//------------------------------// // Chapter XXIV // Story: Journey to the center of Equestria // by Rarity Belle //------------------------------// The words of Applejack still flowed richly into her ears. Twilight had walked further into the comfortable looking lounge. She then closed the door behind her while her eyes looked to everyone. Nopony needed to exactly know what was going to be said against each other, if they could even understand the drunken tongues of the mares to begin with. The unicorn calmly made her way over to a free seating that was next to the hatted figure. Twilight had a rather good idea of just who that would have been. She gave all of the other mares a nod or two and a smile before she finally sat down. Her body was resting in the velvet cushioned chair and her legs went cross over each other. There they simply sat, like good friends waiting for something to happen. The admiral. The major. The doctor. The pirate. And then there was the soothsayer. It was a sight that was almost unbelievable for the mare. So unreal for her that she actually took a glass and drunk from it. Whatever it was, she didn’t know. All that she knew was that it was a rather strong beverage. The gasps for air that were made and the quick reaction of placing the glass back went accompanied by the difficult faces she made. It told Applejack more than enough. The admiral erupted out in a deep laughter as she slapped her own knee with glee. “Seems like Twi can’t hold her liquor! Hahaha, oh that reminds me of the ol’ days back on the farm!” It became almost instantly clear to Twilight that the mare of high responsibility had reduced herself into nothing more but a simple deckhand. Applejack was literally drunk as a skunk in her eyes. “Very, funny, Applejack. Can somepony tell me what it is?” Twilight asked the lot of them. Her eyes calmly went over each of the mares but all of them shook their heads. That was until she came to the hatted figure. The face was never seen and the body cloaked under a summer’s coat of purple fabric. Then it spoke up in that refined and lady-like tone. A voice that confirmed the thoughts of the soothsayer as well as stating just what she had tried. “That, is rum from the Great Plains. Helps to ease the travels that lay ahead. Strongest of the strongest, she’s been sipping from it all night.” An arm went up and in the palm of it laid a folded fan that pointed to the admiral. Twilight followed the directions and didn’t seem to be surprised by the facts as they were. “Yeah, I kinda had figured that little fact. Still, this stuff is illegal right?” “Hmhmhm, it isn’t. As long as you aren’t caught,” the refined tone of the mare spoke towards her. The soothsayer tried to glance under the lid of the hat but never saw a full face. All that she got to see were two little parts of sapphire blue circles that were lit up among the dark. She knew everything she needed to know on the matter. Yet there was another matter that required her attention perhaps a little bit more urgent than any other. “So, why did you bring it in the first place?” Her voice was curious about it. Twilight wanted to know more about it all. Just a moment she forgot that the ears of both the doctor and the major were also listening to her. The cloaked mare moved herself up a little bit more to Twilight in order to whisper the words in her ear. She didn’t found it the time to share the information with the others. Which was perhaps one of the best things that could have been done in the moment of time. “A peace offer. Believe it or not, but your clean, little admiral there, loves that kind of rum. It gives a harder hit than her own cider could have ever done.” "Wait, they have their own cider branch?” “Long story, too boring to tell.” The mare then returned to her seating and gave a cheeky smile from below the hat. “Have another drink, I don’t assume we shall be leaving tonight.” Suddenly was the attention focused upon her. Both the doctor and the major looked with a set of curious eyes. “What? You all know why we’re here right? To stop the tremors that, oh forget it. I’m not good at doing these kind of things. You know why you’re here and that’s that.” The words were true, each of them knew just why they were there at that given time. It was just that that particular mare spoke the words upon the matter that caught the two off guard. Applejack was too drunk to even notice a bit. For she had fallen asleep already because of the rum. A little something that annoyed the major perhaps a tad bit too much. “So this is the great admiral Applejack, when she’s sober she’s a whole lot more to the eye,” the mare said before she let out a chuckle. The glass that she had held another liquid inside of it that was being swirled around. Twilight’s best guess was that it was some kind of whisky. “You should see her when she’s sobered up, Rainbow Dash.” “Oh, you still remember my name,” the blue pegasus chuckled up. “One doesn’t tend to forget something when it’s said to one when facing the barrel of a flintlock,” replied Twilight with a calm tone. Another drink was poured for the soothsayer then. “Come again?” “Nevermind.” Hours had gone by while the four mares kept on drinking and talking about the events that were to come. Events that possibly would be changing their lives in manner they had never seen. Yet the identity of the mysterious anthrony was never given off. Not even a name came forth out of her. Which made Twilight wonder if they had actually and properly introduced themselves to each other. Though it would have been a matter for a different day. The night was chiming in and they needed to be gone at first light. Or that was the plan at least. “Ladies,” said Twilight eventually. With it had she gained the attention of two drunk mares and one relatively sober. “May I suggest that it is for the better if we decide to call it quits for now and meet one another at first dawn tomorrow at the restaurant? Tomorrow is going to be a long day and we need to cover a lot of ground.” With disagreement stood each of the anthronies up. They didn’t had the desire to go as their times together were rather pleasant. Yet to everything had to come an end which was a fact they all know all too well. Rainbow Dash gave a punch in the stomach of Applejack who shocked up and suddenly was wide awake. “Wha, what?” she questioned before noticing that everypony left. She knew what time it was and almost quietly followed them up. Twilight was the only one who remained in the lounge for just a bit longer. She had to make sure that each of them actually would be leaving and not had gone straight into yet another bar. With the door that fell in its lock had Rainbow Dash locked herself off from the world. With her body undone from her clothing and her travel attire ready to go, she dropped herself into the bed with nothing else but her underwear. The room was cool by temperature as she snuggled up against the heavenly bed. It almost felt like the thing was made out of the clouds from Cloudsdale itself. “Always watching the details, those Canterlotians,” she mumbled to herself. A massive yawn left at almost the same time. She was tired and she knew it. There was nothing else that could be done outside of closing her eyes and gain some sleep. The mare didn’t wanted to think about the travel they would be doing the following morning, let alone the thousand and one manners their journey could actually end. The hurricane that raced through her thought ceased to be. As quickly as she laid down in her bed, that fast she had also made the departure to her dreams. Rainbow Dash had fallen asleep with a massive grin going across her face as the light of the moon managed to penetrate the windows. In another room had Applejack arrived and she just dropped her body on the bed. But instead of falling down, she had actually maintained a sitting pose upon it. She looked at her bags filled with clothing, washing gear and whatever else she had packed in the hurry. Despite being drunk, the admiral could still think quite clear for herself. The clothes were removed from her body before she changed them in for a naval pajama. One that covered all the areas of her body and just had a comfortable feeling for her. It was her favorite pajama in fact. One that had been in her possession ever since she first joined. Yet the time to think about all of the adventures she had in her younger days wasn’t there. Instead she reached over to the nightstand and took a picture in her hand. That same hand was then brought before her and the image on the photo was revealed to her. It was an old, black and white picture of one of the happiest moments in her life. Her older brother, her beloved grandmother and her sweet little sister as well as herself all standing before the family’s farm. It was a scene that brought both a tear and a smile to her. “Ah hope Ah’ll be seeing that barn again soon enough. Mom, dad, wherever ya are, watch over us, Ah’m begging,” she whispered up to herself.  A kiss was given to the picture. Only after that could the admiral finally get the much needed sleep she required. In yet another room had the doctor made herself comfortable. She wasn’t tired, instead she was nervous as all hell. Finally had the time come for her to prove to others just where her sense of duty laid. Though it came with a massive price as the tears were flowing out of her eyes like there wouldn’t be any tomorrow. She was out of her comfort zone, gone out of the environment that she knew the best and just dumped into an adventure of action and excitement. Stress she could live with, action itself on the other end was something she wanted to forget as soon as possible. “C-Come on Fluttershy, you can, you can do it,” the mare whispered to herself. She even tried to make the tears stop falling. Something that was a little bit easier said than done. The yellow skinned anthrony quickly turned herself around as the hand covered her mouth and the other held the elbow. She was desperate for the times to come and she had all the right to be. With her tears still flowing did she made the decision to just watch over the city bathing in the lights of the moon. Perhaps it would have been enough to calm her thoughts, or sooth her to actual sleep. Somewhere in another room had the hat wearing figure made her little home. Finally she finally dared to remove the hat from her head. The head was given a couple of shakes before the purple hair fell freely back into a series of curls. The coat was unbuttoned even further before taken off which revealed the white blouse beneath it. It was nopony else then the pirate captain herself. Rarity Brittenburg stood in the room while her eyes went shut for a moment. A deep exhale was taken by her while she held one hand carefully before her belly. The magical aura began to surround both her horn and her hand as the eyes were closed firmly. What followed next was a moan and a groan that came from pretty much the very soul of the mare. She seemed to be in a sort of pain that just wouldn’t go away no matter what she tried. “Oh, if I could only, repay you for that,” she muttered in a whisper. One that was followed by a groan. After a mere minute would the aura disappear once more and the unicorn would undress herself even further. Her boots were thrown by her sack of stuff as the blouse was placed over a chair in the room. Yet below the blouse she wore an upper body covering black top. The unicorn had one last look over her gear before she dropped herself into the bed, hoping to be granted some sleep for the short night. And finally there was Twilight, who could be found pacing up and down inside of her room. Thoughts ran wild, ideas came and went to her. Ideas of doom and heaven went past each other as if they were nothing. With her hands behind her back and her attire changed that screamed she was ready to hit the hay, she just wouldn’t allow herself. The unicorn was riding on so little sleep that the boundaries of both reality and her own mind were becoming blurry. She hadn’t drunk much alcohol that evening yet her mind seemed to be screaming that she had done it. It was a thing that just drove her crazy. “Enough!” she screamed to herself eventually. Her body was dropped on the heavenly bed as her face planted itself right in the pillow. “Enough, enough, enough, enough!” she continued to repeat as the storm of thoughts needed to stop. She wanted it to stop more than anything else in the moment. That hurricane of thoughts that had tormented her for so long already. It made her sick to the very bone. Yet the worst part was the fact that there wasn’t any magical spell that could lighten up her pain. From the looks of it and in her own words, she was both blessed and cursed. Time would tell whether or not Twilight would be sleeping. And for how long. ~~~~                       The following morning had everypony gathered themselves at the restaurant. Most of them were taking a cup of coffee in order to wake up even further and wash the booze away. Only Rarity was having a cup of tea, which she calmly sipped away. All of them were wearing lighter versions of their normal attire or just casual hiking clothes. They all knew what day it was and despite the sun being up for so long already, there wasn’t any trace of Twilight to be found. Which caused Rainbow to nearly constantly look around and eventually mutter the words that were on everypony’s mind. “What if she just bailed out on us?” Applejack was eating a slice of bread with cheese at the moment. She shook her head to the statement. “She wouldn’t,” she said with a mouthful, which was in great disgust of Rarity. “If she really wanted to leave us, why bother getting us in the first place?” The admiral did have a point in the eyes of the major, thought the situation still remained one and the same. It was a strange one to say the least. Fluttershy took another sip of her coffee as she wanted to reply on the matter. Though she then fell silent again as she looked into the rims of Rarity. Something about them mesmerized her. Not in a way of love but in the way of curiosity. The troubles of the soul seemed to be written right in them for her idea. Eventually came Twilight rushing into the restaurant while everypony was long done. She panted like mad and had stopped at the head of the table. She looked like an absolute mess. Her hair and tail were going in all directions while her face looked like it was hit by a train or something. It surprised them all that she still had managed to get her clothing right. “S-Sorry to keep you all, waiting here. But I have, I have been, busy.” Twilight struggled to get her words out . Not only did she stumble over her own words, but also said them through the gasps for air. “Give, give me maybe, five more minutes to calm down, then we’ll see further.” All of them could understand it and the unicorn dropped finally down in a chair of her own. She levitated the pot of tea and the plate of bread over to herself before she finally began on her breakfast. The night had been rough for Twilight as she constantly saw that spinning ball of magma or that dying star every time she closed her eyes. It drove her to madness and possibly a lot further beyond. Sleep wasn’t something granted much to her so she had to use spells to fight off the tiredness. Which in and of itself only dropped her even further down the vicious circle. “Now,” the soothsayer began after she had taken her slice of the breakfast and charged up her horn. “I hope that all of you have packed your gear. We shall not be carrying it ourselves though, instead we place it in a void storage.” “Void storage?” repeated Rainbow questionable with a raised eyebrow. Never in her life had she even heard about such a thing, neither had Fluttershy in fact. “It’s a distortion in spacetime,” added Rarity from under her hat. She rose her head up just a little bit to look the others in the eyes as she continued her words. “Unicorns can bend the reality around them to their will, create little pockets that only they can access within one universe. A void storage is in essence an endless warehouse. Though once in, only the caster can pull it back out.” Twilight was even surprised by the fact that Rarity knew so much about them. Never had she expected that the teachings of the storage was given outside of the soothsayers. “You’re almost right though. It has never been tested in recorded history that another anthrony or being has been physically locked inside a void storage. Don’t worry, your stuff will be safe. No risk of it being stolen, and no weight to carry around. I predict a lot of running to come.” Whether they liked it or not, each of them had to give off their luggage by Twilight. Only to perhaps never see it again if she spoke lies. It was a thing that none of the mares liked for the right reasons. Yet if the alternative was wandering with bags and sacks of dozens of pounds, they had their choices made rather quickly. When the sun stood in its midday position had the company finally left the safety of the hotel. They were just wandering towards the edge of Canterlot. It was actually a little bit funny in the eyes of Rarity. She just wandered through the city and not being chased by anyone. Then again, she hadn’t done any shoplifting, yet. What she did do though, was looking her eyes out on everything that stood on display while Fluttershy walked behind her. The shy pegasus formed the rearguard and the one who almost constantly had to get Rarity’s attention to keep by the group. It was perhaps the only flaw that the pirate captain had. The little fact that she was obsessed with shiny things. And everything in Canterlot was pretty much all so shiny. Then it finally came into their view. The very archways that went over in the walls. Walls that would be going all around the city in order to protect it. The gateway of the world came before them. Once they would have gone past it, there wouldn’t be any way back for them. Not until their job was done in one way or the other. Each of them had a look at the massive stone archway and the massive engraved anthrony guards inside of the solid granite. They just looked as marvelous as they always had done. The protectors of the city, the saviors of the land. At least that was the legend made up behind them. Silence overtook all five of the anthronies as they passed the archway. Twilight began to whisper a prayer to the both of them with the hopes of a good and safe trip as well as a return. Only to have it end with her drawing the symbols of both the sun and the moon quickly in the air. All of the others wondered why, but they knew it wasn’t their rightful place to actually question it. If Twilight believed in the goddesses as much as she said she did, who were they to deny the facts as they were? ~~~~                       They had long been gone from the city of Canterlot as the question of questions was being asked to Twilight. The question that was burning in the mind of every anthrony that was with her. Yet out of all of them, it was in fact Rainbow Dash who was the first to open her mouth. “Hey Twilight, did I got it right? Anyway, where are we heading for now?” They were walking down the paths carved out into the mountain down to the foot of it. Applejack’s metal leg had troubles keeping itself together from the sometimes steep drops that it made. Which then always resulted in her muttering and turning some valves on the back of it. Though the question of Rainbow Dash still wasn’t answered. Twilight was walking in front of the company as she allowed a gentle sigh to be released from her nose. “You wouldn’t believe it even if I showed you. But, we’re heading to the Frozen North,” the soothsayer said after she had turned her head around to face them all. None of them could believe that they would be going there. The disbelief was actually and clearly readable in their eyes. Even Rarity rose her head a little bit to look the soothsayer deep in the eyes. “And why don’t we just take the train to it?!” Rainbow then exploded. There wasn’t anything that Twilight could have done against it, she was scared of it. An angry pegasus was capable of doing a lot of unpredictable things. All eyes were suddenly aimed at Rainbow as her wings sprung open and flapping angry. Yet out of the company was it Applejack who laid a hand upon the major’s her shoulders. “Ain’t no train going up there, partner. Only way we can reach the Icy Plains is by walking. Ya can go fly if ya like, but do ya like waiting days for us to arrive? Besides, now ya can enjoy the views of Equestria for a change.” The only response gotten out of the pegasus were inaudible grumbles that didn’t even make sense to Applejack. It was the same Applejack who gave a gentle smile as well as a nod towards the pegasus. “Good gal.” Hours more had they kept walking without pretty much a single sound being released by any of them. Something which made the road ahead even longer than it already was. Perhaps it was considered a massive saving grace that none of them asked how long it still was. Though Twilight knew to be careful with what she thought. When one spoke of the devil, it is said that he actually appears. So she tried to set her mind on other things that didn’t had anything or much to do with the trip that laid at hand. There was of course the matter of them not having introduced each other properly to one another, let alone Twilight having done it to them. With the exception of Applejack knew nopony of the company who she was and what she did. To them she was some crazy lunatic who told them that she knew a manner of stopping the tremors that caused Equestria to be in such turmoil. So as they left the foot of the mountain far behind them and made their way over to the plains that stretched themselves to the horizon, the time was there to give a proper introduction for a change. The soothsayer turned herself around and actually began to walk backwards as she said the words that she had to say to them. “My name, is Twilight Sparkle. I may look like an idiot to a lot of you because I’m a soothsayer. You might say that there isn’t any use for me anymore in this land. Perhaps. But what I do know, is that if there is a way to make these tremors stop, us five shall be able to find it.” “What’s the meaning of this, introduction, of yours?” asked Rarity curiously. In her own mind couldn’t she fully understand what was going on. She wasn’t alone in the matter though. For neither Fluttershy nor Rainbow Dash actually had any form of idea about what was going on. The soothsayer rolled her eyes a little bit to each of them. “It’s so you know who and what I am. I don’t think you had a lot of time yesterday to get to know one another.” That statement was something that caused Rarity to chuckle a bit in herself. “If I may counter that argument dear, there are three kinds of anthronies that always speak the truth. Foals, angry ones, and drunk ones. Believe me, before you arrived and out of personal experience, I have gotten a bit of information about all of them,” the mare said under a gentle grin. “While that might be true, Rarity, it isn’t the other way around, I’m afraid.” Those words alone were more than enough to make the pirate shut herself. “Thank you, if you want.” She then pointed gently to Applejack who knew exactly what time it was. “Well, might just give it a shot,” she said to herself. What did she had to lose anyway? She gained the eyes of all of them. “Mah name’s Applejack, born and raised in the southern parts, joined the navy and through years became an admiral. Now Ah’m stuck here, looking for tremor sources. Something different Ah’d say.” The company nodded calmly towards her. She did spoke the truth about the change. Though it also meant that another anthrony had to say their words. Applejack knew exactly who she had to point to. Her finger almost seemed to be stopping at Rarity who quickly managed to dodge it. Which resulted in Rainbow being chosen as the next victim of the always humiliating introductions. With a deep sigh she gained the eyes of the other mares. “Fine,” she nagged before she took a jump and began to levitate above them. “Name’s Rainbow Dash, major of the C.A.F., I think you all know what that means. Born and raised in Cloudsdale and here for the same reasons as missy naval over there.” “Oi!” Applejack growled up. “Oh and, one last thing: don’t get on my bad side,” added Rainbow then quickly. She glanced back in the eyes of the admiral with a smirk. Applejack let it go for that time, it wasn’t worth the fuzz. The next anthrony who was chosen was Fluttershy. Yet the mare almost instantly hid herself behind the flocks of hair that hung before her face. She was terrified. It was a fear they all had, but amplified about a zillion times. There wasn’t much to the introductions though, at least in their eyes.  With a comforting expression in the eyes of Twilight was the courage scraped together. Finally there would be the words they would be waiting on. “I’m, I’m Fluttershy and I, I’m just a medic who runs a h-hospital. Also, I’m a… A…” “A what?” Rarity then interrupted with a stern sounding voice. Something which caused the shy pegasus to yelp a little bit before she retreated as far back in her hair as possible. The pirate captain knew instantly that she had done something wrong yet couldn’t really place it. “N-Nevermind,” was the only word that was being added by Fluttershy. Though it was spoken in such a low and quiet tone, that it almost seemed she hadn’t spoken it at all. "Which brings us then to you,” replied Twilight quickly to Rarity. The white unicorn had managed to betray herself by saying the words to Fluttershy. It resulted in a grumble being released by her. A grumble that was followed up by a sigh in defeat. She had given in. “Fine then, have it your way again,” she muttered against the other unicorn. With one graceful motion was the hat removed from her head. Which then allowed the hair to fall back in its curly nature. “The name, is Rarity Brittenburg. One that may not say much to you. As my alias is much more well know. I’m the captain of the notorious vessel named ‘The Vengeful Belle’. Yet now I’m here, stuck because she called me in. Any questions? No? Good.” Everypony instantly knew who she was at the naming of the vessel. Both Fluttershy and Rainbow had heard of the infamous captain that went by as White Widow. Yet they weren’t as shunned by the introduction as Applejack. The pegasus luckily never had a run-in with her. Something that was best left that way. Fluttershy was even becoming more interested in the unicorn than that she was scared about her. Which was something that almost had never happened before the warning came from the mare. “I don’t want the revelation to be spilled outside of this group, alright? Many want my head, and I intend to keep it.” Rarity said to all of them in a dead serious tone. Each of the pegasi knew that if she was anything like her reputation said, she would be doing anything to keep her head attached to her neck. Both the major and the doctor gave a nod to the pirate captain before she let out a small smile. “Good, glad you both agreed on that.” The introductions were finally over and the silence was a thing that returned in pretty much full force. They just didn’t have much that they could even be talking about in fact. Twilight’s thoughts began to race again through her head as she wasn’t allowed to do anything else. None of them seemed to be willing for a break yet and before them they gloomed. They gloomed on the horizon like predators lying in wait. The treetops of the woods of Everfree. Would they be going around it, or go straight through it? Both weren’t an option in Twilight’s mind. Time progressed further and further, the distance to the forest became shorter and shorter as Applejack and Twilight had separated themselves from the others. With the evening having fallen in, they made the decision to set up their camp on the plains. Both the earth anthrony and the unicorn had settled down on a fallen tree trunk as the words of thought were spoken in all truth. "Ah say we go ‘round the forest. Ya know what it did last time to us right?” the admiral said to her. And she did have a point on the matter. “Clear skies are said to last for days, so we won’t be accidentally getting too close.” “That’s what I’m worried for actually. That forest is evil, Applejack. Everything you fear, multiply it by a thousand and covering an area as big as your imagination and you pretty much have the essence of Everfree. No, around it isn’t really an option. We’re on a deadline here. I don’t know when it’s going to blow beneath there.” That was a new fact for Applejack. She knew that their journey wouldn’t be an easy one, yet the words Twilight said didn’t make sense anymore. “Beneath? As in, underground? Twilight, where are we heading too? Actually, heading to.” “If I only knew Applejack.” Twilight then turned her head over to the camp where she saw the other three preparing their dinner. “If I only knew…”