Peaks

        A small pebble skittered over the edge of the cliff and down its steep slope as the pair came to a stop.

        Had they been of weaker spirit or will, the eyes of the two fillies might have been sagging and tired by the sheer futility and hopelessness of the situation.

        Though far from being the on the highest point, from their perch, a small overlook hugging the vertical wall of a mountain, the duo could easily make an assumption of what they were up against.

        Simply put, they were up against a long hike through "Samitet e", as the locals referred to the mountain range.

        Beyond this and a collection of conversational tidbits and hints that implied the extreme danger of the mountain range, they had little to go on.

        A breeze, like many that wound through the pointed mounts, rushed past them. Applejack’s hair was tangled and hadn’t been washed for at least four days, but it still blew fairly neatly in the wind, her mane and tail still held into the shapes of ponytails by red ribbons. She tipped her hat upwards and looked over to her best friend.

        Dash was in a similar condition; she had forgone even trying to maintain her hair, but the radiance of its multiple colors was not absent. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Though she knew of how dire their current state of affairs was, she appreciated the taste and smell of the high air; its sensation was one that she missed deeply, and it currently had an almost intoxicating effect on her.

        Normally, the two might have dealt with their predicament more easily; Dash’s flight and Applejack’s strength made them a perfect team.

However, only half of that equation still stood.

Applejack looked to the blue mare’s back. She grimaced and shuddered out of pity as her eyes fell upon the bandages wrapped around Dash’s midsection, still stained with red. She would need the bones in her wings reset once they returned to the town. Her face flushed when she thought back to her attempt to reset the wings herself: only after 15 minutes of excruciating struggling had they both realized that Dash's broken wing bones, more than one of which broke the surface of her skin, would need professional attention.

Dash opened her eyes. “What’s up, AJ?” she eyed her friend curiously.

“Nothin’. Jus’ thinkin’ ‘bout what we should do next.”

“Duh; we should get outta these stupid mountains!” she rolled her eyes.

Applejack turned her face from the mountains to Dash. “It ain’t as easy as that.”

Dash sighed. “Yeah. I know.”

They shifted their attention back towards the mountains. Originally they had a somewhat humorous countenance, as Pinkie had pointed out that they looked like upside-down ice cream cones; now, humorous would be one of the last things the equines would use to describe the lofty peaks.

Applejack shifted her weight to one side and observed the trails that they could take. One continued winding around near the mountaintops, which was faster, but, although Applejack hadn’t said anything, she was dying to take the trails that led down to the crevices between them.

“Whaddaya say, AJ?” Dash said, contemplating the same decision. “Up or down?”

She didn’t want to betray any sign of weakness in front of Dash, but Applejack jumped on the opportunity regardless. “Ah’m thinkin’ we take the low road this time, sugarcube. We’re runnin’ low on rations.”

Dash nodded, looking at the provisions slung over both of their backs. “Yeah.”

Thus had been their plan; travel higher up when they had enough provisions and travel down to the fissures between the mountains when they needed to restock.

Although it was faster, and they didn’t tell on another, neither of them particularly enjoyed walking the high paths.

The only reason Dash might have preferred them would be the sensation of being high up, but other than that, both found it difficult to deal with. The weather was harsher and more unpredictable, there were no trees to protect them, and nothing to eat or drink.

On top of this, it became unbearably hot during the day and freezing cold at night. They had remembered the desert being described in a similar manner, but they hadn’t expected such a climate among the tall summits.

Applejack grunted, forcing herself out of the trance she stood in at the overlook and moving towards the path.

Noticing the lack of sound behind her, she looked back. Rainbow Dash still stood surveying the land.

“Dash?”

There was no response; Dash’s eyes looked slightly glazed over. Applejack frowned.

“RD?”

“Huh?”

“Ya ready ta go?”

“Uh-huh,” she responded, her gaze unwavering. Applejack waited for a moment before speaking again.

“Ya sure?”

As if a spell had been broken, Dash leapt past Applejack and stopped. “Yeah, jeez. Ya think I’m tired or I’ve got a problem or something?”

Applejack shook her head. “Naw, just makin’ sure.”

“Making sure? C’mon AJ, it’s me, for hay’s sake! Nothing stops me!” she grinned widely.

“If ya say so.”

Dash’s mouth set in a straight line as if she didn’t feel she had convinced Applejack of how great she was doing. The two then set down the trail with little conversation.

Dead trees and bushes lined the path. Light, chalky rocks and similarly colored tree trunks also flanked the trail, sometime barring the way. However, they were easy enough to get over. The real challenge came in the natural disasters that often struck the mountain range. Landslides and flash floods plagued the area.

They turned a corner and Applejack checked their map. When all of the mountains looked the same it was easy to get confused and lose direction.

“Hold on there,” Applejack said.

Dash obeyed and wheeled around to face the earth pony.

“Map says we need to end up on this side,” she pointed down the extreme drop that they walked beside. Applejack looked down the side of the mountain.

“There,” she pointed out an average-sized pond. “If we can see that pond, we’re in the right place.”

“’Kay.”

They continued on once more. Applejack began whistling a tune that she had learned on the farm as Dash kicked one of the dry pebbles that were strewn all over the mountain. Applejack ceased whistling as her chapped lips began to sting and her throat began to burn.

She reached back and unclipped a canteen from her pack and brought it to her mouth, where she clenched it in her teeth and began drinking its contents.

Dash, upon hearing this, noticed her own thirst. She too unclipped her canteen, only to find it empty. She grumbled to herself. She was thirsty, but she certainly wasn’t going to ask for handouts. Applejack had even told her to take her time and not waste her water. She clipped the canteen back onto a hoop on her pack, refusing to let her friend catch on.

As they rounded another corner, they were met with a wall of piled up stones, about the height of a house.

“Shoot!” Applejack exclaimed.

“Landslide; man I hate these things! It’s like these dumb mountains are made outta putty!” Dash snorted.

The pegasus began shakily ascending the heap of mismatched boulders, balancing the weight on her back and making sure the rocks that she stepped on didn’t give way. She would only fall back down to the path, but tumbling down the bumpy surface was not something she desired at the moment.

Applejack followed suit, taking a wider stance. The fillies had worked out a system in which they would take turns on who went first, and the one that was second would attempt to catch the leader if she began to fall. On top of this, the two had fastened a length of roped around each of their bodies so that if the following one fell, the first one could potentially save her.

The risk, of course, is that in either scenario their plan could backfire and send both falling to their doom, but they figured it was better than nothing.

They both grunted and panted as they struggled up the obstacle; hooves were not meant to grip.

“Ah wish we had some a those fancy gadgets on that cave-trottin’ jacket,” Applejack remarked.

“Totally,” Dash said. “We’d probably be outta the mountains by now!”

She opened her mouth to say something else, but stopped as she felt a brushing against one of her forelegs. She looked down. A black scorpion sat before her hoof, ready to strike.

“AH!” Dash kicked it away. It landed on its back a short distance away and scurried between the boulders.

“What’s the matter?”

“Scorpion!”

“Oh no,” Applejack breathed. That was one other thing they had been told about the mountains range; it was home to a particularly dangerous species of scorpions. In addition, they rarely left the confines of their nest, meaning that if the two mares found one, many would most likely follow.

They began wrestling up the pile more frantically, not stopping to think about the cuts and scrapes they might get should they fall at this pace. They reached the crest and hopped down the other side, landing in a small cloud of dust.

No sooner than they landed did Applejack tap Dash’s shoulder. “Look out!”

She glanced over to where Applejack was pointing. A swarm of the iridescent scorpions was shuffling around the area, a group detaching and heading towards them.

The two broke into a brisk trot. Outrunning the creatures was easy, but there was no telling when or where they might crawl out around a nest; a hole in the rock, a knothole in a hollow tree, and an old log had all housed them. Blades of dry grass had even provided the scorpions with camouflage in the past.

Once they both felt that the scorpions were a satisfactory distance behind them, they came to a halt.

“More scorpions,” Applejack sighed.

“Scorpions, hornets; I hope those were the ‘scary animals’ that the guys in town were talkin’ about. I mean, not that I think they’re scary,” Dash added.

“Well they scare me,” Applejack pointed a hoof to her chest. “Anythin’ that can put me down with one sting don’t sit right with me. Ah’m always worried they’re crawlin’ on me at night.”

Dash chuckled. “Is that why you’re always fidgeting? You gotta cut that out, AJ, you’re keepin’ me up at night!”

Applejack shrugged. She probably was keeping Dash up at night. The townsfolk had equipped them with only one sleeping bag fit for two ponies, claiming the two would need to share body heat at night. Though the pair found the idea initially awkward and excessive, they soon learned that the vendors in town hadn’t been lying. It was freezing at night, and despite minor quarrels over one encroaching on the other’s side, the way their warmth was traded and retained in the comforter helped immensely. They would have to remember the idea behind it; it could help in the future.

“One a us has gotta be the careful one.”

“Sure, sure.”

As they traveled further and further down the mountain, the trail became wider and the foliage became denser. The meager and dead bushes that they passed higher up began to close in around the trail more, threatening to scratch those that traveled it with their pointed branches.

They came to another pitfall in the path, this one spanned by an old, fallen tree. The ponies had crossed a good number of improvised bridges at this point, but the creaking and groaning of the trunk under their weight still gave Applejack goose bumps. She still had yet to overcome her fear of heights.

Beyond this, little of the trail was out of the ordinary. They passed one or two skulls, but the preliminary shock of the sight had worn off, although the remains of those that perished on the mountains were still a bit unnerving.

“Huh. Guess we’re doing pretty well, huh?” Dash asked Applejack as they passed one of the remnants.

The farm pony nodded. “Ah’d reckon that they’d be real surprised back in town that two Ponyville folks like us made it this far!”

“I can’t wait ta see the looks on their faces when we walk outta their little ‘cursed mountains’ like it’s no big deal!”

They both snickered. Other than the unpleasant climate and the scorpions and hornets, there had been nothing particularly dangerous about the mountains. Many claimed that few who went in came out alive, but beyond poor foresight the two couldn’t imagine why that would be.

As they neared the base of the mountain, the path opened out into a field of stones, haphazardly sticking out of the ground. According the townsfolk, these were deposited pieces of the mountains that had broken off over the years. Unlike the dusty areas above, these rocks had, however sparse, bushes protruding out between them, as well as moss and lichens that clung to and crept up the sides of the stones.

The fillies circled around the base until they could see, between the trees, the glimmer of light reflecting off of water.

“There’s the pond,” Applejack smiled.

“Cool, let’s get a move on.”

These were always easier to surpass. Most of the discarded areas were large, flat slabs, allowing the duo to leap between them with relative ease and safety.

Approaching the tree line, the pleasant sounds of birds chirping and leaves rustling in the wind drifted to the mares’ ears. They leapt beneath the shade of the trees as soon as they were close enough and stopped immediately to take in the cool air.

Thankfully, underbrush in the forests that crept between the mountains was nearly non-existent, and the two reached the pond with no trouble at all.

The pond was actually part of a thin, clear stream that twisted between the mountains, bringing life to the areas nestled between the otherwise desolate heights.

They shrugged off their gear instantaneously; sweat coating them, particularly where their packs had been. Dash rushed to the edge of the pond and began lapping up the cool water; it was an incredibly soothing alternative to the warm canteen she had been drinking out of for the past three days.

“Cannonball!”

A wave of water splashed over Dash’s face as Applejack plunged into the water. She had left her hat and bowties by her provisions, and giggled at Dash’s soaked head as she surfaced.

Dash brushed her damp mane out of her face. “Oh yeah?”

        The blue filly backed up and began sprinting towards the pool. Using a rock as a launching pad, she jumped as high as she could, adopting the fetal position in midair and plummeting into the pool.

        The displaced water rained around Applejack as she was rocked by the waves that Dash had caused, laughing at the eruption of water.

        As the pond settled, Dash was nowhere to be found. Applejack turned her head back and forward.

        “Dash? Where’d ya-“ she was cut off as her tail was grabbed and she was yanked underwater. She opened her eyes and looked to her rear, and saw a blur of hazy colors. Suddenly she was hoisted up onto a rock by the side of the pond. Dash sat next to her, laughing with Applejack’s tail still clenched in her teeth.

        “Heh heh! Oh man, you should’ve seen your face when I pulled you under!”

        Applejack snorted. “Consarnit, Dash! Ya got water up mah nose!”

        The cyan filly continued laughing but stopped and began coughing as Applejack started waving her tail back and forth while it was still held in Dash’s mouth.

        “PEH! PTOO! Gross, AJ! I don’t want your hair all over my tongue!”

        “Shoulda thought about that before ya went grabbin’ mah tail,” she chuckled.

        “Yeah, like YOU never grab MY tail.”

        Applejack shrugged. She rose to her hooves and trotted over to her pack. She fumbled with a few things and then returned with the map in her mouth. She laid it down between them.

        “Man, always business, huh? Can’t we just swim and have fun?” Dash whined.

        “Ah wanna get this figured out first,” Applejack replied. She pointed a hoof to the map. “There. Ah think that’s where we are.”

        “You think? You don’t know?”

        “You wanna handle the map?”

        Dash shrunk away from the suggestion. “Hay no.”

        “Alright. Anyway, Ah think we’re here,” she pointed to a tiny circle. Them pegasi the townsfolk sent us after oughta be round here,” she motioned to an area about 5 inches to the left of their position. According the legend, it was about five miles away.

        Dash leaned back and lied down, her forelegs wrapped behind her head. “If I had been one a those guys, I wouldn’t have gotten lost.”

        Applejack wasn’t sure how to respond to the comment. Fortunately, Dash felt content shifting the subject.

        “So why are we doin’ this, again?”

        “Because, sugarcube, we ain’t gonna just let a group a innocent ponies rot out here, are we?”

        “I mean the other reason.”

        Applejack sighed. She didn’t like bringing up the other reason they had for rescuing ponies; it made the effort seem less virtuous and heroic.

        “The cave, remember? We need ta get the key ta that cave, and our side a the deal is findin’ these pegasi and bringin’ ‘em back.”

        Dash huffed. “We could probably just take the key; they wouldn’t even notice.”

        “Dash! That’d be stealing!”

        “Hey, it’s just a thought, AJ, chill out! You’re acting like stealing is the worst crime you’ve ever heard of, and it’s not like I’m gonna try it!

        “Good. We ain’t gonna do things the way those darned… whoever they are that are chasin’ us do things.”

        After a moment of silence, Dash spoke up. “At least these mountains are good for not getting chased in. Nopony goes in here.”

        “Got that right. No fires, no lights, nothin’.”

        “We should totally make this place a secret hideout or something when we get outta here.”

        “Hopefully we won’t need to. Ah hope we can stay hidden with Celestia until all this blows over. Ah feel safer with her around.”

        “Yeah, just a thought.” Dash sat up again. “Hey, what’s that?” she gestured to a collection of squares, circles, and triangles on the map. They rested about an inch to the right of where the lost pegasi should be.

        Applejack looked at it closely. “Ah don’t know, maybe it’s a stain or an ink spill or somethin’. Either way it don’t look like anythin’ else on the map.”

        “Yeah,” Dash agreed. Despite this, Applejack seemed intrigued by the figures. Dash raised an eyebrow. She never thought of her as the puzzle-solving type.

        After a few minutes, Dash’s stomach began to growl. She stood up, stretched, and trotted off to look around the woods. While observing her surroundings, she realized that there wasn’t anything particularly special to be found. She supposed there was always the grass, but she felt hardly in the mood for it.

        She turned her eyes upward, looking for fruit that might be hanging from the trees. While her sight was preoccupied with what was above, she didn’t even notice the tree before her. She grunted as she bumped into and took a few steps back.

        “Pay attention, idiot,” she scolded herself. She stood back and looked at the tree. There was nothing special about it, save a triangle etched into the side of it.

        Curious, Dash broke into a trot to her left, the direction that the triangle was pointing.

        She peered at each tree, wondering if there may be more etchings. Her suspicion was proven true when she found another triangle. This one was upright, which Dash supposed meant straight ahead.

        In a matter of seconds, she came to another special tree, though the first thing she saw was the bush at the foot of it. Bright strawberries hung from the branches of the shrub that sat at the base of the tree. She looked up. There was a circle engraved into this tree.

        She shrugged. She might have to keep those symbols in mind. She went to work picking off the berries with her teeth and depositing them into the saddlebag she had brought. It was the same color as her, its clasp a likeness of her cutie mark.

        Once she had filled the bag with a satisfactory amount of berries, she turned back towards the pond.

        Returning to the clearing, she found Applejack still looking at the map, a pencil in her mouth. “Who do think you are, Twilight?” Dash said as she sat down across from her friend and tossed the full saddlebag between them.

        Applejack looked up to Dash, and then down to the saddlebag.

        “Ya found these in the woods around here?”

        “Uh-huh. I knew I was hungry, but I didn’t know if you wanted any or not.”

        “Aw, that’s real sweet a you, sugarcube,” Applejack smiled.

        “Yeah, sure thing AJ, just don’t get all mushy about it,” she replied. As the two began sharing the bag of strawberries, Dash scooted up next to Applejack.

        “So what are you looking at, anyway?”

        “Ah’m just writin’… important stuff down,” she answered.

        “Like what?” Dash slid the map over to her side.

        “Hey!”

        Dash squinted. All it looked like to her was that Applejack had traced a few routes between their current location and their destination.

        “It took ya this long to draw a couple lines, AJ?”

        “M-hm.”

        Dash eyed her skeptically, but then cocked her head and rolled her eyes. “Pf. Whatever.”

        “Well Ah’m gonna get some water fer mah canteen,” Applejack said, taking the map in her teeth. Dash rolled onto her back and started watching the clouds.

        As she approached her bundle of gear, she slipped the map into a pocket and removed her flask from the pile, bringing it over to the water. As she brought it down to the water and filled it, the afternoon sun caught the water and shone with a color similar to Applejack’s.

        Dash rolled over onto her stomach and watched as the earth pony filled up the container. Her golden hair, no longer bound into a ponytail, hung about her head in amber strands, some parts still damp. She looked to Dash suddenly. The pegasus immediately averted her eyes, pretending to play with the grass instead. She meant nothing by watching Applejack, but she feared that she might come off as odd if her friend caught her doing it.

        She stood up and dove back into the water. She swam beneath its exterior and resurfaced on a few rocks on the other side. Applejack was clipping her water back onto her gear.

        The cyan pegasus rested her chin on her hooves. “Hey AJ, why don’t we just stay down here tonight?”

        Applejack turned and considered the idea. She shrugged. “Ah don’t see why not.”

        “Awesome,” Dash said, turning over once more and facing the sky.

        Applejack shook her head and began to pitch their canvas shelter as Dash dozed off. She decided to let her do so; she always told herself she would set Dash straight in work ethic one day, but under recent circumstances, she decided her friend had earned the right to rest.

        Once she had finished setting up the bedding for the night, Applejack sat cross-legged on their large, thick sheets, leaned over to her pack, and pulled out the map. She then retrieved a pencil and started scribbling away on the parchment.