Call of the Mountain

by Krickis

Prologue

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Griffons were stupid. What did Rainbow Dash need with them, anyway? So what if she was a griffon herself, she was way cooler than any of those dweebs. Even Gilda! Wait, no, especially Gilda!

Rainbow was twelve years old, which made her practically a teenager, which meant she was basically an adult. That meant she could get by just fine on her own. Who needed to hang out with a bunch of dumb griffons, anyway? Not Rainbow Dash. No, she was better off without them.

Not like anygriff would missed her. Even her own parents probably didn’t care that she was gone. Sure, they were better than all those dumb pigeons, but so what? Rainbow didn’t need them any more than they needed her.

And the others? Forget missing her, no one else would even care that she’d run away. Not even Gilda. It wasn’t anything personal; griffons were just like that. It wasn’t like they hated her or anything, it was fine when she was around. But then it was fine when she wasn’t too. That was just how griffons were.

So yeah, she was just better off alone. So what if she didn’t really have a house to crash in anymore? She had the tree cover in this forest, which was almost as… which was something. And who cared if she suddenly had to hunt for her own food? She did pretty well. She’d even managed to steal a picnic basket from that young pony couple. They thought she was some sort of wild animal, which scared them away pretty good.

Rainbow smiled at the thought, at least until her stomach rumbled. She had gotten the picnic basket, but it hadn’t really done her a lot of good. Why didn’t they have anything besides plants and stuff? A few carrots, sure, Rainbow was okay with that. But even their sandwiches were full of flowers and junk. She’d tried one bite, which had tasted awful and couldn’t have been edible, then she dumped everything off and just ate the bread.

Where was the meat? Not one bit of meat in the entire basket! And despite Rainbow’s best efforts at catching fish in a stream she found, all she managed to do was get herself all wet. At least the water had been good for drinking, so she wouldn’t die of thirst.

Hunger, however, was another matter… Rainbow curled into a ball and held her stomach. “I’m gonna die…” she grumbled. Rainbow was practically a teenager, but that hardly felt old enough for that.

And yet, that was the situation. It was a tough thing for Rainbow to accept, but she didn’t know the first thing about hunting. And even if she found more ponies to steal from, it seemed that all they ate was plants.

The truth was plain: If she didn’t go back to Griffonstone, she would starve. But that was easier said than done. Going back was never supposed to be an option, but even if she was willing to return, how was she supposed to get there? She’d flown until she couldn’t fly any more, and now that she was stranded and exhausted, there was no hope of making it all the way back in her condition.

She let out another miserable groan. It wouldn’t help, but her stomach hurt with emptiness, and somehow groaning seemed like it might help. It didn’t, but it also didn’t hurt.

“What do you eat, little one?” a voice asked from somewhere above her.

Rainbow looked around, but she didn’t see anything. Just trees stretching out forever. She hadn’t heard a voice, and if she somehow did, there was no way that it would be asking her what she liked to eat.

It almost made Rainbow smile. Sure, she was losing it, but it wasn’t like her situation was getting any worse. And anyway, even if she was going crazy, imagining food appearing before her would be better than feeling how hungry she was.

So with nothing to lose, Rainbow answered the question. “Uh, fish would be nice…”

The closest thing to a reply she got was a gust of wind. Rainbow groaned again. What had she expected? A pile of fish would just drop from the sky?

The smallest bit of humor that the situation had held seemed to vanish. Rainbow was alone, she was wet, she didn’t have her parents to look out for her anymore, she was starving to death, and to top it all off, she was hallucinating. Great. Just great. Running away sure had done wonders to improve Rainbow’s life.

A few minutes passed with nothing to occupy her thoughts aside from the pain in her stomach. Then there was the sound of something falling onto the ground, and she turned to see a fish lying in the grass right in front of her. She couldn’t believe it! A bird or something must have dropped it, but she was too relieved to question it. The answer to her prayers had arrived.

But just as she went to grab it, another fell, and another. Moments later, a steady stream of fish fell into a pile as big as Rainbow Dash was. She squawked and looked around, but she still didn’t see anyone.

She was alone, yet somehow, a pile of fish had fallen in front of her. There had to be at least two dozen fish there, enough to feed Rainbow for days. She could even make the trip back to Griffonstone with that many fish.

Rainbow inched towards the pile. It looked real, but how was she supposed to know what hallucination fish looked like, anyway? “Can I… really eat this?” she asked no one in particular. She tentatively reached a talon out for the fish.

“No,” the same voice from before answered. This time, however, a body accompanied it, and Rainbow’s beak fell open as she watched it appear.

A great snake rose before her, and if Rainbow had been able to make a sound, it woud have been a scream. Her wits came back to her a moment later, so she fluffed up her feathers and took a defensive stance. Not that it was likely to help her much; she would be nothing but a bite-size treat to a monster like that.

“Oh, you’re so adorable!” the snake squealed, clapping its paws together.

‘Wait, paws?’ Snakes didn’t have paws. Nor did they have pony heads and long pink manes, come to think of it. In fact, the more Rainbow looked at this thing, the less sure she was of what she was seeing.

The creature roughly resembled a griffon-snake hybrid. It had a long serpentine body, but had four limbs and wings. The wings looked like they came from a blue jay, and the front paws belonged to some sort of wild cat, but that was all Rainbow’s experience with griffon biology could answer. Its hindlegs looked like some kind of striped pony’s, and it had a fish-like tail. Its pony head also had horns and sharp teeth.

All of which told Rainbow one extremely important fact: Every part of this creature was deadly. To make matters worse, it also had some sort of magic, since it floated in the air without needing to flap its wings. And, of course, it was many times Rainbow’s size.

Rainbow was able to process all of that information in an instant, and it all came back to one thing – she was going to die, but now she knew she would not have the luxury of starving to death.

Whether she liked it or not, Rainbow was a griffon. And griffons did not die without a fight. So she held her stance, locking eyes with the snake. But instead of pouncing, the creature turned away from her.

Rainbow kept careful watch, sure that it would strike at any moment, but the creature seemed wholly uninterested in her. All it seemed to do was float around aimlessly. As it went, rocks, dried leaves, and branches would levitate off the forest floor and follow behind it.

Well, ignoring her was going to cost this thing its lunch. Rainbow was ready to make a run for it, but she hesitated for just a second when she considered how hungry she was. Her eyes flicked between the thing and the fish, and she made a decision.

Rainbow was fast. In an instant, she sprung towards the fish and had one in her beak. One instant after that, and she had made it into the trees. Although she was faster in the air, this creature was also a flier. Rainbow was part peregrine falcon, part cheetah; she was built for speed whether in the air or on the ground. This creature’s long and awkward body with its hooved hindlegs and clawed forelegs would drastically slow it down on the ground.

All Rainbow had to do was keep low, let the overhanging branches of the forest prevent the larger creature from flying, and she’d be out of there in ten seconds flat.

For a second, she thought she would make it.

But then, as if from nowhere, it appeared in front of Rainbow Dash. It held out its paws and spoke as if it were scolding a rambunctious fledgling. “Now hold on, let’s –”

Rainbow screeched. She once again took up a defensive stance and fluffed out her feathers as much as she could. It was time, she knew it. It was time to learn what this creature could do to her.

“Now now, there’s no need for that.” The creature seemed completely unaffected by the ear-piercing screech coming from the griffon. “We need to cook that, or else you might get sick.”

The creature floated back to the pile of fish with all of the miscellaneous things that had collected themselves floating behind it. It would have been a strange enough sight, but then everything sorted itself without the monster so much as looking at it. On their own, the stones formed themselves into a circle, while the leaves and branches filled in the middle.

Even so, nothing prepared Rainbow for what happened next. With nothing more than a snap from the creature’s paw, a fire erupted in the stone circle.

Forget the fish, Rainbow was making a run for it! If she was lucky, the creature would be too distracted to notice her departure.

But then, Rainbow was never that lucky. She didn’t even reach the trees before she found herself moving backwards. Within moments, she was stuck sitting next to the creature, unable to do anything as she was held in place by some unseen force.

The creature sighed. “I promise I won’t hurt you. My name’s Fluttershy. What’s yours?”

Rainbow just stared in awe. The creature’s fierce appearance contrasted with its soft voice. It seemed to be waiting for Rainbow to speak, but she just gawked. Eventually, the creature – Fluttershy – spoke again. “It’ll be okay, little one. You don’t need to be shy with me. Will you please tell me your name?”

Since there was no way she could do anything else, Rainbow swallowed the lump in her throat and answered. “Rainbow Dash.”

“It’s nice to meet you Rainbow Dash.” Fluttershy showed a soft smile, but all it did was remind Rainbow of how sharp her teeth looked. Still, she really didn’t seem to want to hurt the little griffon. Oh, Rainbow decided she was a ‘she’, not an ‘it’. It was hard to tell by looking, but her voice sounded feminine.

That hardly began to scratch the surface of questions, though. Rainbow tried to keep the terror from her voice as she asked, “W-What are you?”

“I’m a draconequus,” Fluttershy said simply, apparently thinking that was all the answer that was needed. “And if you let me, I’d like to be your friend, too.”

Rainbow didn’t answer unless staring blankly counted as an answer. She didn’t want to be friends with anyone, let alone with some drac… whatever she was.

But escape clearly wasn’t an option, so even once she wasn’t being held in place, Rainbow continued to sit quietly. At least, she was quiet on the outside; the inside of Rainbow’s head had become unbearably loud as she tried to figure out how she might get away. All Fluttershy did was smile contently as she skewered a couple of the fish and set them to cook.

But while her head only had thoughts of escape, her stomach spoke much louder. It spoke of hunger, and of not having a real meal since she’d left Griffonstone. No matter how wary she was of Fluttershy, Rainbow could not help but notice the tantalizing aroma of the cooking fish, and how it seemed to sweep away thoughts of escape.

On some level, she still knew she should refuse the food. It could be poisoned or something! Rainbow could be walking right into a trap, but…

But she was just so hungry, and in the end, she didn’t have the willpower to resist.

Which was why when Fluttershy offered Rainbow the first fish, she devoured it ravenously. A little too fast, since she burned her tongue on it, but she hardly noticed that.

“Careful,” Fluttershy chided. “Here, have some… Oh my, I forgot the water. Uhm, wait right here, I’ll be back.”

With a snap, Fluttershy instantly disappeared again. Rainbow looked around for some sign of where she might have gone, but she found nothing.

It was her chance, probably the only one she’d get! If she made a run for it now, she could be long gone before Fluttershy ever made it back.

Rainbow looked at the open path in front of her, then turned back to the fish. This was it. Her instinct was to run, but… how far would she get on a few bites of fish? And so far Fluttershy didn’t seem like she wanted to eat her.

Besides, the cooling fish was finally edible. Though her fears didn’t quite leave, one thought spoke louder than all others as she ate: This was, without a doubt, the best fish she’d ever had.

She was still eating when Fluttershy returned. “Glad you’re enjoying it.” Fluttershy held out a canister for Rainbow. “Here, I brought you some water from a forest spring.”

Rainbow eyed her skeptically, but she took the water all the same. If Fluttershy wanted to poison her, she could’ve done so with the fish. She wouldn’t even have needed to; if Fluttershy planned on hurting her, she had more than enough ways of doing just that.

Starting to accept that Fluttershy was just trying to help, Rainbow took a long drink of the water. It was cold and refreshing, but she was back to the fish after just a moment. She’d been able to find water on her own, after all.

“Where are you from, Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow wondered why Fluttershy would ask such an obvious question. She spoke in between bites of food. “Griffonstone.”

“I see. Is that far from Everfree?”

She’d never even heard of Griffonstone? Fluttershy must not know many griffons. Well, to be fair, Rainbow had never heard of Everfree; that must be the forest they were in. “It’s basically on the other side of the world.”

“Oh my goodness! Did you come all this way by yourself?”

“Sure did!” Rainbow took a break from eating to pose dramatically. Whatever was left of her reservations melted as Rainbow got the chance to talk herself up. “You’re looking at the bravest, fastest griffon that’s ever lived!”

The effect was lost when Rainbow’s stomach grumbled. Fluttershy giggled. “And the hungriest too, it sounds like. Please, eat as much as you’d like.”

Although it was unfortunate that her moment was ruined, that wasn’t a big concern in light of the prospect of getting to eat more. Fluttershy handed her a second fish and put a few more on the fire.

“Why are you so far from home, little one?”

Rainbow shot her a glare. “I’m not little!”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Fluttershy smiled. “Uhm, well then Rainbow Dash, how come you’re out here all alone?”

Rainbow tore a strip of meat off the fish, paying more attention to it than to Fluttershy. “Griffonstone isn’t much of a home. Griffons are all just big jerks.”

“They can’t all be bad. You’re not a jerk, are you?”

Rainbow turned away from the fish for just a moment. “What? Of course I’m not!”

Fluttershy inclined her head. “You can’t be the only griffon who isn’t a jerk. What about your parents?”

“They’re okay, I guess.” Rainbow shrugged and returned to the fish. “For griffons, anyway.”

“I see. And your friends?”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. Fluttershy really was clueless. “I don’t have any friends.”

It wasn’t a complaint, or even something Rainbow felt bad about. It was just a fact, just the way griffons were. But Fluttershy didn’t seem to take it that way. When a moment passed and she didn’t say anything, Rainbow cast her a glance. What she saw was Fluttershy looking at the young griffon as if she were injured.

Feeling vaguely uncomfortable from the look, Rainbow dug a little deeper for an answer. “I mean… I guess there’s one other griffon who’s kinda okay. But she’s just… someone I hang out with sometimes. I don’t think she’s a friend or anything like that.”

“What’s her name?”

“Gilda.”

For some reason, that got a smile back on Fluttershy’s face. “What kind of stuff do you and Gilda do together?”

Rainbow shrugged again. What did any of this matter anyway? “I don’t know. Just stuff.”

Fluttershy giggled a little. The sound was odd coming from such a fierce creature, although Rainbow was beginning to think that maybe Fluttershy wasn’t as fierce as she looked. “Sounds really exciting.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes and tore away another strip of fish. She spoke as she chewed. “We race and help each other train to get better and stuff like that.”

Fluttershy nodded. “Oh, okay. That’s definitely not a friend, then. You do share interests, spend time together, and help each other, which sounds like your friends… But if only you also talked and joked around with each, then you’d really be friends.”

Rainbow frowned and busied herself with her food. Fluttershy giggled and started eating a fish of her own.

“I guess we talk. Sometimes.”

“Hmm. I may not be an expert, but I think if that’s the case, she does sound like a friend.”

Rainbow looked down at the mostly skeletal remnants of her fish. If she stayed out here, she would never get to see Gilda’s annoyed face after she lost a race. Or hear her gloating when she won at arm wrestling. Or joke and talk about dumb stuff like how lame Griffonstone was.

“What are you thinking about?” Fluttershy asked.

Rainbow looked up at the dracwhatever. “Can I have another fish?”

“Of course.” Fluttershy passed Rainbow a fish. “I don’t know how much griffons eat, but I can always get more if this isn’t enough.”

“Cool,” Rainbow said as she started on her third fish.

“Maybe you could bring Gilda here someday.”

That made Rainbow stop eating for just a moment. “I… I don’t know.” Realizing she might look weak again, Rainbow took a huge bite as if to make up for lost seconds. She resumed talking while she chewed. “I’d have to go back to Griffonstone.”

Fluttershy cocked her head. “Did you want to leave forever? Won’t you miss your friend?”

It felt weird to think of anyone as a friend, even Gilda. But… Rainbow wasn’t really sure she never wanted to see Gilda again either.

“How about this,” Fluttershy said. “You need to rest up before you could make it back to Griffonstone. So spend a few days here with me, then you can decide what you want to do. If you decide to go back to Griffonstone, I’ll make sure you’ve got plenty of food and water for the return trip.”

The idea of making a return trip was a little daunting, if only because the look on Gilda’s face when she learned that Rainbow had come back was not something she cared to see. But then, the more she thought about it, the idea of never seeing Gilda’s face again also didn’t sound so great…

Unsure of which choice to make, Rainbow decided to focus on something else. Fluttershy’s offer didn’t sit right with her, so she decided to ask about it. “But why?”

Fluttershy seemed amused by the question. “Well, I imagine you’ll get hungry on the way back.”

Rainbow shook her head. “No, not that. I mean why are you doing this? It’s not like I have any bits or anything.”

Fluttershy looked just as confused as Rainbow felt. “Bits of what?”

Rainbow faceclawed. “Just bits. You know, money?”

“Oh.” Fluttershy smiled. “We don’t use ‘bits’ in Everfree. But even if you did have the kind of money we use here, I wouldn’t want it. I just want to help you because you need it. That’s just the sort of thing friends do for each other.”

Friends. Fluttershy sure cared a lot about that word. Rainbow wasn’t even completely sure she understood what it meant, but she knew no griffons ever went around calling each other ‘friends’.

But… there was something about Fluttershy that made Rainbow want to understand. “Even if I can’t do anything for you?”

“Especially when you can’t do anything for me. That’s when you need it the most.”

If anything, Rainbow Dash was growing more confused. Everything Fluttershy was saying was completely different from how griffons usually acted.

It must have shown because Fluttershy giggled again. “That’s called kindness. Maybe over the next few days, you’ll learn a little about that.”

Rainbow shifted uncomfortably. “Is this going to be like school or something?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “No, nothing like that. Besides, kindness and friendship aren’t things you learn about in school. They’re just things you learn by experiencing them. And it sounds like you could do with experiencing a little more of both going your way.”

“Fluttershy?”

“Yes, Rainbow?”

“You’re pretty cool.”

Fluttershy smiled. “Thank you. You too.”

Thank you. That was another thing that wasn’t said very much in Griffonstone. Usually, when griffons were happy with something, they just said so. If something was ‘cool’ then gratitude was implied. Why say more than that?

Hearing the words spoken so plainly made Rainbow feel weird. But looking up at Fluttershy, looking at her… her friend, Rainbow got the impression that this was going to be the turning point in what would become a very weird and interesting life.

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Author's Note:

Welcome to another Noodleverse story! It's only been *checks notes* five years since the last one! I've never forgotten this series, but I have struggled very much with balancing multiple projects. It's a pleasure to finally be back to it

This story was written for Choices: A Species Change Contest because how the hay could I not get in on that?

And for those who don't know, the Noodleverse was created by Pasu-Chan, and taken over by me when her interest in pony started waning. All artwork in this story is by her. She does still draws in this AU sometimes, and she's just an all-around amazing artist, so be sure to check her out if you haven't!

Comments

[SevenEyes]

As it went, rocks, sticks, and a few fallen branches would levitate off the forest floor and follow behind it.

I don't want to get into a fight with Fluttershy over the distinction between sticks and branches, especially after she was gracious enough to specify that she would only use fallen branches. But I would say that it reads a little better as...
rocks, leaves, and a few fallen branches
(Or maybe 'SOME fallen branches' to make up for the lack of branchless sticks)

There is just something inescapably whimsical about levitating leaves. In fact I would go as far as to say it is the most whimsical thing ever. Fight me.

Oh yeah, the story. So I among my favourite things to read in mlp fanfics are, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash being friends, origin stories, and new Krickis fics. So I'm absolutely biased, but this was great.

12 year old Rainbow Dash with her shaky, yet super arrogant logic, not trusting friendship, stealing food she can't eat, is fun and a good stating point. I notice Gilda is a tagged character so I'm hoping that they can team up and spread the magic of friendship (unlike the actual show where they said they would, but never did).

[Scyphi]

Rainbow was able to process all of that information in an instant, and it all came back to one thing – she was going to die, but now she knew she would not have the luxury of starving to death.

On the upside, that'd at least be quicker than starving to death.

[Krickis]

11423193
Indeed it would be. Count your blessings, Rainbow Dash!