Journey to the center of Equestria

by Rarity Belle

Chapter LII

Twilight could see just how terrified Pinkie Pie appeared to have become after she had spoken that one name through the little spring. This mysterious ‘Gorgon One’ had caused her to tremble down to her very soul. Whatever the being was believed to be and just why she was sacrificed to it, must have been equally terrifying. On the other end it showed to Twilight that the lamia of that particular city didn’t seem to believe in the fact that the goddesses of the sun and the moon, were the actual supreme beings of the world.

Though the unicorn wasn’t in the mood to argue with a snake-like anthrony that could easily have crushed her if it wanted. She required to have more information about the creature that Pinkie seemed to be so frightened of. Every last bit that may or may not have been a help would be truly appreciated by the soothsayer. Yet the question was difficult to ask for her.

With the whole of her heart, she almost couldn’t ask it because of the terrified expression that rushed through the blue rims that Pinkie carried. Twilight had to do it though, she had to ask the unaskable question even if it was only for the good of them. They didn’t knew anything from down there whereas Pinkie might have known a whole lot more. That very knowledge could they have used right in their advantage.

With a deep exhale that was released through her nostrils did Twilight ask what she didn’t wanted to ask. “Pinkie, can you tell us more about, this Gorgon One?” she asked in a weak tone, almost as if she wanted to show that even she was actually afraid of the creature. In reality did she wanted to show a bit of sympathy towards the lamia while at the same time get the information that they needed.

The eyes of Pinkie turned back to the unicorn as her scaled ears twitched at the question asked. “You, you never, heard of Him?” she returned towards the mare. Who on her own turn released a shake of her head. As much as she wanted to have some form of information about him, it simply wasn’t given to her or granted to her because of whatever reason. Not even the books of old spoke about a creature going under that very name.

“I’m sorry, but I haven’t heard from him on the world above. If you don’t want to, it’s fine. But, we need to know what we will be facing if we want to make a stop to all of this,” replied Twilight to the lamia, who was once more caught between a rock and a hard place.

At one end, Pinkie just didn’t wanted to tell the anthronies anything as the truth was hard to face. On the other she did wanted them to tell everything, as it could mean they could protect her. But on the third hand, she had been living near that spring for so long without having encountered anything that was actually dangerous. Outside of the spiders, but she had her tricks for those.

The lamia didn’t uncurl herself from her body as she just remained laying on top of herself, the tail stopped wiggling itself before a deep exhale was released through the nostrils. Almost as if she let go a deep sigh. “Alright,” she started, “but first, tell me who you are. Who you really are. I’m not stupid you know.”

Those words caused a little bit of distraction to come in the eyes of all the other mares. Where was she talking about? How could she have seen through any possible façade put up? All of the mares had the same questions, but their answers would always been different. Twilight was the first of the group to stand up again and just plainly ask what was on their minds. “What has made you come to that conclusion, Pinkie Pie?” she asked.

The lamia’s eyes turned up as the body soon enough followed with a hiss through the teeth. Twilight and Pinkie once again began to stare each other deep in the eyes when the exchange of words happened. “You smell all different, your scents reek from faraway places, yet here you all are, stuck in a cave. Why, I ask. Why is that?”

“We already told you, we’re here to put a stop to the tremors,” replied Twilight with a respectful tone. She wasn’t in the mood to get into an argument with Pinkie, but then she made the realization that she hadn’t introduced herself, nor the rest of them, to the creature. The eyes of the mare went wide as soon as she figured that part out. “Oh, you mean, our names? Don’t you?”

The lamia’s tail began to slap itself against the ground while the nods were given. Any hint of anger towards the group literally vanished like snow in the sun. “Mmhm, your names I never caught. You gave one to me, but now I wanna know yours too!” Pinkie spoke in her usual and at the same time unusual, happy tone.

“Seems like a formal introduction is at its place then. The name is Twilight Sparkle, soothsayer from the castle of Canterlot,” the mulberry unicorn spoke before she made an oddly polite bow before the creature. It was a thing that hadn’t been expected by Pinkie at all.

Soon after her did the rest of the company followed up in a similar fashion. But when Applejack came around, the lamia was naturally curious about the steam powered leg. Even before the question could have been asked had Applejack already shushed her about it. She didn’t need to know everything about them or their kind.

Hence why Twilight didn’t spoke about the goddesses that she believed in.

But then the curtain had finally fallen for Pinkie Pie. There was no escape and she had to do it. She had to talk about the creature she didn’t wanted to discuss with another being. Her eyes closed themselves for a couple of seconds as the face seemed to be dropping itself. “He’s said to have created our world, down below. When the top world changed too much, we’re all driven back into these caverns. There it was Him who built our cities and gave us our homes. It was because of Him that we became the way we are.”

“Sounds like brainwashing to me,” whispered Applejack to Rarity. The admiral wanted to know if the ex-strategist could be working out something around the words. Yet the pirate captain only released a gentle nod before she focused her attention back on the story being told.

“We lived in harmony for so long, but from time to time He required a sacrifice. He’s the god of the earth and rock! Of course we couldn’t deny Him, He shaped everything so, so we did His bidding. Even when He became silent so long ago, we still continued the rituals. We believed that among the silence, He still slithers. Watching over us from the darkness,” explained Pinkie to them.

“Sorry for interrupting here, Pinkie, but, how long has it been since he had gone silent?” Twilight asked then. The mare wanted to have more information for herself. She wanted to make a little timeline inside of her head that made some form of sense. That way she could view exactly what happened when and possibly tie events together.

“He’s been silent longer than I am living. Hundred, two hundred years perhaps?” Pinkie replied. She thought it didn’t matter. What else was interesting was that she used years as a measure of time. Whether a year in the lamia city was the same for them, remained to be seen though. For the time being, they just went with the story as it was being told.

“And, what happened when the first tremor hit?” Twilight asked through. She needed to get to the bottom of the barrel to get all of the required information out of the being. Her eyes had narrowed themselves just a little bit as she glanced over Pinkie with a serious stare.

That stare alone was in fact enough to make the lamia realize that the beings from the world above wouldn’t just mock her for anything. At least one of them was were genuinely interested in the words she had to say. Whether they would have been used for their own good was a thing that still remained to be seen of course. “At first, we thought nothing of it. Tremors happen often for us, light ones that is. But when they became more violent, we thought that the Gorgon One was angry.”

“…Hence an increase in sacrifices which included you. But once they had kicked you out, you learned there wasn’t anything waiting. So basically now you’re waiting to, to what actually?” Twilight pulled one of her eyebrows up. She didn’t seem capable of figuring out on what the lamia was still waiting for.

“Anything! Him, death, you. Anything to just, just get me out of here, I, once I had found this place, I always kinda, dreamed to visit, the world above, you know,” said Pinkie with hesitation in her voice. Her fingers tapped each other in a nervous manner. Which was in fact right what Twilight wanted her to be doing. Pinkie wanted to go with them, to be released from the place she came to call ‘home’. It was an idea of madness itself of course.

Yet getting the lamia to actually leave was a fact more difficult to be proved. “Though, I know this spring like the back of my scaled hand. I know every last rock that sits and stands here. I wanna go, but at the same time I can’t!” Pinkie then yelled to them. She frailed her hands into the air. Twilight took a small step back because she wasn’t certain of the events that would come soon.

Twilight’s eyes shifted between parts of Pinkie’s body at a constant rate. Of the snake like body would have made a jump towards her, everything could have started from beginning again. “Pinkie, Pinkie, Pinkie! Listen to me, listen to me, very carefully,” said Twilight in a commanding yet soft tone.

Straight away had she gained the attention of the lamia once more who tilted her head. “Huh, listen to what?” Pinkie asked to her. She didn’t got the words spoken to her. Not that it mattered much to Twilight, for the creature had become calm once more.

“I think it is best if you show us exactly where your city rests, we need to have more information about what we might be facing in our quest. For we plan to go to a place we believe that is the origin of the tremors,” said Twilight in just the calm tone. She had to keep the lamia at her good side if they wanted to achieve anything and everything with it.

Those very words caught the attention of every last creature in the neighborhood of the spring. Was Twilight really that crazy enough to go to a settlement occupied with only those snake like beings? Then again, they had to admit on the fact that they might have been knowing a little bit more about everything and all.

The rest of the company could only agree in silence on the decision that had fallen. They didn’t knew what was true wisdom in the moment. For them it all just seemed like utter madness. Yet then they were painfully reminded where they were and what they had done already. Their entire quest had been madness so far, so why would that fact be changing then?

Nods were given off by Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow and Fluttershy as they all agreed upon going to the city of stone, in stone. Only Pinkie Pie seemed to had her own difficulties about going. She was sacrificed to pretty much their version of a god. So returning to the city could be seen as a major disgrace of disrespect. Or even worse, it could anger the Gorgon One even more than he already was.

All of it played a part in the mind of the lamia before her body was dropped once more. She took a rest upon herself while the eyes were closed for only a couple of seconds. Silence was the sound that engulfed the room for them all. Silence of uncertainty and unfamiliarity. Twilight could only be hoping that the lamia would give her a positive answer.

Pinkie Pie had just opened her eyes once more did they stared right into those of Twilight with a stare that couldn’t be described. It was within those purple rims that the lamia saw something she had been missing for a very, very long time within her life. For she saw the comfort that nopony had given her for months. A genuine comfort that spoke about helping her through the difficult time she was going through.

Seconds just ticked by as if they were nothing. The company waited for the answer that would have been thrown at them. Whether it would be good or bad, they knew just how their encounter would be ending. Tons of different scenarios went through all of their heads from a peaceful departure to her sending the spiders after them.

Of course were some of the thoughts just madness, but they couldn’t be helping themselves about it actually. The little doom scenarios inside of their heads would be getting the upperhand from time to time. Which in and of itself wasn’t a good enough thing. Only Twilight seemed to have been able to keep her head low to the ground and therefore the ability to think clearly.

Then did the mouth of the lamia open itself and did the words do their turn around and about the spring. Words that most likely would have surprised every last being there. “I’ll bring you there,” said Pinkie in a monotone voice. She knew that the possibility was there that she herself wasn’t allowed into the walls because of their religion.

Though it was a risk that seemed to be worth taking in her own eyes. Even with the guards being a bunch of tight guys. She knew somewhere in the back of her head that she could always just have tried to get through. As unsettling as it was, she had to try it.

There was a massive relief that went from the shoulders of Twilight as she allowed herself a deep exhale through her mouth. She couldn’t have believed that Pinkie actually would be showing them the way towards the city. Yet that still left just one question unasked. A question that was actually better left that way until the time was there.

Perhaps the opportunity to ask it was there and then. Twilight knew that Pinkie was the sixth member of the company. She still decided to just take her time and watch the lamia first a bit more before she would ask whether or not she wanted to join the company. First things first, was the thought that went through Twilight’s mind.

“Before we go, is there anything that you still want to tell or do, Pinkie?” Twilight asked the lamia. She knew they wouldn’t be returning for a long time to come. But the lamia had already uncurled herself, she was even searching the spring for a couple of things. “W-What are you doing?”

The creature was rubbing its back against the rocks, almost as if it was having some form of itch that just wouldn’t be going away no matter what. All of the mares were looking a little bit surprised to the scene. They didn’t seem to be daring enough to interrupt the lamia. As unusual as the events seemed to have been, that harmonious it also appeared.

For Rarity was once again taken by the bouncing, scaled breasts of the creature. A little bit of a blush even came to her face before she tore her attention away from it. Fractions of a second later did she receive an elbow of Applejack to her arm. The tick was light, but enough to get the pirate captain’s attention.

Her sapphire blue rimmed eyes looked right into the vibrant green ones from Applejack with a wonder in them. The rims of Applejack on the other end were having a little twinkle in them before she grinned towards her nemesis. “Ya in love, Brittenburg?” she chuckled in a whisper.

But Rarity just released a deep huff through her nostrils as she wasn’t particular liking the comment that was being made to her. In fact, she was hating it more than anything else. “No, I am questioning my sexual orientation, happy now? Don’t open that pit, Jackie, for I can tear you down in a second,” replied Rarity in a dangerously low tone.

She meant every last word that was spoken. The eyes of Applejack went wide just a moment later. “Ya wouldn’t dare to say it,” she whispered before her eyes narrowed again.

“Have you kept up with the records of me? I don’t just bluff. I bark, before I bite.”

Then it was Applejack’s turn to release a huff before she went silent again. The unicorn seemed to have been glad that the admiral became just that. Rarity’s eyes began to shift between any other place and the lamia. Even up to the point where she had to shake her head a couple of times. Something had to happen to that snake, and she would take care of it personally if she had to.

After a couple of minutes had the lamia returned to the rocks that formed the spring and coiled herself around it. She gave one last squeeze to the rocks with a moan. Then she finally let everything go. Her body dropped down to the ground before the eyes turned over to Twilight. “Marking my scent, this is my place. And my place alone. I don’t want it to be infested with spiders after I come back,” she said to the soothsayer with a smile.

It was there and then or it was never. Twilight had to ask the question that was on her mind. She couldn’t be living with herself if she didn’t or wouldn’t be asking the question there and then. A deep exhale was released through the nostrils of the unicorn as the rest of the mares were already preparing themselves to leave.

They walked by the unicorn and walked down the gentle and little stream of the river. “Pinkie, a-about going home. There’s something that I need to ask you. Something I better ask now before it might be too late,” the soothsayer said while the others went passed them.

The eyes of the lamia widened themselves a little bit before an eyebrow was risen up. She didn’t seem to be fully understanding the words. “What do you mean, Twilight? Have always come home thus far. Even with my trips to the city.”

“But I take it you never went into the city?”

To that could the lamia only give a nod. She had been visiting the city after her sacrifice perhaps more than three times, but she always stood on the outside of it. The mares were planning to go inside of the place and get some much needed information. “I bring you to the city and then it’s back home for me,” commented Pinkie to the matter.

Twilight couldn’t help herself but to let out a single chuckle to the words. They were just so simple sounding, but they also were something terrible at the same time. “What I want to ask you, Pinkie, is… Is if you want to travel with us. Travel with us to the center of everything and put a stop to it all. You said it yourself, you were waiting for something to happen. Now is the chance to take it with both hands.”

Twilight’s words continued to echo within the mind of the lamia as she didn’t knew what she needed to be doing. Of course did the words sound like a dream that had become true, but she had been living at the spring for such a long time. So who knew just how she would be ending up. For all she knew, she could be ending as one of the mares their very pet.

Thousands, if not millions of thoughts rushed through the mind of the lamia as her hair almost seemed to be deflating itself. Yet the unicorn made perhaps the wise decision not to talk any further word until the questions came. Questions that perhaps could hold the answers to everything that was required.

But Twilight was having a point. Pinkie had indeed said that she was waiting for something to happen and the chance was given to her, by them. Her eyes had one last look over the spring just before a deep exhale was being released through her nostrils. Silence took over the lamia once again while her body spun around and around.

Glances to the area’s where she almost seemed to have grown up went past her eyes before she finally turned her gaze back to Twilight. All that she could do was to give a nod at first. A nod that confirmed the words that were said to her. For Twilight was having a major point. “Yeah, you’re right… I said I wanted something different. Guess I’ll be taking it with both hands then,” replied Pinkie. Though her tone was a mixture of both somber and happy.

Almost as if she wasn’t certain about her decision. Yet the words had been said already. There wouldn’t have been any way that she could return to her original points. Whether the lamia wanted to believe it or not, she had joined the company of misfits on their impossible quest.

“Well, now that you’re on the team, catch!” the voice of Rarity echoed through the caverns as something was thrown into the direction of Pinkie. The lamia caught the object with an incredible speed and reaction time. Then she released an angry hiss towards the pirate. “Oh shush and put it on would you!”

“Put it, on?” repeated Pinkie with a cocked head. She didn’t seem to be understanding one bit of the words. Though in her hand wasn’t something that felt hard. Instead it seemed to be sort of soft. Quickly did she unravel the soft thing and held it before her eyes. Straight away did she notice just what it was and began to giggle deeply to herself.

“What so funny?” Rarity asked her while she rose up an eyebrow. Rarity didn’t thought it was actually that funny what she had shown Pinkie Pie, but apparently did the lamia do so.

The thing that Rarity had thrown to her was a shirt out of her own collection. It may not have been much, but it at least kept those bouncing breasts right out of her eyes. As long as the lamia would be wearing it, she would have been happy about it. “Just put it on will you?” Rarity added while she became a little annoyed.

The lamia then indeed proceeded by putting the thing on and made sure it was sitting good around her body. “Thanks Rarity!” she exclaimed happily before Twilight coughed a time or two. “Hm? Oh, yes, sorry! Follow me!” And finally were they off. Off towards the city of the lamia’s where everything could once again happen.

~~~~

The entire group of six beings had begun their very travels towards the lamia city. With Pinkie having taken over the lead for them all, they could only be hoping that she would show them over paths that they could actually travel over and didn’t had to turn and twist their bodies around like snakes.

Whether they liked it or not, they weren’t as maneuverable as Pinkie appeared to be. For the giant lamia managed to make her swift way through almost everything. All of the rocks didn’t seem to be hurting her one bit, nor did they seem to be able to scratch her.

In order to kill some time had all of the anthronies asked the lamia questions about pretty much everything. They ranged from the facts of the ritual from which she was the sacrifice from to the size of the city and who governed over it. Twilight had instructed them specifically to not mention anything from the world above. Even when Pinkie would ask something about it had the answers to be kept vague.

Pinkie Pie wasn’t as stupid as she made herself to be believed from time to time either. She knew almost in an instant that the group of mares was having some secrets behind their backs. Which resulted in her not answering all of the questions that they had. She didn’t fully trusted the mares yet and nopony could be blaming her. Not to forget the little fact that the lamia had been going through some tough times of her own. So naturally she didn’t answer all of the questions.

There did happen to be one little question that Twilight kept on wondering about. For when she practically walked next to the lamia, her eyes were always granted a look upon it. With the torches having summoned and ignited could they once more see the road ahead as it coiled and twisted with every turn. “Say Pinkie, your scales seem to be highly resistant to the sharp rocks here, but that scar on your tail tells me a different story… Are all lamia so strong when it comes to resistance to the ground, or at least the rocks?”

“Nope,” the creature replied almost right away. The answer came as a surprise for the soothsayer as even more connections to the world atop were made. “You have to train yourself to get such hard scales. Wander through the caverns for hours, days, months! Tis fun exploring them!”

Making sense didn’t seem to have been an actual priority for the lamia. Twilight discovered that little fact all the more while they simply continued to wander through the caverns. All the way up to the point where she even just gave up about trying to make sense with the creature. She was more than done for the time being and required a little bit of mental rest.

Which in and of itself was actually a thing that Pinkie also required as she was tired from the questions being asked to her. In silence did Twilight gesture to the rest of the mares to not interrupt the lamia any further. Just to be safe than sorry.

The company understood the message while their torches went from left to right. They were still cautious about the spiders that might have been walking anywhere in the system. After their original encounter had all of them a constant fear embedded within their bodies. A fear that none of them were happy with but managed to keep them right on the tips of their hooves.

“Okay, out this hallway and to the left lays the underground city,” said Pinkie before she released a sigh. “To my left lays my home… But I can’t go back.” Sadness was the emotion that took her over almost completely and she once again turned into an entirely different being. Twilight took a couple of steps forward and placed a hand upon the shoulder of the creature.

“You have us to back you up if needed. You have joined us, remember?” Twilight said with a genuine smile that went across her face. It managed to cheer up the lamia just a little bit. Though the sooner they would be on their way again, the better. Pinkie wasn’t looking forwards to the reunion at all and her eyes screamed it out.

The company of mares made their way through the hallway in silence and then turned left. In their eyes they caught the massive stone wall with the equally massive carved out gate within it. It was impossible to imagine that something that big could actually have been standing there. Not to forget the time it had been resting there. Thousands of years of history went into that rock and each of them were just amazed by the sights they saw.

The near countless torches that illuminated the doorway and the nearby surrounding. It was a sight that was both simple yet magical at the same time. None could have ever imagined that they would be walking right up against it. And one of them, hid itself behind the whole of the group.

“Wow, this, this is, this is just amazing,” Twilight became more baffled while she stepped further. Her eyes glanced from the top towards the bottom before she noticed the guards. “Now that’s interesting,” she mumbled to herself. For the guards were about the same size as Pinkie Pie, with the exception of having armored plating all over their body.

As much as Twilight wanted that they hadn’t seen the company yet, so long had they been keeping an eye upon them. “Who dares to wander over the land lamia king?” one of the guards grumbled up in a low toned voice. “You do not look like lamia to us, nor are you spiders. What is your very purpose in the holy city?”

“Well, delusions of grandness are on their place,” commented Twilight without a sound and moved her lips only minimal. Not even any of the other mares heard the words she spoke. “Me and my, companions, good sir, are here to stock up and learn more about our path ahead.”

“Path ahead? Ain’t nothing past the crossroad you just came from except more darkness,” the other guard said as his bright yellow eyes looked over the company. “You are looking like surface dwellers. Finally figured out you can come and get us again? Armed to the teeth but not eager to shoot. Rare treats these days.”

“Wait, wait, wait, what did you just say?” Twilight replied almost instantly afterwards. Twilight didn’t seem to be able to make anything of the matter, which wasn’t a first after everything. But the chance to explain anything to them wasn’t given. For as the guard wanted to make his reply, the ground beneath their very hooves and skin began to quake.

“Tremor!” one of the guards yelled before he slithered off to a room in a side cavern. The other guard pointed to all of the mares and towards the same entrance way. They understood that they were guided to some sort of shelter bunker. One that was hopefully able to protect them all from the incoming hit.

Mere seconds later had each of the beings hunkered down within the shelter bunker and the door was closed. Much to all of their surprise was the thing actually a metal box. A metal box that seemed to have been made out of layers and layers of thick and sturdy stuff.

Time to think about it there wasn’t as the gnawing of the rocks against it was unsettling to say the least. Sharp tips scraped themselves against the outside of the box as the violent tremor went past them all.

"The Gorgon One is pissed,” the guard with the yellow eyes said after he finally dared to uncurl himself. Terror was something embedded within their very mindsets while Rainbow Dash couldn’t tolerate any of it.

The pegasus major stood up from her spot and glanced both of the guards deep in the eyes. “And that’s exactly why we’re here. To put an end to the tremors once and for all. You said there was nothing else but darkness, but we know the answers lay beneath that darkness. We aren’t afraid of the dark nor what’s inside of it!”

“Heh, wonderful spirit you have there, admirable. Loyal, but you ain’t gonna make it down there. Stopping the tremors? No, only the Gorgon… Wait, no… Don’t tell me… No!” His eyes had fallen upon Pinkie Pie and both of the guards took up their arms right away.

“That’s why he’s so angry at us, he hasn’t found you yet! You were supposed to be his dinner for a very long time ago! Go, all of you… Go! You aren’t welcome in the city of the king! Go before we do you all something!” the guard bellowed to them.

“Can’t we talk about this for a moment?” Rarity answered as she took a step forward. Only to just miss the lance hitting her. “Oh, kay, not going to happen I presume.”

“Make haste in leaving the city… The Gorgon One is always lurking and hunting, he is condemning us all to Tartarus if he doesn’t get her!” the guard shouted as he forced all of the mares to go out of the metal box.

Twilight couldn’t help herself but to found herself intrigued by the culture of the creatures. But even she had to run all the way back to the crossroads. But the guards continued to walk after them, their weapons drawn and almost pointing them through their backs. “You ain’t gonna give up, are ya?” Applejack whispered towards the soothsayer.

Who on her own turn gave of a nasty looking grin. “Oh, just you watch me,” she said before her horn coated itself within the raspberry aura.