atlas in the leg closest to him before pulling him into a hug.
“Don’t scare me like that…” Discord said with a sniffle.
“Awww… I’m sorry Discord,” Atlas replied honestly. “It just seemed like a fun little prank at the time. Also, base jumping somewhere is a rush, so I couldn’t help myself… Sorry.”
“Just promise me to never do something like this again!” Discord pleaded.
“Alright, I’ll give you a warning next time,” Atlas promised. “But, I may dive down another hole somewhere again,” he added with a mischievous smile.
Discord looked up at Atlas with a playful glare, not letting go of his leg. Having calmed down considerably, another issue came to Discord's mind.
“Wait, how are we going to continue from here on?” Discord asked. The ravine was almost fifty feet wide and seemed to stretch almost forever to both sides of them. “How are we going to cross?”
“Are you kidding me?” Atlas asked with a snort before teleporting away, causing Discord to fall over due to a lack of support. “I can teleport and you can float!”
Discord looked to the other side of the ravine, where he heard the call come from, to find Atlas standing there and waving back at him.
“Oh yeah,” Discord muttered, baffled by his own lack of judgement. The incident must have rattled him more than he thought. “Teleport… there was that…”
Shortly after muttering those words, Discord disappeared in a flash of white light and reappeared next to Atlas.
“Took you long enough,” Atlas commented with a dry chuckle.
“Hey, you promised me! No disappearing without a warning,” Discord reprimanded his father.
“Oh right,” Atlas said with a perplexed face. “Well, here’s a warning for you. I’m going to run away as fast as I can, catch me if you can!” That was the only warning Atlas gave before booping Discord on his snout and running off into the trees, laughing like a wild maniac.
Discord stared after him, unable to process what just happened. Discord always knew that his father was a bit of a child disguised as an adult, but it had really started to show ever since they left the secret lab. Discord didn’t mind, though, he actually liked this new more carefree side. The receding sound of Atlas’ laughing reminded him that he was supposed to give chase instead of stand around. A smile appearing on his face as he took off after Atlas, opting to not just teleport, since it could be considered cheating.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Atlas and Discord emerged from the treeline of the forest, granting them their first real look at the mountain stretching towards the heavens before them. They’d been able to sneak some glances at the impressive spire from in between the trees before, but now they had a clear view. It was strangely thin for a mountain, a stark contrast towards the usual mountains that dotted the horizons of Equestria, which were wide at the base with jutting peaks. The mountain in front of them reminded Atlas of a speartip that someone left stuck in the ground.
The rest of the journey towards the mountain was mostly flat plains, from the where they were in the treeline they could practically see everything around it. Oddly enough, no towns or even small villages could be seen. It was possible that nopony had ventured this far yet, and it would still take some time for the current settlements to grow out before they pushed settlements this far inland. Atlas assumed that at least the unicorns would have been all over it, since, just like the lonely mountain that rose and sheltered the Crystal Kingdom, this mountain stood in solace as well.
“It’s quite impressive, isn’t it?” Atlas asked Discord.
“Meh, I’ve seen bigger…” Discord replied in a somewhat bored tone.
“Come on now, of course we’ve seen some interesting mountains on our travels, but nonetheless, this one has it’s own charm,” Atlas tried to explain. “Just look at how uniquely shaped it is. For all I know, it should be impossible for a single mountain to reach that size, and yet, here it stands!”
“I’ll admit that it’s an unusual sight, but still, what’s so special about it that you even wanted to come here in the first place?” Discord questioned.
“Oh, it’s just because… It’ll become really important in the future and I just wanted to see it once before then,” Atlas tried to explain without spoiling too much.
“Will you ever let me finish reading that book of yours?” Discord asked with annoyance, given the fact that Atlas had yet to give up guarding the book.
“...No,” Atlas said after a short pause.
The last thing Atlas wanted was for Discord to read his notes and see what fate had in store for him. If it could be helped, Atlas wanted to prevent Discord from ever going crazy and taking over all of Equestria. Not just for the ponies sake, but also for Discord’s. Surely, Equestria would be even better off if it didn’t suffer another cataclysmic event right after settling down in a new country they believed safe.
“Have it your way then,” Discord sighed, silently resolving himself to getting his paws and claws on the book no matter what it took.
It contained information about Discord’s own future, and therefore he felt like he had a right to know about it if he wished so; no matter what it was.
“You’ll see how everything turns out eventually, you just have to be patient…” Atlas pleaded with Discord, hoping for him to see reason. “For now, how do you feel about climbing on top of that suspiciously thin mountain over there and seeing if somepony already claimed it? We might get to name it if nopony did.”
Some excitement snuck into Atlas’ voice, the prospect of naming a mountain seemed like a very enticing concept to him. He looked over at Discord, barely able to contain his eagerness while waiting for an answer.
“Sure,” Discord replied, much to Atlas’ satisfaction. “Just don’t name it something stupid or I’m going to overrule your decision and name it myself.”
“I’m disappointed in how little trust you have in my judgement,” Atlas said with a chuckle.
“Well, you raised me, so I know best about just how weird your ideas can be,” Discord pointed out.
“Like you’re one to talk,” Atlas smiled. “Come on, let’s go. I’d like to arrive at the mountain's base before sundown.”
It was just a little past noon and the mountain in the distance looked close enough to reach with the summit with amount of daylight that was still left, especially since there were no obstacles of note in their way. With a new goal in mind they took up their journey once again.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Pulling himself up another ledge, Atlas could finally see the end of his climb. The peak of the mountain was so close he could almost touch it.
After resting for the night, Atlas and Discord had set out to conquer the mountain. Although there were no set paths and the terrain was treacherously steep, there were no real problems with their ascent. Although there had been some perilous situations, both of them had been completely impervious to them, since they had a bag of tricks in the form of magic. As if to prove this point, Discord floated past Atlas, lazily swimming up the side of the mountain in a backstroke.
“I don’t get why you don’t just teleport from ledge to ledge,” Discord pointed out for what must have been the tenth time. “We’d have been up and down this rock in about ten minutes.”
“I already told you, there’s no meaning in conquering the mountain if you cheat like that,” Atlas explained, just like the nine times before.
“But you still used magic to keep yourself from falling numerous times, so how’s this any different?”
“Safety nets are allowed and encouraged when climbing a mountain. No matter what form they take.” Atlas explained. “Magic is like a better version of hooks and rope.”
“Why go through all the trouble, though?” Discord asked, flying a small loop next to the still climbing Atlas.
“For the sense of having achieved something I guess…” Atlas replied. “I’d be way more proud of myself if I did the hard part instead of taking the easy way out like some sort of tourist.”
“I might understand why you feel that way, but using magic is just so much more comfortable,” Discord countered.
Glancing over at Discord, who seemed to be just as relaxed as he always was, Atlas felt a twinge of jealousy. He had spent hours climbing up the mountain and was now tired and sweaty all over. Having Discord be so casual next to him made him regret the decision to climb up with his own power, if only slightly. Now that he was so close to the goal there was no point in changing tactics, or all his hard work would have been for nothing.
“True, true, but you should really try doing something the hard way for once instead of always relying on your magic,” Atlas said as he finally arrived at the top, panting heavily from exertion. “It’s really rewarding.”
A feeling of happiness and accomplishment spread throughout Atlas as he stepped on the surprisingly flat peak of the mountain. It was no wider than ten feet in radius and still slanted upwards. An amazing view greeted him as he carefully approached the very top, he felt like he was flying because everywhere he looked, solid ground was absent. He could see an incredible amount of Equestria, the lush green fields and copious forest canopies stretched in every direction until they met up with either a mountain range or the sea.
If he squinted his eyes, he could actually spot Vanhoover in the direction they came from, now but a small speck on the horizon. Letting his eyes wander, he could see other cities they had yet to visit and some other interesting landmarks including an expanding ocean. In the Everfree, he could see the ravine that seemed to split the forest in half and off in the distance he could see what might eventually be Ghastly Gorge.
In short, the view was amazing. Atlas stood there in stunned silence, just taking everything in.
“Totally worth it…” Atlas muttered as he looked over the rim of the world.
“My experience isn’t diminished by taking the easy method by the way,” Discord said smugly while turning in circles in an attempt to look at everything.
“Yeah, but mine’s enhanced,” Atlas countered.
Letting his body rest, Atlas sat down, content to watch the various scenery before him. He lost all concept of time while staring at the beauty sprawled out towards the horizon, so when he finally was satisfied, the sun had already travelled halfway across the sky.
“It doesn’t look like anypony’s been here before,” Discord pointed out. “Does that mean we get to name it?”
Atlas took a look around and indeed didn’t spot any markings a fellow climber might have left behind. There was still a chance that some random pegasi might have alighted on the peak, but that didn’t count.
“I do believe so,” Atlas said.
Purple mana gathered around his horn as he fired up a spell he could perform in his sleep by now. Using the spell he usually used to etch runes, he punched a message into the slanted ground, marking the mountain as conquered.
I, Atlas, have conquered this mountain by my own strength and hereby give it the name of “Canterhorn”.
Satisfied with the message and the name he’d chosen, Atlas smiled at Discord. He’d never know, but Canterhorn was actually a horse-pun derived from a somewhat famous mountain in Atlas’ country of origin. They even made chocolates about it and sold them to gullible tourists.
“Let’s get back down, I bet it gets really cold up here at night,” Atlas said, Discord agreeing eagerly. “I’ll take the fast route too, this time,” he added with a wink and popped out of existence.
Happy that he wouldn’t have to float alongside Atlas for hours as he descended at an agonizingly slow pace, Discord followed Atlas’ example and teleported away as well; but not before leaving a message of his own, of course.
Discord was here.
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...he killed himself and died only to be resurrected, didn't he?
Oh, Atlas
8235224
nah it would have taken a few hours atleast to fully revive himself he just teleported to the top before hitting the ground
8235224
Death think's Atlas is chewy. Like a gumball that retains it's shape. I'd do the same if I was immortal.
Insert appropriate John Denver dong here.
8235224
That's exactly what we said!!! XD. He jumped off the cliff and said, "this is my existence now, might as well enjoy it....."
MOAR
MOAR
I DEMAND MOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAA-
I thought he would check out Tree of Harmony, but I guess he wanted to be alone for that.
I was wondering when you will update this for a long time. Turns out i didnt track it from the first time so i missed like 5 updates :P. Anyhow, Great chapter!
8235973
I was in the same boat, until I saw the first story added to a group. I guess that's what happens when I don't follow an author and they forget to tag a story as a sequel.😑
Can't wait for more!
D'AWWWWWW love the banter between Discord and Atlas.
8236062 It's tagged as a sequel tho, and there are links all over the place in Divine Entertainment :D
8235973 That just means you get to read more in one sitting!
8237254
That's really annoying that I didn't get that notification then. I just assumed since it happens ALL the time... Also, links unfortunately don't do anything when I don't know/remember to look the story in the first place.
Anywho, I found it now!
Huh. On observation, sure enough, the Matterhorn is between Switzerland and Italy, and so Atlas' heritage from the latter shines through here. Well played.
And Discord wouldn't be Discord if he didn't take every opportunity to deface a monument, would he?
Also, a thought for you: what did the British gentleman say when he was crushed by a mountainous landslide?
8237857 He's actually from the former, Switzerland. The clue lies in the chocolate bit(Also known as Toblerone(while good, it's pretty much cheap trash chocolate compared to the good stuff)).
Wot does the gentleman say?
8239296
Alp, Alp, I'm being compressed!
And Toblerone's not much of a clue, even if you spelled it out pretty specifically and I'm just too dim to have gotten it. I mean, we even get that over here in Canada, and yes, it's comparatively junk. Even Lindt is better than that nonsense. (Even if I can't stop eating that damned chocolate-covered crushed toffee.)
Oooh this was a good chapter. I need art of them sitting on the peak!
This story is amazing! I want moooooore!
Kiddie discord though <3
8235217
This! I too just caught up to the series and am hungry for MOAR!
Man am I glad this series is still going! I started reading back at around 18 chapters, but left off for a while after catching up. I came back and so much has happened. Keep up the good work. Awesome stuff here.
MORE
love the book 
Well, I finally caught up tot he end. Can't wait for the next chapter.
8239296
That's called a "Glacial Erratic Boulder," left behind from glaciers during the ice age. At least, on Earth they are. I only know that because my sister had to do a report on those, and we also happen to have one near our house at a local park. It's fun to climb, btw.
Matterhorn?
8240110
*Uproarious Cackling!*
*Slow three count* . . .
That crazy bastard is more chaotic and scary the Discord AND Pinkie!
Is this going to end up as the mountain Canterlot is built on? I wouldn’t be too surprised (and yes, I know that Canterhorn is a pun on Matterhorn).