I was born for this...

by FrostyDawn

The Mountain

I thought a little change in temperature would be nice. I would no longer be sweating in the sun like a pastry in an oven. But now that pastry was suddenly freeze-dried. Cold icy wind whipped around me, but my white cloak did a surprisingly good job at blocking the wind. Most of it, anyway. I felt myself shaking as my hoof prints made my trail in the snow, only to be covered instantly by the wind.

Red seemed to be just as cold. Our scarves were about twice as long as our own bodies, but now, frost formed on the cloth, causing whatever energy inside to fade away. The mountain's peak was so close, I could see the snow forming on top of it.

We kept climbing. The path we followed twisted and turned, winding up rocky hills. My mind began to wander. How long ago was it when I arrived? It felt like an entire day, if not more. If the mountain truly is as treacherous as the Ancestor said... will I ever go back to see Ponyville again? Will my friends miss me? I don't want them to think I abandoned them.

Luckily, there was a small hut at the edge of the stone wall. We quickly went inside, not questioning an opportunity to get out of the wind. There were more stone markers inside, and a strange object in the center. Our scarves brushed against the markers, and the object began to glow. It was a lantern of some sort, bringing a soft, warm glow to us. I felt a wave of relief rush through me, sitting in the warm orange light to gather myself.

"Right. We can do this. It'll just take a little effort and dexterity, that's all." I told myself. As the last of the frost on our robes melted away, we left the hut, staying close together in order to share heat. We hiked a little higher, and I felt the warmth quickly vanish. We came across metal segmented boxes, like the ones we encountered in the desert. They were big enough for both of us to stand under, despite being half buried in snow.

But a familiar, gruesome roar rang through the air. The sky was obstructed by thick gray clouds and the light flurry of snow. Panicked, I crouched under the metal box, peering out for an answer.

A beam of light began to shine down onto the snow, as if scanning the area. The light waved over the box we hid in, but moved along. As the light moved further, I saw what made the growling. It was another metal war serpent, like the ones under the desert. That's when two new facts struck me. One, the serpents looked a cloth whale covered in a metal coating. Most likely because they were. Second, the box we hid in was the metal shell of the flying monsters. A tad unnerving, if you ask me. Looking out of the shell, I could faintly make out shapes drifting through the thick clouds. It was starting to understand that the cold wouldn't be the only peril up here.

Up ahead, I saw an archway made of stone, leading up the mountain. I was so close! Red and I quickly moved through the snow, avoiding the spotlights by hiding under more metal boxes. As we passed under the arch, I felt something well up in my chest. The rest of the mountain was just a snowy hill, leading up to the peak. Lightning crashed over head, and the light snow was now more of a total blizzard. But scattered along the slope, were stone markers.

Markers like the ones I encountered before, and now, they really were graves. Other beings that attempted to scale to the summit, but failed, their bodies buried with snow. Red was walking up already, not bothering to pause. I followed him up, my hooves sinking into the heavy, loose snow. Red's movements were a litte more nimble, but not too much. The snow was coming down hard, and I felt myself shivering. I took a quick peek back toward the base of the mountain. Nothing. Just an endless flurry of snow and wind chilling every last square inch of me. I kept trudging up the mountain, struggling to keep up with Red. He just kept going, not even bothering to wait up. But suddenly, the wind died down.

The thunder stopped booming over head. It was almost total silence. Except for the sound of our footsteps crunching on the snow, and my own breath shaking. I hadn't noticed it earlier, but my head was throbbing and my vision grew blurry. I began to feel dizzy and weak. I tried to convey some message to Red, but I found myself too tired and gasping for breath to make any sort of noise. Not even a hum. The cold was starting to wear away at my body, and soon, my will. I didn't want to suffer this any longer. I just wanted to leave this mountain. But I kept walking, despite my crushed spirit.

Red wasn't looking any better. With my eyes struggling to keep open and focused, he was moving as slow as I was. I then felt my heart break as he knelt down, in the snow. He then fell forward, and ceased movement.

Frightened, I stepped up to him as quick as I could, and fell to my knees beside him. "Red...?" I thought, looking for any response.

"I need you... please... get up." I nudged him with my hoof.

I felt myself trembling at this awful truth. There was nothing I could do to fix it. We had come so far, but now he had just left.

I then thought, "This is it. I've done all I could." I just couldn't move anymore. I failed.

I rested my head on Red's cold body, and shut my eyes. My head felt lighter, and my muscles relaxed. The cold had made me go numb.
I could barely feel my tears freezing on me.