Climb Every Mountain
Climb Every Mountain
Admiral Biscuit
It was called Mount Fairweather, but that name was a lie. Fran wasn't even halfway up the mountain when the clouds began to close in.
At first, they just obscured her vision, forcing her to backtrack every now and then. She'd pick a careful path, cautiously moving forward one hoof at a time, ever mindful of the loose fractured rocks that would slip free at the slightest provocation, only to have to retreat when her chosen path terminated in an unclimbable wall or a dropoff.
She'd gingerly pick her way back, and try a second time.
The lower parts of Mount Fairweather had been thoroughly explored, nearly all the way to the treeline. Ponies lived on the flatter parts of its slope, and over on the south side there was a small logging encampment filled with hearty ponies who made their living off the mountain's natural bounty, felling the sick trees for timber and planting new trees in their place.
They'd thought she was mad to want to climb all the way to the top.
Every now and then, the clouds would break slightly, and she caught a glimpse of the dense evergreen forest that she'd left behind. Mostly, though, there was nothing to see but the rocks all around her and the misty whiteness behind that.
As she picked her way over a spine of rock that jutted out from the mountain, she wondered if she'd get to what she thought was the top, and then the clouds would clear away and she'd discover that there was another, taller peak that she'd missed in the fog.
Well, if there is, I'll just climb over to it. Her hoof knocked a chunk of shale loose, and she skidded down the backside of the ridge, landing in an inglorious tangle on a small ledge.
Fran shifted into a more comfortable position and took a sip of water as the last bits of loose rock bounced down the scarp and landed around her.
Even though it was summertime, she'd gotten high enough that the shadowy recesses of the mountain still held small drifts of snow. That shouldn't have been a surprise; when the clouds cooperated she could see the snowy cap of the mountain from the ground, but it still felt odd to have it right at hoof like that.
She wiped her lips and put her water bottle back into her saddlebags and then eyed the chimney of rock in front of her.
•••
Fran flopped onto another ledge, her rope trailing behind her into the mists. There wasn't enough air to breathe up here, and what would have been foal's play on the ground had nearly done her in—she hadn't had a moment to relax on the ascent. She'd managed to wedge herself against the rock face as she pounded pitons in to make a crude ladder. Luckily, she'd brought plenty, so she hadn't had to pull them back out behind her.
Plus, leaving them behind would make the descent much easier.
She rummaged around in her saddlebags for a chocolate biscuit and nibbled on that while she considered the terrain in front of her. Now she'd gotten high enough up that the snow was covering everything it could stick to, and she knew as she got further aloft, it would be thick enough to hide crevasses, which was another thing she'd have to watch out for.
The ground was sloping up at a fairly gentle angle—the next portion of her ascent would be easy enough, so she finished her biscuit and coiled the rope and set off again.
•••
She pushed her way through barrel-deep snow, testing the ground with a forehoof before she put any weight on it. The feral clouds around her had decided that there wasn't enough snow, so they were adding more to the already deep piles, blowing it into her face and completely obscuring her vision for minutes at a time.
She'd already had a couple of close calls. Her forehoof would press down into nothing at all, or even worse, the snowpack would take some weight, and then crumble underneath her. One time the clouds had parted just as the rotten edge of the mountain had crumbled off and she'd seen the rocks tumble downward into oblivion below her.
She hadn't heard them hit anything before they vanished into the mist.
Fran knew she was getting close to the top, though. Her path had taken her on one circuit of the summit, and she'd looked below her to see her own ragged path through the snow a few hundred feet below her.
She ducked into a small crevasse in the rocks, which provided a bit of shelter against the blowing winds, and had another drink of water. It had gotten cold enough that she could hear ice rattling around inside her canteen, and she wished that she'd thought to bring a scarf and a hat. That had seemed foalish when she'd been down in the lumber camp, but now that she was up near the windblown peak it didn't seem so stupid after all.
A sharp gust of wind whipped a blast of snow into her little crevasse, and she ducked her head down until it had passed.
When she looked back up, it was as if the mountain had finally given up the fight. The snow had stopped, and the clouds were breaking up, leaving only the summit of the mountain obscured. Below her, Equestria spread out like a panorama, and she moved as close to the edge as she dared to drink in the view.
The logging village was completely obscured by the trees, but she could see the chimney rock she'd painfully ascended far below, and off to the south was the tiny hamlet of Springwood Creek. She waved at it, even though nopony there could possibly see her.
Now Fran was reinvigorated, and the path forward was obvious. She pushed her way back into the snow drifts and started climbing back up, her fatigue falling away at the nearness of the summit.
Her destination was so close that the last few hundred feet to the peak just flew by. She was quickly back into the clouds that wreathed the top, but that didn't matter. Fran knew what path she needed to take.
There was but one more ledge that stood in her way, so she stretched out her climber's axe one more time, hooking it over the edge and pulling herself up.
It was a moment before her hooves got a good bite on the slippery rock, and all her attention was focused on them and not what was around her, but once she'd gotten her hoof-hold established, she looked up at the vast sky above her, her heart swelling with pride.
“I did it!” she proudly announced to the heavens.
“Did what?” a voice answered back.
Fran blinked, suddenly noticing the gaggle of ponies crowded on the summit. She'd just interrupted a pegasus family picnic.
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Many times, modern mountain climbers have scaled a totally new peak for the very first time.
And on the top, is a trig pillar.
Well, first pony to climb the mountain!
Horray!
"Inglourious" is an intentional misspelling in the title of a Tarantino flick. The correct spelling is "inglorious".
love it.
Did you make this because you have been struggling with Getting Over It?
Ouch that had to hurt a bit. At least she can claim that she was the first to climb to the top rather then fly up.
HAH!
Ha! Nice one.
Am I right to suppose the picnic was organised on the top of a cloud and just drifted there? That would be funny if they didn't even realise that there was a mountain and that not-pegasus coud reach up there.
Heh... in Fran's case, I'd be even prouder now. An earth pony ascending to a point deemed accessible only to pegasi? Wow. That family should give a round of high-fives.
Best thing about it: she's got witnesses so nobody can claim she didn't make it all the way to the summit :)
I hate when that happens!
Well done Fran, you can be a proud mare nevertheless.
I was waiting for that ending.
Very nice.
8649866
Which was clearly put there by the aliens/illuminati/reptilians
8649872
That's true--even if she wasn't the first to the peak, she was the first to actually climb it.
8649874
I shoulda known that.
Ah well. Correction made; thank you!
8649887
8649926
No; I've never played that. I have watched a couple of streamers play it, though (Ryukahr and Grand Poo Bear) so if I ever do play it, I know not to ride the snake.
8649938
Yeah--that's maybe not the best claim, but it's a better claim than just flying there, at least amongst the groundponies. The pegasi are probably like "whatever."
8650011
8650052
Am I right to suppose the picnic was organised on the top of a cloud and just drifted there? That would be funny if they didn't even realise that there was a mountain and that not-pegasus coud reach up there.
I'd assumed that they'd just landed there since it was ground that was close, but it could have been a mistake--their cloud could have gotten caught on a mountaintop without them realizing. That puts a new twist on it.
Fran: "What are you doing on my mountain?"
Pegasus: "Why are you on my cloud?"
8650072
Well, I don't know if it was deemed only accessible to pegasi, just that she would be crazy to try and scale the mountain. And really, what's to stop an earth pony from being carried to the top of a mountain by a pegasus? (Well, besides the satisfaction of doing it herself.)
Nonetheless, it is an accomplishment.
That's very true.
8650236
I know, right? Dumb bird-horses.
8650498
Sometimes it's not the destination, it's the journey.
8651008
8650072
"High-fives"? Five what?
8652027
Primaries?
8652027 8652374
I can go with a wing slap.
Wonderfully atmospheric, with a truly fantastic ending. Thank you for it.
8655557
You're welcome!
I thought the twist would be that Fran would fly away at the end herself.
8656175
Heh, that would be a funny twist.
And then the pegasi offered to glide her down because she was starting to get frostbite and had no more food and was delirious with exhaustion?
8669358
I suppose that would be the friendly thing for them to do. I think Fran would be too proud to accept their help, though.
8669823
Agreed, that's why they wait for her to pass out first!
8670269
That got dark really fast.
8670283
Sometimes rescuers have to strategize. 💆
8670286
That's quite true.
More Fimfiction Story Reviews!
4:57 Climb Every Mountain by Admiral Biscuit https://www.fimfiction.net/story/397070/climb-every-mountain
Thank you for watching and have a great day!
8673967
Yay, thanks for the review!
And for saying nice things about me.
Also, Mount Chimborazo in the Andes is the highest point on Earth, even higher than the top of Mt. Everest.
8676099
because of the shape of planet?
8676417
Yup. It's furthest from the center of the Earth.
(and tallest base to summit is a Hawaiian volcano, but you've got to wear scuba gear to start the climb)
8722770
Maybe doing damn stupid things is how we got where we are as a species.
After all, everybody probably looked at the first guy who decided to climb on the back of a horse like he was nuts.
8669823
I expect she'd have brought along plenty of supplies and that Earth pony constitution would help her fend off frostbite. More likely, a bunch of pegasi would accompany her on the way down just so they could see how the heck she made it up there in the first place.
8774728
And that would be quite an eye-opening experience for them. I bet they don't really think about how hard it is for an earth pony to climb up things. I suppose that's one of the advantages of mixed-tribe towns, schools, and whatnot--everypony learns everypony else's strengths and weaknesses, and hopefully how much better their society works when all the different tribes work together.
Ha! Tourists!
9875837
I know, right?
Hahaha oh dear. n_n