A very big thanks to Sueslayer2 of The-3-Sueslayers for serving as inspiration for this chapter!

On with the fic!

-Ice Climbers-

Summit of Hope

"You can't be serious!" Nana cried out, watching her brother move about their shared bedroom. Popo was throwing nearly everything he owned into a shoulder pack. He made no motion that he heard his sister, continuing to put food, clothes, and a medical kit into his pack.

"This is crazy! You can't go up there by yourself! Mom and Dad always said, never climb without a buddy! You could get lost or freeze to death or-" Nana broke off, glaring at Popo. "Are you even paying attention to me?"

"Come with me, then," Popo replied, continuing to pack.

Nana stopped short, staring at him in surprise. "What?"

"Come with me," Popo repeated, finally turning to look his sister in the eye. "If you're with me, I won't be alone. It's your choice. Whether you're with me or not, I'm still going."

"You have no proof that they're up there!" Nana cried out desperately. "Mom and Dad could be anywhere in the world! What makes you think they're on that specific mountain?"

"Dad always wanted to be the one to conquer the world's tallest mountains," Popo said, readjusting his pack. "If they're anywhere, it'll be on the highest mountain around."

Nana sighed. "I can see there's no talking you out of this. Fine. I'm coming with you."

Several hours later, Popo and Nana walked out of their house, shutting the door behind them. Nana tugged on her sleeves, frowning. "I don't like this parka. It's too bushy."

"Like it or not, it's your only protection against the elements," Popo replied, zipping up his own blue parka. "So if I were you, I'd stop complaining and start climbing."

Nana rolled her eyes, sighing irritably. "Whatever you say."

It was tough going. The mountain was steep, covered in ice, and very slippery. The twins slowly but surely made their way up the mountain, attached together by a belay rope.

After several hours, Popo called down to Nana. "I think I see a ledge a few feet above us. How about we stop there and make camp for the night?"

"Great," Nana replied tiredly, resting on recently made footholds.

That night, the two huddled in their tent, the wind howling around them.

"We made great progress today," Popo said cheerfully, resting his head on his hands. "I bet we could get more than halfway tomorrow. Mom and Dad will be so proud to see how fast we made it to them. Don't you think so, Nana?" He turned to look at his sister.

Nana was wrapped tightly in her blankets, fast asleep.

Popo gave a small smile before turning back over in his sleeping bag.

The two rose early, washed, ate breakfast, then pulled up their tent and continued on.

Further up, the mountain was even more difficult. The twins were assaulted by a vicious storm that lasted all day. Often, they had no idea where they were going, just feeling for rocks up above to pull themselves higher.

A few hours in, Nana was beginning to feel fatigued. Trying to shake it off, she reached for a new handhold, only to have her hands slip completely from the mountainside due to the snow. Her arms pinwheeling, Nana's feet slipped off their holds, causing her to plunge into the abyss.

Popo felt the line go taut. Realizing what happened, he began to swing from side to side, causing the limply hanging Nana to do the same. Popo continued to move back and forth, causing Nana to swing higher. "Grab onto the ledge above me!" Popo yelled as Nana blew past him. "I can't hold your weight much longer!"

Popo's yell snapped Nana out of her trance. Swinging high above Popo again, she made a grab for the rock side. Her fingers connected.

For several minutes, Nana stayed frozen there, unable to believe it. "H-How did you know that would work?" she finally stammered out.

"I didn't," Popo replied from below her. "I had to try something. I wasn't sure if it would work."

"Has a belay rope ever been used like that before?" Nana asked, still clinging to the rock wall.

"Don't think so," Popo said, smiling. "That's one for the history books."

The two continued up the mountain, finally stopping to make camp at another ledge.

That night, the storm raged even harder, almost blowing down the twins' tent.

Nana hurried through the tent flap, clutching a bucket. She frantically buttoned up the tent, the bucket resting on her arm. The tent secure, she turned to Popo, extending the bucket. "Popo, I got some fresh water…Popo?"

Popo was curled up in a ball, eyes tightly shut. Sobs racked his small frame. "…Mom…Dad…where are you?...I'm scared…don't leave…I miss you…"

Nana's eyes widened. He's realized it, deep down…Mom and Dad are gone. He won't admit it, but he knows it's true. This whole thing is a sham…but it's the only thing keeping him going.

Nana rested a comforting hand on Popo's head. Eventually, his cries subsided.

Nana watched Popo closely the next morning, but he gave no sign of what happened the previous night. Nana resolved to keep a closer eye on him as they packed up the tent.

As they got closer to the summit, the air began to grow thin. Popo and Nana were forced to put on oxygen tanks and wrap up even tighter against the cold.

They continued in total silence, the howling wind the only sound both heard for several hours.

Growing weary, Popo took another look at the top. His eyes widened as he comprehended what he was seeing. He squinted and rubbed his eyes to make sure it wasn't an illusion. "Nana, Nana!" he called out excitedly. "The summit is only a few feet away! We could be there within ten minutes!"

Hearing no response, he looked down at his sister. Nana was slumped against the rock face in exhaustion, her eyes closed. Even worse, her breathing mask had slipped off her face.

"Nana!" Popo cried, frantically hauling up the belay rope. "Hold on, please hold on!"

Straining with all his might, he managed to pull Nana up next to him. Using an arm to hold up his unconscious sister, Popo redoubled his efforts to reach the summit.

At the point of sheer exhaustion, Popo finally climbed onto the summit. He took out a water bottle from his pack, splashing a little on Nana's face. "Come on, Nana," he said gently. "Wake up. We're here. We're at the top."

Nana stirred, opening her eyes. "Popo?...are we there?..." she mumbled.

Popo nodded excitedly, replacing Nana's breathing mask. "We've made it, Nana! Mom and Dad should be just over there!"

Nana sat up, struggling to stand. "Well, where are they? They should be congratulating us."

"They must be just out of sight," Popo nodded, reassuring himself. "Come on, let's go!"

Nana took Popo's hand. The twins ran further along the summit, Nana barely able to keep up with Popo's frantic, eager bounds. The duo sped along the summit in record time, stopping when another ledge appeared in front of them.

"They're…they're not here…" Popo said in disbelief, looking over the way they had just came. "Mom and Dad…aren't here." He began to tighten up, tears forming at the corner of his eyes. "They were never here!"

"Popo, wait!" Nana said, tugging on her brother's sleeve. "Look, in the snow! I think it's some kind of message!"

Popo stopped crying and scrambled over to where Nana was pointing. The twins peered closely at what was scrawled in the snow.

Popo and Nana-

If you're reading this, then congratulations! Looks like your father was right after all about you two being able to reach the summit in time! You two have officially won our little contest. Well done! The two of you deserve a reward! Grab the little trinket hanging on the post, and head back down. We're treating the both of you to your favorite, steak-and-kidney pie with some vegetable soup. Doesn't that sound delicious? We're waiting for you two back at the house. See you there! And remember, we're proud of you.

-Mom

Popo frowned. "Contest? Trinket? What's she talking about?"

"I think Mom and Dad were planning on challenging us to climb as high as we could," Nana realized. "But we were separated from them and taken to this place before they could do that."

"Wait, that doesn't make any sense," Popo said confusedly. "We woke up here inside a house filled with all our stuff in an unfamiliar land with no explanations. Why are mountains from our home here? And what happened to the trinket Mom mentioned?"

Nana concentrated, thinking hard. "It's like… someone made an exact copy of our mountains and placed them here, but ignored the small stuff. The trinket is probably back home with Mom and Dad."

"So where are we?" Popo asked, scanning the horizon as far as he could see. There was nothing recognizable.

Nana shrugged. "I have no idea. What do you think we should do, Popo?"

Popo remained silent, staring out over the horizon. "I really don't know," he said finally. "We've been taken from our parents and home and dropped in some weird place for some unknown reason. We have no idea where to go, what to do, or how to get home."

He turned back to his sister and flashed a grin. "But you know what Dad said – there's always another mountain!"

This chapter fought tooth and nail not to be written. I tried SO HARD to make it engaging, but a repetitive motion such as climbing just isn't that interesting to write about. I'm sorry for anyone who likes climbing, but think about it. Would a journal detailing your climbs move-by-move be that interesting if everything goes as planned?

Yeah, that's what I thought.

This chapter was also hard to write due to the fact I kept feeling like I was writing one of Gordon Kormon's Everest novels instead of SSE fanfiction. (Don't worry if you haven't read them, they're a bit dull.)

I've never actually tried steak-and-kidney pie, but I've heard it's good.

Yes, the Ice Climbers love their veggies. Given that for most of their game they're collecting vegtables to eat, (How do fresh vegtables grow on a snowy mountain anyway?) I thought they pretty much love them.

I need more chapter ideas! Same rules from last chapter still apply!

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